Tweet Dreams: Unraveling That Giant Virtual Watercooler Called Twitter

by Tammy de Leeuw
Financial Advisor Netzone


OK, you've finally decided to take the plunge and try out this bizarre internet phenomenon known as Twitter... and you might be asking...

How do I use this thing to develop relationships and (hopefully) gain some new prospects?

Let's examine a few ways you can leverage Twitter into relationships.


1. Lame is as lame does.. Resist lameness in your Tweets.

At first, Twitter might seem a bit silly to you; a jumble of meaningless ramblings and links to God Knows What, but there is a method in the madness. When you Tweet, try your best to offer exceptional information in 140 characters or less.

Answer questions that are posted, link to useful websites, and give solid advice. In short: be a useful chit-chatter, not someone who Tweets constantly about being at their doctor's appointment, or standing in line for a gourmet glazed donut, etc. There is just too much of that already on Twitter, in my opinion. Be different and try to pack some substance into your 14o characters.

2. @Replies

Responding to other peoples' posts is one of the best ways to develop relationships via Twitter. All you have to do is key in the @ sign followed by the person’s username (without spaces) and write your response. Your response can be as simple as a show of support or thumbs up to a suggestion, to sharing a similar story you may have. When you show other people you have an interest in what they are tweeting ,they tend to suddenly become interested in YOU.

3. Blog Posts

If you don't have a blog yet- you should get one. (a different topic for a different day) The reason is simple: If you’re a blogger, you can grow your blog following by automating the process of letting people know about new posts. This is easy on Twitter: just tweet the title of your post and the link to it. Tweets about blogs are some of the most popular Tweets.

You can make the process simpler and more automated by having a site like TWITTERFEED do it for you.

4. What the heck are Retweets and Why Should I Use Them?

Retweets can help you in your quest to be a useful and popular Twitter. When you see posts that you think are particularly good or helpful , key in the letters RT or the word RETWEET then @USERNAME. Retweeting shows people you really do read what they post and creates a good feeling between users. CAVEAT: Don't do this too often... you can irritate people if you never have anything original to contribute.

5. Ask a question..

You would be amazed at how asking a simple question such as "where can I find a part for my antique Widgetmaster?" can get you a flurry of activity on Twitter. People who Tweet often pride themselves on being sources of helpful info.

6. “Blow By Blow" Accounts

If you are doing something particularly interesting, why not give a minute by minute account of the goings on? I've seen fascinating live updates from concerts, lectures, college classes, Renaissance fairs, etc. Be your own NEWSWIRE and people will start paying attention to you.

7. Photos and Graphics

Find a funny photo? Go on vacation to a cool place? People LOVE photos and graphics, and if you use TwitPic or a similar application, you can upload a photo and send a Tweet at the same time!

8. Reason to celebrate? TWEET it!

If you just acquired a new contract, made your sales goals, got a new client, or your boss gave you a great big ATTABOY!, you can let people know about it on Twitter in a celebratory, non- boastful manner.

In the next post, I will examine a few applications for Twitter that will make your foray into social media a lot smoother.

How to Reduce Appointment Cancellations

by Bill Cates
Referral Coach International

Have your ever had a prospect cancel an appointment with you, or worse, pull a "no show?" This seems to happen more with newer advisors than veterans, but even veterans experience this from time to time.

One of our subscribers asked me to address this important issue. While I have a few ideas to offer on the topic, I thought I'd turn to someone who is an expert in this area.

Gail Goodman teaches financial professionals how to set appointment with prospects.

Like me, she has a very narrow but important expertise. The following ideas on how to reduce appointment cancellations come from Gail Goodman. If you'd like to tap further into Gail's expertise, here is her contact information: Email: Gail@PhoneTeacher.com Website: www.phoneteacher.com Phone: 914-242-1108

Don't Be Product Oriented

The most important fact to know about having a high rate of reschedules and cancels is that they most often reflect a problem with the way you set the appointment in the first place.

If you discussed a specific product and used that as the reason for the appointment, you might find yourself rescheduling a lot of appointments.

Additionally, if you pressed for the appointment too hard (i.e. "Rottweiler" behavior) then the prospect may have capitulated over the phone as a way of getting rid of you.

Rescheduled vs. Cancellations

There is a difference between reschedules and cancels. My definitions are as follows: a reschedule is someone who is still interested in having you call them for a different date and time for their appointment; a cancel is someone who basically says "I don't want an appointment anymore." Essentially the second person is a "dead lead" and the first is someone you are still able to call.

