Simple question with many different answers.
Go ahead, ask yourself “Why am I here?” “Why am I reading
this right now?” “What am I looking to accomplish?”
What was your answer?
If your answer was “I want to get rich” or “I want to make
a ton of money on the Internet”, then I think you need to
take a step back for a minute. Your putting the cart before
the horse.
Now don’t get me wrong, everyone who starts a business
online ultimately wants to make a good living. And there
are plenty of people doing just that. Creating a better
life for themselves and their family’s.
But how did these people making money on the Internet
get there?
I guarantee you that it wasn’t because their focus is on
“Getting rich” or “Making a ton of money”. No, their focused
on HELPING OTHER PEOPLE get what they want out of life.
**This is key to know if you ever want to make a living online.
Refocus your mind to always think “How can I help”…
“What can I do to help”…
I know you have heard this before but it is one of the best
quotes you will ever hear:
“You can have everything in life you want, if you help
enough others get what they want”
Zig Ziglar’s Golden Rule of Business.
This is a very important quote you need to understand, before
you build your business. It’s not enough to say “I want to
make a lot of money” and then start building your business
on this principle. This is a disaster waiting to happen!
You instead need to focus on “How can I build my business
to help other people”. This will give you true clarity of what
needs to be done in your business and in your life. This is
where the real wealth is.
It’s not about give me, give me, give me – it’s about you
giving your heart and soul for the purpose of helping
other people, so give, give, give!
I heard a story once form Jim Rohn in one of his seminars
that I would like to share with you real quick and it went
something like this:
There was this great and powerful General, a true leader
in every sense of the word, who was out on his horse
inspecting his battered troops after a battle. The troops
where all lined up in a row for the General’s inspection.
As the General was moving his way down the line looking
over his troops and speaking words of encouragement and
congratulations for a job well done, he noticed one of his
soldiers standing tall in formation with out any boots on.
The General pulled back on the reins to stop his horse in
front of his soldier. He looked the soldier up and down
and asked him “Soldier, where are your boots?” the soldier
replied “My boots where ripped to pieces during battle. I
have no boots now sir!”
The General immediately dismounted his horse and took his
own boots off as the troops looked on with a quizzical look.
He then proceeded to walk up to his soldier and handed
him the boots he had just taken off.
“You have boots now” said the general. The soldier promptly
put the boots on as the General walked back to his horse
and remounted. As the General was ridding off they heard
him say “No one in my Army will ever go without boots!”
Do you think his soldiers have a tremendous amount of
respect for the General? You bet! The General was willing
to GIVE what he had to help someone else. He didn’t
have to give his own boots, but he did. Is there any
wonder why he was the General?
This is the point I am trying to get across to you. Stop
thinking about how to make money and start thinking about
how you can help someone else. If you have a true passion
to help others it will shine through and the money part of
the equation will take care of itself.
So don’t put the cart in front of the horse. Go out and
develop the skills and knowledge that you will need to
help others. Build a business that focuses on helping
other people.
Build your business on this principle of giving and you
are sure to be blessed with success beyond your wildest
dreams.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Advertising on the Cheap
Looking at big businesses, like the Coke-a-Cola’s or the Sony’s of the world, that throw around millions of dollars on marketing it‘s easy to throw your hands up in exasperation and say “How can I compete?” We all have to start somewhere, though. Maybe you‘re just starting out with a new business or maybe you‘re struggling through an economic downturn. Whatever the case, there are effective ways to advertise that won’t put you in the poor house. The following suggestions probably won’t let you reach international markets around the globe, but, chances are, you’re more concerned about selling to the guy down the street. Just because you’re thinking small doesn’t mean you can’t get big results, though.
Business Cards - Let’s face it, when it come to print advertising it doesn’t get much cheaper than business card printing. There’s no mailing lists to buy and there’s no page space charges to fret over. For the price of a tank of gas (ok, so gas may not be the best example of cheap these days, but you get the point) you get a marketing tool that can reach hundreds of prospects. On top of that, you’ll personally be making contacts as you do the meet and greet routine.
