Suggest You - Business

Logos - A Thing Of the Past?
Designers seem to be scaling back on the ‘in your face’ logo bags. There is so much one can do to a bag besides add a handle and a zipper. Designers are stretching their creative muscles and reaching for individuality.Of course, there are your typical big name players that will always have their logos strewn across their bags (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, etc.) in every collection. But even these brands have found triumph in removing their names and replacing them with wonderful designs, colors (metallics are popping everywhere) textures (patent leather and patchwork), and shapes. This season, translucent bags will be home to Dolce & Gabanna, Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, and many more. Even patent leather will find warmth with Marc Jacobs, Valentino, and others .Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Yves Saint Laurent all have coveted bags in the metallic family. Right now, It’s all about texture and quality.It does seem that many of the names above established themselves by stamping their logo everywhere possible. It was how consumers first familiarized themselves with the brand. Their logos stood out and commanded attention. However, logos could perhaps be pass? (for now).Designers know that it is no longer enough to put your logo across a bag. Now, they must push to create beautiful works of art that the consumer will love and appreciate. This is very healthy for the industry; creativity begets more creativity. Small designers now have a chance to flourish as well, because it’s no longer about the logo. It’s actually about the bag itself. Small designers

ible with the branding you want for your company. When you determine which designs match your needs, send an e-mail to the business owners asking if they are satisfied with the knowledge and service provided by the webmaster.

Yellow Pages

Many prospects will search the yellow pages for service companies. Some will look you up in the yellow pages when they receive a direct mail piece – just to verify that you are a legitimate company. Most of the information which is on your postcard should be listed in the yellow pages ad. If this is cost prohibitive, then simply state “Satisfaction Guaranteed” and always list your website address.

When considering the type of ads to place, remember that your ad must stand out from the competition. Research all of your local phone books and notice which ads catch your eye. A good bet is a “knock-out” ad with at least 2 colors. The “knock-out” removes the yellow background and leaves a crisp, attention grabbing white field among all the yellow ads. For a lesser cost you may list your company in the yellow pages free listing column with a knock-out and color. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, with color.

Be certain to call your local yellow pages to ascertain their deadlines for placing ads in the next edition. It would be a shame to miss this marketing vehicle and have to wait a full year to be listed.

White Pages

Yellow knock-outs can be incorporated into your white pages listing. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, and add color if you can afford it. Remember to list your website address here also.

Newspapers

Newspapers are the second most used form of advertising for small businesses, following directly after the Yellow Pages. Your ads should be placed in Home and Garden section to be read at a time that your prospects are focused on their home. Of course Sunday is the ultimate day to advertise, but also the most expensive. Also, most papers publish special sections that may run only once per month or several times per year – budget extra advertising dollars to run your ad in all home or leisure specials.

Double check all written information from the sales department to assure that your ads will be run in the proper sections.

Top Marketing Speaker Says: There Is Such A Thing As Bad Publicity!
Just when you think it’s safe to embrace another clich?, guess again.Undoubtedly, you've heard the truism that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. The tabloids might wrongly accuse you of committing a heinous crime, but if they spell the name of your web site properly, eliciting enough clicks, you’ll come out ok.And there seem to be some shining examples of this philosophy.G. Gordon Liddy, that once reviled Watergate burglar, made a name for himself in that scandal, and the exposure paved to way to a best-selling book, and to a very successful career in talk radio.Watergate publicity, though excoriating, game him the immeasurably important gift of name recognition, coveted by every ratings-conscious producer in showbiz.Heidi Fleiss, the Hollywood madam who was tried and convicted, enjoyed a brief but apparently successful stint as a fashion designer and retailer of Heidi-wear, miscellaneous treats for the tart.So, what am I talking about when I say there IS such a thing as bad publicity?I’m speaking of PUBLICITY THAT ISN’T PUBLICIZED, like most of the articles that you read at various Ezine sites.Don’t get me wrong, a surprising number of the millions of freebies that are posted are readable, informative, and entertaining, which at least to countless English teachers, must be an utter shock.But, apart from writers, a relative handful of people are reading these pieces.It reminds me of the line uttered by former Congressman Jim Wright of Texas, who was lamenting about the troubled manufactur

