Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby
by Bob Osgoodby
Today is Saturday, September 9, 2006
It is 252 days since the first of the Year
There are 123 days left in the Year, and
There are 106 days until Christmas
Today is . . . Teddy Bear Day
On this date . . . California became
the 31st state (1850)
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In this Issue
** Internet Tip of the Week by Bob Osgoodby – Agony of Defeat
** In the News – Google Launches News Archive Search
** Featured Article - Improving Communications with Customers or Clients by Kevin Eikenberry
** Biz-Tips by Dr. Kevin Nunley – Just Looking
** Humor to Start the Weekend – Searching For Perfection
** Feedback – McAfee Hijacking
** Something to Think About by Jan Tincher
- 11/23
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Sooner or later we all quote our mothers.
Welcome
Welcome to our new subscribers, who have joined 53,000+ other business savvy onliners. We hope you enjoy our weekly Newsletter. If you have a favorite "Tip" that would be of interest to our subscribers or an article that would be of interest, please send it to: articles@adv-marketing.com
Agony of Defeat
by Bob OsgoodbyNo, we’re not talking about the skier who wiped out at the start of ABC's "Wide World of Sports," but a true synopsis of what can happen to those who want to go into business on the Internet. Expecting the “thrill of victory” they many times experience the “agony of defeat.” The severity of victory or agony usually equates to how much money you spent vs. the amount you earned. The only thing that differs is the intensity.
Level one “Agony” is experienced by people who invested little or nothing and received the same in return. They joined an Internet Service Provider, (ISP) and immediately found their mailbox was overflowing with spam (junk email). They read some of the mail and, and believing what they read, bought into a program for $20. They sat back and waited, and waited, and waited and nothing happened.
Losing heart, they quit the program and dropped their ISP after the trial period. They now send their email to the kids, using a free or inexpensive ISP, which is all they really wanted to do in the first place.
At level two, others believed many of the offers that wound up in their inbox, and bought into a few. They then started their free advertising campaign. When that didn't pay off, they placed a few paid ads. But with no long term commitment, they folded their tents, cut their losses, and disappeared into the night.
The tenacious ones - failed at level one and two, but believed the hype and invested in an online store. They're like the guy who rented a huge vacant brick and mortar building, and then started to think about what he was going to sell. After a great deal of work and many bucks later, they found out that just having a store isn't the key to success on the Internet.
So what's the scoop? Is everyone doomed to failure?
Of course not - there are a lot of people making money on the web. But you have to find your "niche". Unless you have very "deep pockets", like anything, you have to know what you’re doing.
We all have some area of expertise and should capitalize on that. If, for example, you know a lot about gardening, why not consider a web site for gardeners? With some timely articles that are updated on a regular basis, and a store where you sell items of interest, you just might attract a following.
Does that mean you immediately commit to a store and get a merchant account so your customers can pay for their orders - no. Start your web site, and advertise it heavily. Initially, you can use PayPal to receive payment. One of the better advertising bets are ezines and newsletters that target the audience you wish to reach. Try to build a following on your website - consider publishing your own newsletter.
If you are able to get a respectable number of visitors to your web site, or subscribers to your newsletter, you just might have a shot at your online store succeeding. Remember, "Content is King". If you provide good content, you will have return visitors. Return visitors are usually strong potential future customers.
Offer freebies, run contests, have guest columnists contribute; these all enhance your site. But forget some of the hype you will run across. This does not happen overnight. Once established, will you make money - you betcha.
Like any business, you will need a war chest. How much? If you're going to be selling a product, you'll need an inventory. But don't be like the person who bought into the now defunct Equinox who still has $5,000 worth of junk in their garage they can't sell.
Look for a distributor who will sell in small lots. Sure they will charge a bit more, and you will earn a bit less, but you're not in over your head. If the product moves, you can then afford to buy larger lots at a lower price.
You should then know pretty quickly if it is going to work. If it is positive at that point, move to your next level. Open your online store, get merchant status and move forward.
Above all, if you use "due diligence" in any venture you take, and you just might avoid the “agony of defeat.”
FYI -----
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This program costs an outrageous $1 per week. There is a 13 week minimum.
