Business and Money Tips

16 May 2019

Edit Your Friend

Edit Your WeChat Friends details and Set Tags

Whether you add your friends using scanning, Group chats, Friend Radar or People Nearby, the first thing to do after you have added a new WeChat friend is to go in and edit his details and set tag(s) for him.

This is because marketing is about being targeted so you must know your friends well and target the right marketing messages to them. Otherwise, you will be considered as spamming and people will unfriend you fast.

The one and the only way to do targeted marketing to your WeChat friend is to know who they are and label them accordingly. Otherwise, your WeChat friends will become strangers to you.

If you have been adding friends and not tag them or edited their alias, do so now or your WeChat contacts will become meaningless to you. It is best to do so immediately after you have added a friend.

How to Do:

Go to your contact and press his photo
You will see a page with 3 lines and select ‘Edit Contact’
Here you change the alias of our friend, which is how you call your friend. Note that this only affects how your friend appears on your phone and you are not really changing his name.
You can also add a tag to your friend so that you can search for them easier when you do message broadcast marketing
You can also add a mobile number, description and even a photo of this contact. In other words, you are organizing your friend with sufficient details

Tips on editing the alias of your friend

You can add a prefix and suffix to your friend’s name
A good way of editing the alias of your friend is this: name, city, vocation and key strengths. For example, my friend Cheng is doing WeChat Official Account and Mini Programs, so I will edit his alias as “Cheng Singapore WeChat OA and MP”. So the next time when I search for Singapore, WeChat OA or MP, his name will pop up.
For people that belong to a group, you can always add a suffix like “BNI” for my friend Joshua Chua who is in BNI
Do not put in nicknames or silly names for your friend, for they may know when you inevitably reveal such names in your WeChat communication
I have a simple way to separate the people from China from the rest of the world: the people from China will have Chinese names in their alias

Tips on Tagging your friends

Use simple tags to broadly label your friends and more detailed tags to label the exact field they are in. For example, I label all my friends that communication in Chinse as “CN”. Further labels I use are “Sem” for seminars and “NW” for people that I get to know from seminars. For people from China, I use the tag “PRC”
Do not tag people using symbols like “#” or “*” as they are not descriptive enough and you will it hard to locate them in future

Written by Andy Ng, WeChat Trainer. Next WeChat Training is on 21 May 2019 Tuesday 2 to 6 pm. To get your 49% discount, text to Andy at 93672286 with the message '49''. Thanks. Other articles:

8 Feb 2019

What To Do When I Change phone?

WeChat is not like Whatsapp, when you change phone, the chats in your old phone will not be ported to your new phone and will be gone. The only way to transfer your chats or messages from your old phone to your new phone is via your computer.

You need to first back up your chats from your old phone onto your computer and then download the chats from the computer into your new phone.

To do this you need to install WeChat software into your computer. Simple search for 'WeChat for Windows or Mac' and install this free software on your computer. To log on to WeChat on your computer, you need to use your phone to scan the QR code on your computer. After that select 'Back Up and Restore' function. The whole process may take up to 3 hours.

Remember, if you have not done this don't ever delete the WeChat app in your old phone. This is because WeChat the company does not store your chats and the chats are only in your phone and nowhere else.

24 Jan 2019

Forget About the Chinese: WeChat Top 5 Mis-Beliefs

WeChat started in January 2011 and went international in 2013. So it is already 6 years old. Compared to Facebook which started in 2004, WeChat is 9 years behind but its user base has been growing steadily. Currently, at the time of writing (24 Jan 2019), WeChat has 1.1 billion users in 21 languages. From training over thousands of people from all walks of life in WeChat since 2017, the following are the 5 Biggest Mis-Beliefs About WeChat:

Mis-Belief 1: WeChat is Only for the Chinese
WeChat has 21 languages and includes most of the top commonly used languages in the world except Polish, Jewish and Hindi. If you were just to open 'People Nearby' feature of WeChat in Little India of Singapore, you'll realize that there are many non-Chinese using WeChat. Definitely, WeChat is not for the Chinese alone

