Big Edz Life as I see it

Skype: Edward.Benko

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Online Sales Lesson #4 - More Sales with Promos & Discounts

Tip #1 - Use discount / promotional offers to introduce new products.

New products, especially those that are still unknown and those that still do not have an established market base, will need a lot of boost.

One way to introduce such products to customers is to initially offer them with a discount or a promo. The discount and / or promo should only last for a limited time period.

Tip #2 - Use discount / offers to revive a declining product.

The use of discounts and promotional offers are not only effective on new products, they can also help you move “old stock” by reviving a product that is losing sales and / or not moving anymore. By offering discounted prices, you encourage customers to buy products that they normally would not buy.

Tip #3 - Announce sale and promo dates through your online advertising

Your advertisement channel includes your website, blog, social media pages (Facebook, Twitter) YouTube channel(s) etc., etc. Once your customers realize that you announce sale / promotional items using these channels, they will be more motivated to visit your sites on a regular basis which is GOOD because you get more traffic, better rankings, etc. and that’s what we are after right? MORE QUALIFIED TRAFFIC!!

Tip #4 - Offer special discounts and promos to old customers.

This is one way to get more sales from existing customers and create good will, and new referrals!. And because you are offering them a discount, you are also making them happy. This is also one way to keep your customers loyal to you.

Tip #5 - Inform the customer of the free item's value.

When giving away “freebies,” it’s always a good idea (and a way to improve customer satisfaction) if your customers know the value of the item you are giving them for free. An example would be something like “If you buy a XYZ product today, you will also receive a bonus “gift” of ABC product valued at $50.00 free." Doing this simple thing tells your customer how much they are getting for free, and leave them feeling much more satisfied with their purchase.

This concludes my "mini series" on Online marketing / sales tips ... I hope it helped you and you enjoyed it!

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my website BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Until next time, this is you “Man in the Mountains” saying …

Stay Positive ..

Stay Motivated ..

Stay Inspired

and ...

NEVER GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Online Sales Lesson #3 - Never forget to Cross Sell

Cross-selling is too often overlooked, neglected and / or completely forgotten! Sending a customer to a 'thank you' page to grab their product is just a small part of the buying / selling process. There is so much more profit potential if you do this right...

ALWAYS send a personal follow up email to your prospects! Introduce yourself, thank them for opting in, and offer any advice / assistance you can AND ALWAYS include your contact info in your signature line!

Tip #1 - Offer the cross sell after the FIRST DEAL has been finalized.
Before you offer your prospect another product, make sure he / she already agreed to buy the first product. This will make it easier for you to explain why he / she (the customer) will need to buy the secondary product, opportunity or service you’re offering.

Tip #2 - Be persuasive but not pushy.
To be persuasive means that you have the ability to make the customer feel that he/she really needs to buy the additional item that you are offering. Your customer will feel this way because you managed to make him/her realize the use and value of the secondary item that you are offering. Being pushy on the other hand is a different story. If you are pushy, customer satisfaction will drop. Also, your customer may no longer return to you.

Tip #3 - Offer the extra item at a discount.
In a cross-sell, the extra item that you will offer is not related to the primary product. But this should not stop you from offering a discount. A discount always makes the secondary offer more enticing to the customer.

Tip #4 - Explain why the item is important.
The secondary item may not be related to the primary product. However, you need to explain why it is useful. If you managed to make the customer realize its importance, he/she might just be persuaded to buy it. You should also expect that the customer will ask questions about the secondary product that you are offering. Show your expertise and knowledge of the item by answering every question. To do this, you will need to be familiar with the item that you are offering.

Tip #5 - Make the option available a few days or weeks after the original purchase.
Just like in an upsell, the discount on the cross-sell item should also be made available to the customer even after a few days or a few weeks after the purchase of the primary item.

Tip #6 - Include warranty (if available) information on the cross-sell item.
Customers sometimes get the idea that cross-sell items are old stocks. This is because cross-sell items are often offered at a discount. Therefore, you will need to make them feel that what you are offering is brand new. You can do this by telling them that the item comes with a warranty. Also, the packaging of the cross-sell item must suggest that it is indeed brand new.

Stay tuned for Lesson # 4 on how to make more sales by offering discounts and promo offers!

