Creating Customer Value In Your Proposals

Read any book on sales or proposal writing. Go on a sales training course. One of the first topics that will be covered is features, advantages and benefits. Ultimately, any proposal whether verbal or written down has to persuade someone to take an action and this is done by demonstrating the benefits of taking that course of action.

In a smaller sale, especially with products it is often easy to list benefits, but with larger proposals you will have to search harder to un...

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Read any book on sales or proposal writing. Go on a sales training course. One of the first topics that will be covered is features, advantages and benefits. Ultimately, any proposal whether verbal or written down has to persuade someone to take an action and this is done by demonstrating the benefits of taking that course of action.

In a smaller sale, especially with products it is often easy to list benefits, but with larger proposals you will have to search harder to understand the client’s business problem and explain the benefits of your solution – that is, how effectively and efficiently your solution solves their business problem.

Your solution should demonstrate not only value in price, but in the services that you offer. Value is the balance of cost versus benefit, therefore you need to be explicit in highlighting the benefits to the client.

Often when a contract has been lost, the client will tell you that you were too expensive – but no-one ever gets told that they won because they were the cheapest. It is the best solution that usually wins, the one that offers the best benefits. This may be the most expensive solution, but it still may offer the best value.

So how do you create customer value? Firstly you need to take time to understand the customer’s needs. When you receive an Invitation to Tender, get back to the client immediately with questions. Call them. Ask for a meeting. You may have been involved with the client pre-tender and have an understanding of their business.

You must be able to demonstrate an understanding of their business need in order to demonstrate that your solution will deliver the required benefits.

When writing your proposal, use content tailored towards the client and their business problem. We all copy re-usable text, or boilerplate in proposals – but customise it to the client. Include their name, especially in the executive summary. Let them know that the proposal is about them, not about you.

Directly address your customer’s issues and offer persuasive ideas with distinct solution benefits and support your arguments with evidence. When have you delivered a similar service or solution in the past? How did that client benefit? Demonstrate your ability to deliver on your promise.

Make sure a value proposition is clearly laid out and easy to understand. Can you include a return on investment model for the client? If so do it you are showing the client you understand how to save their business money.

Creating Meteoric Successes in Marketing

The Marketing Hits' Formula and its implementation method allows for marketing innovation that will be accepted with immediate enthusiasm by target consumers and will spread virally.

Keywords:

strategy,management,differentiation,competitiveness

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From time to time the marketing world is taken aback by huge, quick, unpredictable and seemingly inexplicable successes. These hits are products or services, entertainment locales or vacation spots, shopping malls or specialty stores that enjoy puzzling immediate popularity. There are incognitos that become hot celebrities, there are events, festivals or concerts that capture the masses, real estate development projects that evoke huge demand, or styles that become trendy. In nearly all cases, there are also new brands that are immediately adopted by the target population. For example, Harry Potter or The Da Vinci Code, Apple's iPod and the Blogs, the Hamptons in Long Island New York, Toyota's Scion brand, the Crest electric toothbrush and many more examples.

There are cases in which the reasons for a product's success are obvious. The success of Viagra, a product that has solved a serious problem for millions of men worldwide - is hardly surprising. Even the success of vacation resorts in Turkey - that have made accessible once a luxurious vacation style to a new middle class segment, is not a mystery. In contrast, in other cases the success of a specific product, place or person over the competition remains unclear. We have all observed the phenomenon of a packed and trendy caffe surrounded by apparently equally attractive but relatively empty coffee bars.

Research of marketing hits is not a new endeavor. Certain categories have accumulated much knowledge enabling planning and launching of hits with a practical probability of success. In the leisure and entertainment segment, companies such as Disney, Warner, HBO, and others have demonstrated such consistent capabilities in theater, television, music, toys, electronic games, and more. On the whole, secrets are kept closely. Many have tried to crack the formula of marketing hits successes.

Short sweet success

In the last few years, more and more sectors have become as high paced and as changeable as the fashion industry. The importance of hits for the success of companies has risen in sectors such as the following: automobiles, food, grooming, hotels, construction, entertainment electronics, software, and the list goes on. It even includes unexpected categories such as financial services.

Personally, I have begun my work in the marketing hits field in the latter half of the 1990's. I identified a radical change in consumer behavior and a dramatic rise in a new motivation that I coined "The Fear of Missing Out - FoMO". In extremely concise terms, FoMO turns consumers into serial seekers and adopters of the new (while inevitably forsaking the not-so-new). As such, one consequence among many is that FoMO nibbles at customers' loyalty to well-established brands.

Upon realizing that our efforts to preserve customers' loyalty are, more often than not, futile, I concluded that we were now in need of new tools to deal with a new consumer reality that is here to stay. Therefore, I have developed a comprehensive 'technology' of rules and tools for the development, launching and management of profitable, "Short-Term Brands (STB)". STB are planned short-term successes. During this development process, I conducted an extensive, in depth analysis of over 150 marketing hits in various and diverse categories. In parallel, I studied the accumulated experience in sectors that have learned how to methodically develop and generate such hits. In mid 2004, the results culminated in the "Marketing Hits' Formula" which is now a part of the STB armory.

The Marketing Hits' Formula and its implementation method allows for marketing innovation that will be accepted with immediate enthusiasm by target consumers and will spread virally. This formula has two major advantages: First, it is applicable to almost all categories. Second, it does not necessitate enormous marketing and advertising budgets (the most common method of attempting to instigate success within a short time frame).

Success has its Rules

The formula postulates that each marketing hit comprises of the following four elements:

1. Marketing hits are usually not large innovative leaps. The new product or service should be based in as much as 80% on a format that has been successful numerous times in the same category. The format assures familiarity, promises consumer satisfaction and minimizes adaptation efforts on the part of the consumer.

2. The product or service should be innovative by approximately 20%. This 20% provides the new experience, the uniqueness, the additional benefit or any other reason to switch from the current product, or to at least try it. This novelty should uphold the following two rules (3 and 4).

3. The product's novelty should address one of the "unsatisfiable" or "regenerating" needs (explanation to follow).

4. The product should include an element of "Cool", "WOW", and/or a "Twist" that creates a "viral motive", or in other words, will supply buyers with a good reason to tell other potential buyers about the product.

- COOL means 'right', fashionable and utterly current, perhaps even a bit edgy.

- WOW means arousing awe and excitement through an amazing design or by an outstanding and an unexpected level pf performance.

- A TWIST means something unusual in a surprising, intriguing and often amusing manner.

Hits are planned and managed short-lived successes (the duration of 'short' varies among categories) that are replaced by new hits. It is of utmost importance to realize that hits satisfy two types of human needs not catered for by long-term established brands:

"Unsatisfiable needs" - these are wishes that cannot be realized (not to a full extent), however, human beings will relentlessly attempt to fulfill them, while deceiving themselves that it is possible to do so. Amongst the unsatisfiable are the needs for eternal youth, irresistible sex appeal, grandness, omnipotence, domination, an ever-exciting life, and adventure (without investing the effort, taking the risk or paying the price). It is understandable that brands supporting such fantasies are bound to disappoint eventually and must be replaced by new solutions.

"Regenerating needs" - needs that require ceaselessly new fulfillments. Some of them are regenerating psychological needs, such as the need for attention from the environment, the need to renew oneself, to remain up-to-date, to discover, and to be tempted or seduced. There are also regenerating social needs including the need to signal involvement, belonging and openness.

We put the Marketing Hits' Formula to practice during the last half of 2004 and since then have gained experience in such diverse categories as pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, food products and TV shows, to name but a few.

Creating A Trade Show Budget

Setting up a display at a trade show is expensive business. You have to rent the space, create a display, promote it, stock it, and staff it. Before you decide to get involved, take a serious look at the costs of all of these components.

Start planning well ahead. You already know this, right? Keep yourself as organized as possible right from the beginning -- even before you book your space. You know how carefully today's brides plan their weddings. Months, even years ahea...

