7 Profit Producing Reasons Why Every Successful Se

7 Profit Producing Reasons Why Every Successful Service Professional Needs A Web Presence

by: Michael Port

Your business website is a critical aspect of being able to start and continue conversations with potential clients. It’s the ultimate selfservice window for potential and current clients who come to you interested in your services and/or products.

Every service professional needs a web presence. It’s almost impossible to find a successful service professional who doesn’t have one. Here are the top 7 reasons why:

1. Your website positions you as an expert.

Perception is everything on the internet. Having your own website increases your visibility, credibility and trust.

2. A strong web presence adds to your brand identity.

Your website represents you and your business in the marketplace.

3. Your website expands your reach into the global marketplace.

If you have a product available on your website you’ll expand your geographic marketplace from local neighborhoods where your product sits on a shelf, to the entire world via your website.

4. A website creates a 24/7, passive revenue, profit machine.

The internet never sleeps which means that you can literally turn your computer and website into a cash register around the clock, and many, if not all, of the processes can be automated.

5. Your website instantly increases the effectiveness of your sales cycle.

The sales cycle is especially critical for service professionals. A website with an optin incentive allows you to build your database, while building rapport with prospective clients. By offering something of value, like a free report, ecourse, or audio file, in exchange for an email address, your visitors begin to see your offer and your services as an investable opportunity.

6. Your site filters out clients who aren’t wellsuited to your services.

All of your marketing materials should direct potential clients to your website, where you can save precious time by allowing them to familiarize themselves with you and your services. This allows them to determine whether or not they feel they’d be wellsuited to you.

7. Your web presence is a fantastic vehicle for bold selfexpression and learning.

The site is an extension and representation of who you are and what you offer. To get ahead of the curve as a service professional you will need to understand how to master the advantages of technology. And the best way to learn this is by expressing yourself through your website.

And always keep in mind the Award Winning Web Course mantra: ขThe effectiveness of your website is directly proportional to how solutionoriented your offers are with respect to your target audience.ข

Visit www.awardwinningwebcourse.com for a simple, stepbystep guide to developing highly effective websites.

By Michael Port, bestselling Author of Book Yourself Solid, The 7 Keys To Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle and Beth M. Lyons, the Techie Coach.

About The Author

Michael Port is on a crusade for the success of soloprofessionals and is especially well known for his passion, personality, point of view (and unrelenting sense of humor). Under the banner of Michael Port & Associates, LLC, he provides seminars, keynotes, training programs, coaching and a popular ezine to soloprofessionals, helping them build thriving businesses. His expertise lies in the areas of personal brand identity development, motivation, leadership, performance, teamwork and communication. Michael’s mantra: be brave be bold be yourself for profit and fun! http://www.MichaelPort.com

Beth M. Lyons has over 15 years of experience helping the notsotechnical among us get comfortable with, learn, and then master the techniques they need and want to use. She has a gift for seeing implementation and กbestuseก strategies, and communicating them in ‘real english.ก

http://www.techiecoach.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 15

by Michael Port

Why All Your Marketing Efforts Have Come To Nothin

Why All Your Marketing Efforts Have Come To Nothing

by: Mal Keenan

How often have you responded to email from those in your downlines asking for advice on how best to run their online businesses and finding it increasingly frustrating that things JUST aren’t working out as planned?

I myself see the same problems day and daily and it always point back to the same core issues. Let me explain one of them…

The very ethos of network marketing is based on sharing the products and services that you have found helpful in your journey towards success. The fact that you get paid for this is definitely a BIG bonus but networking can be found in everyday examples where people aren’t being paid. For instance when people see a great movie, they tell others who in turn pass it on to create a blockbuster hit.

Word of mouth definitely is the best form of advertising and networking. The main point in the above example is that folks are being honest about their observations and this is picked up on by their fellows and so and and so forth down the line.

The problem with many network marketers is that they ARE NOT being honest in their dealings with online prospects. Their emails or telephone conversations are promoting something that they don’t really believe in and this belief is being transferred to the people they are trying to recruit.

