Frequently overlooked and hidden deep within our marketing tool box is the ultimate marketing vehicle for your business ? you! Many small business owners are so busy figuring out how to increase sales and revenue they forget to grow themselves as business owners. If you aren't evolving yourself, aren't you being counterproductive to your business development? Marketing our businesses isn't just about what ads to buy or what networking event to go to next; it's about us as people, as entrepreneurs. The following marketing traits are often overlooked by entrepreneurs but are pivotal to your long-term success. What's more, they cost very little yet earn a savvy entrepreneur a lot. Show Your Personality -- Customers want to know who you are.
That's great that you offer the fastest tax services in town, or your gift baskets can be custom-made and delivered anywhere in 24 hours. But who are you? Your customers and prospects want to know. Especially if you're facilitating business on the Internet, building trust is key to making a prospect feel comfortable buying from you. One of the most effective ways to build trust is to express your personality. How can you express personality? Even conservative introverts can develop indirect methods of exhibiting their personalities.
Here are some examples -- If you own a store, at the entrance, try displaying a professional portrait of you and your family and your personal story describing how your business began. If you're an attorney, try displaying a small 8.5" X 11" picture frame on your desk that describes your background, your personal interests and hobbies. If this is too personal for you, try displaying a few photos on your office wall, including the photo of you rowing in college or the one that depicts your fabulous smile playing soccer with your six-year-old. If you're not the smiling-type, a human interest photo showing you in a common setting will help put your prospect at ease. Ultimately this person will see the photo of you and your son above your shoulder and think, "He's a dad too.
He knows what I'm going through." When you allow your customers and prospects a "peek" at who you really are, they'll begin to feel more comfortable and able to express their needs, an incredible competitive edge. You'll see a notable increase in sales as customers identify more with you.Use Your Fear -- One of my greatest fears is having to return to the workforce. I've been self-employed for almost three years. However, I didn't just one day decide to start a business. Although I'd always dreamed of working for myself, the dread of failure held me back.
It wasn't until the company I worked for was purchased by another and I was laid off that I decided to launch my business. I use this same fear to push me to succeed. As you know, fear can freeze an entrepreneur right in her tracks. I've seen it time and time again. Fear can consume us, keep us from making any marketing decisions at all.
Rather than wrestle with your fear, acknowledge it, let it push you to where you need to go. Use it to make marketing decisions, rather than no decisions at all. It's better to have several failed marketing programs then none at all. Smile and Applaud -- Whether you have employees or you're a one-person show, it doesn't matter. You must smile at and applaud the people within your network including employees, associates, vendors, friends and family.
When you say "thank you," "please," "nice job," "I love the design you did for me," "I really appreciate your waiting for that report," "thanks for delivering it," "It was nice meeting you," "I enjoyed your presentation," you leave a positive lasting impression on people. As a small business owner, you can't afford to miss out on what I call, "moments of positive impressions." These moments accumulate over time. Before you know it, you've created a positive reputation for yourself. Smiling and applauding are fairly easy traits to acquire and can be the competitive edge you need to separate you from the stuffy entrepreneur down the street.Keep Away from Certain People -- Nothing will stop you dead in your tracks faster than someone who's "questioning" your entrepreneurial instincts. I'm not saying ignore these people altogether, because they may have a good point; however, don't stop doing what you're doing just because people don't completely support your ideas.
Many of these naysayers are employed by someone else. How could they understand or support your ideas? They're on a completely different life track than you. They can't possibly understand what it's like to have to be responsible for making your own money. Surround yourself with other successful-minded people who have to make their own money. Stay Focused -- You must stop flip flopping with your marketing ideas.
Pick 10 of them, and repeat them continuously for more than a year. Pick a direction and stick with it!.
Sharron Senter is a New England-based marketing consultant, speaker, writer and founder of Senter & Associates, a marketing communications firm that helps small businesses deploy low-cost marketing strategies. Sharron is best known for her free weekly emailed marketing tips, found at http://www.sharronsenter.com.marketing@sharronsenter.comThe divine fruits of meditation
The best way to achieve the Sreyokarma or the liberating karma is through the meditation. And meditating will lead us to the path of soul's happiness that's etern and sacred.
