Business card design tips
Advances in printing technology have created a cottage industry for online business card companies that offer full-color cards for extremely competitive prices. Enter “business cards†in any popular search engine, and you’ll find hundreds of companies b
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5/31/2005
Phone Strategies for Networking
Phone Strategies for Networking
Los Angeles writer Joyce Skootin usually has no qualms about fielding phone calls, but she noticed her palms were sweaty when she was about to place her very first networking call in an effort to secure freelance assignments. Like many self-employed American
Start a secretarial business
Los Angeles writer Joyce Skootin usually has no qualms about fielding phone calls, but she noticed her palms were sweaty when she was about to place her very first networking call in an effort to secure freelance assignments. Like many self-employed American
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Business - Stand out
Stand Out
The most common mistake made when starting a new business is to copy what other companies are doing in your industry.
In reality, it’s critical that you stand apart from your competition, and that you look to your competitors as examples of what to avoid.
The most common mistake made when starting a new business is to copy what other companies are doing in your industry.
In reality, it’s critical that you stand apart from your competition, and that you look to your competitors as examples of what to avoid.
Home-Based Business Breakthroughs - 8 Powerful Strategies
Home-Based Business Breakthroughs - 8 Powerful Strategies
By Laurie Hayes
Many home-based business owners go into business with the dream of creating more financial and personal freedom for themselves. Usually, quite the opposite result is produced.
When running your own business, you often work harder and for longer hours than you would for an employer. Your perception of being a business owner and the reality of it are miles apart. This is why so many entrepreneurs end up feeling out of balance and out of control. If you are experiencing these same feelings, you are not alone, especially if you are in the early years of building your business.
A gap exists between your original expectations and the reality of running a home-based business. It is important to acknowledge your false perceptions and recognize the reality of being your own boss.
It is also important to understand that running your own business is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, and as long as you are aware of the realities and remain committed to create the success you seek, you will make it happen.
In order to create breakthroughs for yourself and your business, you need to understand and embrace 8 powerful strategies.
1. Determine Your Values
This cannot be stressed enough. The success of your business will directly relate to honoring your core values. A great tool to determine your values can be found at www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com/valuesgame.htm
2. Create A Vision
What is it you want to achieve in the next six months to a year?
Where do you want to be in 5-10 years in your business and personal life? Write down the vision you have for your company and your personal life (5-10 items each). With this done you will be able to set realistic goals and focus your efforts where they are needed. Beside each item listed, write down what realizing this vision will feel and look like. Every successful entrepreneur will tell you she wrote down her vision and how this practice has contributed to her success.
3. Set Goals Take a few hours this week to identify and write down three or four key goals necessary to move your business forward. Include personal goals as well! (These include relationship, physical, emotional, spiritual, family, nutritional, etc.) Picture yourself at the end of this year. It's New Year's Eve and you are looking back on your achievements. What would you like to have accomplished by then? How will you feel looking back at your amazing accomplishments?
4. Maintain Quality of Life
This is critical to the success of your business. If you are burned out, stressed, exhausted, unhappy and imbalanced, your business will suffer. Play your favorite sport every week, get out with friends, play with your children, attend school functions and dinner engagements, get adequate sleep, eat healthy meals and take your partner on a date. If your work and personal life are not in balance, you will do yourself, your family, and your business a great disservice. When you are in balance, you have more energy, you can think more clearly and you can maintain a sharper focus. When you function in a balanced state, you can accomplish more quality work in 3 hours than you can in 12 hours in an imbalanced state. You will make better decisions and fewer mistakes.
Take mini-vacations. Every time you do, you will come back fresher, sharper and capable of creating amazing breakthroughs in your business. The little things that set you off before will go unnoticed when you're refreshed.
5. Leverage
If you lack a particular skill, have someone else take on the task for you. You don't have to be and do everything. Some skills are essential in running a successful business. Others can be outsourced.
The greatest entrepreneurs of our time know where they are weak and use other people's strengths and abilities to create desired outcomes. By leveraging your time, you can free yourself up to focus on what you do best. I considered learning how to create and manage my own web site then realized my time could be better spent focusing on my overall vision and mission. I could have spent days learning a software program and designing a site, but that would have taken me miles away from my vision. I would have been working in my business and not on my business. Keep this in mind for yourself. You are the visionary of your business. You need to remain focused on the big picture.
If you have time consuming tasks that can be better handled by others, hand over the reigns. Know that you are rewarded for the results you create, not for how many hours you had to sweat and toil to create them.
6. Mastermind Groups and Support Systems
You cannot do it alone and you do not know it all. Growth and prosperity are accelerated when you have a strong support system in place. By having a mastermind group and support system in place, you will have a continual source of information, a direct link to hundreds of resources, encouragement, and a means of accountability. These partners will help you remain focused and on track with your business while being good to yourself.
7. Maintain Strong Client Relationships
It requires 16 times more effort to acquire a new client than it does to keep an existing one. Treat your clients like gold. Nurture your relationships with them and go the extra mile to make them feel valued and appreciated. Imagine every client as a million dollar client and treat him as such. If you had a million dollars in your hand, you wouldn't throw it away would you? You would protect it and treat it with care.
If your client feels valued and appreciated, he will go out of his way to share his gratitude with others. Strong relationships will grow your business. People will seek you out. Focus on the relationships you build and the profits will follow.
8. Never Stop Learning
If you decide one day that you have achieved absolute wisdom and there is no more room for improvement, your business will start to wither. Human beings evolve. Entrepreneurs evolve. There is no absolute perfection. Make continuing education mandatory. Fill yourself with information about selling, marketing, your industry, your competition, your client demographics and psychographics, copywriting, economic trends, new product development, etc.
By using these strategies you will create breakthroughs for yourself and your business. Take some time in the next couple of days to find a quiet place for yourself to sit and write down your vision and goals. Put these strategies into place. Revisit your notes every week and see how you are doing.
What results have you experienced so far? Where do you need to make adjustments? Have you implemented all of the strategies?
Some home-based business owners are so excited about the possibilities that lie ahead they jump right in to building a business without creating any structure or implementing any strategies.
Many small and home-based business owners fail due to inconsistency, lack of focus, poor structure, ineffective strategies, and eventual burnout. Invest the time and energy necessary to ensure your success.
Discipline yourself, create structure, implement the above strategies, and you will be amazed by the results you create.
Laurie works with home-based business owners who face the distinct challenges presented when working from home. She is the author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The Heart of Living." Website URL http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
Start a secretarial business
By Laurie Hayes
Many home-based business owners go into business with the dream of creating more financial and personal freedom for themselves. Usually, quite the opposite result is produced.
When running your own business, you often work harder and for longer hours than you would for an employer. Your perception of being a business owner and the reality of it are miles apart. This is why so many entrepreneurs end up feeling out of balance and out of control. If you are experiencing these same feelings, you are not alone, especially if you are in the early years of building your business.
A gap exists between your original expectations and the reality of running a home-based business. It is important to acknowledge your false perceptions and recognize the reality of being your own boss.
It is also important to understand that running your own business is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, and as long as you are aware of the realities and remain committed to create the success you seek, you will make it happen.
In order to create breakthroughs for yourself and your business, you need to understand and embrace 8 powerful strategies.
1. Determine Your Values
This cannot be stressed enough. The success of your business will directly relate to honoring your core values. A great tool to determine your values can be found at www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com/valuesgame.htm
2. Create A Vision
What is it you want to achieve in the next six months to a year?
Where do you want to be in 5-10 years in your business and personal life? Write down the vision you have for your company and your personal life (5-10 items each). With this done you will be able to set realistic goals and focus your efforts where they are needed. Beside each item listed, write down what realizing this vision will feel and look like. Every successful entrepreneur will tell you she wrote down her vision and how this practice has contributed to her success.
3. Set Goals Take a few hours this week to identify and write down three or four key goals necessary to move your business forward. Include personal goals as well! (These include relationship, physical, emotional, spiritual, family, nutritional, etc.) Picture yourself at the end of this year. It's New Year's Eve and you are looking back on your achievements. What would you like to have accomplished by then? How will you feel looking back at your amazing accomplishments?
4. Maintain Quality of Life
This is critical to the success of your business. If you are burned out, stressed, exhausted, unhappy and imbalanced, your business will suffer. Play your favorite sport every week, get out with friends, play with your children, attend school functions and dinner engagements, get adequate sleep, eat healthy meals and take your partner on a date. If your work and personal life are not in balance, you will do yourself, your family, and your business a great disservice. When you are in balance, you have more energy, you can think more clearly and you can maintain a sharper focus. When you function in a balanced state, you can accomplish more quality work in 3 hours than you can in 12 hours in an imbalanced state. You will make better decisions and fewer mistakes.
Take mini-vacations. Every time you do, you will come back fresher, sharper and capable of creating amazing breakthroughs in your business. The little things that set you off before will go unnoticed when you're refreshed.
5. Leverage
If you lack a particular skill, have someone else take on the task for you. You don't have to be and do everything. Some skills are essential in running a successful business. Others can be outsourced.
The greatest entrepreneurs of our time know where they are weak and use other people's strengths and abilities to create desired outcomes. By leveraging your time, you can free yourself up to focus on what you do best. I considered learning how to create and manage my own web site then realized my time could be better spent focusing on my overall vision and mission. I could have spent days learning a software program and designing a site, but that would have taken me miles away from my vision. I would have been working in my business and not on my business. Keep this in mind for yourself. You are the visionary of your business. You need to remain focused on the big picture.
If you have time consuming tasks that can be better handled by others, hand over the reigns. Know that you are rewarded for the results you create, not for how many hours you had to sweat and toil to create them.
6. Mastermind Groups and Support Systems
You cannot do it alone and you do not know it all. Growth and prosperity are accelerated when you have a strong support system in place. By having a mastermind group and support system in place, you will have a continual source of information, a direct link to hundreds of resources, encouragement, and a means of accountability. These partners will help you remain focused and on track with your business while being good to yourself.
7. Maintain Strong Client Relationships
It requires 16 times more effort to acquire a new client than it does to keep an existing one. Treat your clients like gold. Nurture your relationships with them and go the extra mile to make them feel valued and appreciated. Imagine every client as a million dollar client and treat him as such. If you had a million dollars in your hand, you wouldn't throw it away would you? You would protect it and treat it with care.
If your client feels valued and appreciated, he will go out of his way to share his gratitude with others. Strong relationships will grow your business. People will seek you out. Focus on the relationships you build and the profits will follow.
8. Never Stop Learning
If you decide one day that you have achieved absolute wisdom and there is no more room for improvement, your business will start to wither. Human beings evolve. Entrepreneurs evolve. There is no absolute perfection. Make continuing education mandatory. Fill yourself with information about selling, marketing, your industry, your competition, your client demographics and psychographics, copywriting, economic trends, new product development, etc.
By using these strategies you will create breakthroughs for yourself and your business. Take some time in the next couple of days to find a quiet place for yourself to sit and write down your vision and goals. Put these strategies into place. Revisit your notes every week and see how you are doing.
What results have you experienced so far? Where do you need to make adjustments? Have you implemented all of the strategies?
Some home-based business owners are so excited about the possibilities that lie ahead they jump right in to building a business without creating any structure or implementing any strategies.
Many small and home-based business owners fail due to inconsistency, lack of focus, poor structure, ineffective strategies, and eventual burnout. Invest the time and energy necessary to ensure your success.
Discipline yourself, create structure, implement the above strategies, and you will be amazed by the results you create.
Laurie works with home-based business owners who face the distinct challenges presented when working from home. She is the author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The Heart of Living." Website URL http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
Start a secretarial business
Key Secrets to Becoming a Great Entrepreneur
Key Secrets to Becoming a Great Entrepreneur
Key Secrets to Becoming a Great Entrepreneur By Laurie Hayes Published on 08-05-2005
You may have an exceptional product that can improve the lives of many. You may provide a service that is second to none. BUT if you don't have exceptional sales skills, you will lose out on many an opportunity to demonstrate or provide value to anyone.
The most important, yet least developed business skill in many small and home-based business owners is selling. You may associate selling to undergoing a root canal because of the bad experiences you have had with sales people. Lack of effective sales skills is a major contributor to the demise of a business.
The great thing to realize is that selling is a skill. It is not something you are born with. It is a skill that is learned and cultivated. Do some people seem to be naturals at it? You bet! I am in awe of some people who seem to just learn a technique and after practicing it once, are off to the races like they've been doing it for years. For others, a little more practice and polishing may be required, but in the end, they can be just as effective and successful as those who seem to have it mastered right out of the gate.
A major block in selling is the stereotype of salespeople. When I say, "Salesperson" to you. What immediately comes to mind? Do you see a fast talker in a bad suit? Is this person arrogant and pushy? Does this person hear a word you're saying or does he/she speak over you? Does this person ignore your questions? Is this person a know-it-all? Will this person not take "No" for an answer? If you raise a concern will this person make you feel stupid?
I had first titled this article, "Key Secrets to Being a Great Salesperson," but recognized that just by using the word, "Salesperson," fewer people would read the article. The negative or positive association of a word is powerful!
