small business 16

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he benefits to having your own home based business are very exciting. You can be your own boss! You decide when you want to work. You go to work straight from the bedroom. Not having to deal with traffic, rude clients or demanding bosses can be quite a relief.

But wait a minute, have you seriously thought about what kind of small home based business opportunity you should bank your future on?

Before you start your own small home based business, do the following and you'll get your home based business off to a good start.

What marketable skills do you have that you can use to work from home? Some examples of people who have made a good transition to home based businesses are accountants, sewers, teachers as tutors or educators of toddlers, musicians who teach musical instruments, etc... If you have a skill, you can market it and have a home based business.

What's your capital and operating budget? Even businesses from homes need capital investment. Find out what your home based business needs. It can be as simple as having space for office files and to meet clients. Your home based business still needs the veneer of professionalism.

How do you get clients for your own based business? You can start with your present company. Some companies are happy to pay for outsourcing services. The specialist they've hired is knowledgeable about them and can be trusted. From there you can add on more clients.

Advertising and promoting your home-based business is crucial. That's right...even if it's a small home based business, you'll need to advertise and promote. Print your business cards on the home printer, and distribute them. Or put your company details on a promotional calendar and give it away for the holidays. These are small things to do for your home based business, but they do make a big difference.

Lastly, add up your monthly expenses and check your savings and insurance. When your home based business starts, you may not gross enough. Make a projected budget and see what the bare minimum you can live on while the home based business is just starting out.

By doing your research on home based business opportunities and educating yourself on the various scenarios, you'll set yourself up for success. For you'll be better equipped on solving future problems such as competition taking business from you, low cash flow and any other problem that may crop up as your home based business grows.

Reference: http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/article.php?mcid=1&scid=12&aid=1258

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small business 15

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Last year a local gentleman opened a Mexican restaurant in our area. The unique aspect of the restaurant is that not only is the Mexican food authentic, but the employees are Hispanic as well. When you walk through the doors, you feel as though you've stepped into another culture.

Six months later, this same gentleman opened up another restaurant on the other side of town. What was the secret to his immediate and amazing success? ...he found a natural market. No one can simulate a natural market. Outsiders go to get the cultural flavor as well as the good food, insiders go to enjoy the "homey" experience.

What Defines a Natural Market?
The most obvious natural markets are cultural, but include a host of other characteristics that you may be familiar with as well. What about homeschooling parents? Who could communicate more clearly, or provide more relevant products than another homeschool parent?

A natural market is simply the part of a market that you have something in common with. It will automatically make you connect with your customers on a personal level, making your marketing strategies more effective.

Why Explore Natural Markets?
You can make immediate and lasting connections with your potential natural market. Let's face it, we're more comfortable and more confident doing business with someone we have a lot in common with. It can't be helped... it's just in our nature. Take advantage of natural markets on the Web where a more personal business is rare and will hold strong appeal to consumers.

How Do You Get In On The Action?
First think about your interests, hobbies, and life experiences. List your occupations, hobbies, club memberships, nationality, language, and background. Wow, there's a lot of potential for natural markets at your fingertips.

Once you've got a nice list, start critiqueing it for the potential market that will make the most impact. The rule of thumb for deciding on the depth of impact is: the more unique the characteristic... the more impact it will have.

Natural markets add a brand new layer to your existing business, or you can create a new niche business from the natural market idea. Whichever you decide...pull out the stops... blitz the market with advertisments... and get ready to add up the profits!

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small business 14

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So you're there at that webpage again. Looking at all the smiling faces and all the people telling how they started with five minutes a day and no money down and now they have a vacation home in Aspen. Is it real? Can average Joes and Janes really make it that big?

Yes and no. I have personally met many average people who have made many hundreds of thousands of dollars each in home businesses. Some of them had impressive educations and backgrounds. Some were pretty unimpressive before. I've met a tattoo parlor owner, a bouncer, a college coach, and a homemaker. All of them have made multiple six figure incomes. They were average in terms of their education and work background, but there are also some things about them that aren't average at all.

Did they have to train for years and listen to a home correspondence course of hundreds of CD's? No. Did they go get another degree? No. Did they just get lucky? I don't think so. The reason I don't think so is because they all had a few things in common. Logic tells me that if the things they had in common produced the same result, then maybe that's not luck.

I have known all of these people personally, and I can show you some of the things that they had in common. If you have/do these things then you also have a great chance at success. If you don't do these things, then your chances of success are slimmer.

Firstly, each one of them treats their home business like a real business. If you don't put your business near the top with family and your current job, then guess what - you will continue to have that job. What that comes down to is making decisions like your whole future depends on it. Don't feel like calling that last contact? Can't attend that company function? That $2000 for marketing could be used for those new curta! ins or that new stereo. Those are the key decisions and all these people made them with their business in mind first.

Secondly, they all had a very pressing "why" to their business. For some it was the heartbreak of dropping off their 2-year old in day care. For others it was a divorce or separation and they would have lost everything. In every case these people had a "why" that gripped them like a grandmother who hadn't seen them in three years.

I have seen people who were asked about why they are doing a business or what their goal was and they were vague such as, "I want to get financially free", "I want more time at home", you get the picture. Worse yet some people have a negative reason such as "I want to be out of debt", or "I my job". Those are NOT going to carry you through the hard times.

If you can't tell me right now exactly WHY you want to do a business, then you may want to consider figuring that out before you get started. Get really specific and positive. What do you want to accomplish? When do you want to have it by? What are you going to use the $30k in the next month for? How much will you give away?

Once you have concrete answers to these questions, then you are ready to start looking at the how-to. I will discuss the process of figuring out your why in my next article. Don't miss it!

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small business 13

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"I only have a small business, I don't need a budget."

"I don't have enough money to budget."

For many small business owners, the word "budget" is something for the bigger company - maybe they'll have one when their business "grows up."

What is a Budget?
The simple explanation is a budget is a plan for how you will manage all financial resources and all expenses for your business. The basic equation that you want to demonstrate in a budget is as follows:

(estimated )Sales minus (estimated) Expenses = Profit (or loss)

How to create a Budget
If this is your first time to work on a budget for your small business, you might work from the perspective of having to list cost of goods or services plus all of your operating expenses to start the process.

How much does it take to operate your phone line? What is the cost of other utilities? How about the cost of a company vehicle, or what is the cost of transportation if you're using your personal vehicle to also serve as a company vehicle. Do you need any supplies or inventory to operate your business? How about any employee payroll, payroll taxes or independent product or service providers? Remember to include everything you spend money on to operate your business even if you allocate some of the expenses to "petty cash" expenses, such as parking or bridge tolls while traveling to see clients.

I recommend that you create annual budget, as opposed to a monthly budget, so you can identify any expenses that you may have that come up only once or twice a year such as insurance and include them in your list of expenses. This allows you to amortize or spread the cost of this out over several months so that you can plan ahead for the expense.

As you work on your list of expenses keep in mind that these are the expenses that are necessary to operate your business. These should not be your "wish list" unless you want to budget in some expansion or growth. You may want to create a budget with just the necessities and another version of your budget with expansion expenses listed so that you can see the cost of both separately.

With a dollar figure to work with of your total expenses you are able to set the standard for or evaluate your sales figures. If you are new to your business you may need to use the dollar amount of your expenses to help you determine what your sales need to be in order to cover all costs and show a profit. If you have been in business for a while you can evaluate whether or not you are producing a profit by looking at historical sales figures.

As you conduct business during your budget year you should compare your actual income and spending with what you estimated. This will allow you to manage your spending so that you don't over spend and cut into or eliminate your profits. You will also be able to see if sales have met expectations in order to cover expenses and still remain profitable.

