Pony Of Prey Blog

Keep your business promises, no matter how small they may be.

Sounds like the most basic of business principles, doesn’t it? Why then do so few businesses keep their day to day promises? This is something I’ve always taken for granted in my business dealings, but my own recent experiences have highlighted how much of a real differentiator reliability can be to online and offline to businesses that excel in this area. If you want to make people remember and trust your brand, keep your promises, no matter how big or small.

Think about it this way. If your business website promises delivery within 24 hours, but your actual delivery time is 48 hours, what does that say to to your customers? Surely 48 hours is still a good turnaround time? Probably not to your customers, at least not any more. Simply put, you have created an expectation in your customers’ minds, and your actual delivery has been 100% overtime on that expectation. If your site promised 48 hours, and you delivered on time, I doubt that your customers would pay attention nearly as much to the turnaround time as to the fact that you keep your business promises of timeous delivery.

Now, when it comes time for your customers to assess that big expectation of a one year guarantee on the quality of your products, it will certainly be skewed heavily by your performance on smaller promises to date. When it comes to the big promises, your customer will probably be having some serious doubts about your ability to deliver. After all, if you cannot keep your small promises, it’s much more likely that you won’t keep your big ones. That makes it very unlikely that customers will believe anything more that you say to them, simply because you didn’t even keep a very simple promise made up front. That is bad for referrals, bad for repeat business, and bad for the general reputation of your business.

I recently had need to contract with a number of businesses for various facets of my wedding. Of those that promised to phone me back about something, most who made that promise never did, at least not within the time frame they promised to, and in some cases up to a week thereafter. In most cases I had to follow up and make sure that they delivered according to their promised deadlines.

One of the businesses that I contracted was a small, home-based catering business. When we visited them, we were treated like royalty, and I was promised a phone call on a specific date, a number of weeks into the future. Did I get my call on the specified date? Absolutely. In fact, at the time I was in a meeting with a client, and the caterer not only left messages on all available contact numbers, he phoned me again first thing the following morning, before I had even had a chance to return the messages. So, when it came to worrying about our catering, do you think I did? Not at all. I knew that this was one service provider who always kept his word. So while I spent a great deal of time keeping close tabs on the progress of some of our other suppliers, this was one that I knew I did not need to worry about.

Check the promises made on your website carefully. Are they well-intended but overly optimistic when it comes down to your actual ability to deliver? Do you promise high quality products and services that are actually only reasonable quality, but at a very good price? Chances are that if your sell them as what they really are you will get a far better match of customer expectations to actual results, which results in trust. And the results of customers trusting you is that they will refer you to their friends and make use of your services again, because they got what they expected the first time around.

Another point I should make here relates to first impressions and your first few interactions with prospective and new customers. I am consistently amazed by how many business still have “Contact Us” forms on their website that don’t work, or that are not monitored for submissions. If a client emails you with a query, reply promptly and efficiently, and that is how they (probably correctly) will perceive your future communications with them when they really have a pressing need. When you promise to email or phone a customer on a specific date or time, make a note of it and stick to it rigidly. When you promise delivery of a product or service in a certain way, by a certain date, you can be sure that your customer will not be as forgiving as you would hope if you do not deliver as promised. If you really cannot deliver as expected, most people are reasonable if you give them a call to explain the problem, and assure them of your fullest attention at resolving it. Most people will still prefer to deal with a business that encountered difficulties delivering, but explained the problem and worked hard to resolve it, over a business that makes promises and only delivers in their own time.

Think about it. A few small basics that are neglected by your competitors can really make you stand out. After all, is it really that difficult to remember the small things like punctuality, courtesy and efficiency? If you don’t, your customers certainly will!

David Malan is an internet and e-commerce expert with over ten years experience in designing and developing enterprise grade online solutions for business.

He owns and runs RealmSurfer Consulting, based in Perth, Western Australia.

Website: Web Design Perth
About: About RealmSurfer Web Design Perth

I’m known in the marketplace as someone who takes a no-nonsense, no-excuses approach to marketing and getting clients, meaning, I do what it takes, and create systems for everything so that I’m always marketing. (By the way, my clients now do the same.) In turn, I always have a full roster of clients. That’s what I teach in my private coaching, in my Boot Camps, and in my Client Attraction Home Study System.

One thing though, which only my private clients know about me, is I also throw in a healthy dose of Manifestation, which means focusing on what you want in your life, in such a way that you start attracting what you want quickly. Some might call it “positive thinking,” but I believe it goes WAY beyond just thinking positively about something. It also takes action.

I use “manifesting” for just about everything I want to attract in my life (a certain amount of money, my boat, a new home, etc.); however, for the purposes of this article, let’s focus on attracting clients, lots of them, who happily pay your full fee.

