Online Business Tips

Archive for June, 2010

Small Business Tip – How to Solicit a Customer Testimonial

Customer testimonials for your small business can be a valuable marketing tool … if done the right way. But how do you get a customer testimonial that is meaningful?

I’ve found that politely asking long-term clients for feedback works best. When they let you know how pleased they are with the work, ask them if they would mind if you featured their comments on your website or in a brochure. I’ve yet to run into a client that said “no”. It increases their visibility as well.

If you have clients who indicate that there may be problems with the work your company has performed (and in my experience, there are always some clients who have requests for improvement), you can use that information to perfect your business.

Another way to handle this is to work with 2 or 3 clients for which you’ve solved a pressing problem (preferably one that was costing them money … or one for which the solution increased their profit or client list … or one that benefited their business in some way) to develop their stories into case studies, ending with a short testimonial.

Another longer term strategy is to build in the opportunity for client feedback through all of your systems – at the end of each sale, ask the client how their experience was.

You could also consider other methods of creating credibility in addition to testimonials – for example:

- before and after case studies (with data)
- showing media appearances on your website
- using 3rd party expert endorsements
- using charts and graphs to back up your claims
- show your product/service in action via video / pictures / flow charts etc.

Here’s one that’s a bit more proactive. Always serve your customers/clients with the objective that you will be soliciting their feedback and assistance in the future. This will allow you to approach them at any time during your relationship with them. If you have a “big win” with them, I’ve found this to be a great opportunity to ask. It is human nature not to be indebted to anyone…when you do a favor for your client its a great time to cash in on that favor and ask for a testimonial. They will be glad to oblige.

Three Finance Tips for Women

Women are creative, bold and daring; they can run a home or run a company. Unfortunately, when it comes to money, many women still require some extra help when it comes to information on finance. Tips that are practical and easy to execute are the most beneficial. The following are three finance tips that women can integrate into their already busy schedule.

Don’t Become Dependent – Women can often become dependent on the income of their partner or spouse. If something happened to that person tomorrow, or in the case of divorce, millions of women would be left with little resources and a mountain of debt. Rather than become a victim of financial prison, women should have their own checking and savings accounts with regular money deposits.

Make a Money Goal – Women are natural goal setters; even if it’s something as simple as getting dinner on the table at a certain time, or making it to the gym three days a week. Making a financial goal can be just as simple. Instead of looking years into the future for a money goal, make the goal monthly so that it is easier to track and not lose sight of.

Be Prepared for a Disaster – Going on the previous finance tips, if something terrible happened tomorrow, there needs to be a financial cushion in place. Whether it’s a death, illness, natural disaster or loss of job, creating a cushion makes good financial sense and can be done by putting a fraction of the monthly income away every month.

Women need to take time to become more educated about their power over money. Much of what we know about money is learned from family. It is up to every woman to change her habits and put these finance tips to use in her daily life.

Companies spending Billion a year on PPC advertising

Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is the fastest growing segment of online advertising. According to Forbes Magazine, by the year 2010, companies will spend Billion a year on PPC advertising.  

Free 0 / 0 / / / Google AdWords Credit at http://www.adwordsexposed.com

No wonder, almost every keyword search, especially related to products and services that are for sale in market, yields host of sponsored links in the top, side and bottom column of all the major search engines. This clearly indicates the growth and popularity of PPC advertising among online marketers.

The growth paired with success is always threatened by increased competition.  PPC advertising is no exception. The number of firms offering PPC management services has mushroomed in recent times.

According to a survey by Reprise Media, not only is the PPC advertising market widening for the past three years, the growing interest in PPC advertising has caused a rise in keyword costs of some markets by as much as 25 percent. This means the average cost per click (CPC) rate is also increasing rapidly.

 They introduced a variety of bidding tactics which have been designed to help the bidder own the market space.Through such things as “bid shadowing” and “bid surfing” one can effectively force a competitor out of the marketspace for chosen keywords.Or, bidders can work co-operatively to lower the bid prices while still maintaining their presence online.

These are tactics which go beyond proper landing page creation, dayparting and other bid managmenet tactics. But, they do illustrate how competitive and advanced some firms have become.If you looking For Free Web Traffic Solution for you websites or blogs ? Visit This Website For Details  http://www.proearn.com/category/make-money-online

Runescape Help and Guide on Bots Items and leveling up tips

Have you ever wanted to know about runescape accounts, but all you found were folks trying to cheating you?

Demand you like to know why that is?

It’s because 99% of all so-called rs account are conclusively fake, yes fake!

Yes that’s proper, believe it or not, anyone exigent to sell you an “autominer” or bot is just scamming you and you’ll lose you money, guaranteed. Sorry but it’s the truth!

What they really are, are viruses that infect your computer and record everything that you type in, then once it’s recorded something, it sends the data the creator of the virus. So now you’ve lost your runescape account and probably a lot of credit card information as well.

Other ways which people try to gain access to your account, is when people say, that in order for it to work, they need to log into your account and set it up. In this case, there are no runescape bots, just someone claiming to have one when he really doesn’t and wants access to your runescape account.

Immediately as Runescape was initially introduced in the year 2001, there were few fan websites which were formed to assist gamers with their information requirements about Runescape. Most of these websites are popular because there are several people across the world playing this game almost everyday. However, one of the most famous and first Runescape fan websites to sell runescape accounts to be launched was the Rune Tips. Actually, Rune Tips is a huge fan site that was originally founded by Steel Corporation Dmonik, Starlude, Silverion, Hitman X, Stud6900, Kibble, Xentie, Lightning, Sir Beachy, Rodrigo and BlueRose13x in the year 2001.

