My car dealer hosts an annual summer symphony concert in a park-like setting.

Typically, this happens around the 4th of July, so the theme is patriotic, and you can bring a picnic, refreshments, and sit at a nicely trimmed table in comfort.

When you arrive in the parking lot, you see about a dozen cars displayed tastefully.

Typically, there will be a Rolls-Royce, a Jaguar, an Audi, and a Mercedes, representing just some of the nameplates this dealership offers.

Over the course of nine years I’ve leased two cars from them, and I’ve had another three serviced at their garages. So, all of this business earned me “VIP” status.

But the last few years, mysteriously, I’ve been left off the concert list.

Last summer, I was forced to phone, at the last minute, to find out where my invitation was, and this year, busy with other things, the event slipped my mind until, by sheer coincidence, I just happened to be relaxing at the annual venue when a security guy informed me that the dealership’s concert was scheduled to begin, imminently.

I was asked to leave.

Imagine how surprised I was to walk toward the parking lot and to spot the typical array of shiny cars on display.

Seeing the concertgoers arrive, some of whom were festively dressed, anticipating a nice evening under the stars, I was starkly aware of the fact that I had been left off the list, again, for whatever reason.

I didn’t know exactly how to feel about it.

Of course, being in customer service training, and being an internationally known sales speaker, my first thought was, “Gosh they’re stupid!”

If a customer is used to receiving a perk, year after year, attending a nice event, it becomes part of his routine, and like a family outing, it’s something he counts on. If it doesn’t happen, there’s a little hole in his soul where that lovely ritual used to be.

My next thought was to take this as a personal slight.

Somehow, I didn’t rate, anymore. I went from a VIP to a VUP; a Very Unimportant Person, someone who could be dismissed without notice or even a word of explanation or apology.

And of course, my third thought calculated how much money their foolishness was going to cost them, as I resolved to take my business elsewhere.

In terms of gross profit, I would peg it at $50,000, and perhaps it’s a lot more.

My hunch is I’m not the only one who didn’t make the cut, who was more than a little peeved. Were there 50 or 100 others like me?

You can estimate the potential dollar losses for yourself.

Compounding the mystery is the fact that there is ample space at this venue for more tables, and there is nothing to preclude the dealership from adding them, or even several rows of folding chairs.

So this seems to be oddly irrational behavior, until you remind yourself that after all, this is a car dealership to the bone, and though I try to eschew stereotypes, beneath its carefully orchestrated aura of civility is an uncouth reality that the nicest evening of music can’t dispel.

More and more people are starting home businesses. As these businesses develop, their owners quickly realize that they need to have a presence on the internet. Internet marketing is one of the best ways to make money while working at home. It gives you the ability to reach a variety of customers, whether they are next door or halfway around the world. Internet marketing is the key to success in your home business. However, many people have no idea how to get started with making money online. While the task can seem daunting, it can be simplified with a few key steps.

First of all, you need a website. Make sure that your website is attractively laid out and easy to use. If you have experience with web design, then you may be able to create your own website. However, there are also many options if you prefer to have your website created professionally. The important thing with internet marketing is accessibility. Be sure that your website makes sense to the people who are accessing it. Products should be easy to find and the purchasing process should be as hassle-free as possible.

Once you have your website, it is important that you promote your website in order to increase traffic for your business. Even the greatest home business idea in the world can fail if it is not successfully marketed. If no one knows about your product or service, then they will not be able to purchase it and your time working at home may be very short lived. Website promotion can be done in a variety of ways, and it is best to use more than one method. You can use advertising on other websites and you can also use keywords and meta tags to submit your website to search engines. This increases the likelihood that it will come up in an internet search. Whatever you do, make sure that you take the time to promote your website.

Marketing your home business online is a fairly new idea, but it is taking off quickly and building momentum. Don’t be left behind because of your failure to set up a website. If you are not comfortable with doing it on your own, then take advantage of the many companies out there who specialize in website creation and promotion. Make sure that people know about your home business. This is the first step to making your dream to work at home a success

Tansy Heathfield former catalogue editor now offering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home Free subscription to Internet home business tips and website marketing secrets newsletter.
http://www.Home-Biz-Workz.com

Touring the country with my sales seminars and customer service training programs, I came across a gentleman from Kentucky who spoke unusually slowly.

He was my program sponsor, so I was particularly interested in cultivating his good will, yet I found the temptation to try to speed him up nearly irresistible.

I would almost automatically machine gun back “uh-huh” and “right” and “okay” and other words of feedback to encourage him to pick up the pace.

