professional suggestions on making your business more effective

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Hey there! November 2, 2015 by Chazw One Comment Hi, welcome to my small business blog. I’ve been running my own company for over 20 years and there have been a lot of changes in that time. There have been good and not so good times but I have managed to keep going and have learnt an awful lot along the way. I’ll be sharing some of my experiences with you so that you can avoid some of the mistakes that I have made during my time. If you have any top tips you’d like to share, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you! How To Properly Carry Out An SMS Marketing Campaign Search Search Search RECENT POSTS How To Properly Carry Out An SMS Marketing Campaign The Best Legal Practice Software How To Set Up A Business From Home Business Logo Design Services When You Need Them How To Build Your Management Skills RECENT COMMENTS Mr WordPress on Newsflx Small Business Blog Sample Page

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Page 1: Professional  Suggestions On Making Your Business More  Effective

Hey there!

November 2, 2015 by Chazw

One Comment

Hi, welcome to my small business blog. I’ve beenrunning my own company for over 20 years andthere have been a lot of changes in that time.There have been good and not so good times butI have managed to keep going and have learntan awful lot along the way. I’ll be sharing some ofmy experiences with you so that you can avoidsome of the mistakes that I have made duringmy time. If you have any top tips you’d like toshare, please get in touch, I’d love to hear fromyou!

How To Properly Carry Out AnSMS Marketing Campaign

Search

Search

Search

Search

RECENT POSTS

How To ProperlyCarry Out An SMSMarketingCampaignThe Best LegalPractice SoftwareHow To Set Up ABusiness FromHomeBusiness LogoDesign ServicesWhen You NeedThemHow To Build YourManagementSkills

RECENT COMMENTS

Mr WordPress on

NewsflxSmall Business Blog

Sample Page

Page 2: Professional  Suggestions On Making Your Business More  Effective

July 20, 2016 by Chazw

Mobile marketing has easily become one of thebiggest forms of marketing that is available.However, what you need to know about, is theway you are going to be able to implement yourSMS marketing strategy. By knowing how toproperly perform this marketing, it is going to beeasy for you to get your marketing plan up andrunning plus, knowing that you will have achance to reach out directly to your customersand be able to expose them directly to theinformation that you want to pass on to them.

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Permission is key if you want to reach out to yourcustomers to make some great deals and notannoy them. While most people never thinkabout this aspect and just blindly send textmessages, they need to realize permission willkeep them from being the one that gets ignoredor worse, banned from the SMS messageprovider. Instead, your customers will bewelcoming your messages and are more likely toactually take the appropriate action because theyare interested in your products or services.Without this, businesses are going to have someproblems in reaching out to the customers whoare actually wanting to receive the messages.

Clear information is something else which youare going to need to have listed when you aresending out these text messages. While mostpeople never think about this, they need torealize recipients do not like taking time out toread unsolicited messages and if you do this, itwill often lead to those precious customers optingout of having information sent out to them, evenif it is great information. So, the message that isgoing out to the customers needs to be directand to the point to make sure that they aregetting the right information.

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Pay

attention to how often the messages are goingout and at what time they are being sent. Whencompanies are sending out a daily text message,it will often end up annoying recipients and getthem to unsubscribe from the program fasterthan ever, but, if the information is not going outoften enough, it could lead to customers startingto try to figure out who the message is comingfrom. This in turn can lead to no results beinggiven because of the lack of messages that arebeing sent out which leads to disappointingresults from the marketing strategy.

When people are looking at their text messages,they often choose this to be the way that theyare going to communicate with each other.However, what companies need to realize is thatthey can easily start to market their products by

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text messages as well. This is when they shouldget to know more about how to properly carry outthe SMS marketing that they want to do. Byknowing about the way this sort of marketingworks, will make it easier for businesses to gettheir marketing plan carried out and know that itis going to help them increase sales and also,keep in touch with their customers.

Yes, I know apps are the craze these daysbut we’re still at about 65% smartphonepenetration in the United States.

That means there may still be a lot of yourcustomers that don’t have smartphones.Also, just because they have a smartphonedoesn’t mean they use it for all that it’scapable of. Just ask my dad—he has thelatest and greatest of phones at all timesand all I get from him are texts with photosof my niece.

One of the great things about SMS is thatnearly 100% of all devices on themarket are SMS enabled, making it themobile channel that offers the widest reachpossible.

Some of the top brands invest heavily in

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SMS today to communicate with customersbecause over 90% of SMS messages areread within 3 minutes of receipt.

Yes, that immediate.

In fact, it’s been reported that Coca-Colahistorically has invested 70% of theirmobile budget on SMS marketing.

When asked why, Tom Daily, the Director ofMobile, Search and Global Connectionsreplied,“It is important to invest yourenergy into things you know work, and weknow that SMS works and is a thing tofocus on.”

In addition to its reach and immediacy,SMS is very affordable and offers anamazing ROI for marketers when usedproperly.

