by: Terry H Hill

An economic downturn is a phase of the business cycle in which the economy as a whole is in decline.This phase basically marks the end of the period of growth in the business cycle. Economic downturns are characterized by decreased levels of consumer purchases (especially of durable goods) and, subsequently, reduced levels of production by businesses.

While economic downturns are admittedly difficult, and are formidable obstacles to small businesses that are trying to survive and grow, an economic downturn can open up opportunities. A well-managed company can realize the opportunity to gain market share by taking customers away from their competitors. Resourceful entrepreneurs capture the available opportunities, from an economic downturn, by developing alternate methods of doing business that were never implemented during a prior growth period.

The challenge of successfully navigating your business through an economic downturn lies in the realignment of your business with current economic realities. Specifically, you, as the business owner, need to renew a focus on your core clients/customers, reduce your operating expenses, conserve cash, and manage more proactively, rather than reactively, is paramount.

Here are best practices that will help you to successfully navigate your business through an economic downturn:

Goals:

The primary goal of any business owner is to survive the current economic downturn and to develop a leaner, more cost-effective and more efficient operation. The secondary goal is to grow the business even during this current economic downturn.

Objectives:

• Conserve cash.

• Protect assets.

• Reduce costs.

• Improve efficiencies.

• Grow customer base.

Required Action:

• Do not panic… History shows that economic downturns do not last forever. Remain calm and act in a rational manner as you refocus your attention on resizing your company to the current economic conditions.

• Focus on what YOU can control… Don’t let the media’s rhetoric concerning recessions and economic slowdown deter you from achieving business success. It´s a trap! Why? Because the condition of the economy is beyond your control. Surviving economic downturns requires a focus on what you can control, i.e. your relevant business activities.

• Communicate, communicate, and communicate! Beware of the pitfall of trying to do too much on your own. It is a difficult task indeed to survive and to grow your business solely with your own efforts. Solicit ideas and seek the help of other people (your employees, suppliers, lenders, customers, and advisors). Communicate honestly and consistently. Effective two-way communication is the key.

• Negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate! The value of a strong negotiation skill set cannot be overstated. Negotiating better deals and contracts is an absolute must for realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions. The key to success is not only knowing how to develop a win-win approach in negotiations with all parties, but also keeping in mind the fact that you want a favorable outcome for yourself too.

Recommended Best Practice Activities:

The Nuts and Bolts… The following list of recommended best practice activities is critical for your business’ survival and for its growth during an economic downturn. The actual financial health of your particular business, at the outset of the economic downturn, will dictate the priority and urgency of the implementation of the following best practice activities.

1. Diligently monitor your cash flow: Forecast your cash flow monthly to ensure that expenses and planned expenditures are in line with accounts receivable. Include cash flow statements into your monthly financial reporting. Project cash requirements three-to- six months in advance. The key is to know how to monitor, protect, control, and put cash to work.

2. Carefully convert your inventories: Convert excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory items into cash. Consider returning excess and slow-moving items back to the suppliers. Close-out or inventory reduction sales work well to resize your inventory. Also, consider narrowing your product offerings. Well-timed order placement helps to reduce excess inventory levels and occasional material shortages. The key is to reduce the amount of your inventory without losing sales.

3. Timely collection of your accounts receivable: This asset should be converted to cash as quickly as possible. Offer prompt payment discounts to encourage timely payments. Make changes in the terms of sale for slow paying customers (i.e. changing net 30 day terms to COD). Invoicing is an important part of your cash flow management. The first rule of invoicing is to do it as soon as possible after products are shipped and/or after services are delivered. Place an emphasis on reducing billing errors. Most customers delay payments because an invoice had errors, and therefore, will not pay until they receive a corrected copy. Email or fax your invoices to save on mailing time. Post the payments that you have received and make deposits more frequently. The key is to develop an efficient collection system that generates timely payments and one that gives you advance warning of problems.

4. Re-focus your attention on your existing clients/customers: Make customer satisfaction your priority. A regular review of your customers’ buying history and frequency of purchases can reveal some interesting facts about your customers’ buying habits. Consider signing long-term contracts with your core clients/customers which will add to your security. Offer a discount for upfront cash payments. The key is to do what it takes to keep your current customers loyal.

