Follow Up With A Call – Telephone Marketing WORKS
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How many of us HATE cold calling? – I know my hand is up in the air!
But how about warm calling? That’s a little easier, isn’t it.
The truth is, no one likes the rejection that comes with cold calling, so the question is, how can we make our telephone follow up a welcome part of someone’s day?
Let’s turn that question around… who would YOU like to hear from when you pick up the telephone?
Personally, I would say this is my list of people I want to hear from on the phone (in that order)…
- Friends and Family
- People who are going to help me accomplish a goal I am aware of, and ideally have asked for help on.
- People who are calling to discuss or warn me of important information. Face it – no one likes bad news, but what if you got a call that the stock market was going to crash tomorrow or your loved one was in the hospital and needed help… you’d rather know than not know, wouldn’t you?
You can accomplish all three of these objectives in a good telephone conversation to prospects.
Sample Marketing Campaign For Real Estate Agent
For example, as a commercial real estate broker, our marketing campaign was something like this:
- Develop a "FOCUSED" list of prospects who all owned a certain type of property in a certain neighborhood. Work on becoming an "expert" in this area. (Easier said than done, but there was plenty of "fake it til you make it" going on…)
- Send out an informative newsletter to people highlighting topics of interest to them. My goal was always to make these as niche-focused as possible. Instead of sending a generic newsletter to everyone on my list called "What’s going on with Seattle Apartment Buildings," I would send a mailing about, "What Every 5-20 Unit Apartment Owner in Queen Anne Needs To Know About Increasing Vacancy Rates." That’s much more specific and since everyone I’m sending it to could recognize himself as a member of this category, and is likely concerned about rising vacancy, it’s something he’s more inclined to read.
- Follow up with a phone call. Note – we do some research and "warm up" our list before we start calling them, don’t we…
Once on the phone call – We introduce ourselves and build credibility with a short statement of our specialization in the marketplace and a reference to the mail we sent out.
- Follow up with a thank you card for everyone we’ve talked to, whether or not a meeting was scheduled. This will help the prospect remember us and like us MORE the next time we call. For those we are not able to have a conversation with, call and leave a voicemail at least 3 times.
- Repeat the sequence quarterly. Mailing and contacting each prospect 4 times a year.
We quickly engage the prospect by giving him an exciting, scary, or relevant news item that might effect his strategy and ask him for HIS opinions. Notice we are not launching into a long spiel, but rather we are asking for HIS opinions – who do YOU like to hear talk – yourself or a salesman.
Our goal is to get the prospect thinking about his investment strategy, build rapport and credibility as an expert in our corner of the marketplace and propose a reason to get together to further discuss any concerns he has raised during the course of the conversation.
Altogether, the conversation should only last 4-5 minutes. If it goes longer, it may be that you’re giving too much information on the phone and not asking the prospect for a sit-down meeting to go into further depth.
This is just one example of a relationship-building telephone marketing routine. In real estate sales, the "deal" often gets done after the prospect and agent have known each other for months, if not years. You can not antagonize your clients or be too pushy. This is very different than a sales call in which products or services are purchased over the phone.
The thing I want to point out is that it meets my criteria of who I would like to hear from on the telephone. Someone I know – like friends or family. You WILL get to know someone if they call you four times a year. That’s more than my Grandma calls me and she LOVES us. Also, as my prospect gets to "know" me through voicemails and mailings, he will feel more comfortable taking my calls even if I haven’t spoken to him yet.
Second, if the salesperson is doing a good job in delivering value – such as news about the marketplace – that helps the client form his investment strategy, it won’t matter if the client is not looking to sell his property right away, he can still benefit from the conversations, even if he doesn’t plan to sell or buy property soon.
This is the type of relationship that you can develop with your clients over the phone. It can be hard at first, but it only gets better. Keep your focus on the client and providing value for him each time you talk. Ultimately, the client wants to feel like you are a valued expert who will advise them in their best interest, not a salesman who’s always thinking about wringing money out of them and working in his own best interest.
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I was talking to an attorney the other day who shared an important marketing strategy that she had been teaching to the junior associates in her office.
