Tip: Offer your customers, free information of VALUE.

It is difficult for a prospect to take the hard step towards making the decision to become a customer. Many prospects and return customers need a little nudge. Enter Guerilla Marketing. Make that hard step a lot less hard by providing soft steps for your prospects and return customers to take. Offer your customers, free information of VALUE. This should include, free brochures, a free newsletter or a free catalog. All of the mentioned can be created and/or delivered, electronically.

Guest blog by:

The V~Source Marketing ~ Blogzine is designed to give Small, Home-Based, Virtual and Online Business Owners an informative, detailed and educational look at modern marketing trends and promotional ideas while becoming a resource.

Help: Identifying legitimate trade shows/expos

I have put together a list that can assist both vendors and hosts in regards to trade shows/expos.

This list will help potential vendors identify a legitimate opportunity and or help hosts validate their legitimate opportunity.

1. The trade show should have a business/industry oriented name.

2. A contact name, phone number/e-mail address should be available. Once contact is initiated, a professional with knowledge and details about the event should assist you and be able to answer any and all questions that you may have.

3. A website detailing the event is fairly optional but highly recommended. If you are a web design vendor you may want to think about exchanging your service/talent for booth/table space at the event. (hint..hint)

4. Show date(s) and time(s) should be clearly stated.

5. Expected attendees, demographics and target information should be available upon request.

6. Estimated number of exhibitors should be available upon request.

7. Show venue, location and element should be clearly stated.

8. A clear refund policy should be available in case of conflicts, weather, etc.
Guest blog by:

V~Source Marketing ~ Blogzine
The V~Source Marketing ~ Blogzine is designed to give Small, Home-Based, Virtual and Online Business Owners an informative, detailed and educational look at modern marketing trends and promotional ideas while becoming a resource.

Question: Can LESS be MORE in Marketing? YES!

As a marketing professional, I can vouch for the fact that high-budget marketing is not always high-impact marketing. There is no need to ring your bank account dry on marketing endeavors.

However, you do need the right techniques to reach your target audience.

Low cost marketing techniques are equally effective in creating recognition among current and potential customers. Such techniques can also assist with keeping customers loyal.

The real challenge here is not how much money you can spend, but rather, how creative you can be in finding ways to maximize results out of every penny you spend on your marketing plan.

Reference: www.marketingcrossing.com

Guest blog by:

V~Source Marketing ~ Blogzine
The V~Source Marketing ~ Blogzine is designed to give Small, Home-Based, Virtual and Online Business Owners an informative, detailed and educational look at modern marketing trends and promotional ideas while becoming a resource.

Skipping lunch can be hazardous to your business

This is a great article from AJCjobs.com

With the struggling economy and lean corporate budgets, company leaders may be tempted to pull the plug on business lunches.

"That would be a big mistake," warns Robin Jay, a Las Vegas sales expert and motivational speaker, who wrote "The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationships Between 12 and 2," based on her previous experiences in media advertising sales. "I've probably hosted about 4,000 client lunches now, and it caused my sales to increase by more than 2,000 percent."

READ MORE

Saving Money with Coupons Can Allow you More Funds to Invest in your Business

"So what does this have to do with being Indie? [Independent business owner] Only everything. See, the whole idea of managing a home and a business simultaneously is that to stay afloat, you have to save more than you spend. You want to pay yourself, of course. But if you can pay yourself a little less because you are a good steward of the money your business pays you, then you'll have more to invest in expanding the business."

Create your own coupon binder or other organizing system
How to use coupons to save money I regularly save 30-55%

The Mental Beatdown - the economy and your business

I've been thinking a lot lately about how people give up on their business when they meet with challenges. As gas prices rise and people worry about the economy, we can tend to think negatively, a "well, why even bother..." type of attitude seeps in to our mentality.

When we give up, we have stopped trying. When we stop trying, other people stop caring - because, why should they care if we don't care?!? If we stop marketing and selling, of course our businesses will fail. We can blame it on the economy all we want, but more of the blame is our own actions -- or rather, our choice of inaction. If you are having trouble getting your own financial needs met, then take action! Learn about how to save money so you will have more money to put toward your business expenses and so you will have less to worry about.

