Design a Business Card That Connects to Your Customer

The small and often overlooked business card is really one of the most important tools available for promoting your business. Business cards should be designed to provide eleven basic bits of information. The first group is the all important contact information items. These include such things as your business name and address. Your phone number and email would fall into this category also. The type of business and the services that you provide are also key elements.

Business card printing is more than just the placing of this pertinent information on a small piece of cardboard, however. If the business card is going to be effective, it must connect with your customer in a most personal manner. If you are successful in your business card design, your card will end up in your customer's wallet or pocketbook, or taped to his refrigerator door. How do you design the card to achieve this goal?

The secret is in understanding the general principles of basic design. Good design in a business sense involves a concept that is known as intuitiveness. This means an understanding of your customer. It is seeing the design from his point of view and giving him exactly what he is looking for and not what you are trying to force on him. The use of graphics and color are important elements in this process. Graphics and logos have always played an important part in establishing a connection to your customer. The customer begins to associate certain images with your company. Once this mental association is complete the customer will feel a subconscious connection.

It is very important to carefully select the graphics. They should be positive images that invoke positive responses. If you are seeking to make a subconscious connection with your customer, you want it to be one that is positive. Consistency is also important. A certain color can be associated with a company very easily. The "brown" of UPS is an example. The red color of cartons of Coca Cola and the blue of Pepsi Cola is another example of color association. When selecting color to use in your business card design, select one that is most likely to be identified with your product or service, and stick with it.

If you really want your design to connect with your customer, the most important rule is to avoid the temptation to have your card proclaim how great you are, and make sure its main thrust is how much you have to offer to your customer.

Trade Show Display Panel - Setting it Up With Style

Setting up a compelling trade show display panel goes way beyond purchasing the standard tabletop display that everyone already has. A unique tradeshow exhibit booth that carefully shows off pleasant features in an original manner is the key for a successful trade show campaign. It's the little, often overlooked, details that have the power to catch the attention of tradeshow attendees. Selecting and buying atrade show display panel is just the first step in giving life to your on-floor presence. Many exhibitors make the mistake to stop there, instead of getting more creative and build up from the basic exhibit booth they acquire.

Make your trade show display panel visually pleasant. Use your company's color scheme and logo in a wisely balanced fashion, so as to make it attractive to the eye. Furthermore, distribute the display material evenly across the exhibit to make it stand out, yet not to the point of being shockingly extravagant. The same goes with the furniture, be sure to select pieces of furniture that go hand in hand with your trade show display panel. Pay special attention to make the colors match your exhibit, as well as choosing pieces that are proportional in size to your available space.

One secret weapon to differentiate yourself from the rest of the booths is to spark up your trade show display panel with more lights than the norm. This strategy literally highlights your position when compared to other exhibitors that surround your turf. On goers may not be aware that what directs their attention to your trade show display panel are the extra lights, but the probabilities of them approaching your booth can be significantly increased. Beyond these physical oriented strategies, there are more important aspects of a compelling trade show display panel that have to do with the incomparable human touch we're so attracted to. Zero cost implementations such as a few extra genuine smiles can be considered the most surefire ways to get and maintain new customers.

Large One?

Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.

All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go.

In fact, this trick's so good, I wish I could take credit for coming up with it, but the truth is, it comes from a little-known marketing legend.

Here's the deal:

In 1947, Elmer Wheeler was one of the best-known salesmen of his time. His "Wheeler Institute of Words" developed a "best practices" of selling, by testing a variety of words in over 19 million selling situations.

I'm right in the middle of reading one of Elmer's most famous books, "Tested Sentences That Sell".

And here's a great little selling trick that comes straight out of this book:

Ever go into a restaurant and order a drink?

Of course you have.

And what does your server usually ask you, right after you place your order?

They usually say "Small or large?", right?

Well, imagine for a moment... you're the owner of this restaurant.

