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Network Marketing Basics The Business Card

By blogger on

Business cards are the staple of any business. Once one goes into business for oneself, one of the first things that is done is the design and production of a business card. If done correctly, it could be a very valuable tool for marketing your business.

However, in my opinion, business cards done the traditional way serve no real purpose. What do I mean by that? Usually a business card has very little information that will drive the recipients of this card to action. It provides them with your name, the name of your company, and your contact information; beyond that, there is little else.

Why not put this little billboard to work for you? Instead of just supplying the basic information, invest in a card that is either 2-sided or a fold-over style, so you can put more riveting information on the card.

Denise, you ask, what do you mean by riveting information? I’m glad you asked!

I like to use a business card to guide prospects to take action and not just look at the card, then put it in their George Costanza-style wallet (any “Seinfeld” fans out there?) that is overstuffed with cards and pieces of paper they will never look at again. I recommend putting an eye-catching “headline” or a tagline that targets your niche market.

As an aside, let me briefly touch upon the idea of a niche market. While I know that we in network marketing like to think the world is our niche market and that everyone can benefit from what we have to offer, I recommend breaking the world up into categories. You will be more successful with your prospecting efforts if you identify a target audience, figure out what they need/want, and fill that need for them.

A good example of a niche market is Moms. If you want, this can be further broken down to more specific categories: working mothers, stay-at-home Moms, single/divorced Moms. Each group has their own set of needs and desires: the working Mom yearns to stay home with her children; the stay-at-home Mom wants to earn a living but not leave the nest so as to be close to her young; the single/divorced Moms need to generate income AND figure out a way to be present as a steady, guiding force in their child’s life. Getting extremely specific with your target market and letting them know you have an answer to their problem(s) is a much more effective way of prospecting than to just hand out a card with your name, company and contact information.

Once you carve out a niche you would like to target, design your marketing material that you create yourself (as an addition to the marketing material the company provides for you) with that group in mind. If you market to more than one niche (there is no limit to how many niches you can target), I advise creating different business cards for each target market in such a way that each card somehow catches the attention of that group by addressing a specific need or desire unique to each niche.

The center of your card does not necessarily have to focus on you or your business. Perhaps this information can be put off to the upper and lower corners, so as to allow for an eye-catching image that will appeal to their aspirations. Pictures, not necessarily of you, but of some desirable scene, can often be more effective than plain white or cream-colored stock

Consider adding a tagline to your company’s name (pending their approval, of course). The name of your company, in and of itself, may not be instantly recognizable. If they put this card away only to take it out a few weeks later, there should be something on there that reminds them of the conversation they may have had with you, or that indicates what the company can provide or do for your prospects. Otherwise, chances are they will just toss it and never follow up with you.

Be creative with your title. Are you a mentor in your business? Then say it. Do you teach people how to create wealth? Then say it.

Use the other side of the card, or better yet, use a fold-over style card, and inside you can ask a question that intrigues the prospect or addresses a concern of theirs along with a few short, bullet-pointed answers to the question that demonstrates you and your business have the solution to the prospect’s problem.

I’m going to give you a few examples of how I used the above guidelines to create an effective business card for myself:

1) I used a tagline under my company name that reads, “Your Road to Retirement.” Happily, I did not have to create this tagline or get it approved, this company uses it, and I felt it was effective. This will immediately raise eyebrows to anyone who is looking to get out of the rat race, and I’d say that’s a pretty large part of the population.

2) To match that tagline, I used the image of a beautiful tropical beach with gorgeous blue water, fine white sand, and palm trees. With the exception of people who live in that type of paradise all year long, this is what a good majority of people think about when they think of retirement. So, the image matches the tagline.

3) I gave myself a title: Recruiter and Mentor. I want people to know I am an expert at what I do, and I will help them do the same. Remember, in the end, people don’t just want to go into business for themselves and figure it out the hard way. They want to join a successful person. They are joining YOU. I find that much more emotionally appealing than something like “Independent PC.” To someone not in the network marketing industry, what does that mean? Professional corporation? What EXACTLY is a PC?

4) My contact information includes, besides my phone number, the domain name I picked that is specific to the niche I chose. This is linked up to the automated marketing system provided by my network marketing company.

5) On the reverse side of the card, I ask an intriguing question that is related to my domain name. I ask, “What Do YOU Want to be Free From?” I then give them simple instructions how to take action.

