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Check out our latest entrepreneurial-driven content geared toward helping startups and small businesses grow their brands.

How to Reach your Target Audience and Tap Into Their Buying Impulse

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reaching your target audience


Connecting properly in places where they hang out
Even if at the very beginning phase of your marketing campaign you are not ready to participate actively in all aspects of the hunt, knowing where they lurk is crucial. Websites like LinkedIn are becoming more and more popular to find where key groups of people are hanging out; but remember the good stuff doesn’t all happen just in one night. You may have to hang around for awhile and participate in conversations that are not always completely relevant to get the feel of these groups.

Placing targeted ads on LinkedIn would be optimal; but there are other ways to accomplish reaching out to your target market. As far as Twitter is concerned, when you first connect with a new user, you can always send them an introduction email that shows them what you do with a URL attached. Here you are getting into a sheer numbers game, but many product marketers gladly play it, and track its data.

Beware: if you go much farther than this during a first connection, all may not go well! Some of the basics of finding your target market on the internet involve waiting. This is the reason why many marketers have other streams of revenue in the early days; it is well worth the wait to reveal what you are thriving on, or wanting people to purchase. A savvy user and potential customer will hold you in much higher regard if you two chat about other business related topics before you play all your cards and tell them your business.

Even if you are desperate for more customers, the worst way to go about this is to give someone new your entire pitch at first, such as “I am in the business of personal coaching and mentoring. If you want, I can give you a free consultation ASAP!” If you take this route of presentation, you could very easily come off as desperate.

Making sure your plan is able to find and define the target
As far as web and mobile marketing goes, it is more crucial than ever to be involved in conversations about topics that are popular and somehow leaving your mark there. Some marketers think that it is so time consuming that they may not want to leave comments on blogs with their URL and signature, but these can steer you towards some new customers and following.

Even though sometimes budget will not allow, advertising on social media can be a big boost. Some argue that Facebook is not as effective anymore and losing its kick; but hordes of people do hang out there every day and buying ad space there is always bound to reward. Even though it can always change and be hard to nail down daily, the conversion of Facebook ads is about 4.3%, a pretty high value.

Once you have your own Facebook and Twitter pages for your product or idea, your own posts can build organic traffic that may create an even bigger buzz than paid posts, but generating some followers with the paid route is one important tool in the very beginning. If you think that you know exactly who is on Twitter and how frequently, think again; the fastest growing user demographic on the social media site is 55 to 64 year olds. Depending on what your product is, this may give you a whole new dimension of placing paid ads, or simply searching for folks in who you are following. When thinking about the weekends and how to reach your target market, keep in mind that as far as social media is concerned, the weekends are not dead; there is 17% more use and engagement during this time.

The practice of making a Venn diagram (especially if what you are marketing is a book) may seem simple, but can help you figure out your target market. Simplifying where your target market may be by watching where the lines overlap can really show you whether or not to have placement of extra pushes in marketing. It can also help you distinguish whether or not time spent on certain demographics is worth it; as even smaller parts of the circle are potential customers lining up for what you have to offer.

What’s under the cover?
Not just in the book realm but in many others, the cover can really do a lot of work for you in narrowing down your target market. If you are marketing a product that is a clothing line or even Smartphone accessory, you can show the types of people you are going after using it. One surprising fact is that the luxury market stayed a little more intact during the recession, some people who wanted to escape still did. Are you providing an oasis to escape, or a lower cost activity like a coffee show that may be visited with more frequency? If you are providing a lower cost activity or product, you will need to do more volume. This is absolutely possible, but something you need to know up front.

Once you find the target market and the folks that are most apt to buy your product, there is still a lot to be done; and any trends will affect you. After understanding the proper channels, research, and where your target market spends time, you are on your way to success. With proper customer service, SEO techniques, and other web maintenance, the sky is the limit for your brand of product.

As in the surf industry this year, there are still major shakeups in the marketing world, where no one is safe and fear can come creeping around the corner. From “suggested posts” on Facebook to other tactics in social media, there are other ways to gain momentum. Once your target market starts talking to each other about how much they like to use your product, you will be happy you took the time to seek them out, and engage them aggressively.

