Archive for the “Marketing” Category
The Illuminati / Freemason Signature
 11/11/11 11:11
Eleven Eleven on Eleven Eleven Eleven
11 minutes past 11am on 11 Nov 2011
11/11/11 11:11
Interesting word: ELEVEN.
What does it mean to you?
Well, I have had a curiosity as to what the world will do with this gregorian calendar oddity.
It’s amazing how the world thinks… and wastes time (our most valuable resource).
Humans can make stuff up out of nothing and make it significant by their belief systems (eg religion) and others (maybe like me) seek substantive or scientific explanation.
Others just make it FUN!
My curiosity got the better of me. Here’s a sample of what I found…
Blink and you’ll miss it!
Friday sees once-in-a-lifetime moment as time and date read 11.11.11 11.11.11
Only occurs on one day every 100 years.
There are some on the outer fringes of the internet who say it heralds the end of the world; but for others, it looks like the perfect day for a wedding
At 11.11.11 on 11.11.11, the time and date will be a perfect same-numbered palindrome, reading the same backwards as forwards, an event which can only happen on one day every 100 years.
And even the most hardened sceptic will surely pause for a moment to reflect on the unique occurrence, which will not come around again in the lifetime of most of us.
Among other things, 11.11.11 will be:
- Armistice Day, celebrated around the world.
- A day of spiritual significance for those who believe the number 11 has a mystical power.
- A very special day to get married or have a birthday (especially if it’s your 11th).
- Perhaps even the end of the world, according to some ‘prophecy’ web forums.
The reason the date is so unusual is that 11.11.11 is the only double-figure palindromic date, since there is no 22nd month.
And the last time it happened, on November 11 1911, an almost supernatural event saw temperatures drop by more than 60F in a single day.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2059313/11-11-11-11-11-11-Fridays-lifetime-moment.html#ixzz1dLwR9Vus
 Apophenia
Apophenia (see Wikipedia) is the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data.
APOPHENIA: THE NATURAL HUMAN URGE TO FIND PATTERNS
The reason we ascribe significance to 11.11.11 is apophenia – the urge to find patterns in seemingly random data.
It is this that explains why we see clouds forming certain shapes, and why we often hear of people finding ‘faces’ in things like potato crisps.
Apophenia is also important in the psychology of gamblers. It can either encourage those on a winning streak to believe that it will continue, or convince losing gamblers that their luck must inevitably change.
While it can be a symptom of mental illness if taken to an extreme – as depicted in the film A Beautiful Mind – apophenia is instinctive to all humans as a way of drawing conclusions about the world.
This phenomenon helps us, for example, to recognise abstract drawings as representing human figures, and to remember phone numbers which seem to follow a pattern.
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theorists are famously prone to identify a (perhaps coincidental) pattern, and conclude that it must have great significance, although in real life important, life-changing, and even catastrophic things can occur simply out of random chance.
11-11-11: the Movie
Friday 11/11/11 sees the release of apocalyptic film 11-11-11, which predicts the opening of a Hellmouth.
The film by Darren Bousman, director of several entries in the Saw franchise, features a man whose family dies in a car crash at 11.11am, and who then begins to be haunted by the number 11.
It plays on beliefs long held by some spiritualists, who say that the number has a special significance and claim that many people have a mystical attraction to the time 11.11.
23 Enigma (similar)
The 23 enigma refers to the belief that most incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23, some modification of the number 23, or a number related to the number 23.
There was even a movie (The Number 23) about it with Jim Carrey.
11 Eleven Project
Do you see the number 11 everywhere? Well, you’re not the only one. Millions of people have a special connection to the number 11 and now they’re able to unite. If you see 11 or 11:11 why not “press record” and share it with the world. The main event takes place on 11/11/11 so stay up to date with everything on Facebook. There’s even an iPhone App to participate.
Numerology
111, 1111 – This sign is used to indicate that your thoughts are related to the start of a new cycle in your life. What you are thinking about doing or changing is correct for the new phase of your life.
