7 Affordable Marketing Strategies For Small Business Owners

Writen by Eve Jackson

"Build it and they will come" only works in the movies. If you're a small business owner, relying on people finding you will most likely end in disaster. Actively pursuing clients predicts success, but many entrepreneurs simply don't know how to do that.

Let me assure you though that marketing is easy… IF you have a plan.

The best plans are written down in a notebook, or maybe they're on your computer. Even a scrap of paper will do. But studies show when you write things down, you're more likely to succeed.

Sometimes new business owners are wary of any talk about marketing because they think marketing must be expensive. Yet can you afford not to market your company? And usually they're thinking of advertising rather than marketing. Although many think so, the two terms are not synonymous. Advertising is merely one form of marketing.

Here's a few.

• It all starts with image (and yes, image is part of marketing as is pretty much everything you say and do). To show the world a professional image, consider the impact of having everything that represents your company match perfectly – be it business cards, brochures, and your web site to name a few.
• The single-most affordable marketing strategy is networking and requests for referral. In fact, not only is it the most affordable, it's also the most effective. A client coming to your through a referral is likely interested in your product or services 60% of the time. You simply can't beat that.
• Direct mail is an excellent strategy for reaching your target market one-on-one. Direct mail works for both business-to-business and consumer markets. And while writing for both markets has certain aspects in common, there's also important differences when copywriting for the two.


• If your town has bulletin boards or storefronts that allow it (most do if you look hard enough), post a notice free of charge. The only cost bulletin board notices have is your time.
• Join your local business groups and offer to speak during their next meeting. Although public speaking is one of our most common fears, speaking to a group quickly establishes expert status.
• Find a business that offers complementary services to yours and split the costs of your both your marketing. For example, if you own a graphic design business, join forces with a printer.
• I can't end this discussion without mentioning web sites. There is no other way to reach as many people at the same time (except maybe advertising, but advertising on the same scale can be very expensive). The problem with web sites is putting one up is just the beginning. Marketing your site takes a lot of hard work, but it's worth it.

Small business marketing doesn't need to be difficult. Nor does it need to be expensive. These 7 strategies are just the tip of the iceberg. Really, you're only limited by your imagination, and of course your budget.

Eve Jackson offers marketing services to small business owners. If you're an entrepreneur who'd like to increase your sales, give her a call at 306-373-1459 or visit her web site at detailssbs.com/services.php where you'll find all sorts of information to help your small business succeed. You'll learn about small business image, marketing strategies, direct mail and small business web site development from start to finish.

Ten Tips For Working At Home

Writen by Alvah Parker

1. Maintain regular working hours and stick to them.

2. Get a separate phone line, computer and printer that are only used for your business.

3. Keep your workspace separate from your living space. Ideally it should be visually and acoustically separate from the living quarters.

4. To gauge your progress maintain goals and to do lists. On Sunday night or Monday morning create a plan for the week. At the end of the week take time to reflect on your progress.

5. Find other independent workers or a personal coach to give you feedback on your ideas and progress.

6. If you are working with a team, have frequent telephone and email conversations with the members of the team. This helps to keep the project on track and allows team members to anticipate and prepare for problems.

7. Document your work and learn to do this in laser like language.

8. Request frequent feedback from clients and managers so that you are sure you are satisfying their expectations continually. Without daily contact it is hard to read people. Most people find it difficult to give negative feedback. At the end of a project they may accept it as is even though they are disappointed with the result. Ongoing feedback helps avoid this problem.

9. Have regular breaks during your day. Be creative in you way of relaxing. Meditation, a cup of coffee, a snack, a walk, are examples of ways to stop what you are doing to re-energize.

10. Set clear boundaries. Neighbors, friends, and family must know that your office is off bounds. Even though you are home every day you are working. Have a no interruption policy during working hours.

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker's Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are managers, business owners, sole practioners, attorneys and people in transition. She also is a Practice Advisor to lawyers helping them to develop successful businesses. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

Dealing With Your Holiday Email Backlog

Writen by Clare Evans

It's coming up for that time of year when school's out and everyone heads off for their summer holiday.

If you're someone who relies on email as part of your business, you probably dread coming back from holiday to hundreds of emails. The thought of spending the first week dealing with them all and feeling that you're having to catch up all the time, so here are a few ideas to help you deal with the backlog.

The process for dealing with a holiday backlog is the same as handling emails on a daily basis, the volume is just much larger.

Once you've planned out the important things you need to get done on your first day back, set aside an hour to go through your inbox. Yes, I know it's probably going to take much longer than that but it's just the start.

Don't respond to any new incoming emails until you have cleared what's already in your Inbox.

First scan – DON'T READ OR RESPOND TO ANY EMAILS ON THIS SCAN. Just go through quickly and eliminate the spam and any email you know you don't need to read. Use the sort function to sort your email by sender or subject, which makes it easier to delete the junk.

You don't have time to read everything so delete anything that doesn't require your attention or have information you absolutely MUST have. Don't save it 'just in case'.

Second scan – pick out all the priority emails you need to respond to first and place them in a separate 'Action' folder.

Set aside time in your diary to respond to your 'Action' emails – either do this in that first hour, as you should still have a reasonable chunk of the first hour left, or set aside more time later in the day.

Depending on the volume of emails, you should be able to complete these first two scans in the first hour. Do the third scan too if you still have time, otherwise leave that until the next time you're scheduled to work on your email.

Allow yourself a few minutes to take a quick look at any new emails – in case there is anything important that needs attention, but I mean a 'few minutes'. Don't get distracted!

Third scan – if your filters haven't already sorted out reading emails, now is the time to place all of these in the appropriate folder(s).

Fourth scan – deal with what's left. Less urgent action emails can now be dealt with. What's left? If it's not action or reading – it's probably not urgent so can be deleted.

Once you've safely dealt with the backlog that came in while you were away – only then, can you deal with applying the same process to the new emails that have come in.

I've mentioned before that I have a number of accounts that I use to sort my email before it even gets to the Inbox and folders. Non-essential newsletters and recent Internet account sign-ups, go to one email address. Postings from discussion groups go to another account. Work related emails and the newsletters I really want to read, go to my main account and then use filters to sort these into folders.

Before you go away – if you have the option – switch any email groups to special notices or admin only. You can do this for all Yahoo groups and some online discussion/networking groups usually allow you to switch off email notification. This will reduce the volume coming through in the first place so you have less to deal with.

Copyright 2006: Clare Evans

Clare Evans is a Personal & Business Coach. She works with busy individuals and small business owners to enable them to plan and organise their time more effectively. You can read more articles on her site Work Life Balance Articles at http://www.clareevans.co.uk Receive free weekly Time Tips to show you how to manage your time more effectively when you register for her monthly newsletter at http://www.clareevans.co.uk.

Top 7 Tips To Making A Business Plan

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you are considering starting a business making a business plan is a good idea. A professional business plan can help you become more successful in your business. All businesses plans have an executive summary.

The executive summary should be no more than two pages and you should write one rough draft before you start, which is an overview of your business plan and then rewrite the whole executive summary after you are done with your business plan so it matches. It should be a synopsis of the entire plan itself.

The business plan should have pictures or renderings of your future building, business equipment or service vehicles. No matter what you have decided as your profit goals and additional capital costs and order time it will take to get the business going; you need to double the time, half the profit and triple the capital costs.

No matter how good your business plan is it is a proven fact that entrepreneurs are optimists and often they will become undercapitalized because they do not understand all the ridiculous over regulation placed by government agencies or the amount of time it takes to get something through a city planning commission. I hope you'll consider all these factors when you are making your business plan. So, think of this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Seven Ways To Get The Most Out Of The Next Training You Attend

Writen by Kevin Eikenberry

Sometime soon you will be attending some training. It may be a one hour tele-seminar, a one day class, professional conference, or a weekend retreat. It may be something that you are paying for, or it may be something your organization is investing in. Whether you are paying the bill or not, you are making a significant investment of your time, energy and attention to participate.

Many people approach training as an adult much like they approached classes when they were in school – and those strategies aren't always the best ones to maximize the value from a learning experience. Regardless of the length, situation or topic, there are some very specific things that you can do to convert the experience into useful learning you can apply in your work and life.

Following are seven strategies that you can apply to convert your time and energy spent in training into real useful learning.

1. Have a goal. Been signed up for some training at work? Decided to attend a seminar on a topic you are interested in? Great! The first thing you should do in any case is set a learning goal. If you are already knowledgeable about the topic and have specific things you want to improve, setting your goal or goals should be easy. If this is training you are less excited about attending, or are unclear about, you can still set a goal like: "Learn one new thing I can apply at work," or "Meet one person I can add to my network." Having a goal and writing it down focuses your mind and will help you gain real practical value from any learning situation.

