Use the Social Networking Website to Connect with Current Customers and Attract New Ones
By  E. Andre Wijnveldt, MBA

Location. Location. Location. We’ve all heard that phrase when it comes to selecting real estate. It’s probably the reason you have the business location that you do. It also applies to advertising and marketing. If you are not promoting yourbusiness in the right location, you’re not likely to get the attention you’re looking for. With the popularity of Facebook and a user base of over 500 million, it’s easy to see why companies large and small are using the social networking website to stay in contact with their current customers, and to attract new ones.

Below are 10 steps you can take to maximize the marketing of your business on Facebook.

1 .Start Two Profiles – a “Fan” Page and a Facebook Profile
      Why two, what’s the difference? A fan page lets Facebook users “Like” your page and receive newsfeed updates when you post comments or new photos. A fan page is designed for companies or organizations. The goal is to have as many users in your target customer segment “like” your page and follow your posts. The drawback is that this page cannot be used to “friend” Facebook users; this is where the Facebook Profile comes into play. A Facebook Profile is for people. You can use this profile to “friend” users and comment on their newsfeeds and pictures. You’ll want to use the Profile to make new friends, and recommend that they like your fan page. If you have a website for your business, use the full address for the “fan” page name (CornerCafe.com) and the main name for the Profile (CornerCafe). To start off, use your personal Facebook profile to recommend your business’s fan page to all of your “friends,” and ask them to do the same.
 
2. Change Privacy Settings
      Privacy is a big concern for many people who use Facebook. While there is plenty of personal information that you don’t want to share, your business is something you want everyone to know about. So first make sure that you don’t have anything on your business profile or fan page that you wouldn’t want everyone having access to. It’s best to stick with the basic contact info and website address that you want people to use to contact you or find the physical address. Then change the privacy settings to allow everyone access to that information. You’ll also want your business information to show up on search engines, so make sure the outside search feature is selected. For step by step guides, do a search for how to be invisible on Facebook and do the opposite.
 
3. Learn To “Like” Yourself, and Others
      Make sure that you “Like” any page that has information about your business or industry. If your business is listed on another website and you have the option to “Like” that page, do so. If you have a website for your vacation property, make sure to provide a Facebook link for the public to “Like.” You’ll want to do this with both your personal profile as well as your business profile and recommend these pages to all of your friends and fans. A lot of businesses use Facebook to promote themselves, so capitalize on their efforts. “Like” the Facebook pages of other businesses in the immediate area. This will expose you to the fans of that business.
 
4. Use the Newsfeed
      Now that you have Facebook users subscribed to your fan page and profile, you’ll want to use the newsfeed to promote your business a few times a week. If you’re having a sale, or a daily special, you’ll want to communicate to your fans consistently. Since your “Fan” page and business profile may not have the same followers, you’ll want to make sure every post is seen by as many people as possible. Post the news on your “Fan” page, then “share” the post with your business profile. This will place the post on the profile newsfeed without double posting for your friends who would receive both.

5. Get some Insight
      The Insights tool on the “Fan” page is invaluable. By tracking the impressions your posts are having, you can adjust your posts to appeal to different segments of your fans and friends. Another great feature is the demographics of your friends. You can see the differences in sex, age, and country, to name a few. All of these tools are useful in monitoring how effectively you peak the interest of your followers. You learn what is working, and more importantly what isn’t.
 

6. Add Photos
     Pictures are worth a thousand words — at least a few posts. Photos on Facebook are a great way for your friends and fans to feel even more connected to your business. Use photos that you have on your website. Take photos at local community events where your business is participating. Encourage customers to take pictures of themselves at your business, or enjoying your products elsewhere. I know of bars/restaurants that will have a staff member take photos of patrons and post them to Facebook. The patrons will then “tag” themselves in those photos. The “tag” feature is for identifying each person that appears in the photo. Since your business has a profile, make sure to identify it in your photos and in anyone else’s photos that it appears.
Photos can also be used as a medium for increasing the search-ability of your rental. Each photo that is posted allows the user to enter a description. Use that opportunity to include popular search-terms for the destination as well as key features that people use when searching for anything related to your business.
 

7. Join a Group
      Facebook allows users to create and join groups based on common interests. This is a great place to promote particular benefits of your business to a specific target segment. If you sell restaurant equipment and supplies to the public, join baking and cooking groups. Use your experience in a field to provide knowledge to these groups.

