Don't Let the Holidays Stop You From Selling or Promoting

In this Issue

In this Issue
1. Help This Brainy Marketer
2. Deck the Halls with Story Ideas at Christmas
3. Does the Weather Affect Your Ability to Sell?
4. Send in Your Shoestring Tips
5. Quote of the Week
6. Now That You've Joined...
7. A Little Fun
8. Resources for Marketers & Entrepreneurs
9. Smell the Coffee

PLEASE TELL OTHERS!
Please forward this to anyone who wants to attract more customers, close more sales, get more website traffic, and find resources to help them compete more successfully in today's market.

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1. Help This Brainy Marketer

Today's question comes Benny Sebastian, a software developer from Maharashtra, India. He says, "Getting repeat orders from existing clients is of utmost importance to IT
companies. In a competitive market, it is important you retain your customer. Usually, you get a project and on completion, you say thank you and that's it. How can I identify new business areas and opportunities with the same client and keep myself engaged with the client for a longer time?

"Another important aspect about technology is that sometimes the understanding of the same system by different companies could vary substantially (it is not like buying a
commoditized product). This results in an inefficient bidding process. How can I tackle these issues?"

And Lois says...

Selling services like software development or marketing consulting can be a bit challenging, can't it? Let's address getting follow-on projects first. One way to do that is to
sit down with the customer before you begin the first project and discuss his needs. Your customer may be asking for one specific project, but by asking enough questions,
you'll learn what other "pains" he has. Develop your initial proposal around the pains instead of focused on the solution your customer has already identified. You may find several projects that are needed instead of just one.

If you set yourself up as a problem-solver, you will also have less trouble with the customer bidding the project to multiple providers. And you won't have to be the low-cost provider.

The ebook I co-authored with Jim Wilson has 52 short, but effective, lessons on how to become a better salesperson. Read more about "Sales Success!":

I know my brainy readers will have lots of great ideas for you, too. Send them in and I'll put your solutions in next week's ezine. Send your responses.

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2. Deck the Halls with Story Ideas at Christmas
by Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound

The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s can be painfully slow at newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio stations because newsmakers are doing things other than
making news.

Talk show guests are in short supply. Reporters often find it difficult to track down the people they need to comment on a particular story. And because newspapers sell more ads in December, that means more news pages to fill.

Here are ways your publicity effort can capitalize on the holidays:

Tie your story idea to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah or New Year’s. See "Special Report #14: How to Piggyback Your Story Ideas onto Holidays and Anniversaries."

If your school has an unusual Christmas party or tradition, let the media know.

Write letters to the editor and opinion columns for publication during the weeks immediately before and after Christmas, when submissions usually drop off. See "Special Report #4: How to Write Crisp, Compelling Letters to the Editor."

Call your local newspapers now to see what special sections they have planned during December. Your story idea might be a perfect fit. Pitch your idea immediately because these sections are sometimes done weeks in advance. See "Editorial Calendars: Roadmaps to Publicity."

Stay alert for breaking news stories on which you can provide expert opinion, even if the topic doesn’t have anything to do with the holidays. If a story breaks, call newspapers and TV stations and offer to comment. See "How to be an Expert Spokesperson the Media Love."

Write or call magazine editors, who usually work six months ahead, with story ideas for late spring and early summer. See "How to Write a Pitch Letter More Powerful Than a News Release."

If you'd like more terrific ideas like these, pick up a copy of Joan's ebook, How to be a Kick-Butt Publicity Hound.

Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe and receive free by email the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

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3. Does the Weather Affect Your Ability to Sell?

When it's dreary outside, I have a hard time being perky. I drag myself around, have to prop my eyes open to stay awake, and have a hard time making sales calls. Well, that's
actually the way I used to be. Until I learned a few more sales techniques.

Now, making the calls isn't dependent on my mood.

There are many ways to stay motivated even during those times when the going gets tough. If one doesn’t work for you, try another one. Don’t let yourself get bogged down and
depressed.

Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking:

• Focus on what you must do today, not how you feel.
• Think back to the best sale you ever made, and how good
  it felt.
• Don’t confuse who you are with what you do.
  You're "O.K."
• Call a few good customers to say "Thank You" and to make
  sure they’re happy with your service.
• Ask a few influential supporters for referrals.
• Call a former customer and ask for some business.
• Do something nice for someone else.
• Be good to yourself. Start your personal fitness program
  today.
  

This is part of lesson No. 8 from "Sales Success! Strategies for Women," the ebook I co-authored with Jim Wilson. It includes 52 short, but effective, lessons focus on how to
become a better salesperson. Learn more about it.

