22 minutes to generating business on Facebook

What if  I told you that all you need to do is set aside 22 minutes of your time and you could be generating business on Facebook.
I mean let’s face it you have heard all the buzz about how you need a Facebook Fan Page for your business but do you really know what you need to do to convert ‘Fans’ into customers. Don’t worry I was right there with you when I first started but I finally realized I needed to learn more about how to use my fan page to capture leads and eventually get sales.
I came across a guy by the name of Brian Moran who didn’t just promote his product as a “buy this to make millions” but showed me how to grow a fan base that actually buys from you. Brian practices what he preaches and gives out great content.
Check out this live demo from Brian Moran of Get 10,000 Fans! Brian has taken multiple Fan Page from 0 to 10,000 fans and way beyond. And here is a short demo he did about 2 unbelievably common mistakes so many of us make when marketing on Facebook. Check it out!
Oh, and yes in full disclosure that is my affiliate link but as I always do I never promote anyone that I have not personally either used their products or followed them for some time.
I truly believe that if you just follow one or two of Brian’s strategies you will grow a Facebook Fan page that will give you paying customers.

The Top 3 Business Principles I Learned from my Daughter selling Girl Scout Cookies!

Everything you need to know about basic sales and marketing for your small business can be learned from observing the selling of Girl Scout cookies. Yes, you heard me right I am talking about those cookies that are sold only one time a year, which if you are like me you could eat a whole box in one sitting if you tried 🙂

This past year happened to be my daughters first year in Girl Scouts. Now, throughout the years I have bought many boxes, probably more than I care to share with you, but I never really saw the power and insight behind the actual selling.

In case you do not have daughters or have not been associated with something similar to Girl Scouts I will give you a brief overview of my understanding, which I am not totally in on the inside so I may have a few facts wrong but here is the overview.

The first step that the girls take is to pick a charity that they want to raise and donate money to. Then, each troop is asked to set a goal of how many boxes of cookies they want to sell as a troop and also individually. Now, if you are health conscious like me and do not want to gain weight from eating so many cookies they have an awesome way to get around that by  donating cookies to the troops. Finally, a small portion of the proceeds go back to the troop and the girls use that money to do some team outings. It really is a great way to teach our young girls entrepreneurship, teamwork,philanthropy, and many more great skills.

Okay, so that is a brief overview of the Girl Scouts and now I am sure you are asking yourself, ” how can I learn everything I need to know about sales and marketing from selling Girl Scout cookies?” Well ,that my friend is going to be easy, so let me explain.

First of all, if you have a product that people want, then selling it will be easy. I know  what you are thinking, “well duh, that makes sense.” And yes, all of us keenly understand that basic concept in theory but when you look around and study businesses that have failed you see that sometimes the entrepreneur believes in their mind that they have a product people want but in actuality the market does not. Now, I am not saying everybody is going to by Girl Scout cookies but anyone who has ever had a thin mint is not going to say no to buying some boxes, which goes to my argument that the product is great and people want it 🙂

Key #1 have a product or service people want and need and you will have no problem making sales!

The second key concept is to have an irresistible offer. Now, I know I am biased but my daughter is the cutest thing to ever walk this planet and how could anyone turn down a little girl walking up to you in her Girl Scout uniform. Shoot before I had my daughter I could remember getting out of my car and seeing the girls sitting outside the grocery store selling cookies. Every time they got my order because I could not resist the offer of a little girl selling a great product.

Key #2 is to have an irresistible offer that a prospect can’t refuse!

The final key concept to learn is the call to action. The Girl Scout cookies are only sold once a year, around the Jan-March time frame, so if you don’t get them during that time period you have to wait until next year. Shoot, the other day a gentlemen bought enough to almost make it the entire year. That is of course if you don’t eat entire sleeve in one sitting like I have done before 🙂

Key #3 is to have a call to action that will prompt the client to buy. We as human beings tend to put things off until the last minute but if you set the urgency in their mind you have a better chance of getting the sale.

