The WOW Factor In Business

The WOW Effect
By Tanya Hacko

Probably the most frequently asked question I hear when people approach us for the first time is: "Why do you have a 500 dollars minimum trade order? I like your jewellery and I am sure it will sell well. But before I place a larger order, I would like to trial a few pieces first, ask my customers for feedback, and then I would be ready to order more".

Fair question. And almost impossible to answer in 10 seconds.

Before I answer, let me ask you something. Have you noticed how some businesses do very well while others struggle to break even? And not only do they appear to make more profit and expand regardless of economic trends, but it also looks like they are having fun while making lots of people happy by taking their money?

Four years ago we relocated to Sydney's lower North Shore. During the first week in our new suburb we started checking basic service providers. It was easy to decide which baker was going to be 'ours' - there was only one within walking distance, as well as only one fruit shop and one hardware store.

But we immediately noticed we had a choice of no less than 5 butchers! All of them had a nice clean shop, with a very decent range of meats. However, one shop stood out 'head and shoulders' above the other four: there was something very special about that place.

What made them very special? They had twice the range of products; everything on display was presented in a very special way; looked fresh, smelled superb; and customer service was the best we had ever received in any butchers shop.

Their butchers wore a clean white shirt and bow-tie, and smiled at us even when we spent just $2.50. In other words, they had created what I call the WOW effect.

What is the WOW effect? Well this is something that cannot be easily measured and described, but you can feel it the moment you walk into a business. It is a magical combination of what's on display (product) and the way the business satisfies your needs - customer service.

Today, we consumers are programmed to expect nothing but the best - the largest, greatest, most efficient, timesaving product. And even if we only need one super gadget we expect it to be presented in a range of colours, shapes and sizes.

Our senses no longer notice and react to one-piece-of-whatever; we only see the stacks and piles, and then, only when they are prominently displayed, not an inch lower or higher than eye level.

This is the reason why (unfortunately) the WOW effect can no longer be guaranteed, even with $500 worth of jewellery! Your 30 or 35 piece display may not be enough to capture the imagination of your buyer. No, there is nothing wrong with your product - you just need more of it before you start being noticed. And before you start selling it.

From time to time we have overseas visitors. We always make sure to take them to "our" butcher, even if they are strict vegetarians. Why? Because we know they will be impressed. The WOW effect is contagious. It simply works.

Regardless of what kind of business you run, you should constantly ask yourself the most important question: do I have what it takes to make my customers happy and satisfied, to make them come back again and to bring their friends?

Am I offering them a range of product that should satisfy their curiosity? Do they have a choice of colours, sizes and styles? What makes my jewellery special and different from competitors?

After 12 years of retailing jewellery I have yet to find a customer who woke up in the morning, grabbed the Yellow Pages and started looking for his/her local "fashion jewellery provider". Although Yellow Pages browsing may work perfectly well for essential goods and services, the harsh reality is that fashion and luxury are not essential to anyone.

It's up to YOU to create that magical feeling about your product, in the hope it will be recognized and appreciated by potential buyers.

I see on a daily basis customers who say 'no' to 20, 30 or 50 designs in a row. And then, all of a sudden, they say 'yes' to the following 3. The tricky thing is that I can rarely guess what someone else finds attractive or pretty.

But if I have enough designs in stock they will eventually say 'yes', and that will make all the difference between making a deal or losing a prospective customer forever.

In other words, when it comes to fashion, glitz and glamour it's never 'about me'. It's always 'about them' . The best you can do as a seller is to satisfy their needs, taste and style, by offering a wide range of designs and providing professional and friendly service - and the WOW magic will follow!

Fantasy Fair is a small costume jewellery wholesale business located in Sydney operated by Tanya Hacko. As an architect by trade Tanya enjoys designing costume jewellery. The philosophy behind Fantasy Fair is simple - beautiful and wearable costume jewellery at affordable price. http://FantasyFair.com.au

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The 90 Day Sales Blitz

The 90 Day Sales Blitz
By Andrew Rowe

Are you worried about your sales slumping? Are your first quarter numbers looking lower? Is your pipeline looking softer than you'd like it to be at this point even though the economy is strong?

Here's an idea that you can use to quickly pump up your sales. Its' called the 90 day sales blitz. The whole premise behind this is to rally the whole company around doing everything it can to support the sales team to close deals, expand the pipeline, get more opportunities into the forecast, and close deals that have been out there languishing for some time.