Religion & Spirituality
There’s a raft of these… Can YOU feel the shift?
Amazing what people can make up when they are seeking THE reason.
11.11.11 Opening Of The Portal Of The Divine
On 11.11.11, the portal will open and the first wave of these divine energies will flow to every man, woman, and child reminding all of our true nature. We are eternal spiritual beings born of Source Energy. When we connect to our truth and see beyond our personality self, we discover the magnificence of our being and the inner love, beauty, innocence and worth that is contained within each of us. Can you feel the shift? Watch the video on YouTube
Armistice (Rememberance) Day
November 11 is best known in Australia and UK as Armistice Day, or Veterans Day in the USA.
Comet E.L.E ELENIN
11 11 11 Decoded Planet X Nibiru The Awakening 2012 Alien Invasion (whoa!)
Watch on YouTube if you dare…
Awakening The Pyramid of Giza
11-11-11 Synchonicity & Meaningful Coincidence. For many years now a growing number of people have been experiencing the so called 11-11 phenomenon. This is the experience of becoming acutely aware of seeing the number 11, but especially when it appears somewhere twice. It is fair to say that this can also be in forms like 1111, 111.1, 11 11, 11:11 rather than only in one fixed format. Read More
The Illuminati / Freemason Signature
Whether or not you choose to accept the information in this article, at least understand this. Your life is regulated and controlled by mathematics. Both in a physical world as well as spiritual. There are 7 days in a week, 12 months to a year, 365 days to a year, 60 minutes in a hour and 24 hours to a day. Your work schedule is regulated by the numbers. The cosmos is even controlled by the numbers. God gave us 10 commandants. One of those commandments is to observe the 7th day of rest. There are many references to Gods numerology in the bible as well as Satan’s. Even the mark of the beast will be 666.
what the… ? Read more
Want to learn more?
Spend a day on Google. Simply enter ELEVEN (whooooo!) and keep reading… probably forever!
11 11 Phenomenon and 11/11/11 |
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to Steve Jobs…
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify and vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as crazy, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
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 “Steve Jobs” is synonymous with “innovation.” So it’s no wonder Fortune named Jobs CEO of the Decade. From company culture and customer service to products and marketing, Jobs does, indeed, think differently.
This new eBook by Carmine Gallo, columnist for BusinessWeek.com, explores the 7 guiding principles of Steve Jobs’ success and how you can use them to emerge from the recession stronger, more inspired and more innovative than ever.
Download the eBook to learn:
- Why mastering your message is what stands between you and success
- What it means to sell dreams, not products
- How to de-clutter the user experience with a simple two-letter word
- And more…
Download the eBook
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Merriam-Webster defines a myth as “a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.”
It’s been said all myths are based in fact. Whether or not that’s true is debatable. What isn’t debatable, however, is like society, Internet Marketing also has its myths. This article exposes what I consider to be the 10 biggest Internet Marketing myths.
1. You Don’t Need Any Money to Do Business on the Internet
You wouldn’t expect to advertise on TV, radio, in newspapers, magazines, or any other media for free would you? Yet, for some strange reason, people think they can just come online and not spend any money, and advertise their business for free. To me, that shows an utter lack of respect for the single most important communication medium since television.
And while it’s true, there are plenty of free advertising opportunities available on the Internet, the fact remains, you still need money to effectively do business online.
2. Anyone Can Succeed at Internet Marketing
One of my favorite TV shows is Forensic Files. I am absolutely fascinated at how scientists are able to solve crimes with DNA evidence, animal hairs and insect larvae. It’s nothing short of amazing. But I could never be a forensic scientist. I simply don’t have the mental aptitude for it. Forensic scientists have to excel at math and chemistry and science, and quite frankly, those are the subjects I’m weakest at.