Since that year, Runescape Tips has tremendously developed and kept on progressing. At present there are over 170,000 members and so Rune Tips has its main goal is to provide every player with the useful guide, tools and features which will help them in the best possible way. The main aim to sell Runescape account Tips is to keep their fan site fully updated with all types of information like the latest news on Runescape and even to ensure all data provided by them is accurate. Rune Tips is said to be one of the best type of resources to find accurate and fully inclusive information on Runescape on the internet.

Think about it, why would someone give away runescape accounts for sale? And don’t believe them when they say “I used to be one of Jagex staff, and now I hate them so I’m releasing this for free”. That’s just a big lie.

So what do you do if someone offers you a runescape bot? You report them and ignore them. Don’t get sucked in, you’ve got so much to lose and so little to gain.

Start visiting this website for best runescape guides and runescape help.
article from : http://www.accountmmo.com/runescape-account.html

The Three Most Important Leadership Qualities for Small Business

If cash flow is the lifeblood of a business, then effective business leadership has to be the oxygen.  Without it, a company will shrivel up and die. 

The best time to start laying the foundation for the type of leadership that will grow your company for many years to come is while you’re small. 

How?  Through values based on vision, courage, and integrity.   Out of all the necessary leadership qualities, these three are the most critical to the growth and success of your organization.

Vision

A clearly defined company vision is one of the most critical elements in any small business, but is also one of the most neglected.

But most small businesses that become successful small businesses (and sometimes big businesses) have one thing in common:  Vision. 

Your company vision defines who you are as a company, your core values, and your future aspirations.  It truly is your “reason for being.” 

Your vision should also reflect your company’s unique strengths.   What is it about your company that is different than your competitor, or other companies in general? 

Additionally, having a clear, strong vision motivates, inspires, and empowers your employees.  A vision that starts at the top and threads through the organization is an excellent loyalty and retention tool because employees like being part of a company that knows where it’s going and how to get there.  Remember, too, that your employees – more than anyone else – will be the driving forces behind your vision.  They will be the ones to bring your vision to fruition.  They need you to a) have a strong vision, and b) share it with them on a regular basis. 

It isn’t enough to have a vision statement hanging on your break room wall.  It needs to be a foundational part of your business.  In fact, your vision needs be the basis for all your business decisions.

The best small businesses have a clear-cut vision – a vision that effectively drives their companies toward success.  If your small business doesn’t have one, you really should begin developing one.  Today.

Courage

Great business leaders are courageous leaders.

Let’s face it, it takes guts to start a small business.  It takes guts to step out in the first place, and even more guts to take the necessary risks to step up to the next level.

But beyond having the courage to take risks, courage leadership means being able to make tough decisions and take difficult actions -  doing what needs to be done in spite of the consequences, both personal and professional.  And courage in the face of fear is one of the hardest things to do as a business leader.

It isn’t easy to turn down a client because his values are the complete opposite of yours.  It’s hard to confront an employee who’s been caught with his hand in the till, or a receptionist who lives to gossip.  It’s difficult to say no to a potentially lucrative business deal because it might be a bit shady.  Or any number of the thousands of issues business leaders face daily.   However, to leading an organization with courage is one of the most effective

When it comes to courage, we tend to think that it’s a quality we need to exhibit as needed.  In truth, courage leadership needs to be a daily demonstration – walk in courage and you will inspire those around you to walk in courage as well.  Just think what would happen if we all had the courage to act on our convictions! 

There are no shortcuts to courageous leadership.  You either do, or you don’t.  There is no sometimes.  And to start you on your journey, here are a few helpful tips:

Start being deliberately courageous in the decisions you make regarding growth, risk, and day-to-day operations.  The more you practice courage the more courageous you will become.

Resolve to never again “take the easy road.”  Have a clear understanding of your beliefs and core values, so when situations come up, you know where you stand.

Accept personal responsibility for the decisions you make, and encourage those around you to do the same.

Make sure the people you hire and promote are also courageous people.  Surround yourself with people of like mind and you’ll discover what a powerhouse organization you can become.

Don’t compromise.  Again, being consistently courageous is just as important as the quality itself.

Having courage isn’t always the easiest way to go, but it is the best way.  With courage, we can accomplish anything.

Integrity

Most of you have probably met someone in business who always does the right thing, regardless of the cost.  I am blessed to have known several, and the experiences have made me a better individual from both a personal and professional perspective.

Doing the right thing regardless of the consequences is at the heart of business leadership.  When faced with a decision, people of integrity will always do what is right.  And people of integrity tend to build businesses of integrity.

So why does it matter that we have integrity in our business dealings?  There is an unbreakable connection between integrity and trust.  In most peoples’ minds, they go hand-in-hand.  When our employees perceive us to have integrity, they trust us to treat them respectfully and reasonably.  Likewise, when our customers and clients look at us as a company based on integrity, they trust us to be honest, to give them a good product, and to keep our word. 

Think about it…given the choice, wouldn’t you prefer to work for and deal with a company you knew had integrity?  I know I would!

Vision…courage…integrity.  These are three transformational  leadership qualities that will turn your small business into a business powerhouse.