business survival tips

74 Business

Survival Tips

from a Collection of Experts

Compiled and Published by

Tips Products International

74 Business Survival Tips 2

Target Marketing and Specialization

Be a specialist not a generalist. Pick the most enjoyable area of work and customers and focus your business, marketing, and sales to get more of the same type of customers and work. Usually profi ts are higher and aggravation is lower.Start with your current customers fi rst since they already know and trust you. They will be the easiest to sell more of the type of work you prefer to do. Market to the same group of prospects multiple times. Do not pick new groups for each marketing campaign. It takes repetition and most agree at least six contacts before your average prospect will consider you. Compose and email testimonials to your customers, requesting them to edit and approve for use in your marketing materials. You write the best testimonials for your company. Make it easy for your customers when they compliment you. Use quality stock images in your marketing if they accurately represent the type of products or services you sell. Do this unless, of course you are a photographer! Break the 80/20 rule! At best 20% of your new customers will be ideal if you use “All Things to Everyone” shotgun marketing. Be exactly what your ideal customer wants, specializing in work you like. Do more, get bett er and faster, and earn more. Your customers will love the change.

Parkside Graphics, Inc., a marketing, printing, and web design company, has helped businesses attract the customers and work they prefer since 1988.

Parkside Graphics, Inc. Dennis Becker, President

95 N. Main StreetSellersville, Pennsylvania 18960

(215)-453-1123 www.ParksideGraphics.com

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Tips Products International 3

Four Things Your Computer Must Have

Whether at home with one computer or connected to 20 other computers at work, correctly installing and confi guring these software programs is crucial

Anti-virus: While programs like Norton anti-virus cannot guarantee you will never get a virus, they go a long way in preventing viruses from erasing your data or leaving your computer non-operational. Keep these updated.Anti-spyware: This tool helps eliminate pop-ups on your machine and keeps programs such as keystroke loggers from transmitt ing your credit card information across the Internet.Firewall: This software or hardware att empts to block connections (called ports) to and from your computer to and from other computers. Remote off site computer backups: Things can happen even after all this software is safely installed and confi gured correctly. Hard drives are mechanical devices. The failure rate is 100%. All hard drives will eventually fail. While no combination of software and hardware will guarantee you a total absence of problems, these help minimize your risk and the impact of a disaster.

For more tips like these, please visit http://www.Th atDarnPC.com

EchoSystem Industries, LLC, Your Full Service IT Consulting Company

“Improving your business with technology”7 day guarantee – if something is not working

you do not pay

Rick Bergami518 Kimberton Road, PMB #114

Phoenixville, PA 19460(484)-921-4150

(610)-308-8603 cellhttp://www.Th atDarnPC.com

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Five Secrets of Wealth

Pay yourself fi rst. Set aside 10% of everything you earn before paying anyone else. After all, it is yours to keep. Invest it wisely. Buy a copy of The Richest Man in Babylon for a detailed plan.Write out your goals: things you want to acquire, things you want to do; and wealth to which you aspire. Update it every month. Use your goals as guidelines to avoid impulse spending.Create a spending plan. The Family Money Management SystemTM uses fi ve bank accounts. All income goes into a primary checking account. Money is then automatically transferred into two money market accounts for big expenses and savings, and two (or more) savings accounts with ATM access for individual allowances. Each person in the family must have some money to spend any way they want. Telling someone else how to spend their money is the root of confl ict.Get out of debt. Interest expenses raise the price of your purchases. You have fewer choices with your current income when you are in debt.Live within your means. Your self worth is not defi ned by the stuff you own.

Money is a source of stress for many people. Gordon Bennett is the author of Give Yourself a Raise, How to Eliminate Financial Stress in Your Life Forever, Guaranteed! scheduled for July 2008 release. The book — the source of these tips —is a simple and complete money management system. He is a former banker, management professor, consultant, and publisher. Contact him for speaking, training or consulting services.

Gordon Bennett2104 Squirrel Hill RoadSchwenksville, PA 19473

(610) [email protected]

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Slay the Email Dragon!

