Having a website for your business is one thing, but getting traffic to it – the right kind of traffic – is something that many small business owners find daunting.

If you’re keen to discover new ways to get all the traffic you can handle to your website then the World Traffic Summit is worth getting along to.

This 3-day seminar will focus solely on traffic generation for your website(s) or online business, with some of the best-of-the-best from around the world traveling to Australia to share their tips and personal traffic strategies.

When: Friday August 27 – Sunday August 29, 2010

Where: Gold Coast, Australia

For more information and to register – World Traffic Summit

Are You Coming To The World Traffic Summit? is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Have you ever wondered why it is that some people follow through and achieve success with something while others either don’t follow through – e.g. they buy a coaching program or book and never use it – or they follow through but don’t seem to achieve positive results?

I have. Many times. And it’s really frustrating because if someone buys my product I truly want them to use it and to achieve results from it.

I know it’s not just me because I’ve had many discussions about this topic with several colleagues in the last couple of years.

Thankfully, John Reese and Frank Kern, two well-known and highly respected internet business professionals, wanted to know the answer to the very same question. So they asked one man who was sure to be able to explain this … Anthony Robbins. Better still, they recorded this interview so we can all benefit from it.

Click on the link below to watch this recording:

Tony Robbins Interview With John Reese And Frank Kern

Why Do Some People Succeed While Others Fail? is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

What Is Market Research And Why Is It So Important?

These are important questions to answer for any small- and medium-sized business (and indeed large companies as well). Unfortunately, many small business owners disregard the importance of market research or otherwise know little about it. It is not at all uncommon for small business market research to be ignored or not completed fully. This often spells the downfall of small businesses, as they are out of touch with the wants and needs of motivated buyers.

The Danger of Assumptions

Many small business owners assume that they understand what their customers want and what motivates them to buy. But without accurately testing the market you can never be sure. There is a danger involved in assuming that you know what your client-base wants and what motivates them to choose one supplier or provider over another. The danger is in missing your target audience and not connecting with them. That loss of connection means a loss of business or sales, and for many, ultimately business failure.

Rather than assume you know what your core target group wants, be sure! The only way to be sure is to test your market through thorough market research, and find out precisely how to incite them to action and excite them about your business.

What is Market Research?

One of the greatest reasons small businesses fail to effectively complete market research is that they are unsure about what it is.

In simplest terms, market research is finding out what people want and will buy (whether that be services or goods), and how much they will pay for it. Thorough market research consists of testing and evaluating the market through different means to determine the demand, usefulness and likelihood of acceptance of a product across different demographics. It answers very specifically who will purchase a product or service based on characteristics such as:

• age
• gender
• location
• income
• other variable characteristics.

Armed with this data, business owners can very narrowly target their audience and clientele, and thus can commit resources, product development and advertising to connecting with this audience and very specifically serve their needs. Market research helps small businesses plan for every aspect of promotion and sales, including:

• price
• advertising and marketing
• product features and development
• improvements and modifications

Small Business Marketing Research Downfalls

In regards to market research, the downfall of small businesses often comes from nothing more than a lack of it. In other instances, the downfall comes as the result of business owners who become too personally ‘attached’ to their ideas. It is essential to maintain objectivity in marketing matters and use the research to support the most effective strategy.

Understanding market research and its importance is the first step towards taking full advantage of it. The next step is to learn how to perform it effectively and accurately so that you can capitalise on this very important business tool. Know where market research falls into your business strategy, and learn how to make the connections with your core group that will translate into business success.

What Is Market Research And Why Is It Important? is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Have you ever seen people who appear to be perhaps not as skilled as you, not as experienced as you, not as bright as you, maybe not even as popular as you … yet they are more successful than you by your own definition of success?

I’ve lost count of the number of people who have come to me for business mentoring who have said this exact thing. They can’t understand why others start a business and it thrives from day 1, yet they themselves have struggled to make a profit.

Certainly skills, abilities, contacts and business sense make a difference, but beyond that, you need to look deeper. You need to look at your entrepreneurial mindset. This includes the way you think, the way you act and what you believe.

This video by the legendary late Jim Rohn – an amazing man and a true role model for me – is essential for anyone who wants to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. In this, Jim speaks candidly about some of the concepts and statements that changed his life for the better.

Remember … “Success Is Something You Attract By The Person You Become,” Jim Rohn.

The Importance Of Developing An Entrepreneurial Mindset is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Lots of people have asked me how I manage to edit Go To Webinar and Go To Meeting recordings in Camtasia Studio … this is something that can be a challenge at first.