The same can be said about Internet Marketing. Despite how easy the slick sales letters and e-books make IM sound, not everyone has the mental aptitude for marketing. And while that may be a hard pill to swallow for many of you reading this, it’s also a fact. Not everyone has what it takes mentally to succeed at Internet Marketing. That’s why people hire marketing consultants like me. (Sorry, I’m not accepting any new clients).
3. You Can Get Rich Quick on the Internet
We’ve all heard the sensationalistic stories about individuals who came online and made a lot money very quickly. Well, sensationalism notwithstanding, those individuals are the exceptions rather than the rule. The fact of the matter is, far more people fail at Internet Marketing than succeed.
Contrary to popular belief, the Internet is not some kind of magic bullet. Besides, it’s not the medium that makes people successful, it’s the individuals themselves. And the people who succeed at the highest level online or offline are generally talented, hard working, organized, focused and determined.
4. People Don’t Read Long Copy on the Internet
If people don’t read long copy on the Internet, who in the heck is reading all those e-books out there in the marketplace? While this myth was disproven years ago, like birtherism, it still persists in the face of overwhelming and irrefutable evidence to the contrary. So, I’m going to attempt to lay it to rest, once and for all.
Research has shown that long copy generally outperforms short copy – provided the copy is compelling, well-written and interesting. And in addition to reading e-books, people regularly read long newspaper and magazine articles online. Bottom line: People WILL read long copy IF the subject matter is interesting to them.
5. All Traffic is Good Traffic
This myth is about as nonsensical as the tooth fairy. Here are the facts: If your traffic is originating from traffic exchanges or guaranteed traffic programs, it’s garbage traffic, plain and simple. And as the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out!”
If you are advertising on websites, or in publications that have zero relevance to your site, you are pretty much spinning your wheels. And if you’re exchanging links with websites that have absolutely nothing in common with your site, your efforts are going to be futile because that traffic is not going to convert. All traffic is not created equal. Quality and relevance matters!
6. E-mail Marketing is Dead
With the advent of mega-popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, alarmists have all but declared e-mail marketing dead and buried. Well, I don’t believe in erroneous declarations. I believe in facts. And here are the facts according to Nielsen…
U.S. consumers are spending more and more of their Internet time on their mobile devices. In fact, e-mail activity on mobile devices increased from 37.4% to 41.6% of U.S. mobile Internet time. And when you consider the fact smartphones now comprise 25% of a gigantic U.S. mobile phone market, there can only be one conclusion… E-mail marketing isn’t dead, its gone mobile!
7. Article Marketing Isn’t as Effective as It Used to Be
That is absolute nonsense! I’m personally experiencing more success with article marketing than I ever have. So too are many of my colleagues. And while it’s true, there are many more people involved in article marketing these days, it’s also true, there are many more bad or poorly written articles permeating the Internet. This has the unintended and beneficial consequence of making well-written, quality articles stand out in the crowd. And trust me, quality publishers do notice.
8. You Need to Be on the First Page of Google to Be Successful
Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, Google is far and away the most popular search engine on the planet. No sane person would dispute that. But Google only has ten spots available on the first page. So, not only is it unrealistic, it’s impossible for everyone to achieve first page status.
But even if it were possible for everyone to achieve first page status, you shouldn’t put all of your eggs in Google’s basket anyway. You’ve seen what can happen when Google has one of its many algorithm changes. First page today, not even indexed tomorrow. That’s why you should strive to have a multi-pronged marketing approach. Utilize a variety of methods to generate traffic.
For example, blogging, newsletters, social networking, article marketing, forum marketing, online and offline advertising, guest blogging, question and answer sites, etc. Diversify.
9. Saturated Niches are No Longer Profitable
This is only true if you don’t know what you’re doing. Let me ask you a question: Have you ever wondered why a particular niche is saturated? It’s because that’s where all the customers are. You see, contrary to popular belief, it really doesn’t matter how saturated or over-crowded a niche is if you’re a professional.