Make Reminder Calls

Some people just plain forget about their appointments. Get in the habit of sending reminder notes or making reminder phone calls several days before your appointments. It's the professional thing to do and will reduce cancellations.

If you think that by placing a reminder call or sending a note will give them a chance to reschedule or cancel, then re-read my first statement. You may have a problem with your appointment setting skills.

What is Normal?

The normal statistics for reschedules should be about 20-25% of your appointments per month. They will vary per week, but overall you should find about 70- 75% of your appointments sticking.

Other than Christmas time and the week before school restarts in the fall, these statistics are standard for the financial services industry in 2009. So, if your stats are in this range, you're "normal." (Isn't that good to know?)

Most Reschedules are Legitimate

Most reschedules are legitimate and should not concern you. However, if you have a 50% reschedule rate, then you are probably doing something dreadfully wrong on the appointment setting phone call.

---

Get High-Quality Referrals from CPAs

High-Content Web Class - Monday, June 15 (1:00 pm EST) - Sign Up Today!

Work directly with Bill in this interactive web class. Submit your questions to Bill before, during, and after the call. Attend the webinar or just listen to the audio as you travel to your next appointment.

Can't make the webinar? Sign up and still receive an audio copy of the program and all the bonus materials when you sign up.

If you're looking for the type of high-quality clients that CPAs can provide, then you need to be a part of this educational experience with Bill Cates. NOW is the perfect time to be meeting and building relationships with CPAs. Get started now and give these relationships time to develop.

In this interactive 60-minute webinar with referral expert Bill Cates, you will learn:

3 relationship models that can produce results with CPAs.

• The best way to meet CPAs.
• How to articulate your value proposition to CPAs and top-level prospects.
• A 3-Phase approach to building your referral relationship.
• And much more!

PLUS - You'll receive 5 bonus referral tools to make sure you produce results. Click the link below to see what you receive.

Monday, June 15 - 60 minute session - 1:00p Eastern - 12:00a Central - 11:00a Mountain - 10:00a Pacific

Click for all the details and to SIGN UP TODAY: www.referralcoach.com/webinar

---

Remember

The initial appointment is for you and the client to get to know each other and decide of moving forward with the chance of doing business together makes sense for both of you. Prematurely discussing products, solutions, specific ideas or anything else too detailed will work against you. They have not decided you are their advisor so why are you suggesting products?

Most of my advisor clients are looking to move from an initial appointment to a fact-find, which is the procedure for discovering what is important to your new client. Getting into a product discussion on the first phone call is most often the reason appointments don't stick. The second most common reason is being too persistent not letting the person off the phone and creating a call-back situation. Pressure to have "enough appointments" usually leads to the second most common problem.

Thank you, Gail Goodman.

Send Something of Value

I'll add one strategy that often helps appointments stick. You need to decide if this can apply to your world. I've seen a number of advisors get good results by sending something of value between the time they set the appointment and the appointment itself. If can be something as simple as a logo mug filled with candy. Or it can be a book or gift card for their next cup of coffee on you. Personally, I like things that are flat and easy to mail, like a gift card from Starbucks or Duncan Donuts, or Tim Horton's for my Canadian friends.

The 5 Most Common Internet Marketing Mistakes

by Shama Hyder
Click to Client.Com


1) Creating a website but not proactively driving visitors to it.


I see this all the time. VERY smart business owners will create a great looking website and then “hope” that their clients will find them. Location is nothing when it comes to the online world.

Yes, your domain name matters. But, that’s all. Otherwise, the playing field is leveled. If you build a website, make sure you are driving traffic to it. You can do so using online methods (i.e., search engine optimization, pay per click, etc.) and off line methods (encouraging people you meet to check out your site).


2) Not capturing visitor information


You don’t have to offer an eZine or an online newsletter, but do capture visitor information in some form or fashion. Most visitors (many qualified prospects!) will never come back to your website. There is too much to do, see, hear. Websites are going up just as you read this. Make sure you find a way to keep in touch with the people who stop by.


3) Not playing with the website.

I met a guy last week (let’s call him Joe) who told me: “I have a website. I put it up in 1995! Haven’t changed it since.” This guy was really proud of himself. Don’t be Joe. Make sure you keep playing with the website to keep it looking sharp. Make sure it is doing its job.


4) Not following-up!


