Ten Quick Steps For A Unique Selling Advantage
By admin | January 19, 2008
Your Unique Selling Advantage is that one distinct appealing idea that sets your business apart from your competitors. It distinguishes your particular business in a positive manner.To identify your USA, you want to begin by establishing a statement of benefits for your business. The statement of benefits is a list of all the various strengths that you or your product or service might possess. From this list, select three to five major strengths and formulate them into cohesive USA (Unique Selling Advantage) based upon those characteristics that really motivate your prospects to become customers of your business.It should include items that reflect either the operation of your business or the quality of your business or service. It can include location, surroundings, price, value, product knowledge, actual buying experience from your company, etc.This is really that single unique benefit, essence appeal or promise that your company makes to your prospects. One that no other competitor offers.Most businesses cannot really articulate in one to two crisp, concise, clear paragraphs the USA of their product or service of their business. Of those who can only several even have one. The rest are trying ineffectively to be all things to all people.You need to have that crisp niche driven USA. It should be one unique attractive selling advantage that you’re best suited to deliver to your prospect.Depending on the strength, and maybe the biggest marketing void in your area for an unfulfilled niche, your USA may be one of the following ten steps:¡è You could sell your product or service for less.¡è You could specify the exact amount and sell it for less than any other company. Many appliance stores do this like Sears or Lowes. They give you a guarantee that they have the lowest price.¡è You can set a higher quality product or service than anyone else. You may charge more. Explain to them that you’re giving a lot more value. This is a more preferable method.¡è You could provide more customer service or education before, during and after the sale than anyone else does at a comparable or lower price.¡è You might offer price guarantees or twice the level of assurance protection or’ warranty than your next closest competitor.¡è You might offer exceptional bonus products services, premiums or gift certificates than anyone else.¡è You might offer a larger selection or more choices and options than anyone else.¡è You might have a service department that is 20 times the size of your competitors so the customer only has to wait one hour before you can service them or they might show up within 30 minutes.¡è You might have a trade in program that maybe another company doesn’t offer.¡è You might have a specific age group that you service.The number of possible USA’s is really infinite. You can have more than one and market to more than one group. You really have to decide what your main USA is, what it has been or what it should be before you really begin to reconstruct your entire marketing mission. You can weave the USA into everything that you do.You want to be certain that you can actually fulfill What ever this big USA promise is you decide on. It doesn’t do any good to promote your fabulous selection of products or services if you only have two versions of an item.There are in fact some prevalent USA’s in most businesses. And you can ask a business owner to clearly articulate in one paragraph or less his/her USA. Most of them don’t have an answer.An “elevator speech” is if you get on an elevator and Some one asks you what you do, you should be able to tell them concisely and clearly what it is before you get to your specified floor. They should be asking you, “Really? How do you do that?”It’s really no surprise that most businesses lack a USA. It’s no surprise that they barely get by. Their failure rate is high and their owners are apathetic. They get only a small share of the potential business.Other than having a great location, why are they going to get people to come to their business? If they don’t offer an appealing promise or unique feature or special service?Look at Wendys. They’re sitting on a comer lot with a great location, but another hotdog or hamburger joint might also have a great location. Why do people go to Wendys versus the other hotdog place which may even have better food? Because Wendys offers all the other great advantages. You know what you’re going to get. The restrooms are spotless, etc.Do you want to go to a firm or company that’s just there? Or one that really has some type of unique benefit? Whether it’s incredible prices or selections?Would you rather go to a company that offers you the broadest selection in the country? Or one with every item marked up half the margin the competitor’s do? Or one that sells the Rolls Royce of the industry?You gain an advantage by offering a big, unique, appealing product. You want to focus on that gap real need or unfulfilled part of your market. You want to integrate that USA into every part of marketing your business such as display ads, yellow pages, direct ads, salespersons.
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Are You Really Ready To Work From Home?