So, just to recap the key points here:

#1 create a product or service people want

#2 create an irresistible offer

#3 have a call to action

If you just implement those three concepts into your online or offline business you will have no problem attracting leads and making sales.

If you want to learn more principles to growing your business check out this FREE webinar at www.attractmoreleads.com

 

How I Get Subscribers To Read My Emails

How I Get Subscribers To Read My Emails

——————————-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you notice the title of this article? It’s going to be important in just a minute, so glance back at it one more time!

“How I Get Subscribers To Read My Emails”.

Any list publisher in the world knows in order to get subscribers responding to their email messages, those subscribers must first READ those email messages.

The question is – how to pull it off?

Let’s face it, just blasting out a message to your list won’t make the grade these days. It’s hard enough getting the darn thing delivered properly. Getting subscribers to actually read your mailing takes a bit of work.

And yet there IS a very systematic, very scientific formula for getting list members to take a look at your emails and read what you’ve got waiting for them.

It’s called – PRAYER!

 

Well, maybe that’s not the formula but it certainly couldn’t hurt. LOL

Getting back to the point, it’s all about crafting powerful “subject lines”.

The reason you’re here reading this is because the title in this article got your attention long enough to get you to take action.

So, it obviously worked.

 

Which prompts two important questions

 

1. Why did my title work well enough to get you to read it and respond?

 

2. How can you apply the same technique I used to see results with your emails?

 

Let’s break down the subject line I used, “How I get subscribers to read my emails”, into three important keys as we answer those two questions..

 

Key 1 : Focus On The End Result.

One of the things that undoubtedly caught your attention when you originally read my title was the fact that it spoke of some enticing results that I was achieving, that YOU would like to achieve as well…

“get subscribers to read my emails”

That’s an end result that every email marketer wants to achieve, getting their subscribers to actually open up and read their emails.

So, from the beginning there is this indication, this hint, that I am about to share something that has already been proven to produce desirable results.

That’s all ad copy is, folks, whether it’s a salesletter or a classified ad or an email subject line. The primary objective is to get the reader thinking about the END RESULT.

Start with the end in mind.

What potential results can you promise to your subscribers if they open your email and take a look inside?

I assure you, when a man or woman on the other end of the line gets your email, that’s what they want to know – “What’s in it for me?

You should never click the “send” button until you have made dead certain that something in your subject line appeals to the wants and desires of the individuals who are on your list.

Specifically, focusing on a desirable result (or lack of results, if you are using the “fear of loss” approach) that is so interesting to your subscribers that they stop in their tracks to read what you’ve got inside.

Start with the end results in mind: “get subscribers to read my emails”.

Whatever results YOUR specific list wants to achieve – as it relates to the mailing you are about to send –

* Speed read 150 pages an hour

* Get free airline tickets

* Raise a child model

* Take an extra day off each week

* Stop headaches for good

* Lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks

* Cut wedding costs in half

* Save your marriage

* Quit smoking in 30 days

After you’ve decided what “end result” you want to focus on, there is a second key to consider..

 

Key 2: Give Them An Example To Follow.

Learn this and learn this well: nothing – absolutely nothing – speaks louder than personal results.

How many times have you asked a man or woman who has lost a lot of weight…

“How did you do it?”

Just the other day the youth pastor at my church invited me to speak to the youth during a Wednesday night service. I accepted and for forty-five minutes those teenagers sat quietly, hanging on my every word.

After the service was over, the youth pastor came to me and said those magical words, “How did you do it?”

He went on to explain that they are rarely quiet with him and he has a hard time getting them to pay attention. He was so interested in learning how I did it that he dropped by my home the next day to ask me more questions.

Nothing – absolutely nothing – speaks louder than personal results.

* How did you lose that weight?

* How did you get those youth to listen to you?

* How did you get your lawn so green?

* How did you raise two great kids?

* How did you get that promotion?

* How did you teach your toddler to swim

 

You get the attention of your subscriber by hinting at results, but you reel them in by giving them details on how you personally achieved those desirable results.

If we have a pattern to follow, we can do it ourselves.

