Found this great article online, thought I would share it with you.

3 Secrets to Being Confident

We’ve heard it (and said it) a million times: confidence is sexy. But how do you deal when you’re lacking in that department? We asked members of Marie Claire Ask & Answer — Marie Claire ’s online Q&A community for dating, sex, and relationship advice — for their secrets to appearing confident and sexy. “This is one of those areas where you start out faking it, but as you go along, you feel more capable of handling situations, and hence become more confident,” Answerology member logash365 says.   How to fake it until you make it:

Secret #1: Stand Up Straight. Slouching has never done anyone’s appearance any favors, so before you can speak and flirt with confidence, you need to look the part. Your mother was right. Now, shoulders back and chin up! And, silver75 adds, “Smile and look people in their eyes when you talk to them.”

Secret #2: Speak Softy. “Don’t raise your voice,” says logash365 . “A soft, but firm voice will give the impression that you are in control of yourself and the situation.” You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to come across as self-assured. Get them to lean in close instead.

Secret #3: Be Positive. If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all — resist the urge to complain in order to fill an awkward silence. “Do not go on and on about how much you have to do, how little time there is, etc.,” says logash365 . That attitude “indicates that you are struggling to maintain control.” Don’t have much to say? Ask questions until the frog in your throat goes on its way.  It’s much more attractive to be a good listener than to be the rain on everyone’s parade.

It’s good advice!

All the best

Stefanie

There was a time, not so long ago, when consumers relied heavily on expensive paid advertising to make their spending decisions.  Remember this?

Before seeing that commercial, viewers may not even have known that their husbands were suffering disdain and mockery due to the rings around their collars.  Luckily, the commercial not only educated them about the dreadful plight of grey-collared office workers, but it also offered them a solution — Wisk Detergent.  They would be spared the shame that the poor woman on the commercial suffered.  Their washers wouldn’t taunt them each time they opened the door.

With the advent of the internet, consumers make their decisions a little differently now.  As a heart-based entrepreneur, this is a great thing for you.   When your potential clients are confronted with pricey ads from mega-corporations, it takes them minutes to do more research.  They click on their favorite  sites to check reviews on the company.  They listen to podcasts.  They Google the product and look for product reviews.  They might even hit up WikiAnswers.com:  “Is ring around the collar even a big deal?”

You may not have a massive advertising budget, but you have a global marketplace right at your fingertips, and consumers are talking to each other.  The MarketingGuy tells us that according to a survey from 1&1 Internet, 89% of shoppers say they purposely stay away from small online retailers with negative customer reviews on the web.  Referrals and recommendations are important.  So how can you make this trend work to your advantage?

• Make sure you deserve your good reputation. Determine what your clients need, and deliver it.
• Build incentives for referrals into your processes from the beginning. Referrals are extremely effective, but your clients may not think of it if you don’t suggest it.
• Follow up with your clients to make sure they’re satisfied, then ask for referrals. Make sure you hand out at least three business cards

If you’re taking the time to know what your customers need and giving it to them with a true service attitude, you don’t have to worry if you have a small or no advertising budget.  Clients who are referred to you will trust you more, and research shows that they are willing to spend more as well.  What are you doing to earn referrals for your business?  I’d love to see your comments below.

To learn more about the changing face of marketing and how to take advantage of it, download your free copy of The Hartman Report now.

You can mail out the most riveting email showcasing your product, but if you don’t target it to the right audience, you won’t get results.

Check out this funny video to see what I’m talking about!

Need help targeting your email newsletters for maximum impact and profit?  Check out our Get it Done series.  Let us concentrate on your marketing needs, so you’re free to take care of business.

I just read a terrific post from David Riklan of Self-Growth on the effectiveness of email advertising.  He addresses the question:  “Does email newsletter advertising really work?” His answer  is a firm, “That depends!”  Some products — health products, financial services, and help for relationships and self-improvement — tend to fare better than others with online marketing. Continue Reading

Have You Read Anything Good Lately?

What was the last good book you read? Leading up to summer you often hear people talking of the best book picks for summer, for reading by the pool or while on vacation.   There are books on all type of topics from fiction, to memoirs to business text books.

What will you select to read this Spring-Summer 2009?

• Will what you choose to read help you gain massive exposure for your business or product?
• Will it assist you in finding international Marketing Partners?

Over the years, I have noted that the successful and savvy entrepreneurs, CEO’s and Business executives I have encountered all have one thing in common.  They are driven and passionate about what they do.  And as such they are eager to soak up as much information about the world of business as possible.

That said, I urge you to make YOUR Summer/Spring 2009 selection The Hartman Report.  When I wrote it, I knew that The Hartman Report contained information that would be transformative to those who were looking for ways to get their businesses off the ground or expand their growing empire.

The Hartman Report details the ins and outs of Joint Venture Marketing, which has literally built mega-empires.   Joint Venture Marketing is quite simply the surest way to improve the bottom line of your online business.

You can learn how to:

• increase business by 20%
• gain access to new customer markets
• partner with the right Joint Venture Partner

The tips inside also include how you can start to apply this system to your business or venture even if you don’t have a product to sell.  You may have a marketing idea or access to a client base that could be effective for another entrepreneur in a similar niche.

Even if you are already applying this marketing tool to your business, there may be uses or ideas that you have not yet applied or thought of.

Whether you have an internet based business, a book to sell, targeted or niche marketing goals, Joint Venture Marketing can facilitate those goals with virtually no risk.  Given all those advantages, I hate to say it, but you have to be crazy if you don’t take a look!

I hope you will jump at this opportunity to download and read the report.

I invite you to post comments to let me know how it has changed your perceptions of marketing and where you can see it’s already one of the most prevalent business phenomenons going on right now.

At 50 pages and with zero fluff, The Hartman report is 100% concentrated essential marketing and industry information.

Since it is chalk full of info, just sit back, relax and read it a few times while ideas on how you can apply this to your business start to percolate!

Inside the report are details on how you can learn the no-cost, no-risk marketing strategy that you can learn and put into practice simply.

Take advantage now and download, for FR.EE, your copy of The Hartman Report for your early summer reading and watch your business bloom!

If you’re like most online entrepreneurs & Internet Marketers, you probably upgrade your computers, your telecommunication systems, your office equipment, and your software and database management systems on a fairly regular basis. (I know I’m always one for new gadgets and technology!)

But are you upgrading your internet marketing strategy just as often?

Because in reality, that is what will have the most impact on your business! If you ever feel left behind and you’re wondering how your competition just seems to know exactly what to do to accelerate his business while you seem to be left in the dark, you might have some catching up to do!

But how do you find the time to keep up with it all? Continue Reading