Casual Articles - Business

The Fear Factor In Starting A Home Business
Starting a home business can be fearful, and bring upon us concern. Fear and worry is only present in the blind future when we can't see ahead, or what's going to happen next. Here is where we can address why we don't try something new, because we can't see into the future, and understand the out come. Does this apply to you? well it's a normal human feeling that's ok, we only fear the unknown.Building a home based business in which we desire to generate residual income or even become a wealth builder for life sounds good. But, yep theirs that word, but. I'm fearful of loosing money, I'm

mount, time savings, etc.)?

* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?

The Call-to-Action

Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.

If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."

Questions to ask:

* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?

* Does it stand out from the copy around it?

* Does it make responding easy?

* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, e

Helpful Hiring Hints
At a recent industry meeting, one of the speakers focused on Human Resource Issues. One area of particular interest to everyone there had to do with Hiring. Virtually everyone in attendance had made a bad hiring decision at one time or another and fully knew the high cost of a bad hire. The speaker advised that it had been his experience that most executives spend too little time preparing for interviews with perspective employees. He went on to say that most executives utilize the same questions for every interview, regardless of the position. He believes that the above practices in part expla

Your postcard-marketing program can benefit from a good checklist. Checklists keep us focused on the task at hand and help us remember all of the finer points. Doctors use them. Mechanics use them. And yes, postcard marketers use them -- at least those who take postcard marketing seriously.

The checklist that follows is not all-inclusive, but is meant to provide a solid enough list to get your postcard marketing campaign underway.

The List

Your mailing list (a.k.a. database) should be the result of asking tough questions and doing some hard research. To build a good mailing list, you need to find out who wants and needs the products / services you sell.

If you're mailing to your customer base, your list requirements are simple -- just mail to your best customers. But if you're mailing to "strangers" in the hopes of making them customers, you'll have more homework to do.

Questions to ask:

* Have you obtained your list from a reputable list vendor?

* If using your in-house list, have you checked it for accuracy, duplication, etc?

* Does your list match your message? Is your message relevant to your list?

The Headline

Direct mail postcards have a major advantage over their enveloped counterparts -- immediate impact, right out of the mailbox. This is where your headline comes into play. The reader will give your postcard a "golden glimpse" during which you have a chance to pull them in. Whether you do so or not will depend largely on your headline.

Questions to ask:

* Does you headline identify your target audience?

* Does your headline promise a benefit?

* Is your headline clear and to the point?

* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?

The Offer

In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"

The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.

When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.

Questions to ask:

* Is the offer related to your product or service?

* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?

* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?

* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?

The Call-to-Action

Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.

If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."

Questions to ask:

* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?

* Does it stand out from the copy around it?

* Does it make responding easy?

* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, et

Why Surveying Matters
What is the single most important thing you can do as a business owner? That is a question that this week I think I have found an answer to. The answer? Keep your ear to the marketplace by listening to your customers.Ford’s MistakeIn the early 1920’s Henry Ford launched his assembly-line produced Model T. The car was relatively inexpensive, yet of good quality for the time. In order to reach production goals, the company decided to offer only one color of the car—black. “You could have any color you wanted, as long as it was black”, the saying went. With this strategy, Ford

our customer base, your list requirements are simple -- just mail to your best customers. But if you're mailing to "strangers" in the hopes of making them customers, you'll have more homework to do.

Questions to ask:

* Have you obtained your list from a reputable list vendor?

* If using your in-house list, have you checked it for accuracy, duplication, etc?

* Does your list match your message? Is your message relevant to your list?

The Headline

Questions to ask:

* Does you headline identify your target audience?

* Does your headline promise a benefit?

* Is your headline clear and to the point?

* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?

The Offer

In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"

Questions to ask:

* Is the offer related to your product or service?

* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?

* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?

* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?

The Call-to-Action

Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.

If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."

Questions to ask:

* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?

* Does it stand out from the copy around it?

* Does it make responding easy?

* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, e

Benefits of Owning a Franchise
Franchises are popular amongst small business owners as well as entrepreneurs and people looking to get out of the corporate “grind”. There is good reason for this, as franchises offer the benefits of business ownership along with the support system and business model of an already successful business. When you take a close look at the benefits that go along with franchise ownership, its no wonder franchises are becoming increasingly popular.A franchise can be an especially good idea if you want to break into an industry that is extremely competitive, high risk, takes a decent amount of

" during which you have a chance to pull them in. Whether you do so or not will depend largely on your headline.

Questions to ask:

* Does you headline identify your target audience?

* Does your headline promise a benefit?

* Is your headline clear and to the point?

* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?

The Offer

In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"

Questions to ask:

* Is the offer related to your product or service?

* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?

* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?

* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?

The Call-to-Action

Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.

If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."

Questions to ask:

* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?

* Does it stand out from the copy around it?

* Does it make responding easy?

* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, e

Advertising Temptations & How Small Businesses Can Handle Them
New advertising ideas and techniques most always get the quick attention of the optimistic small business owner.The first time you hear about something new to use or adapt, your mind races to fast forward, especially if the testimonials are realistic and seem to relate to what you are doing.To illustrate, picture that ad salesperson standing right there in your business. Temptation is staring you in the face. "It's a great deal," they tell you.Do you go for it or not?Here are three sets of realistic questions to ask yourself as you evaluate the proposal:

e. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.

Questions to ask:

* Is the offer related to your product or service?

* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?

* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?

* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?

The Call-to-Action

Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.

If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."

Questions to ask:

* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?

* Does it stand out from the copy around it?

* Does it make responding easy?

* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, e

Basic Levels of Consumer Integrity that Presently Permeates Society
Reality is not always pretty. But here is a tad bit of it for you today. Well here is an interesting occurrence that is of interest. And this is in any town middle class USA, mixed races neighborhood, the person in question happened to be white. While standing in line a counter for my turn to order and pay. A lady was talking to what could have been her daughter (teenager) and with her was a young child about 3 or 4, who carried a doll and was messing around with whatever was at her level she could reach. So this little girl picks up a candy cane with a Santa on top, a small doll about the si

mount, time savings, etc.)?

* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?

The Call-to-Action

Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.

If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."

Questions to ask:

* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?

* Does it stand out from the copy around it?

* Does it make responding easy?

* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, etc.)?

The Tracking

One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.

For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.

Question to ask:

* First off, do you have a tracking program?

* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?

* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?

* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?

Conclusion

As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, you'll have a list of things that have worked well for you (as well as those that haven't). And that's a valuable checklist to have!

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In terms of personal branding, however, word ownership is a great advantage to your business. It differentiates you from your competitors, keeps you in the minds of the people you serve and positions you an expert. Ultimately, it’s a fundamental key to entrepreneurial success...

The word entrepreneur gets kicked around a lot here on the web. But to be honest, I see more underpaid sales reps in the internet marketing sector than I see true entrepreneurs.

Have you ever stopped to think about why Reality TV is so pervasive? I personally don't believe that it's because it makes for particular exceptional television viewing. Instead, it fulfills our basic human need for voyeurism. The good news for us entrepreneurs is that this same need for voyeurism can be used to attract clients.

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