David Beairsto

Marketing To Needs Or Wants

internet marketing, Marketing No Responses »
Feb 182012
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Marketing To Needs and Knowing What Your Niche Needs

Let’s face it clever marketers know how to blur the otherwise clear marketing to needsunderstanding between what people need and what they want but marketing to needs builds business credibility and longevity.

Integrity isn’t a strong suit in the corporate world but thanks to the internet and immediate recognition those underhanded marketing shenanigans that used to fool the masses are now being exposed by millions of watch dog consumers.

Products and services without actual value have an ever shrinking market whereas products that offer true value do so because they meet real world needs.

Better and Better

The competition between quality products will usually produce improvements that go well beyond the actual need. Providing the price doesn’t become inflated with the additional enhancements those bells and whistles can be an added bonus to the campaign.

In terms of consumer electronics it’s easy to lose customers in the details. People are more apt to pull back from a decision because of information overload.

If you shop online you may have noticed that details, features or specifications are usually tucked behind a radio button the consumer needs to push. Only the immediate answer to a specific need is presented up front.

3 Things To Focus On

1.    Identify the need
2.    Answer the need
3.    Make the connection on an emotional level

Buying is basically an action driven by emotion. From the food at the supermarket to goods and services we attach emotions to every dime we spend.

Remorse is an emotion marketers seek to avoid and bringing home something that you don’t really need is the perfect recipe for buyer’s remorse.

Parents see this time and again in the mountain of toys their kids wanted but never used. Perhaps part of the guilt we feel over items we purchased but didn’t really need is carried over from our childhood experience.

It Slices and Dices

The multiple use item, or the item that meets multiple needs has a clear marketing advantage over something that meets a single need and a couple of wants.

Once again clever marketers know how to paint that second, third and fourth want as a need. The only person who can say whether or not it is a true need is the individual doing the shopping.

Marketing to needs within any niche is going to cover some grey area between end consumers. If you can honestly answer why a certain feature meets a need then your product and company integrity will remain intact.

Thanks in advance for sharing and if you have any questions about marketing to needs we’d love to help.

Posted by David Beairsto at 6:57 am Tagged with:

Using Direct Response Marketing For Network Marketing

direct marketing, direct response marketing, internet marketing, Leadership, Marketing, Network Marketing, online business world 1 Response »
Oct 102011
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Direct Response Marketing and The Marketing FunnelDirect Response Marketing

Every network marketer is continually looking to build networks within networks and direct response marketing is process for building them. This principle is logically sound because people are more productive working with people who share similar passions.

Whether those efforts are based on a new product release or a completely new business venture they’re reflected in a marketing funnel of any size and at any level.

At the top of our marketing funnel we’re looking for people who are interested in the online business world. That’s a broad niche but a niche nonetheless because everyone we find on the internet isn’t interested in doing business there.

Direct Response Marketing and Niche Marketing

Permission based marketing is accomplished when people choose to be courted as a lead or prospect. Direct response marketing begins before an individual first decides to be courted and continues until they sever the relationship.

The broadest niche is usually filled from responses to online content or ads at which point they become leads. Network marketing depends upon a steady flow of these leads even though many of them never buy or join your business.

The next response either through phone or email will determine if a lead becomes part of a smaller network or not. This process is the same if your lead list is 100 or 10,000 and continues as long as you have something new to offer (which in well developed funnels can be endless).

New Offers – Direct Response Marketing to your Existing Network

In the same way you would build a smaller network from a larger network, you would present new offers to appropriate networks. Sales and business building should always follow the response back to an offer and be directed to just those who welcome that courtship.

A gentleman used to ask permission from a lady’s parents and then the lady herself prior to courting her. Even if he’s the prince protocol must be maintained.

The quickest way to dissolve a network is to pitch them endlessly about every little thing you or some affiliate has available. Always asking permission at every stage of the marketing funnel engages the decision making process of your prospects; true leaders are also decision makers.

Teaching and Training – Direct Response Marketing and Leadership

Here’s another principle related to network marketing. Every network marketer leads a team of leaders.

