Archive for September, 2010
Get More Sales By Making The Order Process Easy
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I recommend 1ShoppingCart
Having a good checkout process can be the difference between making a sale and not. You’ve done all that work to get the customer to click the order button. So the last thing you want to do is have an unsecure page that causes them not to trust you and leave.
On the internet, security is very important to customers. If they don’t feel like they can trust you site, they won’t buy.
And the other variable is clarity. If the shopping cart has too many steps involved, they will also leave. Customers are not willing to jump through a lot of hoops to buy your product. You want to make everything as easy as possible. Here are a few tips to improve your security and ease of use:
1. Have a single page checkout system
One of the main reasons this works is that it’s quick. All the customer has to do is provide their contact and payment information, click the order button, and then get the product.
Most single page systems can be completed in under 60 seconds. The faster they can finish the order, the less chance there is of them changing their mind.
A lot of sites have discovered that single page systems result in quite a few more sales. Some businesses have experienced spikes of more than fifty percent in conversions from incorporating a one-page system. So this is not just conjecture. That’s not to say it definitely will work, but it’s worth testing.
2. Make the shopping cart clear
Be sure the page has big and readable font, and marks all the fields clearly so the customer knows exactly what to type in.
3. Use testimonials
Putting testimonials on the checkout page often boosts conversions. It shows your prospect that others have bought from you and had a good experience. You can never have too many testimonials.
4. Emphasize security
Right alongside the email address, you might want to contain a link that states something to the effect that “you take their privacy seriously”. Then link to your privacy policy.
Also, have the final order button say something about a “secure order”. This is the moment of truth, and you want to be sure they don’t back out because your site is not secure.
If you can make your shopping cart user friendly and secure, people will buy from you. This is one of the simplest and easiest ways to increase your profits.
Serious Strategies for Marketing Success
Posted by: | CommentsToo many coaches struggle so much in the area of marketing their businesses. It’s the number one problem area for almost all coaches and it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s why I have agreed to teach a class specifically for marketing a coaching business.
Here’s just some of the topics you’ll learn about in Serious Strategies for Marketing Success:
Relationship marketing and service marketing
How to talk about coaching and be effective
Selling vs. enrollment
Secrets about niches
Simple, powerful marketing plans
Best practices for familiar tools such as websites, newsletters, teleseminars, and email
3 major marketing channels
Core principles of social media
The Big 8 social media sites
Conserving time & energy in social media marketing.
This class is open to all coaches and is presented in conjunction with Retirement Options, the leader in retirement coach training with a worldwide network of coaching professionals helping clients focus on the career, family, wellness and personal development options in retirement.
If you are a coach who is wondering what more you could do to market your coaching business, this class is your answer. Join us on four Tuesdays to learn the marketing strategies that will make a difference for YOUR coaching business.
Why You Need a Success Mindset as a Conscious Entrepreneur
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You hear it all the time: “success is a state of mind.” There are people who would argue that success is a natural result of proper planning, preparation and focused action, and that viewpoint certainly holds truth – but there are also many exceptions to disprove that “rule.” Have you ever wondered how two people can attempt the same objective in the same way and only one of them succeed? Is it sheer luck? Timing? Tenacity? More often than not, it’s a person’s mindset that determines whether they fail or succeed.
What is a mindset? Typically a mindset refers to your predominant state of mind day to day. It’s what you think about, focus on, and expect from your daily experiences. Think negatively, expect the worst, feel pessimistic about your options and that’s exactly what you’ll seem to draw into your life. Likewise, think positively, expect the best and focus on a successful outcome and you get it most of the time.
Makes sense, right? But how exactly does this work? Why is a success mindset so important for an entrepreneur? There are three big reasons:
1. A success mindset boosts your confidence and self-belief.
A lack of belief in yourself usually comes along with a sense of powerlessness and futility, which is the exact opposite of a success mindset. Lack of confidence means you see no point in trying to be successful because it won’t happen anyway. Obviously, this type of mindset is a recipe for failure in any endeavor.
Having a true success mindset, on the other hand, means you believe in yourself and your capabilities. You believe you can succeed at nearly anything you try, and you’re willing to give it your best shot. Even better, the more you do try, the more confidence and self-belief you build until you’re virtually unstoppable!
2. A success mindset strengthens your determination.
Without a success mindset, one failure is enough to convince you that pursuing your goals is a waste of time. Tenacity and determination don’t exist in your world. If you don’t become a raging success the first time you try, you surmise that it simply wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunately, few things worth having are obtained so easily!
A success mindset, however, strengthens your awareness that a failure is not the end of the story – it’s just one more way that didn’t work out the way you planned. In fact, a true success mindset makes it obvious that the only true failure occurs when you stop trying.
