If you have
a hard time making successful business connections, don’t despair. Anyone can be
good at meeting people—if they use the right technique. The whole secret to
making a positive connection is knowing how to attract people and inspire them
to want to give you a chance.
Here are seven
proven strategies to help you make successful business connections:
- Carry yourself well and look
professional. If people don’t know you at ALL, they
are going to completely judge you by the way you look. It’s unfortunate,
but it’s true. So, make sure you dress appropriately and your hair is well
groomed. And be sure to look people straight in the eye and firmly shake
their hand when meeting them.
Also, make a special effort to have a clear, professional speaking
voice—particularly if your first encounter is over the phone. Practice what
you’re going to say in your head or out loud, so you don’t stumble on your
words.
- Know your outcomes. What do you want from this person and
what’s your objective? You should
ALWAYS ask yourself this question before you make contact with anyone. In
a business situation, you want to be really clear as to what your outcomes
are. For most business people, the outcomes are to let prospects know who
you are, why they should be interested in you, and what your goal is.
- Always smile. When you see someone smile, it tells you
that they’re approachable. People like people who seem approachable
because they feel more comfortable with them and will trust them more. So
make sure you show those pearly whites and practice being sincere with your smile. And if you’re contacting someone over
the phone, it’s important to still smile because people can tell by your
voice if you’re not.
- Be honest. People can tell when someone is giving them baloney, so
be sincere when you make contact with someone. You’re taking up their most
precious commodity - time. And if
you’re in sales and have to read from a script, memorize it so you can
talk naturally. This will make you seem more genuine and credible.
- Offer something they need. It’s so important to not bother people with things that
they don’t have time for or need. If you’re not sure that they’ll be
interested in what you have to say, make your introduction short and
sweet. Then see if they’re interested in hearing the rest of what you’re
articulating. To position your introduction to impress them, do some
research to find out what would interest them. You can conduct your research by going
on the Internet, reading about them in magazines, going to the library,
talking with their employees or meeting their business associates.
- Go out of your way. If someone is legitimately busy and they
can’t talk with you, go out of your way to find out what’s convenient for
them. Also, if the person you’re
trying to contact tells you they feel more comfortable meeting you in
person rather than having a telephone discussion, go meet them if it’s
really important to you.
- Be bold and daring…but in a
tactful way. Make the call or make an
in-person introduction to the person you want to meet. Don’t sit around and contemplate if you
should do it because it will never happen.
It’s natural to get intimidated, but be bold and daring by pushing
your fear away and taking action. However, always conduct yourself in a
tactful way, so you don’t harass people. Otherwise, people won’t like you
and won’t want to listen to what you have to say.
Don’t be intimidated at the thought of contacting successful
people. Remember: They are still people, and they’re no different from you. So
get out there and make contact. The worst that could happen is that they say,
“No, I’m not interested”. The best thing that could happen is that they are interested! So as Nike says: “Just do it.” Start taking steps toward making successful connections.
Copyright
2005 Kate Smalley
Connecticut
Secretary
http://www.connecticutsecretary.com
kms@connecticutsecretary.com
Transcription Services
Administrative Support
An appealing design will pull people into your web
site, but it’s the content that will make them stick and become buyers. In
other words: Pictures tell, but words sell. That’s why your content is one of
the most important elements of your web site.
Outlining a clear strategy
for your content is the initial step to creating effective content for your web
site. First, identify what you want to accomplish, what information it will
include and how the content will be organized.
Your site should provide
information your prospects need to know to buy from you plus information you
want them to know that will convince them to buy from you. Need-to-know-type
content for potential customers might include information about your company,
products/services, customers and testimonials.
Information that you want
them to know might include work samples, frequently asked questions, press
releases, reports, articles and other material that can educate them about your
business. And don’t forget to include a clear and effective marketing message
that will convert visitors into buyers. After all, isn’t that the primary
reason for having a web site?
While your content must cater
to site visitors, it should also be strategically developed for the best
performance with search engines. So be sure to include the right keywords in
your regular text, meta tags, headings, etc. The goal is to make your content
appealing to site visitors and search
engines. If you optimize your content effectively, you can keep a steady stream
of free traffic flowing to your web site.
Web
Content Writing Tips
One of the most important
things to remember when writing content is this: Keep it simple and clear. Most
people find it 30 times harder to read text on a computer screen than on paper.
Also, site visitors tend to skim over web content, focusing on headlines, bold
text and links. So be sure to format your web content so the information is
easy for people to find, read and understand.
Here are seven smart ways to create
effective Web content:
1. Be concise.
Cut out extra words in sentences, get to the point and express what you need to
say quickly.
2. Be conversational. Don’t use complicated words or business language no
one outside your industry will understand. Just write the way you talk, so your
copy will convey a friendly, comfortable and confident tone.
3. Write in small chunks. Group ideas by topics and present them in small,
manageable chunks of information. Keep your sentences as short as possible and
vary the lengths so you hold readers’ interest. Then add descriptive, bold
headings that will make the content easier to scan.
4. Give good information. Most people go online to find information
about their hobbies, products or other interests. Don’t waste their time by
placing useless, self-serving content on your site. Make sure you provide
information that’s not only interesting, but also educational and enriching.
(In fact, many search engines won’t consider listing sites into their databases
if they lack useful information.)
