When talking about business sales leads, it is important to understand the buyer, and to create a customer through this understanding. Buyer behavior studies can play a pivotal part in this regard. A lot of time and effort have been spent on this relatively new discipline. And every buyer-study has unfolded some new dimension of this discipline. The subject has been approached and analyzed from different angles and under different premises. Different inferences have been formulated. But the subject, too complex to beat, still remains a theorem without a proof. What motivates the buyer? What induces him to buy? Why does he buy a specific brand from a particular shop? Why does he shift his preferences from one shop to another or from one brand to another? How does he react to a new product introduced to the market, or a piece of information addressed to him? What are the stages he travels through before he makes the decision to buy?

The time to start an online MLM business has never been better. With more and more people and businesses going online, a significant number of business owners are looking to the Internet as the source for the new business opportunities of tomorrow. Even after the Internet bust of the 90s, traffic on the Internet is at an all-time high. Starting an online MLM business from your home is an attractive and often lucrative option that deserves to be explored. Work from home on your own online MLM business can give you the freedom you've always wanted. No boss looking over your shoulder at your every move; no time clock to punch; no one to tell you what to do. It does sound attractive but a lot of hard work goes with the territory. Just be willing to do the things necessary to promote and run your business. Taking risks is a scary option but the payoffs are will worth it.

Do you need to reach wealthy prospects using direct mail? Then work on your list. Who you mail to (your list) is the single most important thing that determines your success. There are two main ways to target affluent buyers: where they abide, and what they buy. Where they abide Every area of the country has places where the wealthy congregate. The affluent are concentrated in cities (London, New York, Toronto) neighbourhoods (Knightsbridge, London, Manhattan, New York and Yorkville, Toronto) and streets (Cadogan Square, London, Park Lane, New York, Yorkville Avenue, Toronto. Reaching the wealthy by city is too expensive. Reaching them by neighbourhood or street makes more sense. One disadvantage of targeting the wealthy by neighbourhood is that you do not know if people on your list want or need what you are selling. All that you have is a good hunch that they can afford it (because some people who live in wealthy neighbourhoods only appear wealthy, and cannot actually afford to live their). The best place to look for lists of wealthy neighbourhoods is a list broker. List brokers will show you the breakdown of the wealthy neighbourhoods you want to target. Affluent Austin, for example (www.affluentaustin.com), claims to have data on the top 50,000 most affluent homes in Greater Austin, Texas. Their data card lets you target your mailing by zip code, neighbourhood name or number of households. It looks like this: 78610 Creedmoor 9 78613 Cedar Park 117 78734 Lakeway 2,643 So you could target the 78610 zip code and reach 9 homes. Or you could target the Cedar Park neighbourhood and reach 117. Or you could ask the list broker to name the zip codes and neighbourhoods that had the most households, and Lakeway, zip 78734, would be near the top of the list. If you are needing to reach wealthy buyers in the United States, try these top list brokers: Dun & Bradstreet www.dnb.com Experian www.experian.com InfoUSA www.infousa.com What they buy Another way to reach affluent prospects with direct mail is to find lists of people who already buy what you are selling, or something like it. Selling yachts? Rent a list of boat/yacht owners from the government department that issues boat licenses. Selling yachts to people on Mercer Island, Washington State? Rent the mailing list of subscribers to Yacht Magazine and select only those readers who live on or near Mercer Island. Selling yachts to newcomers to Mercer Island, Washington State? Rent the names of new home owners on the island or recent movers to the island. ---- About the author Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.

We all want great service, whether we are buying our weekly groceries from a store, or want a billing hitch resolved at our local utilities provider. Whether it's getting our car fixed, or a great meal in a restaurant. So we can holler and complain about how poor customer service and satisfaction has become - or we can do something about it ourselves, when we have those one-to-one opportunities with a real person. Be positive and confidentBusy sales staff are under pressure and they like to deal with people who are clear and know what they want - then they can get on with their next customer! So perk up, do your homework and have everything ready and clear.Smile - a little!By adopting a positive demeanour, making eye contact and being friendly, you will be one in twenty who is. Don't try it too much, or that will irritate too, but just nice, friendly and a little smiley will work wonders!Don't Use Their NameThis will vary culturally. In the UK, sales people don't like to be called by their name at all. So be careful - if you know it fits wherever you live and shop, then fine - but observe and notice what is going to work and stick to it.Ask for helpUse the words 'I wonder if you can help me' and then be clear about what you want. This links in with their emotions - ('someone needs me'!) - which is very powerful relationship-building for youMatch!As you give clear information about what you need from them, make positive and supportive movements and sounds that encourage them onwards. This builds rapport and makes a relationship much more likely to happen. Because people like to help, the feedback indicates that is what they are doing and...they will like you - one more step forwards in getting what you want.Ask Something ElseWhen they are answering your questions, ask them, once or twice, a little more about what they have told you. This shows that you have been listening and value their information. This powerfully builds the bond even more between you!Open and ClosedBy asking some open (what, how, why, where, when, which) and some closed questions (those which only need a 'yes' or a 'no'), you will vary the pressure they feel under. Being able to say 'yes' or 'no', as well as giving you lots of information, means that they get a few breaks and don't feel quite so 'interrogated'.Say Thank YouAt the end of their answers, whether you have reached a satisfactory conclusion or not, thank them for their help - make them feel valued.InvestIt's great to invest time in spending a little time in 'chat' mode with your sales person. If they have time - you have to judge from their manner, whether they are in the mood to spend time with you. It varies from person to person, time of day and location. But it's worth being aware of.Part WellAt the very end of the transaction, make sure that you add a smiley 'thank you' to the mix. Selling stuff all day is tough in itself, without all the extra clutter that sales people have to do for their organisation. So by 'making their day' you will be creating a relationship which will be valuable to you for years to come.And For Exceptional CasesMake sure that you are aware of their name, and write and tell their boss - better, their head office. This may or may not do you any financial benefit, but hey, it sure will make you feel great that you have 'made someone's day' by telling the rest of their organisation about them!Being smart as a customer can get you benefits that you never expected. Being an awkward, 'clever' or downright obnoxious customer will never help you. By using these tips, you will receive more than you might expect, not every time maybe, but sometimes - and that has got to be a win.

If you look, see, hear and think you will learn. Sounds obvious but how many do it? I am a self confessed infoholic. My addiction is information on topics that interest me; world affairs/politics, business and sport. I am interested in ‘cause and effect' so the net result is I read a lot.