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4. Send in Your Shoestring Tips

Thanks to everyone who sent in your "marketing on a shoestring" tips. I know y'all have great tips. Keep sending 'em in! Since I'm still working on the ebook (I'll have it done by mid-January), you have a chance to be included. Send in your best "marketing on a shoestring" tip and get your website listed in this newsletter and in my new ebook.

And watch for information about a new teleseminar I'll be doing with Deb Schmidt, the Loyalty Leader! We're planning to do one on Shoestring Marketing in January or February. I'll let you know more as soon as we set the date.

These brainy subscribers sent in some terrific tips recently:

Peter Sharp of http://www.runwebs.com
Glen Wood of http://www.lubedealer.com/Partsmans-Site
Kathleen Gage of http://www.kathleengage.com
Penny Leisch of http://www.pennyspensandpics.com
Tracey Dooley of http://www.mediaminister.co.uk

You'll read about them in my ebook, "Marketing on a Shoestring," when it's published (IF you buy the book, of course).

Do you have a great marketing tip? Send it!

 

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5. Quote of the Week

"True strength is very delicate."

~Unknown

What's your definition of success?
Email your comments to me.

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6. Now That You've Joined, Talk, Chat, Get Help!

Membership is growing. Let's talk. Do you have new products you're launching? Announce it in our Success Secrets Forum. Want help with getting more clients? Talk about it in the forum. If you post, I will reply! And if I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does. Let's chat.


Oh? Haven't joined? There's still time. And the Success Secrets forum is still FREE!

Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs forum

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7. A Little Fun

From Kids Domain:

1. What do elves learn in school?

2. What's the difference between the Christmas alphabet
and the regular alphabet?

3. What Christmas carol is a favorite of parents?

>
>
>
>

1. The elf-abet
2. The Christmas alphabet has no L (noel).
3. Silent Night

Be sure to visit our past jokes and trivia at:
Marketing Jokes and Trivia and Fun Stuff

Take a look. You'll have fun!

Help keep the smiles coming...please send me your marketing, PR or sales jokes. I'll be happy to give you credit and list your website! Email me.

 

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8. Resources for Marketers and Entrepreneurs

• Internet Marketing Association of Information Marketers

  If you want access to Tom Antion, who you’ve heard me talk
  about in this newsletter, for as little as $15 a month, join
  the membership group called NetAIM. Each month, you can ask
  Tom questions about your website, ezine, blog, products, or
  any facet of Internet marketing. Joining this group was the
  smartest decision I made this year. I get the latest tips
  tools and resources. And, besides Tom Antion, I can network
  with lots of other leaders in the field and participate in
  online forum discussions. Join now: check it out.

• FREE SEO Ebook by Brad Callen

  Brad Callen has given me permission to give you his 90-page
  ebook, "Search Engine Optimization Made Easy," F*REE. It's
  filled with tips to help you get your website to the top of
  the search engines. It's filled with lots of tools you can
  use, too, and many of them are also given gratis. Just
  scr*oll down to the subhead "marketing" and look for Brad's
  book listed alphabetically:

  Free Stuff

   

• Need More Content?

  Here are some good websites with lots of articles you can
  reprint for free:

  Small Business Software
  Ezine Articles
  GoArticles

• Need Content for Your Website?

  You may reprint anything I have written in my ezine or on my website as long as you include the following paragraph at the end of the articles:

  "Lois Carter Fay, APR, is a marketing strategist, copywriter
  and author with 30 years experience. She is the founder of
  MarketingIdeaShop.com and offers three email newsletters
  about marketing, "Brainy Tidbits," "Brainy Flash" and
  "Success Secrets of Women Entrepreneurs." Subscribe free at
  http://www.MarketingIdeaShop.com
  

  Check out my available articles.

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9. Smell the Coffee...

Our first significant snowfall (about 6 inches) arrived yesterday. The schools are closed today and my teenagers are still in bed, but Roni did call to see if she could go early
this morning to pick up her friend at the bottom of the mountain (Uh, let me think about that long and hard...no!).

I feel like I'm moving very slowly getting ready for Christmas, but there's nothing like a little snow on the ground to create a little Christmas spirit. It's time to start making the cookies, candies and English muffins. Do you have a favorite cookie or candy you make during the
holidays? Send it to me!

My mom always used to make sea foam, but I have never mastered it, and she passed away many years ago. If any of you can make it, send me some! My favorite is pink. My mom always made green, pink and white—they all usually tasted the same [vanilla] but sometimes green was peppermint. I've created web pages to give you the recipes for Donna's Sea Foam (my favorite) and Chocolate Cherry Squares (my daughter's favorite). Enjoy! (And send me some Sea Foam if it turns out.)

Have a very profitable and joyful week.

Peace & Light,
Lois

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