6 Great Ways on How to Find Leads Quickly (Optimised for Malaysia)

The hardest thing in sales is finding leads. And this is even harder when the leads are qualified and ready to purchase.

However difficult this is, it's a task that sales representatives can't avoid.

This doesn't have to be all doom and gloom and it can be made easier on them, by having a go-to list of places to find prospects and a specific procedure for each platform. That way finding prospects wouldn't be much of a rocket science, but a predictable practice.

Having spoken to a few salespeople in Malaysia, below are 6 great ways you can find prospects fast and keep filling up your pipelines every month.

Start here.

1. Job Boards

Job listings are windows to understanding a person's needs. For instance, if you notice that a company is hiring for an HR person and you provide the services to help with this, you might learn that this would be a great organisation to reach out to.

It's likely that they are struggling with HR related matters and would be interested in hearing from someone who can help you.

2. Twitter

The key to making the most out of Twitter is to have a list of the top 3 or 4 keywords your target people care about. You can search up keywords through Twitter searches, Google Trends, etc.

There might be people searching and asking questions, and others might be complaining about how difficult something maybe. In any case, you can jump into the conversation and add value.

The key point is not to push your product, but be someone genuine that is helpful.

3. Business Journals

This is a great way to keep in touch with the local community and to learn what are the latest news and big events happening at companies within this area.

This can be a great way for you to reach out as a point of reference when you send your first email or make the first call to your new prospect.

4. Industry Forums

You should subscribe to newsletters like that are relevant to your industry. A great place to start is to stay in touch with your target customers email newsletters.

3 benefits of doing this you can:

• Find out what's new
• Learn what successes are happening
• Stay up to date on industry trends and strategies

If they're not active through email, you can always follow them on any social platform that the organisation is actively participating in.

5.  LinkedIn

When used correctly, LinkedIn can be a gold mine for prospects.

Join relevant groups, and add to the conversation and be of help to the general community. Keep engaging and don't sell off the bat.

People generally don't like being sold to, but they like to purchase with a friend. That's the big call.

6. Local Chamber of Commerce

This might not be the most obvious but there are ways to connect. You'd be surprised how many businesses are actively looking for products and services but can't seem to find the right fit.

• Chambers of commerce in Malaysia - MATRADE list
• MITI List

This may be a goldmine if you know your ideal customer persona.

---

When looking for qualified leads, there isn't a way for fast prospecting. Take your time to build a mutually beneficial relationship or make a friend and the necessary rapport that you earn will be great in the long-run.

Read More

How to Import or Export Your MySQL Database?

Usually MySQL is imported for the following reasons:

• Switching from a web hosting provider to another
• Implementing a new third-party database
• Backing up your database

This article explores how you can switch, implement or backup a MySQL database.

To start, briefly we'll rediscover reasons to choose MySQL, challenges MySQL faces, and how we manage these challenges.

What is MySQL Database?

MySQL is an open-source software system that enables users to define, create, maintain and control access to the database (Connolly and Begg, 2014).

The best 5 reasons to choose MySQL database:

1. Safe money transactions
• Transactions in MySQL work as a grouped unit, and unless every operational function is successfully completed, a transaction will not clear. Meaning, if an operation fails at any stage, an entire transaction occurring within that group collapses.
2. Scale on-demand
• MySQL has complete customisation enabled. Everything from big data centers to an E-commerce business, MySQL is able to match the database needs.
3. High availability
• A reliable feature of MySQL is its consistent availability through its wide variety of configurations enabling instant failover or uninterrupted access.
4. Reliable
• MySQL supports SSH and SSL encryptions to ensure safer connections. Combined with restricted user access (even at the machine level) and a backup feature facilitating point-in-time recovery.
5. Quick-start capable
• From download to installation within 15 minutes. Implementation of this robust, free database is exceptionally quick, regardless of the underlying platform.

Challenges of MySQL and how to manage these challenges

Some of the challenges faced by MySQL:

• Development time
• Replication
• Database logging costs
• Query caches
• High connection churn

How to manage these challenges?

Implementation of database load balancing software. Enabled automatic read / write split so you can a host of advantages (includes: readable replicas, augment failover, analytical visibility, and one-click caching).

The benefit of implementing a database load balancing software is the ability to upgrade your apps quickly and remain up all year round.

How to export your MySQL database?

To export your MySQL database, use:

1. phpMyAdmin, or
2. 'mysqldump' database command line program.

Here's a quick note on how I've organised this guide:

• green highlight = an action you need to take
• blue highlight = location reference

If your choice to export your database is to use phpMyAdmin

This can be done through the phpMyAdmin web interface, and can be accomplished following the steps below:

1. Login to your cPanel.
2. Under the DATABASES section of the cPanel home screen, select phpMyAdmin.
3. At the left pane of your phpMyAdmin page, select the database that you want to export.
4. When you have selected the database you wish to export, click on the Export tab to begin the exporting process.
5. A prompt for you to choose an Export method will appear, confirm that Quick is selected.
6. Under Format, confirm that SQL is selected.
7. Select Go.
8. In the Save File dialog box, choose where on your computer you would like to save your exported database to.
9. Select Save, and the export process will start.

If your choice to export your database is to use the 'mysqldump database program'

1. Transfer the dbexport.sql file to your hosting account using SCP, SFTP, or FTP.
2. Login to your hosting account using SSH.
3. Change to the directory where you uploaded the dbexport.sql file.
4. Type the following command, and press Enter.
• [ mysql -u username -p dbname > dbexport.sql ]
5. Enter your password.
6. The dbexport.sql file now contains the data for the dbname database 
• (if your dbexport.sql file was saved on your servers download the file to your local computer).
7. Your export is complete.

