Small Business Owners Should Practice "Tough Love"

Whether it's recession time or boom time, small business owners should look at the way they operate in order to maximize their revenues. Many small businesses are run a little loosely, because many owners believe they lack the overhead and the staff to require a lot of strict policies and procedures.

That's a mistake, according to Jim Muehlhausen, CPA and author of The 51 Fatal Business Errors and How To Avoid Them, from Emerald Publishing (www.51errors.com).

"Every business owner is enrolled in the world's most expensive business school: The School of Hard Knocks," Muehlhausen said. "Instead of acquiring business knowledge the slow and expensive way, business owners need to capitalize on the hard-fought lessons of others. That's why benevolent dictators are the best small business leaders, because ruling by committee against that landscape rarely works."

Small Business face more challenges than the large corporations with huge cash reserves to help them through financial crises. They are more susceptible to market fluctuations, have fewer clients to support them and generally have more transient staff. On the flip side, they also make up 70 percent of the businesses in the U.S., so as goes small business, so goes the economy.

In order to swim with the big fish without getting eaten, Muehlhausen suggests that small business owners get a little tougher and smarter to survive the nasty water.

"There are several practices that are considered standard operating procedure that actually work against small business owners," Muehlhausen said. "First, many insist on learning hard lessons themselves rather than learn from the mistakes of their competitors. To compound the problem, they also tend to hire employees away from their competitors without realizing that chances are that the employee may be leaving because they had been fired, or they are about to be fired. In essence, they wind up with their competitors' rejects, who they wind up firing soon after."

Muehlhausen also stresses that CEOs need to be benevolent dictators to be more effective.

"Managing employees is a lot like parenting," he said. "Employees may not like what you do, but you'll have to do it, anyway. Many CEOs are afraid to be authoritarian, but they should do it, anyway. They should remember two things – first, being authoritarian does not mean you can't be nice, and second, it's the CEO's name on the big door. No one else will be blamed for the failure of staff. An autocrat is not automatically a jerk, and businesses aren't a democracy. Hire good people, listen to input, but after you've listened, call the play and make sure you have a team on board who's going to execute it."

Staying Sane Survival Tips for Small Business Owners

Your lunchtime thoughts are comprised of brilliant marketing strategies and anxiety over bill payments. You’re the CEO, human resources director, janitor, and administrative assistant all wrapped up into one. You open the doors at dawn and lockup when it’s time to wrap up for the day.

Welcome to the world of small business ownership. Lovely, isn’t it?

Of course, the rewards of small business ownership are quite high. Your focus determines your reality and your success, you never have to answer to an angry boss, and (for most owners) you get to work in an industry of your choice. There’s an obvious trade-off with the long hours, multiple responsibilities, and occasional panic attacks of “how am I going to get this done?”

Not to worry. You’re not alone. In fact, almost all small business owners face the same issues you do. And many have survived and lived on to tell the tale (in small business seminars, in fact!), so don’t get discouraged. Here are several easy tips to get your business head out of the clouds.

Become an expert at time management: If you went to college, chances are you learned how to balance midterm studying, paper writing, socializing, and plain old partying into a somewhat successful formula. Dust off those time management skills, because they’ll get your small business running in an efficient fashion. A great way to do this is to use the tools that come with modern office software. Any sort of email program that features a calendar, such as Outlook, will allow you to track appointments, follow-up emails/phone calls, and important dates. It will also allow you to create daily to-do lists while maintaining an organized list of your contacts. You can also use spreadsheet software, such as Excel, to keep track of the progress of multiple tasks, calculate and crunch numbers, and store tables upon tables of information. Get this software, load it on to your office computer or laptop and use it religiously. It will organize your life and allow you to attend to the important things for your business.

Contracts are good things: Here’s a hint – if you’re not an expert at something, don’t do it yourself. Your budgets are stretched and your time and sanity are running low. How about a hired hand? From virtual administrative assistants to business planners to copywriters, hiring out help on a contract basis can free you from the logistics of running a business and allow you to stay focused on what your business really does. Obviously, hiring professional costs money, but it also means a separate set of eyes specializing in something that you’re not the most adept at. The process could even pay for itself. If the quality of work these contract professionals bring in generate revenue by allowing you to work harder at what you do best.