One, make sure people can contact you from your website. Yes, this is a no-brainer, but you would not believe how hard it is to find contact information for some folks online-or maybe you can believe it. Second, when someone contacts you, follow-up. Sometimes people put it off until later (and then forget), or are just plain nervous. No amount of marketing will help you if you don’t follow up and close the sale.


5) Thinking of their website as just an “online presence.”


This is another common mistake. I often hear people say: “Yea, I have a website. It’s so important to have an online presence these days.” But, your website should be MORE than your presence. If you are going to purchase the domain name and hosting. If you are going to build it-then let it be a marketing tool for you! Don’t put up a website just for the sake of online presence. Leverage it as an excellent marketing tool.

Inner Truth Sells Regardless of the Economy...

by Sidney C. Walker

Selling Without Wrestling

Many people are afraid to spend any money on anything at the moment. They want to see some improvement in the economy which is a reasonable request. However, many of these same people will be the ones who invest money after the market has gone up considerably.

I am not sure how much you can help the people who make decisions based on the emotion of the day. Fortunately there is a group of people who are more grounded and know this is only the down side of a predictable cycle. This group of people also tends to make decisions based more on what feels intuitively right than based on emotion. These are the people who are currently buying financial products.

You may have to work a little harder than normal to find the "intuitive" buyers, but they are out there and they are a bigger group than you might think. The second thing you have to do is handle the interviewing process correctly so that you help the potential client get at the decision that feels intuitively right since that is what they will be willing to take action on.

How do you help your client get at the decision that feels intuitively right? First you have to ask yourself how you make decisions. Do you base your decisions on intellectual logic, emotional feelings, intuitive feelings (a quiet sense of knowing something is right or not right) or, some combination of all three?

How do you know when you have enough information? What tells you can stop looking at options? What does it feel like when it feels intuitively right? It is a good exercise to look back in your life at decisions you have made that worked out and look at how you arrived at those decisions.

Why is it important to look at your own decision making process in order to help others? You need to see that there is a process. Not everyone has the exact same process but for the majority of the people buying today, they are buying more because all the elements put together feel intuitively right than for any single reason.

One of the questions I teach advisors to ask in my Selling Without Wresting™ Sales Training is: "I think we agree this makes sense, the real question is does it feel right?"

This is not a question a controlling advisor is going to ask. It will only make sense to ask this question if you are a relationship-oriented advisor that is trying to help the client make an educated decision that feels right to them.

Helping people get at what feels right to them will close more sales that will stay on the books than any other approach.

There are people making buying decisions in this economy, just not as many as usual. And all the people you meet who are afraid to do anything will come around once they see enough good news. It's a good time to get to know as many new people as you can and don't worry if sales are down. The sales numbers will come back and the more people you have in the pipeline when things start to turn around, the bigger the payoff will be for you.

Thirty years ago, my sales manager used to pass out STP stickers to his reps. STP, which is still around as far as I know, is the oil treatment for car engines. Guess what STP stands for? See The People!

STP...

Sid

PS: Try Sid's new online SWOW for 24 hour a day access to the best low-key sales tools.
Try it for free for 7 days by going HERE.

Ten Ways To Become More Referral-Worthy And Upcoming Webinars

by Tammy de Leeuw
Financial Advisor Netzone
The Grouchy Marketing Lady

1. You MUST Become Referral Worthy. Getting referrals on a consistent basis is
nearly impossible if you have done nothing to deserve them.

A referral worthy person is:

100% honest, 100% of the time-Honorable Men and Women

Extremely client-focused in EVERY PHASE of the relationship

A provider of incredible client experiences

Kind, respectful, NEVER condescending when dealing with clients

Generous with time and information

Able to think in terms of the WHOLE client

A person who truly KNOW the needs and desires of their clients and has the tools to meet those needs.

Always learning and using that knowledge to be better at what you do

Professional in all your dealings with prospects and clients

Flexible, enjoyable, and pleasant to be around

Someone who stays in touch with their clients

A supreme CLIENT ADVOCATE

Willing to Take Constructive Criticism- In fact, YOU INVITE it (surveys)

BRIGHT IDEA:- Offer a powerful GUARANTEE. Here is an example of a satisfaction guarantee I once saw on a seminar invitation:

"Satisfaction Guarantee: All we ask is that you take in the information presented and enjoy the delicious meal. If you feel like it was a waste of your time, we'll gladly donate $100 to the charity of your choice for your trouble"

2. Find the RIGHT Partners and Get More Referrals

A-level clients, joint venture partners, and networking associates can be a real boost to the referral process, provided you do your research and get the RIGHT KINDS OF PARTNERS...

