High tech has a different meaning nowadays. You use almost any kind of technology in your business from ATMs by the banks to online credit card acceptance.
High touch means there must be a person available wherever you use technology. You can either be that person yourself or have a virtual assistant do it for you.
Here's an example. Recently, I called a company to get more information AND I had money to spend. Their phone was answered by technology (machines) and no matter what I did it wasn't possible to speak with a real person. They didn't even call me back. They did two things wrong!
The owners of this company probably thought they were saving money and making life easier for some employees. They did neither. They won't have at least one new client and word will get around that you can't speak to someone there.
Here are 5 things to remember AND do!
1. Make it easy to do business with you. If you are using technology to answer your phones, good for you. Just have either a way for people to talk to someone in person or leave a message .
2. Say what your policy is for how you answer messages. It may be within 1 hour or in 2 or 3 hours. Then have someone do it. Say exactly what you mean and mean what you say.
3. Have the person who speaks "love" their work. Have you ever been somewhere and the person at the checkout is surly? You say to yourself, "This person is doing the wrong job." Be sure you have the "right" person on the phone.
4. Whatever you use, be it computers, voice mail or sales or music when the listener is on hold, you must have a cheerful person doing the work. It shows. We can all see it.
5. Have a phone number people can call if you do things automatically like paying online. Not everyone likes this, so have an option for them.
Remember that the more we use technology to save us time or money, the more our clients will expect a friendly, real person along the way. I know from experience having been around technology for 30 years!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
How to gain targeted traffic easily
People often see marketing online as completely different to what you find in the real world, however this is most definitely not the case. Imagine, for example, you run a store selling say sports equipment. Do you think the best place to put a billboard or poster for your business would be at a library? Or an internet cafe? No. Why? Because while the people in the libraries will see these posters, they aren't the people that want your products! It's a simple theory which seems quite obvious, but when it comes to internet business, FAR to many people think "all I need is lots of hits! Truth is - lots of hits does not equal lots of sales.
I always say - Lots of of traffic = lots of hits. Lots of targeted traffic = lots of sales! What does this mean? It means the people who come to your site looking to buy are going to buy. people who come to your site by accident from a sneaky blind link or other "marketing strategy" are going to close the site straight away. So all this talking and no real tips I know so that leads me to HOW.
The first way is to buy traffic. From the big boys - google yahoo etc. You need adwords - so that when people search fr something your ad will come up as one of those classified looking sponsored links on the side of a google results page. This way only people looking for something in particular will click the link and end up following it straight to your page.
Forums are a less discussed method of gaining targeted traffic, mainly becuase it may take a little more effort involved to actually sound believable to the forum members. If you go to google and search anything followed by forums you'll see that basically every topic has a forum. Every forum has members discussing the topic. If your site's link features on a forum that shares your pages topic your bound to get targeted hits! The only problem is alot of forums will see you as an advertiser straight away so it's best to fit in first and then post the links.
Borrowing from someone elses traffic is probably the quickest way to gain targeted hits. Imagine if a site with millions of hits told their visitors to take a look at your page... you'd end up with a whole lot of targetd traffic. Which is exactly what you want!
So you say, this is all a bit overwhelming. Well I agree! There's no way a complete beginner can read this and go do it all straight away.
That's where the traffic programs come in - there is an easier way. There are traffic enhancing programs that explain these methods and even in some cases do them mostly for you, trouble is there are literally hundreds and only some of them are worth buying. I suggest if you do wish to use something like that you visit a site who knows a bit more about them.
I always say - Lots of of traffic = lots of hits. Lots of targeted traffic = lots of sales! What does this mean? It means the people who come to your site looking to buy are going to buy. people who come to your site by accident from a sneaky blind link or other "marketing strategy" are going to close the site straight away. So all this talking and no real tips I know so that leads me to HOW.
The first way is to buy traffic. From the big boys - google yahoo etc. You need adwords - so that when people search fr something your ad will come up as one of those classified looking sponsored links on the side of a google results page. This way only people looking for something in particular will click the link and end up following it straight to your page.
Forums are a less discussed method of gaining targeted traffic, mainly becuase it may take a little more effort involved to actually sound believable to the forum members. If you go to google and search anything followed by forums you'll see that basically every topic has a forum. Every forum has members discussing the topic. If your site's link features on a forum that shares your pages topic your bound to get targeted hits! The only problem is alot of forums will see you as an advertiser straight away so it's best to fit in first and then post the links.
