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1.) EDITORIAL
___________________

A "Warm" Welcome to All our New Subscribers.

If the kids are not back in school yet, they will be very soon.
If you took time off this summer, be sure to think about your strategy
for increasing sales and achieving the goals you set forth for your business.
No business can run by itself.  You see many automated systems out there, but
they are not completed automated. You still have to go out to get prospects.

Now is the time many entrepreneurs are strategizing their advertising campaigns for
the height of season.  Get a few steps ahead of the game and start working on your
holiday campaigns.  It is NOT too early.

I see alot of new business entrepreneurs online,
and we do have many new subscribers.  The OnLine
Exchange has been in publication for 8 years.
We have quality readers and very competitive a.dvertising
packages.  So, please take a moment and review what
The OnLine Exchange has to offer.
www.online-exchange.com/advertise

If you have any questions, suggestions, opinions,
please email us at:  marketingtrendz@comcast.net

Please forward this e-zine to all your friends and co-workers who might be interested!

Until Next time,
 
Debbie Solomon
editor of The OnLine Exchange Ezine

 

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2.) HEADLINE ARTICLE
__________________

«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»

Keep The Sale

«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»

Does this sound familiar?

After dozens of phones calls and emails as well as several face-to-face meetings, you finally reach an agreement with a prospect who is intent on buying your service, product or solution.

"Whew! Another sale done," you think to yourself.

But, wait. Before you start counting your commission it is critical that you keep the sale. Just because a prospect has agreed to move forward it does not mean that the sale will move forward, especially if you sell a complex system or solution. Dozens of things can happen to derail your efforts.

Your key contact may change companies or positions. The person you are dealing with gets cold feet, loses interest, or decides to change vendors. The company may be acquired or sold. A competitor may approach your prospect with a better offer. There is no such thing as a guaranteed sale even if you are holding a signed contract. That means you need to ensure that you keep the sale. Here are several strategies you can incorporate into your business that will help you achieve this.

1. First, send some form of acknowledgement or thank-you. I know this sounds like an elementary concept but most sales people think of doing this. They take the sale and move on to the next prospect. However, if you send a thank-you card immediately after you confirm the sale, you differentiate yourself you're your competition. You can also use postcards. The key is to show your new customer that you value his or her business and thanking them is just one small gesture that demonstrates this.

2. The next thing to do is regularly update your new customer. Keep them informed about things like delivery or shipment status and installation dates and schedules. If you sell a highly customized product, make sure you advise them on the progress of the development of their product. Frequency of updates will depend on a few factors.

- What does your key decision-maker expect or want? If they are detail oriented person they will require more frequent updates than someone who is less detail- oriented. The easiest way to determine this is ask this question, "How often do you want me to send you updates?" A simple question but one that will give you tremendous insight into your customer's expectations.

- Another factor is the length of time that occurs between the time of your agreement and when your services will be rendered or your product will be delivered. The more time that elapses between these two, the more important it is for you to update your customer. For example, in my particular business, it is not uncommon for a company to book me for a keynote speech or training workshop up to a year in advance. During this time, I try to send them some form of update so they know I have not forgotten about their event.

3. Send them additional information of value. This includes articles, magazine and newspaper clippings, or other information that is relevant to their business. You could send them an article that mentions a strategic move one of their competitors is about to make or an article on a topic that relates to your key contact's interests. You may come across a newspaper article about their company-clip this article and send it your client. It does not matter if they have already read the article because your gesture shows that you are paying attention to their business. And most sales people do not do this. One word of caution. Do NOT send information about your product! This is not about you! It is about giving your new customer a reason to keep the sale with you.

4. Depending on the size of the sale, you could send a book that will help them with their business. There are a multitude of books on the market today, addressing virtually every business situation. If your client enjoys reading then it makes good business sense to send them a book that will help improve their results. I have sent books to my clients that focus on communication, leadership, sales, and customer service. Attach a brief note explaining why you sent this book.

5. Lastly, reinforce their buying decision. The easiest way to this is to send them testimonials from satisfied customers. An even more effective approach is to ask one of your existing clients to call your new customer. People want reassurances that they have made a sound buying decision so just imagine the impact if they heard a voice mail message from one of your clients stating how satisfied they were with your product, service or solution.

