A friend of mine, Graham Jones, has some great information and advice on how to make money on the internet at his blog, www.grahamjones.co.uk.
Why not take a look.
Friday, September 1, 2006
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
How to promote rapport with prospects
Why should anyone pay attention to what you have to say? Just because you write a press release, an advert or create a brochure, it doesn't necessarily follow that anyone will want to read it. So how do you hook your reader? The answer is surprisingly simple!
Ask questions! Questions, by their very nature, involve people. A good rhetorical question immediately involves the reader. By asking the reader to consider a short, punchy sentence and its relevance to them, you immediately focus their interest on what you have to say.
What to do
Keep it simple. For an example of how to get it wrong, just look at the following question:
'How can you keep up with the latest development trends - games development, leveraging XYZ controls, extending existing applications to the Intranet and Internet - when it all changes so quickly?'
It's far too long and convoluted and probably lost your attention. Don't make your readers work harder than they have to.
A progressive series of shorter questions framed in simpler language is more likely to catch their interest. Thus 'How can you keep up with the latest developments?' 'Do you understand computer jargon?' 'Would your business benefit from a website?
Using questions not only demands a reader response. In transforming a command into a question, you transform aggressive antagonism into a rapport-building exercise. For example: 'This is you!' becomes 'Is this you?' The tone is far less aggressive, and consequently is more likely to win the reader over.
Vary your style. As well as asking questions, use bold statements in your copy. If you've got the balance right, this will stop a single technique becoming overused and losing its effect. A bold statement such as 'Your company is headed for ecological disaster!' can be as attention-grabbing as a question, if not more so, particularly when it is not just one statement among many others.
Having raised the key issue in the headline, or shortly after, don't then stray from what initially involved the reader. Keep on relating the rest of the copy to the question. Otherwise the reader will quickly lose interest.
Pitfalls to avoid
Although questions involve the reader, you want to be sure of their response. Avoid posing questions where their answer is in doubt. If people respond the wrong way, you've lost them. In this case you might want to use a statement.
Thus instead of asking, 'Can you rely on your computer back-up systems?', you might say, 'When your computer lets you down, your customers go elsewhere!' which grabs the attention in a different way.
Don't ask questions that seem unanswerable. Just as they should be short, they should be reasonably specific. For example: 'What's the real story on the Internet?' is a non-question. It's too general and, as such, has little meaning. Instead, a question focusing on one aspect of the Internet would be more personal and relevant - for instance: 'How can the Internet benefit your business?' The more specific the question, the more powerful it is.
Beware of boring your reader. Questions don't have to be brutally terse but they must intrigue the reader. A dull question will provoke the response 'Don't know, don't care!'
Strengthen your questions
A good question can hook a reader. But some questions fail to throw down the gauntlet. For example, 'Is your mail delivered?' looks good enough on the face of it. You, however, would probably have asked, 'How much of your mail is delivered?'
The former invites a yes/no response. The latter triggers worry... about disgruntled customers... payments being delayed... customers switching to your rivals...
That emotional response will help you carry the reader forward and will help make them more receptive to the rest of your message.
This article was first published in Synergy, the free email newsletter from NRG.
Ask questions! Questions, by their very nature, involve people. A good rhetorical question immediately involves the reader. By asking the reader to consider a short, punchy sentence and its relevance to them, you immediately focus their interest on what you have to say.
What to do
Keep it simple. For an example of how to get it wrong, just look at the following question:
'How can you keep up with the latest development trends - games development, leveraging XYZ controls, extending existing applications to the Intranet and Internet - when it all changes so quickly?'
It's far too long and convoluted and probably lost your attention. Don't make your readers work harder than they have to.
A progressive series of shorter questions framed in simpler language is more likely to catch their interest. Thus 'How can you keep up with the latest developments?' 'Do you understand computer jargon?' 'Would your business benefit from a website?
Using questions not only demands a reader response. In transforming a command into a question, you transform aggressive antagonism into a rapport-building exercise. For example: 'This is you!' becomes 'Is this you?' The tone is far less aggressive, and consequently is more likely to win the reader over.
Vary your style. As well as asking questions, use bold statements in your copy. If you've got the balance right, this will stop a single technique becoming overused and losing its effect. A bold statement such as 'Your company is headed for ecological disaster!' can be as attention-grabbing as a question, if not more so, particularly when it is not just one statement among many others.
Having raised the key issue in the headline, or shortly after, don't then stray from what initially involved the reader. Keep on relating the rest of the copy to the question. Otherwise the reader will quickly lose interest.
Pitfalls to avoid
Although questions involve the reader, you want to be sure of their response. Avoid posing questions where their answer is in doubt. If people respond the wrong way, you've lost them. In this case you might want to use a statement.
Thus instead of asking, 'Can you rely on your computer back-up systems?', you might say, 'When your computer lets you down, your customers go elsewhere!' which grabs the attention in a different way.
