Gift Cards, Sudoku Puzzles, Phone and Voicemail Scams

Just when you thought you were wise to gift card scams, crooks come up with a new way of ripping you off.

They've also revised a sneaky call-forwarding trick as well as devising how to use number puzzles to get malware onto your PC.

All the details and more in this week's issue of Scambusters.

Click here to read the full article. 


©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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How to Beat the Ransomware Crooks

Although it's been around for years, ransomware, which locks your PC and demands payment to free it, has suddenly ballooned, threatening millions of computer owners.

Crooks use clever techniques to scare victims into paying up, but even if you do, your troubles are unlikely to be over.

But you can beat the ransomware crooks, using some basic avoidance tactics and knowing what to do if they get through your defenses -- as we explain in this week's issue.

Click here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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Travel Scam Alert 2013 Part 2: 7 More Vacation Tricks

Last week, we gave you the lowdown on 7 of the latest travel scam tricks for 2013. This week, we have another 7!

They include new variations of old tricks -- like setting up bogus parking lots -- to a new series of "good Samaritan" scams aimed at relieving travelers of their money when they buy train tickets.

Then there's the "helpful" con artist who tells you the venue you planned to visit is closed, but he has something else to show you. All this and more in this issue.

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©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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SPEAKING YOUR CLIENTS' LANGUAGE

Language is the currency of marketing. It may seem like getting clients for your business is about money, but communication is the real key. In order for someone to become your client, they must first understand what you are offering, relate your offer to something they want or need, grasp how your service can help them, and determine that you are the right person to do what's needed.

To accomplish these milestones, you and your clients must be speaking the same language. But all too often, this is not the case. Here are four communication pitfalls to watch out for in your marketing.

1. Avoid industry jargon. A client of mine who specialized in writing newsletters and fact sheets for corporate clients was in the habit of introducing herself as a "communications consultant." That's the label professionals in her industry used to describe the type of work she did, and it had never occurred to her that others might not understand it.

I suggested she ask some people outside her industry what they thought this job title meant. She was shocked to discover that the majority of people she asked thought she taught classes in how to communicate, or helped people to become better public speakers. She started introducing herself instead as a business writer specializing in employee and customer communications, and immediately began connecting with more potential clients.

2. Speak to the need. It's a common mistake of independent professionals to offer clients what the professional thinks they need instead of what clients believe they need or want. For example, coaching. Most clients are not actually looking for "coaching"; they are looking for something that working with a coach might help them get, like a new job or a promotion or higher earnings.

Offering help with specific goals that a client might already be seeking is more likely to result in a sale than promoting a service that clients may not even realize they could benefit from.

3. Put questions before answers. When communicating in writing or from a podium, you may need to guess about what clients are looking for, but in a one-to-one conversation, you can just ask.

I was speaking with a virtual assistant recently who learned that I had multiple websites. She immediately launched into an enthusiastic explanation of how she could help me keep them updated. Not once did she ask me about my own level of technical skill (which is probably higher than hers) or whether I already had a virtual assistant (yes, I do). What a waste of a conversation. Instead, she could have spent that time asking me what assisting needs I did have and how she could potentially be of service.

4. Establish your worth. Clients want to make sure you are the right person for the job, but they may not care at all about the qualifications you think are important. It's not going to help you get a tax preparation client if you tell them all about your Enrolled Agent credential, but what they want to know is whether you have experience with multi-state returns and relocation bonuses.

Ask your potential clients what they are looking for in an accountant, web designer, ghostwriter, etc., before you start describing your background.

The key to good communication is usually not talking, but listening. Listen to the questions prospective clients ask for clues to how you may not be explaining yourself well. Ask your own questions about their needs and the deciding factors that will be important to them. When you and your clients start speaking the same language, your words might just turn to gold.

Copyright © 2013, C.J. Hayden

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Travel Scam Alert 2013 Part 1: 7 Tricks to Watch For

You think you've heard or read about them all, but with the vacation season upon us, the travel scam experts have come up with a new batch of tricks to catch out the unwary tourist.

We've been writing about travel scams almost since Scambusters Day One, and if you're planning to hit the road or the airport, it's worth checking out some of our earlier issues because almost all of the tricks we reported then are still in play.

Travel Scams -- Here, There and Everywhere
 
Travel Scams: 10 Tips to Avoid Getting Taken
 
5 New Travel Scams

Click here to read the full article.

 
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at

http://www.scambusters.org