By Theo Gilbert-Jamison

Using web-based training has been found to be an excellent way to reinforce and supplement learning and development initiatives; especially when a slowing economy makes it difficult to offer traditional classroom style training on a regular basis.

For some organizations, web-based training is not every effective, while for others it is thriving. So I have outlined ten best practices to ensure you get the "bang for the buck," should you implement a web-based training strategy.

1. Limit online workshops to no more than 10-20 minutes in duration. In today's frantic work environment, it is almost impossible to sit in front of a computer for more than 20 minutes without being pulled away by a telephone call, another employee or customer needing something, or an urgent request from a boss. So minimizing the time helps! I can't think of anyone who enjoys online classes that are 30 minutes or more. Secondly, the attention span as well as retention rate of online courses that are longer than 20 minutes is extremely low, especially when no specific rewards like certification or CEUs are linked to taking the class.
2. Limit the number of online workshops that are rolled-out each month or quarter. Typically, when a multitude of online workshops are available at one time, the level of participation and interest drops. Years ago, my previous employer rolled out a robust web-based leadership development program that offered over 100 workshops, which appeared to be impressive; however, less than 10% of managers participated because the selection of topics was just too great. Organizations that realize a 100% ROI with web-based training strategically introduce 3-4 new workshops each quarter.
3. Develop a marketing campaign to roll-out the program. Two months before the online program is launched, it should be marketed to communicate its purpose, while gaining buy-in and support. The marketing campaign should outline how the program will enhance the effectiveness of participants, and impact organizational success. It should also outline the types of courses that will be available, when and how they will be accessible, and how participants who excel in the program will be recognized.
4. Reward and Recognize successful completion. Publicly recognize participants with certificates of completion, photos in the company newsletter or on your "wall of fame," in leadership meetings, or with handwritten congratulatory notes from your CEO, HR Director or CLO (chief learning officer). Organizations that experience success with web-based training program don't perceive it as a waste of time, but an opportunity to recognize employees who take self-accountability for enhancing their professional development.
5. Outsource the development of the program. Creating engaging, value-adding, web-based training content enlists the expertise of many people (a project manager, several subject matter experts, an instructional designer, IT specialist, etc.). Outsourcing the development responsibility frees you to run your business with little interruption of your time. Be careful to select a vendor/supplier who can customize the program to meet your unique business needs and not just sell you off-the-shelf content. Not all online courses require customization, but if you want this it should be an option that does not cost you millions of dollars to do.
6. Allow participants down time at work to complete online classes. Research shows that in organizations experiencing the most success with web-based training, 61% of participants are allowed downtime to take the courses while at work. Even though web-based training makes the information accessible to learners 24/7, it should be strongly encouraged that they use work time for this level of professional development.
7. Define in advance what success will look like. Keep in mind, online training is not for everyone. The most successful organizations have about a 30% participation rate. And that's fine taking into consideration that still 40% of learners would prefer in-classroom training the first time they are learning something new, and another 30% could go either way. However, for recurrent training the overwhelming majority of learners are pleased with online learning as an alternative because it saves time.
8. Regularly measure success. Send out brief surveys to participants in the program to ensure it is meeting their expectations and impacting key business priorities. Your survey should not only ask how participants felt about the online workshops, but also how has it helped them become more effective, and what have they applied.
9. Link the program to business objectives. Like many others, I am sure your organizational goals include increased: growth and expansion, bottom-line profit, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and product or service quality. Integrating online training that will contribute to these key business priorities is vital to its success. Online training topics that focus on business and financial acumen, coaching and counseling, attracting and retaining top talent, sexual harassment prevention, diversity awareness, and strategic planning, all contribute to achieving common business objectives.
10. Keep senior leadership involved and abreast. Periodically communicate results of the online program to senior leaders. Solicit their advice on how to improve the program, topics they would like to see covered, and their involvement as subject matter experts. Anything that can be done to get them on-board as champions of the web-based training initiative should be considered, because if they believe in the program and can see its success, it will be sustainable for years to come.

In the final analysis, web-based training is a great component to add to any learning and development strategy because it not only can help reduce training time and cost, but also increase the accessibility of training programs and enhance the skill and knowledge of your staff.

Theo Gilbert-Jamison is CEO of Performance Solutions by Design, a global performance consulting firm that caters to luxury and premium brands with an emphasis on transforming organizational culture. She is also the author of two books, The Six Principles of Service Excellence (2005), and The Leadership Book of Numbers, Volume I (2008). As the creative force behind Performance Solutions by Design, Theo is a highly sought after speaker and consultant to CEOs and senior executives in high profile organizations.

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Getting the Most Out of Web-based Training - Top 10 Tips

By D'Nisha Freeman

Have you gone to countless seminars that teach you to hold hands and sing camp songs to help employees perform? You are not alone. Dozens of managers and supervisors can share horror stories about previous employee's behavior. Haven't heard the one about the guy who brought the dead bird to the office? When analyzing management styles one will discover there can be a disconnect in communication from your mouth to their ears. When faced with challenges it is the manager's responsibility to maintain control of any situation.

Management styles usually fall into four categories. Let's review the four types of management styles: (1) the responsive manager- succeeds by building bonds of respect and trust with those around them; (2) the cautious manager- succeeds by using the team to achieve goals & objectives; (3) the participatory manager- succeeds by involving all key team members in projects based on their skill set; (4) the directing manager- succeeds by using strategies that involves commitments and deadlines.

Responsive Manager
The staff responds positively to responsive managers and they will work more diligently. Employees feel more involved in work therefore they will work to help the manager and the organization succeed. Some will even go the extra mile when necessary. That is because responsive managers act consistent with the principle that their jobs are to help their staff do their jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence emerges based on behaviors that show concern, respect and trust.

Cautious Manager
If you want to expedite a project and optimize a process for completing that project, managing by teamwork is the way to go. A cautious manager motivates people to pool their knowledge, skills & talents. The results may usually exceed expectations. Often, teams can tackle problems more quickly than what you can accomplish on your own. The give-and-take can create a process that you can replicate in other projects. Indeed, when you get around to employee evaluations, remember to recognize those who were able to collaborate and maintain a team spirit, especially under pressure.

Participatory Manager
If you fall into the category of participatory manager then you fall into the ranks of some of history's greatest leaders. Participatory managers take the time to explain the details to their employees and why their role is important. They also ask for their input on the task and its significance. This will give employees a sense of value, and hopefully, encourage them to take ownership of their piece of the project. Do your best to make sure your employees understand the tasks. Ask questions that might seem obvious. You will find that just asking will reinforce an employee's understanding of the work.

