Seven Boring Business Ideas You Need To Reap Exciting and Profitable Image Business Benefits in 2009
I have to tell you the truth, many business owners who are talented in their area of expertise yet are missing some of the boring business basics needed to build a profitable and sustainable business.
There are some key and fundamental business practices that are rather boring, that you must embrace in your business to reap the rich rewards that come with building a profitable and sustainable business.
#1 Evaluate The Numbers
Do you know how much revenue each of your products and services generated this year and the last? Do you know what your average earnings was per client? Do you know where most of your business came from? How about how much it cost you to close a new client? What percentage of your business is from repeat clients?
There is no place where the saying “information is power” is more applicable then in your business. Answer the above questions and use this information to determine if you should continue to offer all your existing products and services. Use this info to reduce the cost of adding new clients and to increase the amount of money each customer spends with you, and of course to increase your repeat business. Read the rest of this entry »
Keep Your Accomplishments Right In Front of You
Gwen Mazer is author of a great book, Wise Talk Wild Women, http://www.gwenmazer.com. I attended a workshop she facilitated this past weekend.
We had been asked to bring a collage to the workshop. I went ahead and made a collage that was a vision board with all the things I want in my life: a world cruise, a bigger house, a healthier, more fit body- the usual suspects. Then, once I got there I realized I was not supposed to make a vision board I was supposed to make an accomplishment board. A collage showing all the successes and achievements I have been author to in my years. Read the rest of this entry »
To Cold Call or Not To Cold Call – That is the Question
I get asked this question a lot. The short answer is – it depends. If you are in a business-to-business business, then it is possible that cold calling is part of your sales plan.
If you are in a personal service business, life coach, image consultant, or professional organizer, it is a lot less likely to be an effective strategy. The whole idea of value-based marketing, which is one of the principles I teach in my Business Breakthrough Program, is that you give people value of some kind first before you ask them to be a client. Read the rest of this entry »
Are You More Sales or More Marketing?
Over the last several weeks, I am noticing an important economic trend with many service businesses that I want to make sure you are aware of.
Here it is- you can not get by on marketing alone, you have to sell more than you have been doing in the past and probably more than you are used to.
How to Use Google Alerts to Build Your Business
When looking for ways to market your services in the building of your business, there are a number of tools you can use. Amongst those tools is Google Alerts. Google Alerts can do a number of things for your website through serving as a research tool that you can use all on your own. This allows you to stay on top of your game within your market so that you can have that “heads up” on your competition by staying up with what’s hot within the industry. Unfortunately, some don’t realize this useful tool because they don’t see how it can be effective.
This article will outline for you how you can use Google Alerts to your advantage and make your website even more successful.
The following are tips you can use to make Google Alerts work for you:
• Make a list of keywords and phrases
Make a list of keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business. For example: If you are a coach and you’re looking to learn about what is happening within your line of business, you don’t want to receive e-mail alerts from Google Alerts about the fashion industry.
• Sign up for Google Alerts
Google Alerts will notify you by e-mail about news pages and web pages that match the keywords and phrases that you chose. If news articles find their way into the top 10 results, you will be alerted. If web pages make it into the top 20 results in Google web search results, you will be notified. You will also be notified when new posts make it into the top fifty of Google Groups. To get all of this, you go to www.google.com/alerts and sign up for news alerts, group alerts, and web alerts.
• Be sure to repeat the process
For each keyword or phrase, you have to repeat the process. Every single time a new keyword or phrase comes to mind, be sure to add those to your Google Alerts.
An even greater feature of Google Alerts is that it is a free tool that any webmaster can use. That is why you should visit Google Alerts today and sign up to receive alerts specific to your industry. It is like having your own set of spies without having to pay them a dime.
Are your values driving your business?
This past weekend I attended the Bay Area Business Woman Newspaper Expo, Workin’ It! http://www.babwnews.com
It was held at what I thought ahead of time was an unlikely location – Uptown Body & Fender in Oakland. Turns out the place is perfect, with its brick walls and clean floors. Owner Giovanna Tanzillo has a great event space that you can rent out.
I so enjoy these networking events where I meet new people and run into women I have known in the Bay Area Business community for many years now. Are you getting out there and meeting enough people these days to expand and keep up your network?
One of the highlights of the afternoon was hearing Meagan Connolly Haupt, owner of C5 custom jewelry http://www.c5company.com Meagan talked about the importance of making sure your business reflects your values. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Use Social Networking Sites to Build Your Business
In recent years, social networking sites have grown in popularity. These are websites such as MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, Yuwie, Tagged, Friendster, Flickr, and many more. These are places in which individuals gather together and meet, talk, share pictures and videos, and embark on various other activities. What is amazing about these websites is the fact that they have millions upon millions of users from around the world visiting them every single day. That is why businesses turn to these sites to market their services. However, there are precautions that must be taken since many of these sites have taken measures against individuals using certain tactics to market their services.
In this article, you will find tips that you can use when using social networking sites to build your business. Read the rest of this entry »
How Your Business Can Thrive When Things Are a Little Crazy
This is a very crazy time right now. How are YOU doing? Are you bouncing around, putting out fires, looking for clients anywhere you can, and worrying about paying your bills down the road even if you have them covered for now? If you are, let’s talk about how to bring some sanity into your world on a consistent basis. Read the rest of this entry »
The Time is Now - It is Up to You
As I write this, the stock market has dropped 777 points.
The most ever. The 700 billion dollar bailout has failed and it is a bright sunny day here is San Francisco.
The point is, no matter how bright your personal business outlook, the economic outlook in the U. S. is a gloomy as it has ever been in most of our lifetimes. Realize that even if businesses or individuals are well in the black, they will now be more fiscally conservative and ponder each spending decision more because of the less than booming future on the horizon.
What are you going to do about it for you and your business? Read the rest of this entry »
Set Your Business Up for a Strong Fourth Quarter
By Caterina Rando, MA, MCC
While the economy is impacting many businesses, it does not have to negatively impact yours. Many businesses thrive in difficult times. Let’s ensure that yours is among them. Apply these ideas to your enterprise and pretty soon everyone will be asking you for advice. Read the rest of this entry »