Do you have any idea how much your sales would increase over time, if... instead of saying "Small or large?" after your customers ordered their drinks ... you told your servers to instead, say...

"Large one?"

Let me take the guess-work out of this and make your job easier for you.

Elmer Wheeler tested this experiment out in five-thousand separate selling situations. And the results showed, when your server asked "Large one?"...

7 out of every 10 people, answered "Yes!"

So, let's say a large soda costs you 35¢ more than a small soda -- are you with me on this? This means, by saying "Large one?"... 7 out of every 10 customers that walk through your door, end up giving you an extra 35 cents!

Now you may be thinking, "So what?... It's only 35 cents."

A-h-h-h, but remember....

Little Hinges Swing Big Doors Open!

Follow me here for a minute: If you've got 5 servers... and each of them does this with 100 customers a day, this means each of them will be serving large sodas to an extra 70 people a day.

That's an extra 350 large soda sales a day. (5 servers x 70 large sodas each).

350 extra sales, at 35¢ each, is $122.50 a day in extra gross sales for you... which translates into $857.50 extra a week, and over 52 weeks, this turns into...

$44,590 Dollars A Year... With ZERO Extra Marketing Costs Involved!

Not bad, hey?

And if your large sodas cost 50¢ more than your small sodas, in that case, your annual bump in gross sales would be $63,700 Dollars!

70¢ more? O.K., that one's easy -- just double the 35¢ figure -- now you're selling $89,180 Dollars more!

See how easy this stuff is?

It's insane, isn't it?

But what if you don't have a restaurant?

How can you use this trick in your business?

Well, let's say you own a photography store. When people are filling out their forms to get their pictures developed, instead of saying "Singles or doubles?", you can say "Doubles?".

If you own a landscaping company, instead of asking "Shrubs and lawn?", you'd say "Whole yard?"

And if you're a hairdresser, instead of asking "Cut and shampoo?", you just say "Shampoo?"

Make sense?

When it comes down to it, the basic premise of this selling trick, is...

If You Don't Ask... You Don't Get!

But polishing your request up so it's "benefit-oriented" to your prospect... makes this work smoothly... effectively... and without looking like you're trying to "sell more".

Notice how you're not asking "Do you want a large soda?" -- you're just saying "Large one?"

See, you'll have to experiment a little bit to find out what works best in your situation, but not you've at least got one helluva head start on things, no?

And can you think of any easier way to make this kind of extra money?

Elmer Wheeler really was a "selling genius" and you'll pick up quite a bit from him.

And, from the excitement and enthusiasm he comes across with, you know he enjoyed his work.

Here are a few of Elmer's famous quotes:

"Your first 10 words are more important than your next 10,000."

"People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down." And...

"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle."

Unfortunately, Wheeler's books are all out of print. You'll find them showing up pretty consistently on e-bay though, and, you can also find some of them on http://www.abebooks.com or http://www.alibris.com.

P.S. Remember, little hinges really DO swing big doors open -- and success lies in the margins, not in the vast open spaces. KSo keep your mind open to finding the small things that others let slip... through the cracks.

Large One?   

Large One?

Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your sales, immediately.

All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system, and you're good to go.

In fact, this trick's so good, I wish I could take credit for coming up with it, but the truth is, it comes from a little-known marketing legend.

Here's the deal:

In 1947, Elmer Wheeler was one of the best-known salesmen of his time. His "Wheeler Institute of Words" developed a "best practices" of selling, by testing a variety of words in over 19 million selling situations.

I'm right in the middle of reading one of Elmer's most famous books, "Tested Sentences That Sell".

And here's a great little selling trick that comes straight out of this book:

Ever go into a restaurant and order a drink?

Of course you have.

And what does your server usually ask you, right after you place your order?

They usually say "Small or large?", right?

Well, imagine for a moment... you're the owner of this restaurant.

Do you have any idea how much your sales would increase over time, if... instead of saying "Small or large?" after your customers ordered their drinks ... you told your servers to instead, say...

