Create Website Publicity Buzz

Create Website Publicity Buzz
Having a website is an important element of your public
relations mix but it needs to be working for you. What else
can you do to get people to click on your site? Well you
could incorporate some PR activities around your site.
Public relations is essentially communication, letting
people know what your do, why you do it and how you make a
difference.

One aspect of PR is publicity. Creating word of mouth
interest in your business by getting free editorial
coverage of your business in the media.

Publicity stories in the media are very effective but you
won't get one for your website unless you have a new idea,
controversial story, sensational aspect to your website,
something unusual or completely different. Get the idea?
Some story ideas: are you the first to use this technology?
Have you made a huge sale through your website? Does your
website help or benefit people in any way? Are you running
a unique online competition or survey? Have you a
heart-warming personal story to tell? My point is that you
need to have a point.

Let me give you an example of publicity that was designed
specifically to attract people to a particular website.

There's an online travel company Zuji.com.au and what they
did was implement a publicity campaign to drive traffic to
their website. It was a simple idea really. They put
together on online competition asking people to write in
their travel secrets of their favourite destinations
throughout the world and they could win a valuable travel
prize. They told the media about it and although a simple
idea it captured the attention of the travel media.

Consequently the media promoted the competition quite
heavily resulting in heaps of visitors to the Zuji website.
And of course it involved real people telling their own
stories so the human interest element worked. It worked
brilliantly for the company. Firstly they were successful
in getting lots of free publicity from the competition and
they also collected the email addresses of all of the
people that visited their website. Plus they captured some
really interesting stories and content to put on their
site. So an online competition works well but you do need
tell the media about it. Once you've developed a good
newsworthy story you'll need to contact the relevant
journalists who will help you reach your target market.
Don't contact everyone, just the media that are appropriate
to you and your product.

Contact them by sending a media release (it of course
includes your website address) or just telephone them.
Research your target media by checking out the newspapers,
magazines and wherever else your competitors are being
featured. You can buy media directories.

Don't forget to let journalists know there is a media room
on your website where they can obtain further information.

Another way to publicise your website is to put your domain
address everywhere. Anytime you do send out a media release
or newsletter or write a letter to a potential client or
sponsor an event, not only is it really important to put
your name on everything but put your website address there
as well. So for instance you might have some fantastic
caps or t-shirts designed for your business that you want
people to wear that look great and effective and but why
not on the back of that cap put your domain name. Every
where that you communicate, put your web address. Include
on your voice mail, stickers, business cards, your car,
caps, t-shirts on everything!

----------------------------------------------------
Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications
Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace - your
inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business
educator and speaker on personal branding through image and
media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and
professional PR at
http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm
and learn more about how you can achieve recognition,
enhance your image and shine.

Does Network Marketing Actually Work?

Does Network Marketing Actually Work?
Does Network Marketing Work? This question is obviously an
important question to answer before deciding whether or not
to get involved with a network marketing business. The
answer of course is not as easy as just yes or no. If we
rephrased the question as "CAN network marketing work?" I
could easily answer "Absolutely!" and this article would be
finished. In order to answer the original question, we
will look at how and why network marketing does work and
why it does not work for many.

Old Way of Network Marketing
Part of the reason that network marketing has such a bad
reputation is because of the way it used to be done.
Before the internet completely changed the entire process,
people would go to big meetings and sit for 2 hours while
being sold on what a great product and business this was.
Then some of them would join the business and attempt to
recruit others by nagging their friends and family until
they finally agreed to attend one of the meetings. Then
the network marketer would bring his potential recruits to
the meeting and sit for 2 more hours watching the same
presentation. Often after the presentation, the friends
and family members weren't as excited as they were supposed
to be and they ended up not joining right away. They tried
to say no politely by saying "I'll have to give it some
thought". Then the member who originally joined would have
to constantly follow-up with all their prospects by phone
or in person and see if they were interested "yet". The
work was hard and uncomfortable and the payoff generally
wasn't good enough or fast enough to keep people working or
motivated long enough to succeed.

Network Marketing Now
The internet has made it possible to pretty much maintain
the same payment structure as the older network marketing
programs, but has changed the entire way recruiting is
handled. Now, many network marketing companies offer
websites that you send your prospective traffic to and
after taking a tour of the website, the company uses
automated emails to follow up on your behalf.