5. Use descriptive links. Go beyond the typical "click here" link on
your Web pages. Try something like: “Take our demo,” “Get a sample,” or “ Order
now!” Not only is this more engaging, but it can enhance your performance with
search engines.
6. Link to complementary Web
sites. Include links to Web sites that offer supplementary (not competing)
information. This will not only benefit your site visitors, but it also can
boost your search engine ranking.
7. Keep your content fresh. Keep the information on your site
interesting and updated so visitors will have a reason to come back.
************
Copyright 2006, Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
http://www.connecticutsecretary.com
kms@connecticutsecretary.com
Transcription Services and
Freelance Secretarial Support Services
If you’ve ever dreamed of
working from home in shorts and a T-shirt, you’re not alone. There are more
than 50 million Americans working at least part-time from residences, enjoying
convenience, tax deductions and other valuable benefits.
In fact, about one third of
all U.S.
homes have offices, according to Wirthlin Worldwide, a national opinion
research and strategic consulting firm. These home office users are most likely
married, middle-aged, educated and earning an income of $50,000 or more a year.
But not every business is
suited to operate at home, experts say. Home offices are more acceptable for
appointment-based businesses than for retail enterprises. For example, if a
business is selling products, a store front off site would project a more
professional option.
Home office users can set up
work areas in a spare bedroom, the third stall of a garage or a separate,
unattached structure. If there’s no dedicated space available, an extra room could
be added. And if the business doesn’t require face-to-face customer
interaction, a make-shift office in any free corner will do until a more
suitable arrangement can be made.
No matter where their home
office is set up, home-based workers get to enjoy the convenience and
flexibility of operating from home. No long commutes. No office politics. Plus,
they can generally work whenever they want, which can mean spending more
quality time with their family.
Also, home-based workers can
qualify for a variety of tax advantages, depending on the nature and extent of
their business activity. Also, they may be eligible to deduct part of their utilities,
home repair and maintenance, property tax and house insurance costs, based on
the percentage of the residence they use for business purposes.
For example, a home-based
worker using 100 square feet of a 1,000 square-foot-home for business could
deduct 10 percent of the utilities, insurance, real estate taxes and a number
of other indirect expenses.
Generally, to qualify for the
deduction, the home must be the principal place for conducting business; the
business must occupy a separate and identifiable space and use the space
regularly and exclusively for business purposes. The deduction is also
available to tax filers using a home office to complete business-related
administrative or management activities. That is, as long as there is no other
fixed location where those activities are conducted.
As a word of caution, home
office deductions can be tricky and historically have drawn more attention from
the IRS. To be on the safe side, home-based workers should consult with a tax
advisor before taking the home office deduction.
Copyright, 2006, Kate Smalley
Connecticut Secretary
Transcription Services and Administrative Support
Customer
testimonials can provide a positive and compelling endorsement of your products
and services. They can add power to your claims about your product because they
come from an unpaid, unbiased source: a customer. And they’re a key strategy to
building consumer confidence and
sales.
Making
purchasing decisions can be intimidating—especially online where you can’t
touch or “test” products prior to sale. Before buying a product, people often
want to know if the product actually does what it promises, if the company is
reputable and if the website is secure. That’s where customer testimonials come
in.
Customer
testimonials provide answers to important questions, build trust and close
sales. And research shows that consumers often rely on customer testimonials
when making purchasing decisions. In fact,
testimonials have been known to increase sales by as much as 250 percent. In
short, testimonials sell.
Components of a
Testimonial
Testimonials
generally include comments, a full name and descriptive identifier, such as a
professional or informal title. Each of these elements is important to the
anatomy of a testimonial for unique reasons.
Comments
from customers—preferably placed inside direct quotes—deliver a powerful
endorsement because they are unbiased. Attaching a complete name to clearly
identify customers adds validity and punch. You might even include the person’s
city and state. And providing a descriptive title can add even more weight,
especially if the person has particular relevance to the product/service being
endorsed.
How to Collect Testimonials
Collecting
testimonials is relatively easy, as most satisfied
customers will be eager to help. The most direct way to obtain testimonials is
to simply ask. Whenever you complete a project with a customer, ask what
they liked best about your product or service. You can gather their comments by
telephone, blog, email, postcard or letter.
You can also gather feedback by providing a free trial to select users in
your target market.
Then ask them what they liked, didn’t like and their suggestions for
improvement. Along the same lines, you could offer product trials or samples to
an industry expert who is well suited to judge how your product works.
Regardless of how you acquire customers’ comments, always get permission
to use their testimonials in your marketing materials. Better yet, have them sign a release form
granting their permission.
How to Use Testimonials
You can put
testimonials to work in all your marketing materials. Offline, testimonials can
enliven brochures, print ads, posters and newsletters. Online, they can be an
ideal way to enhance your web content. You can group them on a single web page
or sprinkle them throughout your website. You
can use testimonials to emphasize key benefits of your product or service. But
for the biggest impact, they should also quantify those benefits. For example,
“Product X is less expensive and more effective than other similar products on
the market. It cost 20 percent less and has help my company save 30 percent in
labor costs.”
Remember, the words of satisfied customers are powerful tools for
building trust, your reputation and sales. So start harnessing the power of
testimonials for your business today!
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