So I thought I’d make a video to show just how easy it is to do … when you know how 

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How To Edit Go To Webinar Recordings In Camtasia is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Brett McFall is an Australian marketing expert who has a particular skill for using a simple 10 minute process to help turn businesses around.

In this video you’ll see Brett demonstrate this process – one he performs all around the world,  getting the end result he’s looking for every single time … without fail.

It truly is amazing to watch as the process evolves.

You can learn more about this strategy on Brett’s blog or see him demonstrate it live on stage at the World Internet Summit.

Just 10 Minutes To Find Your Business’ USP is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Last year I came across a HTML editor that’s really easy to use either for creating web pages from scratch or editing existing HTML pages, such as website templates.

I’ve been ‘playing’ with PageBreeze for a while and have been quite impressed by how easy it is to use. You can create and edit pages in the HTML or ‘normal’ (WYSIWYG) view, preview how it will look when published to the internet, easily add page title, description and keyword details and publish with FTP.

It also has a form editor which makes it easy to create forms if necessary.

Best of all … there’s a free version or a more advanced ‘cheap as chips’ version.

The basic Pagebreeze software is free for personal, not-for-profit and educational use. Or the more advanced version for business (or ‘for-profit’) use is only a one-off payment $29.95.

Free HTML Editor

If you don’t really need web development software with all the bells and whistles, it’s worth giving PageBreeze a try.

My Latest Great Find – Free, Easy HTML Editor is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Sometimes you are not your own best employee.

Sometimes you are not the most cost-effective choice for handling certain aspects of your business.

Sometimes success in small business relies on recognizing where you could use some help and investing in the things that really make a difference to your productivity and profitability.

Sometimes, small business outsourcing is just a better idea.

Plain and simple.

Should You Outsource – Business and Personal Factors

Outsourcing certain business tasks is often the best strategy for small business management, both personally and professionally.

In every business’ life, there comes a time when, for one reason or another, it is in your best interest to bring in some outside help. The motivation can often start as personal in nature, but in truth the impact of successful outsourcing cannot be entirely separated from either side of life; the result of successful outsourcing should benefit you in your personal and business life.

The motivation behind outsourcing can very basically be broken down into one of two factors – time or skill.

• Outsourcing for time management; when there is just not enough time in the day or the week to complete the essential functions that your business demands – and in truth, relies on – then you need to look at where you can benefit from some outside help to get the job done.

• Outsourcing for skill and expertise; if you can’t do it well, you shouldn’t really be doing it. Someone who can do it better can. Spend your time where you can give the most value to your business, and rely on the skill and expertise of others to add value to other aspects.

Personally, if either a lack of time or lack of skill causes you stress and strain, thereby spilling over and affecting your personal life, it is time to get some help.  Being dedicated to your business is not the same as letting it rule your life.  Remember why you became a small business owner to begin with and look at outsourcing as a way to maintain a balance between your personal and business life.

Good Help Is Hard To Find – Or Is It?

They say good help is hard to find. This old adage keeps many small business people from outsourcing and improving their business and personal lives. However, if you know what to look for, you can find good help in short time, and start enjoying the benefits right away.

Here are a few tips to help you find good outsourced service-people:

• be clear on the scope of a job or project and what you need

• evaluate outsourced employees as you would any other – interview, read resumes or evaluate samples, and ask questions (NB: while many business professionals won’t have a resume as such, you should sticll be able to ask for and see some relevant samples, a portfolio and/or references or testimonials)

• look for specific skills or experience relevant to the job

• do not choose based on cost/payment alone (sometimes you get what you pay for…)

• draft a written contract that clearly defines roles and responsibilities

• agree to a small project first to trial this outsourcing relationship, before committing to any long-term contracts or major projects

• look for freelancers who are part of a recognised professional body for their industry and/or for freelancers in general. While this won’t guarantee that you’ll get the best person for the job right away, however many of these organisations have certain standards they require from members.

If you are outsourcing a project, also consider your needs after completion so that you can get the ongoing support you need. Work to build a relationship with good freelancers so that you can readily come back again for subsequent projects and issues. In this case, also consider correlating pay to milestones throughout the project as an incentive to see the project through to completion.

Whether it is a virtual assistant you need to relieve the burden of record-keeping tasks and communications, a programmer, designer or writer for marketing campaigns, there are plenty of great agents out there waiting to fill your need. When business and pleasure begin to suffer, use these tips to ease your burden and increase productivity, all the while making your small business thrive.

How To Improve Business Through Outsourcing is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

Do you ever submit a support ticket, anticipating the quick reply to some issue that you’ve tried in vain to solve yourself … only to be disappointed with the reply? Perhaps they didn’t fully answer your questions or they replied with more questions?

