Sales, Technology Speaker; Speaking Tips by Frank Furness: affiliate online newsletter software http://www.frankfurness.com Frank Furness

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Saturday, December 05, 2009

Productivity Centre - Updates

This month's updates for Productivity Centre subscribers include:

Video - how to download videos from YouTube and insert them into your PowerPoint presentations.

Audio - Secret strategies for finding niche markets and products that you can sell to with no experience and make money while you sleep

EBook - Health & Wealth Magnetism

More next month.....

Friday, September 04, 2009

Doing Business in a Global Economy by Frank Furness

Having spoken in numerous countries within the past 12 years, I have seen some massive changes. The global economic crisis driven by the greed of banks has bankrupted so many companies and many others are just fighting for survival.

Interestingly, countries like Australia, that are more conservative have not been hit as hard. Dubai, the showpiece of the world has come tumbling down in its quest to be bigger and better on borrowed money. Just an hour away, the small and conservative emirate of Abu Dhabi is enjoying growth as it has not relied on other people’s money.

In my travels I see huge growth in countries like China and India. On a recent tour of Iran and Saudi Arabia, I also noticed massive growth, but the biggest noticeable factor was the number of young entrepreneurs that are now running successful businesses.

The other noticeable change is that the successful companies have been totally customer focussed. They are solution based organisations and sell value instead of products or services.

Many ‘order takers’ have been exposed and those individuals and companies that are actively providing great customer care as well as constantly looking for new business are the survivors.

The most successful sales people are those who have made the change to think and act like business people and have learned to communicate at all levels.

There are a number of other factors affecting the global economy:

Social – behaviours, tastes and lifestyles of the countries as well as their cultures. Buying patterns are influenced by changes in structure of population and consumer changes.
• Age
• Religion
• Culture
• Language
• Lifestyle patterns
• Body language

Legal - Awareness of consumer protection legislation, environmental legislation, health and safety and employment law.

Economic - This is a huge factor presently.
• State of economy will determine business factors
• Trends in business
• Demand of products or services
• Interest rates
• Wages
• Inflation
• Ability to pay
• Financial stability

Political - Again a big driver. When I spoke in Iran, there is a massive drive from the young entrepreneurs to expand their businesses globally, but this is marred by the political situation and regulations. Interestingly, a South African phone provider recognised an opportunity and is now the second biggest phone company in Iran. Other factors include:
• EU derivatives and regulations
• Spending power
• Government Policies
• Stability

Technology – My other business is an internet marketing company with 60 websites and in the past 10 years I have seen massive changes. The emergence of Social Networking is having a huge impact on business and providing global opportunities. Other advantages include:
• Huge volumes of information can be shared
• Cost reductions and improvements in service i.e. 24 hour call centres worldwide
• Competitive advantage – information is freely available
• Easier communication with customers anywhere in the world
• Buyer profiles changing – much younger and internet savvy
• Communication in different ways – audio, video, forums

What does this mean?

The global market has become more competitive. Similar products and pricing will result in organisations having to:
• Differentiate
• Sell value
• Create the ultimate customer experience
• Sell to customers the way they buy
• Move from sales to business people
• Teamwork at all levels - knowing everyone on the team and the competition
• Global teamwork and communication at all levels.
• Share ideas, best practice, resource and network
• Develop creative leadership
• Pro-actively seize opportunities
• Set goals and achieve success

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and consultant specialising in sales & technology. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences globally.
For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com and for resources take a look at http://www.frankfurness.com/ and http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/

Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Friday, May 08, 2009

Twitter for Business by Frank Furness

Twitter, the latest tool to take the internet by storm is growing massively each day, so what is Twitter and how does it work?

Twitter is a free online micro-blogging application which gives you the ability to send out short messages (up to 140 characters) called “tweets” to people who are following you on Twitter.

You can send tweets either through your computer or by using your cell phone via a text message.

These tweets/messages can be about anything you want and they can include links, as well.

What makes social marketing so popular and applications like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook dominate the internet? Simply put, it is the feeling of community. Thanks to the internet, our sense of community can include people from anywhere in the world bringing us into the global community.

