Keeping and Bringing Customers to Your Business

Business greeting cards are a clever way to introduce and keep contact with your potential customers. It is a perfect sales tool to open door with a prospective customer. There are times when you feel unappreciated. Ask yourself, how often do you feel taken for granted? Now think about your customers and ask yourself, how much are they worth to you? When you send well-presented greeting cards to your customers they feel that they matter to you.

Most businesses focus on quality but remember that relationships make the difference. Keep in mind that people come back when they feel special. So get personal with your customers and they will reward you with more repeat sales and referrals than you can ever imagine.

One of the good things about business greeting cards is that they last. When people receive cards from someone they don’t expect their curiosity is aroused. And after opening your card, chances are they would display it in their offices or living rooms.

There are other reasons why business greeting cards are important in businesses.

1. Oftentimes, they are more effective than initial phone calls. By sending a greeting card you have a reason to make a follow up call a few days after the recipient receives it.
2. It is a good way to keep in touch without being too pushy.
3. The greeting card lets your customers know that you are always there when needed.
4. Your unique or humorous card will be too valuable to toss; thus, they will be a constant reminder that you sent them.

For customers, business greeting cards also have advantages:

1. Your existing clients will think that you take time to think of them.
2. Greeting cards are a non-aggressive way of communicating. A greeting card will not interrupt their activities.
3. Your current and prospective clients will appreciate your effort to stay in touch with them.

The idea is to keep your card short and to the point. Save the lengthy conversation for initial phone contact or meeting.

Really, your greeting card can make your customers feel that you remember them and care about them. These little things are priceless. Just remember how much more difficult and time-consuming it is to find a new client rather than to keep a current one. In the end, taking time to contact your existing and potential customers will pay a lifetime dividend both personally and professionally.

Keeping Up The Appearances At Your Home Business

When you work form home, it is very easy to simply get out of bed and go to your work in your pajamas and not worry about what you look like. After all , if all of your clients are in different locations, and you aren’t seeing anyone, what is the harm in being lazy and not dressing up for work?

Be Professional
There is no harm in your business, per say, if you simply go to work dressed in whatever you feel like, but the harm is going to lie in the long term affects that you are going to see on yourself if you don’t’ dress for work. Now, you don’t’ have to be wearing a fancy suit or a glamorous outfit, but even if you are working at home all day, part of what you need to be doing is getting dressed for work.

IF you are working at home in whatever you wore to bed, you are sending yourself the message that it is okay to be lazy and that it is okay to simply slack off and not do what you should be doing. You are also sending a message, if even to yourself, that you are not professional and should not be treated as such. If you do this for a long period of time, your business is going to start to feel like just something else you do at home, and you are going to lose site of the fact that you are actually running a business.

There are some things that you can do to make sure that you always stay professional and that you keep this in your head at all times, which will make your business run much more smoothly.

First of all, be sure that you dress for work each day. It doesn’t have to be as fancy as you might if you worked in an office building, but you should be able to feel like you are at work, and you should wear something other than the clothes you would wear if you were simply at home.

Also, you should set hours for yourself to be at work. Working from home is something that can be great, but it can also turn into something that means you have to be at work all of the time. If you set yourself business hours, and stick to them, you are more likely to treat your business as a business, and not as something that is taking over your life. Something else that you have to be sure to always do is to answer the phone and emails in a professional manner, so that whoever you are communicating with will know that you are taking yourself, and your home business, very seriously.

Keeping Up Business Momentum This Season

I don't know about you, but once the cooler weather sets in, I have the urge to head to the Appalachians, sit around a campfire and sip cocoa with my family. It's a bit harder for me to focus on business with the Autumn leaves so lovely!

What about you?
Here are a few ideas that will help you keep the momentum going in your business even while you play a little bit. Soon enough it will be too cold to spend much time out of doors, so better go enjoy it now.

Blog When Nobody's Home
Just because you are out playing doesn't mean your blog has to shut down. If you use WordPress you can schedule blog posts in advance. Write a bunch of them and have one a day added automatically. If your blog is on Blogger, you might want to write several posts, save them as a draft, then pay a Virtual Assistant to post them for you.