"Large one?"

Let me take the guess-work out of this and make your job easier for you.

Elmer Wheeler tested this experiment out in five-thousand separate selling situations. And the results showed, when your server asked "Large one?"...

7 out of every 10 people, answered "Yes!"

So, let's say a large soda costs you 35¢ more than a small soda -- are you with me on this? This means, by saying "Large one?"... 7 out of every 10 customers that walk through your door, end up giving you an extra 35 cents!

Now you may be thinking, "So what?... It's only 35 cents."

A-h-h-h, but remember....

Little Hinges Swing Big Doors Open!

Follow me here for a minute: If you've got 5 servers... and each of them does this with 100 customers a day, this means each of them will be serving large sodas to an extra 70 people a day.

That's an extra 350 large soda sales a day. (5 servers x 70 large sodas each).

350 extra sales, at 35¢ each, is $122.50 a day in extra gross sales for you... which translates into $857.50 extra a week, and over 52 weeks, this turns into...

$44,590 Dollars A Year... With ZERO Extra Marketing Costs Involved!

Not bad, hey?

And if your large sodas cost 50¢ more than your small sodas, in that case, your annual bump in gross sales would be $63,700 Dollars!

70¢ more? O.K., that one's easy -- just double the 35¢ figure -- now you're selling $89,180 Dollars more!

See how easy this stuff is?

It's insane, isn't it?

But what if you don't have a restaurant?

How can you use this trick in your business?

Well, let's say you own a photography store. When people are filling out their forms to get their pictures developed, instead of saying "Singles or doubles?", you can say "Doubles?".

If you own a landscaping company, instead of asking "Shrubs and lawn?", you'd say "Whole yard?"

And if you're a hairdresser, instead of asking "Cut and shampoo?", you just say "Shampoo?"

Make sense?

When it comes down to it, the basic premise of this selling trick, is...

If You Don't Ask... You Don't Get!

But polishing your request up so it's "benefit-oriented" to your prospect... makes this work smoothly... effectively... and without looking like you're trying to "sell more".

Notice how you're not asking "Do you want a large soda?" -- you're just saying "Large one?"

See, you'll have to experiment a little bit to find out what works best in your situation, but not you've at least got one helluva head start on things, no?

And can you think of any easier way to make this kind of extra money?

Elmer Wheeler really was a "selling genius" and you'll pick up quite a bit from him.

And, from the excitement and enthusiasm he comes across with, you know he enjoyed his work.

Here are a few of Elmer's famous quotes:

"Your first 10 words are more important than your next 10,000."

"People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down." And...

"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle."

Unfortunately, Wheeler's books are all out of print. You'll find them showing up pretty consistently on e-bay though, and, you can also find some of them on http://www.abebooks.com or http://www.alibris.com.

P.S. Remember, little hinges really DO swing big doors open -- and success lies in the margins, not in the vast open spaces. KSo keep your mind open to finding the small things that others let slip... through the cracks.

Large One?   

Top 10 Marketing Pitfalls

Ten Marketing Pitfalls By Stuart Reid

If you want to make it BIG in Internet Marketing you need avoid some common mistakes. Here's a list of the top ten Pitfalls that catch out beginner Marketers (and many established ones too!).

The problem is you don't realise you have fallen into one of these holes until someone points it out. Marketers tend to be stubborn and suffer from tunnel vision - hopefully these may help you kick a few bad habits...

1. Procrastination

Putting things off is a killer where this career this is concerned. You NEED a plan and some kind of time management system in place. Prioritize your tasks and keep lists of everything that needs doing. And no matter how much you don't feel like doing something just get it out of the way and NEVER leave it until the next day!

TIP: Use post-it notes. They are low-tech but work great :-)

2. Striving for Perfection

You'll likely never have a "perfect" website or product but you know what? It doesn't matter! It's important you get started as soon as you can and make your site "live". You can tweak things as you go along and improvements WILL come later - but if you try to get everything "right" before you start then you'll never start.

