Latest Articles by smbizguru http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us Business Development using the C.E.O. Plan http://www.articletrader.com/business/small-business/business-development-using-the-c.e.o.-plan.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/small-business/business-development-using-the-c.e.o.-plan.html Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500 If you have a product, and have researched your market, this one simple three step process will ensure your success. If you take all the business guru's and condense their message to the simplist possible formula, I'm confident they would all agree that the C.E.O. formula describes the essentials.



Step One is the "C" - Connect

Most people understand this step. Even people that are not business owners know that prospects and customers must be connected with in some manner. The connection happens in a variety of ways:



  • Direct Mail
  • Business Networking
  • Telemarketing
  • Business Greeting Cards
  • Targeted TV Commercials
  • Radio Commercials
  • Infomercials
  • Internet Marketing
  • Social Networking Websites
  • Magazines
  • Face to Face - 30 second elevator speech

    These are just a few of the methods that business owners have used for many years to connect with their customers. You've probably attended seminars, listened to motivational cd's, read books and magazine articles on strategies for everything on this list. The whole point of connecting is to make some
    kind of contact with your prospect or customer so that the small business owner can deliver the message about the product or service. The is where most small business owners focus all their attention. There is much written and taught about how to connect with the customer.

    Step Two is the "E" - Engage

    Engaging the customer comes next. This is the part of the process where business owners share their message. For example, the direct mail postcard is the tool used to connect with the customer and the message on the postcard engages the customer by conveying the features and benefits.

    Step Three is the "O" - Offer

    The most successful business owners understands the importance of this final step. Yet many hard working independent business owners completely leave this out or make a weak offer.

    Let's look at these three steps together in an example.

    In our example Rachel is a Life Success Coach and works with corporate clients that need productivity coaching. She's been a Coach for 5 years - part time because she only has five clients. She writes and publishes articles, does a cable TV show and teaches a couple of classes on self improvement to promote her business.
    From this description it's seems as if she is making lots of effort to connect with prospects. In her writing and speaking she engages customers with her message of personal development. After asking Rachel a few questions it was discovered that she had never developed a call to action. She connected with
    lots of people, and the people she connected with knew that she offered personal development services. She admitted that she had never developed a specific call to action. The advice given was to create a message where she would begin inviting and asking the people she was communicating with to hire her as a coach.

    Begin to look at all of your marketing tools and check your own marketing message. Does each message have a strong call to action? What about when you are networking, how comfortable do you feel out-right asking for the business? Asking for the order, making the offer is the most natural next step if you've
    connected with the right customers and delivered a compelling message.

    When creating business development plans use the simple C.E.O. Formula as a guide to be sure that you're not leaving out any of these three important steps.


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    Melody Campbell, Business Coach invites Small Business Owners to do an "Extreme Marketing Make-Over." Receive her Special Report "5 Strategies that Any Business Owner can do for an Extreme Marketing Make-Over" along with having

    Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>         Productivity Formula for Small Business Owners http://www.articletrader.com/business/small-business/productivity-formula-for-small-business-owners.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/small-business/productivity-formula-for-small-business-owners.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500 All Quiet Location

    To properly focus your mind and intentions on your targets you must have a quiet and peaceful location. Background noise can be a real energy drain and a focus distractor. You may thing you can work just fine with the radio or television on in the background but whether you realize it or not those sounds compete for your attention and drain your energy away form the task at hand.

    All Distractions Removed

    Most of us allow ourselves to be distracted and interrupted far to often. How many times can a person check their email in 15 minutes? Ever notice how you can be taken off task when you stop to check your email in the middle of a project? You're working away on a project and your computer makes a sound to make you aware that you have an email. You stop to check the email and it is someone who needs you to forward a document. It's something that can wait but since you've stopped to read the email you say to yourself, "might as well take care of this now." Now you are fully off task and when you are done you now have to refocus on the task you stopped to read and respond to the email. Watch how several transactions can keep you on the original project for one or many days after it should have been done.

    You may be surprised at how many projects can be done in a fraction of the time if we just closed the door to our office, turned off the phone and email. You will set yourself free of a whole lot of anxiety if you remove the distractors.