3. A success mindset encourages fruitful actions.
Have you ever found yourself wandering in circles because you didn’t know the best way to approach a specific goal? Perhaps you had an idea of the best course of action but you felt intimidated by some of the action steps required. As a result, you may have kept sabotaging your efforts as you searched in vain for an easier or less frightening way to your goal.
With a true success mindset, you’ll always know the most effective action steps that will lead directly to your goal. As already discussed, you’ll also have the inner confidence and determination to pursue them – which is a sure recipe for success!
If I had to sum up how to develop a success mindset into as few words as possible, I’d say this:
- Go for your dreams.
- Think positively.
- Believe in yourself.
- Believe you can do better.
- Learn, grow and develop yourself.
- Be willing to take chances.
- Give it your all.
- Expect the best in every situation.
- Be willing to fail.
- When you fall down, get back up and try again.
Keep doing that and you can’t help but become successful, from the inside out.
What tips do you have for being a conscious, success minded entrepreneur?
Outsourcing Your Video Marketing
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So you’re not a technical or audio/video whiz, or you’re so busy with your other business management tasks that you know you need to outsource your videos if it’s ever going to get done. It is possible to outsource your video successfully. But like any outsourcing you do, you need to prepare and be aware of who you are hiring.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind when hiring a freelancer for your video marketing:
Know What You Need: If you don’t know what you need from your assistant or your marketing, how can you expect anyone else to know? If you can describe exactly what you need from your assistant then you will have a great chance for getting just that back from them when the project is completed.
Prepare Materials and Logins: If there are specific materials and login information your assistant will need, it will save you a lot of time if you prepare everything ahead of time. If your assistant needs to email you every time they need something, you’ll hold up the process while they wait for you to respond.
Find Reference Examples: Locate a few videos with the look and feel you like and forward those to your assistant. This will help your assistant make sure they’re clear about what you’re looking for.
Ask For Referrals: Asking for referrals is a great way to find qualified contractors. If you see a video online that you particularly like, contact the site owner to ask who created it. You’ll know what kind of quality you’ll be getting when you hire this way.
Be Open to Suggestions: Your contractor is an expert, so be open to suggestions from him or her. Explain your high-level goals, and then let them do their stuff.
Having a great team member or even a full team to handle your videos can be a real load off your mind. Just remember that successful outsourcing requires a careful blend of preparation and clarity on your goals, and willingness to let go and let the experts take over. Once you hit that sweet spot, you can cross one more thing off your To-Do list.
When to Add an Affiliate Program for Your Products
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As your business grows it’s likely that you’re going to want to continue to grow. It makes sense then that you might consider adding an affiliate program to your website. You might be ready to add one right now. Here’s how to know when to add an affiliate program to your website.
1. Do you have a product or service to sell? You don’t need to wait until you have a full product catalog. In fact, just about any product on ClickBank is a single information product and tons of affiliates work to earn commissions. So the first criteria for adding an affiliate program is to have something for them to promote.
2. Do you have a sales page that is working to convert prospects to customers? The last thing a potential affiliate wants is to send prospects your way only to have them click away. They want to earn commissions and in order for that to happen, your sales page must do the job it was designed to do.
3. Do you have an opt-in list up and running? This is important for two reasons. The first is that even if visitors sent from affiliates do not purchase right away, they may at least opt in and become part of your mailing list. The second is that people on your mailing list may become your best affiliates.
4. Do you have a few marketing materials to provide your affiliates? Or do you have the capacity to create them? Affiliates are going to want, at the very least, an affiliate link. However, the more you can provide them in the form of articles, email messages, advertisements and downloads, the more motivated they will be to promote your product or service. And the better they’ll be able to do it.
Assuming you meet the above four criteria then there are really only a handful of other considerations to make.
Do you have a plan to market and promote your affiliate program? Affiliates rarely fall out of the sky. You have to recruit them. You can use your email list; however, you may also want to create a separate promotion or squeeze page to drive traffic to. You’ll want to create specific goals and strategies to market to affiliates.
Do you have the budget for it? Setting up an affiliate program can take a little bit of cash. You do have to create marketing materials and set up a tracking system. However, once your affiliates are earning commissions, your profits are going to be increasing. A little financial planning and forethought is in order.
Will you manage your affiliate program yourself or outsource the task? You can hire a service, an affiliate network, to manage your program. You can hire an affiliate manager. Or you can manage your affiliates on your own if you have the time. Managing affiliates means being there to answer their questions. It also means tracking sales and making commission payouts.
All in all, the sooner you start an affiliate program for your products or services, the more money you’ll be making. Affiliates not only drive sales, they also help increase awareness and exposure for your business.
If you’re ready for an affiliate program, complete with shopping cart and email marketing service, I highly suggest 1ShoppingCart.