Keep In Touch With Subscribers
Most newsletter management systems allow you to schedule broadcasts. If yours doesn't, get a new one! I use Aweber and WahmCart and highly recommend both.

Load up your autoresponder with informative emails to keep selling your product for you as well as prevent your customers and subscribers from forgetting you.

Invest In Strategic Advertising
My favorite form of advertising is free, but spending a few dollars towards some valuable advertising can bring you new business while you do other things. It's a smart investment.
For instance, Kelly McCausey's WC magazine offers VERY reasonable advertising costs.

Get Others to Publish You
If you're doing article marketing (and you are, aren't you?!), why not have an article distribution service like iSnare send out several of your articles to thousands of publishers?

While you're away from your computer, other people are adding your articles to their sites and getting you additional traffic, search engine rankings and expert status. It feels really nice to log into your email program and have dozens of emails saying: "We have published your article here..."

The same applies to press releases. Craft an informative release and send it out to media outlets that reach your target market.

One of the wonderful things about an Internet business is the ability to create passive income. If you set things up properly, you should be able to get away with playing a little and still earn money. Now, go jump in a pile of leaves somewhere.

The Business Of Keeping Cars On The Road Is Latest Trend

With cars made to last longer, costing more and more people hanging onto their vehicles long after the warranty has expired, there is a growing need for qualified after-market automotive care businesses. Even before the warranty expires, there are many car owners willing to pay to maintain the appearance of their vehicles, inside and out, and a small shop specializing in automotive detail work can find a lucrative business in virtually any community. This is also the case for those who can not afford to trade cars every year or so but still need a dependable car that runs.

When was the last time you heard someone say you love to wash the inside of the car’s windows? Most people can handle picking up a roll of paper towels and a bottle of glass cleaner and wiping down the outside of their windows, but when it comes to the inside of the glass, most will wait until they can no longer see through the windows before cleaning them. Automatic car washes, especially in the day of brushless technology, often leave many cars with streaks and do not remove all the things that attach themselves to the car finishes and owners are willing to pay to keep their car looking like they just drove it off the showroom. This can be a place to cash in for those interested in a car care business.

Opening your own car care business may be possible on a shoestring, adding services as money becomes available, but most car owners are going to expect to see professional operation before allowing any type of work to be done to their vehicle. Very few will trust their prized possession to someone with a tree in the backyard, no matter how good you are, even for something like a car wash and wax. They want to know that when they pick up their vehicle it does not look like it was cleaned by the local sports team.

If the money is available, consider buying into a franchise business. For virtually every types of car-care need, there is a franchised business. From oil changes, transmission repair and tire sales, there are national chains that offer the right person a significant opportunity to build a successful business. And while come folks may not be in tune with following someone else’s business model, franchisees typically find success by following a proven business plan.

Opening your own repair business may be slightly cheaper and there will not be a company representative telling you how to do almost every phase of the work, but with a franchise, you have instant name recognition as well as instant credibility of offering services professionally.

Even if you very little about the type of services the franchise offers, hiring the right people and sticking with the franchise training plan can quickly put a new business into your future. Not everyone that sell hamburgers actually puts them together, they just know how to hire the right people to offer a quality service and how to keep customers satisfied.

Keeping Sane With Your Home Business

There are many things that you have to think about when it comes to running your home business. One of the biggest things is to make sure that you don’t get sucked up into your home business, and that you are able to stay sane and keep it together to your family. Remember that they are probably part of why you have decided to have a home business, so you have to be sure that you are doing the best that you can for them and providing them with every opportunity to live a great life.

List Priorities

One of the most important things that you can do for yourself to keep your head clear and to keep sane while you are having a home business is to make a list of your priorities and see if you can stick to it. This is something that you should do before you even start to think about having a home business, because once you have gotten started you are going to find that you have a lot more to think about. There are going to be more offers than you think you can handle, and there are going to be a lot of decisions that you need to make. The best thing that you can do for yourself is to keep your list of priorities and to stick to it. If you say that you are going to only let your business get so big during your first year, and you make sure you stick to this, you aren’t going to find yourself with a business that is out of your control right away.

