My e Biz Pro Updates
Don't Let Your Luck Run Dry
Date Added: April 20th, 2009
If you were asked to name the first city that came to mind when the word "Luck" was said, it would most likely be Vegas. Ironically, however, Vegas is clearly the unluckiest city in the world. It's massive hotels, casinos, and stores weren't built on good luck, but rather the bad luck of the millions of "losers" who flock there annually, paying for more and more money-gulping hotels to be built.
You're obviously hoping for a better kind of luck with your business. The kind of luck where you can take informed and educated chances. The kind of luck where every time you fail, your odds of success increase.
"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often." - Brian Tracy
Vegas is different. You have the exact same odds of winning every time you play in Vegas. Not smart. If you're not learning from your business mistakes, you might as well be gambling in the city of "Lost Wages". The key is to learn from your mistakes and keep at it. You'll eventually strike gold.
Satisfaction Guaranteed?
Date Added: April 20th, 2009
Regardless of the type of guarantee you give, the point is that you absolutely NEED to give one. Think about it. There are many ways you can offer a guarantee to customers. Whether it's a conditional guarantee that requires them to prove they've tried to make something work, a time-limit guarantee, or an unlimited and unconditional guarantee, the point is that you NEED a guarantee.
If you don't have a guarantee, you'll lose a lot of business. Depending on the guarantee, you could comfort MANY potential buyers enough to actually purchase. And the better the guarantee, the more customers you'll win to your cause. Do testing to see which guarantee works best, but typically, the better the guarantee, the better your net gain will be.
Quality Counts
Date Added: April 20th, 2009
Have you ever heard people speak of time related to building relationships? For example, many people think that when trying to strengthen a relationship, it's not the amount of time you spend with a person, but rather the quality of that time spent with them. Personally, I think that's a poor excuse some use, as I don't agree with this reasoning. I think that quality time can't compete with amount of time, but that's not the issue here.
The issue is that when dealing with a website, you unfortunately don't have the option of time. Most people will leave a website VERY quickly if there aren't things there to catch and direct their eyes. People also equate product quality with website quality. That said, you really need to make sure all the pictures (and other images) on your site are high-quality. None of that ugly, pixilated stuff should be found anywhere on your site. Pictures are great, so don't get rid of them all, just make sure they're all HIGH-quality.
A One Man Band?
Date Added: October 8, 2008
If you are satisfied with a small, busy business then don't even bother reading on. But if you're looking to expand, or having trouble doing it, then this is for you!
"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." - Theodore Roosevelt
Employees can't stand micro-managing. They feel like they aren't trusted, and usually don't achieve their best in such an environment. The purpose of hiring people to work with you is to free up time so you have more to spend working ON your business rather than IN your business. Teach your employees the core principles of what you want done, and let them do it their way! As long as the end result meets your expectations, you have no reason to complain. If you're able to pull away from the temptation to spend all your time supervising, you'll have LOTS more time to improve other aspects of your business.
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
Date Added: October 8, 2008
No, you're not going to be lulled to sleep with this classic story, but you know how the story goes. Just about everyone does, but if they don't, they're probably not your target market anyway. The point is that people like stories. We were all trained as children to like stories, and taking advantage of this point will boost your copy. You can give analogies, a before/after tale, or a mock news story that people can relate to. The bottom line is that you just want to make what you are saying much more interesting for the reader.
Get Traffic Like a Los Angeles Freeway
Date Added: October 8, 2008
Would you get more viewers if you placed a billboard on a dirt road way up on a mountain somewhere, or right along an LA freeway? You'd obviously say the dirt road up the mountain, right? WRONG! While we can see the clear answer is the LA freeway, you'd be surprised at how many still don't grasp this concept with their websites.
Driving traffic to your website is of the utmost importance!
You just can't underestimate this part of your business. Sure, there are tweaks here and there to increase the conversion rate of visitors to your site, but getting them to your site is priority #1. It IS a numbers game first and foremost.
So how do you get more traffic to your site? It's simple really. You just get more content. A few things you should check out in order to get more content are: article directories, social bookmarking sites, blogs, and a site called 'Squidoo'. Start implementing these concepts soon on your site, and things will be rockin' in no time because More Content = More Traffic!
