Associate Yourself To Success And Increased Sales

Writen by Kurt Mortensen

Association is a powerful tool in helping you influence and persuade your audience. If used correctly, you will be able to create the desired feelings, emotions, and behavior in your prospects. It is in this way that you can use association to bring about the best experiences and create a persuasive environment. Whatever your subject is drawn to, impressed by, or desirous of, seek to incorporate it into your message, your product, or your service.

The Law of Association is constantly at work. If an audience likes a picture, a logo, or a musical jingle that appears in an advertisement for a product, they also tend to like the product. Why is it we must dress up for a job interview? It is because we know a slovenly appearance will bring into bearing certain unwanted assumptions or associations about us. Have you ever heard about past cultures where the messenger was actually killed when he brought back bad news? Why do you think it is that restaurants decorate a certain way, have their lighting a certain way, and play certain types of music? All these things are defined in the Law of Association.

I remember having a corporate credit card when I was working for a certain unnamed corporation. The company had a nasty habit of not paying their bills. One day I got a phone call from a collection agency claiming that because my name was on the credit card, I was responsible for making the payments due. I informed the representative of the situation, but he was quite persistent. Of course, I was not responsible, but the interesting association was that the representative's name was Thor, the god of thunder (or so he said). The point is that if you want to create the feeling of a tough, persistent, strong person, then Thor is the perfect name to go by. Suppose his name had been Stanley or Herbert or Shannon instead? Not quite as threatening, are they?

Everyone persuades for a living. There's no way around it. Whether you're a sales professional, an entrepreneur, or even a stay at home parent, if you are unable to convince others to your way of thinking, you will be constantly left behind. Get your free reports at Success Advantage to make sure that you are not left watching others pass you on the road to success. Donald Trump said it best, "Study the art of persuasion. Practice it. Develop an understanding of its profound value across all aspects of life."

We all know what endorsements are: Companies use famous people to pitch their products so we'll associate that individual and their success with the product. For example, Bill Cosby endorses Jell-O and Kodak, Michael Jordan pitches for Nike and Hanes underwear, and Tiger Woods does ads for Titleist golf balls and Buick automobile. We tend to like products, services, and ideas that are endorsed by people we like, regardless of the quality of the product. Sometimes, we will even buy a product for the first time simply based on a celebrity endorsement.

We naturally want to be associated with fame, fortune, and success. That is why we follow the lead of celebrities we admire, respect, and like. It's also why we use the products they endorse. It is amazing to see teenagers ignore their parents' warnings about drugs, but when their favorite star or professional athlete says it's not cool, they stop. This is the power of association.

All in all, the use of celebrities to endorse products is one of the most popular and effective associations marketers and advertisers use. Why do corporations spend tremendous resources to find the right spokesperson to bring the right association to their products? We hold our beliefs and attitudes to define and make sense of who we are. By shaving with the right razor or eating the right cereal, we are saying, "I am just like that ball player; I am part of the attractive "in group." By purchasing the "right stuff," we enhance our own egos. We rationalize away our inadequacies as we become just like our favorite celebrity."

The critical factor in using a celebrity endorsement is creating an emotional tie or association between the consumer and the athlete/celebrity. The athlete or celebrity's positive associations have been transferred to the product or service. Wearing the same shoes or driving the same car as their hero allows consumers to identify and associate with their idols.

There is a downside to using celebrities to promote products and services, however. Anytime a celebrity gets negative press, that association also tends to carry over to the products and companies they promote. In such cases, depending on the severity of the circumstances, the celebrities are usually dropped like hot potatoes. Michael Jackson was once an endorser for Pepsi until he was accused of child molestation. The company was quick to pair its product with someone else. Tonya Harding, the Olympic figure skater, was a Nike endorser until she was convicted of assault on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. Mike Tyson was also an endorser for Pepsi until he was convicted of rape. O.J. Simpson was once the spokesman for Hertz car rentals until he went on trial for a double murder.

Application Questions

Who could endorse your product, service, or cause that will create the right association?

Who or what affiliations do you generate with your product, service, or cause? -i.e. images, feelings, attitudes

What could you sponsor or display to generate a positive association for your product or company?

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.

Kurt Mortensen's trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available!

Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income.

If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report "10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands." After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!

Write It Down

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

Why would you want to write information on paper when you have a business card in hand?

Putting it on paper can mean a number of things. It can simply mean putting notes on the back of someone's business card, or it can mean to take extensive notes in a notebook. Which ever method you choose, be certain that the notes can identify who it was that you were conversing with. Nothing is more embarrassing than talking to a person sometime in the future and finding out you are talking about something they know nothing about.

If you remember some of the Leslie Nielsen movies, he starts talking with a business executive about a project he is starting. He mistakenly identifies this person as the one that hired him. As you can imagine, by the end of the skit, Leslie Nielsen is trying to hide and disappear until he can find the correct individual. Name recognition in this case was the difficulty. Here is another example: a buyer from a company walks in and says he wants to order the usual and then walks out. If you do not know who he is or cannot remember his name, that order may never be filled - total embarrassment for the sale person. The same can happen to you if you do not take the time to write it down on paper. Meticulous notes are not necessary, but if you want to remember, you must put in some key factors that will jog your memory in the future. Practice going back to the person at the same event and repeat their name and go back to one of the points they made.

Also, a lot can be told from the prospects' business cards: are they original, colorful, on good stock, informative, tasteful? Now that you have all the information you want from the other person, you should make sure that they know about you. You have given your pitch, asked your questions, collected their card, made notes and are ready to take the next step. You need to have something that will catch their attention and make them remember you. Most often that something is your business card.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://BlueprintBooks.com/

How To Get More Visibility Through Networking

Writen by Abe Cherian

The most effective form of advertising is also the oldest: word-of-mouth. Bright ads and slick brochures don't compare to an informed recommendation (or warning!) from someone trusted and respected by potential customers.

Word-of-mouth can be just as effective when the information comes directly from you. By networking with colleagues, allied businesses, and potential customers, people can learn more about who you are and what you do. Networking is also a great way to become more attuned to the issues that affect your customers-their needs, concerns, and preferences-giving you a better chance of being in that proverbial "right place" at the right time.

Networking is no different than attending a social gathering. In fact, it's better because you already have something in common with nearly everyone you meet. Of course, you should never adopt a "who are you and what can you do for me" attitude. Networking works best when there's no pressure to make a sale. Ask questions and always listen. First impressions are important, but they also can be enhanced or changed over time.

To begin building your business network, consider the following:

Professional societies. Nearly every type of business has a national association that represents their members' interests; most have local chapters with regular meetings and activities. Along with providing a great source of contacts, professional societies offer volunteer opportunities where you can demonstrate your initiative, cooperative spirit, and leadership qualities.

Customers' professional societies. If you really want to know what your customers are thinking, get involved in organizations that represent their interests. Do some research before you sign up, however. Some groups may have restrictions on membership, while others may have fees that exceed your expected returns. On the other hand, many groups may encourage businesses such as yours to advertise in their publications or participate in special programs.

Chambers of Commerce/Business Roundtables. These groups offer valuable exposure within a particular community or region. While other members may not be in your target market, they can provide valuable leads and referrals (there's that word-of-mouth advertising again!). Many also provide opportunities for small businesses to "show their stuff" via trade fairs, demonstrations, and media features.

Community service organizations. This is a great way to combine a personal interest with your business. Many groups may have a need for your type of service, giving the opportunity to do pro bono work in return for free visibility. What's more, your fellow volunteers may also be potential customers.

Copyright 2006

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a company that helps online businesses find new prospects and clients, who are anxious to grow their business fast, and without spending a fortune in marketing and automation. http://www.freehomebusinesstips.com

If you wish to find a suitable home business or learn how to start your own business from your home visit Free Home Business Tips: http://www.freehomebusinesstips.com

Social Bookmarking Confused Youre Not Alone

Writen by Theresa Cahill

The word is out that social bookmarking is the thing, that special flavor of the month (or year or decade?), but only by taking it in small steps have I been able to figure out some of its ins and outs.

The long and short of social booking is, it is a way to save your Favorites folder (or portions thereof) online. This means no matter where in the world you happen to be, as long as you've got a connection to the internet, you just log into your social bookmarking account and voila! at your fingertips are all of the important urls you might find yourself needing - but without access to - since your computer is sitting home and you're not.

