Warning! You may be one of MILLIONS of people leaving money on the table because you won't work the phone!

Warning! You may be one of MILLIONS of people leaving money on the table because you won't work the phone!



by Dr. Jeffrey Lant



Have you looked at the economic news lately? The so-called recovery is still weak as a new born kitten. People are still being thrown out of jobs. Home foreclosures continue. Financial and social instability blanket the land.



Yet you who says you're in business...



You who tells me you want to squeeze every single cent from your business, won't pick up the phone to talk to prospects and so are leaving big bucks on the table.
Is that crazy or what?



Now hear this: e-mail did NOT replace the telephone as a crucial business money-maker
Listen to some people, and you'd think the telephone became obsolete when e-mail was invented. "Oh, I never phone anyone anymore. I e-mail them!"



If you're one of the silly ones singing this tune, you need to stop, look, and listen to the vital information I'm about to deliver: as far as connecting, working with and developing long-term relationships with customers is concerned nothing beats your Alexander Graham Bell.
E-mail is spectacular... but it NEVER can or will replace the way phones enable you to communicate directly with your prospects and DO BUSINESS! In plain English, the phone is a money machine. You must learn to use it as such.



1) Review your current use of the phone
Do you make it a point to telephone your prospects, introduce yourself, ascertain what you can do to assist them, follow up with all you prospects to make the sale, and (a little while later) make sure they're happy with what they've purchased?
If you are remiss in some or all of these vital categories, it's time to make changes in your use of the phone... or continue to leave dollars on the table.



2) Do you end each day drawing up a phone list for the next business day?
The key to maximizing phone potential and profit is planning; knowing who you want to connect with on the morrow... and having whatever you need to do so readily at hand.
Create a computer file for each business day. This file should contain
* name of prospect
* prospect phone(s)
* prospect fax and, yes, email
* what prospect is interested in
* then space for a record of all contacts, including what the prospect said and what you promised to do (and then did).
Review tomorrow's phone list BEFORE leaving for the day. That way it will be fresh in your mind when you start calling tomorrow.



3) Call your easiest prospect first
We're human. We all function better when we get off to a good start. In business, this means calling your easiest prospect first, the prospect you know and have a good relationship with. They'll be glad to hear from you; they'll be happy to place that kick-off order. When that order is in , the success of your day is ensured!



4) Be clear on the objective for each call.
Because the telephone is used both personally and for business, it's easy to lose track of why you're calling folks. Personal telephone habits spill over into business time. That's fatal to your bottom line.
Before you call each prospect, review just why you are calling. It is NOT just to say hi and chat. It is either to start a new business relationship, foster an existing one and, above all else, get the sale!



5) Keep good notes
The average telephone business user is casual (and hence ineffectual) to a degree. Sometimes they take notes on their prospects calls; sometimes they don't. This catch-as-catch-can approach to the telephone is not good enough... for you. YOU know the importance of good notes. The time to enter them into your computer file is the MINUTE your phone conversation ends. Indeed, if you have your computer screen in front of you while speaking to your prospects, enter your notes as you go.



6) No answer? Call back. No answer? Call back again.
Over the years, I have been consistently astonished at the high level of self-delusion that permeates the business community about incomplete calls; that is calls which do not result in direct conversation with your prospect.
Any call you place, including calls where you just leave your prospect a message, must be regarded as incomplete calls; that is, calls which must be made and made again until completion (that is direct customer contact) takes place.



7) Regard your customers as assets who need the time and considered attention of any other asset
If you are one of the legion of business people who don't call prospects, a major change in attitude (and procedure) is necessary. From this moment on, think of each prospect as an asset for your business and as one of a string of assets from which you derive wealth.
Would you take a corporate bond and abandon it in a taxi?
Would you leave the deed to your house on a picnic table in the park?
Of course not!
Then don't be cavalier with your customers and efficiently calling and following up. They are ASSETS, and they must be treated accordingly. One phone call at a time. Starting today.

About The Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Attend Dr. Lant's live webcast TODAY and receive 50,000 free guaranteed visitors to the website of your choice! Dr. Lant is the author of 18 best-selling books as well as an internationally recognized marketing expert. http://www.SuccessRoute.biz/?rd=ph6LwV79 Republished with author's permission by Vaurn James http://SuccessRoute.biz 

Rules to blog by, for blog publishers and readers

Rules to blog by, for blog publishers and readers



by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Maybe HE likes all the hubbub.
But will you?

