Today, you must step up your tactics to keep your customers buying and away from the competition next door on the cyberspace highway.

Study your competitor's marketing and advertising. Sign up to their email list. Can you offer more than they can? Does your competitor have a weakness that you can exploit? Use it as your main selling point.

Previous customers are 5 to 10 times more responsive to your marketing than people who have never done business with you. It's definitely worthwhile to put in some extra time to keep customers happy.

Here's a few ideas that can help.

1. Become a "solution-provider" instead of a merchant. Send out a short, personalized email to customers who haven't bought anything for awhile and ask how they're enjoying the last product they bought. Offer to answer any questions or help out if they're having a problem. The more you become a friend rather than just another business, the more likely they'll buy from you again.

2. Cross-sell. Make sure customers know about your other products. Give a discount for your best customers to purchase your other items.

3. Send an email to customers only and tell them about your "Customer Appreciation Sale." Create a coupon or special order code that gives a product discount, gift or rebate.

4. Use offline marketing methods to supplement your online sales tactics. Create simple postcards on your computer. Postcards are cheaper to mail than first class letters. (For more info on how to use postcards for marketing, get my article on the subject. Send a blank email to offline_postcards@sendfree.com)

5. Include a product list flyer when you mail any products to customers.

6. Occasionally send out a short, non-sales email. Maybe you came across an excellent website, free resource or tool that you wanted them to know about.

7. Offer an course by email and subtly highlight some of your products as solutions to your customers' problems.

8. Create a customer only membership site or bulletin board to post questions and answers.

9. Send a follow up messag
   Recruit Employees Effectively: How Do You Recruit Good Employees For Your Team?
   Carla has run her start-up company single-handed for three years and she is doing well. In coaching her, we have started to work on her time management only to realise that she has worked every weekend for two years, has not taken a holiday for 18 months, and now finds it hard to dedicate time in the evening to her family or friends. She felt the best option was to recruit her first employee<
   t. Can you offer more than they can? Does your competitor have a weakness that you can exploit? Use it as your main selling point.

   Previous customers are 5 to 10 times more responsive to your marketing than people who have never done business with you. It's definitely worthwhile to put in some extra time to keep customers happy.

   Here's a few ideas that can help.

   1. Become a "solution-provider" instead of a merchant. Send out a short, personalized email to customers who haven't bought anything for awhile and ask how they're enjoying the last product they bought. Offer to answer any questions or help out if they're having a problem. The more you become a friend rather than just another business, the more likely they'll buy from you again.

   2. Cross-sell. Make sure customers know about your other products. Give a discount for your best customers to purchase your other items.

   3. Send an email to customers only and tell them about your "Customer Appreciation Sale." Create a coupon or special order code that gives a product discount, gift or rebate.

   4. Use offline marketing methods to supplement your online sales tactics. Create simple postcards on your computer. Postcards are cheaper to mail than first class letters. (For more info on how to use postcards for marketing, get my article on the subject. Send a blank email to offline_postcards@sendfree.com)

   5. Include a product list flyer when you mail any products to customers.

   6. Occasionally send out a short, non-sales email. Maybe you came across an excellent website, free resource or tool that you wanted them to know about.

   7. Offer an course by email and subtly highlight some of your products as solutions to your customers' problems.

   8. Create a customer only membership site or bulletin board to post questions and answers.

   9. Send a follow up messa
      Publicity For Your Sales Success
      You can get literally thousands and thousands of dollars in real and perceived income for your sales career by adding a publicity element into your overall marketing program. If you want your sales career to prosper and profit, then take the time to master publicity. With publicity, you can easily position yourself as the expert in your market, win public and industry recognition and respect, and tur
      ed email to customers who haven't bought anything for awhile and ask how they're enjoying the last product they bought. Offer to answer any questions or help out if they're having a problem. The more you become a friend rather than just another business, the more likely they'll buy from you again.

   10. Cross-sell. Make sure customers know about your other products. Give a discount for your best customers to purchase your other items.

   11. Send an email to customers only and tell them about your "Customer Appreciation Sale." Create a coupon or special order code that gives a product discount, gift or rebate.

   12. Use offline marketing methods to supplement your online sales tactics. Create simple postcards on your computer. Postcards are cheaper to mail than first class letters. (For more info on how to use postcards for marketing, get my article on the subject. Send a blank email to offline_postcards@sendfree.com)

   13. Include a product list flyer when you mail any products to customers.

   14. Occasionally send out a short, non-sales email. Maybe you came across an excellent website, free resource or tool that you wanted them to know about.

   15. Offer an course by email and subtly highlight some of your products as solutions to your customers' problems.

   16. Create a customer only membership site or bulletin board to post questions and answers.

   17. Send a follow up messa
       Packaging
       Packaging is very important for the sale, storage and shipping of supplies. The importance of packaging increased significantly after the Industrial Revolution but its usefulness is not new. Even in the times of yore, clay, glass and leather containers were used for these purposes. In modern times packaging has become a complete science which studies all aspects of the product to be packaged; for exam
       s only and tell them about your "Customer Appreciation Sale." Create a coupon or special order code that gives a product discount, gift or rebate.

   18. Use offline marketing methods to supplement your online sales tactics. Create simple postcards on your computer. Postcards are cheaper to mail than first class letters. (For more info on how to use postcards for marketing, get my article on the subject. Send a blank email to offline_postcards@sendfree.com)

   19. Include a product list flyer when you mail any products to customers.

   20. Occasionally send out a short, non-sales email. Maybe you came across an excellent website, free resource or tool that you wanted them to know about.

   21. Offer an course by email and subtly highlight some of your products as solutions to your customers' problems.

   22. Create a customer only membership site or bulletin board to post questions and answers.

   23. Send a follow up messa
       Use Your Hobbies to Gain Business
       At this point you are probably wondering where your own life fits into the picture. You have looked at joining organizations to meet others, found places to network, and even attended special events. There does not seem to be a limit on what you need to do to gain meaningful business relationships. Even hobbies and interests can be used to develop business relationships if you are willing to go that f
       lude a product list flyer when you mail any products to customers.

   24. Occasionally send out a short, non-sales email. Maybe you came across an excellent website, free resource or tool that you wanted them to know about.

   25. Offer an course by email and subtly highlight some of your products as solutions to your customers' problems.

   26. Create a customer only membership site or bulletin board to post questions and answers.

   27. Send a follow up message after a purchase to reassure your customer they've made the right decision and to overcome any "buyers remorse."

   28. Create an affiliate program. Offer customers a higher percentage of the profits than non-customers who sign up. (For more info on starting an affiliate program, visit ttp://www.affiliateshop.com.)

   29. Ask one of your customers for a product testimonial and send it to customers who haven't bought that particular product.

   30. Create a special report or e-book available for free but only to customers.

   31. Develop a customer survey and offer a prize or discount to those who complete it.

   32. Offer reprint rights to a product you sell, perhaps an e-book or special report. ( For info on reprint rights, visit http://shrinkmylink.com/hdj)