As for just about everything in my Client Attraction System, I’ve even come up with a formula or system for manifesting clients. Here it is:

1. Figure out EXACTLY what you want in great detail (how many clients, paying you how much, with the best of circumstances).
2. Come up with your BIG GOAL (”My practice is bursting at the seams with 15 clients happily paying my full fee of $_____.”)
3. Each day, write it down several times (I do this at least 9 times), each time imagining how great it will FEEL to sign on these new clients.
4. Go back and read the big goal OUT LOUD (this ‘locks’ it in place).
5. Spend several minutes, eyes closed, imagining your full practice in all its details and glory.
6. Write down one BIG action step you’ll take that day to make this happen.
7. Notice the synchronistic, happy “coincidences” you experience during the day that seem like a sign from the Universe, as they relate to your big goal.
8. Each day, spend a couple minutes writing down how very fortunate you are, what you are grateful for today, and what you would like to attract more of.
9. While you’re at it, write a letter to whatever you call your Higher Power (I call mine “Universe”) and go into greater detail about what you want, asking for it to be done by a certain date.
10. Have faith in the process. Don’t cancel out all your “manifesting” with negative comments or thoughts such as “why am I doing this anyway, it won’t happen, it never does.” If you start thinking that way, you can stop yourself right away and revert back to the big goal, and how it will feel to achieve it. Faith in this process is 80% of the game.

Granted, there’s a lot here and I do just about all of it each day, but you don’t have to. Even if you do only ONE of these things, consistently, you’ll start noticing opportunities coming out of the woodwork, happy coincidences pointing you in the right direction. Take action on these, they are divinely sent! As a result, you’ll start attracting lots more clients. I promise.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

It’s a new unusual way of attracting more clients, one that we’ve never talked about here and one that you might not be familiar with. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Even if you are familiar with it, perhaps you’ve not taken the time and effort to apply it consistently. Make some time for in your day for this, each and every day, and you’ll start seeing results quickly.

If you like the idea of this and want to try it in addition to the more pragmatic marketing stuff we regularly talk about, you’ll probably enjoy the book “Excuse me, your life is waiting” by Lynn Grabhorn. I did.

Back to “regular” marketing techniques next time. If you can’t wait until then, check out the Client Attraction Home Study System for attracting all the clients you need with proven, systematic processes that will help you fill your practice quickly and consistently, guaranteed! Here’s where you can get your own copy: www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Expert, is founder of the Client Attraction System, the proven step-by-step program to help you attract more clients, in record time and consistently. To learn more about Fabienne’s Client Attraction Home Study System, sign up for her FREE client attraction tips and no-charge teleclasses on attracting more clients, visit http://www.ClientAttraction.com.

Every online affiliate or other online seller knows the value of an opt-in email list. These are your most valuable prospects and customers. People who want to hear from you and are willing to spend their time reading what you have to say.

So, you’ve attracted people to your site and they’ve signed up for your newsletter or ezine. You automatically sent them an email asking the they confirm that they want to receive emails from you. This is a double opt-in, that protects both of you, in case someone other than the recipient added their email to your list. They don’t need unsolicited emails and will consider them spam, and you don’t need an email list cluttered with unqualified names. Unless and until they opt-out, (you must put a way to do so on every email), you regularly send them information of value, along with opportunities to buy related products or services.

Just be sure to do a few things. Be sure to include information of real value in every email. Give readers facts, sources, tips, industry insider updates. Make them feel a part of a special group. And tell site visitors upfront of the frequency of your emails, ezine or newsletter. There’s a difference between being informed and being bombarded, and many emailers don’t seem to know the difference. If you think daily is good, think long and hard. What’s the rush? Can’t you put all the information together and provide a more useful communication weekly? Or even monthly? Once the novelty wears off, most people won’t have the time to open such frequent communications. First they’ll just stop reading, then comes the opt-out, and you’ve lost a qualified buyer. Think through your strategy. Just because you can easily send something doesn’t mean you should.

Karen Kari’s articles and more information on the affiliate business can be found at:

http://www.affiliatebandit.com

http://www.advertisingcellar.com

http://www.billionfreeads.com

One of the most frequently asked questions from people who have affiliate programs in this day and age is, “How do I keep from losing profits with my affiliate program?”

Losing some profits is a given aspect of our time, but there is a way to cut back on the loss.

As the economy continues to slump, website owners, including affiliates, lose interest because monies are tight. We must remember most new affiliates have no “get up and go” knowledge that helps them gain confidence and assurance about marketing and sales.

You would be surprised to know that in some programs, there is no mentoring or “coaching” involved. The green affiliate is sent out on their own like Christopher Columbus to discover the world.

Not equipping and motivating affiliates effectively are the main reasons they fail to bring in substantial profits! When it costs the affiliate for information or time, the bottom line is that it cost both of us our success at making profits.