Create a sales turn around plan with your team by pulling together everybody from sales, marketing, and operations and figuring out where's the low hanging fruit in the short term that we can go pick in order to bump our sales numbers up in the right direction.

Where are our best opportunities that can close the fastest, what can we do to create more opportunities quickly through lead generation? How do we do direct mail or outbound telemarketing campaigns into our prospecting list?

How can we create a compelling offer that we'd put on our website so that visitors who come through and find us from keyword searches decide that they want to convert and become quick sales leads that can be closed faster.

What can they do to incentivize those that are searching for my products and services to call in immediately and speak to a sales rep? What sort of premiums and bonuses can I give to them to quickly bring me new sales opportunities?

So a good 90 day sales blitz starts by getting all of your people together, sitting down and figuring out, how can we, as a team, pull a rabbit out of our hat by bringing together all of the best knowledge and experience and all of the company's energy and harnessing it towards making short term sales.

A number of ideas that we've seen over the years include short term sales contests and sales bonuses to people who are in marketing for generating the most leads. Also: customer bonuses for bringing in new referrals and doing option upgrades or doing cross sales or up sales.

These are all the kinds of things that you can do to create some short term enthusiasm and rally all of your resources in your company around greatly increasing your numbers. So if you need to do something in the short term to stimulate sales, think about a 90 sales blitz.

If you're like many companies out there that have practiced this behavior in the past, you'll find that with the right leadership, the right enthusiasm, the right incentives, involvement of all of the people in your company, you can really move mountains.

About Cube Management:
Cube Management provides sales acceleration services to emerging growth and mid-market companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. The experts at Cube Management work across the entire spectrum of marketing, sales and business development to provide customized solutions that drive revenue and profit growth. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process & People to produce winning results.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Rowe

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Edge Out The Competition

Promote Your Business By Writing Reports
By Joe Love

One of the best strategies for gaining an edge over your competition and increasing the value of your business to prospects and customers is to write a report. It is also one of the most cost effective ways to promote your business and your expertise.

You can write reports on anything relating to your business that will be of benefit to your prospects and customers. For example, you could write a report on how to get the best use of your product, or how your product or service can increase productivity by 35%.

Reports don’t have to twenty five pages, they can be as little as four to eight pages. Make it as long as it needs to be. To be effective your report needs to be at least four pages long. Anything shorter than four pages comes across as hokey and superficial.

Reports are powerful marketing tools. You can have your free report on your Web site for people to download when they subscribe to your newsletter or buy something from your site. You can use them just as effectively off-line as well. Offer your free reports in your print advertising, give them to your salespeople, and mention them in your radio and television commercials.

When you’re writing your reports give a detailed explanation of the benefits and uses of your product or service. Talk about why your business is unique. Describe how it will make your prospect’s life better. Cite some uses for your products or service that your customers may not have realized.

Then contact a dozen or so of your customers, and ask them what they feel are the best uses for your product or service. Ask them how it saves them money, makes them money, makes their time more efficient, or gives them more success.

If you interview a dozen customers, you may get nine different answers. With some of the interviews, you may want to edit their answers to only one or two paragraphs. With others, you may use a whole page. The point to keep in mind is that you want to showcase the best and most innovative ways your customers are using your product or benefiting from your service.

This is a powerful technique because you are writing in real emotion-filled words how people feel about your product or service. This will connect with the reader, your prospective customer, and move him or her to action.

Writing a report will give you and your salespeople the most convincing list of sales points and benefits you’ve ever had. The material in your report won’t be what you want to tell people about your product or service, rather, it will be from your actual customers and what they care about.

Your reports will also give you a higher appreciation for the value your product or service, or company brings to someone’s life. Perhaps, the single most important benefit of writing a report is that it will give you a better idea of who your customers are and what they really value.

If you’re not a good writer and not very comfortable writing a report, there are some excellent software programs that make it very easy to write a report that looks professionally done. Or you could hire a free-lance writer to put your report together for you.

Writing a report is a valuable tool no matter how long you’ve been in business. They are great marketing tools and it doesn’t take a lot of sweat or anxiety to write a report. The most important reason to write reports is that you’ll have a volume of beneficial information for your prospects.

Copyright © 2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development.

Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America’s largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

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Productivity Improvements

Productivity: So Many Small Things
By Robert Abbott

We rarely see stories or articles about productivity in the newspaper or on TV. When we do, it’s usually just another story on the economy that defies understanding.

