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How Salespeople Can Improve Their Listening Skills
Want to make your sales grow faster? Begin by boosting your listening skills! Listening is the most powerful communication skill you can possess. Jump-start your sales using these seven better listening tips:1. Know what the client is saying.The average salesperson listens efficiently only about 25% of the time. When a customer gives details relevant to the sale you’re trying to make, repeat what you’ve heard. Most salespeople have difficulty remembering what the customer said, but many are very good at remembering what they themselves said.If you summarize what the customer says, the customer feels that you’re listening and you internalize the message. Say something like, “So if I understand you correctly…” This closing recaptures the pre-agreed on points and lets the customer hear you repeat his needs.2. Understand the difference between hearing and listening.Hearing is a passive activity -- you’re allowing sound waves to penetrate your ear. In listening, you actively determine meaning to what is heard -- you listen with your eyes and ears. You’re in control when a customer is talking about a problem he or she is encountering and out of control when you’re talking about yourself.3. Maintain eye contact.Physically tend to the conversation by providing feedback: lean forward, adjust body posture, nod your head and take notes. These are visual signs that you’re listening. Be sure to make eye contact about 60% of the time. The customer will become more animated and interact more strongly with you. If you look away, it’s a signal of indifference. Looking at the client as he or she speaks says that you care and helps build trust.4. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted.Suppose you’ve giving your sales presentation and the buyer gives you feedback on what he or she needs. The problem? He nervously coughs to clear his sinuses ever three minutes. After 30 minutes, you’ve started to anticipate the next cough rather than listen to what he has to say.The solution? Mentally block out the nuisance behavio

inbound links from pages ranked 6 or better (as then the odds become playable and worth the effort). Just beware that (as loads of other people know this too) your average PR6 website owner gets inundated with polite linking requests.

Also be aware that PageRank works in reverse too for outbound links (see below). If a PR6 site links to a PR0 site (such as your new one) it will dilute slightly it's own PageRank. Now who is going to do that just to help you out?

If you must send out reciprocal link requests to other sites, there is a protocol to observe. Firstly, you should only seek links with related sites as anything e

Affiliate Revenue - The Place Of Most Wanted Response
If you want to succeed as an affiliate then every page you write must have a clear goal. If you write just because you feel like writing, people will read what you wrote and you'll surprised that you won't be getting much of those all important affiliate commissions for all your efforts.Before you set out to write a word of a page on your website or newsletter, make sure you have a clear-cut response you want from your readers. In very simple terms...What is the single most important action you want this reader to take after reading this piece?I know your ultimate is to make the sale. But, hey, be careful. Your work as an affiliate is not to make them buy. It is to make them be in the best frame of mind to buy from your merchant.Now, depending on what your merchant is selling and how expensive it is, your Most Wanted Response might not be to send them to your merchant. It may be just for them to subscribe to an autoresponder course that will give more information and in the process make it lot more likely for them to make a purchase.As simple as this looks, it will affect your writing a lot more than anything else. Your writing will have a strong purpose. And believe me, nothing makes a message more compelling than when it has a clear mission.It also helps keep your writing focused. And a focused piece always produces better results. And because you've given some thought to what you want a page to achieve, it will be a lot easier to do what is required to make that page achieve it.

In parts 1 - 5 you learnt how to develop your proposition, identify your key words and optimize your site and pages. You were also introduced to our mythical Doug (who sells antique doors, door handles, knockers, door bells or pulls and fitting services) in Windsor in the UK.

Now we turn our attention to site promotion, starting with free techniques. In marketing parlance, we are talking about PR here. My key message is that free publicity opportunities abound on the web, but that people tend to invest their time in the wrong areas!

If people spent even half the time they generally spend on reciprocal link requests and invested it evenly across all the other tips and tricks I am going to tell you about, they would do much better!

(a) Google PageRank

Much has been written - and obsessed about - PageRank (a ranking given by Google to web pages on a scale from 0 to 10). To find out the PageRank of any site, the best way is to download the Google Toolbar or use the Top25Web Google PageRank Calculator.

What you need to remember - above all else - is that PageRank is only relevant in ordering search results, where sites have a similar search relevancy for the words searched upon. In other words, PageRank is only likely to be (very) important to you if you are seeking to enter a very crowded marketplace (eg. real estate) where there are already hundreds of established, optimized sites.

Google explain Pagerank as relying on "the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B".

So, to increase Google PageRank, one needs to get links from other sites to yours - and lots of them. Also, links from sites with higher PageRanks are worth more than ones with little or no PageRank. As an example, just one link from a PR10 webpage (if it's the only link on that page) would be enough to earn your linked page a PR8, but you might need nearly 350,000 links from PR3 pages to achieve the same result!

(b) Inbound links

I hope my point on PageRank has not been lost on you! You will have to work very hard indeed to get your PageRank up to a decent level. Investing your time wisely is most important, or you could spend the rest of your natural life getting nowhere fast!

