A bad review in a newspaper can be devastating enough for small businesses and restaurants, but if you add online reviews, a review anyone can place to the mix you nearly triple the damage caused to a business’ digital marketing. These consumer-oriented review websites also come up in search engine’s results pages and this can expose them to a much wider and often times even quicker to judge crowd. According to many digital marketing consultancy firms the smallest of bad review, when it pops up as one of the first results can be devastating to a digital marketing campaign because it causes customers to turn to other restaurants or businesses that may not have a bad review proudly displayed by search engines.Although they are chiefly designed to aid the consumer, these websites have the side effect of having what a popular Internet marketing agency says, is too much power and influence over small businesses. All the more reason to provide great service and goods in the first place and a smart digital marketing agency can help you fix your reputation.A bad review is the absolute last thing a business owner wishes to hear, falling just behind the incineration of their business location. No owner wants to have a bad review pop up in a search engine either. Any digital marketing agency can tell you this. This is the kind of review that is being placed on many consumer sites like Yelp. Yelp has been for a long tome a favorite amongst businesses for digital marketing and reviews, only the good reviews preferably.Yelp, being the hybrid of consumer advocacy and social networking helps locals search their areas for goods and services, and to place and read reviews. A relatively successful digital marketing agency and social network company can roll with a few bad reviews, if it has a vast following and customer loyalty. As any Internet marketing consultancy firm will state, a small company suffering a bad review really suffers. These reviews can make their business flourish, or they can have the opposite effect, making them flounder. When this occurs, a business may need a digital marketing consultancy firm to fix their reputation.This is because people pay attention to online reviews and this is the deciding factor for many. Any decent digital marketing consultancy firm will be able to tell you this. Is it going to be this place or that place? A bad review or two can quickly make up the minds of skittish consumers, even if it is an unjustified complaint. Businesses now face the task of fixing their reputations through Internet marketing. Should they write counter reviews or have their customers write a review for a discount. The choices are many but what can be the best way to turn the tide of bad reviews? There may even be evidence that Yelp has used this to their financial gains.Many times, owners of small businesses felt that they were getting bad reviews from unreliable sources and that the majority were not fair. Some even believe a rival company’s internet marketing agency was behind the bad reviews. It seems that even Yelp itself is in a spot of trouble when it comes to user comments and reviews. How does it balance the reviews with the advertising aspect while it still allows users to put down in writing exactly how they feel about a business?According to a well know digital marketing consultancy firm, Yelp is trying to calm the business owners whose advertisements make up a good amount of Yelp’s revenue, the site added a new feature: Yelp for Business Owners. This allows business owners to email reviewers privately about their concerns, and to create a profile and advertise special offers. This is in light of the threat that reviews good and bad may no longer be available through Yelp.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
How You Can Use an Online Business Review
You need security when doing business on the internet, especially if you are a customer looking for a product or a service. With all the business set up online, weeding out the legitimate business from the scams is one thing that everyone must learn to do.There are a number of ways to know if an online business is legitimate or a fraud. An online business review is one of these. Online business reviewers are reliable sources of information on the latest internet scams and hoaxes so you will know if that job you are applying for or if that new affiliate program is a not all that it is cracked up to be. In a nutshell, these reviewers test the waters so you won’t have to worry about trial and error selection when it comes to online moneymaking ventures. Simply pick among a list of trusted affiliate marketing providers, for example, and start earning money through affiliate marketing. Reviews are not limited to online ventures; they can include personnel as well. Business men and women, retailers and wholesalers online can be reviewed so you know which sellers to trust and which ones to avoid. A lot of auction sites like eBay and Amazon allow their users to post reviews of the product, the service and the business owner on their site, helping others choose the right seller for them.These reviews cover almost every kind of money making venture in the internet. These include whole sale drop shipping reviews, reviews of affiliate marketing programs, affiliate marketing eBooks, data entry, social marketing, video marketing, pain online surveys, ecommerce stores, domain parking and eBay and online auctions.How an Online Business Review Is DoneWhen it comes to examining how legitimate an online business is, most reviewers look at a number of factors. These include profitability, cost vs. benefit ratio, ease of execution, guarantees and support, and user friendliness. Testing companies usually have people try out the various online money making ventures such as affiliate marketing programs to see if they do produce the returns that they claim to generate.Other Types of ReviewsAside from an online business review, you will also find reviews of marketing tools useful, especially if you are an internet entrepreneur. These reviews will help you choose among the best marketing tools for your business and eliminate the need to try out these tools one by one before you get to the tool that will suit you. Reviews include reviews on Google AdWords training, SEO tools, press releases, outsourcing, auto responders and keyword and marketing tool reviews.If you are not sure what kind of online business opportunity you want to get into, it is best to avoid trial and error testing and go with proven effective business models. This applies whether you want to do business online or the old fashioned way. An online business review will help you choose which business will be most beneficial to you, so use it in making your decision.
