Enjoying the Holidays Without Worrying About Business

I'm one of the biggest offenders when it comes to constantly checking my BlackBerry for new emails. After all, I don't want to miss being able to quickly respond to a prospect or client. With the holidays almost upon us, our family and friends should be our highest priority. To that end, I recently found an article on the Wall Street Journal Small Business section on "Limiting BlackBerry Interference on Vacation."

To read this article in its entirety, click on the following link:

Wall Street Journal Article

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Child's Play - Adult Play

Time and dedication is needed to start any business. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in trying to find success that we find ourselves losing focus of why we wanted to start our business in the first place. If you don't schedule a weekly family time, you might not get it. If you don't schedule a vacation with your family you probably won't take one. Balancing work and family time may take a little adjusting with our busy schedule, but it is well worth the adjustment.

Here is an article I found by Winsome Coutts, who is an author of “Go for Your Goals” for kids – a set of downloadable e-books that guide your child through the joyful steps of learning visualization, goal-setting and the Law of Attraction. To learn more, visit 4lifehappykids.com

Child's Play - Adult Play

In these busy times, when parents and children have schedules packed to the max, family closeness can fall by the wayside. Most of us have to make an effort to guarantee that work, school, sports, and chores don’t swallow up the very relationships that make those things important.

When is the last time you played or goofed around with your child? Can you remember back that far? Many parents can’t. Life has made us so serious, so focused, that we’ve lost the joy of the simple things, and play was one of the first to go.

But as any child instinctively knows, play is essential to life. It brightens the heart and lightens the spirit. For kids, who live closer than we do to nature, play is as spontaneous as breathing. Sadly, most grown-ups have lost that skill. Our children can be our refresher course.

Playing with your child brings you back to the present, reminds you of what matters, and slows you down long enough to smell the roses. It also connects you emotionally with your child, rebuilding the closeness that the fast-paced, boring routines of life are all too quick to strip away.

Playing together is even more important for your child than it is for you, because she needs to feel close to you to feel loved and happy. If you’ve neglected time together for long enough, it may appear that your child isn’t interested in your attentions. She may even tell you as much. But that’s just bluster, hiding the fear that you will disappoint her again if she lets herself wish for time alone with you. If you initiate playing together, and do it at frequent intervals, even the most aloof pre-teen will start to look forward to it and, in time, throw herself into the fun.

What kind of playing should you do? Pay attention to the activities your child engages in: his idea of enjoyment. If these things seem boring to you, try hanging out nearby, observing as he does them, with words that express your curiosity. You just may find you actually develop a genuine interest. If your child is a couch potato, take up your perch on the couch beside him, but after you’re allowed “in,” initiate some play that might be more pleasant than TV.

Think back to what you did as a child that was memorable, especially activities you did with your parents that stay with you still. Think about things that are free or cost little, that involve experiencing life together. Start a list of ideas as they come, and add any of the following that you resonate with:

• Raking stacks of autumn leaves, then jumping or rolling in them
• Taking a hike through the forest preserve
• Skating at the roller rink together
• Walking the dog, taking turns with the rope
• Reading comics or joke books together (or books of poetry or stories)
• Making cookies, pizza or a cake
• Building a fort out of snow or chairs and blankets
• Playing hide and seek, hide the thimble, cards or board games
• Lying on a blanket looking up at the stars
• Sitting in front of the wood stove in a dark room, telling stories
• Making shadow figures on the wall with your hands and a flashlight
• Having a treasure hunt
• Roasting marshmallows over a fire
• Watching a parade
• Going to the aquarium, zoo or museum
• Flying kites together
• Building something
• Making a scrapbook
• Making up a silly poem or song
• Watching a movie, with popcorn and no interruptions
• Playing a memory game, like “I’m going to Grandma’s house, and in my suitcase I’m going to pack …”
• Getting up early to watch the sunrise from a hill
• Playing games of pretend
• Going somewhere special, like the beach
• Having a pancake picnic in the snow

Playing together is different than finding entertaining activities for your child. Play involves you, while entertainment excuses you from the picture. If you find yourself saying, “But my schedule is too busy for any of the things on that list,” consider whether your schedule needs some pruning. After all, who’s going to remember in 20 years if you stay late at work or not next Tuesday? But will your child ever forget the Tuesday you ride the rollercoaster together?

Closeness with a child cannot be taken for granted. Like any other relationship, it will slip away unless it’s made a priority. Nothing builds trust and bonding with a child like sharing a moment of silliness and laughter. Come together for light-hearted play, and you just may find your child opens up about serious subjects. The relaxed atmosphere of play helps us let our guard down and reveal more of ourselves.

When you play together, let your child feel like the most important person in your world. Give him your undivided attention: no cell phones, no interruptions, no slipping into your own private thoughts. Be present – body, mind and spirit. Then let yourself do whatever comes naturally, with the abandon you felt when you yourself were a child. Your instincts will be your guide.

Growing closer through play is easy. It just takes dedicated moments, given on a fairly regular basis, so your child begins to count on having time with you.

Let your child re-teach you the wonderful secrets of play. You both will feel more secure and peaceful – and a whole lot happier, as the reason you do it all for, starts to come back to you.

Elizabeth and her husband Eric Shoop are the owners of First Kids Furniture. Not only do they sell unique furniture for kids, they also provide some great resources for parents! They're also the visionaries for Build On The Rock Ministries.

Google Alerts can help you with your customer service and feedback

If you're running a business, you should have it listed in all the local directories for Google, Yahoo, and Bing. That way when people are searching locally for what you do, they'll be able to find your business quickly. These listings also give customers the opportunity to provide feedback on your business. If it's positive feedback, that's great! In an ideal world, we'd all like to think we can make everyone happy. Since that isn't the case, what do you do when someone gives your business a poor rating and posts it up on the web for everyone to see?

First, you have to know about the negative feedback to do something about it. The best way to find out what people are saying about your business is to set up an alert in Google. It's very simple to create a Google Alert. Just set up a Google account, and then create an alert for your business name at http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en. Whenever anyone posts anything new on your business (including you), you'll receive an email with the url of the posting.

Okay, now let's assume someone posted some negative feedback on your business. Luckily, since you set up the Google Alert, you're able to respond quickly to the person, instead of letting the review negatively influence others. To rectify the situation, create a comment on the negative post and include your contact information. Ask them to call you directly and let them know you want to correct the situation.

Many times it's a matter of miscommunication that caused the negative perception of your customer service. If you deal with the issue quickly, you'll be able to turn that unhappy customer into a raving fan. Who knows? A few weeks later, you may get another Google Alert in your e-mail where he or she has written a follow-up post about your great customer service!

More services to better equip the business owner

You may have noticed a recent change to our name. We've gone from Eagle Soars Marketing to Eagle Soars Consulting. Why this change? We've always promoted our training and development services, but not as actively as we have the services for marketing. With the name change, this is now a thing of the past.