(see the rest of the article at:http://www.squidoo.com/referralsgalore)

Our Webinar Schedule for May, 2009

If you are wondering about social media and its relationship to YOUR business, you will want to join us on Wednesday, March 6th when new media superstar SHAMA HYDER joins us to explain Tweeting and blogging and Diggin and all that sort of stuff

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/913284376

May 26th: Join top business consultant Peter Vessenes

Making Money in a Market Downturn- with Peter Vessenes https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/916775448

May 27th: "Agent Provocateur" Robert Breiner joins with Grouchy to educate you on the finer points of using Send Out Cards to leverage Naturally Existing Economic Relationships (NEER). It is an SOC demonstration with major attitude.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/279168745

6 Steps for Client Focus Groups That Produce Loyalty and Referrals

by Bill Cates

Referral Coach International

Once upon a time, I owned a book publishing company.

Not only did I publish books, I brokered printing, and even did some training for printing and graphics companies. One of my specialties was running Client Focus Groups.

These took on a myriad of forms, but the basic premise was always the same.

We'd gather some of the client's top clients and customers into a room and talk about improving and expanding the business. These clients were given royal treatment and were willing to engage in these sessions because they had a vested interest in their relationship with the company.

Whether they realize it or not, your clients have a vested interest in your successful business. These meetings help solidify their interest in your success. The more successful you are the better you are able to serve them. Plus, many of them would be more than happy to help you just because they like you. It's time to tap into these relationships.

Step 1 - Identify as many groups as you can of about 8-12 "A" and "B+" clients who might be willing to participate in a focus group. You'll probably end up with 6-10 attending the meeting. Pay attention to how you group these folks, making sure personalities are compatible. Other small business owners, consultants, and salespeople tend to make the best focus group participants.

Step 2 - Working with one group at a time, invite them to a meeting with you and your staff to discuss/brainstorm how you can serve them even better than you currently are. Serve them a meal, breakfast or lunch, or both and give them the royal treatment.
Step 3 - The first item for discussion is how you are presently serving your clients. If you have one, discuss your client-service model. If you don't, formulate one for the group to evaluate and give you feedback on.

Step 4 - The second item on the agenda is marketing. Let them know the types of individuals you are trying to reach with the important work that you do. Let them know of any niche markets you are pursuing or are thinking of pursuing. Brainstorm marketing and referral ideas.

Step 5 -The third, and optional, item is to discuss any new products that you might want to make available to your clients. Discuss the value of these products. Brainstorm how you will talk about and present them to your clients. You'll get great ideas and many of these folks will want to know more about the products for themselves.

Step 6 - Take action on as many of the ideas they give to you as possible. But even if you can't act on all of them, stay in touch with them so that they know their time with you was well spent. Be ready for a lot of great ideas, as well as direct referrals.
Many of your clients will appreciate the opportunity to be "let into" your business. Many will love the creative thinking around service and marketing. Many will begin to think about your business, even when they are not in direct contact with you and will continue to share ideas as they come up.

Some advisors run several focus group meetings a year. Many of your clients will do this with you annually. Some of them would prefer every other year. If the thought of creating these groups is just too far out of your comfort zone, then schedule some one-on-one sessions with some of your clients - for the purpose of helping you serve your clients better and reaching more people with the important work you do.

What are you doing that's working for you with regard to referrals and client service? What isn't working? What topics would you like to see me address?

Maybe I can help. I'd love to hear from you. Send your questions and best practices to me at: Info@ReferralCoach.com.

*Don't miss BILL CATES THURSDAY, APRIL 30th...for a special referral class...

http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=803298

The Skies in My World...

by Tammy de Leeuw
The Grouchy Marketing Lady
Financial Advisor Netzone


Grouchy is up to her red eyeballs with stuff- including some great web classes and webinars. Be sure to check them out:

Thursday, April 30th: "America's Referral Coach" BILL CATES presents a special class on referrals that you will not want to miss. In 1.5 hours, Bill will take you from "referral reluctant" to "referral savvy." This is the same material Cates presents to prominent financial institutions across the country. COST: $97

Register HERE:

Wednesday, May 6th: Shama Hyder- one of the most influential young people in new media, will be giving you an overview of the social media phenonmenon. Learn what social media is and how it can help your business grow.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/913284376

Wednesday, May 27th: Join me, Grouchy, and my special guest Robert Breiner as we examine Send Out Cards, a referral system being used successfully by small businesses across the world to increase prospect attraction and client retention.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/279168745


Stay tuned for even more Grouchy events as I diligently pursue the best tools, tips, tricks, people, places, and practices to help you get more clients and make more money.

