In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Without A USP You're Dead by Joe Robson

3) CLASSIFIEDS

4) FREE Resources

5) POWERQUOTE

6) MANAGEMENT MINUTE: Leadership & Trust by Patricia Weber

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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

Today's feature writer offers us some ideas for setting ourselves apart from the competition. Here's a few ideas from Carol Wadell for positioning your product/service in front of the right audience:

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SUCCESS 400%! This simple secret is the one big key to good advertising on any budget.

By Carol Wadell www.WorkShopInc.com

Jake knows he has to have a big Christmas season and somehow keep sales coming in through the slow first quarter. "I'm a small business. I don't have big cash reserves or lines of credit to tide me through slow times," he says pointing out a challenge almost every small and home-based business faces.

Hoping and wishing won't get customers ringing your phone. You've got to advertise and promote. Even on the smallest of budgets you can achieve considerable advertising success if you follow this single, simple rule.

TARGET your advertising and publicity. Nothing else makes advertising work as effectively. On the other hand, bad targeting will doom your marketing from the beginning no matter how much money you spend.

What do I mean by "target?" It's a word we use a lot in marketing, often without having a clear idea of what it means. You target effectively by making sure your marketing only goes to the people most likely to buy your products or services. Your big daily newspaper reaches lots of people, but how many of those are really interesting in buying what you're selling? You waste hard-earned advertising budget when you advertise to thousands of people who aren't interested.

It is much easier to target a specific group of prospects by using media that specializes in advertising to those prospects. Trying to reach home-based entrepreneurs? Advertise in a newsletter, e-zine, or magazine that targets that specific audience. Glitzy and expensive publications don't always give the best results. Low-priced targeted radio ads, industry newsletters, or neighborhood papers bring in sales. It's not unusual for a targeted ad or press release campaign to bring in 400% more sales than marketing that is not targeted.

Start by asking, "Who are my best prospects? What kinds of media do they pay attention to?" You may need to ask customers how they heard about you or how they search for companies like yours. Their answers will give you clues to what kinds of media that group reads and watches.

Carol Wadell, The WorkShop, provides Media Directories on CD-ROM. Your source for over 10,000 newspapers, 3,000 magazines & 2,000 e-zines. All Magazines and E-zines are categorized, making it easy to target your market. Database directories allowing you to sort and report the information in a way that works best for you. See her website at http://www.WorkShopInc.com or email mme@workshopinc.com

"Without A USP You're Dead"

by Joe Robson

Competition. Oh dear!

Unfortunately this aggravating obstacle keeps getting in the way of our first million. Or perhaps in your case your second. But with so many people selling almost identical products, it's often difficult to tell the difference.

So how do you persuade your prospect to buy yours, and not one of the dozens of others so readily available?

Obviously you have to stand out from the crowd. If you're competing in a crowded marketplace you must at least appear different. How?

You have to isolate your product's Unique Selling Proposition and THRUST IT at your prospect. If you don't, you're dead in the water. You drown in the sea of intense competition.

-------Yes you DO have something unique to offer-------

What's that - your product is similar to your competitors? Join the club! Let's consider my position as a Copywriter and Marketing Consultant.

There are many 'average' copywriters around. And a few really good ones. So I had to identify my USP. What is it I asked myself? In which area am I different to most other copywriters.

And more importantly, what can I offer my clients that would specifically BENEFIT THEM?

Well I've spent 30 self-employed years in marketing and one- to-one sales. And I rely on my copywriting skills to sell my own books through my own Direct Marketing company.

So I have a very unique benefit to offer my prospective clients. It's hands-on practical experience of doing EXACTLY the same thing they are doing - selling a product through advertising.

Therefore my clients get more than just professionally crafted words. Their sales results benefit from skilled advertising copy filled with marketing experience. And my own hard earned knowledge of what does and doesn't work.

That's my USP. And there is no point in being coy about it, so I thrust it up front for everyone to see.

And they buy.

So don't kid yourself that your product, or service, has no USP. If you can't find one, you have to work hard to create one. Fast!

-------What can you offer that's different?-------

Deliver your gizmo by hand. Plate it in gold. Give a longer guarantee. Offer a Free Bonus (make sure your bonus will be of benefit.) Open longer hours. Give Free training. Add some extra value. Slash your price (WHAT!!!! No please don't do that.)

There are countless things you can do to make your product, and your company, stand out from the rest! And very often, a sales-winning USP can be created from a feature that is common in all other products similar to yours.

----------A Sales-Winning Example----------

I recently went to buy some bread from my local grocery store. A simple enough task you may think. Not exactly. There must have been at least 30 different brands, and prices, stacked high on the shelves.

Then I chanced to over-hear a lady remark to her friend "Oh I think I'll buy a couple of these - it says on the wrapper it's suitable for vegetarians!"

