10 Important Steps to Mail Order Success
December 31, 2008
There are a number of difficulties a beginning entrepreneur may encounter that can “torpedo” his business almost before he knows it. But the wise mail order dealer can sidestep some of the pitfalls of operating his own business by recognizing and avoiding the following common mistakes.
1. Figuring that the one “How-To” book, booklet, or report that you read about starting a mail order business told you everything you need to know. You never really stop learning about this business as long as you’re in it, and you need to continually seek out new information and advice from those more experienced than you.
2. Planning your entire business around only one product or service. It is best to have several different items to promote; give your customers a choice. And always have something to follow-up an order or inquiry with. It costs too much to obtain the names and addresses of potential customers to simply try to sell them one item, one time.
Taking Time Off For Your Business
December 30, 2008
As a business owner, wouldn’t it be great if you could take time off whenever you needed to? Unfortunately, most small business owners worry that the business will fall apart if they’re not there to mind the store. Too often, they simply lack the appropriate resources for their business to keep going in their absence.
“Taking time off is as important as food,” says Charles Tuttle, leader of a group of entrepreneurs in North Carolina. Don’t worry if this statement raises a red flag for you. Although taking time off can be especially challenging and downright impossible sometimes, it’s important to know that you can do something to make it happen. It takes deliberate work on your part and here are a few simple ideas to get you started.
Find a way to make work fun. If your work is stressful, build in laughter to ease the stress and tension. Take frequent breaks to stretch or breathe if you’re sitting all day. Fun makes the passing of the day more enjoyable. Try it and watch your fabulous day unfold!
Why Small Businesses Fail (or Fail to Thrive)
December 30, 2008
Tammy, a skilled and gifted horticulturist, called me to discuss what she needed to know to start her own florist and landscaping business. She had been in the horticulture industry for 10 years and was incredibly skilled at working with flowers and plants ? one of the best. She also had great design skills, as well as good customer service skills. But she had little business management experience and less self-employment experience.
Discovering why small businesses fail was a smart research project for her, as it helped her uncover her own weaknesses and begin to build up some strengths before she invested in becoming self-employed. It’s no secret that a large majority of small businesses fail in the first five years. The question is: Why do they fail and what can I do to prevent problems in my own business?
As we talked, we reviewed some of the common reasons why small businesses fail. Here are 14 top reasons, which might help you to determine why your business isn’t growing and thriving. Some of them are related to learnable business skills; others relate to personal attitudes, habits, or self-sabotaging belief, which are not so easy to change, except through coaching or other self-development work.
The Reality About Home Business
December 29, 2008
The Reality About Home Business
by: Greg Carson
Haste is waste, wise people say. When you make choices rashly, unpleasant consequences often follow. Few things are improved by thoughtless action. Advance planning and proper analysis creates a difference in achievement. In nothing is this more true than in your decision to work at home. There are a lot of things to consider before pursuing it.
Don’t be a mere dreamer. Deciding to launch a home business requires real action. We all like to dream; success is also much easier to talk about than actually putting your plans into action. You have to realize that no business can end up being on top without real effort exerted in its behalf. Getting your time properly managed can also be a big part of your success.
Getting into your business isn’t as simple and easy as you may think. First, you must regard the area or space in which you are going to perform the work. What room will you use? What hours will you work? Some of these queries are easier to answer than others. Determining the kind of work you want to do can be difficult and is likely the most critical issue in your cue. A place that has assisted me when I have been generating my preliminary to-do list for my home business is the home business site http://www.homebusinessite.com.
Time Management Tips for Solo Entrepreneurs
December 28, 2008
Does it seem like everyone and everything is vying for your attention all at once? It can be hard for solo entrepreneurs to know what to do first, let alone try to find the time to get caught up. Here are some time management tips that will help you to stay on top of it all:
1. Put your to-do list in writing and prioritize it. Studies show that people who write their lists down are 90% more likely to complete their list than those who do not.
2. Be realistic about how long it takes to get things done. Block out a reasonable amount of time on your planner, especially if it’s an appointment where there’s driving time to consider.
3. Schedule time with yourself, without interruptions. If that means closing your office door and letting your voicemail take phone messages, then that’s what you need to do. Do this at your most productive time of the day. Are you a morning person? Start your day out with some quiet time by yourself, when you’re the most productive and focused.
