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How Your Business Can Best Use Direct Mail Advertising and Marketing in Miami FL

Business Local Listings asked:

The United States Postal Service sent out a document on “Ways Your Business Can Use Direct Mail.” It contains valuable tips that should be taken seriously by businesses throughout the United States, including businesses based locally in Miami FL. Postal services are very valuable indeed for bulk mail advertising and marketing and other business mailing services such as catalog mailing.

According to the USPS document, more than $31 billion dollars are spent every year in the United States for direct mail marketing. That in itself is proof of how effective direct mail advertising and marketing is as a way of reaching customers. If it has not been proven effective, cost-conscious businesses would not use it. After all, the bottom line of every business is profitablility.

Unlike mass media campaigns which are more expensive and reach out to a very wide audience, direct mail advertising and marketing can be very economical and can target specific individuals meeting certain criteria based on the company’s campaign objectives. This way, the direct mail advertising and marketing campaign becomes more cost-effective. Since these individuals have been chosen based on their need for the product or service being sold, the possibility of a sale per cost of marketing is higher.

Direct mail advertising and marketing can be scaled according to a company’s budget. Even if a firm can afford a large scale direct mail advertising and marketing campaign, a small scale version could first be launched to test, track and measure responses and, based on that, to predict the revenue from the more massive campaign. This further ensures profitability. A company can very efficiently measure its return on investment on each campaign.

If a business still does not have a clear idea of the demographics that it should target, it could, perhaps, base its initial mailing on more general criteria such as location. The direct mail advertising and marketing campaign itself could then generate qualified sales leads if it includes a reply function that encourages immediate response.

Through direct mail advertising and marketing, a company can introduce its products or services to prospective customers, establishing better brand recognition and recall. The printed material can give more extensive information that the prospective customer can use as basis for making a purchase decision. The direct mail advertising and marketing campaign can also give the customer several options to purchase the products or services conveniently. An order form could be included in the mailing. The customer can mail back the form immediately. Alternatively, the mail could also include instructions on buying the product or service online or through a phone call. This could lead to an instant sale.

Direct mail advertising and marketing is used not only for prospective customers but also for existing customers, as well. Companies can introduce new products or other existing product lines to current customers. The direct mail advertising and marketing campaign can also be used to provide a venue for feedback and dialogue so as to maintain and further strengthen customer relations. Loyal customers can be rewarded by being informed of new products or sale items ahead of others and, perhaps, by including some discount coupons in the direct mail.

Of course, a direct mail advertising and marketing campaign can be used to complement and even enhance all other advertising and marketing efforts of a company.

Even the smallest business can make the most of bulk direct mail advertising. If you need assistance in fulfillment services such as pre-folding, addressing and presort services, you might want to consider using the services of a mail house. There are mail houses offering full business mailing services in Miami FL.

What Do I Need To Do To Start Marketing My Business On The Internet?

Wharton Business Foundation asked:

Many people are daunted by effective custom web design, site optimization, internet marketing, seo, etc. How can you blame them? There are so many so called “experts” out there spouting off the latest internet tripe. With just a little research, you soon discover that these experts are usually hawking some business opportunity or selling software. So, we’re going to divest the entire process of it’s mysticism and make it as plain as possible.

Here’s what you’ll need to market your business effectively on the internet. The first thing you’ll need is a great website. This is not the area where you want to play it cheap. Do not design your own website! Unless you’re a graphic designer, you’re probably not as artistic as you think that you are. Hire a good web design company. Think about it. The first contact that many prospective customers may have with your business are you marketing materials such as your web site. A well designed web site should educate, instill confidence and trust in potential customers and above all is A SALES OR CLOSING TOOL. This can not be emphasized enough. It should not merely be a pretty online brochure. It’s purpose to either directly or indirectly close business for you. Period.

Make sure you check around on the internet and observe your competitors websites before deciding on the design of your site. A good design company will help you with this. Study the design elements and features of the most successful companies in your industry. Do searches to determine which of their sites get top rankings in the search engines. Also, look for opportunities to innovate to make your website even better than theirs. Make it clear what you want from your website to your web design company.

After your site is constructed, the next thing that you need is for your site to be optimized. Site optimization consists of selecting the right keywords and then imbedding those meta keywords and phrases in the pages and links of your site, installing site maps, doing link exchanges, installing robots and analytics, tying in blogs and article directories, posting articles, and more. This makes your website search engine friendly and helps to get you higher rankings in the search results. Make sure your design company is experienced at this. Some designers are just so eager to get the business that they’ll claim to know more than what they actually do. Do not bypass the site optimization step and just try to submit your site to the search engines. All that will happen is that no one will ever be able to find it.

The last component is actually internet marketing or promoting your site. One popular way is submitting your optimized website to the search engines. There are literally thousands to choose from. However, the majority of searches are done through: Google, Yahoo, AOL and MSN. A study conducted by Berrier Associates shows that of people who spend five or more hours a week online, they average an astounding 71% of their time searching for information. Other research shows that the most common method of finding a website is through search engines. Google powers over 70% of all searches and is the trendsetter for algorithm creation. Therefore, search engine marketing is of paramount importance.

Some search engines are free and others you pay for. A good SEO company can advise on which search engines work best for you.

By applying just these simple strategies, you will be well on your way to getting good results from your internet marketing.

Small Business CRM Software

Jose Vanegas asked:

An introduction to small business CRM software.

Technology has afforded many changes in today’s market that help the small businesses to be more successful than ever before. One of these technological advances is small business CRM software. Many small businesses are struggling and do not have the money to hire new employees to help keep track of customer information and leads and small business CRM software can help keep track of this information, which allows a small business to run on less personnel. Every small business wants to be successful and success includes having great customer service and small business CRM software can help with customer service and customer relationships. Small business CRM software can also help with the organization of leads and customer information, which will in the end lead to more profit for the small business. Every small business should consider implementing small business CRM software into their business.