It was a simple strategy, but extremely effective. It’s something you can do, too, to make more money and build more credibility in the eyes of your clients.
The question essentially boils down to, "What else can we help you with?" Or, in the words of McDonalds – "Would you like fries with that?"
Have You Simply Been Focused On Providing Excellent Service?
You Need To Identify What Other Needs Your Clients Have That You Can Help Them With.
So many service providers get caught up in providing their own excellent product or service, that they don’t focus on being a RESOURCE for their clients and helping them meet their other needs.
The attorney I spoke to had a NICHE focusing in estate planning (writing wills, doing tax planning) for high net worth individuals. She did not do things like creating LLC’s, helping people buy and sell property, or handle litigation, divorce, bankruptcy, adoption, or any of the myriad other things that attorneys help people with.
However, she did realize that she had captured the mind share (attention) of her clients and they respected her opinion and appreciated her help.
She was in a unique opportunity to extract information from them and advise them on other strategies to meet their needs.
In this case, she limited herself to recommending other attorneys in her law firm who could also serve her clients. If they had other legal needs, she could immediately put them in touch with an expert she knew, and the fees from the additional legal work would go to benefit her firm. She didn’t get anything out of it, like a referral fee, but she did benefit the client by putting them in touch with excellent service providers, benefit the law firm, by helping them develop new business, and enhance and reinforce her credibility in the eyes of her clients as someone who was committed to helping them and was well positioned to do so.
Is this a strategy that you could implement within your business?
What if you are more of a one-man or -woman show, rather than a partner in a large law firm?
There are still lots of ways you could implement this strategy.
How Can YOU Implement This Up-Sell/Cross-Sell Strategy?
For example, realtors can refer people to mortgage brokers, home warranty programs, attorneys and title companies they work with. They can even make a 25% referral fee by sending clients to other agents, if they’re not in position to help that agent themselves.
Dave Ramsey is a radio personality who talks about getting out of debt and personal finance. He has a national audience, and he says to them, "If you need help with financial planning, real estate, taxes, etc. Go to my website and look at my endorsed local providers." Then people can do business with the people he recommends, and he gets a kick back for sending over the business. Brilliant, simple, you can do it, too.
This is rampant in the world of online marketing. If you have a list or sell a product, you know what your list members are interested in based on how they found you or what product they bought. (For example – give me your email, and I’ll give you a report on how to improve your credit score or I’ll sell you my book on how to not get burned by mortgage brokers). If you had a list of people like this, you’d know they were probably interested in improving their credit and/or obtaining financing. You could sell these leads to a mortgage broker, or let the mortgage broker play to email an ad to your list. You could call up the prospects and see if they were interested in getting a loan, you could email them an affiliate offer and earn a commission or a referral fee if they signed up to buy the product you recommended.
There are lots of different ways to go if you have people’s attention as a credible advisor and know what they’re interested in… their concerns and dreams.
Make it a point to ASK them, so you can find out. Then find a worthwhile way to help them with the most common and pressing concerns.
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Making your own cheap postcards is a great way to save money and get your message out.
When I was just getting started as a real estate investor, I made $10 an hour at my day job. I new I wanted to do mailings to targeted lists like foreclosure leads, bankruptcy filings, probate sales, etc. but it had to be CHEAP because I didn’t have a lot of money to spend.
I found that I could make my own very cheap postcards with the following approach.
Steps for Creating Your Own Cheap Postcards
- On your computer, or by hand if you want a different look, divide an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper into four quadrants. Create two sheets like this – one will be the front side of the cards, and one will be the back side of the cards.
- Write your sales copy on each side of the card. One side will be mostly blank and you will put the mailing address label there. The other side is where you have the opportunity to put your sales copy. You can put a black-and-white photo or drawing if you want, but I have found that with limited space, long copy on postcards pulls very well.
- Make sure you include a call to action and your contact information (phone, fax, website, email, etc.) so people can get in touch with you in the way that is most comfortable for them.
