In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Why Am I Afraid To Sell? by Elena Fawkner

3) CLASSIFIEDS Traffic Builders Business Opportunities

4) FREE Resources Recommended Reading

5) POWERQUOTE

6) MANAGEMENT MINUTE: He didn't plan to fail - he failed to plan! by Tony Murtagh

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

Pro-motion

Answers for the "Pro in Motion"

by jl scott, ph.d., Director, iCop

Q. In reference to your Q&A column last week ... We know the benefits to the customer of using credit cards ... protection etc. You don't mention what benefits or disadvantages using a Debit Card can carry. This is very important I would think. I don't know the exact answers but suspect they are not the same as for a credit card. Please could we have an article on that subject? Thanks! (Tina)

A. Thanks for asking this question, Tina! I considered adding this information to last week's column but in the interests of keeping the column short - I left it out. Now, we have a chance to address it.

I received several comments on the use of debit cards after last week's column. To be absolutely sure what the deal is, I called an officer of my bank. So the information I'm about to give you is per Bank of America.

A debit card works exactly like a credit card in every way except how the money is actually paid. Last week we covered the fact that the payment on a debit card is deducted from the customer's bank account. It is different from a regular check in that the customer can NOT stop payment on it in the same way that (s)he can stop payment on a check.

This isn't necessarily a disadvantage though. The customer can still DISPUTE the charge in the same manner that a charge is disputed with a credit card.

If we're looking for disadvantages, I suppose the main one is that the customer might forget to enter the debit card payment in the check register as (s)he would when writing a check. Other than that - I don't see any disadvantages and I use a debit card regularly.

I was also informed that ANY company that accepts Visa or Master Card credit cards is REQUIRED by Visa and Master Card to also accept their debit cards. That should answer the question as to whether you can use your debit card online. It also answers that any online business owner accepting these credit cards MUST also accept their debit cards.

* To submit questions to "Pro-motion" mailto:Questions@i-Cop.org

jl scott, ph.d., Author Copyright © 2000, All Rights Reserved

dr. jl scott is the Director of the International Council of Online Professionals (iCop) http://www.i-Cop.org - and also the publisher of MONDAY MEMO! - the ezine dedicated to upgrading Professionalism on the Web. For your FREE subscription: http://www.MondayMemo.org/

Why Am I Afraid To Sell?

by Elena Fawkner © 2000

Relationship marketing. It's the backbone of a successful online business. Fail to forge online relationships and your business will suffer. Simple enough concept, right? But what does "relationship marketing" really mean? Simply put, it refers to the principle that, in order to be successful in business, especially online since it's such an anonymous medium, you need to establish a relationship of trust with your site visitors and ezine readers before you can expect them to do business with you. It requires a commitment to customer service and a willingness to help others for no certain reward other than the satisfaction of helping another and building for yourself and your business a reputation of credibility and trustworthiness.

At the end of the day, though, if your business is to be successful, you have to turn a buck. One of the most common anxieties expressed by new (and even not so new) online entrepreneurs, though, is that they don't want to come across as "selling something" to those with whom they have forged the very relationship that is a prerequisite to actually making the sale!

In other words, the focus on "relationship marketing" has been so much on the relationship that the marketing begins to feel crass and a violation of trust. Many new online business owners report that they feel like they're taking advantage of the trust of those with whom they have forged a bond. Of course, there's no reason to feel any such thing so long as you believe in what it is you're selling and that it's something that will benefit your customers. If you don't feel this way, then your bad feelings are well placed. You ARE taking advantage!

The discomfort associated with selling is not restricted to the business owner, either. I have received several indignant emails over the course of the past year or so from readers of my ezine in response to promotions I have run for programs I actively promote. The recurring theme of these sorts of communications is that I have a "responsibility" to my readers because they've come to rely on me as an authoritative source of information and I have somehow breached this responsibility by doing something so crass as to actually market the programs I promote to earn part of my online income. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that, since I accept paid advertising in my ezine, I should be content with that revenue stream and not seek to make money by promoting outside programs.

