5. Competitive Analysis

What exactly is your competition offering? What solutions are they offering? Where are they vulnerable? To beat the competition, you need to understand the competition.

The purpose of Competitive Analysis is t to determine which business strengths are needed to be competitive in the market. You also need to determine how the competition will react to your strategies BEFORE you implement them.

Your competitors could be your greatest source of inspiration. Once you have chosen your area of interest - start a thorough market research.

To analyze the competition, gather information on:

1. Their Competitive Market Share
2. Their Current Strategies
3. Future Goals
4. Where they are vulnerable
5. What will provoke retaliation
6. copies of all their marketing materials

The more you find out, the better you'll be able to find a weakness, and then develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition. Make your product better, faster, easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Do whatever it takes to entice customers to buy your product or service over your competitions.

IV. Customer Analysis : : How Accurate Is Your Research?

At this point, determine if your research is accurate? Talk to members of the market and confirm it.

• How big of a problem is it for them?
• Is it a minor nuisance, or is it something they would pay to obtain a solution for?
• How much is that solution worth to them?

1. Validate your information; get on the phone, run surveys, chat in newsgroups. Do research to see if anyone else is currently offering a solution to this problem. If they are, what are they charging and how good is the ser

What You Can't Ask a Job Candidate is as Important as What You Can Ask
As a human resources professional or business owner, you face many challenges during the hiring process, from sorting through stacks of job applicant r?sum?s to making an attractive offer to the one person you believe best matches the specifications of your open position's job description. The whole procedure is more than time-consuming; it can be stressful as well.None of the demands of finding and hiring the best candidate are more complex than those of the interviewing process. Besides spending a significant portion of your time listening to what your final candidates have to say, you must - without violating any of the employment discrimination laws in place - evaluate each applicant's ability to successfully perform the job.You have a responsibility to your company and to all prospective employees to avoid any semblance of discrimination or impropriety in your hiring processes. You must keep your interview questions related to specific job activities; in fact, it's probably a bad idea to ask any question that doesn't deal directly with a specific job's requirements.If you feel any question on your list might lead to an applicant's perception of discrimination, eliminate that question from the discussion. You can't possibly read the minds of job seekers now or in the future, especially when the ones who ultimately weren't offered the job might try to convince themselves that the rea

The role of marketing in business may surprise you. Many books and seminars on marketing begin on how to develop the Marketing Plan. I believe this to be a mistake.

You shouldn't begin thinking how you are going to market something until you first determine if you have something to market. You also need to have the ability to develop and service your product; will it work the way you say it will work; are there no adverse legal ramifications? Finally, can you sell of offer it for a profit?

Finding your Niche Market

To begin, you need to find a product that people need. Think back in your life. Was there any problem that you felt was not resolved completely? Was a solution presented to you that could have been more complete? Still no ideas?

Then seriously contemplate and record the following:

1. What kind of things are you interested in? Tennis, Books, Music.....
2. Do these interest border on Passion? Football, Writing, Collecting.....
3. Where is your Knowledge base? Is there any subject or topic that you know a lot about?
4. Are you the person people come to for answers - asking your advice or opinion?

Answer the above questions. Consider each point carefully; don't be afraid to consult with friends, family and colleagues. And be completely honest. When you pursue a business that you are passionate about, something you really like to do, your chances of success in business increases dramatically.

Finding the Hurt

The product or service you wish to develop should be related to something you are interested in. By promoting your interests, it will feel less like work, and more like fun. After all, wouldn't you rather "work" at what is fun?

Many people make the mistake of developing a product first, then trying to find a market. That is backwards. You must first find the demand, and then fill it. This will guarantee the success of your product, as people are already looking for what you are about to develop. By filling this need, you can actively focus your energies on marketing to the audiences that will provide the highest sales profit.

I. Finding the Right Markets:

Examine your list. You now must research and find markets that relate to your list of interests. Brainstorm a list of general, potential markets for each of your interests. Do not be concerned if your markets seem too broad or general. Utilize friends, family and the Internet – searching keywords related to your interests.

II. Research the Competition:

Now that you have your list of specific markets, it's time to examine the competition -both online and off. Research businesses that cater to the specific markets on your list.