Now I'm no dietician, but I'll bet good money that many of the other 29 brands were just as suitable. I read the list of ingredients of 8 different brands, and 5 of them simply mentioned in tiny print that their bread 'contains no animal fats'. But they hadn't told the prospect that 'no animal fat' made their bread suitable for vegetarians.

So one enterprising company had created a USP from a feature common in many of it's competitors products. Then thrust it up-front for everyone to see.

The Advertising Hall Of Fame is filled with high profile examples of this very thinking. "Our toothpaste is approved by the British Dental Association" (not 'Recommended' but simply 'Approved' like most other toothpastes.) "XYZ Toilet Soap Stops Body Odour" (if you bathe often enough doesn't all soap achieve the same thing?).

----------Yet all it takes is a little work----------

So sit down and list every single feature of your product or service, and look at each one from a different angle.

Put yourself in your prospect's shoes. Get inside her mind. And as you examine each feature write alongside it the answer to the question everyone of us asks when an Ad makes a statement or claim.... "What's in it for me?"

Or if you want some really revealing answers read your feature out loud and ask.... "So What?"

You will be amazed at the answers you come up with.

But by paying close attention to your own answers you'll eventually reveal your strongest benefit. One that you just know is a Sales-winning USP.

'No animal fat' is a FEATURE. 'Suitable for vegetarians' is a BENEFIT and a USP

So before you attempt to write any copy for your product or service, you must identify your USP. Get knuckled down and spend a great deal of effort - nay a huge amount of effort - on this vitally important task.

You will also discover that writing your copy will become a great deal easier. And you'll see a dramatic increase in your sales.

And that, as they say, is what it's all about!

Article by Joe Robson who is a professional Web and Advertising Copywriter. His popular 'Copywriting Solutions' website at http://adcopywriting.com is bulging with Free Step-by-Step Tutorials for writing powerful Sales Letters, Web Pages, Brochures, Ezines and the rest. You can subscribe to his Free 'Copywriters Digest' newsletter by sending blank email to copywritersdigest-subscribe@topica.com

Get 390,000 targeted, no spam leads, FREE! Combat spam by using our dynamic lead generating tool and watch the sales soar to YOUR business. VERY powerful! mailto:Moredetails@quicktell.com

NEW! FREE! The UltimateBizTools for your business! *FREE* duplication and marketing rights to 9+ software programs! *FREE* web hosting and 15+ professionally created Web pages! *FREE* article reveals Microsoft's foolproof recipe for internet success! Click NOW!!! http://www.ultimatebiztools.com/freereport

NEW ECOMMERCE PROGRAM lets you build unlimited online business websites in minutes! NO programming needed. LOW, low price... Under $100 with NO monthly charges. Get a list of FREE web pages by just visiting our site. RESELLERS WANTED! <mailto:info@acmworld.com> URL: http://www.acmworld.com/storecreator/

Increase your Online Sales by as much as 317% by accepting Credit Cards at your Website. Credit card abilities go "hand in hand" with business online. Accepting credit cards over the phone, via mail or fax ISN'T ENOUGH! You are twice as likely to lose the sale if a customer has to get offline to place an order. More info at http://lightning.prohosting.com/~www7/creditcards.html

The Home Loan Source Affiliate Program Add a link to our web site in your opt-in email newsletter or a banner on your web site and earn $5 for each person that fills in the form. -Easy Money! http://mortgage-rate-quotes.com/affiliates.htm?NCP0201

Have you got YOURS yet? * FREE $20 cash deposited in your X.com checking account * FREE money transfers (send money instantly to anyone's email) * No obligation, no minimum balance, no monthly fees * Super-high interest on any money in your checking account * FREE starter checks, and a FREE VISA debit card. * plus, a whole lot more! Click on this link right now, and come get your $20! https://www.x.com/new_account.asp?Referrer=lraushel@hughes.net

Traffic Builders ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Build traffic with your own FREE Classified Advertising Site absolutely FREE by simply requesting it at <http://www.websitings.com/classads/sites/netcheck.htm> FREE--Autoresponders, as many as you wish --Your Own Personal Guestbook. Give your web site tremendous visibility!

Business Opportunities ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

There's a company called RadioFreeCash.com (www.radiofreecash.com) that is paying you to listen to the radio on your computer... and not only do they pay you, but they also pay you for the referrals who you bring to their community. This could mean serious cash for you, especially if you get in early. Just go to their website and sign up! Oh, and please use this link with my referral number so I get credit for having referred you... it's http://www.radiofreecash.com/home.asp?ref=NetChecks

Mouse potatoes... REJOICE!. Earn 50 cents an hour for your time online and 5 cents an hour when the people you refer are browsing. Sign up for FREE and earn money! Numbers seem small? Imagine what they'll be with 1,000 in your downline. Go now to http://www.alladvantage.com/refhome.asp?refid=AOW-039 and use referral ID# AOW-039

Good news! Take advantage of your preferred subscriber status with a rate of 50% off the regular rate of $10 per issue for YOUR best 5 line ad (65 characters max per line). As loyal subscribers, you can still place ads here at half-price or $5 per issue. For a limited time. If you have more than 5 lines, just add $5 ($2.50 for subscribers) per extra 65 character line per week.