Leadership is always a high priority for teaching and training. Everyone in the network knows how they arrived there and what is required of them provided they were engaged in the direct response marketing process.

Knowing why the process is important also helps preserve the integrity of the network. Learning how direct response marking works is far easier when you were a willing participant in that process, and easier to teach others as well.

Comments and questions are always encouraged. Thanks in advance for sharing.

Posted by David Beairsto at 9:39 pm Tagged with: ,

Technophobia and The Software Engineers Responsible

online business world, personal development, personal productivity No Responses »
Sep 262011
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Do Software Engineers Contribute To Technophobia?dealing with technophobia

September doesn’t just mean back to school for the kids, most of the professional world will be dealing with the learning curve and the technophobia introduced by computer programmers and web designers for the last quarter of the year.

While I understand the need for fresh looks and innovative ideas, finding an engineer that respects familiarity as it relates to practicality is a rarity. When you’re the middle man between non-technical folk and the engineers who seem to be reinventing the wheel you develop a deeper appreciation for why people are afraid of technology.

I’m tired of hearing all about Facebook from journalists who are busy quoting the users who’ve made that social network what it is today. If I want to know how disgusted people are with the changes all I have to do is log in.

Changes Require Training

In the professional world upgrades usually require training at some level. I’ve sat in many classes alongside the engineers responsible for administration listening to intelligent questions about the design.

From the top down unless changes are explained adequately the end result will be frustration. From the bottom up the average user looks at the situation with some degree of fear and with the right amount of education they’ll work their way up to frustration.

Consumer based applications for example may roll out upgrades every year or two and the manuals are usually just as big for each revision. Other products may include the tech guides along with the software or on a related website.

User Friendly Competition

While I still speak to people who yearn for the old days where everything was done with paper and pencil they don’t really have to think long about how impractical that would be to their job or business. As long as they can confidently manipulate the tools, technology will enhance their capability.

Computers and the software we use are primarily intended to allow us to do more than we should be capable of doing. Software engineers must balance how well their product performs a certain function and how easy or enjoyable users find it.

Technology has exploded the ‘How To’ industry and finding answers is faster than ever before thanks to the internet. The internet also introduces alternatives for business owners who are tired of fighting with an application that just doesn’t measure up to their expectations.

‘I’m Just Not Technical’

For tech support professionals that statement is a red flag meaning even if you go slow and avoid tech-speak they still won’t get it. Fear is one of the most debilitating emotions humans have to deal with and although it’s usually irrational, it’s always real.

My fear of indoor plumbing repair has more to do with my lack of desire than the expectation that things will go terribly wrong. People that are afraid of technology in all likelihood have had something go terribly wrong and justify their fears that it will happen again.

Professional plumbers laugh and tell stories about horrible experiences they’ve had. Tech support professionals post their horror stories online. When those experiences become common they lose the fear factor.

Taking Responsibility

While it’s easy to blame software engineers for making our lives miserable because we can’t do what we used to be able to do before the upgrade, they certainly don’t want to instill fear. Since productivity is so easily measured these days most companies that are producing software focus on the usability of their product.

It isn’t necessary to have group therapy for everyone suffering from technophobia, unless that therapy includes some practical training. Discovering how to overcome technophobia isn’t that complicated providing you maintain a teachable spirit.

If the tools you’re working with are bringing the level of success you expect, don’t try to fix it. If you must upgrade, educate yourself first to avoid technophobia. The monster in your computer isn’t scary when you know it before it gets there.

One of the primary reasons for creating FreeOnlineHomeBusinessTraining.com was to help people deal with Technophobia. We’re constantly reaching out to people at that site and on our Facebook Page. Please let us know where you’d like more help and we’ll get that information out as fast as possible because if you’re having trouble with it, others are as well.

Posted by David Beairsto at 5:23 pm Tagged with: , ,

Advertising Online For Local Traditional Businesses

advertising online, home business, internet marketing, internet presence, local business, Marketing, online business world, SEO, social media, social media marketing 1 Response »
Aug 142011
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What Local Business Owners Discover When Advertising Online

Old school advertising methods still work for some but increasingly we find advertising online has a much greater impact for local business owners. I’m always impressed when a local contractor not only recognizes the differences in ROI between print and online advertising, but also takes the time to track results.

