When a business registers for vat the vat rate should be added to all sales from the date of registration. The standard vat rate is 17.5 per cent of the sales value. The value added tax added to sales is known as the output tax.

Value added tax paid to suppliers on purchases is known as the input tax. When completing the vat form the amount paid to HMRC is the total output tax after deducting the input tax.

Vat on goods purchased up to three years prior to vat registration can be reclaimed against the output tax liability. A business can also claim vat paid on services incurred up to 6 months before vat registration.

To be able to claim vat paid before the vat registration a business must have kept vat accounting records of items bought and sold to enable the business to claim vat on those items still in stock at the time of the company became vat registered. The vat claim for goods and services incurred before registration should be made on the first vat form after vat registration. A good accounting software package to enable record keeping is useful for this purpose.

Claim Vat on Goods Purchased Prior to the Vat Registration

A business can vat input on purchases made by that business for up to three years prior to vat registration provided those goods are also available for resale either as stock, raw materials or work in progress at the date of the vat registration and do not relate to exempt items.

If the goods were bought by another business, for example, pre incorporation then the vat claim would not be allowed. The vat claim would also be disallowed if the goods purchased have already been sold. In the same context vat on items such as petrol, gas and electricity would also be disallowed if they have been consumed prior to vat registration.

The vat claim is restricted when goods are used for personal and business purposes. The restriction being the proportion those goods are used for non business purposes.

Claim Vat on Services Purchased Prior to the Vat Registration

A business can vat input on purchases made by that business for up six months prior to vat registration provided those services do not relate to exempt items or goods that have already been sold before vat registration.

The services must have been bought by the registered business and as with goods purchased only the business proportion may be claimed.

Vat Accounting Records

In order to claim vat on goods and services purchased prior to registration the business must have kept accounting records which include valid vat invoices and there should also be an audit trail through the accounting records to support the completion of the first vat return.

When the first vat return is submitted and contains a large refund it is not unusual for the HMRC vat office to inspect the vat accounting records before authorising a refund payment.

The vat accounting should also include detailed stock records to demonstrate the goods on which vat is being reclaimed existed at the time of registration and also show when goods have been disposed of after vat registration

Detailed vat accounting records must also be kept of any services on which the vat claim is based. Those records stating the date received, description and should be capable of supporting the fact those services had been or would be sold after the vat registration.

If the items being sold are exempt from vat then the value added input tax cannot be claimed. If part of the goods and services being sold are exempt then only the proportion not exempt may be claimed.

Terry Cartwright qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant and Chartered Company Secretary in 1971. A successful business career followed as Head of Finance for major companies in the UK and several consultancy appointments. In 2006 he created DIY Accounting producing Accounting Software for self employed and small companies that use simple accounts spreadsheets to automate tax returns.

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Article Contributed by Ray Haiber

As a franchise sales consultant I am often asked what is the best way to start the initial process of finding the right franchise business. Most of these individuals are still in the initial stages of thinking about buying a franchise, and don’t necessarily have a strong opinion either way about what type of opportunity they are looking for. My answer is that there are more resources available in today’s market then at anytime to find and research franchise opportunities. Below is a list of some of the most popular methods prospective franchise buyers can use to help narrow the search process and find the franchise business that’s right for them.

Internet Directories:

The fastest and most convenient way to begin the process of finding a franchise is via the Internet. There are now dozens of franchise opportunities directories online today that offer comprehensive listings of franchises for sale, including information about investment levels, training, availability, and how to contact the franchise company for more details. These directories are also a good source for free information about the general process of buying a franchise business. You may want to visit A few different directories such as franchiseopportunites.com, franchisegator.com, and azfranchises.com because not all of then will carry the same franchise listings.

Franchise Industry Publications:

Trade publications are another good source for general information about franchises available and franchising industry news. There are magazines available such as Franchise Times and Entrepreneur, as well as multiple online venues such as franchise-chat.com and franchisenewscenter.com that provide a wealth of free information about finding and buying a franchise.

Trade Shows & Conventions:

There are numerous franchise opportunity trade shows and conventions held through out the year and around the world. These venues offer the chance for individuals to discover and research new opportunities, as well as the unique opportunity to meet actual representatives of franchise companies they may have an interest in. Some of the more popular shows include the National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show, and International Franchise Expo.

