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10 Killer Ways To Multiply Your Sales
by Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson

There are a number of strategies you can use to help improve your sales. You can try any or all of the 10 suggestions below to grow customer loyalty and your customer base.

1. Follow Up

When you make your first sale, follow-up with the customer. You could follow-up with a “thank you” email and include an advertisement for other products you sell. You could follow-up every few months or offer a subscription to your regular newsletter.

2. Upsell.

You could upsell to your customers. When they’re at your order page, tell them about a few extra related products you have for sale. If they have ordered an item you can suggest an upgraded version or model, or an essential that goes with it. They can just add it to their original order.

3. Customer Referrals

Tell your customers if they refer four customers to your web site, they will receive a full rebate of their purchase price. This will turn one sale into three sales.

4. Affiliate Referral Program

When you sell a product, give your customers the option of joining an affiliate program so they can make commissions selling your product. This will multiply the sale you just made.

5. Reprint/Reproduction Rights

Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to your products. You could include an ad on or with the product for other products you sell. You could make sales for the reproduction rights and sales on the back end product.

6. Cross Promotion

You could cross promote your product with other businesses’ products in a package deal. You can include an ad or flyer for other products you sell and have other businesses selling for you.

7. Include Related Products

When you ship out or deliver your product, include a coupon for other related products you sell in the package. This will attract them to buy more products from you.

8. Product Catalogues

Send your customers a catalog of add-on products for the original product they purchased. This could be
upgrades, special services, attachments, etc. If they enjoy your product they will buy the extra add-ons.

9. Gift Certificates

Sell gift certificates for your products. You’ll make sales from the purchase of the gift certificate, when the recipient cashes it in. They could also buy other items from your web site.

10. Freebies and Give-aways

Send your customers free products with their product package. The freebies should have your ad printed on them. It could be bumper stickers, ball caps, t-shirts etc. This will allow other people to see your ad and order.

If you approach these strategies with the attitude of being of service to your customers you will develop a good relationship with them and they will have no issue with recommending you, your business and your products to others

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Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson, is a New Zealand work from
home Mom with a holistic approach to helping like
minded parents become successful work from home
families. Her Blog “Online Business Articles”
gives hints and tips on how to do it easily.

http://online-business-articles.wfh4l.com

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10 Important Things To Tell Your Prospects
by Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson

Once you have gained the attention of your prospects the next thing you want to do is to persuade them to make a buying decision and convince them that it is worth while to buy from you.

There are a number of ways to do this.

Whether you engage your prospect through a sales letter for a primary product, advertising, or an e-commerce site with a shopping cart listing hundreds of items, your prospective customer needs to be reassured that it is to their advantage to buy from you.

It is important to build credibility before their first purchase, how you deliver on your promise will determine whether they will become repeat customers.

1. Tell your prospects that you offer free delivery. This may cost a little money, but, you will gain the extra customers to make up for it.
2. Tell your prospects that you offer a lower price. If you can’t afford to offer a lower price you could always hold the occasional discount sale.
3. Tell your prospects that your product achieves results faster. People are becoming more and more impatient and want results fast.
4. Tell your prospects you’ve been in business for a longer period of time. People think if you’ve been in business longer you have more credibility.
5. Tell your prospects that your product tastes, smells sounds, looks, or feels better. When you target the senses you’re triggering human appeal.
6. Tell your prospects your product is compact or light. People may want to take the product on a trip or don’t have much room where they live.
7. Tell your prospects that your product lasts longer. People don’t like to spend more money purchasing replacement products all the time.
8. Tell your prospects that your product is easy to use. People don’t want to buy a product that they have to read a 100 page instruction manual.
9. Tell your prospects that your product has better safety features. People want to feel safe when they use your products.
10. Tell your prospects that you stand behind all your products. People want to know that you back- up any claims you make about your product.

Of course if you make these claims, as an ethical business owner you will ensure that your products deliver. Making promises only to get the sale can result is irreparable damage to your credibility  and your business.

Always make it a point to promise big and over-deliver, then your prospects will become happy regular customers.

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Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson, is a New Zealand work from
home Mom with a holistic approach to helping like
minded parents become successful work from home
families. Her Blog “Online Business Articles”
gives hints and tips on how to do it easily.

http://online-business-articles.wfh4l.com

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10 Ways To Gain Your Prospects Attention Using Your Picture Alone
by Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson

There’s no denying it, competition can be fierce in the marketplace.

No matter what your target market is, you will want to stand out head and shoulders above your competition to attract the attention of your prospects.

Not only is creating word pictures important to getting the attention of your prospects but giving them a visual cue is equally stimulating.

In situations where you have mere moments to make an impact, your picture may be the only thing that sets you apart from the rest.

Why your picture?