And...

Follow me on Twitter to get all the updates throughout the day.
http://twitter.com/tammydeleeuw

How To Train Your Referral Force

by David Frey
Marketing Best Practices


Are you frustrated because you give referrals to other
professionals in your networking group, but get few
referrals in return?

Or do most of the people in your networking group
already use your product or service and you feel as
though you have no where to go with them?

If so, you'll want to read ALL of this newsletter.

This one idea could be a breakthrough for you in your
referral marketing efforts.

_____________________________

You're Doing It All Wrong...
_____________________________


Most business professionals who attend networking
meetings or who belong to networking groups do it all
wrong.

They go to networking meetings with the intention of
introducing their product or service to people they
meet and trying to close a sale.

That's the wrong approach.

___________________________________

Your Network Is Your Sales Force
___________________________________


When attending your next networking event, focus on
"training your sales force" rather than on selling your
product or service.

Your fellow networkers are usually ready and willing to
refer you business, if they just knew how to identify a
good potential referral for you.

Imagine you were training your own sales force. What
specifics of your business would you teach them to help
them easily identify a great prospect?

That's exactly the type of information you should be
sharing with your fellow networking group members.

__________________________________

Some Networking Do's and Don'ts
__________________________________


DON'T...

Use generalities like, "I'm looking for anyone who is
planning a vacation this summer."

DO...

Use specifics like, "If you have a friend in your
church or who you work with who has been talking about
traveling this summer, I can help them plan the
vacation of a life time."

DON'T...

Come empty handed to your referral meeting.

DO...

Use examples and visual aids to help people remember
your message. For instance, if you sell copiers, bring
some copy paper and show people how many more copies
you machine will produce versus the competition for the
same amount of money.

DON'T...

Say the same thing over and over to your group members.

DO...

Break down your business into the types of problems
that your product or service solves and in each
meeting, focus on how you can solve one specific
problem.

You'll find that you'll double the amount of referrals
you get from fellow networking group members by simply
educating them about the specifics of your business and
what a great referral for you would look like.

_______________________________________________________

Using "Referral Education Cards" to Train Your Network
_______________________________________________________


A simple method for training your referral sources is
to use "Referral Education Cards."

A Referral Education Card is a greeting card that helps
people understand how to spot a good referral prospect
for your busines.

It starts out by saying, "A good referral for me is
someone who..."

Here's a great example of an ultra-effective Referral
Education Card for a local banker.


http://www.TheReferralNewsletter.com/a/good.jpg

(copy and paste the link into your browser)


You'll notice in this card that it specifically states
the attributes of someone who would be a great prospect
for a banker.

This card actually educates the banker's referral
sources on specifically what to look for in a person
who they can refer to the banker.

The message on the inside of this card could say
something like...

"Hi Mark,

I was just thinking the other day that I'm
not totally clear on what a good referral
would look like for you.

If you have a moment, please shoot me an email
with a couple of bullet points explaining what
type of person I should be looking for so I
might be able to recognize a good potential
referral for you.

My email address is David@MarketingBestPractices.com.

I look forward to talking to you soon.

All the best,

David Frey


Notice that this message is focused on your referral
sources instead of you. The card does all the talking
for you so that you don't have to!

I hope you get the idea.

Educating your referral sources is one of the most
beneficial things you can do to generate more
referrals.

So the next time you attend a networking meeting,
remember that you're there to train your sales force!

All the best.

David

P.S. I created this card using a function called
"Picture Plus" in http://www.SendOutCards.com. If
you'd like to see a demo of how it works, just visit
http://www.PicturePlusDemo.com

This Will Give You A Chuckle... And It's So True

Build the foundation before you worry about the wallpaper...

by Tammy de Leeuw
Financial Advisor Netzone

Hey..very long time no blog..

That's because my life is exploding with possibilities and all of them are screaming for a chance to manifest themselves...at once.

As you know, I have been enjoying the heck out of helping the Mavericks (and some of you) grow your social medial presence.

I am Twittering like a bluejay who ate a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans (yum!) and I am Facebooking until my wrists and fingers are sore.

Not to mention, blogging, producing webinars, writing emails and..

Is it worth it?

Am I starting to see the light of day in my own business as I help you grow YOURS?

The answer is...

A little.

You see, I believe in having good solid foundations.. and you should too.