Although you are an entrepreneur, you are also a sales person. You are in the business of selling a product or service to others. How would you like to be viewed as a salesperson? Would you like others to see you as: Authentic? A good listener? Genuinely concerned for the best interests of the buyer? Understanding? Professional? A person of high integrity? Trustworthy? Knowledgeable? Honest? These are not only skills. They are behaviors; behaviors that must be embraced and practiced.
Others may have a better product or service, or lower price than you, but clients and customers will naturally gravitate to the seller who makes them feel valued, respected and heard. I'm sure you have been in a situation where you opted for a product or service you didn't originally have in mind because of the way the salesperson made you feel. I know I have.
Buyers need to know the facts and benefits of a product or service, but they also need to have a sense of relationship with the salesperson. Take a look at yourself from the buyer's perspective. How are you coming across? Does the prospective customer or client walk away from your interaction feeling empowered, valued and understood?
These skills are not only necessary for selling products or services. You sell yourself to others every single day. How you make people feel determines whether or not they want to do business or have any other type of relationship with you. Keep these thoughts in mind as you go throughout your day.
Become aware of the impression you create for others and if you are not satisfied with the results, modify your behavior, measure again and keep fine-tuning until you see positive results. Become the kind of salesperson people will recommend to their friends and acquaintances and watch your business grow.
Laurie works with home-based business owners who face the distinct challenges presented when working from home. She is the author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The Heart of Living." Website URL http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
Start a secretarial business
Key Secrets to Becoming a Great Entrepreneur By Laurie Hayes Published on 08-05-2005
You may have an exceptional product that can improve the lives of many. You may provide a service that is second to none. BUT if you don't have exceptional sales skills, you will lose out on many an opportunity to demonstrate or provide value to anyone.
The most important, yet least developed business skill in many small and home-based business owners is selling. You may associate selling to undergoing a root canal because of the bad experiences you have had with sales people. Lack of effective sales skills is a major contributor to the demise of a business.
The great thing to realize is that selling is a skill. It is not something you are born with. It is a skill that is learned and cultivated. Do some people seem to be naturals at it? You bet! I am in awe of some people who seem to just learn a technique and after practicing it once, are off to the races like they've been doing it for years. For others, a little more practice and polishing may be required, but in the end, they can be just as effective and successful as those who seem to have it mastered right out of the gate.
A major block in selling is the stereotype of salespeople. When I say, "Salesperson" to you. What immediately comes to mind? Do you see a fast talker in a bad suit? Is this person arrogant and pushy? Does this person hear a word you're saying or does he/she speak over you? Does this person ignore your questions? Is this person a know-it-all? Will this person not take "No" for an answer? If you raise a concern will this person make you feel stupid?
I had first titled this article, "Key Secrets to Being a Great Salesperson," but recognized that just by using the word, "Salesperson," fewer people would read the article. The negative or positive association of a word is powerful!
Although you are an entrepreneur, you are also a sales person. You are in the business of selling a product or service to others. How would you like to be viewed as a salesperson? Would you like others to see you as: Authentic? A good listener? Genuinely concerned for the best interests of the buyer? Understanding? Professional? A person of high integrity? Trustworthy? Knowledgeable? Honest? These are not only skills. They are behaviors; behaviors that must be embraced and practiced.
Others may have a better product or service, or lower price than you, but clients and customers will naturally gravitate to the seller who makes them feel valued, respected and heard. I'm sure you have been in a situation where you opted for a product or service you didn't originally have in mind because of the way the salesperson made you feel. I know I have.
Buyers need to know the facts and benefits of a product or service, but they also need to have a sense of relationship with the salesperson. Take a look at yourself from the buyer's perspective. How are you coming across? Does the prospective customer or client walk away from your interaction feeling empowered, valued and understood?
These skills are not only necessary for selling products or services. You sell yourself to others every single day. How you make people feel determines whether or not they want to do business or have any other type of relationship with you. Keep these thoughts in mind as you go throughout your day.
Become aware of the impression you create for others and if you are not satisfied with the results, modify your behavior, measure again and keep fine-tuning until you see positive results. Become the kind of salesperson people will recommend to their friends and acquaintances and watch your business grow.
Laurie works with home-based business owners who face the distinct challenges presented when working from home. She is the author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The Heart of Living." Website URL http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
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Home-based companies not just for startups
Home-based companies not just for startups
businessweek.com - Many people who start home-based companies find after a few years that it's time to move out -- the business has grown too big for the house. Yet many others are still operating out of their homes years...
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businessweek.com - Many people who start home-based companies find after a few years that it's time to move out -- the business has grown too big for the house. Yet many others are still operating out of their homes years...
Start a secretarial business
Money Seeker uk - Establish Your Home Based Business
Money Seeker uk - Establish Your Home Based Business
Home based businesses are quickly becoming a widespread phenomenon in the United Kingdom and around the world. Home based businesses are a segment of the huge and growing work-at-home industry. Work at home businesses are giving individuals an opportunity of
Start a secretarial business
Home based businesses are quickly becoming a widespread phenomenon in the United Kingdom and around the world. Home based businesses are a segment of the huge and growing work-at-home industry. Work at home businesses are giving individuals an opportunity of
Start a secretarial business
5/30/2005
Some Tips for Naming Your Business
Some Tips for Naming Your Business
We all know I appreciate a good business name (even if I really haven't had any to share in recent months), so I enjoyed reading these
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The Difference Between a Real Entrepreneur and a Good Professional
The Difference Between a Real Entrepreneur and a Good Professional
CDRob: "Well, the businessman is a person who 'smells' a good opportunity and tries to take advantages of his skills to cash it.
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When it Comes to Home-Based Businesses, Failure is Not an Option Here
When it Comes to Home-Based Businesses, Failure is Not an Option Here
If you're looking to start a homebased business, you need to know where to go and what to look for. Otherwise you'll just be throw away your money. Here are some tips on how to get your search off to a good start.
Start a secretarial business
If you're looking to start a homebased business, you need to know where to go and what to look for. Otherwise you'll just be throw away your money. Here are some tips on how to get your search off to a good start.
Start a secretarial business
Shape up Your Business with Networking Aerobics
Shape up Your Business with Networking Aerobics
5 exercises to help you maintain networking momentum [PRWEB May 23, 2005]
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5 exercises to help you maintain networking momentum [PRWEB May 23, 2005]
Start a secretarial business
Free Resume Writing Course
Free Resume Writing Course
I will not go as far as saying that the first impression is the last impression, but the first impression definitely matters. A resume is usually the first contact that an employer or a college has with you. Hence, resume...
Start a secretarial business
I will not go as far as saying that the first impression is the last impression, but the first impression definitely matters. A resume is usually the first contact that an employer or a college has with you. Hence, resume...
Start a secretarial business
Being a Home-Based Business Owner ... What's Not to Love?
Being a Home-Based Business Owner ... What's Not to Love?
Being an entrepreneur and working from home has to be one of the most rewarding opportunities availa...
Start a secretarial business
Being an entrepreneur and working from home has to be one of the most rewarding opportunities availa...
Start a secretarial business
Choosing The Perfect Home Based Business
Choosing The Perfect Home Based Business
Nowadays, more and more people are becoming a home based business owner. If you make a search on ‘home based business’ at Yahoo, it returned a total of 51,000,000. No, I didn’t put any extra zeros. It’s 51 million! Most of them are promoting business opportunities and others provide home based business information.
The question is now, if you want to start your own home based business, without
having to go through all 51 million sites, how do you find the perfect business that really suits you?
Let’s begin.
Basically there’re 2 types of business that you can run. I’ll go through one at a time.
1. Selling a new product.
If you’re a super genius who knows what the market’s wants, that this type of business is for you.
Advantage: You will be the owner of the product which means you control everything; from pricing to the product type. You’ll become the expert and people will see you as genius who create new product line.
Disadvantage: You will have to design your own marketing plan; sales letter, website
design, autoresponder email system and everything. So, in other words, your business might no begin within 1 or 2 month after you develop your product. Even you already setup everything, your income might come in rather slow since most people are afraid to buy new product.
2. Selling other people product.
You sell other people product and you earn income by receiving your sales commission.
Advantage: You don’t have to design any market plan (most of the time). Everything
will be provided to you. All you need to do is using these tools to market their product. Since everything is there, you can start promoting them almost immediately and so do your cheque.
Disadvantage: You don’t have the power to change the market plan, product or any tools. You have to use them whether you like it or not.
Which one you choose is wholly up to you. But for me who is so lazy of doing any thinking and working, I’d choose option 2.
Still, you have to make filter out millions of products that you can promote for your
business.
Here are the guidelines for choosing them:
1. Available marketing tools: Are they giving me any marketing tools? eg. email ad,
banner ad, sales letter etc. The marketing marketing tools provided, the better.
2. Product is suitable for huge market: Choose a product that can be use by many people and not only for certain group of consumer.
3. Recurring commission: For me this is the most important factor. Some product, you earn your comission only once when you make one off sales. Normally, you earn a recurring commission when you sell product that needs the buyer make recurring payment every month. So, you will earn your commission every month as long as the buyer makes the payment.
It is easy, isn’t it?
Let’s we summed up everything that we learn.
If you want to start you home based business immediately, promote other people’s product. This product should have excellent support, all marketing tools are provided to you, many people use it and the buyers have to pay them every month.
There you have it. A perfect home based business for you (at least it is for me ).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nas Romli runs a site that help people to start their own home based business within 24 hours.Many have benefited from this service.Drop by at his site for more information about this amazing service:http://www.cashflowsecret.net
Nowadays, more and more people are becoming a home based business owner. If you make a search on ‘home based business’ at Yahoo, it returned a total of 51,000,000. No, I didn’t put any extra zeros. It’s 51 million! Most of them are promoting business opportunities and others provide home based business information.
The question is now, if you want to start your own home based business, without
having to go through all 51 million sites, how do you find the perfect business that really suits you?
Let’s begin.
Basically there’re 2 types of business that you can run. I’ll go through one at a time.
1. Selling a new product.
If you’re a super genius who knows what the market’s wants, that this type of business is for you.
Advantage: You will be the owner of the product which means you control everything; from pricing to the product type. You’ll become the expert and people will see you as genius who create new product line.
Disadvantage: You will have to design your own marketing plan; sales letter, website
design, autoresponder email system and everything. So, in other words, your business might no begin within 1 or 2 month after you develop your product. Even you already setup everything, your income might come in rather slow since most people are afraid to buy new product.
2. Selling other people product.
You sell other people product and you earn income by receiving your sales commission.
Advantage: You don’t have to design any market plan (most of the time). Everything
will be provided to you. All you need to do is using these tools to market their product. Since everything is there, you can start promoting them almost immediately and so do your cheque.
Disadvantage: You don’t have the power to change the market plan, product or any tools. You have to use them whether you like it or not.
Which one you choose is wholly up to you. But for me who is so lazy of doing any thinking and working, I’d choose option 2.
Still, you have to make filter out millions of products that you can promote for your
business.
Here are the guidelines for choosing them:
1. Available marketing tools: Are they giving me any marketing tools? eg. email ad,
banner ad, sales letter etc. The marketing marketing tools provided, the better.
2. Product is suitable for huge market: Choose a product that can be use by many people and not only for certain group of consumer.
3. Recurring commission: For me this is the most important factor. Some product, you earn your comission only once when you make one off sales. Normally, you earn a recurring commission when you sell product that needs the buyer make recurring payment every month. So, you will earn your commission every month as long as the buyer makes the payment.
It is easy, isn’t it?
Let’s we summed up everything that we learn.
If you want to start you home based business immediately, promote other people’s product. This product should have excellent support, all marketing tools are provided to you, many people use it and the buyers have to pay them every month.
There you have it. A perfect home based business for you (at least it is for me ).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nas Romli runs a site that help people to start their own home based business within 24 hours.Many have benefited from this service.Drop by at his site for more information about this amazing service:http://www.cashflowsecret.net
Lack Of Business Isn't Always The Problem
Lack Of Business Isn't Always The Problem
When you're just starting out in business, it's a
safe bet that you need more clients. But what if you
have been up and running for a while, and you're still
not making as much money as you would like? You may be
in the habit of thinking that attracting new clients is
the answer, but this isn't always the case.
There are many reasons why a professional services
business might not be earning enough, but they
typically fall into four categories: not enough
revenue, not enough profit, not enough customers, or
not enough time.
Start by looking at your gross revenue -- the total
amount your customers pay you over the course of a
year. How does it compare to others in the same line of
business? Ask some trusted colleagues or check with
your professional association for any statistics they
may have.
What percentage of your gross revenue remains after you
cover cost of sales? This is your gross profit. As a
service business, you may have no cost of sales. If,
however, you are selling books, tapes or software, or
accepting credit cards, your inventory cost and credit
card fees need to be deducted from your earnings before
making other calculations.
Now deduct your business expenses from your gross
profit. What percentage of gross profit remains? Is
this a typical percentage for your industry? If you
can't gather comparable data from colleagues, your
professional association, or a published source like
Dun & Bradstreet's "Industry Norms & Key Business
Ratios," compare your profit margin (net income
divided by gross profit) to a desired goal of 70%.