The calm of my Cambridge, Massachusetts neighborhood was punctuated the other day by student protestors outside Harvard University's Science Center. There 1960's wannabees chanted "Harvard, Harvard, shame on you, honoring a racist fool."
The cause of this mayhem was Professor Martin Peretz and his latest blog post on his The New Republic website: "But, frankly Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims." It was more than enough to stir up a reaction from the politically correct, who live to chant and picket.
They shouted... they taunted... they heckled... and HE, owner of The New Republic, the subject of so much fuss, got valuable, eye-catching full-page publicity in The Boston Globe, New England's paper of record.

Bingo!
One of America's most experienced provocateurs had succeeded, yet again, in using his blog to get even more publicity for his "take no prisoners" opinions.
Martin Peretz' blog had done its work and done it well.
Will yours? It most assuredly will... if you understand the true purpose of a blog, run it accordingly, and learn to be a responsible blog publisher and blog reader. Here are recommendations to assist you.
Bogs MUST be honest.

The purpose of a blog is to give ANYONE ANYWHERE in the world, whatever creed, class, station, nationality, or political position, the opportunity to be heard on any subject whatsoever.
Thus, your task as a blogger is to open yourself up... to tell the truth, straightforwardly, honestly, bluntly. The blog is, first and foremost, about you, its publisher and focus. To write anything other than the whole truth, so help you God, is to demean the medium -- and yourself.
If you are new to blogging, you'll find this kind of openness difficult, challenging. Most people grow up adept at masking their true opinions. For fear of what the listener may say or do, we moderate and water down the way we really feel and what we say.
That will never do on a blog where truth is called for at all times.
Now, you may think you are a straightforward, honest person but blogging will show you soon enough that you, like all social beings, are considerably more adept at masking how we feel, our true views, rather than telling them.

In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", for instance, there is an incident that makes this point lucidly, succinctly. Atticus Finch is walking with his children past Miss DuBois' home. She is a notorious termagant and scold. Does he say that to her? Certainly not. He lifts his hat cordially, saying "Good afternoon, MissDuBois. You look pretty as a picture." Scout, his young daughter, says just loud enough "You notice he don't say a picture of what." Miss DuBois just catches a few words and wants to know what the impish Scout has said... but Atticus Finch is a wise man, a gentleman and knows the value of good relations, over the strict, unyielding truth. He lifts his hat again and moves his children along. Most of us would do the same.

But bloggers cannot. Bloggers must opt for candor, honesty at all times.
The more honest YOU are, the more reactions you will get. Take Professor Peretz, for example. Given that he is an experienced blogger, I take him at his word, when he writes his latest anti-Muslim diatribe.

Others, who feel differently, will abhor and detest what he has written... and propose such sanctions as having a speaking engagement at Harvard cancelled. But this is wrong.
Voltaire, that very clever fellow, said it best:

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."
Unfortunately, sanctimonious members of the Academy (usually the least intelligent on campus) have forgotten their true calling: facilitating free speech, not suffocating and penalizing it. Blogs, then, do the work academicians should do (the reason they are given tenure to do), but are now too often emasculated, self-protecting and lazy to do.

Thus, when you write, the objective is always to achieve Harvard's ultra clear motto: "Veritas", the pure and always unsimple truth.
Write regularly,consistently.

One of the major problems with most blogs is that they are not regularly produced. Remember, whatever else a blog may be it is also and always the story of your life. It is a window into your thoughts and occupations. Blogs must therefore be regularly undertaken. Don't start it.... unless you mean to do it.

Write regularly and consistently, being always aware that the first day you do not feel like writing your blog is the very day you must be sure to write it... or risk the ending of your blog altogether.
The more honest you are, the more and stronger reader reaction you should expect.
When Professor Peretz posted his incendiary opinions about Moslims (a subject on which he writes often), I suspect he knew that tea cups in Cambridge and beyond would be rattled. What's more, being a true provocateur,he probably relishes the instant, insistent responses of those he has provoked. He might not like being followed through Harvard Yard by hecklers... but he cannot truly have been awfully surprised by such a response. Relish, rather than alarm, was most probably his reaction.

