Punctuality in Business: What it Says About You
July 31, 2009
“Nothing inspires confidence in a business man sooner than punctuality, nor is there any habit which sooner saps his reputation than that of being always behind time.” (W. Mathews)
Being tardy can be a serious marketing blunder for today’s business owner. From being late to meetings with a colleague or client, to not delivering your product or service on time, tardiness speaks volumes about who you are and how you do business. If you want customers to choose to do business with you, you must meet their expectations for performance. If you can’t meet deadlines for delivering products and services, customers will quickly find their way to your competitors.
What does being punctual say about you?
1. You care. Showing up and on time is one of the best ways to show someone that you care about them. By keeping our commitments to others, we are acknowledging them and their needs. Caring about our customers must be our number one priority since it is through our relationships that we build our business. No one knows how much you care until you show them ? by showing up.
Guide to a Profitable Marketing Mix
July 30, 2009
You may have heard the term Marketing Mix used in connection with marketing planning.
Marketing Mix means the combination of promotions, products, places (distribution channels), and prices you chose for your business. Including both short term and long term strategies in the marketing mix can make for a more profitable business.
Long term strategies build brand/company awareness and give sales revenue a permanent, gradual boost. Short term strategies create a temporary, immediate revenue boost by giving buyers an incentive to purchase.
By implementing both long and short term strategies, you can attend to immediate sales goals while building your business reputation and goodwill. Some examples of both types of strategies are below.
Long Term Strategies
Branding. General advertisements and other high profile activities contribute to your company’s image. These points of contact with your target customer help mold your image, which in turn can create loyalty from your customers.
Philanthropy. Donating money, services, and/or time can build trust and a positive image for your business. Philanthropy contributes both toward your branding efforts and your company’s internal well being.
Practical Money-Saving Tips For Small Businesses
July 29, 2009
One of the primary concerns all small businesses have is saving money. When it’s time to trim the fat, most look for one giant expense to decrease or eliminate in order to stay within budget. More often than not, it doesn’t work that way.
Most budgeting experts will tell you that re-evaluating your overall expenses and cutting each by just a bit will actually gain you more ground than doing without something major that you really need. Here are a few ideas of areas to look at and costs to reduce that can have a major impact on your overall profits.
1) Internet Access - Every online business owner must have access to the Web. But consider this. The market is so flooded with ISPs that you have a lot of room to dicker. Start by searching the Internet under keywords like “cheap internet access” or “discount isp” to bring up lists of possibilities. Then, do one of two things.
(a) Try some of these independent ISPs. Smaller companies can have high quality service and support just like the “big boys”. One business owner I know recently switched from Prodigy ($21.95/mth) to a smaller ISP that only charges $12.50/mth with no contracts. She actually liked the new provider better and it costs her about half as much. [Savings of $113.40 per year.]
Which Niche To Conquer
July 28, 2009
Which Niche To Conquer
by: Russell Brunson
I’m sure that you’ve heard about how many start up companies fail when they first begin, and the reason that most (if not all) of their failures is because they don’t create a good fountain to build on.
If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time. But if we start wrong, it’s much harder to go back and get it right. So please pay close attention, get out your pen and pencil, and let’s get to work.
When you first start, you need to decide which niche are you going to conquer.
When I first started my online business, I made the same mistake that 99.9% of people make. I read an ebook about how to make money online, and I decided that I would…
can you guess…?
I wrote my own book about “how to make money.” I compiled all of the regurgitated information I could find, put a twist on it, and started to sell it. After 2 weeks and a little over $30 in sales I started to think:
Your Own Products Can Make You Rich
July 28, 2009
Although there are advantages to selling other people`s products and services, there are also drawbacks. For example, the lack of exclusive rights to your own proprietary product can mean that you are just one of thousands selling the same thing. Excessive competition can cause you to drop your prices and to lose sales, thus affecting your profits and cashflow that are so essential to your business survival.
For this reason, you may decide to develop your own proprietary products and services, either exclusively, or to complement your line of other people`s products.
After creating your own proprietary product, you could spend millions in manufacturing and marketing costs. You could go bankrupt before you even had your first sale.
Here, then, are just a few, low-cost ways to profit from selling your own proprietary products and services.
1. Licensing
Instead of trying to finance the manufacturing and marketing of your invention, why not license it to a company with the expertise and capability required? You will then receive royalties in return for your idea.