LOW REVENUE - If your gross revenue seems low for your
industry, your profit margin is at least 70%, and you
have about as many customers as you can comfortably
serve, concentrate on increasing your revenue, rather
than trying to improve your profit margin or bring in
new customers.
Consider raising your rates, which may mean finding a
market that is willing to pay more. Look for customers
who will give you higher dollar volume contracts or
place larger orders. Think about hiring more
administrative help, which would free up more of your
time to charge out at professional rates. You should
also work to increase your passive income by selling
products created by you or others, reselling some of
your existing work, or licensing a process you have
developed.
LOW PROFITS - If you are spending more than 30% of your
gross profit on overhead and marketing, work on
improving your profits. Look for ways to cut expenses
by reducing your overhead, or focusing on your most
profitable line of business.
In addition, if more than 15% of your gross profit is
spent on marketing alone (assuming you are not a
start-up business), consider cutting back on
advertising or mailings, and using more referral-based
marketing strategies. Seek out customers who will give
you repeat business or long-term contracts.
TOO FEW CUSTOMERS - Low revenue combined with not
enough billable work to keep you busy means you really
don't have enough customers. If you don't have a
marketing plan, it's time to create one. Focus your
plan on the most attractive service you have to offer
and the most lucrative market, rather than diffusing
your energy by marketing several different service
lines to more than one type of customer.
If you already have a marketing plan, but it's not
paying off, you may need to break into a new market,
look for a more appealing way to package your services,
or form an alliance with someone who can send a steady
stream of business your way.
TOO LITTLE TIME - It's possible that you simply don't
have enough time to earn more money. When you are
consistently spending over 25 hours per week serving
clients, with more potential customers in the pipeline
than you can realistically serve, it's time to hire an
employee or bring in a junior partner. If you're not
ready to take that step, think about subcontracting
work to a trusted associate, and keeping a percentage
of their billings.
In reading the suggestions above, you may have
discovered that you don't have enough information to
diagnose your earnings problem. There are six
statistics every service business owner should know:
revenue, expenses, profit margin, number of customers,
average sale amount, and billable time. If you don't
have the answers, start tracking these measurements
today.
C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Since
1992, C.J. has been teaching business owners and
salespeople to make more money with less effort. She is
a Master Certified Coach and leads workshops
internationally. Read more of her articles at
www.getclientsnow.com
info@getclientsnow.com
When you're just starting out in business, it's a
safe bet that you need more clients. But what if you
have been up and running for a while, and you're still
not making as much money as you would like? You may be
in the habit of thinking that attracting new clients is
the answer, but this isn't always the case.
There are many reasons why a professional services
business might not be earning enough, but they
typically fall into four categories: not enough
revenue, not enough profit, not enough customers, or
not enough time.
Start by looking at your gross revenue -- the total
amount your customers pay you over the course of a
year. How does it compare to others in the same line of
business? Ask some trusted colleagues or check with
your professional association for any statistics they
may have.
What percentage of your gross revenue remains after you
cover cost of sales? This is your gross profit. As a
service business, you may have no cost of sales. If,
however, you are selling books, tapes or software, or
accepting credit cards, your inventory cost and credit
card fees need to be deducted from your earnings before
making other calculations.
Now deduct your business expenses from your gross
profit. What percentage of gross profit remains? Is
this a typical percentage for your industry? If you
can't gather comparable data from colleagues, your
professional association, or a published source like
Dun & Bradstreet's "Industry Norms & Key Business
Ratios," compare your profit margin (net income
divided by gross profit) to a desired goal of 70%.
LOW REVENUE - If your gross revenue seems low for your
industry, your profit margin is at least 70%, and you
have about as many customers as you can comfortably
serve, concentrate on increasing your revenue, rather
than trying to improve your profit margin or bring in
new customers.
Consider raising your rates, which may mean finding a
market that is willing to pay more. Look for customers
who will give you higher dollar volume contracts or
place larger orders. Think about hiring more
administrative help, which would free up more of your
time to charge out at professional rates. You should
also work to increase your passive income by selling
products created by you or others, reselling some of
your existing work, or licensing a process you have
developed.
LOW PROFITS - If you are spending more than 30% of your
gross profit on overhead and marketing, work on
improving your profits. Look for ways to cut expenses
by reducing your overhead, or focusing on your most
profitable line of business.
In addition, if more than 15% of your gross profit is
spent on marketing alone (assuming you are not a
start-up business), consider cutting back on
advertising or mailings, and using more referral-based
marketing strategies. Seek out customers who will give
you repeat business or long-term contracts.
TOO FEW CUSTOMERS - Low revenue combined with not
enough billable work to keep you busy means you really
don't have enough customers. If you don't have a
marketing plan, it's time to create one. Focus your
plan on the most attractive service you have to offer
and the most lucrative market, rather than diffusing
your energy by marketing several different service
lines to more than one type of customer.
If you already have a marketing plan, but it's not
paying off, you may need to break into a new market,
look for a more appealing way to package your services,
or form an alliance with someone who can send a steady
stream of business your way.
TOO LITTLE TIME - It's possible that you simply don't
have enough time to earn more money. When you are
consistently spending over 25 hours per week serving
clients, with more potential customers in the pipeline
than you can realistically serve, it's time to hire an
employee or bring in a junior partner. If you're not
ready to take that step, think about subcontracting
work to a trusted associate, and keeping a percentage
of their billings.
In reading the suggestions above, you may have
discovered that you don't have enough information to
diagnose your earnings problem. There are six
statistics every service business owner should know:
revenue, expenses, profit margin, number of customers,
average sale amount, and billable time. If you don't
have the answers, start tracking these measurements
today.
C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Since
1992, C.J. has been teaching business owners and
salespeople to make more money with less effort. She is
a Master Certified Coach and leads workshops
internationally. Read more of her articles at
www.getclientsnow.com
info@getclientsnow.com
5/29/2005
Your Homebased Business' Structure
Your Homebased Business' Structure
Follow these tips to decide which business structure is best for your homebased business.
May 23, 2005
By Paul and Sarah Edwards
When you're a homebased business owner, you have several options when it comes to the formal structure of your business: sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC) or corporation. If you're going into business with someone else, you should definitely consider a LLC or a limited liability partnership (LLP), as well as a traditional partnership. Here are the key issues you should consider when weighing which would be best for you:
Cost to form the business
Complexity and time involved to maintain the legal structure
Potential personal liability in the event of litigation or business failure
Effect on obtaining a loan or attracting investors
Business image
Tax consequences, including the cost of tax preparation by a professional
Let's compare each of the business forms available in terms of these factors:
Operating as a sole proprietor will cost you the least to start and maintain. It's also the cheapest when it comes to having your tax returns prepared--you'll simply file a schedule C to go along with your 1040 form. A corporation, on the other hand, costs the most to start and maintain. The cost of operating an LLC will be somewhere between the two, although some states, like California, tax LLCs like corporations so the costs may be comparable to that of corporations.
Even if you fail to get a business license or register a fictitious name for your business--if you're using one--in the eyes of the government, you're automatically a sole proprietor. That's how easy it is--there's no paperwork to fill out and file. On the other hand, forming an LLC or incorporating requires that legal paperwork be drawn up and that you maintain your legal status, which involves ongoing paperwork.
As a sole proprietor, you're personally responsible for everything from business debts and damages to lawsuits. Your best protection is to be adequately insured. By incorporation or forming an LLC, your major advantage is that you can at least theoretically protect your personal assets, such as your home and your savings, from business losses. The reason this may be only theoretical is that in order to get a bank loan and sometimes even credit, the grantor may insist that you sign the paperwork as an individual in addition to signing in the name of your company.
If finding investors is a factor in your decision, incorporating is the way to go: The corporation's permanence and ability to extend beyond your lifetime alone make it more desirable.
Business image is another factor favoring incorporating. People associate size and permanence with the terms "Inc." or "Corp." at the end of your business's name.
The advantages of being taxed like a corporation generally don't begin to kick in until you're producing more than $100,000 a year in income for yourself. To avoid paying double taxes--first as a corporation on its income and then individually on what you collect as dividend income from the corporation--your tax professional is apt to advise you to choose subchapter S tax treatment. This means you'll pay your taxes as if you were a sole proprietor. Since tax policies vary among states, check out how your state treats LLCs and corporations.
If you're teaming up with someone else, then you'll need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of forming a partnership, a limited liability company or a corporation. While partnerships are the least expensive and simplest to start, the advantage of an LLC, LLP or a corporation is that you can limit your personal liability.
Finally, before deciding on any of these options, it's best to consult an attorney and tax professional who's well-versed in small-business or homebased business issues and/or read one of the specialty legal books available at www.nolo.com.
After applying these considerations to your situation, you may find you make a different decision on how to organize your business from another homebased business owner, even if you're starting the same kind of business in the same town at the same time.
Authors and career coaches Paul and Sarah Edwards are Entrepreneur.com's "Homebased Business" columnists. Their latest book is The Best Home Businesses for People 50+. Contact them at www.workingfromhome.com.
Follow these tips to decide which business structure is best for your homebased business.
May 23, 2005
By Paul and Sarah Edwards
When you're a homebased business owner, you have several options when it comes to the formal structure of your business: sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC) or corporation. If you're going into business with someone else, you should definitely consider a LLC or a limited liability partnership (LLP), as well as a traditional partnership. Here are the key issues you should consider when weighing which would be best for you:
Cost to form the business
Complexity and time involved to maintain the legal structure
Potential personal liability in the event of litigation or business failure
Effect on obtaining a loan or attracting investors
Business image
Tax consequences, including the cost of tax preparation by a professional
Let's compare each of the business forms available in terms of these factors:
Operating as a sole proprietor will cost you the least to start and maintain. It's also the cheapest when it comes to having your tax returns prepared--you'll simply file a schedule C to go along with your 1040 form. A corporation, on the other hand, costs the most to start and maintain. The cost of operating an LLC will be somewhere between the two, although some states, like California, tax LLCs like corporations so the costs may be comparable to that of corporations.
Even if you fail to get a business license or register a fictitious name for your business--if you're using one--in the eyes of the government, you're automatically a sole proprietor. That's how easy it is--there's no paperwork to fill out and file. On the other hand, forming an LLC or incorporating requires that legal paperwork be drawn up and that you maintain your legal status, which involves ongoing paperwork.
As a sole proprietor, you're personally responsible for everything from business debts and damages to lawsuits. Your best protection is to be adequately insured. By incorporation or forming an LLC, your major advantage is that you can at least theoretically protect your personal assets, such as your home and your savings, from business losses. The reason this may be only theoretical is that in order to get a bank loan and sometimes even credit, the grantor may insist that you sign the paperwork as an individual in addition to signing in the name of your company.
If finding investors is a factor in your decision, incorporating is the way to go: The corporation's permanence and ability to extend beyond your lifetime alone make it more desirable.
Business image is another factor favoring incorporating. People associate size and permanence with the terms "Inc." or "Corp." at the end of your business's name.
The advantages of being taxed like a corporation generally don't begin to kick in until you're producing more than $100,000 a year in income for yourself. To avoid paying double taxes--first as a corporation on its income and then individually on what you collect as dividend income from the corporation--your tax professional is apt to advise you to choose subchapter S tax treatment. This means you'll pay your taxes as if you were a sole proprietor. Since tax policies vary among states, check out how your state treats LLCs and corporations.
If you're teaming up with someone else, then you'll need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of forming a partnership, a limited liability company or a corporation. While partnerships are the least expensive and simplest to start, the advantage of an LLC, LLP or a corporation is that you can limit your personal liability.
Finally, before deciding on any of these options, it's best to consult an attorney and tax professional who's well-versed in small-business or homebased business issues and/or read one of the specialty legal books available at www.nolo.com.
After applying these considerations to your situation, you may find you make a different decision on how to organize your business from another homebased business owner, even if you're starting the same kind of business in the same town at the same time.
Authors and career coaches Paul and Sarah Edwards are Entrepreneur.com's "Homebased Business" columnists. Their latest book is The Best Home Businesses for People 50+. Contact them at www.workingfromhome.com.
When it Comes to Home-Based Businesses, Failure is Not an Option Here (PR Web)
When it Comes to Home-Based Businesses, Failure is Not an Option Here (PR Web)
If you're looking to start a homebased business, you need to know where to go and what to look for. Otherwise you'll just be throw away your money. Here are some tips on how to get your search off to a good start.
Start a secretarial business
If you're looking to start a homebased business, you need to know where to go and what to look for. Otherwise you'll just be throw away your money. Here are some tips on how to get your search off to a good start.
Start a secretarial business
5/28/2005
7 Sure Ways To Grow Your Ezine Subscriber List
7 Sure Ways To Grow Your Ezine Subscriber List
7 quick tips to help you increase your subscriptions and build up your ezine subscriber list.
Start a secretarial business
7 quick tips to help you increase your subscriptions and build up your ezine subscriber list.
Start a secretarial business
Make Your Business More Profitable
Make Your Business More Profitable
Do you want more sales and more profit from your business? It's not that hard to achieve if you follow these 4 simple tips.
Start a secretarial business
Do you want more sales and more profit from your business? It's not that hard to achieve if you follow these 4 simple tips.