The old model of business cards that most people follow is based on image advertising. Small business owners, to which I include network marketers, cannot afford to effectively advertise by just spreading an image. We are not a name-brand athletic shoe or a famous soda that can be identified just by the shape of its bottle, nor do we have the kind of capital that those companies have to put into an image advertising campaign (think Superbowl Ads at the most extreme). We need to think outside of the box and provide more information on these little tools which will entice the recipient to take action, all within our own marketing budget.

Powerful Methods To Stay Successful In Business

By blogger on

In business, achieving success is merely half the battle won. The other half? As many veteran businessmen would agree, sustaining success staying on top of your game and on top of THE game is the more difficult part of owning and operating a commercial enterprise.

Case in point: flash-in-the-pan businesses are a dime a dozen these days. Overnight successes are stories that are quite commonplace. But businesses that last for years, if not decades? Alas, theyre rarities in this day and age!

The goal isnt merely to succeed in business. The goal should be to remain successful in business.
Here are 5 powerful principles to live by if you want to achieve such a goal:

1. Believe in your business. Your business is bound to encounter many challenges and many tribulations along the way. Some of these trials would be grave enough to make you consider quitting. But should you? Remember: if you dont believe in your business, if you dont believe that it can succeed, then why should your prospective customers believe that your business is the right choice for them? Your faith in your business will go a long, long way in pushing it to reach its fullest potentials.

2.Find satisfaction in what youre doing. If you do not find contentment in what youre doing, then its just a matter of time before you give up on your business. Fulfillment can be attained in so many ways. If you cannot find that sense of fulfillment from your business, its either because: a) youre not looking hard enough; or b) youre looking at the wrong place. The smallest victory can be a cause for celebration. And the tiniest of triumphs can even provide the biggest kind of satisfaction.

3.Make your customers satisfaction your primary goal. Profit is good, but it shouldnt be the driving force of your business if you want your success to last. The happiness of your customers should be your paramount concern. Remembers, happy customers are customers for life.

4.Strive to improve your craft and your trade. Never rest on your laurels. Always try to be the best you can ever be when it comes to the things you do for a living.

5.Have fun! They say that the best kind of moneymaking opportunity is one that you enjoy doing. If you will find such a business, then youve hit the jackpot. Now, no one said that this jackpot cant be created. You can find enjoyment in what youre doing. Even if the business wasnt born from a hobby you once nurtured, you can still find ways by which you can make it very exciting and very enticing for you. Your enthusiasm for your business will eventually show in the products you will deliver.

Business Card Printing Pitfalls To Avoid

By blogger on

Engaging a printer to produce your custom business cards is a fantastic idea. The quality of the finished product will always be much better than a business card printed from a personal computer or stationary store, and most industry printing companies offer a wide assortment of quantities, card materials, and enhancement features (such as spot UV business cards). Some will even create your high-resolution, print-ready artwork for you, thereby eliminating the time and hassle of creating your own card files.

However, in order to optimize your print job, it is important to avoid or at least consider some of the potential problems that could create a less-than-perfect finished product.

Pitfall #1: Cards with Spot Colors

Accurate color reproduction is by far the most common problem seen throughout the printing industry. Most times, problems arise when a CMYK printer attempts to print a Pantone color. Pantone or spot colors are typically highly customized colors that fall outside of the normal CMYK 4-color printing process.

CMYK is a process whereby thousands of colors can be created by mixing various percentages of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K). Open any full color magazine and you will see CMYK printing. The vast majority of printers in the market utilize a CMYK process that is not compatible with spot colors.

Usually, whenever a CMYK business card printer attempts to print a spot color, a color shift occurs. In other words, the shade of the color might come out differently than the artwork file dictates. It might be possible to match a spot color to a CMYK color by utilizing a Pantone swatch book, but this is more of an art than a science and there is still no guarantee that the spot color will be accurately reproduced in a CMYK printing environment.

If you have a logo or some other design element that utilizes a Pantone color, attempt to locate a Pantone printer. Otherwise, you will have to recreate the logo in CMYK mode as closely as possible to the Pantone color.

Pitfall #2: Cards with Black Backgrounds

Whether you are printing a black business card or mixing black paint at the local Home Depot, black is by far the most difficult color to reproduce due to its deep, dark nature. A common problem with black cards is that they turn out gray, or that the black bleeds into other areas of the card.

This problem can be solved by following the best practice of utilizing a rich black for your cards background. Rich black incorporates other colors of the CMYK spectrum into the black color. A black background consisting of 100% black (C=0%, M=0%, Y=0%, K=100%) will almost certainly result in oversaturation and produce unexpected results.