For Example: Artists might be segmented into oil painters, watercolor artists, sculptors, advertising. Examine how existing businesses cater to these markets. What approach do they take to the ceramic artist? Are they offering fr*e advice, selling it, providing products?

Finally, take a look at how well these businesses are marketing themselves to the market segment. How organized and professional looking are their sites?

Two great tools to compare companies is Alexa and Marketleap. Alexa is comparatively accurate, and can give you details for a site including:

• Traffic Ranking
• Related Links
• Link Saturation
• Contact Information
• Site, User Reviews

While most of the information is accurate, it can be abused. I have found several Reviews coming from competitors with less than flattering remarks. The comments were unfounded and only used to try and reduce the credibility of the actual site. I also found Contact Information slow to be updated. On the whole it is a great tool and worth utilizing.

Marketleap will help you compare sites showing Link Popularity, Search Engine Saturation and Keyword Verification.

Their Link popularity check is one of the best ways to quantifiably and independently measure a website's online awareness and overall visibility. Simply put, link popularity refers to the total number of links or "votes" that a search engine has found for that website.

Search Engine Saturation simply refers to the number of pages a given search engine has in its index for a website domain. Not all search engines report this information but enough of them do to create some meaningful benchmarks for search engine marketing campaigns.

The Keyword Verification Tool checks to see if a site is in the top three pages of a search engine result for a specific keyword.

III. Meet the Market Demand:

Now it's time to find the greatest need. There are several ways to research this:

1. Research Keywords

To narrow down your niche market utilize tools such as:

• WordTracker
• Overture Term Suggestion - gives a list of related searches and how many times those terms were searched in Overture during the previous month.

Search for terms that are frequently searched for by your target market - but are not being used effectively by your competition. This competitive analysis will expose untapped needs and help you avoid marketing to heavily saturated markets.

RULE: When competing in a saturated market, define and maintain a tightly focused niche market for your business.

If you find there are many web sites marketing a similar product and not enough people are actually buying to make your product idea profitable, it is better to find out before you launch your Marketing Campaign.

2. Newsgroups, Discussion Boards,Chat Rooms

Be still, and listen. People will TELL you what they like and don't like; what they're looking for. These forums are frequently visited by people seeking advice. By monitoring these discussions you will discover the "hurts" that need to be filled.

This is a great way to find potential products or service ideas. If the same question is repeated, there are probably hundreds and, perhaps, thousands of people wondering the same thing. Some good places to start:

• ThreadWatch
• Webmaster World
• CashKeywords
• Google Groups

A search in any of the major search engines will provide several good boards and chat rooms.

3. Customer Use

If you already have an established customer base, send out an email survey. 80% of your continual sales come from 20% of your client base. Statistics have shown that up to 36% of your current client base will purchase form you again if you have something similar to offer.

4. The Reviews Are In

These sites are used by people to either rave or complain. This makes it a gold-mine of information of how the public perceives the competition.

• Cunsumer Review
• Consumer Search
• Epinions

5. Competitive Analysis

What exactly is your competition offering? What solutions are they offering? Where are they vulnerable? To beat the competition, you need to understand the competition.

The purpose of Competitive Analysis is t to determine which business strengths are needed to be competitive in the market. You also need to determine how the competition will react to your strategies BEFORE you implement them.

Your competitors could be your greatest source of inspiration. Once you have chosen your area of interest - start a thorough market research.

To analyze the competition, gather information on:

1. Their Competitive Market Share
2. Their Current Strategies
3. Future Goals
4. Where they are vulnerable
5. What will provoke retaliation
6. copies of all their marketing materials

The more you find out, the better you'll be able to find a weakness, and then develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition. Make your product better, faster, easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Do whatever it takes to entice customers to buy your product or service over your competitions.

IV. Customer Analysis : : How Accurate Is Your Research?

At this point, determine if your research is accurate? Talk to members of the market and confirm it.

• How big of a problem is it for them?
• Is it a minor nuisance, or is it something they would pay to obtain a solution for?
• How much is that solution worth to them?

