Related Links

Featured Links





Recommended Products



 

 
Featured Articles

3 Big Reasons to Attend a Live Small Business Workshop
It's unbelievable that people from all over the world attend an Online Marketing Workshop, hoping to improve their own small businesses. Ever wondered why these people would leave the comfort of their own homes, as well as their families to cram into ...

Small Cap and Big Cap Investing
To be honest, it doesn't matter what type of stocks we invest in. Common stock with small capitalization (defined as having market capitalization of $ 500 Million or less) and big capitalization (market capitalization of $ 5 Billion or more) can give you ...

Small Employers Rejoice - IRS Simplifies Filings
On of the largest burden on very small employers is dealing with taxes. Fortunately, the IRS has taken a major step to reduce this burden. Quarterly Federal Tax Returns - Not! There are millions of small businesses that labor under the burden of filing ...


Google
Adsense Websites

Are You Utilizing a 5-Point Prospecting System?
 

If not, you may be losing out on some very valuable business. First, let me explain What the term ‘5-Point Prospecting’ means. It means that, at any one time, you are using 5 different marketing methods to get your name and business known. Now, there are many more than 5 ways to market your product or service, and if you want to use more than 5, great! Here are my top 5 Prospecting Methods:


1. PURCHASED LEADS: Purchased leads are not all equal. I like to purchase the ‘top of the line’ Leads, the ‘surveyed’ leads. These people have answered a short survey, stating when they can start, how much they have to invest, and if they’ve ever been in business before. Now, when I get these leads, I DON’T email them. I CALL them on the phone. People love to hear a live voice. The important thing to remember about purchased leads is that they don’t know you, so why would they do business with you? You need to make a connection with them. Don’t try to ‘sell’ to them on the first call. Ask them about their life – their job, their family. People love to talk about themselves! When you show genuine interest in them, they will be much more willing to do business with you. My favourite lead company is Leaders Club. Not only do they provide top notch leads, they teach what to do with those leads! They have some of the best Network Marketing training out there, with over 200 hours of audio training, live training calls, articles, and lots more! You can find out more about Leaders Club by visiting: www.leadersclub.com/26908


2. EZINE ADVERTISING: Ezines are a wonderful and cost-effective way to get your name and business in front of hundreds of readers. Obviously, some Ezines are better than others, but don’t assume that bigger is better. You can get great results with smaller ezines as well. Paid advertising, like a Solo or Top Sponsor will generally get better results than a fr*ee classified at the bottom of the newsletter. A Solo means that your ad is the only thing that is sent out – no other ads, or content. A Top Sponsor means that your ad will be at the top of the newsletter issue. The general rule is that the higher up your ad, the more likely it is to be ‘seen’. For optimum ezine advertising, I recommend SDTAdvertising. You can find more information here: http://momsworld.sdtadvantage.com and http://coordinator.sdtadvantage.com


/>

3. SAFELISTS AND FFA’S: I’ve grouped these two together because the approach is the same. Simply broadcasting your ad to a hundred safelists and ffas is becoming less and less effective. It’s important for people to know that you are REAL, not just an autoresponder or website. You Want to make a connection with them first, before ‘selling’ to them. I suggest sending out an initial email asking first to exchange contact information. Tell them your name, where you’re from, and your email address where they can make initial contact. For more details on how to effectively market to safelists and ffas, I strongly recommend you download the “Contact List Builder” by Janet Legere. She has some wonderful ideas and methods to make online prospecting successful! To download your copy, click here: www.contactlistbuilder.com/affiliate?ref=scorpio2


4. NEWSPAPER ADS: These can be very effective, but are generally much more expensive than Prospecting online, especially a paper with a large circulation base. But if your budget allows, newspapers are a great way to prospect. Check your local paper for rates. There are also some online ‘classifieds’ like www.citynews.com and www.usfreeads.com , although they are not quite as effective.


5. EMAIL BOUNCEBACKS: These can be effective, if you use them properly. I try to do 5-10 bouncebacks a day. This doesn’t mean replying back to sp*m with sp*m. Just because someone sp*mmed you, doesn’t give you the right to sp*m them. Instead, send them an email that says something like, “Thank you for sending me your info, your offer looks interesting. I would like to send you some info about my opportunity as well. I think we could both benefit by working together. If you would like more information, please reply back to this email.” See the difference?