With a tightening economy, it's more important than ever to hold onto the employees that help make your business a success. Leadership training and development is a great way to make sure everyone is secure and profitable.

In the coming months you will begin to see more of these services on our web site and in our newsletter and blog. We'll also have some great success stories to share. These stories will highlight some of the ways our training clients are making their workplace a better place for their workforce.

Here's to being a success despite the current economic conditions!

Two excellent resources for the business owner

I work with a few top-notch professionals in different industries and these individuals all serve the needs of small business owners. This past week, they gave me some excellent recommendations for some services that actually make doing business a little easier. I'd like to share them with you.

Have you ever tried to send a very large electronic file to a client or business associate through your email system, but couldn't because it exceeded the number of mb you could send? Well now you don't have to worry with YouSendIt.com (www.yousendit.com). For free, you can transmit files that are up to 100mb in size. There's even a plugin for Outlook that allows you to easily send the files from there. They offer paid services as well.

Concerned about your data, but don't know where to turn for back-ups? It's always a good idea to have multiple back-up sources. I know because I recently lost my entire system to malware and over 220 viruses. Although I store most of my data on an external hard drive, it would have been a lot easier to recover other important data, had I used a second back-up system. Hybir is an excellent on-line back-up service that costs under $70 for the year. Their system is secure and powerful. They even offer a 7-day free trial. To learn more, go to www.hybir.com.

I hope these resources will be beneficial to you as you go about your business activities each day. As I find others, I'll be certain to share them with you.

A positive outlook in a negative economy.

If you are anything like me, you like to look at things with a positive frame of mind. Not only does it help to keep you motivated, but it prevents you from making decisions based on fear. Everywhere you look right now, you see people and companies talking about the ineffectiveness of stimulus packages and the rising costs of operating a business.

Don't get me wrong, things aren't going well in our economy. But if you begin to tune into all the media hype, you'll lose focus on your business goals and bad decisions may follow. Napoleon Hill said the following:

"The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun."

This is an excellent reminder to me that, without adversity, there is no growth. It's in the difficult times that you will show your true colors and character as a business owner. During a down economy, you may be tempted to take on a negative outlook or you may even compromise your values to bring in new business. Don't do it.

I believe when all is said and done, it is the business owners who have a true heart toward helping their customers that will succeed in these tough times. Now is the time to take a look at your marketing message and the way you serve your customers to determine where you can improve (there are always ways you can improve).

Now is the time to make sure your advertising is honest and true to your company's values. It's not the time to cut back on marketing or advertising. It's the time to evaluate your plan and make your strategies better so they work for and not against you. And if you need help doing that, turn to experts in traditional and internet marketing.

How should you decide where to network?

Deciding where and how to network is not always an easy task, especially in times when marketing and sales budgets are tight. Here are some do's and do not's for networking:

Do -

1. Evaluate networking groups before you decide to invest your marketing dollars and join. Some groups allow you to go several times before they ask for a formal commitment, while others just charge a higher fee for meetings. Attend a couple of meetings to see if the organization is a good fit for your business.
2. Once you join, get involved. Okay, this is probably easier said than done when it comes to busy schedules, but the best way to meet people and build those relationships is to get involved and join a committee.
3. Attend meetings. I've found a lot of business owners will join a group and then never attend meetings. If you can't make the time commitment, don't waste your marketing dollars.
4. Create a plan before you attend a networking event. Go to any networking event with a plan on who you would like to meet and then just be yourself and have fun.
5. Select organizations that would have membership from companies that are your target market. For example, if you are an environmental consulting firm, don't spend a lot of your networking dollars on joining environmental consulting organizations (it's important to keep up on industry trends though so don't completely overlook your industry groups). Instead, attend networking meetings for commercial realtors or bankers.
6. Be creative. I love to play golf and I know a lot of other business owners who do too. It's a great way to build relationships and network.
   
7. Follow-up with the people you meet. You can use Outlook or any other CRM Software like ACT! to keep track of prospects and build relationships.

Do Not -

Spend all your time at a networking event hawking others and handing out your business cards with the sole idea of getting business. Instead, use the time to build relationships and listen to others.

Make It Easy for Prospects to Contact You

I was recently reading in Website Magazine and found the article "10 Steps to Generate More Leads" very interesting and helpful. I was especially struck by the topic of - making it easy for prospects to contact you.

How often do you visit a web site and realize it's not that easy to find the company's contact information? A good number of business owners seem to be hiding this information on obscure pages, making it very difficult for someone to reach them. I'm not sure if they realize this, but they are sending the message, "I don't really want to talk with you or hear you complain about my product or service."

After reading the article I mentioned, I decided our web site didn't make it easy for people to reach us. Don't get me wrong. We have a Contact Us page, and it's visible in our navigation. People can easily click on that link and send us an email or submit a form for more information.

But what would happen if we put a form at the bottom of every page that talks about our services so our visitors don't have to go searching for it if they want to know more? Would they be more apt to request additional information or a quote?

Even better... what would happen if we made the action steps obvious to our site visitors? Instead of using a button that says "submit," what might happen if the button said something like, "Achieve Better Results" or another unique call to action? Maybe our visitors would be so intrigued, they would take action.

The point of all this is to get you thinking about how functional and friendly your web site is for your visitors. We're in the process of redeveloping our site and will be including a lot of features we believe will be of great value to our visitors, like a free job board. As we are going through the redevelopment process, we'll be looking to make sure our site truly says "Welcome. Come in and stay a while."

If you would like help with redesigning your web site, we'd be happy to give you a no-cost evaluation along with a detailed cost proposal on how you can grow your presence on the world wide web. For more information on our web design services, visit:

http://eaglesoars-marketing.com/our-services/marketing/web-design

Family/Work Balance: Dream with Your Family

In today's world, businesses opportunities are popping up everywhere and are in many daily conversations. There is a dream within these opportunities to be caught, a hope to regain the loss of time with your family and to put a stop to your downward spiraling financial crisis. The dream is real and the dream is attainable. However, these dreams will take sacrifice, at first, and you will need to be persistent and persevere.

If you have chosen to reach out and grab the dream to make it your own, you will realize that your dream may seem so far away. Perhaps your family will get easily discouraged because they do not understand or see the same dream you do.

There is a Biblical truth that states "Where there is no vision the people will perish." A clear vision or dream is critical in having success in your family or business. However, when it's solely your dream, your family may not always be in agreement with the way you make tough decisions. Here are a few tips to help your family understand why you make the decisions you do.

1. Articulate your dream with your family. Your family needs to know why you are doing what you are doing. If you are fortunate enough to have a family that likes to work as a team, sit down and come up with your dream as a family. This way, everyone in the household will know what the long term goal is for you as a family. For instance, if your dream, as a family, is to have more time together in the long run, then your son will know why you choose to go to a seminar pertaining to your business instead of going to his basketball game. He may not like it, but he understands that you are working as you are to fulfill the family dream. One thing to remember is to have balance in your decision making. Don't always choose work instead of family, but sometimes it will take sacrifice.