Which is too bad. Our prosperous standard of living arrived, in large part, because of the ability of companies and organizations everywhere, and for the past several hundred years, to increase productivity.

Productivity simply refers to how much labor or money it takes to create a product or service. If a carpenter can build one house in one month, then the carpenter’s productivity is one house per month. If the carpenter gets new tools or new ideas and does the job more quickly, his productivity goes up.

Every time productivity goes up, the carpenter’s standard of living goes up, too (generally speaking). Here’s another example of how productivity works:

Suppose a British company discovers how to make steel products just a tiny, tiny bit harder. Then a company in the U.S.A. uses this process to make ball bearings that last an average of 423 days rather than 420 days, when they're used in truck axles.

A trucking company that hauls washing machines from Mexico City to Montreal, Canada buys trucks with these better bearings. That means it can haul a load for a few dollars less. In turn, this means the cost of each washer goes down by a few cents.

But, what's a few cents less when you're paying hundreds of dollars for a new washer? What's more, you'd probably observe that you only need a new washing machine once every fifteen or twenty years.

That’s true, but this productivity improvement is just one of the many millions of small improvements we’ve seen since the Industrial Revolution (and some improvements even predate that period).

We also need to remember a couple of other points. First, productivity improvements have a cumulative effect, which is to say they build on each other to multiply the gains. Second, productivity has increased at an unprecedented rate for the past half century.

The most obvious example sits on your desk: a personal computer. Not too many years ago, we prepared letters on a typewriter, one letter at a time. Now, using a computer and word processor, we can select a stock letter from a collection that covers most common issues, add a name and address using mail merge, send the document to the printer, and in seconds a completed letter lands on our desk.

The personal computer, though, is simply the tip of an iceberg. Almost everything mechanical or electrical works better or works faster than its counterpart of 50 years ago. We haven't heard about most of those improvements on the news, for obvious reasons. Individually, they meant little except to people who were directly affected; but collectively they've revolutionized the way we work and live.

Robert F. Abbott is the author of the forthcoming book, Ownership Revolution: How Working People are Buying Up Big Business, from which this article is taken. If you contribute to a pension fund, mutual fund, or whole life insurance policy, you're probably one of the new owners of the big corporations. Find out more at www.TheNewOwners.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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The Motivated Mind
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The secrets can now be yours.
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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
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From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
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--------------------

Under Promise and Over Deliver?

We Got It Wrong: Never Under Promise & Over Deliver
By Debbie Jenkins

You know how it is, you believe something for so long, everyone agrees with you, all the books tell you it's true and then suddenly you have a blinding revelation - we've all been duped! You know like my gorilla mates were? (If you're not sure about my gorilla mates then you really need to read the book - we've got a great offer on at the moment!)

And you feel such a chump - how did I ever fall for that - the logic just isn't there - I must have been a fool. Let me explain.

"Under Promise & Over Deliver"

You know the old saying "Under Promise & Over Deliver"? - well, here's the idea behind it.

Buyers these days are ever more ready to complain when something isn't to their liking (yes, even in the UK!) Customers are prepared to walk if you don't deliver when you said you would. Clients are mobile and promiscuous and will change supplier if they can get better service.

So in order to meet these demands, for the last 20 years or so, we've all been applying the mantra "Under Promise & Over Deliver" - for example, tell them the job that'll take 10 days will take 12 and then wow them when you deliver ahead of schedule.

Now, in theory this sounds great - your client can't fail to be impressed at your over delivery! Or can they?

Big Mistake

Now, think about it for a little longer. Mr client comes along and you promise to deliver the project by 2pm on Tuesday, even though you know you can get it finished by Friday. Hey, that gives you the weekend to reflect, Monday morning to add the polish and you can deliver it on Monday afternoon. A great under-promised and over-delivered job! But what actually happens?

The client is delighted - you delivered a day early. But then Mr Client has a few fleeting thoughts; did this mean it wasn't such a complicated project as you'd said? Or could you have actually got it finished by Friday? Perhaps you've over charged him?

Because he's happy you did what you said and within the time scale, he pushes his doubts to the back of his mind.

However, the client now learns to "expect" (that's his job) the service you created in your fantastic under promised way. So, he gives you another project. You give him a timescale and price, again under-promising so you can confidently over deliver with a big smile on your face. The client remembers his thoughts from the last project and asks you to "try a bit harder" on the timescale. You do, because hey, you like the guy. He was really grateful last time.