Are you starting to see the underlying message here? You need to connect with people, before you you sell to them. Prospecting and Selling are NOT the same thing. Once people get to know you, and know that you genuinely care about them and want to help them, they will be much more willing to do business with you!






Maryanne Fitzgerald is the publisher of "Mom's World" Providing the tools and resources you need to balance working at home with raising a family. To subscribe, visit www.homeincomesolutions.net

mfitzgerald@iglide.net





News


BBC News

Kerry, Snowe, Schumer Push Sec. Paulson to Purchase Small Business ...
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ranking Member Sen. Olympia Snowe and Sen. Charles Schumer, a senior ...
Is TARP Really a TRAP? BusinessWeek
Is TARP Really a TRAP but is Scott Malkinson really Scott Malkinson? thestockmasters
Time for a Bank Holiday The Nation.
TIME - The Associated Press
all 407 news articles


PR Web (press release)

UPDATE 1-Fed's Kroszner-small business credit access shrank
Reuters - 12 hours ago
... businesses have tightened substantially since last April," Kroszner said in prepared testimony to the House of Representatives Small Business Committee. ...
UPDATE: US Officials: Econ Woes Big Hurdle For Small Business EasyBourse.com
Treasury Turns Attention to Credit Needs of Small Businesses Insurance Journal
$1.6 Trillion in Bailout Funds Fail to Find Their Way to Small ... PR Web (press release)
AFP - Reuters
all 46 news articles


Wall Street Journal Blogs

Huntington Bank Ranks as No. 1 SBA 7(a) Lender in Ohio, Indiana ...
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
The bank also improved its national standing as an SBA small business lender, moving up in rank for both total loan amounts and number of loans provided to ...
SBA steps aimed to fuel small-business lending Finance and Commerce
Small business loans dwindle The Tennessean
Allegan, Barry country residents hit by flood eligible for loans MLive.com
NJBIZ - BloggingStocks
all 271 news articles


This is Money

Brown steps up pressure on banks to increase small-business lending
guardian.co.uk, UK - Nov 19, 2008
The business and enterprise department already has a small firms loans scheme in which 75% of the loan is guaranteed by government. ...
Brown v Cameron: tax and business Channel 4 News
Brown hints at more steps to get credit flowing The Associated Press
Brown hints at pre-Budget goodies LaunchLab.co.uk
Bloomberg - The Sun
all 119 news articles


EPA Reform of SPCC Rule Benefits Small Business
MarketWatch - 6 hours ago
The Office of Advocacy of the US Small Business Administration is encouraged that the EPA listened to small business and included those provisions in the ...


Wells Fargo named top small-business lender in Texas
Bizjournals.com, NC - Nov 19, 2008
Wells Fargo Bank, NA has been ranked the leading small-business lender in both the United States and Texas, according to the latest Community Reinvestment ...


Small business focus of Detroit mayoral debate
DetNews.com, MI - 9 hours ago
The forum at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History focused on small business, and candidates testified about how they fostered economic ...
Detroit mayoral candidates make their cases at forum Detroit Free Press
Mayoral candidates to hold forum Detroit Free Press
all 5 news articles


Entrepreneurship Can Thrive in a Challenging Economy
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
As the fastest-growing sector of new small business owners in the country, women, are creating new jobs for themselves and are taking advantage of resources ...


UPDATE 2-Intuit cuts outlook, sees small business cautious
Reuters - Nov 19, 2008
... software and for revenue from payroll and bill payment processing services, as its small business customers get squeezed by the deepening recession. ...
Intuit 1st-qtr loss widens despite higher sales BusinessWeek
Intuit Q1 Loss Widens; Lowers Full-Year Forecast RTT News
Intuit lowers forecast for current year San Jose Mercury News
all 45 news articles


SLC lends hand to small businesses
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 2 hours ago
Under "small-business initiative" at slcgov.com users can learn about permitting, licensing and financing. Business owners also will find $3 million of the ...


small business - Google News