TIP: Update your site daily in little ways, it saves doing everything at once and the search-engines it too.

3. Wasting Money

This one is important. Especially if you don't have money to burn! Don't get caught up jumping from opportunity to opportunity or buying everything that lands in your inbox. You'll be surprised how much you can get for free. Trust me - you don't need half the stuff you see online. Try to control your emotions and think before you buy. Write a list of pros and cons, and make sure that the product or service is essential to YOU.

TIP: Look for reviews by people without a vested interest in the product and ask questions in forums.

4. Not Spending Enough

Unfortunately you have to spend a little. It won't be much starting out, but you will need more as you grow. For a start you'll need a domain, a host, an autoresponder - but these are pretty affordable these days. The bulk of your expenses will be on promotion, usually ezine ads or pay-per-click. If you're paying someone to create your product or you're buying resell rights then this is another expense (but you can start with free affiliate programs).

TIP: Keep your "Internet Income" separate and re-invest. You'll be glad you did later.

5. Wrong Markets

This is a tricky one. If you are dead set on conquering a certain market you could end up on a long and expensive journey that is doomed to failure. Do some research first. A so-called "niche" market is a good find but only if this niche will spend money! Other markets, like Internet Marketing, are very busy BUT Internet Marketers spend money - and the drive to make money is a strong human emotion. There's a lot of them around!

TIP: Find something that interests you and use a site like nichebot.com to see how many searches there are for that subject. High Traffic and Low Demand are your goal.

6. Lack of Growth

You must continuously grow yourself and expand your mind. Learning is essential. If you don't you'll be stuck with the same skills and ideas and you'll never even notice when you are bogged down in complacency and routine.

TIP: Put some time away each day to read a few articles and browse some sites. Learning just one new idea a day can increase your potential rapidly.

7. Doing It Alone

You can do it alone but it is harder, and without support you are more likely to fail. It doesn't have to be much. On-line forums, for example, are an amazing source of ideas and encouragement. And with other people, by forming Joint Ventures or starting your own affiliate program you can really leverage your efforts and do FAR MORE than you could ever do on your own.

TIP: Visit forums, messageboards and maillists. Lurk for a while until you're ready.

8. Going For The Small Money

You ain't ever gonna get rich selling $20 items. Seriously, include some higher priced goods and services in your marketing. You'll get less sales, but more profits. You won't know if they sell until you try! But don't fall into the trap of selling any old thing because you get a high commission. Integrity is important, too.

TIP: High ticket sales work better with existing customers who you already have a relationship with. Try them as a back-end.

9. Separating Life and Work

One of the biggest pitfalls when working from home is the fact that life can enroach your activities - simply because you ARE at home. Try to separate the two and have fixed times when you work, and a set area to do it. Work doesn't have to take over your life, but neither should you let life interfere with your work.

TIP: Use a spare room or a spare corner and ONLY use it for work.

10. Be Ambitious

You won't know unless you try. Assume you can do *anything* - because you can! You may not be ready to do it yet, but don't set up mental blocks in advance. You can create your own profitable items, sell them well, and have others selling them for you. You can operate a range of websites, even host seminars, or teach others. YOU CAN.

TIP: Recognise excuses for what they are. If you need help, invest in a good self-help book.

I hope identifying these pitfalls help you look at yourself differently. Contrary to popular belief internet marketing is not an instant path to riches, but it is an achievable one.

Large One?   

Top 10 Marketing Pitfalls

Ten Marketing Pitfalls By Stuart Reid

If you want to make it BIG in Internet Marketing you need avoid some common mistakes. Here's a list of the top ten Pitfalls that catch out beginner Marketers (and many established ones too!).

The problem is you don't realise you have fallen into one of these holes until someone points it out. Marketers tend to be stubborn and suffer from tunnel vision - hopefully these may help you kick a few bad habits...