Keywords:

trade show marketing, trade show budget, trade show costs

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Setting up a display at a trade show is expensive business. You have to rent the space, create a display, promote it, stock it, and staff it. Before you decide to get involved, take a serious look at the costs of all of these components.

Start planning well ahead. You already know this, right? Keep yourself as organized as possible right from the beginning -- even before you book your space. You know how carefully today's brides plan their weddings. Months, even years ahead, they start thinking about the church, the reception, the dresses, the flowers, the cake. And of course, the cost. Well, you're the bride. Grab your planning book and start writing down everything you must do to get yourself ready for a successful trade show season -- next year's.

Even before you decide to go into a show or two, you should have a hard look at the costs and expected returns. This is why you create a trade show budget. Whether you admit it or not, everything has a cost, and trade shows are no exception. Remember that your objective is to make sales, or at least generate opportunities to make sales. So you have to view your costs in that light. Everything should be done with an eye on its potential return.

**How to Start your Trade Show Budget Planning**

The normal starting point for your campaign is the trade show budget. If you work from a budget, you have an outside chance of keeping your costs under control. Of course there is a certain amount of hocus pocus involved in budgeting for things like trade show marketing -- especially if you've never seriously done it before and have no track record to go on. Still, you should give it your best shot. This is not rocket science, and any research or analysis you do will be better than just "winging it". Try using a "brainstorming" process similar to the following.

First, ask yourself some BIG questions:

Question 1. Do I really believe I can recover my costs within a short enough period of time to make it "profitable" (make more than it costs)?

Answer 1. Like most promotion and advertising, until you've done it, you have little idea how successful it will be. First you will have to summarize all the costs, and then try to figure out how many sales you're likely to get from this sort of exposure.

Question 2. Do I have any idea which trade shows are more likely to be "profitable".

Answer 2. There are trade show directories and reports that can tell you about industry-specific shows. Usually they will tell you the number of attendees, and hopefully something about their buying habits. Find the relevant directories, and figure out some method of choosing between shows.

Question 3. Are there obvious ways to enhance my "Conversion Rate" -- the number of attendees who buy from me?

Answer 3. Yes, of course. Having an attractive, eye-catching display is a good start. Getting a good location on the floor will help. Setting up your booth properly will help you "process" the attendees more efficiently. Having a lead-gathering system will help you do more profitable follow up. Giving out memorable hand-outs will enhance your chances of being recognized later on. Training your booth staff could make an important difference.

Ask yourself a few more questions like this to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Then you'll be ready to start preparing your trade show budget.

**Let the Planning Begin - Selecting Appropriate Shows**

Begin by assembling the following information (and anything else that seems relevant as you go along):

Find a trade show directory for your industry (online is the best source), or check out the major trade show venues or exhibition companies. They will put you on the right track very quickly.

Select the 10 most promising looking shows — based on your "gut feeling" about their potential for your campaign.

Make a chart and list the five or six most relevant bits of information for each of your most promising venues:

- Location
- Date
- Number of attendees
- Geographic area served
- Target market (who will be attending)

Calculate Your Costs for Each Show

Now add some columns to your chart where you can list the costs that are specific to each show:

- Booth space cost
- Other space-related costs
- Travel costs to and from the show
- Things to rent or buy at the show (tables, power, etc.)
- Accommodation costs for booth staff
- Shipping costs for booth display(s) and materials
- Vehicle rentals required

**Campaign Costs when Entering a Number of Shows**

Now think about the actual "sales process" and make a list of what you will need in order to have a successful trade show experience. These will usually be things that will be used for several shows, so think of them as "campaign costs" that will be amortized over a number shows:

- Display booth design and production
- Product literature
- Hand outs
- Staff training
- Show promotion (free passes to clients, etc.)

If you estimate that your campaign costs will service 4 shows, then take these costs and add 25% of the total campaign costs to the cost of each show. That should give you a realistic estimate of the total cost of each show:

Cost to to Attend Show = Specific Show Costs + pro-rated Campaign Costs

**Calculating Your Break Even Point**

Now that you have a fairly clear idea of your costs, it should be possible to arrive at an accurate estimate of your Break Even Point for each show -- the number of sales you have to make to cover your costs.

For instance, let's say you calculate that your costs for Show A are $3,000 (including a pro-rated amount for the one-time costs such as the booth). And let's say you can relatively easily calculate your "gross profit" on each sale (gross sale amount minus out-of-pocket). For example, in the case of the wedding photographer let's say his gross profit margin is 50%, and the average sale is $1,000. That would give him a Gross Profit of $500 per sale.

In order to recover his $3,000 he will have to get 6 sales (6 x $500 Gross Profit on each sale)

**Factors Affecting Conversion Rate**

What are his chances of getting 6 sales from a specific show?

Well that depends. If our photographer goes to a wedding show with 1000 warm and willing blushing-brides-to-be battering down the doors of the show, then perhaps 6 is a conservative estimate. However, if the show has only 200 attendees, it might be much more difficult to get 6 sales.

But that also depends. A smaller show may have fewer exhibitors (less competition), will have a more intimate feel about it, will give you more time with each prospective client. And, of course it will cost considerably less than a bigger show -- so his break even sales point may be considerably less.

The same goes for much larger shows: more attendees (prospective sales), but higher costs, and much more (and more intense) competition. So the "conversion rate" (number of sales per 1000 attendees) will be lower. There will be more people, but they may be harder to sell.

Once you have a feeling for the idea of "conversion rate" you can start to see how other factors have an important bearing on it: the price of your service, the attractiveness of your presentation, the quality of your samples and handouts, and so on.

Every show and every product will have its "conversion rates", and the only way you can establish the numbers for your own business is to research, experiment, and constantly "tweak" your presentation.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to talk to friends and acquaintances who have trade show experience. Ask them about their own success rates. Ask them how many actual sales they get from a good show. Ask them which shows have been most successful for them, and how often they have broken even.

**Putting it together...**

The only way you can arrive at hard conclusions is by trying. That will allow you to establish a track record. If you think the numbers for a particular show almost add up, then take a stab. Go to a show or two, and when it is over do a careful analysis of your costs and returns. Then you can establish a reliable "Target Conversion Rate" -- a number you can seriously shoot for and expect to reach -- and then you're in business. Preparing a trade show budget for next year will be a piece of cake.

And of course, once you do commit to a show or two, your focus has to immediately shift to hitting (and smashing through) that Target Conversion Rate. Design a better display, have more impressive samples and portfolio books, fine tune your product, get some memorable handouts, memorize your sales pitch, take voice lessons, get a hair cut...

Creating Professional Proposals

Whether you are pitching your product or service to a multi-national firm or to the start-up down the street, a professional image can make all the difference. In this article, we look at how you can use the formatting features within Microsoft Office to create professional proposals and quotes that put your best foot forward. Using Microsoft Word, we& rsquo; ll walk through some of the formatting tips and tricks used by designers to give documents a professional layout and appearance (and you can do it all yourself for a fraction of the price a designer would charge.)

