Ask an Expert Articles

Business » Ask an Expert | By Jim Mack @ Wednesday, 26th July 2006 @ 6:33 PM

When it comes to developing your own home business success strategies, it is important for you to determine what your specific target audience is. Who are you selling to? Then, you will be gearing your products, your websites, and your marketing to these individuals. You will spend countless days organizing and developing the best possible product for them as well with their needs in mind. To develop your strategy, take into consideration these aspects. Develop a website domain ... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Jim Mack @ Wednesday, 26th July 2006 @ 4:29 AM

When you have selected those new employees to bring onto your team for multi-level marketing, you want to ensure that they have all the tools that they need to succeed in this sales program so you will succeed as well. So, to make sure that they will succeed and earn money for both you and them, you need to ensure that they have the proper training, the proper materials, and the know-how to make sales and gain clients. While some other companies will just let them go out on their own, make sur... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Bob Corcoran @ Monday, 24th July 2006 @ 11:05 AM

If 15 minutes pass before you follow up with a lead, that lead’s vital signs will begin a slow and steady decline. The peaks and valleys of the heart monitor will become less and less pronounced. The silence between the beeps will grow longer, until finally, within 24 hours, you get a flat line. The words code blue are followed by CPR and drugs, but to no avail. Time of death is pronounced and another opportunity is set for burial. Speed for Leads Speed is important in ... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Jeffrey Solochek @ Sunday, 16th July 2006 @ 4:10 PM

A lot of merchants are losing potential sales because they simply will not accept any credit cards mainly because of the fear of charge backs. If certain steps are taken the possibility of charge backs are eliminated. A lot of this can be learned by reading the terms and conditions of any merchant agreement as well as the terms and conditions for the individual cards. Many new merchants will simply sign an agreement giving them the ability to accept credit cards without ever reading the t... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Tracey Anne @ Friday, 14th July 2006 @ 1:57 PM

Are you always looking for ways to increase your sales? Here are 19 smart sales promotion methods for increasing sales. 1. Right after the first sale, make sure you follow-up with your client. Send a "thanks for your order" email, or letter that includes a promotion for another product you sell. Then, make sure to get in touch with a follow-up every few months. 2. You could try upselling to your clients. When they have arrived at your Order page, you could showcase a couple... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Paul Cherry @ Friday, 14th July 2006 @ 5:32 AM

Philosopher George Santayana was onto something when he said that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. That's why it pays for you to explore past mistakes your prospective customer's company has made, and help him keep history from repeating itself. Confining yourself to questions about the present bores your prospects -- after all, they already know what's going on now. Questions about the future are useful, but they're even more so when you have kn... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Dan Sherman @ Thursday, 13th July 2006 @ 2:51 PM

I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person who fully subscribes to the notion that I'll never get rich working for someone else. I know that I have to go into business for myself if I really want to gain my financial independence. The problem is, I'm not what you would call entrepreneur material. For one thing, I don't have a lot of original money making ideas floating around in my mind. For another thing, I'm not much of a risk-taker. I don't have much... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Jim Mack @ Tuesday, 11th July 2006 @ 1:21 AM

One of the hardest things to take into consideration when it comes to home business is marketing. Finding the right way to let people know that you and your business are there is absolutely the most important aspect of the process. If you are to make a name for yourself, sell your products and earn an income, you must have the right tools in place to help you to make that happen. Although it is hard to say what the specific tools will be that your business needs, there are some that you can c... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Helmut Flasch @ Monday, 10th July 2006 @ 2:17 PM

First of all you really do need to decide THAT you want to succeed!! I know it sounds crazy to have to tell someone that he must decide to succeed in order to succeed and some doctors might well be putting this issue aside right here with the comment, "Gee, another kind of philosophical garbage." Too bad for you, because the truth is that, if you are not where you want to be or are not at least moving fairly well in the direction of where you want to be then you simply HAVE... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Dave Kauppi @ Monday, 10th July 2006 @ 11:31 AM

We are often contacted by a business owner after he has been approached by a buyer. He wants information form us on the merger and acquisition process, which we are happy to provide. He wants to wait, however, to engage our firm to sell his company "until this situation with the buyer plays itself out." This is the start of the death spiral. I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but this rarely has a happy ending. These supposed buyers will drain your time, resources, focus... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Dave Kauppi @ Friday, 7th July 2006 @ 1:11 AM