Debt Relief and Personal Finance Help – When to Seek Help
Many Americans are able to sit down at their kitchen table, come up with a plan to get out of debt and come up with a plan to gain control of their finances, implement those plans, and then see success. On that same note, there are many more individuals who find the entire process of handling their finances themselves to be too much. Is this you? Here are some signs that you might need to seek debt relief or personal finance help.If you don’t owe a little bit of money to the credit card companies, but rather a lot of money you can benefit from seeking professional debt help. A massive amount of debt is a lot to deal with on your own; it is stressful, frustrating, and overwhelming. The good news is that with professional help, that massive debt of yours can be reduced. One of the best forms of debt help for those who owe a lot more than they can pay is settlement. The process gets a percentage of what you owe eliminated; therefore, you owe less!If you have tried to dig yourself out of debt yourself and haven’t seen the results you originally wanted, you can benefit from seeking professional help. It is never too late to seek professional help. Lets say that you negotiated with your creditors and got them to eliminate 30% of your debt. You made payments for a few months and then realized that it wasn’t enough (you still had a lot of debt). A professional can come in and either consolidate your bills or work to get you a better settlement.If you don’t seem to be able to put a good dent in your debt because you can only pay X amount of dollars a month (and that amount isn’t high), you can benefit from seeking personal finance help. One key to seeing debt relief is to cut your spending greatly. The goal is use any money that you do save to payoff your massive debt. This is simple logic; the more you pay, the quicker you get out of debt. Unfortunately, it can be hard to limit your spending because we have developed habits over the years. If you find it difficult, call upon a professional credit counselor or financial advisor.Finally, if you are in debt and seeking relief not for the first time, but for the second time it is time to make some changes. If you completed a debt relief program three years ago and need to enter one again, it is time to realize that you have a problem. This problem might involve bad credit card use; it might involve improper spending, and so forth. Don’t just use a professional debt company to get out of debt, but also use a financial advisor to ensure you don’t keep repeating the same mistakes.
The Best Car Deals – Low Finance Rates Vs Rebates – Which Should You Choose?
How To Get The Best Car Deals:Quick tips that will help you at the car dealer:How to understand Rebates and low financing offers:Vehicle MSRP: Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price – This price is always negotiable – don’t ever agree to pay MSRPException: Some vehicles that might be “hard to find” or “limited in production” might be sold by the dealers at MSRP or, sometimes higher. This is usually called Market Adjustment.Manufacturers Rebates: This is your money and has nothing to do with discounts given by the dealership. This money is given to you directly from the factory. Never let the rebate be used as a negotiation tool by the dealer. Any discount or negotiation from the dealer should be separate of any rebates offered.Low finance rates: 0.00% 1.00% 1.9% etc… These are called Sub-vented rates, they too are offered by the factory and not the dealership. Do not allow a “low” finance rate to be used as part of a negotiation by the dealer. These rates are granted over and above any discounts, rebates, etc.Exceptions: There are several exceptions to Sub-vented finance rates, but here are two that you really should be aware of:1. Not all people qualify for these rates. So, if you suspect that you might have some issue that will cause you not to qualify, there is nothing wrong with expressing to the dealer that the low finance rate is something you are interested in, and you would like to apply first, before going through the long, timely steps of deal negotiation. Many dealerships will view this as unusual; however, any “good” dealer will be happy to let you submit an application first if you insist. Why is this important? As we always say, knowledge and preparation are the keys to not overpaying at a dealership. What happens if your entire deal is worked, negotiated and finalized with the dealer? Then you head over to the finance office to finalize the finance terms and payments… You expected to pay 0.00% interest, then at the last second you are told: “Sorry” because you don’t qualify… NOT GOOD THE WHOLE DEAL CHANGES.2. Rebates and “low” finance rates can not always be combined. Some factories allow it some times, however there is no rule; you must do your homework first. For instance, Chrysler offers manufacturers rebates on most their vehicles, plus they offer low finance rates on most vehicles as well. Though, you the customer must decide which offer you want, you can’t have both. Although, sometimes Chrysler will run special offers that allow you to “combine” both the financing and rebate offers at once. But be careful, dealers won’t always tell you that these offers are available, if you are unaware and you agree to pay higher finance rates, you are stuck.Commonly Asked Question: Which is the right choice, Rebate or Low Financing?This is an interesting question asked by many customers, the answer is simple yet many people have no idea.Remember this rule: You should do what’s best for you, do not ever inquire with a person, dealer, or anyone else that has any other motive than what’s best for you.What that means is this: When you ask a dealership which makes more sense, the dealer will likely tell you: “Take the rebate – not the low interest rate.”The reasoning behind this answer is, if you take the rebate you are actually paying “less” for the vehicle than if you elected the low interest rate. So, being that the vehicle price is the most important issue, you should always take