Jack of All Trades, Master of All Trades

In today's world, your clients expect you to know everything. If you work hard, you don't have to disappoint them. Know what you are best at. Work hard to cover other areas. Consider subcontracting for areas you don't have time to master. Google can give you the advice of the best experts in the world.

Should you have a Referral Program?

Directv $100 Referral Program may be the most famous "Finder's Fee" program. I guess it works or they wouldn't promote it so much.

A good rule is, if you are a small business, consider doing what the big companies are doing. If your expected profit from a new sale can support a reasonable referral fee, consider offering it. Commonsense rules can protect you and may lead to a significant increase in sales.

If you are interested in Esearchfor.com's Referral Program, please contact me (I wouldn't bother to mention it if the return wasn't much greater than Directv's).

Your Business, Your Problems, Are they valuable?

If you have been in business long, you have overcome problems.

Have you ever wanted advice from someone who has faced the same business problems as you? Maybe your clients could benefit from your experience.

We design and host web sites, get people high on search engines, and provide general computer services. But perhaps our most valuable services is sharing what we have done right and wrong over decades of being a Memphis business.

What irritates you

Have you ever had a computer problem – and your call to technical support was answered by a machine – or – a person who may or may not be speaking English? - think about what makes you mad - if it makes your prospects mad, offer a solution.

Our clients have my cell number.

Do People trust you?

Is trust an issue? People won't buy from you if they don't trust you. Have you thought about how to gain their trust in an honest, ethical way? If you can convince someone that they need your services and can afford them, then lack of trust is the only thing in the way of a sale.

If you are honest, there are simple techniques to overcome this last obstacle.

Think Selfish, Then Unselfish

Think about what you want (for example, more customers) and then ask yourself if your customers and prospects want the same thing. If so, then ask yourself how you can help them get what they want (and why you are the one to help them).

Esearchfor.com, Inc. (23)

Esearchfor.com, Inc. (23)

Esearchfor.com, Inc. (23)

Esearchfor.com, Inc. (23)

Esearchfor.com, Inc. (31)

Esearchfor.com, Inc. (31)

Snap Judgments

I think Snap Judgments are valuable if we recognize we may be completely wrong. For example, I don't like Quickmark, a QR code reader app. I can't make it work and don't have time to study their Help section. Good apps need to be unbelievably intuitive. We are all drowning in a sea of information. We need to make snap judgments, but be willing change our minds.

Outbrain - Related Link Widgets

Experimenting with the blogthis tool

Outbrain - Related Link Widgets

QR Code and Outbrain

Downloaded Quickmark QR Reader to iphone - jury out on usefulness, outbrain shows promise.

Experimenting with Outbrain

Went to a meeting today, Outbrain was recommended, there is too much information in the world.

Search Experiment, Travel Agent, Memphis

If you are looking for a "Memphis Travel Agent", see godestinationwedding.com

Using LinkedIn for promotion

No one reads my blog but me, but I can copy pieces for a LinkedIn promotion.

Sales Marketing Society

I recently joined the online Linkedin SMS Group.

What a Business needs to Do

You compete with the World! You and your business must make sure that the quality of all your services and products are equal to your competitors, for some services your quality is superior to your competitors, and that you have a few services that are unique and that your competitors cannot duplicate. Then you must make sure your prospects know your story. See www.noticemybusiness.com.

Conventional Wisdom

You only get one chance to make a good first impression - Wrong - Everytime you meet a new person, you get a chance to make a good first impression ! - So, try to make a good impression, but if you fail, don't worry. You will have another chance.

Marketing and the Internet

I don't want to make the marketing professional mad, but I think marketing (especially on the internet) is just common sense.

For example, if you have ever spent hundreds or thousands of dollars for a Newspaper Insert that everyone ignored and trashed the next day or "invested" in any advertising that you weren't sure if it helped or not, there are simple (internet related) procedures to track effectiveness.

Another example is that when I first started developing websites, I realized (as anyone who thinks about it would) that it is much easier to remember a website address than a phone number. One of our clients is Kitchen Solutions (domain name: www.kitchensolutions-inc.com, phone number: 901-624-5331). I don't think I am a genius because I told this client to put his domain name on company vehicles and everything else. Obviously, if you decide you want a new kitchen six months from now, you are more likely to remember the domain name than the phone number.