You, too, need to reach this level of reaction and response as you achieve greater candor and honesty in your bog. Because as my grandfather used to say, some damned idiot is sure to protest; the stronger the opinions rendered, the stronger the response from those disagreeing. (He would have been a great blogger, grandfather Walt would have been.)

Prepare for the reaction... expect it... ignore it.
Blogging is one of the jewels of the Internet... treat it with care and consideration.
Millions and millions of folks have come and gone on this planet without leaving even a foot print in the dust. To our chagrin and detriment, we do not know them in any way at all. But blogging has changed all that, not merely for the potent and celebrated... but even unto the lowest among us. At last they have a place for their opinions...not matter how alarming, uninformed, and (to the rest of us) silly they may be. And this is a very good thing... for our job is to cherish the bloggers, protecting and defending them, even at their most reprehensible and loathsome. And that includes you, too, Professor Peretz, as you sit in comfort and security here in Cambridge, spewing venom. I defend to the death your right to say it... and blog it worldwide. Defending you, I have done the right thing, while taking joy from the fact that every hostile word you blog drives down the certified circulation figures of your moribund rag, The New Republic. In the end the marketplace, not censorship, will determine your fate. So blog on....

About The Author Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Attend Dr. Lant's live webcast TODAY and receive 50,000 free guaranteed visitors to the website of your choice! http://www.SuccessRoute.biz/?rd=ph6LwV79 Republished with author's permission by Vaurn James http://SuccessRoute.biz

Choosing Web Hosting That Works For You

Choosing Web Hosting That Works For You




How would you expect to solve an issue with your website? How would you do this if you did not understand web hosting enough to navigate the changes you need. In the 21st century, many people are making their own websites. There are now many hosting companies available for those who do not understand technical jargon. Read the following article and you will learn how to choose the web hosting service that can make keeping up your site much easier.



Check the hosting site to find out what kind of sites they can offer. A lot of free services will only provide you the tools necessary to build your own pages or let you use their templates, but not add overly dynamic personal scripts. If you cannot find the kind of dynamic scripts you want to use, look for a paying plan instead.



When you choose a web hosting company, select one that resides in the specific country of the audience you are targeting. For instance, if your site primarily targets people who live in the UK, the data center of your web host should be located there, as well.



Choose a hosting service that allows you to instantly and easily view your web statistics. You will want to know things such as how many people are visiting your website and what pages they are viewing. You can even find out how long they stayed on your site, and what search words they used to find you. These can be important in the long run, so use a server who has these tools.



To get started with your very first website, consider a free web hosting company. After all, your initial site is the one that will teach you lessons - not make you a ton of profits. You may end up with a lot of downtime, and you'll have ads that aren't yours, but you'll get an intro to running your own site.



Make the most of your profitability of your website by closely looking into the many web hosting services that want your business. You can be asked to pay as little as $1 per month to hundreds or thousands for your own dedicated server, but the least expensive ones can often prove the most reliable. While you will often see bandwidth increase if you pay for a higher priced host, the lower priced options might not mean any increase in downtime, which should influence your final decision.



You should never pay in advance for hosting services. Many companies will offer you a discount to sign up for a longer term. What if the hosting company goes bust? Worse yet, what if you do not like something about the hosting company and wish to switch? It is better to pay as you go with web hosting.



As you have read in this article, every web hosting site differs greatly from one another. Follow these tips to learn which features are essential for your site. Comparison shopping makes it easier to locate the provider that can best meet your needs, and at a price that is within your budget. Awesome!



Vaurn James is the Owner of http://SuccessRoute.biz. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.

Choosing A Web Host Is Simple With These Tips

Choosing A Web Host Is Simple With These Tips

Do you want to set up a site which allows you to send emails to customers automatically? Well, you can, if you choose the right web hosting service. Keep reading to find out what sets web hosts apart and which features you need to run your site efficiently.

Instead of finding a great web hosting company, start your own web hosting company to service your own needs. This can provide many benefits including secondary income and free web hosting if your business takes off. This is a great way to think like an entrepreneur, and make some money instead of paying for web hosting.