To learn more about licensing, visit http://yenommarketinginc.com/licensing.html
2. Exporting
What to Include in Your Marketing Plan Write-Up
July 27, 2009
For those new to marketing planning, the thought of completing a plan from start to finish may feel daunting. It need not. The level of detail you choose to include in your marketing plan will depend on your resources and situation. If you have extremely limited manpower or other resources, you may be constrained to a “broad brush” approach. If your plan must support your Website’s validity to others in the company, a lot of back-up detail may be appropriate.
Basic Marketing Plan Content
Include a summary at the beginning. Like any business report, your plan write-up should begin with a summary. The traditional executive summary is one option. I prefer to include — either in addition to or instead of the executive summary — a one-page table. The table makes everyday use of your plan easier. In one glance you can be reminded of your main challenge, objective, strategies, and tactics as well as budgets and deadlines. Also, as your plan evolves throughout the year, the table makes it easier to strategically modify the plan.
Explain your reasoning. Make some reference to why you chose the specific objective(s) and strategies in your plan. This will make it easier to justify the plan to others (if necessary). It will also help you make smarter, strategic decisions.
Go For Success! Creating Business and Personal Goals that Inspire and Motivate
July 26, 2009
Are you feeling motivated to set some strong goals for this year? Write down those New Year’s resolutions and get going, right? Most people write down lofty resolutions that they think they should want and rarely stick to them, losing motivation and focus within three weeks of their “good intentions.”
This is a brand new year of limitless possibilities. Do you want to:
- Increase your income?
- Write a book?
- Attract a relationship?
- Start a new business?
- Become a professional speaker?
- Have more personal time?
- Take a really great vacation?
I’ve got a gut feeling it’s going to be a GREAT year, a BIG SUCCESS year. So, forget writing down resolutions. They don’t work. In fact, the whole idea doesn’t really inspire action. So, let’s change that.
Start thinking about 3-5 things you want, really want for yourself this year. Not what you should want, or what you think would please others. Dream a little. Think big. What are you passionate about? Entertain several ideas that make you smile, excite you, make you giggle, make you feel really good inside ? no holds barred. Remove all mental barriers to holding these ideas clearly in your mind.
Tackling Your Unemployment Creatively
July 25, 2009
Are you unemployed or been laid off? You are not alone if that is any comfort to you. Worldwide millions of people are in the same predicament as you are. Unemployment and lay offs are stark realities of the downsizing, reengineering, restructuring, and automation in a sluggish global economy where corporations are trying every trick in the book to reduce costs, increase productivity and keep the organization lean, mean and profitable. Every one of us has gone through the phase of being unemployed once or more in our careers.
What does one have to undergo during this period. Endless wait for phone calls, eagerly scanning the emails or letters inviting you for a discussion, even a rejection letter seem to be good as you feel at least your existence is being acknowledged, the pain of unreturned calls from ex colleagues and friends whom once you helped or were close to, sudden disappearance of invitations which used to pour in when you were employed may all sound only too familiar to many of us.
Web Design: What Fonts to Use?
July 24, 2009
Web Design: What Fonts to Use?
by: Mark Nenadic
As web designers, it’s difficult not to get bored by using the same old fonts day in and day out with every new - or not so new - web design. After all, web design is a creative job, but how can we let our creativity flow when we’re being held back by font restrictions. Worry no longer, there is something that you can do about the font that you use.
Though choosing a new font is a bit more complex than it may initially sound, there is a way that you can go about choosing the way that your text will appear. Essentially, there are fonts that come pre-installed in all Windows and Mac operating systems. Of course, these font sets do change over time, but there are a great number of them that have been around for a long time, and will continue to be due to popularity. This is an issue, because you will want your font to be compatible with the operating systems of your users. The same thing goes for the web browsers, such as Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Firefox, used by your viewers.
Todays Definition of Marketing. Has It Changed?
July 23, 2009
With the continued proliferation of the Internet, the meaning of the word “marketing” also seems to proliferate. Cyberspace has opened up a whole arena of new marketing technologies, techniques, and twists. Amidst the online exuberance, it seems each online marketer or salesperson changes the definition of marketing to suit his or her preference.
Many times, ill-conceived notions and perceptions reduce the meaning of the word “marketing” to a shadow of it’s true self. Many see marketing as a series of tactics or gimmicks. Some define marketing as pyramid programs and the like. Others treat the words “marketing” and “sales” or “marketing” and “advertising as synonymous. None of these adequately convey the definition of marketing.
Different Marketing Definitions
Along with all of the new terminology, new techniques, and new twists the Internet has brought us, it has also opened opportunities for misguided notions about the definition of marketing. While the above definitions describe different facets or definitions of related terms, they do not convey the much broader process that is truly marketing. By taking a look at some dictionary and trade definitions of marketing we can get a better feel for what marketing is truly about:
