If you haven’t noticed the trends, you must be in a CAVE! Facebook has become in the most visited web site on the internet in less than 4 years!!! Did you know 91% of the Fortune 500 companies have at least one social media channel?

Watch this video!

Go ahead and check it out and leave a comment if you are so inclined. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkSxn99uc4E

Thxs

I highly recommend this for all my friends and clients while the FREE offer remains.

Go ahead and take advantage of this limited time offer.

It can be a balancing act between keeping it short and including enough information to cover all the points.

Download the Web Content Guide as a PDF

The guide includes:

1. What to do before you start writing
2. General tips on the important things to remember about paragraph structure and layout
3. A five step process for creating content
4. A template to help you step through the process

This is a FREE resource to help you with the content creation process. If you would like to read about the importance of adding fresh content to your website – No Traffic To Your Website? You Must Add Content! This was posted a few days ago to help people understand how search engines determine whether to put you on the first page or bury it.

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My initial response to the question, selling is twisting arms while smiling. The iconic definition of this process is the “used car salesperson.”

Sales occur naturally when a customer or clients needs are met. A skilled sales person is able to quickly identify concerns or objections. Provide answers and most importantly demonstrate a level of value greater than the competition.

Relationship Selling is an on going process of proactively identifying the needs and offering solutions. 

Relationship management is the ability to track all communications and activities one has with an individual or organization. In times past, the ability to manage a relationship required good notes and a photographic memory. The relationship was individually based, since there was no easy method or singular repository.

Technology has enabled individuals and organizations to implement the relationship management throughout their company. This allows the potential for sales from all points of contact.

What this means for contractors and other small business owners is:

• Companies must approach their customers as valued members of their organizations.
• Engagement is no longer on a singular basis, all persons responsible for completing a project or providing a service must be able to add value for your client.
• Passing it off to the “Sales Guy” is no longer an option.
• Successful marketing campaigns are personalized and segmented.

• New & Recurring Customers
• Search Engine Visibility

This is an IMPORTANT CONCEPT! Too often companies spend a significant amount of money on having a website built only to have it gather dust and disappear into the abyss.

There are two main reasons this occurs:

1. New competitors entering the internet. Dilution
2. The search engine (SE) placement of your website is based on the frequency of visits, among other factors. If your website doesn’t have a continual stream of new content, the search engines have no reason to visit.

A blog (a contraction of the term “web log“)[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

A blog is a container for all types of different content separated into categories and tags. It allows a single piece of content to appear to a search engine multiple times. Hence, multiple instances indexed by the search engines.

Simply put, an article about a special for a new product sold in your local store can appear as:

• product + location (i.e., widgets roseville)
• product + special (discount widgets)
• product + manufacturer (manufacturer widget)
• product (widget)
• etc.

The point here is, one article (post) turns into 4 different search results.

This concept is the reason websites built like company brochures are DEAD. Blogging is a very powerful method to insure your website remains current and on top of the search engine results.

Some ideas for content for your website are:

• New products
• Safety tips
• Industry news
• Partner news
• Community events
• Completed projects
• Case studies
• Before and after’s
• Client testimonials
• Top 10 Questions (FAQ’s)
• A detailed explanation of a question
• How To Guides
• Helpful advice
• Daily Specials
• Customer of the Month
• Safety recalls
• etc.

The rest of this article will explain adding content to your WordPress enabled website. If you don’t have a WordPress or similar website, you might want to read my article “The WordPress Revolution for Small Business Owners.” Another great resource – How To Create Content For Your Website is FREE to download and provides 4 things you should know.

Static versus Dynamic Content

Most websites are a combination of static and dynamic information. Static information rarely changes. Examples of static content are: About Us, Contact Info, Services, and more. Dynamic information is constantly changing: specials, events, testimonials, projects, etc.

WordPress Pages & Posts

In WordPress, static content is handled in the Pages component. Pages are typically used in your website’s main navigation or tabs.