I’ve encountered some pretty dodgy support desks, but I must admit, 99.5% of the support tickets I’ve submitted have been answered promptly, friendly and – most importantly – they’ve solved the issue.

But there are a few key pointers in HOW YOU ACTUALLY ASK FOR HELP that will assist in you getting a useful reply:

1. Be as clear as possible and give all the necessary information, including relevant URLs or site names. For example, “I can’t get the HTML to work right!”, or “Keep getting error messages with my website” don’t give enough information. Although you know exactly what website or task you’re referring to, the support staff reading your message may not know. The only way they can help you is to find out precisely what the problem is.
2. If you receive a specific error message or number, include this in your support request.
3. When you have multiple questions, begin each question on a new line, or even leave an extra space between lines. When you have several questions one after another, all in the one paragraph, it can be difficult for the support team member to read and questions can be easily missed.
4. Keeping points 1, 2 and 3 in mind, don’t ramble. Keep your request as concise as possible while giving the necessary and relevant facts. Quite often, dot points or bullet points are fine, so long as all the information is there.
5. If you need to register your email address in order for the support ticket response to be sent to you, please check that you’ve entered the correct email address. Then double-check it! It’s incredibly frustrating when someone asks for help and you give it, but then the email notification that their ticket has been answered bounces back.
6. Although you may be frustrated by something that’s not working the way you think it should, support staff are there to help you … not bear the brunt of your frustrations. Try to remain calm and work with the support team to resolve the issues at hand.
7. Before submitting your support ticket, check that you’ve followed instructions correctly – sometimes we try to do things quickly and mis-read the instructions. (Or think it’s so simple we don’t need to read them). It’s also possible to miss the fact that there even are instructions available. Often you’ll find sites will have tutorials or ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ pages available. Remember to check for these first as you may find the answers here quicker than waiting for a support ticket response – particularly if you are looking for solutions outside of business hours.

An additional tip … remember that support desks are staffed by people, not robots. Politeness and ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’, while not essential, are usually smiled upon. It’s also nice to be able to address the reply to a specific person, so please remember to sign off with your name.

7 Things To Remember When Asking For Help is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins

What Should You Charge?

It’s one of the most basic, yet most elusive questions asked in all types of businesses. Of course you want to make money, but you also want to set prices at a reasonable rate so that you will not lose business.

So how do you strike that balance? How do you calculate pricing for products and services offered through your business? How do you determine a rate that is right for all involved?

Business First:

The first thing to remember when setting prices for goods and services is that you are in business to turn a profit – not just to be a nice guy or girl, but to make money. If you do not set your prices at a rate that allows for profitability after expenses, you do not have a profitable, sustainable, business, and success in small business will always be unachievable.

If you’ve set the bar too low, you’ll be out of business within months.

Clients And Customers Second:

Naturally you cannot completely ignore your clientele and customer base when setting your prices. Whomever your target audience is, your prices must reflect a cost that can be supported by that market segment. However, if you do your research and give value for the money, you should have arrived at a cost sustainable by your group.

Tips For Setting The Pricing Bar:

Let’s take a look at the actual process of setting prices for products and services. Use these tips and market factors to help you arrive at a competitive pricing structure.

• First, research the competition. Get a clear view on the prices they are charging, and where your offerings can fit in along the spectrum. Use averages as a basis, and adjust up and down according to additional or lesser value (based on factors such as those following).
• Decide how to charge. Are you looking for an hourly rate or a project-based rate? Is it a unit or wholesale price you are offering? Evaluate your product, experience or skills. In service-based industries, generally speaking, an increase in experience equates to a higher fee for service.
• Account for all variables. If there is something your product offers that another doesn’t, you could increase the price to reflect the value. If there are additional costs involved for shipping, marketing and so on, add those in too. For service-based businesses, consider all the small variables that might impact pricing. If you offer additional services, compensate for them. If clients expect add-ons, build a fee structure that allows you to recoup revenue.
• Allow for overheads. Determine how much of your business’ overheads must be supported by individual sales. Build that fractional amount into your pricing.
• Build in profit. After carefully evaluating the competition and all expenses, set a base price and then build a profit-margin into it. Determine how much profit you will be satisfied with and set your price accordingly.

Justification Through Value:

The one factor to always keep at the forefront of pricing is value. To be clear here, this is not about justifying your price. Your price will be justified if you have set prices fairly, based on the true value of your goods or services. Focus on the value you deliver, set a reasonable, sustainable fee, and be confident that you have served the greater good of all involved.

How Do You Price Your Products And Services? is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins