Speed Word of Mouth With a Promotion Kit

But why sit back and wait for word of mouth to build? You're impressed with your products or services, aren't you? Speed up the word of mouth process by creating and using a Promotion Kit.

Why Carry a Promotion Kit?

Wherever you go and whatever you do, you are surrounded by opportunities for business promotion. Having a Promotion Kit with you ensures that you're ready to capitalize on those promotion opportunities.

Have you ever had someone ask you for your business card and be in the unfortunate position of saying, "Sorry. I don't have any with me right now"? This doesn't happen to people who have a Promotion Kit prepared.

And think of your wider experience. If you're shopping, you'll be visiting other businesses that might be interested in exchanging some advertising space with you. If you're taking one of your children to a sports event, you'll be meeting people who might be interested in your products or services. Even if you're just out walking your dog, chances are good you'll meet someone.

With a Promotion Kit, you're ready for every contact.

Building a Promotion Kit

The basic Promotion Kit will include:

• your business cards
• other people's business cards
• your elevator spiel

You might also want to include other promotional materials, such as brochures or pamphlets about your business and press releases.

Huh? Other People's Business Cards?

You read that right. Business promotion is a circle, not a line. You already have a whole network of business contacts, including businesses that you and your friends and family prefer to do business with, because of their superior products or services. You probably don't have all their contact and product information memorized, though, so carrying those business' cards is a convenient way to share that information with others.

Carrying other people's business cards can give you an entrée into conversations with strangers. People like to receive information that they see as immediately valuable to them. Being able to "tip" someone about the exact service or product they're looking for at that time will get you remembered, spread good word of mouth, and maybe even get you the chance to talk about your own business.

At the very least, it will make the person more receptive to your business promotion activities. 

Don't Leave Home Without an Elevator Pitch

Your elevator pitch is your verbal calling card or introduction. I call it an elevator pitch because it has to be really short, but still give the person you're talking to a clear explanation of what your business is all about. (Think of the time you'd have to talk to someone while an elevator goes up two or three floors.)

Limit your elevator pitch to two or three sentences that tell your listener what you do and, even better, what your business can do for the person you're talking to. Practice your pitch so you sound relaxed and sincere.

6 Ways Facebook and Twitter Can Ruin You Financially

WE'RE ALL ADDICTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT WATCH OUT! OUR ONLINE PLACE OF NETWORKING CAN BE YOUR MONEY DOWNFALL!

Facebook is the world’s largest social networking site, with more than 800 million active users – many of whom enjoy posting status updates, photos of themselves, and comments about their own lives or other people’s activities.
Twitter, the micro-blogging site, is equally popular – if not in numbers, then certainly in terms of how engaged people become once they start dashing off 140-character tweets and developing a following.
Despite all the benefits Facebook and Twitter may offer – social interaction, creative expression, and real-time sharing of news and information – there are also many ways in which Facebook and Twitter could lead to some serious economic damage if you’re not careful.
Here are six ways Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites can hurt you financially:

1.    You could lose a job or promotion

According to a Reppler study, 91% of employers use social networks to screen job applicants. In fact, 69% of employers say they’ve rejected a job candidate based on something they saw about the person on a social networking site.
Clearly, saying or doing the wrong thing on Facebook or Twitter could cost you a job or take you out of the running for a much-desired promotion.
That’s why we’ve all heard stories about social media exploits coming back to burn people. (Think: those college frat pictures showing you binge-drinking, that careless tweet about how much you “hate” your job or boss, or that topless photo you posted during Mardi Gras).
So be smart about your social networking posts. Remember that Facebook and Twitter have definite career consequences for you, and thus serious financial ramifications as well.

2.    You could become a victim of theft

I’m always amazed at people who announce practically every detail of their lives, including their present whereabouts, on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Before you use social media to broadcast to the world that you are currently or will soon be on vacation in Mexico for a week, realize that crooks actively troll social networking pages looking for easy targets to victimize.
By telling the world that you’re currently out of the country or traveling out of town on business – or even that you just bought a great new home entertainment system – you could be setting yourself up to get robbed at your house or apartment.
And if thieves break into your home while you’re away, they could also get access to personal data, like your bank accounts or Social Security number – putting you at risk of identity theft too.

This is such a problem that Allstate, the big insurance company, recommends that people use smart social media strategies to deter burglary and theft. One suggestion Allstate makes: think twice before you check in on Foursquare, use Twitter to share a “wish-you-were-here!” message to your followers, or post real-time Facebook pictures of yourself sipping margaritas in the Caribbean.

