Friday, September 10, 2010

WOW Them.... for free!

Just a quick tip for all you people to set yourselves apart...(aren't we all trying for that?)

I have discovered a little known voicemail system that is absolutely incredible and that will get your callers talking about you and amazed at how tech savvy you are. It's called YouMail.

Here's how it works,

Once you sign up... YouMail will give you the option of picking a reply message for each and every person or recording a personal greeting that will only play when that person calls you. You can record a message using your cellphone or home phone or upload a message that you have recorded elsewhere.

For example... if Ben calls you... instead of getting the generic message... " Hi, thanks for calling, leave me a name and number and I'll get right back to you!"

You now can leave this personalized message when Ben calls ...
"Hey Ben. Great to hear from you! I'll call you back as soon as I can. Say hi to your Lisa and the Kids. We'll talk soon!

So get personal with all your callers by having a personal greeting from YOU with YouMail for FREE!

P.S. there is a paid version also with more features. You can also get voice to text for an additional fee.... but I like FREE

Sunday, November 22, 2009

ECard Birthday Tragedy!!! DON'T MIX IT UP!

Alright... I'm going to admit to you that TODAY November 22nd 1959... Rod and Bunnie Riding had a little boy named John.

Yep Today is my BIG FIVE OH... (the OH is intentional here as in OH MY, How'd I get to be that old)

Along with all the well wishing cards and the FB birthday wishes ... Thank you all so much... I received a couple of emails from some friends on Plaxo.

I'm always amazed at how many people take the time to send a birthday wish, even if it only takes a few second to put together an Ecard... it is still very much appreciated.

Now here is the big tragedy... THE MIXED MESSAGE!

If I had a list of forbidden things to do when you are marketing....
THE NUMBER ONE would be ... Don't mix your messages.

You know I am all about establishing and building relationships with people that you do business with. I always stress for my clients to go far beyond the transactional nature of business. Reach out to your clients and become FRIENDS.

Here is a Card (I've altered the name for obvious reasons) I received today



Here is the close up of the message:



See the problem here isn't that Jack didn't think of me... the problem is that while thinking of me Jack also thought of himself. He decided to kill two old farts with one stone and remind me that I might need his life or disability insurance. (because I'm officially old now I guess)

Don't get me wrong... I appreciate Jack sending the Ecard... but his not so subtle advertisement kind of killed the whole sentiment of the card.

If I was a close friend of Jack, do you think he would send this same card? I say no way! He would have sent a card that had nothing to do with his business. He would have just sent the card that would show appreciation or congratulations, not "Hey by the way... I don't want to waste another email on you... so here is my birthday wish and sales pitch all in one... wooohooo!

People do business with people they trust and care about. It's time for us as business professionals to stop pitching our friends and just start building relationships. I don't mean to say that you don't ever talk to your friends about business... what I do mean is that you should be friends first and sales people second.

My friends appreciate that when I talk to them about my products or service... I am straight forward and honest about my intention. I want to show them what I do to see if it is something that they need, want or like. That's ok. They appreciate my honesty. I also give them a solid way out. I keep the relationship key and the sales secondary. Someday if they need what I have... they will look me up.

Here is an Ecard from Plaxo from a guy I only know a little bit, in fact I think I may have met him one time at a convention. But here is a guy who knows how to build relationships and cares for people first.



WOW... I was blown away by this card because it was sincere, from the heart and had his picture on it. That just strengthens my bond with Dick.

Who do you think I am more likely to do business with in the future?

.... I'm just sayin'...

Grace and Peace to you in this Season!
JR

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Super Referral Motivator

One of the essential elements of an effective referral
program is to simply thank the person that referred
business to you.




When you thank people for giving referrals, they are
twice as likely to refer you again when the opportunity
arises.

As important as it is to thank people for giving you
referrals on an individual basis, there's one thing you
can do that is much more powerful and will result in 10
times more referrals - - and that is, thank people by
recognizing them in public.

___________________________________________________

The Most Powerful Human Motivational Force On Earth
____________________________________________________


There's nothing more motivating and inspiring to a
person than to shower them with recognition. As children
we crave recognition and approval.

It's no different when we grow up and become adults.
We still crave recognition.

Recognition is more motivating than money, prizes or
anything material that you can give to a person.





Just ask any sales manager and they will tell you
unequivocally that showering sales superstars with
praise and recognition results in higher sales when
compared to giving away vacations and money.

_________________________________________________

How to Recognize People for Giving You Referrals
_________________________________________________


A few years ago I was invited to a client appreciation
event of a company with whom I did business. It was a
lot of fun.

It was held in a large private party room at a local
ballpark. About a half hour into the event, the host
stands up and call the room to attention.

He thanked everyone for coming and for choosing to do
business with his company.

Then he proceeded to tell everyone that this next part
of the program was the most important part of the
entire event.

He called up the first person and thanked them in front
of everyone for being their top referrer for the past
year.

The host presented the referrer with a beautiful plaque
recognizing that person as the company's top referrer.
Everyone clapped and cheered and the client beamed from
ear to ear.