There are many benefits to small business CRM software.

You may wonder how small business CRM software can help your small business be successful and the answers to this question are many. Small business CRM software can help you keep track of your customer information. While some email programs do offer some type of customer relationship management small business CRM software has so much more to offer. You can keep track of all of your customer information in one place with small business CRM software. You can also make sure that you can quickly and easily access all of this information with small business CRM software. Easy access to your customer information may reduce the amount of employees you need and this will save your small business money.

You will be able to organize your leads with small business CRM software, which will lead to more profit.

You will also be able to organize your leads with small business CRM software. While some believe that the quantity of leads is important in reality it is the quality of those leads that is most important. Small business CRM software can help you with the production of leads that are quality. Quality leads are the ones that lead to successful sales and you can have more of these successes with small business CRM software. With your small business CRM software to help you keep track of your leads, you will be able to make sure that you get to all of the leads and that no lead is missed or forgotten. Leads lead to sales so having small business CRM software that increases the quantity and quality of your small business’ leads is important to the growth and success of your company.

Small business CRM software can help make your work processes more effective.

Often you may find that what you are doing in your small business is not working and you may want to change some of your work processes to be more effective. Small business CRM software can you to change work processes in a way that will optimize the efforts you put into them. Following up on current customers will become easier with small business CRM software. You will be able to build better customer relationships by using small business CRM software as well. Small business CRM software can revolutionize the way your small business works and help you change things for the better. You will be able to use the small business CRM software to help you cut costs in a variety of ways as well.

It is important to know what too look for when purchasing small business CRM software.

If you are considering buying small business CRM software for your small business you need to be aware of what you should look for when buying small business CRM software. It is important that you look for small business CRM software that can be made to fit your company’s needs so you will not spend money on features that your business has no need for. You also want to find small business CRM software that will be easy for your and any others in your business to use. No one wants to spend hours trying to figure out new small business CRM software so it is imperative that you find small business CRM software that will be easy to understand. You also want to find small business CRM software that will be easy to implement into the system you may already have. Small business CRM software should be cost effective as well. Small businesses often have a limited budget so finding small business CRM software that is budget friendly is very important. You also may want to find small business CRM software that offers technical support in case you have questions or problems with the software. Often if your small business CRM software package does not come with technical support you may not get any support or you may be charged extra for support.

Prophet is the best small business CRM software available and can revolutionize your business.

The best small business CRM software is sold by the company Avidian and is called Prophet. Prophet is small business CRM software that far surpasses any other small business CRM software on the market today. This small business CRM software is the winner of a variety of awards and has much to offer any company, whether large or small. Prophet small business CRM software can be tailored to your needs and is easy to use. It also comes with tech support, which is very important. You can rest assured that you are buying the best small business CRM software when you buy Prophet. Avidian stands behind its’ small business CRM software and you can get your money back, no questions asked, within 30 days if you are not happy with the software. You have nothing to lose by trying Prophet small business CRM software.

Consider small business CRM software to help make your company more successful.

If your small business is looking for that edge to keep you a step ahead of the other small businesses then you should consider purchasing small business CRM software. Small business CRM software can help you on your journey to success and enable you to enjoy more profit from your small business. Go to Avidian.com today to see what options may be available in their small business CRM software. Small business CRM software could be the change in your small business that ends mediocrity and leads your company above and beyond other small businesses to success.

About Avidian Technologies:

Avidian Technologies is a software company specializing in creating software solutions for users of Outlook and Exchange. Prophet, developed by Avidian Technologies on the .NET platform, is the leading contact management and sales CRM software built in Outlook. The company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.avidian.com or call 1-800-860-5534.

A Simple Marketing Mistake That Costs Business Owners $1,000s Of Dollars Every Year. Correct It And Explode Your Sales

Wharton Business Foundation asked:

Many business owners simply set up shop and instantly start running ads. They never invest any time in designing their marketing or sales strategy. The result is that they lose thousands of dollars and usually don’t get the sales results that they’re after. We’re going to share with you a simple marketing strategy that’s time tested and business proven. It will empower you to get the maximum leverage from your marketing efforts.

Think of the overall market in your city. Your ‘potential market’ is comprised of all the potential buyers of your product or service in your city. To simplify the process, we overlay a ‘Spectrum’, called ‘The Buyer’s Spectrum’, over top of the potential market. Realize that on one end of the spectrum, 3-5% of the market have a preferred vendor (a family member, a business that they’ve been with for years, etc.) and will never buy from you.

On the other end of the spectrum, 3-5% of the market are NOW buyers and respond quickly to virtually any type of marketing. This leaves roughly 90% of the market that doesn’t want to buy what you’re selling right now yet WILL BUY at some future date.

Amazingly enough, the majority of companies focus their marketing efforts exclusively on the 3-5% of the market that are NOW buyers. They leave the remaining 90% of potential customers on the table. Their philosophy is that if a prospect doesn’t buy from them right now, then they discard them and focus on the ones that do want to buy from them. If you share this philosophy, you’re making A BIG MISTAKE!

‘Why’ do you ask? Well, think about a grove of orange trees. If you wanted to pick the ripe oranges, do you think that all of the oranges ripen at the same time? Of course not. The oranges ripen all at different times (we call this ‘The Customer Buying Cycle’). So what do you do, simply pick the few oranges that are ripe and then burn the rest of the field? Once again the answer is no. Yet this is what many companies do.

