January 11, 2010

MAre You Thinking Too Big?... If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix it...
Finding Opportunity in the Decline... Turn E-mails into
Powerful Selling Tools... and More.

Isn't it great to think big? I mean huge, like beyond your dreams into a realm of wealth and success that would put old episodes of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" to shame.

You may be picturing your small business achieving national and international success. You can see it knocking the big players off the map. It's a pretty wonderful vision. Don't let me ruin your daydream. I say keep it alive. But, there's something you should never forget to do; think small to get to bigger goals.

That's right. Many believe that the key to big success is to always have big goals and always think big. And, of course, keep those big plans on your mind. But first, think of the small goals that can lead you to bigger success.

In interviews, you'll often hear multi-millionaires (and billionaires) talk of how they got started. Sure, many wanted success, but their first successes were small. Success came in the form of a small business lasting through that first tough year. Success came with the hiring of their first employee. Without this first, and much smaller, accomplishment, the following success may never have been possible.

This week, make it your strategy to focus on the small goals for your future success. Picture making that first big sale or sealing that one deal that could connect you to much larger deals in the future.

Keep on thinking big, but never forget that small steps can get you to your destination, because few people ever leap their way to success.

Though it might be a cliche, it holds true for a lot of situations. Sometimes it's best just not to make changes when everything is going right. Or better yet, when nothing is going wrong.

If you've managed to get through the first year of business, then you have accomplished something that a lot of people couldn't. So, sometimes it's best to just ride out that success. Not every business has to be a multi-billion-dollar corporation. If you're happy, then you shouldn't grow. Why mess with a good thing?

This is the main thing: You have to decide what you're happy with and what your goals are for your business. If you truly feel that you need or want to make more money with your business, then growth is the way to do it. However, if you're experiencing success and the only reason for change is that you want a nicer car, then you might want to think about this decision further.

It costs money to grow a business. You need more of everything. More marketing efforts, more room, more employees, more product, more supplies, more everything. You also need more of a plan before you get started.

You have to put together a new plan of action and you need more research on your customer and the market. This takes time; time that you might not have or want to use. That means that you will end up hiring someone, like a consultant to help you out, which means more money.

Growth can be a huge undertaking. You will be taking time away from your personal life for planning, and this comes just as you've gotten into a routine and feel comfortable with your business.

For instance, growth into an international market can be risky and costly. There are regulations that you have to deal with, and details that are different than what you have now. You also have to do a lot of work to be sure that there is a market for your product. Not all businesses work in every country. Needs and wants differ from region to region.

The same goes for opening another location. You have to be certain that there is a market there for your business. You have to assume that you will be able to duplicate your success. This means that, in another city or state or country, people will be just as willing to buy. If you open up in the wrong place, you could lose everything.

If you're looking for more money, then sometimes the better solution is to increase your productivity and marketing efforts with the current business model that you have. You don't need to grow to increase sales.

Look into increasing your profit margin by raising prices. You can look for different ways to decrease your costs. Paying less to run your business creates more money. Reducing your costs can result in huge money for your business. So, perhaps your time should be spent on putting together a plan to improve the way your current business is run instead of thinking about growing it.

If your productivity is where it should be and your business is running like a well-oiled machine, then perhaps you can think about increasing your marketing efforts. You can improve on any business without growing it. You can take the money you would have spent on growth and put it toward new advertising, or better packaging.

Create a plan to bring more customers to your current business. Look into improving your productivity levels by getting more organized through new software programs. Look into getting another employee to help you out, or into outsourcing a consultant to help you with your marketing. There are many ways to get more from your business without growing it physically.

Security in entrepreneurship can be hard to come by, so if your business is working, sometimes it's best to just stick with what you have. Adding more to a recipe might create a result you're not as happy with.

Last Friday, the latest job numbers were released, and they weren't good. After making a slight recovery in November -- likely due to seasonal hiring in preparation for the holiday season -- job losses climbed in December. In fact, 85,000 jobs were lost in the most expensive month of the year.

If you've lost your job, I've got some good news and some bad news for you. We'll start with the bad.

It's unlikely that employment will rise as drastically as it fell. Many companies simply don't have the resources or reason to make large-scale hires. After all, many companies have been losing money over the past year and have only recently begun to recover, while learning that they may have, in fact, employed too many people to do too little work.