2. Take personal responsibility. Take responsibility for your own learning experience. The training may not be the most dynamic or engaging you've ever been to, but that is ok, because you have a goal. Make that your focus. Perhaps the trainer isn't going to cover that topic exactly. That's ok – use their expertise. Ask them at a break, probe for other resources. Stay focused on your goal. Your learning is in your control. Take responsibility for getting from the experience what you want and need.

3. Ask questions. Don't understand something? Ask for clarification. Want a little more information? Ask for it. A big part of being responsible for your on learning is asking question to get what you need.

4. Ask the Golden Question. The most important question is the one you won't likely ask out loud. "How can I use what I am learning?" This is the golden question because it helps us translate the learning to real life. Ask this question of yourself through the training experience. I keep a separate place to keep notes on the application ideas I get from asking myself this question when I am in training. This truly is the golden question. Ask it of yourself when you start to get distracted, ask it of yourself at breaks. Soon it will become a natural response and an amazingly valuable habit.

5. Learn from everyone. There are more people to learn from than just the speaker/trainer. The other people in the room can be a great way to learn. Tap into their experience and knowledge. Talk to the people at your table or around you. Think of them as peer coaches. These people can help you learn during the session and might become great people in your network after you leave. Be involved, participate and allow yourself to learn from everyone, not just the person in the front of the room.

6. Build an action plan. At the end of the training, build an action plan. Review your goal(s) and build a plan to implement what you have learned. Reflect on your answers to the golden question and resolve that you will apply those ideas too. If the training has been really valuable, you may have several ideas. This is great, but be realistic on how much you can apply at a time. Build your plan recognizing that you ay be able to implement some things tomorrow, but that other things might need to be spread out over the next week or more.

7. Teach someone else. If you want to really lock in what you have learned, share what you have learned with someone else. Talk to a colleague back in the office. Share the concepts with a friend. Not only have you helped the other person, but you have increased your mastery and clarity of the ideas in your own mind.

Bonus tip # 8 – Review your notes. If you want to really retain what you have learned for the long term, set up a process to review your notes. Review them the evening after the event. Review them the next day, and the next day. Then put a note in your to-do list to review them one week later and one month later. Each review only needs to be five minutes long. You are simply trying to build the concepts in your mind through repetition and giving your mind a chance to spark new connections and new ideas.

As you can see, these strategies don't require any additional monetary investment, just an investment of your focus and approach. Applying just one of these strategies can have a major impact on your results. Applying them collectively will put you among the learning elite.

Put these strategies some where so that you can review them before you attend any training event. Over time the reminders will turn these strategies into your own habits – habits that will help you move towards your goals and potential.

All Rights Reserved, Kevin Eikenberry. Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on "Unleashing Your Potential" go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Top Ten Client Feedback Questions

Writen by Alvah Parker

As program chairperson of my SCORE ** chapter I am always looking for new presenters to address the group. I frequently ask my fellow business counselors to give me some ideas for topics of interest to them.

In August one member approached me with an idea. He suggested inviting some of the clients that the counselors had worked with this year to one of our meetings to give us some feedback on our counseling techniques -both the highs and the lows.

Five clients were invited to our meeting and they were asked the first 5 questions of this Top Ten list. We learned a lot from the answers we got.

As 2005 comes to a close and we begin 2006 perhaps you are interested in finding ways to get clients to give you feedback about the products and services you offer. Here is a list of 10 questions you could use. Select a few that suite your situation. The key is to ask the question and then allow the client uninterrupted time to answer. Your job is to just listen!

1. What was the greatest benefit you derived from my service***? This question helps you to understand what is working. Sometimes you will be surprised by the answer. Our SCORE chapter has a limit of 3 counselors at one location to counsel one client. Our client panelists said the more counselors the better! We have now eliminated the restriction on the number of counselors.

2. What would you like to see more of when you work with me? For our session the panelists told us some counselors introduced themselves by telling about their business background during the sessions while others did not. The clients said they wanted to hear the qualifications of the counselors who were working with them. Are you forgetting to be consistent when delivering your product or service to your clients? We were! ☺

3. How could I improve my service? Clients often have ideas that are easy to implement but somehow you haven't thought of. SCORE does both email and face to face coaching. These were face to face clients who wondered if they could get support between sessions through email. Easily done now that we know it might be helpful. (Our email addresses are already on our SCORE business cards!)

4. Is there anything you would like to see me stop doing? This question gives the client the opportunity to tell you about something that isn't useful to him or her. It was suggested in our session that sometimes it is difficult for the business owner to meet with the counselor because the owner can't leave his/her place of business. The SCORE clients wondered if it would be possible for the counselors to occasionally meet them at their own place of business. The answer was "Yes". Again not something we had thought to offer consistently.

5. Is there anything you didn't get from my service that you were looking for? Here is an opportunity for the client to tell you other services that you might provide. If you are looking for ways to expand your offering this question is important. In the SCORE session one client wanted to know how he might get a counselor who actually worked in or owned the specific type of business that he had. Access to a database of the counselors in our chapter and their background would be helpful to the counselors and our clients. We will be putting one together. (We did have one counselor with exactly the right background for this client.)

6. Has my staff treated you with care, attention, and courteousness? This would be an important question for a service provider with an administrative staff to ask. Clients don't always complain about their experience with your staff but might share something significant when asked.

7. Is there an issue that I have not spent enough time on for you? Sometimes clients allow you to move forward but are still thinking about a previous issue. This kind of question helps them to revisit areas they may have not understood and still have an unanswered question.

8. Am I doing what you want me to do? Most of the time we are doing what we think the client wants. It is good to check once in a while to find out if you are actually doing what the client wants.

9. Where have we been less than proactive in addressing your concerns? It may be that the client is expecting you to move into different areas that you think are being covered by other vendors or staff members. "Being proactive" may have a broader definition to the client than you are using. Asking this question might uncover new business.

10. Is our billing clear? Are you getting value for your money? The bill is often a source of anxiety for the client. He/she needs to know exactly what he/she is being billed for. Does your bill show that? This final value question is critical to insuring your client is satisfied with your product or service.

**SCORE – This is an organization that is part of the Small Business Administration in the US. SCORE volunteers are experienced managers and business owners who counsel small business owners without charge. ***I have used the word service here and also client. You could just as easily substitute product and customer.

About Alvah Parker

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. To subscribe send an email to join-roadtosuccess@go.netatlantic.com.

Parker's Value Program© enables clients to find a way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. She is both a Practice Advisor and Coach to attorneys, managers, business owners, sole practioners, and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

7 Tips On How To Prepare For Business Events

Writen by Catherine Franz

Are you scratching your head after business events wondering why you aren't finding prospects? Whether it's your first or 100th event, here are some tips on how to prepare for your next event that can make the difference between scratching and smiling. These tips will help you save time, money, create memorable impressions, and increase connections.

1. Know your intention. Why are you attending? Listen to your self-truth. Are you attending to refine your skills, build relationships, make sales, or need to just get away from the office? Intentions work best when they are limited to one. The limitation clarifies and directions all your actions. When there are multiple intentions, you begin with confusion and convey the same to all at the function.

Does your intention match the type of event? If it's a Christmas party and your intention is to generate sales, there isn't a match. You don't want to give a negative first impression; they take too long to change. If you aren't sure what types attend the event, contact the event manager, and ask or use of the theme as your answer.

What does your business need? Maybe you need a referral, are looking for a new employees, or accountant, or image consultant. A need can be a secondary or first intention. If you decide to include a need into the equation, make sure you know what that need is, how to present it and to whom. After you ask, what is the next step? Clarity is necessary for success. You job is to be ready for when it appears.

Are you ready for the sale? I've met many people who want sales but aren't ready for the orders. If someone says yes at the event, are you ready with the next step? If not, reconsider your attendance. It is better investment to focus your time on finishing the preparation. A first impression of not knowing what you are doing isn't a good impression to give.

2. Continuing with the topic of needs...what are your short-term, medium-term, and long-term needs now? If you are seeking short-term funds and the event is about building relationships, medium to long-term, then it might be wise to pass it up for now and pursue endeavors that match.

For a new business, short-term is three months or less, medium-term from four or six to eight months, and long-term is anything over that. Short-term projects usually match short-term funds, and so on. It's like buying food and paying for it over a six-month period when the food only lasts 30 days. You are buying apples to pay off with oranges, and the two never mix well.

