My name is Dave Paradi, and I am not an Internet marketing guru, web developer, web designer, or marketing consultant. I am a business person who has run my own training and consulting company since 1999. In my journey of developing my expertise, I had to figure out how to market my business to attract qualified leads. I am an introvert by nature, so I didn’t enjoy the sales routine that most people suggest, such as networking events, cold calls, and “getting out there”. It’s just not natural for me. I needed a different approach. And the web offered me that. I started writing a bi-weekly newsletter in February of 2002 and I still write it every two weeks. This start at content creation has expanded into articles, videos, books, and more. Putting this valuable content out there for people to find has driven the growth of my business. I created this site to document what has worked for me (and others) as a way to answer those who ask how I get the results I get. If you want to check out my work as a presentation expert, you can visit my website at www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com (that’s the business that pays the...
So many commentators are saying that websites aren’t important and social media is where you need to focus your attention. I disagree. So I put together the video below to explain the process prospects follow in selecting a potential supplier, and how your website plays a vital role in that process. (On the video you will hear me say “course” because the video was originally part of a promo video for one of the courses I deliver on this...
Years ago I figured out that I didn’t enjoy the traditional sales route of networking, attending events, handing out business cards, cold calling, etc. The best way for me to grow my business was to attract qualified prospects online, convince them that I had a solution to a specific problem they were having, and get them to contact me by phone or email. Since I was now talking to a prospect who had pre-qualified themself, the conversation was easier and my closing rate is much higher. I also don’t get the unqualified prospects who are going to waste my time. This approach has been successful for my business where I sell my training workshops to corporate clients. I can track at least $100,000 in business each year to clients who first found me on the web. When other professionals found out about my success, they asked me to share what I had done. I have created a course for accountants and I have spoken to professional speakers about this topic. This site is a way to collect the ideas that have worked for me and share them with a wider audience. It also serves as a resource center for the sessions I deliver on this topic. The ideas here will work best for a small business that sells some sort of expertise or service (possibly along with some products) to primarily businesses, such as accountants, lawyers, consultants, content experts, office services, etc. It may not be helpful if you sell to consumers or are a larger business; businesses such as a convenience store, chain restaurant, or mass market retailer may...