8. Use FourSquare
      FourSquare is an application that lets people notify their friends where they are, and what they are doing by “checking-in” every time they enter a business. Points are awarded for “checking-in,” and the person who frequents a business the most becomes the “Mayor” of that business. Your business gets promoted every time a customer checks-in, so reward the loyalty. Offer discounts to customers every time they “Check-In.” Offer a special weekly discount to the “Mayor” to create competition for the position. If you’re a mobile business, “Check-In” to local businesses using your business profile page.

 9. Speak Up
      When a Facebook user comments on another user’s post or photo, the posting user and any other person who commented get an email with the new update. All of the posting user’s friends will also see the comments made about the post in the newsfeed as well. Take advantage of this feature to promote your business to new people without directly soliciting them. So when a friend of your Facebook business profile makes a post or shares a photo, comment on it. This is especially important to do in the new Groups that you’ve joined, since members are not yet “Friends.”

10. Post Facebook Ads
          Facebook Ads are the advertising that you see on the side of the page when you are using the site. Facebook allows you to target your ads to specific marketing segments. This is great because the last thing you want is to spend money advertising to people who are not your ideal customers. You can target by Location, Age/Birthday, Likes & Interests, Education, and Connections. As you select the individual options for each search criterion, Facebook tells you the approximate number of users in order target segment.

    A few of these steps you’ll only have to perform once. Others require frequent attention. It may take more time than you’d like at first but once you develop a routine of comments and posts, you’ll be done in a few minutes. So go make some new friends, and be sure to keep in touch with your old ones. HBM

E. Andre Wijnveldt, MBA, is a free lance writer in areas of small business and vacation rentals and is currently promoting vacation rentals in Puerto Vallarta through VallartaVacation.Net.
 

V19-2 Add: 5/12 HP:

300+ million Microsoft Outlook users are looking for better and simpler ways to manage the daily flood. Caelo Software B.V., an “e-mail productivity” software company, has released NEO Pro 5.0 which revolutionizes email handling by organizing email into convenient virtual folders, such as by correspondent, attachment, date, bulk mail, etc.

    NEO Pro 5.0 is a fully redesigned User Interface that can provide users with more ease of access to their important emails quickly. Now for the first time, NEO Pro 5.0 includes a conversation view in the message list to keep track of email threads and an annotation feature for keeping notes on individual emails for future reference. Emails with notes are also indexed and available in a virtual folder for quick access!

    Users can continue to enjoy NEO Pro’s key innovations — automatic organization of emails using virtual folders combined with fast search functionality and time-management workflow principles. The software automatically organizes all email (incoming and outgoing) into logical and useful views. NEO users can have their email accessible and can enjoy greater control while managing them. For more information, visit: http://www.emailorganizer.com/products/index.php. HBM

V19-1 Add: 3/12 HP:
 

7 Tips to Stay in the Mind of Your Audience

By Patricia Fripp

"Speak to be remembered and repeated" is the advice given by speech-coaches
to their clients. Isn't that the goal of every executive, professional
speaker and sales professional -- to be remembered and repeated?

It's not about what you say, but how you say it.

Presidents have gifted speech writers to coin ringing phrases for the
history books. Your readers can be just as memorable in their field when
they think about what they want to say and why.

In her new article, Patricia Fripp prepares your readers for crafting a
speech or presentation that will stay in the minds of the audience. She
gives 7 tips for doing this:

1. Speak in short sentences or phrases.
2. Don't step on your punch word.
3. Perfect your pause.
4. Repeat your key ideas more than once.
5. Never read your speech.
6. Use stories. Help your listeners to "see" your words.
7. Say something memorable.

Patricia Fripp is a Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Trainer, and Keynote
Speaker. She works with companies large and small, and individuals from the
C-Suite.  She builds leaders, transforms sales teams and delights audiences.
This article is being offered to your publication for free, on a
non-exclusive basis. In exchange, we ask that you include the author's
resource box and send us two copies of the issue with the published article.
If you decide to use the article online or in an e-newsletter, please
hyperlink to the author's Web site and send us a link or PDF file.
V19-1 Add: 3/12 HP:  Car: 3/16/12

Use Search Engines to Help Build Your Home-Based Business

By Daniel Owen

Optimize your business for Search Engines!

