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Play Marketing – Advertising that Respects People

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The Big Power of Small Favors, Rob Duncan Networking Secrets.

Rob Ducan picture

Rob Duncan

Rob Duncan is Keynote speaker, author and consultant in the areas of team building, leadership development and marketing intelligence. He is the authors of two great books : Haul Away!: Teambuilding Lessons from a Voyage Around Cape Horn and Competitive Intelligence: Fast, Cheap & Ethical. Currently Rob is Director of Applied Research Liaison Office at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and CEO at Great Capes Consulting Vancouver, Canada.

When Rob is not sailing 12,000 ocean miles rounding Cape Horn and crossing the Atlantic on a square-rigger, he is passionate by innovation, and beyond innovation the critical issue of innovation commercialization. He dedicates tremendous energy at British Columbia Institute of Technology to helping entrepreneurs and faculty inventors get new products to market through the effective use of marketing intelligence and planning.

British Columbia Institute of Technology

British Columbia Institute of Technology

Recently, Rob has made available several presentations to helping less skilled networkers to leverage the power of professional networking websites to grow their social capital, and boost their marketing.

We highlight here Rob Duncan’s secrets for a successful networking on Linkedin, or any other professional networking website :

The Power of Small Favors
Help 50 people with:

  • Answers
  • Recommendations
  • Expert suggestions
  • Leads
  • Introductions
  • When you need help, 50 people will be there for you
  • Give generously; the “getting” flows indirectly from your investment in others

TIPs:

  • Answer questions frequently and generously; think of yourself last
  • Put a Web link in your answers (draw people to your Website, books, or blog)
  • Earn expertise rewards & build reputation
  • Visit Q&A daily and answer as many questions as you can, insinuating your web address where possible
  • Update your status strategically (“Rob is looking for entrepreneurs to assist”)
  • Connect 2 people who can help each other
  • Be generous with your contacts
  • Give more than you get

Rob is a great guy, one that is both inspirational and encouraging. His participation on a project always raised the bar. As a prolific networker Rob is always kind enough to share his knowledge and expertise to show others how to use forums to build networks and grow business. you can reach Rob at this email address : greatcapes [@] gmail.com.

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New Video: How Linkcrafter works? Watch it.

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Why are Leads Groups are so Hot Right Now?

Ask-Seth GodinThere has been a recent surge in the popularity of leads groups as viable business opportunities. As more and more people flock to the new movement, outsiders have begun to wonder why leads groups are so hot right now. We’re prepared to bring you the answer in today’s blog.

The major advantage of choosing leads groups as a way to expand your business is that they are a highly focused, results-driven method of marketing and promotion. Many people are dissatisfied with the current state of professional memberships and organizations, especially when those memberships aren’t brining in any new business. In leads groups, individuals are highly motivated and are able to track their results more accurately.

Joining or starting a leads group is an organic way to connect with like-minded individuals who can help you. The free flow of information can be exhilarating for those who haven’t experienced it before. New leads can breathe a surge of life into a dusty ad campaign and pump up the volume on a lazy promo team.

The world of business has always been fueled by a unique type of entrepreneurial spirit. When powerful people get together, powerful results are bound to occur. The good vibes are contagious as members feed off one another’s energy. There’s nothing like getting those first few great referrals, and the effect is addictive. Leads are vital to the success of any business, so why not get back in the game today?

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

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Free Leads Groups: Join or Start one Today.

2-01-opportunity-reportersLeads groups have enormous potential in our current economic climate. They give you the opportunity to make real connections with other professionals and see identifiable results almost immediately. All of this begs the question: why not start your own leads group today?

The reason most people don’t start their own leads group is because they’re afraid. Others tell them that their idea will never work and that they will fall flat on their face. But the truth is that many people have done it and taken their business to a whole new level.

The advantage of starting your own leads group is that you get to be the decision-maker. By leading the group yourself (rather than passing the role around), you’ll form a solid foundation for your members. This sense of stability is what is lacking in many groups today, which means that you have the chance to build a working model that will be successful for years to come.