And so, the next time Mr Client asks you to do something he expects it to be done as fast and efficient and for the same price as before - now he won't be impressed by your over-delivery - this is just his expectation.

And sadly, when you deliver on time and in budget, Mr Client wonders why it took so long. He wonders if he pushed a little harder he could get your price down or your timescale shortened. And he pushes, and he pushes...

You've taught your client that you can do it faster than you've told him. The doubts are there. He wonders if you've lied to him! The shame of it!

And what happens if something goes wrong - if you can't deliver in the real timescale - or the price escalates? Or someone lets you down, or the goalposts change?

The Issues

Now, the issues are a little more wide ranging than the example above.

Some of our clients are even saying that these days in order to get a chance of winning work they have to make big promises (and then work out how to deliver on them ;-)

Quite often the client needs to do her bit to make the project run well - and she'll have her own clients and other things to do!

Increasingly, you're not working on a project in isolation, there may be other suppliers in the equation

This can all lead to dissatisfaction for everyone involved.

So, What's The Answer

Well, taking everything into account, you still need to make promises to your customers, but the answer is in the details. The answer lies in understanding what's important to the client and working with the client to make sure that you can deliver on that. Then over deliver on something you have complete control over.

In our course "Coaches Can!" we talk about the difference between control and influence.

So before I let you into our secret, I'd just like to clarify the difference between Control & Influence. To me, misunderstanding the difference between that which you can control and that which you can merely influence is the biggest reason for client disappointment and feelings of failure.

Control VS Influence (Outcomes and Intentions)

That which is beyond your immediate and complete manipulation is not, whether we like it or not, within our control. So what is within our control?

* Our Emotions and Motivation (although not all of us accept this)
* Our Response To Outside Influences (although not all of us accept this either)
* The Direction We Take In Life
* Every Action We Take
* The Way We Communicate
* What We Say and Do and Promise
* What We Choose To Believe or Ignore
* Inanimate Objects & Tools We Use

Everything else that is outside of us (especially other animals/humans) we can only influence. Here are some examples of things you can only influence...

* Whether Someone Likes You
* Whether People Will Buy
* What Other People Find Important
* Whether People Believe You
* Convincing Someone of Something
* Getting Someone to Do Something (even if you're a hypnotist)

Sure, you can exert enough influence that it seems like control. If someone held a gun to your head, they could probably influence you to do a lot of things. But despite that, they couldn't get you to think different things or feel differently about something because they still only have influence.

Finally, there are some things we have no direct control or influence over... such as the weather, space, time, where we start out in life, but there's no benefit dwelling on the things we cannot do - because it's more empowering to focus on what we can do.

The Solution

You cannot control how your clients feel, but you can influence this. You need to concentrate on explaining the value, rather than the cost. Understanding their real requirements, rather than the standard trotted out time and budget ones. You need to work out what you are in control of and what you can merely influence. And then you need to Over Promise & Deliver on the Promise on those things that are in your control.

Simple ;-)

Speak Soon,

'Dangerous' Debbie Jenkins
mailto:debs@debbiejenkins.com

(c) Copyright 2005 www.BookShaker.com

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
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From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Sell Your Professional Opinion

Be Bold, Branded, and Bespoke - Your Customers Want You to Choose By Doug Emerson

I had been working on a logo idea for several weeks before I finally realized that it would take from several months to never before I came up with something that would work for me. Scanning the Internet for sites that resembled Logos 'R Us, I found one that had a portfolio that I liked. I contracted for 10 logo ideas figuring that there would be at least one that would suit me.

Presto, just like the site said, I had ten ideas in my e-mail box four days later. Gathering input from others, the field was narrowed to one by me. I needed an expert opinion to reassure me, however. I had veteran advertising executive Bill Wheeler take a look at all ten with no other instructions than which one do you like?

To my relief, he liked the same one I did. Unlike me, as an experienced professional he had no problem rattling off the reasons why it would be a good choice.

Choice is what this article is about. Sometimes our customers and clients are looking for a variety of choices; Baskin Robbins offers 31 flavors for a reason. Other times our customers are looking for an answer, a recommendation, a professional opinion. Bill told me a story about how his former business partner, also very experienced with logos and tag lines, would present his logo ideas to clients.

His partner would spend hours on ideas for logos and tag lines and over time, with the aid of years of experience, would come up with the best logo and tag line concept to present to his client.

