Secretarial Services: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 �?obusiness cards�?� in any popular search engine, and you�?Tll find hundreds of companies boasting thousands of eclectic designs�?"from patriotic motifs to fields of morning glories.If you�?Tre tempted to upgrade your business card to a design featuring a gleaming racecar or pastoral scene, slam on the brakes! When choosing a design, less is more. If you wouldn�?Tt insert a photo of a cuddly kitten on your resume, what would possess you to place one on your business card�?"unless, perchance, you�?Tre a veterinarian?For most professionals, an uncomplicated, clean design works best. If you work in a creative field, where �?oedgy�?� is the buzzword, you can afford to experiment. Otherwise, follow these basic rules:Traditional black type on a white or cream card stock never goes out of style.Paper selection matters. Opt for 12 pt. card stock, which is the ideal paper weight.You may choose a matte (dull) or glossy finish. Gloss is often overkill, while matte remains classic. Use your judgment, based on your specific industry�?Ts norms.Business cards should be considered part of your marketing kit. Their design should tie in with your letterhead, envelopes and other communication tools. If you don�?Tt already have a logo, hire a designer who can create a corporate identity package that features a consistent look. A final reminder: Always carry your business cards with you, and replenish your supply long before you give away your last card. more...


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Secretarial Services:Quick Conversation Starters

Ever wanted a simple way to start a conversation? Here’s Bruce Allen’s take on it… An age old dilemma when meeting new people at business networking events. What am I going to say?

You wonder how to start a conversation; worry that you'll sound silly commenting on weather for the billionth time. Read Bruce’s post to find out how to change that. more...


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Secretarial Services: Turn a passion in to a business

Turning a passion into a business more...


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Secretarial Services:Planning for a Home-Based Business

I would like to start working out of my home in the next couple of years. What can I do now to prepare? You definitely want to have goals ... more...


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Secretarial Services:Should I Keep My Day Job While I Start My Business?

I’m thinking about leaving my job and starting my own home-based business. Should I try to keep my current job while I start up my business, or should I just go for it? It's a good idea to retain ... more...


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Secretarial Services:Tax Breaks for Home Businesses

I've heard that home-based businesses get tax breaks from the IRS. Is that true, and what kinds of tax breaks are we talking about? The most important tax break for home-based business owners is ... more...


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Secretarial Services:60-Second Guide to Setting Up a Home Office

There’s no place like home, especially when you get to work there too. While others deal with frustrating commutes and noisy cubicles, you’re getting ahead and getting things done. Or ar ... more...


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Secretarial Services:Small Business Advertising Basics

In the broadest sense, anything that promotes your business might be considered advertising, whether it's a radio spot, a brochure or a trade show booth. But the term "advertising" usually refers to p ... more...


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Secretarial Services:Learn What Keeps Your Customers Up at Night

Sometimes there's just no substitute for good old-fashioned communication.Just ask Adrienne Lumpkin. She'll tell you customer relationships were key to the success of Alternate Access, the Raleigh, No ... more...


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Secretarial Services:What Basic Information Goes in a Press Release?

In addition to the news itself, your press release should indicate where your company is headquartered and who to contact for more information ; or to set up an interview. Both of those things, along ... more...


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Secretarial Services:It's a Great Time to Be an Entrepreneur!

It is a great time to be an entrepreneur. It's never been easier, faster or cheaper to get into business then it is now. I see the trend continuing with every year allowing businesses to be started with less and less money. Notice I didn't say personal effort or the ability to conquer your fears were getting easier, but the fact that the costs are driving down will allow people who have the guts and drive to start a business. more...


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Secretarial Services:Cultivating Biz Whizzes

Steve Mariotti of NFTE wrote one of the first business books I ever read. It is still on my shelf. It is great to see that his company is still influencing America's young people. Please note that starting and running a business is a lot of hard work, but so is a job. I'd personally rather be running a business. Doug Kersten Cultivating Biz Whizzes "More teens are starting their own businesses, and groups like the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship are helping them do it. Many people who decide to become entrepreneurs do so because they aren't satisfied with more...


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Secretarial Services:The Importance Of Subheads In Your Marketing

You need to seriously look at the layout of your marketing materials.  Look at your web pages, your brochures, your emails, your handouts, your sales letters - and all of your advertisements.Are you using subheads?You should be.It's easier on the eyes to have a scanning ability built in.  And subheads make it easy on the reader to quickly find the areas that are of interest.Chances are... they will not read your sales piece from start to finish.  They will skim and scan - looking for things that catch your eye.And the subheads job is to guide them (by scanning) to the order page without having read the entire thing.Good subheads can tell the story and get them to order.Good subheads are powerful headlines in themselves.For ex...3 Things You Must Do Today To Improve Your BusinessREVEALED! The secrets behind their success... and their fall to lose it all.When you are crafting subheads - put them in bold and centered. Even a font size bigger and a different font can help guide the eyes down the right path.The path that leads to a sale and another happy customer! more...