2. Visualize your dream. After you have a dream, make something visual to keep in front of you and your family. If your family dream is to build a dream house, then get pictures out of magazines or books and make a poster that you can hang in the hallway or somewhere you and your family can see all the time. It will act as a refresher and help keep everyone focused on what's ahead. Visit the poster early and often. Especially, when things are frustrating and not going as you would like to see them go. When you have a tough decision to make, keep focused on the dream.

3. Set up checks and balances. As you and your family are working towards a common goal, you need to make sure you are keeping each other in check. Setting up check and balances will be great way to do this. Communication is a vital part in accomplishing this task. For instance, have a "no reservation conversation" once a week. What I mean is this: over dinner one night a week, allow everyone to voice their opinion on how things are going. This will allow your kids the opportunity to say, "Hey Dad, you aren't spending enough time with me. Can you please come to my game this week?" The important side to this is to be open and to be flexible with your time. If everyone is okay and things are going well, then continue to do what you are doing. If there are disagreements or unhappiness within the family, get it taken care of and forget about the business for a time. Obviously, you will need to take care of the immediate, urgent things, but spend time with your family first.

At the end of the day, your family has to take priority. No business or dream is worth the sacrifice of the relationships you build within your family. Your family will be with you one way or the other. No money or success can buy a healthy family relationship. Stay focused on your family first, then as a family, stay focused on your family dream.

Elizabeth and her husband Eric Shoop are the owners of First Kids Furniture. Not only do they sell unique furniture for kids, they also provide some great resources for parents! They're also the visionaries for Build On The Rock Ministries.

Now's the time to start planning for 2010!

Right now is the perfect time to start taking a look at how well your marketing strategies performed for your business this past year and plan for 2010. In a tight economy, it's important to invest in marketing. It helps you gain market share as others cut back on their marketing budgets and also makes sure you've got a consistent flow of new business coming to you.

For a limited time, we're offering a discount on our marketing plan tune-ups. Normally priced at $199, we're providing this service at a super savings price of $149. Planning is a critical step in the success of any business. By taking advantage of this offer, you are getting the expertise of a proven marketing expert at a fraction of the cost of large marketing executives.

Why do we offer this at such a low price? Our services are designed to help the owners of small businesses. We know you don't have mega marketing budgets so we make our services affordable. Despite the low price, you're getting great value. We start the process with our proprietary questionnaire and end with giving you an expert report of our recommendations. As a bonus, we also give you a copy of your very own "Set Your Sights™ New Business Tracking Form" and your "Quarterly Marketing Report Form" so you can track your results!

So don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Go to our web site and click on the page for Marketing Planning or go directly to http://eaglesoars-marketing.com/our-services/marketing/marketing-plans

Marketing firm is accepting nominations to donate web design services to a Christian or fledgling non-profit organization

Eagle Soars Marketing will be accepting nominations and using their talents and expertise to design a web site for a Christian or fledgling non-profit organization. To be considered, qualifying organizations must complet and submit a Nomination Form to the company on or before December 31, 2009.

"Eagle Soars Marketing is a large supporter of cause-related marketing and has made a commitment to helping small non-profit organizations gain greater awareness within their communities," states Eagle Soars' owner, Anne Lazo. "In fact, we believe so strongly in non-profits that when we work with our business clients we find ways in which we can help them partner with area non-profits."

Lazo further states, "We understand the burdens the smaller non-profits are now facing for contributions and we want to do our part to help. While we can't give away a free web site to every non-profit, we can provide an opportunity for one organization to become more visible on the world wide web."

This will be the first year Eagle Soars Marketing will accept nominations from Christian non-profits and those non-profits that have incorporated within the past year. Within 30 days after the nomination closing date, the submissions will be reviwed, scored and the winner will be selected. Since the company will continue to offer this program once each year, starting on October 1st and ending on December 31st, those organizations not selected in this round will be considered in subsequent evaluation rounds.

For the selected organization, the offer will include the professional design of one free web site. Domain name registration and hosting is not included. For more details and to download the nomination form, qualifying organizations should visit the Eagle Soars Marketing web site at www.eaglesoars-marketing.com. Completed nomination forms should be faxed to Eagle Soars Marketing no later than December 31, 2009. The final selection will be made by January 30, 2010.

Family/Work Balance: Balancing a Family While Starting a Business or Two

Why do most people start their own business? More than likely it's one of three reasons: To be financially free, to be their own boss, or to have more time with family and do the things they love to do.

Whatever the reason, the starting stages of a business are extremely demanding and stressful. One question that seems to always come up is, "How do I balance time between family and the business?" If you are like me, you are starting a business, but want to minimize the short term time loss with your family.

If you feel stressed out and like you are in over your head at times, good. That means you are being persistent and driving towards a goal. Always remember one thing, enjoy the journey. It's not about the end result. It gets frustrating at times not seeing progress or goals met, but think about what you are learning and the steps you have taken to get to where you currently are.

Here are three tips to help you through these demanding times.

1. Set priorities. You have to make a decision on what means the most to you. If everything in your life is a priority, nothing will be. Spend the majority of your time on your first, second, and third priorities. If something comes up that doesn't fall within those priorities, don't spend any time on it until you have completed your tasks for your first three priorities.

2. Make a schedule. My husband and I have two small children, ages 2 and 1. Our kids know when it's time for a nap and time for bed; we've had a schedule since the time our oldest was born. We don't have any problems with them falling asleep. They know what we expect and we stick to it. We aren't so rigid that we don't change once in a while, but then it's a treat. The time you spend on your business should be the same way. Tell yourself and your family that you plan to spend X amount of time working on a particular issue or project. Then spend only that time on it, regardless if you completed it or not. The issue will be there when you come back to it. Remember that Rome wasn't built over night and your business won't be either.

3. Take breaks. Don't think if you step away from the computer or take thirty minutes to grab a bite to eat and take a short walk, that everything you have just worked on will disappear on you. I've realized taking thirty to sixty minutes and going for a walk with my kids, has greatly increased my focus and has lowered my stress level. Fresh air does wonders for your mind and your body. Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs will happen when you return with a fresh mind.

Remember, time is one thing you will never get back. You need to spend it wisely. It's the one thing that it seems everyone around us wants of ours. Ultimately, you are in control of where you spend your time. One thing to think about, what do you want to be thinking on your death bed, "I wish I spent more time working" or "I wish I would have spent more time with my family"? When in doubt, spend your time with your first priority.

Elizabeth and her husband Eric Shoop are the owners of First Kids Furniture. Not only do they sell unique furniture for kids, they also provide some great resources for parents! They're also the visionaries for Build On The Rock Ministries.

Networking Etiquette

Too many times business owners can become overly confident in their networking abilities. Others may not understand the purpose of networking and go with the idea they have to sell, sell, sell to everyone they meet. In actuality, the success of your networking depends on how you conduct yourself during the event. Here are a few tips to make sure you're remembered favorably after a networking event:

1. Arrive on time or no more than 5 minutes late. Believe it or not, late arrivers sometimes have trouble feeling part of the group.
2. Re-introduce yourself to people you've already met at past events. Many times people are too embarrassed to admit they forgot your name, so this takes the pressure off.
   
