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The Top 10 Powerful Tools for Growing Sales Through Creating Connection
by: Bea Fields & Alicia Smith
Your mission as a business owner is to develop a
marketing strategy which offers your potential clients/customers a way to
improve their situation in a certain way, solve a problem, provide more
value, or open new opportunities for them which will motivate them to pick
up the phone and buy from you. This requires that the focus of your
marketing plan be placed on your customer…NOT ON YOU! Taken from The 90 Day
Marketing Marathon Blunders from A to Z these ten powerful tools will
support you in creating meaningful connections with your clients/customers
and providing real time solutions to their challenges of the today.
1. Custom Assessments.
By using a tool such as Assessment Generator you can
build custom assessments which will allow the visitors to your website the
opportunity to engage with you while providing value which is memorable.
With Assessment Generator you as the business owner will receive the basic
results of the survey to see if clients are where they want to be in their
lives or their businesses. For an example of a custom built assessment enter
here.
2. Online Survey Tools
A well designed online survey can greatly empower
business, academic, and charitable organizations by finding out quickly what
is on the minds of your current and prospective customers/clients. Creating
an online survey can be extremely simple and convenient with a free survey
tool such as Advanced Survey or Zoomerang. By designing a survey and sending
this to your database, you can poll targeted groups quickly and in detail
while obtaining real time results.
3. "Feedback" Hot Links.
As you update your website, author articles, or launch
new products and services, add a “feedback hot link” to your site or to your
e-mail signature. This link can state "Send me feeback" or "Send me your
comments" and will automatically link to an e-mail which can be used for
your website visitors to provide you with insight into what is working and
what is not with your products and services.
4. Weblogs With Comments.
A weblog is a simple yet compelling online environment
which will allow you to put your thoughts, ideas, and experiences on the web
via a journal, photo album, or diary. With a tool such as Typepad, you can
provide your clients and customers with access to your online journal AND
allow them the ability to comment to your posts. If you are blogging around
a topic which can engender discussion or a topic which can generate ideas
for your new products and services, you will find that blogging with a tool
which allows for comments can take your products and services to a more
advanced and sophisticated level quickly and with support from your
customers/clients.
5. Client Scenarios Which Create an Emotional Tug.
What are the typical challenges of your clients, what
do they complain about to others, and what do they really want in life? Do
they say things such as:
- I am a CEO, and I cannot seem to motivate my team
- I am a pet owner, and I am looking for a
Veterinarian I can trust
- I am a Solo-preneur who is working for a lunatic
- I am a business owner who is looking to invest my
money to double my financial wealth
- I am a new college graduate, and I am looking for
the career of my dreams
By honing in on what is most important to the visitors
to your website and actually posting these for the world to see, you will
begin to connect with these folks in a way which calls the emotions to be
tapped. List these client scenarios in bullet form on your website, and link
each scenario to a very tangible benefit of what you can offer. Example: If
you are marketing to pet owners who are looking for a Veterinarian he/she
can trust, link this client scenario to a special report on “The Top Ten
Questions to Ask When Hiring a Veterinarian for Your Pet.” For an example of
client scenarios visit here.
6. Data Driven Landing Pages.
Landing pages, also known as “jump” pages in the world
of marketing, are self-contained web pages that visitors are driven to for a
specific purpose (usually for the purpose of collecting e-mail addresses.)
Landing pages are very focused and usually contain a message, in most cases
to allow you as the web host to determine what visitors click on as well as
other statistics. A data driven landing page contains a form requesting the
user to enter contact information, usually in order to get something, such
as a free special report, newsletter, or to register for an upcoming event.
By including a question on this page such as “What is the thing you most
want in the area of _______________” (fill in your industry here,) you will
be able to see trends of what it is that folks most want, which can be key
to the growth of your business.
7. A Research and Development Team.
A Research and Development team is a group of folks
who you invite to join you in developing your products, programs, and
services. Your R & D Team may be as small as ten people or as large as 1,000
people. It is recommended that you call on your R & D team at least two
times per month, as they will provide you with valuable information about
what is working/not working in your business, and they will tell others
about what you are up to. As your business grows, you will want to continue
to add people to your list so that you have a cross section of people,
ideas, and perspectives from people from all walks of life and all corners
of the globe.
8. A Mastermind Group.
The purpose of a mastermind group is to share
thoughts, ideas, opinions, and information. To be successful in business, it
is important for this group to be supportive and to care enough about you
and your business to provide you with honest feedback about what they see is
possible for your business. Spend at least one hour per week with your
mastermind group, and use the feedback gained to grow your life, both
personally and professionally.
9. A Product/Service Development Team.
Are you ready to develop a new product or service, and
you just don’t know where to begin or how to make it happen? If so, invite
ten of the coolest people you know to support you in developing the new
product or service in exchange for a slice of the pie once the
product/service is launched. People love to share their wisdom, especially
when they know that they are involved in development of something which will
be financially rewarding in the end.
10. Risky Business.
One time per month, add one product or service which
is out of the norm or a little bit risky for you and your business. Why?
Because it will keep your mind moving and will allow your customers to
sample something which is cutting edge and exciting! Example: You are a
bookstore owner, and you host a “Mystery Night.” Invite the public to
preview the 12 hottest mysteries by attending a masquerade party on the
premises of your bookstore…loads of fun, intrigue, and excitement. A
suggestion/comment box can be situated near the door, inviting guests to
contribute feedback and ideas for the next big event for your biz.
About The Author
This piece was originally submitted by Bea Fields and
Alicia Smith, who can be reached at
bea@fivestarleader.com or
alicia@aliciasmith.com, or visited on the web. Bea Fields and Alicia
Smith wants you to know: We are the authors of the 90 Day Marketing
Marathon, the Powerhouse Program for Coaches, and the Fusion Coaching
Program.
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