Prioritize quickly to save time. First review emails from senders that you know. Decide if it’s something to respond to immediately, leave for later, or delete. Review unknown senders’ mail next, prioritizing them in the same manner.Make an appointment with your email in-box for improved productivity. Discipline yourself to view email only at certain times each day. Stick to a set routine and your productivity will soar.Disable your “new email” chime. It’s distracting and will take you off task. If you’re disciplined about email check-in times, you won’t need to know every time a new message has landed in your in-box.Turn the computer off at day’s end. This is especially important for home-based businesses. An open screen is often too tempting to resist and will lure you into giving up your much needed down time. Get a copy of my free report, “The Seven Habits Of Highly Eff ective Email Users” at www.7email-habits.com This is an extensive review of bett er email management techniques.

Jean Curtis, Dragon Slayer™, is the

wizard behind Curtis Solutions Network, Inc., a Business Coaching fi rm in Collegeville, PA, who asks “what’s draggin’ YOU down?” She is regularly called into the business battlefi eld as an engaging speaker, trainer, workshop facilitator, and performance coach intent on helping others to systematically slay their dragons and move their business forward.

Curtis Solutions Network, Inc. was

recently honored as the recipient of the 2008 Eastern Pennsylvania SBA Home-Based Business Champion of the Year Award.

Jean Curtis, Dragon Slayer™Curtis Solutions Network, Inc.

P.O. Box 26153, Collegeville, PA 19426(610)-454-0848

[email protected]

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Customer & Vendor Satisfaction is Key

Let everyone know how much you delight in serving, not just selling. Thank the referring person in a big way, and treat the new client like family when you land a new client through a referral. Make sure your staff is trained to know that courtesy counts big time in dealing with both sides of the sale. Vendor relationships are every bit as important as customer relationships. Listen to your staff interactions with clients and vendors to ensure courtesy is top of mind. Take the high road at all times. Sometimes a sale will go awry through no fault of you or your company. Negotiate from fairness and integrity not just strength, without gett ing trapped in pett y squabbling.Establish trust and integrity early on and stay the course. All that glitt ers isn’t gold. Clients and vendors value trust and integrity far more than just the bott om line alone. Be the expert in your product and in your competitors’ product to excel in sales. Read, study, learn and then share your knowledge freely with your clients. Their confi dence in you will soar.

Tom Curtis Brokerage, Inc. is a full service, buying and selling produce brokerage company. For over 20 years we’ve grown our company while helping our customers and vendors do the same through superb sales, service, and satisfaction. We procure only the fi nest quality domestic and imported produce. “Small enough to know you, big enough to serve you.”

Th omas F. Curtis, PresidentTom Curtis Brokerage, Inc

3301 S. Galloway St.Unit #272-274

Philadelphia, PA 19148(215)-336-1370

[email protected]

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Sales Skyrocket with SendOutCardsTM!

Stay in touch with your clients and prospects to grow your sales. SendOutCards™ web-based card system automates the process of staying in touch easily and eff ortlessly and delivers impact far beyond a phone call or an email.Make a lasting impression easily. Use a photo of your client or their establishment on the front of your card and add an image of your business card inside. They will not only KEEP your card, they’ll DISPLAY it for others to see.Set up timed, multi-card campaigns to target your clients and prospects. A campaign can be sent to 1 or 1,000 in just minutes. You choose your card and SendOutCards stuff s, stamps, and mails it with your handwriting all for about $1.00.Say “Thank You” to your clients, especially new ones, after a meeting or business transaction without trying to “sell” them anything. This shows your appreciation of their time and solidifi es your relationship with them, making it more likely to do business together and refer you to others.Remember that the “fortune is in the follow up!” 79% of all leads generated at trade shows are never followed up. The SendOutCards system lets you quickly and easily beat the competition just by sending a card and following that up with a phone call.

See how easy it can be to get a really great sales edge. Contact me today for your FREE SendOutCards tutorial and a no-cost test drive mailing.