If there is a mixture, do you have something available to sell that will generate short-term funds? For coaches, whose prices do not fall into the short-term attraction range, selling coaching with the thought that it makes short-term funds is a mix match. Coaching falls into medium-term and long-term and seldom short-term unless your name is very recognizable.

3. It takes three contacts before people are aware that you exist. It doesn't matter if this is in person, an ad, or three ezines. What three do you use to create awareness for yourself? This is why the 60-second elevator speech is important. Yet, by itself, it's too lonely. Shaking hands and carrying on a discussion is another but that is still shy of three. If you write Internet articles, bring copies to the event. Don't place the articles on the general table, personally hand them out so people can connect the two.

4. Rehearse don't practice. Create a list of 10 opening questions, choose a few at a time from that list, and rehearse them with colleagues, friends, or family. Rehearsing is interacting with live people and is closer to what you will actually be doing. Practicing into a tape recorder is the next best thing because it allows you to hear the voice others will hear. If that makes you twinge, then maybe that is exactly what others are feeling as well. Work with a voice coach to refine your tone.

Here are ten story-opening questions to get your started. Pull from these and then create your own.

(1) What do you enjoy most about what you're doing?

(2) What is the strangest (or funniest) incident you've experienced in your business?

(3) What marketing have you found most effective in your business or industry?

(4) What is your key product (or service)?

(5) What do people like best about working with you?

(6) What is your number one need at the moment?

(7) What do you like most about coming here? If it's their first time, "What do they like most about the event thus far?"

(8)What business trends do you see affecting you right now (or next year)?

(9) If I had an ideal customer of yours in front of me right now, describe them.

(10) How do you see this event helping you in your business?

Know what actions you want to occur and what are their triggers. Rehearse until smooth, not strained. Are you going to ask them to become a subscriber for your newsletter? Visit your website? Sign up for a workshop? Set up a time for coffee? You will most likely have several calls to action, limit them to five, and never request more than one per person per event. Otherwise, you will come across as too pushy or confuse your listener.

Ask attendees to join you in the next step. "Ask and you shall receive." Ask if they are interested in having a call together. Ask if they would like to be a subscriber and mention the main benefit people tell you why they enjoy receiving it. Ask if they would like to register for your workshop. If they answer anything other than yes, they aren't interest, it's important to just move on. Never, never, never, promise to call and don't. The label will follow you.

5. Differentiate yourself from others in similar professionals. Even twins have differences. Leave the humbleness at home. How are you different from others in the same profession or selling the same type of product? Can you explain the differences in 2 minutes during any introduction if needed? Any longer and the listener zones out because the conversation is no longer about them.

Due to its importance, let me repeat this. If you don't know what you're selling, how you are different, or have a clear direction on your current prospect needs, then you aren't ready to attend any events yet. Spend the time defining these first.

6. A memorable moment includes several items. One of the items is your personal style. You can accomplish this in your selection of clothing, tone, or language. You can wear scarves or ties with themes, a comment-getting pin, hats, and the same color in shirts or shoes. I knew a man who always wore cowboy boots. He had a wide collection, they matched his accent, and people could spot him across the room. Did his style increase business? You bet. Create a style and treat it like your trademark or calling card.

7. Know what you're marketing strategy for attending this event -- all seven steps. What happens after yes, after they become a subscriber, or any other call to action you have? Always have the next step planned no matter which direction the conversation goes.

Be the leader and they will follow. Be the leader, inside and then out.

(c) Copyright 2004, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.

Catherine Franz, a Business Coach, specializes in for-profit nonfiction writing, marketing, and product development. Newsletters, articles, forms, and other information business development, marketing success, writing, and laws of attraction are available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

10 Tips For Delivering Solid First Impressions

Writen by Dean Lindsay

Building a priceless business relationship entails creating a series of progress-based impressions. None is more important than the first. Make sure your first meeting with someone is progress-based and powerful.

Remember, people meet people all the time. You need to stand out as someone they want future contact with. To do this you must Be Progress in their mind. You must be a Progress Agent.

Here are 10 quick tips for delivering solid first impressions from Cracking the Networking CODE.

1. Do not try to do major business deals (save that for later).
Do not rush new relationships; think LONG TERM. Do not SELL! It is a mind-set. Be subtle. The worst thing you can do is try to start selling someone something as soon as you meet them.

2. Be an Early Bird and a Late Bloomer.
Never be late. At a networking event the ten minutes before things get under way and the ten minutes after are the real golden moments. So arrive 15 minutes early and stay 15 minutes late.

3. Always stand when meeting someone new.
It shows respect. What else can I say about it?

4. Hand in hand.
In the business arena, handshakes are the accepted greeting. As a rule, I would advise against initiating kisses or hugs in a business setting. Take the handshake seriously; you will be judged by the quality (limp/firm, moist/dry, lengthy/brief) of your handshake. Above all, a handshake should be firm, but not bone-crushing. No dead fish handshakes. They're creepy.

Note to men about shaking hands with women:
Don't wimp out on the handshake. I often hear from female professionals I am working with how some men will offer them a lame "I don't want to hurt you – you delicate flower, you" handshake. Be a man. Shake the hand.

You can avoid delivering a cold, wet handshake by keeping your drink in the left hand. If your hands tend to be clammy, try spraying them with antiperspirant at least once a day. Also, try carrying Kleenex in your pocket and drying your hands discreetly from time to time. To really put yourself over the top, shake hands good-bye as well as hello.

5. Travel light.
In most cases, there is no need to take your briefcase or even a purse. You do not want to have to put down all that stuff (brochures, briefcases, or handbags) and dig out a business card. It's also tougher to move around or look comfortable and easygoing with your arms filled with your company's propaganda. Remember, you are there to connect, not sell.

6. Meet. Talk. Get card. Go.
At a networking event, talk to one person for about four to five minutes – eight minutes maximum. Get their card, take some notes, and work toward a comfortable conclusion to this initial conversation. Hogging someone's time is an inexcusable no-no. If you cannot find a natural way to end the conversation, introduce the person to someone else. It's a win-win. You help them connect with someone new and you get to move on without appearing rude.

7. Do not act desperate for business.
People want to talk to upbeat, confident people. You will not create any priceless business relationships if you act like you don't have lunch money. Treat people as worthy of your respect and courtesy, not as targets.

8. Carry /use breath mints or those dissolving strip things (not gum).
Halitosis is bad for business. Good breath is a must. And as for gum, smacking anything at a networking function is discouraged.

9. Communicate that your network rocks.
Talk enthusiastically about the cool, neat, highly productive and witty people who are already in your network. This will encourage others to want to be in your network too, because you will speak of them in the same positive way.

10. Who wants a drink- e-poo?
At conferences, conventions, trade shows, and business-after-hours functions (often organized by the local Chamber of Commerce and held at a local business establishment), it is common for there to be alcohol. I encourage you to consider not drinking at these events, or at least know your alcohol limit and not get anywhere close to it. Sure you want to be remembered, but not as the loud jerk who couldn't hold his spirits and spilt red wine on Judge Jacob's new power suit.

Crack the Networking CODE

Be Progress.

Recognized as a 'Sales-and-networking guru' by the Dallas Business Journal, Dean Lindsay is the founder of The Progress Agents (http://www.ProgressAgents.com) – a seminar company dedicated to empowering progress in sales, service, and workplace performance.

Dean's best selling book Cracking the Networking CODE: 4 Steps to Priceless Business Relationships has been endorsed by a who's who of business leaders and performance experts including Ken Blanchard - author of The One Minute Manager, Brian Tracy and Frank Bracken, the President and COO of Haggar Clothing Co.

Jay Conrad Levinson - the author of Guerrilla Marketing, thought so much of Cracking the Networking CODE that he wrote the book's foreword.

A cum laude graduate of the University of North Texas, Dean presently serves on the Executive Advisory Board for UNT's Department of Marketing and Logistics. The Dallas Business Journal selected Mr. Lindsay as one of D-FW's Rising Stars Under Forty in The Business World Today in their yearly Forty Under 40 list.

More info at: http://www.ProgressAgents.com or 1-877-479-5323

How To Magnetize Your Business

Writen by Margie Fisher

Do you ever wonder how some businesses always seem to be doing so much business? And how they seem to do all that business without really trying that hard? Most of us would like to have business come to us, rather than chasing it. Think of a magnet – pulling business towards your company, effortlessly and naturally. Sounds good, right? But how do you actually become a company like that? Here are some ways.