Any CEO whose company is making substantial profits will tell you it takes work to keep their crew motivated. The Internet marketing circle is no different. If we want to make the most profits from our Internet marketing business we need to create a healthy, responsive crew. This means we need to keep the affiliate’s needs utmost in mind. If we tend to their needs, they can be more effective and we can make more profits.

There are many aspects to maintaining a healthy and responsive crew. Here are some tips that can and will highly motivate your affiliates so both of you can profit. They have been proven time and time again by the many marketers that run successful affiliate programs.

Any CEO whose company is making substantial profits will tell you it takes work to keep their crew motivated. The Internet marketing circle is no different. If we want to make the most profits from our Internet marketing business we need to create a healthy, responsive crew. This means we need to keep the affiliate’s needs utmost in mind. If we tend to their needs, they can be more effective and we can make more profits.

There are many aspects to maintaining a healthy and responsive crew. Here are some tips that can and will highly motivate your affiliates so both of you can profit. They have been proven time and time again by the many marketers that run successful affiliate programs.

1) Make it worth their while! The first thing I do when I want to start an Affiliate program is come up with an irrefutable deal; one they can’t refuse. If you truly want to captivate someone’s attention, you have to make it worth their while to look at you and your product. You are “selling” them the idea of working to make profits for both parties.

2) Equip them! Try Giving them free information they can actually apply to their Affiliate business. Give them information about how to make great articles, good sales letters, or how to boost traffic.

Tell them they need their own website. I have a great tool to make mini-sites displayed on my site. I say mini-sites because they are easy and go up quickly. This way the affiliate won’t lose a lot of time and waste energy getting frustrated. Once they are motivated they need to get up and running quickly before they lose interest.

Show them how to use the inevitable autoresponder, prepare and post messages, e-courses, and reports. You can sell your e-books to them. I am talking about giving them various ways they can gain information so they can be successful.

Another one that drove me nuts was how to build a subscribers list of potential repeat costumers and actual keep them coming back! Articles you write having great content helps too. They can use them to gain a competitive edge over everyone else.

You will be surprised at the results you get! Experience has taught me when affiliates gain more information, they feel confident and assured about what they are doing. As this happens, they keep focused because he or she is getting results. If they get results, you get results!

3) Show them You care about their success! Nothing motivates affiliates more than having someone care enough to see them succeed other than primary results! You can do this by staying in contact with them. Show interest in them! Encourage them!

4) Teach them about ethical marketing! They can keep their credibility and remain in business. Remember, if they are successful, you are successful!

Take pride in your affiliates because they are a reflection of you and your business.

Please remember these tips are suggestive only. If you want to continue losing profits, by all means, disregard them and continue making less money. But if you seriously want to succeed at making the most out of your affiliate business, try the suggestions. What do you have to lose?

My hope is that all marketers are successful in making tons of profits.

Article may be freely distributed in newsletters, ezines, and sites its entirety! Absolutely no selling or altering content including the link provided. Please let me know via e-mail or send me a copy if you use the article.

also started her online business 6 years ago and just published a new “mini-site” that helps people start and succeed with their online business by using mini-sites. If you like to learn more, check out this site www.profitbyminisites.com

Sign up for my “Want Mega Profits…Try These Tools Newsletter and receive these 3 bonuses: 1) Free Minisite Report. 2) “How to Build Long Term Relationships With Your Subscribers and Rake In Profits!” 3) Free EBook (surprise bonus) If you act now and sign up before Oct. 20.

Affiliate programs are great business opportunities, as well as a great business idea. Here’s the scoop. You join an affiliate company and they give you a unique URL called an, “Affiliate Link,” that only you have. When people click on your affiliate link it not only takes them to your affiliate website but it also alerts the affiliate company that you directed this person to their website. Now if that person makes a purchase you will be paid a commission as a reward for generating business for that company. Commissions can be as high as 75%! Dose that sound exciting to you? If so read on!

How can you find an affiliate program? There are literally 1000’s of websites eager for new affiliates. One way is to do a search for, “affiliate programs” using a search engine such as Google. Another way is to join ClickBank. ClickBank works with 100’s of affiliate companies. After you join ClickBank, You then choose from a list affiliates ClickBank is affiliated with. You then promote an affiliate link that is a combination of ClickBank’s and whatever affiliate site you are promoting. ClickBank then pays you instead of the company you are an affiliate for. You can also find a link usually labeled, “affiliates” on websites that have affiliate programs. You will usually find this link at the very bottom of the homepage in very small text size.

Depending on which Affiliate program you join they will pay you weekly, biweekly, monthly or bimonthly but most often biweekly or monthly. They will usually give you the option of how you will get paid via company check or Electronic Bank Transfer. I prefer Electronic Bank Transfer because payment is immediate and you don’t have to worry about your check getting lost or stolen.

