Other Added - Business

Clients... and 38 ways to communicate with them
As Alan Weiss (guru to the savvy consultant) says: "It is actually difficult to contact clients too much. It is easy to fail to contact them frequently enough. If there is anyone anywhere who has ever sent you a check for your services and with whom you haven't communicated in the past 6 months, then you will never reach your growth potential. The secret is simple: Establish an ongoing dialogue with clients. In the worst case, a monologue will do." You don't get business you don't ask for. You don't get remembered if you don't keep in your clients' minds. But how can you keep your name on the tip of their tongues? Here's 38 ways: Print: Letters; brochures; newsletters; article reprints; job aids and checklists; posters and sayings; cartoons; testimonials and examples of completed assignments. Phone Calls to 'stay in touch'; a 1800 (or 800 in USA) number and hot-line help to encourage use; information relayed on meetings or events of interest; reminders of long-

s is a wonderful negotiating tool if the client cannot meet your full fee. Determine an exact “allowance” of table space and make it clear that your guests will be there to preview you only, not to partake in the meal, sessions or any other aspect of the event. When sending invitations, indicate that there are “x” number of spaces available that will be reserved on a first-to-reply basis. Even if you extend an invitation to a total stranger, you’ll be amazed at how warmly people respond when you are “offering” rather than “asking”.

Local calendar- Contact the Hotels, Convention Center, Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce within the city you are visiting. Either visit their website, send an email or call the sales department and introduce yourself as a professional speaker, coming to town for an engagement. Ask about Associations or companies that may be holding events around the same time as your visit. For some there will be a policy of confidentiality and they will not share this list with you, but many will. Then, pull up

Corporate Flight Attendant Salaries
Pay. You know that business aviation pays more than commercial, in most cases a lot better, but you aren't sure what the going rate is for a corporate flight attendant. It might surprise you to learn that pay rates vary widely depending on the type of account you are flying for, your location, your responsibilities, experience, and more.Over the years I have discovered that the pay range is not set in stone. Typically, fractional operators [i.e., Netjets, Flight Options, Flexjet] pay less than charter operators [Part 135] who pay less than owner operators [Part 91]. Are there exceptions to this rule? Yes, of course. Other factors as mentioned above can play a significant role in determining what you will make. These factors include:Location. Business flight attendants based closer to major metropolitan areas command the highest salaries. New York and Los Angeles are the two most trafficked areas for private flying. Between corporate tycoons and Hollywood stars, these two metropolitan areas produce some of the most significant amounts of flying in business aviation. If you are located in Pocatello, Idaho or in Burlington, VT, the chance

Traditional marketing methods are expensive, time-consuming, frustrating and all too often the lone focus of a speaker’s efforts. Meeting planners are swamped and have an endless stream of choices. Their mailboxes are overflowing with promotional packets and their voice mails stuffed with speakers pleas. When it comes to marketing, I believe that many in my industry as well as others involved in marketing complicate the issue, and that simplicity is the best policy.

In October 2000 I became a full-time speaker, jumping into the profession without a part-time job to make ends meet, no credit and very little savings. Since bank robbery was no longer an option, I had to develop a marketing plan that was cheap, easy and would quickly result in paid gigs. The first year I turned a profit, the second year I turned a substantial profit and now, entering my fifth year in the business, I speak as much or as little as I want to. In this chapter, I’d like to share that marketing plan with you.

What little marketing my office does is exclusively via email, and requests for additional information are directed through my web site. My only large initial investment was made in identity design and website development. By having a site that is professionally done, easy to navigate and properly indexed, it can provide meeting planners with all the information they need to make a decision.

I do not incur the time or costs associated with mass mailings or large print runs of marketing materials, and my office never makes cold calls- ever. The promotional material I do send is specifically tailored to each target group. One-sheets are printed as “blank” templates, with high-quality photos, graphics and titles only. Customized program descriptions, specifically targeted to each industry are then printed on demand or simply e-mailed in PDF format. Potential clients that see me as a specialist in their industry are more likely to respond than those who receive material with generic appeal.

Pre-qualifying those who receive your material dramatically reduces overhead. No one receives a packet from my office until the following facts have been established:

• They know what my program(s) consist of, either through my website or word of mouth;
• They know my full fee;
• My fee is within their budget;
• They must have the authority to hire me; and
• They must have an upcoming venue in which professional speakers are utilized.

Too many people just enjoy getting mail- they won’t be getting mine.

