Month: March 2013

Categories
Entrepreneurs

3 Little-Known Biz Benefits to Writing & Publishing a Book

There’s a lot of excellent reasons to take the time to write and publish a book. Having authored a book gives you instant credibility as an expert, which immediately sets you apart from everyone else in your field, helps fill your pipeline with perfect clients and gives you a reason to raise your rates. Plus books make great giveaways and client gifts, which is another fabulous way to use them.

But there are also a few other reasons to author a book you may not have thought of. Here are 3 to keep in mind as you decide if it’s time to get that book written in between everything else on that to-do list:

* Book readers tend to be better clients. Even though you’re probably not going to get rich selling a $15 book, the people who take the time to read your book will be more likely to buy your other products and programs AND spend more money overall with you (either by buying multiple programs or just investing in the higher-priced programs). So if you have a good backend set up (and what I mean by that is if you have other products or programs to sell them) writing a book is the perfect way to position yourself and your ideal client to get them into your sales funnel.

* Kindle rocks! Okay this may not be so little-known anymore, but the reality is with all the options out there with Kindle and ebooks in general, you have more ways to get your books into your ideal clients hands than ever before and if you position a lead generating opt in correctly inside your book (and what I mean by that is offering more free resources if they go to a page on your website and enter their name and email address to get the download) you’re going to have a way to capture leads from folks who are truly interested in taking what you teach to a deeper level (which of course will lead to more sales).

Something else to consider — as an author you’ll have a presence on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, which in some cases is better than a presence on Google. Think about it — if someone is searching for resources on Google, they’re probably looking for something free. If they’re searching for resources on Amazon then they’re looking for something to buy — which means those are the buyers, not the looky loos.

* What about your ideal clients who aren’t book readers? Well you can also turn your book into an audio book, which means you’ll reach another segment of your ideal clients. Now if they really aren’t book readers (or book listeners) at all, just the sheer fact you’ve written a book will still add to your credibility and expert status with them.

* And a bonus tip — for many entrepreneurs, one of the big reasons why you went into business for yourself in the first place was because you wanted to make a difference in the world. What better way to spread your message and get your gifts out there is by writing and publishing a book? Think about your book as a little messenger — spreading your message and transformation everywhere it goes. Now isn’t THAT a great reason to finally sit down and finish that book?

Categories
Operations

Biggest Mistakes Committed by Small Businesses to Avoid

You know one of those times when you have this sudden hunch that something bad will happen? And it turns out to be right? Unfortunately, this feeling is a little too familiar to small businesses who are using information technology to run/enhance their business.

The fact remains that information technology can be really confusing and expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing. You may end up making mistakes that will cost your small business. We discuss a few such tech mistakes in the article below…

No Proper Security Software

You must be already knowing that in order to save yourself from potential online threats, you need to have a computer security software in place. Maybe you already do have basic software running. But if you really want to safeguard your business from dangers and scams, you need to go beyond the regular off the shelve, free off brand software program.

Keep in mind that your business runs on the basis of some vital data and other critical information such as passwords, account numbers, along with other important documents. Still many small businesses tend to take it easy when it comes to security software, which is a mistake that you should avoid making.

Using Non-Functional Software for Backup

Just the way having proper security software is important, you should also have a fully functional backup software. A lot of small businesses simply assume that their data is safe and protected, just because they have access to software and hardware.

Every small business needs to be well aware of the technology they are using. At the least, small businesses need to test their backup software every 2-3 months. This is something should not be ignored because it’s much more costly to recover any lost data than to perform regular testing of the backup software.

Lack of Network Security

Computer network security is something your small business should not compromise on. Lack of network security can lead to damage of your company’s valuable and hard earned reputation due to a security breach, causing the leakage of critical customer information. After all, having your database hacked with details of your clients and available to spammers/scammers is something no small business wants.

If your small business is educated about the strengths and weaknesses of its computer network, it becomes easy for you to stay ahead of the competition by gaining and understanding the ins/outs of risk exposure. A strong computer network stops hackers from gaining access to any private files. Ultimately, the more secure the network, the better it is for your business.

Regardless of what type of small business you run or what goals you have with, compromising on the above tech mistakes can prove to be lethal. So it’s always better be safe than sorry!

Article contributed by Jenna Smith

Categories
Business Ideas

4 Focus Areas for Starting Your Real Estate Business [Infographic]

It’s no surprise that the home owner’s market hasn’t just stabilized since the recent crash, but is actually beginning to grow once again.  The long term realtors who stuck through the market downturn are back on their game and new realtors are beginning to open new enterprises.

With the increase in competitive realty it’s important to be prepared.  Gaining attention, reputation, and conversion for properties are always front line; which means being prepared in all 4 areas of your real estate business.