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David McAmis writes articles for Microsoft small business

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< p >Whether you are pitching your product or service to a multi-national firm or to the start-up down the street, a professional image can make all the difference. In this article, we look at how you can use the formatting features within Microsoft Office to create professional proposals and quotes that put your best foot forward. Using Microsoft Word, we& rsquo; ll walk through some of the formatting tips and tricks used by designers to give documents a professional layout and appearance (and you can do it all yourself for a fraction of the price a designer would charge.) </ p > < b >Begin with the content </ b > < p >To start, we need to look at what makes a proposal stand out. The content of your proposal should clearly state who you are, give a brief summary of your company& rsquo; s experience and detail the products or services you plan to provide, as well as the cost of these products or services. </ p > < p >Once you have decided on your proposal& rsquo; s content, you will want to create a new Word document and start creating your proposal. One of the easiest ways to make your proposal stand out is to make the formatting and style consistent throughout the entire document. Microsoft Word has built-in styles that can be applied to text in your document.</ p > < p >< b >Hint: </ b >If you are unsure of what content you should put into your proposal, you may want to check out the templates that are available on the Office Template Gallery for examples of proposals for different types of product offerings and services.</ p > < b >Create a consistent document style </ b > < p >When working with fonts and sizes within Word, you may have noticed another drop-down list to the left of the font menu. This menu shows all of the available styles within your document. To apply a style to a section of text, highlight the text and use the drop-down list to select a style. The font and font size, character formatting, etc. of the style will be applied to the text you have selected.</ p > < p >By default, Word has a & ldquo; Normal& rdquo; style which is the default for the text in your document, but there are also styles for headings (i.e. Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) that are especially helpful when creating a document with multiple sections.</ p > < p >You can use these styles to apply formatting to the different sections of your proposal (ie. & ldquo; About Us& rdquo; , & ldquo; Products& rdquo; , & ldquo; Pricing& rdquo; ) etc. to maintain a consistent look-and-feel to your document.</ p > < p >An added bonus is that by applying these styles to the different sections of your proposal, you can also quickly create a table of contents for your proposal by going to the first page of your document and selecting < b >Insert & gt; Reference & gt; Index</ b > and < b >Tables</ b > and then clicking on the < b >Table of Contents</ b > tab. You can then click < b >OK</ b > to add a table of contents to your proposal& mdash; it& rsquo; s that easy!</ p > < p >You can also add or modify the styles in use by selecting < b >Format & gt; Styles and Formatting</ b > to open the < b >Styles and Formatting</ b > side menu, that will appear to the right of your document. </ p > < p >You can use the drop-down list on each of the styles to modify the style, changing the font face, size, format, etc. Any changes you make to a style will be made to all of the text that has that style applied.</ p > < b >Add colour and images </ b > < p >In addition to a consistent look and feel, another easy way to make your presentation stand out is to follow some of the basic design principles. To start, you should limit your use of colour. It may be fun to change the text to be orange with purple headings, but in the end you are trying to create a professional image and convince the reader to buy your products or services. </ p > < p >As a general rule of thumb, the main body of your proposal should always be printed in black text, but you can use colour selectively to highlight text or make headings stand out.</ p > < p >Another way to tighten up your proposals is to limit the use of clipart and images. If you do choose to use graphics in your proposal, they should be relevant to the section of the proposal where they appear. For example, if you have a picture of the product you are selling, it is perfectly acceptable to include that image in the section where you are describing the product.</ p > < p >On the other hand, if you have found some interesting clipart and scatter it through your proposal, you will leave your clients wondering what the clipart has to do with the proposal you have presented. When working with clipart or images, less is definitely more.</ p > < b >Include headers and footers </ b > < p >The final touch to creating a professional image is to add some headers and footers to your document. The header and footer of a document are the place where you can put the title of your proposal, the date as well as your company name and page numbers. </ p > < p >To create a new header or footer, select < b >View & gt; Header and Footer</ b >, which will allow you to edit the header and footer directly on your page and type text in the space allowed. To insert a page number, click the < b >Page Number</ b > icon on the < b >Header and Footer</ b > toolbar. </ p > < p >If your proposal has a title page, you may not want the header and footer to appear. On the same toolbar there is a < b >Page Setup</ b > icon which will open up a < b >Layout</ b > property page. </ p > < p >Click the < b >Different First Page</ b > option so that you can create a header/footer for the rest of your document, without it appearing on the first page. When you are done editing your header/footer, click the < b >Close</ b > button to return to your document.</ p > < b >Check spelling and print</ b > < p >And finally, it goes without saying that you should proofread and spell check your proposal before you send it out (< b >Tools & gt; Spelling and Grammar</ b >). If you are sending a printed copy to the customer, you may want to have the proposal bound or put into a presentation folder.</ p >

Creating Power Phrases is as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

It's difficult to reach your buisness goals if you don't have the right materials and/or the information to help your buisness reach the success it's capable of. This article explains the power of phrases, and the easy ways to generate them.

Keywords:

marketing, power phrases, advertising

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Simple phrases can carry an impacting wallop! The key...keep it simple, yet powerful. Power phrases work because they effect the emotions of the reader. They allow the reader to FEEL the benefits that your product or service offers them.

Let's face it, we make emotional decisions about our purchases and then look for the logic to back it up. Hey, even the logic makes us FEEL like we've made the right choice! Yes, we'll use logic to justify our purchases, but the real motivator is the emotional impact the purchase evokes.

The Secrets to Creating Power Phrases
1. You want to become a pro at creating phrases that spur the customer's desire for your product or service? Write a list of all the benefits your product or service has to offer. Simply combine one or more benefits with high intensity action words and you're ready to go!

Here are some examples to get you started:

" Quick! Easy! And Rock Bottom Prices!

" Work You'll Love, More Money in Your Pocket, and More Time to Spend It!

2. High Impact words like: quick, easy, low-cost, enjoy, love, and help are key to creating statements that create dramatic word pictures in your customer's mind.

3. Many of the most powerful power phrases are made up of 3 words or groups of words in a series. These 3 word grouping produce a dramatic effect that emblazons itself into the mind of the reader. Some examples that might work for you are:

" "Save time. Save money. Get rapid results!"

" "Fast! Easy! Dirt Cheap!"

" "Sit back, relax, enjoy!"

" "Power, Performance, Endurance!"

Hey, it doesn't take a genius to create phrases that jump off the page, and demand action from the reader!

Creating Customer Loyalty For Your Business

Creating Customer Loyalty for Your Business

Strategize and Plan For Loyalty!

These four factors will greatly affect your ability to build a loyal customer base:

1. Products that are highly differentiated from those of the competition.

2. Higher-end products where price is not the primary buying factor.

3. Products with a high service component.

4. Multiple products for the same customer.

1. Market To Your Own Customers

Giving a lot of thought to your m...

Keywords:

customer loyalty, internet marketing, email marketing, website marketing, email loyalty programs,

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Creating Customer Loyalty for Your Business

Strategize and Plan For Loyalty!

These four factors will greatly affect your ability to build a loyal customer base:

1. Products that are highly differentiated from those of the competition.

2. Higher-end products where price is not the primary buying factor.

3. Products with a high service component.

4. Multiple products for the same customer.

1. Market To Your Own Customers

Giving a lot of thought to your marketing programs aimed at current customers is one aspect of building customer loyalty.

When you buy a new car, many dealers will within minutes try to sell you an extended warranty, an alarm system, and maybe rust proofing. It's often a very easy sale and costs the dealer almost nothing to make. Are there additional products or services you can sell your customers? Three years ago my house was painted, and it's now due for another coat. Why hasn't the painter called or at least sent a card? It would be a lot less expensive than getting new customers through his newspaper ad, and since I was happy with his work I won't get four competing bids this time. Keep all the information you can on your customers and don't hesitate to ask for the next sale.

2. Use Complaints To Build Business!

When customers aren't happy with your business they usually won't complain to you - instead, they'll probably complain to just about everyone else they know - and take their business to your competition next time. That's why an increasing number of businesses are making follow-up calls or mailing satisfaction questionnaires after the sale is made. They find that if they promptly follow up and resolve a customer's complaint, the customer might be even more likely to do business than the average customer who didn't have a complaint.

3. Reach Out To Your Customers!

Contact with current customers is a good way to build their loyalty.

The more the customer sees someone from your firm, the more likely you'll get the next order. Send Holiday cards, see them at trade shows, stop by to make sure everything's okay. Send a simple email newsletter to your customers-tell them about the great things that are happening at your firm and include some useful information for them. Send them copies of any media clippings about your firm. Invite them to free seminars or exclusive events. The more they know about you, the more they see you as someone out to help them, the more they know about your accomplishments-the more loyal a customer they will be.