From a business perspective, social sites provide an opportunity to get in front of potential customers and influence buying decisions because online social networkers are three times more likely to trust their online community of peers over other advertising methods when making purchasing decisions. As we all know, consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising and finding new business.

Here are some basics you'll need to know before you start tweeting:
· When setting up your account, add a professional photo and your own background.
· Either have your name, a keyword relating to your business or your business name as you Twitter name
· A follower is someone who is watching your updates.
· Following refers to the act of you following other people.
· The @ symbol is placed before a users name within the tweet to reply to another user, and this will show up in the main twitter stream
· The # (hashtag) is used to help you sort by topic. For example you can use #survivor to tweet with other Survivor fans.
· Direct messages go only to the user you are messaging
· Set up TweetLater.com account and welcome message: Next you'll need to look for people to follow. If you are really in this to gain business referrals, I strongly suggest you don't follow every person on twitter.

Once you are following people, you'll see that people will begin to follow you back and you'll even see people following you that you didn't follow first.

Now that you're building your list of followers, you need to start tweeting on a regular basis. I would suggest tweeting relevant information that will enhance people’s lives or help them be more productive or improve business. Nothing irks me more than seeing inane useless information.
I predict that in the future, tweeters giving relevant helpful information or helpful links or tips are the ones who are going to see the biggest growth.

Here are some helpful ways in which Twitter can boost your online business.
· Twitter generates traffic to your site because you can send messages that include links. Include relevant links to promote products or services.
· If you need to hire anyone to do anything for you, from designing a logo to optimising your website you can do so easily on Twitter by sending a tweet out to ask if they know of anyone.
· It is easy to find new, potential customers by using Twitter's search function. Search Twitter for your target keywords and you will find related tweets. Follow the Twitter users that are talking about relevant topics and you may be able to offer your product or services to them in the future.
· With Twitter, you can connect with other people in your niche. This is helpful for building business relationships that will enhance your future networking efforts.
· It is a great feedback tool. Ask your followers to comment on your website, products or anything new that you may be promoting.

Here are some ways that I am using Twitter:
· I am sending regular tweets to promote my 160 videos on YouTube. i.e. discover how to ask great sales questions and please leave your rating and comments
This then takes them to my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/salestips where I generate income as I am a YouTube partner.
In my videos I also send them to a squeeze page with a ‘onetime’ offer that gets them to buy a product or sign up for my newsletter

· Promote a free giveaway in a tweet. Once again this will take them to a relevant ‘onetime’ offer squeeze page and then get them to sign up for my newsletter before giving them the free products. This is one of the methods I have used to build up a subscriber list of 25,000

If you really want to maximize the potential with Twitter, you should make sure to take advantage of any plug-ins or sites that support Twitter.

Here are three, and attached below is the download link to hundreds more
· Squidoo allows you to input your Twitter account info into your Squidoo account and then it can automatically post updates to your Twitter account when you create or update Squidoo lenses.
· Facebook has an application called Twitter; it automatically updates your Facebook status when you make a Twitter post.
· The other tool is a free WordPress plug-in called TweetMyBlog that allows you to create a two-way connection from your blogs to Twitter. TweetMyBlog allows you to use a widget on your WordPress blogs that will display your current Twitter feed. That way all visitors to your blog can look at the widget and see a running feed of your latest Twitter posts. If they click on that they will be brought to your Twitter page.

In addition, when you make a new post to your blog, TweetMyBlog will automatically make a post to your Twitter page with a link to your latest blog post. Imagine the extra exposure you can receive by using these tools that help people see more of what you are doing.

Here is my gift to you, a resource list withpiles of Twitter tools and resources. You will also see my strategy of the ‘onetime’ offer leading to the signup page for my newsletter before getting the resources list – plus many other free EBooks.

Get it at www.frankstoptips.com/TwitterToolbox.zip

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.

Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com

Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/

Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com

Opportunities in 2009

Brian Tracy

This year has been busy extremely so far, mainly as a result of intensive marketing efforts by Candice and me. I have just returned from a month away speaking in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, followed by 2 weeks in South Africa and a week in Estonia..