Directing Manager
When a project involves numerous employees and requires a top-down management approach this management style really shines. A directing manager answers five questions for the employees: What? Where? How? Why? & When? Let them know what they need to do, how they're going to do it, and when they must be finished. This style may seem cold and impersonal, but you still have an opportunity to be a motivating and accessible manager. For example, when you assign roles and responsibilities, provide helpful tips or share experiences you encountered with a similar project.

Each manager or supervisor will develop a management style unique to them. Our styles are built on experiences, knowledge and hopefully lessons from past mistakes. In handling difficult employees remember to involve, inquire & encourage.

Ms. Freeman is a Senior Guide with the Freeman Global Group. To her credit she has authored two e-books and toured the country training various Human Resource solutions. With over twenty years of presentation experience she has developed a fascinating approach to adult learning. Ms. Freeman has made learning difficult topics fun and practical.

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Managing Difficult Employees

By Bob Hamilton

When first opening a dollar store people sometimes make assumptions about locating their dollar store suppliers. Some assume other close-by dollar store owners will be happy to share all their supplier information. Some assume product distributors are willing to provide the names and other information about their direct competitors. In other cases there is the assumption that a quick online search or two will yield the very best supplier names. Then there are those who assume making a quick trip to a trade show will yield all the answers. The list goes on from there. The fact is that each of these options may yield some valuable supplier leads. However it comes down to your continued investigation, research and due diligence that determines whether you have in fact found the perfect supplier for your business or not.

It's important for everyone who is opening a dollar store to realize that finding the perfect supplier is an ongoing process. You will never be able to stop asking and looking for suggestions on potential new dollar store suppliers for your business. You will never be able to stop following up and speaking with prospective suppliers. This is a part of being in the business you've chosen. You need second sources for the hot, high-volume products you sell. You need new lower cost sources to help keep the cost-of-goods-sold in your store under control.

It's important to take the time to establish a brief list of your expectations of suppliers in advance of actually contacting them. Some stores may have special needs such as tailgate delivery, or freight caps on all purchases. Include those special needs and expectation on your checklist and be sure you bring them up early in the first call. Be sure you also include the more specific information and questions you need answered such as cost, purchasing less than case-lot sized quantities, and the expectation of weekly or monthly specials.

When opening a dollar store it's also important to understand that every supplier company has many customer representatives. Even when someone else says their experiences with a company were outstanding, you may have a different representative who doesn't place customer service at the top of their list. Be sure to go into every initial order noting problems and concerns. Make sure you provide feedback and ask for help to resolve problems with dollar store suppliers early on. Get them resolved so future dealings are smooth and easy for you.

Always perform thorough due diligence before making the decision to add dollar store suppliers to your preferred supplier list. You'll be very busy after first opening a dollar store and there simply isn't time to fix problem after problem that could have been discovered beforehand had you done the research and investigation upfront. Check prospective suppliers out. Always start with a smaller test order to verify all is okay. Once the new supplier has proven they can meet your needs go ahead and start ramping up the size of your orders with them.

To your dollar store success!

Learn how you can Start your own Dollar Store Business.

Bob Hamilton is an entrepreneur, author, writer, business consultant and trainer.

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Locating Perfect Dollar Store Suppliers When Opening a Dollar Store

As what we have known already that customers are King. Without customers your company is nothing.

Getting customers' satisfaction is the dream and goal of marketing team. Here are what you will get from a satisfied customer:

-Loyalty
-Buy more
-Spread favorable word of mouth
-Are more brand loyal
-Offer feedback
-Reduce transaction costs

Basic Elements of 4P's Marketing Mix:

-Product: Product Variety, quality, design, features, brand name, packaging, sizes, services, warranty, returns.

-Price: list price, discounts, allowances, payment period, credit terms.

-Promotion: sale promotion, advertising, sale force, public relations, direct marketing.

-Place: channels, coverage, assortments, locations, inventory, transport.

Basic Elements of 4P's Marketing Mix

Do you have enough time to perform your daily task? D you think that your clock is ticking fast? Time Management is very important to help you completing your task effectively. With good time management you will be able to save your power and scared resources.

Usually business manager bargains to have much time. They wish if there were more time 24/day. If you are too hasty, you are more likely to encounter problems or make mistakes but we don't want to go behind the deadline. Some people can spend 10 hours completing more tasks than others.

Right here you can consider these methods to save your time.

-Bad Habits

It is easy to have bad habit but hard to get it off. Anyway it isn't too hard to get rid off these habits. Always follow your timetable. Don't give up since you may fail to follow your timetable.

-Don't Waste Time While Working

Working? How do you define working? People think that if they are in office, it means they are working. However think that how long do you spend on completing a specific document? By comparing with other, you will see how much time you waste on a specific document.

-Appointment Protocol

Gaining control of your appointment is the most important method in saving your time. Of course every business person has appointment. If you manage to have a good appointment protocol, you will be able to save time. Try to have your meeting in your office. This is a big help since you can save your time and don't need to wait in case they are late.

3 Simple Ways to Save Time (Time Management)

By Diane Ellis

There are a lot of people being made redundant at the moment. It may be you, or you may be next. And do you know why some people manage to hold on to their jobs in tough times, while others always seem to be the first ones out the door?

It's their skills - or rather their broad range of skills, which means that an employer can use one person for different types of jobs. In this tough economic climate, an ability to multitask is essential. Anyone who can only do one type of job, no matter how well they do it, will be at risk.

So, you have to upskill.

And what's the best type of skill to add to your repertoire? The answer is a skill that makes you more flexible, adaptable, and agile. You need some project management skills. So what are project management skills precisely? And how do you get them without spending a lot of money (especially if you have just been made redundant)?

Well, one skill that all successful Project Managers have and that most employers find invaluable is organisational skills - people who are well organised. Now, by well-organised, I mean disciplined, able to handle more than one job at once, and keep them all under control.

If you have young children at home, then it's highly likely that you (if you are the Mum) or your wife is well organised. It's no mean feat juggling household duties, child rearing, being a loving partner, and good friend. Most Mum's don't set out to be well organised - it becomes a necessity. They know that not everything will get done today, so what they do is prioritise, and continually prioritise throughout the day as new situations arise and others develop.

Sound like a good skill to have?

Well, it's very easy to acquire, and all you need is the discipline to keep at it. The fundamental rule is prioritisation. As an exercise, try to set one day aside to work in an organised fashion. Start the day by reviewing what needs to be done. Now sort those tasks into those you think you can achieve, those you would like to achieve, and those you know aren't going to get done today.

Now, no cheating and setting the bar too low - your output for the day has to be more impressive than if you weren't doing this exercise! And by the way - you can do this if you are out of work too. Just think about all those things you were going to get around to and start making up a list.