Recommended Tool: Loyal Email

The Loyal Email solution enables businesses of any size to communicate directly with customers via permission-based email campaigns which helps companies save time and money while increasing sales and customer loyalty.

This solution is geared towards companies whom want to harness the effectiveness and cost efficiencies of email communications but do not want the hassles of managing their own program in-house. Loyal Email is a 100% managed service which doesn't require any additional investment in hardware, software or personnel. They take care of everything so you don’t have to. Get your own custom designed email marketing and customer loyalty program at http://www.loyalemail.com

Wishing you great business success,

Chris Swemba
Kinetica

Creating, Recognizing & Measuring Value

Price is what you pay - value is what you get.
Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Securities

Keywords:

marketing,coaching,networking,presentations

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Price is what you pay - value is what you get.
Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Securities

Deliver value that your customers recognize, appreciate and reward. If you want your customers to value what you offer - you must demonstrate that you value them.

Value implies trust so start by building trust. Always under-promise and over-deliver. Be known for keeping your promise and then some. Be honest. Never promise what you cannot deliver.

Don't confuse value with cost. A product's value is almost never equal to its cost. For example, your product might cost you $2 and you sell it for $10. The value to you is $10. The value to the customer will usually be more than the selling price. If it was only worth $10 to the customer then they have no motivation to buy. But if the value to them is greater than the selling price, they are motivated to trade their money for something of greater value. It may be worth $25 to the customer. Then they will gladly give up $10 of their money for the product. The more that value exceeds the cost of the purchase, the more the customer will want to buy from you. Always offer value that is greater than the price they pay. Your challenge is to ensure the customer sees much more value than their cost.

The Value Formula
How can value be so different from cost? Examine the following formula, then discover where you can concentrate your efforts to enhance value.

Total value = real value + perceived value

Let's take it apart to understand it. Real value comprises the tangibles. It is relatively easy to measure. Real value can be expressed in this manner:

Real value = function/cost

Function is what the product or service does in mechanical or analytical terms. Imagine you are buying a new car. If you are shopping for the best real value, you would get the most function efficient ground transportation for the lowest cost. You could measure the car's function factor by comparing it with the cost of your practical alternatives; public transit, car pooling, taxi, bicycle, limousine, various car models. You might wish to consider the costs of these alternatives in terms of time and inconvenience. What does your new car give you that these other modes of transportation don't?

Having determined the new car's function factor, you can divide it by its cost. Is its function worth more to you than its cost? If so, the new car has real value. At the end of your analysis you would buy the cheapest car. Not necessarily. Remember that what you are willing to pay for your car is based on the total value to you, which is a factor of both real and perceived value. So, sometimes without realizing it, you assign value to less quantifiable benefits and buy something that you like. Liking is not part of real value, it is part of a product's perceived value.

Perceived Value = belief x emotion

Compared with real value, perceived value is more difficult to measure directly. Yet it can have greater impact on total value. Perceived value is the product of belief times emotion. It is influenced by intangibles such as image, credibility, beauty and feelings - all the benefits you should emphasize in your marketing efforts. Emphasizing your perceived value is the surest way to differentiate yourself from the competition - and gain you more profit. Perceived value is what makes a brand name more valuable than a no-name. Nike is one example of a company that built a fortune on perceived value. As individuals we think differently, perceive differently, and place different values on things. Beware of that. Use it to your advantage. When your prospect wants to negotiate price, remember to build up your product's perceived value.

How can you enhance the value of what you sell? If you are only looking at the cost of paper and ink then you are forcing yourself to compete in the commodity game. Instead find ways to emphasize the value of your relationship, the creative, - the intangibles.
Always deliver real value too but compete on the perceived value.

Growing Sales Through Creating Connections

As a business owner it is your mission to develop a marketing strategy to offer your potential clients a way to improve their situation, solve a problem, provide more value, or open new opportunities to motivate them to buy from you. These ten powerful tools, taken from The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z will support you in creating meaningful connections with your customers and provide real time solutions to challenges of today.

Keywords:

business, marketing, customers, clients, sales, sales management, product development, strategy

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Your mission as a business owner is to develop a marketing strategy which offers your potential clients/customers a way to improve their situation in a certain way, solve a problem, provide more value, or open new opportunities for them which will motivate them to pick up the phone and buy from you. This requires that the focus of your marketing plan be placed on your customer - NOT ON YOU! Taken from The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z these ten powerful tools will support you in creating meaningful connections with your clients/customers and providing real time solutions to their challenges of the today.
1. Custom Assessments.

By using a tool such as Assessment Generator you can build custom assessments which will allow the visitors to your website the opportunity to engage with you while providing value which is memorable. With Assessment Generator you as the business owner will receive the basic results of the survey to see if clients are where they want to be in their lives or their businesses.
2. Online Survey Tools.

A well-designed online survey can greatly empower business, academic, and charitable organizations by finding out quickly what is on the minds of your current and prospective customers/clients. Creating an online survey can be extremely simple and convenient with a free survey tool such as Advanced Survey or Zoomerang. By designing a survey and sending this to your database, you can poll targeted groups quickly and in detail while obtaining real time results.
3. "Feedback" Hot Links.

As you update your website, author articles, or launch new products and services, add a “feedback hot link” to your site or to your e-mail signature. This link can state "Send me feedback" or "Send me your comments" and will automatically link to an e-mail which can be used for your website visitors to provide you with insight into what is working and what is not with your products and services. The key is to make communicating with you as easy as possible.
4. Weblogs With Comments.

A weblog is a simple yet compelling online environment, which will allow you to put your thoughts, ideas, and experiences on the web via a journal, photo album, or diary. With a tool such as Typepad you can provide your clients and customers with access to your online journal AND allow them the ability to comment to your posts. If you are blogging around a topic which creates discussion or a topic which can generate ideas for your new products and services, you will find that blogging with a tool which allows for comments will take your products and services to a more advanced and sophisticated level quickly and with the support of your customers/clients.
5. Client Scenarios That Create an Emotional Tug.

What are the typical challenges of your clients, what do they complain about to others, and what do they really want in life? Do they say things such as:
· I am a CEO, and I cannot seem to motivate my team.
· I am a pet owner, and I am looking for a Veterinarian I can trust.
· I am a Solopreneur who is working for a lunatic.
· I am a business owner who is looking to invest my money to double my financial wealth.
· I am a new college graduate, and I am looking for the career of my dreams.

By honing in on what's most important to your website visitors and actually posting these for the world to see, you will begin to connect with these folks in a way which calls the emotions to be tapped. List these client scenarios in bullet form on your website, and link each scenario to a very tangible benefit of what you can offer.

Example: If you are marketing to pet owners who are looking for a Veterinarian he/she can trust, link this client scenario to a special report on “The Top Ten Questions to Ask When Hiring a Veterinarian for Your Pet.”
6. Data Driven Landing Pages.

Landing pages, also known as “jump” pages in the world of marketing, are self-contained web pages that visitors are driven to for a specific purpose (usually for the purpose of collecting e-mail addresses.) Landing pages are very focused and usually contain a message, in most cases to allow you as the web host to determine what visitors click on as well as other statistics. A data driven landing page contains a form requesting the user to enter contact information, usually in order to get something, such as a free special report, newsletter, or to register for an upcoming event. By including a question on this page such as “What is the thing you most want in the area of _______________” (fill in the blank) you will be able to see trends of what folks most want, which can be key to the growth of your business.
7. A Research and Development Team.

A Research and Development team is a group of people you invite to join you in developing your products, programs, and services. Your R & D Team may be as small as ten people or as large as 1,000 people. It is recommended that you call on your R & D team at least two times per month, as they will provide you with valuable information about what is working/not working in your business, and they will tell others about what you are up to. As your business grows, you will want to continue to add people to your list so that you have a cross section of people, ideas, and perspectives from people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe.
8. A Mastermind Group.

