This week’s Entrepreneur comes courtesy of John Brennan. John is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. John shares with us his advice on how to avoid the most common mistakes made when pitching an idea or project:

1. Don’t try to sell someone on an idea. Instead give them information to help them come to their own conclusion. Use phrases like, “Here is an idea,” “What do you think,” or “Here is something to consider and why,” in order to avoid coming on too strong.

2. Don’t be too self-deprecating. Being too humble and modest in your body language or voice tone destroys credibility. Aim to strike a balance between openness and credibility.

3. Don’t tell your story before you hear the other person’s story. Their story governs their behavior. Find out what they are telling themselves about you and your idea ahead of time so you can determine their values and predict any objections.

4. Don’t start trying to convince before you connect with your listeners. Talk first about what you know is important, the problem your idea will solve, and why it is important.

5. Don’t rely on Power Point to convince your audience to say yes.Build your case using a mixture of Power Point, story, examples, and even live demonstration if possible.

If You Blow It, Can You Pitch Your Idea Again?

Surprisingly, the answer is often yes. Don’t assume the topic is closed because of a setback. How you proceed depends on the specific situation. For example, Charvet advocates, “Phone the decision maker after a few days and leave a message like, “You know what we discussed the other day? Well, I’ve been thinking and I have another idea,” as a way to reopen the topic. You create curiosity about the issue. But don’t tip your hand in the phone call by giving the listener something to resist.

What if you choked because of nerves? Use a coach to help you examine self-sabotaging behaviors and figure out how to maintain your equilibrium. “I talk to my coach three times a month. When my life is in balance and I’ve had a good night’s sleep, I can gracefully hear a “No” from a decision maker. I can then proceed to ask good, non-defensive questions to satisfy my curiosity that “No” was the best answer,” says Simmons.

A coach will also emphasize the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. Anxiety may tell you that you should go over the data and figures one more time, but anxiety is not your best friend when it comes to maintaining equilibrium. Getting a good night’s sleep is a legitimate way to prepare for an important presentation. People will trust you when you are relaxed and calm.

At its essence, avoiding resistance is a matter of finding out what objections are likely to block your path, and what story the decision makers are telling themselves about you and your idea. With that information in mind, you are well equipped to position your presentation in a way that is meaningful to the values and concerns of the key decision makers. After all, “It’s not about you, it’s about them!”

For this edition of Entrepreneur University we turn to small business expert Don Doman. Don is a published author of self-help books on small business. He and his wife own Ide as and Training, which supplies business training products to organizations around the world. Don and Peg also own and operate PNW Video Productions, which produces video productions for distribution and internet viewing.

Don shares with us his secrets to being able to write a business plan in 10 seconds:

“Quite a few years ago I needed a used pickup truck . . . well, I wanted one anyway. The need wasn’t urgent and I wasn’t searching daily for one, but periodically I would drive past the used car lots and see what was available. Then I found one. It was a few years old, in good condition, and the price was right.

Now, finding a truck and buying a truck are two different things. I knew I could buy the truck, but I what I really needed was to justify the purchase to myself and my to wife. I thought about it. Within ten seconds I came up with a business and marketing plan . . . for my wife.

My wife had just quit a job that she liked, but where she was vastly underpaid. She was looking for another job. She had a friend in similar circumstances: both young housewives and mothers looking for spending cash. I bought the truck and drove home. As I was driving I tweaked the plan a little bit and prepared my presentation.

I walked into the house and told me wife, “I’ve got a business for you.” She just looked at me. I said, “You know how hard it is to find people to clean out stuff left behind in our home rentals?” She nodded. “Well,” I said, “You can form your own business to remove trash and help people get debris out of their yards. You can go partners with your friend. All you need is a truck, and I’ll buy that. You pay for the gas, any dump fees (which you can charge to the client), and the advertising in the community classified newspapers. You can name your company Lump It and Dump It. Your slogan can be You Call, We Haul. And you two can probably split $25.00 to $30.00 an hour (you can see this was quite a few years ago). It’ll give you some exercise, some money AND you can almost choose your hours.

My wife recognized the opportunity and immediately called her friend, who accepted the proposal. We went and picked up the truck.

They placed ads in the small local papers and began making money almost from day one. Eventually, competition did them in, but for over a year they had a business that made them spending cash. My wife made more than twice what she had been getting, and her friend made much more than she had been receiving for baby-sitting, her previous money source.

Now, your business is probably more complicated than Lump It and Dump It, and it’s going to take more than ten seconds to make out your complete business and marketing plan, but if you can’t write down your core information in a little over ten seconds you have a problem.

There are basically four major aspects of the ten-second business and marketing plan:

1) What product or service you are offering?

2) How it is going to help people?

3) What are you going to call your business?

4) How are you are going to reach your customers?

After you’ve got those four questions answered, you can branch out to more heavy duty planning, but if you can’t answer those questions quickly and explain them to anyone with seconds, you better take more time and examine your business so you can do it.”

