Casual Articles - Internet and Businesses Online

The 80/20 Rule, And Being Truly 'Effective' In Your Business
There is a world of difference between efficiency and effectiveness, and it’s in that world that successful marketers flourish. They are well aware of the power and omni-presence of the 80/20 rule.While even highly successful marketers don’t hit the bulls-eye with all of their marketing, at least they direct their energies towards learning which 20 percent of their marketing generates 80 percent of their sales.Just knowing this to be true is a compelling reason to learn where each of your customers learned of your existence, to recognize that all customers are not created equal and that 20 percent of them most likely account for 80 percent of your profits.The 80/20 rule teaches you simplicity and applies to more of your business than marketing, and more of your life than business:• 80% of what you achieve at work comes from 2

te 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said “Ignorance is Bliss” Didn’t Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

Interact!
Unlike print media, e-newsletters offer the opportunity for two-way communication with your readers. This capability can be one of the biggest benefits of publishing an e-newsletter, so make creative and strategic use of it. Build the expectation of interaction into your newsletter, and you create the opportunity for meaningful engagement with audiences of all kinds.

Even The Old Can Surf
Even the old can surf the net. And they do. In droves, apparently. Surveys have shown it and it is beyond many people's comprehension.In fact the amount of "silver surfers" are akin to those in the 3rd decade of life.And, why not?The internet has a lot to offer them. They have the time - no work, no immediately-dependent family, no commitments (unless they want to).And they have the disposable income to purchase. And purchase they do. It all goes to support what has been a mini revolution - and a revelation.No longer can we view the older generation as a bunch of fuddy duddies who have little respect for the modern way. Traditionally, the view was that gadgetry was beyond them - or so we thought. But in reality, gadgetry is not so much beyond them as, well, selected intelligently. Selected for a purpose, not just because it is there.As we get old we don't need the ear-popping sounds o

If my in-box is any indication, most of the business world is hot on e-newsletters. I receive half a dozen every day. Some are thinly masked advertisements; most, however, provide some degree of valuable information.

E-newsletters provide a relatively easy and low-cost way to accomplish a number of business goals, including:
• Maintaining connections with current and past clients
• Demonstrating expertise in a particular field
• Sharing resources and building an active network
• Educating clients and prospects about products, services and how best to access them

As a communication professional, though, I review the newsletters I receive with a critical eye; many of them leave much to be desired in their planning and execution. Luckily, it isn’t difficult to make the leap from adequate to fabulous, if a newsletter publisher is willing to take a close look at the purpose, audience, content and execution of the project.

What’s the Point?
E-newsletter publishers often confuse the tool with the purpose. An e-newsletter is a tool used to achieve some greater business purpose, yet novice publishers often forget the greater purpose in the effort to put out the newsletter on something resembling a regular basis.

Knowing the point of the newsletter within your business context, though, helps you make better decisions on everything from content to frequency. It’s critical to your success – and your sanity – to understand up front what the purpose of the newsletter really is.

Newsletters always address one or more of the following three purposes:
1. Serve the needs of current and past clients
2. Position in front of prospective clients
3. Build a base of repeat business

In other words, e-newsletters, like all business communications, have the core intention of creating, sustaining or deepening a business relationship. As a newsletter publisher, you have to know what kind of relationship you are asking your readers for; what do you want from them? Loyalty? New business? Referrals? Increased business? Believe it or not, most of your readers are perfectly willing to give you what you want, as long as your wants are clearly communicated. Most publishers don’t communicate clearly enough.

Which of the three purposes is most important to you? Are you helping current and past clients improve some aspect of their work on an ongoing basis? Are you demonstrating your skills to prospective clients? Do you offer a wide range of services that could lead to repeat business if your clients only knew about them all?

Naturally, some overlap exists between the three essential purposes, but one may emerge as the primary purpose. Know what it is, and plan your content to satisfy the requirements of that purpose.

Make Your Point
Once you have a clear idea of what your purpose in publishing your e-newsletter is, you will find it easier to make decisions that help you maximise the benefits of publishing in a digital medium, while overcoming some of the obstacles.