Start a secretarial business
Top 9 Ways To "Speed Up" Your Surfing and Computing
Top 9 Ways To "Speed Up" Your Surfing and Computing
No matter how quickly something moves, especially on the Internet, it could always move faster.
Start a secretarial business
No matter how quickly something moves, especially on the Internet, it could always move faster.
Start a secretarial business
Fwd: Looking for qualified VAs to refer
Fwd: Looking for qualified VAs to refer
... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virtual Details LLC Antonette Artiz,
Start a secretarial business
... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virtual Details LLC Antonette Artiz,
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Formatting a business letter
This is a great article about formatting a business letter.
Anatomy of a Business Letter
by Linda Elizabeth Alexander
Business letters have many purposes and recipients. Despite variations in tone and style, the basic parts of a business letter remain standard throughout most business correspondence. This article outlines the elements found in standard business letters today, in order, as well as their modern format.
1. Heading
Assuming you are using company letterhead, your full address will already be on the page. Add the date two spaces below the last line of printed copy. If you are using blank paper, add your full address and the date in the heading. Align the heading, and all paragraphs, with the left margin(which should be at least one inch wide).
Example:
21 Carson Parkway
Boulder, CO 80111
December 3, 2006
2. Inside address
Include the recipient's full name, title, and address two spaces below the date. Align it with the left margin.
Example:
Conner T. Walker
2345 Sunrise Avenue
Denver, CO 80555
3. Salutation
Two spaces below the inside address, and also aligned with the left margin, place your salutation, or greeting. If you are on a first name basis with the recipient, use her/his first name followed by a colon. If you are writing a more formal letter, use a personal title (Ms., Mr., or Dr.) followed by the person's last name and a colon. Use Mr. for men, and Ms. for women. Never use Mrs. or Miss unless a woman has specifically expressed a preference. If you are not sure if the recipient is male or female, use a salutation that is appropriate to the letter context.
Examples:
Mr. Yates:
Ms. Dickinson:
Dear Customer:
Dear Publishing Manager:
4. Body
The body of the letter should begin two spaces below the salutation; all paragraphs should be aligned to the left margin. Single space within paragraphs and double space between them.
If your letter continues onto a second (or higher) page, leave at least two lines of text on the next page before the closing. Do not go onto another page just for the closing; this is bad form. If necessary, change the font size or margin width to make it fit onto one page.
5. Closing
Place the closing two spaces below the last line of the body. Use a standard closing such as Sincerely or Best regards. Capitalize only the first word, and follow the closing with a comma. Four spaces below, type your full name, also aligned with the closing at the left margin. Finally, sign your name in the space between the closing expression and your typed name.
6. Additional Information
Sometimes a business letter requires you to add the typist's initials, an enclosure notification, or a note that other people are receiving the same letter. Any of this information goes two spaces below the last line of the closing in a long letter, four spaces below in a very short letter.
The typist's initials follow the writer's initials, separated by a slash. The writer's initials go in capital letters, while the typist's are lowercase.
Example: LEA/lak or LEA/ald
If the writer and the typist are the same person, no initials are needed.
If you are sending material along with the letter, such as an invoice or report, indicate this with an enclosure notification. When you use this, you must refer to the enclosures in your letter. Abbreviate or describe the enclosure(s).
Examples:
Enc.
Encs.
Enclosure: Report findings
Lastly, if you are sending the same letter to more than one person, notify your recipients with a copy notation. This is abbreviated "cc:" and followed by the recipients' names.
Example:
cc: Linda Alexander
Janna Bree Smith
Emily Lane
7. Formatting
Finally, format your letter so it is easy to scan. Center the letter on the page both vertically and horizontally so that plenty of white space surrounds your text. When using your company's letterhead, remember to format your margins inside the printed material.
If a letter is very short, consider double spacing the entire letter. Also, you may add spaces between paragraphs, the salutation, etc., if it provides for a fuller appearance and enhances the overall "look" of the letter.
© 2002 By Linda Elizabeth Alexander. Linda Elizabeth Alexander writes marketing copy for nonprofits and other businesses. Contact her today to get your free consultation! http://www.write2thepointcom.com
lalexander@write2thepointcom.com
Anatomy of a Business Letter
by Linda Elizabeth Alexander
Business letters have many purposes and recipients. Despite variations in tone and style, the basic parts of a business letter remain standard throughout most business correspondence. This article outlines the elements found in standard business letters today, in order, as well as their modern format.
1. Heading
Assuming you are using company letterhead, your full address will already be on the page. Add the date two spaces below the last line of printed copy. If you are using blank paper, add your full address and the date in the heading. Align the heading, and all paragraphs, with the left margin(which should be at least one inch wide).
Example:
21 Carson Parkway
Boulder, CO 80111
December 3, 2006
2. Inside address
Include the recipient's full name, title, and address two spaces below the date. Align it with the left margin.
Example:
Conner T. Walker
2345 Sunrise Avenue
Denver, CO 80555
3. Salutation
Two spaces below the inside address, and also aligned with the left margin, place your salutation, or greeting. If you are on a first name basis with the recipient, use her/his first name followed by a colon. If you are writing a more formal letter, use a personal title (Ms., Mr., or Dr.) followed by the person's last name and a colon. Use Mr. for men, and Ms. for women. Never use Mrs. or Miss unless a woman has specifically expressed a preference. If you are not sure if the recipient is male or female, use a salutation that is appropriate to the letter context.
Examples:
Mr. Yates:
Ms. Dickinson:
Dear Customer:
Dear Publishing Manager:
4. Body
The body of the letter should begin two spaces below the salutation; all paragraphs should be aligned to the left margin. Single space within paragraphs and double space between them.
If your letter continues onto a second (or higher) page, leave at least two lines of text on the next page before the closing. Do not go onto another page just for the closing; this is bad form. If necessary, change the font size or margin width to make it fit onto one page.
5. Closing
Place the closing two spaces below the last line of the body. Use a standard closing such as Sincerely or Best regards. Capitalize only the first word, and follow the closing with a comma. Four spaces below, type your full name, also aligned with the closing at the left margin. Finally, sign your name in the space between the closing expression and your typed name.
6. Additional Information
Sometimes a business letter requires you to add the typist's initials, an enclosure notification, or a note that other people are receiving the same letter. Any of this information goes two spaces below the last line of the closing in a long letter, four spaces below in a very short letter.
The typist's initials follow the writer's initials, separated by a slash. The writer's initials go in capital letters, while the typist's are lowercase.
Example: LEA/lak or LEA/ald
If the writer and the typist are the same person, no initials are needed.
If you are sending material along with the letter, such as an invoice or report, indicate this with an enclosure notification. When you use this, you must refer to the enclosures in your letter. Abbreviate or describe the enclosure(s).
Examples:
Enc.
Encs.
Enclosure: Report findings
Lastly, if you are sending the same letter to more than one person, notify your recipients with a copy notation. This is abbreviated "cc:" and followed by the recipients' names.
Example:
cc: Linda Alexander
Janna Bree Smith
Emily Lane
7. Formatting
Finally, format your letter so it is easy to scan. Center the letter on the page both vertically and horizontally so that plenty of white space surrounds your text. When using your company's letterhead, remember to format your margins inside the printed material.
If a letter is very short, consider double spacing the entire letter. Also, you may add spaces between paragraphs, the salutation, etc., if it provides for a fuller appearance and enhances the overall "look" of the letter.
© 2002 By Linda Elizabeth Alexander. Linda Elizabeth Alexander writes marketing copy for nonprofits and other businesses. Contact her today to get your free consultation! http://www.write2thepointcom.com
lalexander@write2thepointcom.com
Secretarial Services - Build your own mousetrap
Oh Yeah? Go Build Your Own Mousetrap!
Are you in a home business now, or still just testing the waters? Either way, one of the things it takes to be successful is the ability to avoid building your own mousetrap.
Those of you who are already working in network marketing probably know what I'm talking about. Chances are you are working with a supplier company that has great products and/or services. Chances are also good that you have a system that was put together by a leading distributor within the company, who had success with it and is now bringing it to the masses.
Chances are also good that you're not making the kind of money you want, or aren't making any money at all.
Sorry...didn't mean to throw cold water on your home business dreams. It's certainly possible to make great money working from home. Lots of people are!
I'm just using the statistics. Most people in home businesses love what they're doing and have a lot of confidence that someday they will break through and make the kind of big bucks they see other people making. And those who stick around long enough inevitably will.
But statisically, there's about a 90% drop out rate in the first year for people who start their home businesses. Why is that? Does the industry not work? Does it promise more than it can deliver? Are the costs too much?
None of the above. For some people...actually most...it's a matter of not following through on what you've been taught. One of the leaders within our company calls it being willing to "submit to the mentoiring process."
In other words, here's the system. Do Step A, then do Step B. Take it all the way to Step G or H or whatever. Lots of people aren't willing to be held accountable to all these steps, so they just assume the business isn't for them, and go back to whatever life situation they started with.
We let these people go. They're great people, but it's like trying to teach Chinese to a house plant. At some point they might get it, but who wants to put that kind of time in!
Some are just too uncomfortable with the things they'll need to do, which usually means they don't want to talk to anyone...friends, relatives, strangers, whatever. We let them go too. If it were so simple that you didn't need to talk to anyone, what would they need YOU for?
And then there is that special group who insist on building a better mousetrap. Here's a system for finding interested people, promoting your product or service, training new people, managing your business, etc. It's not perfect, there's room for improvement.
But heck, it works! It may be why you're here now!
The folks who are a little too smart for their own good will start tinkering with it, or even try to build their own thing. And what do they get for their troubles? Total confusion with no one to help them...because no one else is doing what they're doing.
Hey, I've got my newsletters. I've got my conference calls. I love playing around with my own things!
But if you're in our business organization, it's because we use the system EXACTLY the way it's supposed to be used. The simpler, the better. I didn't create the system...I just use it.
It's the old Subway restaurant example. If something works in Subway...even if it's not perfect...would you want to change it on your own, or would you want the people who've been working on the system forever to try and fix it?
Even better, if you owned 30 Subways, would you want to mess with the system so that NONE of the managers knew what to do?
Or would you want to standardize everything so that ANYONE who could follow directions could do it?
That's why the fast food industry in this country is run by 16 and 17 year olds who flunked Algebra 1 and English, but still manage to turn a profit in their restaurants. Simplicity, simplicity!
Some of the people I've seen who move the slowest in home businesses are the smartest people, because they spend all their time questioning the system.
I don't blame them...most of them got successful in the outside world because they checked things out and improved the things they work on.
And they can do the same in this business. They can build a better mousetrap...
...once they've STUDIED the industry throroughly. What makes this business tick is unlike the things that work in the rest of the world...
...and once they've gotten SUCCESSFUL in this business. Are you a leader? Show me your own success!
...and once they've HELPED OTHERS get successful. What works for you only matters if you can easily show others how to do the same thing!
So whether you're in business or thinking about it, COPY what the successful people are doing, and stay the course.
Or go ahead and try building your own mousetrap. If you do, the only thing you'll catch is mice!
Larry Hochman, M.S., C.A.G.S. is "The Guidance Guy" and the author of NINE SECRETS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS. He has published widely on education, personal development and home business. Visit Larry at www.TheGuidanceGuy.com
Are you in a home business now, or still just testing the waters? Either way, one of the things it takes to be successful is the ability to avoid building your own mousetrap.
Those of you who are already working in network marketing probably know what I'm talking about. Chances are you are working with a supplier company that has great products and/or services. Chances are also good that you have a system that was put together by a leading distributor within the company, who had success with it and is now bringing it to the masses.
Chances are also good that you're not making the kind of money you want, or aren't making any money at all.
Sorry...didn't mean to throw cold water on your home business dreams. It's certainly possible to make great money working from home. Lots of people are!
I'm just using the statistics. Most people in home businesses love what they're doing and have a lot of confidence that someday they will break through and make the kind of big bucks they see other people making. And those who stick around long enough inevitably will.
But statisically, there's about a 90% drop out rate in the first year for people who start their home businesses. Why is that? Does the industry not work? Does it promise more than it can deliver? Are the costs too much?
None of the above. For some people...actually most...it's a matter of not following through on what you've been taught. One of the leaders within our company calls it being willing to "submit to the mentoiring process."
In other words, here's the system. Do Step A, then do Step B. Take it all the way to Step G or H or whatever. Lots of people aren't willing to be held accountable to all these steps, so they just assume the business isn't for them, and go back to whatever life situation they started with.
We let these people go. They're great people, but it's like trying to teach Chinese to a house plant. At some point they might get it, but who wants to put that kind of time in!
Some are just too uncomfortable with the things they'll need to do, which usually means they don't want to talk to anyone...friends, relatives, strangers, whatever. We let them go too. If it were so simple that you didn't need to talk to anyone, what would they need YOU for?
And then there is that special group who insist on building a better mousetrap. Here's a system for finding interested people, promoting your product or service, training new people, managing your business, etc. It's not perfect, there's room for improvement.
But heck, it works! It may be why you're here now!
The folks who are a little too smart for their own good will start tinkering with it, or even try to build their own thing. And what do they get for their troubles? Total confusion with no one to help them...because no one else is doing what they're doing.