If you’re ready to dive in to SMS marketingand leverage this amazingly powerfulchannel it’s important that you’re setup forsuccess and not just using mobile formobile sake.

1. Understand Your Goals

When diving into mobile marketing, it’scommon to approach it as its own initiative.

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That’s typically the worst direction to take.

Businesses that approach mobile as asilo will almost never get the resultsthey were hoping for

or even expected.

Before diving into your execution, it’s wiseto review your business and marketinggoals so that you’re creating your SMScampaign through a lens that takes yourcurrent business goals into account.

Having S.M.A.R.T goals (Specific,Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, andTime Specific) will assure your SMScampaign is executed in a way that meetsyour objectives.

It’s important to understand that your SMScampaign will likely impact many parts ofyour organization, so communicatingyour goals and strategy clearlythroughout the organization is critical.

2. Build An Ark

Just like your 8 steps to a social mediastrategy, no one person can managethe entire SMS strategy. Your SMS

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mobile campaign will impact manydepartments of your company. Having across-functional team to help conceive andoperate the SMS programs will be one ofthe most important parts to winning withSMS.

For example, let’s say you’re building amobile loyalty list to drive customers toretail.

Having led the mobile efforts for Cabela’spreviously, I know very well just how manypeople this type of effort can impact.

We had a cross-functional team thatincluded members from teams responsiblefor retail, in-store signage, digital creative,email, IT, social media, promotions, thediscounts budget, as well as 2 externalteams.

Build out your ark and make sureeveryone is on the same page when itcomes time for execution.

3. Clear Call-To-Action

One of the most common reasons SMScampaigns fail is that the call-to-actionisn’t presented in a way that the

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consumer recognizes or understandswhat to do.

Having been involved in SMS since 2005, Ican tell you that a significant amount ofpeople probably texted with thequotations around the keyword, whichactually doesn’t trigger the campaign.

SMS campaigns are driven by 2 factors –the keyword and a short code. In thisexample PEPSIMAX is the keyword and710710 is the short code.

It’s common and best practice to capitalizethe keyword and short code to make themstand out within the call-to-action.

One thing Pepsi is doing really well here ismaking the SMS call-to-action the focalpoint of the creative. I’ve found SMS CTA’sin the fine print far too many times.

If you want to drive engagement, give yourSMS CTA the priority it deserves.

Read more:http://www.convinceandconvert.com/mobile/10-keys-to-a-successful-sms-marketing-campaign/

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The Best Legal PracticeSoftware

June 21, 2016 by Chazw

Legal practice software facilities themanagement of a complex legal practice. Thereare many benefits to a lawyer that come withowning such software. With numerous softwarepackages on the market, picking the right onecould be a daunting task. This article providesinformation on some of the best legal practicesoftware packages that are on the market.Lawcus – This is a simple software that has anintegrated CRM function. The software willautomate most of the processes in your lawpractice and

help deliver more efficiency with less effort. Anattorney can visualize their matters with Kanbanboards and drag and drop them as theyprogress. The software helps add tasks,documents, and appointments in the cloud sothat you can work from anywhere at any time.Quill – This is another great law firm

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copyright Quill Pinpoint

management software on the market today.There are many great features that can be usedby a law firm to maintain their client functions.Many lawyers have spoken highly of this tool withgood reasons to do so. In fact, Quill is consideredone of the best law firm software on the markettoday by a majority of attorneys out there. Theinterface is clean and easy to use compared toother software. On the other hand, the support isfantastic, and the pricing is quite affordable.MyCase – Getting started with this software isincredibly easy. It is quite user-friendly comparedto most of the other law management softwareon the market. It does everything that you expectfrom a law firm management practice software.These are also a mobile app. The software is

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offered at a competitive price with a 30-day freetrial period. The software has been positivelyreviewed by a majority of law firms on themarket.Amicus Cloud – This is a web-based law firmmanagement software that has been creatingquite a buzz on the market. They offer acomputer-based as well as web-based version ofthe software. You can choose the best product tosuit your business. It is easy to use with a user-friendly interface. The software also integrateswith many accounting software on the market.The customer can send emails and manage theircase load. The software could benefit from anAndroid or iPhone app too.MerusCase – This is another innovative softwarethat is creating quite a buzz on the market rightnow. The features and unique and helps withnumerous functions of a law firm. A lawyer who ispracticing personal injury or workerscompensation law in California can benefit fromthis software more than others. There are manygreat features in this software that help youeffectively run the business.In conclusion, finding the best legal practicesoftware for your business is not an easy taskwith so many software on the market. Considerwhat you need from the package and how youand your staff will use it, it needs to be easy touse so that anyone from your firm who needs

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access to particular files, can do so. The wholepoint of such software is to make processessimpler and more efficient. Choosing the rightsort of management software for your law firm,could be the best decision will you ever make.

