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Turn Your Email Sign-Off Into Results: Seven-Step Checklist for Success

by: Kathy Gulrich

Copyright 2005 Kathy Gulrich Okie dokie. The basics. What exactly is an email sign-off? Your sign-off is the part of your email -- with your name, company, phone, etc. -- that comes right after your text message. To be honest, I find most email sign-offs pretty boring. (And I find some of them pretty annoying!) Most often, however, I see lost opportunities. In this article, we'll be taking a look at how just a few simple changes to your email signature can make a BIG difference to your business. Let's explore.... 1 - NO SIGN-OFF, NO RESULTS I think it's incredible -- since most of the emails I get are from coaches and small business owners -- but I get at least a couple of emails a day with absolutely no sign-off at all. That's right. No company name, and no contact information. Emails sometimes even arrive without the sender's last name! This is not only a waste of a perfect marketing opportunity, it's pretty bad business. There's nothing professional about a business email without basic business information. 2 - START WITH THE BASICS Every email you send out should include basic information about you and your company: * Your name (first and last) * Company Name * Business phone * Email address Tip: Why include your email address here, when the reader can see it at the top of the email? Simply because it's easier for the reader to have all of your contact information in one place -- especially if he decides to add it to his address book or contact manager. A basic email signature might also include: * Your title or business designation * Company logo and/or tag line * Your photo * Fax and/or cell phone number * Website address Tip: If you include any graphics (photo, logo, etc.) be sure to use small files that will download quickly and easily for the reader. (For me, any file I need to wait for falls into that 'annoying' category.) 3 - WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU? Here's the deal. Your email signature is the perfect place to include information about your business, your products, or your services. Why? * You're writing -- or responding -- to someone you know is already interested in you, or your business * You know your message will be seen * Email is a natural place to describe something new, or interesting * It's totally non-intrusive * It's easy * It doesn't cost you a thing! So, take a minute to think about something about your business -- or your products -- that you'd like to tell people about. For example: * Your upcoming workshop, seminar, or teleclasses * Your book or audio product * An improvement you've made to an existing product or program * New business location, or expanded business hours * Your new website Choose one of these ideas now, and take it through the next few steps in this article.... 4 - WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM? To illustrate, let's say you decide to use your email signature to tell people about an upcoming teleclass. I can imagine several answers to the question, "What's in it for you?" * new business leads * 'live' interaction with solid business prospects * revenue (if you're charging a fee for the class) * opportunity to introduce participants to your other products and services * getting your name out into the business community * opportunity to shine as an expert in your field * word-of-mouth advertising from your teleclass participants If you'd like your email signature to attract new clients -- and sales -- be sure to focus on "What's in it for THEM?" Going back to the teleclass example, what will participants get out of it? (information, fun, interaction, difficult to find facts or tips, a plan/strategy, etc.) What problem do they have that this teleclass will help resolve? Where are they struggling? (stress, frustration, ill health, isolation, financial troubles, need more clients, lack of confidence, etc.) Jot down at least two benefits your reader will get from your product. And then write a sentence or two that simply tells them this -- and shows them how to order or sign up (live links, please!). Add your contact information, and you've got a powerful email signature! Tip: To improve your results, add an offer -- or a reason for the reader to take action NOW. 5 - SHORT AND SWEET Remember I said that email signatures are totally non-intrusive? I was describing clear, concise, well-written email signatures; yours, I hope! Take a quick peek into your email "Sent" box. If you're anything like me, most emails you send out are 10-20 lines long. Many are probably only 2-3 lines. Don't write an email signature that's longer than most of your emails! I'm a member of several email list-serves (coaching, writing, publishing) and not suprisingly, every one of them has rules about email signatures. The maximum 'suggested' length is between 7-8 lines. Use this length recommendation as a guide when developing yours. Think 3-4 lines to get your marketing message across, and 3-4 lines for your basic contact information. That's all you need. 6 - THE TECH OF IT ALL Okay, one question that often pops up is whether to use a "text only" or "html" email sign-off (often called 'signature' in your mail program). In my mind, that totally depends on your audience. If you work with a fairly tech-savvy group of people, and would like to add the graphics and formatting that are possible with html, go for it. For some audiences, however, html is a mistake -- since it'll show up as an unreadable mass of code if they don't have the software to decode it properly. Not sure? Stick to simple text email messages and sign-offs. In the past couple of years, email signatures have become incredibly simple to do (technically, that is!). Here's where to find basic instructions from two of the most popular email programs: Outlook: Tools > Options > Mail Format > Signatures AOL: Mail > Set Mail Signatures > Create For other mail programs, check the Help menu, or write to customer support. These days, virtually every ISP will has a way for you to add an email signature -- with or without a marketing message -- quickly and easily. Tip: Take a minute or two right now to write a new email signature, and get it into your email account. 7 - KEEP 'EM FRESH Ever have this experience: You drive past the same billboard day after day, and after while, you literally don't see it at all? The same holds true for email sign-offs. After several emails with the same sign-off, your readers won't 'see' it any more. So write several sign-offs -- for the same product, or for different products or programs -- to keep them fresh and new. Each time you write one, ask yourself: * Does it meet your marketing objective? (What's in it for you?) * Does it offer a real benefit to your reader? (What's in it for them?) * Is it clear and concise? (7-8 lines, including your contact information) Use these three questions as guidelines, and you'll be well on your way to creating email sign-offs that'll attract customers -- and increase sales. About the author: Best-selling author Kathy Gulrich helps clients get from idea, to action, to results - more quickly, and more easily - whether they're looking to write a book, develop a new product, or market their product or business. Clients love her direct, no-nonsense approach - and her gentle insistence on great results. Find out for yourself: Check out one of Kathy's teleclasses, or pick up a free worksheet, at http://www.smARTbusinessCoaching.com

