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The Top 10 Powerful
Business Tools for Growing Sales Through Creating Connection
Copyright 2005 Bea Fields
Your mission as a business owner is to develop a marketing
strategy which offers your potential clients/customers a
way to improve their situation in a certain way, solve a
problem, provide more value, or open new opportunities for
them which will motivate them to pick up the phone and buy
from you. This requires that the focus of your marketing
plan be placed on your customer...NOT ON YOU! Taken from
The 90 Day Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z these
ten powerful tools will support you in creating meaningful
connections with your clients/customers and providing real
time solutions to their challenges of the today.
1. Custom Assessments
By using a tool such as Assessment Generator
(http://www.AssessmentGenerator.com)
you can build custom
assessments which will allow the visitors to your website
the opportunity to engage with you while providing value
which is memorable. With Assessment Generator you as the
business owner will receive the basic results of the survey
to see if clients are where they want to be in their lives
or their businesses. For an example of a custom built
assessment enter here.
2. Online Survey Tools
A well designed online survey can greatly empower business,
academic, and charitable organizations by finding out
quickly what is on the minds of your current and
prospective customers/clients. Creating an online survey
can be extremely simple and convenient with a free survey
tool such as Advanced Survey
(http://www.AdvancedSurvey.com).
By designing a survey and
sending this to your database, you can poll targeted groups
quickly and in detail while obtaining real time results.
3. "Feedback" hot links
As you update your website, author articles, or launch new
products and services, add a "feedback hot link" to your
site or to your e-mail signature. This link can state "Send
me feeback" or "Send me your comments" and will
automatically link to an e-mail which can be used for your
website visitors to provide you with insight into what is
working and what is not with your products and services.
4. Weblogs With Comments
A weblog is a simple yet compelling online environment
which will allow you to put your thoughts, ideas, and
experiences on the web via a journal, photo album, or
diary. With a tool such as Typepad
(http://www.TypePad.com), you
can provide your clients and
customers with access to your online journal AND allow them
the ability to comment to your posts. If you are blogging
around a topic which can engender discussion or a topic
which can generate ideas for your new products and
services, you will find that blogging with a tool which
allows for comments can take your products and services to
a more advanced and sophisticated level quickly and with
support from your customers/clients.
5. Client Scenarios Which Create an Emotional Tug
What are the typical challenges of your clients, what do
they complain about to others, and what do they really want
in life? Do they say things such as:
- I am a CEO, and I cannot seem to motivate my team
- I am a pet owner, and I am looking for a Veterinarian I
can trust
- I am a Solo-preneur who is working for a lunatic
- I am a business owner who is looking to invest my money
to double my financial wealth
- I am a new college graduate, and I am looking for the
career of my dreams
By honing in on what is most important to the visitors to
your website and actually posting these for the world to
see, you will begin to connect with these folks in a way
which calls the emotions to be tapped. List these client
scenarios in bullet form on your website, and link each
scenario to a very tangible benefit of what you can offer.
Example: If you are marketing to pet owners who are looking
for a Veterinarian he/she can trust, link this client
scenario to a special report on "The Top Ten Questions to
Ask When Hiring a Veterinarian for Your Pet." For an
example of client scenarios visit here.
6. Data Driven Landing Pages
Landing pages, also known as "jump" pages in the world of
marketing, are self-contained web pages that visitors are
driven to for a specific purpose (usually for the purpose
of collecting e-mail addresses). Landing pages are very
focused and usually contain a message, in most cases to
allow you as the web host to determine what visitors click
on as well as other statistics. A data driven landing page
contains a form requesting the user to enter contact
information, usually in order to get something, such as a
free special report, newsletter, or to register for an
upcoming event. By including a question on this page such
as "What is the thing you most want in the area of
_______________" (fill in your industry here), you will be
able to see trends of what it is that folks most want,
which can be key to the growth of your business.
7. A Research and Development Team
A Research and Development team is a group of folks who you
invite to join you in developing your products, programs,
and services. Your R & D Team may be as small as ten people
or as large as 1,000 people. It is recommended that you
call on your R & D team at least two times per month, as
they will provide you with valuable information about what
is working/not working in your business, and they will tell
others about what you are up to. As your business grows,
you will want to continue to add people to your list so
that you have a cross section of people, ideas, and
perspectives from people from all walks of life and all
corners of the globe.
8. A Mastermind Group
The purpose of a mastermind group is to share thoughts,
ideas, opinions, and information. To be successful in
business, it is important for this group to be supportive
and to care enough about you and your business to provide
you with honest feedback about what they see is possible
for your business. Spend at least one hour per week with
your mastermind group, and use the feedback gained to grow
your life, both personally and professionally.
9. A Product/Service Development Team
Are you ready to develop a new product or service, and you
just don't know where to begin or how to make it happen? If
so, invite ten of the coolest people you know to support
you in developing the new product or service in exchange
for a slice of the pie once the product/service is
launched. People love to share their wisdom, especially
when they know that they are involved in development of
something which will be financially rewarding in the end.
10. Risky Business
One time per month, add one product or service which is out
of the norm or a little bit risky for you and your
business. Why? Because it will keep your mind moving and
will allow your customers to sample something which is
cutting edge and exciting! Example: You are a bookstore
owner, and you host a "Mystery Night." Invite the public to
preview the 12 hottest mysteries by attending a masquerade
party on the premises of your bookstore...loads of fun,
intrigue, and excitement. A suggestion/comment box can be
situated near the door, inviting guests to contribute
feedback and ideas for the next big event for your biz.
About the Author:
This piece was co-authored by Business Coaches, Bea Fields
and Alicia Smith, who can be reached at
bea@fivestarleader.com
or alicia@aliciasmith.com,
or
visited on the web at
http://www.FiveStarLeader.com or
http://90DayMarketingMarathon.com. Bea Fields and Alicia
Smith are the authors of the 90 Day Marketing Marathon, the
Powerhouse Program for Coaches, and the Fusion Coaching
Program.
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