What is your 10 second business plan?

We started Entrepreneur University in August with Andy Marken and his advice on how to How To Create A Sales Incentive Program. To celebrate our six months of Entrepreneur University I wanted to share more of Andy’s advice with you.

Andy is the brains behind Marken Communications, a full-service marketing and communications company. Andy’s advice is on how to create a sales incentive program for your small business.

“In the TV series M.A.S.H., Hawkeye leaned over a friend who had been wounded and the friend said faintly, “I didn’t even hear the one that hit me coming.” It’s a similar concern that makes many executives avoid media interviews. They worry about the question that can make their company and them look foolish…or worse.

But knowing how to communicate about your business is as important as knowing how to run it. There are times it may be even more important. A positive story can produce orders. It can stimulate investor interest. A less than positive story can depress the stock value. It can demoralize employees. It can negatively impact sales.

If executives routinely close the door to legitimate interviews, they appear to have something to hide. If they open the door too wide, they can expose too many secrets and –in the case of public firms – see the company’s value suffer. What is not said may be more important than what is said and how it is said.

You have to understand that coverage isn’t always positive and journalists aren’t there to be your friends and to help you advance your agendas. Their job is to develop a credible story for their audience, not write a puff piece about you. If the article shows a less than perfect company, product or executive it is balanced and it is credible.

As a part of the total picture of business in your industry, your opinions and activity — or lack of it — are important to the media and their readers/viewers. Journalists have two obligations – to be professional and to fairly, accurately present the information to their audience. All of the rest is your responsibility.

Astute and prepared executives can turn the interview, even in an unpleasant situation, into a positive and beneficial effort for the company.

Interview Timing There are times when an interview just isn’t possible. Don’t explain your inability to talk with weak excuses.

Present yourself clearly and in a straightforward manner. If possible, suggest an alternate date and/or time.

If you give reporters a legitimate reason for not granting the interview, they will understand even though they may not like it. The key word is “legitimate.”

Reference Material It’s surprising, but many organizations don’t have written background information on the company, key personnel, products and markets. Such reference material can often save both the reporter’s or broadcaster’s time and yours.

An information package should include the following: Company — Information should be available that covers the history of the company, i.e., its founding, product lines, size, sales volume, number of employees, officers, areas of expertise and industry position.

Key Personnel — There should be a biographical sheet on every key member of the firm. It would include information on schooling, business background, history with the company, present duties, special honors and similar items.

Photographs — Have current quality photos of key people, as well as product shots, plant photos, application photos production shots and similar items that visually tell the firm’s story.

Current Product Literature – the reporter won’t copy directly from the literature, but it gives him or her a better idea of who the company is. Copies of past annual reports as well as general and technical literature are often helpful.

Other — There may also be some special information the reporter or broadcaster is looking for, so ask ahead of time. Then, if the material is available, it can be given to them at the interview.

Interview Types Most reporters are simply hard working individuals who are simply want to educate, inform and enlighten their audience. Most want to finish the story so they can do what you want to do at the end of the day — go home to dinner and enjoy their friends and family.

Some reporters and interviewers like to add personality and color in their pieces so they will ask questions about you, your background, and your family. If the information is meaningful to the article, provide it factually.

Some journalists like to be controversial so they do their homework prior to the interview. These individuals ask probing questions regarding your past, the company’s legal activities, market or company downturn and ramifications. If you are prepared with the information and have all of your facts available you can handle the situation very well.

A few journalists like to ask the same question over and over a number of different ways. They are looking to make certain your facts don’t change. Rather than repeat the answer, simply say it is a question that has already been answered and use the moment to bridge into information that further reinforces the company, its products and you.

There are occasions you’ll encounter a journalist who is either very technical by training or believes he or she is technically competent. If the interview is for a trade publication and the technical questions/answers will help the reader answer with clear, solid facts and information. If the reporter is simply showing his or her expertise, stick to the general information the audience needs. Don’t help the reporter lose sight of his or her audience just to promote their egos. The resulting story can be a complete waste of your time at best or at worst make your company and you look foolish.

There is also the hard core business piece that every journalist likes to do because it is the news of the day. These are articles regarding what is in store for the company given lawsuits, downturns, product recalls, etc. They also want to gain an insight on public offerings, quarterly/annual earnings, expansion/contraction, market shifts and other business specific news.

Regardless of the interviewer’s approach; don’t fudge, spin, lie or wing it. Know your facts and your information and present your answers clearly and concisely. Don’t cover things up hoping that they won’t be discovered. Leaks will happen. When the questions are asked provide your answers in terms of the key points and key issues you have developed for the interview. Imagine the type of story you expect to appear and present your information accordingly. Keep your emotions under control and you can maintain control of even the worst situation.

Commit your information and your key points to memory but don’t over rehearse. Then when you prepare for the interview take a number of deep breaths, relax and provide the news to the journalist’s audience.