1. Validate your information; get on the phone, run surveys, chat in newsgroups. Do research to see if anyone else is currently offering a solution to this problem. If they are, what are they charging and how good is the serv

Pay Attention to Details
“The magic behind every outstanding performance is always found in the smallest of details.”If you long to accomplish great and noble tasks, you first must learn to approach every task as though it were great and noble. Even the biggest project depends on the success of the smallest components.Many people downplay small details, dismissing them as minutia—the “small stuff,” that we’re encouraged to ignore. But, in fact, our whole environment is simply an accumulation of tiny details.Although we measure our lives in years, we live them in days, hours, minutes and seconds. Every action—every detail of our lives--has bottom-line repercussions, and it’s dangerous and derogatory to think of any of those details as trivial, unimportant or inconsequential.Successful people, in many walks of life, understand the importance of detail:· Crime scene investigators know that it's often the smallest, most obscure detail that results in the arrest and prosecution of criminals.· Athletes and coaches are all too aware that one minor misjudgment can swing momentum to their competitor and result in a loss rather than a win.· Doctors and nurses understand that the slightest mistake or loss of focus can result in a tragic situation that carries massive liability.· Business people carefully oversee the details of their products and services, knowing that one simple slip up

success of your product, as people are already looking for what you are about to develop. By filling this need, you can actively focus your energies on marketing to the audiences that will provide the highest sales profit.

I. Finding the Right Markets:

Examine your list. You now must research and find markets that relate to your list of interests. Brainstorm a list of general, potential markets for each of your interests. Do not be concerned if your markets seem too broad or general. Utilize friends, family and the Internet – searching keywords related to your interests.

II. Research the Competition:

Now that you have your list of specific markets, it's time to examine the competition -both online and off. Research businesses that cater to the specific markets on your list.

For Example: Artists might be segmented into oil painters, watercolor artists, sculptors, advertising. Examine how existing businesses cater to these markets. What approach do they take to the ceramic artist? Are they offering fr*e advice, selling it, providing products?

Finally, take a look at how well these businesses are marketing themselves to the market segment. How organized and professional looking are their sites?

Two great tools to compare companies is Alexa and Marketleap. Alexa is comparatively accurate, and can give you details for a site including:

• Traffic Ranking
• Related Links
• Link Saturation
• Contact Information
• Site, User Reviews

While most of the information is accurate, it can be abused. I have found several Reviews coming from competitors with less than flattering remarks. The comments were unfounded and only used to try and reduce the credibility of the actual site. I also found Contact Information slow to be updated. On the whole it is a great tool and worth utilizing.

Marketleap will help you compare sites showing Link Popularity, Search Engine Saturation and Keyword Verification.

Their Link popularity check is one of the best ways to quantifiably and independently measure a website's online awareness and overall visibility. Simply put, link popularity refers to the total number of links or "votes" that a search engine has found for that website.

Search Engine Saturation simply refers to the number of pages a given search engine has in its index for a website domain. Not all search engines report this information but enough of them do to create some meaningful benchmarks for search engine marketing campaigns.

The Keyword Verification Tool checks to see if a site is in the top three pages of a search engine result for a specific keyword.

III. Meet the Market Demand:

Now it's time to find the greatest need. There are several ways to research this:

1. Research Keywords

To narrow down your niche market utilize tools such as:

• WordTracker
• Overture Term Suggestion - gives a list of related searches and how many times those terms were searched in Overture during the previous month.

Search for terms that are frequently searched for by your target market - but are not being used effectively by your competition. This competitive analysis will expose untapped needs and help you avoid marketing to heavily saturated markets.

RULE: When competing in a saturated market, define and maintain a tightly focused niche market for your business.

If you find there are many web sites marketing a similar product and not enough people are actually buying to make your product idea profitable, it is better to find out before you launch your Marketing Campaign.

2. Newsgroups, Discussion Boards,Chat Rooms

Be still, and listen. People will TELL you what they like and don't like; what they're looking for. These forums are frequently visited by people seeking advice. By monitoring these discussions you will discover the "hurts" that need to be filled.

This is a great way to find potential products or service ideas. If the same question is repeated, there are probably hundreds and, perhaps, thousands of people wondering the same thing. Some good places to start:

• ThreadWatch
• Webmaster World
• CashKeywords
• Google Groups

A search in any of the major search engines will provide several good boards and chat rooms.

