The Benefits of Running a Brick and Mortar Store

With all of the clamor and commotion that's been going on with e-biz and e-tailing consumerism is slowly but surely drawing away from the brick and mortar store. Watch out, all you netrepreneurs out there! As much fun as it may sound to jump on the "dot com" bandwagon and launch a strictly web based e-tail business, there are a number of disadvantages to it that could spell death to your business. Sometimes, a brick and mortar store is by far the better option.

A brick and mortar store is generally a better choice than an e-biz if:

1) You're marketing to a specialized niche in your location.
2) You're marketing consumables. (Bait and groceries don't ship as well as you'd think they would.)
3) You're offering a product that your customers want to touch, taste or scan before they buy. There's a reason why Amazon hasn't completely annihilated the book business and Barnes & Noble is still going strong. People want to flip through their books before they buy them!
4) You're offering a hands-on service. It might be as simple as running an office out of your home, but if you're offering plumbing, HVAC work or anything else that's going to require you to meet with people face to face you're going to want a spot where you can make that happen. Your customers want to know who they're dealing with before they sign that check!
5) You're selling clothing. It doesn't matter how many online clothing retailers there are, nothing beats actually getting to try an outfit on before you buy. After all, it almost never looks the same once you get it off the rack!

You see? Brick and mortar stores aren't completely obsolete in today's digital age. Now it's up to you to choose the option that's right for you.

Discover more info and resources to launch your business at http://www1uptoyou.com.

Building Your Direct Mailing List

Have you ever wondered why it is that small businesses have such a good relationship with their customers while big businesses turn profits but never really "see" their customers until one of them threatens to drag them into court? The foundation of today's marketing and advertising campaigns isn't built on the mass marketing appeal of the past but on an up close and personal, "getting to know you" basis, which is why building a direct mailing list for your business is so important.

By building your direct mailing list, either through e-mail or snail mail (or both, if you're lucky!) you'll be able to let your customers know you're interested in them and in letting them know about what's happening in your industry. Direct mailing lists keep your customers up to speed on what your business is doing and lays the foundation for plenty of repeat business.

The question is, how do you build your direct mailing list?

There are a couple of ways you can build your direct mailing list. If your store runs out of a physical location you can ask your customers to leave you their name and address/email address when they come in to shop. Make sure you tell them what they're signing up for though! The idea is to make them feel like they're getting added value out of the deal, not picking up another stalker that's going to flood their mailbox with SPAM! The good news is, owning a physical storefront puts you in a prime position to enjoy the returning business a direct mailing list can generate-especially if you throw some coupons into the mix.

You always have the option of buying a mailing list. This can get you started by piggybacking on the back of other marketers who have culled through the huge realms of consumers out there to find those that are interested in your niche or industry. Be careful, however. If you're using a randomly generated direct mailing list your mailings will have to be full of value-there are other marketers out there doing the exact same thing, and it won't be long before these consumers go into overdrive and just start deleting or throwing away anything that pops up in their mailbox.

The third way to build your direct mailing list is to include an opt-in option on your website. (Pro Tip: You should be doing this anyway!) Your website is a valuable tool, and by giving people an anonymous opt-in option you're getting willing customers rather than unwilling victims. Just make sure your opt-out process is just as simple!

Discover more tools to build your direct mailing list at www.1uptoyou.com.

Starting Your E-Biz

It's all over the web that e-tailing is the way to go, so all you e-tailers out there that have been quietly making a living doing precisely that for years-sorry. The secret's out! For those of you looking for a great way to launch your new business, however, setting up an e-biz (or an e-tail outlet if you're bound and determined not to be just another dot com) is a great way to get started.

Setting up an e-biz is easy once you decide what kind of business you want to launch. Choosing your business is often the hardest part of the entire process. Why? Because too many people focus on profit margin rather than personal satisfaction and fall into the oldest sales trap in the book:

YOU CAN'T SELL SOMETHING YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN!