1. Have a clear vision. What do you want your company to be? Lasting companies have a large vision that can be true now or 100 years from now. While the vision always remains the same, these companies can adapt their products and services to fit what is profitable in the current market. That's why these companies are more successful than their competition that focuses on a specific product or service. If your company has a clear vision, it will stand out, since very few companies have one. Good examples of successful companies with a clear vision are: Walt Disney (to make people happy) and Merck (to preserve and improve human life).

2. Make sure everyone in your company buys into that vision. Every person in your company should agree with and be able to articulate that vision. Each person should also understand his/her role in that vision.

3. Be special. Your company should have a niche that lets you stand out from the crowd. Again, everyone in your company should be able to articulate it, whether at work or in casual conversation with family and friends.

4. Treat your employees well. Great employees make a business. Offer great benefits, training, recognition and feedback. Not only do happy employees help your profits increase, but they also help you develop a great reputation as an employer, so that more great employees want to work for you.

5. Help out your community. Every employee should take part in this in some way, even if it is during work hours. Volunteering for worthy causes, getting involved in business organizations and mentoring programs are all great ways to give back to your community. At the same time, you and your employees become ambassadors for your business, developing goodwill and potential business, through word of mouth and even free publicity.

6. Become an "of course". By being well-known and the best in your line of business, when people are in need of services that your company provides, it will always at least be on their short list. Part of that is being everywhere. When someone is in need of services that your company provides, your name should always be on their mind. The way to do that could be through local and national media, at meetings, through community service, newsletters, or word of mouth.

7. Present a positive image. Every contact with your business should be positive, from the way people dress to the cleanliness of the counters in a retail location. It also means that all of your written materials, including business cards, letterhead and brochures look professional. Finally, it means that any front line customer contact is handled professionally, especially people who answer the phone at your office or greet people at the door.

8. Build and protect your reputation. You can do this by not gossiping and not lying. Don't forget that even one negative experience with a customer can do irrevocable damage to your business.

9. Treat your customers like you would like to be treated, and then go 100% beyond that. It makes financial sense. Did you know that it costs five times more to gain a new customer than to keep one? Consider implementing a secret shopper system to evaluate service, and reward employees for great service, too.

10. Talk with your customers. Speak with your customers regularly, through surveys, Advisory Boards, complaint hotlines. Thank them for their business, regularly. Keep them updated through regular mailings. Your current customers will help keep you in business, help you become aware of problems, and will refer business to you.

When these steps come together, your company becomes a magnet. Your customers and potential customers will know that you are special and will want to do business with you. So, get ready to pull more customers and profits your way!

Copyright 2006 Margie Fisher All Rights Reserved

Margie Fisher, President of Zable Fisher Public Relations, is the author of the Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Kit. For more information on the Kit, the Pay for Results Publicity Program, and to sign up for the complimentary PRactical P.R. newsletter, visit http://www.zfpr.com

Seven Must Have Features Of Contract Management Software

Writen by Clifton Henry

Contract Management Software allows you to manage contracts, automate contract management and much more. However, the details involved within the varying contract management software solutions can become confusing. This article is dedicated to providing seven solid features you can and should expect before you spend any dime.

Here is a list of features we will examine in this article:

1. Contract Endorsement
2. Contract Creation
3. Contract Storage
4. Contract Management
5. Contract Examination
6. Contract Negotiation
7. Contract Payment Services

Although there are many other features in contract management software solutions, this article is only intended to provide an overview for any one considering purchasing this type of software. This article will also allow any individual interested in learning more about contract management software to get a good idea of what to contract management software is. I really hope this helps you out!

Let's get to it.

Contract Management

Contract management is the managing of all aspects and phases of any and all contractual agreements including the creation of certified, professional contracts that meet legal directives, supply categorization and systematization in contracts, etc. Contract management software facilitates management and the automation of tracking and reporting of contract processes.

Contract Creation

Contract creation involves the drafting of contracts from idea and discussion to completion Contract management software will allow the user to automate this process into legal/binding agreements and contract modifications in the form of amendments if necessary.

This is important! Having the wrong contract management software may cause you unnecessary stress due to legal problems with improperly outlined contracts. The reason it may be necessary to have contract management software is that it often will have templates and proper wording in order to assure that the agreement is clearly documented and explained.

Contract Storage

Contract storage is pretty self explanatory. The user can collect, gather, and store all contracts in one system. Contract management software provides the system to save contracts for proper record keeping.

Having a storage system for your contracts with customers allows electronic copies of agreements made, modifications, amendments, etc. to be kept securely in one place. This prevents common accidental spills, loss, and damage to hard copy contracts.

Contract Payment Services

Contract payment services involve the negotiation of payment terms, establishing of compensation methods, and payment tracking from contract initiation to conclusion of payment. Contract management software supports uninterrupted services around the implementation of expenditures owed to partners throughout the life of the contract.

Having one place to discuss and document all payment negations is invaluable. In the event of legal ramifications or discrepancies in contract negotiations, both you and your customer can use contract management software to automate and document all financial compensation methods.

Contract Negotiation

Contract negotiation entails authentication completion, evaluation and establishing of payments due according to the specifics in the negotiation for each party. Contract management software will allow the user to authorize and authenticate chargeback claims for each contract partner.

As mentioned above, with contract management software the entire negotiation process can be done in one system. This ensures that all parties involved with the contractual agreement have clearly documented claims stated in the proper format.

Contract Endorsement

Contract endorsement involves scheduled approvals based on changes made and milestones reached in contract negotiations. Often these contracts are online allowing both parties to evaluate objective goals and submit approval.

At any point in the negotiation process or amendment of prior agreements, contract management software will allow each party to approve or deny any part of the contractual goals of the other partner. This is important because nothing can be finalized in the contract without prior approval from both parties.

Contract Examination

Contract examination entails the analysis and investigation of the varying contract-based relationships over the history of the contract. Contract management software allows the detailed scrutiny of the contractual agreements, financial analysis, and quality of contract implementation strategies for each customer according to individual demographics.

Knowing what implementation strategies were effective and which ones were ineffective allows for optimization of future strategies. In plain English, this means that knowing what worked and what didn't helps you do what worked more. If you don't evaluate your processes, you may be in danger of repeating poor business practices and losing money.

For more information on contract management software or other types of management software, visit Management Software Review (http://managementsoftwarereview.org). Your SOURCE for management software info.

Management Software Review is your SOURCE for management software info. Management Software Review

10 Ways To Amplify Your Orders

Writen by Rojo Sunsen

1. Think of ways to get your site or business on the the news. You could sponsor a fundraiser, break a world record, hold a major event, etc.

2. Hold a contest on your web site. Give other web sites the option of offering it to their visitors. This'll multiply your advertising all over the internet.

3. Tell your potential customers that your ordering system is highly secure. Also, reassure them that you take every effort to protect them.

4. Carry business cards with you wherever you go. Have your web address printed on them. You can hand them out to anyone you meet.

5. Contact national radio stations to ask them if they are looking for guest speakers. Tell them your area of expertise; maybe they'll book you for a show.

6. Join clubs related to your area of business. You could trade leads with other businesses. Learn new ways to run your business and sell your products.

7. Think of a domain name for your web site that's easy to remember. If you can't find a good one left, use your actual birth name.

8. Position your web site at the top of pay-per-click search engines. You will only pay your set amount for each clickthrough you get to your web site.

9. Allow your visitors or customers to increase your traffic or sales. Ask them how you can improve your business, web site or product.

10. Team-up with other e-zines that have the same target audience. Combine subscriber bases and then publish one e-zine together to increase subscribers.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

Ten Tips On Delegating Work

Writen by Alvah Parker

One way to manage your time more effectively is to delegate work to others on your staff or to contract workers you hire for specific projects. How often I hear such comments as, "It takes too much time to delegate." "If I delegate the work there is no guarantee that the work will be done properly. It is just easier to do it myself." "No one can do this as well as I can." If others who have a lower hourly rate can do the work while you focus on the work only you can do, your cash flow will be better because you can do more of the work that only you can do.

1. Be specific about what you want done. Be clear as to the purpose of the delegated work and what kind of results you expect. Take the time to answer the person's questions. This takes less time than redoing work.

2. Set a realistic deadline for the delegated work and make sure that this is workable for the person to whom you are delegating the work.

3. Give the person the information he/she will need and point them toward other resources he/she may use to complete the work

4. Be available for questions and require periodic progress reports.

5. If you are delegating because you have so much to do that you do not have time to give explicit instructions, be sure to delegate to a member of your team or a contract worker who can do the work with a minimum of direction. Perhaps they have done this job before or they have had experience with similar projects.

6. Once you delegate to someone who is well equipped to handle the task, allow the person space to be imaginative in his/her approach and to take the initiative to do something differently or do it in a bigger way (as long as you get the results you are looking for!).

