There’s no question about the many benefits of writing a book and becoming a published author. Writing a book gives you instant credibility with clients and prospects, solidifies your expert status and builds your personal or corporate brand. In fact, studies indicate that, while more than 80% of the population wants to write a book, only tiny 2% will ever actually do it! Why? Most aspiring writers cite lack of time, lack of focus or lack of knowing how to physically undertake such an ambitious project.

Enter ghostwriters. No longer those shadowy figures lurking behind the scenes, ghostwriters today are experienced professionals who help aspiring authors write the book of their dreams. These writers and journalists work with their “authors” for months at a time to make sure their book gets written right. Most executives call upon ghostwriters to write for them simply because they don’t have the time or resources to do it on their own.

The price and quality of ghostwriters span a wide range. Like anything else in life, you usually get what you pay for. You can take your chances and try to find a low-priced freelance writer on Elance.com, but you’re far better off trusting your project to a pro who comes recommended from a trusted source or referral. That said, you can expect to pay a good ghostwriter upwards of $50,000 for a full-length, non-fiction business book.

The writing process can take 4 – 6 months to complete your manuscript, but good ghostwriters also serve as an advisor during the process, making sure that you’re project stays on track and is ultimately marketable. However, most ghostwriters rarely get involved in the actual publishing process.

Ultimately, your book is only going to be as good as the material and creativity you provide to your ghostwriter. You’ve got to stay engaged in the process and provide ongoing feedback in order to end up with the book that you envision. Still, with weekly meetings and timely feedback, the process can go smoothly and quickly.

Remember, not all writers are created equal. Look for a ghostwriter who is professional, dependable, collaborative, discreet, easy to work with and not afraid to tell it like it is. Find the right fit and you’re on your way to becoming one of those elite 2% who actually write their book!

Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.

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I always tell people that the number one life skill you must have if you want to be rich and successful is that you must learn to sell.

The trouble with a lot of people is, especially those who are highly educated, with a degree or honours degree say, "I don't sell."

Being a degree holder myself, I think that it is the most stupid thing in the world. If I were to ask you, "Do you know who the world's greatest salesperson is?"

I'll tell you who it is. I would say it's the President of United States or any president or prime minister. You know why? He's got to go out there and he's got to sell himself, in order for you to vote for him.

Do you think it's easy? Look at George Bush for an example, he won his election just narrowly by 51 % of the votes. This means 49% of people, said no to him, they hated him probably.

But do you think he cares? He doesn't care

So if the president of the United States, who is the most powerful man on Earth can sell and take rejection, why can't you?

I believe that the main reason why a lot of people are afraid of selling, is because of ego.

This is especially so for those who have an MBA or Degree. And that's what holds most people back. And that's why, I hate to say this. Most people with a Degree or PHD won't succeed as much in business as to someone who doesn't.

But it doesn't have to be that way. I told myself that although I have a degree I will not let my ego get in the way. You just got to learn how to sell. And if you think about the irony of it, a lot of times we are already selling , we are just not aware of it.

For example, most of us would have probably been on a date, before. If you are on a date, what were you selling? You're selling yourself.

This also applies even if you are a doctor. A lot of doctors in the medical profession, especially those in the GP arena, a lot of them are suffering.

Why? That's because they are good at the technical aspects, but they can't sell themselves, they can't smile at you when you come into their office, they don't know how to market.

So it's the person who knows how to sell that makes the best doctor, the best lawyer, in whatever profession that may be. But again the substance must be there. That presupposed substance must be there and selling is like that huge cherry on top that makes people want to eat your cake.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a peak performance trainer. A self-made millionaire by the age of 26, he owns and runs several businesses in education, training, event management and advertising, all with a combined annual turnover of $20 million. His best-selling "Patterns of Excellence" is a complete step-by-step system that will literally program you for success in life.

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While some guys lose their heads when faced with a tough business environment others stay cool, survive and prosper.

OK,Ok, the sky is falling so stop running around and instead use that energy and money to survive and to improve on how things are done and on how to prosper from the coming upturn...yes in time the sky will right itself.

Have you ever seen any business consultant's card that didn't claim that they could lead you to the pot of gold buried under the employees' parking lot? But here's where it gets funny...they can.

In a book he wrote in the early 60s...1960s not 1860s...Bucky Fuller writes that humans adapt quickly to change and soon space out the past. Bucky didn't write this but I think that humans have limited RAM, and that many business managers are overloading the RAM they have ...so they stop thinking about things and fall into habits and patterns...no thinking required. The name of the book? Spaceship Earth.

And to further muddy the water, humans don't operate at their highest potential when stressed.

I'm tempted to start pointing out specific things a business should do during a hard economic time, but I've done that in other articles. This article is about new training and new thinking. The following is from an article I wrote during the last economic downturn.

A sales vice president of an international company had referred me to his region's CFO. He encouraged me to contact this woman and explain the scope of my consulting and training services.

After leaving three messages over a two week period, I got a call from the regional A/R Manager, the CFO's subordinate. I started to explain what I do when the man cut me off. "We just had the very prestigious firm from the U.K., Robem, Blind & Howe, do an evaluation of our business functions and with the exception of a few minor items, they validated our processes" .

On hearing the word "validation" the picture that comes to my mind is finding the right guy to stamp your parking ticket. Or maybe, if you're lucky enough to still have her, calling your Mom for some kind words and reassurance. But to pay a consultant to come in and pat you on the back, or wherever, and tell you you're doing good...never.

School Ties and the Intellectual Gene Pool

Keeping my thoughts to myself I said to the regional A/R guy, "That's great, it's always a good idea for a company to have an outsider come in and take a fresh look at things." I then asked how my firm could participate in providing them with their next evaluation. "Oh no, we're having R.B. & H. back again." , said the regional A/R guy. After a few more minutes of conversation it was clear to me that I was wasting my time. You see, I learned from the A/R guy that his boss, the regional CFO used to work at R.B.& H. and that she was not interested in working with any other consulting or training firm.