Don't ask questions that seem unanswerable. Just as they should be short, they should be reasonably specific. For example: 'What's the real story on the Internet?' is a non-question. It's too general and, as such, has little meaning. Instead, a question focusing on one aspect of the Internet would be more personal and relevant - for instance: 'How can the Internet benefit your business?' The more specific the question, the more powerful it is.
Beware of boring your reader. Questions don't have to be brutally terse but they must intrigue the reader. A dull question will provoke the response 'Don't know, don't care!'
Strengthen your questions
A good question can hook a reader. But some questions fail to throw down the gauntlet. For example, 'Is your mail delivered?' looks good enough on the face of it. You, however, would probably have asked, 'How much of your mail is delivered?'
The former invites a yes/no response. The latter triggers worry... about disgruntled customers... payments being delayed... customers switching to your rivals...
That emotional response will help you carry the reader forward and will help make them more receptive to the rest of your message.
This article was first published in Synergy, the free email newsletter from NRG.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The 7 secrets of effective business networking
Here is a graphical representation of the steps in effective business networking.
You can get the full guide at this link...
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Business Relationships
At NRG we have commissioned a survey to determine role of business networking in forming business relationships. This survey is being conducted by Roger Croft who organises the Entrepreneurs South West Events for the University of Bath. If you would like to complete the survey click the link below:
Business Relationships
The results will be released through the NRG ezine, Synergy.
Business Relationships
The results will be released through the NRG ezine, Synergy.
Ecademy Marketplace Listings
Marketplace on the Ecademy site is a great place to promote your offers and services:
Ecademy Marketplace Listings : Dave Clarke
Ecademy Marketplace Listings : Dave Clarke
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Saturday, December 10, 2005
How many contacts have you made today? - Ecademy
How many contacts have you made today? - Ecademy
This one created quite a lively business networking discussion!
This one created quite a lively business networking discussion!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Do you have your own Name Badge?
Dave Clarke's Business Networking Nugget #1
Have the tools to network with you at all times.These include an informative name badge, business cards, literature about your business, and a pocket-sized business card file or PDA with the contact details of other professionals whom you can refer.
Whilst you may disagree about the need for literature, professional looking name badges are inexpensive and money well spent. You might want to find someone who can make you a metal badge that attaches to your clothes with a magnet rather than a pin. Big letters, not too big, nice colour, maybe even your company logo.
And then, you are prepared for any meeting.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has turned up to a meeting where some (or all!) of the following apply;
Have the tools to network with you at all times.These include an informative name badge, business cards, literature about your business, and a pocket-sized business card file or PDA with the contact details of other professionals whom you can refer.
Whilst you may disagree about the need for literature, professional looking name badges are inexpensive and money well spent. You might want to find someone who can make you a metal badge that attaches to your clothes with a magnet rather than a pin. Big letters, not too big, nice colour, maybe even your company logo.
And then, you are prepared for any meeting.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has turned up to a meeting where some (or all!) of the following apply;
- Name spelt wrong
- Wrong Company
- Wrong Business Category
- Barely legible hand written stickers that don't really stick
Do this and you will often be the only one with a professional looking badge, but will it make a difference?Try it, you will be suprised that it can be very thing that starts that all important conversation......
To keep up to date with NRG news, and for Relationship Networking & Advocate Marketing advice, business tips and information then register for our free ezine at the NRG Business Networks Website, www.nrg-networks.com
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Doing Small Business In A Smarter Way
Small business owners face some of the toughest challenges on the planet. Like many of the top performers in various works, small business owners need executive coaches to help them polish their game.
Unfortunately, many small business owners are not aware of coaching and the value it offers. For others there is the fear that the cost of coaching will be more than they can afford. Business Rebirth is about making a place where you can get information to help you better understand coaching and get some help in a financially feasible manner.
As a small business coach, I am constantly searching for ideas that can help my clients. Business Rebirth will be a place to share some of my best findings with my virtual clients. We will discuss ideas on this blog and will flesh them out on the main web site www.businessrebirth.com. That site only has a place holder for the moment and will be constructed soon. In the mean time, share with me your questions about your biggest challenges as a small business owner. I will respond to those questions that have the widest appeal. Given time, I will also respond to you by private e-mail. You can e-mail me at shallie@businessrebirth.com.
See you soon!
Unfortunately, many small business owners are not aware of coaching and the value it offers. For others there is the fear that the cost of coaching will be more than they can afford. Business Rebirth is about making a place where you can get information to help you better understand coaching and get some help in a financially feasible manner.
As a small business coach, I am constantly searching for ideas that can help my clients. Business Rebirth will be a place to share some of my best findings with my virtual clients. We will discuss ideas on this blog and will flesh them out on the main web site www.businessrebirth.com. That site only has a place holder for the moment and will be constructed soon. In the mean time, share with me your questions about your biggest challenges as a small business owner. I will respond to those questions that have the widest appeal. Given time, I will also respond to you by private e-mail. You can e-mail me at shallie@businessrebirth.com.
See you soon!
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