10 Ways to Attract New Business at No Extra Cost

Last week I went shopping and saw a sign in the window: "Going Out Of Business Sale". This week I noticed a new cardboard headstone "Space For Rent" in my neighborhood. These are results of the same problem ... not enough business.

It is great when you can open a business and attract new customers immediately or when your website guarantees you a constant stream of income. But, none of these simply 'just' happened. Growing your business means self marketing and planning ahead every step of the way. Here are ten strategies to help you attract more business. And the best part: They will not cost you anything.

1. Be a walking example of how effective your product or service is

Let's say you sell beauty products. Make sure your own skin, make up, etc. is perfect whenever you go out for business. If people see how beautiful your products work or look on you they want to buy them. Or, you're a professional organizer. What will people think of you if you're late for a meeting, forgot to bring the promised brochures, and when you open your calendar it looks all chaotic. BE A MODEL for your business.

2. Seek to serve instead of just seeking to sell

What comes around goes around! Help others to grow their business or supporting them in any way you can go a long way in growing your own business.

3. Add value by networking all the time. Carry business cards wherever you go

Networking opportunities are everywhere where: at the supermarket, the doctor's office, even at the playground. I know that for a fact! When someone asks you what you do, give them a card. You want them to be able to hear and see the name of your company. You would be surprised how often business cards will be passed around and / or turn up months later. Also, find out how you can help. What does that person need? Whom do you know who could help? BE A MATCHMAKER every single day.

4. Sell the benefits, not the features. Nobody buys features anymore

People buy what those features will do for them. Everyone hates to buy insurances, so why are so many sold? Simply because of what insurances will do for you. So, know your benefits and practice your elevator speech.

5. Add value to your potential customers by expanding their professional vision and goals

People appreciate it when they feel that you understand their business needs and you're able to provide creative ideas that will help them to realize or even expand their vision and goals. Go on an exploratory journey with your potential customer.

6. Follow up, follow up, follow up

The secret of keeping your current customers is to show interest. Add value to your customers by making sure they're making the best use of your product or service. Let them know that you have their business at heart, that their success is your success. Show them that YOU CARE!

7. Turn your customers into your company's research and development department

It is of much more value to you to find out why people buy your product or service instead of focusing on why certain people are not interested. Ask your customers why they buy your products and service and use this information to improve your marketing and refine your value proposition.

8. Improve your communication skills and be an active listener

Take time to listen to your clients, prospects, and business partners; listen carefully - do not let your mind wander during the listening process. Never make any assumptions. Take time to find out the real motives and emotions, perceived and real problems. If you can refer to people they want to be around you.

9. Learn from people who are naturally attractive

Some people are; some people are not. Spend time with those who are and emulate them; ask them for help. They will be happy to tell you how it works. Just be ready to make changes in your assumptions, thinking, actions, and behavior.

10. Strengthen your personal finances, so you do not need the money anymore

When you feel financially secure you will become an even stronger magnet for attracting new business - because you do not needily need it anymore.

To improve your business, challenge yourself! Pick one of the 10 strategies described above, the one where you seem to struggle the most. Then, see if you can implement this strategy in the way you do business. Please feel free to share your successes with me - and any questions about how to grow your business.

12 Ways to Keep Your Data & Identity Safe Online

How to Boost Your Digital Security for Peace of Mind

From the recent Facebook data break to compromised customer data at huge companies like FedEx and Delta, personal security is more relevant than ever.

In fact, it might even seem that our data is under attack!

While you can not always prevent data security issues, here are 12 ways to help you protect yourself in this fast-moving digital age:

1. Stop sending sensitive information digitally.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people email tax documents to their accountant, or text a password to a family member in a pinch.

2. Beware of public Wi-Fi.

Anything you send in a coffee shop or airport can be intercepted by someone on the same network. Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) when you're out and about.

3. Secure your texts.

Whether you use a free app like WhatsApp or a paid Android or iOS solution, there are lots of end-to-end encryption options, ensuring only you and the recipient see messages.

4. Stay up to date.

If you do not, you could be at risk for malware, viruses and cybercrime attacks. Make sure your operating system and software are updated - many devices do this automatically.

5. Worry less about wireless.

Secure your wireless network with a password so nobody can jump onto your Wi-Fi network and steal info.

6. Be cautious of clever email scammers.

Today's phishing emails can have links that lead to realistic-looking websites. Never give out passwords or other sensitive info by email, text or phone unless you're sure that you're talking to the actual organization.

7. Lock down your laptop.

Make sure your laptop requires a password when it boots up. That way, if it gets stolen or prying eyes try to access your device, they'll be stopped before they start.

8. Wipe out data .

If it's time for a new laptop or smartphone, make sure your data is not hanging around. Once you've backed up any data you need, use a software program to permanently erase your hard drive.