the rebate. Is this correct or incorrect?Rule: Don’t be concerned what the dealer is making or losing, it’s not relevant to what’s best for you.Does the dealership stand to gain more if you chose the rebate vs. the low finance rate? The answer to that question is yes, the dealership does stand to gain more. They receive a little more in “reserve money” from the lender if you chose conventional finance rates. The fact is however; that this point is completely irrelevant. Who cares what the dealership is making? Why is that important anyway? Is there some rule that says a dealership is not entitled to make profit? The only person who is doing something wrong in this scenario is you. You’re asking the wrong party for information. If the complete and honest answer might cause the dealer to make less, chances are more than likely the answers will be carefully weighed to fall on their side.Remember: Your concern is getting the best deal for you, don’t waist time caring about what the dealership makes. Prepare yourself by considering all the facts. Do not make the common errors of all the people we constantly heart about who over pay all the time.Fact: People who think that dealerships are losing money on them are usually the ones who pay the most!Note: Please understand the purpose of this and every other post we write is NOT to condemn dealerships for making profit. Why should a dealer not be entitled to profit? What right do we have to ask them to lose money? Would you ever go to a restaurant and tell them that you insist they sell you dinner and lose money? It’s a stretch, but equally as ridiculous.The purpose of this post is to assist fair people in getting the best deal for themselves. Protecting people from being “ripped off” by a deceptive dealership is our motivation. We don’t claim that all dealers are unfair or “rip off artists”, in fact we are aware that most dealers are honest and forthcoming. Although, everyone is in business to make a profit and the topics written about within these posts are for the purpose of assisting “fair” consumers achieve “fair” and honest deals. Why do we keep mentioning “fair”. Because equal to us having no concern about a cheating dealership, we also have no concern about the “unfair” consumers who want the good dealers to close down their business and lose money.”A GOOD DEAL IS WHEN BOTH PARTIES ARE SATISFIED”As we have mentioned so many times; price is not always the most important issue.The following is the one and only correct answer to the Rebate vs. low rate debate:With any issue that causes you to make a decision there are always certain facts in place, those facts make up the “pros and cons”. With any decision we make, we weight the pros and cons and ultimately are lead to a decision. Then of course, we hope that decision was the right one.Remember this rule: There is always a point where the two lines will cross, that point is where you will find the correct answer.This means; there are variables that create change in every deal. For example: It may be a better deal for me to take the rebate, while it is a better deal for you to take the low financing rates. Let’s explain:You might be financing $30,000 and your finance term is 60 months. The Factory is offering a $3000 manufacturers rebate or 0.00% for the 60 month finance term. Which do you choose?I might be financing $12,000 – The factory is offering a $3000 rebate or 0.00% for the finance term. Which one do I choose?Obviously the answers vary; your lines of “break even” will obviously cross way sooner than my lines. The reason: different factors in the two deals will yield different answers.Here’s how you figure out the correct answer based on your factors:For this example we’ll assume that you are considering a $30,000 car with $3,000 rebate or a 0% interest rate, and for the sake of finding an answer, we’ll assume that you’re putting $3,000 a down payment and you qualify for all offers.First: Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper; on one side write Rebate on the other side write 0%Second: on the 0% side write in the sale price of $30,000 – and on the left side (rebate) write in the sale price of $30,000 as well.Third: On both sides add in your local tax rate. For instance: if you live in Queens NY add 8.25% as sales tax.Fourth: on both sides add $300 – this should cover DMV – Inspection and dealer Doc Fees.Fifth: On both sides – subtract $3,000 for you down paymentSixth: On the rebate side subtract $3,000 for the rebateIf you did this right, so far you should have the following results:Both sides: should show Sale Price $30,000 Tax $2,475. DMV $300. Sub Total: $32,775Rebate Side Should show $6,000.00 Total down payment and an “unpaid balance” of $26,775.00The 0% side should show $3,000 Total Down Payment and an “unpaid balance of $29,775.00Assumption: If you chose not to take the 0% – the dealer offered you a 5.5% interest rate.Compare to see where the lines cross:Next step – find an auto loan calculator – you can go on any search engine type in “free auto loan calculator”I am not able to attach a link to this area of the post so I will simply suggest a very user friendly, free calculator (which we have no affiliation) is chase.com just search:”Free chase auto loan calculator”Calculate:REBATE SIDE$26,775 Amount Financed5.5% APR60 Month TermAnswer: Payment $511.43Total Interest: $3,910.80Total of Payments $30,685.000% SIDE$29,775.00 Amount Financed0% APRAnswer: Payment $496.25Total of Payments $29,775.00Summery: On your deal, 0% came out to be $910.80 less than the REBATE, so obviously the better deal for you is 0%.On my worksheet, using the same method, it turned out that the rebate was quite a bit more of savings, (only because I was financing much less) if I chose to finance more money perhaps the lines would cross sooner.Final notes to remember:1) If you choose to lower or raise you down payment and lower and raise your amount financed, the out come of “which one” is a better deal will vary. So, keep testing the different scenarios using the method provided above and you will find the best deal for you. Every time!2) Be careful – No