Secondly, most successful people have been where you are now. They remember it well and are wiling to pass along their experience, because eithera)someone did same thing for them when they started out or b) they wish someone had done same for them!

* Be Prepared

Yes, just like Boy Scout motto. You must prepare before you make contact. Their time is valuable - don't waste it. And don't waste a great opportunity for yourself by not taking a few minutes to prepare before making contact. You'll probably find most success by making contact by phone but if that proves too difficult or you are uncomfortable with that idea, you may want to try emailing them. That way, they can get back to you at their convenience. Your first contact may go something like this:

"Hello, Mr. Marketing Guru, my name is Joe Beginner. We've never met and I know you are busy, so I'll be brief. I own a small internet business. I know that you've done a fantastic job growing your business into on most successful small businesses on internet. I'm sure you faced some challenges when you first started out. Well, I am in those early stages myself, trying to figure everything out. Mr. Marketing Guru, I would really appreciate it if you would consider being my mentor. All that would mean is spending ten minutes on phone with me once a month (or an email) so I could ask you a few questions. I'd really appreciate it. Would you be open to that?"

If answer is "No" thank him (or her) for his time and move to next person on your list. If answer is "Yes" find out when would be a good time. Follow up with a "thank you" note, preferably handwritten.

Finding a mentor is a great way to learn and improve your life. And someday, you can be a mentor, passing along knowledge and experience you have gained to someone else who is just starting out. And so it goes.

15. Benefit-oriented corporate brochure.

16. Product and services fact sheets that go inside a presentation folder.

17. A series of how-to reports and/or white papers which pitch you as an expert in your field.

18. A "Questions and Answers" document which handles any buyer objections up front and gives them all information they need to make an informed decision.

19. A "case studies and client success stories" document giving specific details of wins experienced by clients.

20. A comprehensive, benefit-oriented proposal template.

21. A powerful enquiry letter and information package with a limited offer and a clear, powerful call-to-action.

22. E-Profile - an electronic brochure that you can email to prospective clients instantly.

23. Cross-selling checklist which lists all options a customer might consider. This helps maximise average value of each sale.

24. A series of powerful, staged email auto-responder messages that follow up email requests for information and keep encouraging your prospect to buy.

25. Drip-feed prospect nurturing campaign where you follow up unconverted leads with a series of letters designed to subtly sell them on your services in a staged manner.

26. "Sorry we couldn't help you" letter that gets sent out after receiving a rejection. This helps endear your company to prospect even though you didn't make sale AND it may even steer them back to you down track.

27. A variety of how-to articles that you submit to various e-newsletter publishers and article announce groups with view of having them include your article in their ezines.

28. A variety of introductory e-books which act as information packs and also as viral marketing tools (spreading word about your business).

After sale

29. A "thank you for investing" letter.

30. A "welcome to xyz company" package with thank you letter, "how to get best use out of our widgets" report and some other helpful tools that nurture relationship and offer post-purchase reassurance. This is a very powerful tool in increasing referrals and minimising refunds.

31. A 2 week review letter with feedback form and response maximising device.

32. A 6 month review letter asking their feedback and mentioning that you will call to review their situation.

33. A well-thought out nurturing program with a total of 2 nurturing pieces per year (in addition to at least 4 newsletters per year) and 2 to 3 letters asking for a repeat sale (depending on your industry.

34. A referral campaign designed to generate high numbers of direct referrals in return for an incentive.

35. A "thanks for your referral" letter.

36. Introductory letter to people who have been referred.

37. Invitation to a "closed door event" - if you're in retail industry.

38. Newsletter - an absolute must. If most of your clients have emails, an email newsletter will suffice.

39. "Special offer" sales letters - One of reasons some businesses don't generate much repeat business is that they simply don't ask customers to buy from then again.

As I mentioned earlier, these are basics. Naturally, there are more you can add to this list, however this is a good starting point.