The Interview There are usually categories of questions that arise in an interview:

* Questions you are willing to answer and want to answer

* Questions you are unwilling to answer and will not

* Questions you don’t want to answer but will

* Questions you simply can’t answer Life would be ideal if all of the questions asked were of the first kind. The second group is the one that strikes fear in most managers because they don’t know exactly how to handle the situation.

Perhaps you simply don’t have the authority or background to comment on those areas. The information could be confidential. Maybe those areas are still being evaluated, and a corporate policy or direction has not been established.

The interviewer will probe for answers or statements but when questions can not be answered you need to precisely explain your inability to comment on those areas. You may also recommend an alternative point that can be discussed without disclosing the specific information and without leaving the question totally unanswered.

The third set of questions is the most difficult because your organization is usually in the spotlight or “hot seat.” In these instances, it’s best to be well rehearsed and prepared.

Because these types of questions are increasing most executives are taking media training so they can efficiently and effectively handle the “hot potatoes.” Such intensive one- and two-day sessions are actually designed to be what are termed “attack sessions.”

If the manager can learn to think on his or her feet in heated situations, then he or she can easily handle “normal” interviews. People who participate in this training can usually handle even the most searching or aggressive interviewer. Given sufficient background, they could even fare well against a grandstanding congressional investigation.

The fourth series of questions can range from those you simply don’t have sufficient information to answer to those that are so confidential that it would harm the company’s business and direction if they were answered.

If you simply don’t have the information say so. Tell them you don’t have the information and that you’ll get back to them with the answers. Keep that commitment as quickly as possible. No one likes a commitment that isn’t kept!

There will probably be times when you’ll want a member of your public relations staff or counsel on hand during the interview. We encourage our clients to do this, since it permits us to help clarify points or make certain that requests for additional information and/or photos are answered promptly.

But the public relations person should be a support for you, not a guardian of what is going on. If you anticipate having problems, go over your ideas ahead of time, and “rehearse” the interview including difficult questions which might arise. Your PR person can be a decided asset in this area, since he or she has, or should have, considerable experience in dealing with the press in all types of circumstances.

While having the company lawyer sit in on the interview may seem like a great idea, it usually leads to disaster. The worst situation we had was when the company officer insisted that the attorney be present.

Every question from the reporter was met with: “We’re not going to answer that”

“We can’t divulge that” “We have no comment on that.”

The interview was a shambles. The ultimate story did the company serious damage. The reporter simply went to third party sources and got the information without the company’s perspective being heard.

There is never a reason for no comment! If you don’t know the answer, admit it and tell the reporter you’ll get back to them with the information. If you make a mistake, admit it, correct it and move on. If there are legal or other reasons you can’t answer a specific question explain why you can’t respond to that area and return to the key points you want to present.

Off the Record If the information is confidential, you can consider speaking off-the-record. Most of the time, this off-the-record commitment will be kept. But remember you’re going out on a limb at your own risk.

If you don’t want to see something in print, don’t talk about it. If the editor, reporter or broadcaster presses the point, tell him or her frankly that the subject is one you can’t discuss at the present time and that you will provide the information as soon as you authorized to do so.

Again, when the time is right, keep your commitment. It will go a long way in building your credibility with the media. Granting Exclusivity If you are a publicly held firm there are certain clear-cut guidelines you must follow regarding exclusivity. If the information will affect the stock of your firm, then exclusivity is out of the question. If one reporter digs up the information, you need to answer in a straightforward manner.

At the same time, you should also just as quickly announce the information to the rest of the press.

If you have a major contract you were planning to announce at a press conference in a few days but also want to tell an editorial friend, you may improve your friendship at one publication, but you can make even more enemies.

However, if an enterprising reporter obtains the information by asking penetrating questions after the press conference, then it isn’t up to the company official to run out and tell everyone else. Honor the ingenuity, capabilities, and drive of the reporter who digs below the surface to get more facts.

Another common area of exclusivity, especially in the technical community, is the announcement of a major new product. If you work closely with a publication and they develop extensive copy on the new product or perhaps even a special report, then give them sufficient lead-time before you announce it to the rest of the editorial world.

Again, they have done a lot more work and deserve the edge.

Prior Publication Approval A reporter or broadcaster doesn’t have to permit you to read the galleys or view the tapes before the interview is published or aired.

We advise clients to be accurate during the interview and provide in-depth background material and don’t even ask final copy approval.

If the publication is publishing a new product announcement or industry special report, they may double-check facts and figures. They may even submit the copy (time permitting) for checking but it is only for correcting errors, not for editing.

Once you have granted the interview, you have given up your right to final approval.

Benefiting from the Interview There’s more to granting an interview than ego-satisfaction. It is an opportunity to raise the visibility and credibility of your organization and your products. But don’t dictate to your PR people that you will only do interviews with Business Week, Wall Street Journal, New York Times or the one or two “key” books in your industry. Unless you have been thrust into the senior position in the largest company in your industry or you have made a breakthrough that will benefit all of mankind, such goals are totally unrealistic.