The host then called up the next person and one by one,
the top referrers of the company were showered with
recognition and praise.

It's no wonder this company was experiencing double and
triple growth every year.

They understood the value of recognition. When you
recognize someone for giving you referrals, you
reinforce that behavior.

People always become better at what they are recognized
and given praise for doing. It's no different in the
world of referral marketing.

_________________________________________________

A Powerful Side Benefit of Referral Recognition
_________________________________________________


A powerful side benefit of recognizing someone publicly
for giving you referrals is that it sends a message to
everyone else that referrals are very important to your
business.

And when they see others being recognized for their
referral activities, they will be motivated to refer
your business as well so that they can receive the
same recognition and praise.

You don't have to throw a big expensive party to
recognize people publicly for giving you referrals.

In fact, there is a much simpler, faster and more cost
effective method of giving recognition.

All you have to do is create "referral recognition
cards" and send them out to everyone in your network
database.

______________________________________

What Is a Referral Recognition Card?
______________________________________


A referral recognition card shows a photo of you and
the referrer and gives them praise for sending you
referrals.

The referral recognition card always includes a little
bit of information about what that person does
professionally, a photo of their business card, and a
brief endorsement for their business.

Here's a great example of a referral recognition card.


(click the picture for a larger view)

Not only do referral recognition cards serve as a way
to give praise to the referrer, it's also a free
endorsed advertisement for that person that drives
prospects to their product or service.

Now, not only have you showered that person with praise
and recognition, but you've also referred that person
to YOUR network of friends and business associates.

How do you think the referrer will feel about you and
your business after you've recognized them and sent
referrals to their business?

Do you think you'll get more referrals from that
person?

It's been my experience that after sending a referral
recognition card to your network for someone, that
person will immediately double and triple the amount of
referrals they send you.

_______________________________________________________

How Often Should You Send Referral Recognition Cards?
_______________________________________________________


I suggest sending a referral recognition card every 2 -
3 months to your network.

If you're already sending cards once a month to your
network, at the beginning of every month, just send
your referral recognition card in the third week of the
month.

And the person who you're highlighting in the referral
recognition card doesn't have to be a big referrer.

If they've even sent you one referral you should
consider highlighting them in a referral recognition
card.

Of course, sending referral recognition cards doesn't
replace holding a special live appreciation event, but
it's a very powerful way to give recognition and praise
on a consistent basis with very little effort.

_______________________________________________

Send Your Referral Recognition Cards with the
Push of a Button
_______________________________________________

With SendOutCards you can send your referral
recognition cards with the quick push of a button.

It doesn't matter if you're sending a card to 10 people
or 10,000 people.

One push of a button will do it!

____________________________

What Is Holding You Back?
____________________________


What is holding you back from investing in Send
Out Cards?

If it's the cost, then you need to think about
how much money you're LOSING right now, by
not building relationships of trust with people
using this simple system.

I can guarantee you...

...what you'll gain in referrals will massively
outweigh what you'll invest for a license to
use the SendOutCards.com system.

If you'd like, you can give me a call right now
and I can walk you through this system.

My number is 559-862-1221.

Or just email me and I will send you a link to
a 7 minute Video that will explain everything!

Isn't it time you made the move and invested
in SendOutCards?

If you want to send a card and have me pay for it, just go to this website

Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter.

Have a successful day!

John

______________________

John Riding

Call me at 559-862-1221
or email me at renegademarketers@comcast.net

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Is That Paris Hilton Endorsing ME?



Is that Paris Hilton holding my latest CD and at my Magazine Launch?
You be the judge!

Look, It doesn't take a lot of cash to stay in front of your clients, friends and loved ones. All it takes is a few resources. You don't have to be a photoshop genius to be creative with pictures. Use resources that some (other) smart brainiacs have already made for you.

Here is what I mean. Grab a digital picture of someone you want to appreciate. Go to Photofunia.com. They have over 80 different templates that you can personalize with that picture. Here is an example of what I mean. Here is just a headshot of "Yours Truly"...



I took it in to Photofunia.com and grabbed a template and clicked choose file from my hard drive...here is the incredible result...



or this...



or this...



Here is an example from another FREE resource called "Church Sign Generator"




or from Redkid.net




Alright so you now have a way to make all these crazy pictures BUT...and It's a BIG BUT...(just like mine) How do I use them?

Here is one method I used and the recipient thought it was hilarious. I told them that I was driving along and saw this billboard and it looked so much like them you knew I had to take a picture of it and email it to them. They will get the joke as soon as they see the picture. Then I just said something like "hope you are having a picture perfect day".

Now if you use this tactic, make sure you put your phone number at the bottom of the email...they will most likely call you or email you back and want to know how you did it.

Now isn't that BRILLIANT...get the client to call you for something other than business? NO WAY! Why didn't I think of that? ...err...uh... ok. This my friends is how you start building relationships that are not transactional in nature. It's how you let your clients know that you care about them outside of business. Please don't muck it up by saying anything about your company or product!
Just be fun and relational and see what happens.

