Working as a freelancer can be a very lonely experience - but don't despair - help is at large. You have just entered the PolarZone!

Contents:
1. Feature Article - 8 Building Blocks to Attracting Customers
2. Software Review - Real-time Foreign Exchanger
3. Recommended Products
     - SureLogos: Logos for the Internet
     - Report: Turn your work space into an efficient home office
     - Ebook: How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator

8 Building Blocks to Attracting Customers
Successful Marketing Takes More than Sales and Advertising
by Julie Chance

Are you frustrated by the lack of return from your promotional efforts? It may be that your plan for attracting customers is built on a foundation of sand.

There's a sense of urgency and a recognition that those "key target publics" have behaviors that really impact the business, and that they had BETTER do something about it!

Whether you're a Fortune 500 company or a one person shop, to be successful, you must have a plan to attract customers and you must implement it consistently. However, it doesn't have to cost a fortune and you don't have to be a creative genius.

The key to attracting customers is developing a marketing strategy that forms a solid foundation for your promotional efforts. Implementing promotional activities such as advertising, direct mail or even networking and one-to-one sales efforts without a marketing plan is like buying curtains for a house you're building before you have an architectural plan. How would you even know how many curtains to buy or what size they needed to be?

To develop a strong marketing foundation:

Define your product or service: How is your product or service packaged? What is it that your customers are really buying? You may be selling web-based software tools but your clients are buying increased productivity, improved efficiency and cost savings. What problem does your service solve? What need does your product meet? What want does it fulfill?

Identify your ideal customer: Everyone or anybody might be potential clients for your product. However, you probably don't have the time or money to market to Everyone or Anybody. Who is your ideal customer? Who does it make sense for you to spend your time and money promoting your service to? You might define your ideal customer in terms of income, age, geographic area, number of employees, revenues, industry, etc. For example a massage therapist might decide her target market is women with household incomes of $75,000 or more who live in the Uptown area.

The responses you gather help you set your public relations goal. For instance, correct that wrong-headed belief; fix that inaccuracy; or straighten-out that misconception. The goal, by the way, will also become your behavior modification marker against which progress can be tracked.

Differentiate yourself from the competition: Even if there are no direct competitors for your service, there is always competition of some kind. Something besides your product is competing for the potential client's money. What is it and why should the potential customer spend his or her money with you instead? What is your competitive advantage or unique selling proposition?

Find a niche: Is there a customer group that is not currently being served or is not being served well? Are there customer wants that are not being met? A niche strategy allows you to focus your marketing efforts and dominate your market, even if you are a small player.

Develop awareness: It is difficult for a potential client to buy your product or service if they don't even know or remember it exists. Generally a potential customer will have to be exposed to your product 5 to 15 times before they are likely to think of your product when the need arises. Needs often arise unexpectedly. You must stay in front of your clients consistently if they are going to remember your product when that need arises.

Build credibility: Not only must clients be aware of your product or service, they also must have a positive disposition toward it. Potential customers must trust that you will deliver what you say you will. Often, especially with large or risky purchases, you need to give them the opportunity to "sample", "touch", or "taste" the product in some way. For example, a trainer might gain credibility and allow potential customers to "sample" their product by offering free, hour long presentations on topics related to their area of specialty.

Be Consistent: Be consistent in every way and in everything you do. This includes the look of your collateral materials, the message you deliver, the level of customer service, and the quality of the product. Being consistent is more important than having the "best" product. This in part is the reason for the success of chains. Whether you're going to Little Rock, Arkansas or New York City, if you reserve a room at a Courtyard Marriott you know exactly what you're going to get.

Maintain Focus: Focus allows for more effective utilization of the scarce resources of time and money. Your promotional budget will bring you greater return if you use it to promote a single product to a narrowly defined group of customers and if you promote that same product to that same customer group over a continuous period of time.

Before you develop a brochure, run an ad, implement a direct mail campaign, join an organization for networking or even conduct a sales call, ask yourself this question, "Do I really know who my ideal customers are and not only what they need but also what they want?" If you can't honestly be built on a foundation of sand.

Author: Julie Chance is president of Strategies-by-DESIGN, a Dallas based firm that helps businesses professional services firms to specialty retailers Map A Path to Success by bridging the chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer. For more information or to sign up for our free Marketing Tips Newsletter go to www.strategies-by-design.com or call 972-701-9311.

Real-time Foreign Exchanger
by Anita Karlson

This is a small, handy software that provides you with the foreign exchange rate in real time. You don't have to download the exchange rate to your computer each day to perform your calculations. Instead the program connects to a server and uses the real time exchange rate to perform your calculations.

The program is simple to use and requires no effort to use correctly. The program provides an easy way of working with the current foreign exchange rates. You might download a trial version and test the program for 15 days before deciding if you want to purchase it or not. The registration fee is 25 USD/Euro.

Read the complete review here.

Web page: http://www.shareit.com/

To get noticed on the Internet and provide a professional image to your potential customers a customized logo for your business is a must! Looking for a new logo for my own translation business I came across SureLogos and my experience with the company has been only positive. The price is right for those of us on a small budget, the turn around time is fast and the communication quick. Each month SureLogos gives away a free logo to a lucky winner. All you have to do to participate in the drawing is to register yourself. Have a look at the logo they made for my business: http://www.polartext.com.

Free Report Turn your work space into an efficient home office

The report "Turn your work space into an efficient home office" consists of a compilation of nine articles. You will receive information on how to decorate your office, how to make it childproof, how to separate your professional and private life, etc. The program is self extracting and reveals a set of htm files. All you need is your normal Internet browser to view the articles. Download it here.

This new and inspiring e-book will help you succeed in your career as a Freelance Translator. The e-book discusses many difficult concepts. For instance how to present your business, how to find clients, how to set goals and work towards them, plus much more. Read more about it here.

The PolarZone is published by Anita Karlson. For any feedback please send an email to this addresse: akarlson@polartext.com

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