First of all, have a sound, newsworthy story to tell and be prepared to tell the story thoroughly and effectively. Next, have sufficient background material and information available so you aren’t wasting the reporter’s time. Finally, give him or her enough time to obtain all of the information needed so that the story can be properly developed.

Know who the audience is. If you’re talking to a newspaper person, be aware of the paper’s broad audience with very diverse interests. Don’t get bogged down in technical detail. If it’s a professional or technical editor, have the in-depth facts at hand and don’t spout generalities.

Know who the reporter or editor is by name and the media he or she represents. It sounds obvious but, all too often, we’ve found that the person being interviewed didn’t recall the interviewer’s name. This is espeecially embarrassing and discourteous if you’re introducing the reporter to another person in your organization.

Being interviewed can be profitable for your organization and you. It means someone thinks you have something important to say. If you’re properly prepared, the process can be effective and it can even be fun!

Preparation ensures you’ll never get hit by the one you didn’t hear coming.”

For this week’s edition of Entrepreneur University we tapped Business Coach Melanie Benson Strick. Melanie is the Entrepreneur’s Success Coach and she teaches entrepreneurs how to stop feeling overwhelmed so they can create more money and more freedom.

Melanie discusses the 6 common mistakes entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them:

“Have you ever felt like you were running a rat race? Everything seems like it takes forever, costs 10 times as much as you expected and you still feel like you are a million miles away from achieving your financial goals?

That’s because people often approach their financial growth with the wrong strategies. You may have heard the saying, “The strategy you used to create your million is drastically different than the strategy to maintain it.” It’s the same thing here. The strategy you used to get started is drastically different than the one you need to grow consistent six and seven figure revenue.

Here are six of the common mistakes entrepreneurs make when trying to grow their bottom line.

Mistake #1: Setting unrealistic expectations. I conducted a workshop where one of the students shared she planned to create $500,000 in new revenue in the next 12 months. She was barely making $50,000 and was launching a brand new business. This plan seemed unrealistic to me. Unrealistic expectations are different than setting ‘stretch goals.’ When you are unrealistic, you will often over spend and under perform because you believe you have everything on track for a huge leap in income.

Mistake #2: Focusing on price versus payoff. This being so focused on what everything will cost you that you miss the opportunities that will allow you to leap forward. The saying, “It costs money to make money” means that when you invest in high payoff opportunities, you will leap forward. Many people who are stuck financially don’t have the financial resources to invest in the tactics that would actually position them for a huge windfall.

Mistake #3: Making short-term decisions that sabotage the long term goal. I once knew someone who would say yes to any opportunity that crossed his desk if it meant he might make a couple thousand dollars. The problem was that most of these opportunities took a lot of his personal time, time he wasn’t spending on his own goals. This man couldn’t understand why his own programs weren’t profitable – when he spent up to 50% of his time on short term opportunities at the expense of his long term, more profitable projects.

Mistake #4: Trying to keep up with the “Jones.” Just because your competitor is experiencing huge financial wins with their strategies doesn’t mean it will work for you. It’s dangerous to just watch what others do and try to replicate it without understanding the entire strategy. A carefully crafted growth strategy will have many steps – you can probably see only one part of it. This mistake can be very costly because you invest your time and money “following the Jones” strategy only to experience a flop because you invested in only one piece of the whole puzzle.

Mistake #5: Doing everything themselves. I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs find themselves in a growth trap because they won’t build a team. If it is just you, then you can only accomplish what you have time to accomplish. When you build a team, you can leverage your time exponentially. Think of it as a way to finally clone yourself. Delegating and outsourcing is one of the fastest ways to grow your results and your bottom line.

Mistake #6: Sacrificing quality for revenue growth. This is absolutely one of my big pet peeves. And I know it’s the opposite of what many gurus teach. But here is the deal. If you are so focused on growing your bottom line that you sacrifice the quality or experience of a client along the way, you will impact your future revenue opportunities. Unhappy clients don’t come back. And usually they tell A LOT OF PEOPLE along the way.

If you are making one of these mistakes, what should you do? Here are three quick fixes to get you back on the fast track to bottom line bliss.

1. Know your high payoff opportunities. Typically they are based on your values, priorities and goals. If you need help with this step, check out the Unstoppable Goals Method.

2. Slow down and evaluate the real profit story. Just because it looks good doesn’t mean its profitable and a good use of your time. Create a cost analysis for your opportunities. Look at things like: when will it make me money, how much money and time will it take, what are my “hidden” costs, etc.

3. Respond, don’t react. Opportunities will always come at you. If you have a strategic plan mapped out, you will be able to take action on the right ones. Without a plan, you are just reacting to “Bright Shiny Objects™.” Successful people create and follow a strategic plan.”