3. Make sure you stand tall, shake hands and smile during any re-introduction or introduction.
   
4. Try to meet as many people as you are able.
5. Don't monopolize any one person for more than ten minutes.
   
6. Only approach groups of three or more (two people may be having a private conversation).
   
7. Exchange business cards ONLY after you've established rapport with the other person.
8. If you've promised to send information or do something for someone, follow through.
9. When you leave, remember to thank your host or hostess.

Networking is important to the success of any business, even if your business is focused on ecommerce. In an upcoming post, we'll share how you should evaluate and select the networking events and associations that are right for the growth of your business.

Fusion Marketing: Loyalty Programs

Don't you just love programs where everyone benefits? Creating a fusion marketing strategy that benefits everyone involved is a simple process, but it's not easy. It takes commitment, follow-through and constant evaluation. An official Loyalty Program is a more formal way to offer discounts to customers.

At the heart of any "added value program" is the need of your customers. If people already are using your products and services, wouldn't it be nice to give them something in return for their loyalty. And, that loyalty reward program does not necessarily have to cost you. Your fusion partners are important elements in this equation. You may choose partners who are targeting a very specific segment of the market.

The process can be a bit laborious but it is worth the effort.

• Survey your current customers to determine what businesses, in addition to yours, they most often use.
• Consider who you know and respect in those other businesses categories
  
• Invite these business owners to meet to discuss what they would be willing to offer customers and what they would be willing to do to facilitate the program.
• Create a promotional piece that reflects all business offers. This piece should be used by all participating businesses.
• All must commit to honoring all referrals and leads that are generated as a result of this program.
• Determine ways you can promote this program to all your customers - give promotional piece to each customer, include in all print and internet communications, include in advertising campaigns, do a press release about the program.
• Schedule regular meetings, either in person or via teleconference, to determine effectiveness and success of the program
• Don't expect an immediate return on your effort. Give the program time. It may take six months or more for customers to become aware of and comfortable with the program.

One business we are working with offers prenatal and postpartum family support. They have considered other businesses that may be targeting this specific audience - pregnant women and those who have recently delivered. Their plan is to anticipate the needs of these families and provide resources and solutions to potential concerns and challenges. They have reached out to a nanny provider, house cleaner, errands runner, gift company, photographer, financial planner, parent coach and fitness expert to offer special discounts to their clients. They have produced a booklet describing the businesses, how they can help a new family, contact information and discount being offered.

Workload and cost is shared among the group. The key to success is the commitment on the part of all participants to use the materials created and to introduce the program to every client they meet. Everyone benefits!

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com or email Pam at psmall@refreshandrenew.com.

Business owners give back immeasurably more than they get.

We wanted to do a special edition of our blog to celebrate Labor Day.

Small businesses are the backbone of this Country's economy, and we celebrate you for all your hard work and dedication. We also celebrate all the ways you give back to your communities and various causes. We're certain you've donated a product or service at one time or another just to help out someone in need. You didn't publicize doing it either. You saw a need and you met it.

I'd like to feature some business owners who have made "giving back" a regular part of doing business. I also want to let you know about some community projects and various organizations that could use your help right now. Our hope is that you will read a story and be motivated to help in any way you can, even if it's just to tell someone else.

John O'Connor, Shade Tree Garage

Supports Research for ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)

At the age of 52, John O'Connor's brother, Gary, was diagnosed with ALS. A very active and vibrant man, this diagnosis was a shock, not only to him, but also to his family. Since then, the entire family has rallied around Gary and has been working hard to help raise funds for the Robert Packard Center; the only one of its kind dedicated solely to finding new therapies to slow or cure ALS.

Because ALS is so rare (only 10,000 diagnosed yearly) and so deadly (2-5 years after diagnosis), there is very little fundraising that goes on and this disease is overlooked by the pharmaceutical companies because it is not a "money maker." Unfortunately, the outlook for someone diagnosed with ALS is the same today as it was in 1938, when Lou Gehrig was diagnosed.

John owns Shade Tree Garage, an automotive repair shop in Morristown, NJ. This past year, during the months of March and April, John donated a portion of the sale of each oil change to the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research.

He didn't stop there. Each year, John and every able-bodied family member participates in the Fiesta 5K held every year in Baltimore to raise money for the Packard Center. Last year, Team Low & Slow (so named after Maryland Terps and a Navy helicopter reference) was 53 strong and raised a substantial amount for the Packard Center.

This year, just like last, O'Connor's family descended on Baltimore from CA, DC, IN, IO, ME, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NC, VA, and WV for the Fiesta 5K. This year, Team Low & Slow raised $21,000, bringing their total in the last three years to over $50,000!

Antony Njoroge
Tumaini African Foundation and Angels of Mercy Ministry in Kenya

Thanks for your concern and care. I want to give you a glimpse of Tumaini (TAF). We are situated in one of the Nairobi informal settlements. Most of us came to this place after our homes were demolished in 1990-1991. It was so much of a wilderness. Until recently the place had neither water nor electricity. Sewage and drainage are not mentioned here. Nevertheless the community has worked hard and today Soweto is one of the first growing informal settlements in terms of development. Most families are headed by single mothers.

In such conditions, poverty and lack of education have stood as the greatest barrier. We have come in to provide leadership and change within our community. We have chosen to invest on the youth, teenagers and kids. We provide a community Sunday school with an interdenominational approach.

If you pray with us and help us where you can on these, you shall indeed be transforming lives. For me as an individual my greatest desire is to see the lives of these kids become better than the life I lived as a child. Having been brought up in a single mother headed family, I would not wish the agony I went through to any kid. Given that the group cannot support any salary we all of us work as volunteers. The only challenge I have as the visionary is the fact that I have to be there in most cases and allow the rest to and try to make their ends meet. If you can pray for to be able to set up a business or get a part time job I would be very glad.

Here are some of the things they face and their needs:

• Some kids go to school without shoes and with tattered clothes.
• There is an inadequacy of books (text books and writing materials).
  
• Some kids lack school fees hence high drop out.
• We don't have Bibles and other spiritual teaching aids.
• Those who take parts in sport have no sports kits.
• Due to high poverty level some kids go at times without meals at worst and with a single meal at best.
• Yesterday in our back-to-school prayer, people cried when it was mentioned that girls in our group suffer because of a lack of sanitary towels. It was painful to hear of ladies who use tissue paper and miss school even a whole week.

How you can help:

If you would like to start a collection at your business location for anything mentioned above, item donations would be greatly appreciated. Email me, Anne Lazo, and I will put you in touch with Antony.

