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Flickr looks good

I spent the wee hours of the morning checking out Flickr.  I've been a member for years, but I just realized how good it can be.  I like the way I can organize and share my photos and videos.

I've got my stuff scattered all over the internet.  Videos on slideshare, vimeo and youtube.  Photos in everything from picasa to pinterest.  I don't even know where some of my stuff is.  I'm paying slideshare $20 per month to store video.  Flickr will do more at a better price for six times as long.

Flickr is for non-commercial use only, but it is a great place to display your photos and video.  And, yes your work is copyright protected if you set it up that way.  Businesses can tell their story on Flickr.  There are strict guidelines for businesses and organizations.  Basically, tall people what you do but no promotions.  You cannot sell stuff and no price lists. but you can publish photos of activities.  Use Flickr to help people understand, know, like and trust your business or organization.

The relationships you build with people is key to keeping loyal members.  Flickr is a great place to make friends and let your friends follow you in pictures.  Join me at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28340359@N02/

Marketing your business or organization

When most people think of Marketing they think of sales, but sales is only part of the story.

My first excursion into marketing was to take a failing non-profit organization and increase their membership by ten times.  That was 20 years BI, before internet.  I used direct mail and bought mailing lists from magaizines that catered to people interested in Hawaii.  Some lists were better than others which just proves the importance of testing each ad.

Now we have the internet and we can reach people all over the world.

First, every organization needs a website.  But a website is like a super market in the desert.  People have to find it.  You have to attract visitors to your site.  When they visit, you have to get contact information and then you have to stay in touch.

Second, the key to successful interest marketing is creating a relationship with your visitors.  They have to know, like and trust you before they will do business with you. Provide them information they want and need and they will keep coming back to your web site.   Do not bombard your customers with typical advertising.  Just let them know you are think of them and they are important to you.  Limit your sales pitch to less than 20% of you blog or your website.  1 in 5 contacts can be a sales message.

Third, use direct mail. Send birthday cards, anniversary cards and cards for special occasions.  Remember, appreciation wins over self promotion every time.  Throughout history successful people have written note cards to their friends.  The more cards, the more friends.  Now the internet makes sending a personalized greeting card easy.  Create the card with your message and your pictures with your computer and have SendOutCards print it and mail it for you.  Direct mail, properly focused, is an important part of your marketing plan.

How do you get visitors to your site?  That will be the subject of my next post, but like all good serials I leave you with some hints.

• an opt-in list is vital.  The money is in the list.
• an autoresponder makes it easy to feed information to your visitors and to do email blasts with special information.
• A conference room where your friends, custormers or members can hold virtual meetings helps you get your message out and is a place where people can get acquainted and build relationships.
• Video is king.  Video holds people on your site and search engines respond to the length of visits.
• Blogging helps people get to know you.

Lifetime customers

Think of a customer you haven't seen in a few months. Do you ever wonder where they are purchasing now? You think that once a customer purchases that your job is over?

What do you do now is the customer has purchased? What is your plan?

Is it, "well now I have to go out and get new customer?"

You have to put out a lot more effort to get a customer than to keep one.  If you donʻt have repeat customers, you better figure out what you are doing wrong.

It's really up to you to stay in touch with your customers and turn them into friends. As long as you're in business you need to have a strategy to stay in touch with your customers.

I call it "the lifetime value" of your customer.  Your lifetime clients make the difference between success and failure in most companies.

Here's some quick ideas for you to work on:

One – call your customer often or have someone on your team call them. Ask them how they are doing.  Find out if they have any problems you can help them with. Be sure they want to continue hearing from you.  You want to stay in touch, but you donʻt want to be a pest.

Two – mail them information every month. Just simply say "here's something I thought you would like" comes across as caring for them.  Do not make your communications a sales pitch.

Most of your business should come from your current customers. 

You need to stay in touch with your customers and let them know you appreciate them. Do not make your call a sales pitch.  Talk about what they are doing and offer helpful suggestions.  Follow up with a card or email with information that will help them solve a problem or suggesting a way to have a fun project.  Rough rule of thumb.  Limits ads and offers to no more than 20% of your contacts with your customers.

What is the function of email? An email has immediacy and should be used when you want send a quick note or even a digital news letter.  Never send an email to anyone who has not given you permission to contact them.  Always include a way for them to option off your mailing list.  That is the law.  Send a physical note card by US Post Office at least 4 times a year.  Greeting cards get opened.  Most emails are ignored unless the recipient know it contains valuable information. 