Mis-Belief 2: WeChat is an Advertising Platform
WeChat is a social media platform and in social media, social first, business second. If you want to advertise in WeChat, the minimum package is US$20,000 and limit to two ads per advertiser per day. From here you will see that WeChat is not a low-cost advertising platform as compared to Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn

Mis-Belief 3: Few of My Friends Use WeChat
Please open your WeChat and press the '+' sign on the top right side of your phone. Select 'Add Contacts' and then 'Mobile Contacts'. WeChat will now scan through your mobile phone contacts and you'll see that most of your friends on your mobile phone are already using WeChat but you have not added them as your WeChat friend. So it is You that is not using WeChat, not your friends.

If your friends are using WeChat and you are not, you are definitely missing out a lot of opportunities

Mis-Belief 4: All The Contents in WeChat are in Chinese
Please open your WeChat and go to 'Discover' page. Select 'Search' and key in this phrase in the search bar 'WeChat Marketing'. You'll realize that there are countless articles and posts on this topic and they are all in English. I want you to next key in this Malay word 'makan' and you'll see countless articles and posts in Malay about makan, which is eating.

I want you to do the same for the other languages inside WeChat: Bahasa Indonesia, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean, Turkish, German, French and Tamil. You'll now realize that WeChat is really international and not just about Chinese!

Mis-Belief 5: WeChat Takes Up a Lot of Space
WeChat was designed to use low data and thus takes up very little space. There are more than a million mini apps inside WeChat called Mini Programs and they each take up less than 10 megabytes of data space. So you can use WeChat without worrying about running out of space!

To know more about WeChat and how to use it to get business for you and your company, contact Andy Ng at 65-97291864 or WeChat to him with his WeChat ID 'AndyNgCoach'. Other articles:

23 Jan 2019

Top Q & A About OEM: Open Electricity Market Singapore

Following my article on 'How much can you really save?', many people have many questions about this OEM or Open Electricity Market. Today I shall answer all of them, if you still have questions, please WhatsApp to me at 9729-1864 or WeChat to me at my WeChat ID 'AndyNgCoach'

1. What is this OEM Open Electricity Market?

The OEM is an initiative by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to enable households and businesses to buy electricity from a retailer with a price plan that best meets their needs. The launch of the OEM will provide consumers with more choices and flexibility in their electricity purchase.

It simply means that the electricity market is now opened to allow more players, and customers have choices. This also means that previously the market is not open and is closed to one monopoly single supplier: Singapore Power (and its predecessor PUB)

2. Why the Singapore government suddenly opens this electricity market?

The Singapore government did not suddenly open this electricity market. The market was first opened 20 years ago in the year 2001 when Keppel Electric Pte Ltd (part of blue-chip listed conglomerate Keppel Corporation Limited) was awarded the first electricity retailer license. Most people did not know about this because the market then was only opened to industries, meaning for residents and the day-to-day men and women, the market for electricity was not opened.

In reality, the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia and many other countries all have opened their electricity markets decades ago. So Singapore is not the first country in the world to open this market.

3. Does this Mean that From Now On, Singapore Power is NOT the sole supplier of electricity?

Yes and No. From now on, a consumer, individual household or business, can buy electricity from Singapore Power and many other retailers. So you can say that SP is not the sole supplier of electricity.

The reality is that SP operates the SP Grid, which supplies electricity to consumers. So SP is still the only supplier of electricity.

The 22 electricity retailers buy electricity at wholesale prices from SP Grid, and sell to consumers at retail prices. But the physical supply of electricity still comes from SP Grid, which is the sole power grid in Singapore. You can say that the retailers are just administrators and not the physical suppliers of electricity.

4. Why let so many electricity retailers come in when in effect these retailers don't really sell electricity?

The government lets so many electricity retailers come in is to create competition so that they can deliver more innovative and cost-effective solutions to consumers. These electricity retailers don't sell physical electricity, they sell electricity packages.

