Small business articles
Showing page 20 of 31 - There are 915 Small business articles
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to use graphs and charts in your business plan
- Many people ask how many graphs or charts they should have in their business plans. As with most other business planning questions, the answer is "it depends." This article discusses the key factors influencing the number of graphs and charts to include in your business plan.To begin, the key point to consider in developing your business plan is the time restraints of your audienc...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Small does not mean invisible!
- Running a business on the net these days can be like looking up into a clear night sky; it can leave you feeling very small and insignificant.I am a one-person operation, and I also offer personal service. It has taken some time for me to acquire clients, but I feel that my business is a smashing success!Why?First of all, there is nothing more fulfilling than having a client t...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Getting behind in your work? you need a virtual assistant!
- If you don't know what a Virtual Assistant (or VA) is, don't worry. I only came across the term myself about a year ago. It seemed like a high-tech occupation that I would know little about until I stumbled across some information and found out that I was a Virtual Assistant! Not only that, I realized that small businesses were missing out on the opportunity to improve their efficiency by neglecti...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - (p)refer to grow your business
- (Although this article is geared towards small business owners, the information is just as applicable to a similar personal situation, only the action is slightly different.)Here is the scenario. You have begun your day at work. Your day is planned ahead, with the big challenges first. You want to finish these up, get them out of the way and take a little time off this afternoon for yoursel...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Consistency builds trust
- You know your prospects need what you sell. You know they want what you sell. Heck, you know that they even sent away for information on your service and requested a quote.But the fact is you are missing one major piece of the puzzle.Want to know what it is?No matter what else you know, often, the missing piece is knowing when your hot little prospect will actually make a purc...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Fire the ceo
- If you are the boss and you think your job is to run the business, you are dead wrong. Your job, the most important job in any business, is to market the business.Peter Drucker, way back in 1956, said, "Since the purpose of a business is to find and keep a customer, then the only two things that matter are marketing and innovation...everything else is a cost."I love it when I get a b...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Are you making these mistakes in your business?
- You've probably heard the statistic that 95% of small businesses fail in the first five years. That's not a very encouraging number! Although being part of the 5% that succeed is not easy, it's definitely possible. What it takes is a lot of common sense, some marketing and sales skills and the ability to learn from the mistakes of others.To get you started on the road to success, here are t...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Shocking experienced copywriter reveals little-known secrets to closing big ticket deals!
- Hogwash!That's what I say to people who tell me that their business is purely and solely a "cheapest price business."People who stubbornly insist that "MY business is different" are right, but not in a good way.Their business is different because it will never make big money.People who are unwilling to open their eyes to BIG ideas are solidly parked right in their own w...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Virtual assistance for healthcare professionals
- Administrative and clerical tasks are the bane of every industry. No matter how small or large your business is, you will eventually find yourself with stacks of paperwork that need your attention and phone calls that need to be made. And when will you find the time? If you are busy seeing your clients during the day, then the paperwork waits until the evenings and weekends. This can make for some...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Marketing - the way to make what youre really worth
- You only have so much time in a day right?So wouldn't it make sense to focus as much of your time as possible on the things that produce the highest payoff.I don't know about you but most small business owners are do-it-yourself types and get sucked into doing the littlest silly work faster than you can say "Oh look, the copier is jammed again."If you want to achieve any of yo...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The single most powerful small business marketing tool on the planet
- Let me get right to the point. The single most powerful small business marketing tool on the planet is a marketing plan. Now before you roll your eyes and run for the hills let me clear a few things up.When I talk about a marketing plan I am not referring to those academic exercises found in college marketing books, or the templated mumbo jumbo found in business planning software. I will no...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The virtual assistant
- As a small business owner, outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants is fast becoming a popular and intelligent decision. The business owner saves enormous amounts of money by cutting the costs of offices and equipment overhead as well as expensive benefits packages.The 'Virtual Office' creates an enormous amount of personal freedom and independence for both the small business owner and the vi...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Venus transit - and small business?
- On June 8, 2004, the world witnessed what no one living today had ever seen... VENUS - the planet of Love, Beauty and Human Unity - transitting across the face of the Sun.Acording to one line of thought (and a beautiful line at that) during this transit of Venus which lasted for about six hours, the radiations from the Sun blended with those from Venus and streamed towards the Earth, and as...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Are you a small business casualty?
- When a person knows and knows not that he knows. Teach him.When a person knows and knows that he knows. Follow him.I have read a lot about Network Marketing and MLM and I have learnt a few things which you might like to know. And the one thing that I know for sure is that network marketing sells.If you have been in business and your business has turned you into a small tipper,...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - 10 filler activities for the summer business slowdown
- Summer is a time for the outdoors, for that well-deserved vacation, and with everyone out and about, it's also a time that you may notice a slowdown in demand for your products and services. So what can you do during this summer slowdown? Well, it's a great time to do the work that otherwise never gets done during the busy business year.Here are 10 filler activities you can do while waiting...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Simple business tactics are your key to success
- In a world full of complications sometimes we overlook the simple things in life. We are so busy trying to work out our twisted problems that we miss out on the simple secrets to success. The same can be said of our businesses. We get caught up in endless problems when all we really need to do is to step back and see the simple alternatives, that will lead us to success. Sometimes we need to think...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Hone your edge, stay focused
- A common hazard faced by new entrepreneurs is a lack of faith in the power of their offer. Many business people lose focus because they are worried they wont generate enough cash flow from their core product. They attract potential customers with outstanding expertise but then muddy the water by trying to sell anything those customers want, regardless of how it fits into their business plan. This ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Joint venture your way to extraordinary sales!