When everyone sitting around the conference table went to the same school, has a common life experience and understanding of things; you're not going to get a lot of new ideas, solutions and improvements. In fact, this kind of corporate inbreeding will limit the intellectual gene pool resulting in more of the same thinking. "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results."

We Don't Know What We Don't Know

Mohandas K. Gandhi was once accused of having said something that conflicted with a prior statement. His response was something like, "I will not waste my time apologizing for what I've said in the past. I can only seek to be faithful to the truth as it reveals itself to me." We don't know what we don't know.

No matter how smart a manager or management team , there's no way he/she/they know it all. Sometimes the true value of having an outsider review how things are done is that they ask dumb questions, because they don't know how things are done. Hiring a consultant who knows how you do things limits the potential payback. this excerpt is from an article titled "Corporate Inbreeding Hurts Profit"

An other thing to consider is how you spend the training budget, and if you don't have a training budget get one. How to spend the money? Try something new like video training, or teletraining. I still think that the best training takes place face to face but airfares are, excuse the pun, going sky high. And not having to spend time traveling reduces the cost of the training and wear and tear on the trainer. And some of those guys are not as young as they use to be.

Recently a man in Dallas asked if I remembered him , that we had met 17 years before. And then he went on to say, "When we met I had hair and your hair had color." And yes I did remember him...thanks for asking.

By now some of you may think that being that I'm a business trainer and speaker myself I have a vested interest in companies not cutting their training budget and you'd be right...but it's still true.

When things slow down it's time to prune and prepare for the next season. And it's time to see some new faces around the table.

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

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This article is by our guest writer Diana Ennen, who is also the Author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, & The Corel Word Perfect Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution Pack. She also owns a website: http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

Setting up a virtual assistant business is relatively easy, but it's important to have a complete plan of action set out in advance. I'm a firm believer that the initial planning phase of a business is crucial to its success. This ensures that you don't leave any vital steps unaddressed and also prevents any unexpected surprises down the road. Therefore, I recommend first writing a complete business plan for your business. Nothing technical, just how you plan to operate your business including advertising methods, pricing, business hours, equipment and supplies needed, etc.

The next step is to select the appropriate name. Take your time here as you want your business name to be an asset by appealing to your potential clients. Your name needs to clearly express what services you provide and not limit you if you choose to expand your business into other areas. Decide on a name that people would want to call if they have virtual assisting needs.

To operate a business you are required by law to have the appropriate licenses. This is your permit to do business locally. It's a simple procedure that doesn't require a considerable amount of time. Contact your city and county officials under occupational licenses for complete details or go online. Most VAs start out initially as a sole proprietorship and then might change later.

Now it's time to set up your bookkeeping. I find that the most important ingredient to keeping good books is keeping it simple. If it's easy to do, and doesn't require a lot of effort, I tend it do it more regularly. You will want to keep track of all your income and expenses. Save all receipts and pay all your expenses out of your business checking account. A software program such as Quickbooks is ideal for our type of business. Not only does it allow you to keep accurate records, but it also enables you to track exactly where the most money is coming from. This enables you to target your marketing efforts more in that area.

Now you must decide how much to charge. Don't undercharge your services. Many make this mistake. They feel if they price their services substantially below everyone else, they'll get more business. That's true--you might get more business, but you'll also be working outrageous hours and not making the kind of income you should. Call others in your area and see what they are charging. The average prices being charge today are between $35.00 and $100.00, depending on the specialty. I personally recommend starting no lower than $35.00/hr.

Now you need to get those clients. The key to successful marketing is to tell clients what benefits they will receive by answering their main question, "What's in it for me?" Keep in mind, you're not selling your services, you're selling the benefits of your services. What can you offer them that would make their business run more successfully? An example of this would be accurate dependable service done on an "as needed" basis.

It is also important to have an impressive marketing piece. Your brochures, letterhead, flyers, business cards, etc., should look sensational. Think back on what has caught your eye in the past. Now design your material with that in mind. The most important requirement is that it must be professional and convey that you are more than someone typing documents. Businesses want to deal with other professionals. They don't want to risk their work, and possibly their clients, on someone who is not. Let them know this is exactly what they will receive when they seek your services. Places such as Vistaprints offer affordable printing.

Once established, word of mouth is your best advertisement. When people get professional, accurate, and friendly service they tell others. If you offer such exceptional service, you can be assured that you will need to advertise only at the onset to get your business started. From then on, your repeat clients, and referrals from them, will keep your business thriving.

Recognition is also a key to success, whether it's through the press releases, articles, message boards, newspapers, chats, your website, radio or TV, when clients see your business repeatedly, they become familiar with your company and when the need arises, they will call you. Therefore consider where you can advertise that can keep your name out there.

Now that you've got the clients, you need to keep them. The best way to do this is to always provide them with more than they ask for. Go the extra mile on all assignments. Let them know that you value their business and are eager to help them succeed.

And finally, enjoy your business. Many start their own business to spend more time with their family. It's the perfect way to stay at home and still make an excellent income. Firmly set your hours and learn to say no. Remember it's your business and often your dream come true. By learning your limitations, you can keep it a wonderful experience that both you and your family will enjoy.

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This article is contributed by Karen S. Sieczka

In the business world, it pays to listen and know how to ask the right questions. Miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to problems… unhappy customers, lost sales, excess inventory, misunderstood instructions, shoddy work, and disgruntled employees … all influencing your company’s bottom line.

Face-to-face communication is still the foundation of many business relationships and good listening skills are an essential part of this communication. Listening skills can open doors and build working relationships. Use verbal cues, eye contact, and positive body language. Draw out information by asking open ended, non-judgmental questions. Reflect what the speaker is saying by restating and reinforcing what is said and asking for clarification if it is not clear. This reassures understanding for both parties. People feel more important when they perceive they are being heard.

A good listener can build trust, empathy, and understanding by practicing and improving listening skills. The ability to listen and actually hear what is being said is becoming rare as we spend more at our computers. Good listening makes for more open communications and prevents many problems before they start.