3.    Bill collectors can track you down

Under federal law, bill collectors are restricted in terms of how and when they can contact you about debts you supposedly owe. That’s one of the protections afforded to consumers under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The FDCPA also prohibits debt collectors from telling others about your alleged bills.
But right now, the law is unclear on whether or not a bill collector can attempt to contact you through certain forms of social media. After all, most consumer protection laws, including the FDCPA, were written in a pre-Facebook era.
Besides, even if the FDCPA directly addressed this topic, bill collectors routinely flout the law. Little wonder, then, that unscrupulous debt collectors have been known to “friend” people on Facebook – and then later ask for or demand cash.
Some collection agents use an online “friendship” to get to know you, including where you work. Then they try to weasel their way into your wallet. Other debt collectors take a more aggressive approach, employing online threats, coercion, and other strong-arm tactics on Facebook to try to publicly embarrass debtors.
Using intimidation and harassment is illegal – no matter how a debt collector contacts you. But that doesn’t stop it from happening all the time.

Whether their technique is nasty or nice, it’s becoming more common for debt collectors and creditors to use social media platforms as a way to spy on you and your lifestyle, gauge your financial standing, and ultimately try to get cash from you.

4.    Almost anyone can tarnish your professional reputation

One of the financial hazards of using sites like Facebook and Twitter is that anyone can publicly bash you – at any time and for any reason – and do serious harm to your personal or professional reputation. Their gripes may be legitimate or completely fabricated and baseless.
Either way, once someone hell-bent on publicly trashing you takes their beef to Facebook, Twitter or other social networking venues, the damage (at some level) is done. This goes for individuals and businesses alike.

Sure, your friends may know that some jilted ex-boyfriend is simply making up nasty rumors about you and spreading false lies all over the Internet to humiliate you. But what about that prospective employer you’re trying to impress or that new business account or client you’re trying to land?
Likewise for businesses, including small business owners, having someone bad-mouth you on Facebook or Twitter has huge negative financial consequences.

According to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, when people using social media for customer service have a negative customer service experience, more than 80% of them halt a purchase with that business. Additionally, those same individuals will tell an average of 53 other people about their bad experience, the American Express survey revealed.

So a company suffers not just the loss of that one customer’s business – but also potentially dozens or maybe hundreds of other people too. If a person’s complaints go really viral through social networks, many thousands or even millions of prospective customers could form a negative impression about the company, inflicting serious financial harm.

5.    An ex-spouse can use your Facebook activity against you in divorce

If you ever split up with your spouse, and there are any financial or personal issues being contested, expect your ex – and his or her attorney – to comb through your Facebook posts and other social media activities searching for ammunition.

They’ll be looking for evidence of your assets, spending, lifestyle, affairs you may have had and more, according to lawyers who say the use of social media in divorce proceedings is on the rise. And all of it could wind up costing you dearly in divorce court.

Even if you manage to settle out of court, and avoid appearing before a judge, if a bitter former spouse gleans certain information about you from Facebook – stuff you’d long forgotten about – he or she will likely be able to extract a bigger financial settlement from you.

Oh, and if you think you’re safe just by deleting information or changing your passwords, think again. Several judges have ruled that divorcing parties can be ordered to turn over passwords, usernames, logins and deleted data from their social networking sites.

6.    You could be legally served court papers

Speaking of court, a divorce battle isn’t the only thing to worry about when it comes to Facebook or Twitter hurting you financially.
Recently, the rapper Flo Rida was served with a damages claim via Facebook. An Australian music festival promoter is suing Flo Rida (whose real name is Tramar Dillard) for an alleged breach of contract over a concert gig gone sour.

The promoter claims to have paid Flo Rida $56,800 to perform at a concert in Sydney, but the artist failed to show up, according to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper further reports that the promoter, called Mothership Music, made various unsuccessful efforts to serve Flo Rida personally, including attending other concerts in Australia where he performed. But process servers could never get past huge crowds, including the rapper’s bodyguards and entourage.

So when traditional efforts to serve the rapper failed, the New South Wales District Court froze Flo Rida’s assets in Australia, an ultimately allowed a claim to be served on him via Facebook rather than in person.

Obviously, this case involves extenuating circumstances – not the least of which is that the two parties live on opposite sides of the globe.
But this isn’t the first time that courts have allowed the use of social media to serve legal documents. It’s previously happened in Australia and Canada with Facebook. And a U.K. judge also allowed someone to be served via Twitter in 2009.
Legal experts say they expect the trend to continue. That’s not far-fetched when you consider that millions of Americans (not just entertainers) travel for business or pleasure each year.