- Print out and bring your two "sides" of the postcard to a local copy center. Get the postcards printed on light card stock (tagboard) on a color that is easy to read. (I like light yellow. But different colors may pull well with different audiences – for example – lime green is great for teenagers, but adults don’t like to read things printed on this color.) Make a two-sided copy so you have four "front of the postcard" images on one side of the tagboard, and four "back of the postcard" images on the back. You should be able to have this printed for about ten cents per sheet. If you are printing a lot of post cards, find out if you can get a price break if you order a certain quantity (e.g. over 1,000).
- Have the copy center do two cuts (one vertical, one horizontal) to cut each sheet into four quadrants. This should be about $1 "per cut" which is just $2 for the whole print run.
- Now you have cute little postcards that you can stick address labels on and stamps on and they are ready to go.
Special Note About Making Your Postcards
These days, you can also have postcards made for you in 4-colors for pretty cheap. The nice thing about printing your own is:
- You can do small print runs (you don’t have to order a huge number).
- You can do them fast (don’t have to wait for print company to make them and ship them to you.
- You can make them at home, and print them out on your computer with a "mail merge" so you don’t have to use address labels, you can just print right onto the postcard.
- Sometimes things that look "home made" or "less professional" actually get MORE interest from the people you mail to. You look like a mom-and-pop business rather than a big corporation sending junk mail. Consider who your target audience is and whether this approach might be more effective.
Postcard Template To Make Your Own Postcards – Cheap – Using Microsoft Word
If you want to use this strategy, the only hard thing about it is setting up the template for Microsoft Word.
I hope this is helpful!
Good luck with making your own cheap postcards!
Emily
P.S. If you prefer to have your postcards printed, I have had really good luck getting unbelievably cheap 4-color postcards printed here.
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How To Find a Good Postcard Printer
By · CommentsFinding a good postcard printer is a necessity whether you want to make business postcards, or just stock up on some customized personal postcards that you can use for routine correspondence at home.
Here are a few things to look for when you’re selecting the postcard printer you want to work with:
- Quality of the end product – The age and type of equipment that a printer uses can affect the quality of his output, whether it is color postcards, glossy or matte finish, or even whether he is able to use embellishments like foil. Sometimes your options are more limited when you use the mom-and-pop shop around the corner, if they have not been able to invest in the latest and greatest equipment to do the printing.
- Production Time – How long will it take to create the print job? If you go to a place where they don’t have a ton of business, or you decide to make your own postcards, you can have your postcards printed on the same day you decide to get them. If you need a larger print run, or order your postcards from an online postcard printer, you may find that it will take longer to have them in your hands. If you can, it’s good to plan ahead so you can order your postcards several weeks in advance of when you’ll need them.
- Price – Although it’s nice when price isn’t your primary concern, it’s ALWAYS a factor on my list when I make a business decision. Ask your postcard printer if there are any price breaks if you order a certain quantity of the postcards. Compare the cost of various features – for example – full color on one side and a black and white or 2-color printing on the other side. Also if you work with an online printer, be sure to factor in the cost of shipping and any "rush" on your order, to understand the true cost of having your postcards printed.
- Layout Support – One of the biggest impediments to many small business owners coming away from their print shop with postcards they are happy with, is having a good graphical design layout. It can be expensive to hire someone to design your postcards. Unless you are using a text-only postcard, or have a photo that you’re going to use for one side, chances are you’ll need some graphic design done for the elements of your post card. If you’re working on a budget, having a good template to work from can save you a lot of time and money. Even if you’re proficient at Photoshop or Publisher, consider starting with a template that will work for your postcard, and then adding embellishments like your photo or logo. My postcard printer, for example, has thousands of templates that you can use, you can also make your own in their postcard designer online, or upload images or graphics that you’ve created on your own software.
I have had thousands of postcards made… some I’ve printed myself on my computer, some I’ve printed at the local copy shop (Staples) and some I’ve outsourced to an online printer. If you have time to order through an online company, I would highly recommend it.
I found that they offered the best quality product at an unbelievable price. The slow turn around time was the only disadvantage.
Find out who my online postcard printer is.
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Home Internet Based Business Opportunity
By · CommentsFinding The Right Home Internet-Based Business Opportunity For You.
If you’ve been researching online for the right home Internet based business opportunity for you, you’re right where I was not too long ago. I was working a corporate job and researching how to get more business to come through our website. I found a plethora of information out there, little of which my firm was willing to implement, but things which I found to be helpful right off the bat.