In The News
Google Launches News Archive Search
Google is launching a new service that provides access to archives of news articles from several major organizations. With the new Google News Archive Search, users can perform keyword searches and see excerpts from the results of articles provided by participating publishers.
From there, users can click through to the archival version, typically hosted by the content owners, where the full text of the article is available, sometimes for free and other times for a fee. Participating in the service are the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, LexisNexis, and others. The content in the service in some cases dates back to the 19th century and earlier, giving researchers access to sources that formerly would have been difficult or impossible to locate.
Danny Sullivan, editor in chief of SearchEngineWatch, said the service could provide new revenue for news organizations through fees for archival stories.
Improving Communications with Customers or Clients
by Kevin EikenberryOne of our most important skills, both personally and professionally, is our ability to communicate. We use our communication skills all day, every day. Given that importance and frequency, you would think we all would have these skills mastered. Unfortunately, this isn’t true.
There are many situations where we all would like to be better at this highly important skill. One of those situations is communicating with customers or clients.
Before you stop reading, because you think you don’t deal with customers, recognize that within any organization and any work process, customer/supplier relationships exist – even between you and your colleagues. Besides, the tips that follow will help you communicate better with your boss too.
Now that everyone is still with me, let’s identify why these communications can be challenging.
It can be tough when we, the supplier, need something from a customer but feel it is difficult to come out and ask for it because, well, they are the customer and it is our job to serve them. Sometimes though, we know that with better or timelier information, or if they would do something differently, we would be able to serve them better. And sometimes it is harder to give a difficult message to customers because of our desire to serve and please them.
Here are four things you can do to help get over these challenges and improve your communications – and likely your relationships – with your Customers.
Share Expectations
Think about it, how can your Customers know what you need to best help them, unless you tell them? It could be something as simple as asking them to have their account number ready when they call. It might be something more complex or complicated. Either way, if they don’t know what you need, they may be as frustrated as you are. Even worse, your Customers might think you are just in a rut and unable to fulfill their requests immediately.
Remember, sharing is a two-way activity. This is about more than just your needs – so we must also ask them about their needs and expectations. Approach this as an open conversation, not as a “problem” to be “solved”. Invite your customer to share their expectations with you, and then you can share yours too.
Talk About Benefits
These folks are your customers, so you want to help them see how any change in their behavior will help them. Your customers may not think about your needs much – they figure they are in charge! And, of course, in many ways they are. We need to help our Customers see how they can help us serve them better. They will understand that when they understand how they’ll benefit from doing something a bit differently to help you. Will you be able to be more accurate or responsive to their needs? Will the change help you reduce their costs? When they see personal benefits, you’ll have their attention!
Shoot for Small Gains
Maybe you see several things you’d like them to do differently. Great, but don’t try to make all those changes at once. Help them see how a small change will make a big difference. Once you have mutual success with that tweak, then you can suggest some more changes. Inch by inch, everything’s a cinch.
Recognize Communication Styles
Customers are people, which means they won’t all want to be communicated with in exactly the same way. Make sure you think about their tendencies. Do they speak quickly and want quick resolution? Then get to the point. Do they want the details or background? If so provide it to them. Are they more interested in the relationship? Take the time to learn more about them personally. Your goal should be to take the approach that works for them, not the one you prefer.
All four of these tips lead to one overall conclusion. We will improve our communication with our customers, bosses, colleagues, suppliers – almost anyone – when we work to build a relationship, based on trust and respect, rather than just having transactional communications.
Want to improve your communications with your Customers? Work on building your relationship with them. When you do this, everything gets a little easier and becomes more profitable too!
-----
Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on Unleashing Your Potential go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.
Trivia
In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem...how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations.
However, if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few land lubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." (All this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you. <G>)
Biz-Tips
by Kevin NunleyJust Looking
The vast majority of customers come in your store looking for something specific. They may say "oh just looking" as a way to keep the sales person at a distance, to keep from getting pressured.
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DrNunley's Free Advice! Need help or ideas to promote your product, service, or idea to greatness in 2003? Call or email now for free advice from Kevin and his staff of friendly experts. (801)328-9006. mailto:kevin@drnunley.com Read his 10,000 marketing ideas at http://DrNunley.com
Quote of the Day
It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only a little. Do what you can.
