Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

Launched a New Blog Called Attracting Ideal Clients

Want to grow your business? I have launched a new blog called Attracting Ideal Clients. This blog is for small business owners, especially service professionals, who want to grow their business by attracting their ideal clients. More on this in a moment.

If you've read The PDA Pro Blog for awhile, you know that I cover a wide range of topics. I post on productivity, technology, sales and personal development topics. I'm passionate about helping people live productive and effective lives. I just love seeing people in their element, working smarter not harder. That's fun. What's not fun is feeling disorganized and overwhelmed. That's leads to procrastination and avoiding what you need to do.

In my business, I spend much of my time working with home-based service professionals. That includes coaches, consultants, virtual assistants and professional organizers. I love the entrepreneurial spirit. It's fun to launch a business and see it take off. Of course, owning a business is risky. And it can lead to a lot of additional stress.

My value system reflects my philosophy on building long-term relationships. And I've found the best relationships in business come from working with your ideal clients. This is the basis for building a successful referral based business.

Attract your Ideal Clients
and They Will Seek You Out!

And so it's with that concept that I've launched a new blog, Attracting Ideal Clients. There's a push/pull nature to marketing. Marketers often push their messages onto people. And that's effective to a certain extent. But, it's more effective when you can pull or attract your ideal clients to you. They will SEEK you out. That's really powerful!

And it's easier than ever to do this today using the internet. But, it takes a lot of work and you need to know what you're doing. I'm still refining my own approach. But, I have always jumped on top of any opportunity to get my message out there and attract people to what I'm doing.

So, Attracting Ideal Clients, is focused on teaching you how to identify who your ideal clients are, learning where to find them, what to say to them, and how to begin building a relationship with them that ultimately leads them to ask to be a client. But, it's not just about how to use the internet. I'll discuss mainstream topics like writing articles, teaching workshops and teleseminars, making phone calls, sending cards and networking more effectively. It's all of the things you can do to communicate your message and attract your ideal clients.

Yes, you still need to be able to sell. But, focusing on attracting your ideal clients will create an endless stream of leads and referrals. So, check it out and post a comment. The site is pretty slim at the moment, but I will add to it over time. Thanks!

Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro
http://www.ThePDApro.com

The PDA Pro Records a New Audio Program

I'm excited to be able to share a few details about a current project I'm working on. I'm developing an audio program which will be launching in October. I assembled a team to help support me in this project and we have been working diligently all summer long.

The topic is on Follow Up. This is an extremely critical area in sales and can really benefit from the clever use of technology. I was  surprised to find very little material on the topic. It's almost always covered as an afterthought.

I just returned from the recording studio today where I cut the final audio tracks for the program. I have the good fortune of being able to work with Barbara Beal Lopez from Brightfarm Productions. You can't imagine the amount of work that's required to produce a product. It takes an enormous amount of work. I'll be glad when this is done. Of course, then comes marketing and sales. It's all good.

Check back soon for more details. As The PDA Pro, I will continue to provide tips, strategies and advice on sales as well as PDAs and smartphones. My official definition for PDA is Productivity, Discipline and Action. You can increase your Productivity if you exercise Discipline and take Action. And this audio program will give you tips and strategies to develop the discipline to follow up.

The PDA Pro Blog Nears 3 Year Anniversary

It's hard to believe it's been almost three years since I started blogging and launched The PDA Pro Blog. Of course, that's about 50 in blog years. ;) Check out my first post on 10-27-04 which includes a quote from Seth Godin. There are so many bloggers these days and so many blogs are just an excuse to promote something.

I made a commitment then to provide useful information on my blog, and as much as possible. I have kept promotion to a minimum on my blog. As I visit other blogs today, so many that I see are a complete mess. They're hard to look at, they're covered with ads, music, and just about anything to say, "Hey, look at me!"

I've always been a big believer in "less is more". Steve Topper, one of my marketing mentors, told me that people are looking for simplicity. I think to share your message effectively, you need to be brief and impactful.

My message has changed over the years. My original intention was to write about PDAs and smartphones. I am passionate about technology and love to share my insights on how to work more productively. I gradually shifted my focus toward business and sales, but have kept on posting about technology. Now, my message has shifted again to focus on achieving results. In particular, I specialize in helping entrepreneurs achieve outstanding results. I love working with people who don't see limits for themselves and are on a mission of personal development. I enjoy helping entrepreneurs focus their efforts. It's far too easy to get distracted from your core mission. I will continue to address all of these topics going forward, although my message will be most relevant for entrepreneurs and sales professionals.

I will always write with an authentic voice because that reflects who I am. It's been a journey over the last three years, and even before that when I launched my company in May 2003. So, I'll be celebrating my fifth year in business in 2008. That is a significant milestone.

So, needless to say, I have much to celebrate and will plan some activities to herald those achievements I have so many people to thank for my success and I will take time on this blog to acknowledge them. Robert Kiyosaki said, "build your team" and I have done that. And without my team, I would not have made it this far. But, it's not mission accomplished yet. We have more work to do.

Thank you for being a loyal reader of The PDA Pro Blog. Please take a moment and post a comment, send me a message or give me a call.

Thank you!