How To Set Up A BusinessFrom Home

May 13, 2016 by Chazw

Do you want to run a business from home? Thereis nothing that feels as good as making a livingfrom a place where you like spending your timeinstead of having to travel elsewhere to make a

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living. If it is something that you are reallyinterested in, there are a few things you shouldknow beforehand that may help you with theprocess of getting started a little bit easier.

Focus on What You Want to Do

Before you can start a business, you have tofigure out what you are willing to do for a living.What are you already good at doing? What kindsof experience have you gathered over the years?And, what are you most passionate about?

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There are a lot of opportunities for you to run abusiness at home. You may want to start afreelance writing business where you offer tocreate web content for clients who need it. Youmay prefer to get involved with marketing to helpother businesses or even start your own storeselling certain products to a targeted audience.

No matter what you decide to do, just make sureit is something that you truly want to do. After all,you want to be able to love what you are doingand not hate it. If you dislike what you are doing,it probably will not work out well for you.

Get Everything You Need

After figuring out exactly what kind of businessyou want to run, you may need to get a permit,even if you are doing it from your home. Ofcourse, it all depends on the kind of business you

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are running, so check with your local area aboutwhat you will need to become an official businessowner. The next step would be to buy all theitems needed to run your business successfully.

You may need to purchase inventory or you mayneed to invest in web development. You willprobably need certain types of equipment to getstarted too, such as a desktop computer, laptop,desk phone and possibly even a headset. Make alist of everything that you could possibly needand start buying those items before you get towork.

Designate a Specific Spot for Your Work

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Even though it may not be possible to havepeace and quiet all the time, you are definitelygoing to need to find an area in your home whereyou can get your work done with minimaldistractions. Do you have an extra bedroom inthe home? If so, why not turn it into a homeoffice so that you have your own space to workfrom?

Bring in a table, filing cabinet and all of theequipment you plan on using. Keep the doorclosed while you are working so that the otherpeople who live in your home know not to botheryou at that moment because you are busy. It isthe best way to ensure that you will get as muchwork done and remain as productive as possibleby holding yourself accountable for theresponsibilities you have.

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Once you have figured out what it is that youtruly want to do to make a living from home andhave bought everything you need, you can getstarted. If you put enough effort into it, there is abetter chance that you will earn a nice income. Infact, you could end up earning more than youwere receiving at your traditional job, especiallywhen you no longer have to waste money on fuelor bus tickets for the commute each day.

Business Logo DesignServices When You NeedThem

April 19, 2016 by Chazw

Figuring out what a business logo design servicecan do for you is important if you’re needing anew logo. It’s easy to get the help you need ifyou’re able to go over some information. Hereare some pieces of advice to help you out.

When you’re going to look for a place to design alogo, you have to be sure that you work only withthe best. You don’t want to hire someone that’s

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newtothisand

can’t prove that they can make a great logo. Askthe company to provide you with samples of workthat they’ve done, and if they’re a new companythey should at least have done a few samplelogos. If you can’t get someone to show you whatthey can do, then you shouldn’t trust them to dothe work on your logo.

When you’re trying to do the design of thebusiness logo yourself, you have to make sureyou’re using the best software out there. It’sgoing to cost you a bit of money, and you’regoing to have to learn all you can about using thesoftware so that you’re able to make a logoprofessionally. Most people that own a businessjust don’t have time for all of this and that’swhen it’s a good idea to hire someone else.There’s generally no need to get all of thisequipment and training anyways if you’re justmaking a single logo.

A good business logo design company may beswamped with work when you try to get them tomake your logo. If you can’t wait for it, then you

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need to find a company that can get your logodone for you right away. You may also be able tojust pay a little more to get your logo done a lotfaster. Either way, it’s a good idea to get theseservices to work for you well before you needyour logo to be ready. That way, you can makerevisions and things of that nature withoutrunning out of time.

While you can get a company to help you, don’tforget that you can also find freelancers that dographic arts. You’ll have a lot of luck if you’reable to work with sites that allow you to post jobsand then people can bid on them. This allows youto pick out who you think has the best price andwill have the skills to do the job in the right way.Always look through the freelancer’s profile andask them for samples before you work with themjust to be sure they know what they’re doing.

If you get a logo back from a company or afreelancer and you just don’t like it, figure outwhat kind of changes you want to be made andlet them know. You shouldn’t wait for too longbecause you don’t want them to lose the filesthey were working on. When you first work with aperson on graphic design, let them know thatrevisions may be needed and to keep everythinguntil you’re completely done with the project.Most of the time you’ll want changes made, sodon’t be afraid to ask for revisions as soon as you

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know they need to be made.

It’s good to learn about business logo designbefore you get started with it so you can find away to get a logo made for a great price. You’llwant to keep these tips in mind as you work onthis so you can get the benefits from it, checkout www.rouge-media.com to see how thisfabulous team can help with your company’s newlogo.

