Closed On Saturdays: 5 Ways You Can Give Value Where Others Won't

By: Glen Stowers

In the internet web marketing industry, value rules supreme. Here is some online marketing information you need to know.

Saturday morning started out with the usual routine of the kids getting up before sunlight comes through our windows. We had eaten breakfast and I was working in the kitchen, when it happened. I started to load the dishwasher. I usually have to run the water for two minutes before the hot water reaches the kitchen. Two minutes, three, four, five minutes and it was still icy cold. Hmmmm…I thought about our water, which is heated with propane gas. Had the propane run out? I turned one of our gas stove knobs on high. Even on high, it only gave me a few weak flames. A fact-finding trip to our propane tank outside brought my husband back with grim news. Still needing showers and being the start of a weekend, we had a little crisis on our hands.

Now, 9 o’clock in the morning on Saturday is early for some; and for others it’s not. We started doing an internet search for propane businesses and decided that it wouldn’t be too early to make calls. Even though it was a three-day weekend, we hoped to find a business open until at least noon.

Nobody was picking up the phone, so we left messages. I began to strategize a very fast, and very cold shower. I didn't like thinking about how the cold February night had chilled the water.

A broader online search brought new results. My husband was making call after call, but still had no success in finding service on a Saturday. I altered my search a bit and came up with a listing of propane companies that I had not seen on the internet. Call after call left me feeling more hopeless. Down to the last company, I saw they had no website and no address, so I considered not calling. The first two rings left me resigned to a cold shower. Then...

A man greeted me with a welcome "Hello."

I asked, "Are you open today?"

"Yes, I am. What's the delivery address?"

I was so glad to hear those words. I gave my husband the thumbs up with a big smile.

The company was on the other side of the city and it would cost an extra fee for weekend delivery. I convinced the man that the fee would be just fine. Today, I would have paid twice that fee.

I couldn't stop thinking of how nice that shower would be after all. Our propane crisis was resolved and we were back to our routine in just a few hours.

To ensure we have propane, we are going to do two things: call before we run out and call the same company back. We are now ever-faithful customers to someone that charged us an extra fee for coming to our house. His Saturday service set him apart from the competition.

In what ways do you provide service? What is the value you give?

Think about the value you get from others. Why do you continue to use their services? We are on the e-mail list of a realtor who sends out newsletters with frugal living tips. His list will remember him when they want to buy real estate because of this unique way of providing service.

During a bad economy, many people start small businesses and home businesses. Entrepreneurs who provide great value will be more likely to succeed. Those who give value will get loyal customers in return.

It took us a while to recognize what value we had in our home business to give to others. With so little experience, we felt we had little to give. Our own home business hadn't even been doing so well. What could we offer that would set us apart? But with experience, along with a hefty dose of good education and research, we know a bit more about what we can do to help others.

Here are Five tips on how you can provide value:

1. Conduct Online research to find out what people are looking for. If you are selling vacation packages, find out what people want to have on their vacations or what their complaints are about vacations they’ve taken previously. Fulfill their needs to gain their loyalty.
2. Consider your own talents. Where are your strengths? What are you good at? You might have to ask someone who is around your a lot. It is often very insightful to know what others think our strengths are.
3. Research the Internet to see where others are already filling niches. Come up with original ideas on how to provide value in a niche that is not already heavily filled. It'll be better for you to minimize the competition by filling a sparsely poplulated niche.
4. Establish a website that fits your chosen niche. Having someone else design the site for you should cost a few hundred dollars at most. Try www.elance.com. You can also purchase easily customizable Wordpress themes at wordpress.org. Online tutorials to help you with the wordpress themed website are easy to find.
5. Come up with some simple, original content for your site. Have fun and be yourself with your webcopy (the content on your site). However, make sure that you are also giving value to others. Your blog or website is there to help others with information or products that they are seeking. Be “customer-oriented” and try to create each post with an end goal in mind of helping someone else.

I've joined many other people's lists. My favorite is one who really stands out for originality, but he always give great value. One thing he does is tell his list that they can succeed, and that they are of great worth as individuals. He writes a lot of very fun stuff to read. I always open his e-mails. He has a certain persona that makes him unique and he has found a niche that not many people are marketing. He also is not afraid to tell his prospects what he thinks and take a stand, even if it polarizes him.

Remember that taking a stand does not mean that one should be sarcastic or rude, but taking a stand means that you are courageous as you market yourself and provide value. This world can be very politically correct and as hard as it is to take a stand, it is refreshing and many people will admire you for it.

You have exactly what some people need, and are waiting for. Get out there and shine.

Glen Stowers is extremely talented at giving value where others won't. If you would like to have an automated, personalized marketing system like Glen uses to provide maximum value to thousands of clients on autopilot, learn his secret to Internet web marketing success.

Article Source: http://www.marketingarticlelibrary.com

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