When we get mentally beaten down by negative self talk "of why even bother," we have doomed our business to failure.

I would like to leave you with some words of wisdom from Dr. Heartsill Wilson, who said in some of his speeches that the Great Depression was worsened not by people's inability to buy, but by sales peoples' inability to sell.

"This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it--or use it for good, but what
I do today is important, because I am exchanging
a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever, leaving in its
place something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, and not loss; good,
and not evil, success, and not failure;
in order that I shall not regret the
price that I have paid for it."

Saving Some for Later

I got some business advice from a very wise person today. You see, I have been spending all of my time lately working for paid writing jobs, which is wonderful. However, I have spend very little of my time since the first of the year working on my blogs. That may not sound like a big deal since I get paid a living wage for my articles,and slave wages for my blogs. However, blogging does eventually pay off, and neglecting to work for them is the same as neglecting to put any money away for the future.

With my writing business paying off well, I have been busy focusing on now, and not my future income. If this continues, in five years, I will still be writing for six to eight hours a day or more, and making the same amount of money. If I cut back just two hours a day on my paid writing, and worked more time on my blogs, then in five years, I will be writing only two or three hours a day, and very possibly making alot more money.

Now I realize that not everyone's business works the same way I do, but in theory, anyone who owns a small business needs to spend a certain amount of time in active work, and also a portion of their time in planning, and marketing to bring in future business.

So here's where you talk back. What do you do, how much time to you spend on making income for now,and how much time do you spend working toward future income?

Do You Thank Your Customers?

This article discusses the importance of sending thank you cards to your customers.... If I am correct, we have a member who can actually do this service for you if you don't have the time.

Is it time to grow your business?

Your Government Rebate Check and Your Business

When You Get Your Government Tax Rebate CheckBy [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Viola_Bontrager]Viola Bontrager

What are YOU going to do with YOUR government tax rebate check??
Blow it?? Invest it?? Pay Bills??

Rebate checks could soon be coming as the government attempts to jump start the economy and minimize the impact of a recession this year. Congress and President Bush reached agreement on the size of the checks, and who will qualify to receive one.

The goal: to stimulate the economy by getting consumers to spend again. There will be a $1,200 family maximum. Most individual taxpayers will receive a $600 check, with another $300 per child. The average American will think the Government is giving them a gift. Uhhh... slightly mistaken! We will not have to pay income tax on the checks, as they are an advance on next year's tax cut.

So.... My fellow American entrepreneur.....

ARE WE GOING TO BLOW OUR TAX REBATE CHECK OR ARE WE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT???

We have several options and a lot of people are thinking of paying off debt with it, or buying all that stuff we have been wanting to get, BUT REALLY, it won't go very far in today's economy AT ALL!!

What about INVESTING your tax rebate check?? And reap returns from your investment all next year.... There are many successful home based business opportunities available , that you can get started in for anywhere from $300 - $1300. Unlike traditional businesses, where you have to invest in a building, have high overhead or inventory, most home based businesses have very low overhead, if any, and can be run right out of our home and from our computer.

The world is our market place so we have the advantages of marketing our product or services to millions of potential customers... Regardless how we look at it, by investing that money - we at least, have a chance at increasing our income this year, and if we blow it at the mall, (which is what Uncle Sam wants us to, by the way!)... we are no better off than we were AND WE WILL PAY TAXES ON IT NEXT YEAR!

Viola is an entrepreneur and home business owner. [http://montanamom5.com]Click Here to find out how how YOU can find financial freedom, through owning your own business at home!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Viola_Bontrager http://EzineArticles.com/?When-You-Get-Your-Government-Tax-Rebate-Check&id=948562




UPDATE: While the writer of this article is suggesting you put your money into her MLM business, the point I want to get across is that it may make some sense to use your rebate money to invest in your own business, or get one started.