Security

The security of your website is the most important thing to consider once your site goes live, you should be 100% confident that the technology that brings your web project to life is of the highest caliber and extremely secure. If you set your website to process customer details and collect payments via the internet then you should consider a hosting provider who can provide you with a server which has encryption capabilities and the ability to set up a dedicated secure server if and when requested by you.

Server Space

Before you commit your self to a hosting provider, first consider the amount of disk space you will need to host your website, a reasonable amount is around 500 MB, to 1 GB disk space, which is sufficient enough for any small business, unless you are planning on running a software repository or an image gallery or a file sharing website. Web hosting providers offer their customers several hosting packages and many of the packages comes with un-necessary disk space for a very reasonable price in attempt to out perform their competitors in many cases I found hosting providers are cutting corners to bring it customers an excellent hosting package which only looks good on paper.

Reliability

The reliability of the hosting provider is crucial. The length of time they have been in business, their percent of uptime, reasonable uptime you should expect is at least 99.5% and their backup and data retrieval practices and policies. Some hosting providers have multiple data centres, and some might even give you a choice of where your server will be at. Ideally, the closer the server is to you the better, as file transfers and interaction with the server will be at faster speeds. This might be a good question to ask the company on the phone call above.

Support

Technical support is something that should definitely be a part of a web hosting plan. Professional web hosting providers offer customers a support ticket system, this support system track all queries made by you and will automatically notify you via e-mail or SMS when your query get updated. The support system also give you access to review the status of any tickets you have raised, set priorities and check response times.

PHP/CGI-Bin

No matter what type of site you are planning on running, chances are you will eventually need to install some type of CGI script. Whether it be a mailing list management script, contact form processor, or maybe even a fancy credit card processing script, your hosting account will need to allow you to install and run them. This requires access to a special folder on your server called “CGI-Bin”. Some hosting accounts will only allow you to use “pre-installed” scripts as a security measure. These are scripts that the owners of the company have installed and configured so that they know that they will work properly and not adversely affect their server’s performance. That may be all you need, but if you have the knowledge, it’s always nice to have the ability to install your own scripts and configure them to suit your individual needs. You should also be sure that the account you choose supports the language in which your scripts are written, such as PHP, Perl, etc.

40 Million Web Hosting Providers To Choose From is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

• Enthusiastic workers often increase the quality of work by huge percentages-up to a 75 percent reduction in defect rates. (Sirota, Mischkind, and Meltzer, The Enthusiastic Employee, 2005)

• Business units with employee engagement scores in the top half compared to those in the bottom half reported 86 percent higher customer ratings, and 50 percent higher productivity (Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina, Follow This Path, 2002)

• The average cost of losing, replacing, and restoring equivalent productivity when a valued professional leaves, is on the average, one times salary. (Saratoga Institute study, 1997)

• Companies in the top quarter in training expenditure per employee per year ($1,500 or more) average 24% higher profit margins than companies that spend less per year.(Susan J. Wells, HR Magazine, 4/19/2001)

• Organizations that view their people strategy as a source of competitive advantage outperform those that do not by a margin of more than two to one, delivering a median shareholder return of 109 percent between 1996 and 1998, versus 52 percent for other employers. (Watson Wyatt,1998)

• The 20 percent of Taco Bell stores with the lowest turnover yielded double the sales and 55 percent higher profits than the 20 percent of stores with the highest turnover rates (Jac Fitz-Enz, The ROI of Human Capital, 2000)

• GTE found that a one percent increase in its Employee Engagement Index resulted in nearly a .5 percent increase in customer satisfaction with service. (Ulrich and Smallwood, Why The Bottom Line ISN’T, 2003)

• Based on a comprehensive review of the research, revenue gains of 40 percent or so can be realized by companies implementing work practices that result in high employee commitment. (Pfeiffer, The Human Equation, 2000)

• Public companies in the top 25 percent based on number of performance management best practices in use achieved a 7.9 percent higher total shareholder return (Hewitt Associates, 1996)

• Stock growth of public companies on Fortune magazine’s Great Places in America to Work outperformed companies on Standard & Poor’s by 133 percent to 25 percent for the five-year period 2001-2005. (Great Place to Work Institute, 2005)

• An additional 26 percent of shareholder value was attained by companies with significantly better people management practices. (Watson-Wyatt Human Capital Index, 2002)

• 41% of employees at companies with poor training plan to leave within a year vs. 12% of employees at companies with excellent training (American Society for Training & Development, 2003)