Who should Budget?
Every small business owner should budget, no matter the size of business. I have heard some small business owners say their business is too small to budget, but that is not true. If you don't have a written plan for what your financial obligations are and how your revenue will cover those obligations and leave some money unspent, then your business will never grow. In fact, you may out-spend your revenue and put yourself out of business.

Why Budget?
Budgeting for your small business gives you control over your finances. By looking ahead to what you know or can reasonably estimate what your expenses will be, you can then make financial decisions that will keep you from over-spending, or give you the freedom to invest in the growth of your business.

When Budget?
Every small business owner should have a budget to start their business and then review it annually. I recommend that small business owners review their budget several months before the end of their fiscal year. When I say review the budget I'm talking about comparing projected budget with actual. In the comparison you can see if your estimates were realistic. You and your CPA can also plan for last minute tax strategies, or plan to implement strategies in the up coming year's budget.

The Goal in Budgeting
Remember, the goal of having a budget is to stay in control of your finances in advance. Setting the standard for your spending and revenue and having a tool to compare with actual will give you the control that you need to stay profitable. At the very least it will give you an indication of whether or not your business is actually profitable and not just busy.

Resource
Throw away all your receipts!
Yes, you can throw them all away after you've scanned them into NeatReceipts. This handy tool is operated by scanning all of your receipts using a portable scanner into your computer or laptop. The software can produce expense reports or you can import the information from the receipts into your accounting software such as Quicken or QuickBooks. Once the receipt has been scanned into your computer you have a digital copy so you can through the receipt away. No more shoe boxes full of receipts!
http://www.thesmallbusinessguru.com/products/item10.cfm

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small business 12

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When you start your program to purchase your "ideal" company, you quickly realize that your ultimate success will depend on two primary skill sets: 1) Your ability to FIND viable companies that are for sale, and 2) Your ability to effectively qualify the potential acquisition investment once found.

This article is about only step one, how to creatively find viable companies and one's that are able to be purchased.

Assuming you have clearly defined your business purchase criteria and you have decided to pursue only companies that are "officially" for sale, versus attempting to find and contact company owners who might be willing to sell, you will need to explore as many ways as you can to find companies for sale as possible.

As a business buyer you want to use the best means possible to position yourself to get the first shot at your most promising acquisition candidates and to do such in as cost effective means as possible.

Often the more "creative" you are to find deals, the quicker you'll find the "right" deal. The more diverse your means to locate viable companies for sale the better your chances of finding a quality acquisition candidate that few others are aware of.

When you are pursuing acquisition candidates you really never know where your next deal will come from. It could be word-of-mouth, something your read in a newspaper, a visit to a website or a lead from an association meeting. Listed below are a variety of ways you can use to find businesses to buy:

25 Ways to Find Businesses For Sale
* Investment Bankers: Regional, National, International
* Investment Banker websites: Listings of businesses for sale
* Business Brokers: Regional and National
* Business Brokerage websites: Listings of businesses for sale
* Venture Capital Firms: Good referral potential
* Mezzanine Lenders: Regional, National, Always aware of potential deals
* Newspapers: Listings in Local, Regional, National and Industry specific
* Magazines: Listings in Regional, National and Industry specific
* Newsletters: Listings in printed or "Ezines" on the internet - Industry specific
* Commercial Banks: Many of their clients are considering sale of their company
* Consultants: All varieties, many have extensive practices and many owner contacts
* Associations: All varieties, some are focused just on merger & acquisition activities
* Business Directories: All forms of printed and electronic, many industry specific
* M&A Service Providers: They know who is selling what often on a national basis
* Product Suppliers: Many product manufacturers/ distributors are in the know
* Trade Shows: Walk a trade show in an industry of interest, salesman love to talk!
* Accountants: Many have large practices with extensive business owner contacts
* Professors: Many provide consultative services to business owners or are board members
* Corporate Officers: Especially Corporate Development managers, seeking "spin-off's"
* Bank Trust Departments: Sometimes viable businesses surface in trust situations
* M&A Legal Specialists: Many are in the "crosswinds" of constant deal opportunities
* Networking Meetings: Your local business newspaper publishes many of these
* Technology Licensors: Always aware of companies getting "out" of new technologies
* Directory of Board Members: Board members typically know other board members
* Business Associates: Current and previous business associates and service providers

These "25 Ways to Find Businesses for Sale" are only a few of the creative means you can use to find acquisition candidates. Keep this list and add your own methods once you start your business pursuit program. With today's endless capabilities of the internet, its worldwide reach into various countries, industries and industry participants, there are countless variations for most of the means listed here.

As important about being proactive to locate companies to acquire you need to be as diligent to broadcast and document your specific business purchase interests and purchase criteria whenever and wherever possible. Business owners; individuals, corporations with multi divisions, merger and acquisition intermediaries, private equity firms need to know who you are and what specific businesses you seek to purchase.

This notification effort can be manifested in printed or "electronic" formats. The internet again is the most cost effective means to document your exact business purchase criteria and interests. However, be aware that there are few e commerce sites that specifically accommodate proactive business buyer needs. Most business transaction websites focus on listing businesses for sale, facilitating primarily business sellers needs, not business buyers.

Take the time and effort to research and try all these different means to locate companies to buy. Some will be more productive than others, while some may be more accommodating to your specific business pursuit requirements. You must do what you must to throw away as much hay as you can to get to that needle in the stack!

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small business 11

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Have you ever wondered why so many businesses fail within 1-2 years... or even after 5 years in business?

To many business owners, this question is scarier than finding a burglar standing over your bed at night. So, here's some common sense advice that can save your business, regardless of how long you've been in business.

First of all, building a solid business credit rating is possible regardless of your personal credit scores. Obtaining the right types of corporate credit is vital to: the protection of your personal assets, the risks associated with personal lawsuits affecting your business, and your business' ability to weather economic changes that seem to occur overnight.

All business owners must make it a weekly priority toward developing relationships with the right types of lending institutions. You usually want to start your application process with out-of-state, national (or international) lenders... not your local or regional banking institutions; because these larger lenders typically won't require a personal guarantee or your social security number.

However, there are many steps you'll need to take before you start applying for any type of business credit. Ultimately, it's in your best interest to find a competent professional that can help you navigate through the murky underworld of building a strong corporate credit rating... giving you a head start on your competition & also letting you focus on running your business' day-to-day activities.

An excellent business credit score can help your company's image, overnight. You need to be able to answer some very basic questions, before you apply for any business credit.

1. Is your business strauctured as a sole proprietorship, C-corporation, S-Corporation, Limited-Liability Corporation (LLC), Partnership, or Trust?

2. How long has your business been recognized by your State & Local government?

3. Has this company ever had any derogatory information provided to the most popular business credit reporting agencies, Dun & Bradstreet or Experian?

4. Does your company have the proper permits, licenses and registrations necessary to conduct business in your jurisdiction?

5. Does your business have a physical address?

6. Does your business have a landline telephone number that's recognized by directory assistance?

7. Are your incoming telephone calls professionally answered in your business name, or is it answered as if incoming calls are personal conversations?

8. Does your business have a business checking account?

9. Does your business have an Employer Identification Number (also known as an EIN)?

If your answer to the first question was a sole proprietorship, partnership or trust; I urge you to re-establish your company as a corporation or LLC. I'm not going to provide you with legal advice, but many CPAs and attorneys highly recommend LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) as a way of protecting your personal assets & estate... in the event of any lawsuits being filed against your company. As a sole proprietor, your personal assets are at direct risk of seizure or forfeiture when faced with most types of legal action. Additionally, most lending institutions will not require you to provide any personal guarantee when applying for credit in the name of an LLC.

A corporation can still face difficulties applying for business credit, if its been in business less than 2 years or if its had previous credit problems reported against it... although its not impossible to overcome. Here are some common fixes. You can purchase a "shelf" or "aged" corporation that's been recognized by your State government for longer than 2 years. You can attempt to repair your business credit rating by writing dispute letters to Experian or Dun & Bradstreet, which isn't always possible. A few corporate credit experts will sell you "shelf" or "aged" corporations, some of which already have strong credit ratings established in each entity's name... saving you alot of hassles.

