What Business Problems Do You Have That A Few More Sales Would Not Cure

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Twenty years ago, as a rookie consultant, I met a small business owner who seemed to have a great business philosophy.

He said, "Gary, there are very few problems that I've encountered in business that haven't been cured by a few more sales!"

Of course, it's an over-generalization. When my consultancy peaks, and I'm pressed to find a few hours to myself, the last thing I feel I can do is to add more clients, and more time responsibilities to my already impacted calendar.

Still, with more sales, you can justify a lot of things, and finally, you can afford to put systems into place that will enable you to accept and even to promote growth.

Since when, is an embarrassment of clients, like riches, something to be avoided?

Only business school professors, and people with a clerk's mentality, whose professional lives are neatly ordered for them by external forces, can construe growing sales as a problem.

I've heard customer service managers complain that they can't handle the number of issues and complaints that crop up from existing clients. Well, isn't that a signal that it's time to implement breakthroughs in productivity?

One of my mutual fund clients was in this situation, and I designed a training program that enabled CSR's to handle 25% higher call volumes with even better customer satisfaction.

Of course, I was paid for my efforts, and the money that funded my innovations came from, guess where?

From sales, of course.

There is an expression, well known to sales managers: Nothing in business can happen without a sale. Sales are the fuel that makes the entire engine run.

So, the next time you seem to be facing a business problem, instead of attacking the symptom, pause briefly to ask yourself, how could this be ameliorated with a few more sales?

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

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Business Management Software Do You Really Need It

Writen by Warren Van Duesbury

As we all know, not all advances in technology are necessarily for the better. Some people swear that having a computer program to manage a business is a 'must have', but is this really true?

I have a friend, Chris, who runs a physiotherapy clinic. For the last ten years, he's used a paper diary and a pen. And it's not a small business either. Two receptionists, five practitioners and hundreds of clients every week. When I ask him why, he says it's totally reliable, never breaks down or crashes, doesn't require updates, no license fees and doesn't need any equipment to run it.

I must admit, those reasons sounded quite good to me too!

Before finally committing his business to paper, Chris hired a developer who wrote a custom application for him. Unfortunately, the developer disappeared and after a short while Chris was left with software he couldn't use. This ultimately made the decision for Chris to stick with what he could comfortably manage himself.

Desperate not to repeat this bad experience, Chris carefully weighed up all the options that were available to him. Does he go for another paper based system? Or does he try his hand again with a computer?

He knows very well, that there are many disadvantages to his paper system, but he also feels there are many advantages too. And this is an important point. Whatever system you employ, you need to be happy that it's going to work well for you and that it's manageable. Chris says he sleeps well at night because he knows his books will always be working when he opens up shop in the morning.

Chris's business is situated in a very old, very grand, Georgian house. When you walk in, you're immediately filled with a sense of nostalgia. The massive leather bound appointment book on the secretary's desk, looks perfectly in keeping with the surroundings. It's a very warm feeling that would in some ways be spoilt with a modern computer.

Chris's thriving business is testament to the fact that it is possible to run a successful business without business software. There are many benefits for and against any system so what you must do, is weigh up all the options and then decide what is going to give your business the greatest benefit.

Don't automatically fall for the assumption that installing business software will be the great fix that everyone says it is.

About The Author Warren Van Duesbury is the CEO of KnockYourSocksOff.com, developers of The Monkey - The time and money organizational software for personal and small business use. Visit their website at: http://www.knockyoursocksoff.com

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Are You Leveraging Your Unpaid Sales Force Five Keys To Growing Your Business Through Referrals

Writen by Krishna De

You've honed your technical expertise, you've established your business and got your team in place, but why was it no one told you you'd also have to develop marketing and sales skills?

That's not what you were expecting when you established your professional services practice, be that as a lawyer, an accountant, a designer or consultant. In fact the idea of selling leaves your cold.

The reality is most of us dislike selling. Equally, we don't like being sold to. This simple fact is often overlooked, yet it has the potential to be the key that unlocks the growth of your business.

People do business with those they know, like, trust and respect. In other words they want to build a relationship with you before they invest their hard earned money in your solutions and services.

Referrals are often the most powerful way to expand your business requiring little marketing spend and providing you with immediate credibility through the reputation of the person referring you.

But how often do you miss the opportunity to ask for a referral? Do you have a specific strategy and action plan to manage your referral process? Are you leveraging the support of your unpaid sales force - your clients who already know, like, trust and respect you?

Here are five keys to growing your business through increasing your referrals.

How to ask for a referral

Review your current clients and identify three of them that you can contact this week about the potential of them referring you to others.

When you speak with them, thank them for their business and tell them you enjoy working with them. Advise them you are in the process of expanding your referral based business. Explain that you would like to partner with them to help you grow your business and ask if they could refer you to 2 or 3 of their contacts.

Make sure you advise them of the profile of your ideal client that you would like them to refer you to. If they are able to identify someone, ask if they would contact the person ahead of you reaching out to them to introduce yourself.

Make your clients proud to refer you

Most of us delight in great feedback and there is nothing better than having someone thrilled because of the results they have achieved through working with someone you referred to them.

When a client refers you, their personal reputation is on the line. They won't refer or recommend someone who they don't believe in. It's therefore paramount you deliver to your highest standards when working with the contact you have been referred to.

Connect with your potential new client

When you make contact with your potential new client, reference the person referring you and advise them that your mutual contact thought it would be a great idea if the two of you connected.

Make sure you don't overwhelm them with your great technical expertise. Actively listen to their challenges and concerns. Offer suggestions and be generous with your advice - make them feel you have their interests at heart.

Remember, you can't convince them to work with you; even though you have come highly recommended, they have to grow to know, like, trust and respect you on their own terms.

Keep your client in the loop

Don't forget to keep your original client informed of how things progress with the personal contact they referred you to. That is not to say you should disclose anything confidential – just make sure they know that you have made contact and whether you are going to work together.

Reward your referral partners

Consider rewarding your referral partners, perhaps by entertaining them to lunch or introduce a different service agreement or fee structure to formally reward your clients for their referrals. After all, they're helping you grow your business and are sure to remember to provide you with referrals more often if they know their support is appreciated.

Don't wait for your workload to quieten down before you implement a referral strategy. To grow a thriving professional practice, business development needs to be part of your ongoing agenda. Developing and implementing a referral strategy can help you propel the growth of your business without the anguish of feeling you have to sell and with little investment in overheads.

About the author: Krishna De is co-founder and Managing Director of Oneocean Ltd. Networking and Referral strategies are one of the foundations of their leading Biz Growth Academy programme where owners of professional services firms realise more profit and greater success with less stress.

Join Krishna at Biz Growth Live (http://www.bizgrowthlive.com), a free weekly tele-conference series where she is in conversation with experts on how to build your brand, grow your business and leave your competition on the starting blocks!

Copyright © 2006 Oneocean Ltd. All rights reserved. Oneocean Ltd is a leading business growth consultancy with a difference – focusing on the unique strengths of your organisation and your people to unlock extraordinary performance and growth.

TERMS OF REPRINT: You are welcome to publish this article in it's entirety as long as you leave it unedited and you include the copyright notice. Please forward a copy of the publication that contains the article to us at publications@oneoceangroup.com

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Small Business Grants

Writen by Thomas Morva

Working capital grants by commercial banks represent the most important source for financing current assets. A firm seeking small business grants is required to submit an appropriate application form. There are different types of application forms for different categories of grants. The information furnished in the application covers, inter alia, the following: the name and address of the borrower and his establishment; the details of the borrowers business; and the nature and amount of security offered.

The application form has to be supported by various ancillary statements like the financial statements and financial projections of the firm. The application is then processed by the financial institution giving grant. This primarily involves an examination of the factors like ability, integrity and experience of the borrower in the particular business. General prospects of the borrowers business, purpose of grant, and requirement of the borrower and its reasonableness is also taken into perspective.

Once the application is duly processed, it is put up for sanction to the appropriate authority. If the sanction is given by the appropriate authority along with the sanction of grant, the bank specifies the terms and conditions applicable to the grant. These usually cover the amount of loan or the maximum limit of the grant, the nature of the grant, the period for which the grant will be valid, the rate of interest applicable to the grant, the primary security to be charged, the insurance of the security, the details of collateral security, if any, to be provided, and the margin to be maintained.

