What's "Your" Purpose For Social Networking?

Hi ..

So what is "your" purpose for social networking? Do you have one? Hope so, cause it is the first step to take in order to justify your time on a social network.

It is imperative to have a purpose and/or intention if you are looking for business on a social network. Without knowing why you are there, how can you create any connections that will end up giving you new, repeat and referral sales? This is when people are wasting their time.


I just discussed 5 business reasons to use social networking for business in my weekly mailing. They are E-Commerce, Lead Generation, Branding, Research, and Customer Retention. You can read all about it by clicking my title here on my blog or if you are a subscriber, it should be in your inbox.
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My question in this blog is "what is "your" purpose? Is it any of the 5 listed? Other? Are you achieving your purpose via social networking? How are you doing it? Please share.
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Personally I have found all the power to be in the posting ~ knowing how to engage the reader with the benefits of what is offered so that the selling is almost transparent! It's powerful to experience. It's my "bait," as I like to say. ( click here for "Six Steps For Going Fishing On Social Networks )

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What do you find powerful? What works for you?
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Keep your business growing ...
margie

Google Voice ~ Have You Tried It Yet?

Well, it's been here a month now ... have you tried Google Voice? I activated it when it was first released and have found some parts of it great and some ... well, let's say "less than great."

If you haven't tried it yet you can access it from your Gmail account. On the left side of your inbox there is a link. If you click on the Title line of "this" posting, you will be taken to my latest weekly newsletter which walks you through the setup and the basics of what you need to know.

Would love to gather your thoughts and discover what pieces of it make you love it or NOT!! The free calling, YES FREE CALLING (even to Canada), is nice. Beyond that I have a couple of things to share ....

First, what I like a lot. I connected "only" my cell phone number to Google Voice and the best part, for me, is the voice mail support. My voice messages are transcribed to text on my phone and also sent to my Gmail inbox as a message. When I access the text message in Gmail there is also a link to a "live" voice recording. LOVE being able to file my voice messages as well as to hear them. The transcription is "pretty good" all things considered ~ enough to be impressive.

What I don't like! Use of a Google number that can support all your telephone numbers is hyped. BUT when I went to choose a number you had to keep putting numbers in until you found one that wasn't already being used within your chosen area code! I spent over 20 minutes and came up with nothing. Does anyone know another way of creating a Google number?? Would love to know!

These are my highlights! Please share any of yours and lets really make use of Google's most recent service together!

Keep your business growing ...
margie

Selling Without "Selling"

Hi everyone ...

Does the idea of selling make you uncomfortable? I used to feel that way. What was really funny was that after someone would give me an appointment and spend an hour or more with me, I would still feel uncomfortable asking them if they wanted to buy my goods! Why was I there .. of course they planned to buy something! What was my problem?!

Now many years later I use a process I put together based upon primarily the Max Sacks training program and my own observations on "polite" communications. The end result is a sales process that I enjoy. I feel like a matchmaker and the best part is that the sales tend to close themselves!

Having been asked many time to share my sales process, I have finally created a 1-on-1 telephone training that I believe will change not only your selling success, but your life! At its completion you will be able to sell without selling! How great is that?

Check it out here and let me know your thoughts! http://bit.ly/cYUJ3d

Meanwhile ..


Keep your business growing ...
margie

Online Marketing Confusion?

Anyone get confused about which online resources to use when? ... and where? ... and how? You are not alone. It can get "cloudy" out there!
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One way to help yourself clear up the confusion is to break your marketing functions down into the basic components you have seen over the years in traditional marketing. There is a central office or hub of operations with advertising, a sales force, and prospecting as the primary marketing components. Do you agree with that?

Now, take it a step further by realizing that each individual marketing function can and will multi-task all the functions, i.e. advertising will happen at the central hub, prospecting can obviously be a part of advertising, and I'm sure you have more examples.

The same thing happens with online marketing resources at an even higher rate ... which is probably why we can get sooooooo confused! Would love you to write a comment on where you see cross-utilization and are not quite sure which or what way to "best" use a resource ...or when?