After presenting the logo and tag line, a client once asked him, " That certainly is a great design, but what other ideas did you come up with?"

The partner paused then responded, " I have put a great deal of work into this design. This is the best. Would you like me to get ideas numbered two through five out of the wastebasket to show you?"

The English have specialty tailors they define as bespoke tailors. Bespoke means "made to order". You get a suit cut just for you.

Bill's business partner was a bespoke logo and tag line designer. Offering too many choices is like putting your customer in a candy store, Bill said. Everything looks good to me in a candy store, too.

In your business, are you offering 31 flavors for products and services that should be bespoke?

The next time you want to close the sale, try starting your closing statement with: “In my professional opinion . . .”

Customers love conviction and courage.

Doug Emerson trains consults and coaches business owners on how to make more profit in less time using 8 key strategies. He writes a free electronic newsletter about the business of life called Getting to the Point. Free subscription available at the homepage. http://www.douglasemerson.com

---

The Motivated Mind
Discover the Secrets to Getting and Staying Motivated
to Change Your Life and Achieve Your Dreams.
The Motivated Mind is a new, step-by-step guide
that will teach you how to get everything you want in life.
The secrets can now be yours.
The Motivated Mind

---

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
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From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Check Your Market First

"New business? Check your market first"
by Cathy Goodwin

You've held a job for ten, fifteen even 20 years. But now you're ready to make a change. Or maybe your company has changed and you no longer feel you belong comfortably.

So you explore the option of a Second (or third or fourth) career..., which means upgrading your resume, making the interview rounds, and finding a new cubicle with another corporate title.

Right?

Maybe not.

For many readers, a Second Career turns out to be a business. Going solo can make more sense than mailing a new round of resumes. If your industry disappears, you're leaving a high-profile job, or you've risen through the ranks, self-employment can be your most realistic option. If you're working for an organization, it's never too early to start asking, "What will I if my job goes away - or I decide to run away from my job?" Once you begin moving in this direction - even in a small way - you'll most likely develop momentum and become really creative. But - what can you do? That's the Number 1 Challenge, my clients tell me.

1. Find a need. As you move through your day, listen for comments like, "I wish I had . . ." Or, "I wish I could find . . ."

Many business writers believe your first step should be finding a need -- not listing your own skills. Marsha Sinetar talks about a man who started a roommate-matching service - after searching for his own roommate to share a nice but expensive house. And according to Tom Stanley, one entrepreneur found success when he realized he could make a lot more money selling truck parts than selling used trucks.

2. Look for opportunities when a marketplace changes.

In Silver City, New Mexico, where I spent several years, some old-timers can't bring themselves to pay three dollars for coffee "with stuff in it." Ten years ago, they tell me, they washed their own dogs and mowed their own lawns. Today, people from New York, California and Chicago want double-shot lattes, dog groomers and lawn care services - and they expect to pay.

Nationally, the career marketplace has changed, as displaced executives recognize that career change skills differ from career growth skills. I find senior managers increasingly seek career consulting - and they're very direct about what they want.

And some companies have moved their writing in-house, adding jobs for writers. Others have cut back on permanent staff and now use more freelancers.

3. Focus on delivery and demand.

When clients consider starting a business - even going into freelancing - they begin with, "Where do I get startup capital?" and "What kind of licenses and insurance will I need?"

These questions are critical - but the answers will be straightforward.

Your real challenge is to identify a market that will pay for what you have to offer.

For example, one client wanted to target medium-sized businesses with a service that would save millions of dollars. Almost any company would benefit, she said. "As soon as they see the numbers, they'll get really excited."

But would they? It's tough to sell yourself in a crowded niche market - but if nobody's interested, you're facing an uphill battle. Convincing customers they have a need can be harder than demonstrating that you fill a need more effectively than the competition.

Once you've identified the market, you have to decide how you'll build relationships and deliver services. You may have a brilliant idea that uses your unique skills - but nobody wants to pay.

Or you may find a creative way to deliver a mundane service. Malcolm Gladwell describes an accountant who found financial success selling donuts to offices, collecting money through an honor system.

In my experience, when clients get excited about reaching a market, the insurance, taxes and licensing chores begin to seem manageable - even effortless.

The big challenge lies in identifying customers who will pay for what you have to offer.

***********************************************

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., helps midlife professionals create small, medium and huge career changes, start a business or start over.

