Monthly Archive for June, 2007

How to set your price?

Published on June 29, 2007 in Sales. 0 Comments

I have this problem a lot because price is often the first thing on my customer’s minds. Whenever I write a proposal for a project, my dilemma is whether I am giving the right price. Is it too expensive? Can they (our client) afford it? What can we do to make them engage our business?

Besides, it is a very common situation for my potential clients to show me their large scope of work by saying “my budget is limited” or “I haven’t decided on my budget yet.”

Have you had the same experiences? It is important that you never lower your fees.

There are a lot of rules in sales, but one thing for sure: If you solely focus on price when selling products or services, so will your customer.

Make sure that your customers know what they are getting (the VALUE) for the dollars they’re investing. Sell your VALUE! Never apologize for the price of your products/services.

No one seeks the cheapest heart surgeon, pay a cut-rate price for a top of the line Mercedes, a Rolex watch, or Manalo Blahnik shoes. They’d doubt the authenticity if the price were markedly lower than what we normally associate with that level of quality.

I learn it the hard way in the early years of our practice. If you don’t get what you supposed to get, then it is a bad business. Bad business will only do bad things to your business!

In closing, I want to quote from my favorite writer who is also a very successful consultant: “You deserve your fees in return for the value you are providing. If you don’t perceive your own value, you will never demand high fees. The sales start with you.” – Alan Weiss, Author of Million Dollar Consulting

Steve Gadd Drum Kit

Published on June 28, 2007 in Miscellaneous. 0 Comments

In my spare time (even though I don’t have that much time nowadays) , I like to play drum. I have been playing for more than 10 years. This is one of many ways that I do to relax and get away from my hectic schedules. My #1 favorite drummer is Steve Gadd. He has played with many other great musicians like Eric Clapton, Chick Corea, James Taylor, Paul Simon, and many others.

When Yamaha released a special Steve Gadd drum kit in 2006 (50 only), I was so interested to buy it. However, I still couldn’t find it even until now. SOLD OUT!!!
My dream is to have this drum kit one day!

Drumkit

* Image is taken from Yamaha website

Percentage people click on the search result on first page

Published on June 23, 2007 in Statistic Data. 0 Comments

A research by iProspect stated that 62% of U.S search engine users look no further than the first page of results before clicking a link.

Target your website to specific ethnic groups

Published on June 22, 2007 in Internet Sales. 0 Comments

You might have a website already for your business. But have you ever thought about targeting more ethnic groups to bring some additional revenues/sales?

According to a research by ComScore Media Metrix, roughly 13.8 millions Hispanics in US accessed the internet from home, work or college in December 2004, while 9.9 millions African Americans and 4.2 million Asian Americans accesses the internet that month.

I am pretty sure that the number has dramatically increased by now.

Many other websites have adopted this strategy, by translating their website to other language. Here is an example (go to About Us page): www.seattleidealhomes.com

However, it is important to understand that such an undertaking requires time, effort and money.

One clear benefit of this strategy is that separate pages targeting ethnic groups will most likely be found higher in search engines. Customer who are searching for Chinese speaking realtor in Seattle will most likely type “Chinese speaking realtor Seattle” in search engine.

Include this strategy – targeting ethnic groups – to be part of your marketing plan and experience the possibility of having some extra profits for your business

Keeping the Motivation Level Up

Published on June 18, 2007 in Motivation. 0 Comments

We all get burned out at one time or another, I know I do. We try to do everything, our mind gets overwhelmed with all the activities or to do list we have to do during the day. At the end of the day, we still feel like we didn’t do much.

However, there are some things that I do to keep my motivation level up all the time.

Stop and Think. You need a break! Take some time off (10 to 15 minutes each day) to do nothing. Get back to a clear picture of why you are doing what you are doing. Usually a lot of new things will reveal themselves and you will be able to clarify your goals, rethink what needs to be done to improve your situation.

Prioritize. First things first. The Pareto Principle, similar to 80/20 rule, recognize that 20% of your activities give you 80% of the value. High priority items will have a big future impact. Separate the “urgent” to do list with “important” to do list.

The Buying power of Hispanics

Published on June 15, 2007 in Statistic Data. 0 Comments

Statistic from The University of Georgia states that in 2007, the buying power of Hispanics is expected to reach $863 Billion, surpassing that of blacks, $847 Billion.

What’s your company strategy to anticipate this?

Ways in promoting website

Published on June 6, 2007 in Website and Website Online Marketing. 0 Comments

With thousands of new websites appearing on the web every day, the noise easily overwhelms those of us trying to get our websites seen and visited. Website promotion is getting more and more difficult. It’s important that you leave no stone unturned in optimizing your website promotion. Here’s a quick checklist for promoting your site:

1. Use directories. Sign up right away for the Open Directory Project and identify every industrial or market-oriented directory list that’s pertinent to your marketplace.

2. Exploit the Search Engines. Make sure you’ve structured your site to be search engine friendly. Sign up for PPC services such as Google’s Ad Words or Yahoo!’s Search Marketing for your website promotion.

3. Appropriate Keywords. Make sure your site includes appropriate keyword identification (most search engines offer tools to help you with this) and then submit your site to search engines and industry directories. Focus first on the big three: Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Then look for appropriate industry associations or local chamber of commerce sites.

4. Advertise. Do advertise through both online means as well as conventional means. Sponsor regular email broadcasts that drive people to your site and be sure to adapt any print advertising to do the same.

5. Paper Collateral. Make sure your website is part of all your promotional and commerce collateral. Good website promotion requires you to include your URL in everything – invoices, business cards, stationery, brochures, datasheets, whitepapers… everything.

6. Partner. Exchange links with relevant partners. Include them on your website and make sure your included on theirs. Choose partners that actively engaged in traffic building on their sites, too!

If you’re not doing something in each of the categories above then you’re giving your website promotion results short shrift. Establish a concerted effort in each category to ensure you’re optimizing your promotional results.

The bottom line is, you have to get the word out – that your website is out there – and remember there are millions of websites online. If you are going to succeed, you must advertise or get traffic somehow – these are some good places to start!