The Time Has Come...JUST DO IT!

Posted March 12th @ 12 March, 2010

"Lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action." --Tony Robbins In honor of National Procrastination Week (the first week in March) and March Forth Day (on March 4th, of course), each year I dedicate my March article to the subject of procrastination. Why? Because this single habit is the root of so many of the problems that plague all of us at one time or another ' challenges with managing our time, relationships, ...
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How To Create A Better Brochure

Posted March 11th @ 11 March, 2010

Having a quality brochure makes a positive impression on a potential customer. It gives the appearance that you're serious about your business. And it may give you an advantage over competitors who don't use brochures. Printing technology has made big advancements in the last decade, including high speed, high-resolution color photocopiers and laser printers. This has reduced the need for using printing presses and allows you to print small quantities with less expense. If you're printing ...
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Responsibility Diffusion

Posted March 10th @ 10 March, 2010

Responsibility Diffusion As a family business expert dealing with growth and profitability issues, I receive many requests for interviews from writers and editors preparing family business articles for newspapers and magazines. They generally expect me to blame the usual line-up of culprits that prevent growth and profitability, issues such as: cash flow; insufficient capitalization; product quality and reliability; customer service; management infrastructure; communication; management ...
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Ingredients for business success

Posted March 9th @ 9 March, 2010

Now, you want to go into business, you have a product or service to sell . . . I would strongly advice that you go into a business you love, a business you enjoy. A business you know something about or that you are good at. If you don't know or enjoy your line of business, your customers will sooner or later discover this and disappear. Acquire the necessary skills you need to understand your line of business. Gain the experience. You can be very effective and productive in a business you ...
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Make Mine to Grow

Posted March 8th @ 8 March, 2010

MAKE MINE TO GROW: BUILDING YOUR SOLO BUSINESS TO OUTGROW YOU! Many solo entrepreneurs choose to curtail their businesses growth for the purpose of lifestyle. Others have visions of expansion right from the start. Being the only person in a business, wearing all of the hats, is just a stepping stone to increased prosperity. What steps can you take if you plan to expand your business some day? Right from the beginning, develop a business plan and marketing plan. Think of them as road maps to ...
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How Do You Leave a Bad Client?

Posted March 7th @ 7 March, 2010

I have been through this scenario a dozen times.... to the point where I thought to myself, "When will I learn?". Over the years, i have learned quite a bit actually, and have learned that the time to bail-out is early in the problem stage! A "bad" client can BREAK you, financially and emotionally... and can ruin your business by withholding payments, demanding immediate 24/7 service and bad-mouthing your work to everyone they meet. The longer it drags on, the more ammunition they get to ...
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Positioning Professional Service Firms

Posted March 6th @ 6 March, 2010

Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in 1926 in Soho, London. Ten years later there were only 100 TV sets in the world. So, how does this relate to service firms? About a century after Claude Hopkins wrote his marketing masterpiece, Scientific Advertising, only a handful of professional firms understand and practise proper positioning. So, to help the situation a little bit, let us discuss in a few words how service businesses scan better position ...
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Must-Knows for Marketing on the Internet

Posted March 5th @ 5 March, 2010

If you market exclusively through the Internet, or mainly through the Internet, you need to work on your communication style and develop one compatible with the Internet. Here are some tips: 1.WHO OWNS THE INTERNET? We the people. What does that mean? Well unlike other means of communicating, the Internet started with a bunch of guys messing around, and it still has that flavor to it. It's hard to find a really "high brow" site, although they exist. The Internet very much belongs to all of us, ...
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Virtual Marketing in a Tangible World

Posted March 4th @ 4 March, 2010

One of the greatest challenges facing business owners and managers is finding a way to cost-effectively communicate frequently and consistently with their target markets. It is nearly impossible to remain profitable while employing enough people to maintain frequent contact with existing clients, let alone seek new clients. And even for companies with deep pockets, hiring outside sales reps, trainers, and speakers to communicate monthly, weekly, and in some cases daily with all clients in the ...
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Why Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses Should Monitor the Media

Posted March 3rd @ 3 March, 2010

As the owner or an employee of a small- to medium-sized business, you might have never thought about media monitoring. Maybe you are not even sure what exactly is meant by this and have thus ignored it so far. But you should take some time to get acquainted with the concept of media monitoring. For companies of every size, it is a crucial tool for market success. When you monitor the media, you basically look for all the information that is beeing published about your company in different ...
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