People are drawn to faces, there’s no denying this basic instinct. It’s imprinted in our DNA. If you have ever been a parent, worked with young children and babies, or studied child development you will know this to be true.

So why is knowing this important?

If you use your face on your website the casual browser will more than likely stop to take a look.

People like to ‘know’ who they are dealing with. They are not going to make a emotional connection with a corporate or business logo. However if they can see a face to the name they will be more open and receptive. So why not give your business or website your face.

That is not to say that you have to bear all to the world. You are entitiled to a private life. But you can create a business ‘image’ of yourself and market it as your business branding.

With some creativity you can use your photo as a point of difference to attract the passing attention of your prospects.

Here are 10 ways to attract your prospects attention using your picture.

1. Use a uncommon hair style.
   You could style your hair to stand straight up like you’re scared or use a wig to wear a mohawk or huge fuzzy hair.
2. Color your hair a bright color.
   You could color it pink, blue, purple, green, etc. You could even make it match your web site’s colors. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and get a ‘dye job’ at your local hair salon. Editing a digital photo will have the same effect. You could even take it one step further and colour your face with a contrasting colour
3. Draw a lines on your picture.
   You could draw a black eye or mustache on it before you scan and upload it to your web site. This can be done digitally as well. Just remember to save your un-edited picture first and rename the edited file.
4. Put on silly glasses.
   You could put on spring like glasses, oversized colorful glasses, spinning glasses,or even 3D glasses. Any gag shop will be happy to accommodate you.
5. Wear uncommon clothes.
   You could wear a super bright suit, a costume outfit, a weird tie or a bathing suit.
6. Make a weird facial expression.
   You could stick your tongue out, push your face together, make your eyes big, look like you’re angry, etc.
7. Wear an unrelated hat.
   You could wear a cowboy hat, a bowl on your head, straw hat, a sports helmet, a rain hat, fruit etc.
8. Paint your face.
   You could paint your own ideal character or paint a typical character like a clown, animal, plant, etc.
9. Wear a mask.
   You could buy one, wear a full face balaclava, or make one out of a paper bag. Just cut the nose, mouth and eyes out. You could also add other facial features.
10. Use an uncommon background.
    You could use an outside background, a funny wallpaper, a prop to look like you have a cartoon body, etc.

Most of these ideas are simple and cost effective. A small prop is required for some and a little playing around in photo-shop or some other photo editing software for others.

This could be a fun project for the do-it-yourselfers out there, or you could hire the services of a local teen. (I haven’t met a teen yet that wouldn’t jump at the chance to de-face someone’s photo)

The point is, have fun with it and make people take a second look.

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Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson, is a New Zealand work from
home Mom with a holistic approach to helping like
minded parents become successful work from home
families. Her Blog “Online Business Articles”
gives hints and tips on how to do it easily.

http://online-business-articles.wfh4l.com

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Paint A Word Picture To Excite Your Customer
by Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson

The life blood of any business is sales. Whether you are in the business of retailing products to the general pulbic, wholesaling to related trades, manufacturing goods, offering a service to companies or individuals, or marketing on the internet, you are in the exchange business - trading your product for profit.

So how do you make the shift from introducing a “prospect” to your product and converting them to customer or even better, a repeat customer?

So many sales pitches are dry and boring…

“Our widgit has ‘x’ whatsits”.
“We provide a complete solution to …”.
“Our software has ‘umpteen bells and whistles’ which do…”.

“Oh Good Grief!” I hear your prospect exclaiming “Yes, but what will it do for me?”

However, you can bring your selling to life by painting word pictures to excite your prospective customer.

Ask yourself…

Are you really selling what folks really want to buy?
Are you reassuring them, overcoming their fears, giving them their hope, realising their dreams?

That’s what they really want to hear. And it doesn’t matter whether they are the Chief Buyer of MegaBiz Co. PLC (or Inc!), or a one-person band just down the road from you, or Mom, Dad and the kids.

Sell them their dreams! How?

Here’s how…

Paint them a “word picture” of them realising their dreams coming true.

First, you have to find out what they really want - not what you want to sell them.

• What are the real benefits to them - as a person, not a representative of a corporation.
• If they are in a big company, will buying from you enhance their reputation? Make them more secure?
• If they own their own business, will your product/service help them towards their personal goals?
• If they are an individual, how will your product/service add value to their lives?

Paint a word picture to demonstrate this to them.

Here’s a retail sales example…

Man walks into your gift store, aiming to buy a present for his wife. He is studying a beautiful vase. You say:

“That is a beautiful gift. I can see the look on your wife’s face as she unwraps it and says “Darling, this is gorgeous. It is perfect for my floral arrangements and will be just right on the mantleshelf over there”. You see the smile on her face, and you feel really pleased that you bought it. It gave her so much pleasure”

OK, that’s maybe a bit gushy and over the top, but can you see how bringing an image into concrete terms - into the listener’s terms - can give the ‘dream’ concrete substance.

