Those that have written and spoken about it imply that this behavior is exercised by a few, the few who excel in life by creating or achieving something extraordinary that inevitably becomes newsworthy.  Naturally everyone who succeeds at something noteworthy will say that they had a dream, an idea that they carried with them through to fruition.  This requires the individual to think constantly about that which he/she wants so badly that all they can think about is that thing that is driving them.  Yes, we know that to make anything noteworthy happen we need to direct all our actions, time and energy towards our goal.

A point that is not made by all those people who associate the act of visualization with successful people only is that we all visualize!

This ability to imagine what our future could be (if we could realize our goal) is probably what distinguishes mankind from other animals (so scientists think).  Every person can visualize because every person can daydream.  Everything we achieve in life, no matter how small, starts with an idea, a dream, a mental image and when followed with a plan to realize that objective that idea becomes reality.  Everyone is able to visualize and everyone is able to realize at least one of their dreams.  The dream can be as small as baking a new cake, but not any less important for that person.  The dream can be as big as winning sixteen grand slams in tennis to become the world’s best tennis player ever.  The act of visualization is necessary to build anything that is new, different from the past.

The size of other traits distinguishes persons who achieve great things from those who achieve less, for example the aspiration size, how determined is she, how much does the desire burn, how committed is he . . . and so on.

Our mind determines our actions given the environment we exist in.  In other words how strong is our mind!  A weak mind will always fail . . . a strong mind will always win.

How strong is your mind?

Download the Decision Matrix which is a very convenient and powerful method you can apply to maing an informed decision from a number of choices with a number of criteria – the next best thing to making the perfect choice.  It may help you visualize the outcome.

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Over a period of a very few years it became evident to almost everyone that this was the new wave of communication and that it would be in our best interest to embrace this new technology (maybe not quite with open arms just yet).

Well this is the new beginning of the second decade (or end of the first) of the new millennium and communication through the transmission of text messages, which includes email, has exploded!  We are bombarded with messages at a phenomenal rate and if we don’t have a simple effective plan or strategy on how to deal with this phenomenon we either lose all communication on the one hand by cutting it altogether off (sometimes not a bad idea) or on the other hand allowing everything to come through thus creating so much electronic chaos to become totally overwhelming and useless.

My simple approach:

I never respond to (or even open) an email I don’t know the origin of i.e. I don’t know who the sender is.  Never provide your name and email address so you can get something in return unless it comes from a reputable auto responder like AWeber or GetResponse which make provisions to unsubscribe, else you run the risk of receiving unwanted spam.

A practical filing method works well by creating folders for each type or category of email received (not too detailed otherwise too many folders become cumbersome).  Then for each incoming email create an Outlook rule so Microsoft Outlook automatically directs each email to the correct folder, making it easy to track and manage.

Prioritizing emails with colored tags i.e. importance is a futile exercise, because if you are like me they will only pile up and when we eventually get to read them we will have forgotten their relative importance and end up overlooking them to eventually deleting them anyway.   Setting aside a time of day every day to deal with emails and effect the required action for each email is best, which could be simply deleting emails.

We must know and accept that we will probably never give all the emails received 100% attention.

The Decision Matrix – This innovative tool will not help you directly with deciding which emails to delete and which not to delete (often our dilemma), however it is a very convenient and powerful tool that can help you choose from a number of alternatives in any situation.  It is the next best thing to making the perfect decision . . . download your decision facilitator here.

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Creative Impact business solutions

You are faced with the dilemma of having to choose between one of two choices, or very often between more than two, sometimes a whole number of offers.  How often have you found yourself in extreme anxiety because you could just not make up your mind as to which choice would give you the best bang for your buck.  You have most likely, if you are like most people, had to make a decision to buy a car, a house, holiday destination or maybe choose one from many girlfriends.   The list of possibilities is endless.

You find yourself asking for the opinion of others and then their choice is in conflict amongst themselves, making your life even more difficult.  What about the times that you do eventually make a decision and after you have made a serious commitment, especially when there is no going back, you live in doubt! “Have you made the right decision, the best decision possible?”, “What if you are wrong?” and “What if you are going to pay the price if and when it falls apart because you made the decision?”.

What if I tell you that there is an easy way out of such a predicament. What if I tell you that there is a technique to avoid getting mad or in rut, a methodology that is systematic and is certain to help you make the best possible choice available. This method will also provide you with an arsenal of supporting evidence that proves your approach was sound and logical, the prerequisites to making informed intelligent decisions!