Franchise Consultants & Brokers:

Franchise Consultants and brokers work with as little as a few to dozens of different franchise concepts in their database that they generally have in depth knowledge about. Considering the thousands of different franchise opportunities that buyers can choose from these days, they can be effective in helping a prospective buyer narrow their search by first qualifying them, and then showing them opportunities that could be a potential good match. Since the majority of these consultants are paid a referral fee or success fee by the franchisors if one of buyers they introduce moves forward, the buyer generally has no direct expense associated in engaging a franchise consultant to help them.

Some of the potential downsides to working with a franchise consultant can include that some only represent a few or a limited menu of franchise concepts which can potentially limit the prospective buyer’s exposure to seeing all the opportunities available in the market. And like some sales people who work on commission, the motivations of the consultant may some times not be entirely consistent with the prospective buyer’s best interest or goals. But I would say overall, that the franchise consultant industry has a very good reputation for treating their clients fairly and professionally.

Business Brokers:

Many professional business brokers are also franchise consultants, and they also can be an excellent source to find existing or established franchise business for sale in your local area if you decide to go that route. Business brokers generally also have good working knowledge of how franchising works, and can often be very helpful to a prospective buyer because of their inside knowledge of the local small business market. You can find a local professional business broker in your area here by searching this business broker directory.

Hit The Streets:

Another good and obvious way to find a research a potential franchise opportunity is to scope out and visit existing franchise businesses in your local area. There is no better validation that a franchise opportunity concept works than seeing a busy store or restaurant full of customers. And if they are available and have the time, you may also want to ask the owner about how business is going, are they happy with the franchisor, and would they recommend this opportunity.

About Author:
Ray Haiber has 10 years experience as a professional small Phoenix Arizona Business Broker and franchise consultant. Go here to view and research franchise opportunities for sale throughout the USA including master and multi-unit opportunities.

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Article Contributed By Adam Hommey

As an internet marketer and a webmaster for internet marketers, I get frustrated when I visit a website and end up flipping through pages of content that doesn't lead to anything. Most people's website content doesn't tell me what the next steps are. And, they don't tell me what actions I should take. So how can they expect to convert their website traffic into more customers and sales?

Every page on your website - regardless of its purpose or content - needs to guide your visitor to the next step.

Obviously, your sales page leads visitors to click to the secure shopping cart order form so they can buy from you.

Your special report download page guides visitors to enter their name and e-mail address and hit "Submit" so they can be added to your mailing list.

But what about your "About Us" page (which contains your bio), your "Media" page (which lists all the major outlets in which you've been featured), and your "Contact Us" page?

Here Are 3 Easy "Calls to Action" to Convert More Website Traffic into Sales on the About Us, Media and Contact Us Pages

1. On the "About Us" page, after your bio, add a powerful client testimonial praising your expertise and your measurable and specific impact on the client's bottom line. Then add the line "Ready for these kinds of results in your organization? Click here to get started now!" (This links to the contact page).

This call to action, in fact, can be used for any page that does not have an obvious "next step." Just make sure the testimonial ties in to the page content. If the page is a list of your keynote speaking topics, have the testimonial be about how your keynote set an awesome tone for the entire conference, not about how helpful your sales department is to your customers.

2. Your "Media" page should not just be a collage of logos. It should contain short videos of your TV appearances, audio clips of your radio interviews or featured-expert interviews on teleseminars. It should also include links to the articles where you were quoted or links to your articles that got published on the top websites. Let the world see what a sought-after, in-demand expert you really are.

With that being said, a simple, but effective call to action would be, "Sarah B. Marketer looks forward to being the featured expert on your next program. To schedule her appearance right now click here." (This links to the Contact page.)

3. The Contact page, by definition, is a call to action. It needs to take your visitor by the hand and lead them through the next step.

It should not just be a page that displays your mailing address, phone number, and main corporate e-mail. Rather, it should lead with a paragraph that congratulates the reader for their decision to take action. Then, it should explain the process for getting in touch with you. It should also describe what someone should expect once they contact you.

Next, guide them through a simple web form that asks specific questions. This way you can do your homework and present prospects with a specific response and action plan. Make sure to keep this form as brief as possible, and only ask questions that directly inform how you and your visitor would do business together in the near future.

Having a web form, rather than just a link to your e-mail address, guides your visitor to take a specific action. This raises their level of commitment to you and increases your chances that they will buy from you.

Bottom line: Make sure that every page on your website provides a roadmap for your visitor with a specific call to action. This is the only way your prospects will reach the destination that you prepared for them. And, it's the only way you will increase your website sales conversions.

