Kristie T’s Home Business Blog Fun, mom-geared work-at-home tips and advice on making money on the net.

I just cracked open John Jantsch’s new book Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide today. Finally a marketing book that goes back to the basics. While it’s easy to get caught up in all the marketing hype of the latest techniques, many people often forget the importance of the marketing basics.

For instance, do you know:

- Who is your idea client?
- What is your marketing message?
- Do you have products/services to serve your customers at every level of their business?
- Do you have educational materials to turn prospects into clients?
- Do you have a marketing plan?
- Do you track and measure your marketing results?

Sure, you know you should do all those things, but have you? And better still, would you know how to do each of those things? John’s book walks you through it. Believe me, I have hired lots of fancy schmancy consultants (some whom charge even $1000/hour) for what John shares in this book.

I love John’s definition of marketing: “Getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like, and trust you”
That’s marketing with truth and integrity. It’s not about using the hottest techniques to get listed overnight on Google, it’s not about using “hypnotic copywriting” to manipulate your customers. It’s just about having real solutions to people’s everyday problems and helping them. I love that.

Over the next few days I’m going to be reading and sharing key concepts I get from the Duct Tape Marketing book. So stay tuned and see what you could do to develop a better marketing plan and process for your small business.

Do you have a copy of John’s Duct Tape Marketing book? Are you a big John Jantsch fan?

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My friend Alice Seba is an awesome mom marketer. I have learned a lot from her. And one of the biggest lessons I have learned from her is about “Sweetieism”. You see, when you meet people you should never think about, “What can they do for me?” That’s all backwards. When you start first to instead think how you can help the other person.

Business is about building relationships first. And that starts from building connections and trust. And there’s nothing like showing a genuine act of kindness to someone to get a friendship off on the right foot.

In the book “Dig your Well Before You’re Thirsty” by Harvey Mackay that I am reading, he says, “If there is a single rule to follow under these circumstances, it’s not ‘How can I get the other person to do something for?’ It’s ‘How can I do something for the other person.’”

After I read that, I chuckled, and it was a great reminder of the power of “Sweetism”.

Alice has a great guide that shows you how it’s easy to kill them with kindness and fatten your wallet at the same time.
Take a peak here to learn how to be an Internet Marketing Sweetie.

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Loving Google!

If you haven’t tried Gmail and Google’s Calendar, you are seriously missing out on something. Recently I got super fed of of sifting thru my 3000-4000 spam messages a day. So I signed up with a super secret gmail address to only give to my clients. And now my VA deals with weeding thru the website email to find me the important stuff.

And I was getting fed up too with my Outlook since I upgraded to the Outlook Business Contact Manager. The idea of it was cool. But it kept crashing all the time.

Here’s why you’ll love Gmail:
1) It groups your emails by conversation so you’ll always be able to follow the trail of messages with a given person
2) The search feature rocks, you can find any message in like 2 seconds - no kidding, I’ve put it to the test.

I just switched to Google’s Calendar feature this morning. I figured if Gmail rocks that much, the Calendar would rock too. WOW! digging it! I can set reminders in my Google Calendar and it will either email me a reminder or text message my phone. How cool is that?

So sign up for Gmail here

Here’s how to get your gmail messages on your cell phone
Who needs a blackberry anyway huh?

And here’s how to sign up for Google Calendar

So, if you see an extra big smile on my face and see my dancing in my office, it’s because I am doing the Google Dance. Google has set me free and made my life easier.

I bow down to the Google Gods. Thank you! Thank you soooooo much! You totally rock!

Do you love Gmail or Google Calendar? Are there any cool new Google features you want to share? Share your Google fever here!

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The 2nd Stop on the Mom Writers Blog Tour is that of mom author, Rachel Hamman. She is the author of the book “Bye-Bye Boardroom
Confessions from a New Breed of Stay-at-Home Moms”.

What I love about this book is that Rachel interviews real women who have decided to leave behind their corporate life to stay at home. Their insights and stories will make you laugh, cry, and really warm your heart.

Rachel has received a lot of notariety for her work to liberate women. In fact, that’s why she was named one of the “Most Remarkable Women” by Barbara Walter’s ABC show, “The View.”

Rachel is proof that it works. She is a corporate drone turn liberated woman herself. Her corporate background includes being a field marketing manager for E&J Gallo Winery, and an assistant vice president with Merrill Lynch in the Private Client Group.

And with all her accomplishments in corporate America, Rachel admits that her current role, however, as mother, humorist, and writer is the most challenging one.

I invite you to check out Rachel’s book “Bye-Bye Boardroom Confessions from a New Breed of Stay-at-Home Moms” at her website at rachelhamman.com

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So, you think you want to be a VA? Great choice! Being a virtual assistant is listed as one of my top 10 home business to start!

With the huge flux of entreprenuers also comes a greater need for dependable support. A VA is like an administrative assistant for busy online business owners. Virtual Assistants can help clients from all around the world run their business more efficiently by taking on routine tasks like updating the website, proofreading, promoting articles, etc.

Tawnya Sutherland runs a vibrant community for virtual assistants,
VANetworking (like Webmomz only for VA’s!).

She has a really helpful book on starting your own virtual assistant business.

I highly recommend it. It’s got step-by-step advice to help you start-up your own Virtual Assistant Business!

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Ready to ditch the commute, tear off the panty hose, and take charge of your own life? Introducing Webmomz work at home job listings! Check it out at http://www.webmomz.com/work-at-home-job-listings.htm

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