Post by Admin on Jan 10, 2006 5:56:06 GMT -5
10 Ways To Save and Make More Money in Business
Copyright 2005 Ron Lang
Don’t you just love Paul Simon? The lyrics to his songs are
not only pleasing to the ears, but can be inspirational.
Imagine yourself enjoying the warm autumn sunlight while
listening to Paul's song, “50 Ways to Leave your Lover”.
Now, stretch your imagination just a bit and think about
how many "Ways" you can come up with for saving and/or
making more money in business...
“The problem is all inside your head She said to me The
answer is easy If you take it logically”
So, let’s look at the problem logically for a minute. Here
are four basic ways you can increase your profits:
1. You can charge more for your products or services. 2.
You can sell more of your products or services to your
existing clients. 3. You can find additional clients. 4.
You can find ways to cut back on your business expenses.
"Slip Out the Back, Jack" (Simple ways to save money):
So, if you’re on a shoestring budget (and who isn’t these
days?), then obviously you need to do everything you can to
save as much money as possible, and make as much money as
possible, as quickly and easily as possible. Here are 10
simple ideas you can use:
1. Know your target market. Who are your “ideal” customers?
Where do they shop? What do they read? What solutions are
they looking for that your business provides? The more you
know about your customers, the better you’ll be able to
target your promotions towards them, which will increase
your bottom line two ways – it will save you spending money
on advertising that doesn’t work, and it will increase your
sales, because you’re offering your customers what they
really want.
2. Get double duty out of any contact with your customers.
If you sell products, put your contact information on
everything –products, bags, invoices sales receipts. Make
it easy for everyone to find you. Give away something free.
If you have a Website (and if you don’t, then get one),
give your customers something for giving you their contact
information. Free Ebooks, reports, or software are all good
choices (just make sure it’s relevant to your customers).
Anytime you send your customers anything – a product, a
newsletter, an invoice –include a coupon or information
about your latest products or services. To save money on
postage, if you have a brick and mortar store, put a copy
of your latest newsletter or an informational flyer in your
customer’s bag after each sale.
3. Reward your customers. Set up a reward program. Offer
them a reward for anyone they refer who becomes a customer.
Or give your customers a free gift when they spend $50 (or
whatever amount makes sense in your business). When they’re
eligible for the free gift, offer them an upgrade to
something bigger or better for a few dollars more. Start a
customer loyalty program. Provide “customer only” sales, or
promotions. Let your customers earn points, or “magic
money” that they can use to redeem your products or
services.
4. Get ready for your close-up. When you’re brainstorming
about creating a promotion or advertising campaign, don’t
forget about your local cable TV channel. You may be
pleasantly surprised by how low their rates actually are.
Create your own television commercial or infomercial.
Although you may not be ready for prime time, you can still
target your ad to reach your customers.
5. Get involved in your community. Find a nonprofit
organization that is doing work you believe in, and either
publicly support their program, or be one of their sponsors
for an upcoming event or fundraiser. Use the advertising
spot to let people know about the fundraiser (and,
incidentally, your business). You could put together an
inexpensive ad campaign that will help those in need,
increase your visibility and let your potential customers
know that you're supportive and aware of the needs of the
community.
“Make a new plan, Stan” (Business Planning Basics):
6. Beef up your business plan. If you don’t have a business
plan, make writing one a priority. Your business plan is
more than just a way to interest investors. It’s a road map
that will help you get from where you are now to where you
want to be. That old saying, “If you fail to plan then
you’re planning to fail” really is true when it comes to
business.
"No need to be coy, Roy" (Ask your customers):
7. Get testimonials from your satisfied clients. But don’t
stop there. What about creating your own television
commercial that you can run in your store? (With a video
camera and a little ingenuity, you could even create your
own infomercial that shows customers how to use or get the
most out of your products or services. If you’ve got a
Website, put an audio testimonial on there. (And don’t
forget to include pictures).
8. Speak up. Again, keeping in mind who your ultimate ideal
customers are and what their most pressing problems are,
write an article, offer a free seminar, or offer to be a
speaker at local chamber of commerce or other organization
or community meetings. Being perceived as an “expert” is a
relatively easy and inexpensive way to get the word out
about your business, and bring in more customers.
"Just hop on the bus, Gus" (Expand your business potential)
9. Create joint ventures. Even if your primary business is
a brick and mortar one, you can still create a joint
venture that will help you save money by sharing the costs
for advertising. What about creating a special “sidewalk
sale” with other business owners on your street or in your
neighborhood? Or finding businesses with complementary
products or services to yours, and creating a “package
deal”? If your business is only online, look for ways you
can partner with other businesses – maybe you could create
solo ads and promote each others products or services in
your mailing lists. There are a lot of ways you can save
money and increase your client base if you’re willing to
get creative.
"Just drop off the key, Lee" (Provide the key solutions)
10. Let your customers know you know what their problems
are. It's sad but true that your customers don't care how
good your products or services are. They only want to know
two things: do you understand what their problems are; and
can you solve them. Give your customers the "key" to their
problems, and you'll have evangelistic customers who come
back again and again.
About the Author:
Not long ago, I didn't know ANYTHING about Internet
marketing... However, within just 2 weeks, I launched my
own website AND learned how to profit from an opt-in list,
pull in sales with ezines, make money with Google Adwords
and setup my own BLOG!
