Casual Articles - Internet and Businesses Online

Top 3 Fatal Sales Mistakes: What Not to Do to Succeed in Sales!
Over the past few weeks, I've found myself on the receiving end of a series of particularly heinous sales techniques - all of which were aimed at getting through a gatekeeper to a decision maker, and all of which ended disastrously for the sales reps involved.I firmly believe that, to improve our skills and the relationships we have with our prospects and clients, it's just as important to know what not to do as it is to know what to do. In that spirit, I decided to recount and dissect these painful experiences, in the hope of sharing with you where these sales people went so wrong - and what they could've done instead!One word of warning: while I've chosen not to use any names in order to protect the potentially innocent companies who may be employing these sales reps (and may not be aware of the "techniques" they are using), the stories you're about to read are, unfortunately, all true. Viewer discretion is definitely advised…#1: The case of the anonymous acquaintanceFirst, a couple of weeks ago, I received a magazine article in the mail that detailed the benefits to sales people of taking a public speaking course. On second look, I saw that the article was actually an advertorial, complete with a registration form for the course at the end.Attached to the piece was a post-it with a handwritten note which read: “Colleen, I thought you would find this interes

is quite a bit more powerful than what's currently available for marketers to use.

However, I *will* be allowing others to use my testing and tracking "system" very soon! I've had many of my Internet marketing friends BEG ME to come out with a service with it, so I am *finally* going to do it.

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...

3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I finally decided to run a true split test with one of my sites to see how a version WITHOUT the header graphic would do against the original version. Almost all marketers online are using pretty header graphics across the top of their direct marketing "mini sites" -- myself included! I just "assumed" someone had originally TESTED it and found it to produce more sales than just having a sales letter with no graphic.

I was wrong -- and so a

Returnable Plastic Packaging: Thermoformed Plastic Trays and Pallets - 10 Money Saving Tips
Heavy gauge thermoforming is as much a staple to the returnable plastic packaging industry as Chevy is to General Motors. It's always been there, not known for its cutting edge design but more because it is solid, durable, and dependable. Thermoforming plastic trays and pallets can also be misunderstood. It remains one of the longest lasting and reasonably priced returnable packaging products available yet customers are reluctant to try it. Why?Research has shown that many people assume plastic trays and pallets made via heavy gauge thermoforming have the same high priced tooling as injection molding. Further, many folks are convinced the tooling takes just as long to produce. This is not true. Returnable plastic trays and pallets come with a moderate tooling charge (usually less than $7500) and can be made in 4 weeks or less, depending on the design.Here are 10 tips regarding thermoformed plastic trays and pallets your salesman would rather you not know about:1. Provide the actual product you need packaged to your supplier. This allows the supplier to see, touch, and feel the product and design the plastic tray or plastic pallet accordingly. You’ll get a better initial design and a firmer price quote.2. Assess if your actual product can be stacked upon and support weight. If this is possible, your returnable plastic trays will not need to be as deep which

I have really enjoyed helping other entrepreneurs, and I will continue to teach people how to succeed online -- which is why I started MarketingSecrets.com.

Here are a few things that I recently shared in my first ever formal seminar presentation:

1. All of your marketing online must be designed for IDIOTS.

A lot of people laughed when I showed them a slide saying how the "secret" demographic for Internet Marketing success was that 98% of people online were idiots. But it's the truth.

In order to achive maximum RESULTS you must design your marketing so a complete idiot will know EXACTLY what you want them to do.

Don't create pages with a bunch of OPTIONS for people to take. Give people 1 or 2 options. Period. The more options, links, buttons, etc. you give people, the more likely you are to not have prospects take the desired actions you want them to take.

Internet Marketing success (just like Direct Marketing) is all about one thing -- RESULTS. Nothing else matters.

So your task is to get your prospects to do what you want them to -- click a certain link, download a particular file, or get them to submit a form -- like an optin form, or an order form, or a survey.