It is a common banking practice to incorporate important terms and conditions on a stamped security document to be executed by the borrower. This helps the bank to create the required charge on the security offered and also obligates the borrower to observe the stipulated terms and conditions.

Small Business Loans provides detailed information on How To Get A Small Business Loans, Minority Small Business Loans, Small Business Bad Credit Loans, Small Business Government Loans and more. Small Business Loans is affiliated with UK Home Loans.

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The Benefits Of Using Freelance Consultants Trainers For Your Project

Writen by John Roberts

What are the benefits of using a Freelance Consultant / Trainer for your next project?

Companies are often wary of employing freelance trainers when setting up a new project or contemplating a 'roll out' operation or 'change' scenario. There are however distinct advantages to using freelance as against permanent resources, and some of these are outlined as follows.

1. Financial
Although the initial costs (hourly/daily rate) of freelance trainers may seem expensive, this has to be set against the fact that there are no costs of in house benefit packages, no pensions commitment, no payment for holidays or sick time etc. Also, the cost is fixed, purely for the term of the contract, and can be budgeted into the overall project. Once the project (and contract) are completed, there are no ongoing employment costs or costs of redundancy etc.

2. Skills
Often a client does not have the requisite expert skills in house that are required to produce training quickly and effectively for a new project or roll out. It is often more cost effective to employ a freelancer who has these skills, than waiting for existing employees to gain sufficient depth of knowledge and expertise.

However, as part of the freelance contract, the client should arrange that the freelancer transfer those skills required to permanent employees for ongoing maintenance of the project after the contract has finished.

3. Focus on the project
Permanent employees often have their own personal priorities. They are concerned with day to day 'office politics', enhancing their career and promotion prospects etc. Combine this with time spent on company activities, such as meetings etc. and in most companies the actual applied working time of the average employee is only about 50% of their time at work.

Freelance workers have no interest in company politics, career chasing, internal meetings etc. and tend to focus 100% on the project they are working on. The freelancer has a fixed deadline, i.e. the end date of the contract and will normally always ensure that the work is completed to the project milestones.

4. Commitment
A freelancer is only as good as their last project. They tend to gain employment mostly by referral and it is in their interest therefore, to always do as good a job as possible on each project. There is no advantage to the freelancer in spinning out the project unnecessarily, as this would reflect on future opportunities.

This means that you tend to get 100% commitment throughout the project, as a freelancer will tend to avoid all distractions and try to complete the project ahead of milestones where possible. After all, there is normally no 'overtime' pay for the freelancer and therefore no advantage in making the work last any longer than necessary.

5. Project planning
Normally, a freelancer will commit to a project without provision for vacations or other time off. This makes it easier when setting up project plans and milestones, as the potential of employees requesting time off does not have to be factored into the project plans.

6. Desire to work
The freelancer does not have the comfort zone of permanent employment and is hungry to work.

Their motivation is normally extremely high and does not require any external stimulation, as is often the case with long-term permanent employees.

7. Up to Date Skills/Qualifications
The freelance trainer has to compete in a constantly changing marketplace for contracts of varying requirements. For this reason they tend to constantly update their skills and certifications to attract work from customers. You will often find that freelance trainers have one or more of the following qualifications – IITT, CIPD, ITOL, ISMA or ECDL as well as accreditations from relevant vendors, and they are constantly updating them in order to secure contracts. This gives you recognised quality that you have not had to finance.

8. Work force motivational factors
Using an external expert consultant can demonstrate to your work force that the company is committed to adding value to their personal development. Using internal staff does not always create the same feeling that the company is willing to spend to increase employee skills.

Using an external consultant can provide more freedom of expression and opinion by delegates during the training sessions. Your delegates will feel less constrained by internal company politics and restrictions when discussing things with an external consultant, who they do not perceive as part of the 'company machine'. This can lead to much more open discussion and participation by delegates, which can greatly enhance the effectiveness of the training.

9. Wide ranging experience and fresh ideas
Invariably freelance consultants, by the very nature of their work, will have worked across a wide and varied cross section of industries and organisations, in both the private and public sectors. They can provide valuable 'real world' experience and ideas that your staff may not have knowledge of, due to having to focus on their normal day-to-day occupations. This can be invaluable during times of change and can promote a sense of 'thinking outside of the box' by delegates and staff that they have contact with.

Summary
So, if you are considering a new project, roll out or change scenario, think carefully about how it will be resourced. In many cases, you will find the best solution is to use freelance resources to complement your existing workforce.

Acknowledgements
Adapted from an original article by John Roberts, Director of JayrConsulting Ltd. ( www.jayrconsulting.co.uk ) and modified after valuable input and critique by co-members of TrainerBase (www.trainerbase.co.uk). This article may be freely reproduced / modified and used in any way, providing this acknowledgement is left in its entirety.

John Roberts is a Freelance Training Consultant and Director of jayrConsulting Ltd. http://www.jayrconsulting.co.uk John is an active member of TrainerBase http://www.trainerbase.co.uk and welcomes discussion on all aspects of training, learning and business development. John has delivered training events for various blue chip companies in UK, USA, India, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, China, Phillipines, Nepal, Brazil, Antigua, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Panama, Belgium, Holland etc. etc - Comment "I hate Airports!"

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Tips On How To Reduce Your Online Business Overheads

Writen by Rose Mary

If you want to start an online business, you need to have capital. Whatever online business you do, there will certainly be some start-up costs and overheads incurred which you need to pay. After you start your online business, it will usually take a while before you can see any profits. Without any profits available yet, you need to use your money to pay for any costs incurred during the initial period. Hence, it is advisable to keep your initial expenses as low as possible so that your resources will not run dry. There are some ways you can use to reduce your expenses.

Since the business is online and you need access to the internet, the two basic necessities that you need to have are a computer and an internet service provider (ISP). The cost for the computer is a fixed cost and can be paid by a one-off payment or installments. The fees to your ISP need to be paid on a regular monthly basis. Before you start your business, you will have to purchase some information products to teach you how to get started. These resources and tools also cost money. You will need to pay for all these costs when you start the business.

The Word and Spreadsheet processing software are two major tools that you will need to carry out your online business. You will need the software to do a number of things such as draft sales letters, write e-books, draft emails, write articles, etc. You may even need the spreadsheet software to manage your finance. As you are aware, it can cost quite a huge sum of money to purchase and install licensed office application software. Even if you purchase it, you are only allowed to install the software in one computer. This is not ideal as sometimes you may need to use the software in more than one computer. Unless you pay more, the license does not allow you to install the software in more than one computer.

If you want to, you can utilize free application software obtainable from the internet. There is an Office Suite that is freely issued to the public to use. The Office Suite is called the OpenOffice. It consists of a word processor (Writer), a spreadsheet (Calc), presentation software (Impress) and a database (Base). You can get this free Office Suite at opensource.org. This is a fully functioning software and you can install it in as many computers as you like.

Apart from OpenOffice, there are some web-based versions from Zoho, Writely, Google, G-office, Zimbre and Ajax 13. As these applications are web-based, you do not need to install them in your computer. If you want to use them, you just need to log on to the web. There are some benefits of using these web-based applications. Firstly, you do not need to have a powerful computer to run these programs since they run directly from the server. Secondly, when you use the program, you can store your files in their server. You do not need to use any diskettes or USB drive. Thirdly, with these programs available, there is no need for you to buy any other application software anymore. This could save you some money. However, there are some disadvantages using these web-based applications. Firstly, working over the internet may post some security problems. If your account is hacked by hackers, you may lose all your stuff. Secondly, if the internet is down, you will have to stop your work. Thirdly, if the company which runs the software goes bust, you will need to find another type of software to use.

You need to weigh the pros and cons as you consider using web-based application programs for your work. If you do not feel comfortable working over the web, you can choose to use the OpenOffice program that runs on your computer. Whichever method you choose, you will surely enjoy great savings using these free application programs.

Starting an online business will incur start-up costs and overheads. You need to have capital before starting an online business in order to cover these costs. You can try some ways to reduce these costs. The tips suggested above can help you to obtain some savings and thus, keep your expenses low. For more information on working at home, you can refer to Work At Home.

Rose Mary. Freelance Writer on Various Interest Topics. You can get more information on working at home at Work At Home.