By admin | January 19, 2008
Working for the comfort of your own home sounds like an ideal situation. But there are some things to think about before trying it.First of all, WHY do you want to have your own business? Do you think it will be fun? Do you need the money? Or do you just want a new challenge? Your answer to that question will determine your focus.A lot of newcomers to Internet marketing don’t enter into it as a business. If you’re just doing it for fun, that’s okay. But, if you really want to earn make it a success, you must treat it as a business.It will be difficult. You will not only be the boss, but you will be the accountant, the assistant, and the administrator. You’ll be doing it all, at least in the beginning.The next step is to determine if you have the qualities that you need to work from home; some people do not. You must have the following qualities:1. You must have the self discipline to do the work that is necessary. That means not allowing yourself to watch television, read a novel, or take a swim in the pool while there are still tasks left undone for your business. Of course, those tasks are never-ending, but treat your work day just as if you were working outside the home: 8-5 or 9-5.2. You should be able to totally focus on a problem from beginning to end to determine the best way to solve it. Problem solving is a big issue because problems will come up - count on it!3. Organization is also important to a business. You should have the ability to organize your “office” space, whether it be an actual office or just a desk in another room. Paper and information will accumulate and you’ll need a system to handle all the filing storage and information management.4. You will also need to be able to communicate with other people. You’ll have to be able to explain both problems that you are having but answer customers’ questions about your own products.5. And finally, you must be able to work hard. If you think that working for yourself will be a lot easier than working for someone else, you’re in for an education! No matter what business niche you decide to go into, you will have “bosses” - someone will always be asking you to do something for them.There are two more important tasks that MUST be done to make sure your business succeeds.The first is to have a plan. Set goals and write a task list to help you reach those goals.And most important: Take ACTION! You can plan all you want but if you don’t take action, the planning won’t ever yield any results.If you’ve decided that you DO have the qualities that you need to have to succeed in owning your own business, then go for it! Have faith in yourself and your decision. Have the courage to keep on going when those inevitable problems arise. And be DETERMINED to make your business a success. Faith, courage and determination will lead to your success.
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5 Steps To Creating A 6-Figure While You Work At Home
By admin | January 19, 2008
Creating a steady income from home can be a daunting process. Being successful from home can often take more work than your regular 9 to 5. But, if you learn to break things down and follow a simple forumla, your home business can give you all the income and time freedom that you are seeking in a work from home business.My successful business formula involves 5 steps. I follow these same five steps with every person I come into contact with. Having a system not only makes my days more organized, but also it opens up more time for me to enjoy the financial rewards that the system creates.Here is my simple formula:Step 1; Collect Leads:This is an entire article in itself (which is in the works). For the sake of keeping this article on track, I will touch on this only briefly. There are many ways to get leads. You can buy leads, place ads in papers and on the net, use ad words, submit your site to search engines, mail postcards, etc. There are literally 100’s of ways to advertise. The trick is finding a couple of advertising techniques that you like best and that fit your budget and then try them out. Those that bring you the most success can be tweaked further to give you the results you want. Just remember to always test each ad or lead generating technique you use. From my own experience, I like to talk to those that are in my business and find out what they are doing. They have most often been through the trial and error process and can save you some time.Step 2; Call Leads:This is the step that most people have reservations about. If you want to be successful in any home business, you must pick up the phone. This does not mean “cold” calling people. I never call anybody that has not asked to hear about my home business. Use your lead generating techniques in step one to create leads that want to hear from you and then contact them. Whether you business costs $5 or $5000 to join, people want to know that there is a real person behind the business that they can consult with questions. Talking to them and establishing a rapport and trust will go a long way to making sure that the prospect joins you in your home business. When still a “rookie” to making calls, it is best to have a script or outline to follow. This is not to say that you read directly from that. Just use it as a guide to keep you on track and