The Cold Turnkey

Safety training videos are made so that we don’t panic in a crisis and put our lives in danger. These show us how to handle a fire, an earthquake, an accident or a natural disaster. They also include ordinary things like safety tips on climbing a ladder, driving or housekeeping. Countless websites and video production units make and sell CDs and DVDs of video clips on almost everything under the sun. If you do a Google search on safety training videos, you will come up with a minimum of 7,530,000 hits in less than .2 seconds. To choose a good video from this list is not easy. It is advisable to buy videos after having a short preview of what they contain.

Here are some websites which produce safety training videos for everyday purposes, and the categories of videos they sell to the public.

Safteytrainingnetwork.com has videos on almost all day-to-day situations. They have videos on alcohol and drugs, human resources, electrical and kitchen safety, infection control, healthcare, head protection, solid waste management and even employment law. Their videos are widely varied, covering topics from blood-borne pathogens safety and asbestos safety to ordinary things like recordkeeping and first aid.

Coastal.com specializes in producing instructional videos on safety training in coastal areas.

National Safety Compliance is an organization that looks into safety training from all aspects. Their training programs include videos and instructional material. Their videos include crane and hoist safety, transportation, ergonomics, fire safety, hotel safety and office and school safety. These cost anywhere from $200 to $500, and can be ordered online.

Trainingprofessionals.com focuses more on individual safety training, rather than group situations. These include construction safety, confined spaces, personal protective equipment and defensive driving.

When you feel like you’re always busy working on your business, but not getting where you want to go, it can be frustrating trying to figure out how to get your marketing on track. It can easily become a “not seeing the forest for the trees” feeling.

Here are three big barriers I regularly come across with business owners and how you can avoid them.

1. No Clear Definition Of Success
For some, the word Success brings thoughts of fame and fortune to mind. But for small businesses, I’d caution against this definition being your guiding light. When clarifying your own definition of success, I suggest starting with success from your client’s point of view.

What is it that you are trying to do for your clients? What is it that they’ll have or be able to do as a result of buying your service from you? Match this up with what you are passionate about. What is it that you love doing for your clients? I’ll know I’m successful when my clients no longer have to struggle with how to consistently attract more business.

2. Not Clarifying Who Your Ideal Clients Are
When you can clarify who your ideal clients are, you are better prepared to know where to find them and how to market to them. You can develop messages that will appeal directly to them.

What do you know about your best clients? Spend some time to put together as complete of a profile as you can on the clients you enjoy working with the most. What are the demographics and characteristics? How would you describe them to someone who has never met them?

Without clarity of your ideal clients, you’re likely to waste time, effort, and money marketing to the wrong crowd(s) and/or not getting your message across.

3. Not Spelling Out Your Unique Value
You must be able to clearly define what differentiates you from your competitors. If your prospects can’t differentiate you from all the competitive alternatives in the marketplace, then why would they come to buy from you?

Often for small businesses it’s not that they’re not unique, it’s just that they haven’t spent the time to evaluate and clearly describe how and why. What is it that you do better, faster, cheaper, or more effectively - whatever? Maybe it’s a unique model you’ve developed or the unique niche of clients you serve. Maybe it’s your satisfaction guarantee offered to clients.

Most important here is to spell out why your uniqueness is so important to your clients and prospects. Why should they care? What is it that they’ll get by coming to you for services?

Spend some time critically looking at these items for your business. It will be time very well spent. If you find you can’t see the forest for the trees, don’t hesitate to get some outside help.

(c) 2004 - Kevin Dervin, KPD Marketing

About the Author:

Kevin Dervin is focused on helping small businesses that are ready to grow, but struggle with how to consistently attract more clients. Visit http://www.proven-small-business-marketing-solutions.com for more great marketing information you can put to use in growing your business today.

Find Kevin’s Kansas City based KPD Marketing practice at http://www.ABCDgrowth.com and subscribe to his free ezine called ABCD Grow.

According to experts in the field of hiring and training development, there is a great potential within our own companies for talented individuals.