The purpose of a mastermind group is to share thoughts, ideas, opinions, and information. To be successful in business, it is important for this group to be supportive and to care enough about you and your business to provide you with honest feedback about what they see is possible for your business. Spend at least one hour per week with your mastermind group, and use the feedback gained to grow your life, both personally and professionally.
9. A Product/Service Development Team.

Are you ready to develop a new product or service, and you just don't know where to begin or how to make it happen? If so, invite ten of the coolest people you know to support you in developing the new product or service in exchange for a slice of the pie once the product/service is launched. People love to share their wisdom, especially when they know that they are involved in development of something that will be financially rewarding in the end.
10. Risky Business.

One time per month, add one product or service that is out of the norm or a little bit risky for you and your business. Why? Because it will keep your mind moving and will allow your customers to sample something which is cutting edge and exciting! Example: You are a bookstore owner, and you host a “Mystery Night.” Invite the public to preview the 12 hottest mysteries by attending a masquerade party on the premises of your bookstore - loads of fun, intrigue, and excitement. A suggestion/comment box can be situated near the door, inviting guests to contribute feedback and ideas for the next big event for your biz.

For more information on the 90 Day Marketing Marathon program please visit www.90DayMarketingMarathon.com

© Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith All Rights Reserved

Creating Your Connections

Networking, for your home based business, is as much an attitude and a way of thinking as it is a skill. It is something that many people do naturally while others can find it quite daunting; but it can be learnt. When you acquire the mindset and master the skill of networking you will boost your personal productivity.

Keywords:

Networking, home based business, time management, business building, connections, net working, productivity, business development, tips

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Networking is as much an attitude and a way of thinking as it is a skill. It is something that many people do naturally while others can find it quite daunting; but it can be learnt. When you acquire the mindset and master the skill of networking you will boost your personal productivity.

There are any number of different networking groups and events that you could choose to attend to help lift the profile of your home based business. To make the most effective use of your time and energy, it’s worth investing effort in identifying and sampling groups that look like they might suit your personal and business needs – here’s how:

Choose the network. Decide what you’re looking for from a networking group and ask around. Find out what groups are available and ask for recommendations and opinions from people you respect.

Contact the network. Phone the organiser of the group or event and ask questions such as these to help you decide whether this is a good place to invest your time.

What types of people attend this event?

What industries are represented at this event?

How long has it been established?

What three words best describe this group?

Is there an opportunity to promote my business?

Does this network have membership?

If so, how does it work? What does it cost?

Visit twice before deciding to join. Allow yourself at least two opportunities to evaluate the network and to decide whether it is worth your time and energy. Sometimes your first experience may not be pleasant, and you may feel nervous, so give it at least two tries.

Commit to the events. When you do find a network you enjoy, schedule the time to attend and become one of the regulars. This is a great way to establish connections with people as well as to let others get to know you.

Get involved. Volunteer to help – serving on a committee or helping with an event is a great way to get to know people: help on registration, collect business cards, offer to be the MC or help to arrange an event.

Four easy steps for creating more customers

An article about the Four easy steps for creating more customers

Keywords:

sales, money, profit, business, customers

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If you are frustrated about generating small amounts of new business the chances are you should devote more time to obtaining references from existing satisfied customers.

Generating referrals can start at the very first meeting with a new client. Inform the new client about yourself and your business and tell them that you acquire many of your new customers through referrals and client recommendations. If you change the subject then try to remind the new customer of this again later in the conversation, the customer will not be surprised when you refer back.

Sales people, who don’t ask, don’t get and are often ignored. Clients will never give referrals of their own back. So try to get into the habit of always asking for referrals, what harm can it do. The right time to ask for a referral is when you feel the customer is completely satisfied with your services. If your order fell through for whatever reason but you felt you helped the customer with advise or guidance, contact them and ask for the referral still, if it was on their part the order did not materialise then the customer will more than likely fell some guilt and be happy to offer a referral.

Another way of generating great referrals within the same client group can be to ask if they have any friends or relatives or close working relationships with other companies. Everyone usually has good friends in other workplaces. Try to ask for at least three contacts form one client, this number has been proven to be a realistic but not an excessive amount of information to ask any one for. Be wary of exceeding this amount as you do not want to upset or irritate the one customer you already have.

If you feel that the direct approach is not working for you, try asking the customer if they will be prepared to do this for you. Once again if you have helped the client out for free, they will more than likely accept this request as a favour. Once again be wary of excessive use of calling in favours as this can work against you in the long run.

Using a referral form is a trick to use when asking for references where customers can write down client names. By simply handing over this form, your sending a two non verbal messages over, please complete this form and this is normal practice. Always get the full details you require such as a full name, contact number and email address. How annoying do you get when you receive a mail shot with your name spelt incorrectly.

When you make contact with perspective clients from your list, try to mention who gave you their name and number and always try to compliment the client on their products or services. If you become complimentary about the person you are talking to then this information can be documented and used as a good opener of you ever meet that person.

Please feel free to use my article in what ever format you feel most appropriate. Check out my other articles for free health, environmental and business related information and advice.

Creating Cash Flow with Old Inventory

Too much inventory ties up critical cash for your business. The key is to find the right price to move your merchandise. Slow moving items take up space and cash that could be used for more profitable items.

Keywords:

cash flow, inventory, small business, retail store, owner, pricing

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Being a retail consultant, there is a comment many business owners used. It is “I'm not giving away my inventory". It is most common among store owners that business is in bad shape. It is too bad that most retail owners don't understand about inventory. Inventory does two things. It eithers makes you money or costs you money.

You need to have sufficient inventory to be profitable. However, having too much inventory is a larger problem than too little inventory.

Too much inventory ties up critical cash for your business. It can also result in more damages to your merchandise. The key is to find the right price to move your merchandise. Slow moving items take up space and cash that could be used for more profitable items.

There are times you have to adjust your pricing strategy. For example, let's assume your retail price is double your cost. In this example, you pay $10 and it retails for $20. If it is a slow mover or discontinued item, what should be the new price? I would take 20% off for 1-3 months, 50% off and then 75% off. If you have to sell at 75% off, you will sell below cost. Cost should never be a factored in marking down an item.

I can hear you yelling now. I'm not giving away my inventory. You are looking at your inventory from the wrong perspective. Your product is worth what a customer will pay for it.

Using my example, let's say you sold your product at 75% off. How much did you make on that item?Your answer most likely was a loss of $5.This was based on a $10 cost and $5 retail. That answer is partially correct. The more correct answer is that you made $5.

You took an item that was producing zero and turned it into $5 cash. You can take that cash and space and use it for a profitable item. Many times a business does not have enough cash to buy the needed quantities of the best-selling products. If you take the cash from the poor sellers and use it for good sellers, you will more than make your money- back.

No matter how good a buyer you are, there will be items that don't sell. The key is to realize this and react before it ties up too much cash and profit.

An added benefit of taking care of your problem inventory is increased sales. You will get customers who will shop your store regularly looking for your markdowns. Many of them will buy your high gross items also. If you take care of your problem inventory regularly, your markdowns dollars will be less.

Inventory is critical to your business success. The key is to take action on the slow moving and discontinued. This will make your bottom line better in the long run.

Creating Brochures That Produces Action

Creating brochures that get action need not be difficult. A business owner must keep in mind that in creating his advertisement the marketing material should easily persuade a prospect to make an action.

Keywords:

brochures, printing, services

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An effective advertisement can prompt action at first glance. A business owner must keep in mind that in creating his advertisement the marketing material should easily persuade a prospect to make an action. Action, spirit, life – whatever you call it – must be in the marketing material to be able to catch dollars. Advertising is a reflex of the business world. And the business world is full of action – it is a warfare for dollars and cents and for advertising to accurately mirror business, should have a lot of action on it.

