How You Can Use Kindle to Generate Free Business Leads

Imagine Amazon sending you business leads regularly and even paying you to do so. Why would they do it?
“Amazon is desperate for reading material and you can publish your content for free as Kindle books,” says V. Michael Santoro, a managing partner with John S. Rizzo of Globe On-Demand, an internet technology company. The two are also the co-authors of, “Niche Dominance: Creating Order out of your Digital Marketing Chaos,” (www.NicheDominance.com).
“The twist is to use them as a generation system for sales leads.”
The audience is huge – Kindle is no longer just for people who purchase Kindle tablets. Amazon has also written Kindle Reader applications for every major smartphone, tablet, and computer including the Android phone or tablet, iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows 8 PC or tablet, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7, Santoro says.
“Most businesses hesitate to use Kindle to generate sales leads because they think they need to write an actual book,” says Rizzo, “But that’s not true. You can write and publish short reports — as long as the content is original, of high quality and does not violate its Terms of Service (TOS), Amazon will publish your material.”
The key is to include a compelling free offer with a strong call to action and a link to a lead capture page – the page on your website where people can sign up for more information, special offers, your newsletter, etc.
And Amazon will even help market your book – for free!
When a new Kindle book is approved and published, Amazon will:
• Feature it in their new releases section.
• Email their customer base announcing it to those who have previously purchased a Kindle book in that genre.
• Offer the Kindle KDP Select Program for ongoing free promotion.
• Allow customers to highlight, make notes, and share your book’s content via Twitter and other social networks.
“By enrolling in the free Kindle KDP Select Program, you give Amazon exclusivity on a renewable 90-day basis,” Santoro says. “This program allows their readers to borrow your book from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, and when they do, Amazon pays you a royalty, as well as for book sales. However, the real benefit is that Amazon provides five days per quarter to give your book away for free.”
Why give your Kindle book away for free?
“Because, as a lead generation system, you want as many individuals as possible to download your Kindle book and visit your lead capture page, Santoro explains. Additionally, Amazon views each book download as a vote and rewards your book with higher page ranking. The more downloads, the better the chance of an Amazon Page 1 placement.
To create your Kindle report:
• Use Amazon to determine what current Kindle books or paperbacks are published about your topic.
• Decide what information will be helpful to your potential customers. Make sure it is original and offers value. Avoid information that is easily found on the Internet.
• Create your report in Microsoft Word and include images if appropriate.
• Include your call to action – a message that prompts readers to visit your website — and link to your website’s lead capture page.
• Create a cover graphic.
Publishing on Kindle is fairly simple:
• Go to http://kdp.amazon.com and sign up for a free Kindle account.
• Watch the “How To” Kindle publishing video.
• Fill out the Amazon Author Page to track your statistics.
• Reference the book on your website and link to your Amazon book page.
• Announce it on your Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter accounts.
“The goal is not to sell books, but rather to generate leads from Amazon’s huge customer base,” Rizzo says. An additional benefit is that you will differentiate yourself from the competition by being a published author. If your content is excellent and helpful, you will also build trust which will help to increase sales from these new leads.
About John S. Rizzo & V. Michael Santoro
John S. Rizzo obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration and spent three years as a consultant for Amazon’s publishing group. He has assisted several businesses with digital marketing strategy and has served in leadership positions for multiple initiatives for the Charleston, S.C., Chamber of Commerce.
V. Michael Santoro has more than 10 years in the digital marketing field. His prior experience includes international senior marketing positions in technology fields. He has a master’s degree and was an adjunct professor with the computer science department of Western Connecticut State University.

 

 

How to Increase your Business’s Awareness

If you have a business and you are finding it hard to drum up customers or you have a low footfall in the area that your business is based in, then using print to increase awareness of your business is a cost effective and easy way to get more people noticing who you are and what you have to offer. Today we are going to go through the main ways that businesses can use print to increase awareness.

1.)   Business Cards

Business cards are a great way to instill your company’s name and offering every time you interact with someone who can benefit from your company’s services, or knows someone who can. Customers can be bumped into randomly, they can be sought out at events and workshops, or they can be recommended by people that you are already mixing with. One thing all of these customers will ask you for is an easy way to remember you, your company and your information and there is no better way of doing this then through the use of a well designed business card which has all of the essential information on it in a nice, wallet friendly size and style.

2.)   Posters

Posters are a good way to increase the awareness of your company as they tend to get noticed by large numbers of people. This is especially true if your business and its location is not often noticed, but nearby is an area that gets plenty of exposure. Posters in areas, waiting rooms, on billboards and other advertising stands are an excellent way to blast out your company name and image to as many people as possible.