The greatest thing about running an affiliate business in my opinion is this. When you run a business, any business whether it is internet based or not, you must deal with a host of things including, but not limited to, inventory, storage, packing, shipping, complaints, returns, phone calls, emails, checks and credit cards just to name a few. When you’re an affiliate, “they” take care of all of that for you! Your only job is to advertise for them. Once you have directed someone to your affiliate website via your affiliate link your job is done. They will take over from there. What could be a sweeter deal?!

Advertising your affiliate link can be accomplished in a number of different ways. Google AdWords is one way. Article submission is another way. There are 1000’s of Article submission sites where you can submit your articles to for free. As an example you can check out, IdeaMarketers. Click on the link at the upper right part of their homepage entitled, “Learn How This Site Works.” There are a number of ways you can find other article submission sites far too numerous to approach here, so I will only say that one way is to do a search using any search engine and typing in, “Article Submission Sites.” Another way to allow your affiliate link to be made known to the world is through discussion forums. One of the best out there is the AssociatePrograms.com forum. Discussion forums allow you to attach a signature file to the bottom of all your posts, where you may include your affiliate link.

All right. We’ve discussed all of the exciting aspects to joining an affiliate program like receiving commissions as high as 75%, not having to deal with inventory, storage, packing, shipping, complaints, returns, phone calls, emails, checks or credit cards etc., getting paid most often biweekly or monthly and usually having your choice of payment via check or Electronic Bank Transfer. We also discussed, how to advertise your affiliate link using little or no money. Now it is up you. Dose having an affiliate business sound good to you? If so find, join, and promote your affiliate business and/or businesses using the techniques discussed here. And remember, affiliate programs are fabulous business opportunities as well as a great business idea!

Bill Jason is the owner of FabulousWealthOnline.com. A home based business ideas and opportunities website that helps people make money with their own home based business. To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit www.fabulouswealthonline.com

Myths concerning affiliate marketing are appealing and attractive. People who do not know the entire system the wrong way round are prone to believing that it is something capable of giving them great fortune overnight. Stories concerning affiliates who earn tremendous amounts of money swim in their heads, and while these stories are as true as they can be, there are those who believe that they are going to have the same fortune once they indulge in this particular business.

It is true enough that affiliate marketing is financially rewarding. People who have gone through everything to be able to succeed in this business are reaping the seeds that they untiringly sowed. Many of them enjoy the kind of existence that was not possible for them to have had under ordinary circumstances. Having gone through the A-Z of affiliate marketing, however, these people are the ones who know that while such business is lucrative, there is absolutely no easy money in it.

Ignorance of this fact is one of the main reasons why there are people who fail miserably in the internet business. There are those who believe in myths concerning the easy money involved in systems such as affiliate marketing. They do not know that there are those who have wasted time, effort and too many resources in trying to pursue the life of ease that they believe this business will give them. And so they go into affiliate marketing armed with nothing but myths and fantastical notions of wealth swimming in their consciousness, never realizing that they bound to make mistakes that would prove to be their downfall.

What may be the reason why in businesses such as affiliate marketing, many are called but few are chosen? Perhaps the answer lies on the fact that many affiliates make mistakes that result from their ignorance of facts concerning how the entire business runs. Affiliate marketing is not as simple as an affiliate promoting a merchant’s wares through his website and getting paid for it. It is also about knowing the market and the customers at hand.

Discovering what the most common mistakes affiliates make can perhaps dispel the gloom about myths surrounding affiliate marketing by correcting some wrong notions about it. It might also be able to make those concerned understand that like any other business, there are dos and donts involved in this one if they want to make each of their steps count. The first common mistake affiliates make is their lack of knowledge concerning principles involved in their business. This refers to the affiliate’s knowledge of search engines in particular.

Affiliate marketing involves advertising, and advertising through the internet could not have been better without the existence of search engines. What every affiliate has to do is to make these search engines his best friend through studying search engine optimization closely. This way, he is able to know what to do in connection with building a better website to ultimately use for his business.

The second is that affiliates make the mistake of stuffing their sites with banners that do not provide enough information about the product at hand. The best way to battle this mistake is to provide good content hand-in-hand with such banners. It is important for customers to know and understand the features of a product, and good content will be able to help them realize this goal.

The third is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting only one product. Consequently, customers are not given enough options to choose from. There is also the risk of generating fewer sales as compared to having more options for customers ponder about. It is always better to give them a few better alternatives than to give them only one.

The fourth is that there are affiliates who make the mistake of promoting too many products. As a result, customers are confused and end up beyond making a choice. It is perhaps good to give them only the best choices. This is because it is ultimately up to them to judge which one is the best for them to patronize.

All in all, affiliates that are doomed to fail in this business are those who do not exert enough effort to understand everything involved in the industry that they are in. Knowing their path step by careful step will prove to be beneficial to them, as there is no other way to succeed than to go through any path slowly but surely.

Author is writter for sites such as Information
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