Why are we not recognizing those already in our midst? An explanation is: when people are working at lower levels than their management abilities, we can’t see what they can really do.

And in this day and age, we have a lot of people laid off from downsized companies who have to take lower level positions for survival.

We just don’t recognize who’s working for us or with us. We limit our people by their current titles, functions and departments.

Yet getting to know our people is not hard to do - we just need to talk to them! It’s up to management to initiate such talks.

Some companies have implemented “Talent Development Programs”. What we really need are “Talent Recognition Programs”. Management needs to take the time to recognize whom we have amongst those employees currently working as “latent talent”.

There are scores of qualified, skilled individuals who have had to take on jobs many levels below their business capabilities and experiences because of economic downturn or simply because nobody has recognized their abilities and given them a chance to prove themselves.

Dig up your employees’ resumes again, from the interviewer’s forgotten files, and get familiar with them. Let’s not leave these highly personal information papers to die in the aftermath of the initial interview. Then let’s talk to our people and ask the right questions.

Test with projects that the individual can work on for short periods of time - say a week, a month or three months and find out what they can do. All this should happen with proper delegating, empowerment and regular meetings.

Finally, let’s assess ourselves and REGOGNIZE the assets that we have in our people.

/end of article.

You may print this article in your ezine or web site or pass it on to others providing nothing is changed and the bio is fully included at the end of the article.

Diane M. Hoffmann(c)2002.

Diane M. Hoffmann, ph.d., offers business management services, writing and self-publishing services. She has written many articles, seminars and books, including “Contextual Communication, Organization and Training” in which she discusses her practical, sometimes provocative, observations of business management from the top, middle and bottom management perspective. You can see info on this at http://www.hofron.com/ContextualCommunication.htm

Your e-commerce website relies on its customers to become returning customers in order to develop a successful business. The question you might be wondering, however, is how to make your customers become loyal to you and return. There are plenty of ways you can increase customer loyalty, and the use of email autoresponders is but one.

*Automatically Send E-mails

When you have an email autoresponder, it sends an e-mail immediately to any individual that clicks yes to receiving e-mails and additional information from your company. Since the autoresponder automatically does this it eliminates any problems by human error like forgetting to send an e-mail, typing the address wrong, waiting too long, and other similar errors. The autoresponder sends an e-mail immediately to the address that was given, and it frees up your time to focus on other things, knowing your customers and potential customers are receiving the information they need.

*Saves Time

Since your autoresponder has been sending out e-mails and generating interest you know that when you receive an e-mail from a potential or past customer that they are primed up enough about the product or service and already have a interest without you having to sell them on it. Therefore, you receive customers when they are ready to talk which increases your success rate, and you won’t waste time on customers who are not interested. Not to mention the amount of time you’ll save by not having to personally send e-mails over and over and over again.

*Reminders

Of course if you are using an autoresponder you are sending out e-mails to your customers about a variety of products and services in the normal series of 7 e-mails. However, if you really want to boost customer loyalty to your products don’t forget to send out an eighth e-mail that reminds the recipient about your product and that they still have time to buy. This e-mail should only be a reminder and nothing pushy. It should only be sent to those individuals who did not already sign up for your product or service.

*Stay in Touch

Another way to keep your customer loyalty and keep them buying from you is to stay in touch. No, this does not mean you should send them e-mails every week. If you do this you risk annoying a lot of subscribers and ultimately getting unsubscribe requests. Instead, simply keep in touch every month or so with new offers and products. Your target market can’t buy from you if they do not know what you are offering. Also, in these e-mails be sure to offer discounts and bonuses. When you do this you give people yet another incentive to do business with you!

Michael Turner reveals step-by-step how you can increase search engine traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/

In the beginning I was like so many work at home businesses I
didn’t know how to organize both my time and my work space.

After much learning and experimenting I was able to find what
works for me.

Here are some suggestions that I have found useful. You will
find what fits your needs and business as well. Try out the tips
below, figure out what works for you. Only you will know what
works and doesn’t work for you.