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Marketing on the big screen 2014: “The Wolf of Wall Street”

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Featuring more swear words than any other drama ever and an abundance of nudity and bad behavior, there are some great things under the surface here for those interested in marketing. Even though the subject of this film Jordan Belfort was a swindler and a con man, there are some very informational clips in this flick about calling on the phone, and pushing products. Considered not relevant by many because of not much internet presence in the movie, there are some great tips on being confident while on the phone and acting like you own the place. Even with things being so digital now, this awesome Scorsese movie has a lot of pointers about making the close on a sale, which many marketers are still needing to do an a good old fashioned face to face meeting.

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

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Readers of authors like Malcolm Gladwell will definitely enjoy this blend of what leadership, success, and the skill of simply having influence will show them. A focus on making sure interaction with others is your prime focus, and stories of those who remained behind the scenes while creating their success are heralded in this great example of 2013’s marketer knowledge banks on the press. Different takes on numbers and large entities toppling such as Enron are delivered here in a fashion that will make any marketer reflect on what the future holds and how they can shape it.

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Raise the Bar; an Action-based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions

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The new book Raise the Bar; an Action-based Method for Maximum Customer Reactions is by Jon Taffer, who prevents many businesses from eroding into dust with his skill set. On Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue”, he shares his wealth with bar owners who desperately need one last chance to succeed. With theories based on the notion that you can always control your customer’s reaction and make them really buzz about your business, many owners way beyond the restaurant realm will want to crack this for some excellent pointers. There’s nothing more exciting than finding the book that pushes your business above the rest.

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Amusement Park Season 2013: A To-Do List of America’s Biggest & Baddest Thrill Offerings

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This year the positive news that amusement park attendance is up is music to many different sets of ears. A true roller coaster junkie will wait all year sometimes to travel to these places, and there is really something to be said for hearing the screams of thrill seekers spiraling over you while you wait in line. We are going to give you a list of some of America’s best locations to take the family or just your significant other.

From coast to coast, amusement parks have become more modern and high tech, but the initial thrill and wonderment is still there, like popcorn, arcades and gardens. There is so much to see and do that when a child first gets through the admission gate, you may wish you had a leash on them. Amusement parks are held in regard as the “trip of the year” for many families and especially if you can find a way to avoid the weekends, you may be able to ride until your heart’s content. Here are a few of America’s best parks to wet your appetite for a thrillseeker’s dream.

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Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH

Sitting on Lake Erie and boasting the title of the only amusement park in the world with four roller coasters taller than 200 feet, it is simply world class. This park has also received the Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today for the last fifteen years straight. If you stay in one of the four six resorts in the area, you can get into the park an hour earlier than the general public, and when you arrive here it deceptively looks just like any resort on the ocean. Soak city is the adjacent water park on site opened in 1988, and requires separate admission. Cedar Point has 16 roller coasters, the second most coaster populated park in the world.

The Gate Keeper is the newest ride here, the world’s largest wing coaster that careens from the main gate over the beach. The Gemini is a twin coaster where two different cars race each other, and was the tallest in the world when it opened in 1978. The Magnum XL-200 was the tallest roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1989, and when I rode that thing I was amazed at how scary it was. It no doubt holds some serious clout still in the coaster world. Every other form of ride imaginable is at this park, and it ranks number one on many lists for vacations. The location on the lake is incredible for otherwise landlocked folks who can still enjoy a great beach of blue waters that you view from all the tall rides.

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Kings Dominion, Doswell, VA

Opened in 1875, this awesome destination spans 400 acres and has 60 rides, with 14 roller coasters. There is a great 1/3 scale rendition of the Eiffel Tower, and around 1998, they started adding some very serious roller coaster action. The Dominator, built in 2008, is the world’s largest floorless coaster, and has the second largest vertical loop on the planet. When you look at this thing, it is a confusing contraption of blue and yellow mesh that looks like a Lego set designed dream, and is one scary devil of a thrill ride. The Grizzly, built in 1982, is simply one of the baddest wooden roller coasters in the world.