Any of them could have a personal or business dispute that winds up leading to litigation. If they can’t be tracked down locally through traditional means, it’s not difficult to see that foreign courts would allow people to be served via social media.
While that does not yet appear to have happened in the U.S., I can envision scenarios under which judges might permit someone to be legally served via Facebook or Twitter.
One possible scenario: a father who has skipped town and moved out of state might be served via Facebook in a child custody or child support case, or another type of personal or business lawsuit. Again, it doesn’t happen now, as people have to usually get served in-person and with a hard copy, or sometimes via email.
But who knows about the future, as social media and other forms of electronic communication grow?
As for celebrities and high-profile entertainers like Flo Rida, who aren’t exactly hiding their whereabouts, the irony is that Facebook is a double-edged sword.
Though he was served court papers via Facebook, Flo Rida has also benefited greatly from the giant social media site, using it to help build his massive fan base.

As it turns out, Flo Rida is an active Facebook user. Right now, the rapper’s fan page has more than 6 million likes on Facebook.

Author Adrian's Top 10 Networking Tips for Savvy Networkers

 

• .  Be Prepared.  Savvy Networkers always have their networking tools with them at all times.  The Networking tool kit includes: an ample supply of business cards, your name badge, any collateral material (flyers, brochures, etc), and your marketing message (often referred to as your elevator speech).
  
  .  Arrive early.  Savvy Networkers arrive early and have their business cards readily available and can relax and focus on learning about the other people in the room.  As an early, Savvy Networker, you can pause to calmly gather your thoughts and your intentions so that your time spent networking will be of benefit to you and your goals.  Preparation goes a long way in making you appear to be someone that other people will want to get to know.  People do business with people they like.  And you will be judged by others, like it or not, based on their first impression of you.
   
• .  Have a plan.  Savvy Networkers always have an idea of what the goal is for each event they attend.  Know, before going in, what the outcome is that you want for yourself or for the people you meet at each event.  Do you want to meet 3 people and focus on getting to know them really well?  Are you looking for an introduction to a certain type of client?  Are you looking for information or connections that will get you that information?  When you have a plan, it is easier to stay focused and achieve your expected outcome.  It also helps you to keep on track to help others in achieving their goals when you remind yourself to be generous with your own knowledge and connections.  And, when you have a plan it is easier to stay on task as you meet with people.
• Be a Giver and/or a Connector.  When you focus on "giving" and being helpful to others, the "getting" will come later ... and it will come in unexpected ways.  Foremost to remember, is that no one likes a person with a "taker" mentality.  When you are generous, people will notice and repsect you for your kind nature.  And, people generally do business with people that they respect, trust, and like.  Act like a host at every event you attend by connecting people.  This can be a simple act of intruducing 2 people to each other or as elaborate as giving a testimonial about 1 person and their services to the entire group.  All of these acts allow you to focus on the "other" and grows your social capital in the room.
• Leave your troubles behind.  Put on a happy face at the door and remind yourself that it is "show time".  This is your time to sparkle and shine.  People will look forward to seeing you and meeting you if you are energetic, positive, and outgoing.  Again, people enjoy doing business with people that they like.  BE a person that others will like.  Hopefully you've heard the zen expression "Be the ball" ... well, whenever you have the chance, "Be the ball of the ball!"  Do not burden or bore people with your troubles or your problems.  Everyone has enough of their own, and, trust me on this, they do not need or want to hear about yours. 
• Listen with focus.  When someone is speaking with you, give that person your entire focus.  LISTEN.  Really hear what the person is saying.  Keep your eyes and ears focused and keep your self talk and thoughts focused too.  The greatest gift that you can give to another person is to truly hear what that person is saying.  You've seen this before and it bears repeating: you have 1 mouth and 2 ears for a reason.  Listen twice as much and talk 1/2 as much and everyone you treat this way will think you are a genius!
• Be Genuine.  Everyone knows when someone is "schmoozing" on or at them.  And, no one likes being "primed" for the pump.  Be genuine in your interactions with others at an event.  Again, it comes back to building trust,  to building "brand YOU".  There is a huge difference between being INTERESTED and in trying to be INTERESTING.   When you are interested in learning about someone and their business entirely for the sake of learning about the other person, you will leave a lasting impression as someone who genuinely cares.  On the other hand, when you are interested only so that you can take what you learn and then use it to make yourself or your products interesting to this person ... well, my friend, you have slipped into the category of "scorched earth networking" and it is not a good place to be. 
• Do Teach/Don't Sell.  The Savvy Networker knows that the immediate sale of a product is not the goal in networking.  Networking is about building relationships with people who will be happy to tell others about who you are and what you do.  Word of mouth advertising is the most cost effective and powerful advertising.   At every opportunity, teach others about who you are, as a person, and what it is that you do.  Always present a clear emphasis on the type of client that you are looking for.  In doing this, you will be building a salesforce that can reach far wider than you can on your own.
• Follow up.  After the event, send a thank you card to each person that you had direct contact with.  Mention something from your discussion in the thank you card (it helps if you jot notes on the back of each person's business card that you collect).  If there is a referral that you can supply to someone you've just met, include that in the follow up note.  Showing up and following up are the two most important parts of networking.  Showing up, in most cases, is the easy part.  The follow up is, sadly, the most neglected part of networking.  Since so many people fail to follow up, you can really stand out by just doing this simple act of reaching out to remind someone of who you are and what you do ... and that you are interested in exploring a relationship.
• Follow up some more!  Depending on where you look, marketing statistics state that it takes 7 to 12 impressions for a consumer to make a buying decision.  It also take somewhere between 5 to 12 impressions to become "top of mind".  AND those are the OLD numbers.  Because of the overload of information that we are all faced with every day, the number of impressions is actually quite higher.  It is more likely to take 15 - 20 impressions before you make the connections that you are looking to build! Meeting face to face is the 1st impression.  An email, a phone call, another card, a lunch date ... don't stop after 1 or 2 impressions.  Keep going.  Savvy Networkers know that to build strong relationships they must dig deeper and make the continued effort to build ongoing relationships!

