The New Rules of Email Marketing

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Could it be true in the world of cell phone, TV advertisements, blogs, forums, RSS feeds and pod casts that 90% of Internet users and 56% of all Americans still rely on email as their main way of communicating with other individuals. Americans send over 2.4 trillion emails a year. Still, if you use emailing as a marketing tool, you are fighting a battle that may do more harm to your business than good if you are not diligent in following the new rules of email marketing.

In this article, I discuss the ways email marketing has changed, as well as how important it is to engage your customer. You will learn how to actually help your customers benefit from your emails and avoid hammering them over the head to use your products or services.

Point: Over 50% of consumers define SPAM as, "I once gave my permission but I no longer wish to receive emails."

Did you know that the average ROI (Return On Investment) on most email campaign averages about 4%? Open rates have dipped to all time lows, and email recipients are all too ready to push the "report as spam" button. Why is this happening? Why this animosity towards email? Americans are inundated and frustrated with being "talked at" and "sold to". Today's consumer is exceptionally savvy when it comes to marketing. The average US consumer spends 14 hours of week watching TV and then another 14 hours a week surfing the web. For your emails to impact this audience, they have to be engaging and beneficial.

Engagement allows the consumer to take an active role; it's about a two-way dialogue. Engagement allows other customers to interact with other customers, and with you. It allows you to interact with you on their terms not your company's terms. One way we do this is by including discussion links in our emails. This link takes the customer to a forum where they can express their opinions whether it is about the company; the product or whatever is on their mind. This gives the customer an important voice, as well as makes them an integral part of the decision making process. This form of discussion teaches you how your customers want to be approached and how you can fulfill their needs by providing them with valuable resources.

Too many companies focus on building their list. They are consumed with the number of individuals they have on their email list. The reasoning is, the more customers I have on my list, the more people I can sell to. The reasoning seems to make sense, but more numbers does not covert into more sales. ISP Service providers do not like large amounts of emails to be sent out. Companies such as AOL block about 75% of the 2 billion emails it receives daily. Companies need to focus on building a reliable reputation and sending out quality emails. Make sure that you populate your list with individuals that have expressed interest in your products or services – even with this, make sure that they are added to your email list via an opt-in confirmation.

Use a reputable email service such as Constant Contact. Companies such as Constant Contact have many beneficial tools that enable you to monitor your email campaigns. These features include detail reporting on bounces, click-throughs, unsubscribe, links clicked etc. Another very positive opportunity is to watch you web logs for spikes to see when your site consistently has the most traffic. Begin to send out your emails on those days. Using a company like Constant Contact will enable you to automate your email experience and allow you to focus on excellent content.

Another great service that most email services provide is the ability to segment your lists into groups. If you sell multiple products, you do not want to send an email over and over to your entire email list when many of them may have already purchased your product. Segment your email lists into groups and then focus on sending them relevant content. Researches have found that by segmenting groups, there was a 7x increase in open rates and a 14x increase in click through rates. If you are not segmenting your list currently, you may want to start.

An email marketer's nightmare is to make it easy to unsubscribe from their mailing list, but this must be done. Make unsubscribing easy, it is much better than upsetting them and having them report your email as SPAM. Provide you customers with the tools they need to have a positive experience with your company. If they report your email as SPAM, you will most likely have lost the customer for good.

Creativity never hurts, unless your not. Many email companies allow you to send both text and HTML formatted emails. HTML formatting allows you to create some very powerful presentations, simply by including images, audio or video. Researchers have found that well designed emails can increase response rate by up to 75%. The main thing is to get you reader involved in the email and to make your email interactive and unique. Retailers such as Barnes and Nobles and Borders bookstores are perfect examples of advertising done right. Their emails include book reviews, introduction to new books as well as discount coupons. Their emails are informative, engaging, and they have a "call to action". They physically get you to click on a link and print a coupon to take to the store.

By applying some of the new tactics and guidelines above, your emails will not only be read, they will engage the customer in a beneficial way. I wish you great success in your emailing endeavors.