Dynamic information in WordPress is administered vial the Post interface. This is the blogging component of WordPress. Unlike pages, posts are displayed in the main navigation as a single tab. To navigate the blog, an additional navigation structure of categories is used.

Depending on your website’s setup, your blog tab can be named as Blog, Articles, News for a few. The navigation of your blog will typically be shown in the sidebar of your website and not in the main navigation.

“To add content to your website via the blog you will use Posts”

Key Elements of a Post

To be effective, a post must contain:

• your primary keywords (search term)
• location
• 2 – 3 paragraphs
• a picture
• multiple categories
• and, a Call To Action

Steps To Writing a Post

1. Create the Headline – The headline must include your keywords! It must be interesting. Must draw attention from your audience.Some examples…
   10 Things You Should Know About _________
   New __________ installed in __________ Home
   Incredible Savings On _____________
   _____________ Supports Our _____________ Community
   While Supplies Last __________, On Sale Now
2. Write a couple of paragraphs about your main topic, headline. Remember, short and sweet, 3-5 sentences per paragraph.
3. Finish the post with another paragraph summarizing the topic and include a CALL TO ACTION.

Pretty simple stuff!

I can’t emphasize enough, the most important part of anything you put on your website…

A CALL TO ACTION!

A call to action is what you would like your visitors to do next. This could be a:

• Call for an appointment
• Schedule an estimate
• Sign up for a newsletter
• Print a coupon
• refer your company, etc.

We have discussed the importance of having fresh content for your website, and the differences between static and dynamic content. In WordPress, Pages are static and Posts are the dynamic component to your website. Creating content to post should take no more than 15 minutes of your time. The rewards for your efforts will be increased search engine visibility and new traffic to your website.

How to post to your website is revealed in a quick video HomeBuildR.Net/Videos If you like what you have read, leave a comment below or share with your friends. Please don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. It’s free and a great resource.

Just added: Free Downloadable Guide – How To Create Content For Your Website

When a decade ago I was faced with having to sell my services for the first time I was terrified. I hated asking for the sale and dreaded the part where my potential clients inevitably came up with objections why they couldn’t use my services.

I’ve since learned that lack of objections is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, I now welcome it when prospects tell me why they can’t do business with me.

Frankly, when a potential client shares his reasons why he or she hesitates to take advantage of my offer, to me it’s a sign of two things; one – they are interested in my services, and two – I’m getting closer to closing the deal.

But many professionals, like consultants or coaches, find “overcoming objections” and “closing” the deal stressful, unpleasant and pushy. If that’s you, I want to share with you two lessons that helped me develop a different mindset around this.

First, a “no” doesn’t always mean “no”. Often it simply means “not now” or “I don’t have enough information yet
to say yes.”

Second, you can’t “overcome” your prospect’s objections – but you can give them information and tools that allow them to make a new decision.

In my Attract Clients Like Crazy program I teach a specific process that doesn’t rely on memorizing scripts and is the most natural way to lead potential customers towards making a buying decision. (Note: my new ACLC program will be available for sale in a couple of weeks – you will love it!)

For now, if you too experience anxiety around “closing” sales here are my tested and proven responses to the top five objections your prospective clients are very likely to raise.

OBJECTION #1: I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.

“I don’t blame you. Hiring a can be a big decision. Can you share with me what specific aspect of my services you are concerned about?”

“Yes, I can see how this can be a big decision. You know I found that typically my clients are initially concerned with one of the three things: is the problem important enough to solve it now, is this the right solution for your situation, can you afford the solution? Which one of those concerns you the most?”

“Hmmm… I see. Let me ask you… Let’s say we get started on this project – what are the downsides?”

OBJECTION #2: I HAVE TO TALK TO MY PARTNER ABOUT IT.

“Great. What kinds of questions do you think they might they ask?”

“Good idea. I always discuss decisions like this with my partner (or spouse). But let me ask you a question – what will you do when your partner doesn’t like the idea of us moving forward with this?”

OBJECTION #3: IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE.