Here are some simple tips to improve your listening skills:

1. STOP: When someone talks to you, stop and give your full consideration. Focus. When you give your undivided attention, people feel they matter.

2. USE ACTIVE LISTENING: Show you are interested by your body language, using verbal cues, and making eye contact. Make sure your listening to talking ratio is 2:1; listen twice as much as you talk.

3. ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: Draw out information by asking open ended questions such as: “Why do you think that is?”or ” That’s interesting. Can you tell me more?” Don’t just ask yes or no questions.

4. RESTATE AND REFLECT: Reflect what the speaker is saying by restating what was just said in your own words. Ask for clarification if you are not sure. This reassures understanding for both parties.

5. PRACTICE SKILLS BEFORE PROBLEMS ARISE: The time for improving listening skills is before there are problems. By building a foundation ahead of time, communications flow more freely during times of crisis.

Karen S. Sieczka is a training consultant and founder of Growing Great Ideas.com. Her latest training program is Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work. The program generates ideas, enthusiasm, and teamwork and can be customized to address particular organizational issues or challenges. She is also writing a book Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing Creativity at Work. The book will be in print in September 2008.

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For four years I did a conference where I invited business owners to tell us what they right in their business. We picked the top 12 stories and these successful business owners were given an opportunity to tell their story to up to 300 conference attendees.

While promoting the last conference, I sent faxed invitations to business owners who I thought would enjoy the positive press and would be interested in promoting their company to 300 people.

Several asked that I remove them from the list and I did so.

Four of them engaged a lawyer and filed a law suit.

Apparently there is a law that says you cannot fax someone unless you have written permission. This puzzled me especially since the names and fax numbers came from a public list I acquired from Reference USA.

The law states you cannot sell a product or service via fax without written permission (there is more but that is the highlight).

Since the fax I sent invited the business owner to a networking event where we could talk with them about their story and the role the conference would play in helping them grow their business, we were not in violation of the law.

The Cleveland based lawyer filed the lawsuit for a Cleveland based heating and air conditioning company. Apparently this lawyer files lawsuits when people receive an unwanted fax. As I talked with people about this lawsuit, I learned I was not the only one he has extorted money from. His reputation is less than stellar.

I am sure this lawsuit was not the intent of the fax law and our law makers really should fix this law to prevent this abuse.

According to my lawyer, the lawsuit is “legalized extortion” but his suggested was to settle the suit because of the cost of going to court and the difficulty in counter-suing.

It cost a lot of money and time to run this conference to promote good news in NEO. It cost a lot of money in legal fees to settle this law suit.

It is hard to plead “not guilty” when I clearly broke the law – even though I did not know the law existed. Sometimes we try to do something positive and it backfires. The backfire is what I call the law of unintended consequences.

There are two lessons to be learned: 1. Continue trying to do good but have a good lawyer. If you need a good lawyer let me know (email only please), I have more experience than I care to admit and I would be willing to share the names of the people who helped me. Asking a question to your lawyer before is always easier that dealing with a suit after the fact. 2. It doesn’t say much about our business owners if they cannot pick up the phone and ask to be taken of the list. To file a stupid and frivolous lawsuit to raise money is the ultimate in stupidity. The business owners who filed suit should be taken to the woodshed. It took a while to get my PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) back but I did. The essence of the second lesson is to trust your lawyer and stop worrying. Worrying does no good. All the sleep I lost did not change the outcome of the suit. Not counting legal fees the total settlement was for $750.

I will not reveal this company in this post and I suspect he has more problems that receiving a fax he does not want. He apparently has little regard for his business or his business reputation to get involved in this nonsense. The other four who had their name on this lawsuit did not do their business a favor.

I was bummed for a while about this law suit. I am over it now but I am saddened that our business community has to waste time, energy and money over something this stupid.

Check out the long term consequences with a group of trusted advisors. After all, many minds and many experiences are far more effective in the decision making process than any single mind or experience.

After a successful consulting career, Ron Finklestein has spent the past 6 years building his business AKRIS LLC and helping entrepreneurs and business owners build their businesses by helping them solve the tough problems that hold them back. Ron is called The Small Business Success Expert by his clients because of his passion for their success and his knowledge of business.

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BusinessKnowHow: Most, if not all, small businesses are built on a budget. Available funds must be used to buy technology, additional phone lines and marketing materials such as business cards. In this article you will find ten low cost or no cost tips that will help you get your first customer and build your business.

1) Obtain free or low cost business cards at a company such as www.VistaPrint.com.

2) Have a new or rebuilt shopping center opening in your town? Attend the grand opening and chat with the business owners and staff and hand out your free or low cost business cards.

3) Create flyers with your phone number on tear off tabs and place them at the library, grocery store, coffee shops, etc.

4) Hold a contest. People love freebies.

5) Write an article that would appeal to your target audience such as small business owners, add a four to five line biography with your e-mail address and web site address.

6) Create an informative presentation around your topic area and contact your local Chamber of Commerce and offer to speak at a monthly meeting.

7) Create coupons offering a free or discounted product or a free hour of service for every two or three hours of paid service.

8) Use the time you spend sitting in traffic to gain new clients. For less than thirty dollars you can purchase a sign for your car from www.iprint.com or www.webdecal.com.

9) Create a press release announcing the opening of your business or some other milestone event. Send the press release to editors at your local newspaper and to other free area publications.

10) Ask for referrals. Give your business card to your family members, neighbors, hair salon, etc. and ask that they pass them on.

Top Ten Frugal Ways to Market Your Small Business [BusinessKnowHow]

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At a recent networking meeting, I had the opportunity to hear Pernille Spiers-Lopez speak.

Danish born, Pernille immigrated to the United States about 26 years ago as a young woman. After a few jobs that didn’t pan out for her, she found herself working in the Marketplace at Ikea, an international home furnishings retail chain originating from Sweden. Rising quickly through the company, Pernille was vaulted to become President of Ikea North America in 1997. An innovator and change advocate, she shared that her rise to success and personal life satisfaction was tremendously aided by her commitment to her spiritual and personal growth journey.