in control of the call. Most importantly in regards to calls……LISTEN. Listen and take notes about what the prospect is telling you. Remember, you are trying to get to know this person and establish their trust.Step 3; EmailIt is hard to ignore this powerful tool. When collecting my leads, I always get an email and phone number to use in step 2 and 3 of my system. Just as I do not make cold calls, I do not send emails to those who have not asked for it. Spam complaints will kill your business and your rapport with people. When I get an email, I simply have that email address automatically entered into an autoresponder. My autoresponder then sends messages every few days to keep me fresh in my prospects mind. Autoresponders are a must have for any business. They allow you to stay in contact for long periods of time while doing virtually no work. They also increase the amount of times your prospect is exposed to you and your business. Remember this, on average a prospect must see your message 5 to 12 times before joining you.Step 4; Direct Mail Information Packet.With all of the new email laws and email blocking systems, direct mail is making a comeback. As I said in step 3, you want to expose yourself to your prospect as many times as possible. But, if you use one method of exposure….your prospect may begin to ignore you. Diversifying your exposure types will keep them interested. I must state that I do not mail information packets to everybody. Only those that I have talked with and that have expressed interest. Mailing the packets can become expensive if you mail them to everyone. That said, putting the pack together is very easy. I used the ad copy on my website to develop the packet. Then I throw in a business card or flyer and send it on its way. This also makes sure that people actually see the content of your site. Many have seen so many websites that they just browse them. They are more apt to sit down and read printed text than to sit at their computer and read through your website.Step 5; Direct Mail Postcard.Postcards, like direct mail, give you another way to expose yourself to your prospects. They are fun to design and can be sent quickly and easily. Because they are less expensive than the direct mail packets, I send a postcard to all of my leads. People love getting postcards. They do have the junk mail stigma and if designed well, they can give a personal touch to your business. I actually send a postcard campaign that sends multiple postcards over a period of 45 - 60 days to my prospects. I use a service that does this automatically and even personalizes each card for me.Always remember this, it takes on average 5 to 12 exposures to get somebody into your business. My 5-step process actually includes multiple exposures within each step. For example, my emails include phone numbers to live calls and links to movies to watch. One email can get me three or more exposures. The key to any business is to have a formula or process to follow. Knowing what you are going to do each day keeps you focused and allows you to track how your business is doing and what may or may not be working.That’s it! Those 5 simple steps earn me a consistent 6-figure income from home. Your results may differ based on your business, and your compensation plan among other things, but this process will definitely increase your sign up rate.
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Is Sponsorship Right For My Company?
By admin | January 19, 2008
Trade shows are a bonaza of sponsorship opportunities. Talk with any show organizer, and they’ll be more than happy to explain how you can make sure your company’s name and logo are plastered all over the arena, on the program guide, over the hospitality suite, even on the tote bags everyone carries around all day. It’s just a simple matter of money – lots of money. Spend enough, and at some conferences, you can get a seat on the event planning committee.Is all that cash worth it? How do you know that sponsorship is right for your company? Is there a way to determine if underwriting aspects of a trade show will help your bottom line?Absolutely.First, it’s imperative to understand exactly what sponsorship is. Sponsorship is the financial or in-kind support of an activity, used primarily to reach specified business goals. The fact that sponsorship is undertaken to reach specific business goals clearly deliniates it from philanthropy – you won’t be able to write off your trade show participation as a charitable contribution. However, sponsorship is also very different from advertising. Sponsorship is not a solo adventure, the way advertising is. It promotes a company in association with the sponsee.The next step is to determine why you may want to sponsor an event. Beware of the CEO-trap. This occurs when the CEO is a fan of a particular sport or event, and wants to throw corporate dollars behind his personal passion. Throwing the corporate logo on his favorite NASCAR driver’s car might make the big man happy, but will it help your company?Instead, you will want to set some clear, measurable goals for your corporate sponsorship. There are six main reasons why companies embrace sponsorship, including image enhancement, driving sales, increasing visibility with positive publicity, to take on a “Good Corporate Citizen” role, to