I love Australia and did eleven talks in five cities. It is definitely one of my favourite countries, great people, weather, food and attitude. I also met some wonderful people; take a look at my interview with cricketing legend Max Walker. I was also fortunate enough to be featured on radio and ABC TV.

When I arrived in Brisbane I was told that there were only two keynote speakers, myself and Brian Tracy who would be presenting before me. I jokingly asked if it was ‘THE’ Brian Tracy and was told, that it was. (I can always say he was my warm-up act). He was incredible and a great person, take a look at my photo with him.

Take a look at my Ausie photos.

A few words of thanks to my best friend from school, Michael Dredge who lives in Melbourne and who I met up with after 30 years and great friends from Cape Town, Miles and Erayne Stuart who have now settled in Brisbane and showed me some of the sights and fed me at some of their top restaurants. Thanks also to the National Speakers Association of Australia who organised the speaking tour and looked after me incredibly well.

After that it was off to South Africa where I spoke at the Global Speakers Conference in Cape Town and was lucky enough to experience the street parade for the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Then it was off to a private Game Lodge called Mabula Lodge. There is nothing quite like an African sunrise and sunset and seeing the incredible animals in their natural habitat. We hired a four bedroom house with a pool in the wild and invited family to spend time with us. This was far better than our normal time rushing around from one family member to the next and arriving home exhausted. Take a look at the photos and videos.

Right now I am sitting in my hotel room in Tallinn in Estonia where I presented last night. I have set up a number of meetings and see massive potential for business here in the future. Take a look at the photos of this wonderful city.

My next big venture is my productivity centre website which will have thousands of resources on sales, technology, customer service, marketing, internet marketing, leadership, consulting, speaking skills, coaching, working with the media and plenty more.

There will be hundreds of audio cuts that can be listened to or downloaded to your IPods as well as videos, eBooks, software, articles and plenty more. There will be interviews with industry leaders and updated materials each month and will serve as an incredible resource for any business or individual. There is a huge amount of work and I anticipate that it will be ready by July. I already have the website -

http://www.productivitycentre.com/ it is under construction.

My partner in setting this all up is Herb Kelly and his wife Sue who are involved in some of the success of the top internet marketers. Herb and I go back many years to when we first played together in a band at school and then when we started working. The third member of the band was Dassie da Silva, my best friend in South Africa.

At school we were all told by our teachers that anyone who played in a band would end up as failures. I wish those people could see us now, I’m doing ok, Herb is incredibly successful on the internet and Dassie is a successful entrepreneur with more food outlets and restaurants than anyone I know. I wish those teachers could see us now....

We do look a little different though – take a look at our old band photo with Herb and I.

Speakers Bootcamp - The good news is I now have the date in the UK for the bootcamp - 5/6 September in Amersham outside London. Download the brochure and book early for a discount and remember, places are limited.

Online Marketing Masterclass has also been confirmed for the 1st August. Download all the details here.

Twitter seems to be the new social networking phenomenon. At first it frustrated me with lots of insignificant drivel posted, until I worked out how this could work as a great branding tool as well as build my subscriber list and very subtly sell my products (actually not, nothing about me has ever been subtle). Please read my article on Twitter and download the resource guide with over 100 Twitter tools.

Follow me on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/frankfurness

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries.

Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘

How to Find New Clients and Business’

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com

Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/

Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Make money with YouTube

YouTube is now one of the most powerful means of getting your message accross on the internet. In the video below I will show you some of the hidden secrets to optimising your videos and amking money with www.youtube.com

Thursday, November 27, 2008

SEO | Search Engine Optimisation | Marketing Tips

Learn some great ways to optimise your website as well as see what is getting your competition to the top of the search engines. Also see the two great free pieces of software that will make this happen.
Watch the video below.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Use Elance for all your outsource requirements

Take a look at this video to see how Elance can help you.