- Sydney Smith
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- 10/22
A Little Humor to Start the Week
Searching For Perfection
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=A friend asked a gentleman how it is that he never married?
Replied the gentleman, "Well, I guess I just never met the right woman ... I guess I've been looking for the perfect girl."
"Oh, come on now," said the friend, "Surely you have met at least on girl that you wanted to marry."
"Yes, there was one girl .. once. I guess she was the one perfect girl.
The only perfect girl I really ever met. She was just the right everything .. I really mean that she was the perfect girl for me."
"Well, why didn't you marry her," asked the friend.
"She was looking for the perfect man," he said.
-----
A noted psychiatrist was a guest at a blonde gathering, and his hostess naturally broached the subject in which the doctor was most at ease. "Would you mind telling me, Doctor," she asked, "how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?"
"Nothing is easier," he replied. "You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble. If he hesitates, that puts you on the track."
"What sort of question?"
"Well, you might ask him, 'Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?'
The blonde thought a moment, then said with a nervous laugh, "You wouldn't happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don't know much about history."
-----
I couldn't decide whether to go to Salt Lake City or Denver for vacation, so I called the airlines to get prices. "Airfare to Denver is $300," said a cheery salesperson.
"And what about Salt Lake City?"
"We have a really great rate to Salt Lake. It's $99.00, but there is a stopover."
"Where?"
"In Denver."
-----
My friend Nancy and I decided to introduce her elderly mother to the magic of the Internet. Our first move was to access the popular Ask Jeeves website, and we told her it could answer any question she had.
Nancy's mother was very skeptical until Nancy said, "It's true, Mom. Think of something to ask it."
As I sat with fingers poised over the keyboard, Nancy's mother thought a minute, then responded, "How is Aunt Helen feeling?"
----------
Conscience is what hurts when
everything else feels so good.
Feedback - Q&A
I have gotten a lot of feedback over my article last week about McAfee software - too much so to publish here. One of the main ideas that ran through many of the emails was first, agreement that what they are doing is wrong, and second, what course of action I plan to take.
-----
First I am going to write McAfee and tell them to remove the redirection of my URL, and give them 48 hours to do so. If they do, that will be the end of the issue. If they don’t, I will make a complaint to the FTC. Also, since they are hijacking my URL, I will also make a complaint to Network Solutions who registered McAfee.com and if that doesn’t work, it will be referred to the InterNIC which is the accredited registrar directory.
Stupid Ads
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Publications of Interest
CyberProfitsToday.com's Guide To Profiting On The Internet
PLUS... Daily Tips, Internet Articles, and Much M0re!
Visit http://www.cyberprofitstoday.com
Publisher: Les Ong
Something to Think About
By Jan TincherHow do you see success?
Do you see it on the other side of this huge wall? And are you standing on your tip-toes, peaking over the top, wishing/waiting? Waiting/waiting for conditions to improve, wishing/waiting to win the lottery, wishing/waiting for an inheritance?
That's all well and good, if you've got all the time in the world, but what if you don't?
Why not take control of your success path, if only in your imagination? Why not visualize the wall getting smaller and smaller? *If you can visualize it bigger, you can visualize it smaller.* Why not decide to take control -- again, if only in your imagination? Take time to imagine or visualize the wall smaller.
Do you know what happens when you do that? When you start seeing it that way in your mind, you'll start seeing it that way in your reality. Take another look at your success. Is the wall disappearing? Doesn't success seem closer now? Ask yourself many times a week, "How do I see success?" Pay attention to your answers. If they are not what you want, change them until they are. Give your brain a direction to go. Make it the direction YOU want.
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Be a success! Let Jan Tincher, Master Neuro-Linguistic Programmer, help you! Great articles, great strategies you can implement immediately! Go here now:
http://www.tameyourbrain.com/success/index1.htm
Dumb Quotes
I want to gain 1500 or 2000 yards, whichever comes first.
- George Rogers, New Orleans Saints running back
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Best Wishes - Have a Great Weekend
BobCopyright - 2004
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