More Marketing Dope

Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you’ve got to understand the basics. Here are some more gems of the industry that can take you from being a diamond in the rough to the luminous bling-bling.

When advertising your product or service, honesty is not only the legal and ethical path, but also the path to the highest amount of repeat business.

Many times companies fall into the trap of trying to “lure” customers in to their store. They make claims that are technically true but are worded in a way that make them sound better than they actually are. The company may not be consciously trying to deceive their customer, but none the less if exactly what is advertised is not delivered the customer will feel deceived. This customer is not likely to do business with this company no matter what their advertising offers in the future. List the benefits of your product factually and deliver what is promised and your customers will keep coming back.

When advertising, it is best to outline the benefits of your product or service. Simply naming the features that it has may not show what it can actually do for your customer.

Example: A car company releases a new model of car that features “new indestructible porcelain brakes”. This fact is touted in all of their commercials but the cars aren’t flying off the lot. It is very likely that the customers in their target market, mostly families that are concerned about safety, have no idea what difference these brakes make in the performance of the vehicle. If they had instead advertised the benefit that the car is “equipped with brakes that can stop your car three times faster” it would have given the customer a compelling reason to be interested.

Think about what the benefit of your product or service is and focus on that. If you are a computer maintenance company your product may be “server management and database maintenance” but you will be better off saying that you can help “increase office productivity by allowing easier access to client files”. Many times your customers don’t understand your business. That is why they have to hire you. Make sure to explain to them not only what you do, but how it can help them.

When a customer gives you their email address you have one more way to get your message to them.

One of the best ways to supplement Direct Mail Marketing is Direct Email Marketing. However, unlike direct mail marketing, unsolicited email marketing is illegal. You can’t just go out and buy a list of email addresses and start sending to them. There is one way to purchase lists for emailing called “opt in” lists but this method is not recommended because the rate of people on the list that actually “opt in” to receiving your promo is very low. This is why you should always collect customers’ email addresses as you are getting their physical addresses.

Also be sure not to slam your customers with too much email promotion. I recommend not sending more than one email per week to each client. Not only will this keep you from angering your customers, it will also keep up the interest level and keep your emails from getting deleted before they are even opened.

If your company is planning on emailing specials or a Monthly Email Newsletter you will need to have this list for them to be effective. If you are not planning on contacting customers and prospects via email, you should be!

Finding Your Niche In The Business World

Who am I and what do I love to do? Well, isn’t this the twenty million dollar question! A more appropriate question might be “Who was I and what did I love to do?”

As you search to find yourself, and what it is you love to do, you may find the task harder than you thought it would be. Try to think about your childhood. Can you remember what thrilled you as a child? Like many people you’ve probably forgotten what brought try joy and excitement to your essence.

Children instinctively just “know” what they love. We quickly forget what makes us happy as we grow into adults. External influences eventually diminish the thought of actually “doing what we love to do.”

When I was a child I vaguely remember wanting to be a stewardess, a mother of 8 (don’t know why it had to be 8, sounds rather ambitious in today’s world), and a musician. Well, didn’t every little girl who grew up in my world want to be a stewardess? It seemed so. Or, could it have been a clue to what really was the essence of me? Maybe I longed to travel and this was what society offered at the time.

I did have a musical inclination. I seemed to learn to play clarinet fast, and was quite good for a beginner. Never got past the beginning, victim of circumstances, but that’s another long story. I could pick a tune on the piano by ear and dreamed of being able to sit down and flawlessly play the most beautiful of compositions. But, that didn’t happen.

The mom thing? Don’t know where that came from. Maybe the caring side of me. Maybe just that period most little girls go through where they emulate their mother and “play house.” Who knows?

But, I did grow up to be the mother of four. I quickly learned that 8 was really ambitious. Some days, I don’t know how I survive the four. I’m far from super mom status, but I guess I don’t do too bad.

I’ve found recently, through self searching and pondering, that the question of “who am I?” becomes increasingly difficult with age and life’s interference. Yes, life interference can be very damaging to our happiness. Our experiences tend to mold us into the person we are today. By the way, that isn’t necessarily who we were meant to be.