Starting your own group is totally free, so it’s relatively low-risk. You can hand pick all the members to ensure that they will be reliable associates with high-quality referrals. You can also manage the sub-niches in your category to ensure that there is no competition between members.

Anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit can excel at starting a leads group. Take your future into your own hands and start your own group today!

The renaissance of leads groups means that business people spend no money on advertising and less time in networking, yet grow their sales, visibility, and brand awareness. It’s the wave of the future.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

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The Renaissance of Professional Networking

Yahoo answers for Business

Cooperative Network

First there was traditional professional networking. Then came the internet with all of its bells and whistles. After that, the business world entered an entirely new era that integrated each of these elements seamlessly, resulting in a bastion of professional advancement that we like to call the renaissance of professional networking.

Old networking organizations don’t cut it anymore, because they can’t accurately keep up with the fast-paced nature of the Internet. This is where online leads groups come in. While leads groups have always been immensely successful in building mutually beneficial relationships, combining them with social media has taken them to a whole new level. People are finally getting excited about referrals again!

The vast power of social media connects people from all over the globe and delivers real-time results. Members and managers don’t even have to leave the comfort of their own home or office to take part in rewarding professional relationships. It’s easier than ever to keep in contact with leads and ensure that groups stay focused and motivated.

It has yet to be seen what potential online leads groups truly have in the renaissance of professional networking. All we know is that the smartest business people are getting in on the ground floor of leads groups and even starting ones of their own. There’s no limit to what they can do for those willing to participate! It’s the wave of the future, and we can’t wait to see where it goes.

The renaissance of leads groups means that business people spend no money on advertising and less time in networking, yet grow their sales, visibility, and brand awareness. It’s the wave of the future.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

Linkcrafter-Ad-On-LC-Blog

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How to Manage your Leads and Reach your Goals.

Attract Customers

Attract Customers

Once you begin your journey in the world of leads groups, you’ll need to put some specific strategies in place to manage the leads as they come. Without any type of organization, things can get out of control quickly and you can lose as many leads as you bring in. Here are some tips to avoid this problem:

• Work on differentiating leads. Decide on your definition of an active lead and know when to drop a lead if it isn’t producing results.

• Keep careful records. You need to know exactly where your referrals are coming from so that you know what’s working and what isn’t. This will also help you in the wider field of business contacts in general.

• Respond to leads quickly. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to get a hold of someone who just isn’t responsive. Don’t be that person to your leads! If you don’t get back to them within a reasonable time frame – say, two days – then you’ve let the worm off the hook.

• Approach each lead as a sale. In a way, you’re doing the same thing with a lead as you are with a customer: selling them on your business. So treat them like you would any client and be ready to answer their questions if need be.

Once you have your leads up and running, the key to taking them to the next level is to keep detailed records. Examining your return on investment for each lead is the way to generate more business in the future with the best results possible.

The renaissance of leads groups means that business people spend no money on advertising and less time in networking, yet grow their sales, visibility, and brand awareness. It’s the wave of the future.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

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How The economic downturn gave a Big boost to Leads Groups

Leads Groups Network Referral ClubJohn is a management and marketing consultant in New York. For years he was a top networker on LinkedIn.com. Being that LinkedIn was THE professional networking site, John thought that he was doing pretty well by having over 4,000 working business relationships. He met a lot of interesting people and did what he could to drive sales.

Then, on November 11, 2009, John’s friend Susan invited him to come along with her to a leads group gathering. Susan owned a large cleaning company in New York City and had insisted John check out the world of leads groups, which she claimed had changed her business approach forever. As soon as John arrived and caught a glimpse of the members passing around leads and sharing insider information, he was shocked. He couldn’t believe he had been missing out so many opportunities all this time.

Susan explained to John that the economic downturn had completely changed the way that people approach networking. Most realized they needed to “cut the fat” out of their business models, which meant doing away with pricey ad campaigns and meaningless memberships in professional organizations.