Newspaper Fluff Articles - While you may not want to pay big bucks for a full page newspaper ad, you may still be able to get your company name into print. Your local newspaper has to go to print everyday and, unless you’re in a major metro area, there’s a high probability your local editor or journalist is in need of fluff articles to fill out the evening edition. There are a number of ways you can approach this. If you’re a new business you might be a good pick for a fluff piece. If you’re running a restaurant you may be able to invite the local culinary reviewer around to try you out (just don’t forget to push complimentary wine on them). Another approach is trying to sell a new product or invention as a newsworthy event, this is a bit more tricky, though, as you’ll have to have something of legitimate interest on hand.
Word of Mouth - This one is always hard to quantitatively measure, but it’s a staple of advertising. If you have customers that you’ve built a reputation with already, encourage them to tell their friends and co-workers about you. If need be, add incentives for any leads they provide you. Used car salespeople have long known about the benefits of referrals and finder’s fees.
Targeted Printing - In other words, don’t throw out general ads into the public eye with no target or direct product push. Plan out one ad that you can target toward a handful of known prospects. Selling to previous customers or niche customers can lower your printing costs as well as providing a better dollar-out/dollar-in ratio. With focused marketing, you won’t waste resources on consumers who don‘t have a need or interest in your products..
We can’t all start out with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns designed by consulting firms and aired on global television. The advertising you do today may one day lead you to those big business marketing dreams tomorrow, though. When you look back, what you were able to accomplish on a shoe string budget will be the marketing you’ll be most proud of.
Business Cards - Let’s face it, when it come to print advertising it doesn’t get much cheaper than business card printing. There’s no mailing lists to buy and there’s no page space charges to fret over. For the price of a tank of gas (ok, so gas may not be the best example of cheap these days, but you get the point) you get a marketing tool that can reach hundreds of prospects. On top of that, you’ll personally be making contacts as you do the meet and greet routine.
Newspaper Fluff Articles - While you may not want to pay big bucks for a full page newspaper ad, you may still be able to get your company name into print. Your local newspaper has to go to print everyday and, unless you’re in a major metro area, there’s a high probability your local editor or journalist is in need of fluff articles to fill out the evening edition. There are a number of ways you can approach this. If you’re a new business you might be a good pick for a fluff piece. If you’re running a restaurant you may be able to invite the local culinary reviewer around to try you out (just don’t forget to push complimentary wine on them). Another approach is trying to sell a new product or invention as a newsworthy event, this is a bit more tricky, though, as you’ll have to have something of legitimate interest on hand.
Word of Mouth - This one is always hard to quantitatively measure, but it’s a staple of advertising. If you have customers that you’ve built a reputation with already, encourage them to tell their friends and co-workers about you. If need be, add incentives for any leads they provide you. Used car salespeople have long known about the benefits of referrals and finder’s fees.
Targeted Printing - In other words, don’t throw out general ads into the public eye with no target or direct product push. Plan out one ad that you can target toward a handful of known prospects. Selling to previous customers or niche customers can lower your printing costs as well as providing a better dollar-out/dollar-in ratio. With focused marketing, you won’t waste resources on consumers who don‘t have a need or interest in your products..
We can’t all start out with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns designed by consulting firms and aired on global television. The advertising you do today may one day lead you to those big business marketing dreams tomorrow, though. When you look back, what you were able to accomplish on a shoe string budget will be the marketing you’ll be most proud of.
Old Fashioned Advertising Materials
1. The Human Billboard
This is one of the oldest advertising techniques out there. The beauty of it is its simplicity. A person simply stands on a roadside holding a sign that displays information about a nearby store or business. Usually the sign is used to advertise a sale or special promotion.
2. Posters
What is more old fashioned than a good, well designed poster? Businesses have been printing posters as a way to promote themselves for decades. And why not? A well planned poster printing project can still do wonders for your bottom line. Most companies today invest in color poster printing that are more attractive and appealing.
3. Newspaper Ads
We often hear about the decline of the newspaper. Circulation numbers are down, and many big papers are going under. But that hasn’t changed the fact that placing ads in newspapers is still a popular – and effective – marketing strategy. It is still a good way to reach a large number of customers in a very short period of time. And, with all the new advertising techniques out there, it is also increasingly cost effective.
