Focus On Building Yourself A Qualified List Of Customers Who Are Eager To Hear From You
By David Hurly

Your primary focus as an Internet marketer should be on “permission marketing”* and not be quick sales!

Sure, you can set up a website with some great content and plaster it with banners and links to pages that pre-sell products and then link through to the products themselves.

You can even succeed in making a nice little income this way, provided you are driving enough targeted traffic to your site.

But how much of the traffic drives off again without a trace, never to return?

And how many of the people who do click through and buy the product return to you to buy again?

If your site is well designed and targeted then it is quite possible that some people will return and buy again.

But, how much better would it be if instead of trying to get people to part with their cash as soon as possible, you actually focused less on the quick sale and more on building a relationship with the customer?

By focusing on your prospect’s need for trustworthy advice you would stand a much bigger chance of turning your prospect into a life-long customer who trusted you, was eager to hear from you and bought your recommended products time and time again.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Here is a list of the steps you need to take to move towards a method of marketing that places the customer’s needs at the centre and turns the relationship into a dialogue rather than a shouting match!

1. Focus on gaining people’s permission for you to contact them about their needs.

Do this by making a squeeze page (or several) and also by adding a form to each page of your website. Include an incentive for people to sign up, like a compelling free report about stuff they need to know but haven’t seen elsewhere.

2. Link the form on your page to your autoresponder, which has been pre-loaded with a series of messages that will now go out to the subscriber.

3. While you might like to include a link or two to your products, don’t over-do the sales at this stage of the game. Instead, remember that you have not yet won your reader’s trust.

What you have to do in the early stages is set up a dialogue and also provide useful services and recommendations.

To do that, your email newsletters should be packed with useful information that is written in a lively and personal manner and focuses on the customer.

Also, provide free resources, tips and information that are genuinely useful. Don’t be afraid to include links to sites other than your own - subscribers will appreciate your generosity and return for more.

4. From time to time make your subscribers a new opt-in offer. Give them a good incentive and require that they give your some more information that you can use to focus on their needs more closely.

Those who opt in will be transferred from the first to the second mailing list.

The second list will be your more powerful list of clients with whom you have developed a stronger relationship of trust and who will be eager and happy to hear your offers.

That is the list you make your money on in repeat sales and sales of your primary products and services.

But remember, it is also the list you must look after most assiduously. The subscribers on the list have learned to trust you and building trust online with your customers is the key.

If you are tempted to sell them short at this stage for a quick profit, you will soon find that you have succeeded in undermining your credibility and your hard work will have been wasted. Remember, you are seeking to build a long-term relationship of mutual benefit, so don’t muff it by succumbing to short-term greed.

I have only described a couple of stages of this “permission marketing” model.

Moving your customers “up the permission-marketing ladder”* is the key to success. It does not have to be just a one-step move. You can implement several steps, each one moving the customer relationship to a higher and more personal level.

The role of sub-niches is also important here. As you talk to your list and invite a response, you should also be prepared to place different responses on different lists at the higher level.

With fewer subscribers on each niche list, you now have the opportunity to get to know each customer more personally and open up several lines of 1-on-1 dialogue with subscribers who are now repeat-buyers.

Because they have moved up several rungs of the permission-marketing ladder you know a lot more about them and are now in a position to offer them exactly what they need, and they are in a position, based on experience to trust your offers and enjoy your mailings.

They are customers who are eager to hear from you and willing to buy from you, so treat their trust like gold-dust.

NOTE

*See Seth Godin’s “Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends, and Friends Into Customers” (available on Amazon.com)
David Hurley is an Internet marketer who is based in Japan and is the owner of http://grasp-the-nettle.com, which focuses on success mentoring for Internet marketing start-ups. Get your own work-from-home Internet business set up free and find out how you can build an online business and master the net.

30 Online and Offline Networking Resources
By Stephanie Chandler

If you want to take your business to the next level, you should be making time to expand your networks. Networking can create a variety of opportunities ranging from meeting potential clients to locating new business partners. You can discover new ideas, form strategic alliances or find someone you can simply commiserate with.

Ideally you should schedule time in your calendar to attend networking events either in person or online. Following are thirty networking resources that can get you on the road to networking success.

