Don't miss our show this Wednesday!!!

Join us Wednesday, July 30, 2008, at 10:00 am PT/ 1:00 pm ET, with our special guest Maria Ross, as we Marketing on our Errand Guru Talk Radio Show. If you are unsure what the difference is between branding, marketing, and PR, then this is the segment for you.

Maria Ross is the President and Chief Marketing Diva of Red Slice. Red Slice is a marketing and communications consultancy that works strategically with your marketing department or serves as a virtual marketing director to build fresh brands, create winning marketing strategies, and flawlessly execute programs.


You can listen live over the Internet or call in over the phone to listen at (646) 478-4999. We also have a live chat during the segment, so if you want to ask a question off the air, we would be happy to answer it for you.

You can visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/errandgurutalk to listen to any of our previous shows we have done.

Easy Office Organization

Easy Office Organization: How To Go From Overwhelmed And Frustrated To Organized And Stress-Free In 48 Hours Or Less. This is an exciting fixed-term membership program designed to teach you how to create the key administrative and online marketing systems in your solo service business. It will cover everything you need to know to achieve office organization success in a step-by-step, bite-sized format.

Get a 'sneak peek' at this exciting new program, and sign up for the priority list at: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2492002.

Creating Small Business Websites That Grab Attention

Is your website giving you the results you want?

Your website can be a wonderful marketing and educational tool. But what makes a small business owner's website great?

Learn the basics of what you should know to add polish and professionalism to your small business website, everything from the message you deliver to the psychology of the colors you use.

Whether you design your own site or hire someone to do it for you, this-information packed class is for you!

Join Karyn Greenstreet for a six week teleclass that begins July 17, 2008. The dates of the class are:

July 17
July 24
July 31
Aug 7
Aug 14
Aug 21

The cost of the class is $179 and is a great investment!

Click the link for more details and to register for this class. http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2490037

We're on for Tuesday, right?

Just wanted to remind you about Ali Brown's *FREE TELESEMINAR SERIES* that kicks off Tuesday, July 15. And this will be the LAST one of its kind.

(In a hurry? Sign up here now: http://www.autowebbusiness.com/app/?af=805212 )

Why do I want to make sure you attend?

==> On these calls, Ali is going to reveal the EXACT steps she took to transform her original service-based business to an Internet-based business and skyrocketed her income to multiple 7- figures per year.

(And more importantly, how YOU can do the same.)

During these calls Ali will be sharing with us:

* NEW and easy ways to use EMAIL and the INTERNET to leverage your time, sell FOR you, and put your marketing and sales on autopilot. (You'll love seeing new leads, clients, and customers just drop in your lap.)

* How to STOP marketing one-to-one and START marketing one to thousands... or tens of thousands! (This leverage is your KEY to super-fast income growth.)

* BRAND NEW strategies and secrets Ali's uncovered to grow her business FASTER and attract wealth easier than ever before. (And believe me, your mindset is just as important as your marketing and sales.)

These calls are a sneak preview of Ali's LAST LIVE Online Success Blueprint Workshop, happening in November 2008. (It's already over halfway sold out!)

Take my word for it... you DON'T want to miss this FREE teleseminar series, which is also Ali's LAST free series on this topic ever.

So, won't you join me? The first call is on *Tuesday, July 15* and you can sign up and get the details here now: http://www.autowebbusiness.com/app/?af=805212

Ali already has over 2,000 people registered, so it's important you get in on this soon before she has to close it out due to limited space on her bridge lines.

You don't want to miss this for anything.

I'll see you on the calls!

How persistent are you?

My son has been asking me all day when I would take him to the store so that he could go shopping with a gift card he has. Of course I told him later each time he came to me. I had an excuse each time. I was busy with work the first time, I had phone calls the next time, he had to complete his chores before we could go, and on and on. Well, he did everything I had asked him to do and now I am out of excuses. Will I be taking him? Of course. He was persistent about going, never missing a beat.

Why can't we as business owners be persistent too? Just because someone tells you "No" the first time you talk to them doesn't mean that they don't want your services or products. Unless they have stated that they would call the police or threatened you with bodily harm because they really don't want what you have to offer, keep trying.

What you need to do is look over how the first interaction went and figure out what changes you need to make. Was your first contact with them a hard sell? Did you explain to them a summarized version of what they would get from forging a relationship with you? Did your speech sound canned? Did you fumble around with your words because you lacked confidence?