4. Billboards
These are simply a larger, and less mobile, version of the human billboard. You still see them up and down the expressways and in the inner cities. Much like newspaper ads, they reach a fairly high number of people and are not terribly expensive. But, also like newspaper ads, it is impossible to determine exactly who sees your efforts.
5. Radio Spots
At one time, radio ads were considered new and unique. But with television and the internet having taken over that role, radio ads have become old fashioned. With that has come a relative drop in prices. Radio ads can actually be made for much less than the cost of a television commercial, and you have much more control over what type of customers hear them.
6. Bus Stop Benches
It is amazing how many different ways people have come up with to promote their business. Ads placed on bus stop benches literally put your business name right under someone’s behind. The strange thing is: it works. Bus stop bench ads continue to produce moderate sales increases.
7. Skywriting
Sadly, you don’t see too many ads placed in the sky these days. I always enjoyed seeing words written in airplane smoke. That has to take a great deal of talent – not to mention courage – to pull off. Some company should try to revive this old fashioned technique.
8. Shopping Cart Ads
Putting a small ad on a shopping cart in your local supermarket is a cheap way to bring in some new customers. It certainly will not bring in slews of money, but it is probably good for a few new customers a year. And with the low cost involved, you really don’t have much to lose.
This is one of the oldest advertising techniques out there. The beauty of it is its simplicity. A person simply stands on a roadside holding a sign that displays information about a nearby store or business. Usually the sign is used to advertise a sale or special promotion.
2. Posters
What is more old fashioned than a good, well designed poster? Businesses have been printing posters as a way to promote themselves for decades. And why not? A well planned poster printing project can still do wonders for your bottom line. Most companies today invest in color poster printing that are more attractive and appealing.
3. Newspaper Ads
We often hear about the decline of the newspaper. Circulation numbers are down, and many big papers are going under. But that hasn’t changed the fact that placing ads in newspapers is still a popular – and effective – marketing strategy. It is still a good way to reach a large number of customers in a very short period of time. And, with all the new advertising techniques out there, it is also increasingly cost effective.
4. Billboards
These are simply a larger, and less mobile, version of the human billboard. You still see them up and down the expressways and in the inner cities. Much like newspaper ads, they reach a fairly high number of people and are not terribly expensive. But, also like newspaper ads, it is impossible to determine exactly who sees your efforts.
5. Radio Spots
At one time, radio ads were considered new and unique. But with television and the internet having taken over that role, radio ads have become old fashioned. With that has come a relative drop in prices. Radio ads can actually be made for much less than the cost of a television commercial, and you have much more control over what type of customers hear them.
6. Bus Stop Benches
It is amazing how many different ways people have come up with to promote their business. Ads placed on bus stop benches literally put your business name right under someone’s behind. The strange thing is: it works. Bus stop bench ads continue to produce moderate sales increases.
7. Skywriting
Sadly, you don’t see too many ads placed in the sky these days. I always enjoyed seeing words written in airplane smoke. That has to take a great deal of talent – not to mention courage – to pull off. Some company should try to revive this old fashioned technique.
8. Shopping Cart Ads
Putting a small ad on a shopping cart in your local supermarket is a cheap way to bring in some new customers. It certainly will not bring in slews of money, but it is probably good for a few new customers a year. And with the low cost involved, you really don’t have much to lose.
Networking Tips for the Inexperienced
For new grads, or for people who haven’t had to network in their careers, networking can be intimidating. But, even though it isn’t easy, you can make it easier by following the advice detailed here:
Get into the right mindset.
Your attitude about networking will affect your networking experience like nothing else. You have the power to network effectively or poorly. If you think negative thoughts like “I shouldn’t bother that person. There are so many other people here with better qualities than me.” or “I’m just too shy; I can’t do it,” these thoughts are yours only. No one else knows what your qualities are or that you are shy, until you stand in the corner and not talk to anyone.