rebate is final, while low financing isn’t: Keep in mind this very important consideration: If you choose low financing over the rebate – essentially you just paid more for the vehicle and you can’t get that money back. However, you chose to do so in return for free financing terms. (Very smart) You did your homework, you made your decision based on solid factors and you made the overall least expensive decision. EXCELLENT WORK! Though, you must remember you made this comparison based on a 5 year repayment term. If you keep the vehicle for 5 years, and pay as expected you win, your calculations were perfect and you achieved the best deal for you. On the other hand, if something changes and for any reason you decide that you are not going to keep this vehicle beyond the second or third year… Then, you just gave back the benefit of the low financing. The variables have changed once again and the better deal swings back to the rebate. So remember, in the privacy non pressured environment of your own home; carefully consider all your options and likelihoods. For instance, if you know you don’t keep a vehicle beyond a couple of years, this must be included as a decision factors.Long story short: Always compile all the facts first, limit the variables that can change the deal and negotiate with confidence.
Starting an Online Business
Congratulation, it is a very smart move that you have chosen online business.However, first, you need to be mentally prepared for the setbacks that you may experience on your journey in setting up your business.Before you start, I would like to share with you some of the pointers below;1. Learning CurveIn anything we do, there is always a learning curve, running a online marketing business is no exception. You can drive traffic for sales from various sources such as; SEO, Social Marketing, PPC, Blogging, video marketing and everything in between.Therefore, more traffic means more money earned onlineThe more traffic you sent to your online business, the more money you will be earning.Same goes here; More learning equals to more EarningsIf you put in adequate efforts to keep on educating yourself, your online business will eventually gets stronger and stronger, as you get better and better each day at promoting it.Creating quality content which actually helps people to earn online is vital to attract more traffic. Quality Content means larger traffic will be drive to your blog or sites. Thus, encouraging more sharing online giving an exponential impact on exposure.”Online business is the only way you can earn while you rest or sleep”Should your online business has adequate exposure, with only a laptop on hand, you can earn anyway, anytime.2. Creating email list is a good way to drive traffic.Giving away values to people in your email list increase engagement with your potential customers. Building a positive relationship will lead to long-term reputation, thus getting recurring business3. Be prepare to work hard with sleepless nights.During the early stage in building your business, you need to work really hard! However, if you worked very hard and reached the stage where you are at a established stage in your business. With the proper structure, your business will be self-sustaining and you will have the luxury of working lesser hours4. Do not you let negative words of others diminish your dream of succeeding in your own online business. There is once someone asked me, “Why don’t you just get a proper job”I just smile and ask him instead; “Then why didn’t you get a proper job then?” Person said that because they do not dare to dream high, it doesn’t mean you can’t. Always ensure that your passion continues to burn, read more motivational books, watch some business or motivational videos or seminars at least once a month. This applies to whatever you do in life.5. Do not believe everything you read online.Trial and error is a very powerful learning and you only get what really works for your business.6. “Do not burn any bridges” if possible to ensure good reputation in your online business. If you are working on your online business, please do not ever get into conflict with anyone you are working with. So that, no one would post negative things about your online business. Thus, it may jeopardize your online business if some prospects read about some negative comments online. Also, having more friends means you will get more help from others when in need.7. Learn anything about generating trafficAny good traffic generating way is good for making more money as you will get more client leads.8. Do not be afraid to invest money for the growth of your businessSometime, it will take money to make more money, eg. By putting in $25 investment in your marketing campaign that may land you with 100 subscribers, leading to more sales.9. Do not be afraid to outsource your online businessIf you want to speed up the process in building your business or you do not have time to work on projects campaign, ou can engage others to do the work for you. If you do not like programming, logo design or have limited knowledge on doing what is good for the growth of your online business, find help!10. Only promote high quality affiliate product to your customersThere are a few benefits of creating or marketing a new product;- You are able to keep your customer base- Lessen refund rate and keep your reputation online- Providing some researches before promoting the products. You can do it by reading reviews online and to give recommendation for the product.11. Update you blog at least once a weekRefresh your Search Engine Organizations (SEO) as frequently as possible so as to increase your search engines ranking12. Be prepared for “bad times”, Always keep an open mind on failures to get sales. In order to achieve your goals, failure is one of the best way to learn and to be successful and push on.Finally, if you want to succeed in internet marketing business, the only obstacle is “YOU”If you believe that you can do it, you can do itIf you believe that you can’t, you will probably can’t do itAlways believe in what you are doing in a persistent phase..Cheers!