5. Re-negotiate with your suppliers, lenders, and landlord:

i) Suppliers: Always keep your negotiations on the level of need, saying that your company has reviewed its cost structure and has determined that it needs to lower supplier costs. . Tell the supplier that you value the relationship you have developed, but that you need to receive a cost reduction immediately. Ask your supplier for a lower material price, a longer payment cycle, and the elimination of finance charges. Also, see if you can buy material from them on a consignment basis. In return for their price concessions, be willing to agree to a long-term contract. Explore the idea of bartering as a form of payment.

ii) Lenders: Everything in business finance is negotiable and your relationship with a bank is no exception. The first step to successful renegotiations is to convince your lenders that you can ultimately pay off the renegotiated loan. You must point out to your lenders why it would be in their best interest to agree to a new arrangement. Showing them your business plan and your action plan that includes your cost-savings initiatives, along with “the how” and “the when” of the implementation of your plan is the best way to achieve this goal. Explain to them that you will need their cooperation to insure that you can survive, as well as, grow your business during the economic downturn. Negotiated items include: the rate of interest, the required security to cover the loan, and the beginning date for repayment. A beginning date for repayment could be immediate, within several months or as long as a year. The key is to realize that your lender will work with you, but that frequent and continual communications with them is critical.

iii) Landlord: Meet with your landlord. Explain your need to have them extend the term of your lease at a reduced cost. Make sure you have a clause in the lease agreement that entitles you to have the right to sublet any or all of the leased space.

6. Re-evaluate your staffing requirements: This is a very critical area. Salaries/wages are a major expense of doing business. Therefore, any reduction in the hours worked through work schedule changes, short-term layoffs or permanent layoffs has an immediate cost saving benefit. Most companies ramped up hiring new employees in the good times, only to find that they are currently overstaffed due to slow sales during the economic downturn. In terms of down-sizing your staff, be very careful not to reduce your staff to a level that forces you to skimp on customer service and quality. Consider the use of part-timers or the current trend of outsourcing certain functions to independent contractors.

7. Shop for better insurances rates: Get quotations from other insurance agents for comparable coverage to determine whether or not your present insurance carrier is competitive. Also, consider revising your coverage to reduce premium costs. The key is to have the right balance-to be adequately insured, but not under or over insured.

8. Re-evaluate your advertising: Contrary to the other cost-cutting initiatives, evaluate the possibility of increasing your advertising expenditures. This tactic realizes the advantage of the reduced “noise” and congestion (fewer advertisers) in the marketplace. The downturn period a great opportunity to increase brand awareness and create additional demand for your product/service offerings.

9. Seek the help of outside advisors: The use of an advisory board comprised of your CPA, attorney, and business consultant offers you objectivity and provides you with professional advice and guidance. Their collective experience in working with similar situations in past economic downturns is invaluable.

10. Review your other expenses: Target an across-the-board cost-cutting initiative of 10-15%. Attempt to eliminate unnecessary expenses. Tightening your belt in order to weather the downturn makes practical, financial sense.

Proactively managing your business through an economic downturn is an enormous challenge and is critical for your survival. However, through well-planned initiatives, an economic downturn can create tremendous opportunity for your company to gain greater market share. In order to take advantage of this growth opportunity, you must act quickly to implement the above best business practices to continue realigning and resizing your company to the current economic conditions.

Terry H. Hill is the founder and managing partner of Legacy Associates, Inc, a business consulting and advisory services firm. A veteran chief executive, Terry works directly with business owners of privately held companies on the issues and challenges that they face in each stage of their business life cycle. To find out how he can help you take your business to the next level, visit his site at http://www.legacyai.com

by Lisa Wells

Landlords understand that the longer their rental property stays vacant, the more profit they will lose on the investment. Keep in mind though that recruiting new renters isn’t the only requirement for making a smart leasing decision. Be sure to adequately review a prospective renter’s credit history and criminal background before you hand them the keys to your property – or you might find yourself back in the market for another renter much sooner than you expected! You can quickly and easily check a prospective tenant’s background at http://www.Landlord2Landlord.com.

The following five steps will help you find a great renter for your property in a shorter amount of time.

1. Post a highly visible sign

The easiest and best way to market your rental home is the time-tested “For Rent” sign. Simple as it may be, this method capitalizes on the idea that prospective renters will drive around desired communities in search of available housing. So take advantage of their presence and make your sign as visible and readable as possible.

To do this, place more than one sign on the property. Many landlords place a small box on one of the signs to hold flyers with rental details. This helps you save time by discouraging prospects who can’t meet your price, policy and rental expectations [i.e. no dogs allowed]. Be sure to include pictures of the rental property on the flyer, as they truly do say 1000 words! These flyer tips will qualify prospects and save you considerable time by reducing unnecessary phone calls and showings.