I took what I had learned through my research, and started my own first website at home. This home internet-based business opportunity was perfect for me. It was about a subject I was passionate about. It was easy to implement during the time I had available for it, and it was profitable within its first year! That certainly beat the odds when it came to the normal US statistics for new businesses.
One of the reasons I was able to do well in my home based interent business is that it had a very low startup cost (about $30/month) and I could learn as I go. There weren’t a lot of fixed over head costs like paying rent on a building or buying merchandise to sell. There were just a few simple tools to master (with complete training available worth thousands of dollars, probably!) and my own brains and motivation – and I was on my way!
Now, I’m not going to say that the business was “easy”… it took a lot of time in the beginning to learn what I was doing and then actually sit down and implement it. That’s one of the funny things about having your own home internet based business – you don’t really have a boss or a time clock – you have to be the one who sets aside time in your schedule to do the work of getting the business going.
However, the good thing is that most of the work that I was doing was fun, since it was on a topic I was passionate about. I could also take a break when I needed it, although I often worked late into the night getting on a roll!
I want to tell you all about it. I actually wrote up this 38-page case study explaining what I did and how I did it. You can get it here: My Personal Home Internet Based Business Opportunity Case Study.
Now, with this business, I have branched out into more websites and I am working on expanding those to be profitable like the first one. The cool thing is that my site now works pretty much on autopilot (imagine making $300/month without DOING anything, for months on end…). When I create new websites, I can outsource the tasks I don’t want to do – for about $1-3/hour. Isn’t that amazing?
You can do it, too. I’m basically giving away my business plan in this special case study I wrote up. Check it out and I think you’ll be impressed by the different styles of home internet based business opportunities I have tried, and the ones that are actually working well!
To your success!
Emily
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Home Based Business Idea
By · CommentsHave you been searching for the right home based business idea for you?
The truth is, there are a lot of legitimate ways to make money from home, but there are also some scams and rip-off artists so you have to be careful.
When you’re looking for the right home based business idea, remember that there’s no such thing as get-rich-quick, and most business plans that you’ll want to consider implementing will take some real work to get them off the ground. Many people who are not successful have trouble because they are unable to get themselves to take consistent action when they are not being disciplined by a boss.
Well, I am a stay-at-home-mom, and I have been making good money online for years. I don’t have a boss, but I do have a 2-year old son and he certainly is a task-master when it comes to my schedule.
In fact, I am only able to work while he is sleeping (about 2 hours/day and 2/hours at night – then I go to bed!).
However, I have found that if I apply myself consistently during these blocks of time, I am able to make progress on my home based business and increase my monthly revenues.
If you want to know how I’m doing it, I encourage you to download my free report on how I made over $900 last month working from home part time.
What Is The Difference Between A Work-From-Home-Job and A Home-Based Business Idea?
Now, if you want a part time job, that is something else. Usually an employer will pay you by the hour or by the task. You can get work as a virtual assistant, call center representative, medical transcriptionist or typist online, but your income will be limited by how many hours a day you have to put into your work… because you get paid by the hour.
How To Be Successful With Your Home Based Business Idea
When you create your own business, you are basically creating an asset that will pay you for months or years to come without your having to do any additional work.
For example, I sell an ebook online in a TINY obscure niche based on a hobby. I sell it for $15, and I don’t know a thing about the hobby. I hired my Grandmother to write the book. I just wrote up a sales page and put up a shopping cart, and that thing has been making money for me for YEARS without my having to touch it!
If you have a few of those going, you could do very well!
You can find out more about my own home based business ideas (what I’m doing that has worked and a few ideas that have flopped!) and more when you download my personal case study.
I look forward to sharing more with you about what I am doing!
Please download your copy of this time-sensitive report now.
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Product Launch Formula Review
By · CommentsThe Product Launch Formula is a course developed by Jeff Walker. He was right behind the release of several famous launches like Million Dollar Traffic Secrets (John Reese) and Kern’s Underachiever Mastery course. Since then, many popular Web marketers like Schefren, Frank Kern and Yanik Silver have practiced Jeff’s tactics to release their own products. This system teaches the right methods Jeff Walker uses to plan releases that generate massive sales.
