|
|
My Top Ten Quilting Tips
So many people have written asking how I manage to get a quilt
made a week. So here's my top ten hints on how I get quilts done!
1. I have a room just for sewing, right next to the kitchen and
away from the bedrooms. I can dash in there and...
Starting Your Business: 3 Tips for Bootstrapping Your Way to the Top
Bootstrapping a business startup does not necessarily mean that you are unable to find traditional sources of capital. It may mean that you are clever, or that you know a bargain when you see it, or that you are the type of person who derives a...
Top 5 Tips to Have Them Lining Up At Your Trade Show Booth
You've jumped through all the hurdles and management just
approved the budget for the trade show booth you've been dying
to do for ages. You just high-fived your team when it hits
you-you don't just need a trade show booth, you need that...
Top Ten Tips About Communication with your Employees Effectively
Employees need to have the most effective communication directed at them to ensure they deliver. Yet managers in business and organisations so often fail to grasp the basics. These Ten Tips will help you to get the message across the most...
Why Are We Giving Away These Trailing Stop Loss Tips for Nothing - This Is Not A Misprint
A trailing stop loss is very similar to a stop loss, but where
the one kept your losses small, the trailing stop loss will
enable your profit growth.
A trailing stop loss is calculated in a manner like the way we
calculated our initial stop...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Top Five 2003 Marketing Tips That Can't Be Ignored
When marketing your practice, as well as designing your brochure, web site, business card, flier, advertisement, or other marketing effort, we recommend investing the time and effort needed to effectively address all these tips. Not one of them can be omitted.
Tip #1. MARKET FOR YOUR DESIRED PROSPECTS, NOT YOURSELF
What looks good to you is not necessarily effective for your desired audience. This is the biggest mistake I see people make over and over again. The come up with an idea, they think it’s great, a few friends, family or nontarget market people give them the thumbs up and they run with the ball.
When it doesn't work, they just can't understand why. Do market research and test your strategies on your target market. Big companies do lots of market research before launching a product or service. The little guys don't have the resources to match this but that doesn't mean you don't do any. Even if you are an independent professional, you need to do marketing research. And market research isn't a one-time deal. It needs to be incorporated into your marketing system and it needs to be ongoing.
Tip #2. YOU MUST ANSWER THESE FOUR CRITICAL MARKETING QUESTIONS
Question 1: WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?
Is it immediately clear to the reader what is being offered? Any opaqueness, confusion, or question marks in their mind, even for a second, and they have moved on. They are gone and usually don't return. Don't be cute or clever. Make it simple and very clear. Cute and clever has a reference point now with S*P*AM or hype. Don't let them place you into that category.
Question 2: WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?
The big benefits are very clear and directly stated... not implied; the reader doesn't have to guess. The listener doesn't have to guess. Please come to you from all different stages of readiness and different desire levels. How do you handle each one when they arrive makes what occurs afterwards critical? It isn't what you perceive that they want, it is what they perceive what they want. Stop guessing just because you are too lazy to do the legwork to find out. Start asking and don't ever stop.
Question 3: CAN I TRUST YOU?
How do I know you are safe and credible? Can I find out easily enough if I want to? Is your photo and contact info prominently displayed so I can build a relationship with you? Put your photo on every page. If you want to, change the picture to show you doing something fun or different on every page.
People don't trust any more especially if all your contact information isn't on your web site. Put your phone number and address on ever page. It says you are credible. Put them in every ezine, in fact, put it at the beginning and at the end.
Create a safe place for them to be, a comfort zone. If you offer a complimentary session, realize that people don't immediately sign up for these because they aren't comfortable to. It doesn't matter if you think you are safe, it’s what they think. Step them into working with you feeling safe the whole way through the process. People are either boulders or blue birds. Blue birds are easy to convert to clients. Boulders need to know that they have a safe place to roll to before they will move.
Question 4: DO I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS?
Do I WANT to engage you? Do I feel COMPELLED to click my mouse or pick up the phone (or whatever the call to action is)? Do I feel good about myself in deciding to engage you? Can I trust that I'm making the right decision? What's my motivation? Am I being motivated by fear, shame, or being empowered to make a good choice? Am I so excited that I want to tell all my friends?
Tip #3. ALWAYS INCLUDE THESE THREE KEY ELEMENTS IN YOUR MARKETING MESSAGES
Element 1: POWERFUL HEADLINE This grabs their attention and lets the reader know what you can do for them;
the big benefit. Say what the biggest benefit is up front. Make it about them. Use attractive words that rock their boulder so they read more.
Element 2: COMPELLING CALL TO ACTION Your desired result is to motivate your ideal client to act immediately to engage you directly or indirectly and generate a prospect by getting their contact information. What do you want people to do? E-mail, phone, what? What will compel them to take action?
Element 3: OFFER THEM MULTIPLE CONTACT METHODS Offer a choice between e-mail, telephone, web site, etc, so your prospect can choose what is most comfortable to them. I have visited many web sites where I had to search for five minutes to find their contact information. I am a persistent person and I know that most others who have left after 30 seconds. Can visitors to your web site find your contact information in 30 seconds? Put the information on every page.
Tip #4. CREATE A SYSTEM
Design a marketing system that you can implement repeatedly. Make it as automatic as possible. Ask the most valuable series of questions to yourself, "And then what do you want them to do? And then what? And then what? Etc." If they visit your web site ask, "And then what?" If they subscribe to your ezine ask, "And then what?" And then when they do that, ask "And then what?" Keep challenging yourself to come up with the answers.
No, I didn't say it was going to be easy. When I work with clients, sometimes it takes months to create a system. Most people give up to easily. Once you have it set up and it runs automatically, you will understand.