The White Water Canyon ride is reportedly one of the most awesome rafting rides in the world, and many were modeled after its style. A cult classic film Rollercoaster about a mad bomber was filmed here among other locations, and was a contributing factor to early “coaster mania”. The Avalanche is a bobsled themed ride where park goers feel as if they are in the winter Olympics, and is a crowd favorite.

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Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA

One reason why this amusement park is so big on roller coaster addicts’ list is that there are 17 roller coasters here. It is well known among coaster fanatics that in 1976, they became the first amusement park on the globe to have a 360degree steel looping roller coaster, and shortly afterwards the rollercoaster Colussus was a great wooden racing addition like Cedar Point’s Gemini coaster. In 1982 the Freefall was added, one of the first “free dropping” elevator up, drop down type rides. Riddler’s Revenge, built in 1998, had six loops, and is one mean, green scream inducing ride.

The Goliath is another notable ride here that goes up to 85 MPH, and many coaster enthusiasts have travelled from far away to ride it. The parks’ close location to the film industry has had it featured in several major productions, most notably appearing as “Wally World” in the 1983 comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation. Magic Mountain is known as a true giant of amusement parks;  the palm tree laden landscape makes it a true gem among summer vacationers.

YouTube Marketing; the Vital Presentation of your Product (Value of Video)

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What is the initial value of video marketing?   

When YouTube videos are used for marketing, a very interesting statistic is that 46 percent of internet browsers say they may stay longer on a website if it has video. Another amazing thing about YouTube videos and how they reach people is the relative success of videos that were just a testimonial or single person speaking. It is always best to put together a video that shows your business or solves a problem, but just having a testimonial or monologue still puts your company out there and lets viewers see how great your ideas are.

Another very exciting thing about having videos embedded to a company page is visitors almost always stay longer when there is something for them to watch, even if it does not convert a buyer on the first visit, it will stick in their subconscious much longer. With the many directions that current technology can pull you in, keeping the content simple can be a task, but a very rewarding one.

Other things video does for you or your product

One of the most powerful things about having a video on YouTube is it can sell for you all day and night. Simple web pages can too, but video gives the prospective client visualization or face shot of who they are dealing with. If you are a company that is in the business of marketing and branding concepts, reading text and client lists works for a while, but having a face to explain it all can provide an enormous missing link.

If someone is reading about the ways you can benefit them from making contacts or gaining sponsorship for you, they may start to get very excited and impulsive. If they click on a video and a friendly face tells them, “Hi there! If you are interested in making your company or artist TAKE OFF, you have come to the right place!”, the right kind of consumer who is already salivating over the presentation will really start to be engaged and become interested in what you have to say.

Some tactics to make your content stand out w/ tips & ideas

If the fact that there are so many of millions of videos out there worries you, don’t be discouraged! If what you are wanting to market is unique, then as time passes, your video will retain some views and your page will be visited. Some firms that have had amazing success are engineering and development, they put videos on YouTube explaining how they streamline processes and save companies money.

There were many instances in which companies were inundated with phone calls just days after they put up a YouTube video, and linked to their home page in the description. If you feel like you can, make your video funny. This can be done with whiteboarding, animations, sketches that show someone as the butt of a mild prank, or over exaggerating what you offer. Since content is interchangeable, if you feel something does not work, you can replace it or move your optimization towards others.

You can always upload new content, and do video blogs about news events related to your business. If you are a green or eco minded business, you can upload a quick commentary of your opinion on a certain issue or problem. The most organic traffic to be had is if you provide a solution to a problem in a video. Whether or not it is lawn care, beer brewing, preventing using too much water, or weatherizing a home, when a customer sees the process being performed on video, all of a sudden they get a sense of faith in you.

If you have someone just average looking and not a movie star, perhaps all the better; the trust building will attract buyers with stability. You can use video editing software that comes with Windows and Mac platforms to juice up your video as well. A good rule of thumb is that if you see a really amazing effect or video edit, use it just once in your video. Having something become translucent, very colorful or futuristic looking can boost the allure; but sticking with basic dissolves and fading up from black is still king as long as your content delivers a good message.