Now that is a good idea! Saves uploading a bunch of urls to your domain, or remembering to send them to your Aunt Sally before you visit, on the off chance you'll need to remember that special something while you're away.

(By the by, it's also a quick way to actually use your home computer. I don't know about you, but my Favorites folder is virtually useless at this point.)

But, there's even more to social bookmarking then easy access. You can also share this information with others. Your friends, family, co-workers, subscribers, whoever, can easily see what you've been uncovering on the web and decide, at that point, if it's something so useful and/or interesting that they, too, would like to access it easily through their own social bookmarking account.

The logical step from there (since I'm assuming that you are reading this because you, too, are interested in new ways to market on the net) is to find a way to tie bookmarking to your service and/or website.

If this is all new to you, too, head here: http://del.icio.us/ This is a very popular social bookmarking service.

You'll see numerous urls listed on their main page, and since we're just getting the hang of this (assuming you don't already have an account and are way ahead of my learning curve level), let's practice :)

Beside each of these web page entries are the faint words "save this."

Put your mouse over the "save this" and click. If you have an existing del.icio.us account, it will take you to the log in page for your account (for you smart ones!). If you don't have an account yet, you'll be given the opportunity to create one now.

After creating your account and logging in, you'll see an area on your screen where the url you've chosen to bookmark is awaiting your description and/or notes and/or tags.

For our purpose, initially bookmarking our first entry, you need not worry about this too much at this time. Give it a description and/or tag that will make sense to you. You can delete it later.

Hit the save button and voila! You've got the beginnings of your social bookmarking!

At this point, under your "settings" area (upper right hand of screen in del.icio.us) you can do any number of things. Importing your current Favorites folder (or portions thereof) is available. Explore!

Now that you're on the road to social bookmarking comes the fun part... telling others what you're doing.

If you have a website, you can easily add (assuming you do your own webmastering or know the rudiments of copying and pasting) a "save this page" to any and all of your important webpages within your site. Use the "help" link, then read "For Publishers" under the Feeds and Tools section. That's where you'll find the code.

In addition, you'll want to share you're newly found method of communication with others. Get your family, friends, subscribers, mailing list involved in bookmarking your small chunk (del.icio.us listing) of the social bookmarking web.

Then, make use of it! Don't just load it up with junk. If you're a writer and find interesting writer's resources add them to your account. If you're a news junkie and track particular newsworthy items, post those!

As you get more and more familiar with social bookmarking, you'll understand the importance of "tagging" your information correctly. According to del.icio.us, your page goes on the front page (I've yet to see any of mine though) and also is filed away under sub-indexing using those all-important tags.

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A LAYMAN'S EXPLANATION OF TAGS:

If you're just bookmarking stuff online for yourself, no worries, but tags are critical to your marketing social bookmarking success.

Tags are sort of like mini meta desciptions. Tags cannot be inserted into a regular html page (don't bother trying to put them on your website, they won't do anything but take up space).

Tags are basically equal to metas and content. However, tags are used in blogs and rss feeds. They are the trigger words for online feeds to categorize (more or less) what it is you're writing about and posting. Obviously tying your words to popular tags will be very important.

http://del.icio.us/tag/ is a huge list of popular and not so popular currently used tags. My advice would be to be sure you've got the Google toolbar installed. As you click on some tags, check the page ranking (little green bar) on your Google toolbar. That will help you see how popular (or not) that particular "tag" is... and remember you don't have to "follow the crowd." You can choose tags "not so popular." Then, when others pick up on those tags, you're already ahead of the game :)

In the future, give your tags some very serious thought! Your tags will brand your own posted entries.

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I'll admit, I've only just scratched the surface so far. I don't claim to be an expert (that's obvious), but I do know that with further education and implementation, social bookmarking as a marketing tool is definitely worth the effort.

And... like all new things takes a bit of fumbling around before we get it right.

So ahead! Get started! See where it leads you - the next brainstorm idea is only a few minutes (okay maybe hours or days) away! :)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads. Her job is to make your online advertising experience as effective and effortless as possible. mywizardads.com To see how I'm fumbling along... My Del.icio.us

Reference: social booking

by Theresa Cahill Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved

How To Get Ahead In Your Career

Writen by Mary Gardner

Bigger Better Deal. That's what everyone always hopes will come along. And if you are one of the few who don't, maybe you should reconsider!