Getting people that are actually interested in your
business is now easier than ever. There are now hundreds
of ways to advertise your business without bugging your
friends or family and without even ever calling or
personally visiting anyone. For example - there are
websites that offer to advertise your network marketing
program for you and you pay them about $3 for getting a
visitor to come to your website and take your tour. Can
you imagine if 20 years ago network marketers could have
paid $3 to get people to come and listen to the
presentations? Do you think they could have had better
success? While the old systems relied heavily on your
ability to get your friends and family to participate in
the business, now many don't even tell their friends and
family about the business until they notice their nice new
cars and finally ask how they can afford it.

Why Network Marketing?
One of the main reasons I believe network marketing is such
a great option for starting a business is because it has
just as much profit potential as many other traditional
businesses, but requires only a minimal financial
investment and only requires as much time as you want to
give it. Can you think of any other business that you
could start, that would have the financial and time
benefits that network marketing offers?

Another reason I believe that network marketing is a great
business option is because when it's managed correctly you
can leverage your time with the time of others. What other
business can you start for such a minimal investment and
have the ability to franchise your business to others get a
profit from all the work they and anybody they recruit do?
If you get enough people working in your downline, there
becomes a time when you only have to do basic maintenance.

Then Why Do So Many People Fail?
Unfortunately many people do fail with their new network
marketing business and when they fail, they generally do it
pretty quickly. It is often said that about 95% of people
who start a network marketing business fail. I believe the
main reason people fail is because they had to high
expectations and didn't understand what they were getting
into. Unfortunately to many network marketing companies
advertise as get rich quick companies which just is not the
case. Network marketing is a REAL business and just like
any other business, it takes time and commitment to
succeed. I can generally tell very quickly during phone or
email conversations if I'm dealing with someone that is
likely to fail (AKA quit). When I get asked "I've been a
member for 7 days...how long until I start getting checks
in the mail?" I automatically know that this person has the
wrong idea and isn't likely to make it. I of course try to
explain that making money depends on their advertising
effort and I try to teach them different ways to advertise.
This is often met by dead silence for a while and then
they may say something like "about how long do you think it
will take until I start making money?" I am always still
committed and willing to help, but after that I know their
chances aren't very good.

When I get asked: "what would you recommend I start doing
to better understand the business so I can advertise and
promote it to others?" I know that this person understands
that this is a real business. This is the attitude of
someone much more likely to succeed.

Many people believe that on average 95% of the people who
start a network marketing business fail. But that is only
if you accept that the word fail and quit can be used
interchangeably. I don't accept that. Many more people
actually quit network marketing after only giving it a half
effort than those who actually fail. I would be willing to
bet that if we separated the quitters from the people that
actually gave it a real effort and failed, the failure
number would be much much lower.

So after all that, I guess I should just answer the
question. Hopefully after reading the above the answer
will make more sense.

Does network marketing work? - It certainly can and it does
work very well for many.

----------------------------------------------------
Casey Dunham is a successful online business owner and
marketer. Casey prides himself on helping others find the
perfect way to achieve the financial and time freedom that
owning an online business offers.
Would you like to use the power of the internet to earn a
full time or part time residual income from home? visit
http://www.GreatOnlineBusinesses.com

Recruiters Not Calling You? Five Reasons Why - And How To Fix It

Recruiters Not Calling You? Five Reasons Why - And How To Fix It
You've been hoping for a new job, but your phone is silent.
No recruiters calling, no job offers; it's so quiet you
can almost hear the crickets outside. Maybe it's time to
reassess.

Does this sound like your job search efforts?

* You've sent out hundreds of resumes to countless job
postings but received little or no response.

* You've left dozens of voicemails to recruiters explaining
why you are a perfect fit-and they never return your call.

* You've tweaked your resume so many times you no longer
recognize it.

If this describes your situation, you are not alone. Many
talented, qualified job seekers get ignored by recruiters
and hiring managers simply because their resume has one or
more of the following problems.

1. Your resume highlights your lack of industry experience

Most recruiters are looking for a point-by-point candidate
match when screening resumes. Industry background usually
ranks high on the list of qualifying issues. If you don't
have experience in that industry, your resume is going
straight to the circular file-unless you can give them a
compelling reason to keep your resume in the stack.

