At times us marketing managers and business owners can get pretty overly unbalanced in our focus of getting more leads and calls in our pursuits. High touch customer service is huge! It will make or break a business. Great customer service will lead to word of mouth business not just eCommerce efforts. “Word of mouth is the most powerful means by which any product or company builds a reputation, and the internet is a medium made for word of mouth.”-Bill Gates Business At The Speed of Thought. This becomes more and more precedent as social networks grow and social network marketing grows. We all have our favorite brands, vendors, and stores we love to frequent and those we don’t. Most times the likes and dislikes hinge on the basis of the quality of there customer service. For all companies that take calls from customers and potential customers need to be highly aware of what kind of conversations are taking place. A high majority of calls will be the basis of impressions made about your web business. How may rings before someone picks up? Is the person warm and receptive? How many times is the call transfered? How long are your hold times? Are the reps knowledgeable? Are the internal reps sales focused? If you are concerned with conversions your phone reps are a huge key to this. A sales focused (or one with incentive(aka Commissioned)) rep will greatly increase over phone sales and sales on the web after those customers hang up. I see this as a big hang-up with a lot of business in the transition to doing more and more business generated from the internet. So make sure you get it right in your organization so your business doesn’t get Hung-up On!

Tags: General Business Issues, Business Building, Pay Per Click Advertising, Social Networking by Noah - 1 Comment »

SPAM is down right annoying. I have one e-mail address that 95%+ of the messages are JUNK. It blows my mind.

What good is the CAN-SPAM Act doing? Part of the Act prohibits deceptive subject lines. Don’t you just love that one?

I recently decided to open one of the many Pay Pal SPAM e-mails that I get almost weekly and looked at the URL. What a surprise…it wasn’t actually from Pay Pal.

One of our clients called today to talk about SPAM…especially going to his employee’s BlackBerry’s. Fred gave him some advice and tightened up the SPAM filter on his e-mail, but the scary part is what if the good e-mails get dumped in to the SPAM side of the mix?

This blog gets plenty of SPAM comments that never get displayed. It’s amazing all the CRAP that is circulating online in the form of SPAM.

What are you doing to control SPAM in your internet world?

I still think that I’d rather deal with online SPAM than to eat canned SPAM. Have you ever tried eating that stuff? Oops… I changed the subject of this post, but I couldn’t resist. I don’t even know what’s in canned SPAM. It’s scary to even think about it. Have a GREAT weekend!

Tags: Ethics, General Business Issues by David - 3 Comments »

Last week Michael Martine wrote a great post titled 4 Places Where Your Customers Are that really got me thinking…

Back in the “old days” (1997) before publishing was instant and blogging wasn’t a word, I did a little writing for consumer magazines.

Have you ever thought about writing for consumer magazines and trade magazines? Exposure in a consumer magazine can expose your business to a whole new audience and instantly give you credibility as an expert.

The process really isn’t so difficult, but does require a bit more time and planning than bloggers may be accustomed to.

Identify Niche Publications

One of a writer’s most valuable resources is Writer’s Market – a huge book that lists thousands of book publishers and consumer magazines along with:

• The editor’s name
• The type of articles they publish
• The pay per article
• The number of magazines in circulation
• The percentage of the magazine that is freelance written
• The number of times the magazine is published per year

In 1997, your only option was to buy the 1016 page book. Today, you can subscribe to the online version of Writer’s Market for just $3.99 per month and get the same information.

Develop Story Angles

When writing for magazines, you sell the idea before ever writing the article. After creating a list of target publications and finding out exactly they are looking for, you will likely begin to get ideas for story angles.

Information in and of itself is not interesting. It’s the way in which the writer can package and deliver the information that makes it so! Publishers are looking for solid information packaged in a way that is interesting and relevant to their readers. Once you’ve got some story angles developed, it’s time to pitch the idea.

Pitch the idea

Now it’s time to convince the editor that your story needs to be in their publication. This is done with a query letter. A query letter is not just a way to pitch your story idea. The query letter is a sales pitch where you get to prove that your writing has style, can capture attention, and can hold a reader’s interest.

Allison of the blog ‘Ask Allison’ shares two query letters that worked for her.

I would suggest not pitching the same idea to multiple publishers. There are any number of angles to be taken on a particular topic. If you’re going to be approaching multiple publishers, pitch different angles to different publishers.

Once your idea is accepted by the editor, it’s time to write the article, submit it, and…wait. It may be one to six months before your article appears in print. But when it does – wow! There are few experiences more exciting than seeing your name and article printed in a magazine.

Tags: General Business Issues, Business Building by Adam - 1 Comment »

Yesterday, Christine wrote about getting published in our e-book which will be a FREE download. Today, I’m giving you an opportunity to get listed in our MEMBERS ONLY Directory. This will be part of a paid membership site separate from Create Business Growth that will have e-Books, video tutorials, audio tutorials and a resource directory.

The launch date for this project is mid-January 2008. I’m seeking Web Designers, Copywriters, Programmers, SEO Experts and the like who would like to be listed in our members only resource area. If you are interested, here’s what I need…

1) What service(s) you offer… A paragraph or two description…Your URL and any other information that you think might be helpful.