Elance | Sales Tips | Frank Furness| business tips from Frank Furness on Vimeo.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Vista Optimiser | Product review - Video Web Wizard

How to Find New Business and Clients - Take a look at my new book

Here it is this week's quick tips and reviews:

Optimise your computer with Vista
Take a look at what you need to optimise your computer. Whether it be a new video card or processor, Vusta can tell you. Go to the control panel and select system. In the system section is the computer's Window Experience Index.. Sometimes there is a number there. Click the link and you will see the ratings, but if not click 'rate my computer' button.
You should upgrade the component with the lowest score first.
Take a look at the video below:

Product Review - Video Web Wizard.
Have you wondered how to optimise your videos for the web. Discover how to optimise the size and quality - take a look at the video below.

Speakers Bootcamp
The next speakers bootcamp will be on the 26/27th July and there are a few places open. Download the Ebrochure at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com/bootcamp08.pdf

Google Nemesis

There is a young genius from Manchester called Chris X who is taking the web by storm. On his first 2 products he made $1 million and his latest product this week, Google Nemesis has broken all records.

It is an amazing piece of software that produces website templates and as you type over the lines, your ready made website contenet changes. It was made for anyone wanting to sell anything on the internet with no knowledge whatsoever of the technical side.

Take a look at this incredible software....and then take a look at the video which i made with Chris and Ken , the developers.

And Finally.........

Last week I spoke at a convention in Macau and finally overcame my fear of heights. Take a look at the video, CRAZY........

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Travel and Speaking Tips - England

We moved from South Africa to England fifteen years ago and for four years I worked in the City of London. It is now one of my favourite cities in the world. Flattened and rebuilt several times in the course of its long life, London is a fascinating combination of the new mingled with the very old. It has been said that when you tire of London, you tire of life. There is plenty to see and do and it is heralded as the theatrical centre of the world. Some of the great attractions include, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, The Eye of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey to name just a few.

Oxford Street is famous for its shopping and if your credit card stretches far enough, visit Harrods, one of the most exclusive department stores in the world.

The transport system is great to get around with when you don’t have a car with the ‘underground tube’ taking you wherever you want to go. A one-day travel card costs around £8 and gives you unlimited travel on the tube and London’s double decker buses. A cab drive with the London Black Taxis is a great experience and if your driver is a cockney, you’ll love the rhyming slang language and their sense of humour.

Dining out is a wonderful gastronomic experience with different ethnic foods to tempt your palate and there are many good and also many not so good hotels to stay in and the small size of some hotel rooms are a disappointment to many visitors. Don’t be surprised when you see the prices, as London is well renowned to be one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Moving out of London, a short drive or rail trip will take you to the beautiful town of Windsor renowned for Windsor Castle, one of the Queen’s residences and Eton College where many of the Royals complete their education. The vast countryside in Britain is a wonderful sight to behold and the little villages along the way offer exquisite antique shops to visit, country tea houses serving fresh scones, jam and cream and interesting places to visit.

A day at Henley on Thames for the boat races is a must - see the photograph above.

British audiences are wonderful, but you need to do some research. They are very conservative and do not enjoy talks that encourage audience participation. Some time ago, an American speaker who was on the same programme as me started his talk by asking the audience to stand and repeat, “I feel good, I feel fine, I’m fantastic all the time”. The audience was very embarrassed and his talk went downhill from there. The English sense of humour is very different from that of the Americans as is their taste in sport. The British are passionate about “football”, rugby and cricket and have very little knowledge of American football, basketball, baseball or ice hockey.

Watch the television, travel in the city, read the newspapers and then adapt your talk accordingly. Many of my friends from the USA have adapted their talks and consequently have been invited back numerous times.

There are many excellent venues to speak at, my favourite being the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, which is two hours north of London. Manchester, the home of the football team Manchester United also offers many speaking opportunities and is the second largest city in England.

There are around 35 bureaus in the UK, but they are different to many other countries in that they are very much celebrity focused. The British love celebrities, sports stars and TV personalities, so it can take a while to establish yourself with them if you are a business speaker. I work with about four bureaus who I have established a good relationship with, and then concentrate on my own marketing efforts to keep the diary full.