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Secretarial Services:The most valuable business resource in the world - for FREE?

Every single month I realize that the MOST valuable business resource I have ever found was given to me for free.18 months ago I signed up for Dan Kennedy's Gold membership and newsletter. It was free for 3 months and at that time I could make the decision if it was worth the $39 per month they wanted. Kinda high for a newsletter - but if it was good - then worth it.Yup - it was good.Incredibly good. In fact the best business newsletter I had ever read.Full of real life advertising examples, success stories, failure stories, tools to use, ideas to steal, money making tips every month... tons of them.An absolute goldmine worth of information if you are a business owner, or want to be one.It's free for 3 months - I would sign up if I were you - http://www.dankennedy.comLet me clarify though - Dan's newsletter is absolutely invaluable... so are the tips you will find here (also for free). Make sure you check out all the channels on The Blog Channel - every day you can get new tips and advice to build your business and income - for free.The Blog Channel more...


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Secretarial Services:Making Your Marketing and Advertising Pay

Some simple techniques you should be using in your marketing and advertising to stand out from the crowd.- Tie in your sales copy/newsletters/marketing campaigns, etc. with newsworthy topics, holidays, events happening, local interests, and personal interests' stories.Eg - Michael Jacksons acquittal, Brad/Angelina/Jennifer, The Runaway Bride, Fathers Day, Summertime, NASCAR fascination, Sports comebacks, etc.- If your product is not sold in stores �?" tell them!  This gives it exclusivity and makes it more likely that they will want to order if they know they cannot get it anywhere else.If your special is only available for the month of June - tell them - and tell them why (one of the most powerful things you can ever do in your marketing is to tell them why you are launching new products, why you are packaging them this way, why you are giving a discount, etc.The reason why is THE MOST powerful thing you can ever use in your marketing and advertising)- If you can, delay their payments.  �?oPay nothing now�?� is a very powerful promise that has built many multi-million dollar businesses.  Or, if some money is required �?" offer them a payment plan over the next 6 or 12 months.  People may scoff at paying $1,200 out of their pocket today but those same people may be very willing to pay $150 per month for 12 months �?" even if it means they pay a much higher rate.- Get them involved in your letter or ad through questions, surveys, and check boxes �?" whatever you can do to keep them interested.  That is why Readers' Digest does so well!  Take this sticker and place it here. That gold sticker and place it here.  When you get them involved in your copy they are much more likely to stick with it until they have ordered.- Talk about some product negatives. GASP!  No product or service in the world is perfect �?" be honest with them about that and you will be the only honest person they have comeacross in business.  Tell them the limitations, or the catch, or the one thing that you can never use it for. Incredibly powerful when you are the one to bring this up �?" they are already thinking, �?owhat�?Ts the catch�?� so tell them what it is.- Make the offer very selective �?" and make sure they understand that they are part of an exclusive offering �?" and what that means to them. Make a special offer for your existing client ONLY (and make sure they know that only they can get this deal). Make a special time (after midnight sale) for exclusive pricing not available at any other time.Show them you do appreciate them and they will appreciate you even more.- Write the ad copy so that when they order, they can easily explain it to their spouse and friends why this is such an incredible deal that they would have been an idiot to ignore it.Take one of the above and test it out over the next week. See what happens with your response - you'll be pleasantly surprised.  Guaranteed. more...


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Secretarial Services:Do you use Yellow Page advertising?

Effectively? Some of the most boring advertising can be found in the Yellow Pages!And yet, 40% of your clients buy based on the research they do in the Yellow Pages - 40%! Online yellow pages and offline print directories -... more...


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Secretarial Services:Satisfied Customers and Loyalty

We always want more, it seems.  When you started your business, customers of any kind seemed good, didn't they?  Quickly, you learned they needed to be profitable customers.  Then you went for satisfied customers.  Before long your Internet surfing and... more...


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Secretarial Services:What Customers Really Want

Years of research and millions of dollars spent studying customers for every size business keeps coming back with the same answer: Customers want to be treated differently.  If this is so easy to understand, why is it so hard to... more...


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Secretarial Services:Systematically Flood Your Leads With An Education

One of the tactics I love to employ in the landing of new clients is something I call an "Info Storm."Here's the basic idea. You meet a new prospect, go over the solutions you have for and then jointly decide on some next steps involved in them hiring you. Now, most people go away promising to send a proposal or follow-up in some manner. But, what also happens it that 3 other people slip in later that day and make a fine proposal for that same piece of business. So, what do you... more...


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Secretarial Services:Just Say No Once In A While

Every once in a while you've got to decide that a new client or a new project just isn't a good fit. You know the ones I'm talking about. You can usually feel it in your gut at that first meeting. But, hey, they said that would pay you, (usually after some attempt to get you to lower your price) so you took the work.It can be frightening to do, but nothing will be better for you or the prospective client than your ability to size up a project and decline it if it doesn't fit.You... more...


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