The Great Sneakers Scam and Other Sports Memorabilia Tricks

Collecting sports memorabilia is big business — and we’re not just talking about baseballs signed by legendary players.

Even contemporary products, like limited-edition fashion items such as designer sneakers, sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, making collectors a mouthwatering prey for scammers.

In one recent example  which has been widely reported but we are unable to confirm a “sneakerhead” (as they’re called) paid $30,000 for five pairs of exclusive Nike sneakers known as “LeBronold Palmers,” named for NBA champ LeBron James.

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IS MARKETING JUST A NUMBERS GAME?

You may have heard that marketing is just a numbers game: if self-employed professionals can get their marketing message in front of enough people, they will be sure to land enough clients. You'll often hear this type of advice from those who have a personal interest in helping you increase the size of your audience. For example, salespeople for advertising or trade shows, search engine marketing vendors, mailing list brokers, or social media management firms.

But consider for a moment whether it could really be the case that numbers alone are enough. If it were, wouldn't it mean that anyone with enough of a marketing budget to buy ads or exhibit booths, pay for search engine positioning, purchase a mailing list, or hire a pro to manage social media would automatically have a successful business? But you know that isn't true.
In reality, the quality of prospects in your marketing pipeline can be every bit as important as the quantity. Here are five tips for improving the quality of your pipeline:

1. Choose a specific niche to serve. When you don't define a market niche, you are selling to everyone and anyone by default. And that takes an endless amount of time and money. With a pipeline full of prospects you know nothing about, it's almost impossible to follow up effectively. You don't know what their needs are, what their budget is, or what will get their attention.
   
   Instead, focus on marketing to a defined niche of people and organizations you like, have experience with, and will pay what you need to charge. You'll have a much clearer picture of what services they might need from you, and be able to reach out to them accordingly. You'll also experience much less rejection, as your sales approaches will become more appropriate.
   
2. Tailor your message to your chosen niche. Generic marketing messages are much less effective than communications targeted to a specific audience. Even when a generic message attracts interest, it can clutter up your pipeline with people who aren't the best fit for what you do.
   
   Once you know who you're trying to attract, customize all your communications to fit that population. Show them you know their wants and needs, and tell them how you can help in ways that other professionals less familiar with their situation can't.
   
3. Qualify and segment prospects when they enter your pipeline. Keep track of where every prospect comes from and what you already know about them. This will help you prioritize and customize your follow-up, leading to more closed sales. If you try to categorize a prospect and find you have no appropriate category, that person may not belong in your pipeline at all.
   
4. Make referrals a priority. Prospects who are referred to you are more likely to become your clients than those who find you in other ways. Referred prospects are less likely to shop for the lowest price, ask fewer questions about your expertise, and typically come to a decision more quickly. Making contact with people who can become referral sources for you should be part of your marketing plan.
   
5. Boost your credibility. Professionals who speak, write, get interviewed, and volunteer in high-profile positions attract higher-quality prospects. People who come to you because of these activities view you as an expert. Therefore, they are pre-disposed to want to work with you, and more willing to pay your stated fee.

Successful marketing and sales takes more than simply increasing the number of people who know about your business. And that's a good thing! Because it means that talented professionals like you, who put the effort into learning how to market well, can always have an edge over those who just throw money at marketing.
Copyright © 2015, C.J. Hayden

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Money Flipping Scam Hits Social Networks

It’s been around for years, but money flipping is getting a new lease of life, thanks to the Internet and social media.

The concept is as simple as it is bold. A crook simply claims he knows a trick that will double or triple your money in just a few minutes, if you’ll just send it to him.

Sometimes, they say their technique involves a little-known quirk in the way the money wiring system works.

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10 Ways to Avoid Tow Truck Scams

Imagine your car breaking down and being hauled by a tow truck to a repair shop, and then you get a bill for hundreds of dollars maybe even $1,000 before work even starts on your vehicle.

It has happened. It’s part of a growing scam involving unscrupulous tow truck operators and repair shops.

In fact, according to the most recently available statistics covering 2010 the incidence of inflated towing bills almost doubled in a single year.

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WHO BELONGS IN YOUR MARKETING PIPELINE?

Actively managing your marketing pipeline is a key element of building a successful, sustainable business for any self-employed professional. When you meet people or acquire information about people or organizations, you need to capture their contact details in an organized way, then follow up regularly over time.

But who exactly are these people and organizations you should be staying in touch with? You don't want to waste effort on following up with a lot of folks who won't ever produce sales for you. On the other hand, you also don't want to neglect anyone who might lead to new business. So here's a handy guide to deciding who belongs in your marketing pipeline and who doesn't.

There are two broad groups of people and organizations you want to have in your marketing pipeline: those who may become clients, and those who can lead you to clients.

Prospective clients may be:

• Contacts in your market niche you have met or been introduced to
• Former clients who have done business with you in the past
• Prospects who have expressed interest in your services or have opted in to your mailing list
• Leads in your market niche you have identified or been told about
• Referrals in your market niche who have been sent to you by someone else

Potential sources of referrals or leads may be:

• Former clients
• Others who regularly interact with your market niche, including other business owners, employed professionals, or educators, advisors, and officials
• Active networkers who know many people
• Your personal fans and champions

If a person or organization doesn't fall into one of the above categories, he, she, or it probably doesn't belong in your pipeline. For example, you met a contact at a networking mixer who appears to have no connection to your market niche, and expressed no particular interest in what you do. Toss that business card out! There are plenty of other more valuable contacts for you to spend time following up with.

Notice, though, that you should only eliminate those who have no regular connection to your niche. When you encounter people who don't match your client profile, but are still likely to have regular contact with your niche, they do belong in your pipeline. They'll simply be there as potential referral/lead sources rather than as prospective clients, and it's in that context that you should follow up with them.

In fact, you may want to put more effort into intentionally connecting with possible referral or lead sources than you have in the past. Many professionals find that increasing the number of referral/lead sources in their marketing pipeline results in significantly more new clients. (For more on this topic, see Wanted: 100 Referral Partners.)

Like many elements of marketing, the contents of your marketing pipeline should ultimately be a blend, rather than only one flavor. You don't want to waste your follow-up efforts on just anyone, but you also don't want to focus exclusively on prospective clients and ignore potential referral/lead sources completely.

Don't let your pipeline overflow with irrelevant contacts. After all, the way to win the marketing game is not to collect the most names and phone numbers, but to make the most sales.

Copyright © 2015, C.J. Hayden

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New Food Donation and Subscription Scams — Plus Some Good News

A huge magazine and newspaper subscription scam is sweeping the country, prompting a series of alerts from publishers and consumer protection agencies.

To make things worse, the scam seems to be completely legal, as we explain below.

We also have another important scam alert concerning doorstep soliciting of food donations, and, for a change, a couple of good news Snippets.

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