The Basics Of Business Card Marketing

One of the most frequent requests I have heard throughout my career is "May I have your card?" Whether it's a sales call or business-to-business (B2B) networking, the practice of swapping business cards is the most common way to make an introduction.So why do so many merchant level salespeople (MLSs) arrive at meetings and trade shows without them?

I'm always surprised when, during the "get to know you" part of a committee meeting, someone in the room announces they have "forgotten their cards." Or when someone visits our booth at a trade show and is unable to leave a card because they don't have any with them.In sales, forgetting your business cards is like forgetting your pants.

The most effective way I've found to remember people I've met is to retain their business cards.During our conversations, I often take quick notes on the back of the cards that I can refer to later, such as jotting down a reminder about something from our meeting, an action item I have agreed to or something they have committed to me.

Once back at my desk, I review the stack of cards.I write thank you notes, delegate action items, pass along leads and the myriad of follow up details that occur after a business trip.Without the cards, I'm left only with an attendee roster and pads of paper.

Your cards should include your name, phone number, fax number, e-mail and street addresses and company logo.This information should be produced in a color and font that are easy to read.I recently received a business card that had been printed with pale lavender five-point type in order to fit all of the information the proprietor wanted on the card.A lot of information was there, but I couldn't read it-even with my bifocals on!

Make sure you proofread your business cards before they are printed.You may think that the instructions you gave the person at Kinko's were clear, but did they set your information correctly?Here's an easy trick to use when proofreading to ensure what is to be printed is correct: Read each line backwards, from left to right and from bottom to top.This will force you to look at each word and number, instead of only skimming the information that you are so familiar with.

Also, have your cards printed on a paper stock that someone can actually write on.If your cards are plastic or a dark color they will be less useful to those who receive them, especially if they, like you, take notes on cards.While business cards that look and feel like credit or gift cards may be a novelty, they will most likely be tossed rather than kept as useful reminders for further action.

Check your sales agreement for instructions regarding logo placement on your business cards.Card associations and many banks and vendors have specific rules regarding the use of their logos.Additionally, be sure to include any logos (that you are entitled to use) that might lend further credibility to your business, such as from a trade association, chamber of commerce or Better Business Bureau.

If you conduct business in languages in addition to English, you might consider having your contact information printed on the back of your business card in these other languages.Or, you might add a line to your business card such as, "Se habla espa_ol."

Keep a supply of business cards in your wallet, briefcase, car, computer bag and desk, and invest in a simple business cardholder to protect the cards and keep them looking crisp and clean.

Most importantly, give your business cards away.

Many sales managers monitor their sales staffs' activities based on the number of business cards each rep collects during the day.You can easily rate the effectiveness of your daily routine by counting the cards your collect.You'll have a better idea of how many leads you're generating if you give a card each time you receive one.

Your business cards are one of the most productive pieces of collateral you will generate.Consider them the seeds of your business, and scatter them widely.

About the Author

Kishor Nayak is a Business Consultant working with International clients.

Did you find this information useful?You can learn a lot more about how

business cards can help your business.

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Increase Your Affiliate Sales By Using An Ad Tracking Software

All around the world, including in the United States, there are a large number of business owners who rely on affiliate programs.If properly implemented, affiliate programs can help to increase the number of sales an online business sees.

If you are a business owner who already has your own affiliate program, it is likely that you also have affiliate tracking software.If you are a business owner who is interested in starting your own affiliate program, but has yet to, you will soon learn the importance of affiliate tracking software.

Affiliate tracking software is vital to the success of an affiliate program.With affiliate programs, business owners, such as yourself, rely on website owners to help increase their sales.This partnership often involves the displaying of your ads and links on your affiliates website.Affiliate tracking software tags those ads using a unique affiliate id.Every time one of your affiliates helps you generate a sale, the software you are using will record that sale.Often times, the date, time, and amount of the sale is also recorded.This information will allow you to know how much you should compensate your affiliates for their work.

If you have not already purchased affiliate tracking software, you will need to do so.However, it is important to be aware of what you are purchasing.There are many business owners who find out that they purchased the wrong type of affiliate tracking software, too late.Most affiliate tracking software programs accomplish the same goals, but they do so in different ways.This is by incorporating different services and features into their software.To make the most out of your next affiliate software purchase, you are advised to familiarize yourself with these services and features.

Perhaps, one of the first things you should look for is customer support.Most software programs come with customer support, but not all do.If you are using a software program for the first time or even if you develop a problem later on, you will want to be able to talk to someone who can assist you.Therefore, it is important that you find and purchase affiliate software that includes customer support.Once this is done, you are advised to use that support for any questions that you have, even the smallest ones.You will find that this support is more important than you ever imagined.

