The Next Level

Note from the Editor

Welcome to the latest issue of The Next Level - I'm glad you're here!

It's been a very busy month here - we've recently relocated, but we're finally settling in! We've moved from the Denver area into Southern Colorado - closer to family & friends, & back into a much more relaxed atmosphere. It's amazing all the small businesses that have cropped up within the last few years. This has been an area notorious for slow job growth & self employement really wasn't even taken into consideration by locals... I'm impressed!

I also made some time this month to listen in on Robert Middleton's monthly free Action Plan Marketing teleclass... I wish I'd been doing it all along! He gave a lot of information in such a short time period.. my brain is still reeling from all the new info! If you have a moment to check out his site, Action Plan Marketing, and read through some of his free products, you'll see what I mean. Even as a reader of the InfoGuru Manual, I still learned quite a bit from the teleclass... while you're there, sign up for next months'!

The feature article this month is all about selling; because so many of us seem to fear the sales side of business. You don't have to do it the old way - so read the article Shut Up and Sell for the easy way to sell - without pressure or any hype.

Enjoy!.

Warm Regards,
Erin Banister
TrinityJacobs - Your Personal Virtual Assistant

TrinityJacobs - Your Personal Virtual Assistant has room for two more clients! Please email us today at info@trinityjacobs.com to schedule your FREE no-obligation consultation!

Featured Resource

Easy Bake Weblogs

There's a blogging mastermind in our midst, and his name is Andy Wibbles.

If you know nothing about blogging, or if you are a seasoned pro, this is a must-have resource. I've learned so much from Easy Bake Weblogs... and Andy provided all this useful information in an easy to understand format.

I highly recommend this resource for anyone who's blogging or wants to blog! Check it out today!

Ask Erin...

Question:

I have been hearing about this new thing called blogging, what is it and how can it benefit me? Is it something that replaces my newsletter?
Amanda D., VA

A blog is a website that uses specialized software so that the owner (you) can frequently update a website with topics that relate to yourself, your industry, or your business. A blog can be used by anyone – major corporations to inform their readers of new happenings within the business, by executives & employees within these companies, small business owners to showcase their businesses, and individuals to vent their opinions or even just as a diary. Blogging is gaining in popularity for many reasons – and for the small business owner it is a good, cheap marketing tool for your business. In your blog, you can run promotions, post articles related to your business and industry, and reach a wide audience to tell them about you, your business, and how you can help them.

While a blog can replace your newsletter, it’s not a route I would recommend. People are regularly searching the blogosphere (definition: all the blogs you can find on the internet) looking for content that they’re interested in. People usually don’t go searching for newsletters, but they do search for blogs. Ezines and newsletters are great for keep-in-touch marketing (keeping contact with past, present, and future potential clients), but oftentimes they lack a ‘personality’. Your blog is where you can let your business personality shine – without alienating your valuable ezine readers.

The only prerequisite for your blog is your ability to post. After a while you’ll get into the groove of blogging – writing isn’t really an issue once you’re used to it. You do, however, need to frequently update your blog – whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly – because no one subscribes to a blog that isn’t updated. If you don’t have the time to put in the effort, don’t create one. BUT, if you can make the time to blog, you will quickly start reaping the benefits of your blog, even if it’s just traffic, or subscribers – you’ll be getting your business AND your brand known – and that is worth more than the time and money that you put into it.

If this sounds a bit difficult, it’s not as hard as you think. There are many programs to help you blog (many of which you don’t have to even install on your server – i.e. Blogger, TypePad & Moveable Type); my favorite happens to be WordPress. WordPress is an open-source (meaning it’s free, and always will be) blogging tool that you can install on your server. Of all the advantages to having a blog on your server (and connected directly to your site) is that it is always driving qualified leads to your site. They won’t come to your blog haphazardly – they are LOOKING for what you’re saying. It’s great for your traffic – and even better for business leads. Many servers have one-click installation of wordpress – so make sure to check your server!

I’ve really only scratched the surface of the blogging topic. If you’d like more information, one of my favorite blogging resources is Andy Wibbles’ Easy Bake Weblogs – by far one of the most comprehensive blogging resources I’ve come across… and Andy is a blogging guru – so learn all you can from him.

Onward and Upward!

Erin

P.S. Make sure to check out our TrinityJacobs' blog, Behind the Scenes!

Have a question for Erin? Send your questions to Erin about virtual assistance, business, or marketing topics, and you may be in a future issue of The Next Level!

Is your marketing budget a little tight?

A wonderful new ebook - Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips For The Frugal Marketer has finally been released!

I was waiting on the release of this book for some time, partially because a colleague of mine wrote it, and also because I haven't seen anything quite like it on the market!

The book has been WAAAY above my expectations - many of the tips I was able to implement immediately, and I've already begun to see results!

Making Dollars Out of Cents is currently only 12.95 - but this is only for the first 100 buyers, so check it out and get it before the price increases!

Click Here to Read More about Making Dollars Out Of Cents: 101 Tips For the Frugal Marketer

Shut Up And Sell!

Predatory salespeople are everywhere –from the department stores to car sales. Time and time again we’ve seen these salespeople hunt like hounds trying to get their next sale, the next big commission. “Sell at all costs!” “Don’t let them say no!”

