What You Should Ask a Business Consultant

If you are working your way into the online world or into a new business, then you want to make sure that there are certain applications used.  A way to make sure that you are getting the most out of your business consultant is to check into their credentials and look at the different concepts they are using.  Following are some of the questions to ask anyone who wants to give you advice.

1. Credentials and history.  A business consultant is required to study their own field and to know the latest trends and happenings.  They should also have experience in building businesses and getting client interactions.  Make sure that you don’t get a person who is faking it in the business world then gives you a textbook message.
2. Questions about structure.  The basics that a business consultant has should start with the structure of a business.  If a business consultant is true to the field, then they should be able to give you advice on how to structure a business and what is included in both business plans and strategies. 
3. Investments of time and money.  Whether you are growing an online presence or a brick and mortar area, you want to make sure that your business consultant can guide you on investments.  This doesn’t always mean spending $50,000 on a new building.  It means that they can guide you on how to invest your time for growth of your business as well as where you should or shouldn’t put your money at. 

Looking for the right concepts with your growing business is dependent not only on what you build.  Taking advice from others is also required to truly succeed.  However, if you are working with a business consultant, you want to make sure that you have the right alternatives for growing your business and getting the correct responses from those that are offering assistance.   

Consulting Options from On Target

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I have this wish in my heart to help people.  Yes, I started a business to save my house and to eat food.  But more importantly, I want to see others who have a desire to do the same… and to be free with what they do in life… to have the same opportunities.  The need to have information first is one of the ways in which I have approached the ability to create opportunity for others.  From this, is a development into consulting that is available from On Target. 

The method used for consulting in the past has been a one on one conversation that you have with me about how to leverage your business presence.  It works like this:

In – depth analysis and consultation.  Give me a week to go through your website.  I’ll give you the details of what is lacking, how to change it and general definitions of what that means. 

Grill session.  Give me 1 - 2 hours with you on Skype for explanations, guidance and mentorship in building your presence.  It’s my grill session because… I want you to ask questions and get all the secrets in return. 

To offer even more consulting options, I’m now moving into helping those that have a desire to build their Internet presence and don’t know how to start.  This includes a series of class sessions that I’m offering.  It’s totally something you want to be a part of.  Here’s what I’m offering:

How to Start an Online Business – FREE 1 hour session with basics of what you need to dive into the Internet basics from web design to Internet marketing. 

Get to Know Web Design Basics – A 6 week interactive class that introduces the basic lingo so you can maneuver into building your own Internet presence. 

Building Your Online Brand Identity – A 4 week interactive class used to create your blue print for an online presence.

How to Build an Internet Marketing Plan – A 6 week interactive course that teaches you how to develop your blueprint to building an online presence. 

If you are ready to get the knowledge you need and leverage your business, then I invite you into any one of these consulting programs.  And, if you want to know more about my syllabus and what I’m offering, then visit Edufire.  

Internet Marketing Trends and Fads: It Takes More than a Screwdriver to Put up a House

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I’m always keeping up with the latest and greatest in Internet Marketing.  It helps me to find ways to leverage my business and to understand what is working among other professionals in the field.  It also helps with the huge, never ending learning curve that is a part of every Internet marketers business.  However, there are some predictions and trends that I’ve learned to be more aware of. 

The miss that I’ve noticed since the beginning of the year is… 2011 predicts.  The prediction is that Internet marketing will turn into mobile marketing.  Yes, it’s true.  If you send a message to a random number of cell phones or to subscribers, it seems more personal.  It is also true that the number of SMS from different companies is increasing.  But honestly, this type of bombardment annoys the heck out of me.  Not only that, the prediction is one that disregards other types of Internet marketing that are not fads, but instead legitimate and are known to get results, no matter how long the Internet is around. 

The predictions and trends that state any type of marketing is going to outdo other types of Internet Marketing and forever create a disappearance in those options… also not going to work.  It is a famous line to say that content writing, building websites and other old ways of working on the Internet won’t work with the new and improved version of… [insert new item here.]  The truth is, new versions and trends will continue but create variety, not replacement.  The glory of the Internet and internet marketing is that variety and diversity make better responses and reactions within the market. 

If you are hearing about the latest trends and fads, definitely add them into your bucket of tools.  But, also be aware of how much you put into the bucket.  It’s still as important to hold onto the stabilized versions of Internet marketing will including the new alternatives that will help leverage your business like a mixed bag of tools.  In other words, it takes more than a screwdriver to put up a house.  

Adding in the Ebook for Your Complete Presence

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If you are trying to find the right presentation for your business, then you can consider tools such as an ebook.  This can help you to build a specific perspective of professionalism while working as promotional materialism for your business.  If you aren’t sure if this will work, then you will want to look at ways in which this can be used to make your professional look legitimate. 