1.   About.com – Link to this forum for entrepreneurs. There are also many other forums available on a variety of topics. Visit: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/mpboards.htm

2.   All Experts – If you have expertise in a special subject matter, you can apply to become a volunteer expert for this site. Experts receive questions from site visitors that should be answered in a timely fashion. While your answers need to be thoughtful and useful, you can use this as an opportunity to promote your own service with your signature line or in your response when appropriate. Visit: www.AllExperts.com

3.   Biz Help Forum – Offers a business idea exchange. Visit: www.bizhelpforum.com/

4.   Business Know How - These forums cover employee issues, business start-up, marketing, and more. Visit: www.businessknowhow.com/forum/

5.   Business Owners Idea Cafe - The “Cyberschmooz” forums offer a variety of topics ranging from business startup to marketing. Visit: www.businessownersideacafe.com/cyberschmooz/

6.   Classmates.com – Connect with former classmates or coworkers through this growing network. Visit: www.Classmates.com

7.   Company of Friends – Fast Company magazine hosts a networking exchange for its readers to discuss business issues. Visit: www.fastcompany.com/cof/

8.   Craigslist – This is an online classified site where visitors can post free ads on a variety of topics. It is also a great place to find out about events, post requests for information or visit online forums. Visit: www.Craigslist.org

9.   Ecademy – The tag line for this site is “Connecting Business People.” Members can post to forums, submit articles and make new contacts. Visit: www.ecademy.com

10.  eWomenNetwork – This organization provides a resource for business women to network both online and at local chapter meetings. Visit: www.ewomennetwork.com/

11.  Friendster – This community offers members a free profile and a chance to connect with old friends and new friends, or find people with similar interests. Visit: www.Friendster.com

12.  Internet Based Moms – Discussions for mompreneurs who work from home. Visit: http://internetbasedmoms.com/bb/

13.  LeTip – Offers regional chapter meetings and encourages members to refer additional members to the group. Visit: www.letip.com/

14.  Linked In – Use this network to locate career or business contacts. Members can search the database of members by keywords and contact each other directly. Visit: www.LinkedIn.com

15.  Meetup – Use this site to locate or initiate events that people can attend in any region of the country. Visit: www.Meetup.com

16.  Minding Your Own Business – This forum moderated by Denise O’Berry encourages entrepreneurs to swap ideas. Visit: http://myob-network.ryze.com/

17.  National Association of Women Business Owners – Local chapters and networking events across the U.S. Visit: www.nawbo.org/

18.  Orkut – This is Google’s affiliate for social networking. Visit: www.orkut.com/Login.aspx

19.  Ryze Network – This content rich networking community allows members to connect with others in related fields and participate in or run online forums. Visit: www.Ryze.com

20.  Small Business Blogs – Directory of small business-related blogs. Visit: www.blogsforsmallbusiness.com/directory/

21.  Small Business Forum – Offers a variety of topics including small business ideas, franchising, insurance, and business plans. Visit: www.small-business-forum.com/

22.  Spoke – This community is dedicated to sales professionals, helping to perfect the craft and generate leads. Visit: www.Spoke.com

23.  Team Women – Networking for women with local chapters around the country. Visit: www.teamwomen.com/

24.  Tickle – This site offers social network forums and groups in a variety of categories including: Activities, Alumni, Business, Computers, Entertainment, Family, Fashion & Beauty, Hobbies & Crafts, Home & Garden, Money & Investing, Parenting, Pets, Religion, Sports, and Travel. Visit: www.Tickle.com

25.  Toastmasters – This is the essential organization for public speakers, providing members with networking opportunities and public speaking skill development. Chapters exist internationally. Visit: www.toastmasters.org/

26.  Topica – This site hosts thousands of email lists and discussion forums. Visit: http://lists.topica.com/

27.  Tribe – This unique site offers social and business networking opportunities along with events by region with sites in major cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco, and Washington DC. Visit: www.Tribe.net

28.   Yahoo Groups – Whether you’re interested in business, writing, animals, minerals or vegetables, there is probably a Yahoo group established for you. Check out the directory at: http://groups.yahoo.com/

29.  Zero Degrees – Another source for career and business contacts. Search the database for contacts and create your own profile. You can also invite others to join your network. Visit: http://www.ZeroDegrees.com

30.  Don’t Forget to Go Local – Each city has its own networking group meetings. Check your local newspaper or business journal for meeting announcements. You can also perform an Internet search for your city. For example, search for “Atlanta Business Network” or “Sacramento Business Group.”

About the Author:
Stephanie Chandler is a small business expert and the author of FROM ENTREPRENEUR TO INFOPRENEUR: MAKE MONEY WITH BOOKS, E-BOOKS AND INFORMATION PRODUCTS. She is the founder of www.BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs and www.ProPublishingServices.com, a custom writing business specializing in electronic newsletters, information marketing, and sales copy for websites and brochures.

*This article can be reprinted provided the author bio is included.