Creating brochures that get action need not be difficult. The first thing that you should consider in designing your brochure is its purpose. Is the brochure for advertisement? Is it a detailed product description? What kind of customers will be receiving your brochure? Keep in mind that brochures are created to attract a prospect’s attention. Just like an advertisement, brochures demands for attention and plays on the emotion of the prospect. It has strong visuals and a distinct call to action. The brochure that you will create should build interest and create desire for your products and services. It should be able to encourage customers to follow through by calling, returning a coupon or coming for a visit to your store.

Certainly, a brochure can attract attention and give detailed information. But oftentimes business owners have a hard time creating a brochure that accomplishes both. A detailed product information brochure will not encourage a prospect to call. Likewise, a lightweight sales brochure will not satisfy a call for more information. Thus, when creating a brochure it is important to define your objective clearly and use the brochure design to accomplish your goal. Remember that if you are sending the wrong brochure, you are just wasting your money and you are not enticing your customer to make some action.

Professional and effective advertising means creating marketing materials that achieve the highest possible return of investment. As much as the illustrations and the color of the brochure can entice a prospect to read through the whole brochure, the content should be given much attention as it will be the one that will actually market your business to the readers. The content of your brochure will change depending on the objectives you set. But just the same, the content should be honest, clear and compelling.

Oftentimes, action complements with quick reasoning. A paragraph or sentence full of logic is full of action for the strength of the logic is like a rope that grasps the mind at the first word and carries it along to the end. Without a doubt, it is hard to swing action in an advertisement unless you are familiar with your potential customers. Hence, this means work – plenty of work. If you want action from your readers, then as an advertiser you should supply it.

Creating a Professional Calendar

Calendars make great gifts for friends and loved ones. They make great gifts for friends and loved ones.

Keywords:

calendar, printing, services

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Calendars have been a result of the people’s effort to organize our lives in accordance with the sun and stars. The sun and the moon play an important part in the creation and understanding of the calendar. Today, it has become a hard thing to live without a calendar.

Calendars make great gifts for friends and loved ones. As much as electronic organizers help in managing your everyday affairs, when you want to present a product or stir a memory you would turn to the old fashioned calendar printing. Modern printing technology has made calendar printing easier and more affordable than before. Aside from the usual paper calendar, there are a lot of choices nowadays when it comes to design and color. Now that full color printing is common, calendar printing has become more fascinating and attention-grabbing. This printing technique has been an important advancement in the printing industry as it increases the appeal of any printed work.

Custom calendars are also a good way to attract customers, promote your business and track appointments. When you want to customize your calendar you can choose your own photo or images to include in the print. Likewise, customized calendar can help you keep track with meetings or due dates that standard store calendars don’t have. Putting your logo in the calendar and adding special event in it is a good marketing strategy. You can easily hand it out to your customers and prospects.

To achieve a good calendar printing you have to carefully consider the design and layout, the photos that you will use, and the printing technique. Choose the size and style of text carefully and use the right colors. You have a lot of choices when it comes to color but it is essential to use a design that does not detract from your images. When choosing the photos to use, make sure that they do not contrast your theme. Choose pictures that have plenty of color and interest. Remember that the photos will be displayed for a whole month so choose those that suit the season and your theme. If possible you can compile the images in a folder as you make your final choices for ease in editing and putting together the final product. And when you are already happy with your design, save it and print it.

Different printing shops have different ways of printing a calendar. You can ask their help if you are unsure of how to design your own calendar. Just remember to create a calendar that is really personal and unique.

Help and Guide in Creating a Useful Catalog

Creating and printing a catalog needs a specialized printing process. If you don't know what is the correct printer for your catalog ask for help from a catalog designer.

Keywords:

catalog, printing, design, color

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Catalogs, especially in business sector, are used as a promotion tool to advertise their products, services and also to attract buyers or customers. Catalog can be classified in to two kinds, a software or database catalog and a hard copy catalog. When we say software or database catalog, this is the kind of catalog which is made by computer programmers. As the name implies it can only be viewed by the use of a computer. A hardcopy catalog is like a brochure, magazine, and booklet, anything that shows pictures of products and listing of services of a certain company. However, these two is the same when it comes to use but they are different in function that is according to their purpose.

When making or creating a catalog both database and hardcopy is not simple. You have lots of things to consider. First you must decide what kind of catalog you want to create. Will it be a consumer catalog or a B2B catalog? Secondly, how many products do you want per page? Basically a consumer catalogs have from 1-12 while B2B catalogs may have higher density. Third, what other supporting elements do you want: order envelope, sales terms, table of contents, index, etc. Fourth, will the catalog cover contain products for sale, highlighted products, or no products? And lastly, how many catalogs will you need to print?

If you are able to answer these questions, you are ready to make your own catalog. But we are not done yet, because we are just starting in making a catalog. One of the most difficult things in creating a catalog is when you are conceptualizing your own design or style. You must have a vast amount of technical knowledge as well as skill when it comes to designing a catalog for printing. If you are having a hard time with this you can always ask for help from a catalog designer or from a printing company that has catalog printing services. You must look for a company that has produced catalogs and knows what they're doing. Also, confirm that the catalog designer has an opening in their schedule for your catalog job.

The last part of creating a catalog is the printing part. Printing a catalog also needs a specialized printing process. If you don't know what is the correct printer for your catalog ask for help from a catalog designer. Because these catalog designers are typically working with many printers and can refer you to the right printer you need. Or better yet, have them get the quotes for you. They speak their language and will make sure you are comparing the right numbers and specifications.

So that’s it, hope you have a great time creating your own catalog. Above guides are just pointers in designing and printing your catalog. Remember that it is always better to get the help of professionals when it comes to creating materials that would represent your business in the market.

Creating a Buzz on a Budget

When starting a new business most people are trying not to overspend. So one of the places they cut back on is in advertising which is actually very important when starting a new venture. We all can't afford a 30 second spot during the super Bowl but there are a lot of things that we can do that won't cost us a lot.

Keywords:

advertizing, creating buzz, marketing, website traffic

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When starting a new business most people are trying not to overspend. So one of the places they cut back on is in advertising which is actually very important when starting a new venture. We all can't afford a 30 second spot during the super Bowl but there are a lot of things that we can do that won't cost us a lot.


If you have a vehicle of some sort, whether a car, truck, or van, why not use it as a travelling billboard? You can start with magnetic signs, they are very inexpensive and if you do a lot of driving then a lot of people will see your signs. Now if you have a very nice car and your worried about the finish then what about plastic letters adhered to your window(s)? This can be very effective and very low in cost but you gotta think about this, when people stop for traffic lights, railroad crossings or just for a stop sign their eyes will scout the area. This is a very common thing that almost everybody does. Did you ever stop at a railroad crossing and see these signs that are stuck in the ground with advertising for a mortgage company? They're not being put there because they don't work.

in fact I know of several companies that are selling the service of putting up these signs for small businesses. Again with window lettering you need to use good ad copy have the domain saveupto90percent.com and I had this on my back window of my car. It aroused curiosities when people saw this that they came to my website just to see what they would save up to 90% on. With any advertising you don't want to give them everything, you want them to have questions in their mind so that they will visit your site, your store, or call you to have these questions answered. It's like when leaving a message on an answering machine. If you say to much then why would these people call you back?

When I had a retail computer store I wanted to build a mailing list of possible customer's so I started a raffle. When someone first filled out an entry they got a mousepad with my banner on it. These cost me less than a dollar each which I figured that meant that I had a dollar into each customer. The raffle was for a $1,000 shopping spree in my store and i collected entries for a year before I held the raffle. i then had the winner, which was an eleven year old boy, announced on the local radio. This kid's name was andy and he is responsible for so many referrals. The $1,000 shopping spree maybe only cost me about $400 but I did so much new business because of this promotion.