E-Mail
Identify your target group, go to their website and send a simple e-mail to the meeting planner, President, President-elect, anyone who looks like they may be part of the decision-making process. The message is customized to include their group name, an introduction of your program that encourages a trip to your website, and a bit of “name dropping”. This is particularly effective if you have a glowing testimonial from one of their colleagues. Either paste an excerpt in to the body of your message or include a link to the full testimonial on your website. Nothing sells like a good word from their own.

Send out e-mails only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This way, your message is less likely to be discarded as people skim their full in-boxes on Monday morning. If you get a reply stating they do not want to be contacted this way in the future, it is important that you respect their wishes.

After a presentation or any mingling event, be sure to ask for a list of attendees and e-mail addresses. Some organizations and associations have strict policies against sharing this information, but many don’t. Send a thank you note that directs them to your website. It is a great way to build your database, sell additional product, get people to sign up for your e-zine and just generally keep you in mind.

Increase Your Exposure
During the original negotiations with your client, receive permission to have a few guests present during your presentation for preview purposes. Any guests that do attend your presentations are going to hire you if you do your job on the platform. This is a wonderful negotiating tool if the client cannot meet your full fee. Determine an exact “allowance” of table space and make it clear that your guests will be there to preview you only, not to partake in the meal, sessions or any other aspect of the event. When sending invitations, indicate that there are “x” number of spaces available that will be reserved on a first-to-reply basis. Even if you extend an invitation to a total stranger, you’ll be amazed at how warmly people respond when you are “offering” rather than “asking”.

Using Advertising Business Gifts To Increase Your Business
Your marketing division – maybe that’s you? – has two major jobs to do for your company:find new customershang on to existing customersBoth of those jobs can be a major challenge. Trying to do both of those jobs on a budget is an even bigger challenge. Advertising is the usual answer to finding new customers, but advertising can be expensive – often prohibitively expensive. Worse, it's usually difficult to tell just how effective your advertising campaigns are. The best that you can usually do is measure sales before and after a marketing campaign, but even then it’s difficult to tell which part of your marketing efforts really paid off with results.It's even more difficult when it comes to keeping your existing customers. The traditional way to hang on to those customers once you've found them is by offering exceptional quality, excellent customer service and great prices. The problem is that your competitors are trying to do the same thing, and one place where they find new customers is by luring them away from you. Even your best customers will only be loyal to a point. If they’re offered a better deal with the same benefits e

clusively via email, and requests for additional information are directed through my web site. My only large initial investment was made in identity design and website development. By having a site that is professionally done, easy to navigate and properly indexed, it can provide meeting planners with all the information they need to make a decision.

Pre-qualifying those who receive your material dramatically reduces overhead. No one receives a packet from my office until the following facts have been established:

Too many people just enjoy getting mail- they won’t be getting mine.

Lessons From Cusano: Bringing Upward Mobility to Independent Cigar Makers
Both cigar retailers and producers are basking in the warm sun of rising cigar sales. As stalwarts like Altadis, USA continue to report solid growth in their earnings, independent cigar makers like Cusano and Alec Bradley are having to hire more employees to meet demand. These independent producers are discovering they are part of a changing world in which the newest cigar smokers -- a growing population of twenty-something aficionados -- are looking at them not as fringe independents, but creators of some of the highest rated smokes around. After hundreds of years of dominance by entrenched name brands, the independent cigar makers have finally found a way to garner upward mobility. The result of all this is not unlike what has happened to the wine world in the last thirty years. Just as wine drinkers are realizing you don't have to go to the entrenched omnipresent regions of France to find great wine, cigar smokers are discovering that the highest quality handmade cigars are not necessarily from Cuba. The Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and other countries are doing for cigars what Napa Valley, Australia and Chile h

one receives a packet from my office until the following facts have been established:

Too many people just enjoy getting mail- they won’t be getting mine.

Retaining An Expert -- What Every Business Owner Needs To Know
As an entrepreneur, hiring an expert can be one of the most efficient ways to turbo-charge your business. However, thousands of consultants flood the Information Highway, and each one promises to positively impact your bottom line. How do you know which expert has the right combination of smarts, skills, experience and personality to move your company in the right direction?It’s no small feat to allow a consultant to make decisions on your behalf. Empowering a consultant to advise changes can bring up feelings of doubt and fear. To help you choose the right expert for you, here are 6 cautionary tips from Kathy Szpakowski, founder of KBS Group, one of the country’s most successful, organizational development consulting companies:1. Make sure the expert has a proven track record for delivering on their promises. Visit the consultant’s web site and check on their references.2. Pay attention to the expert’s commentary after you’ve stated your vision. Do you feel understood? Does he or she “get” it, or do you feel like you need to keep on explaining? If, during the initial conversation stage or in the project outline stage you feel your visi

lls like a good word from their own.