What is the role of your Website and social commerce in your marketing plan?  Most people research major product purchases on the internet before they go to the store to make the actual purchase.  If you are not on the first page of the search engines you are loosing business.  Social media has become a critical factor in your business.  I recently researched local restaurants.  One stood out.  Half the people liked it and half commented that while the food was good, the portions where small and over priced, the abidance was noisy and the waiters slow and not very friendly.  Recent posts about the restaurant noted improvements.  Maybe that restaurant is monitoring what is being said about them and making corrections.  Most businesses donʻt have a clue.

My local building supply store is always my first stop.  They always greet me by name and I consider them my friends.  I know the names of several of the people who always help me.  The donʻt always have what I want, so Iʻll go to a store that has a better range of products.  Their staff is always helpful, but some how the store seems cold.  There are three competing building supplies in my area.  The third has no helpful staff and has given me bad service in the past.  I havenʻt been back in years.

Bottom line, make you customers your friends.  Let them know you care about them and ask for referrals.  When people tell their friends about your business, it creates a bond.  A customer that gives you referrals is a loyal customer.  Keep that bond fresh.  Ask the new customer who referred them.  Then send your customer a thank you card.  

Give your customers an incentive to give you their contact information.  Your list is your most important asset.  Use it and stay in touch.

Bill Sager, http://www.kukuaentrepreneurs.com

Your affiliate marketing business.

The affiliate marketing business model provides the best opportunity for the average person to develop a business that will pay them well. Why?

1. The business can be run from wherever you have a telephone and a Internet connected computer.

2. The business hours are flexible and the business can be developed working a few hours a week if necessary. Of coarse, the more effort devoted to the business faster it will grow.

3. The investment needed to start your businesses is generally less than $3000 including the cost of office equipment.

4. The cost of a large inventory is avoided. Most products are digital and can be delivered immediately upon purchase.

5. If you choose your affiliations wisely, you'll have motivated, independent contractors working with you to help you build your business.

6. Your franchise will provide all the back office services you need to build your business, and you can concentrate on marketing.

7. The Internet is your primary marketing tool. Use it to reach people who want to work with you to create their own businesses.

The bottom line is, you can have a business with unlimited income potential that you can work from anywhere in the world at your own time schedule and with minimal investment. What could be better?

Bill Sager, http://www.kokuaentrepreneurs.com

Staying on track

The question we have to ask ourselves is, "Are our lives generally positive and productive?" I'm not saying we need to be happy all the time, that's unrealistic. What I am saying is: We must be sure our lives are on target.

Often we get so tied up in earning a living and caring for family that we have no life of our own. In any partnership, the partners must grow together, but we must also grow as individuals.  Many people devote themselves totally to the earning a living. That's important, but I ask you,"Is yours a balanced and fulfilling life?" 

On this river of life, take time to pull out on the bank, lay in the sun and think about what you want to accomplish. Is your life in balance? Are you staying in contact with friends and do you do those things that are important to you as an individual. We cannot be happy and satisfied unless you can find that balance. Our lives can be out of balance for a short time, but bad things happen when we stay out of balance too long.

We must ask ourselves:

1. What would happen to me if I lost my partner?

2. What would happen if I lost my job

3. Where do I want my life to go? 

4. Am I on track to reaching my goals?

If you can't answer those questions satisfactorily, you need to figure out what changes you need to make.  My daughter Lynn told me I'm good at multitasking and she has to focus on one thing at a time. Each of us works in a different way. In my case, my mom used to tell me I was a jack of all trades and a master of none. I think she's right. It's a curse of having so many interests. But, it's been a fun life, and while I've made a few bad decisions, I'm generally satisfied that I've accomplished some good things. I'm on track to continue to do so. That's all any of us can do. I learned from my son how important it is to do our very best every day and to make sure each day carries us closer to our ultimate goals.

So far as multi-tasking is concerned, No one can do more than one thing at a time effectively.  Clearly define your projects and what must be done to keep them on track.  Then focus on one at a time.  Define how much time you need to spend on each project each day.  Then, block out the time you need to spend on each project each day and then focus all you energy on that one thing you have to do at that time.

Bill Sager, www.kokuaentrepreneurs.com

Procrastination will kill your future

I'll admit it. I'm a planner.