Until then, this is you “Man in the Mountains” saying …

Stay Positive ..

Stay Motivated ..

Stay Inspired

and ...

NEVER GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://bigedzblog.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BigEdzonline

Skype: Edward.Benko

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Online Sales Lesson #2 - It's All In the Presentation

No matter how amazing your product, offer or opportunity is, NO ONE will care about it until you’ve convinced them it’s a viable offer that will absolutely provide them with a TANGIBLE Benefit and “worth its weight in Gold!”

An excellent sales page / presentation of your product is what makes all your sales possible. Do this right and your business will stand the test of time... Do it wrong, and it will simply blend in with all the others people pass over.

Tip #1 - Make your offer / product packaging look enticing.

A brief product description commonly appears in front of a product's packaging. When making a product description, make sure that you include all the features that matter (benefit to buyer) the most to your customers. When buying a laptop for example, customers normally look for the following features: battery duration, processor, video card, RAM, hard drive capacity, connectivity options, and product dimension. Therefore, these are the things that you will need to list / emphasize when creating YOUR product description for a laptop, and what will make yours stand out from the millions of others out here!

Tip #2 - Avoid loooooooong product descriptions.

A product description should be brief, concise and to the point! NO ONE wants to read one of those long, drawn out “novel” style ads! NEVER make your ad to wordy / lengthy! If a product description is too lengthy (long sentences and/or long paragraphs), customers will quickly become BORED, and disinterested in reading it.

Guess what? If people end up not reading the product description, they WON’T buy your product!!

Tip #3 - Make a more detailed description at the back.

The brief product description that appears in front of a product's packaging only serves as a “teaser” which gives just enough information to “force” your buyer in to what’s called a “call to action” more commonly known as clicking your link for more information. If a customer finds your ad INTERESTING, he/she will look for, and WANT more information. This is why a more detailed description of your offer should always appear at the back end AKA: your products landing / opt in page.

Have you ever noticed a shopper turning around a box after seeing the front looking for more information? The same principle applies online.

Tip #4 - Make a suitable packaging design.

Website, Splash page design is critical to your products success! The design can / should feature different moods / themes etc., BUT ALWAYS include some information about what you’re selling!

I don’t know about you but I HATE being directed to an opt in page that simply offers be some tropical background and TELLS ME NOTHING about why they want me to give them my name, and email address!! To me, that’s nothing but LAZY and I WILL NEVER opt in to a page / offer like that! BE CREATIVE - NOT LAZY!

Tip #5 - Highlight main features / specifications.

Sometimes, the list of features your opportunity can be lengthy. This is especially true for technological products such as mobile phones, computers, media players, and such. Therefore, the product description ends up looking “crowded.” So what do you do? The answer is easy, simply highlight the most important features and leave the rest for when your prospect opt’s in and / or goes to your landing page. Keep it simple and don’t over complicate things!

Tip #6 - Avoid FALSE / exaggerated claims.

In an attempt to win customers, many people think it’s “OK” to use exaggerated, mis leading and outright FALSE claims. DO NOT DO THIS FOR ANY REASON! People are NOT STUPID! They will quickly see through phony and deceptive claims and label you a spammer / scammer.

REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING! IT TAKES MONTHS / YEARS TO BUILD, AND MINUTES TO DESTROY!

Note: Even if your claims are true, they will look faked if your ad / web design is written in a shoddy / shady way. Always make claims appear / sound natural instead of “hyped.”

Tip #7 - Use catchy pictures/photographs.

It’s always good to play around with words BUT, words alone don’t always cut it!

The words in your ad and / or on your opportunities website / landing page will ONLY serve as a sale's pitch. People are “visual” by nature … You should always try to include some photos and graphic designs for a more enticing look.

That’s it for Lesson # 2 – I hope it was helpful!

Until next time, this is your “Man in the Mountains” reminding you to ….

STAY POSITIVE ... STAY MOTIVATED ... STAY INSPIRED

And …..

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

Skype: Edward.Benko

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my website BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Online Sales Lesson #1 – Effective Sales

Online Sales Lesson #1 – Effective Sales

Being an online marketer / entrepreneur requires that you to have a solid grasp of all the components / elements that make up your business.