    
    Consumers are going online more frequently to look for information about local businesses. To establish effective online presences, local businesses should take advantage of both local business listings (LBLs) and paid search.

LBLs

    Local business listing sections of the major search engines allow you to list your local business for free. Local business listings (LBLs) are available through Google Local Business Center, Yahoo Local and Local Listing Center on Bing. Another way to advertise your business online is to create listings on Internet yellow pages and other local search sites.

Paid Search

    Paid search is available on all major search engines through Google AdWords, Yahoo Sponsored Search and MSN adCenter. In paid search, local businesses can target potential customers by bidding on specific search keywords and choosing how much they're willing to pay for each ad click leading to a website visitor. HBM
    
Daniel Owen is vice president of LocalConnex, the local search division of New York City-based interactive advertising agency Direct Agents. Reach Daniel at daniel@directagents.com.   V17-6 Add: 3/12  Car: ?  HP: ?
 

It Is Not A Sales Plan
By Nathan Jamail

Social media is powerful, and there are many experts that have shown and believe that social media can really help a company become better known, or take the “word-of-mouth” to another level.

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are some of the great social media forums, but they alone will not increase a company’s sales. It is a nice added inexpensive media outlet (and highly encouraged!), but if social media is the primary source for a company to attract new customers or to sell their product and services, then they are sure to fail.

Social media should work in conjunction with a marketing and prospecting plan that is based on network marketing, cold calling, vertical marketing, and other key prospecting activities. Prospecting is still the most difficult part of any company’s sales process, but it is not complicated. Prospecting is 90% discipline and 10% skill set. Sales professionals should take the time to learn how to maximize their social media, but they should not rely on it to make their sales. In the old days, sales professionals were taught to follow their dollars. This means where a sales professional spends money, they should look there for future prospects as well, including friends and family — the “old” social network.  Just like then, as it is now, social networking is not the only way to grow business and should not be relied upon exclusively. HBM

Nathan Jamail, president of the Jamail Development Group and author of "The Sales Leaders Playbook," is a motivational speaker, entrepreneur and corporate coach. To book Nathan, visit www.NathanJamail.com or contact 972-377-0030.
 

By Paul Groth

Your business needs to define its target market. Without a defined group to target your marketing message to, all of the associated costs will be lost and your message will be sent out to a majority of people who are not interested. One of the worst steps you can take in business is attracting and accepting the wrong type of customers —“any customers.”

Attracting the “any customers” is often a quest by businesses to get the ball rolling in their businesses quickly, but also to build up great portfolios of work to show off to their potential customers (their real target markets), to show off that they have a long list of customers who like their work, and to generate instant income. To attract these customers meant that businesses’ pricing had to reflect what these customers were after, which were the best prices they could find in the local area. This quest might sound like a reasonable one, and to some – a good plan of attack to start out in business. But businesses should not fall for this quest. Here’s why…

- The products and services offered become more and more aligned with the low-priced “any customers,” and therefore not in line with businesses’ real target markets.

- The output or finished results of the businesses’ services are not of a high enough quality to be attractive to those higher-priced clients (their real target markets).

- Their pricing attracts customers who only want the cheapest, and those customers will always shop around and get it elsewhere if it’s cheaper.

- “Any customers” are always expecting businesses to do more work and produce more samples for no cost.

    When you want the higher-priced clients, you really need to seek them out one-by-one. Finding the clients calls for other, more time consuming methods.  Avoid  the mistake of attracting the “any customer” instead of going only for  your  real target market from day one. Define your target market, make sure it’s a good one that will bring you plenty of profits, and stick to it. Do not under any circumstances do any work for people outside of your target market with one exception — if you find a client that’s a step up from your target market, you might want to consider it, but beware that there could be some business killing problem that arises from taking on that work.

    If it’s confidence you lack in getting those higher-priced clients, do something about it there’s plenty of self help media available. As for fear of inferior products or services, more research will help you with that. Keep researching from multiple sources until you find the answers you seek, and take it from there. HBM

Paul Groth is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and author of M+M=M Motivation Plus Marketing Equals Money.
 