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How To Build YourManagement Skills

March 23, 2016 by Chazw

Management in business may be the functionthat organizes the efforts of men and women toperform objectives and goals using assetsavailable proficiently and effectively. There areseveral mechanisms that make a good manager.The great thing is that you don’t have to dependonly on natural ability, you can in fact train goodmanagers. Here are some managerial skills thathelp to make the best leaders:

Personal management can be fragmentedwithout the focus to stay on track. We can’tachieve any objectives if we don’t have theassets and structure to allow us to complete anytask. Lots of people have untidy work spacesand drawers that are full of ‘stuff’. It is highlylikely that they will lose or waste a lot of timelooking for relevant papers or items required toget their work done. It is more than possible tobuild your own managerial abilities by remainingtidy and organised.

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A good manager must be capable of conveyinginformation in a way that is clear andprofessional. There are lots of qualities that arerelated to communication and this is a key factorin becoming a successful manager. A good leaderhas excellent communication skills in a numberof areas such as:

Being able to successfully communicate inwriting. Managers who are able to write correctlyand professionally will be able to expressthemselves and get across the message theywish to convey whether it is a memo forcolleagues or updating a client.

Public speaking can be a bit of a terrifying ordeal

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for some people however, this is a skill that isessential for an effective manager. If thisparticular skill does not come easily to you, thenyou should practice regularly so that you canimpart your message in a clear, well annunciatedand in a tone and volume that showsprofessionalism.

Being able to listen is actually imperative. It’s onething to hear what’s being said but you need tobe able to listen and be able to understand whatis being said. There could be a staff member whois unable to actually say what they mean andramble on so you do need to be able to pick upon the important bits.

Money management is another important aspectof being an effective manager. You may be givena budget to run your department with and youwill need to account for every penny whilstensuring that the allocation of funds is put to thebest possible use.

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Time management is an asset to any goodmanager, being able to manage time effectivelyand efficiently means that work is completed in atimely fashion. If you cannot manage your owntime properly, you have little or no hope ofmanaging your staff. Being able to lead byexample is one of the traits of a successfulmanager.

You will find that most successful managersmake the most of their strengths and work ontheir weaknesses so that they are seen asrounded. A lot of managers spend their timemaking decisions about all sorts of things sohaving the ability to compartmentalise andstrategise will provide an easier route to makingthe right decisions. Making poor decisions canlead to serious losses for the business which canbe very damaging, not something you want to beresponsible for and remember, the buck has tostop somewhere, as a manager, that is likely tobe you.

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As you can see, there are a number of factorsthat make an effective manager. No one strengthis enough, you need to have a good range ofskills so that you can run a happy and efficientdepartment with any number of staff reporting toyou.

The Beauty Of SMS Marketing

February 25, 2016 by Chazw

A lot of businesses don’t send bulk SMS, but theyshould. As a matter of fact, there are manybenefits of doing this. If you run a business andyou want to find out what some of the benefits of

sending bulk SMS online are, then read on.

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1. Flexibility – Businesses that send SMS onlinehave a lot of flexibility in terms of how they cansend messages. For example, you might onlywant to message a few people on your list, or youmay want to send out thousands of messages toeveryone, and it doesn’t matter what the case is,you will be able to do it. A good SMS marketingservice allows you to not only do that, but alsoallows you to create promotional messages thatcan grab the attention of your subscribers. SMSmarketing is one of the most flexible andeffective forms of marketing.

2. The Open Rate Is High – The chances are thatyou have experienced a low open rate with emailmarketing, but the good thing about SMSmarketing is that the open rate is generally high.Just about every single message you send islikely to be opened up, as well as read. The truthis that people are accustomed to automaticallypicking up their phones when they hear it buzzand they automatically look at their texts, whichis exactly why the open rate tends to be veryhigh with SMS marketing. If you want to makesure your messages are being opened and read,then you should consider using SMS marketingover email marketing.

3. Excellent Conversion Rate – It doesn’t matterwhat type of business you run or what kind ofpromotions you are running, you want more

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customers because customers mean more profitsfor your business. When you use SMS, then theconversion rate is likely to be very high and thisis because subscribers can take action rightaway. For example, you can run a contest andtell your subscribers about it and the chances arethat they will take part in the contest, which canlead to more sales for your business. There aremany promotional strategies you can use withSMS and some strategies may lead to a greatconversion rate.

4. Deliver Messages Instantly – One of the bestthings about using SMS on your computer is thatyou can send SMS online almost instantaneously.All you have to do is create a campaign and thensend your message. It does not take long forpeople to receive a text message, and this isgood news for businesses because it means thattheir messages will be received virtually rightaway, and subscribers will be able to take quickaction.

There are many other benefits that SMS offers.The ones discussed above are some of the mainbenefits. If you want to take your business to thenext level and increase your profits, then youshould look into creating an SMS marketingcampaign and see what kind of results you canget with it.