When examining the services and features of particular software, you will likely come across programs that offer varied commission levels.When starting your own affiliate program, you will assign a commission percentage to your affiliates.This percentage is often a flat rate for all, but it does not necessarily have to be.Affiliate tracking software with varied commission levels can allow you to compensate your affiliates in different ways.This is ideal, especially if you want to reward the affiliates that are brining in the most sales.

While it is important to make the most out of your affiliate tracking as soon as you get it, there is also a way to make the most out it before you even do.This is by fully reading and understanding all software descriptions, included services and features, and the costs of using that software.This is the best way to prevent yourself from being stuck with a software program that you cannot use, especially if it does not have features that you want or need.It is also important to determine the cost of affiliate tracking software and payment options.You will want to be on the lookout for monthly fees, yearly fees, and onetime fees.You should also determine ahead of time whether or not a cancellation notice is required.In the event that you decide to end your affiliate program or change tracking software, these fees may be more than you can afford or are willing to pay.

The above mentioned points are just a few of the ways that you can get the most from your affiliate program and its tracking software.To sum it all up, the more you know about what your affiliate tracking software can do, the more you will be able to do with it.

About the Author

Thomas is an Affiliate Marketer.

You can see his latest Ad and Conversion Tracking Script here: Ad Tracking Software and the popular Clickbank(tm) Script here: Clickbank Script

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Teleseminars: The Perfect Communication and Marketing Solution for the iPod Generation

With advances in technology, teleseminars are being used in ever more creative ways by individuals and companies to expand their client base and dramatically increase revenue.Part of the massive appeal of a teleseminar is that while it is possible to listen to event live, it can also be recorded and made available as a podcast that can be downloaded to an iPod and listened to at the convenience of the listener.

Podcasts can be ready in mere minutes after the completion of the live teleseminar.It is a question of how much editing you want to do.The fortunate thing is that Internet audiences tend to be more forgiving regarding teleseminars.They are hungry for great content rather than a studio quality recording.

Teleseminars are highly versatile.Regardless of the business you are in you can leverage the value of teleseminars.Just think of them as a means of delivering an audio message to your staff and or clients.Then decide what information you are going to share with them.

Some examples of the many uses of teleseminars include:

1.

Announcing Product launches,

2.

Selling products,

3.

Publicising events,

4.

Promoting books,

5.

Training staff,

6.

Training affiliates, and

7.

Fundraising.

Plus, with teleseminars you have the benefit of being able to deliver your message to a global rather than local audience.

Podcasting is an ideal solution for long teleseminars.Jay Abraham and Alex Mandossian are examples of Internet marketers who sometimes host long teleseminars.It is a challenge for individuals to maintain focused concentration for hours on end, irrespective of how riveting the material is.Also, some people cannot afford to put their life on hold or take the time off work to listen to a live teleseminar that is over two hours or even over 4 hours long.However, if you save your teleseminar as a podcast that subscribers can download to their iPod, then people can listen to your material in bite-sized chunks.

And there is another advantage to podcasting your teleseminars.You can create a single podcast for the entire presentation or you can divide the teleseminar into segments.This can make it easier to download and easier to listen to especially if a presentation is over an hour.The teleseminar can be simply divided at logical or natural breaks in the presentation so that when played sequentially it flows seamlessly.

Alternatively, the podcasts can be branded separately and you can do a recap of the material in the former podcast so that each mini-podcast is a stand-alone product.This can then be used as a teaser especially if you want to sell the teleseminar rather than offer it as a free download.

Many presenters have products consisting of numerous CDs but they are relatively bulky and can become scratched.Avid learners soon start to run out of room to store the many programs they have purchased.Making your teleseminars available as downloadable as MP3 and MP4s which can be downloaded onto a device that can fit into the palm of your hand or your pocket saves space and makes your content easy to consume.

Nightingale Conant, the world's leading producer of personal development audio programs, now gives its customers the option of purchasing a CD version or an MP3 version.With the MP3s customers can download them to their iPod and be listening to life-enhancing material in minutes rather than waiting days for the program they ordered to arrive.And, in an age where 'speed to market' is becoming increasingly important; offering your material in MP3 format which your customers can immediately download to their iPod gives you a competitive advantage.

About the Author

Expert Tip: When selling high ticket items which include teleseminar recordings, offer them to your customers on a pre-loaded iPod.

Learn how you can become an expert teleseminar host and earn thousands of dollars.Click HEREto access FREE 2+hours special tele-training onhow to use teleseminars to grow your business.And for details on the most comprehensive teleseminar training available visit Successful Teleseminars.

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4 Tips for Creating a Directory Submission Strategy

Internet marketing professionals and SEO experts know that 80% percent of the traffic to your website comes from search engines.If that's the case, then is there any point in submitting your site to web directories?The answer is a resounding yes.

While directories themselves may not generate an overwhelming amount of traffic to your site, they can greatly improve your search engine ranking.