Fr^e Report: Ten secrets of managing a major life change.
mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com
21 days to an Extreme Career Makeover
www.cathygoodwin.com/21days
Contact cathy@cathygoodwin.com or call 206-819-0989

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"Imagine how your life would change if you could put it on AUTOPILOT and reach all of your goals automatically!"

Now you can with "The Power of Positive Habits," the new book that #1 NY Times best-selling authors Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, John Gray Ph.D. are all raving about!

Read this book and discover:
. How you can "Improve Your Health" Automatically!
. How you can "Achieve Greater Success" Automatically!
. How you can "Lose Weight" Automatically!
. How you can "Lower your Cholesterol" Automatically!
. How you can "Reduce your Cancer risks" Automatically
and much, much more!

Order this program now. Start plotting the auto pilot course to your dreams! 100% Money Back, Satisfaction Guaranteed As Usual

The Power Of Positive Habits

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Narrow Focus For Success

Focus to Succeed
By John Jacobs

If you have a lot of ideas for various products or ways of marketing your product, the way to success is to focus your efforts. You may be very creative and have many ideas for new products or ideas for marketing your product. If you have a lot of ideas, you must learn to focus your efforts on the most profitable and viable ideas that you have.

Being able to focus your attention on the most productive activity is a key to success.

Multi-tasking is a buzz word that gets a lot of attention these days. When you are building a business, you can only successfully work on a few things at a time. Having a lot of ideas can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you treat the ideas.

Don’t become too attached to your ideas. Analyze them with the business part of your mind (left brain). Step away from the idea for a new product and ask hard question about how many people will buy it, how much will it cost to produce it, sell it, and promote it? What resources do you have to produce and market this product?

It is not easy to be objective about your own ideas. You may want to ask others their opinion. Most ideas seem like they are the best idea ever, when you first think of them. If you are going to make an idea a successful reality, it takes a lot of time and effort. If you start with a flawed idea, you can waste years of time trying to make that idea work.

Maybe you have what you think is a great idea for a product but you do not have the money needed to buy equipment or raw materials to make that product. You can borrow money from banks or private sources, or you can look for investors. If you look for money for your idea, you will need to do the research that will prove to others that your idea will be profitable.

You should do this kind of research even if you finance the project yourself. If you do enough research to prove to others that an idea will work, you will have a much better chance of success.

Bounce your ideas off of others. Don’t just present them to people with your own taste. Get feedback from people with different likes and consider what they have to say. Ultimately the decision is yours concerning which items you are going to make and sell, but you may receive some valuable input from someone which will help you to sell a lot more products. Some designers believe that if they consider input from others, they will not be making something totally original.

I am not advocating copying someone else’s idea and calling it your own. But if you want to make money, you have to do what smart business people do. You have to get as much information as you can and make good decisions about what products to make and market. Your products are the foundation for making money with your designs.

The time spent up front to research the potential market for your product is time well spent and will make the difference between making lots of money or being a “starving artist”.

Look at your ideas for products and your possible avenues for marketing those ideas objectively. If you have identified what you believe will be good saleable products, be sure that you are not trying to do work on too many products that are very different in nature. For instance, if you are making beaded jewelry, it is fine to make necklaces, bracelets, earring, or other jewelry item that compliment each other.

The problem comes when you try to do jewelry and other products that are unrelated at the same time. If you can build your jewelry business to where you have people making and marketing your jewelry, then you could start your interior design products line.

Focusing on one product line at a time and how you sell it. This is an essential key to making money with your products. Once you are successful at selling your first line, you can expand your market and increase your sales by selling your product in different ways. Do this and you will have a good foundation for success.

John and Kay Jacobs have been successfully making and selling their own products for 15 years. They operate a booming internet business selling stone beads and pearls. Their experiences selling at wholesale and retail shows and on the internet gives them an excellent insight into successfully making and selling hand-made products. More information for success can be found at http://www.pizazzworks.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Jacobs

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The Motivated Mind
Discover the Secrets to Getting and Staying Motivated
to Change Your Life and Achieve Your Dreams.
The Motivated Mind is a new, step-by-step guide
that will teach you how to get everything you want in life.
The secrets can now be yours.
The Motivated Mind

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Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
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Tell Stories That Sell!

If You Want To Get More Customers, Here's 10 Powerful Stories To Improve Your Ads By Scott Bywater

Remember, as a child lying in bed and listening to stories. Remember how engaged you were. Remember how you never got bored of them and always wanted to learn more.