I used to be proud of it and was probably the best planner in the office. 

But, I gradually came to realize that spending an entire working day planning a project is not a good use of my time.  In other words, planning has its place, but make sure you do the important things you must do to implement your plan.

One of the great things about freelancing is the ability to raise your hourly income by being more productive. Planning doesn't directly equal income. Productivity does.

As I focused on productivity, I recognize a lot of planning for what it is: a convenient way to procrastinate. Sure, you feel like you're working, but you're probably just delaying the actual work.

To make sure I'm getting the most important thing on my schedule done every morning, I … eat a frog.

If you haven't heard of this technique, let me assure you, I don't eat an actual frog.

Brian Tracy, author of Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, made this concept popular.

Basically, you do the worst thing on your list first thing. Then the rest of the day is easy.

Here's how to determine what your own frog is and make sure you eat it:

1. Before you end work for the day today, figure out your most important tasks for tomorrow. These should be things that will move you closer to your goals or directly impact your income. My list includes tracking environmental legislation, calling a prospect, and blogging on my website.

2. Now, choose the worst of the most important things – the one you're dreading the most – and circle it. Then put a star next to your favorite item.

3. Eat your frog every day.

I'm scared to death of making phone calls – even "warm" calls – so that's definitely my frog. I'll will schedule an hour in the morning to make local calls, an hour in the afternoon to make mainland calls and an hour in the evening to call people I couldnʻt reach during the day.  

That is my frog, and eating a frog is easy to procrastinate. I have to ruthlessly focus on eating that frog.  I will make calls starting at 9am.  I set my timer for an hour and make nothing interferes with my picking up my phone.

This sets my tone for the day. I can do anything! And I have more energy and passion.  If I donʻt make those calls Iʻm disgusted with my self.  I donʻt like being a disappointment even to my self. When Iʻve eaten my frog, everything else is easy.

4. Once all my tasks are done for the day, I'll reward myself with my favorite task: getting outside in the garden or taking a walk.  

Donʻt forget to reward your self for accomplishing your goals.  One of the great things about my business is I can work a couple of hours a day and then do what ever I want.  If I choose to do more, Iʻll build my business faster.

Now, this only works focus on your frog and eat that meal when you have planned to do it. Resist the temptation to do small things first. Don't check email. Don't return phone calls. And, don't plan how you're going to eat that frog.  

Decide who you have to call the next day before you go to bed.  I use a program called todo.ly to organize and prioritize my todo list. When I think of something I need to do, I make a quick note and get back to work.  Before I go to bed, I schedule all my notes in todo.ly. 

  

Now, eat your frog when you plan to tackle that meal, but donʻt be a slave to your plan. My family comes first and if they need something I adjust my plan.  If itʻs my business, I will drop everything when a client needs help.  Just be sure the interruption is more important than eating your frog.  

When you look at you accomplishments for the last week, ask yourself, "Did I eat my frogs?"  If not, what changes are you going to make next week.  Who are you going to say NO to? 

If you allow yourself to procrastinate by doing smaller, less essential tasks, your motivation and valuable time will be gone. Then you'll have to tackle that big, scary task with less enthusiasm and energy. If you're like me, that means you'll put it off until tomorrow and feel guilty.

If you have a 9-to-5 job, you might be wondering how you can eat the frog first thing in the morning and still get to work …

You have a few choices. You could get up earlier and eat your frog before work, or you could schedule time each evening to eat your frog.  

Personally, I recommend a business you can build from anywhere you have a phone and an internet connection.  My income depends on the income of the people who choose to work with me.  I train them to do what I do and the more they earn, the more I earn.  

It is a simple business model.  I share what I do with others and teach them to do what I do.  How fast my business grows depends on how many people I talk to.  I call one person during my coffee breaks.  I eat lunch in 15 minutes and make phone calls for 45 minutes.  

I actually like traffic jams.  I preprogram my cell phone with 15 people I want to call.  Then when Iʻm at a traffic light or traffic is grid locked, I punch the phone number.  Of course I use a blue tooth ear phone, and I never punch a phone number when Iʻm driving.

I get up early in the morning to make my mainland calls. Point is you can do what you have to do to build your business.  Not having time is just an excuse for failure.  Focus on your frog.  The more focus, the sooner you will living your dreams.

Bill Sager, 808-258-4019, http://kokuaentrepreneurs.com