How to import your MySQL Database

After you have created a new database in cPanel, and similar to importing your MySQL database you can import the contents of your exported database by using either:

1. phpMyAdmin, or
2. 'mysqldump' database command line program.

If your choice to import your database is to use phpMyAdmin

1. Login to your cPanel.
2. Under the DATABASES section of the cPanel home screen, select phpMyAdmin.
3. At the left pane of your phpMyAdmin page, select the database that you want to export.
4. When you have selected the database you wish to export, click on the Import tab to begin the exporting process.
5. Under File to Import, select Browse.
6. Choose your exported dbexport.sql file.
7. Select Go.
8. The import process has started and should show in your database.

If your choice to export your database is to use the 'mysqldump database program'

1. Transfer the dbexport.sql file to your hosting account using SCP, SFTP, or FTP.
2. Login to your hosting account using SSH.
3. Change to the directory where you uploaded the dbexport.sql file.
4. Type the following command, and press Enter.
• [ mysql -u username -p dbname < dbexport.sql ]
5. Enter your password.
6. The dbexport.sql file now contains the data for the dbname database 
• (if your dbexport.sql file was saved on your servers download the file to your local computer).

Further reading 

• For more information about the mysqldump database command line program.
• For more information about the mysql command line program.
• For more information about phpMyAdmin.

Find attractive packages on Malaysia's leading hosting provider here.

Read More

How to Access Your Webmail through cPanel

Webmail applications enable you to check your e-mail accounts by using your web browser. You can compose and read e-mail messages, maintain an address book, and perform other common tasks.

When and why would you want to use Webmail to access your email accounts?

Common email services like Yahoo Mail and Gmail are accessed through webmail. Every major hosting company provides web-based access to their email accounts, webmail. It is a convenient way to access your email account from any computer anywhere in the world so long it is connected to the internet.

Common reasons to why webmail is useful:

1. All it takes is for your primary computer to face a problem that hinders you from using your email application effectively.
2. When you are on holiday and traveling without a computer or laptop with you.

What are the two common webmail applications cPanel uses?

Usually there are two webmail applications that you can used to help you access your webmail using your web browser:

1. Horde 
2. Roundcube

Steps to How You Can Access Your Webmail through cPanel

To access your e-mail account using webmail from within cPanel, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel. 
2. In the EMAIL section of the cPanel home screen, click Email Accounts. 
3. Under Email Accounts, locate the e-mail account that you want to access and click the CHECK EMAIL button. 
4. If this is the first time you are accessing webmail for the account, select the webmail application that you want to use. 
5. Now you can access your email through the Webmail interface through cPanel.

How to access webmail without cPanel?

If you can't remember your cPanel login alternatively you can access your webmail through:

• [ example.com:2096 ]

Host your business email with reliable, scalable, email hosting from Malaysia.

Read More

10 Important Best Practices to Include in Your Email (for 2019)

All of us receive plenty of emails during the day, and to help your emails stand out and grab attention there's small nuances in email that you should be paying attention to.

Start here: What is email design?

Email design is strategic placement and creation of an email that appeals to your reader, or customer. Typically, you would want your design to be attention-grabbing, aesthetically-pleasing, and focused on your brand image to promote recognition with the receiver.

Why is email design important?

Your potential customer only spares your email 1.1 seconds before deciding if your message is worth their time or not.

Design has never been as important to successful marketing efforts, and it's key to keep recipients reading and interacting with your email.

Below you'll discover the 12 important best practices in include in your email for 2019

1. Craft a strong subject line

The subject of your email is the first piece of information your reader sees. Although the statement is brief it holds importance to pique the interest of your readers. The objective is to grab their attention to motivate them to open and read your email.

Here's a checklist of what your subject line should do:

1. Grab attention in as few words as possible
2. Provide value to encourage them to open your email
3. A good summary of what they should expect to read

2. Write a pre-header

This is the second thing your reader sees. This has equal weight to crafting a strong subject line. Don't repeat the strong subject line.

3. Be concise

The point of email is being straight to the point. Here's a great read on how to write short emails.

4. Maintain your brand through email

Impression is everything in today's age. This means your email should be branded to the point that they do not need to look at who's sending the message to know it's from you.

Tips on keeping your brand consistent through email:

• Use the appropriate email tone. Great tip on managing your voice when writing copy here.
• Incorporate the same colors and fonts.
• Include your logo, and relevant digital assets.

5. Keep your layout clean for a better user experience.

Manage the layout of your email. If you bunch together words in a single paragraph, nobody is going to read your email. More on user experience design here.

6. Personalise email

This works great to enhance your brand and at the same time improves email retention.

7. Incorporate unique content

Include unique images, videos, GIFs, and animations to break up the written content.

Here's great resources for free photos:

1. Pexels
2. Unsplash

8. Don't be afraid to use emojis

You can get emojis to use here.

9. Use responsive design

Users today are sophisticated and have various ways of accessing their emails (desktop, laptop, mobile device, etc.) Ensure their experience of reading your email is flawless regardless of the platform they choose to view through.

10. Optimise with CTAs

We often neglect this but a good call to action (CTA) helps you to convert your email readers to take action.

Where to get enterprise email hosting in Malaysia? 

Try our web hosting solution.

Read More