Think of your good qualities that any employer or coworker would love to have on their staff – make a list and carry it with you to networking events if you want. This will give you the confidence to approach people. And, also remember that people like to talk about themselves, so an easy conversation starter is to ask where a person is from or what they do for a living.
Pick out what you have in common with people.
This isn’t as hard as it sounds. If you are in book publishing and you are at a book expo, chances are most people there either love books or work in book publishing. Right there is your connection – the reason why you attended the event. Commonalities garner relationships and you don’t have to talk forever about your common interests with one person. It’s perfectly acceptable to move on to talk with someone else after conversing with one person for a few minutes.
Always have an ample stash of business cards with you.
You never know when the situation could come up where you need a business card at a restaurant, in the supermarket, or at networking or industry events. Be sure to have business cards with you that aren’t old, dingy, dirty, torn, etc. Make sure you dedicate enough money in your business card printing budget so that you can print nice business cards. They are how people will remember you at networking events and elsewhere.
Practice introducing yourself.
Prepare an 8- to 10-second introduction that tells people who you are and what you do. Tailor an introduction to each event you go to, if possible. It’s a good idea to have a general introduction for everyday chance meetings.
You may feel silly at first, but when you first meet someone and are at a loss for words, those practiced words will automatically come out of your mouth and you’ll be seen as a confident and professional business person.
Ask open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions can’t be answered with “yes” or “no.” They invite conversation. Again, ask someone about themselves with an open-ended question and you’ll be conversing and getting to know that person in no time. Be sure to listen and use cues like nodding and say “uh-huh” from time to time to let the other person know you are genuinely interested.
Follow through on any leads.
Be sure to call or email the person you met just to establish some kind of long-term communication. You can just say “I enjoyed meeting you the other night at XX event. Let’s talk again soon!” You should also mention anything that is appropriate from your conversation to remind the person of who you are and the connection you share.
Get into the right mindset.
Your attitude about networking will affect your networking experience like nothing else. You have the power to network effectively or poorly. If you think negative thoughts like “I shouldn’t bother that person. There are so many other people here with better qualities than me.” or “I’m just too shy; I can’t do it,” these thoughts are yours only. No one else knows what your qualities are or that you are shy, until you stand in the corner and not talk to anyone.
Think of your good qualities that any employer or coworker would love to have on their staff – make a list and carry it with you to networking events if you want. This will give you the confidence to approach people. And, also remember that people like to talk about themselves, so an easy conversation starter is to ask where a person is from or what they do for a living.
Pick out what you have in common with people.
This isn’t as hard as it sounds. If you are in book publishing and you are at a book expo, chances are most people there either love books or work in book publishing. Right there is your connection – the reason why you attended the event. Commonalities garner relationships and you don’t have to talk forever about your common interests with one person. It’s perfectly acceptable to move on to talk with someone else after conversing with one person for a few minutes.
Always have an ample stash of business cards with you.
You never know when the situation could come up where you need a business card at a restaurant, in the supermarket, or at networking or industry events. Be sure to have business cards with you that aren’t old, dingy, dirty, torn, etc. Make sure you dedicate enough money in your business card printing budget so that you can print nice business cards. They are how people will remember you at networking events and elsewhere.
Practice introducing yourself.
Prepare an 8- to 10-second introduction that tells people who you are and what you do. Tailor an introduction to each event you go to, if possible. It’s a good idea to have a general introduction for everyday chance meetings.
You may feel silly at first, but when you first meet someone and are at a loss for words, those practiced words will automatically come out of your mouth and you’ll be seen as a confident and professional business person.
Ask open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions can’t be answered with “yes” or “no.” They invite conversation. Again, ask someone about themselves with an open-ended question and you’ll be conversing and getting to know that person in no time. Be sure to listen and use cues like nodding and say “uh-huh” from time to time to let the other person know you are genuinely interested.
Follow through on any leads.
Be sure to call or email the person you met just to establish some kind of long-term communication. You can just say “I enjoyed meeting you the other night at XX event. Let’s talk again soon!” You should also mention anything that is appropriate from your conversation to remind the person of who you are and the connection you share.
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