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Real World Accounting For Small Business Owners

Writen by Caroline Jordan

If you're like me, you love accounting. It's so fascinating and such an ingenious system. Don't you just think that Double Entry Accounting is the most beautiful creation of all humankind?

Okay, let's get real. You probably think accounting is boring and best left to pencil pushing geeks (like me!). I mean…BOOORRRRING! Total Snooze-fest!

Well, my friend, I'm about to introduce you to Real World Accounting for Regular People. But, be careful, it just may change the way you look at accounting FOREVER! In fact, one of my clients looked up from a spreadsheet one day and said, "Wow, I never knew accounting could be FUN!" You just might have the same experience.

For starters, a lot of people think accounting is about math, which is an immediate turnoff. Although accounting does include math, it's more like a foreign language. All you need to do is learn the parts of that language that actually apply to you. Think about visiting a foreign country. You don't need to be fluent in the entire language. You just need to know the important things like what to order (or not order) in a restaurant, how to get directions, and how ask where the bathroom is. It's the same thing with accounting. You need to know what you need to know and the rest is unimportant. I mean, do you really need to know about corporate accounting practices or off shore financial transactions. Probably not.

So, how do you figure out what you need to know when you don't even know where to begin? Follow me and I'll show you!

The first thing you need to know is this. You must, must, must keep your personal finances and your business finances separate. Using your personal checkbook for all your transactions is a bad way to go. Here's why:

• The Internal Revenue Service wants to know that you have a very clear distinction between your personal affairs and your business affairs. They want details. If you try to pass off personal expenses as business expenses, you're violating tax laws. They don't like that.

• If you ever plan to borrow money for your business or get credit from your vendors, your lender or vendor will want to see detailed records of your business performance. Handing them your checkbook register is not going to make them want to give you money or sell to you on credit.

• You need to know how your company is performing at all times so you can plan ahead, make adjustments in your operations, and make informed decisions.

• The more accurate your records, the more accurate your tax return. It prevents you from missing deductions.

• It's the only way you'll know whether your business is making money or if you're just kidding yourself.

So, if you don't have a separate checking account for your business, go get one. It's easy and inexpensive and it will give you clarity on how your business is really doing.

The next step is your accounting system. Now, when I say "accounting system" I'm talking about an organized way of keeping track of your records. It can be computerized or it can be the old fashioned pencil and paper route. The important thing is that a) you have one and b) you use it.

Finding a System That Works For You

Your record keeping system needs to be designed so that it works for you. It should be:

• Simple to understand
• Flexible and adaptable to changing needs
• Inexpensive to develop and maintain
• Require little time to maintain
• Be handy and convenient to use

If you use a computerized accounting software package like QuickBooks, all those qualifications are met. I generally recommend QuickBooks to my clients because it's easy to use and you can also find local support for set up and troubleshooting. I don't whole heartedly recommend QuickBooks because I think parent company Intuit is losing touch with its core customer (we, the small business owners of the United States of America). There's too much nickel and dime-ing and poor support. But, at this point, it's still the most widely used system and certainly meets the needs of most small businesses as far as what it can do.

I do recommend that you get professional help in setting up your accounting system if you don't have an accounting background. It's a case of Garbage In Garbage Out. A well set up system will give you the best information with the least trouble. It's less expensive to have it set up right to begin with than it is to have it cleaned up later.

Whatever record keeping solution you choose for your business, the key to success is actually using it on a very regular basis. Otherwise, your business struggles and you're in constant danger of sliding into the Cash Flow Swamp.

Caroline Jordan is a small business mentor and consultant helping small business owners understand, diagnose, and improve cash flow in their businesses. For more information and resources to improve cash flow visit http://www.TheJordanResult.com/mastering.html .

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The Power Of Why Your Psychological Ally To Marketing Success

Writen by Sean D'Souza

Here's why 'WHY' is such a profit-making marketing trigger.

"Stop taking two and three plates of food," my mother said to me angrily.

I was at a wedding and seven years old. Back then, at a lot of the weddings we used to go to, the food would be pre-served on a plate. I could never get enough of those calorie-ridden platters. Waylaying different waiters, (so I would not be recognised), I'd polish 3-4 plates without blinking an eye.

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Mum wasn't impressed, and told me to stop and desist.
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"Why?" I'd ask. Her stock reply was always, "It's bad manners to do that." This Dustbin Hoffman act obviously got her goat, but it left me unfazed. It must have bugged her more than I expected though, because in a short while Dad was peering down at my food-stuffed face.

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My question remained unchanged. "WHY?"
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"If you invite a hundred people to a wedding, how many would you cater for?" he asked. "A hundred," I answered, proud of my analytical genius. "If you ate four plates," he continued, "how many would remain?" He prompted quickly, "Ninety-six right?" I nodded vigorously. "That means some people don't eat. If you're so hungry, we can go out after the wedding and get something to eat, but don't deprive others."

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Dad Made Sense. Do You?
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Dad understood psychology. He had to sell my brain an idea that my rumbling stomach didn't want to understand. And he did it by answering the question, 'WHY?' How many of us ignore this powerful trigger in our marketing because it seems too obvious, almost too simple?

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Why 'Why?' Puts Elvis' Shaking and Moving to Shame
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Let's examine the six honest men. What, How, When, Where, Who and Why. Which one of these is the most powerful psychological movers of them all? This would be better answered with an example.

Let's assume you needed to go to the supermarket. All the other triggers (how, when, where, who and what) would make absolutely no difference if you didn't know 'WHY' you were headed there. Everything else would be totally irrelevant. Once you know WHY you're doing something, everything else is just a matter of logistics.

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Why Does 90% of Advertising and Marketing Communication Go Down the Drain?
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Simple. Look for the WHY in advertising and scarcity pops up instantly. All the fancy layouts and the smart headlines can't quite compensate for the niggling question that goes unanswered. All your customers want to know is, Why should I choose you? Why should I take this decision? Why should I spend this money? Why should I look at your website? Why should I read your brochure?' Why should I listen to your speech? 'Why? Why? Why?'

Dump the cotton woolly fluff. Get your customer's brain to go scrambling like an over-enthusiastic pup after a Frisbee. Once you have enough WHY factor built into what you're selling, everything else is just clip, clop, fall in place stuff.

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Be an Accountant, Do an Audit
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Look at your communication. Like reeeeeeeaaaaally look at it! What about your website? Does it answer the question WHY straight up? And does it do it on the first page? How about your brochure? Does its headline make it a cinch for dustbin land? What about your speech? Do you have enough beds to compensate for your lack of WHY?

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I could go on, but I suspect you get the message.
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Be merciless. If the WHYs don't stack up, dump the communication. Or chop and change it till it does.

Finding the Right Level of Why Power

If you noticed, Mum actually answered my WHY question. She just didn't answer it to my satisfaction like Dad did. Herein lies a subtle, yet formidable difference.

It's not enough to simply have the WHY question answered. It's got to be the most 'Rambo in your face' answer, or it will bounce higher than a defaulting cheque. Let your WHYs loose on each other, and let only the one with the most testosterone come out shining.

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Aristotle -- Man, Was he Smart or What?
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All communication must lead to change.

That's what the old wise man said over 2300 years ago. Not some or most communication.

All.

Yet we are dealing with customers that inherently detest change. WHY is the only motivator that allows them to make that shift. Change is still a scary word, but at least the justification sits nicely in their cranium.

In fact, if you look closely, even a WHAT question like, What's in it for me?, is really a "WHY" issue. All it is saying is 'Why should I pay attention?' Give your customers the WHY factor and their buying sprees will reflect nicely in your growing bank account.

This is simple, down to earth advice. Yet it represents one of the most powerful psychological triggers why people buy. WHY on earth would you ignore it?

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©Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a secret library of small business ideas? Find simple, yet electrifying ideas onmarketing strategy,psychological tactics and branding. Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.