Rick S. Cooper, MBA
Author, Speaker, Coach
The PDA Pro

Announcement: University of Masters Interviews The PDA Pro

Archived Call will be available soon - Request the call here

I'm excited to announce my new role of Master Teacher with the University of Masters (UOM). It fits well with the services I provide through The PDA Pro. My new class, Sales Strategies for Entrepreneurs, is designed for the busy small business owner who is responsible for generating sales, but often gets overwhelmed from too many responsibilities.

This continues my commitment toward supporting the business community through services aimed at improving sales effectiveness. My role as a Partner with Conselleo for the past three years has given me an opportunity to serve corporate sales clients through sales training and sales management consulting. Now, I have an opportunity to reach small business entrepreneurs with my own brand of common sense sales productivity through the University of Masters.

One of the unique aspects of my sales philosophy is my emphasis on sales productivity. I specialize in helping people leverage technology tools in their business. I take people step by step through the process of making better use of their email, contact management system, social networking sites, PDAs and smartphones. But, I begin with a focus on learning sales fundamentals. Entrepreneurs have special needs and the University of Masters has gathered over 30 Master Teachers to cover all aspects of personal development.

You're Invited!

You're invited to join us for a call on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 6pm PST. I will be interviewed by UOM Founder Pamela Harper. I'm excited about the opportunity to connect with students/members and offer insights that will help them take their sales game to the next level. Guests are welcome to join us to learn more.

Learn the shortcuts to sales success! Learn how to improve your sales results and increase your sales productivity.

UOM Founder Pamela Harper Interviews The PDA Pro
(F'REE Call)

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007
6-7pm PST

What you'll learn:

• How Rick is helping entrepreneurs achieve outstanding results
• How you can leverage technology in your business
• How you can attend Rick's upcoming classes

Who should attend?

• Entrepreneurs
• Small business owners
• Consultants
• Coaches
• Network marketers
• Professional services firms

Join us for an entertaining phone interview between Pamela Harper, with Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro. Rick specializes in helping entrepreneurs achieve outstanding results. He helps people leverage technology, resources and habits to improve their sales productivity and increase their sales results. This call is guaranteed to be informational as well as entertaining. Learn how Rick is building his company and leveraging technology to reach a larger audience.

Pamela Harper earned the title Master Teacher because of her tireless efforts at educating and empowering groups and individuals on the correlation between Visualization and Manifesting Health, Wealth and Happiness. She is a Registered Nurse, Counselor and Hypnotherapist with 24 years experience as a Motivational Speaker.  Her life-changing audio programs accomplish in weeks what takes years of traditional therapy.  She is especially gifted at conducting interactive groups and hosting celebrated guests. Pamela is a best selling author and media personality.

Pamela and Rick will be joined on the call by Dr. Christina Winsey-Rudd. Both Pamela and Christina host periodic interviews with Masters.

Get notified when the archived call is available

Learn more about Sales Strategies for Entrepreneurs

Biznik - Yet Another Social Networking Site

Have you had enough of Social Networks? Apparently not! Because they keep sprouting up like weeds. Lori Richardson, the Sales Process Diva,  posted about a new site, Biznik, which bills itself as a "Business Networking that Doesn't Suck". Maybe that's a nod to the fact that there are way too many sites out there already and many people are having a challenge navigating them. Lori posts:

"What is great, though, is that this untapped resource will allow you to set up face-to-face meetings with other entrepreneurs (indie biz owners is the preferred term at Biznik) and you can host a meeting on any topic, charge a fee if you'd like, or host it for free to get critical mass.  Biznik even includes video on the site to show you how to use many of the features. I love this community and recently became a paying member, after lurking for free for quite a few months. Check it out, and see how it can help you meet other local business owners to support local business, business referrals, and even new friendships."

For my part, I haven't had a whole lot of time lately to network through the sites I'm currently on: LinkedIn, Ryze, Xing, Ecademy, MySpace, NowLive, HelloWorld, etc. I think you have to be careful about how much time you spend networking online. There is a balance between activity and results. You need to expect a return on your time invested. Also, don't forget blogging itself is a social networking activity.

Will Biznik live up to its billing? Who knows! But, I think the more the merrier. I think sites that clearly define their purpose and their target market and then strive to meet their needs will serve their audience well.

By the way, is Biznik kind of like Beatnik? Hmm.

Entrepreneurs Capitalize on the Mobile Marketplace

Have you noticed that just about everyone these days is walking around with their face planted in a mobile device? This is especially true for younger generations. From wireless PDAs to smartphones, from turbo-charged cell phones to mini-tablets, people are addicted to their mobile devices. What does this mean for marketers? It means profits!

Entrepreneurs across the nation are beginning to ask themselves how they can capitalize on the growing trend toward mobility. And one expert has emerged to guide the way.

According to Mobile Marketing Guru, Kim Dushinski, from MobileMarketingProfits.com:

"The reality is that the rest of the world has been ahead of the U.S. in almost all aspects of cell phone use. Odd, isn’t it? We’re so used to being in front of the new trends. This time we’re not. But that is about to change."

Are you an entrepreneur who's interested in capitalizing on the mobile marketing trend? Then, take Kim's Mobile Ready Assessment.

The big companies have figured out a way to reach their target market through devices. Why not small businesses? The future is bright. You can't even imagine what's coming down the line. Imagine the day when you can walk into a retail store and instantly be notified of sales on products you want, based on your past buying patterns. Talk about big brother. Well, it's going to make your life more simple. And we could all use a little more simplicity. Why not make some money as well?