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Time is money; we heard that maxim plenty oftimes when being rushed about by grownups inour formative years. As we grow in experience,the full extent of this dollop of wisdom becomesmore apparent. How many times do you end awork day thinking, “If there were just a few morehours in the day…”

The pressures of time constraints beset usconsistently; many times we respond with atypical response for a “tool-making” primate,download an app, make a useful list of things todo, make schedule adjustments and more. Butwithout an innate appreciation for the essence oftime management these efforts are ultimatelyfutile.

This begins with adopting a larger view of time —the bigger picture. The following are someimportant pointers on time management thatmight broaden your perspective a bit and takefull advantage of your finite time on this bigspinning rock.

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Time is Limited

You can slice it, you can dice it or you canswallow it whole but there are only 24 hours in aday no matter how you arrange it. Same for you,your boss and even that co-worker who worksfuriously but never does half the amount of workyou can pull off.

The funny thing is, it also applies to that formerco-worker (now promoted) who always pulled offtwice the work you did and seemed to do soeffortlessly —what’s up with these “Lords of theClock”? If you hope to truly master your time, youwill need to understand how it can be used to itsfullest capacity.

Accomplishing More with Less Effort

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Sounds like magic and it most certainly is. Focusis a kind of magic we all have, when applied ingreater and greater amounts it can significantlyimprove efficiency as momentum is generatedand distractions phased out. Pretty soon thetasks are flying by, your energy levels are highand before you know it the work day is over andyou have accomplished more than your thoughtpossible —just like magic.

The Decisive Choice

Having this view of your time will also allow youto make decisions calmly and from anenlightened perspective, when pressed for timedecisions are often made while flying by the seatof your pants, not conducive to clarity of goodjudgement. But by having a firm foundation ofpriorities and goals, decisions will often alignthemselves to your objectives, or they don’t andare inconsequential.

Cultivate Higher Levels of your Profession

The key to how far any of us will get in ourcareers, relationships and endeavours is solelydependent on the way we manage our time. Thismakes you the master of your schedule and lifeeven when juggling the demands of a psychoticboss, neurotic spouse and hyperactive kids — orwhatever the case may be.

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You will find that when you are not subject toyour environment, you will make qualitydecisions, produce impressive results in less timeand best of all, make it look effortless — this willnot go unnoticed. Those in command will valueyour effort and go to you for results. This is thekind of action that causes positive reactions.

Find More Time

Perhaps the most obvious advantage of propertime management is the sudden increase in whatwould have been considered “Free Time” under adifferent mindset. But there is no “free time” tothe Lord of the Clocks. It’s all free time and everymoment is accounted for.

When you cautiously manage your time, youhave more time; but not for thumb twiddling.This time saved is time earned for growth andprogress, starting a new project with co workers,taking up a class that will increase your prowessin your profession or even making time for theever important relaxation and rest from yourdrive and focus.

Reduce Stress

When time is your master, you will feel like youare in a constant race against the clock —andyou’ll never win! This can make it very difficult to

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predict how long a project will take or to decidewhich projects need the attention most urgently.

The

stress that accompanies lack of time ispervasive; pretty soon, projects are beingrushed, quality is being questioned and slack isbuilding up. This is usually the moment the worstthing that could possibly happen does in facthappen.

Stress is really just a symptom of a lack of properperspective and it would do you far better to takea moment in the pit stop to reassess the waytime is being managed, than to plunge forwardand end up a complete wreck.

Time to Kick Back

This was mentioned but not emphasized, time torelax is essentially important. This is time apartfrom visiting relatives, attending recitals orcleaning the house; with all the demands and

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pressures we often relegate our personal needsto last place, mores’ the pity.

Good time management skill dictates that youfind that time to replenish your focus and driveby not spending it on anything at all, this is notfree time.. you need this! Plenty of sleep, time toeat and digest without being rushed as well asrecreational activities are all demands of thebody and must not be ignored.

Creating this Positive Cycle

This is an exciting quest to begin in your life. Asyou can see, the benefits of better timemanagement multiply as they progress. This maybegin with something as simple as finishing aproject on time, but will soon expand into feelingof greater peace, greater results for less effortand finally the many rewards and opportunitiesthat are in store at the higher echelons of yourfield or industry.

Managed Print Services CanSave Your Business Money

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copyright Xeretec

December 21, 2015 by Chazw

Small businesses are often on a tight budget andthis means it is crucial to invest each penny oftheir budgets very wisely. The operations andtechnical

support of small businesses are often some ofthe most major expenses, and they are verynecessary in order for a business to operatesuccessfully. While many companies use ITservices for operations, it seems that managedprint services are becoming the new trend. This isbecause there are multiple ways for smallbusinesses to save money by using managedprint services.

As mentioned above, most businesses use ITservices for the operations and support of theircomputers, phones, and other systems. While

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these services are very crucial, IT personnel donot typically have the time to make printermaintenance their top priority. Computers andsimilar devices are much more important forbusinesses operations; if you invest in IT servicesto fix printers, you may end up being billed forovertime. You can save money by splitting thecosts between an IT company and a managedprint service. This will ensure that all of thedevices are managed on time and that you arenot paying too much for it.