In my prior business experience in the information technology industry, it was a very common practice for potential buyers to submit a Request for Proposal in order to make a purchase decision. After several years as a Merger and Acquisition advisor, I finally got an RFP. A light bulb went off. This is the most important "purchase decision" a business owner will ever make, and yet the process of selecting an advisor in a multi million dollar transaction was generally less diligen... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Jim Smith @ Tuesday, 4th July 2006 @ 11:13 AM

When working in the business world, one is inclined to encounter instances where professional interests or professional and personal interests clash with each other, causing an inability for a person or company to operate smoothly. Such an instance is referred to as a conflict of interest and usually occurs when conflicting spheres come into contact with each other such as in the legal profession when a firm’s clients come into conflict with one another. Such an occurrence can make it difficult ... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Jan Hayner @ Wednesday, 28th June 2006 @ 5:16 AM

Now is a time get home paper records together and organized to create an organized inventory or everything that is owned by a family or single person, all of their investments, all serial numbers, account numbers and the list goes on. Whether they are the person setting out on their own, newly weds, middle age or senior citizens, a disaster can effect all of them in the same way. It is having all of the information that an insurance agent needs to file that claim that can make an agent’s ... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Daegan Smith @ Saturday, 24th June 2006 @ 12:48 PM

Know what Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have in common? They all have the multi-million dollar idea. What is that multi-million dollar idea? This is that bright idea that just flashed over your head. Suddenly that idea became an invention, an innovation, something of enormous scope that left the people stunned and got you that multi-million dollars! Steve Jobs' Apple was his idea. Microsoft was Bill Gates'. See what I mean? Now mul... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Dave Kauppi @ Saturday, 24th June 2006 @ 11:29 AM

When you are wearing all the hats already, trying to sell your company yourself can hurt your business. A major mistake business owners make in exiting their business is to focus their time and attention on selling the business as opposed to running the business. This occurs in large publicly traded companies with deep management teams as well as in private companies where management is largely in the hands of a single individual. Many large companies that are in the throws of being acquired ... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Terry Frerker @ Friday, 16th June 2006 @ 5:26 AM

The difference between 'getting by' at work and being successful is not solely dependent on technical skills or knowledge. We all know colleagues who have strong 'people skills' and not the strongest technical abilities but who nonetheless possess a distinct position of leverage or influence at work. These individuals are focusing on their strengths and use the power of interpersonal skills and networking to their advantage. You can too! One should never underestimate... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By ameen kamadia @ Wednesday, 14th June 2006 @ 4:42 PM

Tip #7 in our series on how to save money when buying a house is: Use Down Payment Assistance Not enough money for the down payment? You might be surprised to hear that there are people who are willing to give you money for your down payment. How much they give you varies, but in many cases you do not have to give this money back. There are several non-profit organizations that provide grant money to homebuyers. There is usually a small fee if you get approved. The amount given to ... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Dave Kauppi @ Wednesday, 14th June 2006 @ 1:03 PM

The biggest mistake business owners make is waiting too long to sell. Have you ever heard, “I sold my business to early?” Compare that with the number of times you've heard somebody say, “I should have sold my business two years ago.” Unfortunately, waiting too long is probably the single biggest factor in reducing the proceeds from the sale of a privately held business. The erosion in business value typically is most pronounced in that last year before exiting. The decision to... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Sarah Deak @ Wednesday, 14th June 2006 @ 8:03 AM

When a business is just starting up or in the midst of significant change, one of the best ways address new challenges is by hiring a consultant. Consultants are brought into companies that are in need of a helping hand during times of trouble or opportunity. The growing business of consulting is used by thousands of companies a year, and independent consulting is the fastest growing business in the United States. Consultants are experts at pin-pointing their client’s problem and solving it in a... more...

Business » Ask an Expert | By Dan Sherman @ Wednesday, 14th June 2006 @ 1:34 AM

The loan that is taken out to buy a business asset is generally termed as commercial mortgage. Commercial mortgages are used to buy offices, shops, restaurants or other type of (generally) building. But they can also be used to buy other business assets such as plant or machinery. As well as being a useful way of financing the purchase of business premises for a new business, commercial mortgages can also be an excellent way of funding the expansion of an existing business. A commercial m... more...