Keep things Separate

Another thing that you should do when you are trying to keep sane with your home business is to be sure that you are taking time away from your business. It is very important to start off your business by working very hard, but you also need to keep your family and your private life as something completely different, or you will find that you end up in trouble by going crazy with your home business.

A good way to keep things separate and to try to stay sane is to have office hours where you are working, and the have hours where you are not working, you are simply at home with your family. This is always a great way to keep your business and your private life separate, and if you are going to be successful with your home business, it is something that you need to be able to do, and you need to be able to do it well. Remember that if you can do these things, you are going to be able to be much more successful with your home business, and you are going to stay sane.

Keeping Management Membership Site Software Your Business Alive On The Web

In the vast competition on the internet money-making industry, keeping your website with a membership site running is the most popular way to keep you alive in the business. A membership site will somehow increase your chances on the web to make it big, and if by luck, will continue being so for the coming, long years.

However, a membership site will not stay long in the industry if you don't have the membership site software to run the organization properly. The membership site software is a way to keep your members glued on their commitments with your organization, so it is essential that you largely consider it as your primary tool in keeping your website.

If you are just staring with your membership site and you are hoping to make it really big in the industry, make sure you choose the most appropriate membership software that can manage well your organization in tracking your members. The following should be considered in selecting your own membership website software:

1. Reliability – this tackles about how the software is going to be effective with your website. It should not only focus on the reliability of the software alone but on the company that supplied the membership website software as well. You have to look for a company which will offer the best services such as being available 24 hours a day and will always provide you solutions.

2. Actual features – you have to learn of these things before picking the software. There are many software programs you can choose on the web but they are not the same. A membership software website may have features that are unnecessary with your website while the other may lack some that you need. Check them all and get one with features that will largely compensate on your needs.

3. Compatibility – some membership software runs on PHP on the server, while others run on ASP. In this aspect, check one that would be compatible with the web host account that you have.

4. Price – of course, this is the most indispensable factor that you must take into consideration. Membership site software programs can be quite expensive. If you do not want to waste even a cent, do not spend on an overly expensive software which features a lot of things but you have no need for in the end. On the other hand, you do not have to spend on cheap software if it lacks the necessary features you need for your organization.

If you have analyzed these factors, you will find a membership software program that will surprisingly meet your needs but without spending exaggeratingly. For a starter, you will find a program which costs at a very reasonable rate. If you have stepped further in the business, then you can upgrade the software so you will be able to manage the membership you have collected.

Membership management software is the most ideal program which most organizations and associations employ. It allows you to keep track of your members even without you supervising it on hand. Most membership management software applications are available with features that will keep track of the details and information of your members by sending them regular emails to the account they have provided.

Membership management software is very accurate in the sense that it can keep the status of your members updated. It will help you keep your members; thus a steady flow of the traffic.

Electronic Cards: A Winning Business Solution for Keeping the Attention of Prospects and Costumers

Embracing the same age-old adage of keeping people together, greeting cards have become invincible in the business and communication industries.

If cards are yielding power in keeping distant friendships and relationships stronger and longer, why not apply the same principle to our clients and business partners?

That is exactly what many successful businesses are doing. They make use of anything that is proven effective, and then try to apply it to another area.

E-cards, being a very good example of tradition and innovation fusion, are today’s Marketing Professionals’ lucky charm in attracting new clients and retaining the old ones. They use electronic cards to boost sales by sending them to clients: old and new, as a substitute for newsletters.

Since the web is chalk full of free e-card websites, this strategy is unarguably less-costly than any other marketing means. And since these cards are grouped according to occasions, we can bet there is an appropriate card for every single event. For instance, we can come up with a send-to-all card for important occasions such as Christmas, Summer vacations or Thanksgiving. Or we can personalize it by sending Anniversary or Congratulations cards to companies. We can even send “thinking of you” cards to old clients.

