There are a great many books and web sites devoted to real estate investing out there, but most of them concentrate on one specific area of investing. It's often hard to find a general description of real estate investing, one that lists the various real estate investing strategies and how to get started. That's what this article will set out to do.Before beginning, you must understand that real estate investing is not a get rich quick scheme. ...more
You need to determine what the value of a customer is to your company. Answer the following questions:How much will the average customer spend with you per year?A = _____________If you provide quality service and products, how many years can you expect to keep a customer ?B = _____________What is your gross profit, as a percentage of revenues?C = _____________The value (V) of a customer is:V = A X B X CWe learned with our network consulting...more
ReferralsA substantial part of your business can come from referrals. The key is to provide extraordinary customer service and educate your clients and influencers to this fact. You must actively cultivate referrals; otherwise you're just leaving it to chance.Referrals Start with Great ServiceThe foundation of great referrals is great customer service. A large part of your business can be generated through referrals. Make an investment in your business and your client's satisfaction by doing excellent work.Characteristics of a Referral SourceUnderstanding the characteristics of a strong referral source, allows you to spend your time with the most qualified prospects. Below are the conditions of the optimum referral source:Must have a relationship with your target client Must understand your target client profile Must be educated on what you do Must respect you and your company Must be respected by your target client Must be motivated to refer clients to you Existing ClientsYou should regularly ask for referrals and you should have a formal referral program with your existing client base. We simply send a letter out regularly to our clients explaining that we would rather spend our...more
Client satisfaction starts with meeting or beating the contractual obligations of the relationship. There are also some intangibles that can help you to over deliver to a client. MeetingsIn most organizations it's easy to deliver additional value around meetings, because statistically, most companies run meetings poorly. Capture important notes...more
Most consultants I've talked to don't spend any time trying to recover inactive clients and it's a big mistake. We tend to magnify the problem we had or just want to move on, but sometimes a simple apology and offering to make things right will bring you back a client worth thousands of dollars in billing.Clients can quit contacting you for a...more
There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is a great defense". Nowhere is that applied better in the corporate world than in the intelligent use of email. In this age of technology, E-mail is a multi-purpose tool that can be adapted into each user's organizational patterns. Firstly, we will get the basic do's and don'ts out of the way. Do not use your work address when filling out forms on external sites. This can bring large amounts of SPAM that may alert your IT department into watching your activities more closely. Free Internet based mail, such as Hotmail, are your best options. Do not transmit any questionable material to co-workers. Especially in large companies where you may have more than one John Smith working, sending of any sexually explicit, or offensive materials to the wrong person can get you fired. And do not forget, Big Brother is always watching. Software development have reach the point where IT developments can scan your emails for keywords, and view the message themselves. Never send out an email in anger. The written word is a powerful thing. Angry mail can set off a flurry of responses, with expanding distribution lists. If you were wrong, even one point...more
Good credit is everyone's dream. A wise use of credit can go a long way. It certainly makes certain goals in life (like acquiring business loan from bank) easily attainable.But the key question remains: "What does it take to achieve 'Triple A'...more
When I look around at all of my friends, and a lot of my family, I see a lot of people living from pay check to pay check, under monetary stress. These same people watch the Calendar for payday like a hawk. Pay their bills, and then open up the...more
With the advancement of computer simulators, anybody can repeat all the business routines before he goes to the real world, and have the opportunity of relaxing from the tedious work with numbers. The businessman can concentrate more on the human...more
Got stacks of audio tapes that need to be converted to a more user-friendly format? Professional transcription services may be the answer. Professional transcriptionists can take standard or micro cassette tapes and produce a typed version of the...more
"Who is that hot babe in the picture?" isn't the type of reply an interviewer expects to hear when he or she invites you to ask questions near the end of an interview. In fact, the way you approach the Q&A session will have a direct impact on the...more
Growing up, we all had a mental picture of the perfect life partner The person we thought would be our happily-ever-after -- a person with a perfect smile, beautiful eyes, and an adorable button nose. Fast forward to reality and who did you wind up...more