Seize every opportunity: When you’re a small business, you’ve got to get creative with your marketing. Fortunately, every single moment and action presents itself as a time to sell your business. Writing an email? Then attach your business description to your signature and casually mention your business. Going to the library? Bring some flyers and tack them on the bulletin board. Going to get office supplies? Ask the supply store manager how you can place your business cards on the counter. Every scenario grants you the opportunity to reach another person. And even if it’s just one person, that someone can tell a friend, who may tell two friends, and so on. Word-of-mouth and grass-roots marketing can be a powerful tool, and it’s cheap – so use it!

Keep your chin up: It might be a cliché, but it’s true – the best way to have run a successful business is to stay positive. Keeping a positive mindset affects you, the ones you work with, and your customers. No one likes to work when they’re down in the dumps. But if you’re chipper, motivated, and ready to go, you’ll inspire yourself and the ones around you. It may sound trite, but it’s the truth. Maintain a positive attitude and work hard and the results will present themselves!

While running a small business is consuming and exhausting, don’t forget that you also need to stay mentally and physically healthy. These tricks will help you run your business more efficiently, but it doesn’t excuse you from running yourself into the ground. Remember to find an outlet for the physical and emotional stress that come with running a small business. You’ll feel refreshed and energized and ready to work hard and efficiently – and that means more business and more profits!

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About the Author: For More Free Resources visit www.start-ownbiz.com

Security Cameras: Four Simple Tips For Small Business Owners

Small business owners often overlook one of the most vital and costly issues facing them -- the matter of loss prevention. They often turn a blind eye to the very real issues of theft, vandalism, and internal embezzlement. Sadly, this is simply something that business owners cannot ignore. Recent studies have shown that business lose billions of dollars a year by ignoring the issue of loss prevention. Below, we have listed our top four recommendations for small business owners looking to put together a comprehensive security system. 1. Choose a security company with a good reputation, many security companies advertise their services based on cost effectiveness. Cost is an important factor, but value is much more important, make sure you are spending your money wisely. Your small business insurance agency may be a good place for suggestions on a reputable security firm, they can help you make an informed choice. 2. Say no to "DIY": some business owners think it is a good idea to set up their own "security system" in order to make money. Using inexpensive web cameras and off the shelf products is not a good way to get quality results, because it turns out that this is very time intensive for business owners, who aren't always clear about what they are looking for in their security tapes. So don't do it yourself -- instead, it will be worth a little extra to pay a company to provide security for you. 3. Location is key: in loss prevention, it is important to ensure that every single location in your business is covered by security cameras. Some business owners might try to keep down costs by using a small number of security cameras. Instead, you should always remember that thieves will take advantage of this situation in order to rob you blind; if you only have one or two cameras, criminals will simply target all of your camera-free areas. 4. Monitor your employees and customers: small business owners often aren't aware that loss prevention efforts need to be targeted toward both employees and customers. The small business owner that only trains security cameras on his or her merchandise can be stolen blind by a crooked employee. Likewise, if you are only monitoring employees, a single break-in can bankrupt you. We hope you've found these simple tips useful. As a small business owner, we know that your most important goal is protecting your bottom line. Remember, the key to strong loss prevention is using strong prevention. Spending a few extra dollars on loss prevention can ward off thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.

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About the Author: One of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of small business is loss prevention. If you are a business owner, and are considering installing a security system, then check out our top four tips for business owners below. Find a security company with a good track record: some security companies position themselves based on cost. Don't go it on your own. By far, one of the most important aspects of setting up a successful security solution is the location of the security cameras.

Search Engine Optimization for Small Business Owners

Small business owners are often limited by small marketing budgets and manpower. But that doesn't mean they can't compete against larger businesses or websites when focused on search engine optimization. SEO is a basic marketing tool that everyone should use regardless of size.