• A five-point improvement in employee commitment on a Sears employee survey drove a 1.3 percent improvement in customer satisfaction, which in turn drove a .5 percent improvement in revenue growth. (Rucci, Kern, and Quinn, “The Employee Customer Profit Chain at Sears”, Harvard Business Review, 1998)

• Over a five year period (1996-2001) companies with effective human capital management practices (human capital index scores) achieved a 64 percent total shareholder return vs. 21 percent for low human capital index scores (Watson Wyatt, 2002)

• A five percent increase in employee retention at advertising agency Leo Burnett increased productivity by more than 20 percent and profits by 50-100 percent. (Reichheld and Teal, Bain & Company, 1996)

• A study of 30 steel mini-mills, some characterized by a “control” management approach, and other based on a “commitment” style with more training, decentralized decision-making, small-group team problem-solving, higher wages, and a higher-skilled workforce, concluded that “commitment” mills required 34 percent fewer labor hours to produce a ton of steel and showed a 63 percent better scrap rate. (Ichniowski, Shaw, and Prennushi, 2000)

• Human capital practices that most drive shareholder value are: Above-market pay, linking rewards to performance, competitive benefits with choice, commitment to performance management, flexible/collegial workplace, high trust in senior leadership, and managers that demonstrate company values. (Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index Study, 2002)

• Companies that successfully implemented “high performance work practices” and increased the use of such practices by one standard deviation achieved, on average, a seven percent decrease in turnover, and, on a per-employee basis, $27,004 more in sales, and $18,641 and $3,814 more in market value and profits, respectively. (Huselid, 1995)

• After factory floor workers were given the training and freedom to make repairs to their own equipment rather than having to call a supervisor every time they had a problem, they reported fewer occupational injuries and increased job satisfaction. (University of Sheffield, 1990)

• High-performance people systems are those that include “rigorous recruitment and selection procedures, performance-contingent incentive compensation systems, management development and training activities linked to the needs of the business, and significant commitment to employee involvement. (Becker and Huselid 1998)

• Top performers, or “A” players” in any function (not just employees in sales generating or billable positions) create from 80 to 130 percent more value than “C” players (Michaels, Handfield-Jones, and Axelrod, 2001)

• Companies that spend $273 per employee per year on training average 7% voluntary turnover compared to 16% for companies that average $218 per employee per year. Carroll Lachnit, Training magazine, September, 2001)

• High-performing companies share a set of general practices that lead to superior economic results: 1. reasonable job security, 2. highly selective hiring, 3. higher pay, 4. strong autonomous teams with decentralized decision making, 5. reduced status distinctions, 6. extensive training, 7. open information sharing, 8. linking of performance and reward (Pfieffer, 1998)

• Non-financial human performance, culture, and leadership factors drive at least 35 percent of a company’s evaluation by stock analysts and investors.(Ernst & Young)

• According to one long line of research, differences in the quality of enterprise-wide people systems can increase a firm’s market value by as much as $73,000 per employee (Huselid, et.al.)

• 50 percent of HR executives report that their companies are increasing their investments in tracking the impact that metrics such as turnover rates, productivity, and employee morale have on the bottom line. (Workforce Management, 2004)

Enlightened CEOs already understand one undeniable conclusion from all this research-that investing in people is the surest path to business success, especially in a time when there are more jobs than people to fill those jobs. Other CEOs, who focus more on short-term returns than long-term success, who still believe in the “cannon-fodder” theory of human resources, who still insist that money is the main motivator, who are distracted from the organization’s best interests by their own greed, or whose leadership ability is hampered by the limits of their emotional intelligence, may never be persuaded.

Even so, smart, caring, and well-informed HR leaders must not give up the fight to educate and influence executives to do what is in their own intelligent self-interest and the long-term interest of the business to do. And when senior leaders respond by saying, “but we are already successful” the appropriate reply must be: “and think how much more successful we can be!”

27 Reasons To Invest In People: The Evidence Keeps Mounting is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

There are, however, many ways that a nonprofit can thrive in this environment. It means acknowledging that the resources of philanthropy are a finite amount of money. It entails a commitment to recognize opportunities and develop strategies for turning them into successful projects.

Here is a checklist of stratagems to consider.

1. Fundraise twelve months a year, not just in November and December.

2. Sponsor fundraisers that can be repeated year after year, and which people look forward to.

3. Disarm your competition by joining with them in joint ventures where you all benefit by creating a better overall charitable climate.

