"Secrets of Master Networkers" Seminar + Speed Networking

Start Your New Year Off With a Bang... The Long Island Way!

Long Island is all about networking and The Long Island Way is proud to present an event that all LI businesses and not-for-profit organizations should attend.

First our presenter, Dean Mercado of Online Marketing Muscle will provide an awesome seminar to sharpen the attendees’ networking skills and then second we will facilitate a speed networking event to give attendees a chance to use their newly found networking skills.

Be sure to prepare your 1 minute elevator speech and bring plenty of business cards and we will do the rest!

• Cost $37 (Members) and $52(Non-Members)

Space is limited. First come First served as only One Person Per Profession is eligible to attend so go here now to reserve your spot: http://thelongislandway.com/

Dean Mercado - Online Marketing Muscle

A well-respected marketing coach, strategist, author, and speaker with expertise on helping small businesses and independent professionals leverage the power of the internet to increase their visibility, credibility, and reach within their target market.

"Secrets of Master Networkers" Seminar Summary

In business it’s quite simple, networking makes the world go around! Dean would even dare to say that one’s ability to network effectively is in direct proportion to their success in business. In this seminar, attendees will learn 11 secrets that make the great networkers, truly great!

For more information
Email: info@thelongislandway.com OR Call 631.386.6902 TODAY!

Facebook Trumps All for Web Site Traffic Generation?

Check out this insight on web site traffic: http://mashable.com/2009/10/06/study-traffic-sources/

New Service Offerings Coming Soon!

We're getting ready to announce our new service offerings. Stay tuned for more info shortly!

Sage Networking Advice

Check out my friend Ron Gold as he provides some sage networking advice on Ron Villano's Internet Radio Show... Ron's segment starts at about 38 minutes into the show. If you use networking as a strategy for your business, you don't want to miss this one...

Surefire Way To Never Have To Compete On Price Again!

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” – Roger Staubach

With an 18 month old daughter... who is now very mobile... and a second child on the way, my wife and I decided it was time to fence in our yard for both their safety and our sanity. So we started to solicit estimates from a few vendors. Much to our dismay the prices for what appeared to be comparable fences varied by over $2000. Unfortunately for the vendors, there was little if any differentiation between them. They asked too few questions and made too few recommendations. They essentially positioned themselves to compete on price... in my opinion, the worst positioning a small business can take!

So as responsible and mindful consumers what did we do? While we didn't hire the lowest price vendor, we did however ask the one that gave us the best warm and fuzzy feeling to at least come close to the lowest price. We don't mind paying a few extra dollars for that warm and fuzzy feeling, even amongst the current state of the economy. And my guess is that many other consumers feel the same.

My suggestion... avoid this scenario for your business at all costs! Don't position yourself for a price war. Stand out!

How? It's simple... Be willing to do the little things that your competition is either unwilling or too lazy to do.

Why? Because it's the little things that make all the difference! It's the little things that show you actually care! It's the little things that justify your existence and your fees! It's the little things that get you hired!

We're not talking about breaking the bank here. If you put just a little creative thought into this, there are literally dozens of little things you could do to out-class the competition.  For example:

• Provide your prospect with a tips sheet on selecting the best vendor and/or solution.
• Educate your prospect on any unforeseeable hiccups they may experience in the buying process (e.g. special permits and variances they may need to move forward, other expenses, etc.).
• Provide price quotes from and/or public information about a few of your competitors to show how you clearly are the best choice. I don’t mean bad mouth your competition. Just stick to the facts and point out the differences between the companies that seem to matter to your target market most.

And to keep your existing clients happily paying your fees, you can model...

• The chiropractor who buys balloons and sings Happy Birthday to his patients.
• The cleaning company who leaves mints on your pillows and fun animal shapes out of a towel at the foot of your bed when their done cleaning your home.
• The landscaper that provides you with great time-saving and beautification tips for your yard.

Sounds so simple right? Yet so few small businesses do these little over and above gestures. These little gems are examples of great marketing!

I'd be willing to bet that most customers of these vendors won't be so concerned if their prices were a few dollars more.

The bottom line... Be remarkable amongst an unremarkable world! Do that and you most certainly won't be competing on price any longer.

© 2009 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then check out Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' at http://www.MotivationalMarketer.com. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, marketing articles, compete on price, remarkable marketing, target market, small businesses, small business marketing

3 Keys to Getting More Referrals from Your Network

I hate to be the one to break it to you however I’d estimate that more than 90% of business networking is a waste of time. It’s non-strategic, poorly executed, and bears little fruit… there I said it!

Now, now, wait a minute! It doesn’t have to be a waste of time. It’s just my opinion that most business professionals are either, whether they know it or not, not very good at it or are simply lazy. That’s unfortunate considering the large volumes of time and money that small businesses throw at this marketing strategy.

For the networking rock stars of the world, networking tends to be very fruitful. They get qualified referrals from their network on a regular basis. They constantly are connecting with a steady stream of targeted prospects. Why? – Because their networking is typically very strategic and very well executed.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point”, he introduces the concept of “connectors” as people with a special gift to bring the world together. Now combine that concept and attribute with author Seth Godin’s concept of “sneezers” from his book “Unleashing the Ideavirus” and now you’re talking! You’re networking with people your target market both already knows, likes and trusts and that will actively and willingly help you get your word out. Network well with these people and let the referrals roll – that is of course assuming that you, your product, and your service are worth referring.