1. Procrastination

Putting things off is a killer where this career this is concerned. You NEED a plan and some kind of time management system in place. Prioritize your tasks and keep lists of everything that needs doing. And no matter how much you don't feel like doing something just get it out of the way and NEVER leave it until the next day!

TIP: Use post-it notes. They are low-tech but work great :-)

2. Striving for Perfection

You'll likely never have a "perfect" website or product but you know what? It doesn't matter! It's important you get started as soon as you can and make your site "live". You can tweak things as you go along and improvements WILL come later - but if you try to get everything "right" before you start then you'll never start.

TIP: Update your site daily in little ways, it saves doing everything at once and the search-engines it too.

3. Wasting Money

This one is important. Especially if you don't have money to burn! Don't get caught up jumping from opportunity to opportunity or buying everything that lands in your inbox. You'll be surprised how much you can get for free. Trust me - you don't need half the stuff you see online. Try to control your emotions and think before you buy. Write a list of pros and cons, and make sure that the product or service is essential to YOU.

TIP: Look for reviews by people without a vested interest in the product and ask questions in forums.

4. Not Spending Enough

Unfortunately you have to spend a little. It won't be much starting out, but you will need more as you grow. For a start you'll need a domain, a host, an autoresponder - but these are pretty affordable these days. The bulk of your expenses will be on promotion, usually ezine ads or pay-per-click. If you're paying someone to create your product or you're buying resell rights then this is another expense (but you can start with free affiliate programs).

TIP: Keep your "Internet Income" separate and re-invest. You'll be glad you did later.

5. Wrong Markets

This is a tricky one. If you are dead set on conquering a certain market you could end up on a long and expensive journey that is doomed to failure. Do some research first. A so-called "niche" market is a good find but only if this niche will spend money! Other markets, like Internet Marketing, are very busy BUT Internet Marketers spend money - and the drive to make money is a strong human emotion. There's a lot of them around!

TIP: Find something that interests you and use a site like nichebot.com to see how many searches there are for that subject. High Traffic and Low Demand are your goal.

6. Lack of Growth

You must continuously grow yourself and expand your mind. Learning is essential. If you don't you'll be stuck with the same skills and ideas and you'll never even notice when you are bogged down in complacency and routine.

TIP: Put some time away each day to read a few articles and browse some sites. Learning just one new idea a day can increase your potential rapidly.

7. Doing It Alone

You can do it alone but it is harder, and without support you are more likely to fail. It doesn't have to be much. On-line forums, for example, are an amazing source of ideas and encouragement. And with other people, by forming Joint Ventures or starting your own affiliate program you can really leverage your efforts and do FAR MORE than you could ever do on your own.

TIP: Visit forums, messageboards and maillists. Lurk for a while until you're ready.

8. Going For The Small Money

You ain't ever gonna get rich selling $20 items. Seriously, include some higher priced goods and services in your marketing. You'll get less sales, but more profits. You won't know if they sell until you try! But don't fall into the trap of selling any old thing because you get a high commission. Integrity is important, too.

TIP: High ticket sales work better with existing customers who you already have a relationship with. Try them as a back-end.

9. Separating Life and Work

One of the biggest pitfalls when working from home is the fact that life can enroach your activities - simply because you ARE at home. Try to separate the two and have fixed times when you work, and a set area to do it. Work doesn't have to take over your life, but neither should you let life interfere with your work.

TIP: Use a spare room or a spare corner and ONLY use it for work.

10. Be Ambitious

You won't know unless you try. Assume you can do *anything* - because you can! You may not be ready to do it yet, but don't set up mental blocks in advance. You can create your own profitable items, sell them well, and have others selling them for you. You can operate a range of websites, even host seminars, or teach others. YOU CAN.

TIP: Recognise excuses for what they are. If you need help, invest in a good self-help book.

I hope identifying these pitfalls help you look at yourself differently. Contrary to popular belief internet marketing is not an instant path to riches, but it is an achievable one.

Large One?