Tweet

�When Technology Leads to Profit�

Guest post by: Brian Sullivan

Article Overview: �When Technology Leads to Profit�

�When Technology Leads to Profit�

It�s not about technology. It is about getting leverage to add value and make a profit.
-Ford Saeks
Technology and Internet Marketing Expert

E-newsletters, CRM, blogs, podcasts, You Tube, MySpace, Linked In, Social Networking�Ugh! What are you supposed to do? Whether you are a business, an entrepreneur or a salesperson, you are no doubt being bombarded with new technology terms every day. But of all the new ways to connect with prospects, what are the tools YOU should be using to make sure you get to the marketplace more often and more powerfully than your competition? And how do you know if a new sales and marketing technology will actually turn into profit?

While the answers are not easy, the first step begins with a decision by you to stop running from the confusion and start learning it. Will it take some time? Absolutely, but one thing is clear. Those that are embracing new sales and marketing technologies are finding innovative ways to find more customers, more quickly and more profitably.

While I don�t claim to be a technoprofit expert, let me share with you the benefits you will find with some of the latest techno-tools:

� E-newsletters- These are an easy way to regularly inform customers how you can help them. But here is the secret. Your e-newsletter has to add VALUE to the person receiving it. They should contain 80% valuable information and 20% sales info. Contant Contact and Aweber are two online services you should check out. Sign up, get comfortable, and before you know it, you will create loyal customers that wouldn�t dare turn to the competition.

� CRM-Okay salesperson, I know how much you hate inputting customer data into your computer. But stop fighting it! Because if you use it correctly, you will get to the right customers at the right time�while your competition is driving all over town looking for somebody to talk to.

� Blogs-This term just might go down as 2008�s most widely used word while it seems most of us are still scratching our heads wondering what the heck a BLOG is. Fear not! A blog is simply an easy way to deliver information to people who care what you think. So the trick here is to have knowledge in your head that customers actually want. Then go to a service like Bravenet.com and try to create one yourself. Even as a novice, you can be an official blogger before you know it.

� YouTube-You mean YouTube can actually be used as a business tool? Yes! In fact, there is a cool new camera out there that is called Flip � that you can use to quickly capture video testimonials of happy customers immediately after they purchase your product. Wouldn�t it be great to refer a potential prospect to your YouTube site where they can see and hear live customers saying how great you are?

� Podcast-A podcast is simply an audio file that somebody can download onto their iPod or MP3 player that allows them to take YOU with them. If your company has a message that needs to spread, you can create a regular informational podcast that educates the marketplace.

� MySpace, LinkedIn-Social Networking sites are all the rage and frankly, I am still figuring out how they can add value and profit to a business. If you are like me, you are probably getting invited to join one of these sites frequently. Be careful. If you find yourself responding to LinkedIn invites more than reaching out to customers everyday, then it�s time to redirect your energy.

Oh, and there is one technology I didn�t mention�the Phone. While all of these tools can be effective in finding and keeping loyal customers, they are NOT meant to replace good old fashion human contact. But with a little techno curiosity, time and effort, you will find that the above tools just might help you get more face and phone time than ever before. And if that is the case, then the technology will help you add value and more importantly, add more profit to your business.

Related Articles
  3 Attraction Marketing keys that will Help Expand Your MLM Business
  Actions upon Contacting Your own MLM Lead Prospects
  Who Cares More-Sales or Marketing?
  The Seduction of Technology
  3 Good Reasons Marketing Should Qualify Leads Before Passing to Sales
  Do You Want Personalized Tax Debt Relief Leads?
  Sales Leads -- Quantity or Quality?
  Are Free Leads Really
  Christy’s Laws of Information Technology Leadership Law #1: Technology is a tool set
  Home Based Business Strategies
  Sales Success Tip-Think You Need More Leads? Think Again!
  Business Opportunity Leads - The Satisfaction of Converting the Leads into Customers
  Qualifying Leads
  Generating Leads On The Internet I
  The Advantages of Lead Generation for your Business
  Network Marketing Tools
  Kick your upline's butt by getting fast MLM leads
  FRANCHISE SELLING TIP: # 1
  Conversions, Part Two
  The Value of Technology

Article Tags: CRM, sales tips, sales trianing, technology in sales



Related Forum Posts
Seek Venture Capital & Funding - Hello, Greetings from India. I am Seeking Venture Capital for Offshore Software Company Start-up. Need advise along with Business Model Sample. I have a basic outline for an offshore company. 1. Technology - like Microsoft Dot Net, Java, LAMP 2. Talent Team - Found Good Technology Developers. 3. Where I can get the leads/potential customers - Leads have been identified who are willing to move forward offshore projects. 4. I do not have resources like funding. It is a very critical factor to me Industries: Manufacturing, Real Estate, Retail, Insurance, Distribution & Logistics, Healthcare, Industry Associations and Software Product Development, Agricultural Industries and Etc. Services: Offshore Software Development Company. Offices to be located: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and USA. Products/Services/Applications in areas like POS & Billing, Sales & Distribution, Production Planning, Material Management, Inventory Control, Plant Maintenance, Purchasing, Accounting and Logistics. Dynamic Web Programming with Database Driven Content Management Systems, Online Stores for E-Commerce, B2B Solutions, Community Portals, Website Redesign and Development, Custom ERP with Enterprise Wide Functional Modules such as Marketing, CRM, Accounting, Inventory Control, Sales & Distribution, Production Planning, Purchase & Stores, Logistics and Supply Chain. Seek your further questions and help. Thank you, Best Regards, Jayapratap.
Re: 3 Ways to Grow Your Business in 2011 - Hi David, I've had a lot of success by building my own media list and then emailing out the reporters when I have a story. I've also used PR Leads (paid program) which got me into the New York Times and Forbes. I haven't done much with online press releases - from what I hear they can help you with your SEO but they don't get much mainstream media attention. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'd be happy to help!
International Technology Exchange - Hello, Does anyone have idea about International Technology Exchange? I’m keenly interested to get the views of the members. Without going into confidential details, good or bad reports would be appreciated! Thanks
What to Outsource - I found that at the beginning I tried to do everything myself - I wore all the hats of the entrepreneur. Then I decided to focus only on the things that I was really good at and passionate about. From there I outsourced the rest. Technology and accounting are 2 great examples of things to outsource. The only thing I would never outsource is the relationship with the client - you need to own it and make sure you are delivering on their expectations.
Re: How Entrepreneurs Can Use Technology To Grow - We are living in an era where things are changing every minute and effecting our life and businesses. IMO they can use technology to cut their cost. I.E. they can send invoices on PDFs, use online merchant accounts (PayPal and Alert Pay), and increase revenue for effectively by using product catalogs with home delivery options. Technology also helps improve customer service.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Ready for a Fresh Image?

What I Really Want Is...

How to develop the best lateral thinking skills

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.