Most of us can no longer afford to waste our precious time and resources on tactics that just don’t work. The recent popularity of leads groups is the natural result of other organizations’ inability to provide members with results. These are trying times, but they also tend to bring out the most effective and efficient business strategies. And now that John knows where the money is at, he’s going straight for it.

The renaissance of leads groups means that business people spend no money on advertising and less time in networking, yet grow their sales, visibility, and brand awareness. It’s the wave of the future.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe, managing more than 30.000 leads groups in the US and around the world.

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What is a Leads Group or a Referral Network?

Leads Groups and Referral networks are marketing initiatives taken by local small business owners with the purpose to share sales leads, business opportunities and provide support to each other with testimonials, cross-selling, joint-bid, insider information and knowledge sharing.

2-02-opp-for-johnSometime leads groups are referred to as Leads clubs, Trusted Networks, Leads sharing Groups, Leads exchange Groups. Chamber of commerce mixers could be referred to as leads groups too.

Traditional leads groups and referral networks are made of 10 to 30 businesses owners or representatives.

Each member of a leads group act as an Opportunity Reporters™ for other members. Wherever they hear about a business opportunity, they immediately report it their leads groups members to consider.

Well managed leads groups meet regularly (minimum 2 times a month) to review the group’s performance in passing qualified leads, strengthen peer to peer  relationship, and furthermore give opportunity to each member to present his business in front of the group. As members learn more about each other  business, they will gain trust and be more eager to give referrals.

Leads groups and referral networks are very powerful tool to receive free qualified leads and business opportunities from 2-03-opp-for-suzanpeers. Additionally, members  share marketing and sales ideas as well as professional advice with fellow participants

2 kinds of leads are shared in a leads group or Referral network:

  • Direct Leads or referrals -”A friend is looking for a SEO company”, or “I need a new car”
  • Transferred leads or Referrals – “I’ve heard AcMe is looking for a new supplier of office equipment. Call John for more information” or “Ive found this need posted on craiglist.com”

Let see how a graphic designer, James Dean, acts as an Opportunity Reporters ™ for his leads group:

James Dean is a graphic designer in Los Angeles. He loves his job and clients. He knows deep down that when a client comes to him for a graphic work it’s because the client has a much bigger project. James knows well how difficult is it to find good services providers. So, He is always trying to help, asking his clients about their needs for services other than what he could provide directly to them. He asks about their business purposes and challenges. In this way, he collects precious information and send his customers to a network of trusted providers.

James send his customers who need website search engine optimization to SEO experts, his customers who need content edition to copywriters, etc.

The system works the same way for the Seo experts who send his customers to copywriters, copywriters who send their clients to graphic designer and so on.

The world of leads groups is changing fast. Most interactions are taking place online through social media. Old fashioned leads groups are losing ground, and more and more members are quietly questioning the benefit of annual membership fees and the value for time and money of the monthly meetings.

Members of old-style leads groups are joining online leads groups in droves.  The main reason is that they have the opportunity to obtain more sales leads and business opportunities with less effort, less expense, and less time wasted in social networking that has no immediate impact on their business.

Linkcrafter sits on the nose of this revolution. In less than 3 months, Linkcrafter became the #1 leads groups and referral networks utility in the USA and in Europe.

Linkcrafter is the first company to offer such a wide range of services without requiring additional advertising or social networking efforts. It is currently hailed as the fastest, easiest, and most reliable system for getting noticed and attracting more clients.

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Questions & Answers Marketing Conversion rate 114% higher than Normal Advertising.

Ask-Seth GodinLinkcrafter is marketing company that helps small business owners who are struggling to attract clients but don’t have money to invest in advertising nor have time to spend in networking.

Our solutions work for marketing professionals, sales people, home-based businesses, small business owners, Freelancers, services providers, etc.

Some months ago we have started something new for our customers. We build a system like Yahoo Answers for business purpose: to capture business opportunities by answering consumers questions.

It’s a small widget our customers put on their websites or blogs that encourage their visitors and customers to send them their burning questions, needs or requests, even if they are not related to their business. They promise to provide them in a short period, if not minutes, free professionals answers, ALL for Free.