But in order to get the MAXIMUM number of prospects to take that "call to action" that you want them to take, you must make it BRAIN DEAD SIMPLE. If you do, you'll get more people opt-ing in. And, oh yeah, you'll also get more orders.

Now I know what you're thinking...

"John, this is common sense."

Yes, it is. But you know what? 99% of marketers online are currently using marketing that's too complicated.

They are also trying to use too much GUESSWORK to run their businesses. Which leads me to something else I shared...

2. The *Real* Internet Profit Formula is this:

Part 1: YES or NO Part 2: MORE or LESS

That's it. Game. Set. Match. That's the entire formula for Internet Marketing success.

I know you probably want to be told it's some other "magical" formula that's more complicated, but it's not. That's *THE* actual formula to make as much money online as you want.

Here's how it works...

Every "call to action" you want a prospect to take (such as clicking a link, downloading a file, or submitting a form) must be tracked. The result of that tracking everytime will be YES or NO. "X" number of people did take that call to action, and the rest did not.

If you take the total number of unique "YES" calls to action, and you divide them by the total number of unique visitors to the web page where the call to action was you get a CONVERSION RATIO.

For example, if 100 people visit a web page where you have an opt-in form, and 10 people opt-in, your "conversion ratio" for that opt-in form is 10% (10/100).

Got it?

Then here's Part 2 of the process...

Now you create a slightly modified version of the web page where that opt-in form is (maybe you giveaway a different bonus if people opt-in, or call your ezine something else as a test, or use different colors on the page, etc.) and you run a SPLIT-TEST.

A split-test is simply where you will take your web site traffic and equally distribute them to two different web pages -- like the two opt-in pages, in this example. One is your original page, the second is the slightly modified version. It's basically like sending "every other" visitor to the other page. (I'll explain HOW to do all of this in a moment.)

You will track the results on each of these pages separately. When the results are in, and you calculate the "conversion ratio" for each, you will have a WINNER.

One of the pages will create MORE results ("YES"s) and the other page will create LESS.

You simply now start using the page that created MORE and you'll want to now test another version in a split-test against that version. You want to constantly try to improve upon your results.

The more you improve, the more money you make. It's just that simple.

I will teach you about some other testing methods in the near future, but for now you should have at least a basic grasp on why it's so important.

Ok, so HOW do you implement this?

Well, to be perfectly honest with you, there isn't a 100% "perfect" service that I can "highly" recommend you use -- because the existing ones have some problems that keep them from being 100% accurate.

But for now, using "something" is better than nothing. I recommend checking out "Clickalyzer" at: http://www.clickalyzer.com

You can use this service to start tracking the results of calls to action. You simply paste a little bit of code on the page where the call to action is, and then some other code on the "thank you" page of that call to action (or whatever page you serve next to people after they take the action).

This code simply creates a hidden "counter" that you can then take those numbers and do the math on to figure out your conversion ratios -- as I described above.

I'm not sure if Clickalyzer will allow you to run split tests or not -- I haven't used their service in ages. It didn't when I had tried it.

If that's the case, you should check out Marty Foley's "Split Test Gold" script at: http://profitinfo.com/catalog/v4/

Marty is a great marketer. I have known Marty for years. He has some other great stuff you might want to check out on his main site: http://www.profitinfo.com

I, personally, use my own proprietary technology (that I had programmed for my own use) to do my testing and tracking. What I use is quite a bit more powerful than what's currently available for marketers to use.

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...

