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Network With Randall
Working at home and not selling
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, and she told me she needed to find a job working from home but didn’t want to sell anything. Since I work from home, I was her go-to person and she wanted to know what opportunities are out there that don’t involve any sales.
The only one I could think of was Mystery Shopping. Unless you can get in your car, have a route, and do it 40 hours a week (or more) you’re not going to pay your bills Mystery Shopping - you’re going to spend a lot on gas, and really, if you have to get a sitter for the kids there go the rest of your profits.
So she asked again "But there HAS to be somethign I can do without (insert visible shudder) SELLING something!"
I asked her what she considered selling. When it came down to brass tacks, it seemed the problem was that she didn’t want to tell people that she was doing something and ask them for money. (For those of you that are wondering, I do manage to keep the shocked expression off of my face when people say things like this to me!)
Thinking just my words weren’t going to be enough, I went for an example, "Have you ever gone in for a job interview?" I said…"Of course!" she said. Well guess what…if you’ve been on a job interview you’ve sold something, or not, depending on the outcome.
The blank stare at this point was pretty classic. But then the blank stare changed, and my friend squinted a little while her brain went into overdrive.
This is step one of realizing that life is marketing, and sales is everywhere. It’s a tough perspective to grasp, because so many people are conditioned to "hate" sales and think of negative images associated with sales.
She was still squinting, and looked like she needed just one more nudge. "You’re married, right?" She nodded. From the day you met the man who is now your husband to the actual ceremony…how long was that? "Two years" she said. That’s called a sales cycle. Sometimes it’s shorter, sometimes it’s longer, but for your marriage you went from introducing the product to the potential customer to closing the deal in 2 years.
She countered with, "But he chased ME, I didn’t have to do anything!"
I replied, "Did you put on makeup? Did you wear nice clothes to go out to dinner? Did you laugh at his jokes?"
Yes. Yes she did.
The most important sales cycle is the marriage, because at the moment of the ceremony it exemplifies all that is good and right about sales. Two people just feel they’ve found the person that’s the perfect fit. No one feels they were "sold" on the other, and yet, both were. The preening and nitpicking over what outfit to wear is like making a presentation to a potential business client.
And when a client hires you, or buys your product…if you’re selling and marketing yourself and your product the way you should be….your customer won’t feel like they’ve been sold anything, they’ll just be releived and happy to know they have you.
I’m Merchant Circle Curious…
I’ve been a member of Merchant Circle since early this year.
I am still trying to figure out exactly what the purpose is.
Don’t get me wrong, the listing on their site does show up in the search engine, so it’s not all bad. I’m thinking that this is one of those "all in one" solutions for businesses who don’t want to have a website (or don’t want to be overcharged for a crappy website.) Here are some of the things you can do on the site:
- Enter your business information (which will then show a map when your page is brought up.
- See if your business is listed on Yahoo! Local Search among other online business listing directories.
- Write a blog
- Connect with other local (or non-local) merchants and form a circle of businesses.
- Upload pictures (so people know what your store looks like, or what you look like, or what your featured product looks like, etc.)
- Upload video (because that viral marketing is so hot right now.)
- Review other businesses and email people with your link so they can review your business
- See if your business is in the news, where it shows on the web, etc.
- Submit advertisements or create online coupons for your business that can be seen by other Merchant Circle members or sent via email to your subscribers or contact list.
But here is the one that I think is really powerful:
- Add email addresses of your customers or contacts
- Send a newsletter using a predefined template right from Merchant Circle
.
- These are FREE services
I don’t use this for my newsletters, but as free solutions go I think this one is pretty good. I’m not sure how they handle double opt-in for the email addresses to make sure you’re not spamming people (I didn’t see an option for double opt-in) The template is pretty darn nice and it allows you to upgrade to a paid membership of you do not want advertisements in the header of the newsletter.
For most businesses that are too small or do not want to have a web presence, Merchant Circle seems like an interesting all-in-one solution that only requires as much updating as the business owner wants to have. Unlike a site where constant updates will keep your rank higher.
Is this the right solution for you? Check it out, give it a test drive. It can’t hurt!
Are you a marketing and SEO do it yourself-er? (DIY, anyone?)
If you’re looking for a DIY (do-it-yourself) manual on SEO, this is the best one out there. It’s not super expensive, and it’s not written by someone that likes to make people feel dumb. Not a bunch of jargon…and constantly updated so you know you’re getting the best information out there.
In the meantime, you can check out the Free Tools you can implement for your SEO learning right this very minute.
Have questions? Let me know. I’d be happy to answer them. I just know I’ve had a few people ask lately about doing SEO without having to pay someone, and this is the best bet I’ve found online or offline. Best of luck!
Black Friday Bash and Special Offer
We had a very powerful offer that we presented today at the Black Friday Bash. What we offered was simple, powerful, and really just pretty darn awesome all around.
Either of the following were offered for $20
- Group Sales Call
- Great for product OR service businesses!
- No more than five participants per call - so everyone has a chance to participate actively.
- Quick worksheet so you’ll be able to start the call with a plan.
- Safe non-judgmental environment.
- At least one real sales strategy you can use by the time you’re off of the call.