I cannot stress this enough... you MUST have a physical address (not a PO Box) if you want to establish a solid business credit rating. The same thing is said for telephone numbers & the way incoming phone calls are handled. You don't have to act as if your company is a Fortune 500 company. You just need to put yourself in the lender's shoes for a moment & ask yourself, "Would I lend money to a company that I can't find a physical address for?" or "Would I lend money to a company that answers their mobile phone with your favorite musician's answer tone & is answered in a non-professional manner?". I hope your answer was a resounding "NO!". If not, can I borrow $1,000,000? You can always find me wherever my mobile phone is at the moment. (Get my point?) And, don't forget to get the proper paperwork to go into business & keep these documents current.

Moving on, business checking accounts are a must. Again, this proves stability to your potential lenders. Here are some possible solutions, if you've had checking accounts closed in the past. Pay off the outstanding balance (if any) that's being reported by the bank, or open a checking account at a bank or credit union that doesn't use the ChexSystems credit reporting system. Most credit unions don't use ChexSystems, and you can always find a list of banking institutions in your area that don't use ChexSystems... by simply doing a search on Google, Yahoo or MSN.

Corporate credit ratings are tracked using your business name, business address and employer identification number (EIN). It takes less than five (5) minutes to apply for an EIN at http://irs.gov which is the IRS' website.

Next, you'll want to obtain a D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet, the largest business credit reporting agency. You can apply for this without any fees at http://dnb.com which is the Dun & Bradstreet website, and you'll usually receive this number within thirty (30) days. Do not apply for this number until you've prepared your self thoroughly, because any information you give to them... goes into your credit file... permanently.

After you've obtained your D-U-N-S number, you're probably ready to start establishing some vendor credit. Vendor credit is where many business owners start establishing business credit ratings. Simply go to http://staples.com, http://officemax.com or http://officedepot.com to get started. Then, you'll also need to fax your business telephone bill & the credit application to them... on your business letterhead (which you can create using your favorite word processing software). They usually don't require any personal guarantees (if you've followed the outline above), and you'll usually receive a starting credit line of $750.

Be sure to always pay your invoices before the grace periods begin. This is critical, especially on unsecured credit cards. Dun & Bradstreet issues what's known as a Paydex score (your corporate credit score), and a score of 80 is very good... with 100 being the highest score you can achieve. Your Paydex score is issued once you've established a known vendor/credit relationship with at least five (5) creditors... and it reflects negatively on your credit score if you pay a bill after you've entered in the grace period & even worse if you pay after the due date.

Again, there are shortcuts that will help you get much more than $750 alot faster. I've seen hundreds of people start with vendor credit equaling $25,000-$50,000 and open credit lines of $50,000 up to $1,000,000... in as little as 45-90 days... by using a corporate credit expert's knowledge of the application process & "shelf" corporations. In fact, the best corporate credit experts will usually already have "shelf" corporations for sale... with pre-established credit ratings & lines of credit.

In summary, I've given you most of the tools & information you need to obtain corporate credit lines. Are you going to let a "cash crunch" put you out of business? Are you going to try to establish a business credit rating yourself & build your credit slowly? Or, will you utilize the services of a knowledgeable corporate credit expert to establish your credit rating & secure large credit lines... overnight? The choice is yours.

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small business 10

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All the initial steps for starting your own business can easily be financed with the funds obtained from a home equity line of credit and the flexibility for repayment will provide you with the ease you need to concentrate specifically on your business instead on repaying the loan. The characteristics of home equity lines of credit are perfect for this purpose.

In this article we will analyze the concepts of home equity and home equity lines of credit and explain why these particular lines of credit are perfect tools for starting new businesses and what the benefits that these financial products provide are.

Defining Equity
Equity is the difference between the current value of your property and any pecuniary obligations that it is guaranteeing. These obligations can be liens, mortgages, etc. The amount of available equity is obtained by subtracting the amount of the outstanding obligations to the valuation price of the property.

Thus, if you own a property that is worth $120,000 and your current mortgage balance is around $70,000 that means that you still have $50,000 of available equity on your home that you can use for obtaining a loan or line of credit and use it for any purpose you can think of. Following we will analyze home equity lines of credit for starting businesses.

Lines Of Credit for Businesses
Lines of credit are revolving sources of funds that can provide you with all the finance you need for starting a business if they are based on sufficient equity. The idea is that you are granted credit up to a certain amount limit which is guaranteed with your home equity.
In the above example you would count with up to $50,000 on your line of credit to start your own business.

There is no need for you to withdraw the whole amount and as long as you don't request money, the line of credit won't generate interests. You'll only have to pay a small maintenance fee.
Moreover, say you withdraw $10,000, the interest rate will only be charged over that $10,000. Once you repay the amount, it will stop generating interests and you can withdraw that amount or any amount up to the credit limit whenever you want.

As regards repayment, it is also very simple. You will only be required to repay a minimum amount every month, just like with credit cards. This minimum almost always consists on the interests and sometimes a small portion of the principal. This provides you with a lot of flexibility. When starting a business you can't be suffering pressure from lenders because you need to concentrate on generating income rather than repaying a loan. Thus, home equity lines of credit provide you with all the finance you need and don't asphyxiate your business with high monthly payments.

Once your running business generates enough income for you to cope with higher payments, you can start repaying the principal at your best convenience. Moreover, you can easily fix the interest rate (that is otherwise always variable) and turn the home equity line of credit into a home equity loan.

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small business 9

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While promoting my website design business I contact many small and medium size enterprises who don't have a website. Sometimes it is the perceived cost of a website that puts them off, but more often it is the belief that no one will want to contact them via the internet. The same companies would be horrified at the thought of not being in the telephone directory, but they don't appreciate how pervasive the internet has become and how important it is to have a presence.

Here are my 9 compelling reasons for having a website.

Customer Expectations

Customers expect to see you on the Internet. Many people (that's customers and potential customers) prefer to search for a company on the Internet rather than search their local Yellow Pages or newspaper.
To many, a business that is not on the Internet, for all intents and purposes, simply doesn't exist.

If you cannot meet this expectation then they will go to someone else. If you have no web site you have no chance to compete.

Open 24 hours a day

Anytime a customer wants to know about your company, it's products, opening hours or location they can get it with ease.
You business or organisation will be promoted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the whole world. Nothing else offers this flexibility. Your web site won't take holidays, have time off sick or ask for a pay rise.

You can even save on your time or your employees time by adding a "Frequently Asked Questions" page. This way customers can get answers before calling you.

Improve Communications

A Web site is an highly available, high-quality, interactive, full-color brochure listing all the goods and services you offer. It is a very effective and efficient way to communicate not only with potential customers, but also with employees and suppliers.

It can be easily updated, keeping your product listings and prices always accurate. Changes take effect as soon as they're posted online and everyone can see updated information without having to wait .

Improve your Businesses' Profile

You can build reputation, credibility and trust with potential customers. Web sites offer an ideal way of showcasing your previous work and accomplishments to potential customers.

There is also a large amount of prestige to having a website. It gives people the impression that you are savvy and smart enough to take your business up a level. Since a website is such a major convenience it also tells people that you are interested in sharing information with them.

Expand Your Business

The Internet takes away traditional business boundaries. When you go online people from all over the country, or even from around the world, will show up.
Somebody always wants your product or service. Promoting through the internet and drawing them in will help you expand.
If you are a not-for-profit organisation then a website will raise awareness and attract more donors. You can replace the distribution of costly printed materials and cold calling for support. You can attract a willing audience to your website and impress them with your message once they arrive.