When I did this, he slowed down, even more!

Finally, I gave up, or rather gave in, to his pattern.

I forced myself to relax, to allow him to mosey along at whatever pace was comfortable for him.

And from that moment on, we got along like the best of pals.

Too often, as salespeople, we’re rushing for no good reason. Instead of calibrating our tempo to our prospects, we push them without knowing it, merely through our speed of vocal delivery.

And, as you know, most prospects are wary of “fast-talkers,” concerned that we’re trying to slip something by them.

So, inadvertently, we create barriers to communication, needless hurdles, because unconsciously we’ve allocated only so much time to speak to every prospect.

By slowing down, we can avoid this problem, while creating the kind of atmosphere in which customers can relax, and many of them welcome the opportunity, and reward us for doing so with their business.

So, slow down.

And your order taking will probably speed up!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations from Santa Monica to South Africa. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

Most professions now have; Know your customer laws, but are these laws adversely affecting customer service? Are your customer laws causing professionals to ask too many questions of the customer that the customer wishes to keep private? You see, due to all the spyware, identity theft and privacy issues in the news, we see so many people afraid of strangers and such. This means that they are scared to give away personal information to anyone, even the professionals such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, bankers, stock brokers, etc.

But why are they afraid in the first place? Well, because the government agencies have scared the American People about identity theft. What is very ironic is that indeed, the government gives away the most information of any organization or corporation due to all the forms you have to fill out, becoming public record. Corporations and professionals have a vested interest in keeping your data safe, because they do not wish their competitors to have it.

Why do so many professionals ask for the information, which seems irrelevant and too personal to give them? Well, because of government sanctioned; Know your customer laws. And I am here to tell you it is causing problems in the market place and hurting the very professionals who are there to help. Help with what?

Well many times they are there to help people work thru the maze of regulations and bureaucracy created by the government, who also has scared people into fearing identity theft, of which government is the biggest purveyors of your personal information. See the problem yet? I bring this up because something must be done about it.

For some business owners, the definition of an Internet marketing strategy is merely having a website.

While that may have worked ten years ago, trying to compete with 8 billion other web pages today will simply be ineffective. Without defining your key strategies, your site will have no power to bring in any leads, and ultimately no additional revenue.

Creating a strong Internet marketing strategy can be accomplished by working on four tasks.

1. Defining your target market. Just like in your traditional marketing, your online marketing clientele must be identified.

Start with your current clientele. Every business has one type of client that serves them best. Think about that person, and take a few minutes to define their likes and interests. How are you reaching them in your traditional marketing?

2. Discovering where they exist online.

Once you have a clear definition of who your target is, realize that those same people exist all around the world. What works for you in your local environment will transfer easily into the online world.

Look around for similar resources online.

If you target new moms, and use a local parenting magazine to generate leads, look into the online parenting sites. Many of them have online classified sections, or will allow you to place banner ads in their newsletters or on the site itself.

If you’re a local service provider, and have a client base within 30 miles of your office, concentrate on finding resources that are targeting people in your local area. Many of today’s search and research tools will help you discover resources that apply to geographical locations.

3. Writing website copy to reach out to them.

People typically write copy for their website in the same manner as a brochure. Yet a website is so much more.

Your website is your sales team. It’s standing in for you 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week. What you say to your prospects in person should be conveyed into your website.

Your website copy is what motivates your visitors to want to take the next step. Whether your next step is to sign up for a free report, or purchase a product or service, your goal is to lead your visitor by the hand, and make them want to move to the next step.

The better you can direct your visitors, the more successful your site will be.

4. Working with your website weekly.

The most important step to every Internet marketing strategy is to work on it again and again. If you use direct mailings in your business, do you mail just once and hope for the best? You wouldn’t be in business very long if you marketed in that fashion.

Your website is a very similar marketing tool. If you create it once and leave it sit, you’ll never reach a successful level. But if you work with it weekly, you’ll see some amazing things happen quickly.

Websites are meant to have new pages added; new content created; and become resources for other businesses and consumers. And the only way to do this is to have a plan that you stick with every week. Whether its adding a new section, or linking to other sites, working your site just a few hours a week can have tremendous results over the life of your business.

Copyright 2006 Vision Business Concepts Inc

Lori Osterberg helps business owners build a successful Internet marketing strategy. She consults with owners to show them how to develop a strong Internet presence, and provides many services such as paid search, search optimization, and online copywriting services for websites, press releases, articles and other online marketing tools. Receive her FREE ezine at http://www.VisionOfSuccess.com and http://www.GetKnownMarketing.com