You cannot sell something that you don’t absolutely believe in yourself, or at least you will find it extremely difficult to do so and all your efforts will result in ultimate failure.

The words coming from our mouths are actually a very small percentage of what is actually being communicated and even the tone of our email ads can scream กScamก at prospects without us even knowing it.

This has been a fact in all my online dealings and yet it is something that is not easy to explain to newcomers who come online and believe that it is only a matter of กclick sendก and a ready acceptance of multiple checks in the mail.

Obviously the way around this problem is to promote those products and services that you actually DO believe in. From I have come online I have to say that the companies out there that inspire confidence have been by far in the minority.

Many companies will take your money and run and when you are the type that hands out money hand over fist with no money management skills, it is a welcome surprise to find a company that will actually teach you such skills and allow you to earn as you do.

I myself am a member of such a team and it is a perfect example of something that I truely CAN believe in, and this belief like mentioned above, is exuded to those I come in contact with through email promotions and online ads.

In conclusion, if you are choosing to promote products or services online ensure that they are something that you can honestly pass on to prospective affiliates and feel good in doing so. Your success ulimately depends upon it.

Copyright 2004 Mal Keenan

About The Author

Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of Home Business Tips Newsletter: http://www.homebusinesstipsnewsletter.com/ For a company that you can believe in join my team below:

http://www.eliteteamireland.com/

This article was posted on August 31, 2004

by Mal Keenan

Go With Quality Over Quantity And Your Business Wi

Go With Quality Over Quantity And Your Business Will Prosper

by: Kirk Bannerman

In the early days of developing my home business, I went for the numbers instead of focusing on targeting prospects. It took me a while to appreciate the importance of targeting (quality) instead of just going for the big numbers (quantity).

For online marketing, it helps greatly to get your website in front of people who are actually looking for the product, service, or opportunity that you are offering. This refers to the concept of marketing your sites to your target audience, rather than wasting your time, effort, and money on people who are not already interested in what you have to offer.

Be wary of กmassive actionก techniques in this era when many ISPs feel their hottest marketing theme is the blocking of incoming emails, which they decide their customers do not want to receive (they are the self appointed กinformation policeก).

Many of the sources of cheap, high volume leads supply you with leads that have absolutely no interest in your particular business (or product or service) and furthermore, have been put into the list in such a manner that can get you into trouble with your ISP because you are unwittingly spamming (many of these bulk lead lists are created by robots that crawl the Internet and harvest email addresses) the recipients.

In order to be effective in the promotion your particular proposition, whatever it is, you have to seek out your target market. This is as true online as it is offline. Just because you are able to reach huge numbers of people with your message on the Internet far more cheaply and quickly than you can offline, does this necessarily mean you should?

Whatกs the point of devoting your time and energies to marketing to a massive group of people without first knowing whether they, as a group, have a general interest in what you are offering?

It is much more efficient and effective to first find out where your prospective customers congregate, and then target that congregation, than it is to use a shotgun approach and hope that one of your pellets will somehow find its target (you know… throw enough up against the wall and something is bound to stick). You will find that by selectively targeting your prospects before marketing to them, your conversion ratio (the proportion of your target market that takes positive action and actually purchases your product or service) will be much higher than the results you would otherwise achieve without first taking the time to target your prospects. Once again, quality wins out over quantity.

It seems that a great many webmasters have not stopped to ask themselves the allimportant question…What is the purpose of my web site? For some reason, many of them seem to think that the purpose of their web site is to give away freebies. Or it could be to be a กshowcaseก for their products. Or it could be to create links to all kinds of resources. Or it could be to have fancy flash graphics and build a brand name.

One of the biggest mistakes people new to web design make is going for more กflashก than substance. They bog down their site with a bunch of fancy colored backgrounds, 3D text, flash presentations, etc. If a visitor to your site is using a 56K connection and has wait to more than 8 seconds for it to load (which can easily happen on sites heavy with graphics), you can expect to lose about 1/3 of your visitors.