Can the small websites compete with the big guys?

I'm often asked by small business owners if they stand a chance against larger websites when it comes to organic search results. My response is that size doesn't matter. When it comes to improving natural search results, it's all about the keywords you choose and how competitive those keywords are.

What makes a keyword competitive?

One way to determine the competitiveness of a search term is to simply type that search term into Google and notice the number of web pages that contain that search term. This number appears in the upper right-hand corner of the search results page and appears as, "Results 1 - 10 of about 228,000,000 for [your search term here]."

The large number you see gives you an indication of how many websites contain the keyword term or phrase you're searching for. Not all of these sites would necessarily be competitors, but have been indexed by Google none-the-less. From my perspective, when this number is less than 3 or 4 million, the particular search term would not be all that competitive in and of itself.

Determining just how competitive the search term is.

There are a variety of methods to determine true keyword effectiveness (KEI, etc.). However, if you're just a regular person trying to figure out how difficult it will be to rank well for a particular keyword, consider the following. In addition to the number of sites that contain your keyword, how well optimized are the top 3 sites that appear on the search result. You can determine this by:

1. Visiting the site and determining the Google PR of the page. This information is available by downloading the Google toolbar and looking in your browser. You will see a green bar and ranking (ex: PR5), which tells you how Google ranks this page/website with regard to popularity. Any site with a Google PR6 or better is well established and will be difficult to outrank in the near term.

2. Visit Google and type, "link:www.competitorwebsite.com". Be sure to replace 'competitorwebsite' with the website name you are researching. Remember, this should be a website that appears on the Google search result for the keyword term or phrase you're researching. This will tell you how many sites are linking to this particular website. The larger the number the more difficult it will be to outrank.

3. Look at the website code. Simply visit the competitor's website and go to "View", "View Source". Look for the meta tags of "Title", "Description", and "Keywords". Are the meta tags at the very top of the page? Does the website also use h1, h2, and h3 tags? If so, they probably know something about SEO and have applied some on-page optimization techniques.

Using the above will give you a good sense of whether of not you can compete for given keywords. As you've figured out by now, a company's size is no indication of their level of experience in optimizing their own website. You'd be surprise of the type (and size) of companies that call me for SEO advice. Keep this in mind the next time you think that size matters!

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About the Author: Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert with more than 12 years of marketing experience. To discover how to improve search engine rankings on Google and other major search engines vist http://www.webmastersbookofsecrets.com and the Marketing Blog.

Network Marketing Success Training- MLM Secrets To Recruiting Small Business Owners

By: Doug Firebaugh

Many Network Marketing distributors overlook for some reason the small business owner and professional. They don't attempt to talk to them about their products and business as many they believe they simply would not be interested. That is no the case with many small business owners. Many are always looking for additional cash flow and ways to create a secondary revenue source.

Small business owners and small business professionals are a Gold Mine in Network Marketing and MLM. They bring to the table many things that the average person does not:

1) They bring A DIFFERENT Perspective to the marketplace and MLM. They understand business, and also how to run one, and have a business attitude when working in the marketplace, not just an employee attitude.

2) They bring EXPERIENCE to the marketplace and MLM that the average person does not have. Experience in running a business, networking, making things happen, and succeeding.

3) They bring DETERMINATION to the marketplace and Network Marketing. They MUST be determined to succeed in their business, and bring the same determination to MLM. Most small business owner and professionals are very FOCUSED on what they are doing, and determined on where they are going.

4) They bring CONTACTS and NETWORKS to the marketplace and MLM. Most business owners belong to state and national associations with other business owners, and thusly, have formed relationships with many other small business owners and professionals, a Gold Mine in MLM.

5) They bring a CREDIBILITY that the average person does not have to the marketplace and MLM. Credibility as an owner, and a professional in the marketplace. This alone is a Gold Mine in Network Marketing.