Have you ever longed to be able to do something you are passionate about and truly loved as a child. Maybe it’s some form of art; painting, drawing, crafting, dancing, or singing. Maybe you enjoyed building things or, taking things apart and putting them back together. Or, were you the mathematical genius in the class? Did you love to play school and teach real or imaginary children?

Childhood is innocence. As children we accept our true essence without question and pursue it daily in our real and imaginary play. It is life and life’s external influences that re-route us away from what we love to do. We are too quickly discourage from the pursuit of happiness.

It is apparent in many happy, successful, adults that there is a often a common denominator. Most extremely successful people really love doing what they do. They live their work. They strive to be better and better at it. They never dread going to work and are always thinking about new ways to improve. They simply love the work. They “live to work” not “work to live.”

America’s most famous billionaire, Malcolm Forbes, reflected this same belief, that you should do what you love to do to be successful, in several of his statements:

“Success follows doing what you want to do. There is no other way to be successful.”

“When what we are is what we want to be, that’s happiness.”

“The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy.”

These quotes from Malcolm Forbes pretty much sum up the importance of doing what you love to do.

Everyone should pursue what they love to do. Then work at doing what they love. You may say “It’s too late.” It’s never too late to rediscover your childhood passions. It’s certainly never too late to start getting some satisfaction and enjoyment out of life. If only for own pleasure, you should pursue what you love to do.

Whatever it is you feel you would love to do, go for it. Take an art, singing, dancing, literature, accounting, computer, home decorating ,or mechanic class. Invest in yourself and your happiness. You may find that through pursuing what you love, you will find your best work. Share your knowledge, passion, or talent with others. You will see yourself become confident and successful at what you love to do.

I found that my favorite thing to do is to simply be a housewife and mother. Maybe it’s not “just being a mom.” Rather, it’s doing the things required to be a housewife and mom. It’s not a glamorous career. But, it does require quite a few skills. Moms are usually very talented in more than a few areas; art, organization, accounting, negotiating, and decorating are just a few that come to mind.

My favorite task is saving money. A family of six makes saving money pretty much a requirement of my job but, I’ve found that I Love IT! I get great satisfaction in getting the most for my money, getting things for free, and managing a household on a very limited income. So, in order to expand on my happiness, I decided to share my knowledge with others. I actually have fun sharing my ideas and money saving tips. And, I enjoy researching and finding more money saving tips for myself and others.

Sometimes, it seems like I can’t pull myself away from my work. That’s because I love it so much. I love it, I am passionate about it, and I believe in it! Enthusiasm is contagious. If I can get others excited about saving money, then I am happy.

I don’t like the way things are looking for family finances today. It’s discouraging to see so many families in financial trouble. Maybe, I’ll help change that! Maybe you can change something too!

From Entity to Enterprise in 90 Days

How do some online businesses go from relative obscurity to household name in a very short period of time? While the number one answer might be advertising, it is also the most expensive method of gaining recognition. It is also extremely important that every aspect of your business model from administration to product fulfillment is flawless as you must create credibility to match that sudden increase in visibility.

The internet is an environment where creative genius is a suitable substitute for cash when it comes to gaining visibility for your company. As a matter of fact, there are many individuals who have quickly become millionaires just by repeatedly applying one successful business model within different product markets. Occasionally these individuals will share the secrets to their success for a fee, so I was overwhelmed by the time-tested strategies and course material which I found for absolutely no charge while researching ways to improve my own online business.

One of the most important strategies discussed is changing your attitude towards your competitors and viewing your competitors as potential partners. It is important to have some service or product that you are willing to cross promote with them, for a commission of course, but even more importantly for the exposure to their customer base. Since there is no brick and mortar presence, your business can only grow by exposure to new potential clients. It may cost you a small percentage of your first sale, but a large percentage of satisfied customers will return. It is a difficult concept for a new online business owner to grasp, but the majority of your company’s value is determined by the size of your customer database. The faster you build your client base, the faster you will catapult your income to seven figures or more. I would guess that the thing to do would be to partner with as many companies as possible, as quickly as possible, and then position your self for total domination.

