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From Jeff Glaze
- Editor :
If you have
been a subscriber to The NewsFlash for some time and
never received it, Welcome! If you have been on the
list for a long time and wondered "where did he go" I
can only say that this is what happens when you have
been networking effectively, more work than you can get
done.
Because of the
fact when I work with a client on a web project, my
level of service exceeds that of most other web
designers, I can only handle a couple of projects at a
time. It gets pretty intensive at times and sometimes
it is difficult to defer my focus to doing some
alternative writing.
So now that I
have crawled out from under several large projects, I
am back!
I have received
a lot of really good articles and will include a few
here, but there are a lot on the site if you haven't
read them yet.
If you have a
web site, you might want to "attend" a fr=ee
teleseminar that I am involved in on Wednesday
September 26 at 8 PM Eastern Time (ad below)
called:
Website Strategies So Your Website Doesn't
S*uck
OK I didn't
choose the name but it is being promoted by a good
friend of mine (the guy who asked me if I would be
interested in doing it) who is a marketing guru so I
let him choose the name. It was chosen to get your
attention. He is really talented when it comes to
marketing and wrote a book with Jay Conrad Levinson on
Guerrilla Marketing. I totally respect his opinions
when it comes to marketing, and by the way, he is
coming to Atlanta to speak in February next year and is
available to speak to your organization. If you want
more details on having him be a guest for your group,
call me - 678-508-5975.
The topics that
will be discussed are vital to anyone who has a
website, is planning a website or maybe someday will
have one. I am going to share what I have learned in
the 10 years I have been a web designer and what I did
to get to be #1 on Google for the last 2 years, as well
as a whole bunch of stuff that you won't hear from any
other web designer, like why you don't want a beautiful
Flash web site.
Anyway, let's
get to the heart of why I am sending this out to you.
The articles below have been hand selected to help you
be more successful. You may or may not need the info,
so if you see one that you don't need, skip to the next
it may be just the right info at the right time.
One last thing,
I am reading a book right now by Seth Godin called "The
Dip". It is a little book about 60 pages, and is about
the challenges in our business or career that make us
great, when to quit, when to try harder and how we are
defined by the challenges we overcome. If you have read
my past emails you know I have talked about this
before. Good Book!
Well,
let's get on with it. Have a
great Month! - Jeff Glaze
Editor of AtlantaEvent.com
You can forward
this Email to anyone if you wish.
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Teleseminar With The Editor of
AtlantaEvent.com
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Feature
Article
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The
Slow Bleed - Are You Checking Your Bank Statement?
By Jeff Glaze
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Did
you look at your bank statement this month or just turn it over
to the accountant or your spouse? How about the credit cards?
If you didn't look at either closely, you may want to take a
peek as it may be costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars
a year.
Last month, my
bookkeeper asked me about 2 charges to my company check card
for $80 each. Not being able to remember 2 purchases on the
same day, I took a closer look. They were both made to a phone
card company in Riyadh. That would be Saudi Arabia.
I discovered this by doing a search on the internet for the
name of the company and found several postings by paople who
had also been victims of this, one guy had had 4 charges to his
card!
No, not my charge.
I called my bank, told them about it and they gave me a
credit.
Good thing. So I decided to look deeper into other accounts.
One charge I was getting was $9.95 a month on a credit card. I
had been asked about it before but thought it was something I
had bought. We were now into the 4th month. I called the phone
number associated with the charge and discovered that my
merchant account had added a new service, one that I had to OPT
OUT of, not INTO, a service which I would never use and did not
want! So I cancelled it.
Then we discovered a monthly fee on another credit card for
fraud insurance, once again we had been opted in!
It seems the policy of creditors lately to arbitrarily add
services that we have to opt-out of. Personally, I think it
should be illegal, but alas, it isn't. And when it is small
dollar amounts, it can go unnoticed for a long time before we
see it.
To make a short story
long, the amount between the check card fraud and the credit
card opt-ins, could have been substantial over time.
Had
I not caught the Riyadh charges, they would have been permanent
after 60 days. I was into day 45! The other charges were not
refundable, so I just ate that mistake or should i say
oversight.