There are many CEO groups where you will be in front of prospective clients as well as numerous networking organisations. Always contact the Professional Speakers Association to attend some of the meetings while you are here.

Next month, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries. Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/

Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com

11 Tips to Develop and Promote Effective Newsletters and Ezines Online

Everyone should develop a 10 touch plan to stay in contact with their clients on a regular basis. The easiest way to do this is through an ezine or electronic newsletter.

This is a great way to share information, promote your products, and get feedback from your most important customers. Here are some pointers to creating a successful newsletter.

1. Have a Theme.
The largest pitfall to developing an effective newsletter is the lack of a theme. When creating newsletters on a regular basis, select a unique theme every month that appeals to your audience. Once you have identified a theme, be sure that your newsletter content focuses on that specific theme throughout its content. With my newsletter, I have a number of themes to suit my different audiences; sales, technology, speaking and motivation.

2. Allow for Easy Reading and Archiving
The first few seconds are your most important so make them count. Use big, bold headlines, and article descriptions, providing links to the full article or related content areas. Also, make it easy for subscribers to read back issues and put a link to the archive on your blogs and websites.

3. Use Graphics.
Producing a newsletter that's wall-to-wall text will not be able to keep the interest of even your most savvy reader. Include photographs and videos where possible. This will break up those large blocks of content and increase your newsletter's appeal. Make sure your graphics include links to the articles or products they reference as Internet browsers tend to click on pictures or graphics presented online.

4. Include Product or Service Information.
Internet users are very comfortable with product promotion especially when receiving free information or content. I always try to give a great deal of content as well as many free resources – take a look in the links section. Products or services that are closely aligned with the theme of your newsletter can be ideal. As a rule of thumb, keep the number of products you promote to three or less.

5. Be Viral.
Never assume that the person reading your newsletter signed up for it directly. In fact, you should encourage your readers to forward the newsletter to others who may be interested in the content you're providing. Make it easy for new users to sign up through a link in each edition of your newsletter. When users forward a copy to a friend, they can easily subscribe.

6. Place all your newsletter articles on your blog
This will attract a new audience who will pick up the articles from the internet, subscribe to your newsletter and eventually buy your products or services.

7. Ping your Blog
I use a website http://www.pingomatic.com to ping my blog, this is, in effect getting the message to most of the blog directories that I have new articles on my blog for viewing.

8. Submit your Newsletter to the top directories
This will find subscribers who are interested in your subject and encourage them to sign up. Here are some to consider:

EzineHub.com
http://www.ezinehub.com/

FreeTechMail.org IT Newsletters
http://www.freetechmail.org/

Jisc Mail
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/

List Search, L - Soft
http://www.lsoft.com/lists/LIST_Q.html

ListCity
http://www.list-city.com/

ListTool.com
http://www.listtool.com/

New-List.com
http://new-list.com/

9. Have a second, short newsletter
I noticed that many of my CEO clients were too busy to read my normal long newsletter. I then produced a second newsletter with only five or six links to the newsletter articles now on my blog. This increased readership by 33%.

10. Promote your newsletter everywhere.
Promote your newsletter on your website, blogs, vlogs, articles and videos. I promote my newsletter on some of my YouTube videos and this has resulted in 10,000 new subscribers in the past year.

11. Find the right software for your newsletter.
I have two lists, my ‘A’ list which is people that I know or those who have seen me speak. For them I use Constant Contact and for my ‘B ‘ list which is subscribers from all over the world that I have never met, I use Infacta Groupmail.

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries. Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/

Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

For more articles, please take a look at my website http://www.frankfurness.com and please download complimentary eBooks and software at http://www.frankfurnessresources.com

Sales Tips - Easing tension levels and developing rapport with new clients

You’ve just met with a potential new client and tension levels are fairly high. This is the stage for ‘small talk’ and developing rapport and a business relationship. So what do you speak about?

Well, think about it, who do most people like to speak about. They love to speak about themselves, so that’s what we have to do; we have to get them to speak about themselves.