You can sell a hammer in the same way:

“When you pick up this hammer and heft it, you can feel its weight. As it hits the nail, you can feel it driving the nail into the clean, hard wood. It feels just right in your hands”

Again, maybe a little over the top?

However major consultancy contracts have been gained using this method! Try it for yourself. But practice it first.

Study ads on TV, in magazines and newspapers. Note which ones pull you in and how the memorable ones paint a picture for you in your mind. Take a look at your own product or service, then put yourself in your prospective customers’ shoes.

Make sure that you’ve asked all the right questions, so that you know what really switches your prospect on.

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Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson, is a New Zealand work from
home Mom with a holistic approach to helping like
minded parents become successful work from home
families. Her Blog “Online Business Articles”
gives hints and tips on how to do it easily.

http://online-business-articles.wfh4l.com

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Multiply Your Web-site Links with Free Stuff

by Dee-Dee Macleod-Wilson

One of the most effective ways to get people to link to your web site is by offering other web masters the option of giving away your free stuff. In exchange, they link to your web site.

Why would other web masters want to do this? They may want give away a freebie to draw traffic to their web site. They also may not have the time, knowledge or skills to give away certain types of electronic freebies from their web site.

Your Links Will Just Keep Multiplying.

When a web master offers your freebie to his or her visitors. Those visitors may decide to also give away your freebie. And so on and so on… The linking can become viral and so the more people that link to your web site the more traffic you’ll get.

Below are four of the most popular types of freebies given away on the internet to increase traffic.

Free Software

Offer free software from your web site. The software could be:

• freeware,
• shareware,
• demos,
• Private Label Rights (PLR) or
• Master Resale Rights (MRR).

Free Online Services

Offer a free online service from your web site. The online service could be:

• an e-mail account,
• search engine submission,
• social bookmarking,
• copywriting,
• e-mail consulting, etc.

Free Information

Offer valuable free information from your web site. The information could be:

• a report,
• an article,
• an online audio recording or
• an e-mail course, etc.

With a subscription form on your site you can keep your traffic steady by being in regular contact with your subscribers. Good free content on your site will ensure return visitors and referrals that will increase traffic to your web site and make it appealing to other webmasters to link to you.

Free Affiliate Program

Offer a free affiliate program from your web site. The affiliate program could be:

• pay per sale,
• click through,
• two tiered, etc.

Rewarding affiliates with a percentage of the sale of your products will increase the number of links to your web site as they promote your products.

Now, I know, there are many other ways to get links like trading or exchanging links with other web sites or joining a banner or traffic exchange. You can also do joint ventures or cross promoting. However I feel these are not as effective as multiplying your links.

I hope this article has given you some ideas that can help you increase traffic to your web site.

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Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson, is a New Zealand work from
home Mom with a holistic approach to helping like
minded parents become successful work from home
families. Her Blog “Online Business Articles” gives
hints and tips on how to do it easily.

http://online-business-articles.wfh4l.com

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10 Cool Ways To Attract People To Your Web Site

by Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson

Traffic is the life-blood of any website. If you don’t have traffic, visitors coming to your site, you are dead in the water.
So much of an online business depends on getting traffic to your door, and much like an offline business you need to make your ’shop’ attractive to the casual passersby.
It is so important that much time and money is spent doing just that, getting people to your door in the hope they will come in and buy something.
Let’s be real here… why else would you have a website if it is not to make money.

There are a number of traffic strategies an online business owner can implement.

Search Engine Optimisation
SEO is setting up your website in such a way that the search engines show you favour and index your site in the search results. Doing SEO tasks such as, selecting good keywords that are relevant and appropriate to your website topic, using these keywords wisely in your page titles, headings, anchor text and articles all helps to build your search engine credibility and gain good placement in the search results.

Link Building
Building links to your site using Social Networks, Social Bookmarking, Article submission to Article Directories, etc. all help to gain link popularity with inwards links. Again the search engines will take note of this.

Apart from doing SEO and Link building there are a number of other things you can do to make your web site attractive to new and returning visitors. While SEO is important to get the ‘good’ listing in the search engine result pages for your keywords, in the end it is people who will be visiting your site.

Here are 10 Cool Ways to attract people to your web site and keep them interested.

1. EZINES
Give people a free subscription to your e-zine. Almost everyone is publishing a e-zine nowadays so it’s important to give something extra with the free subscription. You could offer a free gift or advertising when people subscribe.