If you know what you’re doing, and execute your marketing strategy properly, there are plenty of customers to go around. You see, it’s how well you position yourself within a particular niche that will determine your success or failure. It’s all about differentiating yourself from your competitors. That’s Marketing 101.
You have to clearly explain to people what makes you different and/or better than your competitors. Then, you have to exploit those differences consistently. So, don’t run away from a crowded niche, embrace it. The Internet Marketing pie is plenty big enough for everybody.
10. If You Build It, They Will Come
Do you know what happens if you build a website and don’t tell anyone about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing will happen.
Unfortunately, far too many marketers think all they have to do is build a website and customers will somehow magically appear at their doorstep. Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way. Building a website is only the first step. You also have to advertise your website to the world – and not just with free advertising methods either. That will only take you so far. You also have to be willing to spend money on paid advertising.
So yes, if you build it, they will come. But only if they know about you!
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Sometimes the simplest teachings can change a life.
Change your words… Change your world.
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Source: Better Networker - Written by Angela Chavez on Apr 11, 2011 9:18 am
You know an opt-in list is critical for your network marketing success, but do you know how to go about building a page that will capture your visitor’s contact information? If you get this wrong, you may receive visitors to your opt-in page, but if they leave without giving you their contact information, you will lose the chance to gain their contact information.
I am going to let you in on how simple it is to build an effective lead generating webpage. There are five steps involved. Before we get started, I want you to understand that your opt-page is not about you or your business. It is for one thing only and that is to capture your visitor’s name and email address so that you can build a relationship of trust with your prospect.
The secret to building an opt-in page that will get the results you want, is to always keep in mind that your prospect will not sign up unless you are providing them with a reason to do so. Not any free gift will do, you will need to offer something that will provide a solution to a challenge your visitor is currently pondering.
Every potential prospect will want to know what’s in it for them when they sign up for your free offer.
The five steps I am about to reveal to you is a proven formula. Don’t skip any of these steps and don’t add any unnecessary information. This is the formula used by the pros, and if you follow these steps you will quickly build a list of prospects who will be begging you to contact them.
1. The Headline
The headline is the most critical part of your opt-in page. Your visitor will quickly scan your headline before reading the rest of your page. If your headling does not grab your potential prospect’s attention, then you will not gain their contact information. It is often helpful to ask a simple question above the headline that is related to your product and the solution you are providing your visitor. Do not rush through this step.
2. The Main Text
Once you have your attention getting headline in place, the next step is to develop the main text of your opt-in page. This is not a sales page, so be sure to keep the information short and concise. You will be summarizing what your prospect will gain once they hand over to you their contact information. The main content only needs to be a small paragraph or two and will give some of the benefits your prospect will receive once they sign up. Leave out factual information and focus instead on appealing to your visitor’s emotions. What challenges are they facing and how will signing up for your free offer help them solve their problems?
3. The Form
You will need an autoresponder account such as Aweber or GetResponse. Your autoresponder account will provide you with an opt-in form you can use to capture your visitor’s name and email address. Your autoresponder account will also provide you with instructions on how to set up the form on your web page. This is easier to do that it sounds, in most cases you will be simply using a copy and paste method.
4. Call To Action
Once you have your headline, body content and form in place, the next step will be to create a strong call to action. You need to let your visitor know what you want them to do. An example of a call to action would be, “Claim Your Free Report Now”. Avoid having the words “subscribe”, “join” or “submit”, these words are not as effective. You want to give your prospect a sense of urgency such as ” Only 30 left, hurry to secure your copy”.
5. Privacy Statement
An important step not to skip is the privacy statement. You need to assure your potential subscriber that you will not abuse their personal information. This will build credibility. A simple statement such as” I hate SPAM as much as you do and will never sell,, rent or give away your contact information.”
There you have it, five steps for developing a lead generating opt-in page for your network marketing home business. Follow these instructions and you will have your own list of MLM prospects in not time.