About the Author
The Website Surgeon, Adam Hommey, increases website sales conversions for entrepreneurs, small business owners and Internet marketers just like you who want to make more sales now. To see where you're actually losing money on your website, get a live website review at http://www.livewebsitereviews.com

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Article contributed by Joanne Black

It's hard enough to get more prospects and new clients during a booming economy when people have money to spend. When the global economy takes a nosedive and freefalls fast, it's 100 times harder to get prospect to talk to us.

So, how can you get more referrals and more NEW clients in a lagging economy?

It's straightforward: The answer to getting more referrals and more new clients during any economic situation is to ask.

How many of your clients have you asked for referrals? When I ask this question to salespeople, the usual answer is "not many" or "hardly any."

For example, I was working with the president of a consulting firm. I asked him how many clients he had—counting all the people he worked with, not just the number of companies. He told me 295. Then I asked him: with how many of the 295 did he have excellent relationships.

His answer: 60.

I then asked him how many of the 60 he had asked for referrals.

Silence.

Sixty of his best, most valued clients were just sitting there. These clients were an underleveraged source of referrals that could be bringing in more clients.

If you're not inviting your current clients to be part of your sales team, you're leaving money on the table – every single day. If you ask them, they'll be happy to refer you. But, you have to ask.

If you're a good salesperson, you probably have at least 100 people on your prime contact list. These are people you could phone, and they would return your call. If only 20 percent referred you, you'd have 20 new prospects to satisfy. Once you satisfy them and once you actively cultivated relationships with them, they can become part of your "sales team."

Can you see where this could lead, and how much business that could generate?

Real Proof Why You Should Ask Your Clients for More Referrals

In a survey of its best clients, a major brokerage firm asked: Would you be willing to refer your stockbroker?

The survey results: A whopping 84 percent of its best clients would be willing to refer their stockbroker. Eighty-four percent.

The firm asked brokers: What percent of the time are you asking your clients for referrals?

The answer: Only 15 percent.

Their clients were absolutely willing to refer them, but the brokers were not asking.

You can easily see how a fabulous opportunity was overlooked. Think about how much money the brokers were leaving on the table. Those referrals could easily have generated millions of dollars in revenue for the firm, if they'd been maximized.

The Hard Fact: Your Clients Will Help You Get More Prospects and New Clients – But You Need to Ask

The hard fact is most clients think of us only when they need us. It's up to you to get them thinking about you between orders. Your clients are not going to automatically refer you. You must constantly remind them that you exist, so when a referral opportunity arises, you're the one who gets it.

The clients you serve well - the ones who know you, like you, and trust you -truly want you to be successful. After all, they know what you do and they've received measurable business results from your solutions. Referring you will make them look good to their customers and business partners.

So are you now ready to get more referrals, prospects and clients right now?

Top 5 Tips to Help You Get More Referrals During a Global Economic Slowdown

1. Review your database and gather information about your current clients. Find out:

- What percent of your current clients were referred?
- How profitable are your current clients?
- Have they bought additional products from you?
- How often have you contacted them?
- How many have referred you to other clients?

2. Put a plan in place to check in with your clients and find out what they need.

3. Make a note about why they like working with you.

4. Ask for ways to improve.

5. Invite them to help you build your business through referrals and ask them to refer you.

Your current clients are going to be your best source of referrals. They're just waiting for you to ask.

It's time to ask. What are you waiting for?

About the Author:
America's leading authority on referral selling and founder of No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black, helps salespeople, sales teams, and business owners get more referrals and attract more business fast without increasing costs. Discover how to turn prospects into clients more than 50 percent of the time, even during a down economy, with her Recession-Proof Your Business Emergency Kit at: http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/products.html

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This article is contributed by Guy Kingston

Modern business planning owes it origins to two very different parents.

The first is the obligation to prepare a “Prospectus” when floating a company, outlining the “prospects” of the new venture. Although an early prospectus has little in common with a modern business plan, it might well have contained elements that might find their way into such a plan – a statement of purpose, a “vision” of where the new company intends to be in a few years, an analysis of opportunities and threats, and so on.

A prospectus is primarily a legal and financial document, but it is also a marketing tool to sell the new company to investors. What it is not is a strategy.

The second major influence on business planning is military planning. Many of the early pioneers of business planning were professional soldiers or naval officers who were retired or who found themselves surplus to requirements between wars. They brought the techniques they had learned in the services into the world of commerce.

There is a saying to the effect that “When amateurs talk about war, they talk about strategy; when professionals talk about war, they talk about logistics.”

There is much truth in that. The key to winning wars is less actual fighting than being able to move men and material at short notice and under pressure to the place where they are most needed. The army that does this most effectively will usually win the fighting.