Online Health Schools – Ideal For Working Adults
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the American health care industry should gain 3 million new jobs between 2006 and 2016. Keeping pace with the increase in healthcare jobs, online education is also on the rise. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), during the 2006-2007 academic year, 66 percent of all 2- and 4-year degree-granting institutions already offered distance-learning education on some level (compared to 56 percent during the 2000-2001 academic year).If you’ve ever considered pursuing a career in health care, the rapid expansion of the health care industry provides you a wealth of career options. Although many associate a lucrative health care career with becoming a doctor, you don’t need seven years of school in order to find a satisfying and supportive health care career. According to the BLS, most health care workers have less than 4 years of college education.For example, phlebotomists and other clinical lab technicians can learn on the job or through a certificate phlebotomist program. If you’re interested in a career as a radiologist, you can earn a certificate in up to a year. If you want to become a nurse, you can earn a nursing degree in two years as a full-time student.Online Health Programs: Ideal for Busy AdultsOf course, if you’re already working full-time, it can be difficult to pursue a full college schedule. Between the daily commute, elusive and expensive parking spaces, the hunt and scramble for the right lecture hall, dodging games of Frisbee in the quad, and the dreaded dining-commons meatloaf, campus life can be a full-time job in itself. Add parental or other family responsibilities to the mix and you may be headed on the road to burnout.Before you decide to abandon your plans, you might consider attending an online healthcare program. Online health schools and online medical programs can eliminate many of the hassles of campus life in favor of an online interface. Although programs vary from one institution to the next, many online degree interfaces include features like discussion boards, where classmates can pose questions and interact with one another, email systems for submitting assignments and taking exams, as well as questions for discussion and email access to the instructor.Online Health Schools: A Convenient AlternativeOne of the major benefits of pursuing your degree through online health schools is the wide variety of available programs. You can find online medical programs in nursing, phlebotomy, physical therapy, even health information technology and dental assistant programs. Perhaps the biggest selling point, however, is the convenience of studying where and when it’s convenient to you–an advantage that the brick-and-mortar classroom lacks. Of course, you may be wondering what an online healthcare program will require of you. Depending on the particular online health program you choose, you can expect different coursework. Among institutions offering online courses, 62 percent reported that 100 percent of the instruction in those courses must be online (according to the NCES). However, since most health care careers require hands-on medical training, your online medical program may likely require you to supplement with practical experience.For example, if you were going for a certificate in phlebotomy, you may attend brick-and-mortar classrooms for training in how to handle blood samples, tourniquets, and lab equipment. Online health care programs in nursing may consist of online coursework in human anatomy and physiology, combined with on-site practice in hospitals, clinics, or doctor’s offices.Whatever your healthcare career ambitions, it’s likely that you can find an online medical program that fits your needs. Check out available programs today.
