Categories
Online Business

3 Simple List Building Strategies Explained

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In this brand-new article I’m going to share with you three, often over-looked, but very easy, list building strategies that I use and have helped me grow my subscriber list by a whopping 374% this year.

My clients and regulars to my ezine have heard me say many times that the gold in your business starts with the list. Having a list of interested potential clients, who want to know more about you and your services, will provide you with a long-term, successful, business.

And guess what?

When you have a list in place of potential clients who are interested in you, your services and your products they come to you! You don’t have to go out and find clients – they’re right there!

And to achieve this you need to create a List Building System, so that you can continually add people to your list, and have a ready pool of clients who want to buy your products and services.

There are many different strategies that go towards creating your successful list building system, and today I’d like to share with you three free, and often overlooked, list building strategies. And they’re all easy to implement too!

1. Leverage the power of Amazon. I bet you didn’t realize you could use Amazon as a list building strategy! It’s very easy to do. If you have an account there, simply click on Your Profile along the top, and update your profile. Include as much information as you can about you and your business, and include a link back to your website. Then set about:

* Writing book reviews. If you have favorite books that you’ve read and have found invaluable to you in your business, write a review about them. You don’t need to have purchased your book from Amazon to write the review either. Simply find the listing for that book and write your review. The author will appreciate the positive comments, and your profile will be hyperlinked in the book review – giving readers the opportunity to find out more about you!

* Building a Listmania. A listmania is simply a collection of books/audio products that you have found useful and you’ve pulled them altogether in one place, so that anyone looking for books/products on a particular topic can view your listmania to see what you recommend. It saves them having to trawl through the website researching the information themselves!

2. Trade ‘Thank You’ page space. When someone signs up for your newsletter, what does your Thank You page say? I’ll bet it says something like, ‘Thank you for signing up to my newsletter’ – not very inspiring! Instead, use this space to recommend colleague’s newsletters. You could add, ‘Here’s a list of newsletter I find invaluable and I’d like to recommend them to you too’. And better still, ask those colleagues whose newsletter you’re referring to do the same for you! This is known as co-registration (or trading ‘Thank You’ page space), and is a wonderful way to build your list quickly.

3. Use the power of Email Signatures. This is a very simple way to build your list. At the bottom of every email you send out make sure you include a link to your newsletter sign-up page and a snippet of what your free taste is about. The beauty of this strategy is that you never know who your email will get forwarded to, and who will read your email signature and sign up to your list.
Now that I’ve shared with you three simple list building strategies, pick one of them and implement it TODAY! Don’t waste any more time in building your list.

Categories
Work Life

Maintaining A Prosperity Consciousness No Matter What

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Are you one of those people who have difficulty with uncertainty? Perhaps you have a fear of the unknown or become influenced by all the fear-based messages that seem to bombard us at every turn.

Imagining worse case scenarios only heighten anxiety and stress when we lack information. Worrying doesn’t bring answers to allay concerns. We only make ourselves more miserable. Putting too much attention on expecting the worst only amplifies the potential to attract more of what you don’t want into your life.

The best response to worry and fear is having trust and faith that you are where you are supposed to regardless of the situation you face. No matter what is happening in your life, the one power you always retain is your attitude.

Fears, worry, negative thinking, beliefs about lack….create constriction rather than expansion. We begin thinking,“Ok, what do I need to do to create more…money, clients, time….?” If we feel a sense of urgency, we can literally feel the stress and tension building up in our bodies and begin problem-solving to manage the situation. Making important decisions from fear rather than calm clarity rarely goes well.

Yes, I know that all sounds great and we are human after all. Slapping a big grin on your face and always being upbeat and happy 24/7 is unrealistic. To me being fully alive is feeling the full scope of emotions.

One of the best ways to navigate through uncertainty and remain in the flow is to focus your attention on the abundance in your life rather than the potential loss of things. Fear and negative thinking creates more constriction and struggle. It’s a decision to remain in faith, trust, and gratitude or tumble into the darkness of fear down to despair. Are you up to standing strong in your faith?