Now, put aside those things we know aren't going to get done. Put them out of sight. Then take those you'd like to get done and put them to one side, but still within reach. Now you are left with those things which you have committed to doing today. You now need to prioritise these. You can prioritise them by size (for example, you may choose to tackle the small items first, then move on to the larger ones), or there may be a natural priority if there are some urgent tasks.

During the day, you will be interrupted, and new tasks will be added to your list. Reprioritise immediately. Don't get sucked into doing something that sounds like fun if it's not essential to get done today. If you get through your essential list, move on to your hope to get done today list.

At the end of the day, review what you have achieved and how you measured up against what you hoped to achieve. No fibbing to yourself - did you do better or worse than you would have normally? Did you stick to the rules? Did you enjoy it more working this way? Did you leave a complete messy path of destruction behind you?

If you found it very difficult, or ended up with pieces of paper everywhere, don't despair. Keep this up for a week, and it starts to become habit forming. You'll start to do it naturally, and won't need to keep actual lists.

Organisational skills are invaluable, and will add to your marketability in the workplace. Just keep at it!

Diane Ellis has been a Project and Program Manager for over 25 years, and has recently released a new simple guide to project management called Project Management Made Easy. You can learn more about Diane and her new book, as well as sign up for a free course on Troubleshooting the Most Common Challenges Project Managers Face, at http://www.ManageThatProject.com

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Upskilling in Uncertain Times

By Mark Bergman

Putting the customer first and last must be one of the cornerstones of any business. After all without a customer, you don't have a business.

An interesting excerpt from an original 1912 L.L. Bean Catalog , written by the founder of the company illustrates this understanding of customer relationships :

"We will thank anyone to return goods that are not perfectly satisfactory. Above all things, we wish to avoid having a dissatisfied customer".

It seems that Mr. Bean had a keen understanding as to who actually paid the bills and made his fortune. His competition in the mail order business at the time thought he was completely nuts. Today the L. L. Bean company is still around and almost everyone else who ridiculed Mr. Bean's strange notion of customer service, has closed up shop.

Let us assume that customer service is the sum total of all interactions that keep a business focused on its customers. Also assume that the customer is a person that has already made a purchase Then every business does perform some customer service function, even though it may be too small to actually have a customer service department.

All too often today companies claim to have a customer first focus but in reality give little or no real follow through that the customer actually feels. Today one associates customer service with having to fight for the benefits that the company boasted they would stand behind as part of their sales pitch. Who amongst us has not walked away from a so called customer service interaction feeling really upset and sorry for having made the initial purchase? And who amongst us has not felt good when a company does stand behind its promises, leaving you, the customer feeling satisfied?

Besides marketing and advertising, the goodwill generated through word of mouth between potential customers is essential. A growing number of bad customer experiences can be the very death of a business, but a growing band of customer followers can mean incredible growth for a company.

Naturally being able to market and sell product well is essential to any company, but no matter how good the product is, a lack of after sales service gets known amongst consumers and this often leads to a drop in sales. Companies grow when they are able to define themselves in terms of the benefits they offer to their customers. Over time even the very products that companies produce change as their customers do. For example, in order to meet changing health concerns that customers have, many fast food restaurants have completely changed their menus to include healthier choices like salads. So they have increased sales through changing their product mix to suit their customers.

So how does a company get customer focused? By producing products and services that their customers want and delivering them in a manner that the customer expects. Sounds simple, but it does change the viewpoint of the business to be more outward oriented to see things from the customer's point of view, rather than just product oriented. Even in 1912, Mr. Bean understood this concept and believed that the "customer was the most important person in this office".

The question every business owner should ask themselves is what kind of company do I want to run? A company that is good at keeping customers who keep coming back in the future or one that is solely focused on the sales numbers? Over the long term customer focused companies have proven to be far more successful and have thrived.

To allow you to focus on your customers please visit http://www.startupmysmallbusiness.com . This will help you find out how you can obtain a Frequently Asked Questions checklist that would shorten the time and effort required to get your new small business up and running. You may also view my blog at http://www.startupmysmallbusiness.com/blog for more related information.

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The Customer First and Last - A Business Focus

It is very simple knowledge to talk about time management is the main factor in keeping your business ahead of your competitor but the thing is that how you change your old time management style and how to use your time effectively.

Look around yourself, you ll see many staffs around you and they all are working in different positions. Usually in a company, we do have a Research&Development team who are responsible for the upcoming business of the company. Anyway R&D alone is not enough to make sure that they can bring change to the company!

Regarding to this matter, we can give a big hand to R&D team. The help is easy to find which is from your own staffs. All of your employees are the most valuable factor in developing new good ideas since they have close relationship with your target customers.

Try to allocate time performing daily task and time to learn new things.

Time Management for Future Business by Own Employees

By Thane Johnson

Small and medium-size business owners are often so caught up in trying to make their business work, that the neglect to take a look around and discover that there are many ways that a partnership can help them grow, increase profitability and serve customers better. This article will show ways for businesses to identify win-win relationship with businesses in similar and complimentary industries and to strengthen their bottom line through referral and share-the-profits arrangements.

Many business owners look at everyone in a similar industries as competition. This may be true much of the time, but there are some great opportunities to create mutually-profitable relationships. Here are a few examples. A local restaurant teams up with a wine shop to hold wine tasting parties. The sommelier from the restaurant holds weekly sessions at the wine shop. The shop owner and the restaurant both benefit, because they are developing themselves as local experts and cultivating a love of wine, which will bring customers to both places of business. Several scuba diving charters pool their customers and send one or two full boats out each day instead of five or six boats with only a few divers on each boat. A web designer, who lacks programming skills, works with a local programmer who lacks design skills even though they both market themselves to general public as web developers. These are all examples of working with what might be perceived as a competitor to enhance your business.

Finding businesses in complimentary industries with which to partner is much easier. Here are some examples. In a resort town, a restaurant gives each diner a coupon for a discount at a local souvenir shop, and the souvenir shop gives a coupon for the restaurant. A graphic design company partners with a sign shop to refer clients for design and production services. The possibilities for this sort of partnership are virtually limitless. A car detailing business could partner with an oil change shop. A coffee shop and a bakery are natural combination to increase sales and distribution channels. The good thing about this kind of relationship is that there are virtually no upfront costs for either business.

Many businesses make referrals to other businesses every day at no financial benefit to themselves. This is fine in most circumstances, but if the other business is doing a lot of receiving and no giving, maybe it's time to ask for a referral fee. Most businesses are happy to pay referral fees for new customers, so do not feel it's a bad thing to ask for something in return. For example, a web design business is probably very willing to pay a percentage of a project's cost or a flat fee for referrals from the local computer repair shop and vice versa.