Eric and Elizabeth Shoop
Owners of First Kids Furniture are the Visionaries for Build On The Rock Ministries

Eric and Elizabeth Shoop are strongly motivated to give back and follow the words expressed by God, that "Pure and faultless religion is to look after orphans and widows in their distress" James 1:27.

There are many orphaned children around the world who need homes where they can feel safe and warm and be well-fed. That's the mission of Build On The Rock Ministries - To globally empower Christians to construct and maintain Christian children's homes and coeducational institutes around the world. These homes will be used to spiritually nurture homeless children through the age of 18 with the Word of God and educate these children in a social, mental, physical, and financial need so that they can lead a fulfilling and productive life.

Eric and Elizabeth recently applied with the NGO council to start building homes in Africa. They will also soon be completely documents to do the same in India. After that, they will go wherever the Lord leads and there's a need.

How does this young couple support this large vision? In addition to the traditional ways of fundraising for a non-profit corporation, they are working diligently to grow their small business, First Kids Furniture. Their business is strictly on-line and they sell unique and fun furniture for kids. They also provide a lot of resources for parents.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Refer First Kids Furniture to parents you know.
  
• Partner with them on one of their fundraisers. They can show you how you can help by selling candles or Samaritan cards to your friends, family, and church.
• They are currently in need of an international lawyer's advice. If you can meet this need, consider donating your time.
  

To learn about more opportunities to partner with this vision, visit their web site. You can also show your support by becoming a Facebook fan of Build On The Rock.

Innovative ways to use your customer testimonials

In the last issue we talked about how you can be successful at creating customer testimonials. So now that you've got them, how do you use them? Here are some innovative ways to implement the customer testimonials into your marketing strategies.

1. Do you have a professionally-recorded message that callers hear when they are on hold? If so, incorporate one or more customer testimonials (in their own voice whenever possible).

2. Maybe this one isn't innovative, but it's worth mentioning - Create a section on your web site for customer testimonials and strategically include testimonials in your marketing materials.

3. Include a testimonial on your invoices.

4. Ask your customer if they are willing to tell their story on audio or videotape. You can then include that everywhere you market your business on-line.

5. Throw a party or host an event. Invite all your customers and ask each one to bring along an ideal prospect. Make the focus of the event about getting to know each guest. If you've been successful at creating a loyal customer-base, they will likely give testimonials for your product or service without being asked.

Anne Lazo is owner of Eagle Soars Marketing. They are a full-service marketing and training company that has been serving small business owners for almost a decade.

Eagle Soars Marketing - In The News!

Owning and operating a small business can be one of the greatest challenges in a person’s life, especially during a time of economic decline better known as a “recession.” In response, Eagle Soars' principal, Anne Lazo, was interviewed and her expertise was featured in an article in Urban Views Weekly. You can find and read the article by clicking HERE.

Fusion Marketing: Hosting FUN!

They say that laughter is the best medicine. Having fun is good for you. Why don't you gather some fusion partners to host a fun event and invite all clients? The biggest challenge of this fusion marketing strategy is thinking "out of the box" to create a uniquely fun event.

One client hosted a Chocolate Event, another hosted a Queen for a Day event and a third hosted a Whine Not event where guests sipped on wine but were not allowed to complain! The organizers of each of these events invited business owners they know to participate. Each event was wildly successful. The key to these successes comes down to one word - commitment.

The organizers were committed to creating an event that was unusual and fun. The focus was not selling anything. The focus was "stress relief." These business owners did not give much thought to how much they could sell because they were too concerned with creating an experience. The result - sales just happened!

The participants were committed to spreading the word about the event to all their friends, family and customers. They used their usual method of communicating - taking flyers to different meetings, sending out email blasts and promoting the event in their various business establishments. They were diligent in following up to determine a rough estimate of how many would be attending.

The attendees were committed to attend these events. A "yes" meant you would be there. Everyone attended these events with the desire to participate fully in what was being offered.

Hosting FUN is one of the surest ways to get people to put you on the top of their minds. "Oh, you're the one who hosted that... - what fun, what a great idea." In difficult times, any excuse to enjoy life is welcomed. Hosting FUN is a no-brainer. People will attend and if they don't buy at the time of your event, they will remember you for future purchases. Actually, they will feel indebted to you for giving them an excuse to smile!

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com or email Pam at psmall@refreshandrenew.com.

Discovering Your Path to Get Wealth

Finding your path to wealth requires you to examine how you desire wealth and prosperity to be manifested in your life. Adopting another person's vision can often cause you great anxiety, worry, and disappointment. The reason is simple; you are traveling a course that wasn't specifically designed with you in mind.

The path to wealth is a highly individualized experience. It will vary greatly from that of your neighbor's. There are many roads that you can travel but you must exercise patience in order to identify the opportunities that are best for you. One key to being wealthy is your ability to recognize the opportunities that are designed to position you for success.

Learning to invest your time, money and energy wisely is a necessary part of staying on course. What may appear to be a great opportunity may not always be the "best" opportunity for you. A worthwhile opportunity often lines up with your purpose or vision. Therefore, it is imperative that we set aside more time to discover our purpose, assess our talents, and make a conscious decision to do what is required to stay on the right path.

There will be sacrifices that must be made along the way and the path won't be easy. However, as you encounter challenges remember they are merely stepping stones and not your final destination. Allow them to be a spring board for your future success.

Jaynee Sasso is a speaker, author and coach for financial life management. For more information please visit Jaynee's web site at www.faithfulassistants.com. Submit prayer request to faithfulwarriors@yahoo.com or write us at Faithful Assistants Inc, 26 Park St, Suite 2035, Montclair, NJ 07043.

Advertise Your Products/Services with Free Classified Sites

Many Free classified sites allow you to post free ads for vehicles, real estate, pets, AND your business or website. With a tough economy, FREE is almost always a good deal (I say almost always because you've got to be careful of spam sites). Here's a list of some sites where you can advertise your business for free.

Craigslist.org
USFreeAds.com
WebClassifieds.us
inetgiant.com
BuySellCommunity.com
PorkyPost.com
EZClassifieds.com
DomesticSale.com
ClassifiedsforFree.com
FreeAdsCity.com
oodle.com

Fusion Marketing: Using Discount Offers to Build Your Business

Are you part of a networking club or association of business owners? Is your business located in a Main Street shopping area? Do you or your family have any non-profit affiliations or are you part of a sports team or belong to a specific club, church or synagogue?

If the answer to any of these questions is, "yes" then you are in a position marketing program that is easy and effective.

Creating a discount or special offer program with other business owners you know is a very inexpensive way of spreading the word about you and your business. Although it will take an initial meeting to discuss the details, this fusion marketing program can be in operation very quickly.

