Public Speaking Tips

Public Speaking Tips
So, public speaking is one of those things that comes natural to some and not to others. It DOES NOT come natural to me. This in mind, it takes a lot for me to speak publicly and manage to keep everyone awake. Below are a few tips that might help those who do not have that public speaking talent and there might even be some tips below that help out the most proficient public speakers.
1. The most important part of public speaking is having something interesting to say. You need something that is going to keep people listening but something that in turn represents you.
2. Don’t just talk about you and your business unless that is what you were invited to talk about. You are probably there to entertain and teach more than anything, not talk about yourself and your new items.
3. You need to be entertaining. You can still slip some valuable info in your speech….you will just have to work hard to keep it entertaining.
4. Understand who you are speaking to. Keep your speech interesting to that group. For example, you would not speak on market trends to a group of High School Students just like you wouldn’t talk about your experience in high school to most adult groups.
5. Look nice. You should always be dressed nicer than the audience. By not dressing nicely, you are conveying that you really could care less.
6. Integrate stories. You will feel more comfortable speaking. (Don’t go too far off the path with your stories, however.)
7. Before you give a speech, speak with a few people in the audience. Then, you will know someone in the crowd. You won’t feel like you are talking to just strangers…you know some of them.
8. Don’t talk bad about anything or anyone. You don’t want to upset someone who may feel otherwise.
9. Try to speak earlier in the event. People will be more attentive if they have only heard one speech before you than if you were the last person out of ten that day.
10. Shoot for a smaller room. You will feel more comfortable and when people are talking about how great your speech was, they will remember how packed the room was.
11. Practice speaking. Say your speech to yourself in the mirror, in front of friends, anyone…
I hope these tips will help you with your public speaking. They sure helped me.

Money Saving Tips for PayPal

You’re a PayPal person, huh? Who isn’t these days. Near every person who has been on the internet more than three times has taken the few minutes registration requires. This in mind, it makes perfect sense that a retailer would accept PayPal payments. Only issue is, the fees are expensive if you don’t have the right account. Being a PayPal person myself, I have learned a few lessons since I signed up.

Go for the personal account. If you are a small business who won’t be accepting that many payments every month, sign up for the personal account. It will save you all of the fees that PayPal charges per transaction. Are you a larger business who exceeds the personal account’s limits? Just accept the fact that you are going to have to pay fees and just sign up for the business account…skip over the premier. If by some chance you have already signed up for a something higher than the personal account, we have tips coming. If you signed up for the personal account, you can stop reading here. You are pretty much set. If you have the personal account, we suggest upgrading to the business account. The business account has more features than your premier account and the fees are about the same. Now, you signed up for the business account…..First step, sign up for the FREE PayPal security key. It gets annoying having to use the key every time you login but it helps prevent you account from being hacked which could save you thousands. Next step, go for the FREE PayPal debit card and put your bank issued debit card away. With your PayPal debit card, you will earn %1 on every purchase that you run as a credit card. Yeah, laugh all you want at 1% but when I am paying them 2.9% per payment I receive, that 1% looks really nice. Another great feature with your PayPal card is that it will pull from your backup funding source, such as your credit card or banking account. Now, you never need to carry another card. I do suggest you use your bank issued debit card for getting money from ATM’s to avoid that $2.00 processing fee. Also, check your PayPal account every so often. PayPal will sometimes have deals where you get a percentage off your order through certain companies. Next money saving tip with PayPal is take advantage of the investing options they offer. You are allowed to move your money freely all while earning close to 2.5%.

Maybe these tips will help you save a little money all while earning money. Please remember that we are not financial experts and we are simply making suggestions. Any fees, expenses, losses, etc, that you may incur from the use of our advice comes at your own risk.

11 Low Cost Marketing Tips & Strategies

So, I am an avid reader of Entrepreneur (Entrepreneur.com)... a two year subscription cost less than $30.00. Well, the latest issue, October 2008, had an article in it that talked about low cost marketing ideas. I thought to myself, ‘Great!!! This is exactly the knowledge that many of my customers have been asking for.’ So, I wrote my own article better focused to small business. Here it is.

1. Create a Blog ~ I had been meaning to set one up myself for so long but I just never got around to it. I was always busy doing this or that. Make Time! You can literally set your blog up in less that five minutes. I suggest blogger.com . Their software comes with templates, a semi custom domain name and many more features. Now that your blog is setup, blog. Don’t just set it up and then forget about it. Link the blog to your website, offer specials, list new offerings, give hints and tips….anything to pull your customer in. Take it a step further by commenting on blogs with a similar niche such as candle making, bath & body, etc.