Also, your contact information should be clearly viewable and in large print on the sign. Many landlords lose rental opportunities by making the writing too small or unreadable. To make your signs stand out better, tie two or three brightly colored balloons to it. Adding balloons to the “For Rent” sign in front of your rental can increase its’ effectiveness by 150%. Who knew helium had such a positive effect?

2. Spread the news

Once you have your signs and flyers ready, distribute the rental details flyer to all the free community bulletin boards in the vicinity. You can find free boards at local grocery stores, churches, restaurants, drug stores, community centers and government offices. This method is especially effective if you are marketing to college students, immigrants or locals.

3. Share the rewards

Enlist other people to market your rental by offering other tenants, friends and neighbors a referral fee if they recommend a new tenant. Make sure they know that the referral fee is only payable upon the prospective tenant meeting your rental requirements [rent, policies and successful background check] and signing a lease for a specified time. Customary referral rewards range from $50-$200, and can considerably shorten the time it takes to rent your property, as well as improve your applicant pool since most people won’t recommend someone they don’t want to live nearby. This tactic also helps improve the neighborhood’s communication and relationships, building a better sense of community.

4. Advertise online

People considering a move generally go to the internet for housing information particularly about new communities that they wish to move to. Online ads allow landlords to post much more information to better pre-qualify prospects, and the best part is the ad is visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! The internet has many property rental sites that vary in price. A good starting point is to start with an inexpensive ad (www.usrentallisting.com ) in order to test the ad without risking too much. Or, start off with a free rental listing at www.CraigsList.com.

5. Resort to the classifieds

If the preceding tactics don’t bring in a new renter quickly enough, you can always take out a classified ad in your local newspaper. Ads can be more expensive if you use the larger newspapers in most cities. However, if you go to smaller publications that distribute in the rental’s neighborhood, municipality or city district, the price will be much more reasonable. Ads in big newspapers are generally very short because word usage is limited. Smaller publications often allow more details in the ad.

About Landlord2Landlord

Landlord2Landlord (www.landlord2landlord.com) is a residential tenant screening company that partners with property management companies and homeowner associations to help communities reduce neighborhood crime, and to protect homeowners from renters with criminal backgrounds or a history of evictions and poor credit. Our website is easy to use, available 24 hours per day, and delivers instant, inexpensive results that comply with FCRA and Fair Housing Act requirements. See our Success Stories at http://www.landlord2landlord.com/SuccessStories2.aspx.

We also have a free monthly e-newsletter that contains information to help homeowners maintain and lease their residential properties more effectively. To receive the e-newsletter, please visit http://www.landlord2landlord.com/ezinesignup.aspx.

Bad Credit? Criminal Record? Know More!

http://www.landlord2landlord.com

By: Richard Mills

Outsourcing’s Next Phase has Begun India’s past success is putting restraints on continuing growth. Next step destinations couldn’t be happier.

By Richard Mills CFA President, World Outsourcing Providers Association

“Outsourcing in India has reached a near term peak and meaningful expansion from this point forward will result in higher costs and lower quality delivery.” Business Leaders in Asia have been saying this to each other for months now. Today, we are seeing deliberate action to move capacity from India to next step destinations like Philippines, China and Vietnam.

Even major business publications have picked up on the evolving situation. Both Forbes (India: Good Help is Hard to Find) and BusinessWeek (India’s IT Challenge) recently published feature articles that directly address the growing problems in India and the viability of the next step destination countries.

Looking at current events in Philippines, we can get a better idea what is going on. Sykes, a large US-based contact center and IT support organization, has operations in both India and Philippines. The company said it would shift much of its Indian capacity to Philippines where it already has 7000 employees. “We moved calls to other facilities in Asia to get a higher rate of return,” was the official statement from Dan Hernandez, Sykes’s vice-president for global strategies. But knowledgeable observers in the region say that the rate of return differential must be large for a company of Sykes’ size and prominence to forgo India after already putting capacity in place.

Ambergris Solutions is another large contact center organization with operations in Philippines. The company just received a $43.5M investment through Telus International, a Canadian-based global IT Solutions provider. Jim Evans, who played the key local role in coordinating the deal, says his company wanted a “strategic investment” in the outsourcing industry in Asia and Philippines offered the best long-term opportunity given all the options including India.

As Asia Pacific VP for global B2B services provider GXS, Victor Lee oversees the professional & customer services operations in the region. His company made the decision to direct functions with a strong customer component to Philippines because of better economics and results there. His company’s analysis also indicated that costs were increasing disproportionately in India unlike Philippines. As well, Victor feels that “having product development in India and professional & customer services in Philippines reduces risks.”