2) Email your info to David [at] Create Business Growth.com (NO ATTACHMENTS)
and list it in the comments section below.

I’ll do about 80 LIVE workshops in 2008 that the membership service will be promoted at plus internet marketing and direct mail. Your listing will be FREE for being a loyal reader of Create Business Growth. It will be an added benefit to our readers to have solid resources in the areas mentioned previously.

Tags: Announcements, General Business Issues, Business Building by David - 3 Comments »

A lot of people are talking about the law of attraction now that the book The Secret has become such a big success. Do you believe in the law of attraction? Some people live by this law, others think its BS.

I’m not a law of attraction, “cultist,” I am a big believer that you can attract things into your life. It’s not a science, and it doesn’t work if you don’t feel deep down that you deserve these things, but it does work! Perhaps like you, I started noticing this “phenomenon” many years before I realized there was something called the law of attraction, and I am amazed at how it works.

Coincidence, or the law of attraction at work?

Though 3,000 miles apart, David and I met when I sent him an email to let him know about my copywriting services at the exact moment that he was online searching for copywriters for some of his clients. Was this a coincidence, or the law of attraction at work?

Over the years I feel that I’ve brought quite a few things into my life with the law of attraction but the strangest set of things of all was a 1971 Volkswagen pop-top bus and a tool set.

Back when I was hitchhiking across the country and free as a bird, I had a little notebook that I used to write down observations. Though I was living in a tent and had pretty much nothing, something I really, really did want at the time was a 1971 Volkswagen pop-top bus and a tool set. I wanted it so bad that I made a page of things that I wanted in the notebook and wrote just those two things on the page.

A few months later, my then boyfriend at the time and I traveled up to Oregon to visit his estranged father that he had not seen in years. Though he had been a mechanic, his father was managing some apartments and had started a new family. Ironically, one of the tenants that had recently moved out had just given his father his non-working 1971 Volkswagen pop-top bus in exchange for a rent debt.

Glad to see his son and knowing that we needed a vehicle, he offered to fix up the bus and give it to us! In a week or so, he had it running like a champ and had even spray painted the engine a bright funky yellow and gave us a brand new tool box to go with it!

Hocus Pocus, or The Real Deal?

Is the law of attraction real or just a series of coincidences? Do you feel as if you’ve ever “manifested” anything into your life with the Law of Attraction? What are its boundaries?

More Posts on the Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction in Business

Responsibility and the Law of Attraction

10 Easy Steps to using the Law of Attraction for Manifesting Prosperity

Tags: Hangout Cafe, General Business Issues by Adam - 13 Comments »

When I look back on my life, I realize that most of the goals I set were for the direct benefit of me and my immediate family (a bigger house, no debts, a vacation, etc.).

And though there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I recently had a change in thinking that has gotten me more excited about goal setting than I have been in a long, long time.

Now, instead of setting goals that directly benefit only ME, I have decided to fully trust in and embrace the Zig Ziglar quote you see at the top of this page which reads, “you can have everything in life that you want if you will only just help enough other people get what they want.”

Setting “Bigger Picture” Goals

If we truly believe that the more people you help, the more you will naturally help yourself, then shouldn’t our goal be to help more people? That’s the change I’ve recently made.

Now, instead of a goal to “make $x” by goal is to help x number of other people become successful. More precisely, my goal is to help 12 people earn $10,000, 3 people earn $31,000, and 1 person earn $1 million dollars by owning their own business. (You can read more about that goal here).

Setting a goal that is bigger than myself feels fantastic. It has allowed me to dream again. It keeps me up at night and wakes me up early each morning anxious to start the day.

I have no doubt that I can achieve this goal and I envision the day when I can look myself in the mirror and know that I have really made a difference in the lives of other people, not just myself.

Examples of Big Picture Goals

• The authors of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were passionate about fueling the book’s success because their goal was to sell 1 billion books to raise $500 million for charity by the year 2020.

• If you sell a success product – set a goal to help #x of people go from mediocre to wealthy.

• If you sell financial services or consulting – set a goal to help #x of people get out of debt.

• Set a goal to donate $x to your favorite charity or cause OR to start a charity or cause.

Share Your Opinion

Do you work for a larger cause than just yourself? Can you think of more ideas the list above? Do you think this way of thinking could be more effective and more fulfilling than setting goals solely based on your personal gain?

Great Blog Posts About Goal Setting

From teh Good Improvements Blog: Goal Setting Is As Simple As Reading A Map

From the Goal Setting for Kids blog - Getting Your Kids Organized for Goal Setting

From Personal Strategic Plan - The 10 Commandments for Goal Setting

Tags: General Business Issues by Adam - 4 Comments »

All I’m doing is putting in the link in case you want to check it out.

Tags: General Business Issues by David - No Comments »

I’ve been thinking about this post the last few days and decided to post it today. My hope is that someone will read it and keep moving toward their dream because of it.

Over the course of our lives, it’s not the things that come to us easy that we remember. It’s not the normal, sunny days that stand out. It’s not the friends we had during the easy times that we love.