5. Does Competition Really Leads to Benefits for Consumers? I don't see this now in the mobile phone market, TV market, bus market etc

Anybody that has some common sense knows that competition always leads to better deals for the customer. Since the market opened for residents in April 2018, about 30% of households have made the switch away from SP to the 13 retailers. They enjoy 20% to 27% savings in electricity bills every month. Check with your electricity retailer or text to me Andy at 97291864 to find out how much you can save when you do the switch. You can also read my article at https://andyngtrainer.blogspot.com/2018/10/singapore-open-electricity-market-how.html

6. I Still Don't Understand. How come the electricity retailers rates are so much better than SP? Isn't SP a government body and if now the retailers are offering much lower prices, does this mean that all along SP has over-charged us?

According to Energy Market Authority (EMA) Director Ms Dorcas Tan (see Straits Times 23 Jan 2019 page B9), the regulated tariff, charged by SP and approved by EMA, reflects the long-term costs of producing and delivering electricity in Singapore, such as the costs of building and operating the power plants and maintaining the power grid and power meters.

On the other hand, the electricity rates offered by retailers typically reflect the current market conditions, level of competition and short-term costs of producing electricity.

Under current market conditions where electricity production capacity exceeds the demand for electricity, we can expect market prices to be lower than the SP regulated tariff.

However, this may change over time based on market demand and supply. So there is no assurance that in the long term, the rates offered by the retailers are lower than the SP regulated tariff.

All this means that SP did not over-charged its customers. It also means that if you now find a cheaper retailer, make the switch now to save money now to reduce uncertainty.

7. OK, I believe your arguments. Now that the retailers offer so much lower rates, can I as a consumer make the switch? If so, what are the procedures? Must I contact SP about this? What if SP does not allow me to switch?

Yes, as a consumer, you can now make the switch provided you qualify.

The procedures are very simple: choose the right retailer and right package and then apply online to switch. You don't need to contact SP about this as the retailer will do the application for the switch on your behalf.

No, SP will not disallow you to switch away from them. They may disallow you to switch if you have a few months bills owing to them.

Written by Andy Ng, Business Coach and Trainer since 2001.

Bonus: Only One Reason To Switch: Save Money

You save guaranteed and confirmed 22% if you opt for the DOT plan (Discount over Tariff), which gives 22% off whatever rates you are paying now.

If you are more daring, you go for the fixed price plan, which means you can save 27% over the current rates under Singapore Power or SP. For example, in this current quarter Apr to Jun 2019, the SP rate is 22.79 cents kWh. One retailer Keppel Electric offers a fixed rate of 16.71 cents kWh for a 3-years contract, and you get to save 27% off the SP rate. If your monthly bill is $110 you get to save $30 a month or $360 a year. Over a 3-year period, you get to save $1,080. My friend has a $550 bill a month. He saves $150 a month or $1,800 a year. With a 3-year contract, he saves $5,400. All it takes is just 3 minutes!

Note:
To know how to switch, email to me Andy at andythecoach@gmail.com or text to me at 9729-1864 now! Our team of energy consultants will help you select the plan that saves you the most, plus rewarding you with CASH rebates totalling $83

How to Get Serious Business From WeChat

The question among most WeChat users is "How Do I Get Serious Business from WeChat?". There are 5 Ways:

Step 1: Set Up a Serious Profile
There are 5 things in a serious WeChat Profile: professional photo, name in Chinese, region, Whats up and make your Moments posts public.

Step 2: Have at least 2,000 WeChat Friends (or 1,000 if they are of high quality). To know how to increase your WeChat friends quickly without spending money, read my article at here

Step 3: Be Part of At Least 5 Group chats and be active there. We know in WeChat you cannot just join a group chat, you need to be invited. There are 25 ways to be invited into group chats, you can read all of them at here

Step 4: Be Active in Moments in 2 ways: Post daily in your Moments and read, like and comment on your friends' Moments. According to the creator of WeChat Allen Zhang, 75% of WeChat users read Moments every day. This translates to 750 million people. If you are not active in WeChat Moments, your WeChat friends will not know that you exist. How to give you business?

