This type of marketing is very much like an auction internet site. Your site features assorted items for this, every last purchase gets you money. There isn’t as much time and effort needed, few operating costs, it sells twenty-four hours a day, and it’s easy to learn.

First of all, you must determine just what niche market most suits your business style. To get this out of the way, determine what solutions to a problem a particular set of people are going through, and then what solutions will assist them. A great method of achieving this rapidly is finding unique sets of extremely drilled down words and phrases; there are less searches for these generally, however a higher percentage of these convert.

If you’d like to root out these profitable keywords, use applications like Micro Niche Finder. The data compiled by this computer program or analogous applications or services produces related keywords in a comprehensive list format which you should target in order to get an advantage when it comes to placing on an web based search.

Further info is available by the application, for example search frequency, exactly how many other web sites are employing those keywords, and how successful the competition is. Last but not least, the info generated can help in finding the best domain, material for your website, and find suitable products to market. Constructing a website is next on the list; however there are still essential things to do. It is crucial to fine tune your internet site for the search engines. This is where Seo Elite information and other similar applications become helpful. This computer program examines the internet sites of your rivals and helps you by telling you what you need to do in order to have a good placing in the search engine listings. In SEO Elite the data supplied by the application suggests where to look for links, the best keywords, and even information on where and how to submit articles. In summary, SEO Elite information is much like to the suggestions that a specialist in search engine optimization may provide. Once you determine your niche market, have your advertising, and your site has been constructed, then you are ready to get your site up in the search results. You’ll collect a regular pay check and you’ll wonder why you ever doubted that affiliate marketing would be a success for you!

In essence affliliate marketing is similar to a consignment store. You feature the merchandise on your web pages and for all your work, you receive a percentage from every purchase. There isn’t as much effort needed, few overheads, it works 24/7, and even better, it’s relatively easy to learn.

The very first step you need to take is to make a choice as to which products or market you’d like to work in. A way of going about this is, find out what a unique customer profile is going through, and which solutions will assist them. One of the better means to determine this is to search for groups of extremely drilled down longtail keywords or phrases; broadly speaking customers search for these less, but they will convert far more.

These profitable keywords can be found by using programs like Micro Niche Finder. The data compiled from Micro Niche Finder or other computer programs and services gives you a list of related terms that you can then focus on in order to earn an advantage in the rankings on an internet search. Micro Niche Finder data will in addition tell you how many searches each keyword or phrase gets, exactly how many other sites use those keywords, even competitor information. Last but not least, Micro Niche Finder information can identify related domains, aid you in putting together your web site, and draw your attention to the best goods to trade.

Next you need to build a internet site; but it will require a bit more than just that. Having the best placing on the search engines demands the fine tuning of your website. Products such as SEO Elite can make this easier. Competing web sites are examined by the application which then offers suggestions to improve search results. In SEO Elite the data created from the software advises you where to look for links, the best keywords, and an extensive listing of sites to submit articles to refer to. In summary, the data obtained are the same sort of data you may get when you consult a practised SEO specialist.

When you determine your niche, have your product advertisements, and your site has been designed, then you are ready to enhance your search engine rankings. Profits will roll in without very much effort and you will question why you did not try this type of marketing sooner!

“The last person to buy from you is the most likely to buy again
and soon.” This quote is an old one and I do not know the author
but I do know it to be true. After spending fourteen years of my
life owning and running a retail art gallery, I was witness to
this happening over and over again.

A repeat customer does not happen by accident. A repeat customer
is the result of excellent customer service from you.

A man by the name of Harold Stanley Marcus was born on April 20,
1905 in Dallas, Texas. His family started an upper-end retail
store in 1907 and called it Neiman-Marcus. Stanley started at
the bottom in the family business in 1926 as a floorman. He
began to work on the store’s image and customer service. Mr.
Marcus has been quoted as saying “Quality is remembered long
after the price is forgotten.” His son Richard, who took over
from his father upon retirement, put a different spin on his
father’s words of wisdom.

“Care for your customer and they will return… care for your
merchandise and it won’t.”

