Tips from September 29, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be about accounting software for your business.
Quickbooks is a fast, easy, popular payroll & accounting support. Versions for both Windows & Mac formats.
Quicken is more for small business intertwined with personal finances. It separates them & regulates each.
Use the program which you feel more comfortable with. Talk to other biz owners. See what they use & why.
Look for updates for your accounting software. Make sure you have the most recent edition for efficiency.
Daily Overview: Accounting software is meant to help & not leave you confused. Research, test, & evaluate.
By Cheryl Sowa · September 29 2009
small business tips, tips, technology, quickbooks
Tips from September 22, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss choosing a bank that is best for your business.
Be prepared. Provide banks with necessary info, such as financial history, biz plan, goals and what you need.
Do your homework. Know what kind of relationship you want with a bank. Stick to what you want and don't be sold.
Ask key questions: find out who is your personal banker, who makes the decision, regular meetings and availability.
Create the relationship. Talk to multiple people at the bank. Find out who else uses it. Become knowledgeable.
Daily Overview: Choosing the right bank is important. Create relationships & establish trust with the institution handling your money.
By Cheryl Sowa · September 22 2009
small business tips, small business, business, tips
Tips from September 18, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss nonverbal communication by your website.
Your website should be visually appealing, as well as easy to navigate to communicate important info to visitors.
Be color friendly. Be sure to choose colors appealing on monitors, as well as for those who are color blind.
Have a theme throughout your web site. Each page should have similar headings, footers, & design.
Text should be big enough to read easily by everyone visiting your website, especially your target audience.
Daily Overview: Communicate clearly online by using common sense, organization, & always keeping your target in mind.
By Cheryl Sowa · September 18 2009
small business tips, small business, online, tips
Tips from June 18, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be how to close a sale.
Recognize the time to close. Distinguish their mood and personality. If the client is stressed, busy, or in a rush, stress the important points and tone down your presentation. If the client is relaxed and willing to talk, go through your presentation thoroughly.
Debrief your prospective client. Restate the benefits to your product or service and what the prospect can expect. Reiterate what you have agreed on and what the client needs to do.
Decide on a closing technique. There are hundreds of ways to close, but the most common is the direct close approach. Once you feel you have gotten over every objection and can fulfill the needs of your prospective client, go for it.
Make a closing statement and ask for their order approval. Include all necessary information the prospect needs...
By Cheryl Sowa · June 18 2009
small business tips, small business, sales, tips
Tips from June 17, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be how a sales team can grab a prospective client’s attention to lead to a successful sale.
Set limits on how much you talk. On average, 60 seconds is the maximum to talk about yourself or your business. Engage the prospective client to signal the next time you can speak so you avoid rambling.
Ask open-ended questions to enable dialoguing with your prospective client. Prompt them with questions that cannot be answered with a yes or no question. Begin with what, where, when, why, or how.
Do not manipulate, lead, or control your prospective client. Encourage the other party to reveal their opinions about your product or service.
Build rapport. Being kind and courteous goes a long way and you will gain the trust of your potential client. An individual who can trust a salesperson is more willing to do busines...
By Cheryl Sowa · June 17 2009
small business tips, small business, sales, tips
Tips from June 16, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be steps in order to make a successful sales call.
Use a professional greeting and introduce yourself and your company. Let the other party participate in the greeting. Be general and keep your prospect curious by not introducing the product right away.
Express gratitude when informing the prospect the reason for your call. Don’t waste any of their time, and show appreciation towards the prospect. Give the purpose of the call in the form of a question, and sell what your product can do for them and not just the product itself.
Set up a second meeting to give a full presentation. If your prospect wants to discuss your product right then and there, do so. If not, set up a meeting at a future date and give two specific times for them to choose to put you in control.
Thank your prospect for their time and give your contact information.&nb...
By Cheryl Sowa · June 16 2009
small business tips, small business, sales, tips
Tips from Friday, May 8, 2009
The Small Business tips today will be about tracking the results of your advertising, it’s absolutely fundamental to your success.
Coupons and offers with different codes for different runs or medias will help you find which ads and which route will do best for you.
In testing different offers, headlines, copy and design, save money: test ads on less expensive media; cheaper newspapers, smaller ads, etc.
Record how many calls from each ad come in. Use a phone extension even if you don't have one. It's a great way to track each ad.
You can also track by asking for your customer's zip code or phone number. This will tell you the demographic return.
Daily Overview: If you don't track your customer response rate, you will never know what is really working, and where you are just throwing your money away.
By Kim Fenolio · May 08 2009
small business tips, marketing, small business, Advertising
Tips from Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Small Business tips today will cover the elements you need to know in order to make a Yellow Page advertisement work.
First determine if Yellow Page advertising is for you. How many repeat customers open the phone book every time to look you up?
Know your customers, your category, and what your competition is doing before ever speaking to a YP sales rep!
The 1st ad noticed is the 1st ad called over 50% of the time. Have a strong visual presence to draw attention: HIRE an artist.
Customers looking at yellow page advertising are already sold. Give them the benefits & the facts so they'll call YOU.
Daily Overview: If Yellow Page advertising is for you, make sure you stand out from the commonly designed ads. Be Different!
By Kim Fenolio · May 07 2009
small business tips, small business, tips, advertisements
