Prospecting 4 Wealth

There is an island off the tip of Hawaii that is inhabited by a tribe of people that worship the god “Earl”

Earl lives on the reef that surrounds the island from invaders and unwanted guests. Earl is worshiped by these people and he answers their every question. Whenever they need to know something they go to the ocean reef and ask “Earl” for his help and guidance. They alwasy refer to him as “Reef Earl”. 

He never let’s them down and always supplies them with everything they need. although we do not live on the island we need to become great friends with “Earl” and we need t ask for his help when we need it! We need  always remember and never forget to always, every time …”ASK FOR REEF EARL!

What is a Sales Referral?

A sales referral is when you, as a sales professional, ask a client, a prospect (or even an acquaintance or friend) for the name and contact information of someone who might have an interest, need or want for your product or service. An introduction to the individual makes the sales referral even more powerful.

But first how do you get sales referrals and introductions. The answer is simple – ASK! You already know that you have the right to ask. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you ask, you have a 50-50 chance of getting one, and if you don’t, there is nothing lost as you cannot loose something you never had.

Simple make it a habit to ask everyone and you will no longer be making cold calls, but working strictly on a sales referral basis. Ask more to sell more! Don’t miss out on this tremendous lead source!

The other option is word of mouth, where you provide an outstanding service and other talks about you. However, if you do not ask for testimonial letters, or for a sales referral, the chances of getting one out of the blue are slim.

You are given a sales referral because you have earned the other person’s trust and they think that you can actually help someone else. Do you believe in yourself, in helping others and do you trust yourself? If you don’t, nobody else will either.

A sales referral allows you to introduce yourself through that person’s name, creating commonality and an immediate level of trust.

There are several reasons why you should ask for a sales referral. When you call a sales referral and encounter their voice mail, be sure to mention the name of the person who provided their name. The sales referral tends to respond faster and at a much higher rate compared to voice mails you leave when making cold calls.

A sales referral has affinity with you and that begins to create an element of trust. And quite frankly, most feel a sense of duty or obligation to those who referred their name. They feel compelled to call back just in case they are asked. Either way, it works for you.

Sales referrals tend to listen and engage you more closely when you finally reach them. Typically, they don’t see you as “just another sales rep.” A tentative bond is created in your mutual acquaintance. The sales referral is curious and wonders why his or her name was passed on. In simple terms, this gives you a significant edge.

Sales referrals tend to buy at a higher rate compared to cold calls and other lead sources. There are three reasons for this: First, people usually refer others who are in similar situations. They tend to have similar problems, concerns, needs, wants and opportunities. This usually means there is a strong application for your product or services. In short, they are more qualified.

Second, as mentioned above, sales referrals tend to listen more closely to your message. They do not ‘dismiss’ you as quickly or as lightly as they do other sales reps.

And third, the sales referral’s trust is typically higher with you because he or she can “check you out.” You have an instant credibility source. Every buyer is looking for someone they can trust and depend upon. Having evidence of success with a known acquaintance makes buying easier for referral and easier for you.

Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

forums, leads, lead generation

Participating in forums is a good way to generate leads
and it is a source that is often overlooked. Forums are a productive place
to not only generate leads and to become know as an expert
in your niche.

First decide on the forums you would like
to participate with. I would suggest selecting no more than 4 or 5.
Find forums that are focused on either your niche, a related
area to that niche, and/or one that focuses on
resources or tools to market or promote your product or service.

Every forum has their rules and guidelines to follow so be sure to
take the time to become familiar with them. As long as you
follow the guidelines you will be fine, but you could
end up banned from the forum if you don\’t.

Most forums allow the members to create a signature file that will
be posted along with your comments. Include 1 or 2 urls
to your blog, product and/or service.

Make sure that you are making relevant comments or posts
that offer value to the other members. Remember, anytime you make a
post your signature file will be included. People will read
your comments and can then click on your link to find out more about you
and what you are doing.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to participate in forums that
focus on your niche or a related area, cause you will be with
like minded individuals who will be more receptive to what you
have to offer. If your niche is basket weaving,
you probably would not find much success
with a forum that focuses on auto mechanics.

Forums are a great place to generate leads. The more targeted
your audience is to your niche the greater your chances are
to make sales, grow your business, and build relationships that can
open many doors down the road.

There are just about as many ways to generate leads for your site as there
are articles that have been written about them.

Whatever means to generate leads that you are currently utilizing, there are TWO key aspect to keep in mind and follow to help you see the results you desire.

First, make sure that you are marketing to people who have a
genuine interest or need in what you are promoting. Make
sure that your ads, splash page, squeeze page, etc. are
finding as large of a receptive audience as possible. Say your product
is a marketing resource tool and you want to introduce it in a forum.
You could do a search on Google for business opportunity forums since
people who have a business online would be your most likely customers.

Select the forum or forums that you would be interested in participating with
and visit them. See how active they are. A forum that doesn’t get much
traffic on a daily basis may not be a good choice unless it is only part of your
marketing efforts.