Launch Your Brand Online Without Losing Your Money or Your Mind

By Karen Saunders

A great idea can hit you anywhere. It can wake you at 2:00 a.m., so compelling that you jump out of bed, put on a pot of coffee, and begin outlining your business plan. Remember, though, in the heady rush of dreaming up the business, to build a launching pad for it. In other words, a presence on the Internet. Because in today’s buzzword search-engine climate, a web site is the most powerful marketing and sales tool available to any company, large or small, cottage industry or inspired solopreneur.  

You don’t need to be a cyber-genius to go online and get results. But unless you have a clear business objective and message, you could waste a lot of time and money without accomplishing much. Here are seven steps to guide you in developing your web site. Use this system as a clear roadmap, so you don’t find yourself wandering in circles.

Step 1: Strategize
Talk strategy with your web site designer. Clarify how your business goals and objectives translate to a web site. You can’t create an effective web site design if you don’t know what you want the web site to do for you.
 
Step 2: Define Your Target Market and Niche
What overall customer base do you serve? That’s your target market. Who are they? Any particular field or industry? What characteristics, interests, or needs do they have in common? Within that customer base, find a smaller group that’s a more specific fit for your product or service, and which may not be served by your competitors; or both — that’s your niche. If your target market is comprised of people in job search, for instance, your niche might be people in job search, over 50, who don’t just want to change jobs, they want to change careers.
    Why do you need to define your target market and niche? Because: (1) you can’t be all things to all people; (2) you and your customer base need to find one another; and (3) the more specific you get, the more your niche will feel you understand them and can serve their specific needs.

Step 3: Position Yourself
If you’ve done your homework, then you’ve researched the competition. Who are they? What sets you apart in terms of customer base, quality, service, and other aspects? What makes you unique? Look for gaps in the market that aren’t being served — those gaps will help you position yourself and define your niche. Plus, it’ll help you hone your offerings, making you the expert who is sought out for your know-how.

Step 4: Describe “What” and “How”
Whether you’re selling a product or a service, what you’re offering has to solve something or offer something for your customers. How it does is key to making them choose you. If you can’t describe the “what” element, your customers won’t know you have a product or service that might benefit them. If you can’t describe the “how” element, your customers won’t be clear that it is doable, usable, and of value. The “how” element also gives, in precise terms, the ways in which the product or service will provide the results customers want. It is a descriptive roadmap from Point A (their need or want) to Point B (the results or benefits).

Step 5: Brand Yourself
Let’s say you’ve already named your business. Now you need images, words, feelings, to make it distinctive. To make it a brand. Branding involves several elements:
·    Perception — How do you want your customers/clients to think about your business? How would your customers describe you and your business? What value do your products/services provide, and how do you want the world to perceive that value?
·    Logo — Clarify your message based upon the perception you want your customers to have about your business, your niche, and how you want to position yourself. Distill that into an image that will be the visual representation of your company: your logo.
·    Tagline — Then translate that into a powerful, compelling tagline. Keep it brief (3-7 words). Make it memorable. Be sure it fits your business. The best taglines are evocative, meaning they conjure images, thoughts, and feelings.
·    Graphics — Choose visuals that best express and integrate with your logo and tagline. Support your message with every visible aspect: colors, typeface, styles, and other graphic elements.

Step 6: Create Your Web Site
The nature of your business will drive and designate your web site by topic — e.g., content, features, directions, contact info, blogs, links, biography, photos, itineraries. Then start writing your copy, making sure its tone fits the web site design. State the key benefits clients will receive, the key values you deliver, the key concerns you share.
    What topics does your web site need to cover? Use that list to create your web site pages. For example, a lecturer or public speaker may need a:
·    Home page
·    About page
·    Who We Serve page
·    Presentations/Keynotes page
·    Workshops, Classes, and/or Retreats page
·    Products (books, CDs, DVDs) page; Shopping Cart
·    Meeting Planners page; Contact page
·    Blog page; Resources page; E-zine; Special Reports
·    Media page/Press room

    Design and develop your site using your visual brand elements (logo, color). Review and test it before going live, to make sure everything works, error-free. Offer a free report or e-zine that provides value to web site visitors, while building your list at the same time.
     Subscribe to an auto-responder program, to make it easy to follow up with prospects and send out broadcasts to your clients. Then go live and do a final testing to ensure accuracy on all platforms.
    