4. Start using some proven techniques from the commercial sector to attract and retain talented personnel.

5. Become actively involved in your professional associations, whether they are fundraising associations, or “trade” associations.

6. Be the leader in initiating a collaborative meeting of the nonprofits in your market area. Host the first meeting at your offices, and get commitments from the attendees to attend regular conferences in the future. Better the devil you know.

7. Join fundraising programs that give your organization a unique offering, and provide a needed service to your constituency.

8. Try thinking more as if you were in the commercial sector competing for people, money, sales, recognition, and providing superior customer service.

9. Upgrade your office equipment to provide the efficiencies that will allow you to save money by making everybody’s job easier.

10. Redo your website to reflect your comfort with technology.

11. Hold regular meetings with your community to get their observations about how you are doing, and their suggestions about what other things you could do.

12. Use technology to network. Join online social networks like LinkedIn and Care2.

13. Play fair with your competition, and be direct with them when you think they have not played fair with you.

14. Position your organization to develop and promote your brand.

15. Develop a short term and a long term strategic plan that includes a chapter on how you are going to survive in this new highly competitive environment for nonprofits.

16. Consider partnering with companies in the commercial sector for your mutual benefit.

17. Re-evaluate how you look at activities which might be considered unrelated to your specific mission.

18. Update your accounting program to allow you to monitor projects, programs, employees, and growth.

19. Associate your organization with good outside talent, including accounting and legal.

20. Be alert to situations which would warrant the issuing of a public service announcement for free inclusion in newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and TV.

21. Become known as a good citizen by sponsoring open meetings, adopting a section of road, or providing free services in the schools.

According to the Urban Institute, the ranks of registered nonprofits have swelled from 1.2 million to 1.4 million, up 17 percent in the last five years. Some of those new nonprofits have your organization in their sites. Additionally, with the diminution of funding from the Federal Government, nonprofits have to scramble just to stay even. Some may do so at your expense. That makes it urgent that you look at yourself as existing in a competitive world, and that you make plans to address it.

21 Things You Must Do To Stay Competitive In The 21st Century is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

Below are some 20 tips for what to include in your bio.

1. Area of expertise
2. Title and company name
3. Media coverage you have received including television, magazine, and radio
4. Topic you you are a sought after speaker on
5. Number of people you have spoken to
6. Number of counties you have spoken in
7. Names of books you have authored
8. Credentials including notable awards or recognitions you have won
9. Clubs or organizations that you are actively involved in
10. Personal insights such as what you believe, your mission, your vision
11. Quirky fact about you such as “A former school teacher-turned-confrontation expert, Jane helps people communicate more effectively. Or an avid baseball fan, when Bill is not speaking, you’ll find him eating hot dogs and watching the Chicago Cubs with his son Dave.
12. Interests or hobbies
13. Occupation of your parents, if it’s interesting and adds to the story. Ex: The son of Vermont Turkey Farmers, Jim Smith is….
13. What your hometown is known for.
14. Interesting or substantial former careers
15. What led you to start your current business
16. What you help people to do
17. Events that shaped your life
18. Offices you have held
19. Call to action like “For a free report on “9 Ways to Build your Bottom Line” visit (insert your URL).

20 Tips For Building A Better Bio is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

How can you achieve that? These are listed in the following steps:

1. Self evaluation. What are you looking for in life? Will internet business meet these criteria? You need to examine and evaluate these to ensure that this is really something you are looking for.

2. Perseverance. Then will you see success. There are highs and lows in all that we do, so there is no point in spending your time and money on something that you will call it quit the moment things get rough. This happens, so you must persevere or you might as well not get started.

3. Your interest and the market. Decide what you enjoy and would like to market and provide, that also has a reasonable market. For instance, if you like gardening, are there enough people out there online who share the same hobby as you, that you can meet some of their needs and generate profit at the same time?

4. Learn where you niche market congregates. How do they use the internet? How do they relate to others online, is it through forums, blogs, etc.

5. Know the needs of your chosen market. What do they need? What kind of questions do they ask that you might be able to answer?

6. Communicate with your chosen market. You must discover the needs and then learn how to meet those needs. Research and find out how you can become an expert in your chosen market.

7. Find out what is available on the web that already meet some of the needs. Obviously, the next step is to then find out what are the products your market is asking about that are not available yet. This is where you can begin to think about creating.

8. However, do not ignore those products that are already available on the web. You can also earn some income if there is affiliate programs associated with them. At the same time, you can develop your own product.