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Truck Wash Business Case Study

Writen by Lance Winslow

Often smart entrepreneurs look for out of the way businesses, things out of the mainstream but businesses, which have a good customer base and steady incomes. This is an extremely interesting story. I had always considered the mobile truck washing efforts to be very profitable and believed that fixed truck washes were a big waste of money. That was until one year when a new franchisee joined our team from Oklahoma City. I run a franchise company called the Car Wash Guys; www.carwashguys.com. Turns out the franchisee was formerly employed by Blue Beacon Truck Washes the largest chain of truck washes in the US. They do about $138,000,000 per year with 80 truck washes and the company is very closely held. Tim our franchisee was a truck manager for them and before buying into our franchise and started washing cars in OKC even though he knows truck washing best. He had a two-year non-compete with his old company, which we have honored in OKC. He has tons of experience and had indicated to me that the business is sound and we should really get into it. Later that year I sold a franchise to a person in WA State who owned car washes (5) and he made a deal with a truck stop on an Indian Reservation, he never started the plan, but the numbers we ran on the spreadsheet looked great and very profitable.

Even as a serial entrepreneur, I had never considered the fixed site truck wash business, as the mobile truck wash business seemed so much more efficient and so little over head; www.truckwashguy.com . So even with all this knowledge on the team we still did not enter that market. One of our competitors in the car washing industry bought up two truck washing chains for a total of fourteen truck washes and proclaimed it more profitable than his other car washes by 5 times as much money. They now own nearly 100 locations of truck and car washes nationwide. After looking into it some more a franchise buyer who owned Fuel MAN, an East coast Fuel Card for fleet owners approached us in South Carolina to use the Truck Wash Guys name and develop a truck wash mid state. At that point we decided to start working on the details. Then a franchisee in OH made a deal with a truck stop between Columbus OH and Pittsburgh, to operate a 24 hour truck wash and de-ice business. He thought how easy this is and now so we have made deal in WV at a truck wash as well. Our Ohio Franchisee at the time took on another partner in WV.

Still reluctant to fully dive into the subcategory of full service truck washes we found our Ohio Franchisee going full guns to put together a deal with Pilot Truck Stops. Pilot Truck Stop has the most Truck Stops on the Planet and sells 8% of all the diesel fuel in the United States. So we planned a pilot program at pilot. Our temporary set up is a trailer unit, which sits at the truck stops and washes made sense. We then worked on plans for a building to submit them to the Building dept. for approval, meanwhile the deals in OH and WV and SC were suddenly in the works. We figured if our deal with the truck stops worked well, the Truck Stops will get more traffic and fuel sales while we generate revenue and a percentage of the total take for the truck stop for the privilege of working there. We are so use to washing trucks and have on our team a gentleman who sells simonize truck wash and has been in the car washing and pressure washing equipment business for 20 years. By using the fuel man fuel cards as currency on the east coast and name recognition of Pilot we figured we could move into this industry and pick up the slack.

There is a shortage of truck washes across the country and also a shortage of oil change facilities for trucks. A franchisee could be trained by our truck wash prototypes and probably on the top performing franchisee in our mobile truck wash division; then quickly set up in their own markets. Pressure Washing companies which specialize in fleet truck washing should in fact consider this type of strategy for moving into the fixed site truck washing business.

If you study entrepreneurial companies you will in fact see that many companies fall into markets due to opportunities which present themselves, it is amazing the opportunities which exist out there and how fast companies can grow when they can handle the demand of those markets. Think on this.

Lance Winslow

Hospital in Alabama Thailand Hotels Booking

5 Great Ways To Gain New Contacts

Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

What are the 5 best ways to gain new contacts?

There are many ways to use the media to promote your business. You must ultimately decide what is best for your business. It may be all the items you have read about, or it may be only a few, but whatever you choose, you must get a precise and clear message across to your potential buyers. You must also make sure you form an excellent business relationship with those companies before you do business. You want to create an atmosphere of a solid business relationship, so that you will be doing business for the long-term and not just a short-term project here and there. You must be committed to what you are doing and get that commitment message across to your clients and potential clients.

It is entirely up to you how much you want to spend on public relations and promotion. But once you decide how much to spend, you should then plan to spend it wisely and not to flush your hard earned dollars down the drain. I would advise to do all of the above but do it in stages, and sometimes things like sponsorships will only come into play when you can afford it. The key is to get involved and stay involved; this consistency alone will reap rewards in the local community. You will also be able to walk into local businesses and they will recognize you and be willing to talk. It is a give and take process that creates good solid business relationships, they just need to know that you are out there and can be depended on.

You should also take advantage of PR professionals that can take your business ideas and make them news. For a list of these professionals you can check with consulting groups, yellow page ads, and web listings. One thing you need to do before you commit to a PR specialist is to make sure you do your homework and find out what they have done for others in the past. This way you will not be disappointed with the results.

I decided that I wanted to be coached in PR. I wanted to know more about how to do it correctly while having a guiding hand. Many of you may know Jill Lublin (the writer of the Foreword and author of the best sellers Guerilla Publicity & Networking Magic) who has been speaking about PR for several years. It is Jill's coaching that has made me savvier and more PR aware. For more information on Jill Lublin and her coaching, visit her website http://www.promisingpromotion.com.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

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Financing For Your Security Guard Agency

Writen by Marco Terry

In the past few years we've seen a massive increase in the security industry. Airports have beefed up their screening and security. Public and private buildings have more guards. Even business are ramping up their security procedures and hiring guards to keep premises and employees safe.

In other words, it's a great time to be the owner of a security guard agency. Provided, of course, your company has the necessary financing resources to meet your payroll and business expenses.

But meeting payroll can be very tough. Especially since commercial and government clients usually pay their invoices in 30 to 60 days. How can you pay employees every week if your clients take that long to pay? The math just doesn't work.

The solution to the problem is to get financing. But I am not talking about getting a business loan. Business loans are hard to get. There is a better solution that is easy to qualify for and quick to set up. This financing tool is called invoice factoring and your bank does not offer it. Rather, you get it through a factoring company.

The premise behind factoring is very simple. Your invoices from good (but slow) paying customers are an asset – a valuable one. The factoring company is willing to provide you with financing using them as collateral. Factoring is easy to use and works as follows:

1. You do your work, as usual. You bill your customer but then submit a copy of the invoice to the factoring company for financing

2. The factoring company provides you an immediate advance on 90% of the invoice. You can use that money to meet payroll and pay expenses

3. The factoring company waits to get paid by your customer

4. Once they are paid, they rebate the remaining 10%, less their fees

As you can see, factoring eliminates waiting for payment and gives you funds to run and grow your business. Factoring provides peace of mind, enabling you to meet payroll easily. It also allows you to take on new big clients with confidence, knowing that you'll have the resources to pay your employees.

If you own a security guard company or security agency, be sure to consider factoring as a tool to grow your business.

Commercial Capital LLC
Looking for a factoring company? Need factoring for your security guard agency? Call Marco Terry at (866) 730 1922 for a free invoice factoring quote.

Hospital in Alabama Thailand Hotels Booking

How To Write A Credit Policy For Your Business

Writen by Michelle Dunn

The book, "Become the Squeaky Wheel," by New Hampshire author Michelle Dunn, says the different ways people use and extend credit makes or breaks your credit policy and bottom line, which could result in less or more sales and money for your business.

"Business owners all have different types of businesses but can all extend credit," explains Michelle Dunn. "So it should only make sense that no two credit polices can be the same."

Dunn explains that one major difference is if you have a service or retail business. Your credit policy should use multiple facets to cater to prospective customers but also protect the business owner.

"You are limited in what you can and can't ask a prospective customer in order to extend them credit," says Dunn. "Business owners need to be aware of what these questions are and what the laws are before they create their credit policy." Your credit policy helps to filter customers so you don't have to spend your time chasing your money. Your best policy will be short, easy and to the point, it will avoid long-winded statements and a lot of legal or big words. Always create your forms with the reader in mind, the easier and clearer the better.

Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection. She is the founder of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency and ran is successfully for 7 years. She also owns and runs Credit & Collections.com an online community for credit and business professionals.

She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series. She is currently writing a book for the Streetwise Series, part of the Adams Media Corporation. In addition to writing and marketing her books, Michelle moderates and runs Credit & Collections.com and was a member of The American Collectors Association for 9 years. Visit http://www.michelledunn.com or http://www.credit-and-collections.com for more information on any of Michelle's books or services.

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Finance Your Small Business So Much Money So Little Time

Writen by MaryAnn Shank

$37.4 million funded from venture capital today. $86.4 million funded yesterday. $51.4 million funded the day before.

These numbers are not made up. They are actual numbers from actual reported venture capital funding. I get these notices emailed to me day after day, rain or shine.

