In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: How To Listen on the Internet by Wanda Loskot

3) CLASSIFIEDS

4) FREE Resources

5) POWERQUOTE

6) MARKETING MINUTE: How to Carve Your Niche in the Marketplace by Dr. Michel Fortin, Ph.D.

If you'd like to read previously ran tips and features, go to http://netcheckspayroll.com/newsletter.html

The author of today's Marketing Minute discusses the importance of specialization for attracting targeted prospects. Here are a few more thoughts on reaching real customers:

Qualify Your Visitors!   by Tameka Sowder

Getting your visitor to actually buy from you can be one of the most frustrating parts of operating an Internet business.  Besides the hard work of getting visitors, you are now faced with the task of convincing them they need your product or service.  

There are many variables that go into making sales, such as headlines, salesletter content, site design, etc.  So it's a matter of time and testing.  Besides these things however, there is one thing you may be overlooking.  Ask yourself, "Do my visitors qualify as my customer?"  In other words, what interests, needs, or wants will your customer have and does your site meet those needs?   This concept is actually very simple and very powerful if well thought out! 

With a more qualified visitor base your sales conversion ratio will naturally be higher. A qualified visitor is someone who needs your product or service, is interested in it and feels it's worth the price. If your sales conversion ratio is terrible then you may need to think about who it is that is visiting your site.  

Let's say for instance that you own a website that sells all natural health supplements.  Who are your customers?  What are their needs and interests?  What is your perfect target market?   After giving it some thought you may decide that someone interested in all natural health supplements may be sports minded, athletic, wanting to lose weight or just interested in remaining healthy.  

The next question you could ask yourself is, "Where can I find these types of people?"  Since there are several different types you may want to narrow your market, however you may consider advertising in health related newsletters or ezines, offering advice in forums or newsgroups that focus on nutrition issues, possibly asking to swap links with sites that sell a similar or complimentary product.  

For instance, you could find sites that sell sports equipment and offer to give their customers a special discount to your product in exchange for them giving your customers a discount to their products.  This way you're getting your name in front of more people who would be more receptive to your type of product.  

It's important to get your site in front of people that have an active interest in products like yours.  With a qualified visitor base your site is doing less "filtering" and it's easier to determine just how good your site is at converting visitors into customers.  

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Article by Tameka Sowder, publisher of Promotion Toolkit Post, a FREE monthly ezine strictly about promotion!  To subscribe or to get your site submitted to over 700 places for FREE! Visit http://www.promotiontoolkit.com

How To Listen on the Internet By Wanda Loskot

Here is a novel business idea that will double, triple, or even quadruple your bottom line. Actually it's nothing new - it is a bread-and-butter of business. Or rather bread without a butter because it is so basic. But even though it is SOO basic I am constantly astonished how very few people understand it!

After being on the web for more than four thousand hours I got used to my portion of personal letters, often written in response to my posts on various lists and discussion boards. Quite often writer's comments lead to a business offer. That's perfectly all right, because I need to buy things too and since I respect proactive business people, I'd rather buy from those who write to me than those who don't....

However, it saddens me when they (well, a majority of them anyway) waste the opportunity to score extra points and fail to create a good first impression. Quite often they turn me off because after asking me to help solve their problems and/or offering me their products they raise questions such as: "By the way, what kind of business you are in?" or "Would like to learn more about you" or here is the best one: "Do you have a web presence?" (it came with yesterday's mail - in response to my post on some list.... seriously!)

Why it is so funny? Because I ALWAYS include a signature file which answers those questions. And because my signature has even more: a link to my website, which answers all those questions, asking any of them tells a lot about a correspondent. It tells me that he/she doesn't listen!

Not a good sign.

You might say "c'mon Wanda, LISTENING on the web? " Yes, listening! If creating our websites is the equivalent of talking, and participating in the discussion lists or boards represents a conversation - then READING someone's post or letter is the equivalent of listening. Keep this in mind when approaching anyone with your offer, proposition or idea.

We do create lasting impressions with that first contact! And reading as carefully as we can whatever others disclose helps to make that first great - and most important - impression which demonstrates that we are good listeners.

Dale Carnegie once said "You win more friends in life by being interested in others than trying to get others interested in you". It works on the internet, too. Show the other person that you are interested in what he or she is doing.

Outside of the web this can be time consuming - but here it is a cinch! Most of the time all you need to do is to click on that link in the signature file, visit a website and take your time to read a little! (of course it starts with READING that signature!)

You will find that true heartfelt listening will result in the creation of lasting relationships. And that, my friends will make your business thrive (even without those search engines!)