Search engines place a premium on one-way links, and that's exactly what links from directories are one-way links.So simply having a number of one-way links from directories can improve your search engine ranking immensely.

Not to mention that directories can drive targeted traffic to your site in a way that lots of other linking strategies cannot.Now that you know the value of web directories, use these four tips to create your directory submission strategy.

1.Prepare Your Site.If you don't have a high-quality site then chances are you won't get listed by directories.Your content should be useful and relevant.It should be free of "under construction" pages and broken links.Make sure that you keep ads to a minimum, that you don't redirect users to other pages, and that you don't have duplicate content on another site.

2.Get Your Listing Details Ready.Keep the following information in front of you at all times to make directory submission easier: Your URL, the title of your website, a description of your website, your keywords, and your name and address.

When preparing your website title, remember that some directories will only accept your website's official name while others will allow some keywords.If you submit your URL to sites that allow keywords, don't succumb to the temptation to keyword stuff.

When preparing your description, just write two or three factual statements about your business.It should never sound like an advertisement.

Some directories require you to separate your keywords by commas while others require you to separate them by spaces.Write them out in both formats to make this job a little easier.

3.Find Good Directories.Use DMOZ and Yahoo to find more-specialized niche directories.When you're checking out each directory, pay attention to how it's organized, and spend some time determining which category or categories are most appropriate for your site.When you submit your site, note it on a log with the date of your submission.

4.Check Your Results.Some directories notify you when your site is listed and some don't.Be sure to check the directories to which you have submitted often to find out if your site is listed.If it's been over two months and your site still isn't listed, try submitting it again, but don't resubmit any sooner than that.

You can also talk to the directory owner and inquire about your submission status, but don't make a nuisance of yourself if the owner doesn't respond to you.There's probably a reason that your site isn't listed.Remember that not all submissions are successful.This may be one of those cases.

Directory submissions have the potential to be a time-consuming and tedious task.If you're up for the job then go for it!If not, don't hesitate to contact an internet marketing professional.This person can offer tons of assistance.

Not only can she tell you which niche directories are most appropriate for your site, but she can help you submit to those directories, and even help you decide how to integrate directory submissions into your overall internet marketing strategy.

Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, be sure to make directory submissions part of your search engine optimization plan.Drive traffic to your site and turn visitors into loyal customers!

About the Author

Seomul Evans is a senior search engine optimization services consultant with "SEO 1 Services".

Submit Url at add url cafe.Read more in our SEO Blog.

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Leaflet Distribution As A Force For Good

The recent case of twelve men being arrested for distributing leaflets that contained inflammatory and offensive material was not the first time that leaflet distribution has hit the headlines for controversial reasons.Leaflet distribution has a long history of coming under scrutiny because of the way it can communicate a message quickly and effectively to a large group of people.

However these run-ins with the establishment have not always been for reasons like the recent case.More often than not leaflet distribution has been at the forefront of important crusades and has helped to break down barriers, bring people together and, in many cases, has led to laws being changed or attitudes being revised.

These changes have always fallen into two groups, artistic and social.Leaflet distribution has help artists and designers question issues of taste and decency and has helped politicians and reformers raise awareness of important issues like poverty and homelessness.

The Civil Rights movement in the United States benefitted greatly from leaflet distribution.The very fact that the medium is so democratic and open to all means that it can be used to give voice to opinions that otherwise wouldn't have one.It can spread a message even if that message is not necessarily what the establishment or authorities want to hear.

It can, of course, be abused, as in the case of the men who used it to propagate offensive material, but in the case of the civil rights movement it was an ideal way to get the message of equality across.

People like Martin Luther King Jnr.were not granted the same access to mainstream media like other political groups at the time.Television and many newspapers were governed by people who wanted to maintain the status quo even if that was at the expense of a large part of the community.

Segregation and race were volatile subjects in 1960's America and few people in positions of power were willing to put their necks on the line.Leaflet distribution became an important weapon in the civil rights movement as a result.

Leaflets that were handed out during the time quoted from the American constitution and exposed the hypocrisy that segregation represented.Without leaflet distribution the message wouldn't have travelled as far and as fast as it did.It was also used for the same purpose in Ireland, Spain and South Africa.

Another political movement that worked towards social change and used leaflet distribution as a means to achieve its goals was the Suffragette movement.The Suffragettes were led by Emmeline Pankhurst and their main aim was to win the right to vote for women.Among their tactics were the lobbying of politicians, marching and demonstrations and leaflet distribution.

Pankhurst was a well educated woman and saw no reason why the fact she was a woman should exclude her from areas of society, commerce and politics.She campaigned vigorously and joined several groups that worked towards women's suffrage including the Independent Labour Party.

