Why are so many people drawn to lighthouses? There are probably a lot of different reasons. Maybe it is because lighthouses are found in some of the most beautiful places on earth, many on rugged coast lines dotted with trees, others along the sandy beaches, still others on reefs or rocks out in the ocean. To some, lighthouses appeal to their nostalgic or artistic senses since many of the lighthouses are some of the most historical structures to be found in the United States today. Yet it may be that they are drawn to the lighthouses due to the multitude of heroic rescues associated with them. It does not matter, whether warning mariners of danger or aiding them in finding safe passage into the harbor, lighthouses today as in the past, stand as beacons of safety and security. The lighthouse mystic is a part of our past, present, and future. Let their lights forever shine.
Many years ago, people lived in a primitive way, hunting and growing their own food. Eventually, they decided to explore the water in a boat in search of what the sea had to offer for food. During the day it was easy for them to find their way home, maybe by a pile of rocks they had left on the shore or some other type of sign. Night was a different story since much of the shore looked the same. Friends would often help them out by building bonfires on top of a high point to guide them safely home. Sometimes, nature even helped by providing a glowing volcano as a guide in aiding the sailors to find their way home. As bigger ships were built and mariners sailed further from home, many were wrecked as the waves pushed them into rocky shores or dangerous reefs. So the need for some type of warning signal arose. The lighthouse came into being.
The first lighthouse was built in Egypt around 280 BC. Records tell us that the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt was the tallest lighthouse ever built - 450' (about the size of a 45-story skyscraper today). The source of light was an open fire at the top. Pity the poor keeper who forgot to bring the matches, or whatever they used, after climbing all the way to the top of the lighthouse. The Pharos lasted for 1500 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th Century.
A lighthouse is a structure with a light at the top which is located in a place which is considered to be important or dangerous to navigation. The two main purposes of a lighthouse are to serve as a navigational aid to help sailors know where they are and to warn mariners of dangerous areas. A lighthouse is to a sailor what a seeing eye dog is to a blind person.
While we often think of lighthouses as a tall cone shaped tower, lighthouses come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. Depending on where the lighthouse is built, it may be tall, short, or squat. Lighthouses can be square, octagonal, conical, cylindrical or even skeletal. While many lighthouses stand alone, some have a building attached where the keeper of the lighthouse stayed. As a general rule, lighthouses were built of whatever materials were readily available. This could be stones, wood, concrete, steel, cast-iron, or even a mixture of shells, lime, water, and sand. Therefore, lighthouses tended to be unique.
Lighthouses are found in a variety of locations; rocky cliffs, sandy shoals on land, on a water swept reef at sea, and at entrances to bays and harbors. They are there to warn sailors of dangerous reefs under the sea, rocky coasts on land, and to guide ships to the entrances of bays and harbors. The lighthouses message has always been; STAY AWAY, DANGER, BEWARE, or COME THIS WAY. Every lighthouse, no matter where it is, tells every mariner, THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE. So, to always avoid the hazzards, navigate to a safe harbor, and to always know where you are, let your lighthouse beacon forever shine.
Affiliate Marketing Programs - The Importance of Developing a Relationship with Each of Your Prospec
When it comes to a successful marketing plan, there is no greater tool for converting potential prospects into long term clients than developing a relationship with each of your prospects. You may be able to offer potential business prospects the best quality products and service, but unless they see you as something other than an impersonal web page or catalog, there is little else to keep them loyal when another clever advertising campaign comes along.
Does this mean you have to become best friends with every new prospect you meet? of course not. If you tried, you'd not only come off as insincere, you'd never have time to get any real business done. The point here is to try to convey to your prospects that you see them as real people, and not just merely another cha-ching in your cash register. Everyone likes to feel that they matter, and this is what you will try to establish by developing a relationship with each of your prospects.
Here are some helpful tips for developing a relationship with each of your prospects based positive approaches, both online and off.
Present Yourself At Your Personal Best Both In Person And On The Web
No matter how rough of a work week you've had, when it's time to meet with a prospective client, don't skimp on the hygiene. Be sure you are perfectly groomed, and that your clothes are business-like, clean and pressed. Likewise for your vehicle. Be sure it is clean and looks well cared for. Remember, first impressions are the most important of all. You need to impress a potential client that the company you are representing is completely on the ball. Even though you will most likely be working out of your home, you never know who might stop by or who you might run into. Look successful!