Simplify Your Business: 12 Secrets to Entrepreneurial Freedom

By Stephanie Chandler

Finding balance between work and the rest of your life is not always easy, but it is essential. Your business cannot truly thrive if you are the center of everything, and your family cannot thrive if the majority of your attention is spent on your business.

Many entrepreneurs say they own a business because they want freedom and flexibility, yet when it comes down to it, these benefits are few and far between. Without systems and processes in place, the owner ends up like an over-worked dog trying to swim against a current. It becomes nearly impossible to get ahead.

You can make the choice to change the entire course of your business. By making a few important changes, you can remove the handcuffs that are keeping you chained to your business and rediscover the benefits of entrepreneurial life.

1. Step Away from the Electronics

It’s easy to feel like the world might end if you couldn’t check e-mail for several hours or if you turned your phone off (gasp) all afternoon. But if you can break the electronics habit slowly, you will discover that the world continues to turn. Clients will still be there, problems will not put you out of business and sometimes, problems might even get resolved before you even knew they existed. Most importantly, you will gain back your most valuable commodity: time.

2. Schedule Your Time

Jumping between various tasks throughout the day makes it difficult to focus and sabotages time management. Create blocks of time in your schedule with specific days and times for meeting with clients, working on your business, taking care of paperwork, updating your blog, etc. For example, you might catch up on paperwork on Mondays, attend client meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, work on business development on Wednesday afternoons and make cold calls on Friday mornings.

3. Get Organized

A tremendous amount of productivity is lost due to disorganization. If you no longer know what the top of your desk looks like, it’s time to put some systems in place. If you need help getting there, hire a professional organizer. This service will pay for itself in multiple.

4. Create Templates

Anything you do repeatedly, such as developing proposals for new clients or sending sales letters, should be done with templates. Create an outline that you can update and reuse over and over again.

5. Develop Process Manuals

You can dramatically reduce training time and ongoing support needs of your staff by providing a procedures manual. Set the expectation with employees that they must check the manual before calling you.

6. Create a Price List

Too many service providers arbitrarily set prices. If you are guilty as charged, your business will benefit from a price list. The key is to be consistent, give some serious thought and analysis to your pricing structure and then stick to your prices. You don’t have to publish your price list unless you want to, but use it as an internal document.

7. Set up E-mail Filters

When I began creating filters for e-mail, my productivity shot up. You can set up filters to route non-urgent messages to various folders such as “Social Networking Requests,” “Discounts,” and “Save for Later.” Schedule a block of time on your calendar to deal with these messages once each week.

8. Manage Bill Payments

Put your bills on auto-pay and minimize the amount of time and energy wasted on this task each month. If you’re not comfortable with that, at least take advantage of online bill pay with your bank. This is a simple, effective way to quickly get the bills off of your desk.

9. Collect Payments Online

If you invoice your clients for payment, consider sending electronic statements. Most credit card processors (including Paypal) allow you to send electronic invoices. They’re quick and easy and as a bonus, can speed up the time it takes to collect payments. Many clients find it convenient to simply pay with a credit card or check online in order to move the item out of their Inbox.

10. Hire a Bookkeeper

If you’re doing your own books or worse, you are operating on the “shoebox” method of accounting, you are not taking your business seriously. This is why bookkeepers and accountants exist. For a reasonable fee, you can have a professional take care of the details while you focus on what you do best. You don’t have to hand over your checkbook, just your receipts.

11. Get a Filing Basket

Since filing is about as much fun as scrubbing a toilet, many busy business owners let this task slide. If this sounds like you, simply put a basket near your desk and toss in all receipts, paid bills, notes, etc. that need to be filed. Though the magic filing fairy doesn’t exist and won’t swoop in to help, it will help clear up your space. You can tackle the basket once each month and it won’t be nearly as painful as you imagined.

12. Get Help

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is trying to do it all. Unless you have superhuman powers, there comes a point when you must admit that it is impossible to do everything for everyone every day. Decide at what point it makes sense to hire help. If you can’t afford an employee, consider hiring a virtual office assistant – someone who performs administrative tasks from their own home. You can also find subcontractors for all kinds of work through Craigslist.org, elance.com or rentacoder.com.

About the Author:

Stephanie Chandler is the author of several business and marketing books, workbooks and e-books including FROM ENTREPRENEUR TO INFOPRENEUR: MAKE MONEY WITH BOOKS, E-BOOKS AND INFORMATION PRODUCTS. She is the founder of http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs and http://ProPublishingServices.com, a custom writing business specializing in electronic newsletters.

*This article can be reprinted provided the author bio is included.