I spend a lot of time with network marketers or web based business owners who basically drive the demand for improvements to tracking online results. From a marketing perspective it really doesn’t matter where you invest your advertising dollar as long as you know exactly how well your ad campaigns are performing.

The potential to drill down to a well defined niche target and not waste money speaking to an audience you can’t possibly serve is why internet marketing beats print or public media advertising for cost effectiveness.

Advertising Online with Social Media

I don’t expect seasoned plumbers or electricians to have the same working knowledge of social media advertising. As long as they’ve experienced the potential of an ‘Adwords’ campaign they’re essentially predisposed to jumping into the deep end.

For most small business owners who service a local clientele the social media campaign can be managed in just a few hours a week. A family member or administrator can spend about 15 to 20 minutes a day updating, responding and sharing.

While hiring a social media manager may not be obtainable for all small businesses, the skills can be mastered by anyone. Most people already know how spread news online and the menus for placing ads in social media are as friendly as the platform itself.

SEO vs. The Chamber of Commerce – or – Advertising Online vs. Print Ads

Depending upon the business you’re looking to attract, joining your local chamber may be a good idea.

Businesses typically trust chamber members but these days the local chamber can be full of competition. Everyone has the opportunity to place their ads in the chamber’s directory but anyone who wants more information is going to find it online.

SEO is important for your online business world as it relates to being found according to the relevance of your site or other online content. Advertising online through SEO is usually considered free, although there is work involved. For local businesses most of that SEO effort is focused on location.

Advertising Online as a Fully Branded Entity

Recognition and reputation go hand in hand. Comments, recommendations and reviews drive interest.

What people are saying about you on the street defines your brand in the real world. What they say about you online defines your brand in the online business world.

Advertising online isn’t just about making a connection between the person who clicks your ad and your local business. It’s also about sharing your brand with them in a way that allows them to share it with the rest of their online world.

If you’re a local or traditional business owner with results or insight you’d like to share about advertising online we welcome your input. For practical help with every aspect of doing business online please visit ‘Free Online Home Business Training’ to discover how to apply the techniques used by home business owners for your traditional business.

Advertising Online for Local Businesses

Posted by David Beairsto at 5:31 am Tagged with: , ,

Doing Business With People You Don't Know

entrepreneur, Leadership, social media, social media marketing 1 Response »
Jul 312011
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People You Don’t Know Are Beyond Your Control and Influence…

Expanding Your Influence

The people closest to you are those that are most easily influenced by you but it’s hard to imagine having any influence on people you don’t know.

There is a very common teaching that utilizes a simple diagram sometimes with circles to demonstrate the limitations of personal control, and influence. Specifically to illustrate that there are forces around us over which we have no control or influence.

I’ve seen this lesson in the context of spiritual, emotional, educational and professional environments but typically the focus is narrow and based upon the objective at hand. For the most part that area drawn to emphasize the people, situations and circumstances that we face over which we have no control or influence, is only used to help direct attention to what we can control and influence.

Setting The Stage

The purpose of this narrative is to examine that outer area, the one which the instructor warns us against trying to exercise control over. However, before we can go there we need to revisit what we can control and what we can influence.

Here’s the short list of what we can control:
1.    Our thoughts and words
2.    Our reactions
3.    Our attitudes
4.    Our decisions

This is the short list of what we can influence:
1.    People who look to us for direction (typically children)
2.    People who look to us for instruction (peers and subordinates)
3.    People who look to us for inspiration (remember this one!)
4.    Our personal comfort or sense of fulfillment

What Lies Beyond

The most common examples you face of that grey area over which you’re helpless to exercise your control or influence are (1) unforeseen circumstances and (2) people you don’t know.

From a practical application we are taught not to submit our emotions (something we control) to the outcome of unfortunate circumstances. Successful people look forward to these obstacles because they’ve already learned that personal growth is always accelerated by that which challenges us.