This week’s Entrepreneur University comes courtesy of Eva Gregory. Eva is the International Coach of the Year 2006, “America’s Feel Good Coach”, speaker and author of The Feel Good Guide To Prosperity. She shares with us her tips on how to live an inspired life and not a tired one:

“Do you feel like you are just going through the motions and nothing you truly want in life is coming to fruition? Do you feel tired and drained more often than not? Are there things you know you have to get done, but you are lacking the motivation to do them? How about changing things around so that they become “inspired actions”, and not “required actions”?

One definition of inspire is “to exert an animating, enlivening or exalted influence upon”. Even the definition sounds fun, does it not? I will go one further and say that it is also powerful and empowering. I call it powerful because it can create a great deal of positive energy, and empowering because you will gain control back over a situation. Can you image finding joy in everything, having life be lively and exciting on a regular basis? Inspired actions are those that you get so excited about that wild horses could not stop you from doing them and will usually flow effortlessly and quickly. Believe me, it IS possible.

How does one become inspired and create a world of inspired actions? It goes back to setting your intentions for what you want, visualizing it, getting into the feeling place “as if” it has happened exactly the way you want it and let the inspired action “come to you”. Cool, huh? Sounds easy? It is. But if you get stuck, you can work backwards by focusing on what motivates you to complete your project. Is it your family, having free time to play, or perhaps just the satisfaction of having everything checked off of your “to do” list? Better yet, write down your tasks and your motivations. Things seem to become more concrete, more “real” when they are written down. These tools will help you turn a project or task into something that provides you with major inspiration. Just like Jack.

Jack was in the process of writing what he termed his “great American novel.” In fact, he had been in the process for four years and despite what he told his friends and family, he was not feeling very inspired. His novel had become the joke amongst his friends and the proverbial albatross around his neck. When Jack decided to set his intentions and visualize the outcome, he had a difficult time doing this. He realized that he could not get into his feeling place because the story he was writing did not fuel his passion. He could not even visualize himself completing this book. His writing had taken a wrong turn, and instead of backing up or starting over, he had felt compelled to continue because of the expectations of others. Jack was so surprised and energized by this realization that he immediately started outlining the book he wanted to write. Writing had become an inspired action and Jack did not feel like it was a required one.

So, what are you waiting for? There is NO time like the present. Find a little quiet, turn on your favorite music, light a candle, and get busy setting those intentions to create inspired actions. Remember, inspired actions will make you feel alive; before, due to the planning and anticipation, during, as you will be relishing actually putting your desires to action, and after, when you are remembering the task and your feelings while it was being done. So, get out your pen and paper and get busy. The time has come to be inspired, not tired!”

For this edition of Entrepreneur University we turn to Business and Management trainer Martin Haworth. From managers of small, developing businesses and their teams, through to one-on-one work with senior executives, Martin enables a new generation of managers - and their businesses - to meet their potential - and deliver performance they only dream about.

Martin shares with us his secrets to networking differently:

“How many people do you know already?

Chances are that if you are past 25 years old, you will know upwards of a thousand people. That’s folks you would recognise if they bumped into you in the street. Hey, it might even be several thousand.

If you are looking for a career change, this is an opportunity you can leverage, through the people you know.

The common concept of ‘networking’ is different. It’s a business world in-your-face imposition where you are working against, rather than with the flow.

So why would you go off meeting people that you didn’t know, expecting them to do you a favor or two, when you have a bunch of people who already know you well enough?

The basis of all business transactions is trust. And trust is very hard to create if you are meeting people, in however friendly a setting, for a short period of time. Sure, you swap business cards and maybe meet up in the future - and at that point your trust has grown and you can do business.

It takes a lot of work, time and effort to gradually build relationships of trust, which is why so many people trying to sell things network in the ‘big-beakfast’ sense.

Desperate for the next hit of a new crowd, it’s the only way to, as they say, win the ‘numbers game’. The more people that go past you, the more likely there is one that will take the bite of the worm you’re offering.

As long as there are your sort of fish in the water, of course. What a task - and what a desperate way to try to get more business.

Think of ‘networking’ in a different way.

Great businesses make the most of the relationships they build over many years, creating repeat business. In fact some need to advertise no more, such is the power of who they are, what they do and the reputation they have built.

How about turning that into a personal value? A ‘trademark’ of who you are and what makes you different form other friends, family members and acquaintances.

So what are those ‘trademarks’ that win you the gold star credits and make others want to help you?

Try these:1 - You listen well and pay full attention - You are more interested in other people than yourself - You keep promises and do what you say you will - You are a great friend when others are in need - You share resources and put the people you know in touch with each other - You aren’t judgemental, but very objective (fact-based) when dealing with others - You talk less than you listen (see a pattern here!)

- You make time for others when you say you will - You say ‘yes’ when you can and ‘no’ when you can’t - and are honest about it - You are encouraging, enthusiastic, supportive and challenging with those you know Why do these ways of behavior build your network closely around you? Well, for one thing, when you are much more interested in those around you than you are about you, ironically you become much more attractive. So, not only do people like being around you, they are much more responsive when you need their help.