Business cards, another low cost advertising mechanism. don't just put your name and phone on them put your website if you have one, your email address, and a one line description of what your business does. Now the next thing that needs to be done with your business cards is a visit to your local book store. if you are a Real estate agent or a mortgage broker then go to the section where all the real estate books are and put one of you cards in the bindings of each of the books. somebody who wants more info on buying a house or obtaining a mortgage is going to go to the bookstore and start looking at all the books on this subject. then they will see your business card. If you sell to small businesses then put your biz cards in the section where people go for books on business.

another area is the magazine section. besides your local book store's what about in your local grocery store/ Do you have a store that sells gift's, what about the local airport, bus terminals, doctors office's? the ideas are endless but you have to figure that somebody will be reading these publication's and they might see your business card.

Regarding radio advertising, did you ever consider AM radio? I used to pay less than 45 per spot for sixt second spots. it was a news talk radio station that also played CNN headline news. People driving in traffic, listening to AM radio were all hearing my commercials. when doing radio advertising it is still expensive if you target certain shows but what i did was called blanket advertising. i would buy a certain number of spots per 24 hour period.

what about advertising at your local movie theater? In between movies, while you are waiting for the next movie, you see advertisments on the screen. These cost maybe a few hundred dollars but a lot of people were seeing them. In Nashville, TN. you could advertise in bathrooms. You have to figure that men using the urinals had nothing to look at but the tile wall in front of them. In Nashville their was a company that sold signs, billboards, in the stalls and above the urinals. it was very effective. i discovered this method when i was at a good restaurant and had to use the Men's room.

All the local Chinese restaurants and pizza places hire people to hang flyers on all the doors in a certain area. What about having these people hang your flyers at the same time? If your business doesn't compete with the local pizza or Chinese restaurants a lot of them will do this for you at a very minimal, if any, charge.

If you have a website and don't want to spend the money for advertising then make sure your site has good content. Articles about specific topics, Search engines love these sites and you will still get great ranking's. it may take a little longer than paying a company to promote your site but it does work. Look at my NosugarCoating site. The first page has a ranking of 4 but yet I never had the money to spend on Search Engine sumbmission service's or any other type of promotion.

Creating a Business Strategy

On a scale of one to ten, having a good business strategy rates about a fifteen!

No matter what kind of business you have -- whether you sell products or a service, as the saying goes, "if you fail to plan, then you're really planning to fail."

Keywords:

business strategy, plan,

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On a scale of one to ten, having a good business strategy rates about a fifteen!

No matter what kind of business you have -- whether you sell products or a service, as the saying goes, "if you fail to plan, then you're really planning to fail."

Creating a strategy can mean the difference between you working 60 to 80 hours a week all year long -- and then breaking even, or worse, losing money.

On the other hand, many successful entrepreneurs who have a strategy work fewer hours and make piles of money -- and they usually attribute their success to having a strategic plan and following it.

So what is strategic business management? Very simply, it's the process of defining the goals and objectives for your business, creating an action plan so you can reach them and then following the plan.

How do you create a strategic plan for you business?

1. First, know what your vision for your company is. If there were no barriers, nothing stopping you from taking your company as far as you could -- what would that look like?

2. Next, what are your company's core operating values? What are its guiding principles? In other words, why are you in business and how do you do business?

3. Now create a 3 to 5 year plan. Your long-term plan is based on the broad objectives that will help you get from where you are now, to where you want to be.

4. Develop a plan for this year. These are the specific objectives you plan to accomplish this year that will lead you closer to your long-term goals. Remember to be "SMART" when setting your annual goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-oriented). Include a list of the barriers that are stopping you from getting where you want to go. Figure out what resources you've already got, and what resources you need to get you past those barriers. And then create an action plan that clearly lays out how you will achieve your goals. Involve key employees with this part of the planning process.

5. Create a set of milestones or benchmarks. This is very important, so that you can measure your progress.

6. Share the plan with your employees, and anyone else who will be involved in the process. Your annual strategy is the roadmap that will make sure everyone ends up at the same destination -- but to be effective, everyone needs the same map!

7. Put the plan into action. Now that you have the roadmap, it's time to begin the journey.

8. Check your progress. Just like any trip, you need to check the map every now and then; to be sure you're still on the right road. If something isn't working, the sooner you figure it out and make the necessary adjustments, the sooner you'll be back on track.

9. Follow the same cycle next year. (Dream, Plan, Act, Check).

Creating a business strategy and following it will ensure that you enjoy the journey as much as getting to your final destination.

Creating an Effective Advertising Campaign

Talk to almost any advertising agency, or Fortune 500 company exec about advertising and promotion, and you will almost certainly hear the buzz words "fragmented advertising" and "consumer-centric campaigns" and long discussions about the many pitfalls and difficulties of creating effective advertising campaigns today.

Keywords:

advertising, campaign,

Article Body:

Talk to almost any advertising agency, or Fortune 500 company exec about advertising and promotion, and you will almost certainly hear the buzz words "fragmented advertising" and "consumer-centric campaigns" and long discussions about the many pitfalls and difficulties of creating effective advertising campaigns today.

What is fragmentation exactly? It's the increase in the number of available methods for getting your message to your audience.

One of the main difficulties faced by any entrepreneur is that advertising has changed and evolved over the last few years. It now includes visual, audio and electronic media.

In fact, if you do a Google search for advertising, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options available to you now -- if you just look at the options for your Website you'll find popups, popovers, audio messages, flash video, RSS, even animated "sales people" that can be programmed to appear right on your Website and interact with your customers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

So is traditional advertising -- which includes billboards, radio, television, newspaper and magazine -- dead?

Not by a long shot. According to one top advertising mogul, traditional advertising methods are still around because they still work.

The trick is to figure out who your target market is, what they want, and how they look for that information.

Mark Twain said, "Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising."

If you know customers, you can spend your advertising dollars on the mediums they use to look for answers.

If your customers are senior citizens who are not online, then focus the majority of your advertising dollars on the newspapers, magazines, television, and radio that they are reading, watching or listening to.

If your target market are working parents, you need to know how, when and where they get their information. Is it on the Internet? What radio stations do they listen to? What magazines are they reading? Do they watch television? When? Why?

So what are your best options for creating an effective advertising campaign?

Here are some simple steps:

1. Know your audience. What do they want? Where do they shop? What do they read? How old are they? Where do they hang out? Do they need your product or services? Can they afford your product or services?

2. Know your competition. Be prepared to do a little detective work. What are your three main competitors doing to advertise? Where are they advertising? How often? What types of advertising methods are they using? How long have they been running? Are you reaching the same audience? Is your message different?

Look at what they're doing right, and figure out creative ways that you can make your advertising just a little bit better, or differentiate yourself from the crowd.

3. Next take a look at what the "big dogs" in your field are doing, and see if you can adapt some of their methods to your target audience and your budget.

4. Know your message. What exactly are you trying to say? What do your customers want to hear? Why should they buy from you, and not someone else? Make every word count.

Chances are, your customers are much more tech-savvy than they were five years ago, or even one year ago. The Internet has made unbelievable amounts of information accessible, but it also has contributed to the "information overload" consumers complain of.

Another side effect of the Internet is that your customers have probably become used to getting "instant gratification" when they are looking for information, products or services. They want it, and they want it now. Are you giving your customers what they want, when they want it?

If you want to have an effective advertising campaign, don't try to be everything to everyone. Think of your advertising as a conversation between you and your one "ideal" customer.
Remember, if you're giving your customers what they want, they don't perceive your ads as a nuisance, they see them as a service.

Traditional advertising is not dead and you can use it to your advantage if you pay attention to who your customers are, and what they want.

Discover How to Make Money Online Creating Your Own Niche Web Site.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just get on the internet for the first time, and then without a lot of work and hassle, find an opportunity to get rich overnight?

Wouldn't we all start the so called opportunity and actually see the money be thrown at us just to be collected?

DREAM ON!!

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Article Body:

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just get on the internet for the first time, and then without a lot of work and hassle, find an opportunity to get rich overnight?

