Rarely-Used But Very-Effective Internet Marketing Tools

While many online marketers struggle to build a successful business, mine grows almost effortlessly. I m going to share with you today the "rare" tools that I use to make that happen.
Briefly, my seldom-used tools are: actually caring about your customers; a lot of actual customer contact; and giving them tremendous value. Please allow me to provide examples of how to actually implement each. I ll use examples from my own business so that you can see how EASY they are to implement.
Rarely-Used Tool Number One - Actually caring about your customers:
I ve witnessed scams where retirees invested thousands of dollars in programs where they were told that all they needed to do was plug in traffic. Then they were offered this plug-in traffic for a few thousand dollars more. In every case, that untargeted traffic failed to produce many... if any... sales.
Having a HUGE list, I ve often been phoned and asked to promote a program with a mailing or two to my list. I ve been told that I just needed to plug into the system, allow them to "mine" my list, and they would build me a nice residual income. Ideal prospects from my list would identify themselves, they d be signed up under me, and I could just sit back and collect the passive income.
I ve seen this scenario in action before, so I do KNOW that this would generate a nice passive income stream for me. However, I also know that many of those recruited would not fare nearly as well. So, I ve turned down all such offers.
Actually caring about your customers also often means telling customers NOT to buy some hot new product.
During many product launches, my customers have emailed me and asked if I felt that a given product was right for them. They often asked me at the same time if I had an affiliate url (if I had not actively promoted it to them). As often as not, I ve advised them not to buy the product. If one of your customers hasn t even finished going through the last major product that they purchased, perhaps you should advise them the same.
Rarely-Used Tool Number Two - Lots of actual customer contact:
First of all, realize that people buy from those that they know, like, and trust. Part of that puzzle is allowing them to feel that they know you. Online, one of the most effective tools for facilitating this is actually allowing them to speak to you, or at least hear your voice.
I accomplish this by "investing" 90 minutes of my time each week in a free networking and brainstorming call. The calls are actually very little work because other experts gladly join these calls and contribute freely.
Most Saturdays, between 11:00am and 12:30pm CST, I host these free networking and brainstorming calls. These calls are designed to allow my subscribers, clients, and contacts to connect, and also to help everyone involved improve their online marketing.
Some weeks we do reviews of 2-3 websites. Other weeks we have open Q&A. Other weeks I have "featured" guests, or I do a semi-lecture.
When we do website reviews, I email everyone slated to be on the call with a list of the sites, so that they can look at the sites before the call. Then everyone is free to offer their constructive feedback during the call.
One recent call was an all-open-discussion call. Topics covered included: methods and tools for combating or preventing email spam; the pros and cons of using private label articles, and ways to use them effectively; search engine optimization issues; and third-party credit card processors. As you might imagine, it was a very constructive call. All of these free networking and brainstorming calls have been very well-received. They all build customer relations, and they all allow existing and future client to connect with me (and each other) on a deeper level.
By the way, you can register for these call, get call-in details, and get instructions on how to submit your site for a free review at: http://williecrawford.com/free-brainstorming-calls.html
Another "almost effortless" customer contact tool involves sending many clients birthday or holiday cards. This shows them that you think of them as more than just a source of sales. We enter many customers, whose birth dates we have, into a database. Then we get an automated reminder a few days before, but the system can be set to automatically send them a card.
I use a system called "Send Out Cards" for this. This system allows me to send the same card to a batch of customers, or send a unique card to select customers. For those that get the "same" card, the card is still personalized with the customers information. The system allows you to indicated where personal data, such as names, children s names, etc., should be inserted. The system can be completely automated (like an autoresponder) if you choose.
I send these fully-personalized cards, semi-automatically, for about $1 each (including first-class postage).
By the way, these are real, printed, full-color greeting cards, that you send right from your computer desktop. You can check out the system that I use for this at: http://SendOutCards.com/willie
Rarely-Used Tool Number Three - Deliver tremendous value:
My mentors often use the phrase "under-promise and over-deliver." This is just the opposite of what you see most hypey marketers doing today.
However, this is fairly easy to do. In fact, all of the things I mentioned above are a part of that formula.
This can be accomplished by giving customers numerous unannounced gifts with an order. It can also be in the form of making sure that every product you sell is worth many times what you charge for it.
Yes, value is in the eyes of the beholder. However, you can and should examine every product that you re considering offering to your customers very carefully. If, when examining a product, you feel that you would not be absolutely thrilled if you personally had purchased it from someone else, then you should not offer that product to your customers.
Go back and study each of the tools and techniques outlined above. They are very powerful, and really do require very little effort. Used correctly, they will endear you to your customers, and allow your business to grow at a mind-boggling pace. Look for similar things that you can start doing in your business today.
Copyright 2006 Willie Crawford



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How to negotiate debts or better known as "Sticking it back to the MAN!"