Step 7: Optimize, Market, and Network
First, identify your search engine optimization (SEO) goals and your return on investment targets. Hire a specialist to do foundational search engine optimization with meta-tags and images. With your specialist, set up monthly, robust search engine optimization strategies, driven by your specific goals.
    Next, establish search engine marketing (SEM). Set up pages on and participate in social networking sites. Post comments on blogs that relate to your business, customer base, and overall market. Write and publish articles offline and online for inbound links.

    These seven steps aren’t simple, and they take work, but they generate results and this year you just might watch your business take off — with a powerful brand, backed up by a web site that delivers. HBM

Karen Saunders, owner of MacGraphics Services, (toll-free 888-796-7300), leads an outstanding team of professionals who can lead you through her integrated 7-step branding and web site launch system. Visit her web site to receive a FREE 60-minute audio “Put the Bling Into Your Brand” and to learn more about her extraordinary branding, graphics, and web site design services: www.BrandingAndWeb siteDesign.com.   V18-6 Add: 2/12 HP:

By David LaBonte

Written in plain, clear language, Shiny Objects Marketing, published by Wiley & Sons, explains how to make any product, service or brand irresistible, whatever the economic climate.

    “Ask yourself, ‘What will stop my customers dead in their tracks?’” LaBonte says. “‘What will make them want to take a closer look?” Shiny Objects Marketing teaches how to generate an irresistible attraction— how to get customers to reach out, grab your product and not let go!”
    Packed with information yet written in an entertaining style, the message of this book is both simple and compelling. Shiny Objects Marketing explains how the laws of attraction work, both in a business setting and your personal life.

    “The Shiny Objects Principle is based on the concept that humans, as all creatures, are attracted to shiny objects,” LaBonte continues. “If a person can determine which characteristics of their product are shiny objects to their prospects, those prospects will be attracted to it.” It’s this natural attraction that makes “shiny” products, services and brands irresistible. And, when a product is irresistible, business prospers. To buy the book, visit www.Amazon.com. Or, sign up for a seminar at www.shinyobjectsmarketing.com.  V18-6 Add: 1/12 HP: HBM

Use Social Media to Contribute to your Marketing Efforts
By Barry Thomsen

One of the fastest growing areas of electronic communication is social media. And what started as a fad has quickly turned into a new business tool to create value and also a venue for marketing. The key to successful social media marketing is to establish your self and your business as an expert in your industry or field. There is no control you can use with social media; you can only hope to influence the exchanges and messages between other members. Over time, you can build a level of authority with social media that will contribute to your marketing efforts for your start-up.

    There are over 1000 operating social networks on the planet, and most of them target special networks or needs of their members. Most, but no all, are free to join and all you do is go to their site home page and click on the join or join now link. You will be taken to a page that asks you to fill in some information or a profile. Some sites will allow you to upload a photo or photos which will be part of your profile. In most cases, you can go from not being a member to using the site within 10 to 15 minutes. The common sites have made it so easy to join than anyone from age 8 to 80 should breeze right through it.
    Some of the social network sites allow you to limit the amount of personal information the public can view. It will likely ask you this when you are creating your profile, and you can change it to less or more at any time later. Following is a short explanation of the more common networks and a little information about them. Happy Networking!

·    Twitter. This site offers social networking by allowing users to send and read messages called tweets. These tweets are text posts with a limit of 140 characters (letters, spaces, and punctuation). Users may read any message (unless it's protected by sender) and follow other users and see their tweets. Twitter was started in 2006 and has grown rapidly worldwide.
·    Facebook. This site was started in 2004, and as of 2010, it had more than 500 million active users. Members must be a self-proclaimed 13 years old to join and use the network. Facebook users create a profile to inform friends about themselves. A popular feature is status updates, which allows users to post a short message mentioning what they're currently doing or thinking about. Users can also link to news or human-interest stories or other sites and post them as status updates. Facebook allows members to join networks, which are organized by schools or colleges, for example, to let students get to know each other and the school better. Businesses are now using the network for marketing and to keep their "friends" in touch with industry developments.
·    MySpace. This site was the first big social network where members could exchange messages with other users. It became the most popular social networking site in the U.S. in 2006, but it was overtaken in popularity by Facebook in 2008. MySpace is currently owned by the News Corp, a large media company.
·    YouTube. On this network, users can upload videos for anyone to view. YouTube was created in 2005 by three former PayPal employees, and it has grown exponentially since. Users post amateur music videos and movies, television clips, speeches, and other performances. Google purchased YouTube in November 2006, and it has become the number-two search engine behind Google.
·    LinkedIn. This is a business-oriented social network launched in 2003. The number of LinkedIn users was approaching 100 million as of this writing. Users can enter their profile, including their business skills and talents. The network is used for job searching, professional networking, and exchanging professional opportunities. Members can follow companies and join specialized groups.