Second, be consistent with your marketing efforts. Whatever marketing
strategy you have decided to use, determine a daily or weekly schedule
of marketing activity and track the results. It is a good way to hold yourself
accountable and keep track of how well your efforts are doing and to
make changes when needed.

Links that will help!

Prosperity Central!

Network Blogging!

Writing articles may be outside the box to some marketers, but for those who write articles on a regular
basis, they know that the rewards have FAR outweighed the effort.
Article writing offers many benefits with generating leads right at the top of the list.

Leads are so very important to the success of any business. You can spend days putting together
all the right elements to make your site appealing. You can monetize it and offer a highly
sought after product or service, but without traffic, it will all be for nothing.

If you are just getting started writing articles there are some tips and suggestions to help you
to get the most from your efforts. A blog is a great place to feature your articles and the
search engines view blogs more favorably than a website. Word Press and Blogger are two of
the most popular.

It’s easier and less time consuming to write about subjects you have knowledge
about and or an interest in. Subjects that you do not know much about will require
research which takes time. That is not a bad thing, especially if you are being paid to write an article.
If your goal is to become established as a writer who is an expert in a certain niche,
then the more 300-500 word articles you can produce the better.

Once you have completed your article, it is time to submit it
to article and ezine directories. Remember—
search engines love fresh content. If you take the same article and submit it to several directories,
the search engines will view that article as spam.
An article writing program will solve that problem. It will take your original article
and spin it into several new ones in a fraction of the time it would take
you to do it manually.

Before you submit your article, be sure to fill out the resource box that will be
included at the bottom of your article. The resource box contains a URL to your
site and a brief description about you. Webmasters are always
looking for fresh content to post on their site
and the directories are just a place for them to go. If your
article is selected, readers will naturally look at your resource box and will
hopefully visit your site to see what else you are doing.

The more places your article appears, the more traffic and back links you
will receive to your site, and the higher your ranking in the Search Engines will be.

Links that may help:

Master Writing for Mega Money!

Unique Article Membership!

networking, social, socializing, social networking, social power, network, relationships, partnering, relationship, interact, share, business, marketing, promotion, businesses, promoting,

Associations and trade organizations are great places to meet individuals. Usually organizations have a common theme, and it is an understood implication that all members participate to improve themselves and their businesses.

Whether it is a chamber of commerce or a trade association, members have common problems, issues and concerns. By sharing issues and resolutions, members can benefit by the experience of others. Many business owners participate in organizations, not only to network, but also to hopefully circumvent some of the pitfalls encountered by other small businesses–learning from others.

Networking Tips.

Many trade organizations provide forums for networking. In some cases, these might be private online newsgroups, casual meetings, or even professional events with speakers. In order to take full advantage of these networking opportunities consider these tips.

Who You Know.

It is often not who you know, but who they know. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen someone put-off someone who is clearly a beginner only to learn that the “beginner” is the brother or friend of a contact they\’ve been trying to meet for weeks.

Honesty.

Be honest. Pretending to be something that you are not, or implying you can deliver a product or service that is outside of your abilities, will foster an environment of distrust and potentially harm your reputation. Keep in mind that networking is viral? and if promises are not kept, word will spread. Establishing yourself and firm as an honest, reputable company.

Professional.

Keep conversations to strictly business subjects. In a business environment, it is important to focus on safe non-emotional topics. The last thing you want to do is alienate or offend a potential client because of an outspoken view on a controversial topic. There is a time and a place for everything and discussing political views or cultural issues is not a generally accepted business topic. Bearing that in mind, it is also important to be aware and sensitive to cultural differences. The Internet has opened doors to a global market and respecting cultural differences is critical to establishing strong business relationships in the global marketplace.

Socialize.

Now is not the time to be a wall flower. Whether you participate in social business events, or monitor trade forums, it is critical that you participate. Participation will help you distinguish yourself in your industry. Attempt to remember individual personal details and foster introductions among others in the industry.

Positive.

Stay positive. It sounds simple, but it will really impact how others view you. If you are constantly negative and pointing out the flaws in others, it will reflect on how others view you. Presenting the best and positive business experiences will enhance your image.

Help.

Provide genuine assistance to others. Whether or not they are able to reciprocate, networking is viral?vital?. Helping others will establish you as a useful member of your business community and will endear you to others. If you are unable to help an individual, attempt to refer them to someone who can.

Research.

A little research goes a long way. Be sure to research people and companies in your business community. Knowing their common goals and interests will build topics for discussions.

Acknowledging the need to connect with others to grow and expand a business may seem like common sense. Cultivating business relationships and interact with other small businesses is often mutually beneficial and should not be underestimated.

Networking is about building relationships and mutual interaction benefiting both parties. Being proactive and following up, you can have a network of contacts that you will be able to access quickly when you need them. Whether by more traditional means, such as in person or over the Internet, personal networks are essential for furthering your business. Relationship networking is give and take, be sure to help others in your quest for help.