All Season VA, LLC

You have probably heard this recently, “email Marketing is Dead,” Welll…..it’s a matter of opinion. And I don’t believe it is.

"Today's marketing success comes from self-publishing Web content that people want to share. It's not about gimmicks. It's not about paying an agency to interrupt others." David Meerman Scott

There are some valid reasons why everyone in business, should be including eMail Marketing strategies into their overall yearly marketing plans & initiatives:

 According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), email produces an ROI of $40.56 for each dollar invested.

 Email marketing is inexpensive because all you need is an autoresponder, some content and marketing savvy. While you will have to pay for an autoresponder, you can create your own content and add your marketing savvy.

 Traffic, social media and email marketing are all important assets to grow and nurture. However, email provides the most value because you can better command your subscribers attention and an email list is something you own.

 It’s easy and inexpensive to target your database for the best results. You can separate customers based on the products they buy and then email them offers for similar products. You can collect personal data like their geographic location, interests and more to create more personalized correspondence. Subscribers can also share their preferences with you, so that you deliver with the frequency and type of content they wish to receive.

 While not everyone opens every single email they receive, being in someone’s email inbox increases your chances of getting noticed dramatically.

As an online merchant, your customers cannot see your face. They cannot hear your voice when you are recommending your products, and they cannot see the emotions on your face when you are telling your customers what benefits they can derive out of your products.

The Internet is a level playing field for every Internet marketer and merchant out there. The sheer connectivity means that you can reach everyindividual in the world. You are not limited by geographic constraints andanyone can be your customer or client.

This is precisely why you should overdeliver. When every competitor ofyours has access to everyone in the market, your only way of winning the battleis to overdeliver, again and again. When you  overdeliver, you present yourself as a person with the customer’sinterest at heart. You become a trusted friend and not a greed-driven marketerout looking for their money. Overdelivering is simply your only way todifferentiate yourself from your competitors.

You can start overdelivering by providing superb support for you customers. How many times have you been turned away with rude answers when asking about a certain product you purchased? Compare that with the number oftimes you have been provided very good service, as if you're being helped by apersonal friend. The ratio is just off balance, proving how scarce good customer support is. By providing excellent support to your customers andanswering to their every needs patiently, you will gain customers that are fiercely loyal to you because they know you have their best interest at heart.

When you provide excellent customer support, you're already ahead of most of your competitors. Take it a step further and think: in what other wayscan you over deliver to your customers?

One very good way is to give your customers a pleasant surprise when they make a purchase from you. For example, if a customer buys your cooking utensils, you might throw in a bonus recipe book for them. However, do not usethe bonus as an incentive for the customer to buy your products. Your products must be good enough to make the customer buy it in the first place, and the bonus must serve as a surprise element; you must not announce it in the product catalogue.

The final way is to build a long-lasting relationship with your customers. If a customer buys regularly from you, you should send greeting cards during birthdays and on every holiday, be it Christmas, New Year, Easter,even Chinese New Year! Your customer will again remember you as a friend, not abusiness associate, and will favour you above other merchants because of the warm relationship.

 So, remember to start overdelivering today!

It is evident that Virtual Events Support and Management will be one of the hottest niches in 2010. The stats are revealing of how many businesses are shifting their focus to delivering all types of Virtual Events to their different audiences. The problem is that the bulk of these businesses lack the skills, knowledge and time to effectively set-up and implement their Virtual Events. This is where you will come in!

Craig Cannings along with co-instructor Michelle Schoen had the opportunity to chat about the state of Virtual Events in 2010.

You can access this 18 minute interview as well as all the details on this new program by going to the below link.

PLUS, VAClassroom are offering a special course bundle package (Just for May) that includes both the Virtual Events Specialist Program as well as the new Camtasia Video Training for VA course together for one special price. Camtasia is the most widely used video and screencast production software on the web and will be a perfect compliment to your Virtual Events Training. Enrol today and receive two high calibre training programs at a $150 savings!

This special bundle offer will be available until the end of May 2010 so grab your seat now.

http://www.vaclassroom.com/socialmarketing/cmd.asp?af=1102648&u=http://www.vaclassroom.com/virtual-event-specialist

• Keep all your information in one place. Many people who use a computer for work have a to-do manager, a contact manager, a project management service, a wiki, multiple email accounts, lists, multiple online documents, or one of the many other services available for managing our information. “The trouble is that all those systems can make things a bit disorganized,” says Carlene. “You can simplify this and keep yourself organized in one simple step: keep all your information in one place.”

• Stop the interruptions. “Even the best intentions to get organized can go awry if you are continually interrupted by clients and colleagues wishing to talk to you either by telephone or in person,” says the virtual assistant. “The best way around this is to schedule your organizing during off hours, if possible. If not, schedule an appointment with yourself to focus on this activity, and during this time, let your calls go to voice mail and close your door to unscheduled visitors, if necessary.”