3.)   Leaflets

Leaflets are a really good way to give more information about your company, and really good if you want to inform people about pricing information, opening times and key benefits. The great thing about leaflets is that they can be distributed almost anywhere, meaning you can scatter them around at exhibitions and shows, leave them in other company locations for people to pick up, hand them out on the street, post them through doors or simply have them available for when people request further information. They are also a cost effective way of giving people more information without spending too much money on a lengthy tome about the origins of your company and the story behind the founders!

4.)   Postcards

Postcards are really good, cost effective method for increasing awareness of a company, and in particular for alerting people to deals and discounts that are seasonal or short term. Postcards are relatively cheap to produce and really easy to distribute, and can be used to alert people, make them aware, or stay in touch to manage relationships with existing customers. The great thing about post cards is that they are good for a single, simple message which means that your potential customers have very little to remember, making them a great option for awareness raising.

Ben is a marketing expert who works for a speclisit A4 poster printing company.

 

 

The Ultimate Stocking Stuffer

Never be without a “tripod” again.  The HandlePod camera stabilization system  holds your camera or video still so you get great shots without a tripod. BUY IT HERE

If you can’t take a full size or travel tripod out with you when you go for a walk / holiday / shoot / dinner, etc, you could always find a spot for The HandlePod in your bag / big pocket / hand.

HandlePod is $29.95 (With free shipping if you’re in the US of A) and is so SO versatile! You can put your compact or smaller dSLR on it and use the HandlePod to hold your camera still on a wall / pole / table for a lower light shot (Say in a massive, typically dark cathedral with an awesome ceiling that you want to photograph) You can use the included elastic / bungee cord to strap it to pretty much anything (Including a 3 year old when he holds still enough… no three year old was harmed in the testing of this product, honest!) You can use the HandlePod as a handle for your Sony Action Cam or GoPro to hand hold and film stuff… You can get a good idea of what people are doing with HandlePod via this link. 

Just $29 with free domestic shipping at handlepod.com

Take 90 seconds to check out this flick and see if you don’t agree!

 http://youtu.be/-N2IyHCkyuU

 

How to Move Offices without your Business Suffering

Moving offices is more difficult than moving houses. If you have gone through the latter you know what it is like. Being experienced in any sort of moving is a big plus because you know how to approach to it. What is more, you are always prepared for the unexpected since you know that anything can go wrong at any moment. Moving houses, however, means relocating with your family. And moving your business means relocating all your employees along with the equipment and furniture. It is stressful because you are responsible for a lot more people and their families than just the other two or three members of your own family. For that reason, this is a moving that must be well-planned. All contacts with clients must be preserved and the work must keep going. Adding to it that the relocation should finish as soon as possible makes it clear that you need the help of professionals. If the DIY method is applicable for moving houses when moving your business you must hire a removals company if you do not wish your business to suffer.

First thing you should know is that logging off all servers and stopping the work for a little bit while is completely out of the question. No productivity means losing money. It is quite enough that productivity will be low and that it will cost you money to move your business along with the money spent on potential damages. That is why you cannot afford to stop your work even for a day. But don’t you worry. This can be avoided if you plan the moving several months before putting it into practice.

Being ahead of everything is essential. For that to happen you need to be updated with the latest information about removals companies and the process of moving. That you can do. What is important to remember is to update everyone else about your moving. Inform everybody: employees, clients, all your associates. You can assemble a meeting for the staff to tell them the news. As for your clients your personnel can help you upload the news on your site along with the new office address and all the necessary contacts.

It is not a bad idea to use a temporary server in order to keep the work going. Of course it will be even better if you could start the new server at your new office. But if that is not possible for the moment a temporary one should do it. In that train of thoughts, you could also ask your employees if they would mind working from home because if they do not that would really help maintaining your productivity. If that indeed happens many of them may need some of the office equipment and you will have to provide it to them. That is why you should consider storaging it. Like that, you can use whatever you need at any time during the moving.

Finally, thanks to the removals company you hired everything is safely transported to your new office. It is time you settled down and gave a staff orientation for your employees to get acquainted with the new office. What is next is a final update on your website about your new whereabouts. Make sure that all the information is up to date: address, e-mails, and phone numbers. Once you do that you are ready again to take up your casual activities and to continue working with your staff at your new office.

The article has been written on behalf of http://www.removalcompany.co.uk/page-storage.html

 

Meeting Zig Ziglar

By: Michael Levin

The next-to-last time I saw Zig Ziglar, I was one of 17,000 in attendance at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where he was speaking as part of a program of superstars, including Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Joe Montana.  He was onstage accompanied by his daughter, Julie Ziglar Norman, because Zig had suffered a fall a couple of years before that and nobody wanted him to fall again, especially onstage, and especially in front of 17,000 people.

On April 15, 2011, I saw Zig again, this time for lunch, with his daughter Julie and his son Tom.  From 17,000 down to four.  If you love Zig Ziglar as I do, you can readily understand it was one of the greatest thrills of my life.

Zig Ziglar is one of the greatest motivators, authors, sales trainers, and inspiring figures the world has known.  Millions have read his books and listened to his recordings, and they became, as a result, better salespeople, better spouses, better parents, better people.  His mellifluous baritone echoes through the mind of anyone who has listened to him speak.  His values harken back to a better world, where integrity was the watchword, where faith mattered, and where sales was a profession in search of a champion.

Zig was their champion.  He grew up one of twelve children during the Depression, on a farm in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and his father passed away when he was five years old.  By age six, Zig was earning his own money, and selling, mowing lawns.  He used that money to buy his first suit, which he wore to church.  By the time I met Zig face to face, he had been selling—lawn mowing services, pots and pans, sales training, personal development, and the ideas of his Holy Bible, for 79 years.  “You must be married,” Zig said, as we were introduced.  “I can tell by how nicely you’re dressed.  Only a married man could dress that nicely.”

At lunch, Zig leaned over to me and said, quite seriously, “Never say anything negative about yourself.”  It sounds so obvious, but we all do it all the time.  If we don’t see ourselves as wondrously made, as Zig likes to quote from the Bible, who will?

I asked Zig what caused him to make the transition from sales training to motivational speaking.  His son Tom explained that Zig studied the success of his students, and he realized that only 20 percent of it was due to technique.  The other 80 percent was due to reputation and character.  So that’s when Zig began to focus on those issues and not just talk about selling.

But don’t estimate old Zig on sales.  He’s forgotten more about sales than most of us will ever know.  One of his most enduring stories involves his son Tom, who at the time was contemplating a career as a professional golfer.  Zig and Tom were playing a competitive round of golf and Tom needed a long putt to drop in order to win the hole.  He made the putt, and then he asked his father, “Dad, were you rooting for me?”

As only Zig can say, in that honeyed Southern drawl, “Son, I’m always rooting for you.”

As massive as Zig’s audience was, the publishing industry didn’t think him worth a shot when he wrote the book I found many years later in that furniture store, See You At The Top.  By then, Zig had been providing sales training to the Mary Kay Company.  Mary Kay Ash was such a devotee of his, Tom told me at lunch, that she told Zig that if he were to self-publish the book, she would buy the first 10,000 copies.  Those initial 10,000 sales mushroomed into millions upon millions of books, since Zig has now authored 26 books in all.

I had the extraordinary privilege of editing Zig’s last book Born To Win.  I’ve edited or coached hundreds of writers, and it was an uncanny, almost out-of-body experience instead of quoting Zig to people, talking directly to Zig, and making suggestions—how dare I?—to improve his manuscript.

It means the world to me that I was able to meet him face to face at lunch with just him, his two grown children who work with him, and me, and tell him that he made me a better salesperson, a better husband, a better father, a better believer, and a better man.

As I headed out to drive to the airport, Zig took me by the hand and cautioned me to drive carefully.

“After all, most people are caused by accidents,” he warned, with mock solemnity.

New York Times best selling author and Shark Tank survivor Michael Levin runs www.BusinessGhost.com, and is a nationally acknowledged thought leader on the future of book publishing.

 

 

Five Ideas to Improve Your Business’s Stock Management

If you run a business, large or small, stock control is a logistical problem that you are likely to encounter. You need to find the most effective way for your company to manage its stock, but you might be unsure how to go about doing this. Here are five easy to follow tips that if implemented will hopefully improve your business’s inventory management.

Discount Old Stock

If you find yourself with old stock left in your warehouse or stockroom, you may be struggling to come up with ways of getting rid of it. The stock is still obviously an asset for your company, you paid good money for it so you can’t just throw it away, yet it’s taking up valuable space in your stockroom. The best idea is the simplest, discount the item in question in the hope that you can shift the units quicker. Although your profit margins on the stock will be slightly smaller, you will have freed up that space in your warehouse for new stock which might sell better.

Invest in Inventory Systems

Organisation is the key to any successful business, so in this case you might want to think about investing in some inventory control software to help your company run more smoothly. The best thing about inventory control software is that it does most of the difficult work for you. Good software will allow you to merely scan through barcodes to register your stock. It will also begin to tell you when you need to re-order certain items, as well as provide you with feedback as to how quickly different items you stock are moving.

Designate an Inventory Receiver

This is especially relevant if you run a small business. As easy as it may seem to just allow the person who is nearest to the door to sign for a new delivery, this leaves everyone confused as to what stock has been delivered and when. Designate the job of inventory receiver to one of your staff, one of their tasks will now be to always sign for and make a record of any deliveries that come in. This way, if anyone has a question about stock, they’ll know exactly who to go to and better yet, your inventory receiver will always be able to answer their questions.

Manage your Levels of Stock

You need to find a good balance between having enough stock to supply your customers comfortably, whilst not having so much that you’ll find it difficult to shift. Only keeping the bare minimum in your stockroom might be cheaper and require less space, but you become very dependent on the reliability of your suppliers. Don’t take any chances; find a happy medium so you’re sure you can serve your customers well.

Locator System

If you haven’t already, you need to devise an easy way for your staff to locate certain stock within your warehouse or stockroom. Keeping particular items of stock in a fixed location will allow your staff to find what they’re looking for quickly and efficiently. Keeping your stock organised in a logical manner also means that any new employees shouldn’t have too much trouble discovering how your warehouse works. What this also allows you to do is begin to map out your warehouse, creating brilliantly efficient stock system for your staff.

Posterita are a global point of sales software system that provides many innovative features such as inventory control.

 

Understand The Process Involved in Moving a Business

Moving a company from one place to another, or choosing a prime location for your business start-up, can be full of surprises. There is so much to consider; from the setting of the office premises to ensuring that all surveys have been carried out. It can be an especially stressful time because there is so much to do.

This is where choosing a reputable company with experience in office properties and the moving process comes in. Many businesses would rather leave the management of moving their office premises to the experts, so they can get on with their day job.

Searching for the right office in the perfect location can help a business to improve its overall productivity. In addition, it gives off the right impression to clients and helps to retain the members of staff who like to work in a pleasant environment. Customers or visitors need to have the right perception about a business in order to feel comfortable working with them. No business wants to be stuck in the wrong sort of office space that gives off negative connotations to their potential clients.

London is overflowing with business space and deciding on the right spot to open a business can be timely and overwhelming. The capital offers a variety of locations for you to choose from. By enlisting the help of experts in this field, you can ease the pressure on yourself when looking at a new office space. Looking for an office that fits your particular business needs is one of the first things to consider.

On the Move – What to Consider 

Looking for an office space involves several stages. Here are some of the aspects you must take into consideration. Firstly, consider your location. The size of your business and the budget for new premises will have a direct impact on where you want or can afford to set up. Whatever your budget, you must ensure that the location suits your business needs.

The location of an office is crucial. The surrounding area needs to feel right, as well as the building itself. This is especially true if clients often visit your office. Having them drive through an unpleasant or dark and dingy area before turning up at your office, could give them the wrong impression. Similarly, employees are more productive if they are happy and inspired in their office surroundings, so location is key.

What Type and Size of Office?

Perhaps you represent a new business venture and need somewhere moderate and affordable as your first office space? Maybe your business is growing and you want to take on more staff and so need to expand? Planning the exact space you want and the size of that space is important because you do not want to be left with vast empty space that is not being utilised, or discover that you do not have enough space if your business suddenly expands in the future. The latter option could provide an additional rent. When considering how much space is needed, it is advisable to consider any future expansion plans because it is likely that you will remain in your new premises for several years.

Understanding Different Types of Tenure

There are a variety of options available in terms of moving into new office premises. Buying a business space is a long-term investment, leasing an office can last several years and other premises may include a rental agreement on a more temporary basis. How long a business will remain in the same office space will obviously depend on the choice of lease or rental agreement. Making the right decision for your company at the outset should keep you free from problems in the future. All manner of buildings can be bought or leased; from large open plan offices to small workshops.

Going Green in the Workplace

Green issues and sustainability are fast becoming increasingly important considerations for any business on the move. People recognise the importance of energy efficiency and working in a sustainable environment can inspire the workforce and be cost-efficient. Making sure your new business space is focused on green issues will save you money from the outset. Factors to consider include the energy efficiency of the building, how much natural light there is, the sustainability of the air conditioning and whether the building is affected by external noise.

Searching for Office Space Noho has much to offer in terms of great ready-to-go business premises that will help you run a successful company with happy clients and motivated employees.

 

Failed CEO Carly Fiorina, with $40m retirement package, says union pensions too high

by Chris in Paris

Carly Fiorina Wants Stuff

The other day it was the CEO of a bailed out bank demanding cuts to Social Security.

But nobody whines about the fake “fiscal cliff” better than failed GOP candidate and “19th Worst CEO of All Time” CEO Carly Fiorina.

Carly Fiorina in São Paulo, Brazil. Photo: Antônio Milena/ABr.

You might remember Fiorina from the days when she worked at HP, and was sent packing in 2005 with a whopping $40 million severance benefits package. Was that “fair,” Carly?

Fiorina is widely considered one of the worst CEOs in recent years, though that didn’t stop her from receiving millions in cash, stock, benefits and pension when she was fired. It rarely does.

Carly Fiorina Says You Can’t Want Stuff Too

But no, in her entitled little world, the problem is not the fat cats like her, but the unions.

“It is not fair that public employee union pensions and benefits are so rich now that cities and states are going bankrupt, and college tuition is going up 20 and 30%… There is a lot that isn’t fair right now.”

Failed investments and drastic tax cuts by governments have nothing to do with the problem. Imagine that. As Think Progress noted, Fiorina whined on TV that she “only” received a $21 million severance, though she somehow overlooked the rest of the redundancy plan. But to be fair to Fiorina, what Republican candidate hasn’t overlooked another $20 million plus?

She starts at about 2 minutes into the video below.  More from me after the video.Other than being an expert on living off of a platinum parachute and failing as a political candidate, it’s not clear what special expertise Fiorina has to offer for NBC News or any other media outlet. She’s certainly not even considered to be a corporate jobs creator, the way Jack Welch is (wrongly) considered by the media. She has a pretty good agent though if she can get TV spots despite her awful record.

 

So tell me who is really part of the moocher class that corporate CEOs and 1%-ers keep talking about? Are they the people asking for basic healthcare or the people who have enough money to build moats and personal golf courses around their mansions? Another tip off sign of a moocher is that no matter how much they have, it’s not enough and they want more of your money.

Damn if these Republicans don’t always want stuff.

The other sign of who belongs to the moocher class is to listen to who actually believes in the so-called fiscal cliff. Anyone who believes it’s for real is probably a moocher, but a moocher who grabs a lot more money than anyone who actually needs Social Security or Medicare.

As we get closer to the end of the year, expect the moocher class to be in your face a lot more, explaining how the situation is dire and the world will end if we don’t address the “fiscal cliff” but cutting everything we hold dear while leaving the GOP tax and war machine firmly in place to kill the budget yet again another day.

Ignore them and remember, it’s not a fiscal cliff, it’s an austerity bomb.

 

 

Congressional Reform Act of 2012

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:”I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congressare ineligible for re-election.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds)
took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple!
The people demanded it. That was in 1971 – before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year
or less to become the law of the land – all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to
a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask
each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will
have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed
around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they’re out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and
participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women.

Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.

 

The Ultimate Stocking-Stuffer for the Camera Buff

Never be without a “tripod” again.  The HandlePod camera stabilization system  holds your camera or video still so you get great shots without a tripod.

Every now and then, something comes along that is just a no brainer; something so sick you have to jump on it so you can show everybody how cool it is and that you got one 1^st.

Just $29 with free domestic shipping at handlepod.com

When I first checked out HandlePod I immediately knew I had to have one.  In the first 24 hours I had the thing I was hooked.  I’ve been shooting videos and photos all my life and I’ve never seen anything that makes it so easy.  Mind you, I’m not suggesting that you can hang a D90 with a 500 MM telephoto and a battery pack off of the thing, but for lightweight SLR’s and the digital cameras most people use now days, it is perfect.

Whether it’s a simple vid from your iPhone or ‘Droid, the dreaded group shot (where someone gets bumped out to take the picture), or a low light picture of the golden gate bridge at night this thing will get it done. There are literally thousands of ways to use this little guy.

I mean who carries around a tripod, right?  Nobody.  Too bulky, funky to use, and it’s something you ever think of bringing with you when you’re out on the town anyway.

Stick a HandlePod in your glove box, purse, or bike bag, and you are covered.  When the gang breaks out in song and you just gotta have it on tape to embarrass them later, grab your H’Pod and shoot away! They will never know what hit ‘em till they see the movie on YouTube.

Take 90 seconds to check out this flick and see if you don’t agree! 

http://youtu.be/-N2IyHCkyuU