Marketing online is so much different than I would ever have imagined. The whole concept of the more you give, the more you get, is so foreign in the physical world, but a necessary tactic of online survival. Another way of increasing your customer base is through the use of viral marketing. I know that it sounds like you are spreading a contagion, but that is in fact the concept. In a nutshell, you create an information product for whatever your market happens to be. As you are writing it, think about how much it would be worth if you sold it. Once you are satisfied that you have created a premium product, make certain that your name and contact information appear in various conspicuous places, and give it away. Not only can you literally trade it for a prospect’s name and email address, but you can encourage them to pass it on to their friends. Ideally, a file which requires their name and email to unlock it would be something to consider.

Hopefully, this information will also help you with increasing your business.

Best of luck to you.

Joseph Napolitano

Before You Do Anything: Try It Out

So you know, roughly, what you want your home business to be. Before you go any further and start investing, though, you need to try it out. Here’s how.

Build a Prototype.

If you plan to sell physical things, or you’re going to do something like starting a website or making software, then you should build a prototype to see how your idea will work out. A prototype is a version of your product that is built quickly by you alone, and serves to show that your idea is feasible in the real world. If it would be too expensive to build the whole thing, then just building the new part that differentiates you from your competitors is good enough.

Show your prototype to a few people, to see what they think. Are they excited? Would they use it?

Get a Few Customers.

If your product is relatively low-value, or you’re providing a service, then it shouldn’t be too much trouble to get a few customers and do a few dry runs. Do them a generous discount (you could even do it for free), to make sure that everything runs smoothly and the customers are satisfied at the end of it.

For example, let’s say you plan to be a landscape gardener from home. You could borrow the tools, and volunteer to do a garden for some kind of charity project &ndash this is good, since it means that you’re doing something nice for charity, but they’re not paying for perfection, so it’s not that bad if small things go wrong. You should then go through all the motions as you would once your business is established, and see what comes out at the other end.

Here’s another one. Let’s say you’re an Italian living outside Italy, and you plan to start a home business cooking pasta in your kitchen and delivering it to customers (you’d be surprised how many home businesses there are in the catering industry). You could make a rough draft of a leaflet (with discounted prices) and deliver it to a small number of homes in the area, until you get a little response. You could then see if it really is feasible to make and deliver these things, and whether there would be any profit in it.

Strong Arm Sales Stop Success Cold

It happens more often than you’d ever guess &ndash in fact, it might be happening at the booth right next to yours. Recent surveys of trade show attendees show that the most dissatisfied attendees are those who purchase something that they really didn’t want. Needless to say, these attendees don’t have a high opinion of those companies that ‘strong-armed’ them, and report that they’ll be unlikely to do business with them again.

How can this happen? What possible way is there to force attendees into purchasing something unwillingly?

Not all the ‘people pleasers’ at a trade show are booth staff. Some are walking the aisle, as attendees. When these types run into an overly-forward, persistant salesperson, they can be bullied into a purchase. That’s not the way you want to do business.

Instead, train your team to have a needs-focused approach. By engaging attendees in conversation, questioning and listening more than talking, and truly focusing on solving the attendee’s problems, you are far more likely to make a sale the attendee is satisfied with.

Key to this is five questions, the Familiar Five that should be part of every sales conversation:

What: What exactly does the attendee need? Do they have problems with their existing suppliers? Are they trying to make-do with a product that doesn’t exactly fit their needs? Perhaps the product works perfectly, but it’s too expensive. You need this answer before you can move on to any other questions.

Why: Why would your company be the best suited to meet the attendees’ needs? If they mention constant technical difficulty, do you offer 24 hour support? If they need a size 3 widget, does your company manufacturer size 3 widgets?

Who: Relationships are key to business. At the same time, our mobile society means that rapid staff turnover is a fact of life. Two companies may have had &ndash or come near &ndash a business relationship previously, only to have things not work out. Yet this fact could be completely unknown to your booth staff. Arm your team with some corporate history, along with selling points that illustrate how things have changed in the interim.

When: When your team says something, attendees want to know they can count on that as fact. Clients want to know you have a track record and that you’ll maintain it when they remain with you. Feel free to use concrete examples: Even though we’re consistently introducing new and innovative models, we still provide parts, service and support to every model we’ve ever made &ndash all the way back to day one.

