These are words no one wants to hear. Yet thousands of California affiliates – myself included – just received the equivalent. Termination emails went out to all California affiliates of Amazon.com, Overstock.com, and other retailers, thanks to California Governor Jerry Brown and the California legislators who passed the so called “Amazon Bill”.  My question is, how many of those who voted for the bill along with the Governor himself, really understood the actual impact and the fall out that would take place when this bill was made into law? And what does this mean for future Internet sales. States have tried for years now to figure out a way to tap into the potential of online sales tax income. If you are an online merchant, you might want to take notice. This could be just the beginning.

Read more in an Orange County newspaper

“The first ones should be operational by late 2013 according to the current roadmap.”

How much is this going to cost you ask? Only a mere $185,000. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. I guess the frenzy will be between large companies not small ones. Can you say www.TheRitz.hotel?

You can read the entire story here: TechCrunch

Websites have changed over the years.  They started out as an electronic brochure and have evolved to cash registers.  So much so that online sales for this past (2010) holiday season topped $13 billion. That is a 13% increase from the previous year. AND, that number was for a mere 29 days – November to December 1.

The question is, can a small business entrepreneur capitalize on this massive spending spree? In a word, YES! Many small business owners are enjoying unprecedented success by having an online presence.  Unfortunately, many more are not.

First Impression

What a lot of website owners don’t understand is that if they want a website that sells, that website had better be spot on.  Again, that is not the case with too many small business owners. When potential customers land on their site, the first impression is a bad one.

What Sells?

Every business owner knows that people purchase from people they know, like, and trust. So if you want a website that sells, it must be irresistible, it must build trust, it must be memorable, and most of all, it must move a visitor to take action.

How does a website do that?

To have a website that get results, the overall look and feel of the site must be sticky enough to keep visitors on the site. Coupled with a fresh clean look and dynamic strategic content, a website can sell 24/7.

Want to learn more about having a website that sells?  Join this free webinar with me, Cynthia Renee Frazier, and Lavada Thompson of Gems Shine Consulting. You can see all of the details here. See you there!

This can make a potential customer feel like he or she is being cross examined.

Most customers love to browse and shop. At the same time, most customers hate to be sold.  That’s where building rapport comes in. When you take the time to discover what your customer likes, you avoid the mistake of moving through the sales process too quickly. Instead, engage your customer in a bit of friendly conversation with the intent to flush out their wants and needs. Not in a grilling kind of way.  This can make the potential customer feel like he or she is being cross examined. Instead, approach the conversation in an authentic, honest, dialog that shows you care about the individual, not just the sale.  The benefit to your business is long term customer loyalty.  And anyone who has been in business two minutes knows that it costs at least 10X more to acquire a new customer than to maintain an existing customer.   Fortunately, in today’s climate, there are great tools like social networking that can be used to build rapport.  Read more here.

In the old days of business growth, a company positioned itself as a champion that dives right in to solve problems.

In my earlier discussion on building customer rapport, I talked about the importance of taking the time to get to know your customers in order to fulfill their likes, wants, and needs.  Ultimately, this builds customer loyalty, saves you time and money, and eliminates the frustration of chasing after new customers.

Building rapport is so much easier with social networking. Using a profile page, you can engage your customers in an honest authentic dialog that let’s your friendliness evolve in a natural way.  In the old days of business growth, a company positioned itself as a champion that dives right in to solve problems. In today’s economy, successful companies have learned to value their customers by building a lasting relationship and delivering flawless service.  By utilizing social networking effectively, a company can grow to its fullest potential.

Big shout out to SheEO’s Rock Facebook group member DWritewell.  She encouraged me to write this post. You see, we were in the group talking about the industry of virtual assisting.  It seems like the market has been flooded lately with scores of new VAs.  So many in fact, that the question was raised – Are there enough opportunities to support the number of VAs selling their services.  Here’s what I said…….