When we have started, we were not sure how things will work out. Some people doubted the foundation of the promise to put a widget on a website that promise to help anyone with answers, even if their questions or requests are not related to your business.

After several months of test now, we can say this is a really powerful marketing solution. It’s working remarkably well because the vast majority of questions involve purchase decision or service need.

For Linkcrafter company, Since we have put the Answers widget on this blog, we are collecting daily 10 to 25 requests from our visitors, readers and customers. Up to 78% of requests collected through this widget are directly related to our business. 15% are opportunities that we route to partners. We receive a small percentage of crappy requests and questions.

For the community as a whole, 36% of opportunities are collected through members Answers widgets, 13% through direct opportunity report by members, and the other 51% come from solution-feed.com ( a public Answers portal focused on before purchase questions from consumers) .

Abe’s of Maine has used Q&A marketing strategy to boost  revenue and loyalty.  Here is Sarah Mishan, Director Marketing of Abe’s of Maine testimonial:

“When we first started, we didn’t really expect it to take off the way it did,” Mishan says.

Within the first seven months, the team approved more than 5,200 questions to their site, 97% of which were answered. The team has seen a significant decline in customer service inquiries since the effort launched in March.

The notification email messages were strong performers:

- Answer emails average about a 70% CTR.

“For every 100 questions that I answer [for which I] have email addresses, I get 70 people back to my site. And that’s 70 customers that I would have otherwise not gotten.”

- 7.5% of questioners who receive an emailed answer made a purchase.

This is compared to the team’s email newsletter campaigns, which see about a 25% open rate and a 3.5% conversion rate.

Also, the team calculates an average cost-per-acquisition of customers through the answer notification emails at $23.81. That’s better than the team’s approximately $40 CPA and 2.5% to 2% conversion rate on shopping engines, although shopping engines deliver more volume”.

How to start?

Create your account on Linkcrafter.com, and pick your Answers Widget. It’s a unique link, badge or form you can use in your email signature, Newsletter, on Twitter, Facebook, or on your blog, website, etc.

Some professionals receive 150 requests a month, some other up to 800.

It’s in this way that hundreds of small are actually market their business without wasting money on expensive advertising or wasting time on countless networking websites, clubs or events.

The main benefit for small business owners is the shift from chasing customers to customers coming to you, because consumers  first come to you with their questions and needs.

In the present economic conditions, Linkcrafter is a Good solution.

Start today, follow this link: Linkcrafter.com

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Reach Directly Customers without spending money on Advertising

You may be a small business owner struggling with your marketing, trying to get noticed and attract clients but don’t have money to invest in advertising nor have time to spend in countless networking websites, clubs and events.

We understand you. Maybe we could help you.

Linkcrafter is a web based marketing solution that helps small business owners who are struggling to attract clients but don’t have money to invest in advertising nor have time to spend in countless networking websites, clubs and events.

Our solutions work for home-based businesses, small business owners, Freelancers, management consultants, services professionals, sales people, etc.

It’s a system like Yahoo Answers but for business purpose: to capture business opportunities by answering consumers questions. And it’s works. It becomes very quickly an incredible leads generating machine for our members because the vast majority of questions involve purchase decision or service need.

Look Google, advertisers would pay a lot of money to appear next to relevant questions. With Linkcrafter each experts and professional act as a mini-google: You receive questions relevant to your business area and expertise, you answer and put your ad in or next to the answers.

How to start?

Create your account on Linkcrafter.com, and pick your Answers Widget. It’s a unique link, badge or form you can use in your email signature, Newsletter, on Twitter, Facebook, or on your blog, website, etc.

Here are some samples you could select from:

Linkcrafter Answers Widgets

Linkcrafter Answers Widgets

Some professionals receive 150 requests a month, some other up to 800.

It’s in this way that hundreds of small are actually market their business without wasting money on expensive advertising or wasting time on countless networking websites, clubs or events

In the present economic conditions, Linkcrafter is a good solution.

Start today, follow this link to learn more : Linkcrafter.com