1. Have a planner.

2. Have a notebook just to jot down ideas real fast.

3. Have pens and pencils at the ready.

4. Have an area to hold all your CD Roms that you use.

5. Have a file cabinet to hold all your files, sales receipts,
etc.

6. Have a HUGE wall calendar to look at in a glance.

7. Have your phone near your computer with the answering machine
on it

8. Have Caller ID, WHY? So you can glance at your phone and
decide if you can answer the phone. I hate it when I am in deep
thought and I get bothered by a non-important call, such as the
newspaper salesperson or a recorded message that I could have
listened to later.

9. Keep your printer supplies in reach. If at all possible, keep
an extra ink cartridge, extra printing paper and extra
highlighters, etc., so you don’t run out.

Check in your area to see if Office Depot or Office Max will
exchange your ink cartridge for paper. I never have to buy
paper, as I have so many ink cartridges saved. I take one
cartridge to one store and go to the next with another and thus
have two reams of paper sitting at my table at all times.

10. Keep any books you refer to for work on or near your
computer table for quick reference.

11. Have an index box to hold all your customer contact
information.

12. Keep track of customer’s birthdays and send them cards when
it comes around. 13. Keep a diary. Why is this important? On
those days you are so frustrated and just need to vent…write
it all down! Get it off your chest! Then walk away for a while
and do something else.

14. Have a brief case to hold any information for those times
you go networking offline. Yep, I said offline.

To be really successful, no matter what you do, you need to do
both online and offline marketing.

So keep a brief case or a file folder ready at all times to run
out the door, you never know when and where your next client
will come from.

Remember to be successful in a home based business you need to
be organized. Start out each day knowing what it is you need to
do for that day.

Don’t spend all your time trying to get organized do it in small
steps and soon your business and your life will be running
smoothly.

Are you planning to go on a vacation leaving your Internet
business?

Are you wondering how to manage your online home business in
your absence?

If you have the facility of an internet access in your vacation
place, and your business is fully automated, you will be able to
manage. If not, the following tips may be of help to you and you
can enjoy your vacation without worries.

1. When you plan your vacation think about the vital points of
your business and write them down in a paper, such as what all
points needed attention. Usually the main points which require
attention are handling your customers, replying to their queries
and helping them to solve their problems etc. Then comes the ad
campaign, tracking the ad, regular surfing for getting traffic
etc.

2. Identify a person who is trust worthy and computer literate.
He should be ready to help you with the minimum efforts. You
can’t expect someone to take full charge of your business in
your absence. It will be an additional bonus if he/she knows
something about your online business. This person can be either
your spouse or any family member, or an online friend.

3. Give proper instructions to your friend who will be managing
your online business for you. This should include the routine
questions expected from your customers and your routine replies,
so that he/she can answer your clients appropriately. An
autoresponder will do the work for you. But in some cases, a
human reply will be indeed very helpful.

4. Inform your list of members regarding your plan of vacation
and the duration. Don’t forget to let them know the arrangements
you have made in your absence so that they won’t be disappointed.

5. Place orders for your ad campaign with standard ezines who
will run your ad in your absence also.

6. Your requirement of regular surfing to get adequate traffic
to your website can also be entrusted with your friend.

7. Try to get in touch with your friend over the telephone
whenever possible to find out how is it going on and whether
he/she is facing any problems.

8. On your return remember to inform your customers about your
vacation and give them a free gift such as an email course or
ebook as a token of your appreciation for the patience and
understanding. They’d love you for understanding them.

9. Don’t forget to reward your friend adequately who managed
your online business beautifully in your absence and he/she will
be ready to help you in time of need in future also.

This article provides some free tips to help start your business
at home.

Inside corporates there are many high paying jobs. Access to
qualifications, lack of time flexibility and time away from the
family prevent many persuing financial freedom in this
environment. When you work for someone else you always have to
put the needs of your company and your boss ahead of your own.

The question is how about those busy mothers, stay at home dads
and those who do not have the capability or the desire to work
outside their home.