More outspoken than most, Rick McGonegal is clear that India will not be part of his company’s plans for the foreseeable future. He is the Managing Director of RCG Information Technology, another good-sized IT solutions provider. The company already has a strong offshore presence in Philippines and has assessed the Asia Pacific region for future expansion. India, he feels, is already too crowded with numerous companies all scrambling to hire from each other. The result is destructively high staff turnover rates, mounting salary costs and poorer English communications skills compared to that which is available in Philippines. He also cited overstretched infrastructure in India as a further reason RCG would not consider this destination at present. According to Rick, his company has its “radar set on Vietnam and China” should their current best option of Philippines give way.

Others that appear to be moving work to Philippines include: Hewitt, which has just started hiring staff for its newly commissioned BPO facility, and HSBC, the global banking organization, which got their BPO underway a few months ago. I am currently meeting with numerous early stage entrants to Philippines – more than at anytime during the past 3 years. As another anecdote, I spoke recently to the Texas-based Global Recruitment Manager of a multinational technology company who needed help attracting Indians living in the US and Canada to jobs back in India. This is no surprise since there is strong demand for returnee management talent. Except that this fellow was not looking for managers, he was looking for individual contributors with 3 years of Java/C++ experience – a core skill that was once available in seemingly infinite quantities. He described, with great exasperation, the challenges his company faced hiring such people within India these days.

Long Live the King!

No one is saying that the King of Outsourcing will lose its dominance or its long-term attractiveness as an outsourcing destination. India created the offshore outsourcing model and it will continue driving the industry forward because of its huge size and the remarkable competence of its managers.

If India does experience slower growth because of constrained resources in the near term, it is only because of its tremendous success over the past few years. India’s recent hiring growth has been roughly double that of the crazy dotcom boom times in North America. So, current alleged constraints are not indicative of weakness but of great success.

And besides, rising costs may be a big deal to business leaders who have to somehow budget for them. But for individual workers, who see their paychecks rise by 30% from a well timed job change, “rising costs” probably don’t warrant the same degree of concern.

If countries like Philippines and Vietnam are better options today, it is only because they have been less successful at developing and attracting quality outsourcing employers in the past. The pioneering accomplishments made by India have now opened the door for these countries to receive their share of the blessings. And as for India, we can be sure they will soon be back stronger than ever.

Richard Mills CFA is President of the World Outsourcing Providers Association (WOPA). The organization serves providers and customers of offshore outsourcing services. WOPA aims to improve the probability success of offshore outsourcing ventures by sharing best practices across organizations and countries.

e: info@outsourcingproviders.org w: www.outsourcingproviders.org

About the AuthorRichard is considered the leading expert on Asia-Pacific outsourcing by ComputerWorld magazine. His regular column called “View from Offshore” is a feature of the publication. Richard has also been called “guru on outsourcing”

By: Ron Victor

There are many reasons available to invest in the real estate. Investing in a real estate is said to be safer as well as profitable. This became a route cause for you development.

The essential part of the real estate is its growth line. Nowadays, everyone started investing in the real estate business. This real estate business has few fluctuations, but it has strong growth. There are numerous businesses available, compared to this real estate business no one is as popular as this business. In world market compared to other business like currency investing, mutual funds, buying gold and silver, but real estate business is high profitable.

Usually, people ask me a query why to invest in real estate business. The reply will be very simple. Investing in other kind of business, will surely give profit in a reasonable period. Real estate business takes some time, but we surely attain more profits compared to other business.

Tax Rate American government has imposed multiple tax rate policies for the realtor i.e. the real estate investors, which includes the very popular 1031 exchanges. The definition of this text is “the internal revenue code defines the 1031 exchanges as if a real property asset is sold, and reinvested in some other property it becomes a capital gain. Since no profit or no loss is obtained, it is taxable under the capital gain. Till you reinvest your money in any other real property, you have to pay tax in a lump sum.

Investment Since real estate investment is more profitable as well as safer, it needs huge investment to enter in to the market. Real estate business does not need any experience. Even if the realtors invest, he can get back his investment in a shorter period. Real estate investing is a business where the investors will invest in a real property. The real estate investors buy the property under a bond and resale the bond to another realtor. Real estate is a contract based transaction. While doing a business investor can hold the property for sometime and if he sells he gets a huge profit.