My response to this line of reasoning is simply that I'm running a BUSINESS. I'm not working nights and weekends on my site and on my ezine out of the goodness of my heart. I'm just not that noble, believe me. I have a profit motive. Despite what some people seem to think, a profit motive is NOT, in and of itself, a Bad Thing. A profit motive is only a Bad Thing when one misleads, deceives and otherwise takes advantage of the trust of another to pursue that profit. There's no reason to apologize or feel guilty for wanting to make an honest profit.

How about you? Do you have just a twinge of uneasiness when it comes to marketing your products and services? Here are some ideas to help you overcome the reticence you may feel in pursuing sales from your prospective customers and how to manage these relationships so that your customer understands that, although you are there to help them, you are also out to help yourself by earning an honest living.

CRYSTALLIZE YOUR PURPOSES

The very first thing you need to do is decide what it is you're really doing when you create your website or publish your ezine. Is it a hobby or is it a business? The difference, respectively, is the absence or presence of a profit motive. If it's a hobby, fine. Don't try and turn a profit, just enjoy yourself and make just enough to cover your expenses if you can. But if it's a business, understand that making a profit is non- negotiable. It's the reason for your business's existence. You will no doubt have several purposes. But the profit motive is key.

Do whatever it takes to crystallize your purposes. For some people, just thinking about it and making a mental decision is sufficient. For others, crystallization requires seeing it in black and white. If that's you, write down your purposes. Again, though, if you're running a business rather than indulging in a hobby, turning a profit must be on your list of purposes (unless, I suppose, you're running a non-profit business but we'll leave that aside for present purposes). Recognize that purpose for what it is. Embrace it. PURSUE it with a vengeance. It's nothing to be ashamed or coy about. So long as you intend to do so, and actually do so, by legitimate, honest and ethical means, give yourself permission to aggressively chase a dollar. Why crystallize your purposes in this way? Because they'll keep you on track when you're confronted by the naysayers who'll inevitably pop up in your porridge.

BE BUSINESSLIKE AND PROFESSIONAL

The concept of "relationship marketing" does NOT mean getting up close and personal with your customers. You'll save yourself a lot of grief and angst if you just keep things businesslike and professional - friendly to be sure, but not *overly* personal. It's possible to be friendly and helpful in a professional, businesslike manner without stepping over the line into the personal. The people you're dealing with are not your friends, they're your customers. Of course, over time, you may become friends with certain people who started out as customers. But don't start from the position that you have to be friends with your customers in order to engage in relationship marketing. You don't. Keep it businesslike and professional and you won't raise any unrealistic expectations.

ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR BUSINESS'S BEST INTERESTS

One way of keeping yourself in check is by constantly testing your decisions against the criteria "is this decision in the best interests of my business?". If so, do it, recognizing that something can be in the best interests of your business even if it doesn't involve cash flowing in your direction. If not, don't. Occasionally, it will be in the best interests of your business to do something that may be perceived by your customer as a personal favor. An example might be giving a refund for a purchase under circumstances where the customer is not strictly entitled to one and where you have an ongoing relationship with the customer. You do so in the interests of customer service and this is certainly an example of something that is in your business's best interests.

Sometimes, however, customers can take advantage of such a policy. To forestall this type of problem, if you decide to do something that benefits your customer/reader/visitor over and above what they have an entitlement to, make it clear, in a subtle way, that you are doing so for business reasons. Be prepared to set limits though. Know how far you are prepared to go before it stops being a business decision and becomes a personal one and to the detriment of your business interests.

Being uncomfortable saying "no" is not a good enough reason to sacrifice your business's best interests if that's the right decision in all the circumstances.

BE DIRECT AND HONEST

Don't be shy about promoting your products and services and letting your prospective customers know you would like for them to purchase from you. Be direct, open and honest about it. For example, if someone emails me and asks for my advice about how to get started in an online business of their own, I'll recommend products that I think will benefit them. Typically, I recommend Cookie Cutter and Cash Cow if they're new to internet marketing. Why? Firstly, I believe in both products and think they give the newbie an efficient, cost-effective way of learning a lot about how online businesses work in a short period of time.

