1. Goal  or clearly defined plan – you must have a goal, or else you can end up pushing in the wrong direction.

2.Target Group – the group you will target for the sale of cars will not be the same as the ones you target for chewing gum (well hopefully).

3. Focus – as with everything else, you must not be easily distracted and be spasmodic if you want to achieve your goal.

4. Committment – there must be a conscious decision to achieve, and to carry through with those things that a necessary to achieve.

5. Appeal – if you are selling a house, it must be presented in such a way so that the buyer will want to ignore the rest and choose yours.  Whatever it is that you are selling, whether its ideas, service or goods, it must have appeal.  The benefits must be apparent.

Now these are by no means a complete list, or given in order of importance, they are just noteworthy.  So I hope you’ve noted them.

Mb

Five Star Executive

Sharing your ideas and listening to those of others is a great “recipe” for growth and expansion.  For example, the idea of a virtual assistant can only work if small business owners see the need to focus on business building and expansion

So the point to glean from all this is merging ideas can result in powerful resource tools as the virtual assistant is to small businesses.

Mb

Five Star Executives  

A virtual assistant or small business owner has as their goal client building, which email marketing, as long as it is done right, does.

Sustained relationships is another one of the VA’s objectives. Remember that a single sale does not mean you’ve made a customer. Making customers require multiple contact. With email marketing, our contact can become more personalized, and because its inexpensive, it can be done several times. All it takes is some commitment.

The virtual assistant needs know that their prospective clients develop trust in the product or service offered. Email marketing facilitates this trust since a rapport is established between them.

All of these can result in one thing, greater business exposure which leads to more marketability which translates into bigger and better business.

So there you have it. I hope I’ve answered your question.

As K. C Kasen used to say, “keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars”.

What then do you give away? As a virtual assistant, you can give away information, which is something people are always in search of. Just make sure that what you give has its origin with you, and it’s not made by someone else.

These freebies can take the form of coupons for your product, newsletter, report relevant to your product or service, things like that. People are always impressed when they are made to feel like you value them enough to give them something that you value.

So go ahead and give a little something, but something worthwhile, see yourself receive a lot.

One of those things is Article Marketing.  What is that? Well it is advertising your online business through the power of writing.  Everyone is looking for information.  Some pay for it, while the rest of us check the Internet.  So all you do is capitalize on that and give people what they want.  Information.  And not just information, but accurate, concise and useful information.

Now when they’ve gotten what they want, you ask them for a little something.  If your article was informative, they might reward you with their email addresses to see what more you’ve got.  Your website now gets targeted traffic through this, and as a small business owner, that can be worth its weight in gold.

Many virtual assistants are still struggling to make their mark in the world of online business, while still many have made their mark using article marketing to effectively ride the tide of success.  So go ahead and  be among those who are reaping the benefits of this low cost but highly effective tool.

Keep the questions coming and never be afraid to ask.

So if you are stuck in the thought-hole that having someone write your stuff means silencing yourself, try to climb out, we are willing to give you a hand. Just contact us for a custom quote and put the pen in our hands.

I’ll admit, I had tried article submission at one point, but after I finally found a few article directories to submit my articles to, and then after manually copying and pasting my information into the required text boxes on each submission site, I quickly realized that my time could be better spent doing something else.

Then I came across a free program created by Brad Callen and Bryxen Software, Inc. that allows you to automatically submit your articles to hundreds of article directories with a few mouse clicks. Basically all I had to do was input my article criteria into the software, ONCE! Then, the program would automatically fill in all of the required data at each of the submission websites. Pretty incredible if you ask me.

The only part I didn’t understand was why the program is free… but I can’t argue with that I suppose.

The software currently contains around 700 article directories, all free to submit your articles to. It is the most straightforward program that we’ve come across, in that all you need to do is:

1. Input your article details (i.e. title, article body, bio, etc.) into the software

2. Click on the directory you want to submit to

And then the program will automatically fill in your article details. Then, you simply click the submit button and your article is instantly submitted to the directory. Then, you can move to the next directory, go through the list, and by the time you’re finished you’ll have roughly 700 one way links pointing to your website.

I can’t think of an easier way to get links. Of course, if you’re going to get links this quickly, it’s important to submit different variations of your articles, to make things look more natural to the search engines.

You can do this very easily via Article Submitter when you create your project in the beginning.

The software is constantly being updated and their is an incredible community of users established that all work together to make the software better and better, so you know you’re getting great value for the money.

To check out the software, go here:

http://virtexec2.bryxen7.hop.clickbank.net

Well I have great news for you. You do not have to outsource everything, but rather you can have that much needed help, in that much needed area, but strictly at your discretion. You see the whole idea of the virtual assistant is not to bring additional burden to the small business owner, but rather to lighten some of the load, so that more energy can be directed towards business building.

So give it a try. First one foot, and as the business gets more body, maybe the other foot. The virtual assistant is just there to take some of the load off. Remember, good things come in small packages, in as small a package as 5 hours for only $65.00 USD. This offer is valid until June 2008. Go ahead, give up some of the load, take advantage of this affordable offer. Step by step, as you see fit, a virtual assistant just might be your answer.

