If you are anything like me, you probably find yourself often thinking of new projects to start, new things to achieve. I did that in my beginning on Internet. That in itself is very beneficial and indeed a required ingredient for success. The trick is to know where to draw a line. The trap I kept falling into was hoping and looking for new and better programs all the time,easy to find new once,but i forgot about them the next day,instead of...more
Rip Out Your Phone Lines I hate the phone company. Reading my phone bill is like reading hieroglyphics. I thought that the break up of ma bell was suppose to make it easier for the consumer. We were suppose to get more choice. The choices seem to all be the same. For instance, I was so elated last year when the phone company offered me a lower rate. Yes, 29.99 and that was all I had to pay. Well, they forgot to tell me about all the special...more
As a business, non-profit or association manager trying to get a bang for your PR buck, you could pretty much concentrate on simple print and broadcast mentions or, for that matter, the whole basket of tactical public relations weaponry including old favorites like high-visibility speech appearances and newsworthy special events. But if you really want premium public relations results, you must use a broader, more comprehensive and workable public relations blueprint to alter your key, external audience perceptions - perceptions that lead to the changed behaviors you'll need to reach your managerial goals. In short, you had best take steps to persuade those key external stakeholders with the greatest impacts on your organization to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed. The PR blueprint is the best place to start: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most,...more
As a small business operator, personal checks may be one method to receive payment for your goods or services. As a way to receive payment, a personal check is actually better than credit cards because the fees are less and there can be no charge back. Fortunately, most people are honest and studious in taking care of their checking account. But...more
A home-based business becomes for the business owner, an entity in and of itself. Because so much hard work, blood, sweat and tears goes into every home-based business, it is easy to view it as having a "life" of its own and a home-based business can be more real to the business owner than anything else in their lives.However, there is also a dark...more
While some new business owners face the issue of not enough customers, others face the issue of too many customers/clients. Both are serious issues and must be dealt with carefully. There are many lists on how to find new customers/clients. Here is a list of 10 ways to deal with a rapid influx of new customers. The goal is a steady flow of just the right customers/clients.1. Know the customer/client that is right for your business.Get really clear about your ideal client or customer so you can be selective when there are too many business opportunities and you do not have time to accept them all.2. Have a specialty that you are known for.Specialize so that you get really good at what you are doing. You can then service more customers/clients quickly.3. Eliminate clients who drain you. If a client/customer takes too much of your time, that client/customer is costing you money. Look for ways to predict who will be a time-consuming customer/ client and avoid them. Find ways to eliminate those customers/clients.4. Create systems to support you. Examples are: a good business development system* that provides you with the customers or clients you need, a good bookkeeping system to keep...more
Years ago, when I was new in management circles, a veteran administrator decided to share his self-described secret of success. He said: You have to be careful, Bill. I*ve learned not to compliment my people. Makes them too self-assured, and they get...more
In the marketing world, radio has earned the reputation of being the odd step-cousin. You know the one. No one knows quite what to do with him. Especially at family gatherings when everyone tries hard to avoid sitting with him. (After all, who knows...more
There has been a lot of talk lately about the "Real Estate Bubble", and a lot of folks are asking the question: "When it is going to burst"? They are saying that the market just can't sustain this level of growth and appreciation much longer, and I...more
Are you spending more time trying to get new clients than actually working with them? If the answer is yes, then these three simple ideas will help you. First, have you ever asked for something and got something different to what you thought you*d...more
It's that time of year again, when all Canadians rush to their mailboxes, their corner stores or their neighbor's houses to read the latest edition of Maclean's Magazine.For those who don't know it, Maclean's is the Canadian equivalent of Time or...more
I recently received an e-mail from an Internet marketing colleague. Actually, it was a series of e-mails. Everything started out pleasantly enough, he initially e-mailed me to tell me that he clicked on my ClickBank payment link and it wasn't working...more