Being remembered and valued is on top of everyone’s list. Few other happy feelings can replace the euphoria of being remembered and valued. And this is made even more special because e-cards often come with pictures, music and poetry lines. No person would say no to something that is sure to add a smile to his day.

Think wisely. Do business passionately. Do it with e-cards.

Home Business Record Keeping Made Easy

Home business record keeping is essential for making sure all orders are processed, employees are paid on time, and so you will be able to keep track of inventory and other items that make up your business. This includes bills and other expenses as well. When you begin your business, you may not have too many items to keep track of. But as your business grows, you will notice that there will be more and more to do in order to keep your business running. Marketing materials, client email lists, and examples of your work, if necessary, will need to be tracked. But there are a few simple ways that you can build home business record keeping into your business.

Investing in a fire proof filing cabinet is one of the best ways to keep track of paperwork. You can divide the filing cabinet into different sections and make sure that all invoices and expenses are filed away so they will be easily accessible during tax season or when you have to fill a customer order. You can buy a file cabinet in office supply stores, online, or from catalogs. These are inexpensive and easy to use. Every six months or so, you should clean them out and shred papers you no longer need or find another place to store them.

Another way to store home business records is to invest in computer software programs for all of your invoices and financial records. You can store a lot of information using computer software. Depending on what you need stored, you may need only one program. Learning how to use these programs is not difficult and will not take too long to learn. Once you have learned how to use the software, you will be able to print off invoices, add expenses, and keep track of customer orders. This will also allow you to save on paper storage.

Charting orders and completing assignments is easy if you have a message board to hang or write down what you need to accomplish during the day. You will be amazed by how much time and effort you will save when you buy a few office items such as a message board. Other items you may want to purchase include markers, pens, and notepads that you can jot items down on in order to remember them later on.

When you decide to run a business, you do not need to spend a lot of money building an office. You can create an efficient office on very little money if you invest in key items. Home business record keeping will allow your business to grow as you take on more clients. This will keep your business successful for many years to come.

3 Tips For Keeping Proper Tax Records For Your Home Business – And Keeping The IRS Happy!

The last thing most people think about when starting a business is doing taxes. But proper planning will make doing your taxes much easier - and keep the IRS happy!

Here are 3 simple tips for keeping proper records:

1. Whenever you buy anything for your business, keep the receipt!

Not only will this make record keeping a lot simpler, but if you are ever audited (having your tax return reviewed in detail by the IRS), you can prove your expenses, and save yourself money.

2. Write down all your expenses and income as they happen.

As your business grows, you'll have more and more activities to keep you busy. The last thing you'll want to do each April 15 is to organize your records for the year. So, it's a good idea to write down all your financial activities as they happen. You'll find preparing your taxes will take much less time if you are organized.

3. Learn how to save money on your taxes.

As you learn about taxes, you'll find that there are many deductions (expenses that reduce your income, and therefore your taxes) you can take that are not obvious. When using your home office, you may be able to deduct (at least partially) repairs you make around the house, utilities, your home's value at the time you start your business, and more.

The more you know about taxes, and the more organized you are in keeping records, the more time and money you'll save at the end of every year!

What happens if you don't keep proper records?

Individuals with small businesses are the most likely to have their tax returns audited by the IRS. If you don't have a receipt, you will likely lose the deduction and owe the IRS money.

And while an audit does not have to be feared, you should be prepared - the more organized your records, the easier it will be to prove your case.

If you don't have one, get a file box and some folders at your local office supply store (these supplies are deductible, so keep your receipts!) and create a filing system for your business. Put all your receipts in the proper folders, and put them in a safe place.

Another way to save yourself time is to record all of your business transactions - expenses and income - on a spreadsheet on your computer. Keep a column for income, advertising, supplies, etc. You don't need to be a computer expert. But keeping accurate, organized records will help you save time when you fill out your taxes at the end of the year.

And it can help you plan, by giving you a snapshot or your financial progress whenever you need it.

Which may come in handy when you need to place ads, borrow money - or take a much needed and well-deserved vacation!