7. If you want to use the delegation of the task (problem) as a way to develop a member of your staff or a contract worker, leave time in your schedule to provide enough detail as to how to go about getting the task done as is necessary for that particular person. (Developing a team member means eventually you will not have to give as much direction.)

8. Have a system to report back to you so that you get feedback without being constantly interrupted during your day. Have a list of critical dates so that you get the feedback regularly.

9. Keep a log of all the projects you delegate and their status. Update the log as you get feedback.

10. Give credit and praise for the successful completion of the task or solution of the problem.

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker's Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are attorneys, business owners, sole practioners, and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

7 Payday Loans Tips

Writen by Pat Caymus

Payday loans are short-term loans that are quite easy to get as long as you can show the lender your pay stub and issue a postdated check, usually dated a month after the date the loan is released. A credit check is not even required in order to get approval.

Payday loans are attractive emergency solutions for a temporary cash crunch, but they can be risky especially to inexperienced borrowers or those with little control over their cash flow. Fees that may seem low and affordable can swell into a big amount in a matter of months. Some loans have an APR that can go from 300% to as high as 600%!

Payday loans aren't totally bad, but they can easily get out of control. On hone hand they do provide a temporary solution, but on the other hand there are high risks involved and at times, the risks can outweigh the benefits.

Here are seven tips about why you should think twice about getting a payday loan:

1. What the borrower receives is actually lower than the amount that's written on his check. The lender will deduct a finance charge from the loan amount as his profit, usually $15 to $50 per $100 during the agreed-upon loan term. Sometimes the borrower writes a check with the loan amount plus fees. If the borrower cannot comply, he will have to pay more finance charges.

2. The borrower might not have enough funds in his account to cover the check he issued. When the loan is due and the borrower cannot pay, the lender usually encourages him to 'roll' or renew the loan. He will now shoulder a new loan with an additional finance charge and late fees, resulting to a bigger loan amount. The borrower may even end up using loaned money to pay the high fees.

3. There are state regulations that cover payday loans, setting the loan term limit at 30 days, but lenders avoid this by issuing loans that are no less than 31 days. Therefore, the borrower is still at the lender's mercy.

4. Payday loans are supposed to be turned to only when there is an emergency need for cash which means that a borrower should be able to pay it back immediately, but this is often not the case. Because it would seem convenient and cheap in the beginning, borrowers are tempted to allow their loans to 'roll over'. The result is a loan amount that might continue to balloon unless the borrower has enough cash to pay it off at once.

5. Payday loans are risky because they are designed to be accessible to low-income borrowers who would otherwise not be approved for other loans. Lenders do not take into account that people who already have cash flow problems might have even more trouble paying the loan back

6. Some payday loan sites are known to automatically 'roll over' a loan and then just withdraw the renewal fee on the due date. There are also some sites that require borrowers to agree to a contract not to file for bankruptcy or join class action suits against the lender. The borrower, in effect, protects the lender.

7. The borrower can get used to payday loans when they are supposed to be his last option -- when there is nothing else that can be tapped for money source. Because of their availability and easy approval, payday loans can be very difficult to resist.

If you do feel you need to make a loan against your pay, make sure you are well informed and aware of the potential risks. If you can, get the lowest possible rate and discuss all the fees covered by the loan so you know exactly how much you are going to get and how much you are going to pay and when.

If you are already in some trouble due to payday loans, seek the help of certain organizations that offer free or low-cost assistance in helping negotiate and reduce interest charges and lower your monthly payments. Try to improve also your budget-handling skills in order to minimize or eradicate altogether the need to turn to loans to cover some expenses.

Payday loans are quite attractive short-term solutions to immediate money problems, but if you aren't careful, it can turn into a long term liability that will let you sink deeper into a vicious debt cycle. The only way to lower the risk of a payday loan is to ensure that you have enough funds to cover it when the pay date comes and to pay responsibly and on time, just like you do with every other loan.

Pat Caymus writes about financial related topics such as Payday Loans and other consumer related financial topics designed to inform people about payday loans and other kinds of loans.

Top 7 Or Top Ten Articles

Writen by Lance Winslow

Why do humans love to read top 7 or top 10 articles so much? Have you ever wondered? It is a known fact that very few article titles are as effective as Top 7 or Top 10 ways to do something or steps to achieve something. Titles like; "Top 7 Things to Make You Successful," "Top 10 Halloween Costumers for 2005," and "Top 7 Ways to Get the Girl You Want!" It is truly amazing how well these work, people like these titles and they really like to read articles with bullet points and lists. It is easy reading, it cuts to the chase and they feel they can learn something very fast without all the fat and fluff.

You see the new paradigm of the stressed out consumer and citizen in our society is too busy with 2.2 kids, white picket fence, college degree, credit card debt, mini-van and getting the kids to soccer practice to read anything too complex. They want the information fast with no BS. Even the Televisions and News Networks give information this way now have you noticed; seven-minute segments and snippets at a time, then commercial and then NEXT. Just the way the Internet clicking, BMW driving, traffic induced, caffeine driven crowd wants it. Give it to me now, give to me fast, thank you very much got to go; places to go, people to see, emails to return; you understand. Think on it.

Lance Winslow

10 Reasons To Use Online Banking

Writen by Raquel Morphy

With today's technology and people's need for more information it is no wonder that online banking is growing as one of the most popular uses of the internet. Here we have listed the 10 biggest benefits to start using online banking.

1. You won't have to wait online and rush to meet the bank's hours.

2. Bill Pay - Up to the last minute. Most banks process payments in real time so you no longer have put the payment in the mail 7 days before the due date. (Check with your bank as some still have a mail date). For instance, if you want to automatically have your rent withdrawn from your account each month on the 1st, most banks have a recurring feature at no additional cost. Online bill paying will also save you a ton in checks and stamps.

3. Transfer Funds – What do you do if you need cash from your savings to your checking account and the bank is closed? Now you can simply log in online and transfer funds. Some Canadian banks even have an email money transfer option.

4. Export Information – With online banking it makes tracking your finances even simpler. With the click of a button your bookkeeper can now download transactions right into your financial software.

5. Statements – It used to be that you didn't receive your bank statement for 2 to 3 weeks after the month ended. With online banking you can print your statement right after the cutoff date.

6. Security – Most banks with protect you against fraud. Your web browser encrypts the data and you have a special password that you can change as often as you wish. So you have as much chance of someone stealing your checkbook.

7. Previous Transactions – Most online banks allow you to view your previous transactions for up to six months or longer. This is a lot easier than going to the filing cabinet and sifting thru mounds of statements just to see how much you payed the plumber?

8. View Checks and Deposits – Should you forget what check number xxx was for, some banks allow you to view the check copy right online.

9. View Multiple Accounts – Most banks will list all your accounts including checking, savings, loans, and credit cards all on one screen allowing you more control over your money.

10. Save money – with the convenience of online banking you can quickly conduct your finances and get back to running your business.

So check with your bank on how you can enjoy all the benefits of online banking. It only takes a few moments to sign up.

Raquel Morphy owner of RM Business Solutions has successfully helped many of her virtual bookkeeping clients utilize the benefit of online banking in order to provide them with real time financial information.

For more information on virtual bookkeeping please visit http://www.rmbizsolutions.com or contact Raquel directly at raquelmorphy@rmbizsolutions.com

10 Reasons Why People Dont Buy From You

Writen by Rojo Sunsen

1. You don't make people feel safe when they order. Remind people that they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won't sell their e-mail address and all their information will be kept confidential.

2. You don't make your ad copy attractive. Your ad lists features instead of benefits. The headline does not attract at your target audience. You don't list any testimonials or guarantees included in your ad.

3. You don't remind people to come back and visit. People usually don't purchase the first time they visit. The more times they visit your site, the greater the chance they will buy. The most effective way is to give them a free subscription to your e-zine.

4. You don't let people know anything about your business. They will feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish a section called "About Us" on your web site. Include your business history, profile of employees, contact information etc.

5. You don't give people as many ordering options as possible. Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms of electronic payments. Take orders by phone, e-mail, web site, fax, mail, etc.

6. You don't make your web site look professional. You want to have your own domain name. Your web site should be easy to navigate through. The graphics should be related to the theme of your web site.

7. You don't let people read your ad before they get your freebie. When you use free stuff to lure people to your web site include it below your ad copy or on another web page. If you list the freebie above your ad they may never look to see what you're selling.

8. You don't attract the target audience that would buy your product or service. A simple way to do this is to survey your existing customers to see what attracted them to buy. This information will help you improve your target marketing and advertising.