I'm not personally looking for business financing – but the entrepreneurs who read my website are. These numbers are a constant reminder to me that companies – lots of companies – are getting funded every day.

And these numbers just reflect the reported venture capital funding. There is probably double that amount from angel investment and unreported fundings, and millions more from the $16 billion pool that SBA has this year.

All in all, it's a lot of money. That's a lot of companies and banks and groups and individuals actively investing in small business.

So how come you're still looking for financing?

Perhaps you aren't presenting your company effectively.

Or perhaps you haven't located the right lender.

It's also possible that your concept just isn't very good, but I doubt that. The fact that you are reading this article means you are a serious entrepreneur, with a serious business.

So where do you go to find all these investors? Here are some starting points:

For standard business financing, talk with the local office of the Small Business Administration. It's a new agency, with new programs and services, and lots of money to lend. Although much of the focus of the SBA is on minority business enterprises, the SBA still has a lot to offer non-minority companies.

Also talk with your local banks. (That was plural "banks", not "bank".) Talking with a number of local bankers will rapidly bring into focus the wide ranging priorities of the various banks, and where your company fit in.

As for venture capital and angel investors, there are several options.

One option is to go to online sources. There are a number of online services, such as VFinance, that sell the names and addresses of possible investors. It's not expensive, perhaps $2-5 per name. The idea is that once you get the list of 200 or 2,000 names in hand that you will contact each with a written executive summary or business plan, and then wait to hear from one of them. This is a very passive approach, roughly akin to throwing paint on the wall and hoping that something will stick. If you are like most entrepreneurs, patience is not your strong suit, so sitting and waiting for a response is not quite your cup of tea.

Another option is to go to one of the many directories of venture capital firms. These directories typically include addresses, phone numbers and emails, along with the geographical areas of interest and the types of investment that each is seeking. Most businesses can narrow down their list of prospective investors to several hundred venture capital firms this way. And again you are faced with the prospect of sending out written material for each one, and waiting for a response.

A third option is to take a more proactive approach. Identify your best prospects yourself from a number of reliable sources. Get introductions where possible. Learn everything you can about your target investors, and then go after it. Typically a phone call is the first contact, not an anonymous executive summary. Knowing that you are calling your best prospects, you know too that they are open to hearing from you. You have names, you have investment histories, you have everything in hand to make a real connection with the target investors. Then go do it.

Getting your company financed is one of the hardest things you will ever do as an entrepreneur. It can be hugely frustrating, disappointing and genuinely discouraging. But lots of entrepreneurs do it. And so can you. Get the Nos out of the way and go for Yes! The exhilaration of the handshake sealing the deal is unlike any other transaction in business.

No one knows when this amazing window of financial opportunity is going to close. Spiffy up your business plan and go for it. Now.

MaryAnn Shank
http://www.businessplanmaster.com/investors.html
http://businessplanmaster.blogspot.com

Ms. Shank is a seasoned business plan specialist.

Hospital in Alabama Thailand Hotels Booking

Banking And Company Credit Card Policies For Small Business

Writen by Lance Winslow

Does your small business have a banking and credit card policy? If not, perhaps you might wish to think on it. Developing such policies and procedures is not a difficult task. It will not take you long at all to make a relatively simple operations manual to cover your banking and credit card strategies. Below please find an outline or guideline to assist you in developing your own small business banking strategy.

What I usually recommend is that you print out this article and then modify the outline to best fit your business and banking needs. Then after making modification on the article itself and tape it to the a legal pad, then on the following pages of the legal pad write a paragraph or two on each number and letter item. Once you have written and re-written these pages you now have a rough draft, then type in your ideas and plan into a word processor computer program and there is your operations manual which is in place as you expand you business to its full potential.

BANKING AND CREDIT CARDS

I. WELLS FARGO BANK

A. Business Accounts

B. Company Credit Cards

C. Supply Ordering

D. Interest Accounts

E. Numbers Of Locations

II. CREDIT CARD PROCESSING

A. How it Works

B. Percentages

C. Royalty Payments

III. ATM CARDS

A. Personal Use

B. Credit Cards

C. Business Fund Commingling

IV. PERSONAL MONIES

Lance Winslow

medical health hospital

Benefits Of Computer Franchise Ownership

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Entrepreneurs buying computer franchises can enjoy many benefits and minimize typical start-up risks, which can make ownership of these franchises an ideal situation for those looking to start their own business. Since new owners typically need help with marketing, financing and training services, will find these resources already available to them as part of computer franchise ownership.

Benefits

Buying a computer franchises has several benefits. You are getting an established product as well as operating procedures that are already in place. Training, advertising, advice and other financially draining items are also often already paid for, or available and set up as part of the franchise fee. This means you have the chance to enjoy profit much sooner than with other types of new businesses. All these benefits are part of the reason computer franchises have a greater rate of success than other computer businesses.

A Final Product With A Track Record

One of the best things about computer franchise ownership is that you are buying the rights to a final product or service with a track record. You will be able to use the trademark, name and all advertising tools. Customers will already be expecting good service and quality products your business name implies, which will decrease the time it takes to establish trusting relationships with your customers that will lead to future business.

Operating Procedures In Place

As the owner of a computer franchise, you will have a pre-made operating manual that explains procedures already in place. Because the procedures have already been working, you will not have to suffer through a trial and error process. You will already know what products and supplies people want and how sales and service calls are handled. And if you run into trouble, you will have people to call to clarify.

On-Going Training And Marketing

Owning computer franchises has many special advantages, including support from the company. You will get help with finding a location, management, marketing, hiring and training your employees. Many companies will also provide regular newsletters or workshops with tips to help grow and maintain your business.

Regardless of how many conveniences are waiting for you as a computer franchise owner, buying one still takes time, energy and a great financial commitment. However, buying a computer franchise can help alleviate a great deal of stress.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg can help you grow your computer consulting business, the RIGHT way! Sign-up now for your free audio training program that features field-tested, proven Computer Consultants Business Tools.

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Small Business Marketing Tip Test Package Alternatives

Writen by Craig Lutz-Priefert

Remember, 'Package' is simply your face to the customer. The smart small business marketer is always open to new ways to keep that face looking its best.

Because Package is about presentation, it involves every physical detail of your store; but it also is very much the interplay between customers and staff. It's why you can walk into two different fast food franchises belonging to the same chain and utilizing the same signage and pricing and floor layout and yet receive a totally different impression of each shop based on how the staff treats you in them.

We urge you to brainstorm with your Bloom Team and dream up one or two small package variations to test. Remember, we're not talking Brand, here; we don't want you to overhaul your entire image in this exercise. Instead, let's fine-tune the way you present your brand.

Some ideas:

• If you use PowerPoint in your presentations, rearrange the slide order, to see if that affects your audience. If you can, have a partner or co-worker watch which sequencing better holds your audience's attention.
• Do you let a customer browse a bit before your salesperson engages her? Maybe alter the timing so that the sales staff speaks to them right away—possibly even alerting the customer to any sale or clearance items. This is a modified way of probing for a cross-sell at the very beginning of the sales encounter.
• Another idea is to take your most perceptive employee and stand her up at the front of the store during downtime and have her pay a compliment to each and every person that comes in. Can you afford to do this every minute? Of course not--but even if you could do it an hour a day just think how much goodwill you'll create--and what a boost you'll give to your customer attitudes.

You can do the same with merchandising, client-seating and many other aspects of your package. Sometimes just the smallest changes in your presentation to the customer can bring unexpected results. Like many things in small business, you have the ability to make adjustments that big companies can't, simply because you are closer to your customer.

Remember, testing is the key here. Experiment, evaluate, then abandon what doesn't work and test some more. It's all part of the ongoing process to improve your small business marketing. Never-ending, isn't it?

Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success.

© 2006 Marketing Hawks

Craig Lutz-Priefert is President of Marketing Hawks, a firm providing essential marketing vision for small business. Marketing Hawks also sponsors the ongoing small business adventures of entrepreneur Crystal Trino at the JourneyToday website.

medical health hospital

The Abcs Of Fundraising

Writen by Cassie Kale

There are many little details that go into making sure your fundraising event is a successful event. The key is to have all your fundraising details laid out in front of you before you even start. Below are some tips to help you get started on the right foot for your fundraiser:

What is the purpose of your fundraiser? While this is the easiest question, it can sometimes be the hardest question to answer and convey to your sponsors. Why do you feel your company or organization should have a fundraiser? Do you need to raise funds for computers? Uniforms, expansions – clearly define your purpose.