Someone’s Capital Real estate business does not need own capital; someone’s money can be also been invested in the real estate business. There are many organizations ready to provide loan. Nowadays banks are ready to provide loan to this realtors. Today realtors are playing their essential role. Real estate market flourishes like never before. Those investing in this real estate business are enjoying the profitable venture. Real estate business is always worthable and they are providing the useful services to the customers.
About the Author Ron victor is a real estate professional for http://www.real-estate-investing-information.net/ .He written many articles in various topics.For more information about real estate business visit http://www.real-estate-investing-information.net/articles/Real-Estate-Investing-Training.php and http://www.real-estate-investing-information.net/ Contact him at ron.seocopywriter@gmail.com

The biggest challenge for most any MLM home based business has nothing to do with selling its products. The chief hurdle a MLM home based business usually faces involves building a successful downline. Just how do you find recruits who are genuinely interested in becoming part of your MLM home based business sales team?

Well, before you rush out and start trying to generate leads for your MLM home based business, you need to have a plan. It isn’t enough to tell people about your MLM home based business and its products and expect them to sign up. You need to know as much as you possibly can about your MLM distributor, the products, and the compensation plan so that you can answer any questions a MLM lead may have.

The more you know and the more comfortable with it you are, the easier it is to make people want to become part of your MLM home based business. Not knowing the answers to their questions or giving vague answers is more likely to make any MLM leads you do generate mistrustful of you and your MLM home based business. And be sure to have a follow-up plan for what you’ll do after you’ve generated some leads and started making contacts because it generally takes several contacts before people take action of any kind, whether buying a product or signing up for a MLM home based business opportunity.

Once you know your MLM home based business inside and out, you’re ready to start generating those MLM leads. One of the first places to look, of course, is to your friends and personal acquaintances. Make a list of everyone you know. You’ll likely be surprised by how long that list is, and the people you know are a good place to start looking for MLM recruits. A lot of the time, even if your friends and acquaintances aren’t interested in a MLM business themselves, they can give you names of people they know who will be interested in your MLM home based business opportunity. And if they don’t volunteer any names, don’t hesitate to ask them, politely of course, for names of people you can contact.

Another thing you should do to generate MLM leads for your home based business is start collecting. Business cards. Email addresses. Phone numbers. You never know who may or may not be interested in an MLM home based business of their own—and you won’t know unless you contact them and ask. Again, the person you contact may not be interested in a MLM home based business himself, but more often than not, the person will know someone else who is. Cold-calling isn’t necessarily easy when you first start doing it, but as you gain experience, you’ll get more comfortable and confident, and that confidence will ultimately pay off. Just be prepared to hear no and don’t take it personally.

MLM trade journals are another good place to generate leads for your home based business. These journals are read by people who are already interested in MLMs which makes them a “warm” market. Including a press release with your ad will greatly improve the number of inquiries you get. And make your ad for your MLM home based business as different from the other ads as possible. This is important so that your home based business MLM ad doesn’t get lost in a sea of others.

Buying MLM leads is one of the most popular wayw to generate leads for your MLM home based business. Many companies have email lists and phone number lists for people who have expressed their interest in getting information on MLM opportunities. Often you can even buy MLM leads who want to be involved with your particular type of MLM home based business opportunity. This makes purchasing leads a great option for most MLM home based businesses.

When buying MLM leads for your MLM home based business opportunity, you want to be sure you’re getting them from a reputable company. You don’t want to buy an out-of-date MLM leads list or one that’s been sold over and over. So do some research on the list selling company before you buy. Also, be sure to check any phone numbers you buy in the Do Not Call Registry. Doing this is your responsibility, not the company’s you buy the list from, so you need to be sure to check them before you call. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

A reader of my weekly newsletter approached me with a question which is common to many small businesses. Here was his problem and how I thought he could tackle it.

“I am a one man business in the labour consulting field, I have a small regular clientele who are more personnel friends. However every month I struggle to get my payments from them. I obviously do not want to get too heavy handed due to the risk of losing their custom but on the other side the lack of payment or the late payments is creating a cash flow problem for me. How do I get through this one?

Your suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.”

Sound a familiar problem? Well, here is how I think he and you could address this sort of commons issue.

You are dealing with an issue facing many start up businesses – your first customers are sometimes friends or family and therein lines a number of problems:

1. You can feel that you should be eternally grateful for they help and support in assisting your start up

2. You can feel obliged to stretch that gratefulness to the point where it hurts your business

As you are finding out the time has to come when you must break away from the original terms of business and put dealings on a more firmer, business-like arrangement. The trick of course is how to do this without thinking you may lose not only their business but their friendship.

So the first step is to acknowledge the fear that you have in the back of your mind about the potential loss of business. Having acknowledged it, accept it as a possibility – welcome to the real world! During your business life you are going to lose clients along the way – you may as well test your reaction now instead of later!

