Providing quality products and services will set you apart from the competition and greatly increases the chances of receiving positive word of mouth advertising.  If you do a great job on a project for someone, they will definitely let others know about it.  Plus, they’ll want to hire you again for any upcoming projects they have.  Performing quality work is definitely the first step in generating a solid customer base.

Along with providing great work, you’ll also want to provide great customer service.  Your clients can easily hire someone else to do the work they hired you for.  Taking the time to respond daily to emails, quote requests and phone calls is very important.  When your business is too big for you to do this by yourself, outsource this function to a virtual assistant. 

Past and current clients are not the only ones who will refer you to new clients.  Networking with other, non-competing business owners who can pass your name out to their own clients will help too.  A virtual assistant, graphic designer, and ghostwriter can all share the same clients. 

If you haven’t taken the time out to brand your business, you may want to consider taking the time to do that now.  When you brand your business, people will automatically associate you with that brand.  When they meet someone in need of your products or services, they will easily remember your business and therefore, be more likely to refer you. 

Some examples of branding strategies include Nike, Apple, and even Rachael Ray.  You know that when you want athletic shoes, Nike has them.  Apple is known for having the best, most cutting edge Mp3 players.  And if you want a speedy 30 minute meal, you don’t have to look any farther than one of Rachael Ray’s television shows, books, magazines or DVDs.

Word-of-mouth advertising can be very effective.  If used correctly, you’ll be reaching many new customers, and you won’t have to pay a dime for it.

Amy Milillo

Marketing 4 WAHMS Co-Owner
http://www.Marketing4WAHMs.com

Mineral Girlz Regional Manager
http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com

Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co. Ind. Rep
http://www.LivePlayPamper.com

Sweet Cloud Nine, LLC
http://www.SweetCloudNine.com

Perfectly Paisley – become an affiliate
http://www.PerfectlyPaisley.com

__._,_.___

2 almond biscotti
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup frozen fruit of your choosing, thawed
4 teaspoons orange blossom honey
4 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Instructions:

Using your blender puree the fruit with the yogurt. Be sure your puree mixture is completely mixed together. Puree will thicken. Break biscotti into small pieces into bowls. Place the fruit mixture on top of the biscotti. Add honey and almonds.

Enjoy!

Amy M. Milillo
Mineral Girlz Regional Manager ~ http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com
Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co. ~ http://www.myBungalow19.com
Support WAHM Swaps ~ http://www.SupportWAHMswaps.com

Using promotional products in your marketing methods is a very smart move. People love to receive free items and will generally hold onto your item for a long time. Every time they see your item, they are getting a reminder about your business. The following are a list of places to give away your product, and the reason behind it.

• Your website: To generate some buzz, opt to hold a monthly giveaway on your website for one of your promotional products. To be effective, think about your target market and what they may like. If you have a website with information on cooking, you can give away an apron, a measuring cup, or a recipe holder.
• Other people’s websites: In addition to holding a monthly giveaway on your own site, find other non-competing websites and offer one of your products as a giveaway for their site. To be effective, the site should have a similar target market. It doesn’t make much sense to contact a bass fishing website and offer them an apron as a giveaway.
• Upgrade orders: Use promotional items to entice your customers to upgrade their orders. Going back to the cooking website example, you could offer a free apron to anyone who purchases two recipe ebooks. Send the ebooks as digital delivery, and simply send the apron through snail mail.
• Best customer: Another twist on this idea is to surprise your best customers with the promotional item. Go back through your records from the past year and send anyone who spent over $100 a little gift. This will show your appreciation and your customer will be so flattered they will continue to buy from you again and again.
• Best affiliate: If you have an affiliate program, sending your top affiliates a promotional item as a “thank you” is a great gesture. Your affiliates will be touched, and will work even harder to promote your products and services.
• Non-competing businesses: Non competing businesses can be a great source of referrals and word of mouth advertising. A non-competing business is a business with a similar target market as you have, but is one that doesn’t sell the same products as you do. For example, a virtual assistant and a graphic designer are non-competing businesses, as are hair stylists and make-up artists.
• Trade shows: Keep an eye out for any trade shows that may be coming to your local area. For example, a graphic designer or web designer may want to attend a computer show. You don’t have to rent a table; simply get a batch of personalized pens and hand them out instead of your business card when you meet a new person.
• Local businesses: Another idea is to make a list of local businesses you would like to work with and hand deliver them a promotional item, along with your resume, cover letter, and prospectus.
• Local media: Don’t be afraid to send some promotional items to your local media, such as your local radio and television stations. Go the extra mile and add some cookies or donuts. They may say an on-air thank you, and you will get some local exposure.
• Vacation spots: If you are heading out of town, grab some promotional materials and leave them in your hotel room, rest areas, and any other place you can think of. When you return home, you may have requests from every town you visited.

~Amy

Amy M. Milillo
Mineral Girlz Regional Manager ~ http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com
Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co. ~ http://www.myBungalow19.com
Support WAHM Swaps ~ http://www.SupportWAHMswaps.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup fat-free milk
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons light dairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or halved strawberries

Instructions:

To prepare custard, combine cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons of sugar in a small pan.  Once mixed well, add egg and milk.  Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring frequently.  Take care not to over cook.  Once custard begins to bubble, pour into a bowl immediately and allow to cool approximately 5 to 7 minutes.  Slowly whisk sour cream into the custard and add vanilla once mixed well.  Cover and chill up to 1 day.  When ready to serve, if custard is too thick add a bit of milk, and spoon atop berry mixture servings.  Set berry mixture aside.

Now it’s time to create the topping. In a skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of sugar on medium-high heat setting just until sugar begins to melt.  Shake skillet (do not stir sugar) to heat evenly.  Reduce to low heat and cook until sugar is melted and golden.  Stir if needed with a wooden spoon.  Once sugar is cooked pour over berry custard mixture and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

MySpace has become one of, if not the, biggest social networking sites online today. It seems everyone has a MySpace page. It’s easy to set up and it’s free. In order to add yourself to the popular ranks and create a MySpace page all your own, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to www.MySpace.com and click the Sign Up button.

2. Enter the required information to sign up.

3. Upload a picture, if you wish, for your MySpace profile.

4. Send invites to friends if you want in the next step or choose the skip for now link at the bottom.

5. Check your inbox for a confirmation email that includes the verification link within it. Click the link to verify you’re a real person and once you’re email has been verified click the return to home link at the bottom to return to your account.

6. Your page has been created and now you can add, edit and delete items on your page by clicking the links to the right of your photo.

7. First, you will want to edit your profile. Once in the Profile Edit screen, you can enter information in various sections by clicking the appropriate link at the top. Some of the categories you can add information to include “Interests and Personality”, “Background & Lifestyle”, and “Networking”.

8. You can then go to the photos page and change, add or delete your profile photo along with photo albums and videos.

9. You can also add a calendar to your page and create your own personal address book at the corresponding links.

10. To create your blog, click the Manage Blog link and then in the My Controls section select “Post New Blog”. You’ll see the information to create a blog post on the left hand side. Simply, fill in the blanks, including your blog post itself and any extras at the bottom.

11. Once you’re satisfied with your post, click the Preview & Post button to publish to your blog.

Visit me on MySpace! http://www.myspace.com/sweetcloudnine/

And don’t forget to get in on Joining Moms, the network for woman & moms that works just like MySpace!

• Spend a day in the park with the kids. Have a picnic lunch! Bring your favorite CD music and the kids’ toys and just enjoy the fresh air, the trees and grass – bring the dog too.
• Perhaps one morning you wake up, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and you decide to spend a day in your back yard. Have your morning coffee; find your favorite nail polish and paint your toenails. Heck, go the whole nine yards and do your fingernails too.
• Want to really have a great time? Put on your shorts and top, sneakers, and go for a walk or run. Don’t wear any makeup. That’s right, just put up your hair if it’s long, and set out on a beautiful summer morning until you break into a sweat.
• Call up one of your friends and make a date to spend a day at the mall. Buy a new outfit and a pair of sandals to go along with it. Have lunch and enjoy the day together.
• Want to get away from it all? Call your parents and ask if they wouldn’t mind babysitting their grandkids for a weekend. Then you and your hubby take off for parts unknown. Just pack light layers and get in the car and go. Imagine the freedom you will feel and the anticipation of not knowing where you’ll wind up. It can be exhilarating.
• How about you and the entire family going for a bike ride in your local park. Arise early on a Saturday morning and take the bikes out of the garage and head out. Bet you can smell the fresh morning air, right? Are you pumped up just thinking about it?
• How about going to a musical or play, with dinner afterwards. Call friends you haven’t seen in a while and make plans. Enjoy the night out with friends walking along the streets in the warm night air. Now that’s the ticket to enjoyment.

Listen, you’ve had to endure a very harsh winter. You deserve a little time for you, time with friends, and family. Make this summer an enjoyable one.

Amy M. Milillo
–
Mineral Girlz Regional Manager ~ http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com
Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co. ~ http://www.myBungalow19.com

But your children’s activities don’t have to cost much and they certainly don’t have to be boring.

Here are a few ideas:

Take a trip to the airport. You don’t actually have to go in the airport but you can park close by and spot the airplanes. Talk to your kids about where the airplanes may be going or how many people may be on board. Kids find airplanes fascinating.

Visit the train station. Again, kids are fascinated by anything loud and with an engine. Help them spot the different trains and talk about where the passengers may be going.

Go to the sea side. You don’t have to save the beach for summer breaks only. Go anytime of the year and collect rocks or sea shells. Let your kids play and run on the sand.

Take them to yard sales. Make a morning out of it and have fun. Tell each child they can choose a small toy or item. They can have fun chatting to different people, help you pay for things and even get some good exercise if you walk or take the bikes.

For the older kids, sometimes the best thing can be to let them chill out with a friend; a sleepover with a rented DVD can go a long way. As your children get older, you could try dusting off the hobbies you have hidden in the attic, such as the old hockey stick or the fishing equipment and let them follow in your footsteps.

A little investment in a new hobby for them may be just the ticket to keep them entertained and active.

With a little thought and imagination the possibilities for fun and frugal activities are endless. And don’t worry about not spending a lot of money, all that really matters is that you’re spending quality time with your kids.

Amy Milillo
–
Mineral Girlz ~ http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com/
Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co. ~ http://www.myBungalow19.com

There is an old rule of thumb that states, “What you do in your business today, will affect your business three months down the line.” If you start to let things slide in June, you may not feel the squeeze until September.

Unfortunately, since you didn’t notice any ill effects in July or August, you may have continued your slide, which means that your business will still be suffering in November. And we all know what happens after that – the holidays. This is a time of year when many people let things slide again, as they are busy with holiday shopping, parties, and school functions.

You can avoid all of this by keeping a regular work schedule in the summer. If you have school age children that are now on summer vacation, you may not be able to work as much as you can during the school year. That’s okay – just keep putting in a regular amount of work each week and your business will keep growing.

Keep a set of written goals close to your workspace. This will remind you of the things that need to be done and can serve as a great motivator. Remember, when you set your goals they need to have a due date attached to them. Otherwise, it will be easy to put them off until another day.

Along with your goals, create a list of rewards you will give yourself as you complete your goals. You can treat yourself to a pedicure, a day at the pool, or some other treat. Having something to look forward to at the end of a task can motivate you to complete it.

Find other people who have home businesses, either locally or through the Internet. You can set up weekly challenges amongst yourselves and find ways to make working fun. You can hold each other accountable for your goals and stir up a bit of a friendly competition. Maybe everyone can put $5 into the pot, and whoever wins the weekly contest gets the money to order takeout instead of cooking dinner.

Another trick to help motivate you is to start writing a list of all the holiday presents you will soon need to purchase. Seeing that list and knowing you have to come up with the money to buy them can definitely keep you focused on your business, even during the summer.

~Amy

Amy M. Milillo
Mineral Girlz Regional Manager
Sr. Consultant & Giggle Girlz Team Leader
http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com/
Amy@MineralGirlzMakeup.com
________________________________________

Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co.
Independent Sales Consultant
http://www.myBungalow19.com/
Amy@myBungalow19.com
________________________________________

http://www.SweetCloudNine.com/
http://WAHM.SweetCloudNine.com/
http://Shop.SweetCloudNine.com/
http://Portal.SweetCloudNine.com/
________________________________________

Need Marketing Help? Try http://direct.Marketing4wahms.com/

If you have children, you are probably very familiar with fundraisers. Schools and other organizations routinely hold them in an effort to raise money. Fundraisers can also help you grow your business.

If you are in direct sales, you can offer your product as a fundraiser. The company that you are with may have a fundraising program in place. If not, you can still offer your own “program.’ You can simply offer to give the organization holding the fundraiser a portion of your proceeds. You may opt to donate 10% of your profits. Don’t worry about having to give up a portion of your money, by being a part of the fundraiser, you will be receiving a lot of sales and the portion you give away will be well worth it. Plus, you can use that as a tax write-off.

Plus, you can follow-up with the people who placed orders from you. Some of these people may continue to be your customer long after the fundraiser is over. Who knows? They may also book parties with you or even become a consultant.

You can still participate in fundraisers if you do not sell a tangible product. Some organizations hold events such as silent auctions. You can offer your services as one of the items that will be auctioned off. If you design websites, offer to design a simple website for someone. Other organizations hold raffles as a way to raise funds. You can offer your services as a prize. If you are a professional organizer, offer to clean out the winner’s garage.

These fundraisers can offer you a lot of publicity. The organization should have some type of press release with the names of the people donating their time and services. Local media outlets such as the newspaper, radio, and television stations may publicize the event before, during, and after it has taken place. This provides a lot of opportunity for your name to be in the press.

Plus, the organization itself may be so impressed by you, that they hire you for paid work in the future. Ask the person in charge of the fundraiser for referrals of people he or she may know that are in need of your services.

If the fundraiser is an event that people will be attending, such as a silent auction, the guests may also be impressed and ask the person in charge of the event for your name. Let the organization know that it is okay to recommend your services.

If you would like to find a fundraiser to help with, call your local schools, religious organizations, and non-profit groups. They can help you find a cause that you are willing to donate your time and efforts for.

~Amy

Amy M. Milillo
Mineral Girlz Regional Manager
Sr. Consultant & Giggle Girlz Team Leader
http://www.MineralGirlzMakeup.com/
Amy@MineralGirlzMakeup.com
________________________________________

Bungalow 19 Bath & Candle Co.
Independent Sales Consultant
http://www.myBungalow19.com/
Amy@myBungalow19.com
________________________________________

http://www.SweetCloudNine.com/
http://WAHM.SweetCloudNine.com/
http://Shop.SweetCloudNine.com/
http://Portal.SweetCloudNine.com/
________________________________________

Need Marketing Help? Try http://direct.Marketing4wahms.com/