If you are looking around you for extended networks to push your efforts, then others who like you will do just that - and utilize who they know as well. If you know a thousand people, how many people do those thousand know? And how much use is a thousand thousand people all on your side?

The door you are seeking to open can become a lot easier if you have people who love you, and the way you are, on your side.

And that doesn’t involve getting up at 5am every Tuesday morning; force-feeding on a ‘heart-attack-special breakfast’; and fending off folks desperately trying to sell you even more business cards.

That’s not what you want at all.”

How have you networked to get clients for your business?

In keeping with our recent theme of online business I decided to tap the mind of Thomas Young for this week’s Entrepreneur University. Thomas Wood-Young, MBA, is a marketing consultant helping companies increase revenues. He is also the author of Intuitive Selling (www.IntuitiveSelling.com). Thomas shares with us his three keys to Internet selling success:

“Whereas successful selling in traditional brick-and-mortar stores is said to rely on “location, location, location,” successful Web sales rely on the three pillars of effective Web sites: design, marketing, and hosting. And like a table with three legs, a Web site needs equal support from all three.

Pillar I: Design Poor Web design will give visitors a poor opinion of your company and your products. With so many new businesses now offering Web design, it is important to choose a developer who can combine functionality and design to create a site that is visually simple, attractive, and easy to navigate.

Always design your Web site to reflect customer priorities. First find out what your customers want, and give it to them quickly. Make the user experience easy and fast.

This brings three common mistakes to mind:

Web design is often based on the mistaken idea that visitors to your site want to know more about your company. This is why most companies feature the “About Us” link first as a visitor reads the page. Actually, a customer is looking for a product or service that solves a problem. With this in mind, correct site design will highlight the information about your main products first and show your company information last for additional support.

Another common error is the use of impressive graphics without proper regard for user experience. Visitors are looking for information, not graphics. Graphics add loading time, so keep them to a minimum. A site will be an effective sales tool when you include all information your customers will need to make a buying decision.

Avoid forms that require unnecessary information. Seventy-eight percent of respondents in a recent usability survey have bailed out of filling forms because the forms required too much effort. Eighty-four percent abandoned programs that required too much information, especially home phone numbers or household income figures.

Pillar II: Hosting Integration of technology and design is crucial to the performance of your site as a sales tool. Web site functionality depends on efficient hosting and stable technology. This pillar includes all technical back-office details, from hosting to programming and newsletter list management.

Host your site on servers with sufficient bandwidth to easily and flawlessly handle your predicted level of traffic. Hire specialized database programmers to make your site interactive without a hitch. Purchase shopping cart programs that process sales efficiently and make it easy to buy. A good host will avoid down time, slow connections, interrupted service, and slow downloads to give your visitors a pleasant experience.

Pillar III: Marketing Contrary to popular belief, effective Web marketing does not require a large budget. Eighty-one percent of respondents to a recent survey admitted they had visited a site because it was advertised. However, their main influence was the Internet (61%), print ads (57%), and e-mail promotions (51%). Television, for instance, didn’t even make the top five. The secret to cost-effective Web marketing is finding low-cost to no-cost actions that reach your narrow, primary target market. Avoid expensive shotgun advertising to large markets not interested in your product or service.

Some of the most effective low-cost marketing tools include:

Listings on select portals and directories that draw traffic within your target group Search engine strategies to improve rankings on traditional search engines Strategies for pay-for-position search engines for immediate results Newsletters that reach your prospects monthly with helpful information Programmable autoresponders that deliver your message seven times or more Affiliate programs that encourage other sites to refer customers Take into account the three pillars of Web site success and reap the rewards of the Internet.”

This week’s Entrepreneur University addition comes from networking guru Dr. Ivan Misner. Dr. Misner is the Founder & Chairman of BNI (Business Network Int’l.). BNI was founded in 1985. The organization has over 4,200 chapters throughout every populated continent of the world. Last year alone, BNI generated millions referrals resulting in billions of dollars worth of business for its members. Dr. Misner shares with us his top 10 secrets to effective business networking:

Do you suffer from “butterfly-itis” at the very mention of networking at business functions? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Many entrepreneurs get a bit uncomfortable when it comes right down to walking up to someone and starting a conversation. Many others are concerned about getting effective results from the time they spend networking.

The process doesn’t have to be traumatic, scary or a waste of time. When done properly, it can truly make a difference in the amount of business your company generates. With the right approach, you can use it to build a wealth of resources and contacts that will help make your business very successful.

Use the following ten commandments to help you network your way through your next business networking event:

1. Have the tools to network with you at all times. These include an informative name badge, business cards, brochures about your business, and a pocket-sized business card file containing cards of other professionals to whom you can refer new business.