Copyright 2008 FMWebschool Inc. http://www.fmwebschool.com Written by Stephen Knight

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Business Etiquette for Consultants

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At one time, the art of communication may have been considered simple common sense. But in the ever-shrinking world, now, more than ever we need to be sensitive to the vast array of behaviors existing in other cultures. Etiquette is a learned skill and one that must be constantly practiced. This will allow you to focus more on the deal you are negotiating or more importantly on what your client or friend is saying without worrying if you are going to do or say something inappropriate.

Simply put, being well versed in proper etiquette will give you a competitive edge in business and earn the respect of others you may meet through the course of your life. Many of our parents gave us “Etiquette Basics” or sets of rules as to what was socially acceptable. In the world of business, we need to expand beyond the basics and learn how to engage others approvingly in the workplace, social gatherings, meetings and in other countries.

The most successful people are prepared people. If you are meeting with a company that interests you as being a potential client, be prepared. Go online, and research the company. What types of things are you looking for? Articles about the company, any awards they may have won, what local community groups they support or charities, look at the company website – many times companies publish their newsletters or information about their company. Take the time to learn about their company and whom they do business with.

Don’t just prepare mentally make sure you dress appropriately. Call ahead and speak to the receptionist – be sure to ask for her name. The receptionist is actually a very valuable person as she conveys information to everyone within the company. Let the receptionist know who you are, and with whom you will be meeting. Ask about proper attire, as well as proper spelling of individuals’ names. Be sure to thank her for her time and be sure to use her name when doing so.

When dressing, make sure you dress for the occasion. You need to make sure that your clothes are not over powering. You want to dress appropriately, but you want to make sure that your personality and intelligence are what they notice, not your outfit. How important is what we wear? Extremely important, whether we like to admit it or not, we quickly pass judgment on people even before they say a word. We do this within seconds of meeting an individual. Unfortunately, many times it is that perception of what is or isn’t that makes the decision for us. For example, which diamond ring do you think we would perceive having the greatest value, a diamond in a box from a chain superstore, or one from Tiffanys? It could be the exact same ring, but it is simply the box, “the dressing” where we quickly perceive the value of what’s inside.

I like you. Yes, I really like you. Aren’t those fun words to hear? Well people like to do business with people that they like – and with people with whom they feel they are alike. I’ve written numerous articles on matching and mirroring and pacing and leading. If you are meeting someone for the first time, subtly and gently, match and mirror their movements, their breathing, the pace, pitch and tone of their voice. Get them to talk about themselves by asking questions that cannot be simply answered by yes and no. Ask questions that begin with what do you do, or what do you enjoy, or tell me about this or that. Make sure when conversing that you are talking with the person, not “at” the person. We all like to talk about topics that interest us, but it is important that we don’t monopolize the conversation with stories about our interests.

A few other important points when conversing or making small talk.

· Repeat the persons name 2-3 times right away in the conversation
· Judge the persons mood, does the individual want to engage in small talk, or are they ready to jump into business. In some cultures, it is rude to begin discussion of business immediately. This tends to be an American way of doing business. Be sure to study as to what is customary in other cultures.
· Ask for a business card – out of respect hold it, study it for a moment, and then put it away. Once away from your guest, you can write a few quick notes on the back of the card. In Japan, business cards are very important, do not take a card and deface the card by writing notes on it.
· Ask good questions
· Respond with affirmative body language – nod, smile, and maintain interested eye contact – this does not mean that you should stare into their eyes – hold eye contact and look away as they look away – once again, in some cultures it is rude to keep eye contact
· Don’t interrupt or finish peoples sentences for them
· If you are sitting, stand whenever you shake someone’s hand

Social events are a wonderful place to practice meeting people. One of the most difficult things for many people is to break through their cocoon of safety. These people are usually pretty easy to pick out. They are standing by themselves (usually near the bar or food table) clutching their drink with a death grip.