Pros and Cons of Social Networking Sites - What You Should Know

It is not unusual if you often hear your siblings or your friends talk about the people they have met and made friends with through the Internet as social networking is one of the phenomena that have taken the world of Internet by storm. Almost every Web surfer has an account in at least one of the social networking sites, for these sites are the more enjoyable places to hang around in. However, the pros and cons of social networking sites have become a topic for debates.

Just like in any development in technology, social networking has positive and negative sides. Let us now take a look at the outstanding pros and cons of social networking sites.

The Pros

Social networking sites have paved the way for easier communication to your friends, family, or colleagues. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your classmates could discuss a school activity by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. People of different races also get to mingle with each other in just a few clicks.

The idea of socializing with millions of people of different backgrounds excite the Web surfers. This is one thing that you can hardly do outside the virtual world.

The Cons

While social networking sites have become places for establishing connections and meeting friends, they have also become likely places for identity theft and fraud. As you have to provide certain information such as your e-mail address, name, and location, others use these information and pretend to be you, especially when they are into illegal activities.

Furthermore, someone pretending to be somebody else can make you believe that he or she is up to some business offer, ask to meet up with you, and take your money. It has also become easier for someone to stalk you and harass you online.

You should make use of the pros and cons of social networking sites to take precautions in the kind of people you should trust and share some information about yourself to. The debates whether you should or should not be a part of the social networking community is never ending. And, at the end of the day, the best weapon that you have is sound judgment.

Self-Publishing Matters 5 Biggest Mistakes

Avoid These Top 5 Mistakes Authors Make When Publishing

#1: Do not sacrifice quality

Once the book is written, many authors are anxious to get published right away. That's understandable. What isn't understandable is sacrificing quality.

After the time it took to write your book, do you want it published right, or overnight? You can still achieve high-quality book publication quickly with the assistance of an experienced publishing firm like Reader's Club. 
 
#2: Do not lose your rights

There are some publishers out there that keep the rights to your current book, and have "right of first refusal" for any subsequent books you write, too. What if you don't like that publisher? You'd be stuck!

Stick with a firm like Reader's Club, where all your rights stay with you, where they belong.

#3: Do not pay more later

The up-front costs are the primary concern for most authors, even though long-term, back-end costs are actually more important.

Many other publishers take advantage of this by low-balling up-front fees in exchange for very high "back-end" costs down the road.

#4: Do not forget about distribution

Nowadays, anyone can print a book. But what about getting it into the hands of readers? Only a handful of elite publishers like in our Reader's Club can make your book available through the most sales channels, including online with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Ingram Wholesalers, Baker & Taylor, Wholesale Direct, Espresso Book Machine, and many more.

#5: Do not forget about marketing support

Do you want a box of sub-par books dumped at your doorstep, never to hear from your publisher again? Of course not. So avoid those do-it-yourself outfits that publish 1000s of books a week.

Successfully publishing a high-quality book means choosing a publisher from reader's Club that offers full-service options and on-going marketing support after publication.

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