This acceptance of the possible loss of business is an important and essential first step. Without this what you have to do next will never happen and the problem will remain.

Now to tackle the problem. You have to be open, honest and transparent with your friends; this is the crux of what follows next.

Step One: Acknowledge how their support has been invaluable in getting you started.

‘John, I’ve got something important I need to discuss with you. Before I start I want to say how instrumental your support has been in helping me get my business off the ground …’

Step Two: Outline the present situation.

‘As you know as we have been friends we have both been flexible where payment terms on invoices are concerned. I’ve been pleased to do this because of your support.’

Step Three: Outline the problem the present situation is causing.

‘As the business is growing my cash demands are becoming bigger and so cash flow is getting harder to manage. The flexibility around payment times is now getting more difficult to control.’

Step Four: Outline your idea scenario.

‘Now that the business has become more established we need to put some discipline around settlement terms and so ideally I like to see any invoices settled as promptly as possible.’

Step Five: Outline the action and final outcome which you feel is fair.

‘Can I suggest that from next month we agree to settle within say 10 days of invoice of date and then 5 days the month after? This will give you some time to make any adjustments on your side. How does that sound?’

Can you see the progression here? We have outlined the present situation; outlined the impact it’s having on you and the business; come up with your ideal outcome; and finally come down from that to suggest a phased approach over a few months.

In tackling problems many people go straight to Step Five. The build up and setting the scene is vital. Once the problem is understood by the other party the solution is easier to arrive at. It may be a straight ‘yes’ or it will be a great place at which to negotiate a way forward.

If your friend walks away, well do you really want to be doing business with that type of person anyway? However, you may be surprised to find them agreeing immediately. They may not taking advantage; it’s just you’ve never pushed and so they become unknowingly relaxed. You may get a ‘Stu, no problem. Why didn’t you tell me before?’

Who knows, in reality this problem may not be a problem at all. You may be making it into a bigger issue than it actually is. Being up front, honest and transparent will bring this to a head.

Below this problem though is a deeper problem, which I’m sure you are aware of. Your fear of losing the business is because you have no one else to fall back on. Your customer base is too narrow. This has to be a wake up call to get out there and canvas new business … but that’s a different question again!

Robert Warlow
© Small Business Success
http://smallbusinesssuccess.biz

Let’s face it. It’s a dog eat dog world out there. Every man for himself. Survival of the fittest. In the world of online business, things are no different. You’re up against tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of competitors in the exact same online business venture you are in. And they are all probably doing most of the strategies that you do yourself just as well, if not better than you. What makes you think YOU of all people could make your internet business survive, if you don’t do something that makes you stand out from everyone else?

That’s where the Rich Jerk comes in. For those of you who have not heard of him, he’s rich, and quite frankly he’s a jerk. In some sort of twisted way, he has the right to be. Despite his rude attitude and foul mouth, his online marketing and advertising strategies are definitely ingenious. He wouldn’t be able to call himself the Rich Jerk if he wasn’t rich, would he?

His book is relatively short, around 60 pages or so. But those are 60 pages filled with information on exactly how he rose to the Rich Jerk status and how you can follow in his footsteps. From business ideas such as affiliate marketing, wholesale buying and reselling, and a whole heap of other ideas, you can definitely find what is right for you. He also tells you how he advertises his business and brings in countless amounts of paying customers; this is what is key.

Now some people criticize his marketing techniques with negativity. They are probably offended by his sales letters which may contain some material inappropriate for children or some excuse like that. Well ignoring the fact that children are too young to be doing these techniques and would most likely not read his site in the first place, his foul attitude grabbed the reader’s attention. This is what’s important, and this is one of the fundamental basis of his success. Think about it: every day you see ads, banners, etc., all telling you that their product is THE one that will make you money, all telling you it’s high quality, begging you to buy their product, and any other kind of fluff. Then all of the sudden the Rich Jerk comes along and insults the potential customer. After seeing countless amounts of ads which pretty much look the same, the one that’s most unusual will stand out and will be more likely to attract potential customers.

I can’t say anymore than what I have already. If you’re serious about making money online and starting an online home business, than his book is definitely a must read. It’ll definitely open your eyes to the possibilities of internet business and marketing. It’s not the bible of all that is online business, but it’s a very handy thing to have when working on your business, or for getting ideas on starting your own.

Anyone with the right camera equipment, and the necessary skills can set up a home business, marketing photography. You need only to convert a room of your house into an office, and then you can work immediately.

With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras, you do not even need the room for a dark room. You need only to have a personal computer and a photo-editing program. The standard is Adobe Photoshop.