No wonder we’re afraid of selling. We don’t want to hunt people down, we don’t want to take their money without consent, and we don’t want to sell them something they don’t need.

You Don’t Have to Do That!

Those salespeople have it all wrong. You don’t have to pressure anyone to get a sale. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that you don’t even want those people who succumb easily to sales pressure. You want these people to know what they’re getting, up front, and have no remorse over the buying process.

The informed consumer is the repeat consumer.

I’ll give you an example: Several years ago, I was in communications with a business person who had some very specific needs. (And very specific questions.) Over the course of several months we communicated via email and telephone several times a week. We weren’t even talking about costs – we were talking about the schematics of working with a virtual business. “How would we do x virtually?” “Can Y be virtual, or would there have to be some physical correspondence involved?” “Is Z possible in a virtual situation, and if so, how does it work?”

This gentleman was really doing his homework. And I really didn’t mind. We were building a great rapport, he was generating referrals for my business, and he was learning a great deal about the virtual assistance industry. All his questions were valid – I had no problem answering a question that would have taken him too much time to find the answer on his own.

After about six months of correspondence, he finally signed a contract with me. We agreed upon a five-year term (almost unheard of within the VA industry), during which time he would continue to generate referrals for my business. He’s still working with me to this day, seven years later.

He was informed and comfortable in his decision – and this made all the difference.

So the moral of the story is this – shut up, listen, and answer your consumers’ questions.

There are only three steps to selling – none of which have anything to do with a pushing anyone into buying.

In order to sell, you have to connect!

Primarily, you have to connect with a person - you want to be talking with someone not at them. Build rapport. Ask them about their business, their situation, and listen whole-heartedly. You need to figure out where they are in their situation, and use this Q&A time to help you formulate responses to cater to their needs. Don’t forget to take notes!

Now talk a little about their expectations of the relationship. If you’re a coach, for example, ask them how they expect coaching to help them within the next three months. Ask them how they expect the coaching relationship to work. Ask lots of ‘why’ questions – they’ll help you more later. (“Why do you feel you need a coach?” “Why do you want to achieve x?”)

After you’ve talked about their expectations, tell them the reality of your business. Tell them specific outcomes you can help them achieve, and present case studies if possible. In all matters, be honest. Don’t over-hype anything… be straight and they’ll appreciate you for it.

Now you can persuade

Now is your turn to talk. Talk about their problems. Take their expectations and their situation and tell them their problems in your own words. If you understand their situation, they will be able to tell. Don’t fake concern or empathy – but do be understanding of their needs. Speak of their problems as if they asked you a ‘why’ question – “You need x, y, & z because you need a & b to function appropriately for outcome N”.

Also talk about their outcomes in your own words “If I understand, you need x, y, & z; and you want ABC to happen because of it, correct?” The more your relay your competence of their situation, the more comfortable they’ll be with you. Approach this as you would approach an elementary school student with a difficult math question – rephrase so you both understand, and make sure you have ALL the elements. Without all the elements, you can’t fully understand their needs.

Once you’re comfortable with their needs and desired outcomes, present your solution. DO NOT use a canned ‘solution statement’, you truly need to cater all your responses to their specific needs. Speak of their future, your future, and how they intertwine. You want this to be seen as a group effort – not just a one-sided deal. You can’t possibly solve all their problems, but you are always on their side. Let them know your vested interest, and they’ll appreciate it.

Let’s not close – let’s agree

Now that you’ve talked with them about their needs, how you can help, and any other items that need discussion, you should be ready to come to an agreement. You should both agree by now that their needs and your solution are a good fit. If you don’t feel you’re a good fit, move on.

Make them an offer. Tell them how you intend on helping them, how you plan to work together, and how long you plan to work together. DO NOT discuss money until this point.
(If the question arises beforehand, don’t evade the question, but don’t give them a precise estimate. I’ve always used the phrase “We need to cover some more information before I can give you a solid quote because pricing is based on individual needs”. Give a ballpark estimate if necessary.) Go over your pricing & procedures, and offer to send them a formal proposal & contract. You’re done!

As you can see, selling isn’t what you think it is. No one wants to talk to a pushy salesperson, and now you have the tools to be an effective salesperson. Just remember to prepare, relax, shut up and sell!

Katrina has struck - what now?

Hurricane Katrina has devastated the Gulf Coast area of the US... Biloxi, Mississippi has been obliterated, New Orleans is under 5 feet of sewage water, and millions of people have been displaced from their homes, their businesses, their lives.

This will be an ongoing effort to rebuild the home of Jazz & Marti Gras, to bring the history & life back into the area, and to help those who have suddenly been displaced from their lives.

Give to the American Red Cross. Give to Operation Blessing. Give to the Baton Rouge Area Relief Funds. Give to someone - I don't care who - just help those are in need. We did it for the Tsunami, now let's do it for America as well.

And, if you've already given, thank you.

Are you tired of searching for sites to submit your articles to?

Check out TrinityJacobs' article submission sites list, the most comprehensive FREE resource on the internet of various websites and listservs that accept article submissions!

Or, if you're just sick of the whole process, you can send your articles to TJ and we'll submit them for you. Look at Article Submission Services for more information. Or just email me directly - article_submission@trinityjacobs.com

BONUS:

Mention The Next Level and get 15% off your first article submission! Act now, the offer expires November 13, 2005!

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