Take those first tentative steps, and build up your meeting and greeting muscle! The more you work your meeting and greeting muscle the stronger it will get, and the easier it will be to meet people. One way to prepare for social events is to expand your education. I am not talking about traditional schooling here, I am talking about diversity. Take some time to read and learn about other areas of interest – there are some great magazines available that provide a plethora of interesting topics. Books such as “The Know It All” by Al Jacobs and “The Intellectual Devotion” by Kidder and Oppenheim are great sources for discussion. This way, you always have an interesting topic to discuss, and you may even learn something. One last thing to remember is in a group situation avoid sex, politics, health problems, religion, money problems and tasteless jokes.

One of the most difficult things for people to do is to listen. Many times we are so excited that someone is interested in us that we try to wrap up a lifetime of experiences in 30 minutes. Practice listening. This involves listening and focusing on what the words mean to the individual speaking. Most of us are so busy trying to come up with what we will say in response, that we are not able to apply the appropriate “listening elements” to the conversation.

Let’s move into the dining area.

Sitting at a proper table with a dignified guest can be a bit overwhelming. There are numerous utensils to deal with - multiple plates and side dishes and several glasses and cups. There are a few simple rules which can help you not only survive this meal, but enjoy the meal.

· Work out to in (meaning you work from the furthest utensil inward)
· Utensils with four letters go to the left (‘left’ hand four letters, ‘fork’ four letters)
· Utensils with five letters go to the right (‘right’ hand five letters, ‘knife’ and ‘spoon’ five letters) The knife blade always faces the plate
· The bread plate will be to your left – a quick hint, take a small serving of butter from the main butter dish and place that on your bread plate. Butter and eat your bread in small pieces, don’t pick up the entire piece and start chowing down.
· Your drink should go to the right side of your plate
· The small plate at the top of your plate is your dessert plate. The server should remove your dinner plate and move the dessert plate to take its place. At this time you would move your fork and spoon down to the appropriate sides of your plate. (Unless your server does this for you)
· When served desert, your server will most likely offer coffee. If you deny coffee do not turn your cup over to show that you do not want coffee. Simply tell the server and they should remove the cup. When stirring do not clink the side of the cup, and do not pour it into the saucer.
· Your napkin should rest in your lap
· If you leave to go to the washroom, place the napkin in your seat so the server knows you are returning
· When you are finished eating the napkin should be folded and placed to the left of your plate.
· If you drop a utensil, leave it on the floor and bring it to the servers attention, they will bring you a new one
· When someone asks for the salt, pass the pepper as well
· Men don’t place your briefcase or cell phone on the table, likewise, women do not place your purses or cell phone on the table
· Avoid foods that are messy or hard to manage
· When you are finished eating, place your utensils side by side on your plate (with the knife blade turned in towards the center of the plate) at a 10:20 angle.
· When a server pours a glass of wine for you to sample do not smell the cork – many wines use synthetic corks now. What you want to do is “smell’ the wine. Gently swirl the wine in the glass, and inhale the aroma, a good wine will have a nice aroma, generally fruity, flowery or spicy. If the wine smells musty or like wet paper, politely refuse the bottle and ask for another.
· If you are not sure what to order, point at a price that you are comfortable spending, and tell the server you would like something like this. The server should bring you their “select” wine for that dollar amount.
· Turn your cellphone to silent or vibrate at the table

Many of us send dozens of email messages every day. Emails are a powerful and unique way to keep in touch with friends, clients and potential clients. Since emails can be extremely powerful, it is important that we understand the responsibility we embrace when we press the ‘send’ key.

Here are some great guidelines and ideas as to how you can provide a positive email experience.