If you’re a business, the purpose of your web site is to sell a product or service. Your web site should have one main focus. It should not be selling a dozen products, a dozen opportunities, or linking to a bunch of different affiliate programs. Presenting too many options has a tendency to confuse your visitor. When someone visits your site, it should be clearly obvious what one action you want him or her to take.

About The Author

Kirk Bannerman operates his own successful home based business and also coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. For more information visit his website at http://www.homebasedbusinessteam.com for more details.

This article was posted on January 20

by Kirk Bannerman

How to Market Your Web Site Like Nobodyกs Business

How to Market Your Web Site Like Nobodyกs Business

by: Elizabeth Kirwin

Fresh Web Content Yields Better Search Engine Results

All too often, companies, organizations, and selfemployed individuals spend a great deal of time and resources launching their web sites. Once the site goes live, people seem to believe internet search engines will bring them the business they need. The truth is, the web site is only one key marketing tool used to represent a company, often from a distance. The marketing genius who creates the site must continue to come up with innovative ways to keep the site ขfreshข and in the minds of consumers who are in need of products or services.

Spam NO MORE

Let’s face it, we all hate SPAM. But many U.S. companies have been reliant upon SPAM as their main internet marketing tool. Why? The top three reasons are because it’s cheap (practically free), fast, and efficient. Yet nobody likes being ขspammedso why annoy a potential customer or client? The good news is that antispam laws have just been passed in the U.S. Sure; companies will still send SPAM from across the border. People will still despise SPAM. Instead of irritating your potential customers and clients, try luring them to your web site in different, more memorable ways.

Lure Them with Content

One thing that does gain you a higher standing on web browsers is changing the content of your web site frequently. No need to change it from top to bottom. Just have your web designer put a few lines of text on your home page indicating you want to give ขexpert adviceข or a ขnews flashข pertaining to your field. Link this to an article that you’ve written about your area of expertise – whatever your business or organizational interests are. Write one per month and post the new article (or a partial link to it) on your home page.

Professional Grade Writing

Professional level writing skills and creative ideas are important. Not many people will read something for long if it isn’t well written and easy to understand. If your writing skills are not professional, consider hiring a writer to help generate ideas, edit the article, or ghost write an article for you. You’ll look great in the eyes of your customers or clients, and you’ll have articles stored for viewing. Should a need arise to educate a client in a particular topic area, you can always direct them to your web page.

Educate Your Clientele

Take some time to educate your clientele about your products or services. If you are mainly a servicefocused company, you should already be educating your clients about what you do on a regular basis. If you’re not, get busy. If you do something technical, avoid jargon and keep it simple. Don’t worry about giving your professional secrets away. Just leak a few. Once people have a better understanding of your knowledge base on a subject, they will come to trust you more, and be more inclined to hire you or purchase your products.

Qualified Leads

Remember, those leads that contact you after reading expert articles written by you are qualified. They already know your capabilities and have some inkling as to why they need to hire you or purchase your products. These leads are educated prior to contacting you. So, in your articles, use the opportunity to crosssell your other products and services but try a subtle approach in the material. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being ‘marketed’ – they’d rather be informed or educated.

Publishing and compiling information and expert advice on your profession or subject area will not only keep your web site in the higher ranks of the search engines, it will help frame you as an excellent resource in your profession. Writing well for a public audience is important and so is regularity and consistency. . Hiring a professional writer can give you these qualities in your work and many writers are willing to ขghostข write under a client’s name. Remember, articulate your subject clearly, and your audience will love you, and hopefully, want more.

About The Author

Elizabeth Kirwin is a writer, editor, researcher and parttime professor at University of North Carolina Asheville. She is cofounder of Sidhe Communications, an Asheville, North Carolina based company. Sidhe has business writing services and also provides professional grade copy to print and electronic publishing outlets.