I had the privilege to be seated at her table with a small group and immediately recognized a kindred spirit. While she delivered her speech, I sat there and grinned as she echoed many of the things I continually talk and write about.

Here are the keys to success she spoke about:

1. Know your values – what you stand for. Live your life in alignment with your values so that you are being true to who you are.

2. Grow yourself as a person; invest in yourself and your people. As a result of changes she initiated at Ikea that were employee supportive, the chain has shown increases in profits and employee retention. Personally, she credits her own consciousness journey as adding more joy and peace to her life as well as helping her to be an effective leader.

3. Be courageous. As President of Ikea, she initiated multiple company changes that dramatically increased employee retention including: addressing flexibility needs, creating a “quiet room” for nursing mothers, and substantially increasing the number of women and minorities in management She spoke quite a bit about being willing to trust herself in her choices and actions. Knowing who she is gives her courage to make the tough and easier decisions as a leader, wife and mother with compassion and strength.

4. Surround yourself with good people. In addition to building a strong workforce, she mentioned her participation in two business groups gives her additional support in being successful.

5. Embrace innovation and change. She sees possibilities and improvement in the experience of change to be inviting rather than fearing the unknown. Attitude affects how we view things - as a positive or a negative; compelling or repelling. With all of the positive innovations she has initiated at work, she commented with a small laugh that her teams have asked her not to make any more big changes this year. Her pride in what she has accomplished as a leader at Ikea was evident.

6. Be passionate. What makes you feel the most alive, calls to your heart, and brings you the most joy? She acknowledged how her passion fuels her courage and willingness to show up.

7. Take a stand for what you believe in no matter if it’s an unpopular position or meets resistance. Trust in yourself and inner knowing without wavering when you feel solidly clear about something you believe in. Hold onto that power without giving it away to others. Her passion and trust in her instincts and abilities empowers her to stand strong as a leader. She stated she is not afraid to stand up for her values and fight for what she believes is right.

8. Set personal and business boundaries. With her busy schedule, Pernille clearly states that when she’s at work, she is fully focused on the demands of her job. She works 8-5, has no Blackberry, and turns her cell phone off when she’s at home. What keeps her strong is listening to her body and her intuition while having strong work-life balance boundaries. She’s learned to separate her work and home life so that she can be fully present to what matters most in her life.

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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OnStartups: Chances are, if you're reading this article, you are either involved in a startup already, or looking to be involved in one.

This article is for the folks in the latter category, the "wannabepreneurs". The ones that have always wanted to be entrepreneurs, but haven't quite gotten around to it. The folks still slogging it away in BigCo land waiting for the "right" entrepreneurial opportunity to come along.

Here's my advice: Stop Waiting!

If you've got a passion for startups, you need to be in a startup. Either run with the best idea you have and start your own thing (even if the idea sort of sucks), or join the best people you know that are already doing something. Just get out of the daily slog that is most big businesses. Scratch that itch.

Be an entrepreneur, not a wannabepreneur.

Here are a few quick points to help convince you:

1. You're probably overestimating the risk of leaving that BigCo job. Chances are, that sort of job (or something awfully similar) will be there a year from now if things go miserably.

2. Though nothing compares to doing your own thing, joining a startup team is not bad either. It's a great way to dip your toes in the water. Often, half the battle is just getting out of your comfort zone and being around startup people.

3. Regardless of what your risk tolerance is, you can likely still find opportunities that are more entrepreneurial than what you're doing now. There are startups with really high risk, with nothing but a dream and a developer (or two) all the way to startups that have raised several rounds of funding and are on the IPO path. You should be able to find a startup that meets your risk profile.

4. Unless you have some compelling evidence that things are going to get easier later to do something more entrepreneurial, chances are, they're not (going to get easier). So, if the question is when, not if, then ask yourself "why not sooner, rather than later?"

5. For those that are thinking: "Yeah, this is all easy for you to say, you're not walking in my shoes", I say this: You're right. If you truly don't have the situation or circumstances to take the leap, that's ok. I just implore you to at least think about it and decide for yourself whether your obstacles are real or perceived.

I'll close with a quote that's been on my list of favorites for a while:

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." -Sydney Harris

Taking The Leap: Don't Just Be A Wannabepreneur [OnStartups]

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A tale of two companies

The contrast couldn't be sharper.

Company T had lost it's direction and was sinking fast. Where sales were once $18M, they ultimately plunged to less than $6M. Where they once set the standard in their industry for customer service, now they were the joke of the town.

Company C was a different breed. It had always been the small respected underdog. At $6M is was a third of company T's size. Where everyone else in the industry had lost over half their business, they were holding fast and had doubled their customer base. They were poised to exit the recession as a dominant player.

Why was company C thriving in the recession while company T (and the rest of the industry) foundered? They had a strong sales focus. They seized the chance to grow market share. They saw the opportunity to eliminate several bottom feeders that constantly drug down prices.

7 Keys to selling during a recession

1. Go back to basics

   When things start spinning out of control it is time to reevaluate. What does a good coach work on when his team is slumping? He goes back to basics.
   
   It isn't exciting, but think back to your early days when you were learning sales.Take a deep breath, step back, and look at sales 101.
   



2. Focus on the customer

   Business starts and ends with your customer. Identify his needs. This becomes the basis for your products/services. No, that doesn't mean you give away the store. It just means that every aspect of your business needs to support your customer. Anything else is a waste of time and money.

   Most businesses focus on their systems and expense control. Their criteria for all decisions is making their own jobs easier. Guess what...the customer doesn't care!
   



3. Focus on your niche

   This is not the time to try new techniques, find new markets, or launch new products. That is a desperate act that just wastes your time and money. If anything you should actually focus your resources on your top products, services, and markets. Remember, jack of all trades, master of none.

   Take a minute and define your focus. What is your niche market? What are their needs? What are you doing now to service them? What could you do better? How can you dominate your niche and grow your market share?
   