Are they be able to work and earn some extra money?

The answer is yes, but you need to consider what kind of home
business you want, how to get started, and what your target
market is.

There are some basic issues that everyone encounters when
starting a new home business. Like deciding on what kind of
business you can start up. For instance you can decide to be the
best writer, tax accountant, or web designer in the market.

An other issue is how to get connected to the world market or
even your local markets, how could you market your product or
service?

You should think these through to help avoid the barriers that
may occur while you are creating your home business. Here is a
five point plan to get started with internet marketing and to
help you to market your products or services from your own home.

1. Decide who your main customers are. As a group, how old are
they? Where do they live? How much money do they make? What
kinds of jobs do they have and what are their interests? The
better you can understand customers, the better you’ll fare in
the next four steps.

2. What kinds of media do your main customers use?

Each type of media has its own target audience. Each radio
station, newspaper, magazine, or TV program tries to interest a
specific segment of the population. The trick is to match your
main customers with the kinds of media they use. Remember that
media is not just TV and newspapers. Effective media can be
anything that conveys your message. Media choices range from
million dollar commercials, to a few free pens with your name on
them. With this in mind, the internet is one of the most
powerful media you can use. The internet is also a relatively
low cost entry for your home business.

3. Focus on media you can afford to use consistently to promote
your home business.

One of the keys to effective marketing is consistency. You have
to hit the audience with your message again, and again.

Many marketers use the Rule of Seven. Prospective customers must
see or hear your message seven times before they consider
buying. Don’t spend your entire marketing budget on a one-shot
media blitz. Choose a less expensive type of media that you can
afford to use week after week. Google Adwords may be a good
place to start your home business advertising. Just be sure to
get a free eCourse to educate yourself on how to effectively use
this type of advertising before you invest your advertising
dollars.

4. Sell the main benefit of your product or service.

Focus on what is unique about your home business products or
services. How does your product or service improve your
customer’s life? Talk to your customers from their own
perspective. Does your product or service save them time? Make
them richer? Make them more attractive?

Your marketing should drive home this most important benefit as
clearly and directly as possible. Customers want to know what’s
in it for them. When you advertise the features of your product
or service, connect those features to the benefits.

5. Finally, remember to promote your business with the latest
on-line marketing tactics. Articles are very effective method to
get the word out.

The Internet is available to everyone. It’s the only “big” media
that allows the small home business person to get their message
out at very low cost. Bulletin boards and newsgroups may
appreciate helpful information that you provide. Most won’t mind
if you sign your name along with four to six lines about your
business in your bio line.

There you have it. We have covered a few steps to help ensure
you get your home business off to a great start. Keep them top
of mind as you plan your home business. These points are some of
the keys to determine if your business will be a success or
failure.

One last small suggestion. Never stop looking for new ideas, a
better delivery method or a new angle on an old concept.
Starting a business is one thing, keeping it going requires and
enquiring mind and the flexibility to keep up with an ever
changing marketplace.

Nowadays it seems that more and more people are making an attempt at earning their income from one online source or another. I say attempt because it seems that so many try but so few actually succeed.

When you take your first tentative steps into the world of online home business you’ll soon find yourself inundated with a veritable smorgasbord of options, and this is where some of the problems start. You may soon find yourself joining countless programs, to the point that you can’t remember who offered what, and receiving an inbox full of emails promising you the chance to earn even more money if you subscribe to yet more programs.

It won’t be long before you’ve either spent way too much money on programs that have promised you the world but failed to deliver, or you’ll be so confused that you won’t know which way to turn and wondering just why you wanted to set up your work from home business in the first place.

The problem is that so many people rush into things after reading that they’ll earn millions of dollars within a month that they forget the old adage that slow and steady wins the race.

To truly start earning an income from your home based business you need to be prepared to put in a little effort: take the time to look into the different methods available, be it affiliate marketing, niche sites, using ebay, answering surveys or a myriad of other examples; once you’ve decided on which avenue you’re going to take, look around and see what’s available, there are some helpful sites that will guide you through the process. Always make sure you read up on all aspects of your chosen program: some may have certain requirements you are not prepared to meet, expect you to pay after a trial period or limit your other opportunities in some way.