The Importance of Brand Imagery; Chanel’s Success in Staying in the Subconscious for Much More Than One Instant

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In the world we live in with an over abundance of digital marketing, copy cat templates, and quick schemes, it’s easy to forget the definition of image and branding. As dry as it is to rehash, the dictionary definition is “The act of giving a company a particular design or symbol in order to advertise its products or services”. Many successful companies really took off by going to colleges, airports and other travel hubs to hand out freebies. Things like mugs and stress balls were not part of the original branding strategy, but a vital part in spreading the brands image out to people’s bare hands. Another famous quote about a logo that sticks with people and is effective is “It will cost you in money but not in respectability”. There are many businesses like small rental car companies and apartments that’ve chosen to have multiple different logos; a potential mistake.

Another mistake that happens quite frequently in the current climate is making sure that all of the employees are not completely engaged, treated with dignity, and believe in the brand. There are many companies with good branding and image potential but ruin themselves by not giving employees paid vacations, not caring if they have high turnover, and just generally creating a hostile environment. What happens here is the CEO’s and the higher ups are looking for ways to improve the bottom line. But then, through internet resources like Glass Door, they slowly start to turn buyers away through bad reviews on behalf of the inside. Don’t let this happen! Simple things like recognition, casual environment, and not having every other person on the chopping block goes a long, long ways, as do environments where you may pull out the occasional video game or have a Nerf gun war.

Steve Jobs once said, “This is a very noisy world, and we’re not going to get a chance to have people remember much about us.” Elisabeth DeMaso, managing partner of Brenes Co, said about Chanel that “The effect of their Ad placement was immediate with social media buzzing about it on day one.” Most recently, they picked Brad Pitt to be their ambassador on several ads and work to cultivate a younger audience. This was a huge campaign and was prominently featured on the New York Times website. The short is very dramatic and Pitt reveals, “My luck, my fate, my fortune. Wherever I go, there you are; Chanel no. 5… inevitable”. They also used banner ads on Pandora’s IPhone application to steer customers and browsers to their smart phone website. Another move Chanel made was linking viewers to their Youtube page instead of the page where you buy right away; giving them more video content before a straight up purchase pitch.

Ernest Beax was the chemist who conjured up the fragrances for Chanel, and the owner at the time selected the fifth. Part of their branding even way back then was using a simpler, square bottle. At the time, bottles with flowers and much more curves were prevalent; it was a tactic that really worked. In a 2009 poll, Chanel No. 5 was described as “The scent for turning a date into a boyfriend”. Back in 1914, Chanel believed that Women did not want to smell like a bed of roses, and yearned for something different. Other brands that compete with Chanel in the industry have found it impossible to imitate and reproduce. Having Marilyn Monroe’s name tied in to the brand helped amazingly in the 1950’s, in a major interview she claimed it was what she wore to bed.

Ridley Scott, who did the iconic movie “Alien” directed commercials for Chanel in the 1970’s, and they were very surreal and helped the product line is many ways. But towards the end of the 1970’s, the brand really needed a makeover and they became nervous as it was even pulled from drugstores because of being perceived as too mainstream. Currently, about 25 million dollars a year is spent to advertise Chanel No.5, and Nicole Kidman helped immensely in recent years as well as Brad Pitt for movie star enticement. There are many things that Chanel did right; and with a little wisdom, strategy and proper logo design, so can others. There’s a wide world out there ready to pony up for your product!

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Lessons for Entrepreneurs & Anyone with a Dream from ‘The Company Men’; a Film About Finance’s Stark Reality

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“The Company Men” is an older film, but there are still many themes and ideas from the film that ring true. Ben Affleck stars as a man who is downsized at the peak of the recession from a company that provides global transportation. Over the events of one screwed up day many of us have lived through ourselves, he is laid off, to trim the fat. This is still happening rampantly in America; sometimes it is to boost stock price, sometimes it is a company’s survival method before they plummet to their eminent death. Entrepreneurs and folks who want to make it on their own have many lessons to learn from this film, even though it is about a salaried worker who is not an independent businessman.