3. Customer Use

If you already have an established customer base, send out an email survey. 80% of your continual sales come from 20% of your client base. Statistics have shown that up to 36% of your current client base will purchase form you again if you have something similar to offer.

4. The Reviews Are In

These sites are used by people to either rave or complain. This makes it a gold-mine of information of how the public perceives the competition.

• Cunsumer Review
• Consumer Search
• Epinions

5. Competitive Analysis

What exactly is your competition offering? What solutions are they offering? Where are they vulnerable? To beat the competition, you need to understand the competition.

The purpose of Competitive Analysis is t to determine which business strengths are needed to be competitive in the market. You also need to determine how the competition will react to your strategies BEFORE you implement them.

Your competitors could be your greatest source of inspiration. Once you have chosen your area of interest - start a thorough market research.

To analyze the competition, gather information on:

1. Their Competitive Market Share
2. Their Current Strategies
3. Future Goals
4. Where they are vulnerable
5. What will provoke retaliation
6. copies of all their marketing materials

The more you find out, the better you'll be able to find a weakness, and then develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition. Make your product better, faster, easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Do whatever it takes to entice customers to buy your product or service over your competitions.

IV. Customer Analysis : : How Accurate Is Your Research?

At this point, determine if your research is accurate? Talk to members of the market and confirm it.

• How big of a problem is it for them?
• Is it a minor nuisance, or is it something they would pay to obtain a solution for?
• How much is that solution worth to them?

1. Validate your information; get on the phone, run surveys, chat in newsgroups. Do research to see if anyone else is currently offering a solution to this problem. If they are, what are they charging and how good is the ser

Business Advertising
Advertising is an investment in your business and is similar to other investments that are designed to improve and expand your business. The return you receive depends on the planning and thought that precede the actual commitment and expenditure of advertising dollars. By first developing an effective advertising plan, you increase the likelihood of a positive return on your advertising investment, regardless of the amount of money you spend. Four Basic Questions The basic premise of an advertising plan requires you to thoroughly analyze the answers to key questions before you can make effective advertising decisions. There are four key questions to ask yourself: 1. What do I want my advertising to accomplish?2. Who should my advertising speak to?3. What should my advertising say?4. What advertising medium should I use? In a specific business situation, each question has any number of potential answers. As you think about each question, do not accept any answer until you have considered and explored the full range of possibilities. What Do I Want My Advertising To Accomplish? The first step in developing your advertising plan is to specify your advertising goals. Be as precise as you can as to why you are advertising and what you want to achieve.

e updated. On the whole it is a great tool and worth utilizing.

Marketleap will help you compare sites showing Link Popularity, Search Engine Saturation and Keyword Verification.

Their Link popularity check is one of the best ways to quantifiably and independently measure a website's online awareness and overall visibility. Simply put, link popularity refers to the total number of links or "votes" that a search engine has found for that website.

Search Engine Saturation simply refers to the number of pages a given search engine has in its index for a website domain. Not all search engines report this information but enough of them do to create some meaningful benchmarks for search engine marketing campaigns.

The Keyword Verification Tool checks to see if a site is in the top three pages of a search engine result for a specific keyword.

III. Meet the Market Demand:

Now it's time to find the greatest need. There are several ways to research this:

1. Research Keywords

To narrow down your niche market utilize tools such as:

• WordTracker
• Overture Term Suggestion - gives a list of related searches and how many times those terms were searched in Overture during the previous month.

Search for terms that are frequently searched for by your target market - but are not being used effectively by your competition. This competitive analysis will expose untapped needs and help you avoid marketing to heavily saturated markets.

RULE: When competing in a saturated market, define and maintain a tightly focused niche market for your business.

If you find there are many web sites marketing a similar product and not enough people are actually buying to make your product idea profitable, it is better to find out before you launch your Marketing Campaign.

2. Newsgroups, Discussion Boards,Chat Rooms

Be still, and listen. People will TELL you what they like and don't like; what they're looking for. These forums are frequently visited by people seeking advice. By monitoring these discussions you will discover the "hurts" that need to be filled.

This is a great way to find potential products or service ideas. If the same question is repeated, there are probably hundreds and, perhaps, thousands of people wondering the same thing. Some good places to start:

• ThreadWatch
• Webmaster World
• CashKeywords
• Google Groups

A search in any of the major search engines will provide several good boards and chat rooms.