You should only really seek inbound links from pages ranked 6 or better (as then the odds become playable and worth the effort). Just beware that (as loads of other people know this too) your average PR6 website owner gets inundated with polite linking requests.

If you must send out reciprocal link requests to other sites, there is a protocol to observe. Firstly, you should only seek links with related sites as anything el

Selling Yourself to a Prospective Employer
The job market environment for desirable positions can be very competitive. Make it a goal to positively impact all prospective employers you come in contact with. Take the initiative and promote the essential items in your work history and personal activities that make you stand out in the minds of a hiring decision maker.Most of us are not natural salespeople. But, many of the top positions in all fields of work are won by candidates that are able to sell their strengths and abilities to prospective employers even though they may not be the absolute best applicant for the position. From the employer's point of view, filing a position is about creating a good "fit" for the organization with a new employee. Here are some suggestions in the job hunting process that are within your control and you can use to land that new position.Do your homework.This is essential in going after positions you really want. Research the company and create notes on things like new products and services they will be offering, their mission statement, new directions, divisions, ventures and partners, latest news and management. While it is not always possible to get all the information suggested here, you want to be able to articulate in some form:- The reasons why you want to work for this company- What you find exciting about the company or division- Why you agree with the company goals and mission statement- How you are a great fit because of what you know about the organization.Hit the hot buttons with your resume.It is important to view the hiring process from the employer's standpoint. They are looking at a dozen resumes, maybe even a hundred resumes, and often they have to narrow their search for appropriate candidates from this single document. Often times we assume the prospective employer will make the connection from our past employers and duties with their needs for their open position. Do not count o

vested it evenly across all the other tips and tricks I am going to tell you about, they would do much better!

(a) Google PageRank

(b) Inbound links

If you must send out reciprocal link requests to other sites, there is a protocol to observe. Firstly, you should only seek links with related sites as anything e

RSS, Not Just A Blogging Tool
If you happen to be a blogger, you must be perfectly aware what role RSS (Really Simple Syndication) plays in the blogging world. This new way of sharing and distributing content has spread across the web like wildfire in the past few years. And blogs have played a major part in this dynamic growth, catapulting the technology in the stratosphere in a very short amount of time.As more and more blogs are added to the World Wide Web (about "forty thousand" a day), RSS is fast becoming a tool religiously used by the majority of bloggers. However, it's very unlikely that blogs will be responsible for the future of RSS.RSS In the Corporate WorldThere are bigger fish to catch out there when it comes to RSS. Larger than life opportunities for RSS exist not in blogs but in the corporate sector. And as more and more web services join the RSS bandwagon offering syndication with a creative twist, there's no doubt that RSS can be used as far as imagination can go.Companies, which previously ignored RSS as just another fad, have started to take notice of what it has to offer. A lot of big wigs in the e-commerce industry have started to have second thoughts about how content should be delivered to their clients and prospects. Many of the corporate as well start up companies have started to realize how beneficial it is for their customers and subscribers to receive content of their own choice. Since the consumer's choice undermines any other thing on the net, in future RSS would definitely be the driving force behind delivering quality content, seamlessly balancing it with consistency.Coming back to blogs, the blogging era started with a bang and now you see bloggers everywhere, in the news or in your neighborhood. But webmasters are finding this activity time-consuming, as maintaining a quality blog is not just about content but about original and unique content. With new blogging tools and services springing up every other day, creating a blog is easy. But finding a USP for your blog and generating an income from it is getting much more d

sites have a similar search relevancy for the words searched upon. In other words, PageRank is only likely to be (very) important to you if you are seeking to enter a very crowded marketplace (eg. real estate) where there are already hundreds of established, optimized sites.

(b) Inbound links

If you must send out reciprocal link requests to other sites, there is a protocol to observe. Firstly, you should only seek links with related sites as anything e

Turn Trade Show Leads Into Sales
Were you aware that 80% of all trade show leads never receive any form of sales rep follow up once the trade show is over? And that 43% of your key trade show prospects will have already made their buying decision with someone else by the time they get your materials?Did you also know that 76% of companies’ sales people think of trade show leads as cold calls, and that less than 10% of all companies use any form of post trade show event measurement?There has got to be a better way to turn trade show leads into sales, and there is.According to Michael Gilvar, President of Fish Software Inc., a Carollton, Texas- based trade show event measurement and interactive marketing firm, trade show attendees can now be categorized, identified and measured as to whether they are hot prospects through its “Immersive Media” software. By using radio frequency identification technology (RFID), trade show exhibit staff can better focus a sales pitch on their most highly qualified leads and thus greatly enhance the efficiency of lead tracking.But how to explain this innovative lead technology to potential trade show exhibitors? Rather than going into lengthy explanations at the Exhibitor 2006 trade show, Gilvar’s company decided to explain their product by using it as an example. The FISH™ team practiced what they preached and put their product into play at the trade show.In order to get potential clients to fill out advance surveys listing their company’s preferences, needs, and budget requirements, FISH™ held a contest that required the prospective attendee to send back a filled-out questionnaire for a chance to win an iPod. Using this prize incentive, they were able to elicit valuable information from prospective clients before the Exhibitor 2006 trade show.Now armed with that survey information, they then sent their potential customers a tag which had to be claimed at the FISH™ trade show booth to learn if they won the prize. The tag was actually their RFID which was able to transmit this prospect’s data to a computer server in the