During troubling times we find out the stuff we are made of – courage, resilience, creativities, tenacity…. I remember a period in the early 1980’s when my life seemed to fall apart and I plunged into a depression. I was always the go-to person who held it all together and I was falling apart. While this was one of the most painful times in my life, it represented a life-defining moment. It was the first time in my life I ever really prayed and it was the beginning of a deeper conscious awakening to find out who I really am.

Stop listening to all the doom and gloom messages that suck the hope out of life. Choose to see each experience as a learning and healing opportunity, one that can lead to possibilities beyond your wildest imagination. Things are not always what they appear……Our faith and trust in ourselves, others, and the Universe is POWER.

Focus on all that is rich in your life – friends, colleagues, loved ones, pets, accomplishments, things you have created, nature……. Invite all that is truly meaningful and joyful to take center stage in your heart and mind. Life is full of unpredictability and you can flow with each experience, succumb to the negativity, or fight against it which can create more resistance.

Categories
Operations

Product Review DIY Accounting Small Business Accounting Software UK

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Accounting Software Strengths
Easy to use by non accountants requiring no previous Accounting knowledge and is basically a list of sales and a list of purchases on preset excel spreadsheets. Each workbook is arranged as 12 monthly spreadsheets with preset columns and uses an entry code letter to analyse both sales and expenditure.
Cash and bank spreadsheets are included as optional extras for those businesses that require them with a built in automated bank reconciliation. The sheet is designed to be completed by copying the figures from the bank statement into the bank spreadsheet and the bank reconciliation is achieved by also entering the statement total which is automatically checked against the entries made.
Monthly profit and loss account also includes a financial health check based upon an automated tax forecast to enable businesses to monitor their financial performance. By entering drawings the package then compares the net profit made with the likely tax liability plus the drawings.
Quarterly vat returns are generated for vat registered business and is also suitable for non vat registered business. To produce a vat return clients simply go to the vat file and select the quarter end date from a drop down menu and the figures for the vat return are automatically generated.
The vat calculations can be disabled by non vat registered small businesses by simply changing the standard vat rate from 17.5 to zero making the accounting software suitable for both vat registered and non vat registered businesses.
The accounting package includes a stand alone sales invoice generator which requires invoices generated to be manually input into the sales sheet.
The fixed asset schedule is preset with the capital allowance tax rates to automatically calculate capital allowances when fixed assets are entered. Depreciation is also automatically calculated with preset percentages that can be changed as required.
A major benefit of using this small business bookkeeping software is the templates are arranged in such a way to automatically generate an excel copy of the self assessment tax return. The excel self assessment tax return is arranged in the same layout as the official inland revenue form with the same box numbers making it easy to copy the figures from one to the other for submission.
Accounting Software Weaknesses
The Self-employed Accounting Software UK is based upon single entry of transactions and does not produce a balance sheet which is an optional requirement for self employed and therefore not a problem for the vast majority of businesses. DIY Accounting actually recommend clients who are self employed and wish to produce a balance sheet to use their Limited Company accounts package which does produce a balance sheet being based not on single entry but on double entry principles. The small business accounting software is suitable for a single tax year, the latest being 2007-08 and does not cater for accounting periods other than April to April. There are benefits in anyone self employed adopting the standard April to April financial year as this avoids tax allowances from two separate years being a feature of the accounts. When used by small businesses using the cash accounting system the bookkeeping entries to the sales and purchase sheets must be entered according to the dates money is paid or received rather than the dates invoices were issued. At the end of the financial year any invoices not yet entered require to be listed to adjust the final profit and loss account figures. This a major disadvantage if using the vat cash accounting scheme rather than the Accounting Software being reviewed.
Very Low Priced
At £12.99 the accounting software is basically available for loose change and will save many businesses the need to employ an accountant potentially saving hundreds of pounds in professional fees. For the financial year 2008-09 the basic package for non vat registered business is available at just £11.99 and the standard accounting software for vat registered small business is £12.99.
Other Features
The product has a stock control feature to monitor any stock losses. The small business accounting software contains a wages interface that fully integrates the DIY Accounting Payroll Software when those files are saved into the same folder as the accounting software files. Being written on excel spreadsheets all transactions are visible and capable of being changed by for example overwriting any errors as opposed to a database system that requires new transactions to be entered to reverse previous entries. The sales and purchase spreadsheets include columns for entering CIS tax deductions and payments and the certificate numbers. The CIS tax being then automatically entered on the self assessment tax return. As the small business accounting software is written on excel spreadsheets then it is essential that users have a version of excel from 1998 onwards installed to use the program. The accounting software also works fine with an Open Source spreadsheet package.
Conclusion: to Buy or not to Buy
Exceptionally good value, very easy to use and produces exactly what every small business requires, automated accounts requiring no bookkeeping skills and no previous accounting experience with the valuable end product of a fully automated self assessment tax return.