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Source: Nett Magazine | Luke Telford
SEO is a race without a finish line. The reason for this is that the search engines are always trying to find ways of making the quality of their search better for users.
This means that many of the SEO tactics used 5 years ago no longer hold any relevance for your content – yet, some SEO professionals continue to pedal them, and charge you for the work. It’s important you’re aware of what’s useful and what isn’t when it comes to results; some of these tricks are simply a waste of time, but others could result in severe penalties from search engines.
Duplicating content
You might be tempted to use a piece of content that ranks well – or an excerpt from it – more than once on your site in order to boost your search results. It’s important not to do this. If you need to restate a point, then make sure you paraphrase, as search engines can tell if you’re duplicating information, and will penalise you for it.
Cloaking
This refers to the practice of presenting search engines with a version of the site that’s different to what the user sees. “Search engines index pages based on their content,” explains Tim Barnett, managing partner of 2Binteractive, “but trying to display a lot of good content on a web site can often detract from the aesthetic value of a site, and sometimes the actual content you want to display is different to the keywords you want to target.”
Cloaking is a relatively old trick, but is still used by some disreputable SEO professionals to boost search rankings. There are a number of ways it can be done – presenting the search engine’s IP address with a completely different site, or displaying different pages depending on the users/search engine’s web browser ¬– but the principle with each is basically the same.
One easily detectable cloaking method is the use of hidden text: ie positioning keyword-rich text in white against the white background of a page, so that it can be read by a search engine, but not by the user. Cloaking must be avoided at all costs; it is gravely looked down upon by search engines, and can result in your site being ‘black listed’ , and removed from results entirely.
Keyword stuffing
It’s possible to have too many keywords. Search engine algorithms are constantly being developed to be better at figuring out how relevant a piece of content is. Search now looks beyond keywords to figure this out. So, if you fill all your content with as many keywords as you can manage, you not only risk making it less readable and alienating your visitors, you’ll probably also be penalised in the search rankings.
“Using appropriate keywords in content is good, but stuffing with keywords looks manipulative and provides a poor user experience,” says Mark Baartse, consulting director of search firm First Rate. “Unfortunately a lot of people still recommend these techniques. If you hear people talking about ‘keyword density’ and ‘latent semantic indexing’, then run away! Good quality content with a natural use of keywords is recommended.”
Gateway pages
This is when a web designer sets up brief, keyword-rich redirect pages in between a link and its destination. “They are often orphan pages (i.e. have no other links to them from within the site navigation etc),’ says Barnett, ‘and are simply used to get people to a website.”
“There was a big case a number of years ago when BMW was given some poor SEO advice and had set up a doorway page to their site – it was subsequently banned by Google if nothing else, I think BMW was simply used by Google as a high profile case to say to people “yes we are serious about banning sites who do the wrong thing.”’
While search engine algorithms themselves might not account for these pages in search, if your site were to be reviewed by an actual person from a search company, you’d face penalties as severe as those BMW had to deal with.
Hiding links
A key part of gaining momentum in search is the number of links associated with your site – both to and from it. As with keywords, there are only so many links that you can have on your site before it begins to interfere with how effectively it engages with visitors.
“Google hates nothing more than link dishonesty,” says James Richardson of Optimising, “and hiding of links in any way will always result in a significant ranking penalty.”
The practice of hiding links is similar to the practice of cloaking text. The links are still on the page, but may have been reduced to a miniscule size or coloured to blend in with the background. Search engine algorithms will pick up on this as a manipulative practice, and will penalise sites that use it.
For specific guidelines on Google search (and a reasonable yardstick for search practices with other engines) have a look at the search company’s webmaster guidelines.
Find out where your website stands in the search engines by ordering a free Search Engine Ranking Report. Stop guessing and start planning.
Image credit: Thinkstock
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Source: Luke Telford | Nett Magazine
 Web design is easy to get wrong. If you want your website to capture the attention of visitors, it’s best to take a couple of steps back and gain some perspective on what it’s purpose actually is. It can be very easy to get caught up in the details. Here are some points to consider.