m. Also, links from sites with higher PageRanks are worth more than ones with little or no PageRank. As an example, just one link from a PR10 webpage (if it's the only link on that page) would be enough to earn your linked page a PR8, but you might need nearly 350,000 links from PR3 pages to achieve the same result!

(b) Inbound links

If you must send out reciprocal link requests to other sites, there is a protocol to observe. Firstly, you should only seek links with related sites as anything e

Small Business Book Review - A Great Read for Your Service Business
Most small business owners run a service business.Most marketing books target companies that sell a product.The Invisible Touch by Harry Beckwith is a book for any small business owner that operates a service business. Tired of those marketing books that merely focus on how the Diffusion of Innovation spreads for new products? Then read pp 57-59 and learn Harry Beckwith’s slant on how it’s different for a service business and you’ll realize you’re not alone in your frustrations, after all.This is Beckwith’s second book devoted to service businesses. The first, Selling the Invisible, has a greater emphasis on selling, while this second work focuses on marketing. We actually recommend both. We find the ideas in the second half of The Invisible Touch so compelling that we urgently recommend an evening or two with Beckwith to anybody involved in running or selling for a service business.Yes, we definitely mean you folks in sales.See, here--at last--is a book on marketing that is written with the smaller companies in mind. If you are a salesperson looking to increase your sales by selling smarter, please read this book on marketing. It won’t teach you how to close, and there are no case studies on how to get in front of the customer. It is, however, about getting an edge on your competition in some of the dozen or so ways that Beckwith outlines.The first half of the book is valuable, but the second half really speaks to what’s important for a service business. He outlines four “Keys to Modern Marketing”: Price Brand Packaging Relationships The chapter on Relationships also clues us in on eight profitable tips on how to build them.The Invisible Touch can be read in a couple evenings. Make sure you pencil in some notes on the inside back cover that refer back to passages that strike a chord with you and your small business situation. If you can integrate even two of his ideas into your business during the course

If you must send out reciprocal link requests to other sites, there is a protocol to observe. Firstly, you should only seek links with related sites as anything else amounts to unethical behaviour. Secondly, put a link to their site on your own site first. Thirdly, send a polite note to the webmaster of that site, pointing out what you have done and inviting her to reciprocate. If the email address of the webmaster isn't obvious from the site, look up the technical contact from the site's domain name record (which you can bring up at Domain Search).

Be specifc about what link - and key word rich link text - you would like them to use and send them the HTML code ready-made, so they don't have to think too much!

Just take my advice though; this is likely to be a largely fruitless and very time-consuming activity. You are far better off focusing your efforts on getting a few key links from a very small number of key site types, which I outline below.

(c) Directory Submission

Web directories are a brave attempt to create a human-maintained taxonomy of the entire web. Such sites are given much authority by the search engines, with a PR8 for the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) and for Looksmart, and PR10 for Yahoo Directory.

As directories are in the business of giving sites like yours outbound links, they would seem a good place for you to start your promotional activities! Directories like DMOZ also sell their results to hundreds of other sites (including Google) so one link can quickly become several hundred!

Firstly, you should create a summary description of the site in less than 30 words. This should be similar to what you came up with for your Meta-description tag (see part 5) and loaded with the right keywords. My advice is to create a very slightly different version for each directory submission you make (so that you can later track the effectiveness of each submission, when they show up search engines fed by that directory). Doug opts for:

"antique-door-knockers.com - Antique doors and door fitting from Doug Chalmers of Middlesex, UK. Old door knockers, door bells and other door hardware in brass and iron, shipped worldwide."

Secondly, you should research the various topic categories to find the most appropriate area to submit to. Do a search on your top four keywords - and on your competitors' URLs - at the top directories. Make a list of the most popular categories returned. In chosing between the categories, take tw

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Have a business that's purely local in focus? Or simply want to beef up your client roster with more folks from your local area? Here are 10 simple solutions to your local marketing challenges ...

You know the scenario: You join some program, work your butt off to promote it, to get signups, and you feel like you`re hitting a brick wall.

It all goes back to you. If you are pressed for time, you need to spend money to speed up the process. But if I were to choose, I'd prefer spending money on building link popularity rather than PPC advertising.

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Added for You - SEO Expert Guide - Free Site Promotion (PR) (part 6/10)

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