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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 March, 2001 Check out The Small Business Advisor website at http://www.isquare.com. Visit our advertisers – they help make this free newsletter and our site possible. Subscribe/unsubscribe info at the end of this newsletter. ======================= ======================= The Digital Daily,
http://www.irs.gov. Tax info and forms to download. ======================= Consider this listing of ideas for saving money while operating your business. Remember that every dollar saved goes right to the bottom line! * Negotiate EVERYthing, including services. You can frequently purchase at a discount by merely asking. Always request a discount if you pay in cash or if you intend to pay within 5-10 days. * Shop by mail order when applicable ... it is frequently economical and convenient. Use a credit card for your mail order purchases. The credit card company will assist you if you have a problem with the mail order firm whereas you have little recourse if you pay by check. * Shop and compare for all your needs. This is especially true if you are in the manufacturing business where prices for goods can vary widely. Don't get locked into a single vendor. For example, if you have been purchasing office supplies from the same supplier for a few months, put your normal order up for bid with their competitors...it is likely you will do better. Of course, there are intangibles to consider such as service, quality and convenience in your decision to switch suppliers. * Use the Internet to research prices for products and services. Most of the major search engines have links to "shopping' directories broken down by product types. Also check out specific shopping sites such as http://www.shopping.com/
* Toll free calling can add up to significant telephone service savings. Numerous vendors and suppliers have toll-free 800 numbers that may not be widely advertised. Don't purchase an expensive "800 directory" from one of the long distance carriers. A more economical way to check on the availability of an 800 number is to simply dial (800) 555-1212 for the "800" operator, who will have listings for all carriers. Another alternative is to use the Internet to search for 800 numbers. * Keep a close watch on energy consumption. Auto-setback thermostats and automatic light switches can be used to conserve energy at low cost. Both of these items can quickly pay for themselves in energy savings. * Use FAX or E-mail instead of mail. This way you save postage, envelope, paper, mailing time and get instant delivery. Transmit in the evenings or on weekends for reduced telephone rates and even more savings. * Barter, if possible. It can work under the right circumstances. * Shop for the best telephone service. Services AND rates vary considerably and a little investigation can bring big savings. Use the Internet to search and compare pricing. Visit informative sites such as http://www.telephone.com. * Monitor telephone usage and office supplies (including the postage meter, if used). Tele-phones and office supplies are often misused (usually unknowingly) and considerable savings are possible by being diligent. You, the owner, are the person most concerned with savings, and so it is up to you to keep an eye on ALL expenses. * Buy used or reconditioned. Tremendous saving is possible by purchasing used equipment, furniture, tools, and other business related items. Check local want ads, auctions (don't forget Internet auctions!), business close-outs, and Internet buy/sell listings for great savings. Remember that no warranties will apply so be on your toes and do your homework. Know what to look for, make sure you know what you are buying and know the items actual ("street") cost. You are in a better negotiating position with this information. * Plan shipping or mailings to avoid overnight or second day delivery that is MUCH more ex-pensive than alternate methods. If you must ship overnight check the various carriers as well as the post office for the best rates. Use internet sites to compare: http://www.ups.com/
======================= (We receive lot of articles about improving your website but this one really stands out as one with excellent, practical advice. Ed) No, I didn't ask if you had read a newspaper lately. I asked if you have looked at one. Closely. Have you examined one with care? If you take a good look at the front page, here is what you will find. It's A Work Of Art The main headline can be read at a glance, even when located on a newsstand quite some distance away. It grabs attention hard. It often draws you toward the rack, at least close enough to read the subheadline. And, as often as not, just as millions do every day, you buy a copy to read the related article. Does the creation of the headline for your site matter less than that of creating one for a newspaper? Other Headlines Matter In putting together the first page of a newspaper, the major task is to pull from the day's stories those most likely to interest readers. Only those with maximum appeal are selected. And the headline for each is crafted with extreme care. The object is to have at least one that grabs the attention of any reader. The best are used in the first fold, the part that shows in the newsstand. Do you have at least one subheadline that grabs the attention of most visitors? Have you a couple others in the first screen that loads? Formatting The amount of space given to the text of each article on the front page varies. Such decisions need to be handled with care, for space is limited. If one chooses to run too much text in a given article, another may need to be removed to an inner page, which subtracts that headline from the front page. While a web page has no fixed limit, visitors will not scroll down indefinitely. Thus formatting matters here as well. Include those elements most likely to be of interest to your target as close to the top of the page as possible. And each needs an attention grabbing headline. Teasers Newspapers generate profits from advertising. Yet you will not see an ad on the front page of any major daily. Instead, all is headlines, followed by the beginnings of the story. Photos are used sparingly on the front page, for headlines and content are generally the better draw. Further the article begins with the most important story elements. What is presented ends with a teaser. This is the first part of a sentence, laden with emotion, that seeks to compel you to turn to an inner page. For it is on the inner pages you will find the ads that generate the profits. An example often used is to end with, "The officer drew his pistol, cocked it, crouched down, then ... (Cont on page 23) The Site Parallel I don't want to get carried away with this. There are differences between the front page of a newspaper and your home page. Still, your best benefit needs to be featured in the page headline. And subheadings should define others. The text is always benefit loaded and has but one purpose: To draw your visitor deeper into the site. Another Parallel Newspapers are written for people in a hurry. So is a website. Thus the pattern of turning to an inner page to finish an article begun on the first page, compares in some ways to clicking off your home page to another for further information. Then clicking back. And Another If your home page is cluttered with graphics and/or ads, ponder some before deciding to leave them. The front page of a newspaper is all about easy reading and drawing people into inner pages. There are no ads and photos are minimal. This is a great formula for your home page as well. Inner Pages As with a newspaper, you fire your biggest guns on your home page. Thus your inner pages will have to make do with lesser benefits, unless a neat way can be found to restate the originals. Newspapers to a very good job with their inner pages. We would all do well to follow suit. Print And Competition Competition in the print media is awesome. Of all forms, newspapers seem to face the greatest challenge. All find it difficult to make profits. And indirect competition through books and magazines adds to woes. Television steals newspaper readers by the millions. Publishers struggle with this burden every day. They must continue to beat the competition or go broke. There is no option but to seek to put out a better paper today than was produced yesterday. Is The Web Less Competitive? There are some who would argue it is less competitive, but I'm not one of them. With the flood of existing business expanding to the Web, I feel competition is increasing at an awesome and increasing rate. And I see no end in sight. As webmasters, though, we do have one distinct advantage over newspapers - We don't have to do it every day. A newspaper is history tomorrow. We hope our websites have a somewhat longer span. On the other hand, we best get it right, and make some changes now and then to keep it that way. Every time I see
a newspaper headline that grabs at me, it reminds of my website. Mentally
I begin yet another review of my headlines, content and format. I continue
to learn a lot from newspapers about grabbing and holding attention. It
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