I recently received word from a prospect that she had opted for a “lower cost” online program. That’s fine, of course; I’m glad she found a good fit for her needs and I hope it serves her well. Indeed, lower cost platforms do exist. They’re ripe for the picking.

(For perspective, keep in mind that TipTopics plans start at just $39 a month. Now, back to our program…)

What concerns me about her decision is that by choosing a cheap, limited-reach, you-gotta-do-everything-yourself alternative, she’s probably ignoring the value of her time AND inviting potential risks to her reputation.

Here’s what I mean:

Ordinary programs typically require you to be the writer, editor, designer, contact manager, and even an HTML coder and troubleshooting geek. That takes effort. That takes skill. That takes time. In fact, with most programs, you’ll likely spend from 4 to 12 hours, or even more, every month to manage your email-only program. On the other hand, with TipTopics, you’ll probably spend no more than an hour each month (some report that TipTopics takes just 15 to 30 minutes). So before you go solo with another program, keep that time factor in mind.

And what about those potential risks to your reputation? If you use another program, you’re typically on your own. And without a professional advocate in your corner, you could make a damaging misstep. Do you know how to write a subject line to maximize interest? Do you know how to craft a “hook” to encourage opens and click-throughs? Do you know how to prepare each message or longer-form article to enhance your image? Do you know how to position yourself as a trusted authority and “go-to” expert?

That’s why we created TipTopics: to empower you  to send more professional messages with better reach (but with a lot less effort). We make it easy for you to go beyond the inbox to deliver messages that matter to connections that count. And at the risk of repeating myself, we do this “heavy lifting” for as little as $39 a month.

So what is your time worth? What is your reputation worth? Just asking…

Want more information? Email me or call me at 1.888.Get.Tip.1 (that’s 1.888.438.8471). Of course, you can also visit www.tiptopics.com and check out the PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS page. Do it today. After all, time’s a-wastin’.

FOLLOW TIPTOPICS ON TWITTER:

TipTopics is on Twitter, too. Just look for @TipTopics.

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“How Could I Use a Virtual Assistant?”

I get asked this question on a regular basis, and I thought I would start my TipTopics monthly messages with a couple ways a virtual assistant (VA) could save you time (which, of course, could also save you money). 

1. Let’s say you need to confirm weekly sales appointments. You could fax or email the list to the VA, and the VA calls the appointments, notes who has confirmed and who must be rescheduled. The VA then faxes or emails your list back to you and you can go about your sales calls with confidence.
2. You collect business cards all month, and then mail the cards to the VA. The VA then enters the data into your database and sends it via email attachment to be downloaded into a CRM or similar contact management system. With your contacts updated frequently, you can make the right connections more often.

That’s just a couple of ways a VA could lighten your workload. What tasks could YOU delegate to a virtual assistant?

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A RECOMMENDATION:

I encourage you to check out the Community First Initiative – a wonderful organization providing specialized mentor programs. Learn more at http://www.go-cfi.org.

Whatever is expressed is impressed. Whatever you say to yourself, with emotion, generates thoughts, ideas and behaviors consistent with those words. Make it a great day!

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