A requirement to making a decision is the presence of at least two options.  The purpose for making the decision is to effect an outcome that will improve the current situation.  A bad decision has been made when the outcome puts the stakeholders in a worse position they were before the decision was realized or if an alternate decision is clearly the better choice.  Keep in mind that in retrospect decisions become clearer, however that is an unrealistic scenario designed for losers.

Each option once exercised will bring about a sequence of events, which are either favorable or unfavorable.  We have just identified the two criteria needed to make a decision.  They are also referred to as advantages and disadvantages.

Not all advantages are equally important, as not all disadvantages are equally important, in other words they each carry a different weight, another criterion to help us make a decision.

Not all advantages or disadvantages have the same urgency so carry a different priority.  This is the last criterion to help us make a decision.

To summarize:

We have say two options in the decision process – Option A and Option B

We have two criteria that describe each option – advantages, disadvantages

We also have two criteria that describe each advantage and disadvantage – weight (aka importance) and priority (aka urgency).

The weight and priority values range from 1 to 10.  In addition the sum of priority values must equal 10 for each set of advantages and disadvantages.

Let’s try a simplified example, say you want to buy a car:

Your options are:

[1] BMW and [2] Mercedes

Now we consider the Advantages and then the Disadvantages for each option.  At the same time we will give them a weight, a number between 1 and 10, making sure their value is not the same.  A condition applies here; the weight values must add up to 10.

[1] BMW

Advantages:                  weight  priority

Young motorist                 6              8

Medium sized                   2              2

Disadvantages:

Limited colors                    5              7

Too common                     5              3

[1] Mercedes

Advantages:                weight  priority

Greater color range          7              5

Uncle owns dealer            7              5

Disadvantages:

Old man’s car                  6              4

More expensive               7              6

Now we plug the values into the Decision Matrix Model and the choice with the highest overall benefit is the preferred option under the given circumstances.

The overall benefit = advantages subtotal – disadvantages subtotal

In our example the overall benefits are:

BMW overall benefit = 52 – 50 = 2

Mercedes overall benefit = 70 – 66 = 4

Therefore taking into account all the criteria Mercedes with an overall benefit of 4 is the better buy!

This very convenient and powerful methodology can be applied to any number of choices with any number of criteria.  It is the next best thing to making the perfect choice.

This interactive spreadsheet model has been built to cater for five options and ten advantages and disadvantages . . . download the decision facilitator here.

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Creative Impact business solutions

In the preceding article I wrote that your list’s growth rate depends on the number of communication channels (sites) you open up and how well you grow them by offering valuable content.

The World Wide Web describes the scenario best where everyone is interconnected.  In there somewhere is you . . . a spec in a dust storm . . . and you want to be noticed!

To be noticed one develops content that is placed on sites; for example articles in ezinearticles.com, write your blurb in forums and participate in blogs.

Firstly you are dependent on the search engines because if they don’t find you no one else will.  There are three ways search engines will find and list your site:

[1] Your site needs to be registered with search engines so they can find you (web designer’s job) and

[2] The more content you add that is interesting and valuable to the reader, the more search engines will like you.

[3] Place links to your site on other sites, while thinking of reciprocity.  Can be other peoples’ websites, forums, blogs etc.

You can also use Pay Per Click or Pay Per Action paid advertising to drive traffic to your site.

Secondly you are also dependant on other people sometimes called connectors or sneezers for traffic because they know many people they can connect you to.  These are by far your best sources of traffic as they send people to your squeeze page so you can build your list.  These persons can become your Joint Venture (JV) partners who get paid commissions of 50% to 75%, and sometimes even 150%.

The next article to be published within the next few days will cover finding JVs.

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Download an automated spreadsheet to help you calculate the size of your list and help take inventory of potential external sources of subscribers. Building Mailing List summary table

Of course what has dramatically changed is the way people communicate.

A long time client and friend approached me the other day about the promotion of one of her digital products.  She has a mailing list of about 1200 of which 300 are active subscribers, which in my opinion is close to the minimum needed for an effective product launch. We talked about boosting her list for future product launches and I decided to list common and popular methods she can apply to add to that all important list without which not many sales can be realized . . . it’s that simple.

I decided to share this with you in a summarized form to make it easy to follow, both for you and me.

What must be noted first is that, as has always been the case in sales, building a strong relationship is a prerequisite to closing the sale.  This is the only way to build a responsive list of buyers.  A client list is more than 10 times more valuable than a prospect list and must be nurtured.

Build multiple lists for each opt-in bribe or site e.g. each FREE e-Book will generate a new list.

Metrics – we need to measure our traffic by noting the number of site visits and the opt-in rate

The opt-in methods we use must be tested to see which techniques work best e.g. use different opt-in web forms.  Offer visitors free stuff in return for their name and email, by using a squeeze page, pop ups or the old subscription box (e.g. Johnson box) which is least effective of all.