1. Looks are important
You may not like to judge a book by it’s cover, but online, appearance is the most important thing after search placement. If your site doesn’t look right on first impression, visitors won’t stick around long enough to find out if what you’re offering is relevant to their search term. The very fact that Google has recently introduced Instant Preview – a function to allow searchers to vet websites according to a thumbnail of their homepage – is proof of this.
2. Design is about more than just looks
Design doesn’t just refer to the way your homepage looks. It helps to think of your website as a structure, like a building: it’s design is like the architectural blueprints and floor plans of a house. In the same way you need to consider which way the door to each room opens, you need to make sure that each page on your site links to the others in a logical way. This is easier to stay on top of if you remember that less is more with web design. Start with the basics and work your way up.
3. Don’t be too flash
Flash may look great, but it’s not very practical. When people visit your site, they want to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily; lavish animation just presents another barrier. Richard Graham from My Sydney Detour discovered this the hard way. He went through countless web designers, all of whom tried to make his business’s website look and feel as interactive as possible, at the cost of simple navigation. After taking some sound advice, Graham stripped the gimmick right down to a simple theme, and straightforward navigation. Have a look: it’s clean, simple and effective.
4. Avoid clutter
Don’t have too much on your homepage. Having a cluttered page is going to scare your buyer away. A busy page is like a messy room: uninviting. If there is space for your homepage to breathe, it’s more likely that your visitors will stay for the 3-5 seconds it takes for them to figure out if your business is relevant to them or not. More like this, less like this.
5. Above the fold
As with email newsletters, the most important part of your entire website isn’t just your homepage – it’s the part of it that visitors see as soon as they arrive. The ‘fold’ is the cut-off point for their very first look at your homepage, before they start scrolling down and exploring. It’s vital that the information that appears above the fold shows them that they’ve come to the right place. This site is a perfect example.
There’s no such thing as ‘good enough’ in web design. Want to know how to improve your site? Get a free website review from mySmartwebsite
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Posted by: Glenn Bolton in Internet, Online, Social Media, tags: Advertising, Articles, Blog, community, Content, Email, monitor, Online, SEO, Shop, Social Media, submit
Source: Nettuts+
This article aims to show you how to attract users and make them hungry for more. Who is this post for? Anyone with a website. Not all of the items listed below will apply directly to you and your business; however, they are, at the very least, an excellent source for inspiration.
1. Write Fresh and Catchy Content
If you have good content, people will always come back for more. One of the most important things about content is to keep it fresh and up-to-date. But, just like Smashing Magazine, make sure to archive your content for people to refer back to.
2. Listen to Your Community
If you are already lucky enough to have a community—even just some regular users—listen to them. You can do this by emailing your users directly, setting up comment forms, live chat, or even user feedback systems such as UserVoice, which allow users to vote on site issues and functionality. By listening to your community, you can determine exactly what they want.
3. Monitor How Your Site is Used
Knowing how users use your site is vital. This allows you to target their needs better. The best way is to keep a close eye on your analytics data; check what country/area your users are coming from, what search terms are working well for you and what sites are giving you the best referrals.
Find out how users navigate your site via heat maps. These help you alter your site so that it is easier for your visitors to use and find what they want. This keeps your users happy and more likely to return.
Read the rest of the article at Nettuts+
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Please don’t ask for freebies!
I found this great comment from DrDamnit on Experts-Exchange. Seemed applicable to me and what I do (and have done).
——————————————————————
It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul.
We love the accolades. We love to be seen as the digital white knight fixed the server, the computer, the email, and anything else that life depends on.
We love it so much, we sometimes make horrible decisions. Sometimes, we work “FOR FREE.”
