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Home Entrepreneur Newsletter for Mel
Publisher: David Riklan – http://www.SelfGrowth.com
In This Issue:
– Recommended Product of the Day: Autopilot
– Inspirational Quote for Home Entrepreneurs: Jeff Bezos
– Article: Your Business Card Can Make You Rich – By James Roche
– Article: Become a Credible Communicator: Make Honesty Your Policy! – By Craig Harrison
– Subscription and Contact Information
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** Recommended Product of the Day **
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** Inspirational Quote for Home Entrepreneurs **
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A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.
- Jeff Bezos
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** Article: Your Business Card Can Make You Rich – By James Roche **
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Your business card can bring you more leads, more clients and more riches…but only IF you know how to leverage its full potential. The humble business card has got to be the most underutilized marketing tool of all…yet it has the power to churn out riches into your bank account like a turbo-charged, cash-flow machine.
When I’m at a networking event I’m amazed that only 5% of the business cards I see are truly effective. The rest miss the mark…badly. First off, I invite you to rethink the function of your business card…
Don’t think of your business card as an ugly, functional parking lot for your name and address. Think of your business card as an elegant invitation to a fantastic party you’re having. You want lots of people to come and enjoy the fun. With this mindset, here are five keys to leverage the full power of your business card.
1. Put a Call to Action on Your Business Card
When someone hands me their business card the first thing I do is flip it over. I’m usually shocked. 95% of the time I see the same massive mistake being made…the back of the card is blank! (Or worse, it has a small advertisement for the printing company, which indicates the person didn’t want to spend the $10.00 to remove the printer’s logo.)
Use the back of your business card to present an irresistible offer and reason why someone should go to your website or contact you again. Offer them a free special report, eCourse or audio with information your target market most wants. The #1 purpose of your business card should be to invite them to take the next step in your sales process.
2. Make It Easy To Write On Your Business Card
I like to make the front of my card glossy and the back flat. This way I can write a personal note on the back where my call to action is. This personalizes the “invitation” and helps people remember you out of all the business cards they already have stuffed in their pockets.
3. Put a Photo of You On Your Business Card
Get a professional headshot and make it big on your card. You know what it’s like having a stack of cards and not remembering who’s who. But when your beautiful face is front and center people will remember you.
4. Make Your Business Card Simple
Another big mistake I see is cramming too much info on your card. Your business card isn’t there to sell people…it’s there to guide people to take one, simple step – your call to action. Don’t confuse people by giving them more than one website to visit. If you give a dog two bones they go crazy with confusion. When marketing your business give your prospects only one single action to take.
Avoid odd size and shape business cards – it becomes a burden for the person carrying it.
5. Make Your Business Card Easy on the Eye
Your card also needs to be visually appealing and easy on the eye. Avoid any graphic element that isn’t essential in driving people your call to action.
Avoid handwriting fonts because they are hard to read. Also avoid super small print.
I use a graphic trick on the front of my business card that’s literally as old as the Gutenberg Bible. Artists for the past 550 years know that the three most powerful colors in print are black, white and red. The whole front of my card is black with white and red text. It’s called a reversal. This way my name pops right out.
Also, my headshot on the front is against a dark background and I’m wearing a dark suit with a red shirt and tie – again, so my face pops right out. The back of my card is all white except for my call to action copy, which is red and black. This style works for me. Your task is to find the right look and style that matches your brand.
I recommend you spend the extra money to get the best printing possible. You want your prospect to handle your business card and feel its weight and glossy front surface. It all adds to the positive, perceived image you want to make.
The look and feel of your card is for one purpose only…to make it easy for your potential client to take the call to action you indicate. Your business card is only step one of many – it’s the invitation. You must decide what your sales process looks like for your business first and THEN create your business card to support the sales funnel that will make-you-rich.
About the Author:
James Roche, “The Info Product Guy”, helps entrepreneurs create a marketing strategy and information products so they get more clients and generate passive revenue. He is the creator of the Info Marketing Action Plan (iMap) Program that shows you how to create a simple marketing plan for your business. To learn more about his simple, step-by-step programs and receive a free Special Report, go to: www.infoproductguy.com
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** Article: Become a Credible Communicator: Make Honesty Your Policy! – By Craig Harrison **
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When you speak, do people listen? You don’t have to be E.F. Hutton to command attention and respect in the workplace. But you do have to be credible.