Does your website look professional? You don't need green and hot pink flashing lettering to get a prospect's attention. Your website should instill a friendly one-on-one tone. Make sure your website is clean, easy to navigate for even the newest web browsers and really spells out what you're selling. Invite a dialogue with prospects and answer them in a friendly, positive tone as promptly as possible. Inspiring confidence is the first step to developing a relationship with each of your prospects.
Establish Common Ground
Resist the urge to jump right into the hard sale, it's a turn off and will hamper developing a relationship with each of your prospects. When you first meet a potential new client, don't be afraid to make some small talk to draw them out a little.
This doesn't mean that you should go into the week's weather report detail by detail. Again, you would come off as insincere. But if you happen to notice a family photo on your prospect's desk or mantel, don't be afraid to ask some polite questions about how the children are, and share a little relative info on your own children if you have them. Don't fabricate facts, honesty is always the best policy. Ask a few lightweight questions about anything your prospect brings up that actually interest you. This way you won't have to strain to have an actual conversation that is about more than just what you'd like to sell him.
Selling on the web is little harder, you don't have a physical presence. Most of your correspondence will be through e-mails and the occasional phone call. Words mean things, make yours count. Once again, be friendly in your responses, make them remember you. Answer any questions or concerns they might have about joining your affiliate program and then throw in something a little more personal. It can be that you were watching one foot of snow fall while you answered this e-mail, you just got back from a vacation or you're about to take one to XYZ place (if the prospect has been there, they'll let you know- people love to share travel stories), or just drop in a tidbit of your day and tell them you've had one of those "Calgon take me away kind of days!". Everyone can relate to a stressful day.
The key to developing an actual relationship with each of your prospects is to find some common ground that will help establish an immediate rapport between the two of you.
Soft Selling and Listening
As mentioned before, a hard sell will turn off many potential prospects. Far better to begin your sales pitch by inquiring about your prospect's needs. Give him a chance to tell you his own thoughts about what questions he has about your affiliate marketing program. People like to feel that someone is willing to listen to them. Businesses don't listen, people do.
This technique will actually help you to pinpoint the items you should be presenting first, and is indispensable to developing a relationship with each of your prospects. Your potential customer will become more relaxed with you when he realizes you are not ready to pounce from the word go.
Follow Up After The Sale
If you're fortunate enough to have made a good first impression and made the initial sale, your follow up is crucial. If you don't want to leave your new client feeling like a bride left at the alter, then within one week, send him a personal note of thanks for the opportunity to do business with him, and reiterate that you are always available to answer his questions or concerns. Then be available if he does happen to call or e-mail. If you're not in the office, then return his message immediately. This lets your new client know you still care about him after he has joined your affiliate marketing network.
Developing a relationship with each of your prospects is impossible without this kind of personal care after the sale. You are trying to establish yourself in your client's eyes as not merely a sales person with a great affiliate marketing program, but a real person, and a darn nice one to boot.
Side Benefits For You
There are other benefits to developing a relationship with each of your prospects. Sometimes something goes wrong and it's out of your hands to bring a quick resolution to your client's problem. Perhaps there is an unavoidable delay in shipping, or a computer glitch is making everything run late. If you've established a friendly trust between the two of you, your client is far more likely to stand by you during the difficulty if you've been there for him all along.
You'll also find that it's actually far more pleasant doing business with someone you've come to know a little. Developing a relationship with each of your prospects will do that for you, and you'll come to love your job that much more.
In a world full of impersonal online business transactions, there really is no substitute for developing a relationship with each of your prospects if you want to win and maintain their customer loyalty with your affiliate marketing program.
David Cooper is the editor of the Affiliate Marketing Articles Newsletter. David specializes in helping people with their affiliate marketing programs by teaching them the importance of developing a relationship with each of their prospects. Subscribe to his FREE newsletter at: http://www.affiliatemarketingarticles.com
Online, The Mind Thinks In Pictures!