Since professional soldiers devote a great deal of their time and thought to this, they tend to get good at it. Experience has taught them a few simple techniques that are usually very effective in practice. Although there are many famous logistical failures, they are famous because they are exceptional.

This is the military efficiency that proved so useful in the private sector.

However, the downside of professional soldiers being good at logistics because they talk about the subject more than strategy is that they are not so good at strategy.

Career soldiers are not necessarily expert strategists. The skills that make them good at logistical detail rarely come with a view of the bigger picture. Experienced commanders have often made elementary strategic errors that even a well-informed amateur would have foreseen and avoided. Whatever one’s view of the policies of the West in Iraq and Afghanistan, no one can deny that the implementation of those policies has been full of avoidable strategic errors.

Many of the fine military minds that influenced the development of business planning were characterised by the same combination of logistical skill and strategic blindness.

Here then is the great gap between the two sources of business planning: neither was particularly interested in actual strategy.

Those who could draft a good prospectus might be able to conjure up an enticing picture of how things could be, and those in the military tradition could deal with the nuts and bolts of running a business, but the problem of turning the pretty picture into the nuts and bolts was never addressed.

There were plans and plans but no real strategy.

This original problem has never quite been resolved. One sees it reflected in too many business plans today. They are big on the broad vision and sound on the operational details, but have no strategy to turn one into the other – which, one would have thought, was the whole point of a business plan in the first place!

About the Author:
Guy Kingston produces and presents the Mind Your Own Business podcast, offering free business advice to entrepreneurs and business owners. As well as audio podcasts there are more articles like this, compelling videos and a must-read blog. All at www.myobpod.com or you can network and join in discussions on the MYOB Facebook group.

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Article Contributed by Gregory Stebbins

As a sales leader, have you ever felt like you were at war in your business?

No surprise there because modern business is based on a military model. However, today's business environment is rapidly changing requiring sales managers to look at new and different approaches to leading sales organizations.

Now the question is: what will replace the old business model?

You have probably heard of the idea that everything is based on either fear or love.

If today's business model is based on fear, then the answer to what will replace it is apparent.

How the World of Business & Getting Sales Became War

In the 1500's Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince where he answered this question: Is it best to be loved or to be feared. Machiavelli wrote, "The answer is of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved." He related this to military models, providing examples of Hannibal and others.

As time progressed new business models arose. The master/apprentice paradigm was created as business owners looked for ways to increase productivity with a largely uneducated work force. Frederick Winslow Taylor, author of The Principles of Scientific Management, proposed what was a thinly disguised military model. From then on, fear was injected into the workplace in continually greater ways.

Why Your Sales Leadership Style Must Change

As work becomes less about muscle and more about intellect, sales leadership styles need to change. Today, we have an ever-increasing number of "knowledge workers."

We also have a new generation entering the sales workforce –The Millennials.
These workers have loyalty to their manager and sales team, but not to the company. Managing them through fear usually results in them voting with their feet, and finding a different type of company to work for.

Now, with baby boomers increasingly leaving the sales workforce there is a rapidly growing shortage of qualified workers. So how do you recruit more members for your sales team? And, how do you turn them into high-producing sales leaders.

How Showing Love Will Help You Recruit & Retain High-Producing Sales Leaders

Do you have employees who tell you they just love their sales job or the work they do? Do you have employees who complains loudly and constantly about how screwed up their sales job is and especially they work for including you?
Which type of employees is more productive for your sales organization?

There are many reasons why people love their jobs:

- Some people love business because of the money they make.
- Others love business because of the recognition they gain.
- Some love the security it provides for their family and themselves.
- Some love their work because it allows them to contribute in making a difference.

Once you know what causes a worker to enjoy their work, you can provide that experience they want motivate them to become a high producing sales leader. And, when people love their work, they'll tell others. This means more people will want to work for your sales organization.

However, there's a lot more to love than that. Love is unique in that it is a choice, an attitude, and an outcome all at the same time. So, regardless of a work situation or its circumstances, a person can choose to love. The trick is to create a work environment where this form of loving is at least allowed and at best, encouraged.

Here's a step in that direction…

How to Create a "Loving" Sales Organization

The famous cartoon sailor, Popeye, had a great statement: I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam." If more people followed that, there would be less fear—and more room for love in the sales organization workplace. However, most people, not having been trained otherwise, choose to serve their ego. This automatically perpetuates the fear-based Machiavellian model.