T Is for Technology in Triathlon Training
The original triathletes were amazing. Dave Scott and Mark Allen accomplished amazing feats in triathlon long before technology took over the sport. They didn’t have metrics like we have today and they certainly didn’t have all of the information gathering abilities we have. Yet, they set records and competed valiantly. In fact Mark Allen still holds the marathon record in Kona to this day. Technology is a great friend to triathletes but is does have a downside.TECHNOLOGY ITEMSSo technology has taken over every part of triathlon. One of the most widely researched areas is the area of the triathlon watch. Each and every year there are new watches available for purchase that have ever increasing measurements for the triathlete. My personal favorite is the Garmin 910XT. This watch gives me heart rate, power (with a power meter), pacing (with optional foot pod), speed, cadence (with optional cadence sensor), mileage, yards in swimming, and much more. Each of these measurements aid me in measuring my success or failures in each and every training session and race.Technology has been making huge strides in bicycles and wheel sets. The amount of research going into these two items within the world of triathlon is incredible. Each and every year there are new and exciting advances in aerodynamic speed in bicycles and wheel sets. Much of the time these technologies can take on two very different vantage points. This was most evident at the 2016 World Championships in Kona. Diamond Bikes unveiled their Andean bike which fills in all the space in between the front tire and the back tire with a solid piece to make the wind pass by this area for aerodynamics. Another bike debuted at Kona this year with the exact opposite idea. The Ventum bike eliminated the down tube of the bike and made a vacant space in between the front tire and the back tire with only the top tube remaining. These are two very different ideas about aerodynamics. This is one of the amazing things about the advancement of technology and one of the downsides as well.Each and every piece of equipment in triathlon is undergoing constant technology advancements. Shoes, wetsuits, socks, nutrition, hats, sunglasses, helmets, racing kits, and anything else you can imagine. This world of technology in triathlon is not near to completion and will continue to push the limits.THE UPSIDE TO TECHNOLOGYTechnology in triathlon is amazing. These new items are exciting and make each and every year different. There are new advancements that help triathletes go faster and longer. These new technologies help even the amateur triathlete to go faster. Just the purchase of new wheels can mean the difference between being on or off the podium. The advancement of shoes has aided many athletes to avoid the injuries that plague so many such as plantar fasciitis. Technology will continue to aid the sport in becoming better and better.THE DOWNSIDE TO TECHNOLOGYThe downside to technology is that the amateur triathlete arrives at their local race already incapable of winning because someone else has the money to buy some of the latest technology. The biggest purchases such as wheel sets and bicycles can be cost prohibitive to the average triathlete and yet there are individuals who purchase these items at alarming rates. The amateur triathlete can also feel overwhelmed at what to purchase and what not to purchase. Some items of technology are not worth the extra cost because they do not decrease racing time significantly enough for what they cost. Now that these new technologies have been out awhile, knock-offs have begun to make lower cost items. It will be interesting to watch the flood of these knock-offs into the market and see how that affects the big boys of technology.If you are an amateur triathlete shop smart and don’t go buy the new gadgets just because they are new. Make sure to invest in items that are going to truly make you faster and not just a gimmick.
Communications Plans Matter
Communications Planning
Communication is a key to business. Making Powerful Communications a focus can impact your results.–>> Sales is communications.–>> Donors come from communications.–>> Clients sign up because of communications.–>> Users join because of communications.Whether you are a small business or a non-profit organization or a HUGE corporation, having a solid, thoughtful powerful communications plan can enhance your business.Communicate often and be out front. Don’t hide.Say the same thing OVER and OVER, but say it differently. You don’t know when the right moment for each person will occur.Think about your kids, how many times have you said the same thing — over and over?? Many!It takes repetition and consistency. Today, might NOT be the day that the person NEEDS what you have to offer, but next week may be.Often, we have to say the same thing again and again, because the WAY we said it the first time didn’t connect. But this time — it does!We all know that communication is challenging!! Perhaps one of the hardest things that we do as humans. It takes persistence and it takes listening.For myself, I know that I am constantly evaluating my communications. I am surprised when I think I have been super-clear and the listener DID NOT “get” what I was saying! It seemed SO clear!Communication is two ways, right? So, while I may think it was perfectly clear, the listener didn’t get it. Again, think of your kids or your significant other or a friend– you tell them something and they do something totally in conflict with what YOU just said! But they think that IS what you said!I know you’ve experienced this.It is the same with your email marketing or outward bound marketing. Yes, you think you are really clear. You believe that everyone understands exactly what you do and what you offer (ask your mom if she knows what you do!!).But then, you notice that something is NOT working!! Your business is not growing. It comes back to communications.What to do?
Create a plan –
how often do you want to communicate with your contacts?
what medium is the best way to communicate? email? social media? website? phone?
What’s the message — what do you want to communicate?
create a list of possible topics and keep adding to it.
listen to what your customers are asking/saying
write articles or content to answer questions, share expertise and promote services/products
Develop your content calendar
how often will you be communicating with your list?
aim for consistency but don’t freak out if you aren’t perfect.
I think one of the keys is to not be afraid to communicate. I see businesses that keep hesitating. They tell me things like – “I don’t want to be a bother”… or “I don’t want to email too often”… or…What’s the excuse running through your mind right now??When you don’t communicate — you miss out!! You miss out on building the relationship, building rapport, nurturing the relationship, making sales, getting referrals, new clients, new leads, new donors… it just doesn’t help your business.When you are afraid to communicate – because of the potential reaction to your communications – get in front of it. Front load your communications. If change is coming and you know people will be upset – tell them what is coming. Be up front. Be clear. be transparent. It will help you in the long run.So, be BOLD! You are a leader! You have valuable information to share! Powerful communications to your list, to your clients, to your new contacts, your potential clients, can change your results. You are driving your ship! Do NOT be afraid. You’ve got this! Get out in front and share, share, share!!