In the beginning, the firm provides the laid off folks with a type of cross training or in house unemployment/placement agency. At first things seem all right, but after a few weeks everyone starts to get angry when no one calls them back and they are truly twiddling their thumbs. There is a first valuable lesson here; patience. If you have an idea, smartphone application template, or book that you want to market badly, there are several realities you must face. The first is trying to make money before your idea takes off. This is now harder than it ever has been in our country. If you are over even age 40 these days, you WILL be passed over on the hiring platform. The reason why is simply rising healthcare costs and competition; today’s hiring culture values youth. So where on earth can you earn money while you are waiting for your idea to take off?

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If I was very crass or unsympathetic, I would tell you to work fast food, restaurant, etc. But since I am an entrepreneur myself, I happen to know that not having the aptitude for those things doesn’t make you lazy. But in reality if you have no experience doing this kind of work, you probably will not get hired in this market anyway. And so there are some things you CAN do to help yourself. If you have any computer skills whatsoever, you can try to narrow in on your local real estate market. If you send out emails to successful real estate agents with your vision and what you could do for them, it may not matter if you know nothing about selling homes. Real estate agents are a primary source of “side work”, or people who need tasks done and will pay for them.

With the market in a bit of an uptick right now, they may need data entry, call backs, graphic design or blog writing. Realtors can help you on your way to marketing your own product or becoming free. Even though they get a bad rap, they’re individuals in your city who may be looking for contractors. In “The Company Men”, Affleck takes a job doing construction with a relative. In a funny moment, he asks the co workers “Where are we eating today?” The co workers pull out their tin lunch pails, and he realizes that in the new economy, he may not be eating out for awhile. It is not portraying Affleck as spoiled or unthankful; rather someone who was living under a different set of economic rules. If you are working on something or an entrepreneur, taking another form of job to get by can crush your dreams. You are so tired by the end of the day that you may not have any more energy to put into your brainchild.

You can’t let this happen; so many in today’s climate do. When you’re closer than ever to making it, your friends and family will tell you the opposite. If you are doing something in sales where it’s all commission, people will have no faith in you. They will tell you to get an 8 dollar an hour job at Wal Mart and will respect you more. It’s only because they themselves are afraid of success. If you have to work at Wal Mart, that’s fine, but I am telling you to not pay attention to your peers after a certain point. You will be able to gauge when you can succeed and fail. In the end of this movie, Affleck finally ends back up with some of his co workers at a new job. It’s in a bit of a rundown location, and they are going to have to play by new economic rules. But the moral at the end of the movie is that they are so happy just to be making income again.

When your product or idea finally starts generating revenue, you may be so exhausted and out of it that you don’t have time to celebrate. Don’t forget to do this! There will be more hard work to do in the future, but later we will talk about setting up your billing structure, dealing with irate customers, and knowing when you yourself have to trim to make ends meet. Until then, stay in the race and read everything about marketing and your competition that you can get your hands on… you’re going to need it! And if you are sitting with an HR manager at a part time job to bridge the gap, and she tells you that you are a risk because you have bad credit… you can always tell her that most CEO’s had bad credit on their way up. What do you have to lose? There’s more than one way to play by these new rules.

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Marketing Issues + the Current Climate: Finding a Product to Push in a Down Economy

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There comes a period in everyone’s lives when they wish they could pursue on their own; and be their own boss. The key to really attaining this can also be doing it part time while still having steady income, as the most successful know. But many newcomers to internet marketing get frustrated when they realize a certain few people have made it really big in the products they push; and then some very smart and gifted folks are stuck spinning their wheels because they couldn’t get advertising capital, partners, or both.

Welcome to the new climate; sometimes logic is all but gone, and those who claim to guarantee they know what works may fall short. What we do know from research and simple gleaning on the web for info is that some of what is up right now are necessities; or things people can do without. The other things that are performing well are things that people CAN live without but won’t.

Well, everyone knows hospitals and healthcare will always be there, but with the addition of many third party vendors on the scene lately, it is VERY hard to march in as a little guy and just make a profit. Of course we always recommend Smart phone app designers look into any kind of app that streamlines the admission, testing, or recovery process. There is competition out there, but research could benefit you before pouncing.