9. Build your own web site. You cannot maintain an online long term business by relying on someone else’s web site, because it is really their business, they are just paying you to promote it. Create a squeeze page on your web site so you can begin to enroll visitors to your web site in an email campaign. It is important to use email to keep in touch with the people you meet online, who might have an interest in either your new product or one of the affiliate products. You should also create a recommendations page which will have links to your affiliate products.

10. Get an auto responder. Next, write a series of articles relating to your chosen market. At the end of each email article, place a link back to the recommendations page of your web site.

11. Start spending more time online with your chosen market. Join every forum you can where people in your market get together. This is the place to find out what they are looking for, and what their questions are.

12. Find out the answers to the questions people asked in the forums. Provide your answers and in no time, people will start to look upon you as an expert!

13. Consolidate your answers to all the questions that people in forums have been asking, in an information product or FAQ (frequently Asked Questions) page.

14. What else do you need but a sales page that specifically markets your new product!

15. Create a series of emails that will introduce people to your new product.

16. Find joint venture partners that will help you distribute your new product.

17. Start advertising in ezines, and other marketers’ email lists.

18. Now, you can sit back and start collecting the profits.

19. You will repeat the process from step (1) and create another product. Meanwhile, continue to promote your product, as well as some related affiliate products, to your mailing list. Maintain and keep your relationship growing with those on your mailing list.

19 Easy Steps To Succeed In Your Online Internet Business is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

2. Increase the perceived value of your product by making your offer scarce. You could use limited time bonuses, low prices, low quantities, etc.

3. Find out who your competition is. See what they do and then offer better products or service. It’ll be the reason why people buy your products and not theirs.

4. Sell your products or services to a specific niche market. Find groups or clubs that can benefit from your products or service. Try Boy Scouts, youth groups, elderly etc.

5. Test your advertising and marketing. You’ll save time, money and big headaches promoting the right offer to the right group of people.

6. Persuade visitors to buy your product by “becoming a fortune teller”. Tell them what’ll happen with their life in the future if they buy or don’t buy. This is a type of “reverse-testimonial” that works well.

7. Offer a free trial of your product for a set period of time. Don’t charge or bill them until they decide to buy it. This’ll take away any risks or questions that they may have.

8. Create other web sites that draw your initial target audience. Then you can lead your prospects to your main web site by linking to your other web sites. Also, by having multiple website, your overall search ranking will improve.

9. Inform people about your site or freebie through e-mail announce lists. You can find them by typing “e-mail announce lists” in any search engine.

10. Maximize the effectiveness of your banner ads. Don’t just use the same ad on every banner, use a variety to attract the greatest number of clickers. Make changes to the colors, logos, fonts etc, and figure out what works best.

11. Make your web site load much faster by cutting down on the number banner ads and start using more buttons. Button ads are also smaller and take up less space.

12. Offer free advertising space to well known and respected companies on your web site. Sometimes people link their business credibility to yours.

13. Offer people a free telephone consultation before they order your product. When they get to know you personally, it could convert to more sales.

14. Find a charity your target audience would likely support. Tell people on your ad copy that you will give a percentage of the profits to that charity.

15. Hold a “buy the most wins contest” on your web site. Tell people each monthly winner will get their entire purchase refunded.

16. Interview people related to your industry and get their legal permission to convert it to an article. Promote your web site by submitting it to ezines.

17. Put a testimonial page on your website. People LOVE to see themselves in print. Encourage customers to leave testimonials about the products & reward them with e-coupons towards future purchases.

17 Ways To Promote Your Online Business And Explode Your Sales! is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

2. Use pop up windows or advertisements on your web site. They grab your visitors attention because they jump right out at them.

3. Buy internet business books, ebooks, private site memberships, etc. Study and learn all the new web site promotional ideas that you can.

4. Track the numbers for all your promotional efforts. Concentrate on the ads & promotions that work and drop the ones that don’t work. Don’t waste your valuable time and money!

5. Have an informative FAQ page at your web site. Anticipate questions your prospects or visitors may have; this will help improve your sales ratio.

6. Use text links if your banner ads are not pulling traffic. People don’t ignore text links as much as they do banner ads.

7. Trade content with other ezine publishers or web sites. This is a powerful and effective way to place your links on other targeted web sites.

8. Keep your product available to your customers at all times. If you have to backorder it, they may end up canceling their order.

9. Use content on your web site so people can skim through it easily. Most people have little time so try using lists, short tips, short articles,etc

10 Add a message board or chat room to your web site. If people enjoy it, they will revisit your web site to participate regularly.

