05.08.08
Posted in Business Profiles, Coaching and Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Personal Profiles, Professional Profiles, Profile Writing, Using your professional profile
at 9:26 pm
by Anita Bruton
Professional Profiles are the latest buzzword in business marketing, and yet so many business people don’t know what it is and are missing out on a highly influential and valuable marketing tool.
So today, I am going to change that. By the time you are done reading this article, you will have a clear understanding of what a profile is, what a professional profile is and why it is so valuable to you as a marketing tool.
I believe that many of you are familiar with customer profiling. It is using the Web to find out clients or customers specific needs, interests, and other demographics. Customer profiling is an effective tool to determine with whom you conduct business. It is part of developing your target market.
Why is customer profiling so important? As a business owner or professional, executive or whatever role you have, understanding exactly who is your ideal customer is the key to creating products and services for your customer. Without this information, you would have hard times generating revenue.
I want to tell you a little secret. Customers profile the companies with whom they do business.
Think about this for a minute. When you are in need of new tires for your car, how do you decide where you are going to get them? You shop around. You check out prices and compare value. You think about the reputation of the dealer and the manufacturer. You consider location.
Guess what? You are profiling the businesses in order to make a good choice and get the best you can.
Are you getting a feel for where I’m going with this?
A professional profile is a short summary of a person or company.
Profiling a business or person is to create a short summary or professional profile of the business or person, and use it, as a marketing tool.It is a way to give your clients information about you, about your business, about your products and services, about the value you provide. You give them what they are looking for rather than making them hunt it down.
I want you to stop and think for a moment about your website. Most entrepreneurs, business professionals, service providers, and companies will have an About Me or About Us page of one kind or another. That page is in effect, a profile or short biography of the company or entrepreneur, whatever the case may be. It’s great that those pages are up there on the Internet for everyone to see. However, there is so much more that you can do with those words.
The potential use for a professional profile is huge! A professional profile is a valuable marketing tool. Here are just a few ideas how you could use a professional profile:
Include it with your press releases
Add it to your media kit
Print it out nicely for tradeshows
Add it to your brochures
Tonight, before you shut down your computer, look at your About Me or About Us page. Read it over. Think about how influential and valuable this page could be if you turn it into a full-blown professional profile? An essential part of your marketing kit is your professional profile.
You are invited to learn more about writing your company profile at my website: http://anitaspen.com Download your complimentary copy of my latest report: “Top Tips to Writing Company and Personal Profiles: 20 Do’s and don’ts to Creating a Powerful and Influential Marketing Tool”. This report is sure to help you as you write your profile, whether it be personal or for your company.
Anita Bruton is a professional freelance writer and entrepreneur specializing in assisting entrepreneurs and executives, locally based service providers and established small to midsize businesses to compile their professional profiles, creating a highly influential marketing tool. Having been a freelanced home based entrepreneur since 2003, Anita knows what is involved in starting and developing a business.
Anita is passionate about helping women become successful entrepreneurs and is an active member and volunteer with WBO, Women Business Owners (http://www.womenbizowners.org).
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05.05.08
Posted in Articles, Communication, Entrepreneurship, Public Speaking
at 9:37 am
by Anita Bruton
Guest Author Felicia Slattery talks to us today about Communication
By Felicia Slattery
Communication and customer service go hand-in-hand when you’re in any business– but particularly if you are an entrepreneur running a small home-based business. However, I’ve witnessed and heard of some not-so-professional customer service behaviors from solo-professionals recently. If you have a small or home-based business, these types of behaviors — otherwise known as “flaking out” — could be the kiss of death for your business.
Here are a few examples of what to never do:
1. Take the money and hide.
If you agree to a job and payment is made to you, you are obligated to do that job in a timely manner while also communicating to your client about the progress of that job. As a solo professional, are you busy wearing a dozen different hats? Sure? Does life happen? Yes. But it is your responsibility to communicate with your paying clients about what’s happening with you and most importantly what’s happening with their projects.
2. Start gung ho and never finish.
You get a new client and do some great work on their project. Then boom. Something happens. If you can’t personally finish a job for a particular reason, then it is your responsibility to make sure it gets done. Hire a freelancer yourself to finish the work — with full knowledge of the customer– or refer your customer to someone else. Never leave anyone hanging.
3. Barter and leave out your end of the bargain.
Maybe you offered a service in exchange for another equivalent-priced service. You got what you wanted and conveniently “forgot,” “got busy” or had some other, let’s face it, lame excuse as to why you didn’t do what you promised. Holding up your end of the bargain speaks volumes to your lack of credibility as a business owner. If you don’t live up to your promises, then why would that person later want to pay for your services or refer anyone else to you? They won’t. And image what they’re telling others about you. Pretty soon your reputation will be down the tubes.
Most small and home-based business owners started their businesses for the extra cash and flexibility working from home can provide. Of course things come up with the kids, family members, or other “life issues” in general. A simple note stating what has happened, how it affects your clients, and an honest “where do we go from here” would work wonders for your customer service. If you can’t be on top of communicating with your clients right away, designate someone who can in your place. Make sure your clients and customers feel like they’re in the loop and you’ll be on your way to boosting your credibility and getting many more referrals from your existing happy clients and customers with your service and communication.
Effective communication with your clients and prospects is the key to making your business successful. The first thing you need to communicate– and continue to communicate — is your credibility. Without credibility, your business will go nowhere. With it, you’ll automatically attract new clients and see positive cash flow.
I invite you to discover how to Increase Business by Communicating Your Credibility now. Visit http://www.communicationtransformation.com/creating-credibility-ecourse.html to get your free e-course that will help you customize a credibility plan for your business and get you more of what you want.
Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed. is a communication consultant, speaker & coach specializing in training small and home-based business owners effective communication skills so they can see more cash flow now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Felicia_Slattery
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