A Career in Image Consulting
December 27, 2008
You might have seen them while watching TV shows such as Extreme Makeover, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, or What Not to Wear. Or you might have heard that Martha Stewart needed them to give her advice on how to look sympathetic to a jury.
We’re talking about Image Consultants, and they have one of the hottest new businesses today.
Also known by such titles as wardrobe consultant, fashion stylist, or makeover consultant, image consultants are paid to show people how to create a fabulous impression. They might recommend wearing different colors or new styles, go through closets to toss out clothing that isn’t working, shop for a new wardrobe, and put together incredible outfits. They might advise a change of hairstyle, makeup, or grooming.
However, image is more than physical appearance. In addition to how someone looks, we also form impressions based on how someone talks and behaves. So image consultants may also advise people on their vocal communication (voice, grammar, vocabulary, etc.), non-verbal communication (handshakes, posture, eye contact, etc.) and etiquette ? from dining to cell phones.
Most image consultants also develop a network of strategic partners they can refer clients to, such as hair stylists, makeup artists, nutritionists, dentists, personal trainers, plastic surgeons, and voice coaches.
Benefits of Developing & Maintaining a Database
December 26, 2008
A database is more than a simple list of names and addresses. What turns a list into a database is the additional information, coupled with your ability to select names from or report on the list using any combination of data elements.
In this report, you’ll see some examples of the benefits of developing and maintaining a database. Then, the specific information that a database can contain will be detailed. BENEFITS OF A DATABASE
By maintaining your list as a database, you can segment in many ways for targeting. Targeting improves the productivity of your offers. You can use a database to isolate the segment of your list most likely to respond to a particular offer. With a good database, you’re not “mass-mailing” your offer to parts of your list that may have no interest in it (based on their characteristics). Because the number you’re mailing is smaller, your response rate (number responding/number mailed) - one measure of productivity - should be higher. (And, of course, you’ll save on printing and postage costs.)
Here are two simple examples of targeting using database information:
Executive Humor at Meetings
December 25, 2008
I don’t encourage managers to wear funny hats, appear in self-deprecating skits, or otherwise emulate Saturday Night Live in an attempt to manufacture an image as, “Look, folks! I’m just one a’ the guys!” If clients insist, I do what I can to help. I want the money. But it’s not usually such a hot idea.
I know it’s done. Frequently. And I read reports of the exhilarating effects created by executives who deliver call-to-action keynotes dressed as a gunfighter or sumo wrestler. I notice, also, that these reports are usually written by those who work for the speaker, or by meeting producers retained by the speaker’s company.
A field sales force may see their management only once or twice a year; usually at the annual sales meeting. They need to know that those running the store have a clear vision of where the company’s going, and what it will take to get it there. And giving them Bozo the clown doesn’t do a hell of a lot to convince a sales force their future is in good hands.
Forex Avenue: The Road to Riches
December 25, 2008
Forex Avenue: The Road to Riches
by: Scott Bianchi
In my continuing quest to provide visitors of my site with a large amount of options to chose from when considering working from home I have done some research on Forex trading. I first learned of Forex trading while pursuing my MBA program. For those of you who have never heard of this, Forex trading is the exchange of foreign currency.
I know I would have never even know this was an option for making money had I not found out in class. Most of the really big corporations have departments of people that do this for a living because it can be very lucrative if done correctly. The best news I have learned about this process of exchanging currencies is that many of the websites that you can sign up with to do this offer free trial accounts to help you learn before you invest your money into trying it. You won’t make any money in the trial accounts if you do well, it is just pretend money essentially but with the real market conditions. If you do well in the trial account you will know if this is something you want to try on your own.
Creating And Maintaining A Mailing List
December 24, 2008
Starting to collect proper information to create a mailing list is not difficult, once you know how to proceed. In this report, uses for mailing lists are briefly described. The first steps in identifying the names that might be included on your mailing list are also outlined. Finally, the important concept of a database is introduced.
WAYS TO USE A MAILING LIST
Mailing lists are a versatile tool that your business or organization can use to help achieve many administrative and marketing objectives.
1. In Daily Administration: For-profit and nonprofit organizations alike use mailing lists constantly in their day-to-day operation. Well-maintained mailing lists are required to efficiently carry out important activities such as:
* updating employee phone lists. * sending company newsletters and special notices to employees. * compiling membership directories. * sending out newsletters to organization members. * determining school bus routes. * tracking and evaluating suppliers. * monitoring contract commitments and schedules. * alerting customers about warranty dates.