Many employers can't afford to keep as many workers on staff, and that likely won't change for some time. Some reports indicate that payrolls may not increase again until 2012, once the impacts of economic recovery have taken form.

What does this mean for the unemployed?

Well, although things may appear bleak, there are still opportunities that exist as the economy starts on the long road to recovery.

For example, during this time, many new, energy-efficient industries are being explored. As this industry continues to grow and more research is done, jobs should likely follow. These jobs will likely be through small business, as well as through large-scale manufacturers who will produce these new products. Also, as various legislation and technologies are implemented, we'll start seeing new techniques used to produce old products -- such as cars. Although it's unlikely the auto-industry will get back to the levels of the glory days, as they start producing smaller, more energy-efficient and affordable vehicles, the industry should grow.

Likewise, further opportunities will likely exist for entrepreneurs who choose to start their own business on Main Street. Many communities are becoming more localized in their shopping and supporting small business in their neighborhoods. Buying local and supporting the local economy has become a priority, which could help you and your business.

In addition, many of the businesses who made layoffs are finding an increased need to hire consultants, freelancers and other contract-specialists. Essentially, they are looking to save money by hiring people on contract rather than full-time, because it saves them money in benefits and other areas. Hiring self-employed specialists has become more common. Therefore, by offering the skills you'd used on the job, you could begin to offer your services through your own company as a contract worker or consultant. Talk to your old employer and other businesses about work opportunities on a contract basis.

As we move into 2010 and beyond, things will continue to change. There will be tough times, but there will also be opportunity. Try your best to locate these opportunities and find employment.

** Turn E-mails into Powerful Selling Tools
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

If you were watching the news on January 27, 2006, there were probably a lot of things going on. Middle Eastern political matters, changes in the economy, and probably some Paris Hilton celebrity gossip; if memory serves, those were the headlines then.

But there is one small historical event that happened that day: it was the very last day that Western Union Corporation sent out its last telegram. This is probably not remembered by a lot of people, but it was an odd milestone. An international company that was seen in everything from business pages to movie scripts shutting down a popular service was a real sign of change.

The change itself was attributed to the increased and universal usage of e-mail. E-mail was, and still is, fast and cheap, and people could do it themselves. They didn't have to pay larger fees or another service to do it for it them. Plus you could send documents, photos, and videos right over the wires. Many people might have taken this for granted up until then, but if you read about Western Union's telegram service demise, you knew how valuable e-mail was.

Like anybody out there, I have mixed feelings about hearing this sort of news. I am sure people at Western Union lost their jobs, and that is always sad. But I do value e-mail and always have. I can't count how many jobs or contacts I have acquired thanks to electronic mail. Like a lot of info marketers, it's pretty much become an integral part of what I do and I am hard pressed to think what I'd do without it.

With that in mind, I've learned a lot about electronic mail over the years. As good as it is, it's not perfect and there are a lot of factors to consider in what e-mail service to use, how to use it, etc.

The best tips I can pass along are ones I've collected from both experiences I've had over the years and some notes I've gotten from other info marketers lately. Here they are:

--- "Yours" v. "theirs:" The two ways to get e-mail service are through a popular online company -- i.e. Hotmail, Google, Yahoo! -- or through an E-mail Service Provider, referred to as an ESP. If you have a web site online, your Internet provider will most likely provide you with a customized e-mail, with your own domain name. Having your domain as your e-mail address also adds credibility to your messages. This is important for establishing your brand and helping prevent fraud.

--- Cutting costs: If you sign up with a big company for e-mail, like Hotmail or Google, the account is usually free of charge and you can access it anywhere, at any time, at no cost other than your basic Internet connection fees. In relation to what I said above, ESPs can cost you more, especially ones that are tailored to your business' needs. Yet, these costs often come with big benefits. Having someone monitor e-mail delivery and work out the bugs for you can save you time and is often worth the investment. Free services are very limited in this respect, so if you plan to grow your e-mail communications with customers and clients, you should explore your options.

--- Other services: I also like to make info marketers aware of other services available to them from e-mail providers these days. Things like list-building and newsletter composition options, immediate client e-mail access, and even security and protection features. Again, quiz the different e-mail providers in your area to death and see what they have to offer. If one of their special services can help you, it might be worth having.

E-mail service is pretty much necessary to most business these days. Like it or not, telegrams and typewriters have been replaced by e-mail and computers. But info marketers should never look at these developments as a burden. By doing a little research, you can make these features work for you and add to your information marketing success.