There are folks in cities like San Francisco who have made huge profits from emergency nurse staffing. These ideas are still thriving and generating revenue; but you may want to look at someone successful and how you can help them instead of starting your own company. These things take hours of research, and you start swimming in the spam pile of emails hoping to be noticed. As the economy in Europe is getting worse and the global alarms are still not off, necessity seems to be key. If you are presented with an inheritance, some spare money, or anything of the like, no matter what anyone tells you, BEWARE THE STOCK MARKET.

Yes, there are brash folks who seem to know it all and are making gains out there right now. And no, they are not “lying” or “wrong”. We won’t get into specific companies, safe havens, and where to take your money (in this article) but even the emerging markets are risky. 3-D printing is kind of big right now and there were some minor gains in the market recently, but with political fallout and uncertainty with gun laws, be careful. Airlines: they are all going to be merging even more in the near future and could remain bullish.

Yes, profits are at a record high for some but beware being the investor, we urge you. The overall apartment rental market: qualifies as a necessity. Buying apartment buildings for rent has still made many rich. What you need to consider is that sometimes all of a sudden if a tenant does stop paying, it could be expensive to evict them and you will lose two months income. There is an element of gambling here because good people still lose their jobs.

If you are looking at rental properties for gain, really take into account the location. Another thing to work into the formula is if you are looking at issues like Section 8, Federally or State granted programs etc; Carefully research whether or not you think that funding for these programs will be cut in your specific area. One issue with rental properties is that you can start to spend your profit quickly, being willing to be in the red but quietly celebrating all of your tenants paying on time for three months, “The economy must have really recovered” you tell yourself; and then all of a sudden, every water heater goes out in the building. OOPS. Try your hardest not to spend your way out of the red, and not having disaster cash.

The most successful rental property owners have very, very competent folks managing their properties who can deal with anything at the drop of a hat, including disputes over parking, zoning, partying, and maintenance. Maintenance is the key issue that kills many rental owners just getting started. They never had a chance; because the first three properties they bought all got flooded, had water heaters and furnaces go out in the first three months. This is not pretty when it happens to you!

We will look into rental properties in depth in the near future. Remember that a lot of good people got foreclosed on the last 6 years, and still need places to rent. The problem herein is that all it takes is a new pattern of people shorting you here and there for a month and you can be doomed, especially if it just a six plex or less. The main thing we will urge you to look at is not Ebay, not Etsy, even though we will look into Etsy in depth in the future because it is still viable. Hours of research have shown us that the wedding market and pet care markets are the fastest to jump right into in your city and make a profit. There are still many hurdles, and you have to stand up to competition. If you are a photographer, get on Craigslist and offer a few free shoots and then build up from there.

If you want to get into wedding photography, start charging more all of a sudden. You need to be VERY FIRM about rates. Giving someone a discount even if you really need the work could be seen as a sign of weakness; and you do not want that. People are making a lot of money with pet products. Some of the biggest successes are those who think small and market little dollar toys and treats. Shampoos, treatments, collars, they are all fair game.

Yes, you need capital. Yes, you will need to advertise and get some very hip content on your blog or website to drive traffic. Yes, some people will waste your time, be all over your webpage, and then not even buy. But the same things happened to many other services in the past. Personal trainers and wedding planners, although they may not become extremely wealthy, are some of the fastest growing professions out there.

The valuable asset here is that it is steady, and people WILL write you the check when it comes time. We will talk about good billing methods, Paypal, and smartphone card readers soon. For now… research what is selling and what isn’t. Realize that the things with the most bells and whistles, or luxury items; can be risky. Stick with necessity on your brainstorming of marketing ideas, and next time we will show you a few moral lessons from some current films.