Well, there's a good reason why... and here's how what you learnt as a young child could help you attract, and keep more customers...

Metaphors and stories have proven to be a powerful way of influencing other people. They are also extremely interesting to your potential customer, and connect with a deeper part of the human psyche.

Here’s 10 of the most powerful types of sales stories you can incorporate into your ads and sales letters…

1. Introductory Stories: These are stories about who you are, why you’re writing to them, and how you have assisted other people and/or businesses.

This is a perfect way to connect with your target audience and generate rapport. Reveal something personal about yourself within the story… and establish credibility and trust.

2. Stories Which Overcome Fears: Everyone has fears of some type. Identify the greatest fears and concerns your customer has. And then show how other people… just like them… who had the same concerns… overcame them, and discovered there was nothing to worry about.

If you’re selling a health product, the client may be concerned it will not work for them. Tell the story of somebody else who felt the same and where they are now. Perhaps incorporate this structure within one of your testimonials.

This is a classic “Feel… Felt… Found” approach. I understand how you feel. My previous customer used to feel the same way. His experience now is…

3. Ego-Enhancing Stories: This type of story shows how people respect and look up to people who use your services, or own your product.

For example, if you were selling a Mercedes Benz… you could talk about a guy who bought one recently and how his colleagues, family and friends were so impressed.

4. Attention Grabbing Stories: These are used to get people to focus on you, your products and how you can benefit them. They explain why your customer should sit up and listen to you… right now.

Here’s an example from a sales letter from a company called “The Supper Club…”

“How can I get in on this deal?”

The question was posed by a Daily Reckoning reader who was referring to a deal I mentioned. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a stock. It was a private deal. And it was too late to get in anyway.

But it’s why I’m writing you today.

5. Product Information Stories: Don’t just list the features & benefits of your product or service. Tell a story which integrates this information.

6. Improved Productivity Stories: Outline exactly how your services and/or products have assisted companies to increase their profits, become more efficient, increase output and reduce down time.

Tell a before and after story of one of your customers. You’ll never guess how much (other customers) business has changed since they started working with us…

7. Family Togetherness Stories: This type of story demonstrates how your product or services has caused families to come together.

8. Money Stories: The idea here is to show people how your product or service will save or make money for your customers.

For example, if you’re a mortgage broker, give a case study of a past customer… and how much money they have saved through swapping over to you.

If you’re a PR company, give an example of how you helped one company get out of a rut

If you’re an accountant, reflect on how you helped a specific customer save thousands of dollars on tax last year… because you’re up to date on all the tax changes.

9. Security Stories: This is a prime example of how you would go about selling an insurance policy. Tell a story about how your products have allowed your customers to sleep safely, and with peace of mind.

This could be used in the insurance industry, alarms, people selling trusts, pest and termite controllers, safe cars like Volvos… or any industry where people buy to feel more secure.

At the same time, it could be used for anybody who helps people to make more money… or ensures reliability. For instance, a marketing company could explain how safe one of their clients feels about their business with all the extra income being generated.

10. Closing Stories: Stories can be used here to close the sale and sum up all the benefits you have to offer.

What stories could you use to promote your business?

All the best,

Scott Bywater
Copywriting That SELLS
Level 12 / 418a Elizabeth Street
Surry Hills, NSW, Australia
1300 88 21 91 / + 61 2 9282 6445

Visit my web site for your complimentary copy of my ebook (valued at $29.95) and free subscription to my ezine "Copywriting Selling Secrets" where you'll discover how to write ads and sales letters that sell. And one's which put money in your pocket over and over and over again.

Here's the address: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

Don't muck around. Go there now. You'll be glad you did!

P.S. These stories can also be used extremely effectively through any type of communication: sales, customer service, etc, and not just sales letters.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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"Imagine how your life would change if you could put it on AUTOPILOT and reach all of your goals automatically!"

Now you can with "The Power of Positive Habits," the new book that #1 NY Times best-selling authors Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, John Gray Ph.D. are all raving about!

Read this book and discover:
. How you can "Improve Your Health" Automatically!
. How you can "Achieve Greater Success" Automatically!
. How you can "Lose Weight" Automatically!
. How you can "Lower your Cholesterol" Automatically!
. How you can "Reduce your Cancer risks" Automatically
and much, much more!

Order this program now. Start plotting the auto pilot course to your dreams! 100% Money Back, Satisfaction Guaranteed As Usual

The Power Of Positive Habits

---

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
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