Hey, I've got my newsletters. I've got my conference calls. I love playing around with my own things!
But if you're in our business organization, it's because we use the system EXACTLY the way it's supposed to be used. The simpler, the better. I didn't create the system...I just use it.
It's the old Subway restaurant example. If something works in Subway...even if it's not perfect...would you want to change it on your own, or would you want the people who've been working on the system forever to try and fix it?
Even better, if you owned 30 Subways, would you want to mess with the system so that NONE of the managers knew what to do?
Or would you want to standardize everything so that ANYONE who could follow directions could do it?
That's why the fast food industry in this country is run by 16 and 17 year olds who flunked Algebra 1 and English, but still manage to turn a profit in their restaurants. Simplicity, simplicity!
Some of the people I've seen who move the slowest in home businesses are the smartest people, because they spend all their time questioning the system.
I don't blame them...most of them got successful in the outside world because they checked things out and improved the things they work on.
And they can do the same in this business. They can build a better mousetrap...
...once they've STUDIED the industry throroughly. What makes this business tick is unlike the things that work in the rest of the world...
...and once they've gotten SUCCESSFUL in this business. Are you a leader? Show me your own success!
...and once they've HELPED OTHERS get successful. What works for you only matters if you can easily show others how to do the same thing!
So whether you're in business or thinking about it, COPY what the successful people are doing, and stay the course.
Or go ahead and try building your own mousetrap. If you do, the only thing you'll catch is mice!
Larry Hochman, M.S., C.A.G.S. is "The Guidance Guy" and the author of NINE SECRETS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS. He has published widely on education, personal development and home business. Visit Larry at www.TheGuidanceGuy.com
Secretarial Services - Being a work at home mom
Being a work-at-home-mom can be a rewarding way to raise your children while being a businesswoman but too many WAHMs don't know how to go beyond just being a work-at-home-mom. I often hear from WAHMs who complain that they're not considered professional, that they don't have enough business and their husbands are tired of their "hobbies," and that they're being run ragged by the demands placed on their time. Here are 5 ways to overcome all that and more.
1. Be professional in everything you do.
Those cutesy signature lines are all well and good for personal e-mail between family, friends and other WAHMs, but for business purposes they've got to go. Your potential clients don't need to know that you're a loving wife to Donald and dedicated mommy to Jason, 7, and Jennifer, 3, and can be easily irritated or embarrassed by your proclamations. This also makes it look as if your family comes first and while it might (and should), your clients need to feel as if THEY come first. Your clients aren't looking for a wife or a mommy; they're looking for a competent, savvy business person dedicated first and foremost to serving their needs. If you want to be taken seriously as a professional, take yourself seriously as professional FIRST. Cut to the chase and only discuss your family if it's germane to the subject at hand.
2. Leave the politics and personal preferences out.
Conservative or liberal, your clients largely don't care. Sharing your preferences with others of like mind on suitable e-mail lists or in related groups is fine. Baring your political soul for your potential clients to see is in extremely poor taste and leaves a very bad taste in everyone's mouth. Unless you believe your business will greatly benefit from revealing your politics -- like Ben and Jerry -- keep your mouth shut on the topic when in any business situation.
3. Get away from the WAHM community, if only for a little while.
Expand your horizons and give your inner business woman a chance to revel in the glory of being an entrepreneur. WAHM communities are fine for those who like them but everyone needs to get outside the lines now and then. You can gain valuable insights into the business world by associating with others outside your comfortable niche. We all know that birds of a feather flock together; your WAHM friends share the same views, talk about the same things, etc. Spread your wings and fly with a different flock every once in awhile and you'll come away with ideas that excite you.
4. Stop trying to be "cute" and be real instead.
So many people in the WAHM community go overboard with the cute factor, from the animated kitties and puppies in their e-mail messages to overly-flowery and uber-pink websites. The cute thing detracts from your ability to be taken seriously, which is already a big problem for many WAHMs. You can still use pink on your website and you can still do cute if it goes well with your product, but when trying to market to other professionals, make sure YOU are professional. Go back to point #1 and re-read if you don't "get it."
5. Don't waste time on unproductive groups, lists, etc.
A lot of WAHMs join tons of e-mail lists, forums and online organizations in hopes of growing their businesses. One woman I know of belongs to over 100 lists! It's impossible to network effectively when you're spread that thin, especially when you're a WAHM with duties and responsibilities outside of your company. Spend your time wisely by carefully assessing what works and what doesn't. No matter how much you may hope one particular group will yield tons of leads and positive business contacts, if you've been participating to no avail leave NOW. Further time there will only reduce your effectiveness by preventing you from spending your precious energy elsewhere.
Melinda Robinson is an experienced WAHM of 16 years and controlling partner in Rodeo City Technology Group, a full-service e-solutions firm. RCTG's clients achieve success beyond their wildest dreams with the help of Melinda's expertise as Web Presence Specialist and Small Business Strategist. http://www.rodeocitytech.com
1. Be professional in everything you do.
Those cutesy signature lines are all well and good for personal e-mail between family, friends and other WAHMs, but for business purposes they've got to go. Your potential clients don't need to know that you're a loving wife to Donald and dedicated mommy to Jason, 7, and Jennifer, 3, and can be easily irritated or embarrassed by your proclamations. This also makes it look as if your family comes first and while it might (and should), your clients need to feel as if THEY come first. Your clients aren't looking for a wife or a mommy; they're looking for a competent, savvy business person dedicated first and foremost to serving their needs. If you want to be taken seriously as a professional, take yourself seriously as professional FIRST. Cut to the chase and only discuss your family if it's germane to the subject at hand.
2. Leave the politics and personal preferences out.
Conservative or liberal, your clients largely don't care. Sharing your preferences with others of like mind on suitable e-mail lists or in related groups is fine. Baring your political soul for your potential clients to see is in extremely poor taste and leaves a very bad taste in everyone's mouth. Unless you believe your business will greatly benefit from revealing your politics -- like Ben and Jerry -- keep your mouth shut on the topic when in any business situation.
3. Get away from the WAHM community, if only for a little while.
Expand your horizons and give your inner business woman a chance to revel in the glory of being an entrepreneur. WAHM communities are fine for those who like them but everyone needs to get outside the lines now and then. You can gain valuable insights into the business world by associating with others outside your comfortable niche. We all know that birds of a feather flock together; your WAHM friends share the same views, talk about the same things, etc. Spread your wings and fly with a different flock every once in awhile and you'll come away with ideas that excite you.
4. Stop trying to be "cute" and be real instead.
So many people in the WAHM community go overboard with the cute factor, from the animated kitties and puppies in their e-mail messages to overly-flowery and uber-pink websites. The cute thing detracts from your ability to be taken seriously, which is already a big problem for many WAHMs. You can still use pink on your website and you can still do cute if it goes well with your product, but when trying to market to other professionals, make sure YOU are professional. Go back to point #1 and re-read if you don't "get it."
5. Don't waste time on unproductive groups, lists, etc.
A lot of WAHMs join tons of e-mail lists, forums and online organizations in hopes of growing their businesses. One woman I know of belongs to over 100 lists! It's impossible to network effectively when you're spread that thin, especially when you're a WAHM with duties and responsibilities outside of your company. Spend your time wisely by carefully assessing what works and what doesn't. No matter how much you may hope one particular group will yield tons of leads and positive business contacts, if you've been participating to no avail leave NOW. Further time there will only reduce your effectiveness by preventing you from spending your precious energy elsewhere.
Melinda Robinson is an experienced WAHM of 16 years and controlling partner in Rodeo City Technology Group, a full-service e-solutions firm. RCTG's clients achieve success beyond their wildest dreams with the help of Melinda's expertise as Web Presence Specialist and Small Business Strategist. http://www.rodeocitytech.com
5/27/2005
Secretarial Business - Work at home scams
It's tempting to want to work from home. I work from home myself, so I know the benefits of the flexible schedule and comfortable environment. But, watch out for scams.
Here's some common work at home scams:
Typing scams: http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/articles/typing-scams.html
Envelope stuffing scams: http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/home-businesses/envelope-stuffing.html
Medical billing - Is it a scam or not? http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/articles/medical-billing.html
Instead of falling of those scams, start your own medical transcription business or secretarial business.
Here's some common work at home scams:
Typing scams: http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/articles/typing-scams.html
Envelope stuffing scams: http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/home-businesses/envelope-stuffing.html
Medical billing - Is it a scam or not? http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com/articles/medical-billing.html
Instead of falling of those scams, start your own medical transcription business or secretarial business.
5/26/2005
Secretarial business - Starting a secretarial service
Turn your keyboarding skills into cash!
If you know how to type, you can provide secretarial services from home. The Secretarial Business-in-a-Box provides everything you need to start and run your own secretarial service.
Click here for more information about starting a secretarial service.
Articles about starting a secretarial service:
How to choose a name for your secretarial service
Business start-up cost to start a secretarial service business
Business start-up checklist for secretarial services
Equipment needed to run a secretarial service business
For more information, visit http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com
If you know how to type, you can provide secretarial services from home. The Secretarial Business-in-a-Box provides everything you need to start and run your own secretarial service.
Click here for more information about starting a secretarial service.
Articles about starting a secretarial service:
How to choose a name for your secretarial service
Business start-up cost to start a secretarial service business
Business start-up checklist for secretarial services
Equipment needed to run a secretarial service business
For more information, visit http://www.startasecretarialbusiness.com
5/25/2005
Medical Transcription - Transcription resources
Here's some resources to help you provide transcription services.
transcriptiongeer.com has everything you need for medical transcription http://www.transcriptiongear.com/
Transcription Schools. Take your medical transcription career to a new level. Visit http://www.medical-training.info.com
Start a secretarial business
5/23/2005
Choosing The Perfect Home Based Business
Choosing The Perfect Home Based Business
Nowadays, more and more people are becoming a home based business owner. If you make a search on 'home based business' at Yahoo, it returned a total of 51,000,000. It's 51 million!
Start a secretarial business
Nowadays, more and more people are becoming a home based business owner. If you make a search on 'home based business' at Yahoo, it returned a total of 51,000,000. It's 51 million!
Start a secretarial business
How To Attract Prospects and More Customers... And More Cash Profits From Every Ad, Sales Letter, Web Page.
How To Attract More Interested, Enthusiastic Prospects More Customers... And More Cash Profits From Every Ad, Sales Letter, Web Page.
What is the #1 most important part of all your marketing on the Internet? The one thing that is even more important than your sales letter? It's your headline. Think about something very carefully for a second. How do people reach you on the Internet?
Start a secretarial business
What is the #1 most important part of all your marketing on the Internet? The one thing that is even more important than your sales letter? It's your headline. Think about something very carefully for a second. How do people reach you on the Internet?
Start a secretarial business
Save time by using shortcuts
Save time by using shortcuts
Did you know that many different Windows shortcuts exist to accomplish a task that would take many mouse clicks? Here is a list of the keyboard shortcuts that are available depending on the operating system you're running ...
Start a secretarial business
Did you know that many different Windows shortcuts exist to accomplish a task that would take many mouse clicks? Here is a list of the keyboard shortcuts that are available depending on the operating system you're running ...
Start a secretarial business
TIME SAVER: Open PDF files faster!
TIME SAVER: Open PDF files faster!
One of the most popular programs is undoubtedly Adobe Acrobat, which allows you to read PDF documents. However, every time you want to read a PDF file, you have to wait patiently until Adobe Acrobat opens. You can reduce this waiting time ...
Start a secretarial business
One of the most popular programs is undoubtedly Adobe Acrobat, which allows you to read PDF documents. However, every time you want to read a PDF file, you have to wait patiently until Adobe Acrobat opens. You can reduce this waiting time ...
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Testimonials to Market
Use Testimonials to Market Yourself
by Wendy Weiss
Testimonials are a wonderful way to market yourself. They give you credibility—a third-party endorsement. It is no longer you alone saying that you and your company and products or services are phenomenal--it is someone else saying that they are phenomenal! When you place an ad, everyone knows that you have paid for it. It is you “tooting your own horn.” Much more believable and credible is someone else “tooting your horn!” Use testimonials in your marketing materials, use them on your web site, use them in advertisements, use them in your media kits, put them on business cards and make sure to use them in your sales presentations and/or on the telephone as success stories.
So, how do you get all of those glowing testimonials from satisfied customers? Ask. Get in the habit of asking every single satisfied customer for a testimonial. There are many ways to do this.
Here are a few:
1. Ask your customers to fill out a brief customer satisfaction survey. Leave space for comments at the end. Make sure to also ask at the end of the survey, “May we use your name and comments in our marketing materials?” Have a space for them to check “yes” or “no,” along with their signature. Most people are delighted to have you use their comments!
2. If you use public speaking to increase your visibility and generate leads for your business pass out an evaluation form to your audience. Make sure to ask at the end of the evaluation form, “May we use your name and comments in our marketing materials?” Have a space for them to check “yes” or “no,” along with their signature. Again, most people are delighted to have you use their comments!
3. Using the satisfied customer’s name greatly increases your credibility. It is far stronger to have an endorsement with a name than without. Use the customer’s name and the company name. Make sure to ask permission to use their name first.