From an entrepreneurial perspective we become fascinated by the second example; people we don’t know. All business growth is hinged upon moving people from that area beyond our influence to where we can start the process of building a relationship.

Unraveling The Mysterious Patterns Around Us

True innovation continuously looks beyond what it presently reaches with a passion to touch more. In the example of Facebook, what struck the creator as a potential billion dollar business still hasn’t finished exploding.
Sometimes studying the patterns at work around us inspires an ad that will attract a small amount of interest. Sometimes new business ventures are simply overwhelmed by a seemingly innocuous phrase that goes viral.

The formula should look like this:
1.    Well defined need or solution our business can satisfy
2.    Who needs it most and where are they looking for it?
3.    Who would love to discover it seemingly by accident and…
4.    Where would they feel most comfortable doing so?

What Social Media Has Provided

Beyond the continuous blather of everything your friends did today, the voices in social media offer true insight to exactly what matters to people. The expansion of your social network exposes you to patterns that you may not have been exposed to normally.

In order to accomplish the same type of research by any other means is suddenly impractical both for the expense and time involved. Social media takes you directly into the heartbeat and emotional state of just about any experience you can imagine.

It becomes the passion of the social media manager to get in and get out after acquiring the answers they needed from a trustworthy and reliable source. Quietly unlocking the patterns allows you to reach into that mass of society, the people you don’t know and build a bridge into the online business world over which you do have influence.

The people you don’t know are vital to your business and while you can’t know and have a close personal relationship with everyone of them, you should develop a professional relationship with all of them. If you find this information helpful please share it with your friends and leave us your thoughts.

Posted by David Beairsto at 3:36 am

Need More Help Customer Service Attitude

home business, Internet Business Model, Leadership 1 Response »
Jun 302011
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Why Customer Service Associates Ask If You Need More Help

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” (Literally means: “I have much more to offer and you matter to me.”)

That sentence is one of the cornerstones for customer service because a person may not need more help but they’re emotionally charged by another person’s willingness to serve them further. Developing a predisposition to ask if you can do more helps shape your attitude and motivation.

This concept is easy to demonstrate one on one, person to person. As printed or electronic media in the online business world this exchange is more difficult to accomplish.

Direct response marketing should begin with a clear uncomplicated offer to help. Every subsequent step in the marketing funnel should reiterate that same sentiment, “I’m still here and I want to help.”

Too Much Information

I don’t find it ‘Easy’ standing in front of a rack of merchandise with a dozen items that all have slight variations and different prices. Whether someone explains each item and the differences, or I just read the packaging, the process takes time and effort.

It’s much easier to find the electronics department because that sign is hung high from the ceiling and only contains one word. I start walking in that direction immediately.

The easiest part is finding the store. Even though the store contains more information than the department, or the rack of merchandise, the only important thing to know is where it is and when it opens.

Making The Details Comfortable

Your business probably offers many select products or specific services and marketing becomes a matter of presenting them so they’re easy to understand. Organization is a matter of practicality.

Unbridled creativity in the online business world can complicate the process instead of simplifying it. If you make someone uncomfortable and then ask to help them you can usually guarantee a, ‘No, thank you.’

A person may be interested in the details or ready to buy. In both cases we want the buy button already present, a click away and available with every page of detail.

The Process Begins

The decision to buy is either yes or no. The offer for more help follows both paths and the marketing funnel anticipates both responses.

Think of the new customer as already having entered the sales funnel. They are the VIP from that day forward and have access to everything you offer.

The other person is a potential customer who has entered your marketing funnel. They are also a VIP from that time forward and receive the same level of customer service offered to someone who already purchased from you; both of these VIP’s are going to need more help eventually.

If you want help with your sales funnel or marketing funnel we offer consulting to help you understand and develop your online funnel to offer the best possible customer service. We also continue to offer free online home business training in the form of articles and videos. Your comments are always welcome and we appreciate it when you share us with your friends. If there is every anything else we can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Posted by David Beairsto at 3:13 pm Tagged with: ,
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