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Mon 4th May 2009 |
Issue No. 38
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| Latest Tip! How A NEW Client Paid For This Website! Updates About SDAc's Activities/Tips You Can Use |
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Do you remember how I ended this section last month? I said the following: ----------------------
Well, between the last week of April and the 15th of this month of May, I have had my "faith" in Aplus.net tested very, very, VERY greatly. But I am quite glad to say that I did keep my faith in this company that has hosted my site for five consecutive years. And eventually, they proved themselves to be just as I described them: A very competent, customer friendly and customer focussed web hosting provider, who maintains high standards of operation/integrity - and demands the same from those they do business with. What happened? Well, let me give you the short version of a long, very dramatic series of events that lasted nearly three weeks. I had a premonition towards the end of April, that it would be smart to make alternative arrangements to get payment to Aplus.net for my site's renewal in May, so I started the process of opening a domicillary account with a bank here in Lagos. It took some running around to meet all the bank's requirements, but I eventually did. Unfortunately, some days to the renewal date, I got an email from the bank saying my accound had been blocked for some reason I did not care to even call them about. On the due date (2nd May), the credit card attached to my account with Aplus.net - belonging to a friend in the USA (and which had been used for 4 previous renewals since 2005), failed when it was charged for this year (the 5th). I got an auto-email from Aplus.net to that effect. So, what did I do? Well, I have always been a business to business barter exchange enthusiast, and have often offered clients the opportunity to save cash by paying for my services in kind. (For instance, one client is currently paying about 50% of my fees by printing one of my t-shirt designs on to t-shirts for kids). What I did was to offer a prospective client I was discussing with in the last week of April, a discount, and some other incentives, to use his domicillary account to transfer the required amount (approx $130 excl. charges which amounted to almost $50 at the end) to Aplus.net. And he agreed. In fact, two days later (after crediting the required dollar amount to the account), he did the transfer. I subsequently followed up with Aplus.net. But alas, all did not turn out well. After a series of enquiries (back and forth email messages and chat discussions), over a number of days, we finally discovered that a certain off-shore charge had not been provided for by my client in the total amount he sent, which led to the money that got to Aplus.net being lower than my renewal fees. By this time, my site had gone offline as a result of the non-renewal. But things have a way of working themselves out. In what was a wonderful coincidence, my new client pointed out that he would be leaving for the USA to attend a course, and could easily send over any balance if I let him know the outcome of my discussions with Aplus.net. THAT was exactly what happened. One final chat session with another Aplus.net agent and I verified the remaining amount to be sent over to complete my payment. I emailed my client the details in Atlanta, and he sent another wire transfer from his US bank to Aplus.net's bank in Kansas. 48 Hours later, my site was back online, and I sent him the following email: ---------------------------
Elvis,
Just a quick note to say thanks for your efforts to make this come to pass - as it has. Aplus.net have re-instated the site and updated my account. Hurry up and come back, so I can start showing what I am also made of, by keeping my own end of the bargain!......
Have a great time out there and don't forget to bring some "puff puff" O!
Cheers,tayo
And he replies me with this email:
Re: You did it - BIG Thanks, Man!
Tayo,
No wahala!
How u dey? I travelled to Virginia Beach...just came to Atlanta. Will be back by the weekend.
Cheers.Name deleted
Now, do the above sound like exchanges between two people doing business or between two friends? I'm sure you will choose the latter.
Consider also the fact that this chap has already made payments to me in Naira for some part of the work I am doing for him, even though the bulk of it will only begin when he returns.