9. You don't test and improve your ad copy. There are many people who write an ad copy and never change it. You have to continually test and improve your ad copy to get the highest possible response rate.

10. You don't give people any urgency to buy now. Many people are interested in your product but they put off buying it till later and eventually forget about it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount and include a deadline date when the offer ends.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

Positioning Your Company For Debt Financing

Writen by Gary Honig

Positioning Your Company for Debt Financing:

There was a time in the old days when going to the bank was the only way to get outside capital for your business. These days with the explosion of raising equity investment, many of the guidelines for running a company have been revolutionized. Unfortunately this new phenomenon is only true for companies with super "star power", because these companies have potential to create sky-rocket return earnings.

For everyone else, sticking to fundamentals is where it's at. Building your company incrementally, following a pre-prepared business plan, watching expenses, and increasing sales. When your company moves beyond its launch, it begins to operate much like a bank. On the financial side you will be making credit decisions involving your customers. Some will have to pay C.O.D., some you will extend net 30 day terms. In this sense you are now becoming a banker for your customers.

Without getting into how inexpensive debt financing ultimately is compared to equity (try 20% annualized interest versus 20% ownership lock stock and barrel), in certain situations the time honored tradition of borrowing money can be the best solution for increasing growth or starting a company.

By knowing what commercial finance companies look for, you will become a much more attractive prospect.

1. Concentration - This means putting all your eggs in one basket. Avoid going out and making a large sale to a customer and then not continuing your sales effort to find more customers. The risk of a problem developing with your main customer, or for whatever reason they are no longer buying from you can obviously be detrimental to your success. Finance companies look for incoming revenue to be spread evenly over a number of customers.

2. Creditworthiness - Who are you lending your hard earned assets to? What kind of due diligence do you perform on new customers? The challenge here is whether to accept a lucrative sale with a company that could never get credit from any type of finance company. You are essentially telling yourself that you know better than the banker about loaning money. Finance companies will respect a business owner that has a thorough credit checking process and a number of stable credit worthy customers.

3. Book keeping - While some businesses send out all their accounting to outside agencies, it is helpful to have a qualified book keeper on staff. When it comes time to seek financing, being able to produce an instant fiscal snapshot of your company will show the sophistication of your operation. Finance companies appreciate businesses that keep a close eye on their books.

4. Taxes - Pay them. Using the Internal Revenue Service as your funder becomes expensive. Whenever you work with a finance company, you will be pledging assets as collateral, thus the nature of debt financing. When you fail to make tax payments, the government steps in and places a lien against those same assets essentially stepping into first position. This leaves the finance company with money outstanding to your business and no collateral to back it up. This places your entire relationship in default. When going to closing on financing expect to sign a form that allows the finance company to receive duplicate correspondence from the IRS. This is standard procedure to track tax problems. Owing taxes does not mean you cannot get financing. It is entirely possible to receive a subordinated debt agreement from the IRS which allows the finance company to work with you unencumbered.

5. Bankruptcy - If you have ever entered into a bankruptcy proceeding whether personal or business, own up to it right away. It will come out, and being up front about the circumstances will enhance the necessity to overlook the past difficulties.

6. Applications - Finance companies ask for a variety of information when performing their due diligence. Do not be alarmed, they are not trying to steal your secrets. They need to feel comfortable with you and your company. Each company has its own threshold for fact checking. Invariably the finance companies that do the most thorough job are the most reliable and safest to do business with. Finance companies like working with a business that takes the time to put a loan package together in advance of asking for financing. Typically you can start with; Interim Balance & Income Statement, Interim Profit & Loss Statement, Last Year End Statements, Accounts Payables Aging Report, Accounts Receivables Aging Report, and of course Tax Returns.

7. Contracts - Be prepared for onerous language. Finance companies cannot sugar coat the reality that if something goes wrong they need to exercise their rights. They have to go into the relationship always thinking that the absolute worst case scenario will unfold. Once a finance company finds itself being defrauded, stolen from or payments not made without explanation, it's too late to insert stronger language for protection. By and large the language is standardized and walking from a deal to start shopping for less demanding legalisms won't produce much. Remember this, a contract is just paper in a file cabinet until you default on your agreement. Stay within what you agreed upon and all the tough language won't matter. Even if you start having financial difficulties, get in touch with your finance company immediately. You can greatly reduce the chance of default by showing that you are pro-active with your situation.

8. Using the money for the right reasons - This sounds obvious but in certain cases it can be highly relevant. You hear a lot about going to the right Venture Capital Firm that would handle your type of investment. In some ways that holds true for debt finance companies. They tend to work within industries that they feel comfortable. Additionally the type of financing company will depend on your plans for the money. If you are trying to set up a new business infrastructure, then a working capital line of credit is not your best option. You will probably do better with a term style loan that will allow you to amortize the expense over a period of years.

9. Management Integrity - Also like equity investment, get a good team together and hold onto them. Finance companies raise red flags when a long time Financial Officer who has been the contact person at the company since the inception of the relationship all of a sudden leaves without explanation. Again, always fearing the worst, the finance company could unjustly feel that something untoward was afoot and begin to scrutinize your account more closely. Even though finance companies are not part owners of your business, they are partners in your success just like your good customers. Keep them abreast of breaking news.

10. Be Professional - Answer calls and messages expeditiously, be prepared with information, show up on time. When its crunch time and you need an extra fifty thousand dollars for a week to get a better deal from a vendor, you would be surprised how much mileage you can get by being a courteous and thoughtful customer to your finance company.

Article by Gary W. Honig, president of Creative Capital Associates, Inc. an invoice factoring company operating nationwide for more than a decade. See us at http://www.ccassociates.com

How To Hold An Extremely Successful Event 10 Tips

Writen by Neen James

Every event you hold can be extremely successful. Apply these 10 tips to guarantee a memorable event for everyone who attends.

Create excitement through a teaser campaign – create a marketing plan to include activities to contact your delegates before the event to create excitement.

Create a clear and correct agenda – publish an accurate agenda that includes locations, room names, times, speaker biographies and tips for your event.

Create an environment of expectation & learning – the teaser campaign will assist you create expectation. In all communications state what your delegates will learn by attending the sessions.

Encourage personal action plans as a result of their learnings - regularly remind delegates to make a note of the actions they will take when the event is completed. You may like to provide them with a separate booklet or page to list these actions.

Brief speakers on the conference theme and company challenges - Ask your speakers to customise their presentation to ensure it is relevant to your delegates.

Invite your speaker to the meal with delegates after the presentation – get more out of the excitement from your speaker's presentation by asking them to be available to your delegates after the presentation. They will enjoy being able to ask questions and provide feedback to your chosen speaker.

Send article or information from the speaker after the conference event – leverage your investment by sending an article from your speaker in your internal newsletter or e-zine to remind delegates of their event experience and also provide valuable self-development at the same time.

Book a series with the same speaker so they can address the audience multiple times – your delegates will anticipate what the speaker is going to say and they will remember their experience from your previous event.

Follow up delegates 30 days after the event – include in your marketing plan a communication piece that includes delegate's feedback, possibly photos of your event and the top 10 tips from the event.

Make your event fun – include fun in the agenda, capture the fun moments on a digital camera and project a slide show at the end of the event, include activities where delegates can laugh and relax.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity.

Subscribe to Neen's free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com

Ten Tips For Garnering Press Coverage For Your Company Case Study

Writen by Nettie Hartsock

We all know that case studies serve as a great method of educating and attracting new customers to your product or service. But don't forget that published case studies can also attract journalists and media coverage about your company. This attraction and coverage can bring you more customers.

The following are ten tips to follow when sending out press releases associated with a new case study's publication on your site.

1. Just the facts, ma'am - Keep the facts concise. Tell the prospective journalist or customer, why the case study is important.

2. Pitch, pitch and re-pitch - Think about doing a couple of different releases about your case study with different angles targeted at different verticals. For instance, if your product works exceedingly well in both the legal and financial arena, then come up with two releases that highlight specifically how it works well within those arenas and target your release to the publications that cover those in-depth.

3. Keep it to a page - If you can't say it in a page, a journalist can't pitch it in less than two minutes to his or her editor. What this means is keep your release down to a page. Journalists regularly scour wires for good topical stories to pitch in their hurried and often harried conversations with editors. They have to pitch quickly, and so does your release to garner their interest.

4. Address the who, what, where, when and why - All of these questions might not come into play for a release on your latest case study. On the other hand they may, and so make certain you list all the pertinent information for the 5 W's.