Business owners and professionals are incredible prospects for MLM, but unfortunately, can be quite difficult to approach, at least from the normal approach of Network Marketers.

How can you then plug into all they can bring to Network Marketing? How can you recruit them, but do it with a very professional approach that they will be curious about, instead of turned off like so many are?

The best way to approach them is in a VERY Professional manner and with a VERY Professional verbiage. You DO NOT approach them like you would your aunt or cousin,or best friend. Many times, with family or friends, we all have a tendency to say too much as we are excited, and want to tell the world about what we are doing.

INFERNO Secret:

The less you say, the more chance you have of getting an appointment, warm market or not.The more professionalism you have, the less negative responses you will get.(CLUE!!!!)

Here are several SCORCHING approaches for the telephone/Face to face for the small business owners.

WARM MARKET:

" Hello Ben? This is Mary, and I need your help on something.I am introducing into the business community a new idea that could really impact revenues for small business owners. I would like your input and insights as to how it could be applied to this community.when do you have 10 minutes?"

"Hello Ben? This is Mary. Listen, I have run across an idea that I believe can increase revenues for many small businesses in our community.it has tremendous value, and I need your help and input as to how to introduce it into our Locale.when do you have 10 minutes?"

" Hello Ben? This is Mary, and do you feel that increasing revenues in your business would be something that we could spend 10 minutes discussing?"

"Hello Ben? This is Mary.I really need your expertise on something.I have run across a way that small business owners can substantially increase their revenues and am looking for the best way to introduce it into the marketplace.when are you available for about 10 minutes?"

"Hello Ben? I need your help on a project I am getting ready to introduce into the business community. You are very well versed in business, and I want to run an idea past you and you give me your thoughts on the value of it as a secondary revenue stream to small business owners."

COLD MARKET:

Calling small business owners cold is not easy, but a great excercise for building your skill set. Here is one way we approached thousands of business owners we did not know on the phone, or especially face to face, which worked well for us:

"Hello. My name is Doug, and like you, I am a Business owner in this community. I am simply introducing myself to folks like yourself, and also an idea that has proven to increase revenues substantially for small business owners like you and me. May I drop in for a 5 minute visit this week to simply introduce myself? I would love to meet you and learn more about your business, and share an idea that has proven to increase profitability with many business owners such as your self."

Also, you can send out a short letter/ email simply saying basically the same thing.

Dear Jamie.

My name is Doug, and like you, I am a small business owner here in the local business community. The reason for the letter, I have found an idea that can help increase revenues for small business owners substantially. I simply would love to meet you, learn a little about your business, and share an idea that has helped me. I will be in touch to see when what day would be convenient.

Professionally Yours.

Doug

Follow uo within a couple of days, and see about scheduling a drop in visit.

These are just a few of the hundreds of ways you can approach small business professionals in MLM and Network Marketing.

blessings...doug

PassionFire Intl (c) 2005/ all rights reserved

About the Author:

Doug Firebaugh is one of the top MLM Network Marketing Trainers in the world. Over a million people a month read his training ezine. He spent the last 7 years traveling the world speaking and training on Success. He lives in Birmingham Michigan, and you can receive a FREE subscription to his training ezine- The MLM Success HEAT- at: http://www.passionfire.com/pf_heat_4.html http://www.passionfire.com

Read more articles by: Doug Firebaugh
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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Success Tips for Small Business Owners

by: Lorraine Pirihi

Running a small business requires many skills. However, to do this successfully you need to organize yourself first. Avoid procrastination - read the following and take action.

Successful Small Business Owners Look After Themselves First

Exercise regularly, eat healthily and be around positive people. Feed your mind by attending personal development courses. Read self-help and motivational books, listen to tapes. Stress management levels will be much more effective when you look after yourself.

Do the right thing by yourself and you'll have heaps of energy, be motivated, have more balance in your life which in turn will help you be more productive and successful.