Here's how:http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-10565
Copyright 2005 Ron Lang
Don’t you just love Paul Simon? The lyrics to his songs are
not only pleasing to the ears, but can be inspirational.
Imagine yourself enjoying the warm autumn sunlight while
listening to Paul's song, “50 Ways to Leave your Lover”.
Now, stretch your imagination just a bit and think about
how many "Ways" you can come up with for saving and/or
making more money in business...
“The problem is all inside your head She said to me The
answer is easy If you take it logically”
So, let’s look at the problem logically for a minute. Here
are four basic ways you can increase your profits:
1. You can charge more for your products or services. 2.
You can sell more of your products or services to your
existing clients. 3. You can find additional clients. 4.
You can find ways to cut back on your business expenses.
"Slip Out the Back, Jack" (Simple ways to save money):
So, if you’re on a shoestring budget (and who isn’t these
days?), then obviously you need to do everything you can to
save as much money as possible, and make as much money as
possible, as quickly and easily as possible. Here are 10
simple ideas you can use:
1. Know your target market. Who are your “ideal” customers?
Where do they shop? What do they read? What solutions are
they looking for that your business provides? The more you
know about your customers, the better you’ll be able to
target your promotions towards them, which will increase
your bottom line two ways – it will save you spending money
on advertising that doesn’t work, and it will increase your
sales, because you’re offering your customers what they
really want.
2. Get double duty out of any contact with your customers.
If you sell products, put your contact information on
everything –products, bags, invoices sales receipts. Make
it easy for everyone to find you. Give away something free.
If you have a Website (and if you don’t, then get one),
give your customers something for giving you their contact
information. Free Ebooks, reports, or software are all good
choices (just make sure it’s relevant to your customers).
Anytime you send your customers anything – a product, a
newsletter, an invoice –include a coupon or information
about your latest products or services. To save money on
postage, if you have a brick and mortar store, put a copy
of your latest newsletter or an informational flyer in your
customer’s bag after each sale.
3. Reward your customers. Set up a reward program. Offer
them a reward for anyone they refer who becomes a customer.
Or give your customers a free gift when they spend $50 (or
whatever amount makes sense in your business). When they’re
eligible for the free gift, offer them an upgrade to
something bigger or better for a few dollars more. Start a
customer loyalty program. Provide “customer only” sales, or
promotions. Let your customers earn points, or “magic
money” that they can use to redeem your products or
services.
4. Get ready for your close-up. When you’re brainstorming
about creating a promotion or advertising campaign, don’t
forget about your local cable TV channel. You may be
pleasantly surprised by how low their rates actually are.
Create your own television commercial or infomercial.
Although you may not be ready for prime time, you can still
target your ad to reach your customers.
5. Get involved in your community. Find a nonprofit
organization that is doing work you believe in, and either
publicly support their program, or be one of their sponsors
for an upcoming event or fundraiser. Use the advertising
spot to let people know about the fundraiser (and,
incidentally, your business). You could put together an
inexpensive ad campaign that will help those in need,
increase your visibility and let your potential customers
know that you're supportive and aware of the needs of the
community.
“Make a new plan, Stan” (Business Planning Basics):
6. Beef up your business plan. If you don’t have a business
plan, make writing one a priority. Your business plan is
more than just a way to interest investors. It’s a road map
that will help you get from where you are now to where you
want to be. That old saying, “If you fail to plan then
you’re planning to fail” really is true when it comes to
business.
"No need to be coy, Roy" (Ask your customers):
7. Get testimonials from your satisfied clients. But don’t
stop there. What about creating your own television
commercial that you can run in your store? (With a video
camera and a little ingenuity, you could even create your
own infomercial that shows customers how to use or get the
most out of your products or services. If you’ve got a
Website, put an audio testimonial on there. (And don’t
forget to include pictures).
8. Speak up. Again, keeping in mind who your ultimate ideal
customers are and what their most pressing problems are,
write an article, offer a free seminar, or offer to be a
speaker at local chamber of commerce or other organization
or community meetings. Being perceived as an “expert” is a
relatively easy and inexpensive way to get the word out
about your business, and bring in more customers.
"Just hop on the bus, Gus" (Expand your business potential)
9. Create joint ventures. Even if your primary business is
a brick and mortar one, you can still create a joint
venture that will help you save money by sharing the costs
for advertising. What about creating a special “sidewalk
sale” with other business owners on your street or in your
neighborhood? Or finding businesses with complementary
products or services to yours, and creating a “package
deal”? If your business is only online, look for ways you
can partner with other businesses – maybe you could create
solo ads and promote each others products or services in
your mailing lists. There are a lot of ways you can save
money and increase your client base if you’re willing to
get creative.
"Just drop off the key, Lee" (Provide the key solutions)
10. Let your customers know you know what their problems
are. It's sad but true that your customers don't care how
good your products or services are. They only want to know
two things: do you understand what their problems are; and
can you solve them. Give your customers the "key" to their
problems, and you'll have evangelistic customers who come
back again and again.
About the Author:
Not long ago, I didn't know ANYTHING about Internet
marketing... However, within just 2 weeks, I launched my
own website AND learned how to profit from an opt-in list,
pull in sales with ezines, make money with Google Adwords
and setup my own BLOG!
Here's how:http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-10565