1. Gather like-minded business owners who are willing to offer a set discount to all contacts. While individual business owners may want to make special offers, for simplicity purposes, we suggest everyone involved offer a 10% discount to their loyal customers at all participating businesses.
2. Create a flyer or brochure announcing this Special Collaborative Rewards Program. Every business should submit their logo, a brief description about their business and their contact information. This should be laid out attractively and printed. All participating businesses should share in the cost of reproduction.
3. If a flyer is created as a word document, this flyer can be imbedded into an email that each business owner can forward to their database contacts AND/OR
4. Each participating business can include information in their business's email newsletters and print newsletters AND/OR
5. A special Constant Contact or other email marketing campaign company account can be established for the group. All members can input their contact information into this account and monthly specials can be sent to all contacts reminding them of this special collaborative effort.
6. Flyers or brochures should be present in every participating business and loyal customers and browsers should be encouraged to take this and visit "Our Fusion Partners".
7. Regular, monthly meetings should be held for the purpose of evaluating the success of the program and for brainstorming on expanding the program.

Why not take the lead this week and contact some of those business owners you know and respect and ask them to 'partner' with you on this campaign? Initiate the program and reap the benefits - greater awareness of your business, more people coming into your business or visiting your web site, and - a rise in sales!

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com.

Your Finances: Addressing Credit Woes

When addressing your credit woes you have two main approaches: The first is focusing on credit repair, and the second is credit rebuilding. Both play a significant role in reaching your goal of having good credit.

Credit repair is more about correcting errors, whereas credit rebuilding is about engaging in behavior that increases our scores, like paying your bills on time, keeping credit card balances below 50 percent of the credit limit, and opening up new credit accounts only as needed.

The process of making corrections to your credit report requires that you review your report at least twice a year. Identity theft is on the rise and anyone can be victim. The Trans Union Corporation reported than two thirds of all consumer inquiries to the company's Fraud Victim Assistance Department involved identity theft. Erroneous information can often be listed on your report as a result of your lender or the credit reporting agency offering misinformation or fraudulent activity caused by identity thieves.

No matter what the reason, you need to address these issues sooner rather than later. Self help can be the best way to repair your credit and save money. However you can seek the assistance of a reputable credit repair, counseling agency, or hire an attorney. Please keep in mind that no one can legally remove accurate negative information on your credit report.

Jaynee Sasso, speaker, author, coach for financial life management. For more information visit www.FaithfulAssistants.com Submit prayer request to faithfulwarriors@yahoo.com or write to 26 Park St, Ste 2035, Montclair, NJ 07043.

Fusion Marketing: Diversify Your Strategy

The best way to reach your target audience is to have a diversified approach. Like everything else in life, it's not wise to put all your eggs in one basket. Don't rely only on print ads in your weekly newspaper, free workshops at your local library or the big business expo sponsored by your area Chamber of Commerce.

Your response to me may be - "but, I can't afford to do all these things. I'm just one person with limited time, money and resources." Ah, but you can if you've created strong fusion marketing relationships.

My friends Linda and Carole are a great example of strong fusion partners. They met a little more than a year ago at a women's networking club and immediately liked one another. This is essential to creating a cohesive fusion partnership - you have to like and respect one another. Linda is a senior sales director with Mary Kay Cosmetics and Carole is a photographer. Within a couple of months, they saw the benefit of collaborating with one another. Here are just a few of the projects they've "fused" on:

1. Offered a special rate to members of their networking club for professional head shots. Linda did complimentary make-up and Carole did head shots for $25. Everyone won! Linda not only sold some product, but she booked two shows and recruited one new consultant. Having done more than 10 headshots, Carole earned a nice amount of money for a day's work and was invited to be the photographer at a kids' play business doing family photos for the holidays. And, the members of the networking club got a terrific deal on gorgeous professional photos.
2. Shared a table at a multi-chamber business expo. They got 120 qualified leads and have worked together to cultivate these leads.
3. Did a "Ladies Only" event at a local restaurant where they met a bride-to-be who hired them both for her wedding.
4. Created a product together that has gotten them attention in the local media.
5. Donated a Silent Auction basket worth more than $500 in product and services. They were highlighted in the event's program and were invited to participate in a corporate event, for which they've gotten paid as well as new clients.
6. Most recently, the two have rented space together. To increase their fusion efforts, they have invited an event planner, florist, limousine company, lingerie company, a woman who does custom invitations, a gift company specializing in party favors and a travel business to rent space and collaborate on marketing programs.
7. As a result of this most recent venture, they are creating promotional material that all their fusion partners have committed to use.

It is possible to get highly creative with ways to reach your targeted audience. We will discuss each of these in depth, along with others, to give you ideas on how to establish your own programs and get the greatest exposure for the least amount of expense.

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com.

The Psychology of Pricing - What's the best price to charge?

I recently read an article written by Michael A. Jones. Here's an summary of what he's found to be true when it comes to pricing.

Much research has been done regarding pricing levels and the numbers that seem to be more appealing to consumers. Of all the numbers, the number 7 scores very highly in a customer's perception.

Here are the findings in an easy reference list:

Prices Under $10

End the price with 99 cents rather than 95 cents. It doesn't make any difference to customer perception whether the price ends in 99 or 95 cents in this low price range so make every cent you can. If you are able, set your price at $7.99, and take advantage of the power of the number 7.

Prices Between $10 and $100

Here a different set of psychological elements come into play. We are now dealing with a higher price range and to finish a price with 99 cents seems as if the marketer is trying to squeeze just that little too hard. 75 cents and 95 cents seem to be more acceptable. Again, if the first figure can have a 7 in it, e.g. 17.95, 27.95, etc. it seems to work better.

Prices Over $100

With higher priced items, forget about the fractions. A clean round figure works best. And remember to incorporate the number "7" into your pricing (e.g. $127, $147, etc.).

Special Note for Service Businesses

To offer a service for $59.95 an hour doesn't sound right. Round it off to $60, or whatever figure you set for your charges. Customers don't expect an 'on sale' kind of mentality when it comes to paying for professional services.

King of Glory Children's Ministry Needs Your Help

Several months ago, I shared a vision for helping children. Since then, I was able to take this vision and start a non-profit corporation in the State of North Carolina under the name of King of Glory Children's Ministry.

The vision is coming along, but we need your help in filing for Recognition of Exemption as a 501(c)3. Over the next 26 days, we're asking people to pledge $10 to help us achieve this next step in our formation. Your contribution today, will help us bring a message of hope and love to children tomorrow.

CLICK HERE TO PLEDGE $10

Everyone who makes a pledge will be listed on the Current Partners page of the ministry web site. You can even make a contribution in memory of a child or loved one who has passed from abuse, addiction or suicide.

Fusion Marketing - Your Target Audience

By: Pam Small, Owner of Refresh & Renew

The first step in establishing your Fusion Marketing Strategy is to decide what audience you will be targeting. If you've chosen your Fusion Partners wisely, you know they wish to target the same audience as you and they may already have determined the demographic they want to zero in on. You would be amazed at the number of small business owners who have not done the research to determine who is most likely to buy their products and services.