Credibility in the workplace means believability. Simply put, do people believe what you say? Is your reputation based on a track record of telling the truth? Are your estimates accurate, your forecasts realistic and your word solid? Or are you a big talker, a storyteller or a spin doctor? Strive to be a credible communicator.
The Right Way to Speak and Write
From the moment you submit a résumé and then interview for a job, the credibility counter is activated. Are your CV’s assertions accurate, your chronology factual and your affiliations, degrees and awards correct? Whether spoken or written, our communication must withstand the test for truthfulness.
Whether or not you are “found out” during the interview process, you can lose your job and damage your career immeasurably when you lie, misstate or misrepresent your accomplishments. Pulitzer prize winning authors have been undone, as have supposed war heroes and many a politician, by aggrandizing or completely falsifying one’s past accomplishments. You’re also susceptible to blackmail when you lie and are then threatened with exposure. As we’ve just seen, there is no “luck of the Irish” involved when you lie about your credentials, even as the head football coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
For entrepreneurs this is especially true. You ARE your business. You must be beyond reproach. Even a hint of impropriety can be fatal. Your goal is to ooze integrity through your words and deeds.
Your Word Is Your Bond
People listen to what you say and how you say it. In every job situation you have the opportunity to become known as a person of his or her word. Conversely, you can become known for shading the truth, for telling people what they want to hear, or parsing words as a defendant might do under cross examination in a court of law.
We’ve all heard of the boy who cried wolf so many times that when a wolf finally appeared, people had long since stopped listening. This boy’s credibility had long since turned non-existent. The same is true in the workplace. Whether you cry racism, sexism, ageism or favoritism it’s important that there be credence to your claims. You do everyone a disservice if you falsely accuse or ascribe such motives to actions that otherwise occur
Words Are Sticks and Stones
Beyond misrepresenting your own accomplishments or capabilities, be cautious of assertions made about others. Character assassination can be fatal to careers, and not just the person you’re blaspheming. Whether or not you’re a manager your words carry a weight to them that affects others. Gossiping about others or spreading falsehoods or even half-truths can flag you as dangerous, untrustworthy and ultimately unpromotable.
One of the keys to success in the workplace is engendering trust from your co-workers. If you are gossiping or betraying confidences you destroy your own credibility — as an honorable co-worker, a safe confidante, and am ally.
Take the High Road
Workplaces provide ample opportunities for you to earn credibility. Every time you make a deadline, do what you say you’ll do or are there in a time of need for others, the department of the company at large, your credibility rises.
Times when you defend the honor of co-workers who aren’t present, refuse to engage in gossip, or caution others to give co-workers the benefit of the doubt, you are showing wisdom and professionalism, which raises your credibility in the workplace.
Similarly, when you “say the right thing” or “do the right thing” in ethical situations your credibility is enhanced.
Tell It Like It Is
Often employees fall down when it comes to admitting mistakes. The credible communicator can admit errors or mistakes in a forthright and direct manner. Everyone makes mistakes, yet the credible communicator can address them and go about rectifying them, restoring confidence in him or herself. Those lacking in credibility might try to cover up, ignore or minimize their folly, often compounding the error of their ways. Ultimately, it’s less important that you made a mistake, than that you fixed it and can assure others it won’t happen again.
Know When to Say No
The credible communicator doesn’t just tell people what they want to hear. Life would be easy of we could say “yes” to every request we received. Yet realistically, agreeing to something you ultimately can’t deliver on is detrimental to your reputation. Develop the fortitude to say “no” when it’s the right answer, even through it may not be the popular one. Over the long term, you will be respected for the accuracy of your assessments, decisions and determinations, even if the news isn’t music to the ears of all who listen. Sometimes the truth isn’t popular or pretty, but a person who is a “straight shooter” is respected by all.
Earning Your Stripes
Strive to boost your credibility rating at work and in your professional relationships. You’ll know you’re succeeding when you hear others tell you they know they can count on you, have confidence in your projections and feel secure in their knowledge you’re on the team. Don’t be in-credible…strive to be incredible!
About the Author:
In his youth professional speaker and corporate trainer Craig Harrison won a Tall Tales Contest. Now he teaches classes on credibility for UC Santa Cruz Extension and other institutions and helps professions communicate and serve for success. Hire him at 510-547-0664, send e-mail to excellence@craigspeaks.com and visit his website: http://www.Expressionsofexcellence.com for more value from Craig. |
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