Next move onto the amount you would like to raise through your fundraising event. What is the amount you hope to achieve for your fundraiser to be considered a success? This number is very important, also be sure to estimate your expenses to run the fundraiser so you will have a free and clear amount that you earned and can disperse where needed.

Now figure out who you are going to approach for sponsorship of your fundraiser? What small businesses do you think would be most willing to donate and participate to your event? Do you hope to have other companies participate as a part of your fundraiser? For instance if you are in direct sales and you sell Tupperware, maybe a Mary Kay or Arbornne consultant may want to join you. They may also be interested in sponsorship as that will give them marketing for their business.

Hand out flyers, make phone calls, send out a press release – these are all generally free ways of attracting excitement for your event. Most importantly what product will you be using for your fundraising effort? There are many fundraising ideas available; you just have to find the one that will fit with your group. The most popular fundraisers are ones that are easy to sell and collect money on. They include: chocolate, magazines, candles and more, the choice is yours!

Get all your fundraiser information, fundraising ideas and more! This season chocolate fundraisers are hot and an easy sell!

medical health hospital

Carwash Franchisor Case Study

Writen by Lance Winslow

There are only a handful of car wash franchises in the world. This might offer some insight on how car wash franchises come into existence. This is a crazy story. It is the history of our company and how we ended up in the Carwash Franchise business. One of our franchisees of our mobile car wash business; The Car Wash Guys, was in Idaho, was the son of a wheat farmer, the areas largest farm family land holder in Idaho's banana belt. About a month before he called us I put up this web site called www.detailguys.com and said what the hell, I will put up a form in case someone wants to buy a franchise for only auto detailing and not mobile car washing we can make a sub franchise out of it. Previously I did a couple of trade shows. The Black Expo and a BizOp/franchise show, great results and really I did not need any leads. But what I learned was their were significant people wanting low-priced franchises. So I put up the website and put a form on it and the very next day I get a lead from Phil the farmer in Idaho, looking for a simple business. He wanted to start a business, but stick more with auto detailing on a mobile bases, which was slightly different than that of our mobile care wash franchise. So he wanted a franchise ID. But heck I was in CA and ID seemed like another World at the time. It was. Things went good, because we made it work and Phil then bought a car wash guys mobile truck and later an auto detailing trailer and hired on some more workets.

Things again were getting even better. He could now detail and wash. He saved his money and decided to open a car wash. So he called me up one day and said Lance, Am I allowed to open a fixed site car wash? I thought, but I hate carwashes, because they hate mobile washers chipping away at their customer base. But then I thought the combo would be unstoppable. I said yes. Here is what we built:

www.carwashguy.com

This is over the river in WA State in Clarkston, Phil lives in Idaho in Lewiston. So then I had a franchisee operating three concepts in 2 states. He said to me. What do you know about carwashes? I thought, everything. I mean they are competition and I know my enemy better than the Navy Seal teams before entry. I had every industry magazine from the start of car washing magazines. I had every published book, manual written, and article, all in boxes. I have attended every trade show of the International Car Wash Association in the last six years, and collected literature at every table. It was a long project but we put the franchise together. Phil got his car wash opened and it became our prototype and then we started franchising fixed site car washes. It just proves you never know what you will learn or which market niches you will enter in the future as an entrepreneur. The important thing is to constantly scan the horizon for market niches and opportunities, which will work. Think on this concept today.

Lance Winslow

medical health hospital

Execute Your Best Small Business Ideas

Writen by Ove Nordkvist

Is it possible to activate your best small business ideas in no time and totally effortless? Of course it's not! To start and develop a small business from scratch, will take time, effort and some of your money.

Their is an old story that goes: after one of Ludwig van Beethoven's performances, many people from the audience were paying him their ovations, one woman commented, I wish I would have been born with such genius. Beethoven replied : It isn't genius, madam, nor is it magic. All you have to do is practice on your piano eight hours a day for 40 years.

That's not what most people want to hear. The majority of all people would prefer to buy the magazine with headlines like, -loose Weight, eat as you do now-, in the hopes of finding a quick and easy solution before the upcoming class reunion, rather than start an exercise and diet program.

For most people it's more tempting to check out a seminar promising, -become a millionaire within months-, than it is to start a debt reduction, monthly savings plan. And they'd take their chances with a weekly lottery ticket, rather than investigate their best small business ideas.

We live in an instant messaging, plug and play fast forwarding world. Without any deeper thoughts, we bring that instant rewarding model into our business situation. We have little or none patience for the small business ideas that doesn't produce an immediate return.

We don't want to learn how to do something anymore, we just want to be able to do it. We don't want to just make decent money, we want the jackpot. We want to master money and success. And we want it now.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an apprentice show in the small business world, where a few weeks of exercises and projects makes you a six figure earner. The only way you can win, in the best small business ideas lottery is to, first realize that it will take time, effort and some of your money. And then do what it takes, with persistence and a positive attitude.

People who are successful with their best small business ideas, know that. They know they're not instantly gonna get their dreams fulfilled. They know that the future is in their own hands.

To build a business, is similar to build a house, stone by stone, step by step. It will take time, use that time wisely.

If you want to be successful, you need to practice and develop your skills. If you don't, you will remain a tourist in the small business world.

Do, instead of think about doing. Achieve your goals, do not contemplate them. Execute your best small business ideas, instead of talking about them. Step out of your comfort zone, to do things and learn from it. Don't stay in your mind numbing enclosure.

Bet on yourself by nourishing your talents through work and efforts, learn from Beethoven, that's the only magic there is.

Visit http://www.small-biz-ideas.net/best-small-business-ideas.html to learn more how to find your best small business ideas Ove Nordkvist is the Founder of the web site small-biz-ideas.net where you can get help with ideas, tools and resources to start a small business. You can download free Masters Courses for a variety of small business ideas at http://www.small-biz-ideas.net

medical health hospital

Three Ways To Outsell Your Brick And Mortar Competition

Writen by Kimberly Dawn Wells

When you run a brick and mortar business, you can't be all things to all people. You're confined by geography, time, space, and labor. Until the age of the Internet, it was rare to find a competent one-stop shop. Even then, most of those were run by retail giants with millions of dollars and thousands of employees backing it up.

Then, along came the Internet, and with it the World Wide Web, and eventually e-commerce. This made it possible to provide a customer with more services, since goods could be shipped from nearly anywhere. It negated the need for hands-on inventory, and any basic storefront could be the middleman for any number of suppliers.

What does this mean for the average small Internet business owner? You have an expansive power over your local retail and service providers in that you have the ability to connect customers with goods that you've never seen, don't supply, and aren't near you.

How can you leverage this? Online there are three major ways you can accomplish this.

1. Outsourcing

If you do web design or copywriting, or another related service, you can outsource some of your work by finding someone to do a portion for you. This could be a service you don't usually offer or don't wish to offer. You can add the charge right to your clients' bills as per your billing policy. This is a simple way to complete a project and wow your client without creating a long-term commitment or adding a service to your list.

2. Partnerships

Many small Internet-business owners create an agreement through which they serve each others' clients. One will provide coaching services, for example, and if their clients need any goal achievement training, the other person will automatically be contracted to provide it. Likewise, if one has goal achievement class clients that want to expand their training, they will automatically be referred to the coach. Partnerships allow you to provide an additional service AND receive qualified prospects.

3. Affiliates

Affiliate programs are the least seamless for your client, and there aren't any guarantees that they will follow through with the sale, but the good news is that by now, most Internet users are used to purchasing items through affiliate programs, so they at least understand the concept. Affiliate programs are an entire beast of their own, and you can find a plethora of information online that will teach you how to set them up, how to track traffic and sales, and how to effectively promote them.

Basically, you refer your clients to another business or website and they make their purchase independently of their order and relationship with you. The business they purchase from then pays you a commission - either a percentage of sales or flat rate per sale. Affiliate programs have the potential to be highly profitable with the right quantity and quality of traffic. They do often require a lot of work to set up and maintain.

While as an independent small business owner you will still be somewhat limited as to how many services you can actually offer, the Internet opens up numerous possibilities that allow you to expand well beyond the capacities of a brick and mortar business. Take advantage of those opportunities, and maintain them wisely, and you'll "build" a successful, profitable business.