10 Things Every Home Based Business Owner Needs

by: David A. Bailey, Jr

When you make the decision to earn income from the internet you will need to go through a set up process to be ready for business. Following are the basic steps in setting up for home business success. 1. Attitude The key to your business success is your attitude. Treat your business like a business. This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. One of my colleagues is a mother who works from home around her family. She has always put her family first whilst at the same time developing her business. She says, "I work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude." Put another way, "If you have a hobby attitude you will have a hobby income, if you have a business attitude you will have a business income." You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is highly unlikely that you will be successful working in your "spare time". 2. Working Environment A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time. A comfortable chair and organized desk. Stationery supplies as required. For example: - pens - highlighters - stapler - hole punch - sticky tape - note book(s) - a simple filing system - ring binders - manilla folders Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame. 3. Schedule Develop a schedule that works for you, your family (or "significant others") and your business. When you allot a block of time for work then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self education ( reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. After all if one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family then you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time. You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you. In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your partner and children to have your business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule. 4. Describe Your Business Be able to describe your business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your business to others. A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your business. 5. Know Your Product or Service Once you have selected your product or service to sell, it may or may not be something that you use yourself but you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling ebooks then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it know it "inside out". You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge you can become the preferred supplier. It is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) in which case the seller won't be a product user, however the seller can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately. 6. Administration Use good record keeping practices. This may involve a consultation with a tax advisor who can let you know about the optimal way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor will also recommend record keeping systems and you can find out what software may simplify this aspect of your business. Additionally your obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate bank account. You will also need to keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. A very handy little software tool for this is Treepad available as either the free Lite version (without password protection) or the commercial Plus or Biz versions. http://www.treepad.com There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is Roboform that will remember your login details and can automatically fill out your login and other registration forms. http://www.roboform.com 7. Computer Protection Your computer is the lifeline to your business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored. You need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer. Some suggestions are: AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org Microsoft Anti-Spyware: www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/ Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net 8. A Domain Name You will most likely need a domain name for your business and one cost effective registrar is GoDaddy, http://www.godaddy.com. 9. Payment Processing You will need a way to process credit cards; that may be using services such as: - PayPal https://www.paypal.com - Storm Pay http://www.stormpay.com - 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com - Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com or others. This is the most economical way to get started. Once your business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions. Consideration may also be given to other forms of online currency such as eGold http://www.egold.com 10. Email accounts Once you have your own domain you can use an associated email account. This can further assist in the promotion of your business and promotes a more professional business image. As a final comment on continuing in your internet business, conduct your business ethically, provide extraordinary service and be proud to put your name to the products or services that you are selling and you will be on track to developing a sustainable long term internet business. [ Submitted with ArticleSubmitter Pro - http://www.articlesubmitterpro.com] About the author: Are you an internet marketer looking to better your English speaking skills? David A. Bailey, Jr shares his top-secret, little-known tricks, tips, and ideas to learn English FAST in four easy steps from the comfort of your own home. Join the English Club and meet other ESL students just like yourself. SERIOUS ONLY! Learn English NOW!

