"The sub-prime meltdown and the amazing three headed woman"

I just read this from Ken McCarthy.....


One way or another, we're all going to
feel the fallout from the sub-prime blues.
If you don't feel it personally, you
can be sure that some of your
customers will or already are.
Some banks that bought these crazy loans are folding...mortgage companies are laying off thousands...things have gotten to the point that Bush is talking about bailing out borrowers.
That being said, the chief purpose of
being an entrepreneur - in my opinion -
is to develop the insight and smarts to avoid becoming a victim of the inevitable ups and downs of the economy.
More: http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/?p=113
Believe me, money can be made just
as easily on the way down as on the
way up.
It's a matter of mental flexibility
and knowing what you're doing.
As is true for many problems, the cause
of the sub-prime debacle also hold a
suggestion for the cure.
Now is the time for entrepreneurs
to start thinking about how they're
going to adapt to and even profit from
new market conditions.
(I say this as someone who survived
and thrived during...the slim pickings
early days of the Internet...the dotcom
boom...the dotcom crash...and the web 2.0
comeback.)
More: http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/?p=113
--- Think of it as musical chairs for adults
In the game "musical chairs," every
time the music stops, there's one less
chair to sit down on.
That's exactly what a contracting market is like.
It looks like scarcity. And it is.
But it's also opportunity.
Here's what I mean:
If you're one of the ones who ends up
without a seat, it's pain.
On the other hand, if you succeed
nailing down one of the ever-diminishing available seats...you'll have secured an asset that's even more valuable than when things were "booming" and seats were plentiful and
easy to get.
Here's a piece I wrote about where
we're at right now.
It's called:
"The sub-prime meltdown and the amazing three headed woman"
It's here: http://kenmccarthy.com/blog/?p=113

Three Types of People

I have read this before, but just stumbled across it again.....


1.) People who make things happen;
2.) People who watch things happen;
3.) People to whom things seem to keep happening to.

Mark
www.simplyusedphones.com

Mr. Rogers & $20 Million

Perry Marshall, a mentor of mine, sent this out to his subscriber list a couple of days ago and I thought you'd really enjoy it.

It's Mr. Rogers testifying before the US Senate. Remember him? He's the Sesame Street guy who many of us watched growing up.

Here he is connecting with his decision maker in a heartfelt honest way, that created a human connection between the two of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a41lJIhW7fA (it's only about 6 minutes...hope you have a little time to take a look)

Mark

Four Simple Ideas to Communicate W/Customers & a Secret

Four Simple Ideas for Communicating with Your Customers.....I Just Read This by Dan Kennedy

Hear are four simple ideas on the use of a frequent contact program to communicate with customers in order to gain a larger share of their business.

When doing so, here are some simple ideas to carefully consider:

#1: Most businesses invest too much in chasing new customers and too little in doing additional repeat business with their existent customers.

#2: The satisfied customer is predisposed to purchase again. Purchase more and purchase something different.

#3: It costs less to motivate a known customer to purchase again than to acquire a new customer.

#4: Customers are only fickle because a new competitor is paying more attention to them than you are.

In business-to-business marketing many companies make the huge mistake of having all their contact with their customers go through the sales representative. This leaves the customers vulnerable to theft if the representative jumps to another employer. It also leaves too much opportunity for negligence on the representative's part.

Regardless of the layers of distribution between you and your customer you should establish some direct link. The owner of a restaurant can do that by coming around and chatting personally with the customers. The chief executive officer of a large company can do it with a newsletter and maybe a hotline telephone number.

Here are some of the ways that direct mail or contact can be used to communicate with established customers.

#1: To introduce new products or services.

#2: To give advance notice of and explain price or fee increases.

#3: To offer special discounts or premiums.

#4: To provide useful information.

#5: To give recognition to top customers.

#6: To announce seasonal sales.

I've rarely seen a business that could not increase and improve through increased direct marketing to present customers.

Now here's a real marketing secret.

It is a true secret. Most companies make a critical, crucial error in this area. I've personally made this error many times.

Here's the secret.

When marketing to established existent customers you should still tell your entire sales story every time.

Do not make the mistake of assuming knowledge on the part of the customer.

Do not take shortcuts with existing customers and do not feel that you are boring them by telling the same story repetitively.

If you have quality, service, guarantee price or other advantages point them out each and every time you deliver a sales presentation.

American business desperately needs to place a new higher value on the customer. That's been the message of Tom Peter's initiated excellence movement for twenty five years. It's the message behind the government hearings taking place investigating the airline's industry of abuse of its customers. If your business is not performing as well as you would like it's a message you should listen to also.

Communicate with your customers and you'll do more business.

Mark
www.simplyusedphones.com

Are You Referrable?

Do you get many referrals? If not, then you should ask yourself these four simple questions?

Do you show up on time?
Do you do what you say you will do?
Do you finish what you start?
Do you say 'please' & 'thank you'?
The questions above are action items...They should become habits. Make them a daily part of your interaction and watch the referrals flow to you.

To all your success,

Mark

Mark is the Chief Sales Officer of SCT Product Sales.I am giving away FREE articles like this one so visit here:http://www.simplyusedphones.com/articles.html
Email: myoung@sctproducts.com.