Kimberly Dawn Wells is a freelance writer and author of several non-fiction books in the areas of business and personal development. To find Kimberly's books, visit http://www.kimberlydawnwells.com. For more articles by Kimberly, visit http://www.k23enterprises.com/articles.

medical health hospital

Financing Sources And Types To Ensure Successful

Writen by David Arnold Livingston

Money is of extreme importance nowadays. Almost everything that we do involves money. The same is true if one wants to venture into business or buy a home which is one of the basic needs for survival. Financing or supplying of funds in business is a must to make it grow and achieve the desired expected profit (together with the right planning and managing). Common mistakes encountered by new entrepreneurs are wrong financing sources, underestimated amount needed for capital and inflexible financing types. These problems however can be prevented by careful planning and analysis of the various factors involved in starting a business.

In general, business people can choose from the two types of financing, the debt and equity financing. Equity financing is the type commonly used by small or growth stage entrepreneurs. The sources for this type involves the center of influence that trusts the entrepreneur, such as friends, relatives, family members and other people interested in investing their money in the business. However there are also capitalists who are ready to take the risk of financing small businesses. These capitalists may include financial institutions, authorized government agencies or well-to-do individuals in society. There are also venture capitalists that finance new business in the industry to get equity. Businesses that have been in the industry from three to five years are preferred by venture capitalists. They have various methods to manage or deal with the businesses that use their financing or invested money. They can influence the decision making policies of the business in the event its performance does not come up with the expected result.

Another general type of financing is debt financing. This type has varied sources which include Small Business Administration Loans, commercial loans through banks and personal loans from family, relatives and friends. The government recognizes the importance of business in the economy of the country and that is why they offer programs that can encourage the growth of small enterprise by having their own financing agencies tp help a lot of young business people and entrepreneurs. Debt financing through banks is the traditional means to fund a business. The banks act as a short term lender for the business person to have the needed money to buy equipment and machineries necessary for the business to flourish. The SBA or Small Business Administration Loans are used in the case of local banks. The loan that can be acquired can be from $5,000 to $2,000,000.

From these two general types of financing branch the various kinds of financing involved - not just in business but in other fields as well. A few of which are piggyback financing, owner financing and creative financing. Piggyback financing is used by home buyers who want to avoid mortgage insurance which is required when the mortgage is more than 80 percent of the purchase price. Through piggyback financing, the borrower can have two mortgages with costs that may vary. Owner financing happens when the owner or seller of the property is the one financing the buyer so in this case the owner acts as the bank. The buyer in turn can pay the needed amount monthly or whatever may be the agreement instead of going to the bank for financing. Creative financing happens when the house buyer has a third party lending institution which can be a bank or a loan agency.

David Arnold Livingston is a business owner and entrepreneur with many years of finance experience. Visit: http://www.financingfor.com for lots of great financing options and ideas.

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Essex Accountant Accountancy Firm Mvp For Your Uk Business

Writen by Jay Carmichael

Most business owners know when they need an accountant, but they do not realize how important the task is or how much their results can vary. No other job position outside of your own is going to affect your bottom line like an accountant and contrary to common belief, the job is not just about crunching numbers. A good accountant or accountancy firm must know how to crunch numbers that will allow them to provide practical suggestions from useful information that will pave the way for you to make accurate business decisions.

For an accountant to be your MVP, they must have a drive to learn your business inside and out. They will also be very helpful and approachable instead of trying to impress you with their extensive vocabulary and knowledge. But before anything can take place, there must first stand a solid foundation. This strong vital foundation is good book keeping. The most complex formulas in the world are useless with bad numbers. However, it is completely your option whether you want to keep your books separately or have your accountancy firm keep them for you. Some Accountants and/or Accountancy Firms will even train you or your staff if you would like to take over the books at a later date.

Good bookkeeping involves recording all cash and bank transactions with regular reconciliation's, recording all purchase invoices and payments while producing monthly payment due reports, recording all sales and payments while producing monthly statements and also preparing quarterly VAT Returns if applicable. You can also have the same firm maintain your payroll for your employees. Last but not least you will need management accounts prepared monthly, quarterly or half yearly. A one stop accountancy firm can be very convenient reliving you from the above work, which allows you to do what you do best.

With proper records, a great accountant can work wonders for your business. Practical advice supported by useful information will definitely pave the way for you to make more accurate business decisions. Then you will truly see that a good accountant really can easily be the MVP of your business.

Find a professional and approachable Essex Accountant at Auxesiaonline.co.uk, the one Stop Accountancy Firm in the UK. We are one of the UK's best sources for Essex Accountants that provide good advice delivered in a timely and efficient manner.

Thank you, enjoy your day.

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Small Home Based Business Plans For Goal Setting Owners

Writen by Don Osborne

Most small home based business owners don't write business plans or do any goal setting, at least, on paper! If you're the exception save your self some time and act on your written business plans right now to accomplish the goals you've been setting for yourself. Haven't put any plans or goals on paper, consider these five steps.

1. Do It Now

Time waits for no one. The sooner you've transferred what's in your head and on your mind, the faster you'll be in a good position to crystallize your goals and test them against the plans you've been tossing around in your head. Successful small home based business ownership is a result of a well executed business plan for accomplishing your exciting goals. The longer you wait the more work it will take. Do It Now!

2. Write It Now

Now that you've committed to doing it now, write down your three most exciting business goals. Don't evaluate them. Just write them down. Below each of the goals write the numbers 1 - 3. Next, using your numbers, write down three steps you feel would be at the core of a simple to implement business plan. Good, have you gotten it all on paper. Write It Now!

3. Say It Now

Saying so is believing so. Sounds weird, but many business owners simply don't believe they really can succeed. Read out loud what you've just written. Share it with a trusted associate who believes in you and your success. Speaking the goals you're setting and the plans you're making has a big impact on the results you'll be getting. Say It Now!

4. Execute It Now

Perfection is a character trait not necessary for turning your business goals and plans into successful results. Nothing is perfect in the world of small home based business ownership because it's driven by human nature and individual passions. I'm not suggesting you take some extremely bizarre goal and a half baked plan and run with it. My experience tells me whatever you're written and verbalized is fundamentally possible. You and your friends will have helped see to that. Execute It Now!

5. Revise It Now

Here's why it was so important to take your mini business plan and see how far it can take you in reaching the goals you've been setting. Business it not static, its dynamic. Just like action cures fear, execution points to the corrections you must make to improve your plans to create the best possible results for each of your key goals. It's time to make revisions. Yes, since nothing is every really perfect, get used to the fact that revisions are inevitable. Revise It Now!

So, what are you waiting for? Become a successful business planning, goal setting small home based business owner right now!

Don Osborne authors The Profit Puzzle - a free course to help you envision, plan, start, run and grow a small home based business. The website's small home based business directories link articles, books, courses, products, services, websites, blogs, and software covering objectives, management, finance, personnel, marketing, operations, production and resources: http://www.profitpuzzle.com for your free small home based business course and directories.

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Beauty And The Beast Of Starting A Business

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An Example Of Business Automation Ecards With Pizazz

Writen by Elvin Picardo

The last time I spoke and went into a bit of detail on business automation. Today I would like to give you some details of how I actually used it personally so you get to see first-hand what I wanted, how I went about doing it and finally executing it.

Last month was Christmas. Of course, having a lot of customers, friends, family and associates I wanted to send Christmas greetings and/or Holiday wishes. So I thought about this and came up with the following criteria.

1. I wanted to send greetings to approximately 130 people. These people are in my email list.
2. The greetings had to be personalized wherever possible.
3. The greetings had to have my corporate logo with a link to my web site.
4. The greetings had to divided into separate groups for customization purposes.
5. Once setup, the "system" would have to track viewer statistics.
6. I should be able to "select" anyone from my list to send a "special" card.
7. Once setup, the "system" should automate the entire process so I can take a "Hands-off" approach.
8. The system should be capable of displaying a specific font and generate the card on the fly to my visitor. And should also be capable of playing a suitable Christmas carol in the background.
9. Finally, the system should be capable of allowing me to reuse for other occasions.

Armed with these requirements I went about searching the Internet for a suitable application (of course, why reinvent the wheel?). Guess what? I didn't find any. Yes, there are a lot of e-card places out there but tell me which one will match my criteria above?