For many years, I’ve used ‘past, present and future’. I’d walk into the prospect’s office, have a look around and say, “this is amazing, you’ve got this great position with this top company, how did you get started?” Nobody’s asked them that question for years and they are really proud of what they have achieved and how well they have done in the company (this works really well with CEOs).

They may reply, “Well, fifteen years ago I started as a clerk and I worked my way up....and now I am the CEO”

You just keep quiet and listen. The next question you would ask would be about the present situation. “So tell me about your position at the moment, how are things going?”

They may reply, “well I’ve got fifteen people working for me, we’re expanding and opening three or four new branches as soon hope to be known in many countries worldwide.” At this stage you just keep quiet and listen.

Your next question is asking them about the future, and with this question you’ll learn more about your potential client than in any other part of the interview. “So where do you see yourself and your organisation in five or ten years time?” and you just keep quiet.

What they now say will give you all kinds of buying signals. You will hear things like; ‘Well, I want to expand and open another three branches………’

This is where the clients talk from the heart. These are the emotions and the reasons why they’re going to buy from you, so remember that when you walk in, use ‘past, present and future.’ Also remember that logic makes people think and emotion makes them act, focus on the emotion when selling.

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in technology, sales and customer service. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries. Frank is the author of bestselling books ‘Walking with Tigers – Success Secrets of the World’s Top Business Leaders’ and ‘How to Find New Clients and Business’

NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/ and http://www.frankfurnessresources.com

Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

Monday, April 07, 2008

Speaking Tips - Presenting in Hong Kong

Welcome to Hong Kong. How many of us can remember the old airport with the runway in the sea and the greatest challenge for every airline pilot. All that has changed now and Hong Kong airport is amongst the most modern in the world. A short train ride on a clean modern express takes you into either Kowloon or the Island of Hong Kong.

It is a country of fascination, history, and wonderful foods and of course the best shopping in the world. The main business district is on the Island of Hong Kong in the “central” district. It is easy to get around as the MTR underground is fabulous, clean, efficient and always on time. I normally buy an “octopus” ticket for HK$150 (approx US$20) and this can be used for a week. The hotels are first class as are the restaurants but be prepared, Hong Kong is an expensive city. Taxis are efficient but get your hotel to write out the address, as many taxi drivers don’t understand English. Most speaking venues are in the hotels or at the World Trade Centre and are super efficient. Do your homework before you go. I made some unforgivable blunders in the beginning. The first time I went to Hong Kong, I spoke to a group of approximately 100 Chinese business people. After the talk, many came to meet me and handed their cards to me, which I put into my pocket. I was politely told that I had insulted everyone and was then shown the correct behaviour. The card is handed over and accepted with both hands. You should read it, show appreciation by feeling it and making some gesture and then put it away in your pocket. Always carry a supply of business cards as the culture dictates the swapping of cards immediately.

As I travel to Hong Kong about 4 to 6 times a year, I bought some books on Chinese etiquette, which has assisted me tremendously. The Chinese can appear almost shy to start with, but they enjoy entertainment as much as anyone else. Your talk must contain many educational points, as this is a priority. The people are serious, professional and the hardest working nation I have come across. Never be late for an appointment.

Always expect the unexpected. On my trip last month I spoke to the sales force of a Chinese client that I had worked with twice before. They had moved into new offices where I would be speaking. They have a sales force of around a hundred people and I was expecting to speak in an auditorium. I was surprised to find that I was speaking in a huge office where they would all be sitting at their desks watching me on three giant TV screens. I was standing at the front of the office on a platform where a cameraman was filming and projecting the images (it reminded me of the old machine shops where everyone would be sitting working while an overseer controlled things from the front.)

My next talk was at the FCC (Foreign Colonial Club) and I arrived very early to get a feel of the venue. It was a breakfast talk and the room had been set up taking every last bit of space and leaving no room for the speaker. I quickly had to rearrange things and a factor that I take into account when I speak anywhere in the world is to be very specific about the arrangements and still always arriving early. I arrange a lot of my own speaking tours and it is up to me to ensure that everything meets the client’s expectations. I always tell my Chinese audiences that they can laugh, ask questions and enjoy themselves. Their culture dictates that normally the leader of the group would answer all questions. I am a very enthusiastic speaker and tend to speak fairly quickly, when speaking English to the Chinese I need to be very aware that I need to slow down and ensure that I am understood.