3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I was wrong -- and so ar

How To Uncover Needs Or Wants Painlessly Using The JFA Funnel Technique
Working on the basis that you are dealing with the MAN (the person with the Money, the Authority and the Need) you must very quickly assess if you have a potential prospect or not. In other words can their needs be met by the products and services you have to offer. It may not always be obvious to the prospect that they can use your products but your industry experience tells you that they can. In this instance we are looking for an opportunity to uncover some needs. You cannot create needs - but you can uncover them.The key to uncovering needs lies in good questioning techniques. Questioning is a skill that requires much practice and concentration but once mastered serves you well because it allows you to:Sell Not TellMost emerging salespeople talk too much. They’re good talkers, they must be salespeople or all you need to be a salesperson is the gift of the gab, are often heard misnomers. Most prospects, at the sales stage, come to expect that a salesperson will probably talk at them, for too long and about very little, especially their needs. You want to do the unexpected with your prospects and sell not tell. Do remember that customers and prospects are most comfortable when they are part of the process and not part of the audience.ListenIf you are talking you are not listening! If you do not listen you will never find out enough infor

ople opt-ing in. And, oh yeah, you'll also get more orders.

Now I know what you're thinking...

"John, this is common sense."

Yes, it is. But you know what? 99% of marketers online are currently using marketing that's too complicated.

They are also trying to use too much GUESSWORK to run their businesses. Which leads me to something else I shared...

2. The *Real* Internet Profit Formula is this:

Part 1: YES or NO Part 2: MORE or LESS

That's it. Game. Set. Match. That's the entire formula for Internet Marketing success.

I know you probably want to be told it's some other "magical" formula that's more complicated, but it's not. That's *THE* actual formula to make as much money online as you want.

Here's how it works...

If you take the total number of unique "YES" calls to action, and you divide them by the total number of unique visitors to the web page where the call to action was you get a CONVERSION RATIO.

For example, if 100 people visit a web page where you have an opt-in form, and 10 people opt-in, your "conversion ratio" for that opt-in form is 10% (10/100).

Got it?

Then here's Part 2 of the process...

You will track the results on each of these pages separately. When the results are in, and you calculate the "conversion ratio" for each, you will have a WINNER.

One of the pages will create MORE results ("YES"s) and the other page will create LESS.

You simply now start using the page that created MORE and you'll want to now test another version in a split-test against that version. You want to constantly try to improve upon your results.

The more you improve, the more money you make. It's just that simple.

I will teach you about some other testing methods in the near future, but for now you should have at least a basic grasp on why it's so important.

Ok, so HOW do you implement this?

But for now, using "something" is better than nothing. I recommend checking out "Clickalyzer" at: http://www.clickalyzer.com

This code simply creates a hidden "counter" that you can then take those numbers and do the math on to figure out your conversion ratios -- as I described above.

I'm not sure if Clickalyzer will allow you to run split tests or not -- I haven't used their service in ages. It didn't when I had tried it.

If that's the case, you should check out Marty Foley's "Split Test Gold" script at: http://profitinfo.com/catalog/v4/

Marty is a great marketer. I have known Marty for years. He has some other great stuff you might want to check out on his main site: http://www.profitinfo.com

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...

3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I was wrong -- and so a

Secrets of Successful Negotiators
Persuasion occurs when your ideas are so convincing that the other party ends up adopting your point of view. With persuasion, there is no compromising as there is in negotiation. Rather, the other party willfully and enthusiastically abandons their position to embrace yours. This abandonment is not brought about by manipulation because the other party clearly sees the gains and advantages of doing business with you. Negotiation, on the other hand, is a process of give and take. It's being able to overcome objections on both sides of an issue and ultimately reaching some common ground. While persuasion is the ultimate ideal, anytime any one of us is presenting our ideas, the other party is often equally committed to their own convictions, thus making negotiation the next best path. Often when we hear the word "negotiation," we think of a complex deal going on in the business world. In reality, however, all of us are involved in multiple negotiation processes every day. For example, when you want steak but your spouse wants lasagna, you may banter back and forth about why one is better than the other. In the end, however, you end up going to a place that offers a bit of both. In that instance, you may not have thought of yourself as negotiating, but that's really what it was. Negotiation is so common in day-to-day life that you must

10/100).

Got it?

Then here's Part 2 of the process...

You will track the results on each of these pages separately. When the results are in, and you calculate the "conversion ratio" for each, you will have a WINNER.