Up-selling, cross-selling, discounts, sales tweaks, etc. are all well and good but if you have no viable, effective methods of advertising, NO ONE is going to see or know your product / opportunity exists! This is why this lesson is so important!

Here’s the analogy I use for with my mentoring students ….

Picture a massive traffic jam on the I-5 during rush hour … MILLIONS of cars bumper to bumper all trying to get somewhere but stuck in a sea of traffic, This is the internet - Now, you’re out there advertising and trying to get people to notice you but so far, all you’re doing is shouting “I’m in the blue car” .. Really? There are THOUSANDS of blue cars in this traffic jam! What makes YOUR blue car any different from all the others? How do I identify your blue car? Is there anything “unique” about it? Get my point?

Tip #1 - Create a Facebook account.
Facebook is without fail, the most successful, and popular social media site on the internet! Millions of people use it religiously each and every day and if you’re not using its power to advertise, you’re leaving a LOT of money on the table for others (like me) to pick up! Facebook provides many FREE options to advertise with. A Facebook fan page has many options that businesses can use. For example, it has advertisement options which can be used to reach target customers. Parameters such as age, gender, hobbies, and such can be set in order to reach a select group of people when advertising. Some of these advertisement tools are paid features while some can be used for free.

Tip #2 – Create a Twitter account.
A Twitter account can also be used to advertise your products and/or services. An excellent technique is to get a lot of followers. This way, your tweets will be read by more users.

Tip #3 - Link ALL of your web, blog, and social media sites together
Visualize a spider’s web … Each web is a unique marvel of engineering! individula strands of the web are unique to themselves but they are also connected to the whole. Tap one strand and it sends vibrations across the entire web network & allows the spider to locate its prey like a GPS system. The internet is no different than the spider’s web. All strands individual but also connected to another.

If you have several websites and social media accounts, it’s important to link them together. How do you do this? In your main website for example, you can provide a link to all your other websites. And in your Facebook page, you can also provide a link to your Twitter page. This way, you customers will be able to connect to you in more ways than one.

Tip #4 - Focus on your Target / Niche Market.
DO NOT waste your time, energy, and resources on advertising (Free, Safelists, etc,) methods that attempt to reach everyone. If you only need to reach a select group of people, you only need to advertise with them inmind. Do your homework and STOP being LAZY! If you are selling products for women for example, it may not be necessary to do extensive advertisement that would include male audiences and vise versa. Again, stop spinning your wheels on “free / junk” advertising – Trust me when I tell you money is not going to fall from the sky in exchange for doing NOTHING! Study, research, learn, experiment, etc. Most importantly, realize that you will eventually need to INVEST in your business, and yourself if you truly want success!

Tip #5 - Advertise Price Comparisons.
When advertising your product/service using different forms of media, it’s a good idea to include a market price comparison. For example, you may include in the description that your product is priced lower than you competition. Of course, you should NEVER name competitor brands specifically! If you do, you could be setting yourself up for a MAJOR lawsuit.

Tip #6 - Advertise Specification Comparisons.
Other than the price comparison, you may also include a specification comparison in the product description. You only need to list any differences that favor your product / opportunity. Example: If the laptop that you are selling has a battery capacity of 10 hours and your competitor's product only has 5, you may include that information in the product description. Something like "Our battery will last 5 hours longer than XYZ’s laptop."

OK … that’s enough for today & concludes my first post in a series on generating more sales with simple advertising adjustments. Stay tuned for future posts as you and I have only just begun! I plan to bring you more valuable information in the days ahead!

Until then, this is your “Man in the Mountains” reminding you to ..

STAY POSITIVE..

STAY MOTIVATED...

STAY INSPIRED and …..

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

Skype: Edward.Benko

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my ebsite BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Creating GREAT SEO by Choosing Your Keywords Carefully

When creating SEO (search engine optimization) for a website, keywords are one of the most important parts to creating a site that ranks high on the search engines.

Keywords are what the web “crawlers” attach on to, and use to index / rank your business on the search engines.

Although keywords are one of the most important components for any website, they are usually the elements most often neglected and / or used incorrectly.

There a few things that you can, and should do to make your keywords work and stand out.

1. Your target audience

Ask yourself who, and what will your target audience be…Think about your website, product, etc and the type of people you wish to attract. Also you will need to decide what the primary purpose of your website will be. Both of these will come in handy when creating your keywords in your SEO. They will also become one of the most important factors to consider.