Another win-win relationship for businesses can be a share-of-the-profits arrangement. For example, an online marketing and web development company might partner with a jewelry shop to build and market a web site at no upfront cost to the jewelry store for a percentage of the profits. A body shop might be willing to keep some cars from a car rental agency on site and share the profits from rentals. A bowling alley, marketing agency and promoter might partner to put on a concert with each business sharing in the profits.

At the core of all successful business relationships must be the opportunity for each business to feel rewarded for its efforts. If there is not a two-way street, a mutually-rewarding relationship, the partnership is destined to fail.

Kona Impact http://www.konaimpact.com helps small and medium-size business grow with top-notch web design, programming and marketing solutions. Visit our blog at http://www.konaimpact.com/blog/blogs to read more great tips for growing your business.

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Developing Win-Win Partnerships to Grow Your Business

By Mark Hoaglin

From my experience one of the greatest frustrations that a small business owner will experience is not being able to take time off from their business. When I press for an explanation the most often cited reason is, "there isn't anyone here that I trust to run things in my absence", or, "I'm the only one here who knows how to open and close", etc.

If you fall into this category as a small business owner take heart, you are not alone. Unfortunately these attitudes often lead to early "burnout" and/or a premature sale of the business. The reason is that the owner worked as if they were an "employee" instead of the " CEO" of their business. A business owner should design a company that is distinct from him/her and can operate successfully in their absence. This is what we call a Strategic Mindset. Once you create a business entity that generates cash flow with or without you, pays you a decent salary and a respectable rate of return on your investment you have built equity and wealth! Isn't that the end game you had in mind when you started your business?

As a business owner you need to step back and take a look at where your business is today compared to where you want it to be. The gap that exists between those two realities is what you have to address if your business is going to meet your financial and personal expectations. Your business should make money for you in your absence. It should not rely on you being present every minute of every day.

How do you bridge the gap that separates you from being an "employee" versus a "CEO"? In short, you need to become a strategic business owner. You must adopt the mindset of a CEO and systematize your business and document how things get done from opening the door in the morning to taking the bank deposit to the bank in the afternoon to closing procedures at the end of the day. You have to become a leader - lead more and work less. Train your people to do the $10 an hour work that you have been doing for far too long. Freeing up that time that you used to spend on those tasks will give you time to think strategically about your business and tackle the $200 an hour work like developing a business plan, leveraging your marketing resources and managing your greatest asset - your people.

Take a lesson from McDonalds, arguably one of the most successful franchises in the world. McDonalds has documented every aspect of running one of their franchises. What do you notice when you go from one location to another? Consistency, right? That's because each McDonalds is operating from the same operations manual. Every employee knows what their job is because it is written down. So if the manager does not show up for work one day, guess what? That's right; the business keeps on humming along. It's systematized.

Your business should be no less systematized and documented. If you don't have the resources to do it yourself then invest in someone to come in and do it for you. Once you accomplish this important task your employees will be able to carry on in your absence. That work-free, guilt-free vacation is just around the corner let alone you being able to take a sick day.

With you now focused on growing your business and your employees working at full capacity knowing exactly what they are supposed to do you are leading instead of micromanaging. You now have a purpose when you come into the office each day because you have a business plan and your business is systematized.

Does this sound more like the business you envisioned when you first started? Good. Now let's look at some of the steps you can take to make your new strategic business owner role a reality:

1. Learn to delegate the lower pay transactional work to a new or existing employee so you can focus on strategic issues and business planning - think like a CEO.

2. Think leverage! How can you leverage your marketing efforts to achieve exponential growth instead of incremental growth? Mine your existing customers.

3. Write a business plan. Don't worry about format just put it in writing. Develop a clear purpose for your business and get it down on paper. Where do you want your business to go? Be specific.

4. Invest in yourself. Become a better leader versus a do-er. Consider taking classes such as those offered by the Dale Carnegie Company.

5. Systematize your business. Document all of your key processes and jobs within your company. Don't just write them down but think about how they can be improved or eliminated if they are outdated.

6. You own a business. Stop acting like an employee and start thinking like a CEO!

Believe it or not, by working less in your business you will have more time to work on your business. That will free you up to make the changes that we discussed. Oh, by the way, you may also find that you develop balance in your personal life as well. Call it an added bonus that you deserve.

I am your professional business coach and owner of The Growth Coach San Diego a financial services and business coaching enterprise. My 30+ years as an award winning business manager and speaker enable me to provide practical advice to financial services professionals and other small business owners and managers. We do this through a proven year round coaching and accountability process. During my career I have been recognized for excellence in sales management and marketing roles in a number of industries including a Fortune 10 company. I have worked with small business owners as a senior executive with a large regional bank and was a partner for seven years in a small retail business where I directed the marketing and sales efforts. In addition I was elevated to the role of President and CEO for a securities broker dealer where I gained expertise rebuilding an underperforming company while successfully negotiating with government regulators.

Your can read my blog at http://thegrowthcoachsandiego.blogspot.com

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Run Your Business As If You Are Not There

By Susan Friedmann

Achieving Riches in Niches means occupying a dual role: acting first as a skilled professional, you must also be a powerful, effective sales force. Not only do you perform the services your clients value, but you promote and market yourself as the best place to obtain those services.

While you may be very confident in your professional skills, it's the sales part of the equation that's proving to be problematic for many Nichepreneurs. Don't worry. You're not alone! Many Nichepreneurs find themselves in exactly that position: while they know practically everything possible about their profession, they're not nearly as strong when it comes to presenting themselves and their services for sale.

Selling is both an art and a science. Sales professionals devote years of their lives learning the best way to approach a potential client, create and negotiate a relationship, and finally, most essential of all, close a sale. These are all specific skills, and you don't automatically come into possession of them because you go into business for yourself.

Luckily, sales skills are the type you can acquire 'on the job'. However, you want to minimize the learning curve and quickly gain mastery of these skills -- after all, it's literally your livelihood on the line.

One of the most powerful and effective sales tools -- and one that is a logical natural fit for Nichepreneurs -- is the consultative selling model.

Consultative selling has been around for a very long time. The model first appeared in the 1970's, and it's been used successfully ever since. A consultative sales experience is different from any other type of selling, because you begin the relationship with your potential client by providing value right off the bat.

Imagine this scenario. You're a Nichepreneur, specializing in workplace efficiency. If a job site isn't working as well as it could be -- projects are taking too long, customers are complaining, sales numbers are dropping -- you want to be the person called in to get the team back on track. You've got great problem solving skills, years of management experience, and a staggering ability to cut through the nonsense and get to the core of the problem.

The only problem is, no one knows you can do all of this.

In a consultative selling scenario, you meet with someone who is trying to turn their company around. Free of charge, without any sales pressure whatsoever, you go to their site. You do a needs assessment, identifying challenges and problem areas. It's critical to pay careful attention to the client, so that you both hear and understand what they perceive the issue to be and what outcome they'd like to realize. That's when you offer some suggestions and solutions to their issues.