Instead of email, I use SendOutCards to make real greeting cards...NOT Ecards... and send that photo as a card that they will get in their mailbox. It is much more personal and costs about a dollar...no kidding... $1.

If you want to send one or learn more about SendOutCards (here is another free resource...while I'm feeling generous) Go to this link and I'll pay for you to send a card to someone YOU care about. Just shoot me an email and I'll mail you the link: renegademarketers@comcast.net

Well that's it...go have some fun and send some pictures to your peeps!
God bless you in your business success.
JR

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Stay on Someone's Radar... It's your responsibility

Keith Ferrazzi has another great video you need to watch ... and then put into practice!


Find more videos like this on Greenlight Community

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Neighborhood Referral System Revealed!




If you market a product or service in a local geographic region you're going to absolutely love this referral strategy.

It's extremely easy to implement.

It taps into people's natural referral relationships.

And it has the potential to generate at least two referrals for every new client or customer.

It's called the "Neighborhood Referral System."

_____________________________________________

How the Neighborhood Referral System Works ______________________________________________


As you know, word-of-mouth and referral marketing systems are based on getting people to tell their friends about your product or service.

Right?

Well, a large majority of a person's friends live right in their own neighborhood.

Think about it.

A person's circle of friends could include...

1. Parents of children who play on the same sports team as their own children.

2. People with whom they attend their local church.

3. People that they meet at local community events.

4. People who live on their same street and perhaps play with their kids.

5. Parents in local school associations like the Parent Teachers Association or "school room Moms."

6. People who belong to their local health club like the Y.M.C.A.

7. People who volunteer for local charitable organizations.

8. People who join local special interest groups who share the same interests like a sports car club or a dog owners club.

There are numerous opportunities for people to establish local friendships, but the one thing they have in common is, they all live in the same geographic area.

So chances are, if you were to contact people who lived near your custoer and client, you would be tapping into the heart of their base of friends.

With the Neighborhood Referral System, that's exactly what you do.

So here's exactly how it works.

___________________________

STEP 1 - Get Permission
___________________________


Get permission from your customer or client to contact their neighbors in behalf of them with an endorsed offer.

A simple way to do this is to offer your customer or client something extra of value in exchange for their permission to contact their neighbors.

For instance, if you're a pool builder, perhaps you could give your customer a bonus package consisting of a set of towels or extra chemicals.

Or if you're a realtor, you could add a package that included a few advanced marketing activities.

And when all else fails, you simply ask your new customer that if they're satisfied with your service, could you do an endorsed mailing to their neighbors.

_____________________________

STEP 2 - Get a Testimonial
_____________________________


Get a testimonial from your new customer or client and create a greeting card or direct mail piece that highlights their endorsement.

Here's a great example of the front of a card of a customer who just purchased a water filtration system that would be sent to all their neighbors.

http://www.TheReferralNewsletter.com/a/neighbor.jpg

(copy and paste the link into your browser)

Notice how this card is actually coming from the customer and NOT your company. That's what we call an endorsed mailing.

________________________________________________

STEP 3 - Create Your Mailing List of Neighbors ________________________________________________


Go to www.InfoUSA.com. InfoUSA is a list management database company in which you can select a list of either business addresses or a list of consumer addresses.

You pay for the list by address (or "lead). One lead can cost you between $.05 - $.10 and you can mail to that lead as much as you want.

Click on the "consumer database" section of their website and as you select the parameters of your list, you'll be offered to generate a list of addresses within a specific distance around one address.

You simply enter in the address of your customer and the distance from your customer whose addresses you want.

You can adjust with the distance to eventually get the amount of neighbors to whom you want to send your direct mail piece.

_______________________________________

STEP 4 - Send Your Endorsed Mailing
_______________________________________





Send your mailer to your customer's neighbors. The best mailers are the ones that appear as though they are actually coming from your customer.

By that I mean, the mailer has your customers return address and the message inside comes from your customer, not you.

HINT: It's best to create an offer and have your customer give that offer to their neighbors as a special gift. Your reponse rate will go up dramatically.

___________________________________________________

How to Automate Your Neighborhood Referral System ___________________________________________________


Using SendOutCards you can literally automate this entire process and complete a high impact endorsed mailing in less than 20 minutes.

Here's how...

First, take a digital photograph of your customer.

Second, upload that photo using "Picture Plus" in SendOutCards and create a heartfelt, personal card from your customer.

Third, download your list from InfoUSA and upload it into a new group in your contact manager in SendOutCards

Fourth, attach your new group to your new endorsed Picture Plus card and hit the "Send" button.

You're done.

That's it.

_____________________________________________________

Isn't It About Time You Started Using SendOutCards?
______________________________________________________


Send Out Cards has the ability to literally transform your business forever.
It's a simple tool that allows you to generate referrals, almost on demand.


All the best.

John

P.S. If you'd like to see a demo of how to create a custom card in Send Out Cards, just email me at renegademarketers@comcast.net