- Keyword Research
- Five top keywords being searched for in your niche.
- Five long tail keywords you can be found on page one of Google for.
You can use these keywords in your headline and body of an article if you do any article marketing. You can use them in press releases. You can use them on niche websites or in forum posts. You can even use them in your signature line or comments on other people’s blogs.
All Keyword research is done by our Google AdWords Professional.
The part that makes it a TRUE black friday deal is if you want both of the packages…we’re offering that package for only $30! (at least until Monday…then the deal goes away forever…so sad…)
If your business needs a jumpstart (or just some powerful keywords) this is the PERFECT opportunity for you to get it at a super-low price.
If YOU want to get in on this awesome deal, send an email to jennifer@marketingcurve.com letting me know if you want to schedule a group sales call, keyword research, or both and we’ll take it from there.
Have a great weekend!
Jen
p.s. You can forward this to someone you think needs keyword OR sales help and as long as they send me an email by Monday…they’re in!
Come on baby, Kindle my fire…
Ok, so I keep hearing about Amazon’s amazing new electronic book reader, the Kindle. Today it’s in the New York Times, even.
But what’s a dyed-in-the-wool book lover to do? Sure the white, sleek holder looks like something I could keep in my purse and happily pull out for a quick few page break. But it’s plastic, and I don’t know about you but for me the thought of replacing my paperback with a plasticback is disgraceful.
And, the free wireless broadband access alone makes it nifty for checking web based email and (of course) downloading MORE books. Free wireless broadband. That’s a heck of an offering, even if the price tag of the Kindle is $400, that will pay for itself pretty quickly if you use the Internet.
Every report I’ve heard says almost the same thing about the technology involved for actually reading books:
The screen uses the same astonishing E Ink technology that Sony’s Reader uses. It looks like black ink on light gray paper: no backlight, no glare, no eyestrain — and no need to turn it off, ever….The “ink” is so close to the surface of the screen, it looks like it’s been printed there, so reading is satisfying, immersive and natural. At page turns, only a distracting black-white flash reminds you that you’re not viewing paper anymore. (excerpt from article by David Pogue)
I know, you’re thinking…don’t turn it off?? I thought the same thing, but of course there is a simple answer, it only uses power when you turn a page. Kind of like a human expending energy to turn a page. Interesting and vaguely disturbing.
That’s because E Ink draws power only when you turn a page. At that point, millions of particles are drawn into a pattern of letters (or four-shade gray-scale images) by a brief electronic charge — and there they can stay forever, even if you take the battery out. You don’t turn this thing off; you just set it down, like a book. (excerpt from article by David Pogue)
So free internet forever, books cost half of what hardcovers do, can be downloaded in 60 seconds…and you never have to turn it off.
Books are the one area of my life where I am old fashioned. I like the way books smell, the way they feel, they way they look. The pages of a paperback are a very distinctive color that only looks good for the pages of aforementioned paperback. Anywhere else in nature the color of those pages would be downright ugly, but when you’re reading, that color just reinforces the comforting experience of reading.
Yet, I feel a slight shift in my defiant denial of even entertaining the thought of procuring a Kindle. Now I find myself saying, “No way, but I’d like to see one in person before making a final judgment…” - that first crack in the armor.
That’s what buzz does for a product.
Internet Millionaire Game Show
I got through the first time with only one wrong answer…how will you score?
Let me know - leave a comment - I look forward to seeing if anyone can do it perfectly the first time through 
Internet Millionaire Game Show Link
Free Video Recording/Editing Software! Yea, Camtasia!
There’s an amazing deal going on over at The Warrior Forum right now.
To get more people to upgrade to Camtasia v5 they’re giving away Camtasia v3 - which will record your desktop, you can edit video…it’s a great program if you’re planning on teaching people almost anything.
It’s also the best way to turn your powerpoint presentation into a movie that can be put up on YouTube, etc.
As with all Warrior Forum posts…make sure to read the comments after, not just the juicy first post. There’s more good information in there.
One last thing. The first time I went to the .exe link in the thread, it wouldn’t install completely. I redownloaded the .exe file from the website and it worked just fine that time…so if you encounter a glitch, don’t freak out…just try again!
Go get yours HERE….before it goes away… (I don’t know if it will go away, but better safe than sorry!)
Have faith in your dreams
I give thanks for my dreams. I also give thanks for yours. I hope you do too.
Because you never, ever know where you will be one year from now.
Here is a great reminder of how, no matter what anyone else says, you just might have a phenominal idea…the only way you’ll ever know is to stick with it! Enjoy it, it’s a quick read and there’s even a fun little video!
Click Here to Read Disney’s Folly
Protected: Sales Boost Intensive Call - Recording Page
Best Blogging T-Shirt Ever
If there is a cooler T-shirt in the world, I haven’t seen it….
I figure this is at the very least a fun shirt, and at the most…a potential client snagger.
Either way it’s so very, very true. If you’re at the Orland Park Sephora today, I’ll be wearing this…come over and say hello!
Want one for yourself? Go over to Despair, Inc. and get one!
If you have a blog, and want more than 0000002 readers, call me!
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