Now for what might be the most popular article of this series. I personally was shocked and amazed by what I learned during my research on consumer debt. Read on and learn more about your rights.
Most Americans are worried about bill collectors calling on the telephone and harassing them. In fact, some Americans have even agreed to send money to complete strangers because they felt that person had some mystical power over them. Maybe they were threatened. Average people succumb to collection activity that coerces them into paying, perhaps out of fear.
How many of us simply cannot wait until the mailman shows up? Yeah right. It seems that we have a sixth sense about knowing what is in the mail. Without the use of a scanner, we seem to know which envelope contains a check, a letter from a friend, a card from Aunt Sue and a nasty letter from a bill collector or attorney. These are letters that we fear most. For some reason we place them on the coffee table to be opened later. Maybe we wait until our spouse goes to sleep. After all, we don t want them to know the bad news.
Sometimes we place them in a drawer for safekeeping. That s right. We sure don t want to lose them. Who knows, someday we might get enough courage to open them.
Here is how the collection scenario plays out. It is easier to collect money within the first 60 days because it is fresh in your mind. That is when the collection folks will put on the pressure. Believe me when I tell you that they know more about your situation than you might think. They know whether or not you have a job, whether your wife is working and whether or not you use your credit cards and whether you make mortgage and car payments. They also know how much your payments are. So when I tell you they know the odds of collecting from you, that is true.
What do you do? Well, I ll tell you the very first thing to do. DO NOT TALK TO THE BILL COLLECTOR ON THE TELEPHONE! Inform them that you are going to notify their agency to communicate with you in writing only. This is your right under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. If you think that you have extra special skills on the telephone and have that desire to out-talk a collector, you might want to think again. They are trained in the art of convincing people to give them money. They also have the added incentive in that they are all on a commission basis.
They could care less if the baby is sick, or your spouse missed a few days of work. They only want what you have and that is money. Your best plan of attack in resolving these issues is to get them in writing. By doing this you can virtually turn bad debt into good credit.
In my next article I ll address just how this turn-around is accomplished. Chuck is the owner and developer of EasyFloridaHomeLoans.com. He offers advice on how to get your credit in order and working for you. Visit his website and learn more about how to obtain bad credit loan mortgage refinancing by learning to control your own credit destiny..



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Change Your Light Bulbs Today to Save Energy and Money

The light bulb Thomas Edison invented and made famous may be on its way out in the coming years, at least in the Golden State. California State Assemblyman Lloyd Levine recently introduced legislation that would ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs by 2012. This legislation, titled the "How Many Legislators Does it take to Change a Light Bulb Act," (say that 5 times fast) touts the benefits of energy-saving light bulbs, such as the increasingly popular compact fluorescent bulb or CFL, and the up-and-coming LED bulb.
The highly inefficient incandescent bulb converts only 5 percent of the energy it receives into light while pouring thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the earth s atmosphere, as opposed to the CFL, which has a whopping 10,000 hour life span and uses only 180 kWh over those 10,000 hours. The incandescent bulb, or bulbs, as multiple would be needed, uses 750 kWh over that same 10,000 hour time frame.
Many other states are likely to follow as scorching summers are making rolling blackouts and brownouts a normal occurrence. Wide use of efficient bulbs would drastically reduce the energy drain year round, but would make a huge difference in the summer when air conditioners are running for months on end in some parts of the country.
What you can do is lead the charge starting now-why wait until 2012 or however long it takes to get legislation through the hoops of the political process. CFL s may cost a bit more up front, but can save you around $55 per bulb over the course of a year. Count the number of incandescent bulbs in your home now and then count the money you ll save. Eco-Lights.com has trumpeted the use of energy efficient bulbs since its inception in 2003 and has one of the largest selections of solar and Energy Star approved lighting fixtures on the web. Do your part and switch to compact fluorescent bulbs today.
For a HUGE selection of energy efficient pendant lighting and wall sconces visit the Eco-Lights website today.



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Credit Problems, What You Can Do

Have a blemish on your credit report can lead people to believe that it will be impossible for them to get a mortgage or refinance their current one.
Although have less than perfect credit can be a challenge, the hope is that not all lenders are out lost.
There there, and many of them, that specialize in doing mortgages for people with credit challenged. These lenders are known as sub prime lenders.
You may not be familiar with sub prime lenders because they are not the type of institution to the creation of the store on every corner, as the first banks.
Sub lenders deal with all kinds of situations special and unique. Whatever your situation may be, there is a good chance out there a lender with a program for you.
For example, sub prime lenders have programs for people with poor payment history, people have had bankruptcies, people who are in foreclosure and is looking to be bought, etc. throughout their credit history, if you are poor, you probably have to go with a sub prime lender.
My suggestion would be to find an agent to shop around To the best program you.
A broker is not a lender, your job is to guide and educate the user through the loan process. Most of the riders have a contact list too literally hundreds of lenders across the country including major subcategories lenders. Allow for the broker to assess their financial situation, that fits you in a program that the two are established according on.
The hand to deal with a lender sub is the interest rate. You can count on it is high. If you have bad credit, the lender will see you as a risk, and the penalty you pay for being considered a risk is in the interest rate.
The point is that, regardless of their credit problems, it is very likely that there should be a lender deal with you, just that the operation agrees is in your best interest, not in the best interests of the broker or the lender.
When deciding to buy a house or refinance their current, always do your homework. Continue to educate yourself to know what to expect in the future, and not be afraid to shop around for the best deal around. Just because your credit is not the largest does not mean lenders are not competing for their business, since will.
Your credit can be repaired in time if you pay your bills on time in order to make this a goal and work for that. ardis dollie



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