Y E S IF

they find a niche and brand themselves in it.  I see a lot of  VA ads and promos that say pick me, I do it all.  Unfortunately, this may not resonate with potential clients. It certainly does not set a VA apart from the rest.

What do clients want?

Most clients hire a VA based on a project they are working on.  Let’s say it is a marketing firm looking to hire a VA to work on social media projects. In this case, the hiring company could care less if a VA has years of experience bookkeeping. What they will look at is the online presence of the VA. Consideration is not likely to be given to a VA  who has a fan page with 10 fans or no current status updates, or profile that is only used to keep in touch with family.  On the other hand, a brick and mortar business that doesn’t market online is not likely to look favorably on a VA who only knows the online world.  That same company though, would be very impressed with a VA who has years of admin experience under her belt.

Whether you are a new VA just getting started, or you have a growing VA business, keep these three tips in mind if you want to grow your company:

• Know what you are selling
• Specialize in it and make that your brand
• Communicate your specialty to potential clients looking for those specific skills

If you want to learn more on standing out in a crowd, read here.

I recently attended a networking event that was absolutely fabulous. Over 50 women business owners shared what they do with each other. The energy was high and the business exchange was tremendously valuable. As part of the formal networking structure, each owner was asked to give their unique selling point. I was struck by the lack of understanding of what a USP is among these successful entrepreneurs. The majority of owners I heard said that what made them different is that they conduct their business with integrity and honesty. It was clear that as we went around the table, the owners failed to recognize how many people said the same thing. None of the women could say what made their business stand out from the crowd.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss what a unique selling proposition is and how a business can distinguish itself from the rest. If you have questions about finding your USP, give me a call for a free 30 minute consultation. If you are ready to take the next step and benefit from my expertise, click here.

There are certain principles that are a given in business. Having integrity and honesty is great, but this is not what makes you, your product, or your service unique. Things like integrity, honesty, great customer service, or service with a smile are all expected by customers. These are standards that no one business owner should claim as what makes him or her different from all of the other business owners with similar offerings.

Having a USP is very important in a crowded business environment. Ideally, a good USP can increase market share and ultimately increase the bottom line of a business. So just what does distinguish one business from another with similar offerings?  An effective USP is a statement that tells the benefits you offer and what it is that you do that no other business can do. Your USP should be compelling enough to motivate the prospect to take action.

The following five steps will help you identify your uniqueness in the marketplace.

1.   Describe the benefits of doing business with you and/or your company.

2.   Identify what makes you different.

3.   Identify what problems your prospects face and how you can solve them.

4.   Close the Gap between what your prospects need and what you offer.

5.   Use all of the information to write a clear and concise statement.

When you come right down to it, your USP is a powerful message that will drive prospects to choose your company over others offering similar products and services. When writing your USP, avoid using words like more, bigger, better, and faster. These words are generally worthless because they cannot be measured. As you develop your USP, remember that prospects want to know what you can do for them, not how great you are. They want to know how you will solve their problems and make their life easier. Focus on results, and create desire and urgency. It may take a few rewrites, but it is well worth it. The ROI on a well crafted USP statement is an increase in market share and substantial business growth.

1.  Know your value, vision, or god given talent. So many business owners are unclear about the value they bring to the marketplace. In the case of Ted Williams, he had a unique voice. For small business owners, it might be a vision or a solution to a problem their target market has.

2.  Put your value together with a call to action in a concise, clear statement that is easy for your target market to understand. I find that for many of my coaching clients, this is a difficult thing to address.  It doesn’t have to be long or drawn out to get results. For Ted Williams it was a powerful story that provoked interest in the reader.

3.  Promote your message with your most profitable target market. Use every piece of marketing collateral – business card, website, social media profile, etc. – to tell your business story.  For Ted Williams, it was only 5 sentences on a piece of cardboard.

4.  Be consistent and keep showing up. Often, small business owners are sporadic with their marketing.  Ted Williams appeared on the same corner day after day until something clicked.