When a person adds an adjective to the words, "I am," they are declaring an ego position, which inherently has fear attached to it. It looks something like this: "I am a sales manager." If I have an ego position in being a sales manager, which I have declared by saying I'm a sales manager, then I will either consciously or unconsciously choose to protect that position. Inherent in the protection is fear, specifically fear of loss of my identity as a sales manager."

Is it different if you choose to declare, "I am loving?"

No.

The same thing happens: You need to convince others about how loving you are, even if you're not feeling particularly loving today.

The challenge for most people is declaring, "I am," and not adding anything else to the declaration. It's too amorphous. It has nothing others can relate to.

Here's the most interesting part. By stating "I am," with nothing attached you have declared your freedom. You can choose to be love unconditionally. You could also choose to hate unconditionally. It's your choice.

In today's world of knowledge workers who will job hop in a New York minute, which choice do you think would attract more qualified sales leaders to your sales organization? This is not a trick question. Support your workers and associates in knowing they are whole people doing a job, not being the job. In that awareness, fear falls away, job enjoyment and satisfaction increases and the whole company moves into the new paradigm of enhanced excellence, productivity... and loving.

About the Author:
Sales Psychology Expert Gregory Stebbins has helped more than 20,000 sales professionals better understand their customers so they can outsell their competition. Now with his book, "People Savvy for Sales Professionals" sales managers can help their sales team understand a simple, yet groundbreaking plan to winning your customers' trust and business forever. Get your free sneak preview at: http://www.peoplesavvy.com/book.htm

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Article Contributed by David Gruttadaurio

With everyone bombarded by email overload, do you really think your ezine is being read?

A Nielsen Norman Group Report revealed that the typical email newsletter gets 51 seconds of your reader's time.

That was three years ago. Today, many say its closer to 26 seconds. And, that's if your email newsletter is even opened.

You're Not as Popular as You Think

While you believe YOUR ezines are special and opened like gifts on Christmas morning, remember this: Dozens of emails are routinely wiped out daily in one swoop with the push of the delete key.

Even if the reader recognizes your name, you can be expunged just because they're having a busy day or your email got caught in a large block of spam.

Now, I'm not suggesting that you stop doing email newsletters. In fact, I advise you to do an email newsletter on a weekly basis. But, I also suggest doing a monthly print newsletter.

Here's why...

6 Ways Print Newsletters Beat Email Newsletters – And Why They Need to Be Part of Your Marketing Mix

1. Printed mail gets delivered – It's never blocked or caught in spam filters. Faulty connections, email authentication and webmail service idiosyncrasies are not issues. And, you have no worries about connection speeds.

2. Print newsletters have more perceived value – Think about it: How many companies are willing to do this? Your clients aren't stupid. They understand the energy, cost and time required to send them a great newsletter every month. It will get their immediate attention.

3. Print newsletters let you use unlimited amount of images – A picture really is worth a thousand words. Print newsletters are not shackled by bandwidth. That means you can use a variety of text, graphics and formatting styles to capture the interest of your clients.

4. Print newsletter are sticky - Print newsletters have great 'hang-time'. Not only are they likely to be read from start to finish, they usually get passed around. Hand-along readership can be as high as four-to-one. Talk about free marketing!

5. Print newsletters offer convenient and comfortable reading - Printed newsletters are much easier on the eyes. Reading articles of any length on a computer screen is uncomfortable and often inconvenient. Plus, a print newsletter allows you to mark sections you find interesting, take it to work and leave it there to be picked up by workmates.

6. Print newsletters stand out and get noticed – By using color, logos and a familiar return address, a print newsletter is easy to spot. With an inbox filled with subject lines, every message looks the same.

Here's Your Best Bet

Make no mistake. There is a place for electronic communication with your customers. Websites and email are an important part of any business.

But the hands down best choice for keeping customers and getting more referrals and building relationships is to include print newsletters within your marketing mix

You can even offer your customers a choice. They will see that you really care about what they want, not just what you are willing to provide for them.

And that's what relationship marketing is all about, isn't it?

About the Author:
Print Newsletter Marketing Expert David Gruttadaurio was tired of wasting money on marketing that didn't work. So he searched for a marketing tool that would give him more clients for his cleaning business. Then he found newsletter marketing! Through print newsletters he was able to triple his sales. Now, discover how he got and retained more clients with his FREE "Profit Exploding Newsletter Secrets Report" at http://www.NewslettersMadeForYou.com

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Better Support From Japan: Bras For Men

Kramer really was on to something after all. The 'Men's Premium Brassiere' is the number one wishlist item being devoured at Rakuten, the online Japanese store. The male bra trend is sweeping the country...

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