Gail DavisIndependent Distributor, SendOutCards

Schwenksville, PA [email protected]

(610)-287-5777

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To Market, to MarketThink big picture. Instead of gett ing caught up wanting a specifi c item like a brochure or website, step back and look at your sales goals. Create a writt en marketing plan to support them. Then determine and prioritize which materials you really need.Choose your customers. Not everyone in the population is your sales prospect. Narrow down your target based on demographics: age, sex, income, lifestyle, etc. Direct your promotions through channels that reach your niche.Promote benefi ts fi rst. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Determine their needs. Answer “What’s in it for me?” Support that with features of your product/service. i.e. Customers don’t buy a cleaning service, they buy a clean home.Establish a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Your competitors can mimic your product and statements. Your USP makes your company stand out. Make it something diffi cult to copy like superior customer service.Keep your customers. It’s much less expensive and easier to keep current customers than to obtain new ones. Repeat customers are very diff erent from prospects. Send them diff erent messages and communications. Keep in touch with enewslett ers and announcements.

Laura Edwards holds a B.S. in Marketing and an M.B.A. from Penn State. Her experience spans over 17 years in marketing communications and public relations. During her career, Laura has managed multi-million dollar budgets and worked in a variety of industries. In 1999, she founded Infusion Marketing to provide full-service Marketing Solutions to companies of all sizes. From national conferences to local business groups, Laura enjoys sharing her expertise through public speaking.

Laura Edwards, M.B.A.President

Infusion MarketingSchwenksville, PA(215)-859-1631

[email protected]://www.infusionmktg.com

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Health Comes First

Make health your top priority. It takes care of you when you take care of it. It is very diffi cult, often painful, and expensive to get your lost health back. Maintain a healthy brain, spine, and nervous system. Your brain and nervous system control and regulate every function of your body throughout your life. They require regular check ups and maintenance by a chiropractor, the only doctor trained for that.Eat plenty of organic whole/raw fruits and vegetables daily. Your body needs this fuel to build new cells, increase energy, and help lose weight.Exercise at least 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Even a simple walking program provides great results. Exercise builds strong bones and muscles, while reducing stress, and detoxifying the body.Get plenty of rest. 6-8 hours a night works well for rebuilding and rejuvenating your body. The best times are 10 pm to 4 am. Keep a good att itude. It is one thing you can control. A good att itude helps remind you of your blessings. Stay positive and be grateful for what you have.

Main Street Chiropractic was founded in Trappe, PA in 1990 by Dr. Steve Fleisher. While attending Lehigh University he experienced a life changing event and found his calling: chiropractic. Main Street’s mission is to educate and adjust as many families as possible towards optimal health through long term natural chiropractic care. “We will leave no stone unturned in helping our patients lead healthy and happy lives.

Dr. Steve Fleisher Main Street Chiropractic

511 W. Main St. Trappe, PA 19426(610)-489-9343

offi [email protected]

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Stress Management - A Behavioral Approach

Imagine an invisible, protective shield around you before you get out of bed in the morning. This shield only allows in positive thoughts and att itudes. Any negativity bounces off . You can prepare a bett er day for yourself using this technique.Take a walk. Exercise allows you to physically reduce the stress in your body and mind. Imagine yourself fi ve years from now looking back at the event. Notice how much it matt ers using this perspective. You may also fi nd it is not worth gett ing upset about something when you view it that way.Call a friend. Sometimes just gett ing it off your chest will alleviate the tension. Learn to appreciate the good things in your life each day. Take the time to savor the litt le pleasures as well as the momentous ones.Find a tidbit of humor in the situation. Expand it to the ridiculous until you smile.

Dolores Merrell is the owner of Advanced Hypnosis Services. Dolores has been successful in helping others with stress management, weight management, smoking cessation, insomnia, and IBS relief. She is a frequent guest at organizations, speaking about the misconceptions and benefi ts of hypnosis.

Visit the website below for upcoming events. In addition, helpful CDs on a variety of topics can be purchased.