Some other, lesser-known network sites include:
·    Classmates. Designed for users to find and communicate with past school friends and faculty.
·    Last.fm. A music networking site.
·    Stickam. A live video steaming and chat network.
·    Bebo. A general social network.
·    Flickr. A photography-related social network.
·    Habbo. A worldwide general network aimed at teens.
·    weRead. A network that allows users to rate and review books they're reading.
·    WAYN. A network about travel and lifestyles.
·    XING. A business network for Europe.
·    deviantART. An art-related network and community.
·    MyHeritage. A genealogy-oriented social network.
·    Flixster. A network that allows users to share movie reviews and ratings.
·    Stumble Upon. A network that allows you to find websites that match your interests. HBM

Barry Thomsen is a speaker, international author and entrepreneur who has started over 20 different businesses . His latest book "90 Days to Success as a Small Business Owner" is available in bookstores and amazon.com. He is the president of Business Marketing Ideas located in Colorado Springs, CO. 719-268-1322 or www.idealetter.com.

Previously published in the December 2011 issue of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, an international publication for the growing and dynamic home-based market. Available on newsstands, in bookstores and chain stores, and via subscriptions ($19.00 for 1 year, six issues). Visit http://www.homebusinessmag.com

V18-5 Add: 1/12 HP:
 

See How Much Money You Can Make When You Use Them!

Excerpted from the Secrets of Power Negotiating – 3rd Edition from Career Press
By Roger Dawson

Good negotiating skills are essential to the success of your home business. It’s important to realize that a negotiated dollar is a bottom line profit, not a gross revenue dollar. All of your expenses are going to stay the same whether you negotiate well or not. The fun parts of negotiating are the tactics: Using them and recognizing them when they are used on you. Here are my top 20 negotiating tactics. See how much money you can make when you use them!

TACTIC ONE: Never Say “Yes” to Their First Offer. When you say “Yes” to the first offer, you automatically trigger two reactions in the other person’s mind: Reaction One: We could have done better: If they are eager to accept our first proposal, we could have gotten more.
Reaction Two: Something must be wrong. If they are saying “Yes” to a proposal that we didn’t think they would. There must be something going on that we don’t understand.

TACTIC TWO: Ask For More Than You Expect to Get. International negotiators call this the key to success at the bargaining table. It’s deceptively simple, but there are many profound reasons for doing it:
- You might just get what you’re asking for, and the only way you can find out is to ask.
- It creates some negotiating room. This makes it easier to get what you really want.
- When you’re selling, it raises the perceived value of your product or service.
- It creates a climate where the other person can have a win with you.
- It prevents deadlocks when dealing with an egotistical negotiator who is determined to have a win with you.

TACTIC THREE: Bracket Your Objective. Assume that you will end up midway between the two opening negotiating positions. It’s not always true that you’ll end up at the midpoint, but it’s a very good assumption to make.

TACTIC FOUR: Options Give You Power. This principle underlies all power in a negotiation. The side that has the most options has the most power. Work to let the other side know that you have options. Limit their perception of options by positioning yourself as different from your competitors.

TACTIC FIVE: Flinch at the Other Side’s Proposal. This is the number one mistake that poor negotiators make. They don’t flinch at the other side’s proposal. Always react with shock and surprise that they would have the nerve to ask you for a concession.

TACTIC SIX: Play Reluctant Buyer. When you are buying, you can squeeze the seller’s negotiating range with this three-stage tactic:
Stage One: Listen very carefully to their proposal and ask all the questions you can think of.
Stage Two: Tell them that you appreciate all the time that they have taken with you, but tell them it’s not exactly what you’re looking for.
Stage Three: At the last moment, call them back and say, “Just to be fair to you, what is the very lowest price you would take?”

TACTIC SEVEN: Use the Vise Technique. Listen carefully to the seller’s proposal and then say, “I’m sorry, you’ll have to do better than that.” Then be quiet! The next person to talk loses. The next person to open their mouth will make a concession.