Until next time.

Merlene,

Five Star Executives.

It’s December, and you would think that Santa’s work is just getting started. But Santa, being the world’s greatest marketer, begins working on the upcoming year on December 26. I suppose he gets a good night’s sleep after he gets back from his ride around the world; he may have even slept in the next morning. But you can be sure that once he gets up, he gets right to work. And if he can’t take time off from his marketing efforts, how can anyone of us?

First of all, Santa has a brand, and everything he does enforces that brand. Could it be that you don’t think that there is a brand Santa? Well pull up an ice block, have a seat, and we’ll take a look. If I asked you to name who delivers gifts to children, who would be at the top of your mind? Santa Claus, right? Of course there are others; FedEx and UPS make deliveries, too. But then again, how many five year olds are going to say FedEx?

Since Santa doesn’t have printed materials or similar collateral, he utilizes other features to differentiate between himself and his competition. Instead of a large box van, he drives a big, red sleigh. His uniform of choice is a red suit with white fur trim. His trademark beard is equaled only by his hearty laugh. And his logo is his own image. (I wonder if that’s where Colonel Sanders got the idea.)

Managing relationships

Let’s take a look at everything he will have to accomplish this year. His most important asset is his contact list, and it’s forever evolving. He has to know who is to be added; who is to be deleted. Just as important as the contacts themselves is the knowledge he has about each of those contacts. This includes, but certainly isn’t limited to, such things as: interests, likes and dislikes, hobbies, accomplishments, family members, and how his previous interactions with each one of them panned out. His success is based on a never-ending commitment to the fact that everything is about them … not him.

Similarly, you should be always be updating your contacts and the information you have about them. As with many things in life, the little things mean a lot. So, if at all possible, do what you can to learn about your contacts’ spouses, children, hobbies, and anything else you deem valuable. Did his business achieve its revenue goal for the year? Did she reduce her expenditures as she had planned? How is competition affecting his company?

Once you have this information, use it! The next time you are with a client who enjoys boats, ask him if he will be attending the upcoming boat shows. Better yet, buy tickets and drop them in the mail. If a customer loves to cruise the Caribbean, and you read an article about the world’s newest, largest ship, be sure to send it to her. And when she takes a cruise, make sure you ask her about it when she gets back.

Giving leads to receiving

To Santa, it’s all about giving, and to a great extent, that’s exactly how you should think … especially in business. The more you give to your clients, the more you’re likely to get back. Customers look for many different things when the determine value of a product or service. Of course one of them is customer service. Yet many of us believe that extreme customer service — the kind that makes customers not only take notice but also tell others about it — is a myth. No it’s not, and those who want to take advantage of it have a tremendous opportunity.

Then again, extreme customer service is not easy. It’s planned, tracked, and redeveloped as needed. Santa knows this, and he spends what others would consider an inordinate amount of time working on it. He realizes that the results he reaps at the end of the year are based on the planning he sows at the beginning of it.

Don’t forget Rudolph

We all know that Santa relies on many reindeer to get him around the globe in one night. And we can learn a lesson from this fact. Many of us can name the nine well-known reindeer, but when asked to name only one, the vast majority of us name Rudolph. Why? Because this smart little reindeer has branded himself.

His unique value proposition — how he differs from his fellow reindeer and the benefit that difference offers — is known to all of us. He is the only one with a red nose that glows, meaning he can lead Santa’s sleigh through stormy weather. He also has his own song and television show. And, although others, such as Olive the Other Reindeer, have tried to do the same, they just haven’t been able to capitalize the way Rudolph has. Who ever thought that a reindeer would be an example for businesses of all sizes?

Article Source: Peter George

Holding on to my headset while I was waiting for a customer service representative from an internet service provider to take my call got me to thinking about communication. Marketing is a necessary expense for most businesses and recognizing this need they spare no expense. What comes after the marketing efforts is what has me concerned.

Marketing can highlight a wonderful product and bring increased revenue or just as easily bring your downfall. For instance, I have been looking at an ad on the local newspaper for the last week from a new ISP who promises high speed at lower rates. I decided to give them a call. On my first call I got their voicemail and was invited to leave a message. I hung and tried later. On my second attempt again I was given the prompts and placed on hold for the CSR. It took 25 minutes of my time before she finally came on and as it turns out she could not answer my questions.

Lower priced internet? It will most definitely cost more to switch because time is money and any time spent on the phone waiting to speak to someone who cannot answer my question is a waste of time and money.

Which brings me to my point about communication, I have highlighted some things to consider or your downfall will be closer than you think!

• Inform your client or customers of any changes in your service be it major or minor. They need to be aware and they need to hear it from YOU.
• Take control of your communication, don’t not rely on word-of-mouth to communicate to your customers. By doing so you leave room for you message to become distorted.
• Customers want it now! Do not try to inconvenience your customers, we do not want a recording or to be placed on hold for an unreasonable amount of time. Our time is money.
• Service with a smile. It may be the only thing that could set you apart from the competitors.

After that experience on the phone I really appreciate the effort of my current ISP because I never have to wait to speak to a rep and they always have the answers. Of course they charge more but for me the value is in the experience.

CRG