3. Customer Use

If you already have an established customer base, send out an email survey. 80% of your continual sales come from 20% of your client base. Statistics have shown that up to 36% of your current client base will purchase form you again if you have something similar to offer.

4. The Reviews Are In

These sites are used by people to either rave or complain. This makes it a gold-mine of information of how the public perceives the competition.

• Cunsumer Review
• Consumer Search
• Epinions

5. Competitive Analysis

What exactly is your competition offering? What solutions are they offering? Where are they vulnerable? To beat the competition, you need to understand the competition.

The purpose of Competitive Analysis is t to determine which business strengths are needed to be competitive in the market. You also need to determine how the competition will react to your strategies BEFORE you implement them.

Your competitors could be your greatest source of inspiration. Once you have chosen your area of interest - start a thorough market research.

To analyze the competition, gather information on:

1. Their Competitive Market Share
2. Their Current Strategies
3. Future Goals
4. Where they are vulnerable
5. What will provoke retaliation
6. copies of all their marketing materials

The more you find out, the better you'll be able to find a weakness, and then develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition. Make your product better, faster, easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Do whatever it takes to entice customers to buy your product or service over your competitions.

IV. Customer Analysis : : How Accurate Is Your Research?

At this point, determine if your research is accurate? Talk to members of the market and confirm it.

• How big of a problem is it for them?
• Is it a minor nuisance, or is it something they would pay to obtain a solution for?
• How much is that solution worth to them?

1. Validate your information; get on the phone, run surveys, chat in newsgroups. Do research to see if anyone else is currently offering a solution to this problem. If they are, what are they charging and how good is the ser

Need Interviews? A Sample Letter for Following-Up Your Resume Submission
A sample letter to use as a guide when preparing your follow up letters can assist your job search, save you time, and make you look very professional. Take a look at the following, and use it as a guide when preparing your own follow up letters.SAMPLE FOLLOW UP LETTERDate Decision Maker, Position Company Address City State, Zip codeDear (use name),I wanted to touch base with you concerning my recent application with your company. Knowing you are busy I’ve enclosed another copy of my resume for your review.My interests and work experience are in the areas of sales and sales management. Having worked with Xyz company for the past seven years as a sales representative, I have strong experience and believe I could be a strong asset to your organization.I would appreciate the opportunity to visit with you in person, and will call next week to check on your availability.Thank you for your time.Sincerely,John DoeResume enclosedUse this sample as a template, and change the relevant portions of it to fit your own skills, experience and interests. Customize it, and send it out a week or ten days after you send out every resume, to each company that you’ve applied to. Following up is a skill that many people fail to learn, and it can make all the difference in getting an interview. Experiment with it, put sente

ng>

If you find there are many web sites marketing a similar product and not enough people are actually buying to make your product idea profitable, it is better to find out before you launch your Marketing Campaign.

2. Newsgroups, Discussion Boards,Chat Rooms

Be still, and listen. People will TELL you what they like and don't like; what they're looking for. These forums are frequently visited by people seeking advice. By monitoring these discussions you will discover the "hurts" that need to be filled.

This is a great way to find potential products or service ideas. If the same question is repeated, there are probably hundreds and, perhaps, thousands of people wondering the same thing. Some good places to start:

• ThreadWatch
• Webmaster World
• CashKeywords
• Google Groups

A search in any of the major search engines will provide several good boards and chat rooms.

3. Customer Use

If you already have an established customer base, send out an email survey. 80% of your continual sales come from 20% of your client base. Statistics have shown that up to 36% of your current client base will purchase form you again if you have something similar to offer.

4. The Reviews Are In

These sites are used by people to either rave or complain. This makes it a gold-mine of information of how the public perceives the competition.

• Cunsumer Review
• Consumer Search
• Epinions

5. Competitive Analysis

What exactly is your competition offering? What solutions are they offering? Where are they vulnerable? To beat the competition, you need to understand the competition.

The purpose of Competitive Analysis is t to determine which business strengths are needed to be competitive in the market. You also need to determine how the competition will react to your strategies BEFORE you implement them.