• Use rules to tame your email inbox. “Does it take you nearly all day just to sift through them to find out which ones you need to deal with now, which ones can be dealt with later, or which ones are just junk?,” she says. “Then create rules that filter important emails, such as from customers or clients from newsletter subscriptions.”

• Think delegation for elimination. Business owners should be focused on the big picture items that grow your business. “What you should not be doing is worrying about getting your invoices out, mailing products, providing troubleshooting help, scheduling your time, and all those other administrative duties,” says Carlene. “In fact, the more time you spend on all the minutia of running a business, the less time you'll spend on tasks that can actually grow your business. That’s why delegation to others, including a virtual assistant is vital.”

Why do we need to set goals to achieve? Without goals, there is no direction; no focus; no reason to become involved in anything worthwhile. More importantly, controlling that which we wish to achieve is how we live; how we operate our business; how we win a race; how we can enhance our skills; our performance; and how we gain self-confidence. Goals must be specific; not unrealistic. To say you will become a millionaire in a year is a goal you may not meet. However, if the measure of success is reasonable, it can be attainable using your own standards for success.

The pressures of society to amass great wealth in the shortest amount of time are based upon other’s goals and desires, not yours. You must have a clear understanding of what goals you are trying to achieve, and exhibit the skills and knowledge to achieve them.

Achieving goals based on one particular event does not in any way ensure success in another.

Grabbing the brass ring can be difficult. It may be just out of reach, but is attainable. Use the same analogy in achieving your goals. Set them just out of reach, but within your grasp; giving you the determination and commitment to reach for it. Keep yourself healthy, fit and free of diversions. Focus on the goal; and never lose sight of it.

Ensure you acquire the skills needed to achieve the goal. Gather as much information and knowledge as you can. Ask for help whenever you need to; it is not a sign of weakness.

Use whatever resources are available to you; make lists along the way. Many times ideas may crop up which will bring you closer to your goal. Never assume anything. Research every possibility. If a particular idea doesn’t pan out, try another; and another. Don’t give up; or give in.

Most everyone has a goal in life, from losing weight to winning the Super Bowl. Keep in mind, however, sometimes life gets in the way of the very thing you are trying to achieve.

It may be a momentary set-back, but don’t give up the dream, the goal, or the path that will lead you to it.

Learn to keep your company moving even when things are stagnant.    by Jennifer Brown

This is a very important article for busy entrepreneurs as we begin a new decade.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/growyourbusiness/businessstrategies/article204470.html

Your 5 Steps for setting goals

1. Download, print, and fold the booklet

2. Write down your SMART goals:

 o Specific

o Measurable

o Attainable

o Relevant

o Time-bound

3. Review regularly (at least weekly)

4. Check-off when achieving goals

5. Reward yourself

Keep your "5x5+5 Goals"

in your wallet !!!

5 Happiness Secrets curious people know

1) Make room for chance encounters

Fear of disappointment is a major roadblock to happiness. It's recommended that you aim to become approach oriented instead of avoidant.

2) When you think you can't, try anyway

Our brain wants us to seed new things. The key is in exploring despite having self-doubt and anxiety.

3) Be interested, not interesting

Which factor had the greatest impact on people's lives, learning something? And not holding back with strangers is an easy way to ensure each day holds a new lesson.

4) When a theme repeats, explore it

People with the happiest lives have one foot in the present and one foot in the future, trying to make sense of the things that are happening.

5) Investigate life's little mysteries

We share only 10 percent of the thoughts in our minds with the people in our lives. There is a benefit to going into relationships intentionally searching for what we don't know, as opposed to relying on what we know. It makes us alive in the present.

Start your trip on a Sunday Night

Business Travelers don’t generally occupy hotel rooms until Monday’s or Tuesdays. Also, weekend leisure travelers have checked out by Sunday. You will generally find lower rates and specials offered for Sunday night stays.

Consider booking Hotel and Airfare Together

Online booking sites such as Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, and Priceline.com report that travelers save on average around $300 per trip when using their sites and booking both air and hotel together. Hotels do not usually lower stand alone rates, but will lower them for a package when customers can’t see the hotel price.

Upgrade to a Suite or Concierge Level

You will have some conveniences included such as breakfast, high speed internet, cocktails or wine etc. which are time and money savers. Hold interviews, and small meetings in your Suite with a full-sized table saves from renting separate meeting space.

Think about what might seem like an airport Splurge

Look into a one day pass at an airport lounge with your airline. The fee is roughly $50, and you get snacks, drinks, Wi-Fi which you can avoid paying for a la carte.