“Expensive comparing to what?”

“Expensive?! What’s really expensive is your current way of thinking! It’s produced the results you have right now and I think we both already agreed that without outside perspective and help you will just keep getting harder and harder and nowhere really fast! Now, let’s looks again how we can ensure that you get a great ROI on your investment in the next 90 days and then let’s make it a top priority at the beginning of our project…”

“Yes, it’s a solid investment. I tell you what – I know this is only worthwhile if you produce solid results, right? What’s the one result you would want to be absolutely sure we could produce in the next that would have you really happy you hired me? Great! Why don’t we make this our top priority and get started right away?”

“Not really. How does this investment compare to what it’s costing you to do nothing about this problem?”

“Frankly, that’s exactly why you need me.”

OBJECTION #4: I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT ON MY OWN.

“Hmmmm… how long have you been dealing with this issue? If you haven’t solved it on your own so far what makes you think you can do it now?”

“Yes, I suppose you could. But let me ask you something: when was the last time you saw (heard) of a heart surgeon performing an open heart surgery on himself?”

“With all the respect… I must disagree. If you thought you could solve this problem on your own we wouldn’t be talking right now. Tell me, how would things be different if you could rely on an unbiased opinion to give you a fresh perspective/solutions to this problem?”

OBJECTION #5: I DON’T HAVE THE TIME RIGHT NOW.

“Yes, it will take some time to address this issue. How much more time per week could you devote to other, revenue-generating activities if you could eliminate dealing with this problem on ongoing bases?”

“That’s funny; you just told me it takes you 10 hours a week to deal with this problem – wouldn’t it make sense to hire someone like myself and solve it so that you can use your time on more productive tasks?”

“Wow, if you are that busy and you are still not getting the results you want perhaps it would make sense to start the project by helping you better prioritize your activities and leverage your time more effectively?”

These are only a few examples of responses I found helpful in getting to a “yes” in negotiating a sale. Rather than trying to memorize those specific sentences I suggest you try to understand and learn the underlying concepts each of the responses is based on.

Here is what you must understand; an objection is a cover for a deeper concern. By voicing it your prospects give you an opportunity to address it and provide information to eliminate it. So quit trying to prove your point and instead ask thought-provoking questions. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcomes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2000-2009 Marketing Mentors Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The author, Adam Urbanski, helps service professionals and business owners how to
attract all the new clients they want, and how to develop marketing
strategies to increase sales and profits. His website offers more how-to
articles and free tips to create a winning
marketing action plan at www.themarketingmentors.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The importance of online reviews, can not be emphasized enough! If you perform a local search in Google, you will find numerous examples of top performing companies in competitive markets ranking highly on the maps because of reviews.

Some of the social review sites don’t want companies to solicit reviews through bribes or other incitements. But let’s get real! There is one that I know of, begins with “Y” that will hang on to bad reviews for months, and the good reviews disappear after a month. Fair is fair. It’s hard enough to get reviews from your customers.

So, I have created a little form in which you can download and customize it for your use. I suggest if you are a one time company, like a pool builder, that you offer an incentive such as a gift card. And for those of you with ongoing relationships, like a housecleaning service, offering a 10% off your next visit is one of many good ideas.

I know this will help!

One of the biggest hurdles that general contractors have to get past is the trust factor. Are we who we say we are? Will we do what we say we will do? Can we produce what we say we can produce? As a contractor we expect a total stranger to call us, schedule to meet, enter their home or business, tear something apart, then rebuild it to look awesome. That’s asking a lot from someone we just met or talked to on the phone.

That’s what it is all about in the service business – trust.

Today the property owner has ways of getting to know the contractor before ever meeting them face-to-face.

Thanks to social networks like Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter, the general contractor can be “checked out” long before ever meeting him. Before the internet boom, you had a square box in the yellow pages, or a flyer shoved into your door as a first impression to the contractor.