"Impossible Is Nothing"
Date Added: September 25, 2008
"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities, always see them for they're always there." - Norman Vincent Peale
A positive attitude is a crucial ingredient to success. When a father tells his son he's an incredible baseball player (when in reality, he's not), almost without exception, that son will become an incredible baseball player. Don't tell yourself you can't. Believe in yourself, and you'll be surprised when you look back at the things you've accomplished.
Don't Discount 'The Lab'...
Date Added: September 25, 2008
...the research lab that is. We have many customers who expect My eBiz Pro to simply solve all their problems for them. While we wish this were possible, it isn't the case. As the internet business owner, there is absolutely no question that one of your most important focuses should be on researching your products. Spend time researching competitors, pricing strategies, how to cut costs, the pros and cons of your specific products, etc. Learning this valuable information will undoubtedly help you boost profits!
Give Them A Reason To Believe You
Date Added: September 25, 2008
Your friends and family know you well, and hopefully they trust you enough to buy a product from you if it was worth it to them. Unfortunately, you won't be able to retire off the income you get from friends and family buying your products though, so it's best to cater to those who DON'T know you.
When you were a child, you were most likely taught to not accept candy from strangers. Why not? Simply because they're strangers, and for all you know they could have laced that candy with poison or they could have been waiting to lure you into a trap. It's unfortunate we have to warn children like this, but the precautions are necessary as bad things HAVE happened.
In this same skeptical, untrusting spirit, your first time customers DON'T know you. They have no reason to trust or believe what you tell them. You need to give them a reason to believe you. The absolute best way to do this, is by providing them with INCREDIBLE testimonials from happy customers you've served! Whether through quotes, audio clips, pictures, or videos, testimonials are absolutely essential and must NOT be overlooked!
When Good Is "Good Enough"?
Date Added: August 1, 2008
Many business owners spend too much time and effort perfecting their site. Sure, it sounds harmless...but is it? When it stops your progress, it's dangerous and even detrimental to business if all your time is spent perfecting a project BEFORE it's even been tested. In addition, some people get so caught up in launching the perfect site that they run circles around it and it never actually gets launched.
Rather than waste valuable time tweaking things until they are "perfect", remind yourself that most of the time "good is good enough" and get the ball rolling! Once it's out, your customers will tell you what's wrong with it, and you will surely find things to improve upon as well. The great news is that you now have a published site making you money!
Flyin' Somewhere
Date Added: August 1, 2008
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." - Michael Althsuler
Time is one thing we can never, ever get back. Once it's gone…it truly is gone. Sure, some say that you can just make up for it later…but if you really think about it, that's just something people who stink at managing their time say.
How much do you want to make in a year? How many hours per day are you TRULY effective in your business? BE HONEST! Do the math to figure out just how valuable your time is, and then spend it appropriately.
Pricing vs. Placement
Date Added: August 1, 2008
Is one more important than the other? It depends on your strategy. Many hold to the standard that low prices are the best, but that's usually just because they haven't thought through the whole customer experience. There is a lot that goes into your pricing and many times you will be limited in your pricing strategy your wholesale costs. Instead of dropping prices at the drop of a hat, try building value into your products by adding "freebies" - free reports, tips, tricks, or inexpensive accessories.
On the other hand, the placement of items on your site, as well as how you word your offer will have a huge effect on your sales. Start with the placement of your product. Are people seeing what you want and getting your message? The best way to figure out what works best for you is to test, then re-test, then test again.
Regardless of your strategy, taking the time to 'dial-in' your pricing and placement will return big payoffs in the long run!
Own the Vision
Date Added: June 30, 2008
"Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion." - Jack Welch
Great success comes as a result of great answers. Before you can have great answers, however, you must have great questions. With regard to your personal vision, introspective questions are essential.
What is your vision? Why are you in the business you're in? What motivates you to keep going? Are you doing what you're doing because you want to be successful in your business, or to give you freedom to do other things which are more important to you? Or is it both?
It's important to review your vision often to be sure you are doing the things necessary to realize it. Make changes whenever necessary to most closely align yourself with the appropriate route towards your vision. Most importantly, keep playing the vision over and over in your mind until you arrive.
The Copy Caveat
Date Added: June 30, 2008
There is absolutely no question that copywriting is important when you are trying to sell products or services. In fact, it's even important when you are trying to get just about any message across. However, even if you have the most amazing piece of copy EVER, chances are that no one will read it if you don't have an eye-grabbing layout. And if no one reads it, was producing the incredible copy worth it? Nope.