2. Set a goal for the number of people you’ll meet. Identify a reachable goal based on attendance and the type of group. If you feel inspired, set a goal to meet 15 to 20 people, and make sure you get all their cards. If you don’t feel so hot, shoot for less. In either case, don’t leave until you’ve met your goal.

3. Act like a host, not a guest. A host is expected to do things for others, while a guest sits back and relaxes. Volunteer to help greet people. If you see visitors sitting, introduce yourself and ask if they would like to meet others. Act as a conduit.

4. Listen and ask questions. Remember that a good networker has two ears and one mouth and uses them proportionately. After you’ve learned what another person does, tell them what you do. Be specific but brief. Don’t assume they know your business.

5. Don’t try to close a deal. These events are not meant to be a vehicle to hit on businesspeople to buy your products or services. Networking is about developing relationships with other professionals. Meeting people at events should be the beginning of that process, not the end of it.

6. Give referrals whenever possible. The best networkers believe in the “givers gain” philosophy (what goes around comes around). If I help you, you’ll help me and we’ll both do better as a result of it. In other words, if you don’t genuinely attempt to help the people you meet, then you are not networking effectively. If you can’t give someone a bona fide referral, try to offer some information that might be of interest to them (such as details about an upcoming event).

7. Exchange business cards. Ask each person you meet for two cards-one to pass on to someone else and one to keep. This sets the stage for networking to happen.

8. Manage your time efficiently. Spend 10 minutes or less with each person you meet, and don’t linger with friends or associates. If your goal is to meet a given number of people, be careful not to spend too much time with any one person. When you meet someone interesting with whom you’d like to speak further, set up an appointment for a later date.

9. Write notes on the backs of business cards you collect. Record anything you think may be useful in remembering each person more clearly. This will come in handy when you follow up on each contact.

10. Follow up! You can obey the previous nine commandments religiously, but if you don’t follow up effectively, you will have wasted your time. Drop a note or give a call to each person you’ve met. Be sure to fulfill any promises you’ve made.

For this special New Year’s Eve edition of Entrepreneur University we turn to marketing expert David Frey. David is the author of the best-selling manual, “The Small Business Marketing Bible” and the Senior Editor of the “Small Business Marketing Best Practices Newsletter. David shares with us his five step formula for getting new prospects to call you:

Are you tired of prospecting for new business?

Are you sick of networking, begging for referrals, or spending a small fortune on advertisements that produce little results?

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just sit down at your desk and have the phone ring knowing that new business is on the other end of the line?

Who wouldn’t, right…?

The Secret Formula for Getting People to Call You No matter what product or service you sell, there is a formula for getting people to call you (instead of the other way around.)

Let me take a moment and explain each step in this formula and give you a few examples of how it works…

Step 1. Interrupt their train of thought People are busy, busy, busy. At any one moment you and I have a thousand things going on. So the first step to effectively market to someone is to interrupt them and grab their attention.

You can do this with…

a. Bold, compelling headlines b. Unusual graphics or photos c. Unique opening statements I run an ad in a trade mag in the most competitive section of the publication. But my ad sticks out like a sore thumb because I place it UPSIDE DOWN!

That ad pulls as much as a quarter page ad does and it’s only a tiny little 2′ x 2′ ad.

(By the way, if you want to see that ad and you have in interest in coaching you can find it in my Coaches and Consultants Marketing Bootcamp program.)

Step 2. Engage their mind with relevant content Once you have your prospects attention, the next step is to pull them into your message. The best way to do that is to use relevant content.

By that I mean, say something that they would be keenly interested in. For instance, I have no interest in cats so I would skip right over the headline, “How to Stop Your Cat from Ripping Your Couch and Carpet Apart.”

It’s not relevant to me.

But if I saw a headline that said, “The Deal Is Sealed…Shaq Gets Traded,” that would stop me in my tracks (I’m a basketball nut).

Your message must be relevant to your prospect.

Step 3. Educate them on how to solve their problem Now it’s time to educate your prospect. Education-Based Marketing is one of the most powerful marketing strategies available today and does a number of positive things for you:

a. It gives your prospect the REASON WHY they should care about what you’re saying.

b. It appeals to the prospect’s emotional need to solve their problem. (People buy with their emotions)

c. It positions you as the expert and someone to be trusted.

For instance, why do you think you find all those long, long salesletters on the net? Because they work! The more you tell the more you sell.

Step 4. Prove that your solution actually works People today are so SKEPTICAL. No one believes anybody anymore. Every marketing message is taken with a grain of salt.

That’s why you MUST PROVE what you’re saying is true. Proof can come through customer success stories, study findings, quotes from experts, before and after photos etc.

You have to consider yourself as being on trial and your prospects are sitting in the jury box. You’ve got to prove to them what you’re saying is true.

Are you proving your solution in your marketing efforts?

Step 5. Offer them additional help for their problem The last step is to naturally offer your prospect additional help. Up to this point you’ve only teased them. Now you must lead them to the next step.