We all have done the "catch up game" before. Procrastinate our brains out and then push ourselves to the brink playing "catch up."

It doesn't work very well and it is EXHAUSTING.. Better to go more slowly and do it right so we don't have to re-do things later... measure twice or even three times and CUT ONCE.

An old school marketer told me a long time ago,

"It may take a while for the money to come your way, Tammy. But when it does, if you have done everything right, it will come fast and furious."

This is the law of reciprocity at work. Cash flow can be a crunch at times, but in order to have reciprocity in your life, you must be 100% committed to creating a solid foundation for your business.

This means...

Investing in every tool, educational product, system that you feel will actually HELP you create solid, multiple streams of income.. finding all the good FREE INFORMATION...

And (here is the hard part): getting out of the Lazy Boy and actually USING those tools...

Looking for new and better ways to leverage your time and marketing budget.. hiring an assistant or virtual assistant when you need one...

Educating yourself NOW so you won't be scrambling to catch up to your competition. You want to be positioned to be the DRIVER of the bandwagon..

And not one of those guys or gals running around in a panic trying to jump on...

I know I throw a lot of stuff at you and point you in many directions... but only you know the FLAVOR of your business...what you WILL DO.. what you will NEVER DO, and your own strengths and weaknesses...

But doing NOTHING in these crazy days is certainly not an option.


Upcoming Grouchy Events- TRAIN YOUR BRAIN AND MAKE IT RAIN!

April 7th: Don't miss a special Mavericks Event: Webinar: What's Working for Mavericks Now?
featuring Seminar Direct's own DOUG DIXON (who is an expert in direct mail, seminars, and search engine optimization) and our friends the Insurance Mavericks.
Register at:https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/264160286

Also: be sure to check out the Mavericks new blog:

http://www.insurancemarketingmaverick.com/

Facebook..Worthwhile Marketing Tool or Slacker Toy?

by Tammy de Leeuw
Financial Advisor Netzone


Facebook...Is it worthwhile?

The Insurance Mavericks and I talk a lot about using social media like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. as relationship building tools and I get lots of questions about whether or not advisors, agents, brokers, etc. can REALLY take advantage of emerging media.

"Will it help my business or just drain off more of my time?"

To help me answer that question, I went out and found an advisor who is using Facebook, video, television, and radio successfully. His practice is BOOMING as a result.

You can listen to the unedited interview I did with Chicago's MATTHEW SAPAULA a couple of days ago. I apologize for any quality issues, but I wanted to get this information out to you ASAP and not wait for me to get around to prettying it up.

Listen to what a real financial pro says about using new media.

Listen to Your Recorded Conference from the Phone...

Dial - (712) 432-1090
Enter Access Code - 962776#

If You Are Already on Facebook or want to join, Grouchy suggests:

Whether or not you are already an Insurance Mavericks member, you can get a lot of free advice and downloads by joining the IM Facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49667736397&ref=ts

Grouchy On Facebook:

You can friend me here and I will be glad to help you grow YOUR network.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1483544513&ref=profile

I also have a group where I have special contests, exclusive marketing downloads, and encourage others to share what IS WORKING NOW.

Financial Professionals Marketing Group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49667736397&ref=ts#/group.php?gid=41558794292&ref=ts

Speed of The Internet (Matthew Sapaula's Group for Entrepreneurs)- Great information found here!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=45329063380&ref=ts

Grouchy- Stuffing Your Heads With Knowledge

by Tammy de Leeuw
The Grouchy Marketing Lady
Financial Advisor Netzone


Safe Money Radio, BILL BROICH and JOE RYCH'S turn-key radio program has proven to be
so popular that we were not able to get to everyone on today's webinar.

If you didn't get your questions answered, shoot off an email to Joe at:
joe@annuity.com or call him M-F during regular business hours at:1-800-814-5378 .

Tell him Tammy said to give you a sample of an actual radio show.

Miss today's webcast?

You can download for the next 14 days at:

https://www.yousendit.com/download/UmNMV295eFVCTWxFQlE9PQ

Upcoming Events:

March 26th, 2009: Send Out Cards Demo and Ideas for YOUR Drip System- with
Bob Breiner and Tammy de Leeuw.

April 7th: So, What Are Maverick Financial Services Pros DOING RIGHT NOW to Make More Money and Retain More Clients? A special NOTHING TO SELL webinar with Brett and Ethan, the Insurance Mavericks. COST: ZERO, NOTHING.