Office:

It’s important to keep your office, whether it’s at home or in a rented space, geared for everything you’ll face on a daily basis.  Everything here is standard for most offices, methods for keeping records and contacts, desk and workspaces, printing, and scheduling.  Beyond that it’s a good idea to keep some additional tools handy to carry out with you.  When showing clients a new home bringing a measuring tape along isn’t ever a bad idea so keep one on hand!

Offsite Marketing:

Your far reaching market needs to know where to go to find you.  If you limit yourself to the houses where you’re selling you’ll miss out on a larger clientele!  Share your information freely everywhere you go.  Keep plenty of print media on hand to share and exchange like business cards for yourself and your business, postcards, and brochures for the services you offer.

On Street Marketing:

For Sale, Sold, and Sold By signs are a hallmark of the real estate industry.  Everything from real estate signs and riders to take one boxes with your information show street foot traffic who you are and where to go.  Just like offsite marketing, you shouldn’t ignore this crowd.

On Site:

You’ve attracted attention and opened doors to some of your houses.  Even at this stage it’s helpful to have materials ready.  Welcome signs, banners, even balloons to show off which house or houses you’re showing for the day.  Keep hospitalities and refreshments on hand.  Nothing is as welcoming as a plate of cookies and a bowl of punch or coffee by the door!

Categories
Success Attitude

50% of the People Will Hate You!

I am reading John Smoltz’s autobiography. If you are not familiar with Smoltz, he played professional baseball for over 20 years. The book focuses on the last year he played.

Smoltz is a very competitive individual. He did not like to lose, He loved playing for Atlanta and he would do what was necessary to help his team win (as long as it was legal, moral and ethical.)

What is compelling about his story is that he was not afraid to fail.

When he failed in a game (gave up 8 runs in 2/3rd of an inning) he would go back to the bullpen and make the necessary adjustment. He would take the changes he tested in the bullpen and implement them in the game. Many players would make the adjustments in the bullpen and never implement them in a game situation. His point is that these changes must be implemented or why do them.

The book is about his ability to fail forward to achieve success.

I see the same thing with my sales coaching. Many people learn the material but they never apply it. They are afraid to fail.

I remember when I wrote my first book. I waited for six months after it was ready before I released it. I was afraid of what others would think. I finally released it. That started a creative streak that lasted five years. I wrote four books in five years: Two of them went international. That would not have happened if I let my fear of failure control my behavior.

As a result of that work, I team up with TruNorth and Dr. Tony Alessandra to create a sales training web site that will be available in late January 2013. That would not have happened if I did not get over my fear of failure. Here is the press release!

Fear of failure is simply a belief. It is a belief that you can release if you choose to. It simply means you acknowledge the fear and do it anyway. As Dan Kennedy once said, “50% of the people will love you, 50% of the people will hate you. Ignore people who hate you and focus on the people who love you.”

Categories
Operations

Closing The Ticket: Recovering Money From Delinquent Clients

When you operate a small business, every client payment has a major impact on your bottom line. A significant payment received late (or not at all) can make the difference between paying bills associated with your overhead costs, and paying your employees or subcontractors for their work completed. As a result, debt recovery solutions are an integral part of your business strategy if you want to ensure that you have the financial backing to remain in business. There are some do’s and don’t’s associated with corporate debt collection that you should be aware of:

Corporate Debt Collection Do’s

  • Make sure clients are well-versed in your payment terms before you begin a working relationship – according to Business Know How, setting clear guidelines about when and how payment is due up front can alleviate future payment issues. Ensure that these terms are put in writing.
  • Make clients familiar with the repercussions of paying late – sometimes clients need an incentive to pay on time. You can offer a discounted rate for payment received early by a certain date. Or, you can provide a negative consequence by adding a set interest charge.
  • Stay in touch – when a client has an overdo account, don’t back down. You can provide friendly reminders on a regular basis that their bill is overdue and ask them when you can expect payment.
  • Make sure all collections-related communications go to the right individual – communicating with a low-level administrator that has no control over the company’s finances will not get you as far with collections as dealing with someone who issues payments for a living. Try and find a point of contact in management or accounts payable that can actually have an impact.
  • Hire a debt collection agency – a debt collection agency can take on the task of recouping late payments, which many business owners find incredibly stressful.

Corporate Debt Collection Don’t’s

  • Don’t expect clients to understand your payment requirements if they haven’t been communicated – if you never implicitly communicated payment terms to a client, then do not automatically expect that they know. You need to be direct for collections to be effective.
  • Do not be too aggressive when making collections calls – if you are at the point of trying to collect from a client by making regular calls, make sure that you remain professional. Remember, that a late payment is not personal. In many cases, a company may fail to realize that they are dealing with a small business that relies on every payment to survive.
  • Don’t be wishy-washy – when talking to a client about a late payment, do not back down. Even if they come up with a good story about why they cannot pay you immediately, do not be understanding to the point that they think they can walk all over you. You can be empathetic, but do not budge on your payment requirements.

Article contributed by Jenna Smith