Welcome to March. While writing Catchin’ Up!, I am in awe of what a gorgeous day it is. The sun is shining, birds are singing and temperatures are climbing. What a great day to celebrate an incredible outcome to a recent campaign I coordinated.

Over the last month I have had a great team of people helping to launch an Amazon.com campaign for Dr. Joe Capista. Everyone who was involved in this program went above and beyond. Special thanks to Tami, Nikki, all the Joint Venture Partners, the great bloggers who participated and of course my own partner, Karen. Without each and every one of your contributions, this project would not be the success it is.

Dr. Joe’s book made it to #1 in two categories for Hot New Releases on March 4, 2008.

If you have already ordered you own copy, you are in for an outstanding read. If you haven’t, you still can. You will glad you did. http://www.joecapista.com/amazon.htm

My sister, Patricia, is healing very nicely from her back surgery. She had a few rough days early on, but now the healing is right on track.

The amazing thing with my sister’s medical situation is that her gift business continued running during her recovery. Actually, her husband Dennis aka The Big Bear, kept busy between tending to his wife and filling eBay orders.

About six months ago Patricia and Dennis decided to explore their selling options with eBay as yet another way to provide outstanding choices to their market. For 15 years Patricia has owned and operated Just Bears and Stuff Unique Gift Shop.

When they decided to explore eBay they took to it immediately. Their clients loved the idea of being able to find one of the largest selections anywhere of Boyd’s bears on their eBay store. With well over 1,000 items listed (and more coming every day) buyers found lots of great items to select from.

Within three months Patricia and Dennis became Power Sellers while maintaining a nearly 100% customer satisfaction rate. To qualify as a Power Seller you must sell a minimum of $1,000 per month as well as maintain a 98% Customer Satisfaction rating.

According to many experts, it can take a year or longer to become a Power Seller. Curious as to how Patricia and Dennis were able to do this I asked question after question about selling on eBay.

Knowing that a lot of people would love to learn how to be successful eBay sellers, I have invited Dennis to join me at some point in the very near future as my guest expert for a FREE telesminar. He will share insights on how to get started on eBay, what you absolutely must do to succeed, what you cannot do if you want to be viewed as a credible seller, and much, much more. Be looking for an announcement in an upcoming issue of my Ezine.

Have a blessed month and live with passion!

Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer™
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com

Total Success is Determined by Your Thoughts, Beliefs and Actions
by Dr. Joe Capista

Many people say they want success, yet they are not willing to do what it takes to achieve their desired outcome. I am a believer in Total Success. Total Success requires more then a successful business and a great income. Total Success is about having a balanced life, giving back and enjoying what you do.

In order to achieve Total Success there are specific thoughts and beliefs you must have. There are also certain actions you must take.

Success in anything goes beyond the obvious. Although you need a certain amount of skill and knowledge, your successes will come from the way you think, feel and act, coupled with intense emotion and a steadfast belief in “self.”

To achieve Total Success you must set goals. Setting goals cannot be a hit and miss process. It has to be systematic, deliberate and the cornerstone of every other aspect of what you do in order to create a successful, abundant, happy, and balanced life. Goals are about gaining direction, clarity and vision.

Even though the concept of goal setting took a while for me to grasp, once I did, the difference in my ability to achieve the outcomes I desired was amazing. Initially I dabbled in the process. Over time, as with virtually every other component of my success, it became very systemized.

My success is directly proportionate to my willingness to set goals, write down my goals, review my goals and stay committed to my goals.

If you want what you say you do, you have to set goals. It’s not that difficult and the results will amaze you. Get a blank book. On each page write down your goals in a specific category and date it.

Not only should you write your goals down, you must review them morning and night. Write your primary goals on a 3 x 5 card to make the review time more targeted. Doing this will keep you on target with what you want.

When you focus on your goals by writing them down and reviewing them on a regular basis amazing events will begin to happen. You will be able to manifest what you want a lot quicker.

However, you must do more than write them down and read them. You have to be committed to the outcome. This means that if you want to get and stay healthy, you will have to make choices around what you eat and how often you exercise.

It is the same with your finances. If you want to increase your wealth you must make specific choices on how you spend and invest your money.

Think of every area of your life you want improvement in. Decide what you want and what you are willing to do to get it. Write your goals down, read them morning and night and take the appropriate actions to achieve your desired outcome.

With dedication and commitment you will be well on your way to Total Success.

Order you own copy of What Can a Dentist Teach You about Business, Life and Success? Order today and receive over $2,551 in bonus gifts from experts around the globe. Go to  http://www.joecapista.com/amazon.htm

How Many Companies Miss the Most Important Aspect of Marketing 101? By Kathleen Gage

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear about or experience a company that forgets the basics of Marketing 101. Lots of companies use all the latest and greatest marketing strategies to attract business, yet forget one of the most effective forms of marketing; stellar customer service.

It seems more and more companies are overlooking this type of marketing. Or, they think that offering so/so customer service is good enough 

That may be fine for an average business, selling an average product or service, to people who don’t care about anything but the cheapest price and the greatest bargain. For companies who want to be known as above average, who want to command top dollar, be in the game for the long haul and be recognized as one of the best, good enough is hardly good enough. You have to go above and beyond. One of the most important aspects of going above and beyond is paying attention to what your customers need and what they are asking for.

Case in point. When I relocated my home and my business about a year and a half ago, I was in need of finding new service providers for a number of things; home and auto insurance, a dentist, a doctor, an auto mechanic and an accountant to name just a few.

My experience of finding the right people to do business with was likely similar to what others go through. There is the first level a customer goes through to find service providers. Often it is based on the recommendation of a neighbor, colleague, or member of church or association we belong to. At this level, we are relying on what someone else says about a company, primarily because that’s all we have to go on.

The next level is the actual experience the customer has when they do business with the recommended company. When I went through this process my overall experience with the vendors who were recommended to me was quite good. In some cases exceptional.

Such was not the case with the accounting firm I selected based on a personal recommendation. I called the firm, set up an appointment and spent a good hour talking to the CPA about my business, my needs, goals for my company, how I preferred information to be communicated to me and the billing process. Something I emphasized is that I wanted no surprises.   

All seemed in order as I left my first meeting. However, within a short period of time it became evident my needs and wants were not being honored. A phone call to the CPA’s assistant seemed to clear up the misunderstanding. We were back on track, or so I thought.

Another couple of months passed and once again, it became apparent that the agreements we made were not being honored. The fact was, I wasn’t asking for anything out of the ordinary.

After the third occasion of talking to the CPA’s assistant in frustration and the assistant giving me yet another series of excuses I decided to pull my business from the firm. I had far too much at risk to continue this song and dance. Besides, now each time I had a conversation I felt angry and frustrated. This was not how I wanted my relationship with my accountant to be.

Amazingly, this wasn’t a bargain basement accounting firm. The firm is known as one of the top in the area. Yet, from my experience this was not evident.

The CPA and assistant seemed genuinely surprised when I chose to take my business elsewhere. It hardly seemed that it should have been a shock to them because I had let them know of my displeasure with how my account was being handled on three occasions.

Apparently, the accountant was going through some personal problems and had let her personal life impact her business relationships. Her assistant had to continually smooth things over and cover for her. I was to discover it was not just me who had this experience.

Everyone goes through personal problems. That’s a part of life. But to let personal problems impact one’s business to the degree this accountant did can have detrimental effects on a business; theirs and that of the client.

When something like this happens, not only are customers frustrated, professional relationships are deeply impacted and trust is lost.

No matter what a company says about themselves by way of their advertising, website or blog, the reality is, your customer’s experience either works for you or against you.

What is the experience you create for your customers?