| Chapter 1 | | | | Lesson# 5 Can your clients reach you by phone? - |
| An outdoor guide is a special kind of individual who not | | | | Although having a website that is graphically pleasing |
| only likes what they do for a living, but also an individual | | | | and functional is good, nothing can take the place of a |
| who most likely keep doing what they doing even | | | | friendly voice on the phone when the client calls and |
| though it does not make them a lot of money. | | | | tries to get details about the proposed trip. Not being |
| This article is the first of a 3 part series of articles | | | | able to answer your phone right away will cost you |
| which will open a window into the "business" of the | | | | lots of business that you will never know about. |
| outdoor guide. | | | | Lesson#6 Do you have insurance ? - although being a |
| Lesson # 1 Do you have a website that highlights all of | | | | licensed guide requires you to have insurance, you |
| you strengths and emphasizes your specialty, be it elk | | | | should look into advertising that fact because the public |
| hunting or Tuna or Salmon fishing? Are you a fly | | | | might not know that you are insured. |
| fishing expert ? all these issues should be detailed | | | | Lesson#7 Offer options for disabled individuals - |
| Lesson # 2 Have a portfolio of previous trips that you | | | | Whenever possible you should not ignore the market |
| conducted, show your hunting kills and your monster | | | | of disabled individuals with physical handicaps. Those |
| fish that you reeled in the spring. If you don't have any | | | | individuals will not only be your most loyal customers if |
| photos, then you can have a generic photo of a similar | | | | you provide them with the conveniences that they |
| activity and mention that this is the type of action you | | | | require, but will give your business a goodwill reputation |
| clients can expect. | | | | that you will not be able buy anywhere. Besides, it just |
| Lesson# 3 Be visible online: Is your website findable on | | | | feels good to do good and make money doing it. |
| the search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN ? If it | | | | Lesson# 8 Make sure to optimize your website for the |
| is not, then you are sacrificing a lot of potentially good | | | | search engine - Search engine do not automatically |
| business as most hunters like to travel to different | | | | send you customers. They index your site based on |
| states to hunt and out of town businessmen/ women | | | | you submitted and properly aligned keywords and |
| like to go fishing when they come your way. | | | | other web page tags. So make sure to hire a |
| Lesson# 4 Do you have any hooks ? what that | | | | company that will be able to optimize the design of |
| means is that your website should have a way to | | | | your web pages so the search engine will not penalize |
| keep your site visitors not only educated about your | | | | you for have the wrong keyword at the wrong place. |
| product and service, but also a way to either sign up | | | | Look out for Chapter 2 of this 3 part series where we |
| for some type of newsletter, membership or a | | | | talk about the twenty way an outdoor guide can have |
| giveaway. That way you will be able to retain this site | | | | his cake and eat it too. |
| visitor and,with the right tools, be able to close a sale. | | | | |