Don't waste your time, effort, and money with one-shot deals or fragmented marketing activities. Leverage everything. If you use writing for publicity, don't just write an article once for your ezine, ask "And now what?" Send the article to past clients with a "just in case you didn't see this yet."
Tip #5: FOLLOW UP, FOLLOW UP, AND FOLLOW UP AGAIN
Following up is one of the biggest areas independent professional fail to do. Set up a follow up system that is a part of your overall marketing system. Make it as automatic as possible -- so that I can run while you are on vacation.
If you want to always have that "personal touch" with everyone, hire a virtual assistant as part of your system. Always have the next step planned and let your prospects know of future opportunities to engage you.
Working with many independent professionals this past year, including coaches, insurance agents, real estate agents, engineers, too many medical practices to mention, I found they never asked the challenging question I mentioned earlier, "And then what? And then what?" Etc. They did speaking engagements and there was only one "And then what?" and they stopped there.
Remember people are at different levels and need to build trust with you. Give them the ladder and the rungs to do that and they will.
Always contact your leads within 24 hours of receiving them. Contacting them a week or two later, they people have moved on. If they had an issue they need to solve that you had a solution for they had most likely already found someone and by-passed you.
Always follow up by e-mail, telephone, etc, multiple times. Yes, it’s true, 80% of sales are made after five or more contacts.
These elements will make all the difference in the world between struggling to get clients and becoming wildly successfully in marketing your services. They are worth investing your best efforts and getting the support you need to implement them effectively.
About the Author
Catherine Franz is a marketing industry veteran, a Certified Business Coach, Certified Teleclass Leader and Trainer, speaker, author. Subscribe to her award winning marketing, writing or attraction ezines: http://www.abundancecenter.com
|
|
|
|
|
TIPS - Timely Information Provider Services |
We provide tips and information in the following areas: tips.gif (1156 bytes) tips you can use:. Computers and Software tips. Politically Incorrect tips ... |
www.toptips.com |
  |
U. S. National Debt Clock |
Real time display of the US National Debt and current Fiscal Spending. |
www.toptips.com |
  |
Top Tips |
Top Tips is a collection of tips developed from ExtremeTech members. |
www.extremetech.com |
  |
Fishtank Humour - Article Tank - VIZ Top Tips |
VIZ Top Tips Article has been viewed 42626 times and mailed 114 times 823 users have rated this article on average 8.0. Rate this article . ... |
fishtank.org.uk |
  |
Top Ten Tips for Success at University |
Top Ten Tips for Success at University. Location, location, location... Serious about getting work done? Find a good location. ... |
www.sdc.uwo.ca |
  |
Andy Budd::Blogography: Top Tips For Freelancers |
Top Tips For Freelancers | May 19, 2005. If you’re a regular reader of this site you’ll ... Comments on: Top Tips For Freelancers. Jump to the comment form ... |
www.andybudd.com |
  |
First-time Home Buyers - Tips for First-Time Home Buyers - How to ... |
Buying a home for the first time can be overwhelming for many first-time homebuyers because few know where or how to begin the search. |
homebuying.about.com |
  |
Top tips for Outlook - Outlook - Microsoft Office Online |
Printer-Friendly Version Printer-Friendly Version. Top tips for Outlook. Applies to: Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 · Show All Show All · Hide All Hide All ... |
office.microsoft.com |
  |
Top Tips |
Top Tips, Help and Advice. ... Welcome to the Top Tips. If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. ... |
www.toptips.co.uk |
  |
Top Tips - Read Personal Finance and Savings Info at CNNMoney |
Send emails to toptips@cnn.com -- each week we'll answer your questions on CNN, ... Get Top Tips from Gerri Willis for saving and spending smarter -- every ... |
money.cnn.com |
  |
Givingupsmoking :: Top tips |
NHS Logo. Arrow HOW TO GIVE UP Arrow Top tips. Top tips. During the first few weeks of being a non-smoker, you're likely to experience cravings at different ... |
www.givingupsmoking.co.uk |
  |
TeleCulture's top tips |
TeleCulture's top tips. comments and info on cultural events, tech art, digital aesthetics, etc... Sunday, September 03, 2006. the first documenta ... |
www.teleculture.com |
  |
Top Tips for Camera Phone Pictures |
Top 10 Tips for Taking Great Pictures, Top Tips for Camera Phone Pictures. |
www.kodak.com |
  |
indg405 - Top tips for ladder and stepladder safety |
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML |
Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google recommends visiting our text version of this document. |
  |
Primary ICT: Whiteboard Top Tips | Teachers' TV |
Overcoming whiteboard phobia is the underlying message of this programme, as expert Simon Botten takes us through his top tips for novice whiteboard users. ... |
www.teachers.tv |
  |
Friends of the Earth: Campaigns: Waste: News: 50+ top tips for ... |
The Doorstep recycling bill aka Municipal Waste Recycling Bill moved one step closer to becoming law when it cleared the vital second reading stage. |
www.foe.co.uk |
  |
Talking Teaching: Top tips |
Articles on best practice issues · Hot topics · Reports from Teaching Awards Trust regional workshops · Top tips from teachers ... |
www.talkingteaching.co.uk |
  |
PR Top Tips from LEWIS |
www.lewispr.com/toptips/ - 2k - Cached - Similar pages |
|
  |
PC World - Top Tips for PC Hygiene |
PCs, like furniture, collect dust and grime--but unlike a chair or desk, your computer can malfunction if not cleaned periodically. Here's how. |
yahoo.pcworld.com |
  |
Top Tips - Consumer Advice - Institute of Plumbing and Heating ... |
Good plumbing systems and public health go hand in hand. This section gives brief details on conditions, diseases and water-borne bacteria/parasites that ... |
www.iphe.org.uk |
  |
|