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We hope you find this arcthve useful. A subscription to The Small Business Advisor Newsletter is free. Subscribe now - it's easy! The Small Business Advisor Newsletter for APRIL, 2000 CONTENTS Notes, tips, etc++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOTES/TIPS/etc NEW ONLINE PUB - Patent and trademark information; policy; etc. Available at: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/ptotoday/ (Acrobat reader required) SMALL BIZ STATS: Over 60% of the about 10-million small businesses are now using the Internet [Kelsey Group] which is up from 40% a year ago! 40% of these companies are selling goods or services on line. Amazing! TAX TIME. There are great software packages available for small and home based businesses. Here are the big three: Quicken 2000 Home and Business. $80. http://www.intuit.com Microsoft Money 2000 Business and Pesonal. $95. http://www.microsoft.com Peachtree First Accounting 7.0. $69. http://www.peachtree.com THE BIGGEST WEBSITES: AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft, Lycos, Excite@Home, Go Network, Amazon, NBC Internet. FANTASTIC RESEARCH TOOL: Visit http://www.fedstats.com for a wide variety of statistics -useful for marketing research. FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS: As we've said before don't forget the SBA. Their "SBA Express" program makes is easy for approved lenders to provide small business loans up to $150K. These loans are generally for 5 to 10 years in length with interest variable but generally around 3% above the prime rate. Visit the SBA website for more information: http://www.sba.gov. FREE INTERNET ACCESS. Here you go - absolutely free access. Visit http://freelane.excite.com. You'll have to put up with advertising but the price is right! The Internet Marketing Center, http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/7115 Marketing tips, strategies, and secrets for internet marketing, online advertising and website promotion that will skyrocket your small, medium or home based business profits through the roof. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ DO YOU ACT LIKE A
PROFESSIONAL? What does it take to be considered a Professional? Webster's dictionary defines a professional as engaging in an occupation for money. Does this mean that by just engaging in a profession you are a professional? Of course not. To be considered a professional you not only need to have a great deal of knowledge and experience in your chosen field, but you must also conduct business in a professional manner. To develop a professional image requires time and effort. Let's take a look at the areas of your business where you should show professionalism. * Communications * Your attitude can make or break you. The way you deal with clients, associates, suppliers, other business people, questions, requests, complaints, and all other types of business communications will highly reflect on your own professional image. In all communications you should consider this before responding. Always be courteous. Be well mannered, respectful and warm. Say, "thank you", "please", "You're welcome" whenever appropriate. Make sure you let people know that you appreciate their time and effort ---- don't forget to include letting your clients know that you appreciate their business. Never misrepresent yourself or your products/services. Your honesty with clients and associates will go along way. Remember that you must earn their trust -- you cannot do that if you are not honest to a fault. Being honest will gain you life-long relationships with your clients and associates. * Products & Customer Relations * Always deliver more than was expected. Make sure your clients receive even more value than they anticipated. If you don't they will most probably be disappointed with you and will not become a repeat customer. Repeat customers are more important than the sale. A repeat customer will buy more of your products and will praise your products to others that may buy from you as well. Always listen to your customers. They will tell you where you need to improve things. Be sure to let them know that you understand and that you value their opinions. Try to look at a customer complaint as a way to learn how to increase the value of your products and services. Make yourself totally available to your clients and customers. Supply them the type of support that you want when you have a problem with something you have purchased. Waste no time responding to your clients. Be certain to find an agreeable solution, as quickly as possible and let your clients know that their satisfaction is your highest priority. When a client or customer is totally dissatisfied with your product or service refund their money with a smile. Tell them you are sorry and that you would like to know exactly why they weren't satisfied. Keep in mind that... "the customer is always right" even if you don't agree. * Online Aspects * Your Website should look professionally designed, include complete product & service descriptions and an easy yet secure way to order online. You should include complete contact information (including your phone number) on every page of your website --- or at least a link to it. Be polite and courteous to other website owners. Always acknowledge others legitimate business (not spam) requests, even if you are not interested. In doing business, on the Internet or in the real world you should always remember that you want to build bridges, not destroy them. Do your best in all aspects and your business should grow and prosper. Betty Ann Wilkins is the Publisher/Webmaster of New Business Start-ups. Visit: http://www.the-work-at-home.com/newsletter/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 10 tips for finding