If you enjoy shopping (like me), there is no place like Hong Kong. There are shops literally everywhere. I have found the best places to shop in Mongkok, which contains a ladies market and night market, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. Gadget junkies will lose themselves at Star City and Wanchai Computer Centre. Nightlife abounds with wonderful restaurants and bars around Soho and Lan Kwai Fong. Taking a trip up the cable car will give you a spectacular view of the city. Take a bus ride to Stanley Bay where you can pick up all kinds of bargains at Stanley market like a beautiful silk tie for about US$1.50. Visit Happy Valley Racetrack or take a boat ride to Aberdeen to see a city of boat people. Enjoy the “Star Ferry” from Hong Kong to Kowloon with the locals or take the hovercraft to Discovery Bay for a game of golf. One of my favourite places is the Island of Chin Chau and a half hour ferry ride will take you to the favourite holiday resort of the locals. Beautiful beaches, no cars (only bicycles) and the best seafood will have you returning more than once. Another hovercraft trip will take you to the Island of Macau, which was previously under Portuguese rule and still has all the influences. The Island of Lantau has the giant Buddha and visit Sea Park with its cable cars that will give you a spectacular view of Hong Kong and will take you to the world’s longest escalator. Speaking opportunities abound, so get it to the top of your “opportunity” list.

If you ever get the opportunity speak in Hong Kong, the people are wonderful and the food and shopping great!

Frank Furness CSP CFP TOT is a professional speaker and trainer specialising in sales, technology and sales management. He has educated, entertained and inspired audiences in 48 countries. His publications and sales CDs have been sold globally. For more information or to sign up for the free ‘Sales Tips & Ideas’ newsletter, email frank@frankfurness.com and for resources take a look at http://www.frankfurness.com and http://www.frankfurnessresources.com
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at other articles, free software and e-Books at http://www.frankfurness.com/
Download 39 Power Sales Closing Scripts at http://www.frankfurness.com/closingscripts.cfm

Success Secrets by Frank Furness

I have always maintained that to be the best in your field, whatever it is, you need to mix with the masters. When I started in sales in 1980, I found the top salesman and asked him if I could shadow him for 2 weeks, He agreed and I learned more from watching him than from all the sales programmes I had attended.

I did the same when I went into speaking, I interviewed some of the top speakers in the world like Zig Ziglar, attended as many talks as I could where I could watch and learn from them and then followed their advice. The same is now happening with my internet marketing business, I try to find the best, spend time with them and learn from them.

Some time ago the whole internet marketing fraternity was abuzz with a young 25 year old called Chris X who developed and marketed a book called Dayjob Killer which made him a million dollars in a short period of time. His next project was called ‘Google Assassin’ and consists of the most incredible software to optimise your site, find out how your competitors are beating you on the internet and making the best use of Adwords.

Once again this product made him over a million dollars in a three week period. I was fortunate enough to meet Chris and his partner in Manchester and spent the afternoon with them finding out how they managed to do this. I discovered that these are very smart people, Chris having qualified in law and Ken as a barrister.

I also had a video interview with them and then reviewed their latest product which you can watch below.
The most important points I learned from them were:
Don’t give up, it took them four years to get where they are now
Develop a circle of likeminded people to work together and mentor each other. Everyone has different strengths, and the power of so many ideas and ways of looking at things is what contributed to their success.
You don’t get rich overnight – it takes time and patience
Build your subscriber list, whatever your business or hobby – build that list
Find products of value that you can market to your subscribers, otherwise they will leave you

Take a look at the video....