First, e-mail your ad copy to... mailto:webmaster@netcheckspayroll.com If you're paying by check, print out a copy and mail the print-out, with check or money order to: NetChecks, 42263 50th St West, Suite 614, Quartz Hill, CA 93536. If you prefer to use a credit card, go to <http://netcheckspayroll.com/bcwadrates.html> to order your ad space on a secure server. If you have any questions, please call (805) 722-2286.

Or, why not sponsor an issue of BCW or request a private mailing. See <http://netcheckspayroll.com/bcwadrates.html> for details.

FREE EZINE AFFILIATE Get Paid for referring Subscribers to our Free Ezine. For More Details mailto:eamn@sendfree.com

CALLING ALL ONLINE PUBLISHERS! Here is one more FREE avenue to bring readers to your e-zine or newsletter. Use the snowball effect to find more OPT IN subscribers. This co-operative venture means a win-win situation for everyone! Get free details on this free service: <http://www.time4profit.com/newsletters/> or <mailto:ezinelist@autobots.net>

FREE Windows Course! Go to IT Certification on the sidebar and see Computer Basics for your FREE course. http://www.ezze.net/vip/1801/ While you're there, check out our IT Certification Courses they extremely affordable, at less than 5 cents per course/per mo. http://www.ezze.net/vip/1801/

Clickbank gives you FREE merchant account access by essentially "renting" their account to you to use. This is a perfect solution for someone just getting started and is not sure whether their sales volume will cover the costs of a merchant account. If you don't sell anything, there is no charge. <http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?netchecks>

Recommended Reading ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Insider Internet Marketing" We have our original copy right next to our computer! So take 30 seconds and learn what makes the difference between the "Internet success stories" and the "Obscure web marketers". A genuine insider tells all! <http://www.bizweb2000.com/d3643.htm> Get your copy TODAY!

"We have been taught to believe that negative equals realistic and positive equals unrealistic."

- Susan Jeffers, Author & Speaker

Questions to Ponder

Is this what I have been taught?

If this is true for me, how does this belief influence my life?

How do my personal beliefs about "realistic and unrealistic" compare to reality?

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

Leadership & Trust

by Patricia Weber

As he tells me about a competitor, my client is in disbelief. It seems that the owner of a home improvement company is asking his staff to take a 10% reduction in salary this year. Not unusual when a company is in so much pain, but certainly not the ordinary. What's particularly unbelievable is the boss is now driving around sporting a new $45,000 car!

What happens when your actions and behaviors are incongruent, as overstated in this true scenario? You make a withdrawal from the "trust" bank. And what happens as trust diminishes? In business a few of the results are morale drops, productivity decreases, conflicts increase and revenues and profits go down.

All words we speak and actions we take in relationships affect trust. At all times what we say and do either adds to or subtracts from the bank account of trust. There is no neutrality in our everyday encounters with people. Some philosophies say we can actually "see" trust in progress. Your staff sees it, your customers see it, friends see it. It shows up in reliability, openness, congruence and acceptance.

When you say you are going to be in touch in 30 days, can you be relied on? When an employee needs you, are you accessible to them and willing to listen with an open mind? When people hear about something that you did or said, are they likely to say, "Yes, that's Bob (or Sue.) Can you accept people for who they are and not place your own standards of judgement to them?

Trust may be visible in our actions and accented in the words we speak. As a leader in your organization how is the balance in your bank account of trust?

Copyright 1999. Patricia Weber is a speaker, trainer and author. She is available for keynotes and workshops for when you want the extra in those ordinary meetings. Subscribe to her online eletter with email to tips@prostrategies.com. Visit her web site at http://www.prostrategies.com for sales and service talk.

This e-zine is emailed only to those who have requested it. If you do not wish to receive future issues, please see the unsubscribe instructions below. Also understand that we do not make available our subscriber list to other companies. We value each subscriber's privacy.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this newsletter or the content, please email Laura Raushel at mailto:webmaster@netcheckspayroll.com

To unsubscribe to Business Consultant Weekly send any email to mailto:unsubscribe@netcheckspayroll.com

To subscribe to Business Consultant Weekly send any email to mailto:subscribe@netcheckspayroll.com

If you would like to see past issues of Business Consultant Weekly, go to http://netcheckspayroll.com/newsletter.html

(c) Copyright 1998 NetChecks Payroll & Bookkeeping.