The next step should be some offer for help. This could be a free report, a video, an audio program (notice that I like low cost information products) or a free catalog, or even access to a free question and answer help line.

If you want to decrease your response and increase the quality of prospects that come to you, you can charge a small fee to make the next step.

Case Study I used to do a lot of direct response advertising to generate leads for potential hot tub buyers.

I offered a free video to the respondents. We were getting a lot of leads, but many of them were from people who already owned a hot tub (if you can believe that).

So we simply asked for a shipping fee of $2.95 for the video and it cut down our leads but dramatically increased our closing rate.

How to Use this Process for Your Own Purposes You might be thinking, thanks David, but “how” do I use this information for my own business.

It’s simple…take each step and ask yourself these questions…

Step 1 - “What headline, photo, or gimmick can I use that would stop my unique prospect and make them pause for a moment?”

Step 2 - “What problem does my prospect have that is painful, ugly, dirty, and smelly?” When you have the answer to that question, use it in a headline, sub headline or opening statement to engage them in your message.

Step 3 - “How can I make the problem in Step 2 sound even worse and then how can I explain to them how my solution solves it.”

Step 4 - “What proof can I come up with that my solution actually works and has worked for many companies (or people)?”

Step 5 - “What offer can I come up with that would be so irresistible that my prospects would have to pick up the phone and call me immediately?”

If you ask yourself these five questions and can come up with some good answers then you’re well on your way to getting people to chase you down instead of you begging to steal a moment of their time. (Yuck!)

Have a great 2008!

Evan Carmichael

For this edition of Entrepreneur University we turn to marketing expert Thomas Young. Thomas is a marketing consultant helping companies increase revenues. He is the author of Intuitive Selling. Thomas shares his 12 tips on how to build word of mouth referrals for your business:

The most powerful form of marketing is word-of-mouth referrals. This is true regardless of the size of your company or marketing budget. When generating referrals, your customers become your sales force! Who better to promote your products than loyal customers? Following are 12 things you can do to help develop word-of-mouth referrals for your business.

Ask for Referrals The easiest way to generate referrals is also the most important. People want to help others, especially when you are good at what you do. Let your customers know that you are looking for referrals. They will be happy to oblige and some will go out of their way to help.

Be Specific Provide your referral sources with a few details about your target market. If you are not specific in your request, referral sources have the entire universe to think of and will generally not be able to think of anyone. Make your referral request specific.

Align with Your Customer’s Vision Get inside the head of your customers and align with their vision. Be a resource; understand the needs of your customers. Referrals will come when customers realize that you really do understand them and that your goal is to help, not just make money.

Develop Word-of-Mouth Marketing Promotions MCI’s friends and family promotion was tremendously successful and built market share for the company that has been the key to their growth. Develop a marketing promotion plan which encourages referrals and benefits your existing customers. Make the promotion worth your customer’s time by offering valuable incentives for new referrals.

Promote Client Feedback Ask your clients to evaluate your products and services and provide feedback on how you measure up. Share this data with current customers and new prospects. Obviously, correct the areas in which you are deficient and remove barriers to customer service.

Continue Self-Development Make your organization committed to constant learning. You must expand out of the box and constantly grow and develop your knowledge and abilities or you will be left behind by the competition. Knowledge is powerful and people will come to you for expertise before they buy from you.

Build a Customer Community Find ways to bring customers together with other customers. This might be a chat room on your web site or other customer events sponsored by your company. This brings a community of customers together and stimulates word-of-mouth.

Communicate Your Competitive Advantage Understand why you are different from the competition and what sets you apart in the eyes of the customer. Communicate this message in your promotional activities. Be clear in delivering this message. It is the most important component of your direct marketing efforts and the reason people become loyal customers.

Listen Become known as an excellent listener. This communicates that you care about others and builds an enormous amount of trust. The fact that you are the best listener customers know will be communicated to others and result in valuable referrals.

Build Alliances Determine how you can reach your target market by developing win-win alliances with other organizations. This is very common on the Internet as sites link to each other with great results. Look for organizations that currently service your target market and find ways to help each other.

Learn How to Network Properly Take time to learn how to network effectively. Establish a networking plan and plan on helping others, which is the key to successful networking. Read and learn more about how to network effectively and go to lunch with world-class networking professionals to ask them how they do it. They will gladly share all their secrets because that is how people network effectively.

Develop a Web Site That People Talk About Establish a web site that catches peoples’ attention. When web surfers come across a hot site, they typically tell others about it. It is very common to email web site links to friends. Find a way to make your site unique by adding value to your target market. This value is expressed in knowledge you can provide them to help improve their business operations or personal lives.

These are a few ways to build word-of-mouth referrals for your business. Remember, there is no quick fix in sales and marketing and no substitute for excellent customer service and valuable products and services. Take the time to strengthen your marketing efforts in these areas and watch the referrals come pouring in.

Evan Carmichael