How: How your company conducts itself is becoming a much more important factor to many of today’s decision makers. Consumers want to avoid being tainted by association with any scandal-ridden firms. If an attendee brings up a current negative newsmaker, avoid the temptation to ‘dish’. Instead, answer with a comment that shows your company’s strength and leadership. “We know that those types of things happen in our industry, but we’ve found the better route is the straight and narrow. That way we can stay focused on our customer and their needs.”

Now, admittedly, it can be difficult to fit all of this into the thirty seconds you have with the average attendee. The temptation is to talk faster, attempting to cram in as much information as you can. But don’t. Your job is to get them talking &ndash and once an attendee starts talking, they are far more likely to spend some additional time at your exhibit.

Body language also plays a role in how your sales team is perceived. Here are five key things to remember:

1. Keep Your Distance: Crowding can be intimidating, especially if the staff is of large stature and the attendee is smaller. A good rule of thumb is to keep at least one arm’s length between the two of you.

2. Keep Your Arms Down: Some staffers, especially the flamboyant, dramatic types, have a tendency to talk with their hands. This works fine in a social situation, but can be unnerving or distracting when you’re trying to do business.

3. Keep Things Open: Very skittish or shy types may subconciously feel ‘trapped’ if you position yourself between them and the way out of your exhibit. You don’t have to be an Old West Cowboy with this &ndash there’s no need to always stand with your back to the wall &ndash but be aware of spatial issues and attempt to keep things open and comfortable.

4. Keep An Eye: On the way the conversation is going. If you have the slightest suspicion that an attendee is uncomfortable, or just doesn’t like you, hand them off to another staffer. Sometimes personalities just don’t click, and it’s better to step out gracefully than attempt to blunder through the encounter.

5. Keep An Ear: Open for what the attendee is saying. People can tell when you’re really listening and when you’re going through the motions. A million subtle physical cues give it away. Don’t try to ‘phone in’ your

interest. Pay attention!

Go over these items with your team before the show. When your team is skilled, they won’t need strong arm tactics &ndash which will make everybody happy!

Work For Results

The internet today comes with promises of wealth and fame. This allows many to dream of riches and notoriety. The opportunity is out there but the fact is that most people don’t have a clue how to get there.

So many think that they can achieve this prosperity by just showing up. Unfortunately, that is not the way this ball bounces.

Is there a simple answer? I don’t think there is a single simple answer, yet how to be successful on the internet is pretty basic. You have to be willing to work. Work at what you may ask?

First thing is to work hard at learning everything you can about your chosen field. I would suggest to read and study the people who have had success in the past. There is a endless supply of knowledge floating around out there and you want to read as much of it as you can.

When I first started trying to make a living on the net, I thought I was wise enough to do it on my own. It sure didn’t take long to figure out that was a joke. When I started paying attention to what some of the successful marketers were doing, I started making money myself.

People pay thousands of dollars to go to college to get the information needed to be successful. Yet most are not willing to pay a hundred dollars for educational information on the net. This is not to say that you should go spend thousands of dollars for an internet education but there is information worth paying for.

Now you have read and you have read some more and you are ready to start working on the internet. It is now time to put in some more of that hard work. Work is the key ingredient to get you where you want to go.

Part of the learning experience is to learn how to work. When I first started on the net, I wasted much valuable time. The problem was that I did not know what kind of work was worth the time. This is part of the education that comes with experience. You will find that managing your time well is very important. May be time to read some more.

The internet is a great place for anyone who wants to work and work is the key word. There is money to be made but it is not going to jump in your lap just because you showed up.

OK, Your Book is Printed

Many years ago when I worked in camera store, a customer came in one day with a very old roll of unexposed B&W film. He wanted to buy a camera that would fit that type of film so he could use up the film. The film was so old, all camera manufactures had long since quite making cameras that would take that type of film. I explained to him that the roll of film was worth maybe $2.00 (if it was still any good) and suggested he throw out the old film and consider a new camera and wooowooo “color” film. He thanked and left with is old roll of film.

I think about this story quite often when I am dealing with authors and writers. They have such knowledge and enthusiasm for their ideas and topics, unfortunately many of them, especially new writers and authors seldom give little if any thought to who will be buying their books and where and how they will be getting them.