While some products and services span a wide range of potential customers, others require a very specific demographic. For instance, a gift basket company would have a wide range of potential customers while a lactation consultant would have a very specific demographic. Some broad demographic segments would include gender, age, income level, marital status, religious affiliation and location. The segments can be narrowed greatly by determining members of a specific group of people like club membership or which private school their children attend. You can research a population's makeup in terms of age, gender, occupation, family circumstances and income by checking out the most recent edition of the Country & City Data Book, published by the US Department of Commerce.

Where does your audience live? Do they make most purchases online or do are they loyal to local business? Do they spend most of their time outdoors? What have been their spending habits? Are you targeting professionals or people who own home-based businesses? Each partner in the Fusion Team should bring to their strategy meeting the demographic of their targeted audience and be prepared to determine the best way to reach this audience.

Next time, we'll explore some of the best methods of marketing to very specific market segments.

Pam Small is the owner of Refresh & Renew - A Resource for Women. Having a heart for women's issues, Pam is quickly becoming the go-to person for helping small business owners target their marketing efforts to this powerful buying group. For more info, visit www.refreshandrenew.com or email Pam at psmall@refreshandrenew.com.

5 Ways to Begin Purpose-Driven Planning

Many people are in a financial rut because their spending habits are made without a purpose or vision in mind. Whether it's going to the mall, grocery store, or sitting with a financial adviser, all decisions should be pushing us closer to fulfilling our overall financial vision.

We must take the time to evaluate whether our decisions are keeping us on track to accomplishing our goals, or pulling us further away. Financial success is not always about making right or wrong choices. Financial success is about taking responsibility to make choices that position us for success.

Despite the grim economic forecast of recession, foreclosures, and rising unemployment rates this is the perfect time to establish a new order in your life. Purpose-driven financial planning positions us to weather any economic storm and stay on course to achieving our goals.

Here are "5 Ways to Begin Purpose-Driven Planning"

1. Develop a vision statement for you and/or your family. Begin to see the end from the beginning.
2. Create a "goal-oriented" budget and begin to use it as your road map to fulfilling your vision instead of keeping your focus on just paying the bills.
3. Keep a financial diary and begin to track your expenses.
4. Focus your spending decisions around helping you achieve your goals.
5. Make a decision not to allow your emotions to justify irresponsible behavior.

Jaynee Sasso is an author, speaker, and creator of the "Commonsense Way to Wealth" coaching system. We are very luck to have her as a contributor to our bi-weekly e-newsletter and blog. For more information, please visit www.commonsensewaytowealth.com or email infodesk@faithfulassistants.com.

Choosing Your Fusion Partners by Pam Small

When choosing your Fusion Partners there is much to consider. Determining which businesses would make for a good Fusion match would include those who:

• are targeting the same audience as you;
• will commit the time and resources to brainstorming and implementing ideas;
• do work you respect and admire;
• have business practices that mirror your own;
• respect you and appreciate what you have to contribute; and
• will give this marketing campaign time to work.

While each of these elements is critical to a successful Fusion Partnership, the most important quality to determine is not one that you can easily quantify. What is your gut telling you about this relationship? Is this business owner honest and trustworthy? Are your philosophies on life similar? How well do you know this person? What would you be willing to tolerate from this person?

It may not be easy to walk away from a relationship that has the potential of driving a lot of business to you. On the other hand, it may cause you untold grief if you "sell your soul" to someone and become enslaved to practices and attitudes that are uncomfortable to you.

The best advice is to take your time. If there is any red flag that pops up in your spirit - WAIT. The waiting game is not something most of us do easily. Don't allow impatience to force you to make a hasty decision. As the old adage goes - "there are plenty of other fish in the sea." Proceed with caution, but when you get that green light - don't look back. Commit to the relationship and plan your strategy.

Eagle Soars Marketing frequently works on projects with Pam Small, owner of Refresh & Renew. If your business sells to women, she's the one to contact. She's been helping small business owners understand the woman buyer for over 10 years.

Work smarter, not harder - Upcoming teleclasses for small business owners shows them how.

The small business owner is pulled in so many directions and is working hard to create a successful and profitable company. Often, they are not able to devote the time they would like to continuing their business education. In response, Eagle Soars Marketing is offering low-cost teleclasses on various marketing and training topics so these business owners can work smarter and not harder.

The first teleclass, Navigating the Web Site Waters, is scheduled for Thursday, June 6^th from 8:00 to 9:00 pm. Business owners can call in from the comfort of their home to hear Anne Lazo, owner of Eagle Soars Marketing, talk about web terminology in an easy-to-understand way. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of web design companies that are ripping off the small business owner. This teleclass can help business owners purchase and utilize various web site design and marketing services with confidence,” states Lazo. This teleclass is great for the do-it-yourselfer as well as the business owner who would like to contract with a web designer.

Rhonda Moskowitz recently wrote the following about the Navigating the Web Site Waters teleclass, “Your expertise is amazing and your ability to take complex information and simplify it for the techno-challenged just stunned me. I learned more in one hour with you than in one year of reading.”

Because of the popularity of Navigating the Web Site Waters we decided to work with top-notch business professionals to hold teleclasses on additional subjects.” Classes are also being offered on:

• Fusion Marketing
• How to Optimize Your Web Site for Better Ranking in Google and the Other Search Engines
• Free and Low-Cost Ways of Marketing Your Service Business and Expertise

For the upcoming class schedule and to register on-line, interested business owners can go to www.eaglesoars-marketing.com/ teleclasses_webinars.htm.

Balance is Important for Business Success

As a business owner, are you swamped from early morning to late evening handling all the aspects of your business and personal life? If you answered this question with a "yes," you are probably among the majority. We all tend to allow the daily pressures to take hold of and dominate our lives. The lack of balance leaves us feeling overwhelmed and tired.

I'm going to make this short and sweet... as a business owner, you MUST take time out for reflection. Whether it is self-reflection or reflecting on the success of your business, it is very important to schedule this time into your busy schedule. How can you take a look at where you've been and where you want to go with your business unless you dedicate the time for thinking?

Making a concerted effort to schedule quality time for planning, troubleshooting, and creating can be the difference between running a so-so business and building a great business. They key is making sure you plan this valuable reflection time into your schedule. I like to do my reflecting on Friday mornings. I sit and look back over the past week. Then, I consider ways I could improve what I do for my clients.

I write everything that comes into my mind down into a journal. On Mondays, I take a look through the journal entries to see if there is anything I should implement during the coming week. I then schedule that task (or tasks) into my to-do list. Some ideas may sit in the journal for a long time before I decide to work on them. Others I implement right away.

Don't let the busyness of your schedule keep you from doing what is paramount to its success. You won't regret the time you take to reflect.

Get more business while spending less on marketing.

Are you marketing to your "solid gold?"

How much are you focusing your marketing on your customer database? As business owners, we can get so caught up in working for our existing customers and trying to find new customers that we miss out on two very good opportunities:

1. Asking current customers for referrals; and
2. Marketing to inactive customers.

In creating strategies to reach these two segments of your database, you'll be able to bring in business at a lesser cost. That's because it takes less time and effort to market to people who already know you than it does to find and sell to people who don't.