If you lack specific industry experience, but you know you
have the basic skills for the job, try highlighting your
transferable skills instead. Job seekers who lack industry
experience can make it past the resume screener by proving
their ability with skills they have that transfer from
industry to industry. Examples of transferable skills
include expertise gained in sales, customer service,
finance, accounting, negotiation, cross-functional
communications, and/or team building. Look at the skills
they need, then figure out how your background is a match.

2. Your resume shouts "Overqualified!"

Nothing scares off a recruiter faster than a candidate who
is obviously overqualified for the job. The two main
concerns are (1) that the candidate would soon get bored
and leave at his earliest convenience, and (2) that the
candidate would be too expensive to hire. Even worse is
the assumption that the over qualified candidate is on a
downward career slope-a has-been with all his best years
behind him.

There are, however, many valid reasons job seekers wish to
downsize to jobs with fewer responsibilities. Whatever
your reasons, tailor your resume to fit your current career
objective. This means you'll want to play down your prior
responsibilities, list only relevant education (don't list
a Ph.D. if you are applying for a mid-level management
position!), and emphasize tactical experience over
strategic planning when appropriate.

3. Your resume is crammed with information, but not the
right kind

Pity the poor recruiter who must get through 200 applicant
resumes before lunchtime. If your resume is in the pile,
it will get a quick scan and pass over if she can't find
what she is looking for in less than 30 seconds. If you
have a resume that is disorganized or full of dense blocks
of text, how will the recruiter learn anything about you?

You'll catch the recruiter's attention if you have a clear,
easy-to-read resume that highlights your skills and
accomplishments, even at a glance. The first rule of
resume effectiveness is relevancy, so edit out the past
data and redundant facts that aren't relevant to your
current career path. Fill your resume only with the skills
needed for that particular job, and you'll go a long way
toward getting a recruiter's attention.

4. Your resume has too little information

While the "strong, silent type" may be attractive in men,
it just plain flops in a resume. A resume that looks more
like an outline just doesn't give the reader enough to work
with. Recruiters don't want to guess what you did at your
last job. You need to include enough information to give
prospective employers a vision of the possibilities if they
choose to hire you.

If you struggle with what to include in your resume, use
job descriptions to help you understand what recruiters
will want to find in your resume. Then review your
previous jobs to determine what skills you have that will
be a good match.

5. Your resume doesn't include accomplishments If you
haven't thought lately about how your employer has
benefited from having you as an employee, it's a sure bet
that your resume is lacking in accomplishments. Remember,
as a job seeker you are selling your talents, and you are
competing with many others who have the same qualifications
as you do. Accomplishments give recruiters a reason to
choose you over others for the interview short list.

Give screeners ample reason to select you for interview.
Highlight how you have saved time, increased efficiency,
cut cost and increased client satisfaction. After all, if
you don't tell them, nobody else will!

If you use this five-point checklist to restructure your
resume, you'll soon hear back from recruiters who
appreciate qualified, articulate and confident candidates.
The time you spend enhancing your resume could shave off
months of fruitless labor and frustrating effort in your
job search.

----------------------------------------------------
Deborah Walker, Resume Coach, is a former recruiter who
knows all of the resume "red flags" that keep candidates
from effectively attracting recruiters. Deborah's insider
perspective helps her clients craft resumes that attract
recruiter attention and earn them interviews. To learn
more resume insider secrets visit Deb at:
http://www.AlphaAdvantage.com

Get Off the Sales Rollercoaster Forever!

Get Off the Sales Rollercoaster Forever!
I had never sold a thing in my entire adult life. Yet I
found myself with a list of accounts and a whole lot of
unused inventory.

I just inherited another salesman's territory where he had
spent his last 30 years selling radio commercials. He
introduced me to each of his customers and walked into the
sunset of retirement, perhaps a bit relieved.

I was not relieved. I was scared to death.

So I went to the bookstore and bought every book I could
find on the subject of sales. I read like a madman, and to
my surprise I discovered something amazing about sales.
Sales is not magic.

Most people view sales unlike any other profession. There
is a mystery about it and an aura that surrounds it. We
refer to great sales people as wizards and rainmakers,
modern-day magicians. Sales, however, is not magic.

IF IT'S NOT MAGIC, THEN WHAT IS IT?

Effective selling is about finding the specific steps of
action that apply to the customer you are trying to reach
and doing those actions over and over and over again.

That is what I discovered about sales, that if I could
clearly identify the businesses that were most likely to
use my group of radio stations and reached out to them in a
consistent, systematic way, I would succeed in sales.