Now is the time to view your "No" prospects as your "Come back and tell me what you can really do to get the sale" prospects. We all faced with people wanting to sell us something. Whether it is the Burger King employee trying to upsell your purchase by asking "Would you like fries with that?" or the flyer you find attached to your door from a local landscaping company or the little girl down the street going door to door with her ice chest trying to sell drinks on a hot day, you need to learn from those that have sold you on their product.

What made you interested in buying from them? Was it the look of the marketing materials? Was it the tone of their voice? Was it the unique way that they told their story to you? Those that are successful are persistent. Look to them for guidance.

What's your message saying?

As I was heading out to IHOP for breakfast this morning I drove by the local boat shop. They had a banner hanging on the chain link fence in front of their business that said, "You only have 18 summers with your kids. How many do you have left?"

When I first drove by it, I only was able to see the first statement, but it was so intriguing that I made a point of going past the shop after breakfast and stopping to read the rest of it. Why? The message spoke to me personally. I have three kids of my own and the oldest is going to be 16 in September, which means that I only have a few summers left before he heads out on his own. If I was in the market for a boat right now, I would have definitely stopped in to see what else they had to say. Who knows. I may have walked out with a boat.

Are your messages speaking to your customers? Many people are too broad and general with their messages and therefore they don't provoke emotion in their prospective clients getting them to want to purchases their products or services. When you are putting together your messages pretend as if the person you want to reach is right in front of you and you are having a conversation with them. Talk to them and them only and your message should come across loud and clear.

For example, I have two dogs and two birds right now, although my daughter and youngest son are hatching up a plan to go steal a sheep in the middle of the night and bring it home. I know all about what it is like to have to go somewhere and worry about what to do with the animals. My daughter's dog will be a year old in August and I am constantly screaming about something new he has eaten up in our house. The older dog leaves "presents" in the hallway for us all of the time.

If I was putting together a flyer for prospective clients and talking about pet sitting services or mid-day potty breaks, I might state, "Have you come home recently to find your favorite pair of shoes are now your dog's favorite toy? If you have to work all day, let Angel At Your Service come by to check on your dog and make sure that your favorite shoes are where they are supposed to be." Or I could use, "Do you find little deposits all over your house when you come back home after a long day at work? Angel At Your Service can provide mid-day potty breaks so that your pet can take care of things outside and leave your carpet clean on the inside."

Look at your target market and make sure that your message is saying the right thing.

Where do you come up with your pricing?

I was looking at a few pet sitting jobs that had been posted on SitterCity and could not believe some of the pricing that I saw. First, there was an ad from a person who was offering pet sitting/dog walking services. She wanted $50-$100 per visit. The second ad was from a woman who wanted someone to come to her home twice a day for $5-$15 per visit.

I started laughing out loud when I read both of those ads. Why?

The woman who placed the ad for pet sitting services lives about 7 miles from me. My gas to get there and back for each visit alone would cost more than she wanted to pay me. Basically my services would be for free. Why would I provide charity? I am in business and most people go into business to make money.

The woman who placed the ad to provide pet sitting/dog walking services was providing typical services that other pet sitters normally provide. She wasn't offering to cleaning a client's home and prune their bushes so that they spelled out "Welcome Home" when the client arrived back home. I understand the cost of gas has gone up, but please!

Both of these women did not price their pet sitting services right. The first woman's ad continues to stay up because she is underbidding what any respectable, professional pet sitter would ask for in return for their services. The second woman's ad will probably not get her too many clients because there was no real value for the price she was asking.

It is not that hard to go online and see what the going rates are for pet sitting services in your area. The woman who underbid will probably not find a licensed and bonded pet sitter, which she was asking for, for the price she is asking. She will probably have to settle for a neighborhood teenage kid or a relative to watch her animals while she is away. The woman who over quoted her price will find she was double, on the low end of her scale, to quadruple, on the high end of her scale, what others are asking and so her prospective clients will go elsewhere.

I have a pet sitting client who had sent me a confirmation email before his trip and had asked me if my rates had gone up because he wanted to cover the difference. I told him "Yes" and gave him the new rate. He had my check ready for my first visit along with a 20% tip. Why? Because he and his wife understand the true value of my services and are willing to pay my asking rate because his pets have been much happier staying at home instead of a kennel for the last couple of years that I have been pet sitting for them.

When you are putting together your pricing for your services, be reasonable, fair, and make sure that whatever services you are providing offer real value for your asking price.