Which is Better: Direct Mail, Teleseminars or Webinars?

Which is Better: Direct Mail, Teleseminars or Webinars?
With every new technology, comes groups of users who
immediately want to dispense with the old. Now that
webinars are becoming mainstream, I've had a few clients
ask which is better to use in their business: old-fashioned
direct mail, teleseminars or webinars?

Before I answer the question, let's first discuss the
definition of each:

Direct Mail consist of postcards, flyers, mailings done to
your prospects -- anything they receive in their mailbox.

Teleseminars are conference calls where you can have as few
as two or as many as 2,000 (and more) people on a call at
the same time. There's a moderator who runs the call and
keeps things on track.

Teleseminars are great for solo-presentations as well as
interviews where one person interviews another and a live
audience listens in and asks questions.

Webinars are what I like to think of as "visual
teleseminars". You are listening in on the telephone (just
like a teleseminar) AND you are watching your computer
screen (just like television).

The moderator in this case is taking you through a
presentation -- similar to a live event slide show only
you're participating from the comfort of your own home.
Webinars can also be online videos or a hybrid
presentation/video format.

So which is best? Direct mail, the teleseminar or the
webinar?

The answer, as you may suspect is "it depends".

Marketing is about building a relationship with your
prospects through your unique message (or Unique Selling
Proposition). Tools which set you apart and make you more
*real* to your prospects must be included in your business
-- this is especially true for those who market themselves
online or virtually.

Which builds a better connection with your audience:

1. A flyer sent in the mail?

2. A teleseminar where prospects can hear your voice?

3. A webinar where prospects can hear your voice and see
you moving things around the screen?

While you may be tempted to answer "number 3" as webinars
allow you to create a connection and bring your prospects
into your world, the true answer is "all three".

A webinar REQUIRES more of a commitment from your prospect
as they are agreeing to be at their computer at a certain
date and time while a teleseminar REQUESTS propsects to be
at a telephone knowing that most business owners send out
recordings after the fact.

Given the increased commitment requirement AND the fact
that people learn best through different media (reading,
watching, listening), the ideal mix, regardless of your
business, is to include all three methods in your
marketing: direct mail, teleseminars and webinars.

Teleseminars and webinars are not only for online
businesses. Brick and mortar/retail businesses who use them
define themselves as being FAR AHEAD of their competition.

Knowing this, how can you incorporate teleseminars and
webinars into your business?

Your Coaching Challenge:

Review your marketing action plan (and if you don't yet
have one, click here to be among the first to learn about
my upcoming group coaching program) and ensure you've
included direct mail, teleseminars AND webinars in your
lead generation activities.

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For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients
consistently by implementing processes and systems to put
their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at
http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client
testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy
Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".

Ignoring Poor Performance - Do so at Your Own Peril

Ignoring Poor Performance - Do so at Your Own Peril
Most workers endeavor to work hard, and their performance
usually is observed to be good or exceptional. However, at
times supervisors are faced with employees whose
performance has become unacceptable. This can be the
toughest part of your job. As many managers have said, "My
biggest problems are people problems."

At the outset of performance deterioration, start
documenting when a trend has begun. Isolated occurrences
can be set aside. But, ignoring a pattern of poor
performance sends a negative message to others, that poor
performance can be ignored for some individuals. In
addition, it tends to get worse with time. Taking action
does not hurt morale; it improves it. Constructive
counseling given early and regularly not only leads to
improvements but also eliminates more formal actions that
can become unpleasant. The key word is early, early
communication, early feedback, and if necessary, early
termination after a probationary period. Investing time
early is always time well spent.

At this juncture, if the employee is inherited to you or if
you are new to the department, a study of his background
qualifications [education, training, and experience] and
the related job description is timely. Is there a match or
is this a misplaced individual? This is common to small to
medium size companies.

A portion of every work force is experiencing personal
problems at any one time, and this can appear at any level.
Troubled employees may suffer from anxiety, depression,
confusion, low self-esteem, and fear. This affects not only
their personal lives but their jobs and performance. These
personal problems run the gamut from couple relationships,
emotional problems, finances, alcohol/drugs, stress/life
crises, grief, and domestic violence. The employee may be
in a precarious position affecting personal safety or
safety in the work place.

Observe, Document, and Inform - The opening conference with
the employee will reveal your concerns in specific
behavioral terms, focusing on specific areas, and
discussing time frames for improvement. The framework of
this activity is observe, document, and inform. Observe
what's going on, write it down in terms of actions, time,
place, and date, and inform the employee in privacy. Allow
no interruptions. HR should be informed if disciplinary
action is planned.