The average small business owner may not beaware of the complex nature of the printingservice they use. Unless you have got experienceof looking after a printer fleet, printer repairs,and similar topics, it is impossible for you to fixeven the most minor issues with your printer. Youmay think that doing it yourself will save yousome money, but this is simply not the case.Investing in high quality maintenance and repairsfrom a managed print service will ensure thatyou always get long-lasting results that areguaranteed to be sufficient.

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You may choose not to employ a managedprinter specialist full-time, and this is a wisedecision if you only have a small office withlimited printing facilities and are trying to savemoney. You only need a managed print serviceprofessional to help you when you areexperiencing issues, so why keep them on yourdaily payroll? You can outsource your printerrepair and maintenance needs to a company thatwill send you an in-house repair specialist whenyou need them. You do not have to worry aboutthe high costs of hiring someone to stay on thejob full-time; simply pay for the service wheneveryou truly need it the most.

As you can see, using a managed print service isincredibly beneficial for any small business. Youcan save significant amounts of money by usingthis type of service, and you are still able to

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successfully operate your business withoutsacrificing the quality of the product or serviceyou output. When you rely on a managed printservice, you can rest assured that you aregetting assistance from professionals who knowprecisely what they are doing. If you want to saveyour business some money, consider using thistype of service for all of your printer repair andmaintenance needs.

Lots Of Ways To GenerateNew Business Leads

December 2, 2015 by Chazw

Nothing is more important in business than leadgeneration. Finding new customers is critical tothe success of any business. The good news isthat there are plenty of different methods thatactually work to drive leads. In this article, we willbe going over some of the best lead generationmethods that you can implement into yourbusiness today.

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Best Lead Generation Methods:

1. Referrals.

One of the best and oldest ways to generateleads for your business is through referrals. Bygetting leads through referrals, you are bound tobe able to sustain your business. As long as youproduce a good product and/or provide a goodservice, you should be able to gain a significantamount of new business from referrals. This isnot to say that you should rely on them for theduration of your business, but it is a good step toimplement into your business. The key to gettinga good amount of referrals from previouscustomers is to simply ask for them. By asking for

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referrals from your customers, you are morelikely to achieve a good conversion.

2. SEO.

Another excellent way to generate leads is moreof a long term strategy. While it is more of a longterm strategy, it is very important to focus on itimmediately. This is because the search engineshave become more important than ever. In orderto effectively maintain good traffic numbers at areasonable investment rate, you will need toimplement SEO into your business. More andmore people are using the search engines inorder to find new products and services that theycan utilize. Therefore, it is critical that you focuson SEO as a form of lead generation.

3. Pay Per Click Advertising.

This is another form of lead generation that isfairly new. However, this is probably one of themost important because it is one of the faster

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lead generation methods out there that iscurrently available on the Internet. The reasonwhy this is so fast at getting results is becauseyou effectively pay for traffic to come to yourwebsite. You are paying Google and/or anothersearch engine for the opportunity to post anadvertisement on a website and every timesomeone clicks on it and visits your website orlanding page, you are going to pay out a certainamount for the click. It is very effective as long asyou are properly targeting the right customerswith your ads and that you are tracking andoptimizing conversions.

Lead Generation and CustomerAcquisition Strategies

Here is a quick overview of some of thehighly effective strategies you can use togenerate many more qualified leads andclients for your business. They are allsimple and cost effective to implementonce you know what to do and how to do it.

By bridging the gaps in your knowledge wecan show you how to get the most out ofany of these approaches, no matter howlarge or small your business.

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1. Direct Mail

An extremely flexible medium that givesyou access to any number of otherwiseinaccessible prospects for many differentpurposes; to sell your products; generatesales leads; follow up enquiries; get morebusiness from current customers; keep intouch with former customers; close the salein advance … and so much more. It allowsyou to present every benefit of yourproduct or service over those of yourcompetition in a manner that’s 100%consistent. This is not just in their officesand during the business day, but in theirhomes, in the evenings and at weekends.Reaching the right audience with the rightoffer and the right message is the key tosuccess, because the only thing that countsis how many sales or inquiries your mailinggenerates.

2. Effective Advertising

Advertising should be nothing less than”salesmanship in print,” i.e. it should dothe same job that a top sales person woulddo face to face. If you approach advertisingin a scientific manner, following provenprinciples and facts, it no longer has to bea gamble. There are many extremely

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effective ways of using advertising in ahighly targeted manner, that can’t help butgrow your business. This includes 1)advertising only in media that reaches asufficiently large number of the kind ofpeople you’re trying to reach 2) focusingthe entire thrust of your communication onyour prospect’s interests, not your own 3)giving your prospects enough informationand education and 4) offering themsomething appealing that’ll get them torespond now.