One of the pages will create MORE results ("YES"s) and the other page will create LESS.

You simply now start using the page that created MORE and you'll want to now test another version in a split-test against that version. You want to constantly try to improve upon your results.

The more you improve, the more money you make. It's just that simple.

I will teach you about some other testing methods in the near future, but for now you should have at least a basic grasp on why it's so important.

Ok, so HOW do you implement this?

But for now, using "something" is better than nothing. I recommend checking out "Clickalyzer" at: http://www.clickalyzer.com

This code simply creates a hidden "counter" that you can then take those numbers and do the math on to figure out your conversion ratios -- as I described above.

I'm not sure if Clickalyzer will allow you to run split tests or not -- I haven't used their service in ages. It didn't when I had tried it.

If that's the case, you should check out Marty Foley's "Split Test Gold" script at: http://profitinfo.com/catalog/v4/

Marty is a great marketer. I have known Marty for years. He has some other great stuff you might want to check out on his main site: http://www.profitinfo.com

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...

3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I was wrong -- and so a

Six Sigma Software Tools
Six Sigma software tools augment the implementation of Six Sigma methodology by complimenting and sometimes substituting human efforts. Six Sigma software tools fill in the vacuum of additional needs by companies that are implementing the Six Sigma methodology.Six Sigma Software Tools - Features And SizeSix Sigma software tools are available in different modules covering various aspects of implementation. There is one comprehensive package on the market that covers the entire span of Six Sigma activities. However, buying a Six Sigma software tool that comprises all modules during the course of Six Sigma implementation means that they all can’t possibly be used. Generally, Six Sigma software tools are developed on an Excel platform.When you are evaluating Six Sigma software tools, the size of your business or that of the Six Sigma implementation should not be of undue concern. Most Six Sigma software developers keep factors like these in mind when developing their products. There are two different Six Sigma software tools available, such as a desktop edition and an enterprise edition. You will always be able to find the type of software that you need. Due to recent improvements in technology, there is also a web-enabled module available!Different Modules From Various Software DevelopersSoftware developers, in accordance with the needs and demands of different

ou implement this?

But for now, using "something" is better than nothing. I recommend checking out "Clickalyzer" at: http://www.clickalyzer.com

This code simply creates a hidden "counter" that you can then take those numbers and do the math on to figure out your conversion ratios -- as I described above.

I'm not sure if Clickalyzer will allow you to run split tests or not -- I haven't used their service in ages. It didn't when I had tried it.

If that's the case, you should check out Marty Foley's "Split Test Gold" script at: http://profitinfo.com/catalog/v4/

Marty is a great marketer. I have known Marty for years. He has some other great stuff you might want to check out on his main site: http://www.profitinfo.com

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...

3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I was wrong -- and so a

Over The Top Sports Fund Raising Ideas Discovered
With schools running on such tight budgets these days many schools are faced with the problems of cutting out programs because of lack of funds. Often sports are one of the first programs to go and so it is necessary to raise extra money to keep these programs going. Sports fund raising can be a lot of fun because there are so many different options to choose from. Many people recognize the importance of sports not only to keep our young people healthy, but off the streets as well. Our young people need to stay busy doing fun things like sports, so the temptations they are faced with daily won't even be a consideration. This article will give some fun sports fund raising ideas that can place you over the top with the extra funds necessary to maintain the sports programs.Sports fund raising can be a challenge, but because most people see the need for sports in the schools, you will more than likely be able to incorporate the necessary help you will need to make the fund raising idea a success. If you go to the local businesses, you will often get the support you will need financially to back the idea. There are just so many things you can do to create sports fund raising ideas that it may be hard to decide which one to choose. Many schools will do the magazine drive, or the bottle drive, or they will sell some type of product such as jerky etc. These are very popular choices, but you can

is quite a bit more powerful than what's currently available for marketers to use.

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my presentation...

3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I was wrong -- and so are thousands of other people that are using header graphics on their sites right now.

RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced 37% MORE SALES!

Yes, 37% more sales. That's a HUGE difference. In fact, I was kicking myself for not having tested this before. I can't imagine (I don't want to think about it) how much money I lost because I had a site designed like other people's mini sites.

But maybe this was a FLUKE? Maybe this was just the case with *MY* site. Maybe my header graphic was too ugly, or too distracting, or the filesize was too big? Maybe it only made a difference in MY case.

So I picked up the phone and gave my close friend Stephen Pierce a call. I ask Stephen to do me a favor and run a test for about a week -- I knew that he was getting tons of traffic to his "Whole Truth" site everyday and would be able to get conclusive results of a test very quickly.

Stephen agreed and began running a test of the same version of his site but without a header graphic.

RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced 50% MORE SALES!

50 PERCENT!

Do you think Stephen was HAPPY about this? :-)

This one simple change is going to produce THOUSANDS of dollars in sales (each month) that he would not have been making.

You can see his current site at: http://www.the-whole-truth.com

This is the POWER of testing and tracking.

BUT I STILL WASN'T TOTALLY CONVINCED...

I still wasn't 100% sure that the "No Header" test was conclusive. I wanted MORE PROOF.

So I called my buddy Armand Morin on the phone. As you may know, Armand actually sells a popular product called, "Header Generator"! This great product produces beautiful graphic headers for people to use on their sites.

As you can imagine, Armand wasn't totally excited to hear the news I shared with him about my test and Stephen's test. But you know what? Armand's response was the same response of any great marketer...

"I need to test it right now!"

Even Armand understands that it's not about ego and that it's all about RESULTS. He just wants to use whatever will make him the most money!

So Armand ran a split-test with a header version against a no header version. He had just released a new product, "FlashPal Generator" (www.flashpalgenerator.com) and decided to test it on this site.

RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced...

Are you ready for this?

400% MORE SALES.

Yep, FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT!

Now, this "No Header" vs. "Header" design issue may not be the same for all sites. There might be some sites that look more professional with a header and that allows them to sell more than maybe a version without a graphic header. Our tests consistently showed the version with no header graphic produced more sales, but as with anything TEST IT YOURSELF and go by YOUR RESULTS.

Don't just take my word for it. Test it and see what works best with your site. It's just possible that your site may sell better WITH a graphic header.

The "reason" behind why the no header version outproduces the header version is probably because the HEADLINE (showing the primary BENEFITS) is pushed farther down on the page and people may not even get a chance to read it before they decided to leave.

Some people will only spend 10 seconds on your site before leaving and if they see that header first, that may be all they check out before making the decision to leave.

If people read the headline and get sucked into the copy, they are more likely to continue reading the sales letter -- and thus more likely to BUY.

You know, there's a reason that sales letters that sold MILLIONS of dollars worth or products and services for YEARS in direct mail didn't have a big graphic "strip" across the top like a graphic header. I'm sure with the millions of sales letters that were tested someone tried it and it didn't work as well.

There's a lot we can learn from Direct Marketing masters. Even, though, the Internet is INTERACTIVE, many of the 50 year old + techniques still work today online.

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The $300 billion government contracting market is a gold mine for companies of all sizes that have learned how to run the maze and win. Women business owners have long been on the outside of this market, but the convergence of federal laws, agency goals, business growth and expertise has created a unique set of circumstance that benefits women business owners right now.

In this day and age of computers, most people have some kind of knowledge of how this equipment works. Many workers or owners of small businesses even like to believe that they are technically savvy. Yes, they do possess the skills to setup a small network at home or get their computer working on the Internet, most of the time they just fiddle with it until it works, however small businesses cannot afford to rely on an employee with an interest in computers to setup their corporate network.

Every week there are more and more paid surveys being made. Thousands of people are participating in these surveys and receiving checks in the mail or other compensation for doing so. This article explores how this works and how to participate, using background information and answers to your questions.

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