If you want to get more of the ripe oranges, then what you must do is water, fertilize and nurture the orange tree grove consistently. Bit by bit, the other oranges WILL RIPEN. And when they do, you’re there pick them. Now you may not get them all yet you’ll certainly get the lion’s share.

In the same way, you ‘water, fertilize and nurture’ the 90% of your potential market that doesn’t buy right away. And like the grove of orange trees, bit by bit, they too will ‘ripen’ or buy what you’re offering. If your marketing strategy addresses this, then you will get the lion’s share of the customers.

For you to get most out of your marketing and sales, your marketing strategy must address the phenomenon of both ‘The Buyer’s Spectrum’ and “The Customer Buying Cycle’ to be effective. Make sure to read our article “How To Increase Your Sales By 300% Or More By Effectively Leveraging Follow Up Systems”.

How to Get Small Business Loans When Disapproved by the SBA Program

Business Local Listings asked:

Many small business owners have been disappointed when their applications for small business loans were disapproved by banks under the Small Business Administration’s program for America’s Recovery Capital. According to an article written by Robb Mandelbaum in the August 12, 2009 edition of The New York Times Online, “the program is off to a slow start.” It seems that most banks are reluctant to approve applications for small business loans.

Mandelbaum reports that the Small Business Administration’s program has $255 million to give away, enough to give small businesses 10,000 loans reaching as much as $35,000 each. However, two months after the program was launched, there have only been 1,127 small business loans released, with a total of $36.8 million.

Sources are saying that banks are not very keen on participating in the Small Business Administration’s program because giving the small business loans would not be very profitable for them. Paul Merski,.chief economist of the trade association Independent Community Bankers of America, said, “There’s not a lot of profit motive in a $35,000 loan stretched over six years.” Bob Seiwert from the Center for Commercial Lending and Business Banking at the American Bankers Association reveals that, because of strict underwriting standards, servicing the small business loans becomes even more expensive.

The banks have also found more ways to restrict the approval of small business loans with the Congressional restrictions on loan eligibility. According to Congress, in order to qualify for the Small Business Administration loans, small businesses need to be both struggling and viable. That means the business should have had an “immediate financial hardship” such as a 20 percent decrease in revenue. However, the business must also be at least two years old with proof of positive cash flow in one of the previous two years. It should also submit a two year cash-flow projection proving that it will be able to afford loan payments.

Because of the Congressional restrictions, banks are more likely to approve small business loans from their existing clients. Merski said, “From a financial perspective, it really is a loan that makes sense for an existing customer. You’re not going to have to put out a lot of resources to do a very costly underwriting. You know the business.”

Those who are working in support of small businesses are very much disillusioned. An example is Alex Cooper who is a counselor at the Pima Community College Small Business Development Center in Tucson. He said he had assisted almost 30 small business owners with their loan applications but none of them had been approved. “It’s a disappointment. I thought the banks would be more interested in the community and try to help small businesses,” he said.

When the applications for small business loans are disapproved by banks under the Small Business Administration’s program for America’s Recovery Capital, small business owners still have another option. They can get the equivalent of small business loans from their credit card services.

Credit card services provide their clients with the ability to accept payments through credit cards or debit cards in person, online or through the phone. Clients who have established a certain minimum in average monthly credit card sales are qualified to apply for cash advances that are like small business loans. Payments are automatically deducted from future credit card sales.

If you are a small business owner, you do not have to go through the hassles of applying for small business loans with banks who are reluctant to participate in the Small Business Administration program. Get your trouble free small business loans from your credit card services instead.

Why You Need A Christian Home-Based Business

Tim Wright asked:

Trying to find the right Christian business opportunity on the internet has its challenges. There are many business opportunities out there that promise you unlimited income potential, but in the end they only take your money. Many Christians are now looking for new Christian business opportunities to start in order to help fuel their ministries and families to do the work of the Lord more abundantly. Serving the Lord is what a Christian does and what could be better than a way to do just that in your own business; your own home-based Christian business.

A Christian home business is similar to any online home business in functionality; however, you are able to serve God in ways difficult to do in the workplace. A Christian focused home-based business is a rewarding experience that impacts the internet market in a substantial way. With this type of home business you are able to earn money from the comfort and ease of your own home, but are also able to serve the Lord while doing it.

Once you have reached the decision to start a home based Christian business, you will need to take a look at your skills and knowledge base to determine what kind of business you will have. Many home businesses work directly with the computer and internet services and this is certainly an option for the Christian home based business as well. There are several Christian home based business opportunities in multilevel marketing (MLM) business models. With this form of Christian home based business, you get great leverage by earning from individuals you bring into this business as you help them to succeed.

With proper discernment and prayer you will find the right home-based Christian business that pleases you and the Lord. Christians at times struggle with the idea of success and business. There is a tendency to misinterpret the scripture that states that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Money, in and of itself, is merely a tool that God can and does use to bless His people. Loving money more than you love God or other people, not money itself, is where the danger lies.

The main thing that you must look at as you grow your Christian home business is keeping focused on giving glory to the Lord. Your Christian Home Business belongs to God. Success in business, just as success in any part of your life, should be rooted in a foundation that glorifies God for that success. Take note of your heart as you continue to build your business and determine your goals. Your Christian business will grow based upon your stewardship of your resources and talents.

The way business is done today has been completely changed by the recent surge in technology. The incredible growth and reach of the internet makes success in a home-based business more accessible than ever. The internet is an immense opportunity that you can use to grow and expand your Christian business far and beyond your local community, even to the far ends of the world. There are fellow Christians–living at some faraway lands– who will be happy and willing to do business with you. Similar to other online home based businesses, however, this kind of home based business also requires patience as well following a systematic process.

To make your business successful over the internet, you still have to put some time and effort into your business. Work it like a business, not just a hobby. It doesn’t matter if you just want to work part time to earn one hundred a month or if your plan is to own a full time business and earn thousands. If you have sought God’s approval and He tells you to go ahead with a particular Christian home based business, then the next thing is to get started.

So, how can you run the Christian home based business in a godly way? If you want your Christian home based business to be successful, then open the door of the business and ask the Lord to come into it. Tell Him you want Him to work with you as a partner (or as the CEO) and listen for His guidance daily. He wants to bless you and wants your Christian home based business to prosper. So, don’t forget to first of all consult Him as you make your daily business decisions. Whatever Christian home based business God has led you to run, don’t forget to do it for God’s glory. Work with integrity in everything you do. Remember that God is your business partner and you wouldn’t want to disgrace His name.

A Christian home-based business is an ideal career option for you to make quick money, from the comfort of your home, while honoring the Lord and serving other people. You can often get your business started for less than the cost of a decent vacuum cleaner. Running a successful business is the only way to create financial freedom. The home based business industry is creating more millionaires today than any other profession out there.

So what do you look for? A Christian home based business should strive to sell products or services of the highest value for the money charged. A Christian home based business should also deal only with product or service vendors of the highest integrity. And finally, a Christian home based business should provide superior customer support. Follow these simple rules and your Christian home based business is sure to provide you with great financial wealth as well as personal wealth.

Role of Business Brokers in Selling your Business

Bill Henthorn asked:

There is a role for a business broker in selling your business. Basically they will make it happen quicker and often at a better price than you could have received on your own.

Reasons for a business broker

There are many reasons to use a business broker when selling your business. The most basic reason is they are in the business of selling businesses. They will market your business and help to get prospective buyers to look at your deal. They will help in setting an asking price based on their knowledge and experience. If they have gone through the certification program their price would be considered expert testimony and therefore is given a great deal of creditability. Keeping the owner from underselling their business or over pricing their company is part of their legitimate function to their client. Since they know how to find buyers who are qualified and ready to deal on a business of their liking, they can help to cut down the time a business has to be on the market. Consistently a business broker will move a business quicker and usually at a very fair price.

What does a business broker do

They can help the seller get the information needed by the buyer to make a decision on buying the business. This role is critical as nothing happens until a price is established and the business facts are known. Presenting the facts in a professional form is another common service that a business broker will give a client. This service can be the difference between a seller making a deal and the deal going south. Professional presentation of pertinent facts about a business is necessary in order to attract potential buyers. It is this factual information that helps buyers make intelligent decisions about such a purchase. Since the business broker does this type of work year round, the information is shown in its most positive form. Practice does make perfect in this case.

The business broker is also the go-between for passage of information between the buyer and the seller. This enables better communication and cooperation between the buyer and the seller. The role of a disinterested third party is effective in letting the business broker move the dealing along on the sale of the business. The business broker must treat both sides fairly as his next clients are given existing clients as references for his work. It is imperative that the fairness issue is communicated to the next client. Since all aspects of the sale pass through the broker, this neutrality is important and also the advice given to both sides of the deal.

Marketing the business

Without a broker, the seller would have to market the property and would not have access to a pool of potential buyers. The buyer would not have access to the pool of sellers the broker has available. This need by both parties is the reason that most businesses are sold with the help of a business broker. Their expertise in helping to set the selling price cannot be overstated. A busy broker over time helps to sell many types of businesses and this real time experience is invaluable to the process coming to completion. A competent broker will also know the legal requirements for many types of businesses that the brokers in a geographical area. This prevents problems that can be prevented from taking place and decisions being made without all of the facts.

If he is not a certified broker as to setting a selling price, he will have referrals to brokers or CPAs that do have this credential. The advantage to the seller is the business will be set at a selling price that can be logically defended when questioned about how the price was set. It is not just a price that the seller picked from thin air of a wish list price.

Broker assisted negotiation

Since the broker will usually know what the buyer is willing to pay and what the seller is willing to accept, the broker can lead both sides to a price that is somewhere in the area that both are willing to live with. Without this outside force, either party may never approach this price.

A broker has another ability to deliver that makes their service worth the cost. Maybe the business is a one of a kind business and not one that comes to market every day. Businesses like this are hard to evaluate as to their market value and even more importantly there may be a need to come up with a unique marketing plan to sell the business. A good brokerage firm can do both and solve the problem with a greater chance of success than the owners of the business could do by themselves. They have access to a network of brokers who handle all types of businesses that are for sale. The business may be unique in the geographic area it is located in, but there could well be one in another part of the country that was successfully marketed by a broker in that area. Use of the network is exclusive to the broker community and private individuals will not have access to the information that can be obtained from the network. Information is power, and this kind of help may be the only way the business could be successfully marketed. How other brokers sold a similar business can lead the broker in question to come up with a plan that has a good chance to work. This service to the seller is priceless and could make the difference between no-sale and sold. The seller could have wasted a great deal of time and money on an approach that would not work. Ferreting out potential buyers is the name of the game. The wrong approach could easily come up empty. All of this is sufficient reason to employ and expert when selling a business.

Conclusions

The fact that they will actively market your business is plus. The current owner does not have the time or knowledge to find buyers and set a fair price. They will usually set their price too high or too low. If they have a hard time coming up with any buyers, this can bring on frustration and an unneeded reduction of the selling price. It the wrong buyers are seeing the ad for your business, then only a bargain will attract their attention. A buyer who understood your business would readily see the value in a fairly priced offer. This is tricky and the result can be dramatically influenced by hiring a pro to help with the sale.