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Wanda Loskot - international business coach/writer/speaker Author of referral system that will make your business work so that you can rest or play - register to win one month of FREE business coaching! http://loska.com/successconnection

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"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear."

- William Jennings Bryan

Questions to Ponder

What do I fear?

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Copyright the Discian Group from the Powerquotes ezine. See http://discian.com/powerquote.htm for more information.

How to Carve Your Niche in the Marketplace by Dr. Michel Fortin, Ph.D.

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In today's hypercompetitive marketplace, an important area in which top-of-mind awareness (positioning) must be applied is in the world of selling. Long gone are the days of mere prospecting and crafty (and often misleading) closing tactics using 1,001 approaches to "close the deal." Today, due to the information revolution, prospects are more informed, more educated, and more sophisticated than ever before. Using a plethora of techniques like these are no longer effective ó or, in the very least, not as effective as they used to be.

People can no longer be "sold" let alone tricked. However and unfortunately, there are many companies still training their salespeople to use these outdated approaches. Today, prospects not only see them coming but they also consider such techniques to be insulting. I do say "outdated" because more and more prospecting and closing tactics are being frowned upon with each passing day.

In addition to junk-mail and junk e-mail (also known as "spamming"), other methods such as telemarketing, direct-mail marketing, contests, etc are also being added to the list of marketing taboos. Understandably, they exist because the lack of human interaction takes away the emotional element from one's traditional marketing and selling efforts. While their purpose is to increase one's visibility and prospect-base, marketing strategies are sadly becoming part of an increasingly difficult endeavor.

Therefore, what is a better, more effective, and certainly more "politically correct" approach to generate good quality prospects? In essence, a solution to this dilemma is to generate leads that are already pre-qualified and pre-sold, even before prospects are marketed to.

FIND MORE WITH LESS The first rule in pre-qualifying prospects is to specialize. The most common mistake newcomers to any field of business make is to think that by expanding their portfolio they will "secure" more business, and nothing can be further from the truth. Specializing and narrowing one's focus as much as possible will paradoxically increase the likelihood of getting more prospects, let alone business.

Specialization is in itself a fundamental marketing process. It's amazingly effective in creating "top-of-mind" awareness among a target market. For instance, an accountant specializing in car dealerships will get more business than a general accountant will. An advertising consultant specializing in print media for home furnishing stores will get more business than a typical advertising agent will. A photographer specializing in weddings will get more business than a regular photographer will. And the list goes on and on.

Over the years, specialization has been referred to as "niche" marketing. As more and more businesses get started (and the more inundated with marketing messages our society becomes), the less time, energy, and money people will have to spend in making choices for who they will choose to do business with. Specialization helps to solve that problem. This is not only related to new and repeat business but also to referral business.

For instance, let's say you have two friends who sell cars. You're thinking of referring clients to one of them. One of your fiends is a typical car salesperson while the other, however, specializes in first time car buyers. The latter offers special creative financing methods for those new to credit, additional car-specific driver training courses for new drivers, and rate comparison charts that suggest insurance companies with the lowest rates for newly licensed drivers (e.g., students, young drivers, newlyweds, late bloomers, etc). Now, to whom do you think you will refer more people? This is the awesome power of narrowing your focus.

BE AN EXPERT Think of a laser, which is basically a beam of highly concentrated light. You want to focus like a laser on your niche and, when you do, you will as a result burn yourself into your prospects' minds. When you get down to it, as a consumer you will choose, when you have a choice presented to you, to go to a business that specializes in a unique area in which you have a need.

Specialization casts an aura of superiority and exclusivity. When you deal with a specialist, you will automatically assume that that person has greater expertise, has greater knowledge about the field, and offers greater service since, by catering to a unique market, it implies that he or she will have a better understanding of your situation, needs, and concerns. Remember that perceived truth is more powerful than truth itself.

Additionally, niche marketers generate far more interested prospects than general ones. Specialization is the wave of the future, and the greater the competition will become, the greater the need for more specialists. For example, why do you think there is a trend in specialty stores these days? They are popping up everywhere! Today, there are stores selling only dry foods in bulk. There are vitamin and food supplement stores. There are electronics stores. There are toy stores. There are even mothers-to-be and baby clothing stores!

The need to specialize is obvious. With companies and the media storming you with information, and with your very limited time to be able to shop around for the best product from the best company at the best price, you will more than likely go the store that pops into your mind and do so only when the need presents itself. For instance, you can buy a toaster from a department store, a home furnishings store, an appliance store, a grocery store, a drugstore, and even a bank! Heck, if there were a store selling only toasters, you'd probably go there first. So ideally, your job is to find your niche and to narrow it down as much as possible.

BECOME A CELEBRITY You want to be the leader in your category or in your unique area of expertise. By doing so, free publicity will, as a result, flow to you quite easily. Non-traditional mediums will seek you out. Specialized publications, strategic alliances, and community television stations are wonderful mediums to get the word out effectively. This is an area in which you can get a lot of publicity at little or no cost.

For instance, I once met a computer consultant who ran his own show for free on cable television ó yes, free! As a programmer specializing in financial institutions, he hosted a show called "Solution Sentral" on which he is either being interviewed or playing the role of the interviewer, with guests ranging from bankers and corporate executives looking to hire computer consultants, to other consultants in areas similar to his own.

He also took calls on the show, had his phone number displayed at the bottom of the screen at all times, and had an online question-and-answer format where people, through an Internet chat program, asked questions to which he answered directly on the air. The show was not meant to advertise him directly but as a "public service" or public information gesture.

Publicity is remarkably different than advertising. There are many different ways to get publicity out there, let alone free publicity. In a hypercompetitive marketplace, specializing causes people, other mediums, as well as other companies (looking to refer clients or form strategic alliances) to seek you out. Your goal is to get yourself known as an expert in your field. If you have narrowed your focus to a very specific, highly specialized field, publicity will come easy to you. The media (and particularly those dealing with topic-specific issues) love to hear from people who are uniquely qualified.

GET OUT AND ABOUT Do you write articles for your local newspaper or in the very least in the op-ed section? Do you send out press or news releases to all the TV, newspaper, and radio stations in, at least, your area? Do you offer free seminars in conjunction with non-profit or not-for-profit organizations during, for instance, fundraisers? Do you offer yourself to speak at luncheons, clubs, and organizations such as the Rotary? Do you offer free services to charities or sponsor community projects? As you can see, the list goes on. There exists a multitude of publicity opportunities out there and I encourage you to vigorously seek them out.

A hair transplant doctor I know sent out press releases to all the TV stations and offered to perform a hair transplant live on the air as part of a suggested medical documentary. During a regular newscast and with the consent of the patient, cameramen taped a live procedure where the doctor continually answered questions asked by the reporter. The phone number was frequently mentioned.

Not only did it cause his practice to get flooded with calls, but the doctor also had a bright idea: He obtained the permission to mass-copy the televised report on videotapes, mailed them as part of his information package to potential patients and referral-sources, and digitized them so that people may view the procedure online while visiting his Web site.

I know of an insurance agent who decided to specialize in life insurance for newlyweds and newly established families. His company didn't require it but he decided on his own to develop an expertise in this area. You'll often find him at bridal fairs, bridal shows, home-buyers seminars, home shows, home furnishing stores, banks and mortgage-lending institutions, and so on. Now, for a typical insurance salesperson to do this kind of stuff may or may not be a waste of time. But how much more effective will he be if he promotes himself at those special events or locations as an insurance agent strictly catering to new couples and new families? Yup. Much more.

THE WRITE WAY Write articles about your unique expertise. Send a query letter to newspapers or magazines for an article you wish to contribute. A query letter is one in which you address the editor and propose a topic for an interesting article you would like to write. Make sure that the headline of your query grabs their attention and makes them want to read it. Make your article somehow related to a free report you have to offer. Give them a brief outline of your article along with a summary of your free report as a sort of "tickler." Send the same query letter to as many newspapers as you can, especially specialized publications read by your target market.

Don't forget newsletters from other companies, magazines, newsgroups (Usenet), BBSs, e-zines from other organizations, trade associations, trade publications, Web sites with online article archives and free offers, news-oriented shows, and, most important, strategic alliances.

Don't forget to include in your query letter that you're not looking for any compensation (at least, not for now), but ask if you can add a by-line. A by-line is a small bio at the end of your article stating who the author is and how he or she can be reached. It's also a good way to generate leads by offering your free report.

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Michel Fortin, Ph.D. is THE SUCCESS DOCTOR (tm), an award-winning business development consultant, speaker, copywriter, and marketeer. You may visit his site at http://members.home.net/mfortin. He is the author of many books and articles on sales and marketing. You may obtain a FREE copy of his complete report, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning: Magical Marketing Strategies for Creating Endless Streams of New, Repeat, and Referral Business," at mailto:success-doctor@home.com or 613-748-1624.

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