So, I decided to write a little "system" for myself. The "system" took me 3 hours of development and 1 hour of tweaking. When it was done and tested, I launched it. It took me 5 minutes to send the 130+ cards out. Here's what it did:

1. Allowed me to select groups of contacts based on criteria I provided.
2. Allowed me to select a card and appropriate music to be sent.
3. Customized each email to the recipients name or alternate greetings (ex: John and family, instead of John Doe).
4. Inserted the name of the contact in appropriate places making the email even more personal.
5. Sent the email out with the appropriate link to "view" the greeting.
6. Created an electronic log of who the greeting was sent out to, when (date and time) and details of the greeting.
7. Tracked when a person opened the greeting to view the e-card (and how many times).
8. Created a "on-the-fly" greeting that was customized to greet my visitor the way I set it to be.
9. Brought my contact to my web site (www.netmedian.com) contact page with a personalized message to them.

Not bad for four hours of work. I was happy to say that from all the emails that my contacts received (some did not because of Hotmail accounts - lesson learned), 100% clicked on the link, visited my web site and sent me thank you's, reciprocal greetings or just general comments.

Needless to say I was happy because it saved me hours in going out, getting cards, personalizing it, mailing it etc. etc.. With this "system" I not only saved hours but will continue to save them every time I use it.

Can this system be extended? You bet. My plans are to extend it to start creating gentle reminders to me on special "anniversary" dates of my clients, friends, family. This way, I will let the system do the work from my "working" list. The ultimate idea would be to create a system that would automatically allow me to stay in constant contact with my contacts. Something every business should be doing anyways. talk about a win-win situation.

Would you like to take advantage of my handy "system"? Send me an email and I can see how we can set you up.

Elvin Picardo
Delivering Net Results to Small Business
Author of numerous articles on Web Development and Internet Marketing
10723 159th St, Surrey, BC V4N 3J1 Canada
http://www.netmedian.com
epicardo@netmedian.com">Contact me

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Dramatically Improved Sales Begins By Being That Red Jacket In The Crowd Of Gray Suits

Writen by Leanne Hoagland-Smith

In 2003, the Small Business Administration reported that of the 5.7 million firms in the United States only 17,000 firms employed 500 or more employees. Small business accounts for 99% of all businesses. In other words, there is a lot of gray suits standing on the same corner with you trying to get business.

Your challenge, if you decide to accept, is to discover how make yourself unique among all of those gray suits. Or better yet, how can you be the one bright red suit in that crowd of gray? Take a moment to visual yourself being that bright red suit. Look around. How do you feel?

You may be feeling pretty good, but telling yourself it's just picture in my mind. It's not real. But, yes it is real. Your thoughts can make it real along with this additional strategy.

When someone asks you want do you do, how do you respond? Do you tell them that you sell widgets or provide a service for widgets? HINT: That's what all those over gray suits are saying.

Stop selling what you do be it consulting, web sites, professional services, cars, whatever! And start selling results!

Can you share in 30 seconds or less the results that "sell" your clients to "buy from you"? As the old expression goes, "no one likes to be sold, but everyone likes to buy." Make them want to buy from you by selling your results. Very quickly, your mental image of being the ONLY Red Suit in a crowd of gray will quickly materialize and your results will double as well.

This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

If doubling your results or performance in real time is important to you, then visit http://www.processspecialist.com/smallbusinesses.htm/ to learn some additional secrets and tips. Sign up for a free monthly newsletter. Please feel free to contact Leanne at 219.759.5601. If you truly don't believe doubling your results is possible, read some case studies where individuals and businesses took the risk and experienced unheard of results at http://www.processspecialist.com/smallbusinesses.htm/

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Small Business Marketing Tip Use Emotion To Enhance Story

Writen by Craig Lutz-Priefert

Earlier we discovered some of the reasons our customers came to our store; plus we unearthed some of the alternatives they have to shopping us. Now, it's time to start to create a story from this. Remember, we want to interact with the customer's story. What emotional content can you use to make them feel better? Can you somehow make them feel that yes, they really do deserve to treat themselves to the finest? Right now, list 3 emotions your customers feel about your store:

• ___________
• ___________
• ___________

After you've listed these, think about your competitors. Are they adding value in ways you aren't? Sometimes a quick fix is to copy something a competitor is already doing. It isn't what you can build a brand on, but it can help bond you to the customer.

Then, after you've explored the obvious, turn to your ally, the creative mind, and search for the possible. Sometimes the answers present themselves in the form of a problem.

For example: Is parking a hassle in your neighborhood for your upscale restaurant? Should you offer a valet service for your customers, to make sure you remove a barrier that prevents them coming to see you? What does this have to do with story? Simple, it's another way to make the customer feel better about herself as she acts out her story. If they are treating themselves to a night out, then you can enhance the "specialness" of the evening for them.

You can treat them, too. They probably write a dozen checks each year to their mortgage company. Think the bank ever gives them valet parking?

The point is: figure out how to tie in the customer's story to your company. Make them feel special by interacting with them.

See, Michaela and her steakhouse needed a reason to get people out to eat, more often. She needed to provide something they couldn't get at home, no matter how fantastic a filet they grilled up for themselves. The Hollywood theme Big Mike's used puts the customers into the story as players. See if you can do the same with your customers.

Remember: Brand (who you are) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + People (customers and employees) = Marketing Success.

© 2006 Marketing Hawks

Craig Lutz-Priefert is President of Marketing Hawks, a firm providing essential marketing vision for small business. Marketing Hawks also sponsors the ongoing small business adventures of entrepreneur Crystal Trino at the JourneyToday website.

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Banish Those Bookkeeping Blues

Writen by Tracey Lawton

Are you one of those people who are guilty of just stuffing your receipts into a folder and thinking 'I'll sort that out when I've got time'? Do you need a more organised bookkeeping system, nothing too flash, just something that's simple and easy to manage?

Follow my tips below and you'll soon have that simple and easy-to-manage bookkeeping system that won't bring you out in a cold sweat whenever you hear the words 'tax return'. And I promise you, it works!

Gather your supplies!

Get hold of a large ring binder, divider cards, A4/letter-sized paper, stapler, pen, all your business receipts and invoices, plastic folders and a large coffee (or whatever else you prefer!).

Then lock yourself away for a couple of hours.

Get organised

You now need to organise your ring binder into the following sections:

Invoices - Unpaid -- this section is for your outgoing business expenses that have not yet been paid i.e. supplier invoices. Write on the top of each invoice the date it needs to be paid by and place all unpaid invoices in 'date to be paid' order with the earliest one on top.

Invoices - Paid -- this section is for your outgoing business expenses that have been paid or you've paid at the time service was rendered, i.e. that ream of paper that you bought from the office supplies store. Staple each receipt on to a blank piece of paper rather than just putting them directly into the ring binder. This just makes it easier to see at a glance all your receipts and you can also make notes on the paper. Also write on the top of each invoice/piece of paper the method of payment.

Receipts - Unpaid -- this section is for all your invoices that you have sent to clients that have not yet been paid. Write on the top date payment is due and put them in date order so that it's easier if you have to chase overdue invoices.

Receipts - Paid -- this section is for all your invoices that have been paid. Write on the top the date it was paid and how it was paid i.e. bank transfer, cheque, credit card etc.

Bank Statements -- this section is self-explanatory! Just keep everything in date order.

Schedule It In

Now that you've got your system in place, schedule in each week/month to keep your bookkeeping binder up-to-date. In between updating place all your receipts and invoices in a plastic folder so that everything is together when you come to update your system--it would be too time-consuming to add each receipt as you get it!

What Next?

Depending on how far you want to handle your own accounts, you can either hand your very organised bookkeeping binder over to your accountant at the end of the financial year for them to prepare your final accounts, or you can maintain your own books with the use of financial accounting software.

Either way, you've now got a bookkeeping system that is simple and easy-to-manage and won't cause you to break out into a cold sweat at the very mention of the words 'tax return'.

About the author: Tracey Lawton is a certified Master Virtual Assistant with many years of experience, helping busy solopreneurs operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Visit http://www.traceylawton.com/tips.htm to subscribe to her Newsletter full of tips for operating a more productive business and receive Tracey's 'Is Your Current Office Set Up Holding You Back?' special report absolutely free.

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