Wouldn't we all start the so called opportunity and actually see the money be thrown at us just to be collected?

DREAM ON!!

Why is it that everybody, and I do mean everybody, seems to think that this is the way it should be? Don't you think that we all would be driving that luxurious sports car, live in a mansion and be on holiday al the time?

So first things first, there is no way you can make money online without putting in the hard work, pay your dues like all of us and learn what it is all about. Now that we have cleared that, lets talk about how you can make money online!!

The first thing needed to make money online is your personal decision on what you want to sell on line, this seems logical but nevertheless it is extremely important, you need to sell something to create income. The best thing to sell according to recent studies is your personal wisdom. Nobody knows what you happen to know so this is a major advantage. They'll never be able to take that away from you.

Why would you start of where everybody else does, by joining some sort of guru program, where in the end, the so-called guru will be the only one actually making the money while you do all the work?

Step out off the mass thinking program and become an individual, there are several ways that you can take advantage of your knowledge and let other people sell that knowledge for you, this is what the affiliate programs are for. There are actually people out there who make it their main goal to sell other peoples products. Why not give them your product to sell.

How would you be able to create your own product you ask?

This unfortunately is where the hard work needs to be invested. The following steps need to be taken to make a irresistible product.

Find your niche product.
This can be done by using a free program called good keywords which can be found at http://www.goodkeywords.com. Once installed you should use the following three keywords. learn, training and buy. See which words grab your attention, where you've got some knowledge about and start writing. Try to write an Ebook of at least 100 pages to be able to ask the right price.

Set up your affiliate program.
You need an affiliate program to be able to process the orders sold by your affiliates, these programs also create the affiliate links for you. It includes a payment system and all the other things you will need.

Create an EBook, Tools and a Sales page.
You then need a great looking EBook and tools for your future affiliates to promote your products, these promotion tools should include: banners, text links, email text and if possible complete articles. Your EBook cover should look extremely professional since there is no opportunity for your customers to actually touch and feel. That's why it should at least look impressive. The same goes for your sales page.

Finally, find the best affiliates.
Once you've tested your affiliate program, tested your sales page, went through your EBook several times and actually made sales yourself, that's when you are ready to find your affiliates.

Creating Blissness From Your Business: Living In Rhythm With Your Heart And Soul

The word blissness came to me as a result of a challenge issued to me by my creativity coach. She was praising me on the progress I’d made in my fledgling business. I actually shuddered when she said the word "business," as it conjured up images of women in austere dark suits clutching heavy briefcases, sitting in endless boring meetings and never having time to do what they really wanted to do.

My coach suggested that if I didn’t like the word business, to think of a dif...

Keywords:

home business, create a website, new business, business, website creation, passion, intuition

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The word blissness came to me as a result of a challenge issued to me by my creativity coach. She was praising me on the progress I’d made in my fledgling business. I actually shuddered when she said the word "business," as it conjured up images of women in austere dark suits clutching heavy briefcases, sitting in endless boring meetings and never having time to do what they really wanted to do.

My coach suggested that if I didn’t like the word business, to think of a different word to call it. I accepted the challenge. A few weeks later, the word "blissness" blossomed in my mind and I gleefully chose it for my own. I know that teaching SoulCollage® workshops and building my website, KaleidoSoul, is a business, but I choose to call it my "blissness" because it is giving me something that I never had before: an opportunity to share my passion for SoulCollage® with the world in a way that creates money and spreads joy at the same time.

SoulCollage® is a personal growth tool (created by Seena Frost) that is a mystical, magical blend of self-discovery and the fun of collage. Each participant creates his/her own deck of collaged cards using magazine images that speak to the subconscious mind. A SoulCollage® deck has four suits that represent our personality parts, persons who have influenced our lives, animal energies that assist us as allies, and archetypes who resonate with and inform our life’s direction and purpose. Inner surprises abound as we interpret our cards and do soul readings with our decks.

I knew immediately on making my first SoulCollage® card that I wanted to create a business revolving around it, but I had no idea what this would involve. However, I was so passionate about SoulCollage® that I dove right in. I had no business plan, and my only goal was to share the wonders of SoulCollage® with as many people as possible.

The key to creating a blissness as opposed to a business springs directly from one’s passion (heart) and intuition (soul). There’s no way to create work that sings to you unless you are living that work from your own heart and soul. And in order to allow the flow of universal abundance, you need to be in touch with your own inner wisdom (intuition).

I began by avidly continuing work on my own SoulCollage® deck. The deeper I went with the process, the more excited I became about sharing it with others. I set up a few local workshops in eastern Massachusetts, and began teaching.

It soon became clear to me that I needed a website, so I did a lot of research and found SiteSell’s Site Build It (SBI), which not only has helped me build KaleidoSoul.com, but is helping me to market it as well. Getting KaleidoSoul up and running was a crash course in web design, internet marketing, keywords selection, and the basics of HTML, but I thrilled to the challenge.

After that, each step I’ve taken has come from following my intuition. This has been a real lesson for me in being open, aware, and listening at all times. As I have continued on this path, I have found myself led to take the next step, and the next…

I trust my inner hunches and follow where they lead. In this fashion I have created a monthly ezine called Soul Songs, found other websites interested in helping me promote KaleidoSoul, developed an active community of SoulCollagers on the Yahoo Groups board, written e-courses about SoulCollage, and am now getting ready for our first KaleidoSoul Kindred Spirits Members-Only Tele-Class as well as our first annual SoulCollage® Weekend Retreat this August.

There are plenty of things about this blissness that are tedious, of course- photocopying flyers for my workshops, writing press releases and website updates, to name a few. Yet when I remind myself that this is all a part of my blissness, I am reminded of why I began it in the first place- to live in rhythm with my heart and soul. And then the monotonous tasks carry me forward to the next creative step.

I wish you blissness in the daily rhythms of YOUR life and work.

Creating Remarkable Poster Prints through 4 Color Poster Printing

Posters are highly regarded to be one of the most widely used tools for advertising. Because of this advertising medium we become more aware of the latest products and services that commercial businesses are offering. By simply looking at them we are yet attracted of the colored inks applied on it.

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poster printing company, 4 color poster printing

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Moreover the striking, brilliant and vivid colors are the reason why we are attracted to the posters that we see.

Posters had been a very beneficial marketing tool because it had paved to deliver an effective message that conveyed customer’s attention. It had been widely used for acquiring customer’s attention. Having them hanged with color prints had effectively grabbed customer’s attention and it had resulted to end up gaining more customers and boosting up companies sales.

With the appealing and attractive colors that we see, we are yet daunted and persuaded to be attentive to what is being presented. Primarily the poster itself can initiate a good communication but an added color feature can be a best way of conveying more attention.

Are we aware of what printing applications are applied to it? Well with the services that commercial printers are providing colored poster prints are developed through the 4 color poster printing process. Mainly this printing process applied is an effective way of generating full color poster prints.

The 4 color poster printing had paved to change the color printing revolution. This process had worked out to deliver easy and fast printing jobs and thus developing unique out put of professional quality and satisfactory result. Generally the process involves the utilization of the four standard color inks which are known as C-M-Y-K (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). This colors when are being added creates a well detailed, vibrant and crisp color prints that make audience turn their heads.

Pertaining to the inks applied, commercial printing services provides wide selection of exceptional quality durable inks that protects the poster prints from image dilapidation and protecting the designs from the flaws of changing weather. The various inks offered can impose precise color pictures and excellent images for the marketing material.

Mainly creating a remarkable poster prints through 4 color poster printing can now be highly achieved. For, there are lost of commercial printers that are well equipped with the materials and equipments that can run the processes.

Since you are aiming to deliver an effective marketing campaign tool for your promotion you have to be watchful with the printer you are about to render your services. Because as a business that pays for the job you have the right to get what is due you. And for the company they must also comply to provide an excellent service and as well as provide customer the satisfaction they need.