Improve you Competitive Advantage

On a computer screen all companies play by the same rules. No matter what your size, a website offers your business the same advantage as your biggest competitors. A well designed website for even a one man operation can have the same presence as a multi-national corporation.

Cost Effective

A web site is very cost effective. While it cannot replace your existing sales, advertising, retailing, customer support and public relations efforts, it makes all these business functions more effective. And though web site development is not without cost, the cost is limited. However the reach of your web site is worldwide and 24 hours per day. Publishing on the web is very inexpensive. Changing the information on your web site is also fast and efficient, whereas changing printed material can be costly and time consuming.

Compare the cost of a small ad in a magazine (which is only available for a limited time) or the cost of printing and mailing catalogues versus the cost of having a Web site, which is available 24 hours a day. Your customers can have the current information or price list for your goods or services at any time, just by looking at the relevant page on your website.

In addition your site can include features that no printed brochure or newspaper ad can offer, such as video and sound.

Sell

An interactive online catalogue makes your company's products accessible everywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Selling online is a cost-effective ways to sell anything. It comes without the customary overhead of a physical store, like building leases, employees who need to get paid whether or not the register is ringing, and the myriad of costs associated with keeping the store running (utilities, supplies, maintenance, etc.).

While there are certainly costs for hosting your site, keeping it secure, sales transactions, hiring a Web developer, and more, the costs of running an online store are predictably lower than having a physical store.

Specialised Markets

If you have a specialty product or service and working within a limited geographic area then you may be wasting a lot of money promoting your business to an audience that is largely uninterested. Move to online advertising and promoting and, apart from removing those geographic boundaries, you have access to the special interest groups that are on the Internet for virtually any subject.

By advertising exactly where your audience is, every penny you spend immediately becomes more valuable. So when an enthusiast sees your advertisement or reads about you on a message board, they go straight to your website. Never before has attracting a specialised audience been so direct and efficient.

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small business 8

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You must realize that a small business must grow. If the buyer or owner can't find a way to grow the business, it will go down the drain. On the other hand, if the business can show a history of growth, it can be sold for a tidy sum.

Most owners want to grow their business, but few truly understand their financial statements and balance sheets. These documents contain many hidden guidelines that can direct the owner toward proper management. Sit down with your accountant; read some books that cover the subject and you'll be a step ahead.

If you are buying a small, growing successful business, don't worry about being "original." Do exactly what the seller has done-even if it doesn't make sense to you. I once sold a tire store where the seller had a ten foot tall stack of tires. It was braced from the inside not to fall over. He had a young boy sitting on top. It attracted the attention of most motorists and brought in business. But the new owner thought it was tacky. He discontinued it and his business traffic steadily declined.

There is a glaring error many small business owners make. It's not declaring cash sales. Sure, some tax-free money-but it comes back to bite where it hurts. It devalues the business because a selling price is based upon the profit and cash flow. Trying to prove to a potential new owner how much cash you steal from Uncle Sam is dangerous and could result in an unwanted vacation-behind bars. Buyers are not going to consider that money in evaluating your business. Consider it money you have already been paid for your business.

When buying a business (or selling one), you need a competent broker. Not one who is an expert at "listing" businesses. A broker who has 20 to 25 good listings is better than one with a few hundred. Typically, brokers with hundreds of listings advertise only what their sellers tell them-complete with disclaimers. They don't take the time to analyze the business themselves. Effective brokers will develop "adjusted" or "reconstructed" income statements that, after verification, put their client's business on the same plane as others regardless of how the owner takes out the profits. It adds back to the bottom cash flow line such items as non-recurring, extraordinary expenses, interest payments, owner's compensation as well as all expenses not actually necessary to operating the business. Make sense?

You'll find most of the multi-listing business brokers advertising the actual name of the business for sale. Not a good practice. How would you feel-or what would you do if you saw the firm you worked for was on the sales block?

There are three ways to price a business.
1) Price it FOR SALE.
2) Price it to SELL FAST Or
3) PRICE IT RIGHT.

Keep in mind that the selling price of a business is based upon the discretionary cash flow being adequate to service the purchase money note you carry plus interest, and to provide the buyer with a living wage.

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small business 7

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Starting a vending machine business may be your first step to owning your own business. Here are some practical tips and some advice to get you on your way to start a vending machines business.

If commercial vending machines are a business that you are interested in, there is a wealth of information about vending machines and vending routes available online. Some people prefer to get into the vending machine business by purchasing an established vending route. And most of the people who have dreamed about how to start a vending machine business have been hesitant to put their plans into action, as they cannot find answers to their questions.

The distributors that deal with your area will be able to give you advice about getting into this type of business opportunity. The vending machine sales that you might realize from your vending machine business are hard to predict.

When you sit down to discuss the business with a vending machine distributor, you can get a good estimate of the costs involved in operating this type of business. Keep in mind that you also have to deduct the commission that you pay the business owners of the locations where you place your machines.

A vending machine business comes with the following benefits:

* No experience required
* Flexible working hours
* You can work full time, part-time, or even as an absentee owner
* You never have to deal with your boss again
* Low overhead
* Good financing options for start-up vendors
* Excellent return on investment
* Immediate cash income
* Tax advantages

When you are getting started in this business it is best to try to find a unique product that you know customers want to buy. I can tell you from experience that the lack of knowledge when starting a vending business can be very costly & stressful.

Most people start out in the vending machine business with one or two gumball machines. When you want to start a vending machine business of your own, the first thing you need to do is find a vending machine distributor that has the type of vending machines you want to start with. I first started my vending machine business with just a few machines and turned it into a full time business within 6 months.

Most business owners and managers will be very receptive if you approach them with your idea for coin-operated vending machines. Explain how having a candy vending machine at their location may draw more business and will make their employees very happy.

Since a lot of employees slip out to the nearest coffee shop for a cup of coffee, being able to offer specialty coffee at your customer's location helps to sell him on contracting for your machines.

Due to the demand of machines and the constant rush everyone is in, the vending business has started to reap the benefits and has answered the desire of our new robotic world with a large variety of national brand name products in vending machines.

Maybe you have heard that a vending machine business is one of the most profitable home based businesses. Basically, a vending machine business is just like any other business that needs your good attitude and management in order to bring in a profit. This doesn't mean the vending machine business is easy money.

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small business 6

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Why Did You Start Your Gift Basket Business?
I originally started my Gift Basket Business because I wanted to make my life simpler. For years, I was spending over two hours a day commuting to a corporate job. I felt the need to channel my creative side, while still using my business experience. I wanted to have more hours at home with my children, and be in charge of my own success.

How Did You Start Your Gift Basket Business?
I researched the Gift Industry and Gift Basket business for several years before I finally took the plunge, and started my own business in a retail storefront. At the time, the internet was not the huge presence it is now, so I felt to reach the greatest number of customers, a retail setting would be best. The first three years were challenging in respect to learning how to manage inventory, marketing, and developing relationships with wholesale suppliers that I could count on for a 'rush shipment'.

How Did Your Gift Basket Business Grow?
My Gift Basket business took off slowly, but by the second year, I had secured several corporate clients that ordered on a regular basis. After building my storefront retail Gift Basket business for six years, I eventually sold it to another woman who had wanted to own her own Gift Basket business all her life. She had the benefit of taking over an established business. For the past ten years, I have worked as a small business Consultant.

Whether your business is run as a home-based, retail or Internet business - I firmly believe the best form of advertising comes from several main sources: 1) Word of Mouth
2) Ad or Recommendation from a Trusted or Familiar Web Site
3) Direct Marketing to Companies in Your Local Area. Once you have built a chain of regular customers, they will refer you to others that 'become' regular buyers of your Gift Baskets.