Stanley Marcus retired in 1975 as a chairman who had shepherded
the store to international prominence through a combination of
uncompromising quality in merchandise and unwavering commitment
to customer service. In 1984 Neiman- Marcus inaugurated
retailing’s first customer loyalty program, InCircle. If you
have a few minutes, take a look at the InCircle program at
http://www.neimanmarcus.com. At the middle of the page on the
left, click on InCircle Rewards. It is a secure page but you can
scroll down to see what they are giving their good customers.

Granted, Neiman-Marcus is an upper-end retailer and it is
inconceivable for you or me to offer anything to compare with
what they are doing for their loyal customers.

The point is… what are you doing to bring your customer back?

Your new customer will receive a thank-you confirmation
electronically which will probably contain other URLs to your
other programs or products. Correct? But what else?

Right now you have the perfect opportunity to send a very
personal email to that new customer. You may be thinking “I
don’t have time to send out personal emails after every sale.”
Well, you can’t afford not to. The next merchant will if you
don’t, and that’s the merchant who will gain a loyal customer.

Offer your new customer your personal assistance and attention
after the sale. Give them all of your contact information:
email, phone number and address. Also, let them know that you
have a “complimentary gift” for them as a “thank-you” for their
purchase. Try to avoid the word “free.” This word seems to have
lost it’s power due to its being used in almost every ad on the
Internet.

When you offer to give personal assistance to your customer,
make sure you are available during certain business hours.
Answer your emails as quickly as possible. An immediate response
is impressive and creates trust.

“Once you have your customer’s trust, you have won the most
valuable prize in business.”

“Care for your customer and they will return…”

Doing business over meals is a ritual that has existed for centuries. Taking clients to breakfast, lunch or dinner has long been an effective way to build relationships, make the sale or seal the deal. These business meals are essentially business meetings. Knowledge of your product or your service is crucial to the success of the meeting, but so are your manners. Too many people jeopardize an opportunity because they fail to use good dining etiquette. Here are a few basic rules to make the experience pleasurable and profitable.

Know your duties as the host. You are in charge. It is up to you to see that things go well and that your guests are comfortable. You need to attend to every detail from extending the invitation to paying the bill.

Plan ahead when you issue the invitation. Allow a week for a business dinner and three days for lunch. Be certain that the date works for you. That might sound obvious, but if you have to cancel or postpone, you can look disorganized and disrespectful of your clients’ time.

Select a restaurant that you know, preferably one where you are known. This is no time to try out the latest hot spot. Being confident of the quality of the food and service leaves you free to focus on business.

Consider the atmosphere. Does it lend itself to conversation and discussion? If you and your clients can’t hear each other over the roar of the diners and dishes, you will have wasted your time and money.

When you make your reservation, let the staff know that you will be dining with clients. If your guests suggest a restaurant new to you (perhaps you are hosting clients out-of-town), call ahead and speak with the maitre’d. Make it clear that you will be having an important business meal and picking up the check.

Confirm the meal appointment with your clients the day before if you are meeting for breakfast or that day if you are having lunch or dinner. Things do happen and mix-ups occur.

Arrive early so you can attend to last minute details. This is the perfect time to give your credit card to the maitre’d and avoid the awkwardness that seems to accompany the arrival of the bill.

Take charge of the seating. Your guests should have the prime seats-the ones with the view. As the host, take the least desirable spot-the one facing the wall, the kitchen or the restrooms.

Beyond being polite, where you seat your guests is strategic. When you are entertaining one client, sit next to each at a right angle rather than across the table. With two clients, put one across from you and the other to your side. If you sit between them, you will look as if you are watching a match at Wimbledon as you try to follow the conversation.

Allow your guests to order first. You might suggest certain dishes to be helpful. By recommending specific items, you are indicating a price range. Order as many courses as your guests, no more and no less, to facilitate the flow of the meal. It is awkward if one of you orders an appetizer or dessert and the others do not.

As the host, you are the one who decides when to start discussing business. That will depend on a number of factors such as the time of day and how well you know your clients. At breakfast, time is short so get down to business quickly. At lunch, wait until you have ordered so you won’t be interrupted. Dinner, the more social occasion, is a time for rapport building. Limit the business talk and do it after the main course is completed.

When you know your clients well, you have more of a basis for small talk. However, because you have established a business friendship, you can eliminate some of the chitchat when time is an issue. When you don’t know your clients well, spend more time getting acquainted before launching your shoptalk.