Successful Small Business Owners Clean out the Clutter Regularly

You will save yourself heaps of time, energy and money if you clear out your work and home environment…paperwork, books, old equipment etc. You'll be able to find things, save money because you won't have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you'll be less stressed. Organize your office and your small business premises regularly…keep the clutter out. Eliminating clutter will help you to avoid procrastination. It's too easy to avoid getting things done if you are overwhelmed with clutter.

Successful Small Business Owners Use the Right Tools

It's no good having the latest whiz-bang computer when the desk that you sit at is too small to accommodate it, or the chair has poor back support, or the lighting is dull causing you eyestrain and fatigue. All these factors heavily influence how you work. Invest in a decent desk, purchase a desk lamp or change the light globes.

Don't avoid the warning signs your body gives you. Take action now before you have eye, back or neck problems.

Successful Small Business Owners Use a Diary or Digital organiser

With so much to organize in your small business, you need to record your appointments and things to do and goals somewhere. Preferably in a paper diary or digital organiser that you can take everywhere. This is the most effective way to get things done, plan your work and your life. Balance is extremely important. Top achievers are great at time management (even if they have to pay someone else to organize them).

Successful Small Business Owners Learn to say "No"

To dramatically improve your productivity and do more of the things you want, you have to be firm with others and let them know if you cannot, will not or are unavailable to fulfil their requests. If you constantly say "yes" to everyone else's requests you will never have the time to do what you really want to.

Book yourself into a self-assertiveness course to learn these skills if you feel you need to.

Successful Small Business Owners Do What They Do Best and Delegate the Rest

See what tasks you can delegate tasks which would suit someone else's talents. Many small business owners are spending heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a person who is trained in that area a quarter of the time to undertake. Stress management is an important part of running your small business. Reduce the stress by delegating or outsourcing wherever you can.

Use a bookkeeper, personal assistant or virtual assistant. Always ask yourself, who else can I get to do this? Use your time management to focus on what you do best.

Successful Small Business Owners Only Have Meetings if Necessary

Make sure the meetings you organize in your small business are relevant and run effectively. Avoid procrastination - always make sure there is an outcome and all actions are followed through.

The Final Word

By following these simple yet very effective time management tips for small business owners you will have more control over your work and your life. You'll have more balance, experience less stress and be more proactive.

Avoid procrastination…take action today!

About The Author

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!" To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au

This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it's entirety, including the author's bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi.
lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

Worn Out Brochure Design Is Keeping Small Business Owners Down

by: John Jantsch

I got another one of those calls the other day...Can you make me a brochure?" Many business owners have been sold on the notion that they need a tri-fold brochure or they are not in business. Forget it...everybody's got one and no one uses it.

Your potential clients need an education. They need to know how you are different. (The typical tri-fold brochure simply confirms that you are the same.)

Every small business should create the following pieces of information and format them in a way that allows them be printed inexpensively and updated often. I like to call this approach, the Marketing Kit. Your marketing kit starts with several professionally printed pieces that are the framework for up to 10 or 12 different educational documents. The core components are:

1. A pocket folder - A multi-use workhorse, this piece alone, if designed well, can send the message that you are in business to stay. (This one will cost a little but it has many uses)

2. A marketing template - This should be a professionally printed piece that carries your logo and contact information but is different than your letterhead. This is the base piece then for the following pages that insert into your pocket folder. Your actual marketing files can be MSWord type documents that are laser printed. This gives you the ability to change and update your content and also allows you to tailor your marketing kit content to specific prospects.

Some combination of the following pages should be created for your marketing kit.

+ The Difference Page - Hit them with how you are different and shower them with benefits of doing business with you. Don't tell them what you do. I like to keep this one to the top 3 or 4 things that you do that your target market will value. Think benefits that are unique

+ A list of services - Okay, now tell them what you do or what you offer.

+ Case Studies - Pick representative clients or industries and outline how your product or service solved someone else's challenge. People learn in different ways and case studies allow them to see themselves getting relief. I think this format works well. State the situation, the problem, your solution, the result. Over time you can collect more and more of these and draw upon the ones that fit an industry or problem that in relevant to your prospect.