When you're choosing your e-biz, don't decide to go into bath and body products if you can't stand the smell of scented soaps. Sooner or later your customers are going to pick up on your distaste for what you're selling, and it's going to be downhill from there! Choose a product you believe in, and the rest will flow smoothly from there.

Once you've chosen a product the rest is easy. Your first step should be to find a reliable web server. All the marketing you're getting ready to do isn't going to do you a lick of good if your visitors can't find their way to your site! Then purchase a domain. Your domain should be something simple, associated with your business and easy to remember-for example, www.Amazon.com. Everyone in the planet can remember that Amazon.com is where they go to buy from Amazon. Short, simple, easy to remember. You can't go wrong!

Then it's time to design your site. There are three simple elements you want to remember when you're designing your website:

1) It should be easy to navigate.
2) It should have an efficient check-out process.
3) It should be aesthetically pleasing.

That’s it! That's why they tell you that starting an e-biz is so simple-because it's fast, inexpensive and can be done regardless of your level of business expertise.

Good luck!

Find more tools to launch your business when you visit www.1uptoyou.com.

Turning Your Website into an Information Superhighway

What do you think today's most successful e-tailers are really dealing in? Fancy advertising isn't the key to big time sales in today's global economy. Consumers are more informed about their products and their accompanying niches than ever before, and they want to work with companies who are going to help them become even more informed about the products they're buying. That's why the best thing you can do to promote your business via the web is to turn your site into an information superhighway.

How do you do that? This is where all those SEO articles you've been hearing about come into play. Marketing is a complex network of resources working together to help your business succeed, not single resources spinning off on their own. Your SEO articles are going to accomplish two things; they're going to bring your website to the attention of the search engines, and they're going to give your consumers the information they need to make an informed decision on the products they want to buy.

What type of information should your website have? Before they make a purchase your consumers are going to want to know about the latest industry trends and innovations, new discoveries made and in-depth information on their products. That isn't what's going to keep them coming back, however. If you go to Amazon.com, undoubtedly a world leader in e-tailing, you'll find that along with their products and reviews they also have extensive access to booklists and articles giving more information about the field and related industries. That's what you want to give your consumers.

Think about everything you read and study to learn more about staying ahead in your niche, then share that information with your consumers. They want to know, and the fact that you're willing to tell them will go a long way toward helping you earn their trust and grow the market share you deserve.

For more information on building your website and growing your consumer base, visit us on the web at www.1uptoyou.com.

Easy Ways to Build Your Customer Base

When you're attempting to build a business the most important thing you can do is build your customer base. If no one knows you exist they can't possibly become loyal customers, can they? That's why focusing on your marketing efforts and spreading the word about your products and services is the single most important step in helping your business get off the starting block.
Here are some easy ways to grow your customer base:

1) Address your niche, and cut back on your mass marketing. It's important to let as many people as possible know you're there, but it isn't going to do you much good if your target market doesn't know you exist! Focus your marketing efforts.

2) Leverage your niche expertise. When you're going to be paying thousands of dollars to have your vehicle repaired, who would you rather work with-a mechanic with thirty years of experience under his belt or the teenager down the street who tinkers with cars in his spare time? Experience and knowledge count. Growing your customer base relies on you letting your consumers know your business has both.

3) Encourage word of mouth marketing. Offer "bring a friend" and referral discounts to your existing customers, and offer special "two for one" deals on your products and services that will encourage them to buy extras for their friends.

4) Be a part of your community. Growing your customer base doesn't just depend on your products. It's up to you to be an active part of your community so that people know you aren't just a nameless, heartless corporate giant-you're a company with a conscience that wants to see its community grow.

Yes, mass marketing efforts are important-but they aren't everything. Sometimes it's all about getting personal with your clientele. For more resources to help you grow your customer base, visit www.1uptoyou.com.