1. Observe - Make note of inconsistent productivity,
variation in quality of work, poor attendance or absences,
frequent lateness, excessive sick leave, neglect of
assignments and deadlines, irritability, placing blame with
others, avoidance of co-workers and principals. Single
incidents do no typically warrant concern. A pattern of
deteriorating performance, however, indicates a need for
intervention. Catch problems as early as possible.

2. Document - A record of related events assists the
supervisor in recognizing when a problem has become enough
of an issue to invite confrontation. A detailed accounting
of events and settings will provide accurate feedback about
his performance. Start documenting at the outset, and
record observable, measurable facts. Write down the
specifics, exact times, dates, place, and nature of the
incidents, and names of other persons involved.
Documentation clarifies the situation for you and for the
records. It helps you communicate specifics to the
employee, and it facilitates discussion. In addition, legal
protection is implicit in the record, which may come into
play during grievance or arbitration. Keep this record
confidential.

Document any decline in performance, missed deadlines,
inability to cooperate with others, and frequent accidents.
Record attendance breaches such as absenteeism,
questionable excuses, tardiness, abuses of breaks and lunch
times. And note poor interpersonal skills in dealing with
you, colleagues, and customers.

3. Inform - Productivity and job performance are your main
concerns. When faced with performance problems, your
challenge is to seek performance improvements and to remain
objective. When preparing for the conference, consult with
HR, if necessary, and be familiar with personnel policies
and disciplinary procedures. Meet with the employee as soon
as a pattern has been established. Provide privacy. Plan in
advance the structure and goals of the meeting. Focus on
declining performance and behavior, not the person or
personal problems, even though they may have an important
bearing on events. Summarize the discussion and plan a
follow-up on improvement and progress at regular intervals.
Use your documentation to structure your feedback to the
employee.

During the discussion, focus on declining job performance
and the offer to help. Have your documentation on hand, so
you can let the record speak for itself. Maintain a firm
yet considerate attitude. Casual conversation will lessen
the impact. If the employee denies having a problem, review
the documentation citing specifics. Stick to work
performance. Indicate your belief that personal problems
could have had an impact on performance. But, do not enter
discussion on personal problems. Inform the employee of the
importance of improving performance and the consequences of
not improving.

Following the discussion - Document the interactions during
the conference. Likewise, do the same at succeeding
conferences. Notify your manager and HR of your discussion.
Confronting an employee with poor work performance can be
an uncomfortable task, and when the person is a personal
friend, it is especially difficult. But ignoring the
situation does not help the employee. Because your role is
monitoring job performance, you are in a key position to
see an employee's behavioral patterns and changes. Your
confrontation can be a strong motivator to the person to
face his problems and understanding the necessity of
changing. A responsible supervisor can be the best help a
troubled employee has.

An employee may not be able or willing to bring performance
up to par. Success cannot be guaranteed, no matter how much
goodwill and effort go into an employee's improvement. But,
if you follow these steps, you will know that you have
given your employee the best chance of success.

----------------------------------------------------
For more management and leadership articles, please visit
http://www.CrassCaptain.com . Find Christine-Casey-Cooper's
new book, entitled The Crass Captain's Guide to
Organizational Dysfunction, on Amazon soon.

Do You Fuel Your Business With Fun or Fear?

Do You Fuel Your Business With Fun or Fear?
Having a business of your dreams is all about the energy. I
have coached many people that had no clue of HOW they were
going to do things, and in some cases, they had some real
gaps in skills like marketing and selling. But, when they
really understood that this is an ENERGY game- first and
foremost- and they focused more on the way they felt, and
how they could make small shifts, then they started to see
things showing up that AMAZED them.

(They had no logical explanation, by the way.) For example,
one person got $50,000 in funding after she "accidentally"
met a vendor when the one she was waiting for didn't show
up. Could anyone even PLAN for something like that?

In a process like this, in creating your IDEAL business,
starting at the energy and core belief levels ensures you
will experience some conflicts. It will feel very different
from what your brain thinks you need to do right now to be
successful! The goal is to allow the conflicts and begin to
take baby steps, so even when you are in some conflicting
energy, it becomes automatic that you start at the shifting
energy level first before you start at the doing level.

When you're intentional about moving up the energetic
ladder, you begin to feel more of how you want to feel, and
this creates true freedom! When you can be in conflict and
not see it as a bad thing, but as a place to show you where
to focus your energy, and let it be ok that it is all not
figured out or perfect, then you will BE free! Because when
you make the best of a situation and focus on what is
working, focus on taking small shifts, things HAVE to get
better! From there, you do the same thing (focus on making
the best of where you are now) and it has to get even
better. It is about moving up the ladder until that energy
becomes your automatic state.

Then your "reality" changes.