2. Create a list …

Write down a few words that you think people might type into a search engine. Make sure these words relate to your business. Be creative when you are making your list. The more keywords you come up with the better off you will be when you create your SEO! Also when you are creating your keyword list think back to rule number one and consider your audience and the purpose of your site.

Note: There is FREE software (Google keywords) available to aide you in creating your keyword list.

3. Think about the pages …

Think about the pages that you will be creating the SEO for, each page will need its own distinct three to four word title and / or phrase’s directly related to your site. As you create your page titles you will need to include the title of your site somewhere in the Meta / keyword tag(s).

4. Using your keywords …

The keywords you choose need to be used throughout each page of your site. These keywords need to be put in sensible places to prevent a “black hat” SEO. A black hat SEO is unethical and can get you banned from search engines.

5. Be creative, and think outside of the traditional box …

It definitely takes a lot of work to create your keywords but well worth it in the long run. The better your keywords, and the more creative, the better your search results to visitors will be. So being creative is a very important tool.

Here are some additional tips that can be used when creating your keywords for your SEO site.

First, being creative is important however, you also need to be selective at the same time.

Second, Always check out what your competition is doing / what keywords they are using and use them to your advantage also. DO NOT choose key words that are seem “competitive” but are really so obscure they actually lower your rankings versus enhancing them!

Finally, if you wish to use any unusual keywords in your SEO, use them sparingly. If the words are too unusual, there’s a great possibility that it’s not being searched and / or the searches to low and no one will find you. Be creative but not to the point of being obscure!

If you remember to be creative, innovative, consistent and persistent and do your homework first, your site’s SEO will be great the first time around, and pull in traffic / rankings like a magnet!

That’s all for today … Until next time,

STAY POSITIVE

STAY MOTIVATED

STAY INSPIRED

AND NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

Your “Man in the Mountains

EJ "Big Ed" Benko

http://BigEdz.com

Skype: Edward.Benko

.

Remember, if you need help with marketing, advertising or need an HONEST, Legitimate, AFFORDABLE mentor, visit my website BigEdz.com at http://BigEdz.com
or contact me at BigEd80013@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Offering Products and Real Opportunity versus selling "promises"

Hello everyone ..

Big Ed here coming to you from beautiful Colorado ...

Today I want to write a few lines about the differences between those offering REAL products and opportunities versus those selling nothing more than empty promise's and dreams of "what if" and "maybe" ..

First off, it's a violation of FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regulations to promise anything online unless of course it's a guarantee of your services / actual product etc - There's a huge difference between guaranteeing something tangible and simply "promising" people they will get rich, lose weight, be beautiful, etc, etc, etc ..

Every opportunities success relies on motivation / work ethic of the end user .. Just because someone buys your system or opts in to your opportunity, does not guarantee they will become active.... So there's really no legitimate way to promise these folks "success" -

Be very careful on how you promote your opportunities ...I don't want to see anyone go to jail or pay big fines to the Government for false / misleading advertising -

I also wanted to touch on the absolute importance of communicating with your prospects / leads ...

Internet marketing (just like offline marketing) is a "numbers" game but, it's also a "people" game ... Every lead you receive is a real live person just like you ..It's important that you reach out to each and everyone personally to let them know you value them as human (not just potential sales) beings, and begin building a foundation of trust and integrity ... Whatever you do, DO NOT rely on your auto responder messages to establish a relationship and / or do your selling for you!

Do you remember the movie "The Wizard of Oz?" In the movie, the "great and powerful" Oz was nothing more than an ordinary man standing behind a curtain manipulating controls that gave him the appearance of
being more than he actually was .... Once the curtain was pulled back, he became just another person like everyone else .. No better, No worse -

Online marketing is not that different from online marketing ... People buy from people they know, like and trust! Never forget this, and NEVER be the "man behind the curtain" to your prospects!

Always remember and NEVER forget ... Reputation is EVERYTHING out here! it can takes years to build, and minutes to destroy!

Until next time .....

This is your man in the Mountains reminding you to ...

STAY POSITIVE
STAY MOTIVATED
STAY INSPIRED
And .............
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS!

EJ "Big Ed" Benko