Sometimes you simply need to use your own judgment about when to get down to business, realizing that if you wait too long, your clients may start to wonder why they were invited. If you begin too early in the meal, your guests might suspect that you are more interested in their money than you are in them.

Keep an eye on the time, but don’t let your guests see you checking your watch. Breakfast should typically last an hour; lunch an hour and a half. Wrap up your business dinner in two to three hours, no more.

Handle any disasters with grace. With all your attention to detail, things can still go wrong. The food may not be up to your standards, the waiter might be rude or the people at the next table boisterous and out of control. Whatever happens, make sure you are not the one to lose control. Excuse yourself to discuss any problems with the staff. Your guests will feel uncomfortable if you complain in front of or to them.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink at the business meal. The three Martini lunch is mostly a thing of the past. However, cocktails and wine are still part of the business dinner. Since alcohol can have the same effect as truth serum, keep your consumption to one or two glasses. When guests are drinking liberally and you sense trouble, excuse yourself and discreetly ask the server to hold back on refilling the wine glasses or offering another cocktail.

Your conduct over the meal will determine your professional success. If you pay attention to the details and make every effort to see that your clients have a pleasant experience, they will assume that you will handle their business the same way. Before long you could have them eating out of your hand.

(c) 2005, Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.

Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors’ Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman’s Day. For more information about her programs, products and services, e-mail her at lydia@mannersthatsell.com or visit her web site www.mannersthatsell.com

Determining your RV’s TRUE Wholesale Value

The first thing you need to know is that the ONLINE valuation
guides for RVs are usually much higher than the values in the
dealer’s copy of the NADA guide. In other words, what YOU think
your RV is worth is probably much, much higher that what the
DEALER will actually allow for it.

This is the same for the automotive, boat or RV industries. The
dealer MUST take trade-ins at or below wholesale to ever hope to
eventually make a reasonable profit. He must allow for interest
payments on his used inventory, commissions to sales people,
overhead, and much more.

A typical mid-sized RV dealer will have a monthly overhead of
$50,000 to $150,000… or more per MONTH! Believe me, it’s not
an easy game. He has laid out millions of dollars to allow you
to browse a decent selection of RVs, so please… Don’t think of
him as the bad guy.

Online RV Valuation Sources

Lets take a look at the online RV valuation sources and how to
use them in order to place a realistic wholesale and retail
value on your RV.

The best place to get fairly accurate online values for RVs is
at: www.nadaguides.com

Go to the RV section and select the appropriate letter that
corresponds to the make of your RV.

Now is where you’re going to have to grit your teeth and do
something completely against your nature. DON’T ADD FOR ANY
OPTIONS! The dealer won’t, so in this case we won’t either.
Understand that we are only trying to determine what the dealer
will allow for your trade-in. This doesn’t mean that you have to
take it. In fact, you will be many dollars ahead if you decide
to market your RV on your own, and then approach the dealer on a
cash only basis…. But that’s another topic we’ll address in
another article.

At the bottom of the NADA page, click on the “Get Price” button.
Now, let you your jaw drop as you look at the value for: “Low
Retail.”

Now emit a mild groan, because it gets worse from here. DEDUCT
another 7% to 10% of that figure to establish the wholesale
value in the dealer’s copy of the NADA book. This is the value
that the dealer will be looking at. If your RV is an upper-line
or luxury RV, or if it is a specialty RV you will need to deduct
even more - 10% to 15% of the “Low Retail” figure. Since the
online Low Retail prices do not match the wholesale prices in
the dealer’s NADA guide, this is an educated guess for you. It
will however, get you close enough to decide whether or not you
are willing to trade your RV, and accept the actual cash value
the dealer will allow.

Remember NOT TO ADD FOR OPTIONS! I know you tried to sneak a few
in there didn’t you? Remember… The dealer NEVER adds for
options when determining an ACV on a trade-in. In some rare
cases such as hydraulic leveling jacks or other options that are
very expensive, he MAY allow a little more, but nowhere near the
actual cost of the option.

Your best bet in determining what the dealer is allowing you for
your trade-in is to take the “Low Retail” figure minus 10%.
(More for upper-line or specialty units.)