+ Testimonials - Get quotes from real live clients and create a page titled - "See what others have to say about us." These quotes can be some of the strongest selling tools you have. New technologies make it easy to create audio and video testimonials too.

+ Process Description - Show them how you do what you do. Create detailed checklist and flow charts that show them how you keep your promise. In many cases you have these anyway but by making them part of your marketing you can demonstrate how much more professional your organization is. These also help you justify why you charge a premium for your services. Many people underestimate how much really goes into delivering a quality product or service. So show them.

+ Your Story - Many companies have interesting or even gut wrenching histories. Tell them your story in an open, honest, and entertaining way and you will win their hearts as well as their heads.

All of the above pieces can, in many cases, be word processed files that are laser printed onto the template I described above. You can learn even more about how to use this unique tool here

This format allow for very inexpensive printing and a great deal of flexibility when you need to update, change or even personalize your magnificent marketing materials.

Want to quickly create your own magnificent marketing materials. Join me as I coach up to 10 other small business owners through the process of creating marketing materials that educate and sell. Once a week for 4 weeks we will meet via teleconference to create and critique your written marketing kit content based on the above article. Each participant will also receive a workbook, feedback and real-life example marketing kits produced by John Jantsch for his clients. Find out more by sending an email to mailto:john@ducttapemarketing.com?subject=Marketing_Kit

Copyright 2004 John Jantsch

About The Author

John Jantsch is a marketing coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System. You can get more information about the Duct Tape System and download your free copy of “How To Create the Ultimate Small Business Marketing System in 7 Simple Steps” by visiting http://www.DuctTapeMarketing.com.

10 Tips for Hiring Help for Small Business Owners

by: Peggie Arvidson-Dailey

As a successful small business owner,you're accustomed to long hours; non-existent holidays and weekends spent working.

When was the last time you went to your dentist? When was the last time you had an uninterrupted night out with your partner?

Whether your goal for 2005 is to find more time for family or personal enrichment --like attending classes and conferences -- you'll want to consider bringing on some help.

The following tips can help you get started whether you want to bring on a team of 10 or an occasional backup!

Don't expect to hire a replica of you! Each person you meet and interview will be a living, breathing human, with their own habits, mannerisms and even ideas! This is fine - -as long as their ideas and habits are not philosophically opposed to yours. My first hire, Jen, was pursuing a graduate degree, had just moved to the area and is nearly 20 years younger than I am! She's detail-oriented and relies on schedules to get things done. I'm a bit more 'seat of my pants' type of operator. She's a perfect fit because she complements my way of working! Over time she's grown into managing portions of my business that I neglected - like maintaining scheduling and billing.

Know exactly what you expect from your new hire. Before you advertise for help, sit down and write a job description. List your goals for the new hire - do you want someone who can fill in on short notice when you need to take a day off, or do you want someone who can work a regular schedule? Do you want someone who can meet with clients, set their own schedules and attend meetings and events on your behalf or do you simply need someone who can pick up your overflow? By spending time working through your thoughts on hired help you are setting yourself up for a great working relationship. If you can clearly articulate the job to all applicants, they will have the opportunity to determine if this is a mutually agreeable fit. Be sure to concentrate on specific job-related descriptions, and not subjective information.

Determine what type of manager you are! It's imperative that you’re honest about your workstyle. After all, if you say you want an independent thinker, but really do a lot of 'checking-in' you may end up with an unhappy helper. On the other hand, if you hire someone who needs lots of feedback, you need to be sure that you are cut-out for the 'people part' of the management process.

Set aside time. If you expect to hire someone by the 15th of next month you may be setting yourself up for failure. Just as you can't expect to find a perfect replica of you - you can't always put a deadline on your hiring process. In other words, plan to advertise, interview and train until you find the RIGHT person. (SECRET TIP: If you find the right person - Hire them right away and then find work for them! Never pass up a great hire!)

Ask your insurance carrier about your responsibility for insuring your team members. Whether you hire Independent Consultant's or Employees is a topic for another article, however, you need to make certain that your company is covered.