I use to rock climb, and it’s not the easy climbs that I remember. The most memorable climb was one that didn’t even start out as a climb. I was with my best friend from college and we were going around the state of North Carolina looking for places to rappel. We made our way to a place called table rock with our 150 foot rope.

We walked to the top, tied off the line and threw it over the side. We could not see if the rope made it to the bottom or not, but we were young and rambunctious so my friend went over first.

He told me to come down but to come slow so he could guide me. I started down and when I saw my friend he was standing on a small (about 6 inches wide) rock ledge flat against the side of the cliff. There was nothing securing him to the rock. He was only about half way down with another 150 feet below him (did I mention we were young and rambunctious? Some of you may be saying young and stupid at this point).

He guided me to a ledge that was about 3 feet by 4 feet. I got to that ledge and then reached over to help him get from his small ledge to the bigger ledge. We both knew how close he had come to falling and probably dying, so we just sat there for about half an hour enjoying the beauty around us.

Then we tied a rope between us and started climbing back to the top. If one of us fell we hoped that the other would be able to stop the fall (it was more likely that we both would have fallen, but we were in this together). We made it back to the top without any major problems, but it was a struggle.

My friend and I had a lot of fun times together, but this is the day that I cherish. Some of you might be wondering what this has to do with business growth and why I am putting it on this blog. I’m putting it hear because the same applies in your business endeavors.

Some of you are going through struggles with your business. You are wondering if it is worth it to keep going. I’m telling you that not only is it worth it, but, that these are the times that you will look back to as the great times of your business growth. Never give up, never give in, never quit. 

If not for the tunnel, the light at the end would have no meaning.

If not for the storm, the calm would not be as welcome.

If not for the fire, the steel could not be tempered.

If not for the struggle, there could be no victory. 

Cherish your struggles, because they are the best times of your life.

Tell us about some of your struggles that you overcame and now cherish.

Tags: General Business Issues by Fred - 3 Comments »

I know that many of you are familiar with reading posts from Christine.  Well, she moved this past weekend and is still without internet service.  Which is worse, the move? or no internet?  Christine should be back online soon and you can begin enjoying her posts.  Either way, there will be a regular quality post on Wednesday for sure.

As the co-founder of CBG, I’m going to give away $50 to the most active and quality focused commenter this week.  The decision will be made on Friday.  So dive into some older posts and comment, comment, comment.  It could be worth $50 to you.

Thanks for reading and for commenting.  Don’t forget to get our RSS feed before you go.  There’s a tutorial beside the home page tab if you need help.

Tags: General Business Issues by David - 15 Comments »

As an entrepreneur and business owner, you have to be able to inspire trust and confidence in your customers, employees, JV partners, etc. People have to know and believe that you are a credible, trustworthy expert in your industry, or they won’t do business with you.

As a young entrepreneur, this is one of the challenges I struggled with the most when I was first starting out. As a 16 year old, many people were somewhat less apt to respect my expertise or knowledge than they would that of a 50 year old. Not to mention the fact that I had not developed the leadership skills that many older business people have had the years to develop. Without trust and credibility, you can’t influence people, and without influence, you fail.

If you are a entrepreneur (young or not), you have probably experienced the Credibility Factor. People will usually communicate their hesitance to trust your expertise in subtle ways – not making the purchase, for example. When I was first starting out, I lost a few sales because the person did not trust me enough to give me their credit card details.

Increasing Your Credibility

Credibility, trust, influence, and leadership are closely related subjects. As John Maxwell says, leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. But you cannot have influence without trust – people do not follow someone whom they do not trust.

If you want people to trust, believe and follow you, I suggest that you read Developing The Leader Within You, by John C. Maxwell. This book has been more influential in developing my leadership skills than any other book.

The Age Variable For Young Entrepreneurs

As I mentioned, I believe that age is a variable in the credibility factor. As I also related, I had very low credibility when I started out. That was nearly 5 years ago, though, and a lot has changed. I’m not a master leader by any stretch of the imagination, but I have learned and developed enough skills so that I can make large sales, recruit and motivate teams, etc. But I am digressing – the question is how young entrepreneurs can overcome the age barrier and develop trust and influence with older people.

I’ve found three ways to overcome age constraints:

1. Become so good at what you do that people have to respect you. If you are obviously an expert at something, people will trust you, regardless of your age.
2. Switch to an area where your age increases your credibility. I used this tactic by moving to the internet. Young people are often stereotyped as geeks, so people actually trusted me more because I was in an industry that they naturally expected me to be good at.
3. Improve your leadership skills so that you can inspire trust and influence people regardless of your age.

If you are a young entrepreneur, keep in mind that people are not being prejudiced against you. They are just making decisions based on their perceptions of you as a young person. Your job is to present yourself to people in a way that will make them realize that you are trustworthy, honest, knowledgeable, etc.

At root, the issue is not age. The issue is credibility. People do not make decisions based on reality. They make their decisions based on their perception of reality. Learn how to make people perceive you as a credible person, and you can succeed.

~Adam
Explode The Net - Community For Young Entrepreneurs

Tags: General Business Issues by Adam - 1 Comment »