Certain factors such as mileage, condition and unit popularity
and salability my influence the actual cash value allowed for
your vehicle. Remember that we are dealing with an inexact
science. We are simply trying to establish a guideline for
estimating the actual amount allowed for your trade-in. Whether
or not you decide to trade, is completely up to you. Now you
have a way to weigh one against the other. The final decision of
course… is up to you.

Barry Wilder President, Best Rate, Inc.

According to that oft-quoted compendium of bizarre statistics, The Book of Lists, people rank their fear of public speaking higher than their fear of death.

The Book of Lists missed an opportunity because it didn’t have people rank their fear of writing. Granted, it’s less obvious and not nearly as traumatic as having to deliver a speech, but still, a lot of folks suffer from it.

You can see it in the stiffness of their emails and the stodgy formality of their memos and business letters. It also creeps into their selling scripts.

If you ask most salespeople whether they want to use a call script, they’ll say no, and one of the reasons they’ll cite is that it sounds canned. In a different article, I’ve discussed how to bring a script to life through nuances of vocal delivery.

But let me point out that poor delivery is only one reason that scripts sound canned. A more significant reason is that they’re very, very poorly written.

They’re not conversational because they are writings, primarily, and not “talkings.” Most people who compose sales scripts don’t capture the sound of real talk.

For example, I’ve drafted numerous sales and customer service scripts and I’ll seed them with words and phrases that say, “I’m speaking to you, off the cuff-this is the real me you’re communicating with!”

Let’s say you need a script to help complaining customers with a buggy software program. You can listen to their complaint and respond, “I’m sorry that happened.”

It’s not bad, but it can be “conversationalized.”

Instead, try, “Gee, I’m sorry that happened.”

“Gee” communicates many things. First, it implies that this is a surprise, that your software program isn’t known for screwing-up. Your credibility is preserved.

Second, “Gee” says I’m being spontaneous, a real person.

In the law, we’d call this an “excited utterance,” and judges give it special significance because it is blurted out without thought. It’s a window into the person’s genuine feelings and thoughts.

“Gee” actually says, “I’m not scripted!”

Therefore, scripting it is that much more powerful.

I’m just offering this as one example of how you can make your sales scripts sound genuine, while avoiding the perception that they’re canned.

There are many other ways, and if you give it thought, you can generate your own. The real secret is identifying how real talk sounds, and then putting that, imperfections and all, down on the page.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Terminology / Acronyms

ABC figures: This is the independently audited sales figure for all recognised publications in the UK. By using the ABC figure, you can quickly establish how much the advertising will cost per 1,000 readers.
Account Managers: These are sales people who have great skills in getting repeat orders and maximising revenue returns from existing accounts. It is very rare that a good “Account Manager” will be good at winning new clients.

Blue Bird: This is an unexpected sales opportunity that has a high chance of turning into profitable business.

BRAD: This book lists every UK publication including magazines, newspapers, vertical publications etc. It also contains key information i.e. “ABC figures”, advertising deadlines etc and is one of the most useful tools available if you are looking to place advertising or embark on DIY PR.
Comfort Factor Statements: Also known as credibility statements they show that you can deliver exactly what you say you can. They must not be emotive i.e. include words like “the best”, “fantastic”, “amazing”, “superior” or contain anything that cannot be proven i.e. “high level of customer satisfaction”, “unparalleled support”, unless supported by facts.
Commission Plans: This is how a salesperson is paid for their efforts. It is strongly advised that you include a minimum contribution and ensure that if you plotted a graph of gross margin and percentage of target it would create an incremental curve.

CRM: “Customer Relationship Management” This is software that organises all your sales contacts, schedules activities and is used in targeted marketing campaigns. This is vital to all sales operations and there are many packages to choose from costing anything from £80.00 per user upwards i.e. ACT! Goldmine etc. Previously known as TCM.

Double Bubble: Sales slang for two people being paid out the full amount of commission on a specific deal / incentive or the same person being awarded double the amount of commission.

Elevator Pitch: This term comes from the theory that if you are in a lift on the 10 th floor of a building you should be able to explain what you do before it gets to the ground floor i.e. about 10 seconds. This is often the opening statement of any form of communication and is predominantly used in lead generation and marketing activities.