Advanced Hypnosis ServicesDolores Merrell

P. O. 12944049 Skippack PikeSkippack, PA 19474

(215)-679-7560www.advancedhypnosisservices.com

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Stress Management – A Natural Approach

Take care of yourself. You are the most important person in your life. Plan your stress relief. Take a good look at your eating/drinking/exercise habits. Find the joy in stretching. Develop an att itude of gratitude. When you fi nd yourself in a stressful situation or with a stressful person, think of something positive about the situation or person. E.g., because of [Linda] I met my friend [Dave]. Increase laughter to increase sleep. Laughter releases tension. Laugh out loud. Watch a comedy instead of the news before bed. Notice how much bett er you sleep.Recognize you are not alone. Talk with a trusted friend or relative. Be sure it’s a positive individual who will let you talk and who may off er another point of view.Lose stress, lose weight. Oxygen burns fat. Increasing oxygen intake through deep breathing, exercise, laughing has been shown to increase metabolism. Exercise to music. You will exercise an average of 30% longer than without.Write it down if you’re going to do it. Schedule a few moments for yourself in your day. (Add a cup of apple cider vinegar to that warm bath and relieve fatigue.)

Stress is an unavoidable part of many lives. Long-term stress can have serious impact on health through the production of free radicals. These have been connected to many health challenges. Antioxidants are free radical scavengers, gobbling them up like that old video game.

As a nutraceutical consultant, Pat Minehan

provides recommendations regarding antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, including gene SNP testing and customized supplementation.

To your health!!

Pat Minehan, Nutraceutical Consultant1-(866)-556-8063

[email protected]

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Supporting Your Success

Take responsibility for your actions. You make your reality. You are responsible for creating a day of wonder and fulfi llment or sabotage and failure.Make wise choices. The choices you make are the catalyst to your success or demise. The power to choose wisely accompanies having a capacity for sound judgment marked by deep understanding. Life is choices. Choose inner wisdom.Think potentiality, not fearfully. Use your power of constructive thinking when you have to make a diffi cult decision or cannot fi nd a solution to your problem. You are holding that thought in fear if you are feeling afraid of a negative outcome. Think in positive terms for a positive outcome.Make affi rmative languaging habitual, both internally and externally. Choose to speak in positive, affi rming language as your words come from your thoughts and this becomes your reality.Be curious and open to the possibilities rather than creating barriers or a block by seeing only one way. Life externalizes at the level of your thoughts. Allow for creativity to fl ow freely.

Looking inside yourself for solutions and taking responsibility for your actions empowers you to create a life of health, comfort, joy, and the fulfi llment of your dreams. Blaming things outside of yourself takes the power to succeed away from you, leading to self-sabotage and disillusionment.

Cynthia O’Neill, The Ultimate Wellness

Coach, Author, and Speaker on today health care issues, providing products and services for your health, comfort & Joy www.awakenyourhealerwithin.com .(Free e-course “Revitalize Your Beliefs”)

Cynthia O’NeillHealth, Comfort, & Joy, Inc.

P.O. Box 154 Alma, CO 80420(719)-836-2425

[email protected]

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Job $ecurity for Life

Observe when you are most fulfi lled, engaged, and at ease. Do what you love and enjoy greater success than people who work for money or status. Others will naturally engage your services. Assess your talents, skills, and accomplishments. Draft concrete statements about your achievements, citing names, dates, actions, and results. Concrete examples inspire hiring you repeatedly.Write clear vision, mission, and purpose statements. Declare your stand to att ract like-minded people who want to achieve it with you.Draft your unique service proposition. Speak confi dently about why you are the ideal resource to serve others in their achievements. People respond favorably to competence, confi dence, and eff ectiveness.Solicit feedback from trusted advocates. Ask how you sound and look when promoting yourself, and for suggestions on being most authentic, professional, and humble when seeking opportunities.Network, network, network. Att end events with synchronistic visions and missions. Your schedule will remain full doing work you love with and for like-minded associates.

Coaching Connections LLC addresses intergenerational workplace issues to assure personal and professional success. We develop effective leadership; hone communication skills and behaviors that fully engage all stakeholders in driving, versus draining, profi ts and identify with certainty, clarity, and conviction, your most compelling options to create job $ecurity for life on your terms. Founder and Principal Coach Susan Race, PCC brings over 30 years of progressive experience in coaching, executive human resources management, public speaking, published authorship, and educational seminars fostering your sustainable success with ease, dignity, and respect.