Avoid Ineffective Advertising

Let’s examine the target market for a house cleaning business. The majority of your prospective customers will be upper-middle class, middle age professionals who do not have the time to clean, but do have the financial resources to hire a cleaning company. Other prospects will fall into either the 30 – 40 age group with younger children at home, or the 60 – 80 age group. They are looking for a professionally run cleaning business which guarantees customer satisfaction, and stands behind that guarantee.

How do you advertise to such a broad age group? TV, Newspapers, Radio? Unfortunately, there is such a great variance in interests that it is impossible to reach all prospects with just one of these media. Therefore, an ongoing marketing strategy that incorporates all media sources is optimal.

By keeping your company continuously in front of the consumer you become known to them. When they receive your direct mail piece, notice your car signs in their neighborhood, see your TV ads, find you in the yellow pages and on the internet, you’ve hit all the bases. Chances are you’ll be the first company they consider when they need a cleaning service.

Branding

A “brand” is the memory created through a person's collective experience of a company, product or service. Therefore, your logo; verbal and written promises; physical appearance of cleaning technicians, cleanliness of cars and equipment; customer testimonials -- both verbal and written; and finally the personal experience in each home and on the phone “brands” your company image into the public’s mind. Every experience you provide must be consistent with the image you want to create. Branding is marketing, and marketing includes every aspect of public contact.

Timing

In order for your marketing to succeed your prospects must be exposed to it when they’re in a receptive frame of mind. You wouldn’t want your direct mail pieces to be delivered Monday through Thursday because some prospects are busy thinking about work and time management issues. Friday and Saturday are the days which your direct mail piece will have a more likely chance of being read.

Similarly, placing a newspaper ad in the Business section would be less likely to attract the attention you desire -- your ads should be placed in the Home and Garden section to be read at a time that your prospects are focused on their home. Follow this same principle if you use local TV advertising by running your ads during programs which are geared toward upper-income viewers, at a time that they are relaxed and focused on home life, i.e. food, home, or travel shows.

Television

Television is by far the most expensive form of marketing. Also, it provides the least amount of qualified leads. If you are determined to produce a TV commercial do some research first: Contact all of your local TV stations and ask for samples of commercials they have produced for local companies. Be aware that the stations will not send sample tapes without first determining if you are a valid prospect – you will have to meet with advertising salespeople. Set aside at least two hours each for the appointments and related phone calls from sales people. After you have met with a few salespeople you will know if your budget can handle TV advertising.

If you decide to continue with this venue ask each salesperson for samples of commercials their stations have produced, you may have to insist that this is a preliminary step to their gaining your business. When you view the commercials, note the names of the companies which are service oriented – then call each one and inquire about the results of their TV ad campaign. Ask the following questions:

• Were your ads run during programs that were geared toward upper income viewers?

• Were you certain that your ads did indeed run as scheduled, or were they “bumped” by higher dollar advertisers?

• If your ads were “bumped” from your desired spot, did the station run them during inappropriate programs and charge you anyway?

• After the commercial ran, did qualified prospects call for estimates?

• What was the ratio of qualified vs. unqualified prospects?

• Were the results worth the amount you spent on this form of advertising?

• What marketing vehicle have you found to be the most effective?

Be certain your contract states that if your ad is bumped from it’s spot you will NOT be charged if it is moved to programming you have not pre-approved. Be forewarned that your salesperson has no idea what is going on with your ad, and has no control over it once it has been sent to the lineup personnel. If at the last minute your ad is bumped, it may become a filler ad at 2am on a court-TV rerun.