Farmers: These are sales people who have great skills in getting repeat orders and maximising revenue streams from existing accounts. It is very rare that a good “Farmer” will be good at winning new clients.

Gross Margin: The difference between your buy price and your sell price.

Hunters: These are sales people who are very good at winning new accounts and getting the first order but tend to lose interest when they know that the new customer will continue to buy, this often makes them very bad farmers. Also known as New Business Sales Exec’s.

Kick Back: This is when a company gets an extra soft margin when they buy sufficient numbers / value of a product. i.e. if you buy 10 cars we will give you / or the company free servicing.

Minimum Contribution: This is the account value that all sales staff are required to reach, in gross margin terms, before any commission. This is put in place to ensure that commission is not paid before staff have covered their basic salary plus all other costs i.e. NI, travel, phone, expenses etc.

New Business Sales Exec’s: These are sales people who are very good at winning new accounts and getting the first order but tend to lose interest when they know that the new customer will continue to buy, this often makes them very bad farmers. Also known as “Hunters”.

OTE: “On Target Earnings” This is how much the sales person will earn if they hit their sales target. Please note that when the person has achieved 50% of target they should not earn more than 30% of their OTE. By using this method it creates a further incentive for the salesperson to hit the their sales target.

Over Ride: This is the term used when a sales person over achieves his target and hence is given a large bonus. Remember the bigger the “over rider”, the bigger the incentive and hence this increases the motivation to over achieve the gross margin sales target.

PPC: “Pay Per Click” This is a much-targeted method of advertising and enables sponsored links to be placed at the top of search engine results when your particular key words or phrases are encountered. For each sponsored link placed you are charged from as little as 10 pence upwards.
Prospect: A company / person that you know will require your services and they are looking to purchase. Particularly if you have been asked to bid for the work

RTR: “Ready to Run” This is the term used mainly by advertising agencies or company’s for an advert which is ready to be placed. It is then common practice to place the advert on the deadline in order to get the lowest possible price.

Sales Forecast: The system that sales people and managers use to look at how much business is likely to be won each month, unfortunately these are often misleading due to sales processes that minimise inaccuracies not being implemented.

Sand Bagging: This is a tactic used by sales people who hold back orders so that as many as possible fall in the same month or quarter and hence they over achieve the target to win a large Over Rider. This is not only expensive because extra commission is paid but can also have very negative effects on cash flow. By having a properly implemented Sales Forecast it is very easy to establish if this is occurring.

SEO: “Search Engine Optimisation” This is the method of making sure that your website gets lots of traffic and enables your company to be listed higher in the search engines for specific key words and phrases i.e. car hire Newcastle, buy discount fishing rods, mortgage advice etc. The downside of this methodology is that it takes several months for your website to get a good position on the major search engines i.e. Google, Yahoo etc.

Soft Margin: This is most commonly found in the reseller market and generally provided by the manufacturer in form of marketing assistance i.e. for every £10,000 of product x sold we will provide you with y amount of money that must be spent on promoting our product / service.
Suspect: A company / person that you know will require your services but nothing else is known.

TCM: “Time Contact Management” This is software that organises all your sales contacts, schedules activities and is used in targeted marketing campaigns. This is vital to all sales operations and there are many packages to choose from costing anything from £80.00 per user upwards i.e. ACT, Goldmine etc. Now known as CRM.

TMUP: “Target Market User Profile” this is the type of company / person that would be a prime target for your business i.e. single male 30 - 40 and divorced or SME services based companies with staff of between 3-10 people based within 5 miles of central London etc. Finding and Targeting your prime TMUP will reduce the cost of sales and increase marketing and new business efficiency’s.

Tyre Kicker: This is a company / person who pretends to be interested in your product / service. This term comes from the motor trade when customers would kick the tyres to fain interest when they had no intention of buying a car and were just browsing / looking for a test drive. Sales people who are not performing and wish to give the impression that their sales pipeline is strong often put this type of prospect on their sales forecast.
USP’s: Unique Selling Points i.e. what makes your company different from its competitors. This is used predominantly in lead generation and marketing activities and therefore is a MUST HAVE for any sales strategy to work.

For further information please visit www.bizal.com

Paul Scott works for BIZAL Ltd (http://www.bizal.com) who provide sales development services for the UK market