Why Protecting Wealth Must Be an Investor’s No 1 Priority In This “New Age of Investment Bubbles”
What worked prior to 1995 for investors, no longer works in our “New Age of Investment Bubbles” we as investors find ourselves in these days.If you as an investor manage your own employer-sponsored 401(k), Roth/401(k), 403(b), or other retirement account, or leverage a Buy-and-Hold strategy to build long-term wealth, or choose to hire a financial advisor/professional to manage your money… your investments are not protected from the massive loss of wealth that will occur when the next and all future bubbles bursts.In this article, I’ll focus on:
Why a Buy-and-Hold strategy is dead in today’s “New Age” of investing.
Why protecting your wealth must be your #1 priority.
The “New Age of Investment Bubbles”1995 ushered in a whole new era of investing that the vast majority of today’s investors have yet to recognize and adapt to. Investors have been mislead into believing that what worked in the years prior to 1995, is still relevant in this “New Age” of short-term irrational speculation, or gambling, or chasing what’s “hot.”This “New Age” is built on investment bubbles that burst wiping out trillions of dollars of investor wealth and making it impossible for investors to ever realize their lifetime wealth potential.If you’re not familiar with the S&P 500 index, the most widely held and measured stock index over time, I recommend you check out the link below to get a quick visual representation and historical perspective. I’m confident you too will agree that 1995 was a year something dramatically changed and altered the landscape of investing.Please don’t be mislead or fooled by a financial advisor, your parents, or friends that what has worked in the past, will work in this “New Age of Investment Bubbles.” It certainly didn’t stop the massive loss of investor wealth during the Tech and Housing bubbles when those bubbles burst, and there’s no reason to think this “New Age” is going to change anytime soon as it has enriched and built massive amounts of wealth for Wall Street, investment banks, the financial services industry and all those working in them… just not for we the “average investor.”Why Buy-&-Hold Is DEAD!Buy-and-Hold is… no was… a great long-term strategy prior to 1995 when markets were rational, as it was easy to manage, it removed all emotions from investing, and had a proven track record of success over many decades. This strategy however, is no longer relevant or prudent in today’s “New Age” and a little math and the S&P 500 are all that are needed to prove why Buy-and-Hold is dead!As a Buy-and-Hold investor, you’re taught that to build long-term wealth you only need to stay invested in the markets 100% of the time so you capture all the upside potential during extended Bull Markets, while weathering the downside of Bear Markets. Let’s see how this strategy has worked in this “New Age.”If you started with $100,000 invested in the S&P 500 at the beginning of the Tech Bubble on January 1, 1995 and stayed invested 100% of the time, your investment would have gained 115% during its Bull Market and weathered a loss of 50.8% during its Bear Market. At the end of the Tech Bubble, your initial $ 100,000 investment would have grown to $105,780, nothing to write home about after 7 years.The Housing Bubble immediately followed and its Bull Market gained 105%, or just barely enough to recover the 50.8% loss. When the Housing Bubble burst however, the loss was 56.8% and thus your initial $ 100,000 investment as a Buy-and-Hold investor, would now be worth $ 93,679 after 14 years for an annual rate of return of -0.46%.This is the exact reason why so many Baby-boomers are having to consider delaying retirement, supplementing their retirement income with a second job, or even worse, taking greater risk with their investments in a futile attempt to earn greater return in this “New Age.”Consider the Current Bubble we’re in. As of February 28, 2014, the S&P 500 had gained 175% during our current Bull Market, increasing the value of your $ 93,679, to $ 257,617 for an annual rate of return of 5.06% since 1995. But don’t forget, all bubbles burst and today’s Current Bubble is no exception. Assuming our Current Bubble will follow the trend of the Tech and Housing Bubbles, it’s not hard to fathom a 50% loss. Based on such a loss, your initial $ 100,000 investment will be worth $ 128,808 after approximately 21 years, and that $28,808 gain in wealth would equate to an annual rate of return of 1.21% in this “New Age of Investment Bubbles.”No investor will ever build long-term wealth at that rate of return!RIP Buy-and Hold… or till we meet again!What’s An Investor To Do In This “New Age” To Build Wealth? Investors must recognize the biggest challenge and most important factor to building long-term wealth in this “New Age,” is in how to protect the value of their investments from the massive loss of wealth when bubbles burst. Protecting wealth must be an investor’s #1 priority if they ever want to build long-term wealth.Protecting wealth today requires a unique approach that minimizes these massive and devastating losses of wealth when bubbles burst. To do such, investors must simply learn when it’s prudent to get out of the market when a major market meltdown is occurring by moving their investment(s) to the safety of cash or a cash-equivalent position. This is