Of course once you’ve chosen your avenue it can then become a matter of trial and error, the affiliate plan that works for some may not be right for you. Do a little testing: advertise your plan using traffic exchanges, safelists etc. make sure you set up all the tools you’ll need to promote and respond to any enquiries. Try not to get swayed by all the offers out there, give yourself a little bit of time to get your business on track before scattering yourself too thin and joining too many programs.

Eventually you’ll hit on the perfect work from home business and while it may not happen overnight you’ll soon start seeing your efforts being rewarded and you’ll start wondering why you didn’t start working from home earlier.

For further working from home help please visit V Brown at http://www.freewebs.com/helpingworkfromhome/

by Karon Thackston © 2003
http://www.copywritingcourse.com

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard the statement, “I get tons of traffic, but no sales.” It’s normally followed by comments like: “My site is highly optimized for the engines and my rankings are great. I don’t understand why no one is buying.” Let me shed some light on this mystery.

Most often, when site owners (or professional copywriters for that matter) write “search engine optimized” copy, they develop tunnel vision. They are so focused on the placement of keyphrases throughout the copy that they neglect something very important… the customer!

Because the immediate task at hand “seems” to be getting the site ranked high, the writer neglects to take out his or her crystal ball and gaze into the future. What should you be asking the crystal ball? “What happens when the customer gets to my site?”

Oops! Didn’t think of that? Don’t feel embarrassed. Many people don’t. Developing SEO (search engine optimized) copy is like creating a complete circle. You have to have good keyword saturation in order to get ranked in those prime spots. You have to have keyword-rich title and description tags (mostly the title tag) to land in the top 10. Once you achieve that your site starts drawing in surfers. Now that they’ve clicked to your site, what happens? The copy has to give them what they want/need. That’s the missing piece to the puzzle and the factor that causes so many people to scratch their heads in disbelief.

When writing SEO copy, you have to think of the beginning AND the end of the process. You have to create copy that satisfies both the engine and the customer. Once you do, you’ll not only have boatloads of traffic, but you’ll have the sales that go along with it. So, there… mystery solved! Or at least part of it.

We’ve covered the “why,” now let’s look at the “how.”

1. Know Your Target Audience

In order to give someone what he/she wants, you have to know what that want is. Take the time to research your target audience (also called target customer, perfect customer, or ideal customer). Find out as much as you can about them including who they are, what they do, how they use your product/service, how old they are, what problems they have, and how they prefer to receive information.

2. Stop Selling and Start Solving

So many people are pushing to get that almighty dollar (or euro or pound) that they forget something. Customers don’t like to be sold to. What they really want is someone to solve their problems. Once you show that your product/service can, in fact, solve the problems your customers face, sales will come on their own.

3. Appeal To Emotions

Most buying decisions are emotional so it makes sense that your copy should be, too. While your customer’s need may be logical, the actual buying decision is anything but. Think about it. When you bought your last car, did you go for the “logical” choice? Did you pick the ugly, shapeless, “no personality” car that had the best gas mileage and the highest safety rating? I doubt you did.

You most likely took a look at all the options and - taking some logic into account - bought the car that suited you best within your price range. Emotion sells!

No, I’m not talking about getting mushy. What I AM talking about is touching the emotional chord that draws customers to your product or service. Those problems you found out about when doing steps #1 and #2 above… use them to add emotion to your copy.

With these three vital elements in your forethoughts, you can sit down and write your copy - with your keyphrases in mind - for tremendous results. When you understand the entire process and take the time to learn to write emotional, sales-oriented, SEO copy, you will keep your traffic count high and your checkbook balance higher.

About the Author

Copy not getting results? Let Karon write targeted, SEO copy for you. Visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com, or learn to write your own copy at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Karon’s free ezine at http://www.ktamarketing.com/ezine.html.