Last night I was at a happy hour gathering of a bunch of my friends. There were 14 in all and we had quite a time playing musical chairs every so often to make sure everyone got to talk with everyone. We amused many of the people on the sidelines who wondered who we were and WHY we were having so much fun. The energy was contagious!

At one point the conversation settled in on what people did for a living. Since I'm getting more and more into the recruiting and placement side of my business, it seems that everywhere I go, people want to get me their resume. They want me to keep them in mind as I find new job opportunities. At first I was secretly surprised that so many people seem unsatisfied with their current work. It's not something that people usually talk openly about so when a certain conversation came up, I thought was quite interesting.

One of the fellows that we were with happens to work at NASCAR. He's extremely bright, hard working and loves what he does. But his attitude about work was one that I'd love to share with many of the people that I coach or have coached, because it ensures that he'll never be stale or stagnant in a career.

He said that he told his boss "if you think I'm not always looking for another job opportunity, you're crazy! I'm always looking and if something better (the BBD) comes along, then I'm outta here" . He also shared with his boss that he should be the same way, and that most ambitious people are like that. His attitude is pulling him forward constantly about looking at opportunities, and its' not sitting back complaining about the situations he has no control over. He's a great worker so there wouldn't be any way he'd be fired for something like this, but it's an example of how someone can continually get ahead.

After he shared the story with us, nearly everyone at the table shared a similar story. They're all in great jobs, making an excellent income, but none of them want to become stale with what they're doing. They want to remain excited about their work place and the work that they do, and yet, most of them had long histories with their current employers!

The conversation went into WHERE they each wanted to work after they left Charlotte. The places that came up were: Oregon, Southern CA, East coast beach town and FL. That was me of course, because my husband and I are moving there! In every case, the job was a secondary concern to HOW they wanted to live their lives. They considered the environment or the weather as one of the most important things and what the area offered them in relation to their hobbies. Some of them wanted to move just to experience another part of the county, and some of them wanted to be close to the best athletes in the world. The draw for me is coming home to family so my son can grow up around relatives.

The other sense I got at the table last night was how fortunate every single person there felt that they had met a group of people who genuinely liked each other. Everyone there had swimming in common, even if they didn't swim, their mate did. But everyone seemed so happy to be accepted for who they are and seemed to just love the camaraderie. I remember having groups like this in high school, college and when living in NYC, but hadn't had this again until recently until this group came together.

So what I see, is that it isn't MONEY that makes people happy. It isn't their house or the clothes they wear or the jewelry they adorn themselves in. It isn't the car that they drive. Rather, it's being with people who accept them, working in a profession where they are respected and are able to use their talents well, and live in a place where they feel comfortable.

So ask yourself: Have you gotten content? Have you settled? Are you happy with the place where you are in life? If so, FANTASTIC! If not, then get the wheels turning and get out there and start generating action. Talk to people about what they do for a living and how they like it. Call people from college or from the "old days" to check in to see what they're up to! Subscribe to the local newspaper of the city of your choice and call a recruiter (ME!) who can start the job search for you. And JOIN a group of people who are doing something that you enjoy. It doesn't matter if it's scrap booking or swimming, just do something. You'll be glad you did.

Making our decision to move was a big one, and I've noticed that my leap of faith has caused others to review their own life to see if they're happy or not. I find that if you see yourself being envious of another person for making change, perhaps it's time you made one too.

Change can be scary. Things don't always work out. But going for the life you'll love will always be worth it. And who knows, with a lot of persistence, you might come across that BBD!

Go for it.. and call me if you need help!

Mary Gardner, The Charisma Coach! is an Executive Communications Consultant and Trainer. She works with, coaches and trains individuals, sales teams, executives, and celebrities. She owned and operated one of the first coaching institutions on the east coast, CCI, in NYC, Philly and NJ. Mary has appeared on ABC's 20/20 and has self published a book on public speaking. Mary is married to Sway and is mommy to Jeremy 5, and lives in Orlando, FL.