5. Relevancy is key - Keep the release relevant to your audience. Keep it simple and don't use a lot of high-tech jargon or flowery phrasing to build up the release.

6. Congruency in messaging - Keep your message aligned with the case study's content and topic coverage. For example, if your case study is highlighting the power of GPS positioning software used on delivery trucks, make sure your release text is consistent with your case study text.

7. Keep in mind when crafting your release that journalists might contact your company to see if you have another company that they might contact to write up a case study about. So make certain you have a couple of good customers who might be willing to talk to a journalist.

8. Make it compelling - Remember, your case study release should make folks want to go and download the case study in full. Pick out the most compelling content or quotes in your case study and highlight those in the body of your release.

9. Context, context, context – Sometimes it is helpful to provide historical data, trends and an analyst contact for the reporter to draw on.

10. Contact, contact, contact - Provide direct spokesperson contact information so the reporter can reach someone quickly. You might even want to provide a ready-made quote about the case study and what it reveals so that a reporter can use that without contacting you.

A final piece of advice: DON'T GIVE UP! One of the fundamental things I tell people about getting coverage in the media is to always "pitch and swerve," what that means is don't give up on the first press release. Keep repurposing your pitch directly to editors and journalists, and tell them why this case study and its contents mean something to their readership.

(Parts of this article originally appeared in WhitePaperSource.com.)

About the Author: Nettie Hartsock is a veteran journalist and writer. She specializes in writing powerful case studies for companies and her Professional PR advice blog can be found at http://www.allbusiness.com/blog/ProfessionalPR/2975292/. Her web site is http://www.nettiehartsock.com.

10 Tips For Selling Information Legally

Writen by Stuart McIntosh

Do you sell (or market) information? You probably do, or at least could do. Anyone from a lawyer, accountant, web developer, trainer or marketing consultant can sell information.

Some people sell this information face to face (or even give it away), some sell it in books, some via CDs and many more on-line and an increasing amount of people sell information via an e-book (effectively a book you can download from a website). In this article we concentrate on selling information in the form of an e-book but all the issues are the same whatever format you sell your information in.

There are all the normal legal issues that apply and more. We can't cover them all in an article and often detailed advice is needed but these are our Top Ten Tips to keep out of Court and in the info-selling business:

1. Check your business insurance covers selling an e-book or even just giving information on your website, many exclude items such as "things not usual in your business". Some even explicitly exclude websites.

2. Try to limit your liability. You can do this by using careful and well drawn up conditions in a contract.

3. Try to make clear in the e-book that, presumably, the e-book is only information and not advice. (And don't forget to take advice yourself!)

4. Register (or at the very least) comply with the Data Protection Act. You will be collecting data about the people who buy from you—at least you certainly should be as you will amass significant information about people who: 1. are interested in your subject, 2. will buy a book on it and 3 will buy on-line. That's valuable information for future use. If you are not registered you will have much less flexibility in what you can do with the data and if you don't comply with the Act then you may well get into serious trouble.

5. Make sure your marketing is legally compliant. For example don't send e-mails to people who haven't agreed to have them and do check any telephone numbers or addresses you buy for marketing purposes with the mailing and telephone preference services.

6. Make sure you protect your copyright in your book.

7. Pressing "ctrl" and "alt" and "c" will give you that nice little © sign for your work! (It doesn't really have any legal effect but many potential copiers think it does, so use it).

8. Make certain that you are not publishing someone else's intellectual property - who owns the photos, are you copying someone else's copyrighted work?

9. If you've provided the information and an independent person / business has put it into software, who owns the copyright in the e-book? They do! Get it transferred to you preferably via a software development agreement.

10. Make sure that even when you have good legal wording you "capture" the agreement of the buyer correctly. Some sites simply have a link to "terms and conditions", that is not good enough. There is no definite rule about what is good enough but we suggest you get the buyer to undergo some sort of "mental connection" with the terms, so e.g. get them to click a paragraph about them. What that paragraph should contain is a major subject in itself so do take advice.

E-books can be a great way to spread your ideas, market your business and generate income and whilst there are some areas to watch out for the benefits of selling information on-line surely outweigh those risks and are probably no more than selling off-line. Take good legal advice and these risks can be minimised and your profits protected.

To get more details contact Stuart McIntosh on 0121 308 2118 or email stuart.mcintosh@business-lawfirm.co.uk.

Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself When Selecting Your Target Market

Writen by Alvah Parker

Target Market is defined as the group to which you aim your marketing efforts. The more clearly you define and understand your market, the better you can market directly to that group. Talk their language, answer their problems, and show that your really "get" them and they are more likely to do business with you. Just because you market to one group however doesn't mean you have to turn away business from another group. Your product or service may be appropriate for many groups but your marketing will be more effective if you market directly to one at a time.

1. What are the demographics of my market? What are the measurable statistics that I know about my market such as age, income or occupation?

2. What are the psychographics of my market? What are the lifestyle preferences of my market? Are they all music lovers, golfers, or condo owners?

3. Is this a group I enjoy working with and/or find fascinating? If I have to spend a lot of time with this group will I be bored or repelled by it?

4. What kind of connection do I have to this market so I know it well? Am I part of the market myself or have I been part of it in the past? Do I have family and friends that are part of it?

5. What are the professional organizations, clubs, or activities that my target market frequents? I want to be able to find my market and talk to them directly. Do I know where to go?

6. What newspapers, magazines or websites does my market enjoy? If I want to stay in touch with the market ongoing then I need to know what this group is reading.

7. Do I understand the problems that my market faces? Will my product or service solve a problem for them?

8. Do I know the language that this market uses? Knowing the vocabulary of my market gives me more credibility.

9. Do I know what attracts this group? How do I let this group know about my product or service? What will get their attention?

10. Do I know who influences this group? Who are the people respected by this group? What are they advocating and can I align my product or service in some way with them?

About Alvah Parker

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. To subscribe send an email to join-roadtosuccess@go.netatlantic.com.

Parker's Value Program© enables clients to find a way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. She is both a Practice Advisor and Coach to attorneys, managers, business owners, sole practioners, and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388

Get Your Mailing Noticed Seven Tips For Effective Direct Mail Pieces

Writen by Cathy Stucker

When sending mail to clients and potential clients, make your mailing stand out from the stacks of "junk mail" they receive. Here are a few easy ways to get their attention.

Hand address the envelope. Pre-printed labels scream "mass mailing." Addressing by hand adds a personal touch.

Use a bright post card or envelope.

Put stamps on the envelope, instead of using a meter.

Even better, use old stamps. Visit a stamp shop or show in your town to pick up old, unused postage stamps. You can often buy old sheets of stamps for face value or below. Look for stamps with themes that relate to your business.

Include "teaser copy" on the envelope. Get them to open and read it by promising startling news, an exciting offer, or other enticement. Then, deliver on your promise.

Send post cards instead of envelopes. With all the copy right there in front of them, recipients will have to read it.

Keep a consistent look for repeat mailings. Your audience should recognize your mailings, catalogs, newsletters, post cards or other communications on sight.

Some people believe that email has made "snail mail" communications obsolete, but that is certainly not true. Make your mailings interesting and attractive (and target the right audience), and you will discover how effective mail can be.

Copyright Cathy Stucker. As the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker can help you attract customers and make yourself famous with inexpensive and free marketing ideas. Get free tips, articles and more at http://www.IdeaLady.com/.

Top 7 Things They Do Not Teach You In Mba School

Writen by Lance Winslow

Often when I give speeches at MBA schools I am flabbergasted by some of the questions that I get from the students. It is often as if the students have no concept of reality and that is very scary for a potential employer. It is even more scary to think that they are being taught by a professor who has never actually been in business but only studied the theory and written textbooks on how to do something that he has never succeeded at.

Nevertheless this is the case at many MBA schools. Not all are like this of course, many other top MBA instructors have been in business and come back to teach. But the superstars of business are still in business and they have no time to teach.

Some more critical of MBA schools say that; “Those that can't teach” and I myself have turned that phrase in a good number of articles on business. Indeed, this may be the case at many MBA schools. There are many things they do not teach you at MBA schools and there are many books written on the subject.

One of the most serious things that they do not teach is that when doing business deals they are never cut and dry or black and white. Everything is a shade of gray and you need to be a little bit pragmatic in order to make it work. I hope you will consider all this in 2006, as perhaps it might help you in your business career in the future.

Lance Winslow

Event Planning Seven Best Practices Successful Planners Use

Writen by Janet Burton

Do you plan events for the corporate world like product launches, conferences, seminars, etc? If so, check out these seven practices of successful event planners.