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Self Marketing and Events; How to Present Yourself In Meet & Greets, Career Fairs and Workshops

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Even with the economy still not fully mended, depending on the size of the city you live in, there are lots of opportunities to present yourself in large groups, seminars and career fairs. If you are a job seeker, you are most interested in the career fairs to land an hourly and paying job; not the easiest task in the world these days. If you are an entrepreneur offering contracting services, construction, consulting, or a third party vendor for a product, you are concerned most with networking to other business owners. They are two totally different arenas of presentation, and we will look at both. If you are the entrepreneur, you have a bit more power and can emulate a little more calm. If you are the job seeker, you need to seem available, diligent, and like you would fit the mold. We will look at the small business owner first.

For the sake of example, let’s use someone who provides services of designing smart phone applications. It is very in demand; however you have just started in business and desperately need clients. Believe it or not, your first step is designing business cards. Yes, those old fashioned, 8 track, analog seeming, physical business cards. Here’s why: sometimes your encounters with potential clients are so brief that you do not have time to take out smartphones and exchange web pages or phone numbers. Even though our sample entrepreneur provides a very high tech service, if his encounter is too brief, he needs to leave the potential customer something with his phone number. It’s a common mistake that some make; they think that people don’t like those clunky space consuming business cards in this modern age. Even if they don’t, when your service offered is something they want bad enough, they WILL save your card and call you back.

The second step in the situation of an entrepreneur is confidence. It can sometimes be very difficult when you are bleeding revenue, are in the red, or maybe do not have a single client yet. If the bills are going unpaid, if your life is falling apart, and the stress is eating you up; you’re going to have to suppress it. After reading around the web a lot we have found that one of the easiest ways to do this is when you are talking to a new person who may be a potential client, pretend that they have already paid you and you are thanking them. Everything is great, your smart phone apps are the best in the business, and you are getting ready to go cash their check. If you don’t, they will see your insecurity and may not be willing to hire you. It’s a vicious environment out there, and no matter how friendly people may seem on the surface, they are inwardly judging you at every second. Instead of saying “I really need the work, I hope you contact me”, try saying, “Excellent, I do believe that I am free, hope to hear from you soon”. Desperation is sensed, and fighting the urge to look desperate at the workshop or meet and greet is going to be your biggest asset in the battle of selling your own business.

As eager as you are to tell people that you create the coolest smartphone apps on the market, remember it is also key to listen. The bubbliest of personalities can really shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to presentation. If you know that the person you are speaking with at the workshop or expo is potentially one of the biggest purchasers of your apps that you make in the state; don’t bombard them; it is more important than ever to let them speak about what they want to speak about first, even if it is their vacation to Idaho to see potato fields. Then after some obligatory listening, you can let them know that you just launched your app creating venture. The client you want to land most may take some time, it will be important to have smaller jobs to tide you over. This is a very difficult time of any business, as some of the smaller clients may literally treat you worse and with less respect than the big fish you are after. You just have to handle these situations with grace, and you WILL know when it’s time to cut them loose. However they are invaluable to pay the bills on your way up.

If you are a job hunter seeking an hourly wage job in the world out there, no matter what anyone says, it is still like walking in a field full of landmines. One good word of advice is that even though we hate to say it; these days if an employer is just desperate to sign you up and have you start tomorrow; they may not be telling you what the job entails. Right now employers get their pick of talent no matter what the media tells you, and if they are hurriedly filling a position, it may be getting ready to be outsourced soon or simply be a very toxic environment.

Another thing to know is that we have been told over the last month that some employers are now taking their applicants through as many as SIX interviews, when the standard used to be 2 or 3. Yes, this can be very demoralizing; and you also have to answer questions from multiple people firing them at you. It is best as always to just be yourself, as cliché as that may sound. The main thing that your objective to let employers know about you is that you are going to help save them money. They do not care about your violin lesson teaching on the side, or softball league through church. It’s only the bottom line, and it will be this way for quite a few more years. As far as the current climate, without trying to sugarcoat anything; another tactic is that when the interview is over and the hr manager is thanking you for your time; you can always say outright, “Well I am interested in the position; is there any way to move things forward at all?” what happens is that when the interview is over, the applicant leaves, and sometimes the hiring manager has no idea if the applicant really wants the job. We live in a world where everything in life is full of headgames; swashbuckling your way through them is really more of a battle than doing the job every day once you land it.

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