Building a list is a slow process to start off with, starting at 0 or 1 and then growing exponentially.  The growth rate depends on the number of communication channels you open up and how well you grow them by offering value; if there is no value there is no reason for a visitor to come back or opt in.

In the next article to be published within the next few days I will cover the types of sites i.e. places you want visitors to go to.

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PS.

Download an automated spreadsheet to help you calculate the size of your list and help take inventory of potential external sources of subscribers . . . Building Mailing List

A well prepared press release captures the attention of journalists and is targeted for distribution over the Internet through e-mail and PR Web network feeds.  There are many templates and they don’t vary a lot from one another.  It is useful to sometimes use a quick press release to get a piece of noteworthy news out fast and effectively, so I decided to give non PR people a few easy guidelines to remember.  Identifying the distribution channels is the more challenging task.

Below are various key press release components:

Opening Paragraph – press release summary – who, what, when, where, and why that gives the full big picture.

Body – supporting details, statistics, or background information. This section expands on the news being presented by offering key information.

Boilerplate- better idea of who the issuing source of the news is. A more general background about the person or company presenting the news.

Call to Action – at the end of the press release is needed to get members of the media to take any specific action.

I prefer to keep the press release to one page because it will get printed and one page in concise for easy reading and there are no multiple pages to lose.

Click Press Release to see a copy of the actual press release

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The last barrier to an effective referral sales program is the presumed or real administrative burden associated with a such a program. There is no doubt that for a business to maximize its sales it must formally implement referral sales. Referral sales is indirectly present in all businesses, simply because there is always someone who will recommend a business, however the sales return will be minimal.

The best way to streamline the administration of your referral sales program is to automate the process and make it as easy as possible for your contacts to forward you referrals i.e. electronically through the Internet! A referral marketing programs is designed to do just that.

Say you add Anthony, your new customer introduced in the last article, to your program so he is linked to you. This will now enable him to send you that elusive potential client only he will know about, at a click of a button. You will then have a new qualified potential client when you least expected it!

All the mini pre sale events get recorded by the referral marketing program so you can focus on helping that prospect (go through the sales cycle), who should inevitably turn into a customer if you do your job right, who in turn can become another referrer for you. This is how you can build a formidable “sales force” that find qualified potential clients for you over time. The sales program helps you bring referrers on board and it does all the admin work for you thereby keeping you and each of your referrers informed, thus saving you time.

Tracking statistics is automatically done for you too; tracking referrals and sales success rates as well as recording rewards earned. Requesting, receiving and managing valuable testimonials from your satisfied customers as soon as the sale is complete are also done for you, saving you more time.

There are other barriers that exist in addition to these top three, but none that can’t be overcome to create an effective and improved sales referral program.

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Helping micro, small business owners and independent professionals increase profits through cutting costs and increasing sales, with business planning and implementing Internet based marketing strategies. Creating online interactive referral marketing solutions – money making ideas.

Download a collection of commanding articles (35page e-book) that tell how the referral influence of people you know can significantly increase sales.

Sales Referral power is Stronger Than Ever

In the book Eleven successful business owners give insight into and confirm this proven edge that will put you ahead of your competition.

I also mentioned that the second most damaging barrier to referral sales in direct selling that adversely affects your small business profits, is the absence of statistical information.  People want to know how things that can affect them in a positive way are going and progress is best measured using numbers.

There is always a reference in a course of events, which sets a starting point.  For example say you have twenty five active contacts who occasionally refer you new clients.  You have acquired a new customer, Anthony, who is very happy with how you have helped him with your products and services, and has also recently been introduced to your referral marketing program.  Anthony likes how you reward contacts with a referral fee for referring you qualified potential clients that generate new sales, so he too has decided to jump on board.

The referral process can be slow and patience must be exercised before results become visible, and results do eventually happen!  However if Anthony hears nothing more about your program and never gets to see any reports from you (in the form of the traditional company newsletter emails) about how active other contacts are in sending you new clients and how they are been rewarded, it is not difficult to see how quickly Anthony will lose interest and no longer be motivated to participate.

If on the other hand Anthony occasionally gets an interesting and informative newsletter that you post to all your customers, which gives figures about the number of customers that send you new business and the number of rewards that have been earned, Anthony is much more inclined to participate and add to your profits.

A good tracking program can easily send statistical information and more to your informal ‘sales force’, thus encouraging participation that will guarantee its success and more sales for you.