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Walking with Tigers - Book Release

It has taken years to happen, but finally my book is being released around the world with the launch date of 29th September. Last November I was approached by the UK's largest independent publisher to write a book called 'Walking with Tigers' which has been my main keynote speech for the last number of years. With a lot of sweat and help (thanks Karen) I managed to complete it by the deadline.
The book is called - Walking with Tigers, Success Secrets from the World's Top Business Leaders. It is all about the great achievers I have met and worked with over the years and filled with great stories, information and ideas to grow your business and yourself.
One of my aims is to get the book to number one on Amazon when it launches and this is where I need your help. If you purchase the book on the launch date and email me the Amazon receipt, I will direct you to a download site with over $500 worth of software and Ebooks.
Click here for a short excerpt from the book

News and Views from Frank Furness

It is ages since my last written newsletter. I have been on the road constantly with trips in the last 3 months to Asia, Dubai, South Africa, USA and for a sorely needed vacation to Spain.

It has its drawbacks and advantages, every time I return it is like a honeymoon, but I get worried when my son calls me uncle and my dog bites me.

Asia was as wonderful as ever and in Manilla I presented to Young Entrepreneurs organisation which is one of my favourite, dynamic groups worldwide. One of the members owns the second largest TV station and numerous magazines. We were all invited to the 'Maxim top 100 models' party and I really had to force myself to go along. When I tried to convince my wife Candice that it was all in the goodwill of developing relationships, she just didn't seem to buy it. I can never understand women!

Malaysia was as wonderful as ever. I don't know what it is about the country that I love so much, the food, the atmosphere - really it is the people. They are the most wonderful people on earth, friendly and warm and hospitable.

I ran my 'Speakers Bootcamp' in Kuala Lumpur and Johannesburg and once again was blown away by the people attending. Delegates included the famous adventurer Zuraina Dato' Zaharin, TV programme 'Survivor' winner Vanessa and Ricky de Agrela who is the first person to fly around the world in a microlight. I have just finished reading his book Freedom Flight which makes fascinating reading. It makes us realise we have one life to live, so let's make the best of it and do the things we always wanted to do before it's too late.

Life has its wonderful twists and turns. I lost contact with my cousins on my mother's side 25 years ago which was a great pity as we were very close. Three months ago, I received an email out of the blue from my cousin Nicola in Cape Town who had traced me through the internet. This was incredible and after so long it was as if no time had passed at all. She told me that her brother Harry was now living in Singapore and sister Debbie in California. The timing couldn't be better, I was leaving the following week for Asia so met up with Harry and his fiancé Eve in Singapore and a month later had a trip to California and could spend the weekend with Debbie, Ron and the boys. I love it when a plan comes together.

When I returned from my trip to South Africa, I brought my mom with for a three month vacation with us. When she arrived I had a new laptop and multitude of other gadgets for her and she amazed me (not really, she is fantastic) at how quickly she picked up everything to do with the latest technology. Right now she is submitting my articles to the directories and my videos to all the online video sites. Okay, you may be thinking this is cheap labour, but where else is she going to get hugs and kisses every day at work from some good looking guy. (That would be my son who is home on vacation from his law studies).

Something new I will be adding to the newsletters and video tips is a product review. As many of you know, I love Internet marketing and now have 52 websites producing income. My aim is to get this up to a couple of hundred and then sit back in the sun at our place in Spain and watch the money roll in. I want to tell you, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication in the begining. I spend a fortune on tools, software and affiliate programmes. Some work and some are aload of rubbish, so I will review those that work and are making me money (there'e that word again).

When I was in San Diego I was fortunate enough to be speaking in a session with some of the world's top internet marketers including Alex Mandossian, Mike Stewart and Tom Antion. After the session I conducted video interviews with some of them to share with you and in this newsletter take a look at what Mike Stewart, the Internet video and audio guy has to say.

Take a look at the special feature on Rosalind Gardner who makes a fortune with affiliate programmes. I bought her Ebook and it is the one book I refer to all the time.
Please order my book when it is released and email me the receipt for the link to $500 worth of software.

Also, take a look at my Wealth Creation Masterclass in October. Places are limited to 25 and will be run in beautiful Oxford

Pre order your copy of 'Walking with Tigers'

Sales, Technology Speaker; Speaking Tips by Frank Furness

Frank Speaking Live