9. Choose security questions wisely.

Avoid using common words in your passwords. Period. Google estimated someone would have a 19.7% success rate answering "pizza" to "What's your favorite food? Customize questions or pick harder ones to guess.

10. Avoid sites that are not https.

Https stands for "hypertext transfer protocol with secure socket layer" (other known as having a SSL certificate.) Sites without an "s" on the end are not secure if you are being asked to make a purchase or submit private / sensitive data that could get intercepted.

11. Pay attention to privacy settings.

Choose who can see the content you post on sites like Facebook and Instagram, and who can view your profile.

Opt for the highest level of privacy possible but be aware that some settings will prevent potential clients from seeing your posts, so find a happy balance that will not sacrifice your social media marketing efforts!

12. Back up your data.

If your device gets stolen or compromised, what happens to that work report or your niece's baby photos? Schedule automatic backups through your operating system or a cloud service.

While even the largest and brightest companies can be hacked or otherwise attacked, these online security tips can help you reduce some of the risks.

Also, if you're hiring a web professional developer to help with your business, make sure they're well-aware of current security issues. We build websites with our clients' safety in mind and perform regular security updates for ongoing peace of mind.

3 Tips to Making Money Online Easily

With the economy in its current condition, people are fearful of their finances. It's no mystery that making money online has been the most sought after stream of income and the most difficult to master. However, having a successful online business in 2011 has not been easier.

Tip # 1: Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an old way of making money online. This is where most people begin their online journey. There have been so many people selling products on teaching beginners how to excel in this form of marketing, yet they leave out specific details that extremely hinder your success. This method has greatly improved, producing tremendous results. The trick to a victorious money making affiliate marketing business is to partner with companies whose products and services can be respected and trusted.

Tip # 2: Domain Names

Having a domain name is extremely important. When promoting other people's products, you need your own affiliate link in order to be paid. These links are usually long and hard to remember. If you purchase a domain name, it can be forwarded to the website you are promoting. So if you were promoting a product by word of mouth, a short and easy to remember domain name would serve you best.

Tip # 3: Keeping Business in Mind

Having an online business is just that, a business. In order for accomplishment to occur, you must continue persevering toward your goal. You get out of your business, what you put into it. So keep working. Remember, when you treat your business like a hobby, it will produce hobby results.

5-Step Checklist to Devise Impressive Mobile Applications

The more mobile technology is advancing, the more the market demands of diverse mobile apps are increasing almost following an exponential graph. Today, both iOS and Android platform has their own huge market and most of the mobile application developers are devoting them to build user-centric, feature-rich and business-driven applications for mobile devices. Here is a 5-step checklist that would help you develop stellar mobile apps smoothly.

# 1 Clearly Define Goals and Requirements

The first step is to set a well-defined and proper goal so that you can chalk out a plan on how to reach that goal. If you do not preset the goal clearly, you might get lost at the halfway! Once you know what you want in your mobile application, what features what benefits the users are going to get using your app, you can go ahead with the development process. Before starting with the development process, another important thing to decide is on which platform you want to build the application.

# 2 UX Aspect

To build a successful mobile application, you need to pay special attention to the UX aspect. This defines or makes sure that the users can have a good app experience. Even if your app is top-notch at its looks, design and graphics, until and without it can offer the app users a satisfactory experience, it can not gain that much success in today's vying market. For the mobiles that have a touchscreen interface, it is advisable for the developers to devise multi-touch gestures so that the app users can smoothly navigate it. Apart from being user-friendly, developers need to make that application aesthetically appealing as well.

# 3 Development Process

This part is mostly about writing the coding part. Creating a proper prototype, obtaining approval from clients in the case of building custom applications - everything is part of this development phase. The developers should have in-depth expertise in using the programming language along with the updated tools. According to your requirements, they can integrate different web services, can link the mobile app to cloud storage of backend along with integrating the social sites, payment gateway etc.

# 4 Thorough Testing

There are several parts of this testing phase - QC Checking, UAT (User Acceptance Testing) and Unit Testing. With the help of a simulator, the developers and the designers can effortlessly test the developed application to check whenever any error or any bug is present or not. Before launching the app in the app store, this thorough testing stage makes sure that quality of the app is as per the market standard and it is free from any kind of technical glitches.

# 5 Deployment

This is the last stage of the development process. In this phase, the newly built app appears live in the app store. This step includes distribution of apps as well.

Well, another crucial thing is to market this newly launched mobile app. Without a well-planned and quality marketing strategy, even a feature-rich and impressive app fails to do satisfactory business that it should have in this competing market. Here, jotting down a smart marketing strategy for the freshly developed application is utterly vital.