Is Starting a Gift Basket Business From Home a Good Idea?
I believe that for most situations, starting a Gift Basket from Home is the best way to go. If I had to do it over again 'from the beginning', I would have started my business from home, and then moved into the retail storefront. During the past few years, with the Internet developing into such a huge shopping arena
- I would definitely start a Gift Basket business at home, and also have a web site e-commerce shopping site.

Having the business in your home, eliminates your cost of overhead (rent, lease). I would recommend setting aside a specific portion of your household for setup of your Gift Basket business. There are many tax advantages a home-based business can claim. Running your Gift Basket business from home, also allows you flexibility in your daily schedule, which is always nice when a family situation requires you to be there 'right now!'.

Why Do You Think Having a Web Site is a Good Investment for the Gift Basket Business Owner?
Online shopping is growing each year, and it really is essential to have a web site to compliment any type of business that sells services or goods. Just as a Business Card is an integral piece of your business marketing, a web site is an absolute necessity - you can reach out and connect with customers in your home town and around the globe. A well designed, and fully functional e-commerce web site is an Investment that will pay you back in the first year. Plan to spend between $2000 and $4000.

What is the Most Common Mistake a Gift Basket Business Owner Makes with Their Web Site Presence?
Many Gift Basket business owners tend to shy away from the initial investment of a web site. There are so many components that go into producing a 'well-greased' site, and most just do not understand the importance of having a web development company create their site for them. Most think they can do it themselves - and unfortunately they end up with an inferior web site that isn't going to perform for them - or - sell their Gift Baskets.

Any Advice to Someone Who Is thinking About Starting Their Own Gift Basket Business?
Advice? Gosh, there are so many things I'd like to focus on, but foremost - research the gift industry, and make a plan. Determine what your budget is for: inventory, marketing, and peripheral expenses. Each individual will have a different reason for starting their own Gift Basket business, so each situation will be different.

Make a Backup Plan, so if things don't go the way you originally thought, you'll have a plan of action to implement. As a Gift Basket business owner - you'll be wearing 'all the hats'. Decide who is going to do what, such as the ordering, designing, delivery, accounting, marketing, etc.

What Do You Think Sets Up the Foundation for a Successful Gift Basket Business?
First: Research and Make a plan.
Second: Contract with an established web development company for Hosting and an e-commerce Web site.
Third: Find Your Niche.

In today's world, Gift Basket businesses are a dime a dozen. By finding your 'niche' you will set yourself apart from all the others. If you are selling the same 'gift baskets' as all the other gift basket businesses, what makes you think a customer will pick you to order from?

When Should a New Gift Basket Business Owner Expect to Make a Profit
Running your own business isn't easy, running a successful and profitable business is exceptionally difficult. Expect to put in long hours your first year. You'll make mistakes - but you'll learn from them and move forward more smoothly. Profits can be seen after the 15 months.

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small business 5

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f a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a great shot of your item worth? More than you may think, especially if you're depending on your photos to help sell your items.

Good quality product photographs can often mean the difference between an acceptance offer and a rejection notice, sale or no sale, etc...

When you are selling your handcrafted products through websites, auctions and catalogs, you are depending on the photographs of your item to help grab the buyers attention. Your photos need to sizzle.

Professional product photos are the best idea if you can afford it, but they can be expensive if you offer several handcrafted pieces. Don't worry. If you are operating on a shoestring budget, we've got you covered.

We do not want our photos to scream "Amateur". Taking pictures on the kitchen table with our salt & pepper shakers in the background is off limits. Your floor is also out of the question.

There's no need to get upset. We are going to set up a simple inexpensive tabletop studio together. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your product photos.

The first thing we need to discuss is lighting. Make no mistake, the correct lighting is a major player. Without it, you're shooting blanks. Soft lighting will set the stage for your handcrafted creations. How can you tell the difference between soft and harsh lighting? Simple. Hold your hand out. Now look down at the shadow. The softer the shadow, the softer the light. A distinct dark shadow equals harsh light.

I like to keep things simple. I opt to do lighting the easy way. Whenever possible, I use natural lighting, i.e. the sun, vs. artificial light. I have found that the best lighting to take photographs with is provided by an overcast sky.

Now that we've discovered a handy use for the next cloudy day, let's move on to setting up your tabletop studio. You will need a small table, poster board or oversized matte board and something to hang your poster board from that stands a couple of feet higher than your table. I use a very inexpensive rack that you hang clothes on. You can find them at almost any discount store usually near the ironing boards and hangers.

Set up your table. Our next objective is to set up the background. This is where the matte board comes in. You can find matte boards at most hobby stores. They are oversized and come in a variety of colors. In a pinch, you can even use regular poster board.

We do not want to use any color or pattern that is too busy. When someone looks at your photos, their eyes should immediately be drawn to your marvelous item and not to the background.

Stand your matte board straight up on the table. Now let your board slide about halfway down on the top of the table. In comes the clothes rack. Hang the matte board from the clothes rack using small clamps. Adjust the height of the rack so that your matte board is lying partially on the table. Visit Cashcrafter.com for step by step photos of how your tabletop studio should look.

Ta Da! You now have an inexpensive yet effective tabletop studio. Place your product on the matte board and get ready for your own personal photo shoot.

Once your tabletop studio is set up and your lighting is correct, you will need to set up the photo. Disable the flash on your camera and mount the camera to a tripod. Always use a tripod. Even an inexpensive tripod from your local discount store will make a huge difference.

Place your handcrafted product on the tabletop. Look for interesting photography angles. You can shoot from above or maybe angle in from the side or corner.

One additional tip: when shooting with a white or light background, cameras tend to underexpose the photograph. You can compensate for this by adjusting the "Exposure Value" in the manual settings of your camera. The camera is normally set to 0. Start by adjusting to +1.0 and go from there.

Take lots of pictures. Experiment. Fill your photos with the product. Use different angles and play with the lighting. Get your creative juices flowing and you will be on your way to taking photos that make your product pop off the page at your buyers!

These tips are not meant to replace professional product photography. You have spent a lot of time getting your handcrafted items perfect. Whenever you are ready, I would recommend having your products professionally photographed.

In the meantime, these product photo tips should help tide you over.

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small business 4

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Most successful business people have what I call VISION.

Having vision means you picture in your mind where you want to be in your life in 6 months, a year, or 5 years. I'm not talking about wishing you would be there.

This is what most people do...they only wish they could change their life. No one ever told them how to actually DO IT!

Here are helpful tips about how you can start to change your life by changing your thinking...

You have to actually create in your mind a picture of what you want in your life. You have to make this picture as real as possible. You have to think about it and keep it in your mind on a daily basis. This helps develop your vision.

Whether it means expanding your offline business, being successful on the internet, having a certain house or car, working from home, finding your lifelong partner, losing weight, or whatever else you desire to happen in your near future you must "see" it in your mind before it will happen. You practice to develop your vision.

Anyone can do this and I promise you it does change lives.

What happens when you begin to "see" this mental picture of yourself on a daily basis? It begins to sink into your sub-conscious mind and this leads you to begin to think and do things differently than what you're used to doing.

All the experts tell us that we only use 7%-15% of our brain power. Our sub-conscious minds rule the other 85+%. Successful people have learned to tap into their sub-consious mind to make it expand and work for them. There are many different methods and systems available to accomplish this.

But all seem to agree that you must practice "seeing" yourself accomplishing your desires in the future, and using repetition of positive affirmations on a daily basis. There are many programs offering audio tapes that work great also.
This is how you begin creating your vision.

By positive affirmations I mean writing down on paper what you want in the next few months and years and reading it several times daily to yourself. Simple isn't it? But it's something most people just will not do. They think it doesn't work. They think it's too simple to produce any results.

Wrong! This is very powerful in a subtle way.

By combining a mental picture with your written affirmations on a daily basis you cannot fail to bring change into your life. And if you commit to doing this on a daily basis you WILL see results in your life very quickly.