Jeff Walker is responsible for making popular the affiliate marketing which has become normal in the Online marketing business. His systems are taught in his Product Launch Formula course and I’m about to analyze and see what it is all about.
The training course offers training video faq Compact disks, audio interviews, and guides. Walker shows the method so that everyone can have an understanding of it. While you go through the training course, specific examples are presented so you can learn what Jeff Walker is talking about.
The very first part of the training course walks you through an overview of a prouct release. What actually got my attention is that Jeff uses surveys to tweak his services and get questions earlier than launching his product.
The tactic is separated into several steps – the pre-launch, release, and post-launch. You are going to learn how you can make your story, build psychological triggers and make use of all the instruments. Probably the most confusing part of launching your product is the pre launch. Most people mention they are going to start a new product soon to their list without having any mental effect on the potential customers. Jeff on the other hand makes expectation, wish, and interacts with his clients along the route.
The release sequence is where the confusing facts are uncovered. Jeff recommends you use multiple consumption programs and message delivery channels so your checklist receives your announcements. This definitely made sense for me personally why limit your self with e mail while you may also be utilizing weblogs, Rss, etc. He also illustrates you tips on how to use the various mental triggers to increase the income when release day finally arrives.
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How To Get Ahead In Sales
By · CommentsSales are incredibly critical when it comes to businesses. As an entrepreneur, your goals would obviously involve getting the opportunity to sell as many products as you can. As a seller, it is one of your responsibilities to ensure that your sales remain high enough to bring in profit. If not done, it can necessitate the ruination of the business. Below are several great tips and hints you can use to assist you get ahead in sales.
TIP 1 – Ensure that when selling you proffer your clients both Premium and Best Buy Picks
This is a fantastic method for you to help out your clients tailor their purchases to their budgets. Some of the clients you have will go for premium product versions while others will choose the more cost-effective ones. For example, you can go and sell a product comparable to How Women Attract Men for a fairly low fee. You could also choose to propose it together with other eBooks including How to Talk to Men and an eBook called How to Pick Up Men. It is possible to score all three as a component of premium product package.
TIP 2 – Confirm That You Know Who Your best Customers Are
In the world of business, it is incredibly critical that you are aware of who your clients are. I know that to lots of of you, this fact may appear in the vein of a given. One would think that anyone who is going into business would undoubtedly know who their perfect demographic is. You would be correct in thinking that, but not on a regular basis. There are countless people who do not know who their best selling market is. A marketer could, for example, be selling exclusively to the broad-spectrum market when their products would do better when sold to inexperienced parents.
TIP 3 – Do Not Be Afraid to Ask Questions
In school we are trained to never be terrified to ask questions. It is reasonable advice, but as we grow older a lot of of us appear to forget this. There are lots of, I’m in no doubt who would love to ask questions but decline to do so because they do not desire to appear ignorant in the face of friends. It is time that we work to get clear of that point of view and to set off to ask questions whenever we can.
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IT Recruitment Consultants
By · CommentsIT recruitment consultants assess and formulate solutions and apply consultancy techniques. IT recruitment consultants can help IT based organizations to achieve growth. IT recruitment consultants understand the difficulties between the core and non core activities. With the help of IT recruitment consultants; one can preserve the core values and purposes of the organizations and can also take into account the changes in cultural and operating practices as well as specific goals and strategies to achieve business transformation. IT recruitment consultants work along with organizations to help them with their strategy and to help the organization grow independently and impart objectivity. IT recruitment consultants can help organizations in a number of ways and areas. These consultants can also help to reduce costs. IT recruitment consultants can help organizations with shared service delivery within business units and industry. IT recruitment consultants can help in building competitive advantage through IT and aligning technology strategy to business strategy. IT recruitment consultants can help in capturing synergy benefits to technology in post merger integration and global delivery models which helps in knowledge and transition management. IT recruitment consultants can help to establish a process and methodology to transform captive units into external service providers and hence reducing IT cost and needless complexity. IT recruitment consultants can help to improve the IT performance in an organization. Organizations can avail advise from IT recruitment consultants who can help to maintain a standard in the rapidly changing industry and help to deal with the technology issues.. IT recruitment consultants help organizations to understand technology and structure which can be used for the current and future systems. This ensures a define and precise scope for improvement. IT recruitment consultants can help organizations prioritize issues and work towards developing solutions. IT recruitment consultants can help organizations develop new revenue streams and enable clients to benefit from the services. The methods that IT recruitment consultants follow are simple regardless of the length project or process.. The company size does not matter for IT recruitment consultants. What counts is a board level and management teams which can help to define growth and survival strategies which help them deal with challenges of globalization, technical regulatory changes and competitive landscape.