Another reason for the use of a pro is they can talk the language of professional people the buyers bring into the sale negotiation. If the terms that they communicate in are not understood, the buyer’s advisors will not be impressed and may kill the sale. Hiring the professional business broker can prevent lack of intelligent conversation. He will know the terms and their meanings and be able to give the needed answers to move the sale along. This knowledge and expertise is the reason that such a person should be hired to help you make the sale of your business. Their ability to use previous sales and how they were completed is a facet of their knowledge base. There is no way the current owner could bring that to the negotiating table.

Find certified business brokers in your area

Prepare Your Small Business to Survive Bad Economic Conditions

Simon Mangundu asked:

Economies all over the world are experiencing a decline, businesses are laying off many people in order to cut costs and stay profitable. Those who retain their jobs are faced with rocketing food and gas prices.

When you are an owner of a small business, the challenges are even greater, under the circumstances, you are more likely to experience a decline in traffic to your store, raising costs of supplies, employees demanding (understandably) higher wages, higher fees in marketing your business using mainstream media, higher costs in renting business space and insurance costs. If you are an accountant you might have probably figured that under this circumstances, unless you are selling magic items, you would see higher expenses than income. Business is not about how much money you make, but it is more about how much of the money you make actually stays in the business. A business that makes a million a year and spends a million is the same as the business that does not do business at all, except in the earlier case, the owner is actually at a loss because they are putting in more effort than they are making.

So how do you survive that? That was exactly the same question I asked myself a few months ago. Here I have compiled some notes that some in the same situation as I was might find helpful.

1 Constant Evaluation and process streamlining.

Constant evaluation is the blood and soul of every business. As the saying goes “What got you to where you are may not be able to get you where you want to be”. To be honest, I have never met any business person, whether it is in the formal or informal sector who wanted their business to stay the same for a long period of time, no matter how well they were doing. Being on top of your class does not stop your competitors from doing what it takes to beat you. We see a lot of big businesses laying people off, going through mergers and acquisition. This is process streamlining on a large scale. They evaluate their positions, get rid of inefficient processes, redundant positions and so on. Don’t feel guilty if you have to do it for your small business… If you find yourself with more employees than you need or using a process that is costing you more than it brings in, cut it off and replace it with something that works better.

I will tell you a secret. A few years ago, I read an article about how one could make a lot of money on FOREX, if you do not know what it is, basically the business is about speculating on whether a certain currency’s value would get stronger or weaker and then you would either buy or sell a specific currency in exchange for another currency.

I thought that was a pretty easy thing to do and got a lot of books telling me that it is a lucrative business. I am not disputing that, but there are also a lot of people that loose money this way. I also got a few articles somewhere that warned me about what happens on FOREX, but at the same time I was getting drawn to it, not by the money but by the fact that I could learn a lot about financial discipline.

After two months, I had almost lost all that I had in my account, but I had also learned a lot of things. One of the important lessons is to cut your losses short and let your profits run. Get me right, this is not the same as giving up too soon. This is giving up soon after knowing that the business is heading no where. This may sound like a greedy game, but it works. To me money not spend is money saved, it is as simple as that.

Why am I telling you this? I am telling you this because A few years later I would start a small business that did not really fit my lifestyle but it had the potential to take off. I would spend most of my starting capital on advertising and rent and then on wages for my staff. Being what it was, the business was not generating enough revenue to cover its expenditure, because the marketing media and approaches we used were not working and were difficult to evaluate whether they were effective or not and given the my lifestyle, I was learning that there is no way I would be able to take the business to the next level using the resources I had. I had a choice to either wait and let it wipe me out of my hard-earned cash or cut my loses short and explore other alternatives.

By talking to other small business owners, I would find out that many were facing the same problem that I was. I then put some time aside and develop a web-based platform to sell my stuff. This was the birth of SME Promotions Portal, the idea was not only simple, but it also helped me cut my business expenses by more than 50%, I got rid of the rented space and let go of my staff who were bringing in much less than I was paying them. I get most consulting assignments through the site and have automated a lot of the processes behind my business dealings to save me time so that I can concentrate on what I do best.

This site is not only for me, other people have started using the site to sell their products for a small fee. Giving them an opportunity to only pay after their products are sold. How does that help? If you are in a situation that I was in, having to pay upfront for everything ***** up all your working capital and spoils your prospects and leaving your business with no cash to work with. This leaves the business with a little bit of money to spend on basic needs.

Sorry if this sounded like bragging, it was not intended to and I urge you to keep reading, you might just be able to find something that works for you here.

2 Break away from conventional marketing practices.

If you started a business the way I did then you would know about what I am about to say. Many people out there think having a business is about having merchandise in store and putting ads everywhere to let people know where to find you; or even worse hoping that people will easily come by your store looking for what you got.

Others spend most of their starting capital on radio and TV commercials like I did, when they know they have no way of measuring where the traffic is coming from, so that they can cut out stuff that is not working. The sad thing is that many advertisers out there do not care whether you get your returns out of your advertising dollar and honestly, they shouldn’t, because they are in business to make money. Otherwise how would you feel if somebody told you that every time you sold a frying pan to a family, you would have to follow them around to make sure they are using it. It is not your business, your business is selling frying pans and you should stick to that.

To make sure your business can survive, you have start talking to people you know and trust or people that trust you, about what you are offering. Do not try to push it on to them, just tell them know about it. Chances are, that next time they hear somebody looking for what you have, they would refer them to you. The idea is that the few that you know are going to tell a few others that they know and the game continues… viral marketing… if you get where I am heading. The best tool for viral marketing is word-of-mouth, you either learn to use it or loose business.

