The implications are obvious, and are being studied. It seems an item should be worth a certain amount to a particular customer, but humans are never so logical in valuing things. Why can you get $99 for an e-book online that has roughly same content as a $10 book in bookstore? Is it partly due to "$500 value" thrown out there for book and "bonuses." It makes $99 seem cheap, doesn't it?

There are reasons people buy that go beyond any of reasons given. Rationalization seems to rule over rational thought. I'll cover more of research into behavioral economics in part three.

When you do business this way and are responsive to language of your marketplace, special things start to happen. Your prospects and clients feel good about doing business with you. You begin selling more effectively and efficiently and, over time you’ll achieve deeper market penetration, more profit, more referrals and a larger client base.

But remember: Your vision is only as good as your ability to implement and sustain it. When financial services professionals get ahead of themselves by setting bar too high, they can find it difficult to meet their clients’ raised expectations, as well as their own.

Like a marketing strategy, your vision should be progressive but realistic.

In following a vision, a bit of reality always helps.

The way you do business, market planning included, has to adapt to changing market forces, emerging technologies, new information. The quicker you change when change is called for--or as opportunities arise--the more likely you’ll thrive in a volatile, competitive marketplace.

There may be no better way to demonstrate that kind of resiliency and business savvy than by embracing technology, especially Internet and specifically a personal website, which can become your “marketing HUB” and swiftly shift your productivity into high gear.

Try This: Create a Web presence. For established SBOs and independent professionals, that means developing your own website, and promote your email and Web addresses on all marketing and communications materials.

It Can and Does Pay Off!

For example, according to American Interactive Consumer Survey from Dieringer Research, 63% of people who researched personal finance products and services online actually applied for such products offline. However, remaining 37% applied for these products online, says Dieringer. Specifically, as reported by eMarketer, The E Business Research Source, Consumer Survey determined that 9.9 million applied online for credit cards, 5 million applied online for mortgages, 4.2 million applied online for loans and 4 million applied online for insurance products.

It is important to note that people who applied online could have applied for more than one product.

Want More? Send questions and comments to w.willard3@knology.net