TerryCartwrightPhoto.JPGTerry 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.

Categories
Online Business

5 Winning Strategies To Use For Getting Highly Targeted Traffic To Your Website

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As a solopreneur, one ingredient you need for a successful online business is traffic… and lots of it! But there are so many websites out there, all competing for the same traffic, that it can be difficult to attract visitors to YOUR website!

Today, I’d like to share with you my top five strategies for attracting highly targeted visitors:

1. Offer a Free Taste

Your free taste is something that you give to someone in exchange for them giving you their name and email address, and signing up to your list. Your free taste is also your chance to show off your expertise, and give your new subscriber a sampling of what it is you offer.
It must be something of value to your subscriber, without giving away the whole shop!

Then you simply promote your free taste on your website, in your email signature, in your Resource Bio, and any other place you can think of! Place a call to action and people will read it, and click through to your website to get what it is you’re offering.

2. Get Others To Promote Your website For You

If you have products and programs for sale then you can easily get other people to promote them for you by offering an affiliate program. People will sign up to your affiliate program and promote your products and programs through their website, newsletter, and/or blog. In exchange you offer them a percentage commission for each sale that your affiliate makes – and make it a generous commission so that they have a real incentive to promote you.

If you’re currently using a shopping cart service, check out everything they have to offer – they may have an affiliate program included as part of their service. Mine does!

3. Participate in a Joint Venture (JV)

This is an excellent way to drive highly targeted traffic back to your website, and very easy for you to organize. Gather together some of you colleagues who offer complementary products and services to you and agree to promote each other’s products and services to your list.

I participated in a joint venture earlier this year where the organizer created a dedicated web page for this promotion. Everyone’s promotional ‘blurb’ was listed on the website, and each ‘joint venturee’ sent an announcement out to their list during a specified period directing their subscribers to this webpage. I got a TON of new subscribers as a result!

4. Article Marketing

This is one of my all-time favorites… one of the most successful and cost effective online marketing strategies you can do is to submit your articles to various online article submission websites. This is a great way to:

* promote your services;
* elevate you to ‘expert’ status within your chosen niche; and
* grow your subscriber list.

It has been well documented that one-way links to your website increase search engine rankings more than reciprocal linking, and article submission is an excellent way to achieve one-way linking. It works by creating backlinks to your website, which the search engines love! With each article you submit, you include a resource box that contains information about you, your business, and an active hyperlink back to your website, newsletter sign up page, product, or special offer – you choose where you want to direct your readers. For example, my resource box directs readers to my newsletter sign up page.

5. Host a Free Teleclass

Hosting a free teleclass is a great way for you to get out in front of your target audience. They actually get to listen to you presenting your information, and have the opportunity to ask you questions on the call – all of which can’t be achieved just by writing articles!
And it also gives you to chance to interact with your target market, and find out valuable information about their struggles and pains. It all goes towards building the like, know, and trust factor that is so important when building a solo service business

All of these strategies work well on their own, and I’ve had a huge amount of success with each one of them! You can choose to implement just one strategy, or use a combination. Whichever you choose, they all achieve the same goal… to drive highly targeted traffic to your website!

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Tips to Finding a Right Buyer!