4. Increase your sales budget

   Contrary to what your operations manager says you can't cut your way to a profit. Business starts and ends with the customer. Yes you need to tighten your belt. Expense control is important. Just be smart where you spend your money. Ask the question "will it grow my business?"

   Increase your sales expense budget. Spend more on strategic lunches. Give your top salesman a bonus. Reward your sales support team. Thank your top customers for their loyalty and send them a gift.

   Compare this to what your competition is doing. Right now they are reigning in their salesman. In fact, they probably just fired a few! You stand out and can take market share if you are smart.
   



5. Dump the deadbeats

   Fire the bottom 20% of your customers. I can hear the screaming now. "We can't afford to lose any more business." This is bunk. These customers take 80% of your time for 20% of the income. Cut them loose and spend your resources on customers you can satisfy!
   



6. Guard your customer base

   Right now everyone is hungry. They are eying your customers like a starving wolf eyes a young lamb. Take care of your customer. Give them such value and service that they wouldn't dream of going elsewhere. Build deep relationships with the key decision makers-remember that the buying decision is emotional. Logic is used to justify the decision.

   Make a list you your customers and rank them. Focus your time and energy on your stars.
   



7. Branch out to new accounts

   The flip side of guarding your customers is to go on the attack. Remember that your competition is cutting back on spending. They have let a few salesmen go. The remaining salesmen are overloaded and overworked.

   Make a customer wish list. Look at the competition and identify their top customers to target.

Brandt Smith is a sales, marketing, public speaking, and professional development expert. Learn about achieving wealth and life balance through entrepreneurship at Wealth and Wisdom, where he is cofounder and senior editor. Their advice on wealth building, personal development, and life balance can help take you to the next level. You can also read more of his thoughts on his blog.

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Here are 7 steps of communication, if applied, will allow you to develop your communication skills that can make you a master communicator. Communication can be likened to a step by step process of checking if you really understand another person from your point of view.

First, you need to listen and observe for the level of importance of this topic to the person you are speaking to and calibrate to that person's level of interest. Calibration is so important when communicating, that if you are unable to calibrate or identify whether or not that person is interested, you might just lose that person straight away.

Second, check congruence in communication. What do I mean by congruence? It means that if he says, "Yes." verbally, he shouldnot be shaking his head, "No." That is incongruence.

Number three is to identify incongruence in communication. We need to clarify meanings and terminologies used. This is for a simple fact that we need to understand what the other person means exactly.

Number four, we need to confirm those meanings. So, if someone said, "Oh! When you look at me, you appear to be extremely angry."What you need to do is to confirm, "Oh! How exactly do I look atyou that mean that I am angry?" The confirmation actually gets you the common understanding that both of you need that will propel your communication to the next level.

Number five, explore alternative meanings. What you are doing hereis eliciting a series of counter examples, to see whether thesemeanings fit in with the person's model of the world.

Number six, offers possibilities. If there are no alternatemeanings, what you might want to do is explore possibilities where one thing could mean something else. This is also known as reframing.

Number seven, summarize your personal experience in communicating with this other person, by starting off and saying, "My experience of you is" and so on. This way, both of you understand each other,and nothing is hidden from each other. It is perfectly honest and direct.

We say that communication is a two way process. This means that communication requires clarity to both parties. Until you understand what I am saying, or until I construct my communicationin a way that makes you understand me, we need to ask questionseven more effectively to reach our win-win outcome. These 7 steps are useful and can be applied anytime we are communicating with another person.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a peak performance trainer. A self-made millionaire by the age of 26, he owns and runs several businesses in education, training, event management and advertising, all with a combined annual turnover of $20 million. His best-selling "Patterns of Excellence" is a complete step-by-step system that will literally program you for success in life.

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Our friend at YoungEntrepreneur.com, Evan Carmichael, alerted us to a really insightful post written by Anthony Mora for his weekly Entrepreneur University feature. Its about having 20 ways to have a successful Media Interview.

Review the following checklist:

1) Review the two or three primary points that you want to get across during the interview.

2) Make sure you’ve checked yourself in a mirror before you go on camera. Is your hair in place? Is your tie crooked? Is your lipstick smeared? Give yourself the basic once-over.

3) Remember, you don’t have to force the information; weave your points into the interview. If you spend your time forcing an issue, it will come out sounding strained and stilted.

4) Relax. You are there to have a conversation. Well, at least you want it to look like a conversation.

5) No slouching. Sit erect.

6) Focus on the interviewer. The camera and crew is part of the furniture as far as you’re concerned.

7) Start off with your most important information. Interviews can be very short. If you don’t lead with what’s important, you may have missed your chance.

8) Breathe. People have a tendency to hold their breath when nervous, which only creates more anxiety. Remember to breathe.

9) Smile. I’ve seen more media opportunities ruined by people who have refused to smile during their interviews. Looking grave does not make you appear more profound, it makes you look dull and somber.

10) Listen. Don’t anticipate questions. Don’t think that you know what the interviewer is asking. Wait until the question is asked and then respond.

Learn more for the rest of the 10 ways now at YoungEntrepreneur.com's article: 20 Ways To A Successful Media Interview - Entrepreneur University.

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Blogging is quickly becoming the new favorite for small business marketers. Mainly because of the amazing results they received when they blog regularly. And publicity isn't the only benefit to blogging. There are many ways that blogging can add merit to your business. In fact, The Wall Street Journal recently featured The CWAHM blog in an article on how blogging can help small businesses create a buzz for their products and services. The results from this were amazing and prove that blogging truly works: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120526706660828097.html?mod=ITPWSJ_20.

Here are the top ten ways to use blogs to increase your business revenue.

1. Ad revenue - Offering paid advertising on your blog is one of the easiest ways to see tangible evidence of the benefits of blogging.

2. Link swaps - Swapping links with other like-minded bloggers increases your standing with search engines. One of the biggest blogs available, problogger.net, recently completed a survey in an attempt to find where bloggers get the most traffic? The overwhelming response? Google at 46%. This shows us how important search engine ranking are. Link swaps are just one way to improve yours.