2. CONTENT
Provide your visitors with good free content. Your content will be more attractive to your visitors if it’s up-to-date and original. Long gone are the days when you could upload junk just to get high search engine ranking and adsense clicks. The search engines and more importantly people, want good content. That is content that answers their questions and provides solutions to their unique problems. You could also offer vivtors the option to reprint the content in their own e-zine or web site.

3. ONLINE DIRECTORY
Offer a free online directory. The directory could be full of interesting ebooks, e-zines, web sites etc. If people find your directory to be a valuable resource they will visit it over and over.

4. EBOOKS
Give your visitors a free ebook. You could also include your own ad in the ebook and allow other people to give it away. If you don’t want to take the time to write one, you could ask other writers permission to use their articles or grab some PLR articles to use. Make sure you don’t just copy and paste. Work with it and add your own value to the information.

5. ONLINE CLASSES & SEMINARS
Hold free online classes or seminars. They could be held in your web site’s chat room. The idea of “live” information will definitely entice people to visit your web site. You will become known as an expert on the topic. With the viral effect of videos and “TV Show” services now available you can host a regular online show.

6. CONTESTS
Give visitors a free entry into your contest or sweepstakes. Most people who enter will continually revisit your web site to get the results. The prizes should be something of interest or value to your visitors keeping in mind the niche you are servicing. An ipod, for example, may be hot to a music audience but have little value to gardening niche.

7. SOFTWARE
Let visitors download free software. It could be freeware, shareware, demos etc. You could even turn part of your site into a free software directory. If you created the software, include your ad inside and let other people give it away. If you don’t have your own software you can use someone elses. Many PLR (Private label Rights) and MMR (Master Resale Rights) membership sites have such software you can give away free.Again try to target your niche audience.

8. ONLINE SERVICES OR UTILITIES
Offer free online services or utilities from your web site. They could be search engine submitting, copy writing proofreading etc. The service or utility should be helpful to your target audience.

9. CONSULTATIONS
Give free consulting to people who visit your web site. You could offer your knowledge via e-mail or by telephone. People will consider this a huge value because consulting fees can be very expensive.

10. MEMBERSHIPS
Give your visitors a free membership to your online club. People want to belong to something, why not your online club. You could also give away a free e-zine for club members only. People also like to contribute and have their say. A private forum for example is an easy utility to start a membership club with.

When you are planning a new website, you would do well to consider the ideas above and select some or all to intergrate them as part of your online business model.
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Dee-Dee MacLeod-Wilson, is a New Zealand work from
home Mom with a holistic approach to helping like
minded parents become successful work from home
families. Her Blog “Online Business Articles” gives
hints and tips on how to do it easily.

http://online-business-articles.wfh4l.com

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I am curious as to how effective Jeff’s Underground Training Lab instruction site will be. The site, or rather blog, was started on 18 April 2008 as a video instruction for his Free SEO Blog Software, which you are now viewing.

It is basically a WordPress Blog that has been tweaked by Jeff and his team to provide site owners with a great Search Engine Optimized blog to bring natural search traffic to their online businesses.

My Impressions So Far…

The blog content at Jeff’s Underground Training Lab is easy to read and the instructions are easy to follow. I had no problems setting up this blog by following them.

The instruction videos were good and kept my attention during what is essentially a technical tutorial.

The Email messages received to date are succinct and to the point. The subject is directly related to the instruction site and there have been no ‘you gotta buy this’ messages so far.

The software is the new WordPress 2.5 that has been tweaked. The installation process was painless and quick to install. It comes with a number of themes and some preloaded plugins. WordPress 2.5 is quite different from previous versions as they have totally changed the look and feel of the WP Dashboard back office. It can be a little disorientating if you are used to the older versions but the experience hasn’t been too bad and I have quickly found my way around the new dashboard.

The Plugins included are

• Akismet
• All in one SEO Pack
• Database Manager
• Google Sitemap Generator
• Simple Capcha
• Sociable

Modifications I have made

I have chosen the GlossyBlue SEO 1.4 Theme for this blog and I have also setup the sidebar using sidebar widgets. I have also uploaded a number of my personal favorite Wordpress plugins.

The Purpose of this Blog

I have decided to trial this new software and follow Jeffs instructions to test his theories by creating an Online Business Article Blog. As well as the Online Business Articles I intend to post on this blog I will also write updates about Jeff’s Underground Training Lab.

The Online Business Articles will contain tips and tricks to help business owners to make the most of online business strategies to grow their business whether it is a traditional off-line business or web-only business.

Grab More Traffic, More Leads and More Sales!

Free Traffic and Conversion Training is Yours for the Taking… and is just a click away…

Head on over to Jeff Johnson’s Underground Training Lab - Click Here!

But first…

Change The Look and Feel of this Ugly Blog so it looks more like this one… Digital Camera Reviews

Here’s how:
Change Your Blog’s Look and Feel - Free Video Tutorial