    Remove clutter from desk and work area.

    Many people pile all of their pending projects or documents on their desk. They leave stuff out so they can be reminded of what needs to be done, or piles are made now of things to put away later at a more convenient time. Unfortunately that better time never seems to come.

    The way the mind works is that as you view the piles to be done or put away later just the visual puts a strain on your mental energy. Thoughts are energy. Every time you look at the clutter and piles of work to be done you use thoughts - maybe thought about how to get the project done, or what to do on the project, etc. You are not expending energy DOING the work, you are using the energy not being productive at all. The piles are a distraction and a drain on your mental energy.

    By removing the clutter you will free up your thought / energy flow is available to focus on your Daily / Weekly / Monthly and Yearly Targets.

    Everyday you are either moving closer to or further away from your daily targets. Every distraction or diversion of your mental and physical energy is moving you away from your goal. Every devoted, uninterrupted time you spend on your Major Focus is powered towards its accomplishment.

    Now you can focus on your major targets.

    Nothing draining your mental or physical energy will allow you to be more productive, more creative and operate with more energy - especially when projects are completed ahead of schedule because of no distractions.

    To review, let me challenge you to make the following simple adjustments.

    1. Create a quiet & peaceful work environment.
    2. Remove all distractions from work area.
    3. Remove clutter from work area.
    4. Focus on your major targets.

    This simple four step productivity formula will change your life. I know, it has changed mine.



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    Melody Campbell, Business Coach invites Small Business Owners to do an "Extreme Marketing Make-Over." Receive her Special Report "5 Strategies that Any Business Owner can do for an Extreme Marketing Make-Over" along with having access to her blog and weekly show Get More Business Podcast at: http://www.TheSmallBusinessGuru.com

    Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>         The 4 Things that Must be on the About Page of your Blog http://www.articletrader.com/internet/blogging/the-4-things-that-must-be-on-the-about-page-of-your-blog.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/blogging/the-4-things-that-must-be-on-the-about-page-of-your-blog.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600

    Why am I at this blog?

    Why is this blogger qualified to write on this topic?


    There are 4 things that your About Page must have to answer these questions and earn the visitor as a subscriber. The formula is really very simple. If you can answer each of these questions you should have a captivating About Page.

    1. What does this blog have to offer?


    This is the section of the About Page where you share your vision of why you are writing the blog. What kind of information will your readers find in the blog? Are you reporting industry or company news; do you pass on useful hits and tips for a hobby or business? This answers the question for your visitors "Why am I at this blog?" The number one reason for Internet usage is still information. If your visitor found you on the search engines, it's helpful if your About Page tells visitors right from the beginning whether or not they've found what they were searching for.


    2. Who is this blog written for?


    This is where you identify your audience. It is really helpful if you tell your readers such things as "this information is most helpful for beginnings" or "this is for advanced readers on this topic." This is a great opportunity to speak directly to your audience and "draw them into the conversation" so to speak. This further clarifies what the blog has to offer. For example, if in step one you identified your blog as a widget news - this sections further identifies that the news is directed at distributors of widgets and not end users of widgets.


    2. What are the benefits of subscribing to this blog feed or email newsletter?


    This is a further elaboration on not only what content will I find in this blog but why should I subscribe and keep reading. This is your opportunity to sell your readers on what is in it for them if they should choose to subscribe to the blog. Define for your readers what the benefits are from reading your life changing blog.


    3. What are the blogger's credentials, qualifying them to write the blog?


    THIS is where you write the bio. But please don't write a boring bio! Write the relevant facts that relate to the first three things on your About Me page. This is where you describe your credentials for writing the blog.


    First you should list the accomplishments and formal credentials relevant to the blog topic. This information helps to establish you as an authority or an expert on the topic of your blog. For example you could start out with listing books that you have written on the topic, or awards that you have been given on the topic. You may want to mention relevant organizations that you lead or participate in as well.


    Once you have established credibility then you can tell them more about you - where you live, whether or not you have a family, your story, etc. This is where your loyal readers can get to know you better.


    A really great About Me page follows these basics. I recommend you go polish your about page. This could be the "sweet spot" that helps you attract more relevant traffic to your blog.

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    Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>