3. Reviews - Another growing trend online is that of the customer review. People appreciate reading the thoughts of others before they purchase a product. It doesn't seem to matter how big or small the product, either. Posting reviews of books you've read, CDs you love, etc, is a great way to generate traffic for your blog.

4. Free offers - Who doesn't love a freebie? There are many ways of using freebies to your advantage.You can offer a free ebook when someone signs up for your newsletter is an easy way to build your subscriber base. Many blogs also offer contests for those who post comments or interact in other ways on the blog.

5. Blog tours - Being a part in a blog tour is like being the next stop along the railroad. If set up correctly, the tour will send participants from one blog to the next to read more about whatever topic the tour is covering. I've participated in many blog tours for book releases. It's a lot of fun and a great way to bring new readers to your blog.

6. Networking - It goes without saying that building relationships with people is one of the oldest ways of gaining long-time, loyal customers (or in this case, readers). Taking part in the comments discussion on blogs and forums is a great way to do this. The key, though, is to be authentic. Don't simply blast places with the link to your blog; take part in the discussion and provide useful information - not just your URL.

7. Directories - Listing your blog in blog directories is probably not the best way to generate traffic, but it can be useful in certain ways. It's a great way to connect with other like-minded bloggers and possibly generate some link exchanges, etc.

8. Press/Media - Getting media attention can be challenging. One great way to bring your blog to the attention of the media is to send out Press Releases when something newsworthy happens on your site. For instance, when I offered a free e-book on my site for Mother's Day I put together a press release to announce it to the world.

9. Consistency - Posting on a regular basis is key. Try to find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Even if you can't blog every day, work to get posts out there two to three times a week. Most blogging software, including Wordpress and Blogger, allow you to set the date and time our post will be published. Utilize tools like this to keep your blog consistently updated with fresh, new content.

10. Updates - Finding ways to keep your readers informed is a sure-fire way to keep them coming back to your blog. There are a quite a few ways of accomplishing this, such as offering a newsletter, setting up a Feedburner.com account, and making your RSS feeds easy to find and subscribe to.

Diana Ennen, co-author Virtual Assistant - The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, and co-host of MomCast Live, has been blogging for the past few years and states, "One of the greatest benefits I see to blogging is the results you see in Google ratings. Often times I will post to my blog and it will appear in my Google Alerts almost instantly. I post all my articles on my blog, as well as client's articles and press releases. It's a great way to generate more exposure for all your marketing efforts if you use your keywords effectively. If I'm posting on virtual assistants, I will make sure I post the keywords Virtual Assistants in the title and throughout the posting."

Want to take your business to the next level or even six-figure status? It can be as easy as learning the ins and outs of blogging. Once you start seeing the results, you'll be a believer just like us.

Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. She graduated from Grace University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies/Bible. Jill has worked from since 2000 and started her own home-based business to assist other Christians who desire to work from home while maintaining a godly life.

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This article is by our guest writer Diana Ennen, who is also the Author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, & The Corel Word Perfect Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution Pack. She also owns a website: http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

Marketing your business is essential to its success. You can have the greatest service or the best product, but if you don't market it and let others know about it, then it's doubtful that you'll be very successful. When considering your marketing, you first want to take into account who your clients are, and what your clients might be looking to you to do. To do this, you need to do the following:

1.Know Your Client's Business: The first step is to know your clients. Do some research so you can have a clear understanding of what your clients' business is and what they do. What does this business hope to achieve? What are its needs and how can you meet those needs?

What can you do that will allow that client to perform better in business? By knowing your client and finding answers to these questions, you can become an immediate asset to their firm.

2.Offering Clients a Convenience: One of the main conveniences you can offer is that of time. Clients realize that their time is valuable. Anything that will allow your potential clients more freedom with their time is an immediate plus. But you need to be able to show them this in your marketing. Take for example a virtual assisting business, when you market to potential clients letting them know that you will do their correspondence typing, answer their e-mail, handle all their publicity needs and even keep their office running while they travel, they realize they will have the time they need to do the work that often so desperately needs done. They will have the time to draft that pleading or finalize the proposal. For the realtor, when you do their marketing they can see how they would be allowed the freedom to be out there selling.

3.Solving clients' problems: If you can find a way to solve a client's problems, then you are able to make your business a valuable asset to them. For example, let's say they are having problems with their website and getting visitors to it. You can send them a letter addressing specifically how you can bring more visitors and also mention what other advantages you can offer. You become a very valuable asset when you do this. They have a problem they need fixed. You have a solution you can solve that problem. They are eager to talk to you immediately to get their site up and running and not miss out on any more missed revenue from their site being down.

4.Proving Clients with Something Better Than What They Have: In your marketing efforts, make sure to mention anything that might be of interest to your clients to run their business better. For example, you might have Voxwire capabilities. This allows you to do web conferencing. You can offer your clients the convenience of having meetings, classes online, etc. Or perhaps you are an expert at Outlook and e-mail management. You can emphasize how much time you can save them daily when you handle this for them. Also, how much more they can connect to their clients when you organize their contacts with Outlook so they can keep in better touch with them.

These are essential key points to remember in marketing to obtain clients or even to keep those existing ones. Now, it's also important once you get those clients to keep those clients. To do this, you just provide the best possible service always.

For additional marketing tips, you can look to our articles at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com for articles on all topics of marketing, as well as other business needs.

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Good News For Germaphobes …

Consumers are very conscious of hygiene, and need to feel safe from potential exposure to health risks when outside of their home environments. After washing and drying your hands in a public washroom, how can the washroom door be opened without touching the handle? Sanitgrasp, an small American company based in Atlanta, has a solution that allows the door to be opened by pulling with the forearm.....

