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5 Things More Important to Internet Buyers than WHAT You're Selling II
Web commerce is all about courtship, not salesmanship. In life, a suitor can't go from first date to the engagement ring in one afternoon. Courtship is an intricate dance, where each party contributes to the relationship at a measured tempo....
How to Protect Yourself & Your Business
As a business owner, you already know how important it is for your customers to feel safe about doing business with you. After all, if a customer even suspects he may not receive everything he was promised, then chances are he's taking his business...
Only the Weak Ones Quit!
Only the weak ones quit. Is that true? There is a story of a CEO of a multi-national company who decided to withdraw a product from the market when it had consistently failed for nine months and eaten up millions of pounds in advertising,...
Ready to Do Marketing Full Time? 10 Important Points to Consider
So, your income from your marketing efforts starts to be somewhat tangible. Or you just see that you could grow your income much more than if you keep your job - focusing on your marketing activities only.
Count me in. ;)
Here are...
Worn Out Brochure Design Is Keeping Small Business Owners Down
I got another one of those calls the other day...Can you make me a brochure?" Many business owners have been sold on the notion that they need a tri-fold brochure or they are not in business. Forget it...everybody's got one and no one uses it.
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Is It Time to Send Your Out-of-control Small Business to Brat Camp?
Remember when your business was an infant? It was cute and
cuddly and lots of fun. But somewhere along the way the infant
became an out of control adolescent and started ruining your
life. Is there any hope or should you just ship your spoiled
brat off to Brat Camp?
Caroline Jordan, small business consultant and mentor, and owner
of her own sometimes misbehaving business, The Jordan Result,
has this to say about businesses that just won't behave:
"Building a business is a lot like raising kids. You have to
keep the upper hand or you'll suddenly find yourself asking,
'When did I lose control?' I see many business owners who are
frustrated and in despair over the way their businesses have
taken over their lives. Many of us become self employed because
we want more control over our lives but often what happens is
the business takes over and business owners find themselves
working constantly and never feeling like they're getting
anywhere."
Jordan offers these tips for owners of bratty small businesses:
1. Take a time out. You can't think clearly if you're in the
midst of chaos and despair. Go for a walk, have an ice cream
cone, take a day off. The business will still be there when you
get back.
2. Breathe and Count to Ten. When fear and desperation start to
well up, you tense up and start feeling like your life is
unraveling before your very eyes. No one ever makes good
business decisions from a point of fear. Go do something that
makes you feel
confident.
3. Take your business out to the wood shed. You remember the
woodshed? That place where you got an attitude
adjustment...That's where your business needs to go. Remind it
and yourself in no uncertain terms that YOU are the one calling
the shots.
4. Set boundaries. Decide how many hours you can physically and
emotionally work each week. Take the number of hours you can
work and the tasks that must get done each week, decide which
tasks have to be performed by you personally. Delegate the rest
to an employee, a subcontractor, or a family member.
5. Remember what your real work is. When you're raising kids
your real work is to teach them how to take care of themselves
without you. It's the same thing with your business. Start to
develop a plan to get your business to a point where it can
operate even if you're not there.
6. Dealing with a whiny business. When your business starts
whining and wheedling and trying to get you to let loose the
reins again, sit it down and firmly explain that you are in
charge and you are following a plan that you will not deviate
from.
7. Call in the cavalry. If your business still won't behave, get
expert help fast. Most business owners wait until too late to
get help. Most business failures are preventable with early
intervention.
About the author:
For more tips on taking control of your business and becoming
part of the "No Business Left Behind" club, visit
www.TheJordanResult.com.
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