We are in a coaching process for a reason. It takes time to
make changes to enable you to begin to look at any
situation FIRST at the energy level. For example, "Ok,
where am I? How do I want to feel? How can I take some
little steps to feel more of that way?" THEN you start
looking at actions that you can take that will be in
alignment with the way you want to feel. These ACTIONS will
produce the greatest results. Then you can start creating
the fun approaches to your business! This is what I call
Get-It-Done-Gal Energy... the Energy Juice. You can't get
better business fuel than this.

Imagine what it's like to not be pulled off center when a
conflict shows up. You'll feel better AND get more done in
your business. So great, right?

This is part of the process. Hear me: Conflict is part of
the joyful evolutionary process in your business, in your
life! Let it be ok! Get in touch with the stories you tell
yourself when you are in conflict. Then from there you can
take baby steps to a better place. This is where riches are
born from.

Call To Action:

1 - Recognize where you tend to most often get "stuck" in
your business.

2 - Stop beating yourself up about it.

3 - Ask yourself, how do I want to feel instead?

4 - Ask yourself, what can I do right away that will
activate that energy in me?

5 - Do THAT. Let that energy fuse your next business
actions.

----------------------------------------------------
Want to learn how to activate your 30 Day Energy Management
and Marketing Plan? Then join the EnergyRICH® Business
Boot Camp. Here's where we cover every piece of the inner
(the energetical) and the outer (practical) approach to
building a successful business.
http://www.energyrichbootcamp.com

3 Powerful Tips to Address Gaps in Work History on Your Resume

3 Powerful Tips to Address Gaps in Work History on Your Resume
Given the dot-com meltdown, frequent corporate downsizing,
family situations, and the never-ending parade of mergers
and acquisitions, more leadership professionals than ever
are presenting a gap in between jobs to their next employer.

If this situation applies to you, remember that you are in
good company! I would estimate that nearly a third of my
clients have experienced a period of unemployment at one
time or another.

Your best bet in this case is to meet the challenge head-on
by preparing to address the gaps directly. This will make
it much easier to market your skills for an executive or
management role.

I have compiled three highly effective tips you can use
when presenting an interruption in your work history to a
potential employer:

1) Remember that hiring authorities see gaps all the
time... but they will also expect to see career
progression, PLUS an explanation. This is a critical point!
In order to deflect questions about short-term gaps, ensure
that your resume shows some strong areas of growth
throughout your professional history. This can make the gap
seem more like a blip in your career.

Also, be prepared to explain the gap itself by pointing to
an activity that filled it, such as volunteer work, caring
for an ill family member, or launching a business, in order
to explain time in between jobs.

2) If possible, give a name to the gap itself. Give readers
of your resume an idea of what you did to fill your time by
using a between-jobs "title" such as Consulting,
Sabbatical, Leave of Absence, or Family Management.

But what if the gap was short enough that you were merely
searching for work? You can just leave it "as is," while
still preparing your explanation. This leads to the next
tip, which is...

3) Don't point out a gap that you can't name. Essentially,
your best strategy when dealing with any potentially
negative information is this: focus more on the RESULTS
you can bring to your next employer than anything else.

In other words, if you don't have a plausible explanation
for being out of work, then simply move on to communicating
your unique value--and save your explanation for an
interview.

My personal philosophy is that everyone has something
POSITIVE to offer their next employer. The more focus you
put on your strongest contributions for a six-figure
position, the less you--and hiring managers--will need to
emphasize any shortcomings in your career history.

----------------------------------------------------
A unique six-figure resume authority, Laura Smith-Proulx of
An Expert Resume creates cutting-edge documents access jobs
at prestigious corporations. Known as "The Career Champion"
with a 98% interview success rate, Laura effectively
captures leadership talents for a successful job search.
For her free e-course, "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That
Can Keep You From a $100K+ Job," visit
http://www.AnExpertResume.com .

Do You Have a Suggestion Box?

Do You Have a Suggestion Box?
Do you have a suggestion box for your business? If so, how
sincerely do you consider the recommendations and
complaints you receive? If you haven't yet tapped this
invaluable resource, I encourage you to create one and
actively seek to fill it.

If you yourself have ever tried to offer constructive
suggestions to business owners or customer service
representatives -- only to learn that they had no way to
collect them -- how did it make you feel?

The last three out of five times that I've tried giving
suggestions, I've slammed into a dead end. Since I'm always
bubbling over with ideas about how companies can improve
their customer service, I'm chronically disappointed when I
find they're not waiting with open arms and ears to receive
to them -- even when the issue has caused me considerable
angst as a customer.

This article offers several tips for using the input you
collect to actually strengthen your business and bring in
more revenue.

------------------------------------------------------------
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Ideas for Mining Your Data
------------------------------------------------------------
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Your customers deserve no less than the very best of
experiences with every facet of your offerings. Revealing
and remedying annoying hassles can stem the exodus of any
cranky customers and help you begin building a base of
"raving fans."