Create a campaign to gain the trust and business of your inactive customers. These customers know you and your company so the likelihood of them coming back to you for repeat business is greater.

When it comes to referrals, don't be afraid to ask. If you have loyal customers that love your service or product, they'll be all too happy to refer you to a family member, friend or associate.

Why Logos Are More Important than Ever Before

Historically, logos have been more a luxury than a necessity. Businesses attracted customers because they were the only game in town, so to speak. No longer. Today's highly competitive industries, global markets and visually oriented consumers have catapulted the logo to prominence. Now your logo is one of the most critical components of your brand. So how can something so little make such a big difference?

1. Your branding efforts not only start with your logo, they are dictated by it. Your logo appears on all of your sales tools, from your business cards to your website. As a result, your logo design influences the design of all your sales tools, for better or worse. A professional-looking logo can be leveraged to create professional-looking materials. A poorly designed logo cannot. In other words, you need a "brandable" logo one that you can make use of when designing other materials to brand your company.

   "Brandable" logos are scalable, memorable and meaningful. If people can't remember what your logo looks like, they won't remember your brand. Think of the logos of some popular brands today. Perhaps M-shaped arches, a shell, and a swoosh come to mind. All are simple concepts, effectively employed by McDonalds, Shell and Nike. If you can't look at a logo for less than 10 seconds and re-draw it with decent accuracy, it's probably too complex to be easily remembered. (Besides being difficult to remember, most complex logos cannot be effectively reduced in size or rendered in black and white, as required for materials like fax cover sheets and other business forms.)

2. Your logo is a quick visual cue that conveys the essence of your brand in an age when image is everything and time is short. Perhaps you've heard the writer's lament that "nobody reads anymore." In today's markets, not only do you face ever-increasing competition, you also face an audience accustomed to visually stimulating media, convenience and instant gratification. Sure, a few people may read all of your ad, more may read some of it but everyone will SEE it. The overwhelming amount of choices faced by time-crunched consumers forces them to identify shortcuts. Your logo is such a shortcut: it instantly conveys your brand message and emotional appeal.

3. Awareness and familiarity are keys to growing your business, and your logo is instrumental in both areas. Your logo is your brand's most basic graphic element. It ties together all of your sales materials - in fact, your logo may be the only visual element that your materials have in common. The right logo helps solidify customer loyalty while differentiating you from the competition.

4. Your logo may be the only thing by which a potential customer can judge your business. Think of small newspaper or Yellow Pages ads. Often all that fits is your contact information and logo. If your logo projects the right image, it may be the sole reason someone decides to try your company. Conversely, if it looks unprofessional or unclear, it alone may be the reason they choose your competition.

5. Finally, your logo affords a unique opportunity for you to look like a bigger (i.e., more established) business than you are. With the right logo, you can look like a large conglomerate even if you have only one employee. People will associate the positive attributes of big companies like security and financial stability with your company.

Building a solid brand identity is pivotal to success in business today. Lay the right foundation with a professional, brandable logo.

Logo Design by LogoYes – Try it for Free!

Tell a story and your prospects will buy.

Quick tips on effective story telling.

When a prospect has a need, they want to know you will be able to fill that need. A great way to show what you can do is by telling a story.

Stories give us context and help us understand. They can also be translated quickly into something visual and emotional. Because of these characteristics, stories are very powerful marketing tools.

All good stories have a hero (in this case, your prospect). In these stories, the hero faces a challenge and learns something in the process. When you look at the story from your prospect's point of view, you will gain a different perspective on what is important to them.

Good stories also have good leads that pull us in and gain our attention. The first sentence is most important. It should give readers a compelling reason to read on without giving away the ending.

Once you open with a strong lead, provide detail that keeps the reader interested. A great example of this," They hoped to increase their gross revenues by 15%. They ended up with 300%. The story of how they did this is very interesting..."

And always, end your story with a bang!

Re-thinking your marketing message and customer case studies in the context of your prospect's point of view will be fun and rewarding.

Are your internal home page links consistent?

This is a very simple tip that will make sure your home page ranks higher in search engines. This involves making sure your internal web links are consistent and is an easy fix if they are not.

When you type in the home page of your site, you type the URL where it's located (eg. http://www.example.com) instead of the actual page filename (eg. http://www.example.com/index.html).

Even though the index.html page is your site's home page, search engines and visitors consider the "real" home page as http://www.example.com. This being the case, why would your internal navigation link to the index.html file instead?

Wherever you link to your "home" page within your site, you should link to your "real" home page (http://www.example.com). If you aren't being consistent when you link internally on your site, you're losing out on better search engine rankings.

The home page is the most important page on your site. It's important to fix the internal links to your home page, and consistently link to what we call your "real" home page.

Using press releases for Search Engine Optimization

Press Releases can be used to send traffic to your web site!

Not too long ago, if you wanted to let people know what was happening with your business you would submit a press release and hope a local (or national) news publication would pick up your story.

Things have changed. Press releases can be submitted online and made available for search engines and the general public. When submitting a release to drive traffic to your web site, the goal is to have your releases found in search engines, get them read, and build back links for your business.

To accomplish these tasks, you have to write something that will interest a reader while at the same time using keywords on topics for which people will be searching. Sounds a little complicated, but with a few tips it's easily accomplished.

1. Create a compelling headline using keywords.
2. Write a well-formatted release (yes, there is a specific format that is used for press releases).
3. Don't sell something. Instead educate readers.
   
4. Use quotes and make sure you quickly establish the who, what, when, where and why.
5. Focus on your keywords and links so your release is ranked in search engines.
6. Get your releases out there and don't skip the traditional methods of submitting to print news publications.
   

There are many press release distribution services out there so use them. Publish your releases everywhere you can and hope they get picked up and republished. One great resource we use is PRWeb - By using their service you can get your news to consumers, journalists and bloggers. You even have an option to get your releases seen on Yahoo! News and Topix.

Grow your on-line business with an affiliate program

We're doing it. You can too!

Affiliate programs are fairly common online, and there are many affiliate marketers who make a great income just by promoting other people's products and services.

In simple terms, an affiliate program is a method of marketing where owners of other web sites can sign up to sell your products or services for a commission. Big companies like Commission Junction have developed a system to manage programs but small businesses typically don't have enough in sales to participate.

After a lot of research, we've found a solution that allows the small business owner to manage their own affiliate program. So, not only are we announcing the start of our own affiliate marketing program, but we'd like to introduce you to the company that's made it possible.

First things first, if your web site targets small and mid-sized businesses and you're interested in earning some extra income, our affiliate program is for you! As an affiliate of Eagle Soars Marketing, you will make 10% of every sale you refer to us.

We assign you an affiliate ID and create banner, text, email and article links you can use to promote our products and services on your site. For more information and to sign up as an affiliate, click HERE.

If you would like to start your own affiliate program, you can download the software for free from JROX by clicking below.

Start your Own Affiliate Program