3. Referral Systems

One third-party endorsement is morepowerful than a hundred presentations.Getting your customers to recommend andencourage other people they associate withto seek out your products or services is themost coveted prize in selling, besides asale. There are hundreds of referralsystems you can use; to create anunlimited supply of hot prospects; to getprospects returning your calls; to contacthard-to-reach buyers; to create areputation that opens closed doors; toenhance customer loyalty; and to increasesales and multiply profits. Referral systemsmake your life easier and moreprofessional, and bring higher profits with

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increased customer loyalty.

4. Host Beneficiary Relationships

There are bound to be other non-competingbusinesses who have already spent yearsattracting and establishing relationshipswith the very people who are primeprospects for your own products orservices. By establishing the rightrelationships with those ”hosts”, thosecustomers can be yours for the asking, withthe full co-operation and permission of thebusinesses that acquired them in the firstplace … and it will bring you morecustomers and more cash right away.

5. Word-of-Mouth Marketing

This is the most powerful, persuasivemarketing weapon available to anybusiness. It drives customers to tryproducts or services more than any othermarketing technique … more thanadvertising, salespeople, direct response,and public relations combined! Andcontrary to what you might expect word-of-mouth is not out of your control. There aredozens of techniques for launching yourown highly successful word of mouthcampaigns, based on an all-important

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Decision Matrix and a proven seven-stepprocess.

6. Telemarketing

Telemarketing can be used very effectivelyin conjunction with other types ofmarketing. It is flexible in scope, message,and the things it can accomplish. It worksespecially well with direct mail because itallows you to identify prospects and reachthem directly through two media. It is alsoan enormously effective way to keepadvancing and building your relationshipand gently leading your prospects to apurchasing decision … which can increaseyour sales results by up to twenty times.You can use telemarketing techniques toimplement extensive campaigns as well asto fill in spare time by generating morebusiness. It also gives you immediatefeedback from customers and prospects asno other medium can, allowing you to findout what prospective customers want, whatthey like, and what they don’t like, as wellas helping you qualify them.

Read more:http://marketingwizdom.com/strategies/leads

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Maintaining AccurateBusiness Records Is Essential

November 18, 2015 by Chazw

Bookkeeping fulfils one main role that is integralto the continued smooth operation of a business.It is that of recordkeeping. In particular when allfinancial information was tracked by hand beforecomputers, every piece of income and every bitof outgoing money had to be tracked.

In this day and age of computers, bookkeepingallows for making future decisions a lot easier.The reason for this is solid, detailed, andaccurate bookkeeping makes for bothtrustworthy and easy-to-read reports. The kind ofreports that result show how much cash isavailable and whether there is a deficit everymonth or a profit. Keeping accurate and easy toaccess records provides the ability to filequarterly and annual corporate tax returns and itmakes filing for business licenses a lot easier aswell. Basically, while recording all of the

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transactions, it is integral to good bookkeeping toalso keep the receipts that go along with eachtransaction. Your company is required tomaintain those records for at least seven years.

If you run a restaurant, it is easier to imaginewhat a gross receipt is (it is the whole saleamount). Such documentation includes cashtapes, receipts, credit card receipts, and evenbusiness invoices to vendors and such. Youpurchase and then resell items to customers, and

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that is exactly how a purchase is defined. Therecord-keeping needs to show how much youpaid for goods, whether from credit card slips orinvoices. These stock records assist indetermining the value of your inventory.

Expenses include the paid amount for yourbusiness expenses. This paper trail will includeemails, register tape, account statements, creditcard slips, and invoices. Petty cash adds up too,and you may find having a record of this alsouseful. Most businesses incur some sort oftransportation and gift or entertainmentexpenses. This documentation is useful when itcomes to tax time, when you have to back up thereporting of your business expenses and provethat the purchase was legitimate. There aredifferent ways to record transactions, anddifferent ledgers and books may be used forthese purposes. The daily cash and credittransactions would go into a purchases day book.

The valuation on closing stock is derived withprecise record keeping. It is important to notethat items removed from the business forpersonal use, regardless of its nature do getrecorded separately. It is important to make it

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known that it is not part of the business.

Keeping records is vital for a business. It maybecome necessary to hire an accountant tocreate a bookkeeping process. They must befamiliar and well versed in both the principlesand concepts of bookkeeping. Additionally, theymust know how to do accounting and also how allof it interplays with the Income Tax Act. Even ifyou just work for yourself, you must keepaccurate and clear income, purchasing, and

expense records. This will keep the individualmore efficiently organized, and able to file taxesfaster too. You can usually use the sameinformation to prepare financial statements thatyou use to monitor the fiscal health of thebusiness. This same information is useful inmaking your business tax return. Either way, thebookkeeping efforts should produce results thatallow you to see clearly the income andexpenditure. That is one of the main roles of

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bookkeeping. There are other compelling reasonsto keep such records.