11. Gain an advantage over your competition. You should find one benefit your competition doesn’t offer and use it as your main selling point. You can also beat your competition by giving away a similar product or service that they charge for. It could be add on products, warranties, servicing, etc.

12. Design your e-zine so it creates multiple free advertising streams. Ask readers to forward it to people they know, offer ad trades, etc.

13. Allow your visitors to subscribe to an update e-zine. Anytime you make changes to your web site they can receive an informative e-mail.

14. Focus your articles on information the targeted readers and e-zine publishers want. They will get published more often, which means free publicity.

15. Use problems to attract online traffic. Find a common online problem and use your web site to solve it. People will visit and see your ads.

16. Improve your negotiation skills. This’ll improve your business because you’re always negotiating ad swaps, supply prices, joint ventures, wages, etc. If you advertise in newspapers, ALWAYS negotiate on price. When you pay for the following month, RENEGOTIATE again, and tell them that your ad didn’t get nearly the traffic you were hoping for.

17. Get the most from each one of your visitors. Automatically subscribe your customers to your e-zine, & give them incentives to participate on your message board, bookmark & refer your site, etc.

17 Ways To Instantly Increase Your Online Business Profits is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

Do you want a sales letter that sells? Well then, that means someone has to read far enough to get to the Call To Action.

This means that the opening has to be so compelling that the reader simply must read on. The opening should make it virtually impossible for your targets to ignore your appeal. They should pique their emotions: greed, curiosity, fear, and all the other psychological key topics that can turn lack of interest into action.

1. I’ve got good news for you!

2. Are you paying too much for ?

3. I don’t usually write letters, but I felt it was important to bring this to your attention.

4. Yes, it’s true…

5. If you are thinking of buying a _________ — don’t!

6. I’m mad! And I’m not going to take it anymore!

7. You’ve never read a letter like this before.

8. If you are worried about your financial future, I have some ideas you should think about.

9. I know you’re busy. But that’s exactly why I want to share this secret with you…

10. Will you do me a favor?

11. I couldn’t wait to write to you…

12. Will you accept a free gift in return for a small favor I want you to do for me?

13. It’s taken months of long hours and late nights, but I’ve finally put together the biggest and best secrets and put them in one, totally complete volume.

14. If I could give you a more effective strategy that would earn more money than what you’re doing now, would you be interested?

15. Only once in 50 years an improvement like this comes around:

16. I need your help.

17. Would you like to know how to change $8 into ten times that amount? I can show you how…

Obviously these openings will work for you as is, but the point was to get your creative juices flowing.

Think of your copy in terms of a bucket brigade. Each sentence leads to the next sentence, leads to the next sentence, leads to… you get the point.

Just remember that people make buying decisions based on emotions and then justify later with logic. Make your copy so intriguing that the reader just can’t stop reading. The idea being that in order to close a sale the prospect has to first read the sales letter.

Originally published at EzineArticles and reprinted with permission from Marketing Your Small Business for Big Profits. Success is based on persistency and consistency – not magic – says entrepreneur, coach and author David Mason, who offers his insights for taking your business to the next level.

Purposefully designed as a quick read, this book offers hints, tips and tools that can be implemented right away. There are specific step-by-step directions, how-to instructions, templates, fill-ins and questionnaires throughout the book.

17 Openings That Make Closing A Snap is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

1.If you are fond of kids, a daycare service would be the best form of business for you. This is also best for stay home moms.

2.Make use of whatever talents you have. If you are a born-writer, then go ahead and scout for writing gigs online. There are plenty that would even pay you well. There are also online surveys that pay you decently. Just make sure to steer clear of those online scams. If you are the ‘baking mom’ type, then go ahead and bake some cakes or cookies and sell them at a good price. Do you dance? Then do the groove and teach other people how to do so. If you dream bigger and believe that you have the ‘artistic flair’, why not invest in a wedding consultation business?

3.Look for products that you can sell in eBay. Auctioning could rake in money for you.

4.If you like dogs or cats more than kids, then why don’t you set up a pet grooming service center? This business is best for those who have at least some knowledge on animal anatomy and their needs. Make sure that there is sufficient space for all your animal guests.

5.Medical transcription services are continuously booming. You can jump into the bandwagon and start earning at home.

6.If you are a teacher at heart, then go ahead and do some tutorial services. You can do online tutorials if you want.

7.A lot of people want scrapbooking but only a few are really gifted to actually do it. If you are artistic enough, go ahead and set up a scrapbooking service business.