4. Ask your customers to write testimonial letters. Say, “I was wondering if you could help me.” (People love to help!) “Would you write a testimonial letter for me outlining how happy you are with our product/service?” (Only ask customers that you are sure are happy!)
5. Offer to write it for them, “I know that you are very busy. I’d be more than happy to draft something for you to edit.” People do genuinely want to help, and people are also genuinely very busy. This makes it easy for them to help.
6. Every time you complete a project and/or a customer says something positive to you about your product/service, say to them, “Would you write that down on your letterhead? It would be a big help to me, and I would use it to market my product/service.”
7. Use your testimonials as success stories when speaking with prospects or even customers. This enables you to tell others what you have accomplished for your customers without appearing to brag. The model of a success story is: Your customer had a problem. You fixed it. They are now very happy. Remember to always tell your success story from the customer or prospect’s point of view. That means stick to the benefits that your customers received from your work.
8. And if you occasionally suffer from the “blahs,” here’s another tip. Post your favorite testimonial letters on a bulletin board or clear wall space near where you work. Put the rest into a three-ring binder. Anytime you start to feel “blah,” read through your letters from all of the people saying how much you have helped them. It will perk you right up!
© 2005 Wendy Weiss
Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success," is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. Her recently released, self-study program, Cold Calling College, along with her book, Cold Calling for Women, can be ordered by calling toll-free (866) 405-8212 or visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com/. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com.
by Wendy Weiss
Testimonials are a wonderful way to market yourself. They give you credibility—a third-party endorsement. It is no longer you alone saying that you and your company and products or services are phenomenal--it is someone else saying that they are phenomenal! When you place an ad, everyone knows that you have paid for it. It is you “tooting your own horn.” Much more believable and credible is someone else “tooting your horn!” Use testimonials in your marketing materials, use them on your web site, use them in advertisements, use them in your media kits, put them on business cards and make sure to use them in your sales presentations and/or on the telephone as success stories.
So, how do you get all of those glowing testimonials from satisfied customers? Ask. Get in the habit of asking every single satisfied customer for a testimonial. There are many ways to do this.
Here are a few:
1. Ask your customers to fill out a brief customer satisfaction survey. Leave space for comments at the end. Make sure to also ask at the end of the survey, “May we use your name and comments in our marketing materials?” Have a space for them to check “yes” or “no,” along with their signature. Most people are delighted to have you use their comments!
2. If you use public speaking to increase your visibility and generate leads for your business pass out an evaluation form to your audience. Make sure to ask at the end of the evaluation form, “May we use your name and comments in our marketing materials?” Have a space for them to check “yes” or “no,” along with their signature. Again, most people are delighted to have you use their comments!
3. Using the satisfied customer’s name greatly increases your credibility. It is far stronger to have an endorsement with a name than without. Use the customer’s name and the company name. Make sure to ask permission to use their name first.
4. Ask your customers to write testimonial letters. Say, “I was wondering if you could help me.” (People love to help!) “Would you write a testimonial letter for me outlining how happy you are with our product/service?” (Only ask customers that you are sure are happy!)
5. Offer to write it for them, “I know that you are very busy. I’d be more than happy to draft something for you to edit.” People do genuinely want to help, and people are also genuinely very busy. This makes it easy for them to help.
6. Every time you complete a project and/or a customer says something positive to you about your product/service, say to them, “Would you write that down on your letterhead? It would be a big help to me, and I would use it to market my product/service.”
7. Use your testimonials as success stories when speaking with prospects or even customers. This enables you to tell others what you have accomplished for your customers without appearing to brag. The model of a success story is: Your customer had a problem. You fixed it. They are now very happy. Remember to always tell your success story from the customer or prospect’s point of view. That means stick to the benefits that your customers received from your work.
8. And if you occasionally suffer from the “blahs,” here’s another tip. Post your favorite testimonial letters on a bulletin board or clear wall space near where you work. Put the rest into a three-ring binder. Anytime you start to feel “blah,” read through your letters from all of the people saying how much you have helped them. It will perk you right up!
© 2005 Wendy Weiss
Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success," is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. Her recently released, self-study program, Cold Calling College, along with her book, Cold Calling for Women, can be ordered by calling toll-free (866) 405-8212 or visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com/. Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com.
5/22/2005
10 Strategies to Help Your Business Stand Out
10 Strategies to Help Your Business Stand Out
What marketing method is more effective than direct mail, web sites, referrals, or publicity? It's differentiation from your competition. Use these tips to figure out what's unique about your business.
Start a secretarial business
What marketing method is more effective than direct mail, web sites, referrals, or publicity? It's differentiation from your competition. Use these tips to figure out what's unique about your business.
Start a secretarial business
Stand Out in Business the Write Way
Stand Out in Business the Write Way
Handwritten notes have become almost extinct in the business world. If you are looking for ways to stand from the crowd, to be noticed by your colleagues and clients, try putting pen to paper whenever you have the slightest excuse.
Start a secretarial business
Handwritten notes have become almost extinct in the business world. If you are looking for ways to stand from the crowd, to be noticed by your colleagues and clients, try putting pen to paper whenever you have the slightest excuse.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Business - How to write a press release
Here's a great resource on how to write a press release.
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/newsrelease1.html
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/newsrelease1.html
Secretarial Services -Submitting press release
Where to submit your press release.
Once you have a well-written press release, it's important to take some time to distribute it properly to the media.
Here's an online resource where you can list your press release for free
www.prweb.com.
Once you have a well-written press release, it's important to take some time to distribute it properly to the media.
Here's an online resource where you can list your press release for free
www.prweb.com.
5/21/2005
Customer Service - Key To Business Success
Customer Service - Key To Business Success
Customer service is one of the greatest keys to your business success. It can literally make or break you. This is so because your entire business, marketing, sales and profits depend on your customers. You're in business to generate profits.
Start a secretarial business
Customer service is one of the greatest keys to your business success. It can literally make or break you. This is so because your entire business, marketing, sales and profits depend on your customers. You're in business to generate profits.
Start a secretarial business
How to write a press release
How to write a press release
If you've got a business or a website, then knowing how to write a press release is important.
More and more websites are using press releases and RSS news feeds as online content. If
Start a secretarial business
If you've got a business or a website, then knowing how to write a press release is important.
More and more websites are using press releases and RSS news feeds as online content. If
Start a secretarial business
Melting Resistance
Melting Resistance
My wife has absolutely no interest in marketing or selling. But yesterday, on the way to a hike in the Redwoods, we started to talk about persuasion and the secrets I had learned over the years to get people to say yes.
Start a secretarial business
My wife has absolutely no interest in marketing or selling. But yesterday, on the way to a hike in the Redwoods, we started to talk about persuasion and the secrets I had learned over the years to get people to say yes.
Start a secretarial business
Building Better Print Ads: Why Ugly Ads Are A Waste of Money
Building Better Print Ads: Why Ugly Ads Are A Waste of Money
I’m on a crusade against ugly print ads. My fervor is such that I resigned an account last fall because the client decided that PowerPoint was a dandy tool for creating ads. Mind you, this company is one of the world’s largest brands, recognizable from Maine
Start a secretarial business
I’m on a crusade against ugly print ads. My fervor is such that I resigned an account last fall because the client decided that PowerPoint was a dandy tool for creating ads. Mind you, this company is one of the world’s largest brands, recognizable from Maine
Start a secretarial business
Why Your Ad Didn't Work
Why Your Ad Didn't Work
Ever run an ad in an ezine or newspaper and get no response? When this happens, most people are baffled. They blame the publication, ezine, or website for the lack of response. But the problem is usually the ad itself.
Start a secretarial business
Ever run an ad in an ezine or newspaper and get no response? When this happens, most people are baffled. They blame the publication, ezine, or website for the lack of response. But the problem is usually the ad itself.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Basic lesson of marketing (MSNBC)
Business student learns basic lesson of marketing (MSNBC)
A 21-year-old college business major living in this northern New Jersey community has proven a basic lesson of marketing: Sex sells.
Start a secretarial business
A 21-year-old college business major living in this northern New Jersey community has proven a basic lesson of marketing: Sex sells.
Start a secretarial business
5/20/2005
Secretarial Services - Viral Marketing- Is That a Good Thing?
Viral MarketingIs That a Good Thing? (WebProNews)
Anheuser-Busch announced Thursday that it would be expanding its advertising efforts to include "viral marketing," enlisting the aid of JibJab phenom brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis.
Start a secretarial business
Anheuser-Busch announced Thursday that it would be expanding its advertising efforts to include "viral marketing," enlisting the aid of JibJab phenom brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Excel - Add Page Numbers
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Add Page Numbers
Quickly add page numbers to the top or bottom of your printed Excel 2003 spreadsheets.
Start a secretarial business
Quickly add page numbers to the top or bottom of your printed Excel 2003 spreadsheets.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Word 2003 - Save Document Properties
Microsoft Word 2003 - Save Document Properties on First Save
Force Word 2003 to ask you for extended document properties.
Start a secretarial business
Force Word 2003 to ask you for extended document properties.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Windows XP - Display Command History
Windows XP and DOS - Display Command History
Display a list of previously executed DOS commands under Windows XP.
Start a secretarial business
Display a list of previously executed DOS commands under Windows XP.
Start a secretarial business
web site credit card processing
web site credit card processing
Just a word of caution. Although the prices for web site credit card processing may be internationally better than say Australia you should also check out the freight and shipping charges.
Start a secretarial business
Just a word of caution. Although the prices for web site credit card processing may be internationally better than say Australia you should also check out the freight and shipping charges.
Start a secretarial business
Word/Phrase - bob about
Word/Phrase - bob about
Click on the link to view the explanation and examples.
Start a secretarial business
Click on the link to view the explanation and examples.
Start a secretarial business
More Free English Learning Resources
More Free English Learning Resources
Find free English language learning materials and tools for self-study or classroom learning. Use reading and writing lessons, word of the day tool, free ESL books, story room, students' forums and more.
Start a secretarial business
Find free English language learning materials and tools for self-study or classroom learning. Use reading and writing lessons, word of the day tool, free ESL books, story room, students' forums and more.
Start a secretarial business
5/16/2005
Secretarial Services - Is Your Marketing Too Modern?
Is Your Small Business Marketing Too Modern?
Yesterday as a test with a client we sent out 200 A5 post cards with a simple direct response message offering a free PDF report.
Start a secretarial business
Yesterday as a test with a client we sent out 200 A5 post cards with a simple direct response message offering a free PDF report.
Start a secretarial business
5/15/2005
Secretarial Services - Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Review
Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Review
Adobe Acrobat has become synonymous with the PDF file format, and with good reason: Acrobat is the industry standard for creating and editing PDF files because there are few, if any, PDF creation tools that can match its features.
Start a secretarial business
Adobe Acrobat has become synonymous with the PDF file format, and with good reason: Acrobat is the industry standard for creating and editing PDF files because there are few, if any, PDF creation tools that can match its features.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Keep Word Documents Organized
6 Ways to Keep Your Word Documents Organized
If you spend a lot of time searching for your Word documents, then this is a must read. Find out what you can do to take the stress out of finding your documents.
Start a secretarial business
If you spend a lot of time searching for your Word documents, then this is a must read. Find out what you can do to take the stress out of finding your documents.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Keyboards and Mice
Top 5 Keyboards and Mice
If you spend a lot of time word processing, a good keyboard and mouse are absolute necessities.
Start a secretarial business
If you spend a lot of time word processing, a good keyboard and mouse are absolute necessities.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services -Bookmarks in Word
Inserting Bookmarks in Your Word Document
If you're working on large Word documents, it will take a lot of scrolling to find the changes. A simple solution ...
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If you're working on large Word documents, it will take a lot of scrolling to find the changes. A simple solution ...
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - The Normal.dot Template
The Normal.dot Template and Start-up Problems
Are you having problems getting Word to start correctly? Here's how to fix the problem.
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Are you having problems getting Word to start correctly? Here's how to fix the problem.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Working With Templates
Working With Templates
If you've been trying to find the perfect template for download over the internet, you know it can be difficult to find one that suits your needs. I've assembled some templates that will hopefully reduce to your search time.
Start a secretarial business
If you've been trying to find the perfect template for download over the internet, you know it can be difficult to find one that suits your needs. I've assembled some templates that will hopefully reduce to your search time.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Word's Search Feature
Introduction to Word's Search Feature
Windows doesn't have very powerful search abilities. Fortunately, Word has a search feature that compensates for this. It's easy to use, and best of all, it searches more than just Word files.
Start a secretarial business
Windows doesn't have very powerful search abilities. Fortunately, Word has a search feature that compensates for this. It's easy to use, and best of all, it searches more than just Word files.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Preventing Data Loss
5 Ways to Prevent Data Loss
There is nothing more frustrating than losing the important documents that you've spent so much time creating.
Start a secretarial business
There is nothing more frustrating than losing the important documents that you've spent so much time creating.
Start a secretarial business
Secretarial Services - Adding a Folder to the My Places Bar
Tip of the Day: Adding a Folder to the My Places Bar
The My Places bar in the Open and Save dialog boxes is a great tool, helping you navigate more quickly to the place where you store your files.