· Include a descriptive subject line. Don’t waste people’s precious time trying to figure out an ambiguous subject line. Many people also sort or file emails, and having a descriptive subject line is very helpful when it comes to organization.
· Use email as an introductory tool. If you have two clients who have the same interest, it may be beneficial to introduce them via email. You can send an introductory email from yourself to both parties, and they can pursue the opportunity if they desire.
· All of our inboxes are overflowing with SPAM and Jokes, think twice before you hit the send button
· Respond in likeness, if the person you are communicating with is very formal and uses “Dear” you should address them with “Dear”. If they address you as Hi, Hello, or Greetings, you should respond likewise. Not until the person has relaxed their method of greeting should you relax yours.
· Don’t use all caps
· Keep your emails simple
· If it is private, use a phone. Too many people have learned from this mistake!
· Be sure to spell check
· Use BCC, never assume that others wont mind having their emails passed out
· If you send an email and do not hear back in a reasonable amount of time, email again. If still, you have not heard anything, call them. Many harmless emails get filtered out as SPAM.
· Let the person know that you have received their email. If you don’t know the answer to a question, let them know that you will research it and get back to them.
· Ask before sending attachments – many companies will strip attachments or disapprove of their employees opening emails with attachments.
· Out of office auto-responders can be wonderful but they can also be downright annoying if you belong to email lists or forums. Imagine every time someone fires an email off to the email list and your auto responder fires back that you are away on vacation or maternity leave!
· As pointed out earlier, always make sure you have the correct spelling of the recipient’s name. Call and find out how their name is spelled before you email them.

If you have guests from another country, or you will be visiting another country on business, take some time to learn about the culture. Visit Wikipedia for a rich resource of other cultures. The better prepared you are the more efficient and successful you will be. Things that you may want to learn before traveling abroad or hosting a guest from another country are:

· What kind of greeting is expected
· Very important, is “who do you greet first”?
· Introduce from higher to lower. You would introduce the President of a company to a client, not the other way around.
· What kind of attire is appropriate for casual wear and business wear
· Watch your gestures! What may be considered polite in the US may be rude or offensive in other cultures
· Do they exchange gifts?
· Americans like to quickly discuss business, many times other cultures like to spend quality time getting to know you before business is even addressed. Don’t seem impatient, and follow their lead.
· If you lose a bid, or the client decides not to move forward with you, send them a handwritten note of appreciation. Let them know that you are available and would be honored to be considered if things do not work out with the other company.
· Think before you speak. Be sure to ask intelligent questions. American humor and slang may be totally misunderstood in other cultures.
· Learn as much as possible about the culture
· Learn as much as you can about the company you will be visiting – find as much information on the web as you can.

What do I do with all of this information?

There are numerous Contact Management Systems available, or you can build a simple solution yourself using a database program such as FileMaker Pro. Beyond the obvious, make sure you include birthdays, children’s names and hobbies or special interest the individual may have.

Communication is extremely important, it allows us to have quality relationships with other individuals. By learning proper etiquette, you can communicate your desire to take that extra step, raising the relationship to an even higher level. Proper etiquette is timeless and will help you succeed in life and business.



Copyright 2007 FMWebschool Inc. http://www.fmwebschool.com Written by Stephen Knight

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When to Say No!

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When to say No! What are some of the top signs that you should not accept a client?

When I was researching this article I decided to post a question to a couple email lists to see what the response would be. It wasn’t long before a spirited debate ensued. Over the next couple of days I received phone calls and over 50 emails. Some individuals had certain guidelines or rules that their potential clients must meet, and if not…that meant “End of Discussion”

I received emails from every level of FileMaker consultant. Beginners who were struggling with saying “NO” because they needed the work and the experience. Experienced developers that had been around the block a few times and approached new contacts with a weary cynicism. And a small group that said that they “never” said no to a client, that they lived by the rule (there’s that word again) “the customer is always right”.

I received emails from fixers who said a “No” can always be turned into a “Yes” situation. Lastly I received 2 emails that brought me to a stop…as I read through the experiences of these two individuals I was greatly saddened at what they had gone through. Because sadly, it is the developers that are the most giving that seem to be taken advantage of the most.

Let’s examine some of the psychological rules that were played out in the emails I received.