1.  Professionalism and quality.  Anyone who is browsing through the Internet is going to be on the lookout for the competition.  Those who have, as opposed to those who have not, are going to make the difference in legitimacy.  If you have a larger document that explains more about your profession, then you will instantly be put ahead of the other competitors who offer the same alternatives you do. 
2. Promotional materials.  While some ebooks are used as a download that you can buy, most are used simply as promotional materials.  You can provide 20-30 pages of material about the topics you know best.  You can then allow users to sign up for a newsletter and in return get an ebook.  This is a simple way to grab attention, offer something for free and to build your customer list.  More important, any time a customer opens their download page and sees your ebook, they will be reminded of you.
3. More links.  The ebook that is a part of the web is available through almost every portal online.  You can find special directories that help you to find ebooks that are for sale or for free.  Utilize these to build more links to your site and more places where you can become recognized by those who are interested in your business. 

By looking at the different ways in which an ebook works online, you can easily determine whether it will work effectively for your needs.  The option of providing in depth promotional materials can help you find even more options for reaching out and getting in touch with potential customers.   

How Scanners Read Website Design

Here’s some points to take in about the truth and reality of traffic hits to your website. 

-          Most people stay between 1 and 30 seconds. 

-          Most people glance at your site, find out what it is about and move on.

-          If someone stays on your site, it is to bookmark it and to be reminded of it later.

-          Your website design and the aesthetic presentation you have, says it all. 

Most think if website design in terms of offering the basic information of what they are about.  However, for the world of scanners, this means staying for the least number of seconds and not getting responses, such as newsletter sign ups. 

If you really want your website design to work, you need to mix it with different modules to really show what you’re about.  

This is how a scanner reads:

-          Website Banner w/ upper left hand corner (what is the name of your business?)

-          Upper right hand corner (what do you offer?)

-          Bottom middle of the page (are you sure that is what you offer and what do you want me to do?)

That type of reading is exactly how long you have to show someone you are legitimate and to get them excited about what you have to offer.  If this is good enough, then a scanner will go back and read the other parts of your page. 

This means that the modules you offer with your website design should be comprehensive and should lead every customer to knowing what you do instantly.  It should also show that you are professional while providing the signature stamp to what you are about.  It’s the only way to turn indirect traffic into direct traffic. 

When you begin planning out your website design, think of your audience first and plan accordingly.  

Mix It, Twist It, Make It with Your Marketing Campaigns

There is one pet peeve that I’ve been seeing on the Internet lately.  It is annoying me like nothing else.  It is the marketing campaigns that are only using one tool. 

It is great to send a message every other hour to your Facebook friends and to link it to Twitter.  It is also awesome to send out Google adwords and to budget out alternatives that you need. 

But it’s not great to leave these stranded and not do anything else with your Internet marketing.  While it may work for a certain amount of time, you are actually missing out on the ability to create complete marketing campaigns. 

If you are building your Internet presence, then try to take advantage of the mixture of building your presence.  This includes indirect ways of reaching people, such as through link building and certain Web 2.0 campaigns.  It also means gathering indirect traffic, such as through social media avenues.  You also want to add in direct ways of contacting those that are in the mix.  These three layers are just some of several tactics that you can build and create new alternatives with for the right marketing campaigns. 

Searching for the right alternatives with marketing campaigns begins with getting the right message out… consistently.  To do this, don’t bake just one cookie.  Instead, bake an entire batch, then arrange a bouquet of different flavors with a marketing mix that will help you to get to the different types of markets.  

How Salesy Do You Want the Sales to Be with Your Website Content?

There is a certain style of website content that is guaranteed to work.  It starts with a formulaic response that calls to action those who are interested in a product or service and continues with bold red, highlights in yellow, underlines and of course – a P.S.  The salesy sales letter is one that most who have surfed through the Internet have seen and have either signed up right away for or have immediately surfed away from the site. 

Of course, I believe that there needs to be a level of sales on every site.  Even if you have an informational site, there is the need to sell that you have the best information available on the web.  There is too much competition to ignore the fact that your content should let others know that you have a legitimate and professional business through the use of sales content. 

The question is – how do you organize your website content?

Even if you don’t have a traditional sales letter for your online presence, you still want to put some points to the sales in there.  This includes a call to action, links to more information and the ability to show that you offer the best product or service out there.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to have bold red letters streaming across your website.  I also never suggest that you should compromise the aesthetics for a poor looking sales letter. 

If you don’t want a sales letter as the main component of your website content, then consider ways to add in small areas and keywords that drive home the sale and individuals who are interested in following you.  There are several ways to tactfully add this in while making sure that you get the right response from those who are interested in your business.