5.  When opportunity knocks, open the door! This may seem like a no-brainer, but many business owners fail to respond appropriately when potential clients show interest in their offering. Not Ted Williams. When asked, he was eager to demonstrate his ability.

When it comes to pricing, many entrepreneurs, particularly women business owners, place a lower cost on their products and services than what the market will bear. Conduct a price analysis on your pricing structure. Be sure to consider these areas.  a) what it cost to provide your product or service; b) pricing options such as flat rate vs hourly, subscription based, retainer, or volume pricing; c) the value of your brand; d) your competition and its prices; and e) market demand.  Chances are, after a thorough examination, you will find that there is a fair and reasonable cause to increase your prices.

2. Write a Marketing Action Plan

Whether you have a formal business plan or not, it is important to have a blueprint that speaks directly to marketing. Why? Because marketing is the process by which you acquire and maintain customers. Generally speaking, you don’t go from meeting someone to having them spend money with you all in the same instance. Most customers are looking for information that will help them decide where to buy sometime later. A focused marketing plan that identifies your ideal clients, what their problems are, and how you can solve those problems, will result in increased profits for your company.

3. Trust Your Intuition

“A Woman’s Intuition” has been dubbed as the 6th sense. A woman’s intuition is those instinctive messages women get deep down when something feels right or it feels wrong. When it comes to men, it is known as gut feeling. Women should develop and trust their intuition in business. Don’t second guess yourself.

4. Join a Networking Organization

Networking is the lifeblood of entrepreneurship. Joining a membership organization is a great strategy when you are looking at ways to grow your business. An organization membership can provide tremendous value to your company. It can bring business to you. You can find mentors and experts to provide valuable advice. The camaraderie and motivation is priceless. And you can find success partners to hold you accountable for your goals.

5. Identify Your Strengths and Hire out Your Weaknesses

Entrepreneurs start a business because they have a particular expertise or knowledge that can help others. However, small business owners quickly discover that there are many tasks to be done that fall out of their current skill set. So they end up wasting valuable time and energy trying to learn what they don’t know. Unfortunately, this feeds fear and leaves a feeling of incapability. A better approach is to take on those tasks that you have a passion for and delegate those tasks that slow you down. Working your strengths will give you confidence – a confidence that your customers and potential customers are sure to take notice of.

3 Supersized Benefits to Joining a Membership Organization

Successful business owners have learned the value of networking. Organization membership can provide a tremendous value to a growing company. Yes, an organization membership can bring business to you. However, there is so much more to joining than that. Consider these three very important benefits that are often overlooked.

1. Mentorship – Anyone will tell you that to get to the next level in business, you must consult with those who have knowledge and expertise in different areas. Whether it is marketing or public relations or sales, having access to industry experts is priceless. And there’s more. Mentors can save you from the headache of making unnecessary mistakes. Don’t get me wrong. Mistakes and failures play a vital role in growing a business. And believe me, there are plenty to go around. Having a mentor can accelerate the inevitable learning curve.

2. Camaraderie – When was the last time you faced negative questions from your family and friends about what it is that you do? Those business owners who have a brick and mortar are likely immune from this type of question since people can “see” the business. But those of us who have a home based or internet based business often find it difficult to share ideas and concerns with those who work for someone else. To people who “work for a living,” running a small business comes across as mysterious and frivolous. Moreover, due to the lack of understanding, family, friends, and employees become nay sayers to your ambitions. That’s why if your business is to grow, you must stay connected to the beautiful and inspiring people who are actively pursuing their business goals as well as those who are quite successful at it.

3. Accountability – Many small businesses operate as a sole proprietor. We love what we do. That is why we often spend the majority of our time engrossed in our product or service. We work hard to deliver quality to our clients. Likewise, we set high goals for our business. Yet there is no one to hold us accountable. That’s where the organization and its membership come in. We can team with success partners within the organization who can offer gentle persuasion and hold us accountable to our goals. Having someone hold you accountable can mean the difference between growing and staying where you are.