Always have a backup plan for web hosting providers. In the event that you experience significant and ongoing problems with your hosting service, you will want to have an alternate already researched. If you are without service for more than a day, start immediately putting your backup plan into action. This will save you the potential for even longer delays if your provider has serious problems.

A good web hosting service should bill you professionally. You should be able to log in with a username and password to have access to your account balance and make secured payments. If you have to send PayPal payments every months without getting account statements, you are not dealing with a serious web hosting service.

Think long and hard before deciding that you want to launch your own web hosting service. This can seem tempting, until you realize that you will likely spend inordinate amounts of time dealing with this service, rather than focusing on the business that you already have. Use the expertise of those who have been doing it for years, and pay them what they are worth.

Read the terms of service when dealing with a web host who offers "unlimited" services. Many times web hosts will offer unlimited bandwidth or sometimes hard disk space. Read the terms carefully, as they may reserve the right to ask you to upgrade your plan, if you are a higher profile customer, that has increased usage.

When you are choosing a web hosting company, it is important that you rely on more than just one or two pieces of advice on a recommendation. Many recommendations are from people who haven't even experienced the web hosting company that they are recommending. Choose wisely, do your research, and know many things about the company that you choose.

If you're going to use a free web host, make sure that you know all of the restrictions about site content, as different hosts have different rules about what you can post, especially in the areas of music or video, as streaming those can take up bandwidth. If you know the rules, you won't be in for any surprises.

As you've seen, web hosting companies offer different things that can fit your needs and maximize your service. Use the tips above to find the right hosting company and get ready to take your online business to the next level.

Vaurn James is the Owner of http://SuccessRoute.biz

. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.

Advice On How To Be More Successful At Blogging

Getting into the world of blogging can seem overwhelming because there are so many choices available. There is no, one sure fire way to do it that will guarantee success. The information in this article can help you design and launch a blog that accomplishes your goals and reaches your intended audience.

Make sure that you are accepting and submitting valuable comments. You want to have as many ways as possible for a back link to happen. When you do comment, add your URL so that you will have a link created to your blog. This will make it easy for others to find you.

Avoid writing blogs about subjects you have no interest in or know nothing about. It will reflect in your writing and you could possibly come across as uninformed in you are unsure of what you are writing about. This can turn readers off and they will avoid revisiting your site.

Create an email update list for your blog. On your site, offer a place for people to sign up for these updates and send them out every time you post a new blog. Those who are truly interested in following your blog will like the idea of being notified when new content is posted.

Keep your blogs as clear and concise as possible. Comprehensive coverage is no doubt important, but writing a 2000-word blog post is a good way to make sure that it is never read to the end. Readers don't care about lengthy descriptions, they want you to get to the point quickly so they can learn what they came to find out. They want you to get to the point.

Keep your individual post focused on one point. Blog with the full knowledge that you will be making many subsequent posts and if you tell everything in the beginning you may not have anything left to say later! Think of your blogs as being the spokes in a wheel. By themselves they are important but as a wheel they are incredibly important.

Make sure to post content regularly to keep your readers coming in. Successful blogs usually post new material every day. Don't let this requirement overwhelm you. If you want, you can write several weeks' worth of material before opening your blog to the public so that you'll have material to post if you get stuck. This helps to make posts for days that you have writer's block.

Whenever possible, utilize header tags in order to separate particular sections of your blog posts. All the different tags that you should use are H1, H2, and H3 tags. In addition, you should ensure that you are using excellent search engine keywords whenever you can in all these different headers.

It is true that beginning to blog can be overwhelming at first. There are just so many decisions and options. There are many ways to create a successful blog. The information and tips from the above article were designed to help you create a blog that achieves your goals and gets your message to the masses.

Vaurn James is the Owner of http://SuccessRoute.biz. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.

Advice For Your New Tech Blogging Business Is Here

Advice For Your New Tech Blogging Business Is Here

Are you looking to create an online presence where people follow you on a daily basis? The content you'll find here will be perfect for you if you're looking to better your blog. This guide will cover great advice that you can use in creating a blog and you will get the popularity level that you desire.

Ensure that you are posting very often in the blogs that you operate. At the minimum, you should aim to post one time on each blog every single day during the weekdays. Of course, posting more is always welcome. This shows your visitors that you are a very active blogger, which will make them more prone to keep visiting your blogs.