Rules: All of us live by rules. Many of the rules that we impose on our lives are created when we are children. What are some rules? Let’s say that one of the rules that I live by is that you never argue at the dinner table. If you are going to talk at the table, it should be a non-confrontational topic that everyone can enjoy. Let’s say that I am married, and my wife’s family loves to talk at the table, the louder the better. Their rule is that to be part of the family you need to open up and engage in the topics being discussed at the table. Who is right?
What if I had the rule that in order to be loved or to feel loved, that when my wife got home from work that we greeted each other with a hug, and if I didn’t immediately get that hug, I didn’t feel loved. What if she felt that relaxing on the couch and talking and sharing each others day was how she felt loved. Can you see a conflict?

Can you see how we can each create rules…and guess what, no one sits down with their spouse or their best friend and says, “hey, I’ve created these rules about how I live my life, and in order for us to get along, you must respect my rules and not violate my rules…because…friends don’t violate rules”.

Rules can affect the way that we communicate and interact with our clients. Our clients have rules, but they are multi faceted. The company has its own rules…some written, some just understood by the employees. Also, the potential client, the individual may have his/her own set of rules. It is important to pick up the subtle clues that our clients give us that enable us to bring their “rules” to light. Most of the time when we have a clash or a misunderstanding with a client, it is because we are breaking one of their rules. It may sound like something small, but “rules’ play a big part of our life and can affect the way we interact with our clients and potential clients. Remember, it can be as little as the way you look at someone that can fire off one of their rules.

In Psychology this is called Commitment and Consistency. Here is how it generally works.

A new client asks you to perform a small task for them that you know you will not be monetarily compensated for. You agree, even though in the back of your mind you feel slightly uncomfortable and a little put out. Your client praises you and tells you they are going to let everyone know how wonderful and kind you are. As time goes on, your customer asks you to do this or that for free, and continues to praise you, not only to you personally but publicly to others in the office.

Guess what, you have now created yet another “identity”. Believe it or not, we create them for every client. This new identity is one that is wonderful and kind and will do things for free! So, guess what. You tell yourself “Yes, I am wonderful and kind and wonderful and kind people sometimes give some free time of themselves…and besides I can stop whenever I want”.

Here is where the Psychology kicks in. People will do anything, to avoid being inconsistent with their behavior, with their belief of “who” they are. Why do you act one way on the phone with one friend, and totally different when speaking to another? Which one is actually you? What do I mean by that? People try to avoid the look of inconsistency, and the more public the stand, the more reluctant we will be to change it.

What do we call someone who suddenly becomes inconsistent with who they are, or whom we think they are? We call them wishy-washy, un-trust worthy…deceitful. Powerful words that have powerful meanings. Be careful when you feel someone deliberately having you take small steps towards something you don’t want to do. Listen to your gut feeling, and tell the individual that you are not comfortable with the situation.

OK, back on track. Below is a laundry list of some of the reasons why consultants say NO to potential clients.

1. They offer you goods in exchange for your services
2. Our business is absolutely unique, you should really be paying me to learn it
3. When I feel devalued or when they talk about my product or service in a dismissive way
4. Client sees no reason to discuss the scope of the project
5. You don’t have time
6. Your client is on an unrealistic deadline and is totally inflexible
7. The complexity of the project is beyond your abilities
8. Client presents too much legal-eez, putting a virtual legal strangle-hold around your neck, or they want you to sign a Non Compete that could exclude you from work in the future.
9. They do not understand nor do they want to understand the development process & limitations of certain technologies. Ex. They want to use Instant Web Publishing because of the advantages it provides, but are unwilling to accept some of the limitations that come with it.
10. No access to the individuals that will actually be using the solution. Inability to understand the business logic involved in creating the solution.
11. They currently have a solution that was developed many years ago that has been band-aided together by numerous developers. The customer does not want the underlying issue solved, just another Band-Aid.
12. The customer insists on doing what they think is the “easy” part, and then asks you to come in and do everything else
13. They use pressure tactics
14. Cost is the only issue they are concerned with
15. They say, “If you will do this job below your normal rate, we will have several more projects for you after this is done”.
16. They say that they have worked with several FileMaker developers on this project and have not been satisfied yet.
17. Client has a project that I will not enjoy, one that I clearly cannot see myself getting involved in
18. Does not want to complete a “Needs Analysis Form”
19. Does not want to sign a contract or an agreement.
20. They say “I haven’t set a budget, let me know what you come up with”.
21. They say “Why is this so much? Another developer quoted me “X” dollars for the same project. How come you are so much more”?
22. They say, “I haven’t really thought about what we need, we can just sort that out as we go along”.
23. They say, “Can you get me a good deal on FileMaker licenses”?
24. They say, “We have ALL of the specifications already worked out”.
25. They do not treat you as an equal, you are treated as an employee, and if they like your work they will pay you.