And that’s what we really want.

Notice my subject line: “How I get subscribers to read my emails”.

* How I speed read 150 pages an hour

* How I get free airline tickets

* How I raised a child model

* How I take an extra day off each week

* How I stopped headaches for good

* How I lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks

* How I cut wedding costs in half

* How I saved my marriage

* How I quit smoking in 30 days

Every single one of us that desires a result, wants to know how to achieve it. And we’d rather not go to the pains of trying to figure it out ourselves.

We’d much rather have someone who has achieved what we want to achieve show us how to do it.

That’s why you are reading this article. Does my system work? You tell me. 🙂

You wouldn’t be here unless it did.

But, there’s a third key as well…

Key 3 : Use A Proven Template To Save Time And Increase Results.

Now, to be completely honest with you, this technique won’t work if you continue using it every single time you do a mailing to your list.

While you do want to hint at results and even mention personal results, you cannot simply plug in the same subject line over and over again…

* How I make money as an affiliate

* How I make money with joint ventures

* How I make money with my ezine

* How I make money with pay-per-clicks

* How I make money with banners

* How I make money with autoresponders

I mean, that’s gonna get old after a while. It’s gonna lose its luster. It’s not going to be nearly as effective after folks continue seeing it over and over again

That’s why you need to keep a set of proven effective subject line templates on hand, so you can “copy and paste” them every time you need a “grabber” subject line for your mailings. Watch what your favorite ezine authors do and you’ll come up with some good ones, or you can purchase a set of hot subject lines that you can use any time.

So, that’s how I get subscribers to read emails. I encourage you to do those three things with your own opt-in list…

Focus On The End Result.

Give Them An Example To Follow.

Use A Proven Template To Save Time And Increase Results.

And if you’d like to learn how to do this quickly and easily, check

out The Copy System.  Not only will you learn how to build a list and

get them to buy, but you’ll also learn how to create your own products

to sell and generate traffic to your site!

 

Read all about it at http://www.davemcgarry.com/cms/the-internet-copy-system

 

 

The Best iPhone Apps For the Small Business On The Go

The Best iPhone Apps For the Small Business On The Go

 

 

 

 

We now possess the ability to bring our work with us anywhere we go. This can sometimes be a bad thing, in the case of vacations or weekends, when the last thing you want to think about is that one client who was hounding you all week. But taking your job with you anywhere can also be great. Many of the core areas of business are performed digitally now, including marketing, inventory management and sales. This has allowed the development of some great apps for your iPhone. If you’re constantly on the move, whether that means running around town going to different meetings or flying to different continents for your business, here are a few apps you should not be without.

Google Docs

This is basically a mobile incarnation of Google’s popular document editing and sharing application. If you’re ever collaborating on a business proposal, speech or marketing strategy with another person or a group of people, this is a great app for you. The app continuously updates your documents so that other collaborators’ updates show up on your phone within seconds. Google Docs also features Google Cloud Print, which is an awesome feature that allows you to print wirelessly on the go.

 

Freshbooks Minibooks

Have you ever gotten a call from an old customer asking you to quote him a price on a project, but you don’t have all the numbers in front of you? This app allows you to view and send information about invoices, quotes, payments and more right from your iPhone. Freshbooks is the leading firm for online invoicing and MiniBooks’ clean design and great organization are evidence of that.

Square

You’ve probably been to a farmer’s market or craft fair and seen vendors sliding customer’s credit cards through the little white square attached to the end of their iPhone. That, my friend, is Square. The app allows you to take credit card payments for goods on the go. Square’s rates are very reasonable (2.75 percent on all charges), and you can set up your account so the money gets deposited in your business’ bank account the next day. Don’t be the only game in town that doesn’t accept plastic. Go Square.

The ability to bring your work with you anywhere is great, and these apps help enhance that ability. The key to maintaining your sanity, however, is to know when to turn your phone off and enjoy your vacations, weekends and holidays. And there’s not an app for that. Yet.

“Brett T. writes about small business, new software, inventory management, and time management for the Blog Content Guild.