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 11, 2004

by Elizabeth Kirwin

The Fall and Fall of the pZine

The Fall and Fall of the pZine

by: Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.

http://home.wuliweb.com/index.shtml

http://www.pshares.org/

The circulation of print magazines has declined precipitously in the last 24 months. This dissolution of subscriber bases has accelerated dramatically as economic recession set in. But a diminishing wealth effect is only partly to blame. The managements of printed periodicals from dailies to quarterlies failed miserably to grasp the Internetกs potential and potential threat. They were fooled by the lack of convenient and cheap ereading devices into believing that old habits die hard. They do but magazine reading is not habit forming. Readersก loyalties are fickle and shift according to content and price. The Web offers cornucopial and nichetargeted content free of charge or very cheaply. This is hard to beat and is getting harder by the day as natural selection among dot.bombs spares only quality content providers.

Consider Ploughshares, the Literary Journal.

It is a venerable, not for profit, print journal published by Emerson College, now marking its 30th anniversary. It recently inaugurated its web sibling. The project consumed three years and $125,000 (grant from the WallaceReaderกs Digest Funds). Every title Ploughshares has ever published was indexed (over 18,000 journal pages digitized). In all, the กwebsite will offer free access to over 2,750 poems and short stories from past and current issues.ก

The more than 2000 (!) authors ever published in Ploughshares will each maintain a personal web page comprising biographical notes, press releases, new books and events announcements and links to other web sites. This is the Yahoo! formula. Content generated by the authors will thus transform Ploughshares into a leading literary portal.

But Ploughshares did not stop at this standard features. A กbookshelfก will link to book reviews contributed online (and augmented by the magazineกs own prestigious offerings). An annotated bookstore is just a step away (though Ploughsharesก web site does not include one hitherto). The next best thing is a rightsmanagement application used by the journalกs authors to grant online publishing permissions for their work to third parties.

No print literary magazine can beat this one stop shop. So, how can print publications defend themselves?

By being creative and by not conceding defeat is how.

Consider WuliWebกs example of thinking outside the printed box.

It is a simple online application which enables its users to กsend, save and share material from print publicationsก. Participating magazines and newspapers print กWuliCodesก on their (physical) pages and WuliWeb subscribers barcodescan, or manually enter them into their online กContent Managerก via keyboard, PDA, pager, cell phone, or fixed phone (using a PIN). The service is free (paid for by the magazine publishers and advertisers) and, according to WuliWeb, offers these advantages to its users:

กOnce you choose to use WuliWebกs free service, you will no longer have to laboriously ‘tear and shareก print articles or ads that you want to archive or share with colleagues or friends. You will be able to store material sourced from print publications permanently in your own secure, electronic files, and you can share this material instantly with any number of people. Magazine and Newspaper Publishers will now have the ability to distribute their online content more widely and to offer a richer experience to their readers. Advertisers will be able to deploy dynamic and mediarich content to attract and convert customers, and will be able to communicate more completely with their customers.ก

Links to the shared material are stored in WuliWebกs central database and users gain access to them by signing up for a (free) WuliWeb account. Thus, the userกs mailbox is unencumbered by huge downloads. Moreover, WuliWeb allows for a keywordsbased search of articles saved.

Perhaps the only serious drawback is that WuliWeb provides its users only with LINKS to content stored on publishersก web sites. It is a directory service not a full text database. This creates dependence. Links may get broken. Whole web sites vanish. Magazines and their publishers go under. All the more reason for publishers to adopt this service and make it their own.

About The Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of กMalignant Self Love Narcissism Revisitedก and กAfter the Rain How the West Lost the Eastก. He is a columnist in กCentral Europe Reviewก, United Press International (UPI) and ebookweb.org and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com. Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

His web site: http://samvak.tripod.com

This article was posted on February 2, 2002

by Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.