So, what is one of the biggest complaints that we have? Equality. When a company hires you, it is important to immediately establish a level of equality with your client. Consultants are described as a Free-Lancer, a hired gun, a coder, or “that’s my computer guy/girl. All of these words have a feeling of possession or ownership none of which sound very endearing. It is important that your client/potential client understands that they are not your boss. You have been contracted to provide a service.

I am not saying to immediately tell your client that you are his/her equal, and expect to be treated that way. I am just saying that you need to tactfully help them understand that you are an expert in your field, that you were hired on a contract basis to offer a service.

Isn’t my client being a jerk trying to prove his/her domination over me? This can actually be several things. One of the simplest ways to explain things is that your client might not have any references guiding them as to how they should act. They have never hired a consultant, and they have no idea as to what is expected of them. This is a good time to have an agreement/contract and to maybe do some subtle educating. The client might not be a jerk, just un-educated as far as hiring and working with a consultant.

Your client may feel intimidated. Many times a contractor is hired to come in and fix, or add features to a solution that they are technically not qualified to do. Your client may feel that his/her job is at stake, and they will immediately try to assume a dominant role. Once again, it is up to you to assure your client that you are only there to help with the project. Human beings fear loss more than anything else. In the world of advertising, copywriters know that they can get you to act by changing two words. Buy now and save $100.00 or If you don’t buy now you will lose $100.00. Saving is not as important as losing; no one wants to lose…unless it’s weight.

How important is trust? Another big topic that came up a bunch was trust. Some individuals felt that there had to be a great deal of trust with their clients before they would move into any type of agreement. This is actually very important. Trust many times is not what an individual says, but how our subconscious mind interprets unconscious incongruence in the other person’s physiology.

What does that mean? There are three forms of communication, Words, Voice Quality and Physiology. Words represent 7% of what actually influences human behavior. Voice Qualities (tonality, tone, volume, inflection) represent 38% and Physiology, (the way you user your body, breathing, facial expressions, gestures) represents 55%. Congruency is when our physiology and our voice qualities blend harmoniously. Our unconscious mind is an expert at understanding congruency; it is able to pick up the hidden muscle twitches, subtle shifts in tonality…this is generally when you get an uneasy feeling in your stomach, implying that something just isn’t right. This is one of the first steps towards the “trust-buster”.

Trust goes beyond the physicality of the other person. Trusting involves listening, and it involves caring. Your client trusts you to walk into their office and create something that does not currently exist. And, they are going to pay you a pretty good rate to do so. Building trust is being able to understand their fears and apprehension and to be able to address and extinguish those fears in a tactful caring manner. Your client wants to think that you truly have his/her best interest in mind.

They Constantly change their minds. Repeatedly changing one’s mind was one of the biggest gripes of consultants. I received questions like, “Who pays for this”? “How many times should I let them change the solution”? “How am I supposed to finish a product when they keep changing the specs?

I hate to say it, but it is every client’s right to change their mind, and for you to not throw a fit when they do so. It is very rare that a client and a consultant sit down, and devise a solution that does not needs some tweaking. It is extremely impractical to imagine the total workflow of a solution from start to finish without expecting numerous changes.

So, what do I do? First, I would add a little breathing room into my estimate for creating the solution. I also encourage my clients to request changes and to get involved. This way they can see that the solution is evolving and are more likely to be happy with the end result. I consider all of the changes they request, and I discuss them with my client. If a request is too large, I let them know that this will push them over their budget, and that if they still want the additional features added, we can do so after the completion of the project. I also recommend creating “Change Orders”. Change orders can be a saving grace. Each time your client wants to make a change, they fill out a form stating what they want changed, and then you both sign off on it. This is also a great way to stop your client from coming back later and saying “I never asked you to do that.”