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Article Contributed by Satish Patel
Entrepreneurs are largely driven by the idea of being one’s own boss and are passionate to create wealth rather than money. To start out on one’s own is challenging and most of them would love it, but it can turn out to be a bumpy ride and face an abrupt end. The current downturn has left many such examples where the best of ideas backed by highly skilled entrepreneurs and a concrete business plan too face questions on survival.
As an entrepreneur, you may have kicked-off with a small to mid-sized set-up and that might have not turned out to something that you have wished for. Funds would have become a constraint to grow further, capital market crisis would have lead to little financial access and there seems lesser possibility of help from friends or families. How would you tackle this?
One might agree that continuing with the dream venture till you are forcefully pushed is not a good idea. You might be forced to sell at throwaway prices. In the need of hour, you should instead plan for an exit strategy that can help you realize a deserving value for your business before you’re backed against the wall.
Once the decision to sell has been made, the business owner should be aware of the variety of possible business buyers. Just as small business itself has become more sophisticated, the people interested in buying them are becoming more divergent and complex. With a little bit of preparation, the value of any business can be multiplied several times and, in some cases, many times.
The following are some of today’s most active categories of business buyers.
Business Competitors
This is a category often overlooked as a source of prospective purchasers. The obvious concern is that competitors will take advantage of the knowledge that the business is for sale by attempting to lure away customers or clients.
However, if the business is compatible, a competitor may be willing to “pay the price” to acquire a ready-made means to expand. A business brokerage professional can be of tremendous assistance in dealing with the competitor. They will use confidentiality agreements and will reveal the name of the business only after contacting the seller and qualifying the competitor.
The Foreign Buyer
Many foreigners arrive in the United States with ample funds and a great desire to share in the American Dream. Many also have difficulty obtaining jobs in their previous professions, because of language barriers, licensing, and specific experience. As owners of their own businesses, at least some of these problems can be short-circuited.
These buyers work hard and long and usually are very successful small business owners. However, their business acumen does not necessarily coincide with that of the seller (as would be the case with any inexperienced owner). Again, a business broker professional knows best how to approach these potential problems.
Important to note is that many small business owners think that foreign companies and independent buyers are willing to pay top dollar for the business. In fact, foreign companies are usually interested only in businesses or companies with sales in the millions.
Synergistic Buyers
These are buyers who feel that a particular business would compliment theirs and that combining the two would result in lower costs, new customers, and other advantages. Synergistic buyers are more likely to pay more than other types of buyers, because they can see thhttp://getentrepreneurial.com/mt-static/images/formatting-icons/bold.gife results of the purchase.
Again, as with the foreign buyer, synergistic buyers seldom look at the small business, but they may find many mid-sized companies that meet their requirements.
This category of buyer comes with perhaps the longest list of criteria–and demands. These buyers want maximum leverage, but they also are the right category for the seller who wants to continue to manage his company after it is sold. Most financial buyers offer a lower purchase price than other types, but they do often make provision for what is important to the seller other than the money–such as selection of key employees, location, and other issues.
For a business to be of interest to a financial buyer, the profits must be sufficient not only to support existing management, but also to provide a return to the owner.
Individual Buyer
When it comes time to sell, most owners of the small to mid-sized business gravitate toward this buyer. Many of these buyers are mature (aged 40 to 60) and have been well-seasoned in the corporate marketplace.
Owning a business is a dream, and one many of them can well afford. The key to approaching this kind of buyer is to find out what it is they are really looking for.
The buyer who needs to replace a job can be an excellent prospect. Although owning a business is more than a job, and the risks involved can frighten this kind of buyer, they do have the “hunger”–and the need. A further advantage is that this category of buyer comes with fewer “strings” and complications than many of the other types.
A Final Note
Sorting out the “right” buyer is best left to the professionals who have the experience necessary to decide who the best prospects are. Ask for help of experienced business brokers who can devise a sound strategy that gets your business the right buyer and a deserving price.
About Author:
Satish Patel is the founder CEO and President of Sunbelt Business Sales and Acquisitions, New England (www.sunbeltne.com). SunbeltNE is amongst the top franchise of Sunbelt Network, which is the world’s largest network of business brokers with presence in over 30 countries through 300 offices. Patel owns the franchise rights for the states of MA, NH, RI, VT and ME. SunbeltNE has expertise in steering buy and sell deals for Main Street, Franchises and Middle Market companies. Besides business brokerage, SunbeltNE offers services for strategic Mergers and Acquisitions, Cross Border Business selling and buying, Business Financing, Business Valuations and Transition Consulting.