Do Not Get Greedy

Dec 14, 2011 by Holly Ralston-Oyler

Do not get greedy – doing so is down fall of most business failures.  I established long ago in this blog that my fathers business 101 lesson was a simple one – “offer a quality product,offer  extraordinary customer service and above all do not get greedy” Those words have served me well over the past 50+ years of being in business.  Especially during the month of December when I take a look back at the year ending and forward into the upcoming new year.

I love starting a new year. It is filled with such wonderment, ideas, promises and goals. I will have to be honest here and say it took on a whole new meaning of enjoyment when I dropped the personal weight loss goals a few years ago. It is also the time of year that vendors raise their prices, lower their container size and sometimes skimp on ingredients. It is also the time of year that most retailers raise their prices.

So while you are planning out your 2012 business strategy, remember this simple rule of thumb – if you are going to raise your price, offer a smaller amount of product, you better offer up some over-the-top added value to your content and sales.

The future of 2012 looks a bit stormy to me and personally, I feel we are going to see a lot of changes during the year. Long time businesses are going to fail, mainly from being exhausted, low on technology innovations and low on cash flow. New business start ups from this year are going to quickly fall by the wayside, mainly because they were based on the get-rick-quick business model. Quick cash business models are outdated and over sold. Especially in the Internet Marketing world.

If you are still clinging to the thought that you will make it big with the latest and greatest product launch you have purchased, it is time to let go of that thought and do some serious soul searching. If I have not learned anything else during the past few years about Internet Marketing, I have learned it is a business you build over time and with integrity, superior customer-solution-based service and by offering great added value. There are no shortcuts to success built on that type foundation.

When was the last time you over delivered to a client? Over delivering takes extra time out of your day,  and a true love of your business. You are simply driven to over deliver on the value of your products each and every time – it is just something you have to do in order to be happy with yourself.

Start by giving away something of great solution-based value to your opt in prospects that really represents the kind of value you want to be know for. Forget the “your going to be struck by lightening if you don’t buy” sales letter at this point. Think of this piece as the personal Ambassador of your business going into a prospective clients home.

Remember the “better than slice bread” auto call systems of the 80′s? People figured out the system, in what – maybe ten seconds? The automatic call insured a hang up – before the caller could even get their name and or company name out. FYI – For the ones that did figure out it was best to put their name and company name first, all received very stern and angry call backs from me and millions of other people.

I will have to admit, when I first started studying Internet Marketing I truly believed all the emails I received were individually sent, and I was impressed. Then I realized there seem to be a formula or method to the content. Imagine my surprise a few weeks later during a class on marketing when the autoresponder message services came up. It was right up there with finding out about the big three- Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny – all on the same night.

Do you write your autoresponder messages from the heart or from a  template sitting on your hard drive? Do you create a friendly face and smile in each of your messages or are you selling, selling and selling some more?

Are your titles engaging and do they pull the reader into your email? There really needs to be a “IM 101 email title class” presented by someone, anyone with enough clout to be heard. If I wanted to read gutter or bodily function talk I would not be spending my time signing up for someone’s list or buying product in order to get it. I would just walk outside and stroll down the street. Is it too much to ask that those we are following and buying from act like a professional in business? Just today, I received two such emails and guess what, I asked to be removed from both mailing lists.

I will readily admit we are in the business of making money in the Internet Marketing world – but it is a hard and proven fact – it is a tough market. Gone are the days of creating pain, providing the solution and being cold and pushy about it.

Is your blog user friendly? Is it written the way you normally talk or filled with IM jargon and tech talk?  Are your blog(s) all about selling or are your giving personal advise and offering workable tips and information? The choice is totally up to you.

When it gets down to the serious and long standing Internet Marketer, greed is going to be transparent in 2012. Quality content, consistent posting and reader interaction are going to be the currency to success.

Do you have a “greedy” sales story to share? Are you still intrigued by and purchase the latest shiny object being promoted? Have you loss faith in a person you have followed due to their current marketing methods? Share your story so we can all learn from it.