By practicing your vision daily there is no way it cannot work because you are re-directing your sub-consious mind in a way that it has never been directed before! (I'd like to mention here that I use the powerful audio CD programs from thinkrightnow.com They are absolutely fantastic and they can change your life. Check them out.)

How do you think a professional athlete gets so much better at a sport than most people? Practice. What is practice? It's the constant repetition of physical movements, positive affirmations, and mental images.

Take Larry Bird, former great player for the Boston Celtics NBA team as an example. Larry Bird had vision. He was a slow teenager who couldn't jump and lived in the southern hills of Indiana. There was no way he could compete with his limited natural abilities against more naturally talented players.

But he spent hours upon hours, day after day, of constant repetition of the movements needed to play basketball. It was on his mind constantly. He had a vision in his mind of becoming a successful player. These movements became second nature to him because of repetition.

Most of the players he competed against would not take the time he took to improve themselves. They relied on their natural talents and had no vision.

He outworked them all. He practiced more than they did.

He became one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He kept his dream alive in his mind and he performed the repetitive movements necessary on a daily basis to get what he wanted.

And it worked! And it can work for you also. If you don't believe me spend the next few weeks trying it out. You have nothing to lose by doing this and everything to gain.

Write down on paper something you would like to have in the next 3 months. Be very clear and specific about it. Don't just say something like I would like to lost weight. Say I WILL lose 15 pounds in the next 3 months.

If you want money write down that you will earn $1,000 more per month within 6 months.
Be specific.

Writing it down on paper is very important. Read this paper to yourself 2-3 times per day and while you're reading it "picture in your mind" what you will look like 15 pounds lighter. Think of how you will "feel." How much more energy you will have. Make this mental picture as real as you can. Create your vision.

If you don't need to lose weight pick anything you want. It doesn't matter what the subject is. As long as you write it on paper and picture it in your mind and do this on a daily basis you will get results! You will begin to think differently about this subject. You will have it in your mind daily.

Your sub-consious mind will begin directing your thoughts and actions and move you toward this goal. You won't just be wishing for something, you will begin to take small steps to actually accomplish the goal. You will notice that you are thinking differently and taking actions you normally do not take.

I challenge you to take the few minutes per day this requires and see what happens if you do this daily for just 2-3 weeks. You will see the difference in your thoughts and actions. Your attitude begins to change. I guarantee it.

Once you experience how powerful this simple technique is you will recognize it's potential and how it can change your life. It can be used in all areas of your life including your financial situation, your health, your family, and all else that's important to you.

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small business 3

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Traditional data entry requires one to either copy-paste certain text over and over again, continue to fill out simple forms, or something along those lines. It requires simple work that does not require much thinking, but rather a lot of repetitive tasks. You usually will not be asked for your opinions as you are in surveys or asked to "Tell Us What You Think". Data Entry jobs are plain and simple manual labor jobs. Hence, there are some people who will not mind doing them and can earn a lot of money quickly, while others will be miserable doing data entry. It is not for everyone.

New Trend in Click Bank Product Data Entry Jobs
Recently, there has been a growing trend in using click bank to find and advertise data entry programs. These programs say that they will teach people how to make money through data entry, and as a result, many people visit these web sites looking to learn more about the business. Those new to data entry are especially likely to visit and even purchase the products advertised.

Click Bank Data Entry Truth
Click Bank data entry jobs are usually e-Books or other materials that tell you how you can make money using AdWords and selling affiliate links to Click Bank products. Not only are these programs misleading as you actually do not make money for the data entry, you only get money if you sell a product, these programs are also fraud and contain false information. They claim that after purchasing the e-Books there are no more expenses; however, you will have to pay AdWords hundreds or thousands of dollars to advertise. Hence it is recommended to stay away from Click Bank data entry jobs.

Finding a Reliable Data Entry Job
The key is to find an honest and reliable freelancing or part time / full time data entry job. This will take some time but we will outline some of the best ways to secure long term high paying data entry jobs and where they can be found.

Webmaster forums are a great place to look for online data entry jobs. Many webmasters are constantly looking to save time by hiring other people to do manual labor so they can focus and advertising and updating their web site. Hence, there is a huge demand for data entry and freelancing jobs for webmasters and many are able to make thousands each month through data entry for webmasters alone. It can be difficult to track down webmasters, so visiting webmaster forums with large marketplaces can help you find jobs and advertise your services. Some of the largest and most popular forums with active marketplaces are Digital Point and Site Point. Note: There is a charge of $10 to $20 to advertise your Service at the Site Point forums. Digital Point Forums, which are equally active, are free.

Craig's List is also a great place to find data entry job. Craig's List has grown to become the largest online classified web site on the Internet and although they focus and buying and selling goods in every state and many countries world wide, they also have a section for "Writing Gigs" where a few people are always looking for someone to do a data entry job. Other job sites such as Yahoo! Hot Jobs or Monster are also good places to find a data entry job in your area.

Finally, there are some organizations that need a lot of data entry done and you can visit their web sites and sign up for their programs to have a constant stream of work and revenue. These are usually the most stable way to make money through data entry jobs, but to be successful with these programs you need to insure that you are signing up with a reliable program so that you do not get scammed.

How Can You Protect Yourself from Scammers
Many people who purchase the click bank data entry product fail and give up with data entry jobs. It takes some time to realize that they were actually scammed and lost their time and money. Do not let this happen to you. There are scammers in every industry so it is important that you do your research and stay away from scam programs.

Search Engines are the best way to protect yourself from scammers. There are billions of web sites on the Internet today and thousands of them contain unbiased reviews of data entry programs. You can use search engines to find this information quickly to insure that you are not being scammed and to find the program that is best for you based on real user views and experiences.

Forums are also a great place to find this information. Finally, to be sure that your information is unbiased and accurate, be sure to double check the program you selected with the BBB or Better Business Bureau that has official information and customer praise/complaints about most businesses.

There is a lot of potential to earn a high income using data entry jobs. There are always people who are looking for data entry services, the key is to finding jobs and making sure that the jobs you find are not run by scammers so you won't waste your time and money. This article contains a lot of useful information that should assist you greatly in making money online and being successful through data entry jobs. Be sure to visit some of the web sites that were mentioned as they contain a lot of very useful information and can help you earn a lot more money.

Data entry is one of the best ways to make money from home online, but like everything else, be sure to do your homework and put in the effort required.

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small business 2

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Every entrepreneur, to achieve any amount of success, should be motivated. Action comes from passion. Every book published or e-book that deals in money making and motivation screams passion - the most important ingredient in any successful entrepreneur.

Similarly, when you think about going after that extra money, you have to create a burning passion to do so. It will keep your fire glowing for a long time, at least till the first results become apparent. After that passion at a particular level keeps in rotation, after all money is the biggest motivator.

An entrepreneur embarking upon the route of a home office and extra money should strongly believe in himself and his capabilities. He/She should be thick skinned not to be perturbed or affected in any way by others comments and opinions. People are just plain jealous. Clear conscience and trust in oneself does not look for external approval. Evidence enough that, once you are successful and start earning extra money, the negative opinions and nasty comments turn into praise. One should have the ability and courage to make independent decisions and abide by them. This would be your most valuable asset yet.

Internet businesses are basically scams - popular opinion of people around you in any part of the world. Your online business needs your approval heart and soul; otherwise success will keep eluding you and so will the extra income you planned from it. If Edison did not believe that electricity could be harnessed to light up human life we would still be living in the dark ages, wouldn't we?

Being adaptive with working hours, being energetic, planning prudently, focusing on interim targets and stress control are hallmarks of a prosperous home business owner. If you think you lack in any of them, practice till you make these attributes a part of your involuntary senses.