Marketing to Friends and Family

In the previous post we talked about the tools that contribute to the success of an independent distributor in today's fast paced world. One of those tools is a strong network built among your friends and family; however, even though these people are almost guaranteed to become your most loyal customers they're also the ones who are the most difficult to market to. Why? Because your relationship is not, and never will be, strictly professional. Damages to your professional relationship will lead to dents and dings in your personal one, and vice versa. That leads many distributors to wonder if it's really worth taking the risk at all.

Don't wonder. Your friends and family are a valuable resource, not only because they're the most likely to make a purchase (even if it's only to make you happy!) they're also the most likely to refer your products and services to their friends. When it comes to friends and family, however, the rules of marketing aren't quite the same as they would be with a complete stranger. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1) Keep your product presentation casual, and skip the sales pitch-they've already heard it. Instead, let them see you using your own products. Leave your catalogs lying around the house where they're likely to flip through while chatting with you. This casual presentation takes the pressure off and lets them make an informed decision while at the same time feeling like they're helping you out.

2) Whenever possible, let them take your products and services for a test drive first. If you've been building sheds for family members for years it's not going to be hard to sell them on your home repair services-and while they still might demand free labor in the name of family you'll get plenty of referrals! If your family has never seen your work and/or products, however, they're going to be understandably leery. Let them see what you have to offer, then start talking sales price.

3) Make sure your products and services are high quality. It's tempting to exploit the family relationship if you know your products aren't up to snuff-but why would you want to? It's not worth the guilt trip over Christmas dinner-trust me.

4) Let their no be no. It's the first rule of sales-don't accept the customer's first refusal. When you're dealing with family and friends you really need to. Remember, more lies in the balance than a potential sale-and they'll respect you for not pushing the issue.

Discover more key marketing resources at www.1uptoyou.com.

Being an Independent Distributor in a Corporate Market

Have you ever noticed how time seems to be going backward rather than forward in the business world today? Once upon a time independently owned businesses and independent distributors were the only options available. Then corporate giants moved in and started pushing them out of the way! In the face of economic recession and the new opportunities offered via the web these corporate giants are slowly losing ground. Small businesses are becoming the "in" thing of the 21st century!

If you're considering being an independent distributor for a company like Hoover, Avon or Mary Kay, whose entire business is built on building a personal relationship with their consumers, now is the best possible time to do it. That doesn't mean that the journey is going to be all chocolate and roses, however. You're still going head to head with major corporations like WalMart (who is rapidly gaining a monopoly on the retail market in the face of today's recession whether they mean to or not!), which means you're going to have to take advantage of all of the guerilla marketing tactics at your disposal.

First and foremost, door to door marketing isn't just ineffective-it's annoying! Today's consumers have been overexposed to selling techniques like mass media marketing and door to door sales, which means the only thing you're likely to do if you knock on a door is watch is close in your face. Widespread distribution for today's independent distributor relies heavily on:

a) Building a network of their friends and family, particularly for consumables like make-up that will need to be repurchased regularly. Not only does this open the door to repeat customers, you're also more likely to draw in referrals from people who are more comfortable doing business with a "friend of a friend" than a nameless, faceless stranger.

b) Mass market-tastefully. Hand out your business card regularly, and pass around flyers. Plan events (like parties) and invite people regularly. This will allow your potential customers to feel like doing business with you was their choice-not yours.

c) Launch a website. Yes, they could go to the company's website to buy their products, but why would they want to? Launch your own site with information about your products and their benefits, as well as new industry updates, information on parties and upcoming events and links to other valuable resources. Put your URL on your flyers and cards, then sit back and relax. Today's consumer loves having the chance to privately examine your merchandise and draw their own conclusions before feeling as though they have to decide whether or not they want to buy. A good website is a more successful selling tool than any door to door pitch will ever be.
Discover a host of resources to help boost your independent distribution network at http://www.1uptoyou.com/.