TACTIC EIGHT: Taper Down the Size of Your Concessions. The size of your concessions can create a pattern of expectations in the other person’s mind. If each concession is bigger than the one you’ve made before, you encourage the other side to extend the negotiations.

TACTIC NINE: Patience is a Virtue to a Negotiator. The longer that you can keep the other side in a negotiation, the more chance you have of getting what you want. When you’re beginning to think that the other side will never come around to your point-of-view, think of the tiny tug boats that can move those huge ocean liners around — if they do it a little bit at a time.

TACTIC TEN: Position for Easy Acceptance. Sometimes a negotiation will deadlock at the last moment. When a negotiation deadlocks like this, the ego of the other side probably got in the way. They want to accept your proposal but they don’t want to feel that they lost to you as a negotiator. Position them for easy acceptance with a very small concession made just at the last moment.

TACTIC ELEVEN: Retain your Resort to Higher Authority. Don’t let the other side know that you can make a decision in the negotiation. Tell them that you have a higher authority that has to approve the final deal. You can put a lot of pressure on the other side without creating confrontation by blaming your higher authority. “I can never sell this to my people at this price. You’ll have to give me a better price.”

TACTIC TWELVE: Never Offer to Split the Difference. Instead, try to get the other side to offer to split the difference. “How far apart on this are we? We’re not that far apart. There must be some middle ground on which we can both agree.” When they offer to split the difference, you can reluctantly agree to their proposal, which services their perception that they won.

TACTIC THIRTEEN: Look Out for People Nibbling on You. You are most vulnerable when you think that the negotiation is all resolved. You have probably been the victim of a Nibble. You’ve been selling a car or a boat. The pressure and the tension of the negotiations have faded away. Just as they’re about to sign their name on the check, they say, “That does include a full tank of gas, doesn’t it?”

TACTIC FOURTEEN: Don’t Let Other People Give You Their Problems. International negotiators will tell you that when the other side tries to give you what is essentially their problems, you must test for validity right away. They tell you, “We just don’t have that much in the budget.” Test for validity. Ask them, “Who has the authority to exceed the budget?”

TACTIC FIFTEEN: Handle Impasses with the Set-Aside Gambit. If you are a long way apart on an issue, set that issue aside and create momentum by reaching agreement on smaller issues.

TACTIC SIXTEEN: Only a Mediator or Arbitrator Can Resolve a Deadlock. A deadlock is when neither side sees any point in talking because past meetings have not changed either side’s position. Only a mediator or an arbitrator can resolve a deadlock. You need to bring in a third party. To be effective, the third party must be perceived as neutral.

TACTIC SEVENTEEN: When You’re Asked for a Small Concession, Ask for Something in Return. Say, “If we can do that for you, what can you do for us?” Often they will make a concession to you, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the size of the concession.

TACTIC EIGHTEEN: Look Out for Good Guy / Bad Guy. Whenever you are negotiating with two people, look out for them using this tactic on you. One of them appears to be mean, tough, and totally opposed to your proposal. The other is warm, friendly, and very sympathetic to your proposal.

TACTIC NINETEEN: Always Make the Second Effort. Perhaps the other side is agreeing to your core proposal but is balking at the expensive extras. Understand what goes on in people’s minds when they make a decision. They fight the decision up to the point when they make it. Then their minds do a flip-flop, and they want to do things to reinforce the decision that they made earlier.

TACTIC TWENTY: Project that You’re Prepared to Walk Away. The number one pressure point in negotiations is your ability to project that you are prepared to walk away if you can’t get what you want. You have fallen in love with the car or home for which you’re negotiating and the seller knows it. Before you go into negotiations, research your options and let the other know that you have options. It doesn’t mean that you won’t get the one that you want. It does mean that you’ll be a more powerful negotiator, because the other person will sense that you have options, and that gives you power. HBM

Roger Dawson is the author of Secrets of Power Negotiating. You can contact Roger at Roger@RogerDawson.com. Website: www.RogerDawson.com. Direct phone: 562-694-5306.

Previously published in the August 2011 issue of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, an international publication for the growing and dynamic home-based market. Available on newsstands, in bookstores and chain stores, and via subscriptions ($19.00 for 1 year, six issues). Visit http://www.homebusinessmag.com

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