Determine your time-off policy. Just like you, your team members will need time off - whether to recover from the flu or just to re- charge. How will you handle these absences?

Create a disciplinary and review process. Whether you need to tackle issues of poor performance, or chronic absenteeism -- have a policy in place before you bring on your first team member. Questions to address in this process include: How many emergency absences are acceptable in a given time period? How will you deal with customer complaints and concerns? How will you reward outstanding performance? What format will you use to communicate with your team?

Find a reputable company for conducting background checks. If your company’s product or service requires your employees to access clients’ homes, children or possessions do not overlook the importance of conducting a background check. You can search on the web, ask your insurance provider, or talk to your local police authorities for recommendations on companies to conduct this check for you. In each instance, you will need the applicant's signature and understanding that you will have a third party conduct a background check as a condition of employment.

Create a Fact Sheet for Applicants that you can provide along with an application to interested candidates. This sheet should cover your basic job description, expectations and hiring process.

Create your training program. Whether a detailed manual or one-on-one training for a specified period of time - make sure you have a written outline. Your training program should include all aspects of the job you expect your new hire to complete. Many misunderstandings and frustrations occur simply because a new hire didn't understand the expectations of the boss.

By following these tips, you are well on your way to a happy and productive working relationship with all your new help!

About The Author

Small Business Success Coach, Peggie Arvidson-Dailey, is the author of “How to be a Client Attraction Guru” and the creator of the Pet-Care Business Success System™. To learn more about this step-by-step program for making your pet-care business stand out from the crowd, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and FREE teleclasses, visit http://www.peggiespets.com

peggie@peggiespets.com

The Small Business Start-Up Kit (Paperback)

If you the beginner of small business owners this book is very good to read, full of step by step how to begin a small business to become improved. Check this out.

Editorial Reviews

Real Simple magazine
"Answers important questions, including whether to incorporate and how to price merchandise."

Daniel Kehrer, CEO,BizBest
"Shows how to set up a business in any state, quickly and easily... A big timesaver."

See all Editorial Reviews

Small Business Owners: The Benefits of Using a Voicemail Service

Developing a small business is not an easy task. There are
many small business owners who spent years developing their
business. Developing a business plan and finding business
financing alone can take a large amount of time and it can
cause a large amount of stress. Since a lot of work goes
into getting a small business developed there are many
business owners who would do anything to make their
business a success.

Different business owners measure success in different
ways, but one common way that it is measured is by the
satisfaction of clients. This satisfaction is not only
obtained by offering quality products or services, but it
is also obtained by just being available. A small business
that specializes is services offered to other individuals
need to be available more often than most other business
owners.

Even small business owners have a life outside of their
business; therefore, they often need to find a way that
allows their clients to get in contact with them. The
easiest way to allow your clients to have constant contact
with you is by giving them your personal phone number;
however, many business owners would prefer not to do that.
Instead many small business owners use a voicemail service.

A voicemail service is similar to an answering machine or
the voicemails on a cell phone, but at the same time it is
so much more. A voicemail service account can be set up
with a number of reputable companies who specialize in
business and client communications. The features offered
with a voicemail service will all depend on who the service
is through; however, there are common features that almost
all voicemail services have.

A popular voicemail service feature is a customized
greeting. This would allow you to politely explain to your
clients that you are unable to take their call, but you
will return it as soon as possible. Caller identification
is also available with most voicemail services. This
feature is very handy incase a client forgets to leave
their contact information in a message. Date and time
stamps make it possible to know exactly when a voicemail
was left. Additional features could include email alerts
to notify you of a new voicemail and interactive voicemail
options.

Small businesses are popular among the public because they
tend to offer a more personalized service than larger
companies. Enrolling in a voicemail service is a great way
to keep up that personalized appearance while still being
able to carry on with your everyday activities.

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About the Author: Ira Spere is a writer for EFLS . com where you will discover a wealth of resources on Voicemail and other related information.