8.Do you want to help other people land jobs? Then you can go on and write their resumes for them. They would even pay you for doing it for them.

9.There are some people who sell their artworks online (examples are wood carvings, paintings and other artworks). It wouldn’t hurt to try to sell your works, too.

10.You also have the option to make web designs for other people while at home.

11.Write eBooks, throw all caution to the wind, and submit it online.

12.You can also do the numbers for other people. Set up an accounting business right in your own home.

13.Be somebody’s secretary. Set up an answering service business. Instead of working on call centers, why don’t you try to have one at home?

14.Are you fond of yoga? Then why not share that passion to others and start earning in the process?

15.Desktop publishing still ranks well on the top home-based businesses. Other small businesses can profit from your service and are willing to pay you for it.

These are but some of the home-based business ideas that you can start thinking about. Just choose which one you feel great about, then go ahead and do the first step on your planned big leap.

15 Home-based Businesses: Be Your Own Boss is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net

Everyone has been embarrassed by their association with another person at one time or another. How about that cousin you wouldn’t want anyone to know about? But what happens when the embarrassment happens in a business situation: more specifically, when you refer one person to another and one of those parties is unprofessional or just plain screws up? Making a bad connection could cost you money or something more valuable and much harder to recoup—your reputation.

We once stepped into an awkward situation when we referred a business peer, seeking a specific product, to one of our clients, who just so happened to offer that very product. We thought we were doing a good thing, a win-win-win thing…until we received a phone call from our client explaining that the referred person made a vulgar offer to a woman on the client’s staff when she said she couldn’t go any lower on her price. We were shocked. Our client ended the conversation with, “I’m not sure what to do, but what he [the business peer] did was disrespectful to my staff and to you. I’m going to let you handle this.” The outcome was hardly the one we were shooting for. All we could do was apologize and hope our reputation didn’t take too big a hit.

The referral is part of Business 101, and it’s a valuable way to extend your business connections. Typical referrals involve three parties: the person who wants something, the person who has something to give, and the person who connects the two. Sounds simple and clean…but as our bad experience shows, sometimes things get messy. So what can you do to facilitate successful referrals? That depends on which of the three roles you’re playing. Here they are.

The person who wants something. If someone connects you to another party, remember to:

1.…respect relationships that others have developed. Consider it your way of saying “thanks” to the person who made the connection.

2.…stay professional and avoid being too casual or friendly. A referral ONLY opens a door of opportunity. You’re still responsible for building your own relationship.

3.…conduct yourself in a way that honors the “referrer.” Your actions represent yourself AND the person who gave you the referral.

4.…leave foul language at the door. Everyone has a different tolerance point.

5.…keep ethics above board. To do so will net you a double win. To fail will curse you with a double loss at the very least. Good news travels; bad news travels faster.

6.…check the ego. Don’t believe that your credentials, awards, accomplishments and the referral impress everyone so much that you can leave your manners at the door.

The person who has something to give. If someone sends business your way, make sure you:

1.…deliver what you promise, and promise only what you KNOW you can deliver. If you find that you can’t help out, be honest about it and say thank you.

2.…make good on any mistakes that occur. People understand that errors happen. Keep both of the other two parties’ interests in mind when taking responsibility for those errors.

3.…if you want to keep the referral business pouring in, make sure you meet or exceed the expectations of the person doing the referring. Hint: they’re expecting you to make them look good.

4.…never “bad mouth” the person who referred the business or the one providing the service. What you say will almost surely get back to them.

The person who connects the two. Before you connect one person to another, make sure you:

1.…know whom you’re dealing with. Only connect people who will show you in a good light…that goes for the person who wants something as well as the one who has something to give.

2.…aren’t connecting people for the soul purpose of getting reciprocal referrals. A client in Boston complained about giving out referrals but rarely getting them in return. Instead of expecting referrals, he learned that the real value came back to him in the form of strengthened business relationships with others.

3.…kick off the transaction in a professional fashion. Whether by telephone, email, or in person, set a tone of respect by introducing each person as a respected professional.

4.…butt out when you see the relationship blossom. Chalk up the connection as another success and move on.

Referral etiquette is basically pretty simple. Behave yourself, respect others, and do the right thing. Then make sure you deal only with those who do the same. The combination is a winning formula for building new business relationships and strengthening old ones.

© David and Lorrie Goldsmith

14 Rules Of Business Referral Etiquette is a post from: Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog - Awtohost.net