Finally, record the time slots you have pre-approved so that you can determine if your advertising budget has been working for you or against you. If your ad did not run as specified in your contract, you have proof – use it! Call the salesperson, and if necessary speak to the station manager in order to have the ad run during appropriate programming – and if your contact states such, do not pay for ads which were not properly run.

Direct Mail

We have found that direct mail gives the highest return per dollar, and is guaranteed to reach all who you target -- if your mail piece is cost effective and your mailing list is accurate. Your choices for direct mail are letters, brochures or postcards. Letters are most likely to be considered junk-mail and will be unopened, and brochures can be expensive to produce. Therefore, the most cost effective direct mail piece is a postcard. Postcards are non-invasive, quickly read, easily saved or carried to work, and are economical. Whether or not the cards are read, they display your logo on both sides; therefore, repetitively sending postcards instills name recognition.

Your postcard should state the customer satisfaction guarantee, services you offer, insurances carried, your website address, and phone numbers. You can have an advertising firm create a postcard for you, or save money by using the pre-formatted cards from MaidDocs.

Send your customers and dormant customers a marketing piece at least twice each year. During months that business is slow, offer discounts on deep cleaning services for your current customers. Spring cleaning and pre-holiday specials are the best vehicles to renew business with dormant customers and to reach new prospects.

Direct mail lists are available through a number of sources. The most economical lists we have found are the “City Search” discs offered by Hill-Donnelly. Telephone assistance is provided by Hill-Donnelly to teach you how to extract information from the discs and save it as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Other lists are available through many sources which you can locate on the internet. Also, most companies offer the information pre-sorted onto mailing labels, ready to peel-and-stick.

Visit your local post office and purchase a First Class pre-paid mailing permit. The USPS representative will provide instructions on how to set up the permit block. When your postcards are printed you simply count out the number to be mailed, and then deliver them to the bulk-mail representative at your local post office. This saves time (no applying stamps by hand) and looks more professional.

Door-Knockers

Door-knockers are marketing pieces that are pre-cut to hang on a door knob. Although they are inexpensive to produce, paying your employees to deliver them can be costly. Also, there is the chance that they will toss the door-knockers out and add delivery hours to their timesheet. Therefore, door knockers are not a cost effective means of advertising unless you plan to deliver them yourself, or have an effective tracking method for delivery.

Internet

Local service companies are often listed for free on community pages. Find them all and present them with your information. Many offer online submission forms – but if you need to call and personally ask to be listed, it is well worth the effort. Include your logo, website and email addresses in each listing.

Having your own website is desirable. Depending upon the area you are servicing, a percentage of your business will come directly from prospects surfing the web for cleaning service companies. Other prospects may receive a marketing piece or find your ad in the yellow pages, and visit the website before calling. Prospects who call but don’t book a service should be directed to the website as a means to reiterate your phone conversation and to view customer testimonials.

You should be able to find a local web developer in the yellow pages, or better yet, ask other small business owners for a reference. Once you have a few candidates ask them for the addresses of websites which they have developed. Log on to these sites and visit all of the pages to ascertain whether the design and visitor generated forms give an impression that is compatible with the branding you want for your company. When you determine which designs match your needs, send an e-mail to the business owners asking if they are satisfied with the knowledge and service provided by the webmaster.

Yellow Pages

White Pages

Yellow knock-outs can be incorporated into your white pages listing. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, and add color if you can afford it. Remember to list your website address here also.