When you are creating the layout for your copy, remember to incorporate formatting such as bold, underlined, tabbed, bulleted, and oversized text. Breaking up the copy is also a great idea so the reader doesn't see a huge paragraph and lose interest or skip away. Chances are, what's in your copy is important, so you want to be sure the reader reads it ALL! In some situations, highlighting and changing the font color is also essential (but be careful not to overdo this one since too many changes can make your page unprofessional or hard to read). Your primary goal: lay it out so they will read what you want them to read!
Cover Your Bases
Date Added: June 30, 2008
The rumor is true. The selling from your website won't happen on its own. However, taking the right steps at the beginning will carry you a long way toward your goal of making your website profitable. So, to help you get started on the right track we will guide you through a series of 10 simple steps. Just click here to learn the essential ins and outs of the site builder!
The Power of Action
Date Added: May 29, 2008
The great end of life is not knowledge but action. ~Thomas H. Huxley
Make it a goal to accomplish at least one thing each day that will make your business and web site better. Learn from other people's mistakes and keep moving forward.
Help Customers Find What They Need
Date Added: May 29, 2008
Would you shop at a store where the items were organized at random, with no signs or guides? Of course not. Yet a surprising number of online stores make it nearly impossible for customers to find what they need.
Think carefully about how to organize your products and give customers more than one way to find what they're looking for.
It's possible to sell an endless variety of products and services online. No matter what you sell, however, your site must provide the same basic services your customers would expect if they were doing business with you in person. Selling online is not that different from selling products in a traditional store.
The Importance of Good Copy
Date Added: May 29, 2008
If you've been marketing online for any length of time, you probably know the importance of good copywriting. Good content on your website can make the difference between your success and failure online.
Without great copy, it won't matter if you have the best products or services in the world... It won't matter how "professional" your website looks, or how high your rankings are in the search engines...
... None of this stuff matters if your website doesn't sell!
Unless your web copy is a doing a brilliant job of persuading and convincing people to buy, then all the money, time, and energy you spent on attracting targeted traffic will be wasted!
You don't have to be a well-trained writer to be able to provide good copy for your website that sells. Here are a few rules to follow:
- Know who your audience is and write copy that connects with them
- Like the old cliche says, "Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse"
- Offer all the reasons customers should buy - What makes you so unique?
- Create a sense of urgency so they buy now
- Provide proof and credibility with quotes and testimonials
- Have a clear call to action - Don't forget to ask for the sale!
Seasonal Sales
Date added: Apr 24, 2008
With the changing of the seasons, have your customer in mind. What are they thinking of or interested in that relates to Spring, Summer, or vacations? Also, tailor your marketing efforts to the current season.
Coupon Codes
Date added: Apr 24, 2008
Have you created a coupon code yet for your site? It's a great idea to use a coupon as a form of pull marketing strategy to get your customers to buy. With your My e Biz Pro builder you can create customized coupon codes to give your customers discounts like "half off", "25% off", or even "buy one get one free"!
Strategy Corner
Date added: Apr 24, 2008
Don't be another "me too" website! If you really want to be successful with your web business, find your angle - those unique characteristics that make you stand out from the crowd! What are you good at? What can you do better or different than the rest?
Thinking Ahead
Date added: Jan 16, 2008
Valentine's Day is coming up! Start thinking and planning now for promotions that you can offer on your website to increase holiday sales.
Your Successes
Date added: Jan 16, 2008
Check out what JoAnn from North Carolina said: "What a wonderful experience this has been! We are working from an office in our house full time selling on eBay and our website. This would not have been possible without the guidance, expertise and patience of the people at PMI and MyEbiz." (JoAnn's combined website & eBay sales for 2007 were close to $90,000!)
Tip of the Week
Date added: Jan 16, 2008
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. ~Jim Collins
MAP Price
Date added: Oct 29, 2007
This tool gives you the ability to show minimum advertised price until you get to the shopping cart.
Category Headers
Date added: Oct 12, 2007
You can now organize products by category headers.
New Templates Added
Date added: Oct 1, 2007
We've added the Automagic, Austin, GadgetTablet, Graham, Matte, Nile, Talladega.