I often ask these writers, “who is going to be the recipient of your book?” Most writers simply tell me “they are going to sell them”. My next question is “where will you sell them?” Most people respond with “bookstores and the Internet”. Then the tough question, “and how are you going to go about doing this?” That’s when I get met with a blank stare.

Many writers, especially new ones, have often given little thought to where and how they are going to go about selling and distributing their books. When you think about it, most new authors and writers are so absorbed in their manuscripts they have little time to even think about selling their books, aside from a few fleeting thoughts. I tell all of them, the purpose of printing your own book is to get it into the hands of readers. Getting books into the hands of readers can be done many ways.

Some people write and print small runs of books, solely for immediate family and friends. Others have more lofty regional, national and international distribution ideas. Both ideas of getting books into reader’s hands are good, but one takes much more thought and much more work than the other, but both have the right idea.

I was interviewed by a television Creative Director a short time ago; she asked me “what advice could you pass along to anyone thinking about writing their first book.” My answer was immediate and definite “think about who the audience is for your book and how you will go about getting that book into the hands of your audience”. I went on to tell her, if every author thought about who their audience was, and how they were going to market their book, they would have a much better chance of having a more successful book project, that everyone would benefit more from … the author, the printer and most of all the readers.

What I hate seeing, are talented authors with wonderful manuscripts or books, trying to determine after the fact how and were they can sell their books. In many ways they are no different than the young man I encountered years ago who had a roll of film and was looking for a place to use it, the film, just like a manuscript … not matter how good it is, needs to have place for it to fit in.

Color Meaning–Unlock the Symbolism and Color Psychology of Common Colors

Color is a magical element that gives feeling and emotion to art, design, and advertising. By understanding color meaning, (or the psychology of color) you can choose the right color to support and emphasize your design.

A dominant color or overall color scheme can determine the tone of your document. Certain colors will help your product, corporate document, or advertisement attract specific target audiences and evoke desired responses.

The information below provides generally accepted guidelines on the symbolic meanings of color and how you can use color more effectively in your marketing pieces.

The meaning of the color yellow (including coral, orange, amber, gold)

What it Symbolizes: Energy, caution, warmth, cheer, joy

Yellows are often associated with the following characteristics: homey, friendly, soft, welcoming, moving, excitement, or adventure. Good for press kits, stationery, and shopping bags.

Use yellow for signage in work situations warning of danger. Yellow is also good for any project that needs to evoke feelings of lightheartedness, humor, or friendliness.

The meaning of the color red (including mauve, magenta, crimson, scarlet, poster red)

What it Symbolizes: Power, romance, vitality, earthly, energy

Reds evoke highly charged emotions such as aggression, danger, or love. Red makes us pay attention and catches our eye immediately so use reds on items that need to grab attention.

In the financial arena, red symbolizes a negative direction.

The meaning of the color green (including lime, leaf green, sea green, emerald, teal, sage)

What it Symbolizes: life, foliage, grass, trees, water

Greens are sensuous and alive. Green is associated with the following characteristics: friendliness, dependability, freshness, non-threatening, safe, secure, healthy, strong, expensive, and primitive.

In the business world, green symbolizes growth and prosperity.

The meaning of the color blue and purple (including sky blue, ultramarine, violet, purple, azure)

What it Symbolizes: Peace, law and order, logic, analytical, intelligent, honest, calm, clean, good will, tranquility, compassionate, serious, thoughtful, quiet, reflective, regal, classic, dependable, trustworthiness, tradition, magical.

Blues are often used for older, more mature audiences and situations. Blue is common in financial institutions, hospitals, and legal and medical professions. Purples have long been associated with royalty, magic and power. Purples are often used with feminine, rather than masculine designs.

Make sure the colors you use in your marketing materials attract the attention of your target market. Check color resource design guides or swatch books to discover what color combinations work best to make your designs pop.

Can You Market Effectively Without Purpose and Vision?

I went to lunch with a friend the other day to ask him about his company’s marketing journey.

You see, I knew that he and his partner had hired a marketing coach a couple of years back. I wanted to find out what their experience was like and where they had challenges and successes along the way.

