Don't Waste $$ Build Solid Relationships

by Harvey Akeson

The Number ONE lesson the money making internet professionals have learned, don't waste a prospect. The best advice any of the so called experts need to share with you is this one essential fact, to succeed you need to master the art of follow up.

If you earned a click to your web site or affiliate program, you PAID for it. Lack of follow up will destroy any chance of your being a successful marketer. If it is just an inquiry for information or a completed sale that prospect or customer is yours to convert to a regular online client.

Nothing so earthshaking about that, easy to understand and even agree. The hard part is the how. First and foremost make sure you give the prospect the opportunity to record their name and contact information for your future relationship building.

Relationship building is communicating with new prospects and customers. This can take on a number of methods. Call it publishing or broadcasting because that is the fastest and most common way of attracting people to your web site or sales offers. Publishing relates to how most of the world has communicated in recent years. News and advertising has been relayed by newspapers, radio, television and now the internet.

Today with the large percentage of people using their computers to communicate, the internet has presented yet another unique opportunity to merchandise goods and services. A totally and completely new industry of advertising and loyalty building programs has been created.

Publishing can come in many forms in each case it takes putting words together and reaching out for prospects. Internet networking is no different than ground based meetings, you bring together people individually or in groups with common interests and goals by written or published words. You inform them, create a desire or need then make it convenient for them to follow through with an order or at the very least register for more information and a follow-up message from you.

Making connections, building relationships by electronic means delivers some very unique opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge, expertise as well as "show off" your products and services. Building credibility and increasing awareness of your business is key to converting the prospects to customers and then maintaining that client base with follow-up before and after any sale.

Networking sites that deliver a number of features and encourages links and association of "friendships" are social networks, GeoString, Facebook and AdlandPro. They are free to join and offer advanced memberships and benefits. Networking and broadcasting your products and services are not the only benefit of these networking sites. Important to your overall success is the contact and exchange with others in your industry. Whether it is additional cost saving measures in production, a new or improved product, perhaps a new advertising media just starting out, your exchange with your fellow e-commerce partners will enhance and build your business.

Hundreds if not thousand of different groups of people are members and trade information and opportunities around the world. Geo String is social networking with a Twist, it pays members! Facebook, well you don't have be told, it has become wildly accepted as a social site for communication. AdlandPro has an online chat room to which hundreds are joining at different times of the day and night to trade business ideas and network building new relationships around the world. AdlandPro offers low cost top notch internet business services for the small operations.

Networking programs offer sales opportunites as you become acquainted with interested people and trade ideas and thoughts. It is just like a few years ago and a little today... going door to door displaying your wares....only now it's faster by electronic internet connections. Broadcasting your business, displaying your wares still means going to your prospects where they are...at home or in their places of business.

Just a few years ago the cry for business success was "location". It was important to ground operations or your "brick and mortor" store. Then it was location, location, location be it main street with lots of traffic or a convenient "strip mall" with quick in and out parking or the massive shopping mall with anchor stores bringing foot traffic and shoppers for your opportunity to sell them. Without foot traffic, or shoppers, your store couldn't make money. Today it is "surfers", we don't make sales and we don't make money until we have attracted prospects.

Just as the sincere approach and purposeful demonstration of your merchandise was the method for the door to door salesman attempting to make sales so is the same need today. Only trust and confidence is a little harder to build in this day and age, but it can and does exist over the internet. The need to build popularity (your product or service over another) and credibility for your brand. The need to build trust that you will deliver as advertised. Your internet promotion will work if your relationship with your customers is solid.

Demonstrating your knowledge, sharing your information and generally just building relationships is still in vogue. It is something when worked little by little that will build a customer base for your business and insure your financial security. Only by increasing your reach and maintaining your hard earned contacts will you expand and profit from the cost you spent to make those contacts.

In many cases just building a solid connection and personal friendship will deliver big dividends over the long term. A successful salesperson has "bird-dogs" or people to refer them business. Your connections can be a great source of support and testimony of your honest and worthy intentions. Trust and support will build you a working data base with "friends" of "friends" to boost your business relationships meaning more sales and expanded income!

Even if you never buy one thing, your value as a friend and your possible referral will pay big dividends in financial rewards in the future. Customers can be asked to allow you to keep in contact for updates and news about the product or service they purchased by subscibing to your newsletters.

New prospects can be rewarded something for free to disclose their addresses and joining your newletter or mailing list. A free offer giving you their e-mail address and permission to contact them further is an important part of your marketing program. Retaining and Relationship Marketing--building an online family will reward in many ways.

Learn to hold your best leads...you paid for them.