2. Gain Customer Loyalty ~ Face it, in the small business world, you have to work hard to keep your customers coming back. The average consumer’s mind is always thinking ‘Why should I buy handmade for more when I can get mass produced for less.’ Give them a reason to buy from you. Make sure that all items leaving your location are of the best quality, are packaged nice, and even include a handwritten thank you note. Offer a 10% coupon on every fourth order, give a five dollar gift certificate to a customer after their first purchase, offer a 10% coupon just for signing up. All of these things cost you absolutely nothing unless the customer comes back and orders again and chances are, you will make your money back. Customer service is also super important. Respond to ALL emails in the nicest manner you can. One of my favorite things to point out to other small business owners is that customer service is your most important product and that it comes free to every person you speak to.

3. Send Out Newsletters ~ Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly….send out newsletters. Tell your customers about new products, sales, etc. It also helps remind them that your business is out there.

4. Offer an Affiliate Program ~ Chances are, happy customers will promote your business without any incentive but just think what would customers would do if they knew that for every sale they generated they earned 10% commission or a free product of a certain value.

5. Take Advantage ~ How often do you send out packages? How about emails? Chances are, you send them everyday. Take advantage of that. Have custom stamps or packaging made (photostamps.com.) Add your logo, website, and even product information in your signature in emails or on forums. Use all of those invoice and packaging slips to your advantage, too. Most of the time the bottom half will be blank. Print sales info, new product info…anything you can think of in the blank space. If you don’t have empty space on the front, use the back.

6. Customer Reviews ~ Get your customers to place reviews on your website. People do actually take the time to read them. Offer an incentive to consumers to get them to write reviews. You could even add a note to packaging slips or invoices telling about the incentive and how to go about writing a review.

7. Partner Up ~ Find other small businesses and team up with them. Place links to one another’s website on your own. Purchase ad space and divide it. Place information sheets in one another’s retail location or in out going packages. Mention each other in your blog.

8. Banner Exchange ~ Find banner exchanges and sign up. If it only gains you one sale then that is one sale you might have missed before.

9. Use the Internet ~ Create a website. Super cheap and easy to do. Have one already? Make sure it looks very professional. Don’t “junk” it up. Add product and business relevant info only. Don’t add tons of banners to your home page. But you just said sign up for banner exchanges?!?! You are right, I did. Create a separate page for links and add those banners there. Your home page needs to look neat, clean, and professional. The average website visitor lands on your home page first so you need to show them why they should stay on your webpage right there. Have a custom website design done. Sounds pricey? NOT. There are many web designers out there that can design you an amazing template for around $50. Checkout www.gracefulhosting.com/cart/index.php?page=templates . There are a few designers that I recommend. Stay active on the web. Find forums and post regularly (make sure your signature has your web link in it.) It may surprise you but people really do click those links and check out your site even if it is just to get a heads up on the competition.

10. Etsy? eBay? ~ Etsy? I say yes. While your website is a great way to make sales, Etsy is just as good. What makes it a good place to sell is that it is targeted to crafters and buyers of handmade items. You may not be able to add custom info pages but that is why you have a website. Just link the two together. You should also use the Etsy forums regularly. There are people that swear by posting there. eBay? I say no. eBay may see lots of traffic but most of the people that are visiting eBay are looking for bargains, second hand items. Just like you wouldn’t buy retail space next to the liquor store, you shouldn’t rely on eBay as a income source unless that is what your business is all about.

11. Advertise ~ Google Adsense is a very cheap way to advertise. You don’t pay unless people click so no need to worry about how pricey it will be. You can also set a budget for advertising and Google won't go over that amount. You can also place ads in newspapers and magazines both local and nationwide. Buy ads in local school publications. You may not gain sales from the ad but you are showing that you support your community which is very positive for business in my experience.

I hope that these tips and strategies will help your business succeed. If you like the tips I pointed out here, let me know. Leave a comment. Email this link to others, become a follower. I hope to provide info like this more often so check back. Thanks for taking the time to read.

By: Adam Grace
agrace@gracefulhosting.com
Owner of Graceful Hosting & Southern Scents
Copyright 2008

Note~Nothing in this article was taken from Entrepreur Magazine except the idea.