Start a secretarial business
The My Places bar in the Open and Save dialog boxes is a great tool, helping you navigate more quickly to the place where you store your files.
Start a secretarial business
5/09/2005
Secretarial Services - Fear of Failure
Fear of Failure? Fear of Success? What's Holding You Back?
One of my clients came to me saying he wanted to expand his business - something he had thought about for years. He described the changes he wanted to make but he had taken limited action to make those changes happen. When he talked about what he wanted, his eyes lit up, he smiled, and there was passion and joy in his voice. Years? What was stopping him? I listened as he expressed his internal conflict. He said " My business is going well, and it's not like I have to make changes, maybe it's not that important ... on and on." Bottom line - some part of him inside continued to feel unfulfilled.
On the surface, it sounded like the changes he wanted to make were for financial gains. Talking further, he realized he was really speaking of a level of service (how he wanted to help people improve their quality of life) and personal fulfillment (actualizing his values, purpose, and vision) that would come from aligning who he is and what he does in a BIGGER way.
We discussed the things he told himself that allowed him to remain stationary. His initial objection was "If I put myself out and take some risks- what if I fail?" (What if this or that happens??? ) I replied, " With all the years of experience you have thinking about what you want without committing to action, you have brilliantly SUCCEEDED in FAILING! "Congratulations!!!" His eyes widened, and he burst out laughing. By doing nothing, he insured his success at failing.
Going forward in our coaching sessions, we focused on his attitudes about success/failure AND identified his values, needs, purpose, and vision. Increased self-awareness enabled him to make choices and design strategic actions to create greater life satisfaction and self-fulfillment. Consider a change you have been thinking/talking about for a while without much progress.
To learn more about what may be holding you back from moving forward, ask yourself:
1. What is your definition of success? What does success mean to you? Be specific.
2. Identify specific successes. What made them successes for you? What value did you receive from succeeding?
3. What fears, concerns, or assumptions do you have associated with success?
4. How would your life change if you were/felt more successful? (at whatever)
5. What would you have to give up? What would you gain?6. Who would you become? (happier, self-confident, authentic, stronger???)
In exploring your attitudes about failure, consider the following:
1. What is your definition of failure? What does failure mean to you?
2. If you fail at something, does that define YOU as a failure?
3. What specific failures have you experienced? What value have you received from failing? Be specific
4. What fears, concerns, or assumptions do you associate with failure? Are they true?
5. Can there be success in failure? If yes, how? If no, say more.6. If you could not fail, what would you be doing? Who would you be?
Fear of success/failure are two sides of the same experience. By definition, success and failure is perceived from multiple viewpoints. Both results offer opportunities for self-discovery and change. Developing the clarity to know who you are on the inside is a key ingredient to achieve rich outcomes with ease, strength, and focus! To live fully, you must fully participate -- succeeding and failing for the joy of the experience.
Copyright (c) Lorraine Cohen 2003. All Rights Reserved. Lorraine Cohen is an Business Coach & Life Strategist and brings more than 25 years of experience in life coaching, counseling, and sales. She helps people through career change, life transitions, and the process of breaking through FEAR and removing barriers to success.
5/07/2005
Secretarial Services - Formula for Success
The DPAPR - formula for success!
The What if.......... factor!
Can also be translated as if only....
It freightening how many people have regrets about things they said, lost opportunities,love lost, etc.
The vast majority of employees are unhappy with their jobs, a big chunck of our society live in constant denial and depression.
The actress who jumps out with a smile on her face and a sparcle in her eyes is a far cry from our own situations, even though we would like it to be us.
Instead we walk around with a knot in our stomachs fearing the smallest setback which has indeed got the capacity to destroy our livelyhoods.
But....
What if you take charge......
What if you claim the power that is within you.....
The DPAPR - formula for success!
1) Decide
2) Plan
3) Act
4) Persist
5) Reap
Now don't make a mistake all of us have the capacity to take this formula, apply it and succeed. Once yourealize that we are the sum total of all our own decisions. That is right where you are right now at this point in time is your own creation.
You are the product of your own decisions. So you can decide right now if you are going to do something about those areas in your life that leaves you cold.
Our worst enemy is lack of action, lethargy. It is because we don't live according to to the DPAPR formula that we become the victims of our own bad decisions which becomes habits. Let's face it no one is holding gun against your head forcing to be a couch patato or to eat that extra slice of pie.
It is simply just so much easier to follow the path of least resistance because the you don't have to think and decide you can just sit back and let it happen to you, depression, obesity, poverty,low self-esteem, etc.
OR....
You can decide, plan, act, persist and reap.
I was listening to Dr. Joe Vitale the other day and he mentioned that the no1 thing that all people seekis not money or love....
It is....
JOY
And you will only ever have joy if you are happy with yourself, your situation and your achievements.
So decide today......
What if you take action and you succeed......................
Article written by: Tonie KonigFrom: My-Net-Coach.commailto: tonie@my-net-coach.com For more information visit me at http://www.my-net-coach.com
5/04/2005
Secretarial Services - Designing your brochure
Creating A Brochure
by: Vann Baker
Why does your business need a brochure?
A cover letter to a potential client can present only a small fraction of information about your business. Potential clients are often swamped with business mail and a letter may be scanned for a couple of seconds then trashed. A face-to-face meeting is a great way to tell a potential client about your business or expertise, but sometimes it's not possible to get a meeting with just a phone call or introductory letter. Or, what if someone you've met weeks ago suddenly becomes interested in your service but can't match your name with your business card in their Rolodex?
A brochure will fulfill all of these business needs. Brochures are a great way to package a lot of information about yourself, your business and expertise into a format that is easily mailed or handed out at a business meeting or given to current clients to pass on to possible referrals.
Brochures range from a simple two-fold design using one sheet of 8-1/2 inch x 11 inch paper to an elaborate 9 x 12 inch pocket folder with 8 pages stitched in and insert sheets. Good brochure design involves not simply producing a flashy design, but a careful analysis of your target market, what level of sophistication is needed and consideration of your market niche in order to make a great first impression. And, last but certainly not least, your brochure should leave a potential client with something he or she is hesitant to throw away.
Today, in the age of E-Mail, multi-media presentations and the Internet, it's easy to assume that a web site can take the place of a printed brochure. Having a web site really can't replace the immediate visual impact of placing a brochure into a prospective client's hands.
Getting started
If you've never created a brochure, start by collecting a number of brochures (including competitors') that represent a wide range of quality--from simple one and two-color on textured stock to slick 4-color glossy brochures.
By asking yourself what it is that makes a brochure attractive and effective to you, it will be easier to make a brochure for your own business which will convey the message and level of sophistication you require.
Next, you will need to create some basic brochure copy about your business. Even if you're not a professional writer, putting some thoughts and facts about what your business does on paper will help make more concrete what information your brochure needs to convey. When writing copy ask yourself:
- Is my company an industry leader?
- Does my company have a market niche?
- What distinguishes my company from my competitor?
- Do we offer better value, service or selection of products?
- Do we have anything new or different to promote?
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who is your target audience?
- What message will get a potential client's attention?
- What kinds of brochures and what level of sophistication are typically crossing your client's desk?
- Does your product or service require photographs or illustrations to help convey your message?
- Will the brochure need to be a self-mailer?
Key information to include in your brochure:
- Mailing address.
- Phone number (and 800 number if you have one).
- Fax number.
- E-Mail address.
- Web Site address.
Be sure not to include in your brochure any information which is subject to changing in the next 12 months or so. Also, be wary of using a specific person's name as a contact person unless he or she is someone you know isn't going to leave in the next year. The same goes for printing photographs of people. There's no sense in spending several thousand dollars to create a brochure only to have it become out of date because someone leaves the company.
What does a brochure cost to produce?
Brochures can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Because there are so many variables involved in producing a brochure such as quality of paper, number of ink colors, use of photographs, number of brochures printed, etc., it is difficult to estimate the final costs until all the specifications are determined.
Four color process printing, varnishing and special treatments such die-cutting, foil stamping can add additional costs to producing a brochure, and may well be worth it if they enhance your brochure and the image you wish to project. Other cost considerations are whether you need professional photography, help with writing or editing copy for your brochure.
Even if you don't know all the details of your brochure when getting started, it's a good idea to create a budget. Start with determining how many brochures you will need to use during the next twelve months including mailings and sales meetings. If you have seen a brochure with a similar amount of information and photographs as you need for your brochure, a designer can use it as a model for determining printing and production costs.
Another consideration when designing a brochure is postage. Larger brochures will be more expensive to mail and if you are planning on doing a large mailing as part of your marketing, an oversized brochure may be expensive to mail. Larger brochures don't fare well through the postal system and often end up wrapped around other mail. Brochures which fit in a standard #10 business envelope give you the best buy in terms of postage and protection while mailing. Using a business envelope also allows you to mail a cover letter and business card as well.
Updating an existing brochure
I worked with a client once who had sales of over a million dollars a year, but was still using a dated, unsophisticated brochure produced by a printer nearly ten years earlier. While reputation alone helped the company's sales, their brochure was doing very little to promote them as a cutting-edge company to potential customers who had never heard of them.
If you have a brochure you produced a few years ago, it might be a good idea to have your brochure evaluated by a someone outside your company to make sure it projects the image of your company today and sets you apart from your competition. Often, a small company will produce an inexpensive brochure just to have something for a trade show or for telephone inquiries. While short-term needs are fulfilled, not having any kind of long-term plan for a package of coordinated materials will lead to a "hodge-podge."
As a business grows, the image of the business can outgrow the first brochure's image. Often other collateral such as pocket folders, product inserts, etc. are produced at different times by different printers and the result is a corporate image that is not coordinated, with different kinds of paper used and ink colors that don't match--not professional at all.
It is tempting to take the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and leave an existing brochure alone--for years. However, now could also be the ideal time to produce a truly professional brochure which will set you apart from your competition and give your potential clients something they will keep on their desk to serve as a memory jogger when you do a follow-up call.
Why have a graphic designer involved in creating your brochure?
Many businesses are producing promotional and sales materials internally or are relying on a printer to put a brochure together for them. There's nothing wrong with either of these approaches, provided you have the time and expertise to make all graphic design decisions that will produce a sophisticated brochure that's right on target. It's rare to find a printer who has a graphic designer on staff who will put a creative spark in your brochure, and relying on in-house talent doesn't save you money when it actually costs you lost sales.
Using a graphic designer can free you from having to make all decisions about your brochure by yourself and will provide you with an outside perspective on how to communicate to your audience. A designer can provide you not only expertise on typography but can help you with selecting ink and paper and some direction with your brochure and help guide you through the process from start to finish.
In addition to making design decisions, a graphic designer can serve as your project manager and will see the brochure from concept through successful completion. Most designers work with several different printers and can provide you with a printer that has the capabilities to print your brochure. If you need help with writing your brochure copy, many designers work with freelance writers and photographers.
Some Parting Advice . . .
Carpenters have a saying, "Measure twice, cut once," which applies to creating your brochure. By defining what your brochure should do and doing some research first, your brochure can be effective, informative and get prospective clients' attention. By utilizing design and printing professionals and by paying close attention to details, you can have a brochure that truly represents your business and is something you can be proud to hand out and mail.
Vann Baker is the president of Design-First, a marketing company specializing in corporate identity and collateral development. Vann has been helping small businesses and Fortune 500 companies to create brochures, newsletters, catalogs, websites and more for over 20 years. www.design-first.com.
by: Vann Baker
Why does your business need a brochure?
A cover letter to a potential client can present only a small fraction of information about your business. Potential clients are often swamped with business mail and a letter may be scanned for a couple of seconds then trashed. A face-to-face meeting is a great way to tell a potential client about your business or expertise, but sometimes it's not possible to get a meeting with just a phone call or introductory letter. Or, what if someone you've met weeks ago suddenly becomes interested in your service but can't match your name with your business card in their Rolodex?
A brochure will fulfill all of these business needs. Brochures are a great way to package a lot of information about yourself, your business and expertise into a format that is easily mailed or handed out at a business meeting or given to current clients to pass on to possible referrals.
Brochures range from a simple two-fold design using one sheet of 8-1/2 inch x 11 inch paper to an elaborate 9 x 12 inch pocket folder with 8 pages stitched in and insert sheets. Good brochure design involves not simply producing a flashy design, but a careful analysis of your target market, what level of sophistication is needed and consideration of your market niche in order to make a great first impression. And, last but certainly not least, your brochure should leave a potential client with something he or she is hesitant to throw away.
Today, in the age of E-Mail, multi-media presentations and the Internet, it's easy to assume that a web site can take the place of a printed brochure. Having a web site really can't replace the immediate visual impact of placing a brochure into a prospective client's hands.
Getting started
If you've never created a brochure, start by collecting a number of brochures (including competitors') that represent a wide range of quality--from simple one and two-color on textured stock to slick 4-color glossy brochures.
By asking yourself what it is that makes a brochure attractive and effective to you, it will be easier to make a brochure for your own business which will convey the message and level of sophistication you require.