Coach Susan Race, PCCCoaching Connections, LLC

108A Shoen Road; Exton, PA 19341(610)-594-1282

(215)-630-0591 [email protected]

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When Your Business is Your Baby…

Plan ahead! Build a team of experts to support you in times of need. Allowing your independent nature to stand in the way of real help can slow down forward momentum. Consider the insights and experiences of other entrepreneurs when faced with new challenges.Expect late nights and lack of sleep to be part of the experience. Through the grace of time or your mentor’s support, you can att ain life-work balance.Be patient. Most businesses take years to mature. All businesses have highs and lows. The early years require extra att ention. Just when you think you’ve fi gured it all out, a new challenge comes your way. Consistently nurture your business by watching for growth shifts and respond with action.Take time to appreciate your eff orts and successes. All work and no play lead to burnout. A litt le pat on the back is as important as a rewarding vacation.Remember who’s in charge: YOU! If you feel drained, the business is running your life and you will fall victim to distractions. Take a deep breath and remember that you’re the boss. Focus on your personal best and get back on track for the Great Life you deserve.

Divinitatis Consulting is devoted to energizing women entrepreneurs to discover their personal best and become industry leaders by empowering the CEO within. I support women seeking to overcome life’s obstacles and achieve the “Good Life.” Strengthen self confi dence, spark lasting motivation, realize personal and professional freedom, and make powerful decisions: discover the magic of coaching.

Jake Tuschinski

Divinitatis Consulting[divine nature; the power of insight; excellence]

(610)[email protected]

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Focus & Communication: The Keys to More Sales

Prioritize your work. Each day, do what’s most important to increase/obtain business fi rst. Phone calls fi rst, paperwork and email second. Focus on your strengths. Hire others to do the rest.Make mini-friends everywhere you go. Take responsibility to help everyone you meet feel comfortable and appreciated. People do business with people they like. People tend to like those who like them fi rst!Remember that courteous communication is key. Focus on what you’re doing when you’re doing it. Never multitask while speaking with someone. Give your full att ention while maintaining comfortable eye contact. Ask for what you want, in all aspects of your life. Be courageous enough to know what you want and ask enough questions to know what they want. Be specifi c, be intentional, be gracious, and be appreciative. Give people the benefi t of the doubt. It’s not personal! It’s your job to reach them, not their job to call you back. “No thank you” does not mean “I don’t like you”.

Since 1980, The Pampered Chef has helped people with no previous sales experience build successful businesses and achieve their dreams. You are in business for yourself but not by yourself. For a minimal investment you, too, can join the company Warren Buffet thought highly enough of to purchase for Berkshire Hathaway in 2004. Share the dream. Live your dreams.

By sharing our products, recipes and opportunity with others you help make family mealtime a priority in busy lives.

Suzanne YoungIndependent Sales Director with

Th e Pampered Chef364 Devon Dr. Exton, PA 19341


www.pamperedchef.biz/suzanneyoung

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Epilogue

You started your business because something about it called to you. Like any business owner, there are times your business brings you great joy and other times you wonder what ever prompted you to make the choice you did.

This collection offers practical and immediately useable insights and wisdom in bite-size pieces from fourteen professional business owners with various expertises from throughout the United States. These surefi re tools and techniques work for them, their clients, audiences, family, and friends. They can work for you wherever you are located in the world or on your life journey. Test an idea at a time. See how it works for you.

Contact the people in this booklet. They remain successful by contributing to your success. Plus they are really terrifi c and interesting folks you’ll want to know and enjoy. Interview these authors in your publication if you are a journalist. Multiple sources and bulleted content are all in one place right here for your article, radio interview, or web site. Ask for a price quote if you are shopping for what they provide. Invite them to speak to your organization. Purchase printed copies of this booklet as a customized promotional tool for marketing your own business, or talk with us about licensing the downloadable version for other promotional applications. The possibilities are endless.

Tips Products InternationalPaulette Ensign, CEO and Chief Visionary

13146 Kellam Court, Suite 133San Diego, CA 92130


www.tipsbooklets.com© 2008, TPI – all rights reserved

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