Let’s be clear here though, you’ve got to earn referrals. Just because you believe you deserve referrals doesn’t mean you’re going to get them. You need encourage them. You need to ask for them. You need to make it easy, lucrative and fun to refer business to you. Networking rock stars understand this… they don’t leave this to chance… they create their ideal reality. How do they do this? Well here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Make it EASY for your network to refer business to you! How?

• Make sure you regularly nurture relationships with those who either are in your target market or have access to it… especially networking rock stars!
• Make sure they clearly understand who you serve and what you serve them with… remember this is your responsibility not theirs.
• Be clear and specific in asking for what you want.

2. Make it LUCRATIVE for your network to refer business to you! How?

• Paint a clear picture of what’s in it for them.
• Always reward the behavior you want to see repeated.
• Recognize them for their generosity and referral savvy publicly in front of their peers… people never seem to tire of this type of positive PR.

3. Make it FUN for your network to refer business to you! How?

• Hold a referral contest where the person who refers the most business to you wins something they deem valuable.
• When you’re “THE MAN”, you become magnetic and people will always want to be around you and please you. So become “THE MAN” or if applicable, “THE WOMAN”.
• Everyone loves free stuff! Free is fun so if at all possible, let them sample your goods and services. This will give them first-hand experience and most likely will encourage them to speak more favorably of you, more often.

So in closing, some key questions to ask yourself are… point blank, are you referable? Are you making it easy, lucrative, and fun to refer business to you? Are you continually developing your networking skills to increase your refer-ability factor? Are you consciously and continually making an effort to identify and nurture the networking rock stars in your network? If so… GREAT… keep it up! If not, then as one of my mentors James Arthur Ray says “When would now be a good time to start?”

© 2009 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' (www.MotivationalMarketer.com). Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' (www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com/marketingminute), -- a multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, marketing artcles, referral marketing, referrals, refer, referrable, refer-ability factor, qualified referrals, connectors, sneezers, networking rock stars, networking, network, target market, small businesses, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, James Arthur Ray

One Simple Guiding Principle to Explode Your Business in Any Economy

“All you need is love”.  -- John Lennon

What I’m about to share with you is one of the most simple yet profound ways to really make a difference with your business. And yes we all do have that innate desire to make a difference in the world… don’t we? The question is… are we really willing to do what it takes to accomplish that?

So what am I talking about here? I’m talking about instilling love as a guiding principle for your business. Let love permeate every aspect of your being! Love is highly magnetic… it attracts like no other. Love can be a very strategic weapon… should you choose to wield it!

Love yourself… love your team… love your work… and most of all… and this is what I’d like to chat about here… love your prospects and clients!

So why write an article on loving your prospects and clients? Well from my perspective, there are countless reasons however here’s a handful to whet your whistle:

• REASON: People prefer to do business with people they like.
• REASON: When your clients feel the love, they tend to stick around longer.
• REASON: The longer they stick around, the more likely they are to do further business with you.
• REASON: To simply enjoy what you do and who you do it with!

Now that we got that out of the way, how exactly can you go about showing your prospects and clients the love?  Well here are three simple yet very effective techniques: 

1. Really Listen!
I’m not talking about the passive-type of listening many of us have succumbed to in this over-stimulating world we live in. Yes our attention is being pulled in 50 different directions but that’s no excuse. Learn to quiet the noise and focus. Practice giving your undivided attention to that prospect or client. Show them the respect they deserve… show them the love!

Take this a step further by creating channels of communication that make it easier to interact and listen. Some examples might be to network with them regularly, invite them to comment on your blog, survey them, or leverage the power of social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to stay in conversation with them. 

2. Consistency is Key
I see it all the time. Businesses spend countless resources wooing their prospects.  Making them think that maybe, just maybe, this could be a match made in heaven.

When all of a sudden… the honeymoon is over. The client gets thrown on top of the heap with all the other one-time conquests. Destined to suffer an existence of marginal attention at best… That is of course until the next prince charming comes along to woo them away from you.

Don’t stand for this behavior, period! As a matter of fact, woo your clients even more than you did when they were just prospects. Doesn’t this make sense? They’re the ones who pay your bills and allow you to create a better life. Keep them happy and most likely they will keep you happy as well. 

3. Do the Unexpected!
I can best explain this one with an example.

Recently I had the fortunate pleasure of witnessing the owner of the Wellness Center I frequent showing the love (that’s Dr. Gregg Baron of D.R.E.A.M. Wellness for those of you who are curious). Right before a client of the practice was about to leave, Dr. Baron came up from behind her and presented her with birthday balloons, a warm hug, and a heartfelt Happy Birthday wish. This act literally brought her to tears of joy. Now that’s remarkable! He literally made her day, her week, and based on the sincerity of the tears, he may have even made her year! Now do you think that client will be back… without a doubt, YES!

So in closing, what am I saying is be remarkable amongst an unremarkable world. Be willing to and constantly look for ways to show your prospects and clients the love. It really doesn’t take that much effort… too many businesses just miss the mark. They don’t seem to put a priority on relationships... I’m talking about relationships that flourish, not conquests. Too bad for them! However major opportunity for you! Trust me. Just a little focus in the area of loving your prospects and clients can be the major differentiator you need to not only stand out from the competition, but thrive in this volatile economy! So how can you show your prospects and clients the love?

© 2009 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' (www.MotivationalMarketer.com). Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' (www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com/marketingminute), -- a multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, love your prospects, love your clients, Dr. Gregg Baron, DREAM Wellness