Discipline to start is very important but to know where to stop is more important. Do not overwork or stress yourself to the point of not stopping. It will only burn out your imagination and render you useless for some time to come. Making short term extra money, you will lose out on the next few dollars (ex: Burning out today may earn you $1000 today, but by not working for the next 3 days you will lose $500 X 3 = $1500). Work the number of hours as per the plan you carefully laid out.

Building your business is more important than earning money out of it. As your business sustains and grows, the money you earn from it automatically grows. Treat the home business as your hobby and keep abreast of it through updated information. Knowledge earned does not cost a cent here but will help in decision making in all spheres of independent life.

Last but not the least, fear of failure and not failure itself leads to most failures. Keep trying, look at failure as a part of learning and be grateful for your benefit of knowledge from it. Learn from your mistakes, a lesson we have learned in primary school.

All the best for your online success.

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small business 1

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One of the challenges of working from home is how to draw the line between your personal and professional life. Family members (especially young children) may not understand that you're "busy" when you're just in the house, and may distract you right in the middle of an important call or letter. It may also be near impossible to stay organized and focused when your "work station" also happens to be the kitchen table, your bedroom, or the living room.

The most important thing to remember is that you are still working. Like all office environments, you need structure and space. Find a room (preferably with a lock) and equip it with a desk, a comfortable chair, appropriate lighting, a phone, and computer equipment. You may also need a printer, fax, and depending on your business, a scanner. There are some hybrid products that combine these functions, and you can install software that will allow you to receive faxes on your printer. Be sure to invest in cable or DSL as well, especially if your business is web-based.

You should set up a business email account; it looks more professional than sending or receiving business correspondence through your personal address, and at least protects your privacy. Your phone line should also be kept separate from your residential line; the last thing you need is your children tying up the phone or even answering it (some clients are put off by this).

Do invest in a filing system. Depending on your available space, you can get a small cabinet or even a wicker basket where you can place folders with important documents, receipts, and other records of your business. Go through these at least once a month so you can throw out any papers that you no longer need.

Now for office hours. It is recommended that you strictly follow a schedule: the specific times in the day, or days in the week, that you will focus on your work. Why? First of all, you want to have the discipline to shift into "work mode", and the habit of sitting at your desk at those times will steel you from the temptation to "put it off until later". It also helps manage the expectations of other people, who may think that since you follow your own hours that you are at their disposal. You can always say, "Oh, I'm sorry I can't go with you, since that falls within my office hours. But I'm free from (name a time)."

Many people who work from home say that it helps them to actually dress up when they're ready to get down to business. It's psychological. It's hard to take yourself seriously when you're sitting in front of the computer in your pajamas; your mind still thinks that you're on a break. You don't have to wear a suit, but at least take a shower, brush your teeth, and put on a comfortable shirt and jeans. If you want, put on makeup as well-if you feel you look good, the confidence and enthusiasm will show in your voice.

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sales 36

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The concept is simple... Increase the amount of the initial customer purchase by offering discounts or other extra bonuses on quantity purchases.

What you want to do is encourage the buyer to spend more money by offering special inducements, extras, discounts and special deals. Some buyers are happy to buy consumable products by the case, rather than by single package, if they can save a little money by doing so. Just look at the success of stores like Costco. Much of their food items are bundled into quantities that are larger than those a typical family would buy. But often the price is just too hard to pass by. People end up spending more cash to "save" money.

Once you have a customer in your store, or browsing through your catalogue, your task is to maximize the value of that purchase. You want to make it easy for your customer to spend more than he or she originally planned to. And you want them to do so happily and without regret.

Your goal should always be to develop life-long customers. Therefore, whatever special deals you offer them should always be in their best interest.

Examples

Increasing the value of a purchase can be as simple as providing supporting materials or accessories that are natural and convenient additions to whatever the customer is buying.

An electrical supply store could offer booklets that guide homeowners to safely make minor repairs and installations. A store selling sportswear - sweatshirts, track pants and tee-shirts, could also offer socks or wind-breakers as extra accessories.

It could also mean scaling your prices according to the amount purchased. This works well with products that have large profit margins and where customers can easily justify getting more than one, such as with gift items.

There's a fellow who sells single bottle wine stands at local fairs and shopping mall shows. The product is simply a single piece of wood cut on a sharp angle with one hole drilled right through, cut on the same angle. The weight of the bottle balances the board. It's a novel idea that captures people's attention. This marketer sells one wine stand for $5 or two for $6.50. He sells far more packages of two than single unit sales. Why? It's such a great deal, few can resist. An extra buck and a half is mere pocket change and there's always someone the buyer could give it to.

Think of supermarket pricing. Where I shop, the price of bundled green onions is 3 for 99 cents. There's no price listed for just one bunch. Guess what? Most people that buy, take 3 bunches for 99 cents. Why? It's a perceived special price on a quantity purchase. The actual value may even be irrelevant. People often assume that it's a better price for three than for buying just one. Here's how the thinking goes. "Maybe I'll be charged 50 cents for one. Buying 3 gives me each for just 33 cents. That's better value, so I'll buy 3".

You can often encourage customers to spend more by offering an attractive discount on a second or third similar product. This could work well for businesses whose customers would like to buy more than one. A good example would be a ladies shoe store. Such a business could significantly increase sales by offering a second pair of shoes at 15% off.

More resources at www.makeyoursalessoar.com

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Sharing inside information can boost your sales. It can make your business much more profitable too, since valuable information can be supplied at very little cost.

Quality, timely, relevant, and important information helps prospects and customers make intelligent decisions. The right information makes it a whole lot easier to choose with confidence. Providing additional ideas, advice, insights and resources is a great way to distinguish your product - and your company - from competitors.

What inside information of value can you provide to help your customers and prospects?

Helpful tips, inside secrets, and other creative ideas help to establish your expertise in the marketplace. When you give away this kind of inside information, you create tremendous value that's appreciated by customers. These people feel compelled to show their gratitude by continuing to buy from you, time and time again.

Offering valuable inside information is easier than you may think. Simply look at each product you supply and figure out what collateral information prospects would like to know.
In other words, if you were a salesperson standing in front of your prospect, what additional information of interest could you offer her?

To sell a solid cherry dining room suite from a showroom floor, you'd want to explain the exquisite finish and how to preserve that "new" look. You would point out the quality joinery used to secure the frame to the table legs. You might even open a china cabinet drawer to demonstrate the built-in quality, smooth running hardware and fine craftsmanship that went into it. It's all inside information.

These are precious details that help educate potential buyers. It's information that might otherwise go unnoticed... yet it could be the kind of detail that just might clinch the sale. Pointing out all this inside information helps buyers feel good about the true value of their purchase. It's something they could have easily missed, had it not been brought to their attention.

This kind of detailed inside information is of interest to potential customers and it's something that could easily be incorporated into a free brochure, booklet, report or videotape. It also adds perceived value to the product itself by establishing an exclusive "story" behind it. Don't just give them sales talk of hard-sell sales copy. Give them the facts - good, solid, inside information about what it is makes your product a better buy.

Here are some additional examples of using inside information to inform and educate prospects - and increase sales as a result:

A hardware store could offer a free booklet called "How To Refinish Old Furniture Like A Restoration Pro" to all buyers of furniture repair and refinishing items. This added value item -- offered exclusively -- should help boost sales of refinishing supplies. It's inside information that could only be provided by someone who has done it before.

A travel agent could offer personalized commentary on popular destinations in article format. "The 10 Must-See Spots In Las Vegas"... "The Top 7 Hottest Clubs In Nassau That Only The Locals Know About"... or, "11 Spectacular Sites Of Costa Rica You've Just Got To See At Least Once In Your Lifetime" might be great topics for niche market vacationers. If you fit the market profile and were planning a trip, wouldn't you at least be curious about this promising inside information?