Preparing Yourself Mentally for Business

by: Karen Walker

People say that starting your own business is difficult. Guess what? They’re not kidding. Starting a business, in many ways, is a lot like having a child – and would you just have a child without thinking it through first? Before you get started, there are lots of things you need to think about and discuss with anyone you can. Can You Afford to Fail? You might have heard the old saying ‘only gamble what you can afford to lose’. Well, however you approach it, starting your own business is still gambling. A massive percentage of businesses fail in their first year. If your financial situation is such that you agonise over every small amount you spend, starting a business is probably a bad idea. Put it this way: do not expect to succeed. Expect that you will fail, and always try your hardest not to. You’ll be pleasantly surprised if things go your way. Note that this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t believe in yourself and your business – simply that you have to realise the kind of odds you’re up against, and stay realistic. Will You Stick at It? You can’t get halfway through all this and have a sudden change of heart, or feel like you’re doomed to fail. All successful business spend plenty of time doing badly before they start to pick up. You need to prepare yourself for a steady stream of failure being slowly replaced by success. Don’t expect the world all at once. Could You Take the Stress? Starting a business is one of the most stressful things you can do. It will affect you mentally, physically and emotionally. You need to be strong to deal with this kind of stress, and you need to have someone to turn to for support. Are You a Survivor? There are some people who always seem to make it in the end, regardless of what life throws at them. You need to be the kind of person whose response to things going wrong is to work harder and get it fixed, not someone who cries and goes into hiding. Many entrepreneurs say that this, more than anything, is the secret of success. You need to be a ‘never say die’ kind of person. You need to be always ready to try again, no matter what gets thrown at you. Remember that it’s not when things start to go wrong that you fail – you haven’t failed until you’ve given up. Be Prepared to Work Hard. If you’ve been doing a standard nine-to-five job, you’re probably used to a world where it’s someone else’s responsibility if the work doesn’t get done – you work as fast as you can for the hours you’re told to, and if it’s not done on time then it’s the manager’s fault for not hiring enough people. When you work on your own, though, there’s no-one to blame – the buck stops where it starts, with you. You Need to Satisfy Every Customer. When you run a home business, you can’t afford to lose any customers. You need to always be nice to them, trying to meet their needs. You have to remember that you’re the most senior person they can talk to in this organisation, and you have to act like it – when there’s no-one other than you to handle complaints, you have to either give in to customers at every opportunity or watch them take their business elsewhere. Do You Really Love What You Do? If you don’t love what you do, then sooner or later you’re going to want to stop doing it – and when you run a home business, that’s difficult. Besides, you can’t run a home business if you’re always sitting and thinking about how great it’ll be when it’s the weekend. No, the only way to succeed in home business is to be absolutely sure that you really love what you’re doing. If you can think of another job you’d rather have, then you’re in trouble. Think of it this way: could you run up to someone on the street with a leaflet about your business, and tell them all about it in a way that would really leave an impression? It doesn’t matter whether you actually could or not – if you think everyone will be interested, then, believe me, they will be. About the author: Karen Walker specializes in helping individuals, entrepreneurs, network marketers, and independent professionals generate substantial incomes with their own Home Based Business on the Internet. Visit her informational web sites: http://www.cashflowquest.com| http://www.income-directory.com