A rich black incorporates values of C, M, and Y into the mix. To the naked eye, the black will look the same, but rich black is much more printer-friendly. The specific rich black CMYK mix varies depending on printer preference, but a good mix is C=40%, M=30%, Y=20%, and K=100%.

Pitfall #3: Business Cards with Borders

Artwork containing a border is a tricky proposition because even if the cardstock is perfectly lined up in the equipment, a slight shift could occur during the trimming process. Thus, the border may have one side larger or smaller than the others, or it might be off center on some of the cards.

Theres really not much you can do about this because this shifting possibility is an industry-accepted standard. Just realize the possibility, and if the risk of uneven borders seems too great, remove the border from your custom business card artwork.

Pitfall #4: Cramming Multiple Enhancement Features on the Same Card

Enhancement features refer to such bells and whistles as spot UV, embossing, foil stamping, scoring, perforation, and more. It is not advisable to put more than one of these options on a single card because it puts too much stress on the cardstock.

You should only consider multiple enhancements with thick cardstock (15pt or higher). However, no matter how thick the cards are, the possibility for flaws is still high. Spot UV could crack, foil could flake, or embossing could show up unclear, among other possible problems. Your best bet is to stick with a single enhancement like spot UV business cards.

Pitfall #5: Hidden File Problems

Whenever you submit your files to the printer, pay careful attention to their file specifications. Many business card printers will check your files to ensure they are in-spec prior to production, but its not a good idea to rely on this because you just never know.

Hidden problems include things such as transparencies, overprint, and embedded fonts. Transparencies are basically layers in your file that could cause unexpected results. Always flatten your files. Also, always turn off overprint, and outline any and all embedded fonts to ensure they are not converted to an unwanted default font during production.

Conclusion

Hiring a business card printer for your custom business cards is an excellent idea, but occasionally printing problems could occur. By following the advice in this article, you can eliminate 99% of these potential problems.

When in doubt, ask your printing company for specific advice, especially if you are printing spot UV business cards or some other enhanced product. Most printers are highly accommodating, and are more than willing to provide advice to avoid problems down the road.

Points To Start And Run A Prosperous Animal Therapy Business

By blogger on

Point 1
When considering where you are going to have your premises build sure that you weigh out the cost verses the revenue. If you only have enough to cover the costs of rent for a short time then this will be a problem. Remember that there can be a large cost to fitting out a premise for business.

Point 2
People don’t like to be sold to so if you undertake a marketing strategy that involves providing rich information rather than just a sales brochure then customers wont experience pressured. By providing helpful and education material you will bring people onside and towards more sales.

Point 3
Make sure that all you close friends and family are carrying your business cards. In this way you are amplifying your chances of business opportunities. The more people that are spreading about you the word the more chances of getting business you are going to have.

Point 4
Running a Animal Therapy business will require you to have lots of energy so produce sure you have lots of sleep. For an extra boost play some lively music. Music can have an astonishing effect on peoples mood.

Point 5
Make sure that when you are coming up with a business name that the web domain is available and that you don’t have to execute something like calling it xyzservices.com instead of xyz.com. In many cases people will just recede to the xyz.com site even after they have seen your advertising or articles mentioning your business. Also if you institute it unique sounding such as Google Pixar or Aurazenix then when people Google that they will find all the references to you company and not other unrelated or competitive sites.

Point 6
When dealing with a difficult person it is beneficial to remember that their behaviors are quite often just out of habit and not personally directed at you. It is critical to remember that you need to remain positive and not accumulate worried about what people declare.

Point 7
An inspiring tactic that can be used to build a connection with a possible buyer is to talk about some of your own vulnerabilities. By talking about them in a light hearted way you will find that this will start or strengthen your bond with a person. The bonds of friendship will most likely create a business successful.

Point 8
One of the reasons for having a business plan is that you need to see if your business will work. There is no point starting a business that is definitely going to fail. A plan will highlight why your Animal Therapy business could fail. You then have the choice to accomplish something else or alter the various factors around this like expenditure on marketing strategy.

Point 9
When writing a business plan for your Animal Therapy business, it is essential to remember to consider who is going to read the document. If you need a business plan to secure bank finance you will need detail on expenses and what capital assets the business and you have. If you are writing it as a reference for your self and other partners then you may want to concentrate more detail on the strategy and marketing elements of the document.

Point 10
Many people relate that having a permanent full-time job is security, however, in this age of redundancy and outsourcing you can find yourself out of a job with 10 minutes notice. On the other hand, if you have your own business and it is reasonably successful then it is only over when you choose, to and you can sell it for 5 to 10 times the annual earnings it generates.