Save your marketing dollar, by cutting out all the stuff that does not work, the world is bombarded with marketing messages every second and many people are beginning to ignore marketers who interrupt them with a sales proposition. Watch your competitors see what they are doing wrong and learn from it.

My nephew Sylvester had just learned a hard lesson from interruptive marketing, we were distributing flyers about our business and most of the time he would get a mean look and be told that people did not have time for what he was trying to sell them. After going through the pile of flyers, we would sit and talk about how people are responding, why they are responding that way? and what we needed to do to overcome that?. Just make sure you do this all the time, otherwise you are going to waste a lot of your resources and not understand what is going on when they do not show up at your store.

If your business is too small, try online merchandising. You look for a cheaper way to sell your products on the internet. This will cut your expenses in terms of rent, expensive advertising and even the commuting time as this will enable to work from home. Besides, you will be able to market to a wider audience and do not have to be awake to take orders. This is not an easy cookie though, you will have to spend some time researching internet marketing and optimizing your website for best results.

3 Help your customers find the help you do not offer.

Customers are very interesting people, one thing is that many of them do not want to be sold something. They want to buy something and hopefully from you. They tend to ask people they trust of their opinion on other businesses or even products.

No matter how much you **** your competitor or how desperate you need their dollar, if you do not have what they are looking for, politely tell them that you can not provide it and they should check with your competitor or some of your non competing partners for that matter. Never delay their purchase out of greed until you have the product to sell to them, leave that to them to decide.

Never bad-mouth a customer, even when you catch them buying the product you have from your competitor when you believe they should be buying from you. I have had someone from my household buy something I was selling from a competitor. I watched them do it and they later thought they should have bought from me. Whether out of guilt or something else, they told five of their friends that I had the product and all five bought from me. Had I reacted differently, the best case would have been that they would return the product to the store and buy from me and never bring anyone. The worst case would be not returning it, not referring anybody to me and decide not to ever talk to me. The funny thing about customers is that the more you help them, the more they get to trust you and they might even bring their friends to your business knowing that they will get help regardless of whether you have what they are looking for or not. Why is this important? People get to you first before they get to somebody else, thus you have a chance to sell them something first before your competitor.

4 Ask non-competing business owners for help and return the favor.

If you are to survive in business, you have to acquire some friends hopefully people that are already in business but are not your direct competitors. You should do this for a few reasons, one is that since you are not competitors, you are more likely to need what they offer and so are they. These people might end up being your biggest customers or they may even refer their customers to your business.

Two, Since they are already in business, it is very likely that you think the same way. This gives you an opportunity to pick their brains on something that you need help with. Remember for the most part, we are defined by who we associate with. If you hang around thieves, you will be considered a thieve; and if you hang around very successful people, you will be considered successful, as long as you work hard enough to think and behave like them, for them not to run away from you.

Three, people around you are watching even when you think they are not. What you say to one about other people may come to haunt you. If you have hanged around somebody that gossips a lot, would it not bother you as to what they say behind your back? Or rather as to what would stop them from saying about you what they say to you about others? The same thing happens in business, when things are not going well, you reach out to others for help. This almost always works as long as you remain accommodating about others reaching out to you. Keep what they tell you in confidence, confidential. This will earn you a good reputation, trust and in many cases new business or referrals.

<h4>5 Be Careful of hyped advertisers trying to take your last pennies.

How often do you see something like this? “Get ranked high on major search engines in 24 hours for a small fee” or rather an interesting one “Make up to $400 a day working at home using our proven system” and at the end of the page, they ask you to pay $300 to get you started.

These are all people wanting to get your money for their own benefit. First of all the web is full of people competing for the top ranking. Even if it was true that they would get you top ranking on Google or Yahoo, how long do you think you will stay there. Besides, these ads go to millions of people who maybe in the same business category that you are in, and just out of curiosity, how many millions would fit into Google or Yahoo’s top 10 ranking?

I am not completely dismissing the fact that some of them may be good, but if you are going to give somebody your money to use an automated system to put you on these search engines, then you got to think twice, because some search engines may be smart enough to know these tricks. Besides, if Google and/or Yahoo gets their money from online advertising, would you not think that they would watch out for sneaky marketing approaches like this, using their space to make money from you?

Secondly, Have you ever looked for a job and your employer tells you to pay them first before they gave you the job? If they did then, I would question the legality of their business.

What I am saying here is that you do not have to jump at every marketing message you hear, which is very common when you are desperate to see your business idea take off; or even to simply put something on the table. So trade wise, learn a lot by reading a lot and let your business grow. If you are going to succeed with online marketing your keyword research has to be done by you, since you and only you knows what you would like to get out of it and how much you want to pay for it.

6 Combine forces and let your marketing dollar take you a little farther.

My seventh grade teacher once demonstrated to me how powerful you can be by combining forces with other people for greater results. This may have nothing to do with business, but just hear me out.

This guy had noticed that kids in his class were not getting along, so he decides he is going to make the class sing, but everyone singing a different song, then asked three students to stand outside the class, so that after the song, they would come back and report on what they got from the song. After the first song, the three students came back into the class an reported different things about the same song, all of which were not accurate.

Then he decided to get the class to sing one song, with everyone singing to the same song at the same time. While the students were singing, he asked the three students to go a little farther from the classroom. After the second song, he invited the three students back into the class and asked them to report on the song they had just listened to. All three reported accurately.

So, what is the deal here? There are many people out there who think, they can do it on their own, ignoring the fact that their potential customers are getting bombarded with marketing messages from all over the place. The sad thing is that they end up spending a lot of money trying to get the word out, but because they are not in tune with others their messages do not get to the intended recipient. They finally grow tired and quit, even when there is a huge potential for success.