So a lesson learned, if someone else like a bookkeeper is
getting your statements, or if you are the kind of person that
saves them till the end of the year before looking, you might
want to take a look each time they come in. This is not the
first time this has happened to me, just the first time I have
admitted it to you!
Check your statements, you may be in for a
surprise.
Jeff Glaze is
the creator of AtlantaEvent.com, this newsletter, a web
designer, artist, author, speaker, and president of Mostcool
Media, Inc..
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Feature
Article
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A Great Marketing Model –
Utilizing the Power of OPM By Kathleen Gage
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Staying ahead of the
marketing curve seems to be a never-ending quest. Marketing
doesn’t have to be as complex as some people make it out to be.
It’s simply a matter of understanding who you are marketing to –
your ideal customers – and then coming up with a system that
keeps your name in front of them. A huge part of the system is
creating enough value for your customers that they want to hear
from you.
Another aspect of
marketing is knowing how to continually reach and increase your
market in the most cost effective manner possible. One way to
increase reach and do so cost effectively is to find other
businesses who share a similar market. These can be complimentary
businesses and even competitors. What better way to get your foot
in the door of a new market than with the endorsement that comes
from a joint venture?
Solo
marketing efforts are no longer as effective as they were in the
past. True strength lies in utilizing the power of joint
ventures. It is probably one of the most compelling marketing
strategies you can implement. With so many people competing in
any given industry, an appropriate joint venture can stretch your
marketing dollars and increase your market reach. And do so in a
way that people want to do business with you. That is the power
of utilizing OPM – Other People’s Markets.
Most
people refer to OPM as being Other People’s Money. In reality,
when you have been given permission by a person or an
organization to reach their market, you are in essence using
their money. However, this is also a give and take relationship.
If you are using their market, you have to be willing to let them
use yours.
Over
the years I have been involved in numerous partnerships. Some
were short term and one time projects, others very long term. I
wish I could say that every venture I have been involved with has
been successful and without incident, but that is not the case.
However, with each situation, whether good or bad, I learned a
valuable lesson that I have been able to apply to current and
future opportunities.
Consider some key factors
before establishing a partnership. First of all, what is the
reputation of the person or company you are developing this
relationship with? It is important to know that the people you
are connecting your name with are reputable, have similar values
when it comes to the way they view business, and they treat
employees and customers with the kind of respect you would
expect. If you have an established customer base that trusts you
and you then partner with another company, you are in essence
saying, “Do business with this company. I give you my word, they
are reputable.”
Additionally, is it an
equitable relationship? Before making any commitments, determine
what the benefit is for each party. What does each company bring
to the table that will create a successful partnership? Are you
creating a win/win relationship for all parties involved?
Be
sure to test the waters. Do not make the mistake of blindly
partnering with another company only to find out that the two
companies are incompatible. Start with a small project rather
than going in for a long-term commitment right away.
After
finding a company you want to partner with, I highly recommend
putting everything in writing. A written agreement will help both
parties to become clear on how their partnership will work. In
many cases, you will want an attorney to review the information
and even draw up an agreement. Be sure to utilize the services of
someone who has everyone’s best interest in mind. When drawing up
a written agreement, take into consideration the following:
individual and joint roles, how new leads will be handled, and
how expenses and revenues will be shared.
Think
of your company vision. Who do you know that you could help to
create a win/win relationship with? When you are clear on whom
you can partner with you will be amazed at what can happen for
you, your partners and most importantly, your customers and
clients.
Kathleen Gage is
a business advisor, keynote speaker and trainer who helps others
gain marketing dominance and visibility within their market. She
is the recipient of the 2004 Giant Step Award for Business of the
Year in the State of Utah. Kathleen is currently co-authoring two
books utilizing the power of OPM. Call 801.619.1514 or email
Kathleen@turningpointpresents.com . Get Gage’s online newsletter
called Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions by visiting
kathleengage.com
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Feature
Article
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How Creative Entrepreneurs
Succeed by Susan Kirkland
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Wall Street predicts a
25% chance of recession in the next year and small businesses
are clamoring to ride out the next tide of a continuing soft
market. Many small businesses find the current marketplace more
competitive as big fish dip lower into the food chain to
overcome business losses. Those little jobs they ignored (the
jobs one person shops thrive on) are being gobbled up to
replace lost revenues from big accounts now in demise. What can
you do to protect yourself? Here are some tips to help you
solidify your client list:
1. Stay in touch with clients whether they have a job in house
or not. A casual lunch, a quick call or a less invasive email
will renew and remind a good client of available services
without pressure. It's easier to maintain a relationship than
establish a new one.