It is also fairly easy to determine both the profitand loss. Having accurate sales and financialinformation at the ready is useful for a businessowner, and for the people who manage thebusiness’s day-to-day operations. Knowing actualnumbers means you can maximize profit. Goodrecord keeping helps determine how effectivelythe business financials are being handled. It mayindicate that changes need to be made as well.Providing easily accessible and accurate financialinformation for a business is vital for directingmanagement, pitching investors, getting credit,and in general making well-informed businessdecisions.

There are three main reasons to keep accuraterecords. For one, it helps you determine whereyour business stands in its financial state, and itassists in submitting well-organized paperwork toyour accountant, while also providing easy toaccess information for a tax audit.

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My Top Tips For Starting ASmall Business

November 2, 2015 by Chazw

Starting a business can be one of the bestdecisions you will ever make, but you should alsoremember that you have to be prepared if youare going to succeed. There are many statisticsthat you might have read that show very fewbusinesses break even and many will not getpast the three-year mark. The good thing is, thatyou can easily succeed in business if you havethe necessary tools. You should know yourbusiness niche inside out and remember therewill be a number of changes you will make alongthe way. Many others have failed because theydid not adjust to new trends and demands of themarket. Below are some factors that you willneed to consider before you can start a business.

Knowledge/ Expertise

This is the most important factor because it willgo a long way to determining whether you willsucceed or not. You should know the business,services and products inside out. If you don’thave sufficient information then you could end upin deep water with not only your suppliers butalso your customers. It is easy to find people who

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have said they were taken in by vendors andsuppliers when they were starting out. When youask yourself the question “What business should Istart?” you should be able to give yourself aconvincing reply about what you are going to doand how you are planning to go about it. Youshould also be aware of your competitors andwhat they are offering as this will put in you in abetter position to provide higher quality services.

Market/Demand

The next consideration to make is the demandand market for the products or services you aregoing to offer. There are so many differentproducts and services that you can offer and youneed to be sure that there is a demand for all ofthem so that your business will succeed. There

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are some products that will have a domesticmarket and others have an international market.If the demand for your products is local, then youmust fully assess whether or not there is roomfor what you are offering before you set up yoursmall business. You need to know who yourcustomer is before you can determine thedemand. If the demand is international, then youwill have to find out all the rules and regulationsto be followed in such a market. There aremarkets that might seem rather large andcompetitive at first, but you might be surprisedafter you have undertaken thorough research.

Total Project Costs

You will need to know what it will cost you tostart and run the company. Knowing the capitalinvestment you are going to need is important sothat you can estimate how much money you willneed for each part of the business, it is verycommon for new businesses to run out of moneybefore they are even up and running because theowner has not done proper calculations. Youshould be aware of any hidden costs, this again isa common mistake that many people make.Different types of business will need differentequipment, for instance, a manufacturingbusiness will require completely differentequipment than a retail business. Knowing whatthe total cost of the project is likely to be will

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really give you a head start and provide you witha realistic budget to plan with.

Financing/Capital

Once you have identified the total cost of startingyour new company, you will move to the nextstage of deciding where you will get the financingfrom. There are different ways of raising thenecessary funding. The two main ways thatpeople obtain their financing is through savingsand borrowing. Depending on how much capitalis needed, you may well need to borrow. Thefunds borrowed can be in the form of either shortor long term loans.

The terms of conditions of borrowing should becarefully studied, in particular, the securityrequired, the interest rates, and the repaymentterms. You should shop around and find a bankthat has the most favorable terms. A rule ofthumb is never to use short-term loans to financethe purchase of fixed assets. Short term loansare there to provide working capital requirementand using the short term loan for the purchase offixed assets means there will be a problemrepaying if the business has not progressed.

Competition

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This

factor is often overlooked by those wishing to setup their own small company. You absolutely mustfind out about the type of competition you aregoing to face. The competition is not only thoseproviding the same type of service and productsas yours, but also the ones that provide a serviceor products that serves the same purpose. If theservice or product is a monopoly, then thecompetition does not matter. The supply anddemand should also be understood in respect ofthe competition. There are certain markets thathave high competition but an even higherdemand. If there is a high completion, you willneed to be stronger than your opposition in orderto gain a foothold. The existing firms have theadvantage because they are already establishedand will be both experienced and well equipped. You will need to be able to answer the question

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“What is unique about the product or service thatI am providing?”

Location

Choosing the right location is very importantbecause it will determine the level of success youget. There are some locations that will allow youto reduce the running costs of the business. Thelocation should be close to the raw materials oryour customers to ensure minimal costs. It alldepends upon the type of business you are goingto operate. If your new company needs clients tovisit, then you need to be situated in an area thatis easy to get to, has car parking facilities or isclose to public transport and is in the right sort ofbusiness park or part of town that your visitorsare likely to come to.

Laws, Rules and Regulations

There are a number of laws and regulations thatmust be followed when starting and running abusiness. There are different laws for differentsectors and you must ensure you are properly conversant with them before you start or youcould unwittingly end up breaking the law andthis would not be a good way to start out.

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