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Make Extra Cash From Domain Sales
By · CommentsOnline marketers know that to more easily achieve financial freedom they need to have multiple sources of income. For this reason online marketers have so many different projects running simultaneously. Besides product creation and affiliate sales, one of the best ways to make some extra cash online is via purchasing and selling domains. This is known as “flipping” domain names and it can be quite lucrative if done properly. Following are some suggestions you can implement that will help you make a larger profit from selling domains.
Make sure to buy low and sell high. Buy domain names when they go on sale. Many of the major domain name registrar services will have sales and promotions to allow you to buy domain names at discounted prices. Take advantage of these promotions. This way you will be able to turn a profit simply by offering the domain at retail price. The lower your buying rate the higher your profit will be. You should be wary of any place that is attempting to sell domains for extremely low prices. Make absolutely certain that you are buying from a legitimate service! Surely you’ll want to know how is the best way to earn a living online. So check out this Halloween Super Affiliate blog.
Your domain flipping business will need a website. You can use this website to present the domains you are selling. It should also talk about you and your business policies. This will create a legitimate face for your business. You will find that a professional online presence and website will garner more trust from potential buyers. Making the sale usually entails more than a few forum posts and e-mails. Sometimes, additional effort is needed. A website will help you market your business more extensively than if you were attempting to advertise single domains.
Contacting large corporations or well-respected buyers is a great way to make a good profit on the sale of domains. If you have a domain that will fit a company perfectly, then this is an even better idea. It can also work if you have just a few general domains that would be appropriate for various types of businesses.
Your contact letter should be very professional. You want to say more than “hey do you want this domain name?” You want to be as professional as possible. Decide right now that you are going to make it online and see this Halloween Super Affiliate Review webpage.
Flipping domain names is a perfectly legitimate way to make online money. Truthfully, because it is so simple to do, some internet marketers earn extra cash in their free time by flipping domain names. If you are willing to put in the extra effort, you can make a lot of money buying and selling domain names. This activity can be approached in a lot of ways. By putting more work into it, you will get more out of it.
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The Huge Increase In Online Shopping
By · CommentsAs no doubt you have noticed online shopping is becoming more and more popular. In this article I write about this new revolution and discuss whether in my opinion this popularity is likely to continue or even increase, or if it is just some sort of short term fashion trend.
I offer a link building service, I am also involved with a business to do with providing paraben free products and also with selling external doors for a composite door company.
I was introduced to online shopping a few years ago when a friend of mine advised me that a certain electrical type company was offering their products with a discount of ten percent, when they were purchased online. This fascinated me and I then started to investigate if this was a trend which other retail outlets were offering. I found that quite a few others had similar online discounts and I soon started to catch the online shopping bug.
I have to admit that a few years ago I bought approximately eighty percent of my Xmas presents on the internet. This saved me having to go to the shops in the first place, fighting through the Christmas shopping crowds and trying to find a car park space.
My family even now buy our weekly food shopping online. My wife prefers doing the food shopping in this way as she does not have to wait to have her items scanned and does not have to put up with the children asking if they can have this or that.
I believe that this online shopping revolution has only just started. Online shopping is the “in thing” at the moment and this is something that is sure to continue over the next few years as people choose for convenience in their ever hectic lives. The retail websites are becoming ever more user friendly to reflect this change of shopping attitude.
In around five years time most households in the UK will have access to the internet therefore introducing even more potential customers to the option of online shopping.
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Social Media Marketing Consultants, Seattle, WA