Implementing your solutions brings us to the sales part of the conversation. At this point, you've already demonstrated an understanding of the client and their needs. You've offered real value: insight and useful recommendations. The client is already beginning to trust you. You've lowered the sales resistance walls that may have existed between you and your client. Closing the deal is an extension of the process begun with that initial consultation.

The question then becomes: how do I connect with people in the first place? How do I get them to want to talk to me about their problems?

There are many answers to that question, and they all come down to one answer: visibility. If you want people to take you up on the offer for free consultations, the first step in the consultative selling process, you need to put the offer where they can easily see and act upon it.

Ways to do this include:

Print Media: Many publications offer an "About the Author" paragraph or blurb. Use this space to offer a carefully worded free consultation. If you submit articles to free content websites, make sure the offer is part of your boilerplate text (generally a paragraph that appears after the article), so it appears each and every time the article runs.

On Your Website: Feature your free consultation offer prominently on your website. Position it so that people can click a button or send an email immediately after reading about the offer -- you don't want to lose them by making them search page after page finding a way to contact you! Make sure to mention the free consultation offer sporadically in your blog.

Community Events: Community events are a great way to generate free consultation leads. Consider conducting a class, teaching a seminar, or leading a workshop. Offer all participants a free consultation. Only a few will take you up on it -- but if those few turn into sales, you've more than recovered your investment in the event.

These are some of the most common ways to promote a free consultation offer. If you're hesitant about your sales skills, consider consultative selling. It's an easy way to demonstrate your professional skills, which may be far more comfortable than straight selling. You'll grow and refine your approach with each consultation, and before you know it, meeting with potential clients will seem as easy as pie!

Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, TheNichePreneur™ Coach, Lake Placid, NY, internationally recognized expert working with service professionals to increase their niche marketing potential. http://www.richesinniches.com

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Consultative Selling For Nichepreneurs

By Tibor Santa

Make money online during tough times. You cannot completely avoid schemes which don't make money. But there are sure ways of having an income beyond your dreams if you are prepared to do some extra work.

If this was not true, there would be no need for website businesses. They would not exist.

To make money online requires some effort. If you don't know it by now - it is one of the possible reasons you are still not making any.

You can build your income on internet. There are few reputable offers online. Till you find out which one is honouring its promises you will be short of many hundreds or thousands of dollars.

I was lucky the second time. The site I will mention to you is worth it. I'm not selling you anything. This is free information I want to share with you.

Why? One of the rewards is that I get is a higher number of visitors to my site. In return you will make money online. Also, if you make a good choice at the beginning it will eliminate you paying businesses which might do not deserve it.

I do not like dishonesty. By guiding you to a genuine source you will avoid losing your money to the wrong crowd.

I will tell you an example of something that happened last week to a friend of mine. It maybe sounds very familiar... So let's see...

On top of every day's difficulties has currently all the 'crap' a person can encounter. Downturn in business, divorce in progress..., you name it.
Needless to say money is a problem and credit cards are at the limits... (Bank is laughing).

Once you have a problem it seems it loves to attract more of it.

OK, here we go.

He was about to make a payment with his credit card when he noticed there was an internet charge for US $ 400!

A year ago he had subscribed to a course for US$ 800 about internet marketing and paid a fee with his credit card.

As he was not able to get a good support - actually no support at all, (either not available; or; due to time zone difference very inconvenient), he decided he would not renew the following year.

$ 800 was non refundable. So he accepted he had lost that money (sounds familiar?). So much about making money online.

To his amazement they charged his card without his approval or request - a renewal fee for the following year. When he complained to them (phone call from Australia to USA) he was told there was a $ 200 cancellation fee anyway, if he decided to cancel.

Now remember, there was no cancellation required. He did not subscribe to continue the course the following year.

This is one of the many examples you can keep investing your money over and over again.
Instead of making money online you make sure others will get yours.

Now is it an honest way of doing business?

Many businesses are desperate in today's economy. You don't want this to happen to you.
There is nothing worse than someone taking your money when you are in greatest need.
(By the way he lodged in a claim with his bank to reverse this payment)

I was luckier. The site I'm dealing with offers you more than you can imagine. If you ever wanted to make money online - don't miss this chance.

It doesn't matter if you know how to build websites. It doesn't matter if you are not sure what you want to sell or offer - it is very likely you will not sell anything. But you will make money.

Work from home (opens new window) will show you everything step by step and will provide you with all the answers. It will guide you how to build your own website and how to get visitors without need to advertise.
All this will produce an ever growing income for you.

The best part? You will make money which ever part of the worl you are in. You need only computer and access to internet.

And even better - if you decide not to work for few months; your income will not simply seize to exist. The site will be producing you a healthy income as your website is there working for you while you eat, sleep, holiday...

Why do I speak so positive about it?

It paved me the way to do something I had never done. There are answers to any problem you might encounter.
The funny thing is the members on the forum there have answers to everything. And I mean by that - everything.

What can it do for you? It will guide you to create your own - money producing website. Your site will grow without need to advertise. You will start to make money online within short a time.

Advertising costs money. Business that stop paying for advertisements will seize making money.

Not yours.

You may sell products - or - you may not.

And now it's my turn for giving you this great and free information - the following is my 'reward paragraph':

You might like to visit my site which is about healthy-relationship-dating. It has great articles on enhancing quality of existing and new relationships, or; quality of sex life, romance, health and wellness.

You will find answers to questions such as: Mid-aged plus, feeling decline in sex drive, libido, quality of sex, love and relationship?

Would you like to improve your relationship? Have better sex/orgasm and health? Please, visit Healthy-relationship-dating.com

I wish you well in your pursuit of your new business and happiness in general.To make money online you need only one thing - to make a decision.

Tibor Santa

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Make Money Online in Recession

By Patrice D. Walker

Starting a business on your own can be overwhelming. With busy daily schedules and events, organization is often compromised. Sometimes we need to take a pause and first discover what is going on around us before we decide upon building an online business. Dedicated time that is committed to existing professions or careers that one may be involved in can make starting a business a bit more challenging. As a result, many professional women turn to corporate or business coaching for assistance during their journey.

Hiring a business or corporate coach has truly has its benefits. Many women find that business coaches provide quality tools and guidance that allows for fast and easy progression. There are amazing coaches and teams that provide extraordinary service which makes the online transition easy and effective. By the end of this article, you will have the knowledge and information to determine for yourself whether corporate or business coaching is right for you.

One of the major benefits of hiring a quality coach for business is that it takes the guess work out of your business building. With your coach by your side, you will have one-on-one assistance while moving along a clear, well designed business plan. An ideal package will include a high quality proven formula involving major internet marketing tools and strategies. This is important when building an online business. This means areas such as niche and brand development, attraction marketing - for effective quality lead or customer generation, full service training on the latest and effective internet marketing tools, and most importantly, prompt responses from your coach or coach's partner when needed.