Shocking Experienced Copywriter Reveals LittleKno

Shocking Experienced Copywriter Reveals LittleKnown Secrets To Closing BIG Ticket Deals!

by: Dan Lok

Hogwash!
That’s what I say to people who tell me that their business is purely and solely a กcheapest price business.ก
People who stubbornly insist that กMY business is differentก are right, but not in a good way.
Their business is different because it will never make big money.
People who are unwilling to open their eyes to BIG ideas are solidly parked right in their own way… their own BIG obstacle to success.
Big money is made by translating great ideas from outside your industry whatever it is into your industry. What gives you your competitive edge is a unique selling proposition (USP).
That’s the key… not your low, low price. (Although in some instances your price may be part of your USP.)
Recently, I was consulting with a client and I was explaining my opposition to selling by cheapest price.
She insisted that hers was an intangible, not a product; that my examples didn’t apply to her business; and that, basically, I had my head up my butt. I tried to explain in terms I hoped sheกd understand:

You can fly coach or PAY MORE to fly first class in the same plane and get to the same place at the same time
You can get financial planning for free from over half of all financial planners (who make their money only from commissions) or PAY MORE for the service and still pay commissions to other feebased planners.
You can get your taxes done by H&R Block or PAY MORE to use a CPA

So the critical question is:
ขWhy Do People PAY MORE For Some Services When The CORE SERVICES Offered by CHEAPEST PRICE Competitors Are Pretty Much The Same?ข
ขDebbie,ก I told her, กYouกve gotta understand: value differences don’t have to come from the ‘core’ item.ก
It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about a product or a service. Value differences usually come out of areas of expertise and service such as:

Exclusivity
Access
Guarantee

กAnd Debbie,ก I explained, กitกs a hell lot easier to make money by selling half as much at double the price. Does that make sense?ก
It made sense to Debbie and I hope it makes sense to you! Just to make sure, Iกm going to give you…
5 QUICKTURN TACTICS for closing BIG TICKET deals
#1 Compare apples to oranges.
ขTired of dragging out a bulky food processor and guessing which attachment is the right one for the job? The compact Ultimate Chopper is 4 machines in 1 so you can replace your food processor, coffee grinder, standing mixer and ice cream maker and gain more counter space in your kitchen.ข (Ultimate Chopper)
#2 Decrease the price by adding valued component parts.
ขBring your spouse for FREE! Yes, not only can you come, but you can also bring your spouse for FREE. This is a ,995.00 value by itself.ข (Real Estate seminar)
#3 Identify the unique, invaluable aspect of your product.
ขQuite honestly, the majority of currently available bodybuilding training and nutrition information today is never going to produce gains for 98% of the population.
‘the pros simply have much better genetics for building muscle and are taking massive amounts of anabolic drugs…I’m not a ขMisterข anything. I’ve never won a title.
กI’m just a guy who after 22+ years of trial and error has figured this stuff out and can relate to the plight of the genetically average trainee. I absolutely know what works for genetically average bodybuilders who want to maximize their potential. I know exactly what the average guy has to do to make muscle mass and strength gains as fast as genetically possible.ข (Bodybuilding)
#4 Make the high price itself a benefit.
ขOrganic foods are more expensive because production is more labour intensive and without herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, the yield is generally smaller.ข (Organic food)
#5 Break down the big amount into smaller amount.
ขValuable legal services for less than a cup of coffee a day, from top law firms! Protection for you, your family or your business!ข (Prepaid legal services)
If you are going to use กlowest priceก to get your foot in the door to acquire a new client, then the race is on to กswitchก that newly acquired client from price orientation to value orientation BEFORE somebody finds กem and offers to beat your price.
The Lesson: You CAN charge more for your stuff as long as you’re showing you client that even though she’s paying a premium price, she’s getting a good value. Think กadded value.ก Think กgolden handcuffsก; benefits/service so good I won’t walk away from it, even for a lower price.
Copyright 2004 Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.

About The Author

Dan Lok is the World’s First QuickTurn Marketer, with a proven track record of selling over 17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services. He’s the rebel copywriter who’s created hundreds of moneymaking ads and sales letter for over 39 different industries. And now, you can get inside the head of one of the world’s top copywriters without paying a dime at www.QuickTurnMarketing.com

This article was posted on May 11, 2004

by Dan Lok