The best survival skill is to learn to play along with others while at the same time acknowledging that there are things that affects us differently from the way they affect others, even those closest to us. Anybody who had done stock trading would tell you “Never fight against the trend, if you plan on winning”. Take some time, listen to what people are saying about certain products, research a little to see if there is real demand for the product or service, determine whether people who are talking about it are real buyers and not just people who would want something of great value for almost nothing.

Why am I saying this? A lot of times, people would tell you about what they want, you get it to them, you realize they want it for much less or even worse, you realize that they are actually among the 80% who wants people to talk to them, but have no interest in buying anything. Watch out for those, if you come across one, politely excuse yourself and move on. Otherwise you will spend 80% of your time and resources selling to non-buyers. Be careful though to distinguish non-buyers from potential buyers who are skeptical about your product.

7 Deliver what is promised on time.

A few months ago, a friend of mine came to me and said “I hear you do computer stuff, My computer is not starting and I would like you to take a look”. I asked him a few questioned and had determined that his problem is likely to be a hardware issue. I told him I would take a look, but at the same time I also told him that I was a software guy and I knew of another guy that did hardware stuff. As soon as I mentioned his name, the guy goes “Nope, I am not going back there, because he takes a long time to get things done”. This had been the second person to say the same about this guy.

Although I was not a customer, It sort of made me hesitant to recommend him to anyone. If they did not get the service they deserved with this guy, it would put my credibility on the line. Now every time somebody asks me where to get their computers fixed, I would say I was not sure or would at least warn them before referring them to him. Who knows how much business he is loosing as a result of this? His former customers might be telling their friends to not go there.

Speedy and high quality service has proven to be the key to small business success. Follow up to make sure they are satisfied. This way you show that you are not only interested in getting rid of your product but also care about how they feel about the product. Just do not go overboard and get into how and whether they use the product, that is their business. Keep focused on delivering the best quality products and/or service and make sure they can come back or bring their friends for more. That is your part, the rest is up to them.

How to Start a Car Wash Business

Bill Henthorn asked:

There are several options for a person to consider when looking getting into the car wash business. Should the person buy an existing business? Should it be automatic-self service or one with a staff of washers? Should you consider a mobile business or a business with a fixed location? Should the business be a hand wash business or equipment oriented? All of these questions must be answered and the potential owner must come to grips with these options. The amount of money the person has available to put into the business will be a determining factor on what way would be the best way to go. A fixed location will cost more to do than a mobile business. Buying an existing business is usually more costly upfront than starting one from scratch, but in this case it would depend on which way the person chose. For example the mobile car wash would be far less expensive than a fixed location operation. The mobile business would have the cost of equipment and a truck. The fixed location would entail a building and the equipment for the bay or bays.

Starting either from scratch would cost a certain amount. Whether this would be more of less than buying an existing business would depend on the deal that could be made with the current owner. If the owner is motivated and trying to just get out of the business, then a better deal may be possible. The circumstances would dictate the answers to these questions.

Talking with business brokers and looking on the Internet could help in finding a person with a mobile business. The fixed property would probably be easier to find.

Another possibility would be to start with a mobile business and as the cash flow became more stable, look into getting or adding a fixed location car wash.

The Internet is a terrific way to find businesses/equipment for sale

A person thinking about starting one of these car wash associated businesses can easily find car washes for sale and brokers who represent them. The mobile businesses may be slightly harder to find, but they are available. The advantage of buying an existing business is almost always a better way to go than starting one from scratch. The immediate cash flow and clients is a huge plus to a new owner. This factor could be the difference between success and failure. An existing business is much easier to push past the break-even point and to a successful venture. A true start-up business has to gain clients and slowly build up cash flow. The question for the owner of this business is will it happen soon enough for the business to survive.

Talk with a broker about what is available and the terms they feel they can obtain from the current owner. If this is out of your reach financially, then a mobile hand wash could be the answer or using a small power washer to get the business off the ground and started. There are several options in this business that could lead to a successful new business. Getting clients will be the biggest problem facing the new owner of such a business, as there are few to none when the business is opened.

The Internet can be used to find equipment, which is new or used. This is another real advantage of using this tool to help a potential owner find what is needed. Just put in what you are looking for in the search box and you will be surprised at how many sources will show up.

Arranging financing of an existing business

The current owner is the obvious source of some financing of an existing business. The problem is the buyer will have to pay a higher price for the business than if it were being purchased for cash. Having your financing in place when making your offer for the business will save money on the purchase price.

The Internet is an excellent way to find business financing for your purchase. There are several firms that show up on the Net for this type of loans. These firms are in the business of doing this kind of lending and are much more understanding of the problems a new owner faces when buying a business. They are certainly worth contacting and discussing your situation.

Car Wash information and Car Wash business planning

There are great sources on the Net that will help the potential owner of any type of business. The Car Wash business is well covered and a buyer can get good information about running and owning this type of business. Having prior knowledge of what is needed to be successful in this business will help a potential buyer decide if this is the correct move for them to follow. A book that tells the facts is invaluable to the buyer of such a business. Getting an up close and personal look before the fact lets the buyer imagine what it would be like to own a car wash business. If they like what the see in their minds eye they can pursue the project.

Another way to get information is to speak with people in the business. They may be willing to talk if they are sure that you will not be in competition with them. They could lead you to brokers and companies that would be helpful in getting more information. The one question that you should try to get them to answer is would they do it again. Has it panned out like they thought it would before they got into it?

Any information from all sources will help you evaluate even better the advantages and disadvantages of going into such a business. This is true of any type of business that a person is considering.

The problem as always is one size does not fit all. One owners experience could be great and another could wish they never made the decision

Conclusions

This business, car washing, has so many options available to owners and potential buyers that need to be looked at and considered very carefully.