A key to a successful blog is to blog often. Many bloggers will start by posting once a week, or once a day, and then fail to continue the frequent updates. Even if readers love your blog, they'll lose interest if they have to wait a long time for updates. A good rule of thumb is to create new blogs weekly and send out email updates.

Since blogging is on a personal level you should avoid writing formally. You should still write in a professional manner and use proper grammar. Your readers will be able to relate to you more when you are writing to them in a casual way and will continue reading your blogs.

Utilizing social media websites is a great way to generate interest and increase traffic to your blog. You can use Twitter and Facebook to inform readers of new blog articles which they can then share with their friends. These websites also serve as a way to interact with your readers, and find out what they are interested in. Tailor your blog updates to their interests.

If you are going to blog, you need to make sure you choose a niche or market that you are passionate about. There are plenty of blogs out there, and there are just as many topics to choose from. Stay specific, and choose a blogging subject that you can create a successful blog with.

Commenting on other blogs is one of the best ways to generate traffic to your blog. If you read an interesting article, write a compelling comment that offers a unique perspective. Include a link to your blog. The people who read your comment will likely want to read more of what you have to say, and will visit your blog.

Your blog goes much further than just your posts. It may look like just a collection of various articles, but it's so much more. To be a successful blogger, your blog needs a presence. This is created by your posts and comments, both on your blog and other online sites.

With all that you now understand about blogging and how it can help you, you should now have a strategy in mind for how you want to go about blogging in the future. Just take into consideration that it takes time to truly establish a blog with the level of success you hope to achieve.

Vaurn James is the Owner of http://SuccessRoute.biz. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.  

Become A Video Marketing Success With These Tips

Become A Video Marketing Success With These Tips

All you have to do is use video marketing. If you answered no, you're preventing your business from gaining attention from potential customers. Less people read newspapers or use the radio. People go online to find brands to buy. Read the below article for some great tips on utilizing video marketing so that you can expand your customer base.

If you make more videos, the better it is for you. You need to produce new videos constantly so that you give your customers the content they expect. This can draw in additional viewers as you'll be exploring a diverse number of topics, too.

Be confident during your video. Your customers are going to see you as an ambassador for the product which means you should exhibit full confidence in its capabilities and value. Practice your presentation a few times to make sure you are building the right experience and interest for your potential customers.

When writing a description of your video include your web address at the beginning of the description using proper HTML. This will allow viewer to click the link and be immediately directed to your website. You should also include a description using your primary and alternate keywords for better page ranks.

Begin your video by telling your viewers what you are going to teach them or share with them. After that, follow through on your promise and deliver the content. If you state clearly what you are going to do, and then do it, viewers are more likely to watch your videos again.

When using video marketing to increase your website traffic, you have to remember who you are talking to. Your audience is crucial. You need to target your videos to a specific audience, and you will notice that they will become more engaged, interested, and more likely to make your video marketing a success.

To supercharge your video marketing efforts consider running a video marketing campaign. With a video marketing campaign, you will offer daily videos that will be shared on your website as well as on video sites such as YouTube. Do not forget to share your videos with your customers using email and social media.

Remember that effective videos are a balanced audio and visual experience. Have a good, solid script to use for what is said. However, make sure that you also employ appropriate imagery within the visual frame as well. The two should work together to reach the viewer's right and left sides of their brain.

Never skip your call to action. Your video should have the purpose of netting a sale or click-through. Always ask the viewer to do something at or near the end of the video. It can be anything from actually buying your product or service to just making a comment about the video itself. Always elicit a response.

Your videos should be chock full of information and straight to the point. The attention span of the typical web viewer is rather short. Work on making videos of less than five minutes in order to hold people's attention. You might have great content, but it won't help you if you lost viewers before the video is over.

Brief videos are more favorable than those that are longer. Attempt to limit your video to shorter than 3 minutes to make sure you can give adequate information without boring the viewer. Five minutes is the maximum. A great motto to follow is to keep things short and sweet.

Video marketing is the way of the future. You cannot depend on older advertising ideas to make profits. Instead, you must follow your audience to where they go, which is online. Use these tips and you will soon be able to reach out to a wider audience thanks to your video marketing campaign.

Vaurn James is the Owner of http://SuccessRoute.biz. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.