Borrowing from someone elses traffic is probably the quickest way to gain targeted hits. Imagine if a site with millions of hits told their visitors to take a look at your page... you'd end up with a whole lot of targetd traffic. Which is exactly what you want!
So you say, this is all a bit overwhelming. Well I agree! There's no way a complete beginner can read this and go do it all straight away.
That's where the traffic programs come in - there is an easier way. There are traffic enhancing programs that explain these methods and even in some cases do them mostly for you, trouble is there are literally hundreds and only some of them are worth buying. I suggest if you do wish to use something like that you visit a site who knows a bit more about them.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Keep Affiliate Marketing Simple
Affiliate marketing is an incredibly popular way of earning money online. It avoids the pains and hassles of product creation and allows Internet entrepreneurs with a streamlined means of lining their pockets. Unfortunately, too many affiliate marketers fall into a trap. They turn their backs on simplicity and make the process complicated. As a result, they experience diminished returns and frustrations instead of fast moneymaking and excitement.
Making money online isn't rocket science. There are many good ways to combine solid effort with a little know-how and some skill to generate revenues. That doesn't mean it's easy--it can take a lot of work. It does, however, mean that it's simple.
Affiliate marketing, for instance, is simple. You drive potential clients to a product's sales page. When one of those prospects makes a purchase, you receive a hefty commission. It's an incredibly simple model.
Too many affiliate marketers "gunk up" that elegant system by complicating matters. They worry about pre-selling. They worry about showcasing the product as they drive traffic. They're preoccupied with a million and one different details they believe will produce record sales and giant commission checks.
Many of them develop a vision problem. They stop seeing the forest and focus almost exclusively on a never-ending collection of individual trees. Some of them even lose trace of the trees because they're busy studying individual pieces of bark! They start worrying about things they shouldn't even think about. Remember, the attraction of affiliate marketing is that it makes things easier for the entrepreneur. When you start biting off more and more, the efficiency-robbing complications start to take center stage.
The key to affiliate marketing is simplicity. Deviation from that basic tenet is the easiest way to decrease both your efficiency and your sales.
There is such a thing as pushing too hard, you know. Prospects can grow weary of too much salesmanship. If you're pre-selling and pre-selling and even doing a little selling, that means your pouring your effort into jobs the affiliate program should be handling. It also means you aren't spending your resources where they can provide maximum payout.
If you know how to choose a good product and how to drive traffic to an affiliated sales page, your home free. That's what it's all about. Finding the right product and driving traffic are what really matter. A good product is going to have a good sales page. If you can deliver targeted traffic, people will buy and you will get those fat checks.
Making money online isn't rocket science. There are many good ways to combine solid effort with a little know-how and some skill to generate revenues. That doesn't mean it's easy--it can take a lot of work. It does, however, mean that it's simple.
Affiliate marketing, for instance, is simple. You drive potential clients to a product's sales page. When one of those prospects makes a purchase, you receive a hefty commission. It's an incredibly simple model.
Too many affiliate marketers "gunk up" that elegant system by complicating matters. They worry about pre-selling. They worry about showcasing the product as they drive traffic. They're preoccupied with a million and one different details they believe will produce record sales and giant commission checks.
Many of them develop a vision problem. They stop seeing the forest and focus almost exclusively on a never-ending collection of individual trees. Some of them even lose trace of the trees because they're busy studying individual pieces of bark! They start worrying about things they shouldn't even think about. Remember, the attraction of affiliate marketing is that it makes things easier for the entrepreneur. When you start biting off more and more, the efficiency-robbing complications start to take center stage.
The key to affiliate marketing is simplicity. Deviation from that basic tenet is the easiest way to decrease both your efficiency and your sales.
There is such a thing as pushing too hard, you know. Prospects can grow weary of too much salesmanship. If you're pre-selling and pre-selling and even doing a little selling, that means your pouring your effort into jobs the affiliate program should be handling. It also means you aren't spending your resources where they can provide maximum payout.
If you know how to choose a good product and how to drive traffic to an affiliated sales page, your home free. That's what it's all about. Finding the right product and driving traffic are what really matter. A good product is going to have a good sales page. If you can deliver targeted traffic, people will buy and you will get those fat checks.
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