Another attractive style of coaching that more and more professional women are turning to are coaches that not only specialize in business coaching, but those that also specialize in personal and life coaching. The beauty of hiring this high quality executive life coach is that they often provide mega power plans that can be almost described as a complete elite suite of business and personal specializations.

These coaching practices have top of the line business packages that cater specifically to the needs of the individual on business and personal areas of their lives. This means well designed packages consisting of top business strategies and tools, nutrition, beauty and health care, and wellness. Many women feel confident in having developed an elite business coach association within their lives. So, there's definitely a feeling of security and affluence-- knowing there is a team of highly qualified personal assistants guiding you to direct success, being pampered and catered to at the same time! So, depending on what is desired, the best coaches who have the ability to design a plan that fits any and all needs of the client.

The services of business coaches are available in a variety of ways. Some provide services online with videos tutorials/ instruction and online trainings, some provide telephone one on one services, others offer their services with travel to the client's home or office. Often, services are offered in all of the above ways; individually, or combined in specific packages.

There are many reasons that women decide to invest in an elite internet career coach. Most of these women are professionals that are aware of the current state of the economy and know that with the assistance of a qualified coach, the building will be guided and easy to follow. Most of all, with a quick phone call or email to the coach, additional assistance is available. So, the investment is worth it because the results will be above and beyond what they would be if building with no knowledge at all.

Patrice D. Walker is the founder of Renegade Professional Success. The Elite Coaches offer exceptional business coaching especially designed for professional women.

Having built a successful business from the ground up, Patrice prides herself in working with innovative, high energy entrepreneurial executives and business owners in transition to take their businesses to a higher level-- Providing direction for reaching their highest profitable mark.

With her Tuscany business recognized by top marketing entrepreneur, Ann Sieg, as an "Authority Site", Ann has described Patrice as "Owning her niche".

Patrice specializes in niche development and solidification, personal branding and life coaching. Feel free to contact her for more information on Renegade Professional Success coaching with the sought after Elite coaches and starting a profitable business online. She is a successful life and business coach that guides individuals to Renegade Professional Success.

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Business Coaching For Professional Women - Pampering the Way to Ultimate Success

By Colm Doherty

Detection of unsecured, sensitive data

"Information is the world's new currency. It must be guarded to protect against unauthorized disclosure, loss, or theft"
- IDC Study, 2008
Before you can protect it, first you must find it" - the Irish company, 2008

What is Critical Data Auditor? Data protection is now a critical corporate governance issue in the boardroom. Recent high profile data leakage events have damaged reputations while rising legislative and standards requirements create imperatives for action in this area. Data Leakage Prevention (DLP) programs can help to secure critical and sensitive data, but firstly you must locate & identify the information you need to protect. Critical Data Auditor™ by an Irish company is scanning software to rapidly locate critical information and discover risk on company networks. Why Use it?

The Data Auditor is used to:

* satisfy legislation-based requirements;
* ensure compliance with policies & standards;
* conduct internal investigations;
* meet critical business or operational needs;
* perform audit & risk assessments.

Typical Applications:

* find & protect Intellectual Property;
* satisfy Freedom of Information requests, Competition Authority investigations, e-discovery orders and HR processes;
* conduct Due Diligence prior to acquisitions;
* check for confidentiality during 'quiet periods';
* check compliance with Data Retention, Data Protection Acts and other legislation;
* identify requirements for data archiving and data leakage prevention programs
* discover relevant data in criminal or civil investigations;
* Investigate for inappropriate or illegal use of I.T. resources;
* Identify critical data for back-up or encryption.

Detection of unsecured, sensitive data - Who should use it?

* Companies in regulated industries;
* Government Departments & public sector bodies;
* companies subject to PCI Security Standards Council regulation;
* companies compliant or certified for standards such as ISO 27000;
* Law firms, Auditors and professional services bodies;
* Regulatory authorities.

Discovering Risk, Protecting Reputations " Information is the world's new currency. It must be guarded to protect against unauthorized disclosure, loss, or theft" - IDC Study, 2008 Before you can protect it, first you must find it".

"The average cost for compromised data grew to £101 per record, up 43% since 2005" The auditor can aid compliance with standards, such as:

* Sarbanes Oxley Act;
* Basel II;
* EU data retention directive;
* UK Data Protection Act;
* EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive;
* Payment Card Industry Standard (PCI);
* EU Audit and Privacy Directives;
* ISO 27001 information security standard;
* SB-1386: Security Breach Information Act;
* Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act.

System Requirements No software is required on the systems to be scanned. The product is designed to run from PCs. The minimum hardware and operating system requirements detailed below refer to the auditing computer and are NOT a requirement for target computers whose files systems are being audited.

Hardware Requirements

* Desktop PC;
* 2Gb RAM;
* 10 GB free disk space. Operating System Requirements
* MS Windows® XP Professional;
* MS Windows 2003 Server.

The Data Auditor scans

* Microsoft Windows® operating systems;
* Unix / Linux operating systems;
* Novell Netware;
* Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, Novell GroupWise;
* Citrix Servers.

This article was written by Colm Doherty of Pixalert - http://www.pixalert.com, Email Monitoring Solution. PixAlert is the market leader in products and services that provide detection of critical data for corporations.

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Critical Data Auditor

By Roger Barnes

If you run a small part time business that you are looking to expand, then it is time to try and create a small business to be proud of. If you have the basic formula for financial freedom with the small part time money racket you have now, then you could actually turn this system into a full time endeavor that can be your primary income source. This is something that many people have actually attempted with some various levels of success. If you think you have what it talks to make it work, then it is time to start planning for the future.

Expanding

A small business to be proud of is one that went from a small weekend money quest to something that generates income on a daily basis. If you want to see this business survive and prosper, then you are going to need to consider expanding. This is something that you can do on many different levels, and each one will have its own specific details to consider. Whatever you choose, you are going to need to start applying yourself more to the business. If you need more of what you sell because you have decided to go full time, then you should actually arrange this prior to expansion. You should ideally set all of this up; long before you make mention that you are available at a larger capacity.

Ready For The Change

You are going to want to be ready for the change when it comes to expanding. A small business to be proud of, is something that you have built with the beliefs that hat you have to offer is of quality and worth the money. By making provision to offer more from this small company, you are going to need to be sure that you can still offer this quality. You will also need to be sure that you can have product to offer anyone that is looking to buy. You need to be ready for the change, and this is something that will reflect in the way the business sits within the first year of expansion. A good small business will survive the leap to full time, if the program was sound from the beginning. If you were simply not prepared to tackle the business in a larger capacity, then there is a greater possibility for failure.