not difficult to achieve but it cannot be accomplished with any degree of success by guessing when to get out of the market, counting on your emotions to tell you when you’ve lost enough money and it’s time to get out, or by listening to friends and/or co-workers.The only way an investor can successfully protect their wealth in today’s “New Age of Investment Bubbles” is by integrating a simple, yet highly disciplined strategy that leverages pre-determined entry and exit triggers or indicators.Pre-determined entry and exit triggers work like this. Once a bubble burst, a pre-determined exit trigger would tell an investor shortly after the meltdown has begun to sell their investment(s) and move their money to cash or a cash equivalent investment, and once the meltdown is over and the markets have begun to recover, a pre-determined entry trigger would tell the investor it’s safe and prudent to buy back into their investments so they capture the upside potential of the new Bull Market so they can build wealth.Academic studies prove a strategy of this type removes the guesswork, emotions, and noise for investors in trying to time the markets, reduces overall portfolio risk and volatility, protects wealth from the massive market meltdowns when bubbles burst, and ultimately, provides the added benefit of improved annual rates of return.How does a strategy using pre-determined triggers compare against a Buy-and-Hold investor in today’s “New Age?” Let’s assume a worst case scenario that after a bubble burst, a pre-determined exit trigger gets an investor out of the markets after a loss of 25%, and gets an investor back in after the markets have gone back up at least 25%. In essence, our entry trigger lags a market recovery and misses out on the first 25% of gains during a Bull Market, but our exit trigger minimizes the overall market losses when a bubble burst or during Bear Markets.After the Tech Bubble, an investor integrating a pre-determined trigger strategy would have seen their wealth grow to $ 142,500 versus the $ 105,780 for the Buy-and-Hold investor. After the Housing Bubble, the investor using triggers saw their wealth grow to $ 192,375 versus $ 93, 679 for the Buy-and-Hold investor, and after the Current Bubble bursts, $ 360,702 versus $ 128,808. The $360,702 amount of wealth for the investor using triggers would have realized an annual rate of return of 6.30%, versus 1.21% for a Buy-and-Hold investor.To see the detailed comparison of a Buy-and-Hold investor versus an investor using pre-determined triggers, please check out the link below.What’s important for investors to understand in the examples above are not the absolute numbers, but the power of using pre-determined triggers with their investments to build and protect wealth in this “New Age of Investment Bubbles.”Protecting wealth is the most important aspect in this “New Age” and it must be an investor’s #1 priority if they hope to build long-term wealth and realize their lifetime wealth potential.S&P 500 Index Historical ChartBuy-and-Hold versus Triggers.
How Can You Identify Your Target Market?
Let’s say that you are in the weight loss market. It’s a big market, worth some $60 billion per year and is very profitable for a lot of businesses. And that’s the problem. A lot of businesses are involved in this industry.You may have some great products and services but how do you get your business noticed in a crowded marketplace?Segment Your MarketRather than concentrating on a huge market, like weight loss, use a market segmentation system. This where you target your marketing to a smaller sized, specific segment of that large group. For example, your marketing initiatives and tactics are targeted to single women over 40 years old, or another more specific group.Your Customer AvatarTo establish your target market you need a very clear idea of your ideal customer. This potential customer is known as your customer avatar. How old are they, where do they live, what are their likes and dislikes? What are all of the characteristics that make that individual your dream customer.When you focus on a smaller sized target market rather than a general market, it is much easier to connect with an individual. Always remember you are marketing to one individual at a time, not a group. Target your marketing to a smaller subset of a larger group and your marketing efforts have a much better chance of giving you the results you want.Should You Ever Change Your Target Market?If your marketing efforts are not providing results, may need to change the focus or target market of your business.Sometimes, despite the fact that you have done a lot of research, you end up marketing to the wrong group of people. Your target market may not want to spend any money on your product and service and may just be looking for free advice. That’s when you need to refine your market and look for a segment of people who have expressed a serious interest in spending money.Analyze Your Marketing TacticsAnother situation could be that your target market is just fine, and you just need to change your strategy and marketing techniques. For example, your audience may not be responding to your social media messages but may be more responsive to email?At other times, if you’re not achieving the success you’re looking for after a lot of time and effort, it may be your target market that needs changing, and not your marketing itself.