Friday, October 24, 2008

Learning to get your point across

Sometimes it is hard to explain what you mean in a timely manner. Ever had so much to say and so little time to say it. Ever bored yourself while giving your presentation to clients. Well "How to get your point across in 30 seconds or less!" by Frank Milo can help. I recently got this book on CD as a gift. Of course it seems all common sense to me now, as I have heard it repeated in the car 30 or 40 times. This is definitely a great refresher book for the professional or a new skill set for those starting out. Business or personal use you will improve both. So that is my 30 second pitch.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Helpful hints for business plan by womensblog.score.org

Check out these 8 mistakes and try not to make them



http://womensblog.score.org/2008/09/23/starting-avoid-these-8-mistakes-in-your-business-plan/trackback/

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Going broke with FREE giveaways!

Online marketing is recreating the mistakes of traditional mainstream marketing. It seems history will repeat itself online as well. If we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of history it seems that online small business will be the casualties. This notion that in order to attract customers online you need to offer something for free is a textbook for disaster. I like free stuff like any other person and I take advantage of free offers all the time. I could not tell you though the last place where I got something free, probable because I would not go there unless I was getting something for free. I would go back and take advantage of a free offer but I would not be a regular customer. Is not attracting regular customers the goal of any business especially small businesses online?

Free giveaways and contests should be used as a reward for your regular customers! Giving away something for free will not automatically get you loyalty from a first time customer. Brick and Mortar Retailers have had to learn the hard way and it has been disastrous for them. That is why no one gives away anything for free anymore. Now you have to rent 2 to get 1 at the video store.

So why are we repeating this big mistake with online businesses? Everything is so transparent and transient online. Online retailers are interested in a quick buck. These online marketers are the same way but more than that they don’t have an original thought when it comes to online marketing. They would rather spout what they think people want to hear, “If you offer something for free you will get tons of orders!” I think that is irresponsible to say to a client. Everyone wants something for free and you will probably get a lot of activity on your site and tons of orders. You will though have to go through that again, again to maintain your sales and as soon as you stop the giveaways you will stop the loyalty.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Online Money!

I have been away on holiday and have been neglecting the blog. The great thing about going away for holiday is that you can forget about work, and helps you to be more focused when you come back. Of course being on holiday also makes you think of how you could be able to do vacation all the time. I am sure you have seen all the ads on late night TV and spam emails that say you can work from home. They are all too good to be true claims and usually the money is made on telling you how to go out and do it. I am just like anyone else I am looking for the no cost, no risk opportunity that will net me millions. I am a skeptic when it comes to these programs and I have determined that the more longer length the website story is the more waste of time the program probably is. The more they self promote themselves through client testimonials makes me the more leery of them. They seem to have a cycle to them as well for a while they will be called by one name only to be refocused as another a few years later. I know the adage you can’t get something for nothing, and these guys make money on people who think they are going to receive millions for doing little or no work! Like many I would like to have at home job that allows freedom to work whenever I feel like it. Sadly this will not happen without some hard work.



The key is in the skills that you have right now or what can be learned to improve your skills. Anyone can use the Internet to make money. The easiest way to make money on the web is to sell your knowledge and experience. But how do you do that? Well it is part networking, part sales and part time! The tools are out there for you to sell yourself on the web you can set yourself up on a blog,( for free) you can setup a Google adwords account (for free).

Google Adwords is the Google program that gives you an account and pays you for people who click on your ads. You cannot expect that as soon as you do that everyone will come to your blog and click on the ads. You need to get the word out there that you are on the web so you need to network and tell people about your blog. Going to same themed blogs like yours and telling them about your blog and try to get them to link back to you. This will help bring traffic to your blog hence the more traffic the more chances they will click on your adwords. The more clicks the more money for you! Simple right, but you may not get to a million too soon. Others utilize their knowledge and influence and constant traffic to capitalize financially from Advertisers. This also takes part networking, part sales and part time. Most times Advertisers solicit you and arrange for you to use your influence to say good things about them. This might see you benefiting more than a few clicks on Adwords can. Both ways will not see you automatically quitting your job and having you put your feet up at your home office. This will have to be a part time job till you can. So the hunt for a no cost, no risk opportunity that will net me millions is still on.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Local Enviro News

Here is a list of some interesting environmentally friendly news from Canadian companies.

Eco-Tec has a biogas purification system, that captures and purifies bio-gas and uses it as an alternative energy source for greenhouses.

Wind power project generates new energy opportunity for NewFoundland & Labrador. A 20 year power purchase agreement to build, operate and sell power has Sky Power Corp and NewFoundland & Labrador Hydro working to have 9 3.0 MW wind turbines operational by end of 2008.

Greenfield Ethanol is buying corn. The plant is scheduled to open at the end of 2008. It will require 20 million bushels per year.

GO Lighting Technologies Inc. Introduces a Flat LED Lighting. It will reduce energy costs in office, commercial & retail. The lighting does not emit UV radiation and contains notoxic chemicals like mercury, lead or cadmium and is 100% recyclable.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Facebook Fear



Everyone is so uptight when it comes to his or her employees using facebook at work. This recent article highlights those fears “Employers tackle Facebook problem” Honestly there is a simple way to avoid the whole situation get rid of the Internet and personal phones at work! Now that was easy right? Forgive my sarcasm the fact of the matter is that people will follow their own agenda when it comes to there social lives and they very much resent being told how to act and what to do! They will find a way to sneak their facebook time in. Why not use facebook to your companies’ advantage. Every company should be excited at the fact that their employees are talking about them. If you don’t want every employee to be your spokesperson then you have something seriously wrong with your company! Why not make facebook breaks apart of your day, as some call it CRACK Book, its health risk are low unlike smoke breaks. If you need someone to be at his or her computer and answering calls facebook breaks would allow for that.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Me and my big mouth

Have you ever noticed that you can say too much in a sales meeting. This has happened to just about every consultant I know. You try to sell your services but end up teaching how to do your job. It is difficult enough convincing someone to trust you to provide a service without showing a few tricks of the trade.

I had this guy once who was looking to promote his internet business where he provided self service divorce papers online. He did not want to promote it online though because he knew that sites were offering for free this same service. So he wanted to promote in other ways. Talk about delaying the inevitable, he thought his business would be ruined if it ever got out. His success in the past was by running little word ads in the classified section of papers in the US. The majority of his clients were American and I guess he thought if he puts ads in Canadian papers they would figure it out? Anyways I told him my thoughts of what I would do to promote it. He said why didn't we think of that and I never heard from them again. Well that's one way to get free consulting.

How can you keep from selling yourself out of a job. Here are some easy tips that have worked well for me.

1. Plan Presentations- planning before hand what questions you think will come up. Answer them directly and without hesitation. If they ask for you to elaborate have a prepared answer for that like " If we are contracted to do the work we can go into more detail!"

2. Short Stories-Keep your stories of past examples of jobs short and do not expand on more than you have to.

3. Confidence-Be confident in what you are saying "um's" and "ah's" do not exude confidence. If they ask you a question and you don't know the answer tell them straight and that you would need to get back to them!

Telling exactly how you are going to do it, in an intial meeting will not help you to close the sale. If they say we are not convinced, Say why don't you give me a try, I can show you better than tell you. In the end the value they would get would be much larger than the handshake that says better luck next time.