It's easy to dismiss these points thinking they're trivial. I thought so too, once. I learnt better when I had events come apart because I chose to ignore these simple guidelines.

#1: Ensure that information flows freely across your team

You rarely do event planning in isolation. You'll almost always have a team of people to whom you've delegated various responsibilities.

It's very easy to make assumptions that everyone knows what the event is all about and how what they're doing ties in with what everyone else is doing. Both assumptions can be totally incorrect.

At the very beginning of the event planning effort, take the time to share your event's objective and your overall plan for executing it with every single one of your team members. It's best to get them all together to do this explaining.

On an ongoing basis, have regular meetings to assess the progress so that everyone is aware of all aspects of the event.

#2: Double check on speakers and all other performers

Sometimes, you come across events where the main speaker delivers his message wonderfully well, except that what he said had nothing to do with the purpose of the event!

Network with other event planners, find out who would be a good speaker for the event you're planning. Someone might be an excellent speaker for one event, but not necessarily for another.

Ask the speaker for references. Find out as much as you can from those references. Ask them how many times they've heard him speak. What did they like about his performance? What did they not like? Do they have any particular relationship with the speaker (which might color their opinion)?

#3: Do detailed planning with a timeline

To attempt to organize a big event in a haphazard manner is to flirt with disaster. You must have a written schedule of all pre-event tasks, with specific dates for completion and specific persons responsible for completing them.

That may sound very basic, but this is one of the things that cause events to fail.

#4: Read the fine print, know all details

As an event planner, you may be exposing yourself to serious financial and other risk if you are not entirely familiar with all aspects of the event.

That includes all contracts you sign, all written instructions, orders and more. Since you are the event planner, you're expected to be the expert on all these areas.

#5: Have a crystal clear purpose for the event

Have you attended a seminar where the topic was too broad and the speakers seemed to talk all around the topic in a disconnected fashion? That's what happens when you lack clarity of purpose about the event.

Is the event meant to be a strategic planning retreat for top management? Is it a seminar to bring medical professionals up-to-date on developments in a specialized field?

If it is a product launch, exactly what outcome is the event expected to achieve?

Only when you and your team know the core objectives can you organize a focused event that meets those goals.

#6: Purchase event insurance

Think through what could disrupt your event and what your liabilities would be in such a case.

Disruptions can include strikes, natural calamities, speakers not showing up, drastically reduced attendance and more. Figure out the monetary and legal consequences. And get insurance to cover it.

#7: Triple-check everything

This is one of the most useful planning mottos you can think of.

Someone may have promised you three months ago that they'll serve exotic Japanese snacks at high tea. Closer to event date but sufficiently in advance, check again to make sure they remember the commitment.

They have many other things to do and may have completely forgotten what they said months ago!

That's why you need to triple-check everything as you go along.

These straightforward guidelines can save you endless trouble if you're planning and organizing events. Make them a part of your way of working.

Janet Burton is an experienced events planner. She also writes extensively and her articles cover planning tips, ideas for business events, useful checklists for event planning and more.

Seven Things Your Network Must Have

Writen by Eric Gurr

Small and medium businesses tend to use information technnology for what they percieve as being absolute necessities. That's not a bad approach but it can cause you to miss opportunities to grow your business and save money Without a budget that will support a chief technology office or experienced director of I.T. how do you know what you really need? We're here to help!

1. A reliable backup of your data

While it may seem obvious to most of the small and medium businesses we visit this is just not the case. Just having a tape drive and backup software is not enough. You should test your backup on at least a monthly basis. It doesn't need to be a complete restore all of the time, just pick out a few files and see if your I.T. staff can restore them. If you use outside consultants it's worth the money to have them come in and test your backup on a quarterly basis. It shouldn't take more than two or three hours and you'll sleep better.

2. Sales automation software

Not only does it allow your sales people to stay on top of potential leads, it helps you to stay on top of your sales people. For the SMB market there are dozens of applications that you can run locally on your network or you can use one of the on-line providers like salesforce.com.

3. A decent web site

It really doesn't matter if your business cuts grass or makes transmissions for tractors you should have a website. And don't let the secatary's sixteen year old son do it, get it done right. It doesn't have to be expensive. Sites like aliger.com have hundreds of templates specific to just about any business. They look great and they're easy to use.

4. Accouting software

Ok this is pretty much a no-brainer for any medium sized business and most small busineses. But even the really small businesses will benefit greatly from haveing an accounting package. Quickbooks is the old standard and still one of the best around. Your accountant will appreciate it too.

5. Computers less than three years old.

I know it may be running just fine but with the cost of new computers well below $1000 and the speed increases over the last few years you can't cost justify keeping around an old computer.

6. A document management process

This doesn't have to be a software application that costs thousands of dollars. But you should have a standard process for keeping critical or often used company documents in any easy to access location on your computer or preferably file server. It's one of the easiest ways there is to boost productivity and the bottom line. How many times have you spend searching for that old proposal to use as a template?

7. ERP Software

ERP is an acronym for Enterprise Resource Planning. What that really means is anybodies guess. For our purposes we're going to define it as software that is specific to your business and helps you to create and deliver your product or service. The reality of the situation is that it can be inventory management software, or a spreadsheet that shows the number of units shipped, or lawns cut. Be prepared to customize anything you buy off the shelf because it can be an aggravating process. But when you have it the amount of data available to you makes planning for the future a whole lot easier.

Eric Gurr Senior Editor SMBresource http://www.smbresource.com To reach Mr. Gurr egurr@intralinkinc.com

Overcoming The 7 Deadly Barriers To Success

Writen by Helen Farmer

You want to start up a business on the Internet but it hasn't happened. What can you do to put yourself on the journey to success?

You can identify what is stopping you and take steps to overcome these common but deadly barriers…

1) Lack of Goals

If you sit down at your computer with the Internet connected with no goals, it is likely you will end up surfing without a purpose. This is very time consuming.

Decide what you want to achieve, make it as specific as possible and plaster copies of them all over your home so you can't fail to read them at least 5 times a day.

Your mind will start to believe them and if you take active steps to achieve them – they will not be out of your reach.

2) Lack of Money

Okay for some people this will be a genuine factor but for the majority of us, there is a vice or an activity we can give up, like smoking, the odd bottle of wine or an aerobics class.

Most of us will be able to find something to give up or cut down on for the few months it takes to get started.

The Internet provides so many free resources and is the cheapest way to start a business these days so buckle down the purses or give up a vice and join the ride.

3) No Research

This is a most deadly barrier. Because you might think you have a idea for a product but unless you are absolutely sure there is a market for it, you have no assurances of success.

If you have a list you can ask them for their opinions. Or go onto to some of the many forums and ask for people's opinions and test the water.

Don't create a product and waste precious resources until you are sure there is a market. Even better create the product after you have investigated a market and know what they want.

4) Scared of Failure

You've probably heard it before but do you think Einstein got it right first time? Do you think any inventor gets it right first time?

I'm sure it takes 100s and even 1000s of attempts in some cases before its "Eureka". Failures happen to be learnt from so don't be afraid of them or give up when one occurs.

Sit down, learn your lessons and get on with your next plan of action with your head held high.

5) Information Overload

I know all about this one! You get so many ideas and ways of marketing in your head, they all merge, make your mind utterly confused and you can't even think of one straight idea.

The solution to this is to try one thing at a time. Test its success and if it doesn't work, move on. And when you find something that's works, stick to and master it.

Then you can go onto try something else but only if you want to. Its better to be excellent at one thing, then not very good at lots of things.

Also you could try choosing one or two 'gurus' to follow. You can copy their roads to success as long as it is in your own words.

6) Procrastination

This is the one thing NOT to become a master at! Tomorrow never comes. Don't put off things you can to today. Do something every day to bring you closer to your goals.

I know the soaps and TV in general can be very entertaining but imagine what you can achieve if you spent that time making substantial amounts of money on the Internet. The possibilities have no limits.

7) Other People's Views

Whether its your partner, boss, kids, friends, neighbours, acquaintances, whoever – do not let them put you down. If you want to succeed, its down to you and you alone.

Keep that one mindedness and don't budge from it, whatever the daily grind throws at you. You can success and you will.

Live the life you want to. If you want to work from 9 to 5 and are happy, then so be it. However, if that is not case, it's up to you to do something about it. Today, the Internet is your oyster, so get out there and find the pearls.

Helen Farmer is a budding entrepreneur who has spent the last two years reading everything to do with the Internet and her mind is ready to burst. She knows the first thing you need is a good mailing list so click here to get a FREE report on How to get 50,000 subscribers in 90 days - http://www.dynamic-copy.com/external.html