So, once you have a suggestion box or even technical
support logs that contain customer feedback, you can comb
through them to identify hassles of every type. What's
really been bugging your customers or stopping them from
getting things done? See which kinds of trends you can spot.

For example, are people having trouble installing
something, or wrestling with getting started? Are they
reporting bugs or service problems? Are instructions
incomplete or confusing? Look for the following
possibilities:

- Immediate but basic problems that you can remedy right
away.
- Major malfunctions occurring that should be documented
and fixed.
- Gaps in the internal hand-offs for converting prospects
into customers.
- Customers or prospects needing something that you don't
offer, which could spark ideas for new offerings,
accessories, and promotional campaigns.

------------------------------------------------------------
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More Ideas for Uncovering Customer Hassles
------------------------------------------------------------
--------------

Below are additional ways to reveal the sources of your
customers' aggravations.

1. Poll customers using Web, mail, or e-mail surveys, or
support calls.

You might ask what your customers love and don't love about
your products and services, and how they might suggest
improving them. You could even consider expanding routine
customer support calls by asking customers: "Is there
anything you can think of that could enable our products or
services to better assist you?" Customers may find it very
refreshing to finally reveal their pet peeves.

2. Observe your customers using your products at their own
facilities.

It may be a real eye-opener to watch your customers try to
install, set up, learn, and troubleshoot your product
without having someone guide them through every step. If
you had intended your products to be self-explaining and
easy to use, this could reveal several aspects in which
they are not.

3. Prioritize your findings using the 80:20 rule.

Try to determine which 20% of the hassles (the "vital few")
seem to be giving your customers 80% of the grief. Then,
continuously work toward eliminating the heaviest hitters
until you've removed everything down to the noise level.
It's easier said than done, but in the long run, your
customers will really appreciate it!

In conclusion, your suggestion box, customer database, or
other observations may represent an under-exploited source
of new income streams. The information you glean can
eliminate customer headaches, boost customer loyalty, and
lead to new or improved offerings and precisely targeted
marketing campaigns that open revenue doors. Therefore, you
have everything to gain by taking charge of this data and
mining its treasure!

----------------------------------------------------
Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the author of the award-winning
"Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" program.
She helps people "discover and recover" the profits their
businesses may be losing every day through overlooked
performance potential. To sign up for more free tips, visit
her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com

When You Put Your Kids First You Cannot Say No To Home Business

When You Put Your Kids First You Cannot Say No To Home Business
Though both parents today are involved in bringing up their
children, in most cases women feel excess guilt pangs when
they are unable to spend sufficient time with their family,
particularly their children. Most careers are very
demanding both of your time and involvement leaving very
little energy to give to your family. When children are
young this could become a very serious concern. Often one
of the parents consider giving up their jobs to look after
the children, however the economic condition might not
permit this move.

What Could Be The Solution?

The solution is home business or work from home. When you
set up a home business or undertake work from home you are
able to adjust your time around the demands of your family,
without having to compromise on your income. In many
instances home business proves to be even more productive
than the 9 to 5 job you chose to leave. This choice
provides you better quality of life as you are able to put
your kids first by fulfilling your parenting duties as well
as earning a regular income.

The same applies to work from home. The difference between
a home business and a work from home job is the investment
required. The home business - since it is a business -
would require you to put up some capital unlike a work from
home job, which is actually a freelance job.

How Do You Find Reliable Sources For Home Business?

If you run a search on the Net, you will find thousands of
"genuine" offers for home businesses. How do you know which
one you should choose? There is no foolproof way to
recognize a true offer from a scam. However, there are a
few criteria that could be quite good indicators:

1. Rags-to-riches business stories should be avoided like
the plague. There are no free lunches in this world, so do
not believe these get rich overnight offers. Most of these
so called businesses are scams which take money away from
you, not the other way round.

2. Too-good-to-be-true offers are another no no. If the
offer looks too good to be true, it usually is. Once again
avoid anything that does not look reasonable or plausible
to you. Business is something that is nurtured into an
entity, not something that can spring up overnight, even on
the Internet.

3. Check the business or website with BBB (Better Business
Bureau) which will tell you if the business you are
considering is registering with them or not. If not, it
might not be reliable.

4. A Scam search is easy to use to figure out if you are
dealing with a legitimate company. Run a search typing scam
or fraud along with the website you are considering. If
there is any disparaging information, you will find it in
this way.

How Do You Find Reliable Work From Home?

This is relatively easier to get, though it would take you
a while until you find your niche and get the price you
deserve. There are excellent platforms for freelancers with
elance.com, freelancer.com, scriptlance.com, and the like.
These sites ensure that both freelancers (you) and the
client get value for their money. You would do well to
sign up with such websites for work from home opportunities
because they are initially slow. This would give you the
opportunity to learn and not be overwhelmed as you tried to
work and earn at home.

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