Point 11
When you running a PC workstation or laptop for your Animal Therapy business you should found sure you backup your needful business files. Aurazenix can support you set-up a version control system so that you can preserve a version of every change you found your critical business files.

Point 12
There are two major benefits of trying to promote a Animal Therapy business through submitting stories and reports to publications. One it is FREE, free is the best price you can pay for getting clients but it does near at a time cost. The second benefit is that take on some of the trust that the publication has with its readership. This something that you attain not accumulate no matter how expansive the ad is.

Point 13
Voluntary community work that you effect, especially for organizations that accumulate a lot of interest, is a superior way to generate knowledge of your brand. In time you will accumulate business due to what people believe of your personal values.

Point 14
Voluntary community work that you enact, especially for organizations that gather a lot of interest, is a superior way to generate knowledge of your brand. In time you will gather business due to what people mediate of your personal values.

Point 15
If you find your self in an argument with a consumer or possible consumer, consider if it genuinely matters if you are correct. Most of the time you will have nothing to gain, however, a lot to loose. If you deem that you need to win then just question yourself why you need to win and how much you genuinely have to gain, it may change your actions.

Point 16
You need to remember that people like to buy, so if potential consumers trust and like you then they will eventually buy and if the experience is very positive. If they LIKE YOU then they will refer you on to people they know.

Point 17
Make sure that you have a blog and expend it to generate an active relationship with your buyers and their friends. You can hook this in with your FaceBook, MySpace or other social networking accounts for extra publicity.

Point 18
Make sure that you exhaust a firewall, many times they are fragment of your network router. Firewalls can protect you from various computer attacks. Many people have had their PCs taken over and used to send spam.

Point 19
Try to utilize free or cheap content to entice people to switch to your Animal Therapy. If you search hard enough you will find this such as articles, songs and other information based items as their reproduction is either free or cheap. You can give this away for free with your branding.

Point 20
Make sure that you retain your PC in a icy spot and that there is plenty of ventilation around it. If a PC overheats it can lead to permanent damage. There is also a risk of fire especially if you confine it in amongst papers and other flammable materials without any ventilation.

Point 21
At the time of the day when you are most alert, take ten minutes to judge of ways to support your possible purchasers and purchasers. The more support that you can provide them with the stronger they will taste about you and their level of trust in you will grow. It does not matter if it is not directly related to your offering it is still helping them with their life and fabricate you considered as a friend, this comes back as useful advice and business.

Point 22
Make sure that you withhold your business PC workstation or laptop free from games and other distractions. Also be just what sites you visit and how many small utility programs you have loaded. These can greatly tedious down PCs and laptops.

Point 23
If you encounter a overly aggressive person in your Animal Therapy business just wait for them to smooth down. Once they realise that their behaviour has no effect on you then they will just smooth down and gather on with things.

Point 24
To boost your mood create sure that you have a window open and plenty of natural sunlight. A fresh environment can be a real boost to your mood and your purchasers and possible purchasers.

The Importance Of Graphic Design In Business

By blogger on

Graphic design is a combination of images, texts, colors etc to convey a certain message. Graphic designs are widely used in marketing purposes and are used in business promotional tools. Brochures, advertisements, business cards, flyers etc are made eye catchy with graphic designs. For marketing campaigns, the visual presentation is very necessary. If proper graphic design is used for the campaigns, then it would definitely make it a success.

The target audience would love visual presentation for business promotional activities. They can be attracted by presenting ads on television, Internet or by colorful pictures or outdoor advertisements. Graphical design is no longer constricted within a blend of colors and abstract motifs. It has become more of a challenging job for the graphic designers. Nowadays extensive use of graphical designs is also seen in website designing. The target market responses to those graphical ad campaigns that is bold, different and attractive.

The role of graphic design in business logo and brand building is immense. It is the graphical logo that creates deep impact on the mind of the targeted market. Every company or organization looks for innovative product designs to attract the prospective buyers. Before a campaign is released in the market, it is tested a number of times and several changes are made to it. The campaigns tend to use such catchy yet simple graphical images that can be easily recognized. Often striking shapes and colors are used to easily draw the viewers attention to the ads.

If you wish to design your company logo at affordable price then you can get in touch with us at Graphic Design India. We also design brochure, business cards, flyers, and advertisements etc for our clients. You can be assured of creativity and quality work by our professional graphic designers. Our graphic design services are affordable and are delivered within stipulated time.