Your competitors could be your greatest source of inspiration. Once you have chosen your area of interest - start a thorough market research.

To analyze the competition, gather information on:

1. Their Competitive Market Share
2. Their Current Strategies
3. Future Goals
4. Where they are vulnerable
5. What will provoke retaliation
6. copies of all their marketing materials

The more you find out, the better you'll be able to find a weakness, and then develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition. Make your product better, faster, easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Do whatever it takes to entice customers to buy your product or service over your competitions.

IV. Customer Analysis : : How Accurate Is Your Research?

At this point, determine if your research is accurate? Talk to members of the market and confirm it.

• How big of a problem is it for them?
• Is it a minor nuisance, or is it something they would pay to obtain a solution for?
• How much is that solution worth to them?

1. Validate your information; get on the phone, run surveys, chat in newsgroups. Do research to see if anyone else is currently offering a solution to this problem. If they are, what are they charging and how good is the ser

Hiring the Right Graphic Designer for Your Small Business
Every small business needs it, but not many have it. I am not talking about cash flow, clients or even your product or services to sell. Yes, all of these things are absolutely necessary. But, what I am talking about is something most small business owners overlook. It is the need to hire an expert graphic designer.In a highly competitive marketplace, hiring an expert graphic designer can mean the difference in whether your product or service stands out and gets noticed or in having it lost in the fanfare generated by your business rivals.Now, more than ever, hiring an expert to create your marketing and communication materials (also called collateral materials) is one of the most vital ingredients in the success of your small business.Hiring the right graphic designer -- a true expert -- is a bit more involved than just randomly choosing someone from the Yellow Pages or hiring your third cousin because he is creative and owns a new computer.If you are not careful, you may find yourself hiring the wrong person for the wrong reasons, which may cause more harm than good to your small business.This is a big deal. After all, this person will be creating the look and identity of your small business seen by all of your prospects and customers. It is essential that you don't just hire anyone.Here are five things you need to do in hiring the RI

ong>Consumer Search

Epinions

5. Competitive Analysis

What exactly is your competition offering? What solutions are they offering? Where are they vulnerable? To beat the competition, you need to understand the competition.

The purpose of Competitive Analysis is t to determine which business strengths are needed to be competitive in the market. You also need to determine how the competition will react to your strategies BEFORE you implement them.

Your competitors could be your greatest source of inspiration. Once you have chosen your area of interest - start a thorough market research.

To analyze the competition, gather information on:

1. Their Competitive Market Share
2. Their Current Strategies
3. Future Goals
4. Where they are vulnerable
5. What will provoke retaliation
6. copies of all their marketing materials

The more you find out, the better you'll be able to find a weakness, and then develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition. Make your product better, faster, easier, safer, and more cost-effective. Do whatever it takes to entice customers to buy your product or service over your competitions.

IV. Customer Analysis : : How Accurate Is Your Research?

At this point, determine if your research is accurate? Talk to members of the market and confirm it.

• How big of a problem is it for them?
• Is it a minor nuisance, or is it something they would pay to obtain a solution for?
• How much is that solution worth to them?

1. Validate your information; get on the phone, run surveys, chat in newsgroups. Do research to see if anyone else is currently offering a solution to this problem. If they are, what are they charging and how good is the service?

2. Customer Interest: Find out if customers are interested in the product or service. It may be that there is already enough products in that niche, but it lacks in services to help use the products.

3. Determine the general price range. Can you offer a price advantage? Determine the price-sensitivity of your future, potential customers. If the competition is constantly cutting costs to gain new customers, this is a warning flag.

4. What gender is your potential market? What is their income level? What level of education do they have? Their geographic location? These are important factors in order to determine how lucrative your market will be, as well as how to best approach and advertise.

5. Most importantly, What motivates the market to buy? Do they react to a price drop? When you understand your audiences’ motivation, you'll be able to appeal to what motivates them to buy.

Conclusion:

Remember to find the problem before you try to develop a solution. It is much more lucrative to find out what your potential market is searching for and then filling that need.

• Choose a niche market from your interests
• Research keywords to find what the market is already searching for
• Research existing niches and improve on existing products
• Survey current customers for potential products

Your business success hinges directly on choosing a product that the public already wants and then providing it.