Register or find out more at:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/264160286

April 30th- Special "do-over" of the March 3rd BILL CATES WEB CLASS. As some of you know- internet problems forced us to cancel and re-do the class. This is a blessing for some of you who wanted to come but were unable. Now you have a second chance to register for this unique, fully-loaded class. COST: $97, includes free downloads, handouts, worksheets, and bonuses!

*If you already paid or are an INSURANCE MAVERICKS member- you DO NOT need to pay. Mavs members should send me an email to get the registration link: tammy@grouchymarketinglady.com.

Finally- A Data-Collecting Website for A Fraction of the Cost

I get asked a lot about how to get a simple website that will capture DATA and allow the website owner to easily retrieve it. I know several advisors and agents who have great downloads on their sites, but they have no way to know WHO is downloading the stuff. Thus, a great opportunity to GENERATE LEADS is lost.

Checking around, I discovered that a semi-custom website with one data capture page and the ability to upload a video runs at least $1,ooo. And that doesn't include ANY changes you may need to make once the site is up.

I asked my IT Genie to come up with a solution...

We decided that he could do a LIMITED NUMBER of semi-custom websites, complete with a capture ("squeeze") page, for under $600! That is a bargain and this guy is a top-notch website builder. For obvious reasons, we can't do too many of these at this price, so we are limiting it to the first 25 who contact me.

If you want more information, email me at: tammy@grouchymarketinglady.com or call me during normal business hours at 978-633-7140.

When Times are Tough...The Tough Start Marketing!

by Tammy de Leeuw
Financial Advisor Netzone
The Grouchy Marketing


I was talking with a local businesswoman the other day whose establishment sits
smack dab in the middle of a shopping center with more vacancies than tenants...

This particular shopping center is also conveniently located in one of the hardest-hit former boom towns in California. (double ouch!)

The brisk walkthrough traffic once enjoyed is a distant memory...

Merchants complain they can no longer gauge their "busy" days...

The parking lot stands empty most of the time.

This business owner told me, " I have to depend on foot traffic.
I don't have time and money to market my business..." (triple ouch!)

You ARE a marketer...

I don't care what you do for a living, what sort of expensive product or service you sell, how long you went to school to get your three degrees, or if you have tons of accolades and awards hanging on your wall...

YOU are a marketer.

Accept it...embrace it...Learn to do it better than anyone else and you will THRIVE.

Deny it or ignore it and you will be one of the ones who won't be around at the uptick.

When you become good at marketing, or at least become good at knowing what good marketing IS, you will be one of the ones who isn't at the mercy of "walkthrough" traffic but is instead "that guy" or "that gal" who attracts more clients than they can handle.

Bootstrapper?

If you are on a tight budget, here are some tips:

1. Make what you do now work better.
For example, are you sweating to renew the yellow pages ad you have
had for years? Before you spend that money, be sure the AD is made as effective as
possible. There is a simple step that will DRAMATICALLY increase the pull of even a small
yellow pages ad. Doing this will also help you TRACK to see if it is worth the the money.
I will explain this step in another article.

2. Write, write, write. If you are a halfway decent communicator, write about your particular
area of expertise. Maybe you are an expert in life settlements. Write an informative,
interesting article. Perhaps you know lots of ways to save on insurance. Write a 15-20 page
report: "Six Ways You Can Save Hundreds of Dollars on Your Insurance." You can use this
report in many different ways. Put together a small press packet with a nice photo of you,
a copy of your article or report, and a short biography and send this packet to the local paper
and news radio station.

Send a nice card to the editor of the paper or radio station manager inviting them to lunch.
Keep sending the cards until someone responds and agrees to meet you. Once is seldom
enough. Getting a warm relationship going with someone in your local media is the beginning
of free publicity for you.

You can also use the articles you produce on the web as your compliance department allows.
There are several sites, such as ezine articles, which allow you to post your articles for free.


The point is: you can't allow fear to paralyze you or you will do nothing...

And doing nothing is a surefire way to go out of business.