Next, you will need to create some basic brochure copy about your business. Even if you're not a professional writer, putting some thoughts and facts about what your business does on paper will help make more concrete what information your brochure needs to convey. When writing copy ask yourself:
- Is my company an industry leader?
- Does my company have a market niche?
- What distinguishes my company from my competitor?
- Do we offer better value, service or selection of products?
- Do we have anything new or different to promote?
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who is your target audience?
- What message will get a potential client's attention?
- What kinds of brochures and what level of sophistication are typically crossing your client's desk?
- Does your product or service require photographs or illustrations to help convey your message?
- Will the brochure need to be a self-mailer?
Key information to include in your brochure:
- Mailing address.
- Phone number (and 800 number if you have one).
- Fax number.
- E-Mail address.
- Web Site address.
Be sure not to include in your brochure any information which is subject to changing in the next 12 months or so. Also, be wary of using a specific person's name as a contact person unless he or she is someone you know isn't going to leave in the next year. The same goes for printing photographs of people. There's no sense in spending several thousand dollars to create a brochure only to have it become out of date because someone leaves the company.
What does a brochure cost to produce?
Brochures can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Because there are so many variables involved in producing a brochure such as quality of paper, number of ink colors, use of photographs, number of brochures printed, etc., it is difficult to estimate the final costs until all the specifications are determined.
Four color process printing, varnishing and special treatments such die-cutting, foil stamping can add additional costs to producing a brochure, and may well be worth it if they enhance your brochure and the image you wish to project. Other cost considerations are whether you need professional photography, help with writing or editing copy for your brochure.
Even if you don't know all the details of your brochure when getting started, it's a good idea to create a budget. Start with determining how many brochures you will need to use during the next twelve months including mailings and sales meetings. If you have seen a brochure with a similar amount of information and photographs as you need for your brochure, a designer can use it as a model for determining printing and production costs.
Another consideration when designing a brochure is postage. Larger brochures will be more expensive to mail and if you are planning on doing a large mailing as part of your marketing, an oversized brochure may be expensive to mail. Larger brochures don't fare well through the postal system and often end up wrapped around other mail. Brochures which fit in a standard #10 business envelope give you the best buy in terms of postage and protection while mailing. Using a business envelope also allows you to mail a cover letter and business card as well.
Updating an existing brochure
I worked with a client once who had sales of over a million dollars a year, but was still using a dated, unsophisticated brochure produced by a printer nearly ten years earlier. While reputation alone helped the company's sales, their brochure was doing very little to promote them as a cutting-edge company to potential customers who had never heard of them.
If you have a brochure you produced a few years ago, it might be a good idea to have your brochure evaluated by a someone outside your company to make sure it projects the image of your company today and sets you apart from your competition. Often, a small company will produce an inexpensive brochure just to have something for a trade show or for telephone inquiries. While short-term needs are fulfilled, not having any kind of long-term plan for a package of coordinated materials will lead to a "hodge-podge."
As a business grows, the image of the business can outgrow the first brochure's image. Often other collateral such as pocket folders, product inserts, etc. are produced at different times by different printers and the result is a corporate image that is not coordinated, with different kinds of paper used and ink colors that don't match--not professional at all.
It is tempting to take the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and leave an existing brochure alone--for years. However, now could also be the ideal time to produce a truly professional brochure which will set you apart from your competition and give your potential clients something they will keep on their desk to serve as a memory jogger when you do a follow-up call.
Why have a graphic designer involved in creating your brochure?
Many businesses are producing promotional and sales materials internally or are relying on a printer to put a brochure together for them. There's nothing wrong with either of these approaches, provided you have the time and expertise to make all graphic design decisions that will produce a sophisticated brochure that's right on target. It's rare to find a printer who has a graphic designer on staff who will put a creative spark in your brochure, and relying on in-house talent doesn't save you money when it actually costs you lost sales.
Using a graphic designer can free you from having to make all decisions about your brochure by yourself and will provide you with an outside perspective on how to communicate to your audience. A designer can provide you not only expertise on typography but can help you with selecting ink and paper and some direction with your brochure and help guide you through the process from start to finish.
In addition to making design decisions, a graphic designer can serve as your project manager and will see the brochure from concept through successful completion. Most designers work with several different printers and can provide you with a printer that has the capabilities to print your brochure. If you need help with writing your brochure copy, many designers work with freelance writers and photographers.
Some Parting Advice . . .
Carpenters have a saying, "Measure twice, cut once," which applies to creating your brochure. By defining what your brochure should do and doing some research first, your brochure can be effective, informative and get prospective clients' attention. By utilizing design and printing professionals and by paying close attention to details, you can have a brochure that truly represents your business and is something you can be proud to hand out and mail.
Vann Baker is the president of Design-First, a marketing company specializing in corporate identity and collateral development. Vann has been helping small businesses and Fortune 500 companies to create brochures, newsletters, catalogs, websites and more for over 20 years. www.design-first.com.
5/01/2005
Secretarial Services - Features vs Benefits
Features vs. Benefits vs. End Results
by: Karon Thackston
If you've been in the copywriting realm for very long at all, you've heard the phrase "features vs. benefits." It's a fundamental copywriting principle and driving force behind much of what we, as copywriters, create. But there's also another aspect to this equation.
What happens after customers buy your product or service? Once they've used what you have to offer, what will be different in their lives? What will the end results, of their buying decision, be? Getting your customers to look at the end results of their actions can be an extremely powerful persuasion tool that you'll want to incorporate into your copy.
Let's look at features, benefits and end results and see how all three work individually and collectively to create a targeted push to the point of purchase.
Features - The Basic Outline of Your Product or Service
Features, in copywriting, are a starting point. They provide a basic outline for what your customer needs to know. Features describe (most often) the attributes of a product or service. If we're using the example of a cordless, telephone-answering system, some features might be:
5.8GHz FHSS
Talking caller ID
Expandable to 4 handsets
Selectable ring tones
Speakerphones
For a person who knows nothing about cordless phones with answering machines, this list might not mean much. It's a basic blueprint of the telephone and nothing more.
Benefits - Make the Product or Service More Personal
Benefits enliven the features. Benefits make the features, and the product or service, more personal. They explain how the features will improve the customer's life in some way. Using the features list above, see what the benefits might be. (The list below was taken from Panasonic (TM) marketing materials and relates directly to their KX-TG5230M model phone.)
5.8GHz digital system: The 5.8GHz frequency lets you go anywhere in your house and still have clear reception without interfering with your home network. The frequency-hopping digital technology keeps calls secure from outside sources.
Talking caller ID: No need to be within visual distance of your phone. You can hear who's on the line before you pick up the phone. No more running to find the handset or base!
Expandable: Keep a phone in any room--extra handsets cost less than other phones and don't need a phone jack. This base unit supports a total of four handsets. Add up to three handsets for a complete set.
Selectable ring tones: Customize the sound of your phone by choosing from three ring tones.
Dual speakerphones: Talk directly into the base with the base speakerphone, while the handset speakerphone provides convenient hands-free calling wherever you take your handset.
Benefits make the features personal. They explain how the features will be of use in the customer's life.
End Results - A Glimpse Into the Future
We can take this process one step further, however. After customers buy the phone, and after they use it, what end results will they experience? As asked before, how will their lives be improved? What will the effects of their buying decision be? Let's go back to our list and add end results as the last sentence in the benefits list.
5.8GHz digital system: The 5.8GHz frequency lets you go anywhere in your house and still have clear reception without disrupting your home network. The frequency-hopping digital technology keeps calls secure from outside sources. You'll have complete freedom to talk with no interference on one of the most advanced systems available.
Talking caller ID: No need to be within visual distance of your phone. You can hear who's on the line before you pick up the phone. You'll enjoy the ultimate in convenience with this feature. No more running to view the handset or base!
Expandable: Keep a phone in any room--extra handsets cost less than other phones and don't need a phone jack. This base unit supports a total of four handsets. Add up to three handsets for a complete set. Expandable phone systems are smart investments that save time and money.
Selectable ring tones: Customize the sound of your phone by choosing from three ring tones. Make your phone an extension of yourself.
Dual speakerphones: Talk directly into the base with the base speakerphone, while the handset speakerphone provides convenient hands-free calling wherever you take your handset. You'll have the flexibility of speakerphones wherever and whenever you talk.
Do you see what the end results have done? They've given the customer a glimpse into the future. The feature states that the phone offers 5.8GHz technology. The benefit goes on to explain that 5.8GHz technology is important because it offers clear reception and safety. The end result wraps things up by stating the customer will have a life filled with freedom and no interference from their highly advanced system.
Other end results point out how the phone system will make each user's life more convenient, how this smart investment will save time and money, how it will conform to one’s personality and how the phone will lend flexibility to the customer's life.
When you create your copywriting plan, be sure to list the features and build your benefits as usual. But, for added power, don't forget to include end results that will help the customers visualize how your product or service will make their lives better.
by Karon Thackston (c) 2005
http://levaduell.ktamarket.hop.clickbank.net
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://levaduell.ktamarket.hop.clickbank.net. Be sure to check out Karon's latest e-report "How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)" at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
Click here for more information about the copywriting course.
by: Karon Thackston
If you've been in the copywriting realm for very long at all, you've heard the phrase "features vs. benefits." It's a fundamental copywriting principle and driving force behind much of what we, as copywriters, create. But there's also another aspect to this equation.
What happens after customers buy your product or service? Once they've used what you have to offer, what will be different in their lives? What will the end results, of their buying decision, be? Getting your customers to look at the end results of their actions can be an extremely powerful persuasion tool that you'll want to incorporate into your copy.
Let's look at features, benefits and end results and see how all three work individually and collectively to create a targeted push to the point of purchase.
Features - The Basic Outline of Your Product or Service
Features, in copywriting, are a starting point. They provide a basic outline for what your customer needs to know. Features describe (most often) the attributes of a product or service. If we're using the example of a cordless, telephone-answering system, some features might be:
5.8GHz FHSS
Talking caller ID
Expandable to 4 handsets
Selectable ring tones
Speakerphones
For a person who knows nothing about cordless phones with answering machines, this list might not mean much. It's a basic blueprint of the telephone and nothing more.
Benefits - Make the Product or Service More Personal
Benefits enliven the features. Benefits make the features, and the product or service, more personal. They explain how the features will improve the customer's life in some way. Using the features list above, see what the benefits might be. (The list below was taken from Panasonic (TM) marketing materials and relates directly to their KX-TG5230M model phone.)
5.8GHz digital system: The 5.8GHz frequency lets you go anywhere in your house and still have clear reception without interfering with your home network. The frequency-hopping digital technology keeps calls secure from outside sources.
Talking caller ID: No need to be within visual distance of your phone. You can hear who's on the line before you pick up the phone. No more running to find the handset or base!
Expandable: Keep a phone in any room--extra handsets cost less than other phones and don't need a phone jack. This base unit supports a total of four handsets. Add up to three handsets for a complete set.
Selectable ring tones: Customize the sound of your phone by choosing from three ring tones.
Dual speakerphones: Talk directly into the base with the base speakerphone, while the handset speakerphone provides convenient hands-free calling wherever you take your handset.
Benefits make the features personal. They explain how the features will be of use in the customer's life.
End Results - A Glimpse Into the Future
We can take this process one step further, however. After customers buy the phone, and after they use it, what end results will they experience? As asked before, how will their lives be improved? What will the effects of their buying decision be? Let's go back to our list and add end results as the last sentence in the benefits list.
5.8GHz digital system: The 5.8GHz frequency lets you go anywhere in your house and still have clear reception without disrupting your home network. The frequency-hopping digital technology keeps calls secure from outside sources. You'll have complete freedom to talk with no interference on one of the most advanced systems available.
Talking caller ID: No need to be within visual distance of your phone. You can hear who's on the line before you pick up the phone. You'll enjoy the ultimate in convenience with this feature. No more running to view the handset or base!
Expandable: Keep a phone in any room--extra handsets cost less than other phones and don't need a phone jack. This base unit supports a total of four handsets. Add up to three handsets for a complete set. Expandable phone systems are smart investments that save time and money.
Selectable ring tones: Customize the sound of your phone by choosing from three ring tones. Make your phone an extension of yourself.
Dual speakerphones: Talk directly into the base with the base speakerphone, while the handset speakerphone provides convenient hands-free calling wherever you take your handset. You'll have the flexibility of speakerphones wherever and whenever you talk.
Do you see what the end results have done? They've given the customer a glimpse into the future. The feature states that the phone offers 5.8GHz technology. The benefit goes on to explain that 5.8GHz technology is important because it offers clear reception and safety. The end result wraps things up by stating the customer will have a life filled with freedom and no interference from their highly advanced system.
Other end results point out how the phone system will make each user's life more convenient, how this smart investment will save time and money, how it will conform to one’s personality and how the phone will lend flexibility to the customer's life.
When you create your copywriting plan, be sure to list the features and build your benefits as usual. But, for added power, don't forget to include end results that will help the customers visualize how your product or service will make their lives better.
by Karon Thackston (c) 2005
http://levaduell.ktamarket.hop.clickbank.net
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://levaduell.ktamarket.hop.clickbank.net. Be sure to check out Karon's latest e-report "How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)" at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
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