Today we can look at companies and people in a different way. We can see the contractors work, comments they have posted, who they associate with – and maybe that trust can be increased a little by getting to know them better. And there is more that we can do.

In searching for the right contractor that you can trust you probably want someone near you. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way that we could finding someone that we could trust nearby. There are ways to look up general contractors in your area. Here are a few popular sites.

Google , Yahoo, and Bing all have local search directories. Yelp is another. These local searches may help pinpoint contractors near you to help get started on your quest for the trusted contractor. Are there any other ways to finding a service business? Many more. How about the most trusted source of finding a contractor ever – Word-Of-Mouth.

That’s right, people are most comfortable getting a referral based on what their friends and family have experienced. Someone they know has already tried using the contractor and was happy with the results. Don’t have friends and family that have used a general contractor?

Example: Customer Testimonials

Maybe the contractor has a list of past customers for you to contact. Don’t be afraid to make contact with the past customers, it may help you build that trust. And in this business, trust is very important to both you and the general contractor.

What is Social Media?

Social media essentially is a category of online media where people are talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online. Most social media services encourage discussion, feedback, voting, comments, and sharing of information from all interested parties.

It’s more of a two-way conversation, rather than a one-way broadcast like traditional media. Another unique aspect of social media is the idea of staying connected or linked to other sites, resources, and people. – Ron Jones, SearchEngineWatch.com

Why do you care?

FaceBook is the internet’s number one most visited website, exceeding Google Search. It’s rapid growth is explosive. Started in 2004 in a dorm room at Harvard, it was a way for a group of college kids to interact. Today, FaceBook is the definition of how customers are interacting with companies. It’s real time, and social. Companies can no longer dismiss it as just another time suck! Yes, I did say that Let’s face it, we all want results without wasting our time. How would you like to grow your business like this?

FaceBook allows people to connect with friends and associates on a professional and personal level.
On a personal level, you create a profile for all to see for the purposes of:

• sharing with family and friends*
• with members of special interest groups
  (small business owners, religious, hobby, sports, political, etc.)

This information can be shared with a select group of friends or everyone who stumbles upon your profile.
On a professional level, FaceBook is used to promote your company. Through advertisements, company updates, photos of your work and ongoing conversations to your connected fans.** Most importantly, it’s a tool to drive visitors to your company’s website.

3 Major Componets of FaceBook

Personal Profile – Your FaceBook Account
Groups - Network of like minded individuals sharing a common interest
Pages – Your company’s profile.

Implementation

1. Setup a FaceBook account
   • Personal email and password
   • Add a photo of yourself
   • A brief bio
   • Add info about where you went to school, your work, hobbies, etc.
   • Do you want to share this information publically or privately?
   • Do you want to be updated via email, text messaging, or when you are online?
   • Send out invites to people in your address book.
2. Setup a FaceBook Page
   • Create a business profile complete with logos, photos, contact information, etc.
   • Invite all who will help you to spread the word about your company.
   • Invite customers and associates to interact with your company by offering special discounts, event invitations, cross promotions, etc.
     Cross promotions – is a non traditional approach to expanding your company’s reach. As an example, let’s say you have a favorite hair salon or barber you frequent. Tell your friends and colleagues about their wonderful service. In turn, they will do the same.
3. Connect with Groups
   • Join other groups, this can be both professional and personal.
Note: This is not necessary to get started.

Conclusion

It’s time to embrace social media as a means to gain credibility and authority for you and your business. With active participation, you will be able to promote your company and gain new customers. Additionally, you will be able to increase your sales to existing customers by offering additional products and services that they might be aware you offer. Lastly, you will be able to expand your network to industries and other companies who’s customers would benefit from your products and services.

WARNING: Don’t let this scare you, by thinking it will take time away from your busy schedule. There are tools available to integrate with your company’s website and cell phone to make this as painless and non-techie as possible.

FaceBook is a necessary ingredient to business survival. Having a business website will not get you customers without promotion.

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Download your FREE copy of 3 Components of FaceBook mind map (Adobe pdf).