A Learn to Do It Webinar with Grouchy

Nudge Me Into Action, Grouchy! The Ultimate Send Out Cards Webinar with Tammy de Leeuw and Robert Breiner

Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PDT NOON Central, 1PM Eastern

Webinar Registration

Ok... you thought you might be able to use Send Out Cards.. But you were afraid... It would be too much of a time drain... Too expensive... Too complicated... Too difficult to implement WHATEVER... Here is , for the next-to-the-next-to-the next last time, a full-on webinar for those of you who have considered Send Out Cards but just haven't overcome your own fears, or... Need a bit more encouragement, explanation, motivation, creative jolts, or a kick in the pants... Find out how you can use the same system used by hundreds of your competitors to ensure that your good clients feel loved and your hot prospects are attracted to YOU and nobody else but you. Bob and Grouchy have some great ideas for cards (all of which you can steal for yourself!) and some unusual ways of making this drip system pay off in the long run. Come sit a spell and learn from the SOC Twins- Bob and Tammy aka "Grouchy" PS: Someone will win brownies... https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/370911843

The Secret is NOT In the Follouw Up???

by David Frey
Marketing Best Practices


What?

What do you mean the secret is not in
the follow up?

Listen, you and I know that following up
consistently in a meaningful way IS the
key to establishing long term relationships
of trust.

BUT THE REAL SECRET IS...

...carving out the TIME in your busy schedule
to do the follow up!

It's a "TIME" issue. Plain and simple.

You know following up is critical.

You know what things to do to follow up.

You know that following up gets results.

________________________________________

But You Just Have NOT Figured Out...
________________________________________


...how to find the TIME to do it.

Time is a precious commodity for all of
us and that's why it's so important to
try to find ways to do things more
efficiently and effectively.

So today I want to talk to you about
how to dramatically cut down your time
on following up by...

...AUTOMATING THE FOLLOW UP PROCESS!

Automation is the secret key to
following up with people on a
consistent basis.

You've probably heard the old saying
that...

__________________________________________

"Humans are Always the Weakest Link..."
__________________________________________

...in any marketing system

It's true.

If you insert human intervention into a
marketing system, that specific link in
the chain is bound to break down.

That's why you want to automate your
marketing and follow up as much as
possible.

And if you've been a reader to this
newsletter for any amount of time, then
you'll know that I personally use
SendOutCards.com to automate my follow up.

_________________________

Here's How It Works...
_________________________


In SendOutCards.com there is a feature
called "Campaigns."

This feature allows you to create a set
of cards and to AUTOMATICALLY send them
out in a pre-determined time sequence.

For instance, let's say you're met someone
at a recent networking meeting and you
want to stay in touch with them and
develop a relationship of trust.

So you decide to set up a "stay-in-touch"
greeting card campaign.

Here's how you do it in SendOutCards.com

_________

STEP 1 - You choose a card and write a
brief note in it and set it up as a
"campaign."

You set that card to go out immediately.
_________

STEP 2 - You choose a 2nd card and set
it up to go out 30 days after the first
card.
_________

STEP 3 - You do that 12 times to create
a 12 card campaign so that one card goes
out every month.
_________

STEP 4 - When you meet someone, you
enter their name into the contact
manager and then "attach" it to your
new 12 month campaign.

Then you just push the SEND button.
_________

STEP 5 - Rinse and repeat!
_________


This is what it kind of looks like if
you were to draw a graphic of it.

http://www.thereferralnewsletter.com/a/flwup.jpg

(copy and paste the link into your browser)

______________________________

* * Follow Up Made Easy! * *
______________________________


It simply doesn't get much easier than
that. It's the simplest, easiest, and
most impactful follow up system ever
created and YOU SHOULD BE USING IT!

If you truly, deeply, and honestly
believe that following up is one of
the most critical marketing activities
that you can do, then it just makes
sense to use SendOutCards.com to
automate the process for you.

______________________________

Do Not Take My Word for It!
______________________________


If you don't think it works,
just read what Dr. Paul
Graden says...

"Hello, my name is Dr. Paul Graden,
and I am President of Accelerated
Learning Center in Nashville.

A few months ago I was introduced
to SendOutCards.com.

While I was skeptical, it was very
inexpensive to launch and I loved
the ability to build referral
campaigns for both my students
and prospects.

Our referral rate increased by 39%
within just 6 weeks saving me
thousands of dollars in advertising
and recruitment costs.

It has been 90 days now my referrals
are outpacing my advertising results
by a 10 to 1 ratio!

I could not be more pleased with the
SendOutCards program and highly recommend
it for any business owner looking to
increase their referral base.

Dr. Paul Graden
CEO, Accelerated Learning Center
Nashville, TN


There are hundreds of more comments
like this from people who are using
SendOutCards.com today.

If you're ready to take a personal
walkthrough of the system with me,
please feel call Tammy at
978-633-7140 for a walkthrough
of the system.


Have a great day!

David

P.S. By the way, if you want to see
a super cool feature of SendOutCards
go and visit...

http://www.PicturePlusDemo.com