Book Smarts

Not all business and marketing books are created equal.  Some are much better than others!  You can learn a great deal from the right book.  The wrong one can cause you to make some huge mistakes.

I read some amazing books last year.  Each one helped me improve my business in some way.  I highly recommend them to anyone seeking to gain some "book smarts" about the business world!

1.  The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service - Donna Cutting:  Although this book is a few years old, it is still relevant.  Good customer service will always be a key to growing your business.  The stories Donna tells really illustrate how any business can give red carpet customer service.

2.  21 Ways to Make Money Speaking - Felicia Slattery:  I've been speaking publicly in some form for many years and yet even I found some ideas I had never thought of.  If you want to make public speaking part of your business, then you need to buy this book. 

3.  How to Get on the News without Committing Murder - Beverly Mahone:  Bev is a PR genius.  If you want to stand out from your competitors, this book will show you how to use the media to get noticed.

4.  Facebook Marketing All-in-One For Dummies - Amy Porterfield, Phyllis Khare, and Andrea Vahl:  Everything you need to know to succeed in marketing on Facebook.  

5.   $ell More eBook$: How to increase sales and Amazon rankings using Kindle Direct Publishing - Laura Dobbins and Lucinda Sue Crosby:  If you sell ebooks, you should read this book.  All the information you need on how to market your books online and how to successfully use KDP to increase your book sales.

6.  Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling - Michael Port:  Full of advice and hands-on exercises that will help you fill your business with leads and then turn those leads into long-term clients.

7. Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (And Other Social Networks) - Dave Kerpen:  There's a right way and a wrong way to use social media.  This book will teach you how to do it right. 

8.  Red Fire Branding: Creating a Hot Personal Brand so that Customers Choose You! - Liz Goodgold:  Your brand is more than your logo or your tagline.  It's your overall image.  This book will help you create a red hot brand for your business. 

9.  It's Not About You, It's About Bacon: Relationship Marketing in a Social Media World - Brian Basilico:   It's Not About You, It's About Bacon explains networking in all its forms. Not just social media. Face-to-face networking. Blogging. Websites. But don't worry all of you Facebook fanatics and Twitter addicts. Brian devotes entire chapters to each of these, as well as LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest. And yes, he even tells you why-to (and how-to) use YouTube.

Your Business Card Is a Powerful Marketing Tool!

While most business people use business cards every day, many do not understand that they can be a very effective marketing tool.

Business cards contain all the basic but essential information about your business:  your name, your company name, your logo, your address, and your contact information - phone number, email address, and website.  All of this information should be clearly legible on the front of your business card.  But even with all this information, there is usually still space to market yourself and your business.  Add a great tagline that promotes a particular aspect of your business.  If you have a free report or do free consultations, mention this on the front of your card. 

Don't forget that your card has two sides - front and back.  Most business cards have all the information on the front but the back is typically left blank.  Use this side for further marketing.  In my business, I love referrals - and I say so on the back side of my card and offer a referral bonus.  My insurance agent prints a calendar on the back of his.  I always have his card in my wallet - just because I use the calendar frequently!  And every time I look at it I'm reminded of him and his business. 

Of course, it doesn't do a bit of good to have a fabulous business card if your don't get them into circulation.  I used to be notorious for not having them with me when I needed them!  But I quickly learned my lesson and now I always carry them with me.  You never know when you just might bump into someone who needs your services.  And ALWAYS have them with you for business or networking events.  Hand them to everyone attending.  Before handing mine out I always write on the back "HCIP" - How can I help?  It makes me more memorable.  Plus, when handing mine out, I always ask for one in return.  Those two little touches make me stand out from others.

Another way to get your business card out there is to put them in everything - and I do mean everything - you send out.  Letters, cards, invoices - I even enclose them in the envelope when I pay bills.  Believe it or not, I have gotten business from that.

If you need to give contact information to someone - your insurance agent, a teacher, your car dealer - give them your business card.  Even if they don't need your services, they might know someone who does.  When we go out to eat, I will leave a card on the table along with the tip or credit card slip.  

You can also look for places to leave your business card.  Many neighborhood businesses will let you place some of your cards at a reception desk or check-out counter.  Many supermarkets have bulletin boards where you can post your card.  Some churches often offer the same service for their members.  Always be on the lookout for a new ways and new places to distribute your cards.  

Business cards can be a very cost effective way to promote yourself.  Set yourself a goal of distributing 5 daily and watch the impact on your business.

The BoomerBizCoach Tested and Approved Tool That Makes Online Business Success Doable

It's hard to have an internet business when you don't know anything about Web design. That's one reason I always used someone else's site. But canned sites don't always work well - it's hard to compete when there are 1000 other sites identical to yours. And hiring an outside web designer had some advantages, but I didn't have the control I liked (card carrying control freak here!) and when my designer just up and quit and disappeared, I was left with nothing. Luckily I found SBI!

SBI! is the only all-in-1 step-by-step system of process-and-software that delivers thriving businesses. No other purchase is necessary. Everything you need is already included.
Spam check tool? It's in there. Want to publish an ezine? SBI! has an ezine publishing tool. Autoresponders? Included. Form creation tools? Already part of the package. Plus some of the best analytical and statistical tools available to help you optimize your site to create a growing, profitable business.

How do I know SBI! works? My site, Boomer Business Ideas, is powered by SBI! And even though I know nothing about HTML or web design, and I am not an SEO expert, the traffic to my site increases daily - simply by using the tools available and following the techniques and advice provided by SBI!.  The process is simplified to such a degree that success (i.e., profits, not the mere presence of a Web site) is achievable even for a beginner.  And the Action Guide presents a step-by-step process, presented in both written and video formats. All you have to do is follow it. Really!

You are probably already asking what all of this costs. I'm sure you are thinking it must cost a fortune. Well it doesn't. It is completely affordable, regardless if you use the yearly or monthly payment option. Add the 90 day guarantee and you simply cannot go wrong.

Yes, there are easier ways to build a Web site. However, online profits require more than just having a collection of Web pages. SBI! includes all the tools and a proven process required to build a long-term, profitable e-business.

Why build another site that gets no traffic? Or put yourself at the mercy of someone else having control of your vision? Or add one more canned site to the hundreds of thousands already out there? Build your own ebusiness with Site Build It. You know if I can do it, ANYONE can do it!

This is the part where I am required by law to tell you that I am not only an SBI! owner, I am also an affiliate. So if you do click here to find more information and decide to purchase SBI!, I will receive a commission. Thanks!