These may sound like simple concepts. However, I know from experience that very few sales people actually use them. Integrating these strategies into your routine will not only help you differentiate yourself from your competition, you will increase your odds of keeping every sale you make.

© 2008 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses discover new techniques to improve their sales and profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www. kelleyrobertson.com. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kell ey@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.Does this sound familiar?

After dozens of phones calls and emails as well as several face-to-face meetings, you finally reach an agreement with a prospect who is intent on buying your service, product or solution.

"Whew! Another sale done," you think to yourself.

But, wait. Before you start counting your commission it is critical that you keep the sale. Just because a prospect has agreed to move forward it does not mean that the sale will move forward, especially if you sell a complex system or solution. Dozens of things can happen to derail your efforts.

Your key contact may change companies or positions. The person you are dealing with gets cold feet, loses interest, or decides to change vendors. The company may be acquired or sold. A competitor may approach your prospect with a better offer. There is no such thing as a guaranteed sale even if you are holding a signed contract. That means you need to ensure that you keep the sale. Here are several strategies you can incorporate into your business that will help you achieve this.

1. First, send some form of acknowledgement or thank-you. I know this sounds like an elementary concept but most sales people think of doing this. They take the sale and move on to the next prospect. However, if you send a thank-you card immediately after you confirm the sale, you differentiate yourself you're your competition. You can also use postcards. The key is to show your new customer that you value his or her business and thanking them is just one small gesture that demonstrates this.

2. The next thing to do is regularly update your new customer. Keep them informed about things like delivery or shipment status and installation dates and schedules. If you sell a highly customized product, make sure you advise them on the progress of the development of their product. Frequency of updates will depend on a few factors.

- What does your key decision-maker expect or want? If they are detail oriented person they will require more frequent updates than someone who is less detail- oriented. The easiest way to determine this is ask this question, "How often do you want me to send you updates?" A simple question but one that will give you tremendous insight into your customer's expectations.

- Another factor is the length of time that occurs between the time of your agreement and when your services will be rendered or your product will be delivered. The more time that elapses between these two, the more important it is for you to update your customer. For example, in my particular business, it is not uncommon for a company to book me for a keynote speech or training workshop up to a year in advance. During this time, I try to send them some form of update so they know I have not forgotten about their event.

3. Send them additional information of value. This includes articles, magazine and newspaper clippings, or other information that is relevant to their business. You could send them an article that mentions a strategic move one of their competitors is about to make or an article on a topic that relates to your key contact's interests. You may come across a newspaper article about their company-clip this article and send it your client. It does not matter if they have already read the article because your gesture shows that you are paying attention to their business. And most sales people do not do this. One word of caution. Do NOT send information about your product! This is not about you! It is about giving your new customer a reason to keep the sale with you.

4. Depending on the size of the sale, you could send a book that will help them with their business. There are a multitude of books on the market today, addressing virtually every business situation. If your client enjoys reading then it makes good business sense to send them a book that will help improve their results. I have sent books to my clients that focus on communication, leadership, sales, and customer service. Attach a brief note explaining why you sent this book.

5. Lastly, reinforce their buying decision. The easiest way to this is to send them testimonials from satisfied customers. An even more effective approach is to ask one of your existing clients to call your new customer. People want reassurances that they have made a sound buying decision so just imagine the impact if they heard a voice mail message from one of your clients stating how satisfied they were with your product, service or solution.

These may sound like simple concepts. However, I know from experience that very few sales people actually use them. Integrating these strategies into your routine will not only help you differentiate yourself from your competition, you will increase your odds of keeping every sale you make.

© 2008 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses discover new techniques to improve their sales and profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www. kelleyrobertson.com. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kell ey@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

[Back to the Table of Contents]

 

 

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[Back to the Table of Contents]

 

4.) BIZ*TECH SAVVY SOLUTIONS
_____________________

 

Homepage Hijacking
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

There's nothing more frustrating than losing the homepage you really like every time you open your Web browser. It's happened to me before too, so I know exactly how you feel. Well, I'm here today to (hopefully) make you feel a little bit better about all of this.Most of the time, a quick trip to the Tools menu, Internet Options choice will let you reset the page. To do that, just type in the URL of the Web site you want to use for your homepage and then hit the OK button to save it in place.