Take Your Time

If you are trying to build a small business to be proud of, then you are going to want to take things slowly. There is simply no need to rush something, if you are already making money off of the product that you sell. If you are going to expand this business from a week end casual practice to a full time income generator, you will want to do what has been working for you up until this decision. The choice will merely mean that everything that you are going to do now, will be within a larger scale.

Roger Barnes writes home business, work from home and related articles for the Home Business Selection website at http://www.homebusinessselection.com

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A Small Business to Be Proud Of

By Consuelo Meux

A small business has a lot of competition, particularly as the economic situation tightens up in the marketplace. When potential clients do competition research, what will they find that is different from any other business in your area? This is your competitive advantage. Here are 7 top areas you can use to establish a competitive advantage in your small business.

1. Unique Quality. Have something in your business that lets you be unique. Make sure it's something others are not able to easily copy. This can be a value added service or product your bundle with all purchases.

2. Personal Story. Be willing to get personal with your clients. Tell them your story and let that become a part of your brand. No one has your story and this could be the area that lets the target group connect with you instead of the competition.

3. Education. Promote your special education in the business that lets clients develop a sense of confidence in your abilities. Promote your formal and informal educational background to show you know what you're doing.

4. Experience. Your business experience doesn't have to be in the direct area that you're in now. Let people know about special certifications, travel, or work that is exciting and unusual that led you to be an entrepreneur.

5. Hire Locally. Find ways to create employment opportunities in the community. Hire locally or take on interns from the local college. Letting students work with you to learn the business is a newsworthy idea that could possible let you get recognized by local media.

6. Suppliers/Service Providers. Your suppliers and providers could give you a competitive edge by providing consistent quality, quick turnaround and unique items.

7. Price Right. Are you priced right? Do you have the goods to deliver? You make your business accessible by pricing your offerings so people can buy them without feeling like they are destroying their budgets. Be flexible and offer a range of prices to keep your target market during economic shifts.

Your competitive edge can be something small when you are in business for yourself. More often, it's how you promote your competitive edge that makes it an advantage for you. Increase your marketing efforts by learning and using creative ways to establish your competitive edge as a small business in a crowded field.

Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., is a Strategic Mentor to Women in Leadership. Get a FREE 7 session ecourse for to assist a woman to build confidence in her business and leadership talents at http://www.consuelomeux.com For more Internet marketing ideas visit http://www.marketingcreatively.com

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7 Top Areas to Establish Competitive Advantage in a Small Business

By Joe Love

While growth is a top priority for companies of all sizes, it can be extremely difficult to create and maintain, especially in today's competitive business environment and the overall economic climate. In order to achieve this goal, managers need to be more open to change. They need to have a detailed approach that will allow them to uncover and understand their own shortcomings and correct them.

Many managers go through their career with a rigid sense of how they do their job. They know who they are and where they are going. But often, managers have found success in spite of gaps in their behavior and personal makeup. If managers are going to help their companies uncover, understand and capture growth opportunities they must change the way they manage.

Here are five keys to great management:

1. Managers must be neutral. There's nothing wrong with giving direction in the normal give-and-take of daily business. But it's not appropriate to pass judgment on employees when they voice their opinions to you. For example, when an employee comes up with an idea, don't automatically give an opinion. Instead thank the employee and let him or her know that you hadn't considered that before and that you'll think about it. Once this becomes a habit employees will begin to see you as a much more agreeable and welcoming person. Soon, you will find yourself flooded with great ideas from employees that can propel the company forward.

2. Managers should always be positive. This is another variation of managers being neutral. Many managers are incapable of saying something positive or complimentary to suggestions from employees. In fact one of their favorite phrases is, "Let me explain why that won't work." If you catch yourself saying this or a similar phrase you have a serious flaw and are not motivating your people toward success.

3. Managers need to share information. We are in the age of knowledge workers, information is power. Intentionally withholding information is the opposite of adding value. Yet it has the same purpose, to gain power. Not sharing information rarely achieves the desired effect. In order to have power, you need to inspire loyalty rather than fear and suspicion. Here a few ways managers can share information:

* Make sure you always get back to your employees with valuable information within twenty-four hours.

* Always include all your employees in your discussions or meetings.

* Always delegate tasks to subordinates and take the time to show them how to get it done.

4. Give people the proper recognition, this part of sharing information in that when you don't give the proper recognition to your employees you're not only sowing injustice and treating them unfairly, but you're also depriving them of the emotional payoff that comes with success. Remember, your success as a manager is dependent on the people around you, so it's incumbent on you to make every employee feel that they're part of the team.

5. Managers need to listen. When managers don't listen they are sending out a wide array of negative messages to their employees and in fact this is one of the major reasons for employees leaving their jobs. The ability to make a person feel that he or she is the most important (and only) person in the room is the skill that separates great managers from average ones. The great ones do it all the time.

You also need to express your gratitude with employees by saying "Thank you," and following up with at least once a month to ask for their comments and suggestions. When you do this your employees feel that you're serious about moving the company forward with their help, not because you say so but because of your actions.

Copyright©2009 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.

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Five Keys to Great Management

By Paul Mcindoe

Every business has costs involved with it. Some might have to buy stock in order to resell it to customers, whilst others might not need to buy stock - they may write or draw something that can then be sold to someone else. But even these businesses will have costs to think about. For example, if they use a computer there will be paper, ink and broadband costs to consider; all of which can be reduced to a certain extent.

The key to reducing your own business costs is to take the time to have a long look at how you perform things now. Some people think their costs are very low as it is; and yet when they actually take a proper look at how they work, they find they could reduce them considerably.

Look at every part of your job and what you do each day. Let's say, for example, that you are constantly mailing out packages to your customers - fulfilling orders and sending them out every day. Do you use the cheapest way of posting them? Of course, it is important that you get a balance between cheap services and good quality.

Another way that many businesses could shave a lot off their costs is to think about business travel. To some people, this is a good reason to get out of the office and into a different environment for a while. There is no doubt that if you are travelling to another part of the country - or even abroad - to see a client, you will get a few relaxing hours to yourself as well.

But therein lies the problem. In many cases a business trip simply isn't needed, and there are other ways to keep in touch too. Sometimes a phone call is all that is required on a regular basis to keep the lines of communication open. Why not try reducing those expensive trips and phoning more often instead?

This brings to light another area where potential savings can be made; the cost of business phone calls can really add up if you are with the wrong provider. And every business which has broadband internet should be thinking about taking advantage of that to get free phone calls nowadays. After all, why would you pay for a phone call if you could use VoIP instead to call for free using your computer?