Contracts, Agreements, Deposits Once again, this was a heavily debated topic. After much thought on the subject, and after speaking with my personal attorney, we felt it best to seek out a professional in the field to help with any business / legal consultation or documentation.

He did specify the importance of having a contract since as a consultant; most of us are dealing with intangibles. Some Clients may refuse to sign a contract, if this occurs, you may want to research to see if they have had problems with previous consultants, or if the project you are about to undertake is a hand-me-down from a previous consulting company. Try to find out the “why” behind the hesitation to sign the contract.

Bartering, Creative Financing, Joint Venture Schemes: This topic was filled with warnings. One individual agreed to work for another company, and in exchange, they would give him a computer and free software. However, once he had worked off the allotted time required to pay for the computer and software…the company said that the funds needed to purchase the computer and software were not immediately available. Another developer explained it this way. “One big problem is a clients perceived value of your time when bartering. When the client equates your value with their wholesale cost for goods/services then the relationship can become difficult.”

Some consultants said that they had found a great balance, and felt that both they and their clients were equally rewarded. This however was certainly not the majority opinion.

Creative Financing and Joint Venture schemes seemed to be lumped closely together. One continual scenario is the client has this great idea, a solution that will certainly be a huge hit. They have the idea; you have the skills, let’s make lots of money. The next step is they ask you to develop this solution for them, and that they will give you a hefty percentage for all of the sales that will certainly come in.

Be careful here, do some research. Make sure, if you decide to do this, that your client has done a lot of research. Make sure that there is actually an interested market. Make sure that there are actually enough individuals not only interested in this market, but are willing to open their wallets. Look at the competition. Is the market already so saturated that even though it is a great idea, several hundred other developers thought this was a great idea as well? Also, make sure that your client’s perceived value is actually a realistic representation of what the market will allow. What marketing experience does you client have? Has he worked this into the cost of production?

Sometimes collaborative efforts can work out and have great results. But be careful, you do not want to have your reputation marred by someone that doesn’t share the same work ethics and values as you.

Don’t discriminate too quickly: Finally a quick story that shows how quickly our learned filters of the way we interpret the world can be fooled! Every one of us looks at the world through filters. Everything we look at has a memory and a feeling attached to it. These filters allow us to live our day-to-day lives without having to concentrate on everything we see. These filters are learned memories and feelings that allow us to make thousands of unconscious decisions every day. Just the act of driving every day is a great example of this. Our perceptions of the world, our prejudices are all learned filters; we were not born with them. One of the stories that I thought that I would close with is a great example of how quickly our mind decides what to believe.

One thing we all need to watch is our prejudices. One developer wrote ”I had a client whose emails were too terse, poorly worded, improperly punctuated, etc. In addition, she seemed overly concerned about my rates. After meeting her in person I found a very wonderful older woman who is retiring and is on a budget, she is not very computer savvy, she uses a Mac with an OS about 7 years old. In this case all the little red flags turned out to be false. I'm not making tons of money, but I am helping a good person do good things.”

Had I had the time, I could have easily written a book from the 100+ pages of emails that I received. Everyone had great ideas, many techniques for working with clients were unique from client to client. The top themes running throughout all of the emails was, communicate with your client, establish equality, establish trust, and mostly, be honest with your client.

*** This year I will be teaching a class at Devcon that teaches individuals how to communicate with their clients. The class will be taught from my new book, “The Art of the Topple”. The class will cover the Psychology behind Influence and Persuasion. With the techniques I teach in this class, you will be able to establish a rapport with your clients within a few seconds. I will teach Psychological triggers, Body Language and Psychological Modalities. The second part of the class will involve writing Advertising copy, as well as successful secrets for web marketing. If you are attending Devcon, and would be interested in taking this class, please email me at: stephen@fmwebschool.com ***


Copyright 2006 Stephen Knight

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