It is not like buying a restaurant or a plumbing company. Those businesses have limited variations such as location or the type special services they offer. This business has many different levels of financial commitment to buy or start. All of these options make this an interesting business to consider. People are very particular about their cars these days. Their car represents a substantial investment that needs care and ongoing maintenance. This means this business niche is likely to grow and be used by more people all of the time. A trend like that makes this business even more attractive to the potential owner.

Finding a business for sale and the needed money to make the purchase is fairly easy for a person that is used to using an Internet search engine. If you speak with someone in the business, they may be very helpful and even better they may be in the market to sell. If they are, the obvious question is why do they want to sell. In any event they could give you valuable insight into the business.

Steps to Starting your Own Business

Paul Calhoun asked:

Introduction:

Thinking of starting a business? My hat is off to you, and I hope that this blog can provide resources for you to get started. Since my retirement from industry six years ago, I have been a SCORE volunteer (Service Corps of Retired Executives). Over these years I have met many clients who dream of starting their own business. Their motivation to start a usiness may vary, but their common goal is a desire to be successful and to be their own boss. My experience has imparted to me a good sense of those who will be successful and those who will not be successful. It is those people who are prepared and have a strong urge that are successful. From my training and experiences I have prepared a suggested road map to start your own business. Do take advantage of your local SCORE volunteer while planning for your business. The service is free and the volunteer can be found through your local Chamber of Commerce.

The Business Idea

The idea to start your own business can come from many sources: your hobby, your work experience, your desire or a situation you found where a service was not being met. To confirm that you have a sound plan you have to: – Describe the business in a paragraph or less. – Decide if the product or service is unique… cheaper or faster, etc.? – Decide whether this business meets your personal goals? – Commit to investing many hours to make your business successful? There are many other questions that you will need to answer truthfully to yourself and then discuss them with your spouse and close friends. Once you are comfortable with the answers then you are ready to proceed to the next steps. The Small Business Administration has a full list of questions to help fulfill this part of the journey. http://www.sba.gov Above all, your business has to “solve your client’s problem”. It is this objective that makes a business successful. If this main objective is met, then all your other needs can be fulfilled.

Start Preparing for Your Business Plan:

You need to do some basic work before you prepare your business plan.

Finding a Business Name: You need to derive a business name that represents your dream of a business yet does not infringe on another business. Your State’s Secretary of State can readily tell you if you have a unique name. You will find that this is important as you get deeper into your business plan. Try to derive the most attractive name you can identify.

Finding a Potential Location: Is your business going to be a storefront, web site, home or perhaps out of a van business? Inputs to your business plan will require lease or rental expenses, insurance and other facility expenses. Just as importantly, you will have to determine the traffic past your selected location and how many potential customers your business will attract. The more attractive locations will attract more business but will be more expensive. A local commercial real estate agent is of great value to help you with this decision.

You need a Logo: I believe that all businesses should have a logo. It will be added to checks, business cards, literature and other materials. In my opinion, it brings the business together. The logo will be used on business cards, letter heads, web sites and all other forms of advertisement. Take a look at http://www.logomaker.com/index.html for a very reasonable logo design.

Business Structure: You need to decide on your legal business structure. The options are: Sole Proprietorship C Corporation S Corporation Partnership Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) For the majority of my clients, the Limited Liability Corporation is the best fit. For a reasonable fee you can have a business entity that has limited liability for business debts, which protects your personal properties. You can form the LLC with your State’s Secretary of State. A good Web Site to review the four business structures is: http://www.quickmba.com/law/org/

Employer ID Numbers (EINs): You should get an Employer ID Number (EIN) from the Federal Government. The number is issued by the IRS and it is free. http://www.irs.gov/. At the minimum this will save your using your Social Security Number for identification. The IRS site has lots of good information on small businesses that can be of benefit to you.

Write Your Business Plan: The business plan is the most important document for starting your business. The Small Business Administration has a template that you can use to write the business plan. http://www.sba.gov The business plan document should have the objectives of the business, its structure and it financial road map. This document will always be used to keep all participants on the same roadmap. It is the most laborious yet important document you will derive. This document should be reviewed by your spouse, good friends, and SCORE Counselor. A good web site to find samples of business plans is http://www.bplans.com/. This site shows examples of successful business plans and also has good information for starting a business. Again, I must emphasis that you need to keep the overall objective of “What Problem am I solving for the Client” in front of you. If you fulfill this objective the rest will fill in.

Financing: You have finished the business plan and now will decide if you need financing to start your business. How much do you need? Most of the clients that I see can actually finance their business with a credit card. They need a financial record of 650 or better to get a card and probably can use the card for up to $10, 000.00 financing. Perhaps you can provide money from your savings or take in a financial partner.

If you require more money to finance your business, prepare for battle. The banks are tough and you are competing for time with people who will be doing much larger business with the bank. This is what you will need: A polished business plan A list of start-up costs Past three year personal tax returns. A statement of personal histories Credit reports from Equifax (1-800-658-1111), Experian (1-800-682-7654) and Tran Union(1-316-636-6100)

Be prepared to answer all questions on your finances and needs. Be prepared to show that you are conservative in your plan. Seek out used or rental equipment or other innovative techniques to save money. You should remember that the banker is usually interested in helping start a small business if they have a stong plan and collateral. You have to be prepared because his or her time is limited.

Further Steps for Success: Hopefully, you will make it through these hurdles and be ready to open your business. You are to be congratulated because this is a great accomplishment. You are your own boss and in charge of your future. Do not celebrate too much for now, though, as you still have to hire employees, choose the technology you require for running your business and wade through many other details. May it be rewarding and profitable.