Chief among the obstacles is the notoriously short attention span of online readers. A writing style that engages readers emotionally as well as logically is a must. When your e-newsletter arrives in their inbox, the very subject line must capture their attention. Then, in the body of the newsletter, use compelling headlines, short sentences, action verbs and a story-telling approach to draw readers in.

Headlines are of particular import because readers make nanosecond decisions on whether to delete or keep reading based on headlines. Try these suggestions to come up with effective headlines for your e-newsletter:

• Solve a problem. Examples:

o Spend More Time Providing Value than Hunting for Information.

o Don’t Make Your Business Vulnerable to the Taxing Authority

• Use a statistic. Examples:

o Most Companies Lose 30 Percent of Their Mailing Lists Each Year

o Office Workers Waste 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said “Ignorance is Bliss” Didn’t Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

Internet Marketing Truths Revealed
You probably know by now that I spend an incredible amount of time on the internet. I find great satisfaction in posting articles and writing press releases for my SEO clients. I think its the greatest way to live and personally, I woud do nothing else but promote my client's websites for them.Oh yeah...I have been down that road with programs that promised to make me rich, better looking, healthier, a better person and all that crap that we are inundated with daily via email.Oh yeah...I have fallen for more than my share of all that worthless bunch of lies and hype.Having said that however; I wll tell you this straight up. I am one person who does make money online and I learned my skill from hard fought battles.Hey, you know this great thing called internet marketing is no easy gig.If you think you can get online...join some program...and become instantly successful, I think the very best thing that you

rs often confuse the tool with the purpose. An e-newsletter is a tool used to achieve some greater business purpose, yet novice publishers often forget the greater purpose in the effort to put out the newsletter on something resembling a regular basis.

Newsletters always address one or more of the following three purposes:
1. Serve the needs of current and past clients
2. Position in front of prospective clients
3. Build a base of repeat business

Naturally, some overlap exists between the three essential purposes, but one may emerge as the primary purpose. Know what it is, and plan your content to satisfy the requirements of that purpose.

o Spend More Time Providing Value than Hunting for Information.

o Don’t Make Your Business Vulnerable to the Taxing Authority

• Use a statistic. Examples:

o Most Companies Lose 30 Percent of Their Mailing Lists Each Year

o Office Workers Waste 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said “Ignorance is Bliss” Didn’t Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

Ten Principles Of Success That Deal With The Sins That Profit Can Hide
Sometimes success can create a cloudiness in our vision that causes us to miss, overlook or even ignore issues and challenges that could have an impact on sustaining profitability. Continued success can sometimes lead us into a comfort zone that may even hide existing problems that one day may end up biting us and taking a big chunk out of that profitability that you currently enjoy. Don't let success and profitability cloud your focus. Practice the ten principles of success at all times and you will be able to manage your business with laser like clartity and deal with all potential challenges in a timely fashion.Ten Principles of Success that deal with the Sins that Profit can hide1. Go back to basics in managing your business. ----- Take the time to review best practices as they apply to your business. Look at your processes, your procedures and your policies on a regular basis.2. Understand your role

ou want from them? Loyalty? New business? Referrals? Increased business? Believe it or not, most of your readers are perfectly willing to give you what you want, as long as your wants are clearly communicated. Most publishers don’t communicate clearly enough.

Naturally, some overlap exists between the three essential purposes, but one may emerge as the primary purpose. Know what it is, and plan your content to satisfy the requirements of that purpose.

o Spend More Time Providing Value than Hunting for Information.

o Don’t Make Your Business Vulnerable to the Taxing Authority

• Use a statistic. Examples:

o Most Companies Lose 30 Percent of Their Mailing Lists Each Year

o Office Workers Waste 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said “Ignorance is Bliss” Didn’t Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

Find and Do Your Own Thing
In quality manufacturing, speed requires standardization. No wonder Six Sigma, Zero Defects and ISO Certification receive so much time and attention.But in quality service, doing something unusual or eccentric can create a powerful impact. In service, it can be quite acceptable to find and do your own thing.Here are just a few examples:A waiter at the Sugar Beach Resort in Mauritius comes to work each day with a thermometer in his pocket. On the way to the restaurant he takes the temperature of the ocean water and the swimming pool. As he pours coffee and clears plates during breakfast, he joyfully tells guests exactly how warm and enjoyable their swimming will be that day.A room service attendant at the same resort noticed a guest from Germany reading Goethe during her stay. He got coaching from a colleague and learned a poem in German by heart. A few days later as he served her dinner in her room

um, while overcoming some of the obstacles.

o Spend More Time Providing Value than Hunting for Information.

o Don’t Make Your Business Vulnerable to the Taxing Authority

• Use a statistic. Examples:

o Most Companies Lose 30 Percent of Their Mailing Lists Each Year

o Office Workers Waste 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said “Ignorance is Bliss” Didn’t Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

6 Tips for Managing Subordinates
Not everyone has the leadership abilities of Jack Welch or Steve Jobs, but there are some things everyone in a leadership position can do to improve their relationship with their team. Mutual respect is vital to a leader’s ultimate success so it is important that these six tips are followed by all leaders.Coach Behind Closed Doors; Praise in PublicGood leaders realize a lot of their success is achieved through the help of others. Instinctively, they seem to understand that their accomplishments are due to their support group so they are careful not to publicly humiliate their valued contributors. Praising in public goes a long way toward instilling confidence in subordinates while coaching behind closed doors maintains the two-way respect built in the relationship. Mistakes are bound to be made but if a leader handles them professionally and appropriately, subordinates will continue to grow and prosp

te 6 Weeks per Year Searching for Lost Information

• State a quote or adage. Example:

o Whoever Said “Ignorance is Bliss” Didn’t Know a Librarian

• Ask a question. Examples:

o Is It Possible to Get Through Divorce with Dignity?

o What Do Your Clients Really Think of You?

• Create a mystery. Example:

o What Is the Real Agenda of Google?

For example, you can incorporate links in your text inviting readers to send immediate feedback or questions on your content. Live links embedded in the text are more effective than relying on the “reply” function of e-mail, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that readers often need to be reminded that you really do want them to respond in some way. By including the link (which handily shows up in an eye-catching blue amidst a plain-text message), you reinforce the suggestion that you are inviting discussion and response.

Where do these links lead the reader? If you have a web site, the links can bring readers right into your site to fill out a form, join a discussion forum, or complete a registration for a program. Be sure to create a back-end automated tracking system that will capture information about how many visitors arrived by clicking a newsletter link, what they did when they arrived, and other data points that will help you deepen your relationship with them individually and en masse.

Realistic Outcomes
Quality e-newsletters take time to create and manage. Expect to devote time each issue for planning, writing, editing, layout and production, distribution, and database management. A monthly e-newsletter will require human and financial resources; I usually counsel clients to start with a quarterly or bimonthly newsletter, as it is preferable to increase frequency than to create the expectation of more than you can consistently deliver.

As you create and distribute your newsletter, think carefully about what specific result you want for each issue. What do you want a reader to say, think or do as a result of receiving the newsletter? Your desired outcome might be for readers to:

• Visit your web site
• Request additional information
• Sign up for a class or seminar
• Use a particular tool/resource
• Refer you to others
• Give you feedback
• Feel they can’t live without you

All but the last of these desired outcomes are measurable and relatively easy to communicate to readers. When reviewing your newsletter content, ask yourself if what you want is clear. Put your “call to action” in no uncertain terms, and make it easy for readers to fulfil their side of the bargain by placing live links, contact information and other next steps right in their path.

Within the context of your e-newsletter, your words can shape opinions, behaviours, business decisions and profitable relationships. Make your efforts pay off by understanding your purpose and how to work toward it in every single issue.

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Business relationships need to provide you with the business you need. Whether you use an alliance, a leads group or a Power Team, you need to make sure that you are dealing with someone that is reliable, honest, and ethical.

Checking and verifying the background of an applicant is an important procedure for employers who have to make a hiring decision. Naturally, employers should be concerned about hiring only the best employers by determining whether an applicant has a criminal history or anything that can prove to be harmful to the company. Through background checks and applicant testing, an employer can verify whether applicants have given correct and accurate information about themselves when they apply.

The art of persuading and influencing others always requires an audience, whether it's a single person, a small group of ten, or a much larger assembly of listeners. This component is constant, so it is critical to know how to adapt quickly to your audience's needs, wants, fears, and desires.

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