Continued in BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 70 >>>

- iReporting
- Preserving Old Memories
- Baby Boomers Attitude Tees
- Tune Your World Music Financing
- Futuristic Pivo by Nissan
- One-Stop Resource For Grooms
- Nature Calls

Continue reading these top stories in the BIZNESS! Newsletter >>>

- Top Stories from GetEntrepreneurial.com
- Self Employment Marketing Plan: 4 Tips To Fine-tune Your Niche Marketing
- Identifying And Reducing Cost Generating Friction In Business
- First Impression Counts
- You Can Start A Business Even If You Are Cash strapped
- Expand Your Team
- 7 Business Tips From Blogtrepreneur

Continue reading these top stories in the BIZNESS! Newsletter >>>

Can't stand your demanding boss anymore? Start your own business! Before that, be sure to subscribe to our free informative newsletter. BIZNESS! is jointly published by CoolBusinessIdeas.com and GetEntrepreneurial.com What you get in BIZNESS! - the latest new business ideas, small business advice, business tips and info and entrepreneur resources. Everything you need for your brand new business!

Free 20-pages PDF report (worth $38) - "New Business Ideas Report 2007" - included with your subscription. Learn more here.

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Our friend at YoungEntrepreneur.com, Evan Carmichael, alerted us to a really insightful post written by Andy Marken for his weekly Entrepreneur University feature. It's about whether or not businesses should start a blog and if you decide to, what are the things to look out for that will help turn your blog into a success. The key learnings points we took away from the article:

1. Blogs are ideal for CEOs because the focus is on a topic you are passionate about. The blog allows the executive to address business issues and concerns, explain them and expand on key industry/company points.

2. Use shorter, more frequent blog entries rather than long white papers or position statements. As you study blogs around the web you will see that the best and most popular sites are a short paragraph or two and sometimes only a sentence. The goal is to show you are knowledgeable about the subject and to make one specific point. Some of the best executive blogs only have a sentence or two with a link directing readers to a relevant article in a respected business, trade or consumer publication.

3. The best business blogs reflect the viewpoint and voice of the executive, not lawyer talk or PR bullet dodging. This can be a tightrope because you want to be as honest and forthright as possible but you also have to write with the understanding that you are creating a very public presence of your information.

Learn more about whether you should start a blog right now at YoungEntrepreneur.com's article: Should You Start A Blog? - Entrepreneur University.

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A creative ad by Mini Cooper placed at the Zurich , Switzerland train station, shows people climbing into or out of the car, when they are actually entering or exiting stairs. That’s persuasion at its best! More examples below.

I just listened to an mp3 interview with Paul Endress, persuasion extraordinaire and found some of his persuasion techniques insightful. He is also the man behind the persuasion article written for The Toastmaster (May 2008 edition). If you want to listen to the full version of the tutorial, click here. If you are in a hurry, you can first check out my notes below.

While research shows that most people believe they can’t be sold, the fact is those same people can indeed be persuaded if they don’t recognize that a sales tecnique is being used.

The trick lies in the different persuasive strategies used then and now. Lets use a car salesman this time since they top the list as the people you absolutely cannot trust in a poll.

Then: They go on downloading information in you, telling you EVERYTHING you need to know AND don’t need to know.
Basically, its like taking a shotgun with pellets in it, hoping that one of them will hit the target. This doesn’t work anymore!

Now: Being subtle.

The following are strategies for you to adopt as you attempt to persuade your audience, be it one or many.

1. Aiming at the Target

Have you been in a situation where a salesman or saleswoman was trying to sell you something by giving you the 4-1-1 of what he or she is selling while you absolutely couldn’t wait to get away from the guy? That he or she was boring you nuts with all the information?

You felt like running away as soon as he turns his head because he never found out what was IMPORTANT to YOU.

Ask a simple question : “What’s most important to you when you buy a car? ”

“What’s most important to you when you enroll your kids to a programme? ”

“What most important to you when you look for a life partn…( ok you get it by now don’t you? ) ”

This simple question is what gets you the most answers. So for example, if I’m going to go buy a car, what’s important to me is the price.

So if you’re going to sell me a car, you should immediately address my pricing concerns and not go rambling on how energy-efficient and how many awards the car has won. This saves your breath and of course, time spent.

2. Never start your questions with ” WHY? “

Not only is it annoying but you get only excuses.

Lets use an example: If your kid comes back from school with his report card dominated with D’s and E’s and (God Forbid, F’s ), You’ll probably be in a rage and ask ..”WHY did you get D’s and E’s ?? ”

And the answer (or rather, excuse) that you’re going to get is:

“My teacher ate my test paper.”
“My teacher doesn’t really like me.”
“The kids bully me if I get A’s.”

So how can you ask the same question but get solutions instead?

Start your questions with “What” or “How”

These 2 words empowers action in people. You’re still asking the same question, but you shift its mode and then you start to get changes!

3. Use STORIES to convey your message.

Its important to highlight before I continue with how we can use stories that people tend to be too obvious when they use their stories. As a result, they shift back into a sales mode.

Most people cannot come up with a story on the fly. Even Paul suggested practice and fine-tuning our stories to ensure an impactful message and one that really sinks into the human psyche. Remember? Stories, like humour is a process. Your stories are not going to come out fantastic the first time you tell them. Hence, you must be willing to let your stories develop over time.

I suspect, if I let my enthusiasm and excitement get the better of me, you’ll never reach the end of this entry…awake.

That’s why I’m leaving you wanting for more (which happens to be another strategy in persuasion that I shall cover in my next entry)

Promise that my next entry will be shorter..by a bit at least *grins*

Eric Feng is the go-to guy if you want to learn how to impress your investors and customers through public speaking. For more tips and tactics that you can use immediately in your next presentation, visit The Public Speaking Blog.

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Are you one of those people who are guilty of just stuffing your receipts into a folder and thinking 'I'll sort that out when I've got time'? Do you need a more organised bookkeeping system, nothing too flash, just something that's simple and easy to manage?

Follow my tips below and you'll soon have that simple and easy-to-manage bookkeeping system that won't bring you out in a cold sweat whenever you hear the words 'tax return'. And I promise you, it works!

1. Gather your supplies!

Get hold of a large ring binder, divider cards, A4/letter-sized paper, stapler, pen, all your business receipts and invoices, plastic folders and a large coffee (or whatever else you prefer!).