Secondly, I am an affiliate of both programs and earn $20 a pop each time I sell one. Would I recommend any products that are directly relevant to my business that I don't have a financial interest in? No. Why? I have a profit motive. My time is money. The key is, I believe in the products. If I thought there were better products out there than the ones I was promoting I'd recommend them too. But only after I signed up as an affiliate so I could make a profit from my recommendation.

On the other hand, occasionally I'm asked to recommend a webhost. I'm an inactive affiliate of one of the major webhosting companies but I never recommend them because I think they're too expensive. In this case, I refer the enquirer to the webhost I use for my own site. I'm not an affiliate of theirs and I have no financial interest in making the recommendation. I'm not particularly interested in webhosting as a product to promote so I haven't bothered (yet) to sign up for my webhost's affiliate program. It's just an honest recommendation, just as Cookie Cutter/Cash Cow is an honest recommendation. The only difference is, I make money on the latter and why not? The point is, so long as you're making an honest recommendation, there's no reason why you can't make a profit at the same time. It's a win-win situation. So stop being afraid to sell. It's the reason your business exists and it won't if you don't.

------

Elena Fawkner is editor of the award-winning A Home- Based Business Online ... practical home business ideas, resources and strategies for the work-from-home entrepreneur. http://www.fawkner.com/subscribe.html

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"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time."

- Betty Smith

Questions to Ponder

How would my day be different today if I took that advice?

If I looked at my children as if it were the first or last time I'd seen them, what would I do?

What was the first thing (to see) I thought of when I read this quote?

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

He didn't plan to fail - he failed to plan!

by Tony Murtagh

Before you go too far down the road of developing your web-based business (or any business for that matter) you really need to formulate a plan of action.

Your plan should have long term goals and short-term action points - and be realistic and achievable. Many people start on a course of action, not really sure of where they are going or how to get there. Imagine that you said to your wife "come on, get in the car we are going on holiday."

She would probably reply with a series of pertinent questions - where are we going? How will we get there? Have you packed? Do you have the money to pay for it? How long are we going for?

If you replied "we are driving down to Florida for two weeks, the hotel is booked and paid for, I've done the packing and I have ample spending money, there is every chance that you would get there and have an enjoyable vacation.

If however you mumbled "..er.. I don't know, I haven't planned anything", she would probably be very unimpressed to say the least!

The same can be said of your business. If you do not know where you are going (your long term goal) or how you are going to get there (your short term action points) the chances are, that you will get nowhere.

Once you have drawn up your plan - (as detailed as possible) you then need to review it regularly so that you can judge your progress and amend the plan as necessary. Let's go back to the holiday analogy. You may have planned your journey to Florida to take a certain route, but you find a road blocked - or better still hear on the traffic news that the road is blocked (forward planning) - so you sit and study your road map and find an alternative route.

Likewise with your business; if it becomes apparent that a certain plan of action is not working, don't be afraid to change it. Just remember that as you travel further down the road of building your business, you will certainly come up against some obstacles. But you should be learning and increasing your skill base all the time, and if you can look upon obstacles not as problems to stop you, but as challenges to be overcome, you wont go far wrong.

Finally, never be afraid to change your plan altogether. If you were going to Florida and discovered that the area you were planning to visit was about to be hit by a severe hurricane, you would re-plan your destination.

Similarly, if something is about to happen which will wreck your business plans, take stock of the situation, see what you can learn from your experiences up to that date, and then set yourself a new goal.

Now ensure that you write your plan down. Set your self short-term goals - what you will be doing in the next few weeks - medium term - say for the next six months - and long term - for the next year or two. You should then review your plan every month or quarter, making whatever amendments are necessary, and rewarding yourself for goals achieved.

==========

Tony Murtagh has spent all his career involved in sales, sales management, marketing and PR. He was a UK National Sales Manger (Major Accounts) for a mobile communications company, had his own publishing company producing a monthly Business to Business magazine and has acted as a PR consultant for a number of small businesses. He is now sharing his wide experience of sales, marketing and promotion in his new web site: - www.DevelopYourWebSiteAndYourself.com and in a weekly e-ezine Aardvark Marketing, which you can subscribe to from the site, or mailto:AardvarkMarketing-subscribe@listbot.com

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