differentiate from one’s competitors, and to enhance business, consumer, and VIP relations.All of these are valid reasons. Assess the proposed sponsorship opportunity against these goals and them ask yourself if sponsoring an aspect of this event will enhance your corporate image. Many companies value the goodwill generated by sponsoring hospitality suites and special meals at trade shows – goodwill that can influence sales.If sponsoring an aspect of the trade show will meet one or more of these goals, you may want to participate. It’s a good idea to do some homework first, before you sign on the dotted line.Check out the show’s image. Is it perceived as a classy, up-scale event? Or does it have a less-than-stellar reputation? You’ll want to know this before you affiliate yourself with the event. Show organizers should be able to provide you with the target audience expected to attend, plans for media coverage of the event, and what your obligations as a sponsor are. You’ll also want to know what kind of support you can expect from the show organizers, and what exactly your sponsorship dollars are buying.Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions. You are forming a short term partnership with the trade show organizer. Approach it the same way you’d assess any other potential business relationship. You need to know the event’s operational history. Has the show been around for a while, and growing every year, or is this a brand-new enterprise? Who were the previous sponsors? How much did they pay to be involved? What are the organizer’s backgrounds? Are they affiliated with any non-profit or political organizations?Check the date of the event, and check to make sure that it does not conflict with any other events your company wishes to have a presence at. You should also be provided with a full and complete list of event attractions, including educational programming and receptions.Sponsorship works best in the context of a relationship. You will often see the same companies supporting the same events year after year after year. This synergy creates a special, unique ‘brand’ for the duration of the event, a brand that the buying public begins to count on and expect. Make sure you enquire about on-going sponsorship opportunities, as well as cross-promotion opportunities.Don’t dilute your brand by sponsoring every event that comes along. You can afford to be selective here. Pick the one or two events that most closely mirror your corporate image and philosophy – those are the shows that will help you meet your sponsorship goals.Once you’ve made up your mind what events you’d like to be affiliated with, contact the event organizers right away. Many sponsorship opportunities are highly competitive, and space is limited. There’s not a lot of time to dawdle if you want one of only two or three premier spots.Finally, don’t feel limited to what sponsorship opportunities the show organizers offer. If you have a great idea, talk to the organizers about it. Chances are that show organizers will welcome your creativity and they’ll be more than willing to accommodate your plan.
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Networking Is More Than Just Handing Out Business Cards
By admin | January 19, 2008
At a Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange several years ago a well-dress woman walked up to me, business card in hand and, in perfect form held it in both hands in front of me, gesturing for me to take it. I took the card from her and smiled. She looked up and in a polite voice, said “Thank you,” and walked away. How sad. Here was this obviously well-intentioned woman, who most likely owned an interesting business but never learned what to do at a card exchange. Somewhere she bought into the idea that you were suppose to hand out as many business cards in as little time as possible. Clearly, this does nothing but waste business cards. Great for card businesses, not so great for yours.The other extreme is the person who spends the entire time at a card exchange talking to the same individual, sometimes even people from their own company. Again, this is quite unproductive. The purpose of a business card exchange is to get to meet new people in a pleasant atmosphere.While there are many good books to help you hone your networking skills including, Sue Roane’s How to Work a Room, the essence of networking is quite simple.Businesses run on relationships. I’ve always felt that everything that we do is about personal relationships and a business just gives us a playing field on which to do it.Following that theme, growing your business is about developing and nurturing relationships and card exchanges and similar networking events are really the starting point to begin what will hopefully become a mutually rewarding relationship.Since your time is limited, it is a good idea to spend only a short time speaking with people, especially those you already know. If you feel a resonance with someone you’re talking with, make arrangements to follow-up your connection at a later date and move on to meet someone else. I’m sure the shy looking person in the corner, who is probably there for the very first time, has something interesting to say. Why not go over and extend your hand.The other big faux paus I see over and over again, are the