However, sometimes it's an even bigger problem. Some folks find that each time they reboot their computer, their homepage switches back to an unwanted site and no amount of screaming seems to help. So, what's going on? How did their Web browser get hijacked?

Well, there are several ways this can happen; both for a simple homepage change and the nastier, seemingly permanent change. First, some Web pages will ask you if you want to make them your homepage. If you hit Yes, it's a done deal. After all, you can't be too surprised that your homepage was changed after you told your browser it was okay.

However, some will modify this question to something like, "Do you like freebies?" When you hit Yes to this, it secretly changes the homepage on you. Most of the time, the same dialogue box that's asking you if you like freebies (or whatever) will also say something to the effect that it's going to reset your homepage. They try to distract you from that message though, just to get you to click "Yes." So, be careful with those types.

Fortunately, when your homepage is switched in the ways outlined above, going to Tools, Internet Options will let you set your page back to whatever you want (of course, you'll need to know the address of your homepage). Normally, that takes care of the problem and you're back to normal again.

Another way your homepage can get switched is through a security hole in Internet Explorer. But, as long as you keep your browser up to date, this shouldn't be a problem. If it does get switched through this security hole, it's my understanding that generally, a script is placed in the Startup menu (Start, All Programs, Startup) that will reset the homepage each time Windows loads. Deleting it should let you switch back to your homepage permanently as well. Oh, and make sure you update Internet Explorer if you aren't in the habit of doing it. That's one nasty little security hole!

Finally, software can even be a problem. Some programs will load automatically when you start Windows and the first thing they do is reset your homepage. You may be able to disable this through their Options area, but don't hold your breath on that. Your best bet is to disable or get rid of any program you catch doing this.

Okay, that's all good and well, but if it is a program that's switching your homepage, how do you figure out which one it is? Well, if your browser's homepage was reset to the homepage of a particular software company (whose software you just installed), you probably aren't going to need too much mental energy to figure out who did it.

On the other hand, if you have no clue where the homepage in question came from, you'll need to look back on recently installed programs. Did your homepage change right after you installed a particular program? If so, that's where you should start looking. It seems that most of the time, these types of programs run from the Startup folder (mentioned above). So, if you see something in there that shouldn't be (or you're not sure), you may want to remove the item, reset your homepage back to one you actually want and then see if it stays put.

Oh, one last thing: watch out for install programs too. Some of them have an option for resetting your homepage that's checked or selected by default (you know, for your "convenience").  Everyone wants you to use their site for your homepage and they'll go to just about any length to make it happen. Hope this helps you out!

----

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of
How to Protect Your Computer Online.  He has been keeping
Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century.  Find out
how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of
protection right here: =>  http://mypcsecuritysite.com

 

 

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5.) EZINE A*D*VERTISING DETAILS
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A*dvertise with The OnLine Exchange TODAY:
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could be seen by over 18,000 Subscribers as soon as
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EZINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY
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The OnLine Exchange is brought to you by MarketingTrendz.  Please visit our directory of resources for helpful information for your online business.  

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ONLINE EXCHANGE DIRECTORY & INFORMATION DATA
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ONLY subscribers who have personally and voluntarily subscribed to this Ezine will Receive it. We are 100% Opt-In. We will NEVER provide our subscriber list to ANYONE. We respect the privacy of our readers.

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CONTACT INFORMATION-

Editor: Debbie Solomon
Publisher: Sara Hardy
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MarketingTrendz
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support@marketingtrendz.com

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DISCLAIMER-

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
The information contained in this document represents the current view of MarketingTrendz on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because MarketingTrendz must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of MarketingTrendz and MarketingTrendz cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented. Information provided in this document is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from infringement. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document.

All opinions and viewpoints in each editorial of The OnLine Exchange Ezine is expressed solely by the editor and writer, Debbie Solomon. The opinions set forth by the editor is not necessarily an interpretation of viewpoints made by the company.

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