Then lock yourself away for a couple of hours.

2. Get Organized

You now need to organize your ring binder into the following sections:

Invoices - Unpaid -- this section is for your outgoing business expenses that have not yet been paid i.e. supplier invoices. Write on the top of each invoice the date it needs to be paid by and place all unpaid invoices in 'date to be paid' order with the earliest one on top.

Invoices - Paid -- this section is for your outgoing business expenses that have been paid or you've paid at the time service was rendered, i.e. that ream of paper that you bought from the office supplies store. Staple each receipt on to a blank piece of paper rather than just putting them directly into the ring binder. This just makes it easier to see at a glance all your receipts and you can also make notes on the paper. Also write on the top of each invoice/piece of paper the method of payment.

Receipts - Unpaid -- this section is for all your invoices that you have sent to clients that have not yet been paid. Write on the top date payment is due and put them in date order so that it's easier if you have to chase overdue invoices.

Receipts - Paid -- this section is for all your invoices that have been paid. Write on the top the date it was paid and how it was paid i.e. cash, check, credit card etc.

Bank Statements -- this section is self-explanatory! Just keep everything in date order.

3. Schedule It In

Now that you've got your system in place, schedule in each week/month to keep your bookkeeping binder up-to-date. In between updating place all your receipts and invoices in a plastic folder so that everything is together when you come to update your system--it would be too time-consuming to add each receipt as you get it!

What Next?

Depending on how far you want to handle your own accounts, you can either hand your very organised bookkeeping binder over to your accountant at the end of the financial year for them to prepare your final accounts, or you can maintain your own books with the use of financial accounting software.

Either way, you've now got a bookkeeping system that is simple and easy-to- manage and won't cause you to break out into a cold sweat at the very mention of the words 'tax return'.

Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

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Working from home is growing in popularity in this unsettled economy. It’s great for the working parent as they can be there for their children and save money by avoiding the long commute day in and day out. Bosses are growing to appreciate this style of work as working from has actually proven to churn out more productive workers. However, when working from home there are always the temptations to stray from your work or just plain getting distracted. It may sound like a dream but it takes some serious discipline to work out of your house. Here are five tips to increasing your productivity as you stay home and work:

1. Stick to a schedule.

If you’re used to a 9 to 5 day then carry that over with you as work you from home. If you fall into a trap of putting things off and laying on the couch until 11 or 12 you’re going to get behind and this whole idea of working from home will go up in smoke. It’s imperative you treat each workday the same as you would if you were going into the office as normal. Wake up and shower and get dressed professionally. Don’t turn on the television; go to your workstation and begin tackling your day.

2. Set up a true workstation.

If you have your computer in the family room where there are distractions galore then move it to an unused room away from these temptations. You have to create some semblance of an office setting. Do you have a comfy couch with cozy blankets at your office? No, you don’t.

3. Let everyone know where you can be reached.

Give out your cell phone or land line numbers to your clients and co-workers. If you change your email address then let this be known. There can be no miscommunication and nobody will care about your excuses. The prevailing theme you must remember is that you’re still doing the same work; you’ve just changed locations. Consider it as you got moved to another office.

4. Leave your work at home.

As you’ve already developed a schedule (see step 1), you must stick to it. Once five o’clock rolls around it’s time for you to leave work and live your life. If you don’t follow the schedule you’ll fall into the trap of sneaking away to your computer during family time and odd hours when the rest of the people you work with are away from the office. You have to stay on the same page as your industry and Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. are probably not peak hours.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who is an industry critic on the subject of types of credit cards. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

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Before you can have clients, you need to have prospects -- that's what marketing is all about. If your marketing isn't attracting the kind of people you'd like to be working with, it's like pushing a rope -- you are trying to sell them something they don't need, and they are looking for something you don't offer. A little fine-tuning of your marketing plan can make the difference between a solo business that lurches and stalls, and a business that runs smoothly and is fun to operate.

Your Four-Point Marketing Tune-Up Checklist:

Understand the difference between your Target Market and your Niche. A target market has distinguishing demographic characteristics; for example, recently widowed working women under 50. A niche gets more specific in characteristics that might not be as easily identifiable as demographics; using the previous example, you could further narrow your target market by including only women who want to remarry and don’t know how to meet suitable men.

Make sure your Niche is focused enough. Think of all the people who might fit in your niche. Imagine them all in a room at a business or social event. Would you find them all interesting and enjoy talking to them? If you cringe at the thought of meeting some of the people in that imaginary room, note what it is about them that you’d like to avoid – and re-define your niche to exclude them.

Perhaps you want to coach women who will be patient in their search for a spouse -- not desperate! If your marketing message implies easy, immediate results, you'll be attracting the wrong prospects. Fine-tune your language so it is clear that your solutions may take time to be successful. You won’t be eliminating potential customers – you’ll be saving yourself time wasted on less-than-ideal prospects. And you’ll find yourself more effortlessly attracting clients in the heart of your niche market.

Choose marketing techniques that fit your strengths. Just because every other relationship coach has written a book, doesn’t mean you have to! If the whole publishing and book promotion exercise sounds like torture, don’t waste your time. Maybe writing a Dear Abby type of newspaper column is more your style. If you find dealing with your website to be confusing, but are good at speaking to small groups, ignore the advice to do a lot of online marketing and instead look for opportunities to speak at senior centers.

Be authentic – be yourself. Building an image that isn’t who you are is a setup for disaster, especially for the self employed. You’ll be exhausted keeping up the façade…and potential clients will sense the lack of integrity. If you yourself are recently widowed and learning how to meet the right kind of men, don't try to imply that you are an expert. Your personal dating stories can be a great way to establish a relationship with a potential client, who can see themselves in you. Clients want someone they can trust -- it is more important than all the credentials in the world.

Terri Zwierzynski is a self-employed business strategist and marketing consultant to solo entrepreneurs, and a grassroots promoter of the solo entrepreneur lifestyle. She runs