people who approach the networking meeting with a “me, me, me” attitude. A better approach is to learn about the other person first. You then have the option of explaining how what you do might be of interest to them. This establishes a stronger platform for communications, for as speaking legend Zig Zigler says, “You get what you want by helping other people get what they want.”Care about the other personThere are better ways to network and meet prospective business contacts. For openers, (no pun intended) people are more responsive if you first show some interest in them and what they do. There is an old cliché that says we have one mouth and two ears for a reason. If you listen more than you talk, you will automatically find people more interested in talking with you and being around you.Marketing guru, Jay Abraham, once said that “Discovery is the fuel of competitive advantage.” Get curious. Become interested in other people and what makes them tick. Really care about the other person. If you take the time to investigate, you will find that even those people who appear quite ordinary have a story to tell. If you show an interest in them and their lives, you will not only increase your chances of doing business with them but you may gain a friend as well.How do you do that?When you do introduce yourself, do so in a way that states the benefit of doing business with you. Saying “Hi, my name is Mary and I sell insurance” is not very exciting. However, if you were to say, “My name is Mary and I help people prepare for the uncertainty that may be in their future.” This causes the other person, if they are at all curious, to ask, “How do you do that?” At this point, you have opened the door for a further explanation or “commercial” for your business. You can go on to explain the benefits of your products and services.As an exercise, devise three or four ways to introduce your business. Let each one focus on a different benefit of your product or service. Test each of them at your next networking event.Remember: people do not buy products or services, they buy benefits and solutions.The more you focus on communicating the benefits gained from using your products or services, the more you will benefit from the increase in business.With prospecting new business becoming more and more difficult, a personal relationship is even more important and the Chamber of Commerce Card Exchange offers the perfect playground for you do it, besides the food is usually pretty good too.
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How To Get Motivated For Business
By admin | January 19, 2008
“I’ve lost my mojo!”Do you ever feel that way in your home business? Do you often start projects with boundless energy then fizzle out quickly? Do you need some ideas on how to get motivated again for your business?How To Get Motivated For Business-> Review your “why”.If you haven’t done this already, try to make 100 goals for yourself. This is a work in progress and may take you several weeks to finish, but do start the process. You need to have a bunch of things that motivate you to accomplish your goals when the going gets tough or when your progress is slower than you might like.-> Spend 20 minutes a day focusing on your goals.Now that you have your goals written down, spend 10 minutes twice a day, preferably first thing in the morning and last thing at night, reviewing them. Visualize yourself as having accomplished those goals, and let yourself feel the emotions. Act “as if”. This can be one of the most powerful things you ever do to get and stay motivated for your business.-> Hang out with motivated people.Avoid people who are negative and who drain your energy as much as possible. Sometimes this is unavoidable, but do try to minimize contact with those types of people, especially when your own motivation is low. Instead, actively seek out motivated people. These might be friends or they might be business peers. One great place to find motivated successful people is at the home business mentors Mom Masterminds.-> Celebrate your successesSometimes we get so caught up in growing our businesses that we forget to celebrate the little achievements. That small affiliate check, a new page added to a web site, an unsolicited, glowing testimonial about your product, etc. Keep a log of all the little things that happen in your business and review them when you need to get motivated again.-> Imagine the WorstAsk yourself “What will happen if I don’t accomplish my goals?” Sometimes that fear of looking and feeling like a failure will snap you out of your low period and get you motivated.-> Give yourself a deadline for slack timeEveryone has slumps, and sometimes the best thing you can do during those times is to take some time off to regroup, so that you can come back to your business refreshed and motivated again. Just be sure to set a deadline for yourself. Give yourself a day or two or whatever period of time feels comfortable to slack off, and then get back to work! You’ll probably find that you have no trouble getting motivated again as your energy increases.
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Hello world!
By admin | January 19, 2008
Welcome to Actualblog.net. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
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