It is not necessary to clutter yourself with equipment you do not need. You can hire equipment on and when you need it basis. You have the freedom to work part time for a while until you can devote yourself full time to photography. All you need to be is a serious photographer. There are two types of photographers that makes their living from photography, the serious photographer and the very serious photographer. You can always bookmark this link and then you can quickly access just about all you’ll ever need from here.

Whilst the technical skills needed to make a successful photographer have never been easier, other aspects have changed the business. The market for photographs of virtually every type has widened, the world seems to have an insatiable appetite for photographs. However the price has fallen as the marketing net has broadened. Photographers are needed in many more fields. For instance many people use car web sites, they simply did not exist ten years ago, and they sell their products as a result of photography. Cameras used by scuba diver’s are now an excellent quality, and whilst they are initially expensive, they have forged a new market. People celebrate special occasions more with photography, than they did years ago. The travel and advertising markets have a greater need for landscape, travel and nature shots.

It is now easier than ever to turn your dream into reality and create a worthwhile business out of an engrossing hobby. However in today’s modern world there is more to it than simply pointing a camera, and shooting a picture. You need to be aware of marketing techniques, and here marketing simply means transferring ownership of a product, in this case an image from a buyer to seller. You also need to be aware of any local gaps in the market in your local area. You should also try to be on top of your competitor’s prices, to undercut an existing photographer is one choice, but to neglect to value your skills and not charge enough to cover your overheads is another matter entirely. Remember this, its an important point.

Use your skills to the best advantage of the business and define what you want from it. Writing a business plan helps to keep you focused on the areas you specifically want to exploit. A business plan helps you to define your goals and strategies, it will be changed and updated, but it will help you, to keep things in perspective. You can then refer back to it when things become confusing or complicated. Everyone’s business plan will be different, as every objective will be different, but there are certain common factors that make up a good business plan which will help your business grow. It allows you to develop a professional attitude to your business, which not only helps you to increase your earnings, but also help you to finance your business.

For the photographer it should include, your business name, or your own, with full details of the proposed location of the business, a copy of your logo, as well as details of your copyright notices. What is the form of your proposed business (sole ownership, partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation). This should be followed by a table of contents, which focuses on a logical order. There are resources that will give you further details on such as profitable-photography.com

Included after this should be the type of business you intend to pursue, in a fair amount of detail, and it should contain the services you intend to offer. This section should include any future gaols or avenues you would like to explore, stating your clear objectives. This is so you can check at a later date whether your objectives are on course, or if you have got sidetracked.

If you envisage at any time you may need financial help, then you should include your personal business history.

You should also state a clear and concise marketing plan that should demonstrate how your business will differentiate from the businesses of your competitors. You should be able to establish whom your customers will be, as well as where your market will be, as in wholesale or retail or a combination of both. You should also be able to determine how long this type of market will be available to yourself.

The next section should clearly define your opposition, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This should include the ways you may be able to exploit any gaps in the market in the specific area where you live. A section should follow this on how you intend to market and promote your individual services.

A financial segment should be included as to how you intend to manage the day-to-day bills of the business. How you intend to price your services, and what factors influence this pricing structure, which includes a section on your competitor’s financial structures. This means a fair amount of detective work as well as homework. Get your friends to ask from quotes from the local competition. Or try an even more direct approach, tell your competitor’s that you intend to start a new business, and that you do not want to undercut them, as this reduces the cake for everyone. They may well offer to help you construct a pricing structure that ensures everyone’s livelihood. It is in their interests to help. Not everyone will be cooperative, but it may mean you can get a truer picture of the market factors that govern your area.

Make a list of all the equipment you will need in your first year, as well as how and where you intend to purchase. Note any difficulties that may arise in obtaining your supplies. Note whether the prices of your supplies have a seasonal fluctuation, that may help you influence you when to buy. You should make a note of any local licenses that will be necessary, as well as any zoning restrictions, that may restrict the growth of your business. Your neighbours may not be thrilled at a procession of customer’s to your door, check whether they can restrict your services. Make a study of all your business insurance requirements.

The final segment should be devoted to how you intend to finance the growth of your business, as well as isolating what your financial needs will be. This should include a projection on your future earnings, as well as an accurate assessment of your outgoings’. This should be assessed on a monthly basis for the first year, and on an annual basis for the following three years. An important aspect of the financial statement is an assessment of the break-even point of your business, in other words the minimum you will have to take to pay your expenses.