2.
Call the vendors you've used most; they know who's buying and
succeeding even in a slow economy. Make friends at all levels
of your industry. You never know where your next job referral
will come from.
3.
Maintain industry presence; even though things are slow, stay
active in professional affairs. Attend that monthly meeting,
press the flesh, and work for charity to show off your creative
skills.
4.
Revamp your website, then send out email announcements about
the eye candy you've just displayed. Be excited about your work
and that excitement will attract business. Above all, stick to
your weekly phishing schedule. Cold call new clients whether
you need them or not. Successful entrepreneurs always have a
few new clients ready to step in to replace those who step out.
What's the real key to success? Get up and get busy–there's no
time for sulking.
©2007 Susan
Kirkland, veteran small business owner and author of Start and
Run a Creative Services Business, shares the secrets to finding
and keeping clients, negotiating with vendors, protecting
yourself from scoundrels and scalawags--a valuable resource for
everyone, no matter what line of work. To view excerpts from
the book and get a free cartoon, visit sdkirkland.com
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Feature
Article
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Don't Write
That Proposal Until You Ask The 'Magic Question' By Tessa
Stowe
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Have you ever had a
potential client ask you to write a proposal or give a
presentation only to respond with "Thank you for doing this and
we'll get back to you at some time in the future if we decide
to do something"? All that wasted time for nothing.
If
only you'd known they were going to say that before you wasted
all that time writing the proposal. If you knew they were going
to say this, would you have written the proposal? So how do you
find out what they are going to say? The way to find out what
they are going to say after you have given them your proposal
is to ask them the 'magic question' before you have spent time
and money preparing the proposal. Simple really.
The
'magic question' is magical for two reasons. It's magical as it
transports you both into the future (to the time when they have
received the proposal you have yet to write) and it's also
magical because much of the need for writing the proposal will
vanish after you have asked this question.
So
what is this 'magic question'?
When someone asks you
to write a proposal (or give a presentation), just reply with
this question "Imagine that you've read my proposal and,
without doubt, the solution proposed is a perfect fit for what
you want then what will happen next?"
Let's suppose that the
response to your 'magic question' was one of the
following:
"I
would then discuss it with my manager (partner, etc.) to see if
they want to move ahead."
"We'd need to assess it
along with everything else we are doing right now and decide on
our priorities."
"I'd need to make sure
that the costs are within our budget."
These answers will have
identified to you that writing a proposal is not really the
next best step and may, in fact, not be necessary at all. So
for the time being at least, the need for writing a proposal
has vanished (magical!).
With the above examples
instead of spending your time and money writing a proposal, the
best next steps could be:
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Meeting with the manager (partner) as they appear to be
involved in the decision making process. Who else is?
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To ask a lot more questions to find a compelling reason for why
they should solve this problem now. If you can't find a
compelling reason, chances are high they won't be doing
anything.
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To discuss your pricing range to confirm it is within their
budget.
Depending on the
outcome of these next steps, it may become obvious that this is
not a qualified prospect or that you to need to meet with more
people and ask a lot more questions before writing a
proposal.
Make it a rule that you
only write proposals if you know in advance what they are going
to say after they have read your proposal and are happy with
the solution you are proposing. Only write proposals if you are
satisfied with this answer and you know that writing a proposal
is therefore the next best step for them to become your
client.
© 2007, Tessa
Stowe, Sales Conversation. Tessa Stowe teaches small business
owners and recovering salespeople 10 simple steps to turn
conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy.
Sign-up for her FREE monthly newsletter that is full of tips on
how to sell your services by just being yourself at salesconversation.com
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