Newspapers

Double check all written information from the sales department to assure that your ads will be run in the proper sections. I

Focus Groups: Marketing's Secret Weapon
So how's it going?Is all the time, effort, and m.on.e.y you've put into marketing your business panning out?Are you getting all the clients you want?And are they the right clients? If not, it may be time to convene a focus group to make sure you are marketing the right part of your business to the right people and that your marketing message is clear to prospective customers and clients.Focus groups have long been used in advertising and marketing to determine the public's likes and dislikes around the client's products and services. You've probably seen focus groups depicted on TV or in movies. A random group of people is shown a product, a TV pilot, new packaging, etc., and are asked to offer critiques.What are the strengths and what are the weaknesses? What works and what does not? Where are they confused? What would they rather see? Would they buy it? If not, why not? If yes, what do they expect to receive for their m.o.n.e.y? Would they prefer it in a different color?The results of focus groups help the powers that be understand the public's perception of their offering and help them uncover what refinements need to be made before they can begin their marketing campaign in earnest.If you are an entrepreneur, small business owner, or service professional, there's no reason at all why you can't take a cue from Madison Avenue and hold your own focus group to help you market your products and services more effectively. I have done it myself and I encourage my clients to do it, too.The results can h

would be less likely to attract the attention you desire -- your ads should be placed in the Home and Garden section to be read at a time that your prospects are focused on their home. Follow this same principle if you use local TV advertising by running your ads during programs which are geared toward upper-income viewers, at a time that they are relaxed and focused on home life, i.e. food, home, or travel shows.

Television

• Were your ads run during programs that were geared toward upper income viewers?

• Were you certain that your ads did indeed run as scheduled, or were they “bumped” by higher dollar advertisers?

• If your ads were “bumped” from your desired spot, did the station run them during inappropriate programs and charge you anyway?

• After the commercial ran, did qualified prospects call for estimates?

• What was the ratio of qualified vs. unqualified prospects?

• Were the results worth the amount you spent on this form of advertising?

• What marketing vehicle have you found to be the most effective?

Direct Mail

Door-Knockers

Internet

Yellow Pages

White Pages

Yellow knock-outs can be incorporated into your white pages listing. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, and add color if you can afford it. Remember to list your website address here also.

Newspapers

Double check all written information from the sales department to assure that your ads will be run in the proper sections.

Why Do I Work for Myself?
Towards the end of the month when payroll is due and the bank account is running low, I ask myself why I like being an entrepreneur, why I turn down offers that pay me two to three times more than what I take home today and why I think that in the long run working for myself is the way to go?I work for myself for a long list of reasons. The most important of these are:1. More control over my destiny, actions and choices. As an employee you will come across an opportunity where your heart will scream inside that this is it. This is the one long shot you have waited. If you are part of an open progressive organization there is a chance that you will be allowed to take that shot as long as you convince the right individuals in the hierarchy. But in most cases despite your best efforts your institution will force you to walk away from the one sure thing that life offered you. You will end up dancing to other tunes with little or no control over your actions, the events around you and the choices made by your team.I worked for 8 years for others till it got to a point that the utility of making simple decisions like restricting travel or focusing on a sector, or outsourcing work became higher than the monetary value of my paycheck. When that time came, I packed up my storage boxes and went off on my own.2. But control is only part of the equation. An equally important driver for me was the much larger share available to me in the value that I create in my organization. Starting from revenues and profitabilit

re-approved. Be forewarned that your salesperson has no idea what is going on with your ad, and has no control over it once it has been sent to the lineup personnel. If at the last minute your ad is bumped, it may become a filler ad at 2am on a court-TV rerun.

Direct Mail

Door-Knockers

Internet

Yellow Pages

White Pages

Yellow knock-outs can be incorporated into your white pages listing. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, and add color if you can afford it. Remember to list your website address here also.

Newspapers

Double check all written information from the sales department to assure that your ads will be run in the proper sections.