- You know what makes me really happy? Drinking a Starbucks latte while doing my grocery shopping at Safeway. Getting my Godiva fix at Barnes & Noble. Cheap thrills, I know!Ever wonder why McDonald's is inside many WalMart stores? Or why you can buy the board game, Cranium, inside most Starbucks locations?These are not just lucky coincidences. They are very well-planned, structured, an...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Speed kills on the web!
- I only have to point to the 555 plus failed .com companies (according to Web Mergers) as the poster children of the "speed at any cost" business mantra that clearly doesn't work. And these were companies who burnt through significant amounts of capital (in the millions, tens of millions or hundreds of millions in many cases) while they were rushing to get to market.Do you wonder why every t...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Small business marketing, according to seinfeld
- What could Seinfeld possibly have to do with marketing a small business? As it turns out, all small business owners could take a few lessons from the show that brought us such popular phrases as "Man Hands" and "master of your domain".The Coffee Shop ? Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine spent countless hours in the coffee shop, talking about "nothing." You shoul...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Share ad expenses to boost profits
- The challenges of the small business owner are well documented. They must battle for market share against larger competitors, run all aspects of their business, and even pay higher rates for advertising and other marketing related expenses. Small businesses generally do not qualify for volume discounts when it comes to buying advertising space or marketing materials, and thus they end up paying hi...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Direct mail - for small businesses
- We hear a lot of talk about junk mail nowadays. Many people will tell you that they dump it straight in the trash. But why do you think so many organisations send out so called junk mail - because it works!I dump most of my junk mail just like everyone else, but every so often I'm attracted and respond to something that comes through the mail. Whatever it is, grabs my interest just at the r...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Small business - a thing worth doing is worth doing badly
- A thing worth doing is worth doing badly. Yes I know that it should be 'well'. My grandma drummed into me that whatever I did I should do it as well as I possibly could.But grandma said that there was another side to it. If it were worth doing, even doing it badly was better than not doing it at all."Never be put off from doing something that ought to be ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Do you really need a toll-free number for your business?
- Do You Really Need a Toll-Free Number for Your Business? The answer is YES! If you run a home business, whether it's a direct sales business, a part-time venture, or if you work full-time from home, if you don't have a toll-free number, you could be leaving money on the table.Studies show that a potential client is 50% more likely to contact a business who has a toll-free number. Marketing ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Its spring - time for a compensation program tune up
- Now that winter has passed, the annual ritual of spring cleaning is in full swing. Spring cleaning is more than cleaning the windows and clearing the cobwebs that hid in the corners during the winter. "Spring is a time to take a serious look at your compensation program and begin planning for the next budget cycle. Depending on your organization's fiscal year, it may also be time to determine...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The key to small business growth? buyer alignment
- Unfortunately for all buyers, each selling organization and their individual sales professionals are unique and often require immense amounts of energy to build a relationship with. This keeps buyers guessing, which in turn keeps the sales organization guessing. It's a constant game being played out across offices across the country.To help both sides, it may be prudent to go back to root c...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Maintaining your carpet extractor in your auto detail shop
- Auto Detailing: Maintaining A Commercial Carpet ExtractorYou should drain your carpet extractor at the end of each use or at least by the end of the day. Do not dump the excess dirty water or soap into a storm drain. Dump it into a toilet, sink or on a lawn. It is not allowed in the storm drain that is for storm water only and not the kind of scum, which is found in the discharge tank of a ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - How to promote your business by entering contests
- You are probably hard at work promoting your business (and if you're not, you should be!), but if you haven't submitted your profile to any contests yet, you may be missing a golden opportunity.Receiving an award for your business can increase your company's credibility. Winners can brand their businesses as "Award Winning" in subsequent advertising and often receive a logo or emb...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Alliances: what works, what does not
- Why Alliances FailWhen do you know an alliance is falling apart?An alliance will surely fail without good communication on both sides. It will also fail if the alliance partner is not capable of completing the tasks set out in the service level agreement. Service level agreements are usually put in place so that milestones in the process can be monitored. The agreement also helps to ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Alliances: drawing the line
- How far can you go based on your relationship with an alliance partner?The imaginary line you draw in the sand will let you know when an alliance is getting close to failing. I would suggest setting the line a little higher than the disaster point. As a matter of fact, the line should sit around the seventy-five percent position. This way you can work with the partner before the relationshi...