This particular company is very typical of the small, service-based businesses that I focus on in my own marketing practice. They would tell you that they’re a couple of accountants who are really good at what they do and enjoy the clients they work with. They would also tell you that they weren’t marketing people who knew how to attract a steady stream of new business.

I asked my friend if there was a particular point in time or event that finally triggered their marketing breakthrough. I wanted to understand what they learned through their own trial and error. I wanted to see if there was something specific that helped them finally crack the code on marketing.

At first he thought the answer was when they finally narrowed down their target market. They finally defined a niche that was a very good fit for them, made sense to them, and helped them stay laser beam focused. We agreed that this was a huge breakthrough. It’s often easy to say, but usually very hard for small businesses to narrow their target market. This was a step that was clearly paying dividends for my friend’s small business.

But, it wasn’t really the answer for what helped them make their marketing breakthrough. After a little further discussion we discovered that the practice never made any marketing headway until they defined and clarified their Purpose and Vision.

Without a clearly defined Purpose and Vision, the business owners could never really articulate what they were and what they were trying to get done. A little more discussion with his partner confirmed it for us. Without clarifying their purpose and vision, the business was very reactive.

None of the marketing strategies or tactics that their marketing coach was helping them implement proved to be productive. The reality was they were reactively taking whatever business they could get through the door.

Clarifying their Purpose and Vision created the marketing breakthrough. Purpose and vision tell you and everyone else what it is you’re out to cause and where you want to go and what impact you want to make with the business. Doing this gave my friend and his partner focus and direction that didn’t exist before. It made narrowing their target market and all these other marketing strategies and tactics make sense.

I started to think about all of my own client relationships. Some time back I had decided to build articulating purpose and vision into my ABCD Growth Marketing Model. It was a piece that seemed to be missing from successful marketing relationships and now my lunch discussion appears to have confirmed it for me.

What do you think? Can you effectively market your business without Purpose and Vision?

Reservation Rewards

Reservation Rewards - Trip Delay Protection

No matter how much planning goes into a trip, unexpected delays can pop up — a lost or stolen passport, a sudden illness, or a carrier delay, for instance. No matter what the cause, these delays can add to your costs — whether it’s a hotel room if you’re stranded away from home or simply a long-distance call to let your family know you’re okay.

In the event you’re delayed 12 hours or more, you can be reimbursed for qualified necessary emergency expenses — up to $500 per trip and up to $500 a year! You should make every reasonable effort to minimize or avoid these additional expenses, but know that you’re protected. Use the links below to make a claim and see the full terms and conditions for this benefit.

Reservationrewards.com Trip Delay Protection Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Trip Delay Protection? While you are a Member of Reservation Rewards services, Trip Delay Protection provides reimbursement for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred as a result of a trip delay of at least twelve (12) hours.
2. How much can I claim per incident? You may be reimbursed for up to $500.00 per year for any reasonable and necessary purchases or emergency accommodation or traveling expenses incurred by you, in excess of any expenses reimbursable by others because of this trip delay. You must make every reasonable effort to avoid additional expenses. This benefit is payable for only one delay per trip.
3. When can I make a claim? You must be a Member at the time of the incident and at the time your Claim is processed. Your claim and supporting documentation must be filed as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days from the date of occurrence. The trip delay must be caused by one or more of the following:
1. Carrier delay




2. Lost or stolen passport, travel documents or money
3. Quarantine





4. Natural disaster





5. Injury or Sickness of the Member




4. How do I make a claim? You can initiate a claim on this site by completing the Claim Form and mailing it in with supporting documentation. You need to submit a claim within 30 days of the incident that triggers the claim. See Trip Delay Terms of Service for additional information on making a claim.
5. 5. Are there any exclusions? In addition to limits stated above, the following additional expenses are not covered by Trip Delay protection. Alcohol or liquor; Entertainment, including theater, movies, shows, etc.; Hotel accommodations in excess of $100.00 per night; Limo service; Communication services (i.e., telephone, cellular, internet) in excess of $50.00 For complete Terms of this benefit.

This article is originally published here: .reservationrewardsfaqs.com/trip-delay-protection.html/