As a result of the meditation the mind will withraw from the sensorial world and will reach joy, happiness and truth and will not be disturbed any more by sorrow and greed.
Meditation should be practiced with enthusiasm faith and care, following estrictly the established disciplines.
Some think that the benefits of the meditation are that they will be able to easily satisfy their mundane wishes.
But that is a great mistake, because the meditation and the repetition of the name of God are ment to acquire an undivided attention in God, to freedom us fom the sensorial bonds therefore reaching happiness in God.
We mustn't practice meditation with the idea of obtaining earth's fruits, we must meditate looking towards inside of us, until we become...
Online Sales for igourmet.com Skyrocket in 2005 due to the Aggressive Online Marketing Services of Pepperjam
Wilkes-Barre, PA (ContentDesk) January 5, 2006 -- Pepperjam, the industrys leading search, affiliate and media management firm, announced today that it has powered igourmet.com to record sales growth in 2005.
igourmet, the #1 online destination for gourmet food and gourmet gifts, grew its year-over-year search and affiliate sales by over two-hundred-percent (200%) thanks to the professional management services of Pepperjam.To learn more about Pepperjam please visit www.pepperjamMANAGEMENT.com and www.pepperjamSEARCH.comSpencer Chesman, President and CEO of igourmet.com, said Year-over-year affiliate and search-engine marketing sales skyrocketed due to the aggressive internet marketing management services of Pepperjam. This years overall sales from organic search, paid search and affiliate marketing grew by over two-hundred-percent (200%), helping igourmet...
The GI Diet Explained
The latest 'hot' diet to hit the market is the 'GI Diet' or 'Glycaemic Index' diet. Used by stars such as Kylie Minogue and Helen Porter, the GI Diet was invented in 1981 by Dr David Jenkins and is actually well respected by qualified nutritionists too, so it's not just the latest 'celeb fad' diet.Dr Jenkins based his ideas on his observations into how different carb-rich foods affect human blood sugar levels in diabetics. What he found amazed him and us here at www.supadiet.com too - namely that there are some starchy foods that affect blood sugar levels dramatically, while some sugar-heavy foods actually have little effect. This is, of course, in direct contrast to all the perceived medical wisdom. The culmination of Dr Jenkins' work is a scale called the Glycaemic Index, ranking foods on the basis of how they affect your blood sugar levels.Starting with glucose which has a GI of 100, the GI scale goes all the way down to zero.
... The GI Diet Explained
Central Market adds The Original Ceylon Tea Company to its extraordinary tea line-up.
DALLAS, TX (ContentDesk) December 17 2003--Central Market, the fresh market destination for people who are passionate about food, has added The Original Ceylon Tea Company products for people who are passionate about premium tea.The Original Ceylon Tea Company offers tea lovers 100% pure, high mountain grown tea from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in flavors and blends sure to please the most discriminating palate.
Tea lovers can choose from traditional English Breakfast Tea, Green Tea and Earl Grey, as well as Raspberry, Mango, Passion Fruit.
For those seeking to reach new heights in organic tea, the company is the exclusive North American source of the world-renowned Needwood Organic Tea; the first plantation to receive international organic certification.For the more adventurous, there's 1001 Nights.
This masterful blending of premium green and black teas is caressed with the cut blossoms of roses, orange blossoms and sun flowers, then bathed in the sweet liquor of...
Five Reasons To Get Out Of Debt
Do you want to get out of debt but can't find the motivation? Do you dread the mail arriving in case it brings you even more bills to pay?
Well if you need a burst of motivation to improve your financial position, I've put together five reasons to get out of debt and avoid borrowing in the future.
1) Everything that you buy becomes much more expensive
OK, I'll show you. While out shopping you just can't resist buying a new plasma television. The price...
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