The purpose of this documentation is to allow you to enunciate what the core elements of your business will be, in doing this it should help you to be able to quickly evaluate the success of your business objectives. If you are not clear on your objectives then you cannot possibly make a plan to bring about the success of those objectives.

By: Rick Weaver

At some point in our lives we have all run across manipulative people. Perhaps it was a friend, relative, salesperson, coworker, supervisor, customer, tenant, or casual acquaintance. Perhaps we did not even recognize it as they manipulated the facts or situation to their benefit, or perhaps we did see it but were helpless to counter their behavior.

The motivation for the manipulator can be varied. Some see manipulation as a way to get what they want in life. They feel that by controlling other people’s thoughts and actions they can also control the agenda. They look at manipulation as a way to deflect attention from their own inadequacies.

These individuals have insecurity in their own ability or have failed to properly execute tasks to which they were responsible. They manipulate the situation by calling attention to problems in other areas so that the troubles in their areas are overlooked. Still other manipulators are factual manipulators.

They take statistics or number to paint a picture to arrive at a conclusion they may believe is right, even though it is very wrong. In many cases these manipulators are passive and unaware of their error until it is pointed out to them, but by that time they have committed to the incorrect conclusion and will defend it rather than to admit the mistake.

In his book, In Sheep’s Clothing, Dr. George Simon states that all of us have used manipulation at some point in our lives. But he insists that does not make us all manipulators. He sites manipulators as those that habitually and aggressively manipulator. According to Simon, “The tactics of deceit, manipulation and control are a steady diet for covert-aggressive personality. It’s the way they prefer to deal with others and to get the things they want in life.”

The key to working with manipulators is to recognize their behavior and deal with it. Robert Bacal, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dealing with Difficult People says the critical message is “it isn’t going to happen with me.” The manipulator seeks those that they control and you have to position yourself away from the target of their behavior through the proper actions early in their game.

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Building on a strong retail background, Rick moved to full supply-chain involvement, working with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results.

As Rick’s interaction in varied industries expanded, he became troubled as he increasingly noticed that people and companies had untapped or unfocused talent. Coupled with Rick’s passion for training and development, popular style of interactive workshops and seminars, and strong desire for continuous improvement, he founded Max Impact Corporation to be singularly focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve high performance.

Rick is a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences. He has spoken in 43 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. He is available to speak at groups of all sizes.

Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or rick@getmaximpact.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Weaver

By: Ellie McFadden

A blog is defined as a “type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary). Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news.” I agree with that definition but I also think blogs are involving into great business devices to inform and educate your customers.

Of course it’s fitting for me, as a writer, to have a blog (or two) but you may feel you don’t need one for your own line of work. I couldn’t disagree with you more. I truly believe any type of business can benefit from using a blog.

A blog is an inexpensive (I use Blogger.com and there is no charge) tool to keep in touch with your customers. I think the challenging part for most business owners is figuring out what to write about and continually maintaining the blog, which is extremely important. If your customer clicks on your blog link and there hasn’t been a post since last Christmas, they will click off right away. You want to keep them engaged.

So what do you write about in your blog? First of all, don’t make your blog all about your business and full of ads. The key is to incorporate the products and/or services you offer with information that YOUR customer is seeking. The first step is to think about who is your customer and what concerns/interests do they have?

For example, you are a veterinarian. I’m a customer of a veterinarian and I want to know more about cat care. The vet could use case studies from real-life situations from the office and share that with their customers (via the blog). When a customer at the office asks them a question, for example “We are expecting our first child, what can we do to help make Smelly the Cat adjust to this new arrival?” Blog about it! I would love to hear about funny pet stories as well.

A blog is interactive as well. After you post your entry, your customer can leave a comment. Answer their question or comment as soon as you can. Keep that line of communication open.

The other challenge with blogging is maintaining it. Do you have enough time to write the posts and answer the comments? And does it matter? I think I have answered the second question. It does matter. It’s a way to communicate with your customer and they can communicate right back. It’s a way for your customer to get to know you and your business a little better.

If you personally don’t have time to write your own blog entries, find someone who can write it for you. Remember your business blog is NOT about spilling out your personal feelings. It’s about informing your target market of information, products and services you can provide. You are educating through the use of your blog. A business writer can help you generate ideas as well as write the entries and keep the blog updated. The writer does not necessary have to pretend they are you but simply provide content for your readers. And this content also helps with your website traffic. More traffic equals more customers.

Ellie McFadden is a business writer who specializes in helping businesses with their online marketing, such as blog writing. She writes and maintains two blogs: http://writebridgeblog.blogspot.com/ http://ellie-writes.blogspot.com/