If you plan to give your information away freely, prepare it as you would a salable product. Don't scrimp on quality in terms of both content and appearance. When an information product "looks" like something of value - it is. When you offer your report or booklet free with purchase, it's much more likely to act as an incentive to the sale.

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If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker on the market for exclusive mortgage leads, how do you know if that lead is really exclusive or not?

The true definition of an exclusive mortgage lead is defined as one that is sold in real time and sold to you only.

This sounds really good, but there is a small problem with that. Who is to say that this potential customer hasn't taken it upon themselves to contact other loan officers.

Unfortunately, this is the chance you take when you buy leads exclusively.

Typically, a potential customer who fills out an on-line form over the internet is using the internet to find a mortgage and a loan officer because they feel as though they have no other place to go, and the internet is their best resource to find their product and someone to help them with it

Also, it is against the norm to jump from web site to web site filling out on-line forms. The majority of consumers like to keep their personal information very limited on the internet, so the chances of them filling out many forms is highly unlikely.

So your chances of receiving the lead exclusively may be better than you think.

Another problem, how can you be sure that the lead company selling you the exclusive mortgage lead is doing just that?

The best defense against receiving anything less than exclusive mortgage leads is to research the company you are considering investing in.

Call the company, speak with someone in customer service, find out how they obtain their leads and what exactly makes them exclusive.

Remember, you buy your exclusive mortgage leads with money that you have worked hard for, so if you can't get answers to your questions, move onto the next lead company.

Customer service, as in any industry, is very important in the lead industry. The way you are treated when researching lead companies should be an indication as to how you will be treated when something goes wrong, or if you think you should get your money back. Best of luck.

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f you are a loan officer or mortgage broker on the market for internet mortgage leads, than many things will be of importance to you, including the cost of the lead.

When researching mortgage lead companies, a clear indication of the quality of the lead you will be receiving should be in the pricing.

For instance, if you take $100.00 and invest it in a lead company in order to receive 50 leads, you can safely assume that the leads you receive will be very old and recycled time and time again to other lead companies and countless loan officers.

On the other hand, if you take that same $100.00 and invest it in a lead company in order to receive anywhere from three to six leads, you can than safely assume that the quality of these leads are very good. These types of leads are known as "real time," or "fresh leads."

When it comes to pricing and quality of leads, make sure you do your research. Be sure to speak with someone in the customer service department and find out the details of the type of leads they sell, and where they are obtaining these leads from.

If you decide to buy your leads in real time, and you are paying a good price for them, there really should be no reason as to why the lead would be any older than one day. In fact, if the lead is more than an hour old, it cannot be considered real time.

Remember, you work hard for your money, so the lead company you invest in should be delivering good quality leads if that is what they are claiming to sell.

If you choose to buy your leads cheap and in bulk, than you can expect the quality of the lead to be poor. You can also count on hearing things such as "I did that weeks ago," or "I just closed on that loan last week."

Keep in mind, when researching lead companies, do your home work, speak with someone in the customer service department. If the answers to your questions don't meet your satisfaction, than the response to any future issues you may have, such as a refund, may not live up to your expectations either, so be careful.

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company. Author Bio

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f you are a loan officer or mortgage broker and you are on the market for mortgage leads, you may want to research the companies you are considering to determine exactly what kind of leads you will be receiving. Not to mention, where they are coming from.

A junk lead is classified as a lead that is old or recycled by many loan officers and many lead companies. It may come cheap, but chances are, it won't be worth the two dollars you spent on it.

A real time lead is a lead that is considered fresh. Meaning, you will receive it on the same day the applicant fills out the on-line form. If the lead is any older than a day, it can hardly be considered real time.

When researching mortgage lead companies, be sure to find out where the mortgage lead company is obtaining their leads from.

If they obtain them from web sites they own and operate themselves, where they are directing potential clients to fill out on-line forms, you can safely assume that you will be receiving fresh, real time leads.

If the customer service rep for the mortgage lead company you are considering starts dodging your questions, than you can safely assume that the leads are not fresh.

This is not to say that the lead company does not have good leads to offer, but it would be wise on your part to find out exactly where the leads are coming from to be sure you are getting the best quality leads for your money.

In the end, it all depends on what you are looking for. Quality or quantity.

Quantity will most likely get you hang ups and answers such as " I closed that loan weeks ago," or "I filled out that application months ago." If you are tired of these scenarios, you should definitely consider going with quality mortgage leads, otherwise known as real time mortgage leads, it just might be worth your while. Best of luck.

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Do you own a traditional business with a physical location? Do you have an online presence to go along with it? If so, your website can serve dual purposes for your business: it can be an additional source for your customers to shop and buy your products and services, or it can simply act as a supporting branch of your brick-and-mortar location. Either is a valid use for your online presence, but many traditional businesses use theirs for the latter - to drive traffic to their business' physical location(s). So how can you use your website to drive customers to your store?

Use Your Website to Encourage Repeat Business from Current Customers

One of the biggest mistakes that most businesses make is constantly pursuing new customers and forgetting about existing customers. Avoid this at all cost. Your current customers have purchased from you in the past and they know your business. You simply cannot find a more qualified pool of people to market to, so take advantage of your relationship with them. Not only will your current customers be more likely to buy from you, but they'll be more likely to recommend new customers to you, so keep them close by treating them well.

First you'll have to collect their information so you can stay in touch with them and alert them about news and specials, etc., but once you've got that out of the way, there are several ways to encourage repeat business. Since an active customer base is the quickest and easiest way to boost sales, I'm going to focus on that aspect of using your online presence to drive offline sales in this article, but most of these ideas will work with new customers as well.

Use Your Website to Build Credibility

One of the simplest ways to use your online presence to drive offline sales is to build credibility with site visitors. There are many, many ways to do this - here are a few.

Become a member of a reputable service organization - and make sure both your current and potential customers are well aware of that you are a member. Once you become a member of an organization like the Better Business Bureau, for example, you can put their logo on your site. This will give you a lot of credibility. Every chance you have to let your customers know about what a stand-up business you run, do it. You can do this with professional organizations, industry organizations, and chambers of commerce as well.

Use customer testimonials wisely. Most savvy business owners already know how valuable testimonials can be to establishing credibility. Well, what if you take a slightly different approach? Try using customer testimonials that focus on the benefits of your brick and mortar store. You obviously have customers who already shop at your physical location - ask the ones that love your products and services to help you with some testimonials about the virtues of your store.

With any testimonial, it's best if you write it and then ask your customer to approve it. That way, you'll get the testimonial you want when you want it without hassling your customer. All they have to do is sign off on it - not spend time writing it for you. Make it easy for them to help you out, and reward them when they do.

Testimonials that extol the great qualities of your store might include details about how personable your staff is, what great customer service you have, and the convenience of your location. You can probably think of fifty reasons why people shop at your store. Start making a list and then compose ten testimonials based on the list.

Pick one at a time and ask a loyal customer to sign off on it. Keep doing this until you have endorsers for all of them, and then rotate three or so every couple of months on your site. As you get more customers, revisit your list and write new testimonials to be approved. Your loyal customers will love helping you out, and their testimonials will help you solidify your relationships with new customers.

Remind website visitors about the benefits of shopping in your store. If your business derives most or all of its profits from in-store sales, remind your customers about the benefits of shopping there. When customers visit your store, they don't have to pay shipping, they can take the product home right away instead of waiting for it to be delivered, they get hands-on customer service, etc.

As with any of these promotional ideas, there's surely a long list of benefits to visiting your store. These things might seem obvious to you, but posting these facts on your website will remind your customers that there are many benefits of shopping in your store and increase visits from new customers who might otherwise purchase products online.

Start implementing ideas like this into your marketing strategy, and you're sure to see an increase in in-store traffic. Next time I'll include even more great tips for driving customers into your store from your online presence.

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