Step 5: Tap into the Power of WeChat. WeChat power lies in Official Accounts and Mini Programs. Now you can have your own Official Accounts and Mini Programs with free articles daily without paying a single cent. To know the power WeChat and get these free tools Huaban Mima Official Account and Mei Pian mini program, come for our WeChat Power course on Tuesday 2 April Jan 2019 2 to 6 pm. Special 50% discount given to readers of this article, it is only $149 instead of $298. To see details and video of this course, visit here

3 Jan 2019

Top 25 Ways to Be Invited into WeChat Group Chats

We know that you cannot join WeChat group chats on your own. You have to be invited. There are 25 ways to be invited to join group chats:

1. Have an Attractive Profile - Name, photo and whats' up short description

2. Moments must be attractive. Must post daily

3. Be Searchable - open People Nearby to let others find you

4. Ask in Moments

5. Ask your WeChat friends via private message

6. Ask your Group chat friends via private message and/or group chats

7. Ask via Message Broadcast

8. Start your own group chat and invite people to join. People will reciprocate

9. Offer incentives for people to invite you into their group chats, like vouchers, but not money as this is considered bribery. Red packets of not more than CNY 10 is okay

10. Have more than one WeChat account

11. Write articles and people will be attracted to you

12. Follow Official accounts and leave comments

13. Use QQ, Weibo, Douyin etc to make yourself attractive

14. Use Time Capsule, a 15-seconds video that will disappear in 24 hours, like Snapchat

15. Join off-line groups

16. Attend seminars and events and they will always have group chats for you to join

17. Organize your own seminars and off-line groups and people will invite you to join their group chats

18. Position yourself as a Giver and people will invite you into their groups

19. Make new friends by using People Nearby and WeChat Search and ask your new friends to invite you into their group chats

20. Be genuinely interested in other people and they will invite you into their group chats

21. Join Paid Group chats and the people there will have many groups for you to join

22. Buy group chats from people at the rate of CNY2 for 1 group chat

23. Attend WeChat classes and the trainers will have group chats for you to join

24. Be Patient. Group chats will come to you

25. Offer value in whatever you do. Don't just promote yourself. Promote others

Next WeChat Power course is on Tuesday 8 Jan 2019 2 to 6 pm. Special 50% discount for readers of this article, at $149 instead of $298. For 2 persons, it is $99 each. WeChat to Andy at 'AndyNgCoach' or text to him at 65-82014347 to book. Other articles:

9 Dec 2018

What You Really Learn from My WeChat Courses

Following my previous post on 'What Do I Really Teach in WeChat", some people asked me to summarize what will my students really learn from my WeChat courses. There are 5 things that you will take back:

1. The WeChat course itself, which has 5 key elements: WeChat, Chinese culture, Social Media Marketing, Irresistible Selling and FREE WeChat Official Account and WeChat Mini Programs (read the details at here)

2. What Value to Bring to People
Most people are very good in describing what they sell and the benefits they bring. But if you were to ask them what value do you bring to people, they will mention "good value". This answer is worse than not answering.

We know that if you want to use WeChat in your marketing, people are not interested to read how good your product is. People are only interested in one and only thing: what value do you bring to them.

In our WeChat courses, all our students are made to go through an exercise what value they can bring to their WeChat friends. For example, our Financial Planner will, from attending our course, realize that the value she brings is not financial products but a care and concern for people

3. How to Tell the Difference between Friends and Fans, and how to build fans through our 'Five Ways to WeChat Millionaire" chart

4. How to Follow-up with people that read your Moments, your messages, your articles and your comments in their Moments posts.

5. How to Be Human and Be Real
Many of my students told me that before learning about WeChat, they only know how to do social media marketing by 'pretending'. In our WeChat courses, we teach people how to be human and how to be real in your WeChat Moments posts, your articles and your message in WeChat group chats. Most importantly, we tell you how to treat each of your WeChat friends as a friend, not as a potential customer. Note: Last WeChat course for the year is on this Friday 14 Dec 9 am to 1 pm. Special 50% off at $149, fee will revert to $298 come Jan 2019. Last 6 seats left, details at here. Related articles (click on the titles to read them)

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