It was while she was involved with them that she met socialist reformer Keir Hardy and became aware of the state of poverty in many of Britain's cities.Although she did work to improve working and living positions for the poor it did not distract her from her main aim which was to win the right to vote for women throughout the country.

Pankhurst's tactics grew more extreme but she called a complete halt to her campaign during the period of World War 1 to support the war effort.The war had a great influence on the campaign as it gave women the opportunity to demonstrate skills that would normally have been the preserve of men.When the war ended Pankhurst formed the Women's Party and the right to vote followed soon after.

About the Author

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the leaflet distribution industry.

Find out more about leaflet distribution and the history of marketing.

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Top 15 Tactics to Explode Your Web Presence and Link Popularity

Link building is one of the most important factors in developing a strong web presence and building a solid flow of traffic.Most readers should understand that that effective link building adds value to your site and boosts your rankings in the search engines for target keywords.

However most people over look the other benefits of link building and tend to focus far too much on just gaining search engine rankings.

Personally I use link building as an overall means of web promotion and not just to boost search engine rankings.By putting all your eggs in the search engines basket if they decide to alter their algorithm which has a negative impact on your rankings then your sales and profit will be decrease significantly.

The answer is to build a solid web presence and to spread your traffic streams across as many locations as possible, a sort of spread betting.When looking at your web stats (site side analytics) you should see a good distribution of traffic between, search engines, direct and referral traffic.

To achieve this you need to promote your brand and develop a significant web presence.Link building is the most effective way to achieve this.I will outline the most effective ways to build a solid web presence below:

1.

Directory submissions
Submitting your website to directories should be your first port of cal in your link building quest.
Nowadays they dont provide much in the way of traffic but can still put your name out there and build your web presence.Directories are also probably the easiest and cheapest link you can acquire online.

2.Press release syndication
Press releases are great means of promoting your site online, they building links and traffic.
PR releases have the added effect of showing at the top of the search engine for a while, which further develops your online presence.

3.Social network profile creation
Social networks are a great way to engage your potential customers in their own backyard.
By creating quality social network profiles your can create a home away from home, attract potential new customers and then divert them to the main conversion site.
4.Article syndication

Article syndication is a very effective method to build links and web presence.

Good quality articles can drive targeted traffic to the main conversion site, building important valuable links, establish you as an authority and show up in the search results helping your dominate the search engine results pages (SERPS).
5.RSS syndication

RSS syndication is a newer highly effective means of building links and developing web presence.

Having and publishing a good quality RSS will further establish your authority status in your niche, drive traffic and building links.

7.Leverage partnerships
Google does look down at link exchanges but this is still a good means to build a web presence, by building link between related sites.
You should aim for contextual link place inside blocks of copy and not links pages.

8.Create free tools and widgets
Widgets and apps are highly effective link building tactics but you have to make sure your content is good quality and most of all provides an answer to a problem, i.
e.make sure people need it, sound simple but so many people miss this vital step.Remember as the widget/app spreads so does your web presence.

9.Classified ads
Classified ads are another effective means of web promotion, some of the bigger sites can drive quite a bit of traffic and have good visibility among the search engine.
But remember to stay within the rules of these sites and do not spam them.

10.Knowledge sharing
Know your niche, by this I mean you should know all the forums and blogs that hold influence in your niche and be active in these areas.
Help people with their problems by sharing information.This will develop your web presence, build links, drive traffic and again further establish you authority status.

11.Create Wiki Pages
Wikipedia is massive and has huge visibility in the engines, so make sure you leverage this resource.
Create a wiki page for your business.But make sure you do it correctly; it has to be informative and not promotional.

12.Distribute templates
Creating templates relating to your niche, for various programs is a great means of web promotion.
Create themes or templates based on your niche for very widely used software such as Wordpress or Joomla.Every site that decides to use this fee template will provide you with a relevant link and ha the potential to drive some good quality traffic.

13.Social Bookmarking
All sites should have social bookmarking integrate into their page layout, so users can bookmark their favourite content or product.
Many social bookmarking sites have a very high traffic and strong link popularity.

14.Blog links
As previously mentioned you need to build a good understanding of who the influencers are in your niche, then approach the top forums and blogs and see if they will endorse or review your site.

15.Blog Commenting
I advise caution with this next method as it has been heavily abused, so the search engines are looking to put a stop to this.
First do not spam blogs, you will need to identify the top blog in your niche and read them regularly adding good quality useful comments to their posts.You can add target keywords in the "name" field and add your URL, but make sure you are adding
value to the blog.

Building an effective web presence and conducting a holistic link building campaign is a lot of work and has to be done correctly.I would recommend getting a specialists partner to set this up for your business.Once you have solid foundations laid you can learn the ropes yourself and develop this.

About the Author

Article by Marx Marx from Topmarx Solutions Explode your web presence and dominate your niche space with our Search Engine Optimisation Link Building Service

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