A Great Article on Target Marketing October 27, 2009

Say No To More Referrals

By: John Jantsch

About the time I really started to wrap my head around this notion of narrowing your target market focus to a certain type of client and certain type of work I could identify as ideal, a funny thing happened that sealed the deal on this strategy. (The first time you turn down work is a bit scary, but the payoff long term is so worth it.)

I got a call from a prospective client that was ready to hire me based on the advice of a friend of a friend. We chatted briefly and agreed to meet. I was following my lead conversion process so I presented what I knew, asked about his pain, and told him how I worked. He nodded, agreed, and said, “that’s great, but here’s what I really want you to do.” There was a time when I would have said to myself, “OK, I mean, how hard could it be and he said he would pay me, right?” In this case, I said, I may not be the right person for what you need, but I think I know someone who could help you. At first he was caught a bit off guard, but I agree to stay in touch and sent him several contacts I thought could help.

But, here’s where it got good. About a week later I get a call from a colleague of the former prospect who says, “Bill told me about what you do and how he really liked your honest approach and style – I think we should work together.” And then it happened again, and then again. This one “no” turned into three perfect long-term engagements. I took note of the power of saying no the right way, never again attracted the wrong kind of work, and saw referrals go through the roof.

Now, referrals increased in part because of my stick to it, authentic, we can’t help everyone approach, but the real referral momentum came about because of the focus on attracting clients I knew I could be successful helping and knew would value what I had to offer – nailing these two elements will lead to referral business faster than you can ask for it!

Wrap your brain around the exact type of prospect, problem, engagement or solution you know you can deliver to a prospect in need and tell the world yes I can help you if you fit and no I can’t help you if you don’t fit with equal conviction and watch the side buzz from both groups help you grow your business.

Automate or Perish? October 21, 2009

By: Kammie Lisenby

Just another day in the land of automation…

Have you seen the movie Idoacracy? Some days I really feel we are heading there. When needing something done quickly and professional we usually go to a business that is familiar to us, a business which has already proven their ability to serve our needs. However, when we return and do not receive the same quality of service, or results, you’ll be likely to look elsewhere to fulfill your needs next time.

I was recently with my client running errands when we stopped into OfficeDepot to take care of a few printing needs. When we entered the store, we were not greeted but casually looked over by the single cashier up front. Not necessarily a problem but when we walked to the printing counter there was no one available. By this time the only cashier, was so busy gabbing with an associate she forgotten about us. So, we had to walk across the store, flag her down so she could page someone just to wait five more minutes until someone decides to grace us with their appearance. “This weird they never treat me this way”, my client said.

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I hear you like the articles! October 20, 2009

It has always been my belief that information was meant to be shared. So it makes me unimaginably happy to know that the articles I write and the information I try to share is appreciated. Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement to continue!

Are you looking for an article for you newsletter, ezine or website? There are tons of Articles available at http://www.seattleva.net/Articles.

Have a great week everyone!

A Look Into Technology: Email Marketing Solutions October 1, 2009

Email marketing is not just about marketing. It is also a great way to stay in touch with your clients and potential clients. Think newsletters, ezine and special sale notifications…All of this is made possible with simple to use Email Marketing Solutions. These programs are designed to store lists of contacts so you can send the right information to the right people at the right time. Now before I get carried away I should mention that not all of these programs allow you to break down you contact database. Those that do utilize Auto-responders to help you stay organized with who you know and what they are interested in.
Email Marketing Solutions range from the really basic to shopping cart add in solutions so you can manage everything in one location. Some include templates that you can customize, while others rely on you and an html editor for ultimate branding.
For those that are asking, why can’t I just use my email? The answer is SPAM. When you send too many people the same message from one email address the internet world notices and not in a good way. Email Marketing Solutions get around this through special rules and permissions. For one, every individual in your contact database must choose to be in that database. This can be accomplished through online sign-up forms or email opt-in confirmations. Your personal email does not have these safeguards and therefore any mass emailing you do from your personal email adds up to have that email address considered spam. (And that is not an easy thing to fix.)

Coming in October! September 25, 2009

September is coming to a close and my did that go fast. I feel like I just got started and now it’s done. Next month will likely be the same with school and work and everything that makes time fly by. For those that are new to this blog, welcome. For those that have been around a while, Thank you. If it weren’t for all of you, I would never have found my true passion.

October’s focus is going to be on project management and managing the details. I want to bring attention to the many ways we as small business owners can manage every aspect of what we do so that we don’t overdo. Having the right protocols in place and automating can help a lot.

To round off this month I will share one last article on Virtual Assistants. I’ve been purusing the blogs lately and found a lot of questions on just what it is VA’s do and related questions. So I have put together an article to touch on some of the most promonent questions in the industry.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Kristi