Are You Ready to Sell Your Business
Make Sure You Understand Your Motivation for SellingAre you thinking about selling your business?This simple one-question quiz will help you to better understand your motivations behind this thought. A better understanding of your underlying motivations will help you make the right decision.Select the answer closest to your actual reason for thinking about selling your business.A. "I'm selling my business because of the money I will make on the sale". B. "I'm just tired and it's not fun anymore." C. "I have too many irons in the fire and can't keep up". D. "I'm ready to retire from owning my business".A. "I'm selling my business because of the money I will make on the sale".This is rarely a good answer if it is the primary answer. Most small businesses sell for 1 to 3 times yearly cash flow after adding back all owner salary, benefits, fringes, interest and amortization/ depreciation.Larger mid-sized businesses generally sell for to 3 to 7 times cash flow after deducting for the cost of executive management. While this sum can be significant, it is usually only a few times what you will make this year.Continuing on with the business will usually make you more money in the long run. On the other hand if you have an offer in hand from a public company at 20 times earnings, take it.B. "I'm just tired and it's not fun anymore."This question requires careful digging into the reasons for the thought. If you are really ready to get out of the business, then it is a good reason. If the r

soft Excel spreadsheet. Other lists are available through many sources which you can locate on the internet. Also, most companies offer the information pre-sorted onto mailing labels, ready to peel-and-stick.

Door-Knockers

Internet

Yellow Pages

White Pages

Yellow knock-outs can be incorporated into your white pages listing. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, and add color if you can afford it. Remember to list your website address here also.

Newspapers

Double check all written information from the sales department to assure that your ads will be run in the proper sections.

How to Organize Your Data for a Profit Producing Business
I don’t like the title of this article. It sounds boring. It doesn’t do the topic justice. Here’s why:You are about to discover the most powerful single concept in making your business profitable. This one key—if applied—will produce more and higher profits for you than any other single piece of information.Let’s dig in.Having a profitable business online or off is really about getting prospects, showing them your products in enticing ways, filling their orders and providing customer service.Before the internet this was all done via mail and telephone. Now it is done, often automatically, using simple, cheap online tools.Most online businesses have some sort of list management service or program they use to manage the email addresses and names of prospects and customers. These are called a variety of names. Often these services are referred to as “autoresponders” since they typically can send out a series of pre-written messages when someone signs up. But they are much more than a simple autoresponder.Today’s services and programs can accomplish all sorts of tasks:• Send a “broadcast” message at a pre-determined time and date• Allow multiple lists to be managed through one account• Send a message to all those who haven’t purchased a particular product• Send a message to all those who HAVE purchased a particular product• Automatically generate personalized thank you and download messagesAnd the best thing about these services is they cost almost nothing.Here is how to

Yellow Pages

White Pages

Yellow knock-outs can be incorporated into your white pages listing. Make this ad a minimum of four 4 lines, and add color if you can afford it. Remember to list your website address here also.

Newspapers

Double check all written information from the sales department to assure that your ads will be run in the proper sections. Insist on viewing a “proof” of the ad and having a final approval before publishing. Keep in mind that you must accommodate the newspaper’s schedule – if you do not provide feedback in a timely manner your ad will either miss the print or it will proceed without your approval.

Finally -- read the paper to be certain that your ad was properly printed and placed. If the paper made an error, you should insist on a reprint in the next comparable edition.

Measuring Success

You can measure the success of your marketing campaign by keeping a record of how many estimates are generated, and how many are converted to customers. By tracking all responses according to their sources, you can test individual ad campaigns to see which marketing approach and special offers produce the most profitable results for your cleaning business. Then focus your marketing budget on the avenues which are most productive.

Note: A further discussion of marketing can be found in the MaidDocs Business Owner’s Manual available at MaidDocs.com.

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Lots of businesses are turning to live phone answering services to answer calls when no one is in the office. The popularity is felt to be due to the fact that people are more likely to stay on the line and leave a message if they are dealing with a real person on the other end. And, it's not costing company's a whole lit of money because these answering services are being outsourced to countries like India where lower wages are paid, so companies save a good deal of money.

Refurbished laptops are a great investment into the well being of any business. They come with almost limitless capabilities and a low price. Laptop computers can be a necessary part of a company to help them stay in touch and stay on top.

If you've been thinking about starting a business, here are the steps you need to get started. Seize your entrepreneurial dreams!

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