Advertising on Pooper Scoopers at the Rodeo
Recently I was at the big rodeo and I noticed on the back of the pooper scoopers that are used after the bull rides, as sometimes there is shall we say droppings from the big bull on the ground someone has to come out and scoop it up. Did you know that the pooper scooper cruise are actually in the arena 20 to 50 times longer than the bull rider?So being on the back of the pooper scooper with your company logo makes a whole lot more sense than advertising in let's say the silly yellow pages, which know it uses a more. In fact yellow page advertising has declined over the past few years due to the Internet and that makes sense to, in fact yellow page advertising never really polled for any of our franchisees and we were in the car wash business in local markets and communities.But advertising on the back of the pooper scooper at the rodeo sure makes a lot of sense. Imagine the exposure you can get by having your logo on the back of the pooper scooper? I would take that overt yellow page advertising any day. In fact all never forget Charlie's Home Repair, which was on the back of one of the pooper scoopers and it may sound silly but I even memor

Database- Pull up every warm lead in your database that resides in the general area of where you are presenting, and call or shoot him or her an e-mail letting them know that you are coming their way. Seeing you in action may be just the thing to get them off the fence and on to your calendar.

Target Groups- We all have or should have specific groups that make up our bread-and-butter. For me personally, education, banking and credit unions, counseling/social work, HR professionals- these sectors encompass about 50 percent of my engagements, with each target group being comprised of state associations or individual companies that would jump at the chance to see me live as a way to preview my presentation. You take away the uncertainty and nervousness that meeting planners feel- they see exactly what they are getting. You are getting the idea- shoot them an email.

Bureaus- Stop wasting time and money sending unsolicited packets and videos. If you have ever visited a bureau's office, you have witnessed the infamous “closet” where all the promotional packet and videos are kept for review. They are inundated with material and cannot possibly get to them all, as they receive dozens of inquiries a week. If you are going to a city where a bureau is located, make a phone call and invite a representative to preview your presentation. If nobody is able to attend, offer to stop by the office for a quick introduction. A face-to-face impression will keep your name fresh in their minds when clients call.

NSA Chapters or any organization you are a member of- Contact the state chapter and inquire about their monthly meeting. Offer to also present while in town, and while they are usually set months in advance, you never know when a cancellation will come up. This is a great networking opportunity, and you will be surprised how your business will bloom if your colleagues know your program.

Press- Look up and contact every major (and minor) newspaper within the general area. Contact every department, area or section you think may be interested in your topic. Let the editor(s) and/or reporter(s) know your coming their way, invite them to visit your website, and let the coverage begin. It's fast, free and easy- and the paper loves it because a newsworthy event falls right into their lap.

Think Outside the Box
I have several shirts that have printed on them both front and back, “I am a Professional Speaker, ask Me What I Talk About”. When traveling, particularly in the larger airports I will wear one of these shirts and am amazed how many people “Ask Me What I Talk About” (I do not do this if I am exhausted following an engagement or multiple engagements where I just want to curl up in the corner of the airport and rest my eyes). Think about how many CEO’s, Executive Director’s, and other Decision Makers are in airports!

I have even taken this one step further and have given them to family and friends who are familiar with my topics (My brother is a Professional Speaker…My Son is a Professional Speaker…My friend is a Professional Speaker, etc.). For them I offer a commission for each engagement that can be traced back day they wore one of my shirts and they love the attention and extra money!

Marketing does not have to be time-consuming, expensive, or a dreaded part of any business. My office enjoys our marketing methods because in most cases we are dealing with warm leads and are offering people something that does not come around very often- an opportunity to see me for free! If a beginner, this is a great way to get started with minimal cost and I can guarantee you that Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs will gladly let you have guests. If a seasoned pro, you should have a gold mine of contacts. Implement these ideas and you will witness leaps and bounds in referrals, references and your phone ringing. And the best part… it’s cheap!

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When someone looks at 'selling' as a career choice for the first time, it's natural to have some doubts as to whether you can succeed in the field or not. I'm confident when I tell you, 'Yes you can succeed!' and here's why.

Here's a productivity tip that will save you a lot of time and trouble if you need to collate responses from staff for any reason, especially if you work for an organisation with a lot of staff.

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