Moreno Perazzolo

Helping micro, small business owners and independent professionals increase profits through cutting costs and increasing sales, with business planning and implementing Internet based marketing strategies. Creating online interactive referral marketing solutions – money making ideas.

Download a collection of commanding articles (35page e-book) that explain how the referral influence of people you know can significantly increase your sales.

Sales Referral power is Stronger Than Ever

In the book eleven successful business owners give insight into and confirm this proven edge that will put you ahead of your competition.

Whether you know it or not you may have created barriers to the success of your Sales Referral Program. Here is the first of three of the most common barriers and how to remove them.

Poor communications and promotion is the number one barrier to an effective sales program. If your customers and Contacts (referrers) don’t know about the program or if they don’t understand how it works then they can’t participate fully. To remove this barrier you need to kick start your program with a customer wide promotion blitz. Use all of your existing communication channels like newsletters and e-mails, and also do a few special things as well.

Have a contest that offers a special reward for forwarding three qualified referrals, like a golf package or a weekend getaway. Try to spur a little competition by offering prizes for the most referrals in one quarter. If the owner (YOU) thinks that this program is important then so will your customers!

Ensure that there is a regular flow of information about the program circulating in the market, particularly amongst your Contacts. Post the names of customers who participate and the incentive (reward) that they received. Nothing spurs success like the success of others. Survey your customers at least once a year to make sure that they still know about the program. If you find that interest or knowledge is slipping then it’s time for more promotion, as with any other marketing or sales campaign that needs a push forward.  The more you put in the more you get out – networking basics!

Look out for the next article that covers the second most damaging barrier to referral sales in direct selling and your small business profits – the absence of statistical information.

Moreno Perazzolo

Helping micro, small business owners and independent professionals increase profits through cutting costs and increasing sales, with business planning and implementing Internet based marketing strategies. Creating online interactive referral marketing solutions – money making ideas.

Download a collection of commanding articles (35page e-book) that explain how the referral influence of people you know can significantly increase your sales.

Sales Referral power is Stronger Than Ever

Eleven successful business owners give insight into and confirm this proven edge that will put you ahead of your competition.

In Affiliate Marketing the seller relies extensively on using the Internet as a communication medium throughout the sales process and never comes into contact with the buyer.  Here relationships start and are built mainly online over time through very effective targeted marketing web methods.  Sometimes there is physical contact between two persons where one is the referrer and the other the potential client. The advantage of a link being formed through physical contact is that the sale happens quicker because there is a much greater level of trust, as usually one knows the other and there is some relationship history.

Referral marketing is purely a word of mouth process taking place through people we physically know. Although, as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the time taken to bring the prospect to the point of buying is very fast, the size of the market niche that the seller has practical access to is far smaller than that of the online marketer (seller).

Not all business owners can or will use the Internet as the primary vehicle to make sales.  Either they do not see the big benefits of the Internet or their business is of a kind that just doesn’t depend on the Internet for direct sales.  The most these businesses can do is create a presence on the web with a website, a marketing tool that is a business requirement nowadays as is the telephone.

Businesses that benefit the least or not at all from referral marketing are those that sell small ticket items (less than $100) and the customer is unlikely to buy there again.  Examples are Health Food, Music, Pizza & Delivery Services, Software, Dry Cleaning, Limousine Services and Printer Cartridge Recharging & Repair.  Any business that involves sporadic small sales.

The type of businesses that benefit most from referral marketing are those that sell high ticket items ($100’s to $100,000s), especially if they are repeat sales to the same customer.  Typical businesses that fall into this category are certain medical services like Dentistry, Naturopaths, Alternative Health Therapies, Massage Therapies and physiotherapists.

Another group is residential services that includes amongst others Real Estate, Construction, Interior Design, Property Inspection Services, Home Renovation Services, Painting Business, Domestic Cleaning & Services, Lawn Mowing/Maintenance Service, Carpet Cleaning Service and many more.

Other businesses that come to mind are Tourism, Panel Beating, Employment & Recruiting, Graphic Design, Bookkeeping Service, Child Day Care, Bed & Breakfast Establishments, Catering Services, Wedding Planning, and the list goes on and on.

Referral marketing is most rewarding for repeat high value business.  Referral sales works for most businesses and although it tends to happen by itself because it is human nature to tell others about your positive experience, this marketing strategy is not exploited by most businesses.  Making a concerted effort to implement a referral marketing strategy will literally explode the number of referral sales.  Don’t discount the referral power of people you know!

Moreno Perazzolo

Helping micro, small business owners and independent professionals increase profits through cutting costs and increasing sales, with business planning and implementing Internet based marketing strategies. Creating online interactive referral marketing solutions.