And I did, being the fastest in my company to achieve
$250,000 and $1 million in radio revenue.

This is NOT what most small businesses owners experience
with sales. The experience of most small business owners is
much like a ride at an amusement park, just not as fun.
Sales go up and sales go down, with no explicable reason
for either.

As their sales rollercoaster twists and turns through their
fiscal year, they are left exhausted and despairing never
free from those gut wrenching meetings with your sales
staff when, after getting bad news from the accountant, you
scream, "What can we do to increase sales around here!!!"

THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO GETTING OFF THE SALES ROLLERCOASTER

It's time to get off the sales roller coaster forever. It's
time to destroy the myth that sales is magic and replace it
with a step-by-step system that even the least sales savvy
person can follow. Here's how:

1. Understand each of the five phases of the sales cycle
outlined below.

2. Identify the specific steps of action, or best
practices, for each of the five phases of the sales cycle
that work for your business.

3. Implement your best sales practices consistently and
review them rigorously.

FIVE PHASES OF EVERY BUSINESS' SALES CYCLE

PHASE ONE: Contacting

Make a powerful, personal connection with your target
customer, the person or business that is the BEST fit for
your products and services. Know who they are. Go where
they are. Deliver value first. Build rapport. Gain their
trust. Great sales are based on great relationships. Start
here first. Start here well.

PHASE TWO: Engaging

Conduct a two-way conversation with your target customer.
Don't dump on them! Sales people tend to talk way too
much. This is not a time for talking; it is a time for
listening. Ask relevant questions, dig deeper, and learn.
Then tell your story.

PHASE THREE: Demonstrating

In a vivid, personal, emotionally compelling way, show how
your small business delivers on its promise without fail.
It may be through testimonials, also known as business
impact stories, or through a dramatic presentation. Just
make it powerful and make it compelling.

PHASE FOUR: Deciding

Everyone needs a little help making that final step of
commitment (How else would any of us get married?). Without
being manipulative, encourage your target customer to make
a decision that is in their best interest. A few simple,
honest techniques work wonders here.

PHASE FIVE: Following-through

Do what you said you were going to do every time. Surprise
your new customer with extra value they didn't known about
(That's called under-promising and over-delivering). Wow
them with your service and enjoy a customer for life.

THREE BIG BENEFITS TO GETTING OFF THE SALES ROLLERCOASTER

When you follow the five phases outlined above and
implement customized best practices, you will experience
three incredible benefits.

First, your revenue flow will become reliable. A hit or
miss approach to sales delivers hit or miss results. A
systematic approach to sales, while still work, brings in
revenue in rhythmic fashion like a farmer sowing, watering,
and harvesting.

A second benefit is extricating your business from
dependence on a sales superstar. Most sales departments
have a person who makes most of the sales while others
linger in the shadows. Often than person is hard to work
with, and a business owner feels held hostage by him. You
don't like the tone he brings to your company, but you
can't afford to live without the money he brings in.

The impact of fully implementing a step-by-step sales
system is that revenue is not dependent on a dynamic
personality (that is, a magician). Anyone can do it. Even
superstars slip into a slump and have no idea why.
Reviewing the system can trigger things in their mind that
they may have forgotten to do consistently. In the end,
even the superstar will be grateful to you for it!

Finally, following a step-by-step sales system allows you
to forecast revenue 30, 60, and even 90 days out. Apart
from the obvious emotional impact of this benefit, there is
an important strategic one as well.

Without a system that you track rigorously, you find out
about soft spots in the marketplace only at the end of the
month when money is tight. By that time you can't do
anything about it, except conduct a fire sale and undermine
your value.

Sales forecasting based on a customized sales cycle,
however, allows you to look into the future, predict, at
least in part, what is happening in the marketplace, and
respond appropriately BEFORE it's too late to do anything
meaningful about it.

Three steps, five phases, and three benefits. Now get off
that rollercoaster forever!

----------------------------------------------------
Build a better business AND a better life! Discover how
with The Business Fitness™ System. Designed by Bill Zipp,
President of Leadership Link, Inc., The Business Fitness™
System is a proven program that provides a step-by-step
plan for building a strong, self-sustaining small business.
For a FREE Special Report, The 3 Biggest Killers of Small
Businesses Today (And What YOU Can Do About Them!) visit
http://www.LeadershipLink.net .