We’ve all done it. A friend, a neighbor, a relative, a good client, a bad client, a pretty girl… Whoever it was, and for whatever reason, we all threw them a technological bone and fixed something for free. In rare instances, it can be a rewarding experience. Perhaps your buddy gave you a beer. Maybe someone said thank you. Maybe there was a smile on their face, and that was rewarding enough.
More likely, however, that five minute task you thought you were signing up for turned into 40 minutes, then an hour, then a commitment. Wow. You didn’t see that coming.
There are 5 reasons you should ALWAYS hand out a bill.
1 – You Break it You Bought it.
When you sit down to fix a problem that presented as a simple one you are creating a contract. Not a legal contract, but a social one. The computer owner is trusting their computer with you. It’s their baby, and you’re the doctor. So you sit down, and begin to fix a problem.
In the process, something else breaks. You fixed one thing, but something else goes awry. What’s the best part? Neither you nor the user notice it is broken until a day later when they call you to blame you for breaking something else.
“I thought you were going to fix it.” They complain.
This is the primary reason you charge money to fix something. You break it, you bought it. The user / owner will expect you to warranty your service even though THEY received all the value of your time, and you received nothing in exchange.
2 – People don’t respect things that are free.
I learned that quote from a man who runs a non-profit organization. Image that. A man who solicits donations for a living candidly told me “people don’t respect things that are free.” You know what? He’s right.
Free advice. Free upgrade. Free entry. None are valued. Free advice is seldom wanted. Free upgrade was something you were going to get anyway. Free entry? The band playing tonight must not be any good.
People associate the value of service with the amount of money that is exchanged for it. How else do you think that lawyer can get away with charging $400 an hour? People naturally make the assumption that if it costs an arm and a leg, then it must be worth it.
So, if customers and friends will assume that the most expensive car is the best one, what will they assume of the free car? Do you want the heart surgeon who charges $500,000 per surgery or the one who works for beer to operate on your mother?
3 – They will expect it forever.
In law, the concept of a precedent is vitally important. Judges and lawyers look to previous cases to decide what the interpretation of the law was because if a case was settled one way before, chances are, it will be settled that way again.
Gamblers playing craps look at the past behavior of the dice to, mistakenly, assume that the good luck will continue.
Users will figure if you fixed it once for free, you’ll do it forever for free. There is no reason why they should respect the thousands of hours you have spent learning and researching the art of computer science. There is no reason that they should respect the certifications you hold. There is no reason that they should honor your abilities by paying your fees. Why? Because you did it for free. Once!
When they come back and you try to get fees, they will meet you with resistance in the form of guilt. “I thought we were friends” they cry. “You didn’t charge me anything last time.” They argue.
Setup the expectation that they are going to pay (or barter) from the onset. Demand the respect that you deserve. Make sure they understand you are a professional. After all, that is the difference between a professional and an amateur. Professionals get compensated for their skills.
4 – The demands will only grow with time.
Give them an inch, and they will take you through three operating system upgrades, two virus infections, and a crashed hard drive. Once you’ve set the precedent and created the expectation that you are their knight in shining armor, they will begin to call you for everything. They will suck up your time and resources. They will not be grateful. They will involve you in 30 minute hypothetical conversations then disagree with your expertise.
5 – It Weakens Your Backbone
Working for free is not only unprofitable, it weakens your constitution as a professional consultant. For many consultants, asking for money is difficult. They email out a silent invoice after the fact and hope they get paid. This practice can lead to unbalanced books, debt, and a going out of business sign. The simple fact is: if you don’t ask for your money, you’re not going to get paid. No one just hands out checks.
Setting up the expectation, especially when you fix a computer for the first time for a client, is vitally important in establishing boundaries that ensure you are paid in a timely fashion. Working for free, throwing out freebies, “comp”-ing your time hurts your ability to ask for the sale. It hurts your credibility because the client will assume that if you’re not charging them for a given task, you didn’t know what you were doing or you made mistakes.
It may give you butterflies, but ask for the money. Do it openly and notoriously. Your clients will take it as a sign of confidence.
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