A basic platform or guideline is:
Central Hub - Website
Advertising - Online Newsletter, Email Promo's & Ads
Sales Force - Blog for conversation on business specifics
Prospecting - Social Networking

Does this make sense? Let me know "your" thoughts. Again the above is a very 1st layer of "assignment" of roles and basically serves in assisting you in knowing where to start. The layers build and get more complex.
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TIP for success in assigning roles & priorities: Always keep your business needs "FIRST" and the resources second.

My weekly mailing adds lots more detail to this discussion ... if you are not on my list, please join us! There is a sign-up link on the right side of this page.
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In the mean time ...
Keep your business garden growing ..

margie

5 Email Subject LIne "DON'Ts"

Hello to all .. .

Have been noticing an increase in "laziness" when it comes to creating our one-to-one email subject lines! Not a good idea as this is where ...

• Your "first" impression begins.
• Where your reader creates a mind-set for opening and then reading your message.
• Where an emotion is created about you, the sender!!

Did you know all that was going on? I hope not!

HERE ARE 5 DON'Ts FOR EMAIL SUBJECT LINES

1. DON'T leave your subject line blank.
   A blank subject line often, upon first glance, is seen as spam. No hope of getting it opened.
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2. DON'T put your message in the subject line.
   Some people just read the beginning and assume the message is inside ( where it is supposed to be). When they open to a blank message area they get confused .. are not sure if something you wrote didn't come through, have to go back to the subject line and check to see if there is more ~ it all adds up to an unpleasant communication written obviously for YOUR convenience, not theirs.
   
   You might say it is just a short message so it "is" for the convenience of the recipient. They still do not know there is nothing inside and upon seeing the blank interior can be left in a "grey" mindset where they really don' t know if there is more for them to know. Just does not work in your favor.
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3. DON'T grab an old email and keep the old email subject line for a new message!
   Your recipient is sure going to feel less than special don't you think? Great way to build upon a relationship. You are also risking them not even opening it for thinking it is old news.
   
   Take the 30 seconds it takes to grab that old email so you can find their email address, copy and paste their address into a "new" email with a new subject line. It will change your recipient's entire attitude about you.
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4. DON'T assume you are tho only person who sends emails to your recipient.
   By this I mean if you make your subject line be about "lunch" ... identify the day of the lunch, purpose of the lunch, or even say lunch with you( by name). Make it easy for your recipient to know exactly what your email is addressing. Not everyone looks at the "from" name .. or at least not before confusion and discontent sets in ... subliminally or conscious wise.
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5. DON'T be cute or tricky.
   No one these days opens anything that does not get to the point. It is usually regarded as spam and deleted before a "from" name is even looked at. See more on this under number 4"s description.
   
   

Bottom line .. be clear, concise, distinct and considerate. The more you can eliminate "any" need for the recipient to think about what the email is about, the more positively your email will be received in the reader's inbox. Upon passing this point, the more likely your email will be opened and read!
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Remember each and every one-on-one email is an opportunity to further develop your relationship with your recipient. Take advantage and make sure your emails are positive experiences.
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Keep your business growing ...
margie

Facebook Security - Are We Expecting Too Much?

Hello ..

Just did a mailing on the new facebook security settings. The name begs me to ask if you think we are expecting too much from our internet resources in regards to "security?" What are your thoughts? Do you expect to have information you put on the internet be private?

It wasn't that long ago, and for many it still is, when we hesitated to use our credit cards online. So why now is the level of expectancy so high? We all "know" that encryption is required along with passwords for any type of true protection. Just because a company tells us all is private, are we that easy? How can we be so "trusting" or "stupid" .. which do you think it is?

I will concur that facebook had no right to lead us on .. but again I feel we each need to carry a personal responsibility. Basically it is lots more fun to just put data on the internet that we are comfortable sharing .. no worries!!

If nothing else, I for one, am changing my use of the word "security" to "control." What say you?

Keep your business growing ...
margie