That should convince you that what I said in a past issue of this newsletter about the principles described in the "Science of Getting Rich" e-book really works. |
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| SD Nugget : Does Your Website JUSTIFY The Money You Spend? Ideas To Help You Develop Yourself To Achieve Your FULL Potential |
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I have decided to focus more attention on helping business owners develop and implement low cost web marketing systems and strategies that will increase their marketing mileage, while lowering their expenses. But in doing this, I have noticed the following trend amongst many Nigerian business owners and decision makers. Please note that those I refer to here are people whose businesses lend themselves naturally to marketing via the web right here in Nigeria. 1. Denial: Many are rather defensive when approached about using a website or adopting web marketing adapted for the Nigerian environment. They often say they don't need either, or that "Nigerians' don't use the Internet" to the extent that makes it worth investing in marketing to them through that medium. I say, even if that were true (which it is NOT), you would be better off being one of the first to use web marketing to promote your products/services to Nigerians, since that would make you stand out, and get you noticed. Isn't marketing ultimately about "creating awareness" about what you offer, at least in the initial stages? It's a pity some Nigerians feel they must be able to physically "touch" what they invest in for business! 2. Lack of Understanding: Some do not understand, and refuse to be bothered. They can afford to be like this, because their competitors are either the same or like those in 1. above. But here's the danger: One day, one or more of those not bothered today, will suddenly "discover" the power of marketing intelligently to Nigerians via the web, right here in Nigeria, and begin to use it - gaining a competitive edge, and possibly driving the rest under. What I find most amusing is that many of these decision makers usually readily say they have websites, and that it is working for them. But you never see their web addresses displayed anywhere on their company premises, or even signs. In many cases, they even place adverts on radio/TV and even newspapers without including the URL of the website they spend money to keep online annually! Believe me, I do not exaggerate. I once found myself having to ask a client why he had left out his website address from a - far from being cheap - quarter page advert he had placed in a national daily!! In essence, I am saying "Your Website Needs To JUSTIFY The Money You Spend" on it. Basically there are two ways to confirm if it does. You will check to see if it either (a). Saves you money/time or (b). Helps you make more sales or - even better - if it does both. Now, to get your site to do the above, you need to adopt intelligent website marketing systems. Below I provide two examples of businesses that would benefit greatly from active use of intelligent website marketing systems: -------------------------------------- Example 1: Bookshops in Nigeria are perfect candidates not just for website ownership, but more importantly for intelligent web marketing. If you own or run one and do not use web marketing to complement your offline marketing, here in Nigeria, YOU ARE LOSING GREAT potential customers, and SPENDING MORE THAT you need to. Think about it for a minute: All those books, videos, tapes by great authors, with wonderful messages on various powerful subjects of interest. If you were to do a publication that reviewed different book titles periodically to a list of opt-in subscribers, you would over time build interest in some of them, to call in and place orders. Call me and I will tell you how you can go about it Example 2: Estate/Properties Management - Any decision maker in a company engaged in sale and management of properties, especially where so many companies compete, NEEDS to look for NEW, and unique ways to separate hers from the crowd. Think about it. These days, most of these companies use similar looking flyers, banners, bill boards, cars, and even (for those who bother) websites! Yet EACH one wants busy potential customers (with little time to "explore" every "good" offer in making up their minds) to see it as offering better value than the others. The truth is most customers simply go with their instincts - or a friend's suggestion. However, if they had the opportunity to get MORE detail about what each company is about, what it offers etc, over a period of time, they could end up choosing a different company! Such details could be obtained via subscription for instance, to a website newsletter; and/or a PDF report on "Choosing the Right Home or Property"; and/or an electronic course on "How To Value Property" etc. Any company that offers the above, and actively uses intelligent web marketing to promote them to win new customers, greatly increases its chances of getting found by new customers who will ultimately take action to do business with it. Summary Your business can spend LESS than it currently does on marketing, if you adopt intelligent web marketing systems of they type I advocate. There is a WAY to make this happen. It's not just about writing something and sending it out. And it's not about getting a super graphic web designer to put all the flash designs and animations in the world on your website! You NEED the know-how to do it right, and make it work. Like I tell a lot of people, Google, in my opinion is the ugliest (or "blandest") site on the net. Yet, it makes billions of dollars through people who keep going back to it - and it's not because they get to see fancy graphics on the site! Get it? SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Built-In Excel Solutions Development Self-Development Academy's Excel Heaven™ is the FIRST provider of Preprogrammed and Custom Spreadsheet based solutions in Nigeria. We offer Workbook Auditing/Optimisation and VBA Automation; Custom Spreadsheet Software Development & Sales; Job-Based Spreadsheet Coaching; and Consulting/Advisory Services on effective application of spreadsheets for business use.Call 234-803-302-1263 to request further details. Visit our Excel Heaven™ mini-site at : http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com to learn more. ON-DEMAND LEARNING EVENT: In-House Excel-VB Programming Coaching For Your Employees Minimise Expensive Software Purchase By Developing In-House Excel-VB Programming Expertise Among Your Staff. Your company can eliminate vital decision making delays due to IT personnel being overloaded for instance, by empowering “champion” employees within individual departments to quickly and easily develop solutions to that address the immediate business data analysis/reporting needs of their respective units. Other benefits of having In-House Excel-VB Solutions Development expertise: (a). It will provide temporary alternative to - or relieve pressure on - the IT department. (b). Provides users a useful/friendly development environment for new reports and analyses - which in turn enhances software needs definition - reducing software development or purchase costs. (c). Empowers employees to analyse company data to improve performance. It is my belief that just as I was able to develop over four(4) automated spreadsheet applications to solve real-life problems – in my spare time - as a non-IT staff in Guinness Nigeria Plc (read details on the about page at www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com), your staff, if equipped with similar skills, can do the same for your company – and possibly help you AVOID expending scarce cash (1). buying expensive commercial software or (2). hiring "pricey" software developers. Click here to learn how I have built custom Excel-VB driven software for client companies for as much as N200,000.00(Proof Available). While there you can request/download my FREE MS Excel Coaching Skills Matrix workbook and a one-page Excel VB Programming Coaching Course Outline. Call 234-803-302-1263 to request further details.
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| Online Recommended Resource Links Resource URLs For Entrepreneurs, Employees, Parents, Teachers & Students |
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| Yours in Self-Development! Tayo K. Solagbade |
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