valuable employees Routine classified ads and "Help Wanted" signs just don't cut it anymore. The worst labor shortage in three decades is forcing small businesses to use crafty, creative and sometimes bizarre ideas for finding valuable employees. Here are 10 tips for recruiting. 1. Give your business card to friendly, helpful people who you would like to work at your business, and include a short note on the back asking them to call you. Place your business card next to the tip you leave for the wait staff, hair stylist or other service professional. 2. Contact women's crisis centers. Be sure to mention any special child-care benefits you are offering, such as flexible scheduling. 3. Target people who volunteer their services at places such as hospital gift shops and non-profit agencies. Give them fliers that read, "If you want to get paid for what you're doing for free, call us." 4. Call every good employee who has ever worked for you and left. You might find one who is miserable and would love to come back but is too embarrassed to contact you. Be sure to ask them why they left. 5. Recruit at senior recreation centers where you might be able to lure the elderly out of retirement for part-time jobs. 6. When you shop in your own neighborhood, also shop for new employees who are friendly and helpful. Temporary workers who are hired over the holidays and during the summer might want to eventually work for you. 7. Post Help Wanted notices in high-traffic government offices such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. 8. Buy recruiting ads on restaurant placemats. To keep costs down, see if several other local non-competing businesses will buy ads too. Print the placemats yourself and offer them free to restaurants. 9. Place magnetic signs that say "We're hiring. Call..." on your cars, trucks or vans. 10. Conduct annual or semi-annual surveys of employees. Ask these questions: Why do you like to work here? What can we do better? What are the most important factors in your job satisfaction? Excerpted from "113 Tips for Finding Valuable Employees" and "107 Tips for Recruiting Valuable Employees." Find more information at www.publicityhound.com. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ How To Use The Secret
X-Factor In Your Advertising To Skyrocket Your Response Rates By At Least
57% (Good stuff !! ... editor) I want to talk about perhaps THE most important lesson you can learn about creating persuasive ads, sales letters, or internet sales copy: the sheer power of CREDIBILITY. Why is this lesson so important, you ask? The answer is easy. You see, people are downright skeptical these days. They have been deceived, hoodwinked, and taken advantage of by scandalous businesspeople, politicians, and religious leaders. Scam after scam fills people's mailboxes. Slick telemarketers lie to them about long-distance telephone service or phony sweepstakes. And so on. Amidst all the snake oil salesmen and charlatans, people are begging for someone they can trust and believe in. And, if you can be honest, and can communicate your credibility, you will emerge head and shoulders above your competition. Here are a few very powerful ways I've found to make my sales letters and ads BELIEVABLE, and therefore, DEVASTATINGLY EFFECTIVE. LONG Money-Back Guarantee - Don't give a cheesy 30-day or 15-day money-back guarantee. I can only conclude 2 things about people who give short guarantees: 1.) They have a crummy product, and they know that a lot of people will be returning their product. To these people, I say this: if you have a lame product and can't guarantee it with at least a 90-day, money-back guarantee you shouldn't be able to sleep at night. Quit selling crappy products. (Ironically, the longer your guarantee is, the fewer refunds you will have AND the more orders you will get.) 2.) They have a quality product, but are worried about people taking advantage of their generous guarantee. To these people, I simply say this: you are wrong. If you have a quality product, the additional sales you'll get because of your guarantee will FAR outweigh the refunds you'll get from dishonest scumbags. PICTURES - At the beginning of your ad or letter, include a picture of yourself, with a caption underneath it explaining who you are, a quote right next to your picture with your guarantee, and your signature. This combination of elements is incredibly effective, and it melts away a lot of skepticism right from the get-go of your letter. SPECIFIC Facts and Figures - Don't use general claims or statistics that don't seem real. For example, don't say, "I made $1,000,000 last year!" Say the exact amount you made: "I made $784,393.22 last year." This is much more believable. Or, you can say something like: "People who use my system lose an average of 37 lbs. in four months." This is much more effective than, "Lose a ton of weight!" or "Look like a supermodel in 30 days." Blah! SPECIFIC contact information - Don't be afraid to use your home address and phone number in your promotions. Too many people hide behind a P.O. Box and come across as a fly-by-night operator who's totally inaccessible. Subconsciously, your readers don't trust a P.O. Box as much as they trust a physical address such as "3214 Shadowbrook Circle, Provo, UT 84604." (My home address, by the way.) If, for some reason, you have to use a P.O. Box for your business mail, talk to the company that provides your box about using its physical address. For example, if you have a box at Mailboxes, Etc., and your P.O. Box is 118, and Mailboxes, Etc. is located at 220 Greer Rd., then see if you can use the address, "220 Greer Rd. Suite 118." Regarding your phone number, go ahead and put it in your sales letter. I often say, "Feel free to call me at my personal number if you have any concerns or questions." People hardly ever will call you. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY CAN CALL YOU IF THEY WANT TO can help ease their conscience dramatically. TELL THE TRUTH - This may sound like an obvious notion, but from the promotional materials I see every day, it is not. You must be completely honest about your claims and arguments. And one more thing... you must not only BE honest, but you also must SEEM honest in all that you say. Don't exaggerate the truth. Don't fake testimonials. (By the way, testimonials that say, "'Great stuff!' D.S., Kansas" simply don't cut it. A weak testimonial like that hurts your cause more than it helps it. TONE - Make the tone of your letter sincere, down-to-earth, and personal. Most of you will make the tragic flaw of overestimating the sophistication of your market. I don't care how "sophisticated" you think your market is. Everyone has emotions and everyone responds better to simple, down-to-earth talk rather than fancy, long words or boring, technical copy. There's so much to say about this issue of credibility, but we don't have enough room to cover it all here. It's funny... people look at this concept of "credibility" and don't think of it as particularly important, but let me tell you... these days, you'll fall flat on your face if you're not thinking about how to build your credibility in your reader's eyes in every word and phrase you say. Contact Jason Peery, President of Peery Publications, at jason@mailback.com . For information about his marketing newsletter include the number "78" in the subject line. Return to top of page - Back to Home Page - Back to Archive Index |