Indeed, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) provides the benefit of reducing communication costs, as any phone calls can simply be delivered over the internet. But as you can see, there are plenty of ways to cut down on your business costs, and that can be a real boon if you are struggling to increase your profits.

Paul McIndoe writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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How High Are Your Business Costs?

By Gordon Goodfellow

The matter of directors' insolvency can emerge if, upon entering an insolvency procedure, it is discovered that one or more of the directors have given personal guarantees in relation to debt which has been raised by the company.

The Insolvency Act 1986 was created partially with an eye for this problem. This Act saw the creation of the Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) as a more humane, but no less robust, alternative to bankruptcy, and which also allow proportional repayments of the debt to creditors over five years. The IVA was designed to be fair to both the creditor and the debtor and was seen to be generally popular and workable.

It is often the case that company directors use the limited company shield as a valid device for protecting their own personal liability and assets. Lenders sometimes - more frequently so - require directors to make personal guarantees before lending to the company is considered. This may even include a second charge on their personal property such as their home.

In good times this is fine, and nobody worries about it. If all goes to plan then the directors' personal guarantees would not be called upon, nor would they expect to be called upon. But when times are difficult things may change dramatically very quickly as balance sheets begin to tell their own story.

Most personal guarantees are limited to a specific value; at least the director will know the extent of his or her liability. When a business becomes insolvent, any assets securing the debt are utilised to pay off the loan. The problem then arises that any amount not so discharged falls upon the directors under their personal guarantee to clear. Hence the prospect of a directors' insolvency comes into play.

You may want to seek professional help if this has happened to you or if you think there is a danger that this may happen to you or your company. Professional help will protect you against the bankruptcy that may otherwise follow on the heels of such a breached guarantee. For example, any debt may be carried through to a new venture.

It is important for a director to avoid bankruptcy if the intention is to carry on business, as a bankrupt will not be able to hold the office of director.

If you're facing problems with your business don't face them alone. We are specialist insolvency solicitors and can help you with directors insolvency. See our site for details about making an appointment for an informal chat. We will solve your problems while safeguarding your personal assets.

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What is a Directors Insolvency?

By Ashton Tan

After you have started your bookkeeping business, the next big challenge is to find customers for your services. There are many ways to advertise for a bookkeeping business. Some are more effective than the others.

Place an ad in the local community paper

You can always place a classified ad about your services in the local community paper. It is rather cost effective especially when you are just starting out. However, it is quite difficult to get clients particularly the new one because the readership of this type of local paper is very small compared to national paper.

Set up a referral system with local accountants

It is quite effective to set up a referral system with your local accountants firm and other larger bookkeeping firm. It is likely that these firms can refer their clients to you in particular during tax submission season when they are unable cope with their work. Apart from the likelihood of giving out some of their work to you, sometimes they may refer you to their clients directly.

Sales letter

You can contact your local chamber of commerce so that to attach your sales letter when sending out their periodical magazines or newsletter to their members. This method is sometimes quite effective and yet the cost of advertising is very low compared to placing an ad in the national paper.

Other ways of advertising for a bookkeeping business includes giving talks to the public especially small business owners and networking with business members of local chamber of commerce. These two methods require you to invest a lot of your times initially. But once you started, you are likely to see people start asking about your bookkeeping services.

If you are not sure how to advertise for a bookkeeping business and having difficulty getting new clients, check it out at Starting Your Own Bookkeeping Business for actionable tips.

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How to Find Customers For Your Bookkeeping Business - 5 Ways to Advertise For a Bookkeeping Business

Energy courses help the energy assessors to enhance their expertise. These courses include two days training for each of the four elements of training. The dedicated NHERs suite where the training for the energy courses is held is in Milton Keynes, UK.
In this course, individuals are assisted with practical workshops, seminars and lectures on energy efficiency. Energy courses will enable the individuals to acquire the knowledge about energy conformity, its requirements, obtaining the conformity evidence, writing personalized statements and advising for the improvement of energy efficiencies in the residing units.

They would learn to suggest the optimum use of energy keeping in consideration the general health of people. Also they would get a thorough training in assessing energy risks and their reportage.

The other category of energy courses is an option for those who have an experience as an energy assessor. It imparts the individuals, knowledge regarding the basic concepts in construction of homes of thermal energy and the energy efficiency of dwelling units. They would learn to estimate the age of the building in accordance with the local geography, the home construction basics and terms and the way in which the dwelling units are constructed.

These energy courses will also enable the individuals to key out the basics of thermal properties, to include lofts, cavity walls and insulation. They would also learn about heating, cooling of the water systems and various controls.

There are many undergraduate and graduate degrees and energy courses for an energy assessor like Centre for Energy and Environment Studies at Boston University, DOE Faculty and Student team Program in U.S., DOE Graduate Automotive Technology Education in U.S., Energy and Resources Group at University of California, Environmental systems Technology Program at Oakland Community College, North-west education Institute at Lane Community College in Oregon, School for Renewable Energy Science in Iceland and many more energy courses and universities in sustainable development.

Besides the energy assessors the short term energy courses are also available for those individuals who want to make some sort of energy efficiency improvements in their own homes by self-effort. For example, the University of Oregon which is dedicated to a healthy energy efficient environment, offers online energy courses on its website which call for an end of wastage of the fossil fuels and non-renewable energy resources.

So, energy courses are not only career maker but also environment saver and energy resources protector also.

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Energy Courses to Save Energy and Money

As you may very well know the internet is already full of millions of people trying to earn a living online. While this may be good news for consumers, it is not such good news for online businesses. The reason being is that there is too much competition, especially in certain areas like slimming/diet, clothing, jewellery etc. There are just too many businesses trying to compete, and with major stores like Amazon and ebay covering these business areas it can be near impossible for new and smaller websites to compete.

So what is the solution to this?
Find an area that is not being covered, or has little competition. This is where niche marketing comes in. If you find a less competitive area, or niche you will be more likely to succeed in what you do.

A good niche is something that has no or very little competition, but still has people searching for it.

Lets take for example, the diet industry, millions of people a month search for general diet products, but you might choose to just specialize in a dieting niche. This could be calorie counters, or dieting diaries. There wouldn't be too many people looking for these specific things, which should make succeeding in this niche easier, whilst still getting customers and therefore sales.

It may be unlikely that you will find an area with no competition at all, but it might be possible, think about it, you never know what you might come up with. Remember, that you can give your customers a better deal than your competitors, you may just get those extra few sales.

By: R Black

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Want your own social network site? Read my niche socializer review here. I tell you the facts, and whether the system is worth your money. Plus you get an amazing bonus package from me absolutely free

What Is A Niche Market? And How Can You Profit From It?

By Paul Kramer

It is important that people who own restaurants and retail units are able to make a profit when it comes to the used restaurant equipment for sale. There are many reasons why this is important, including things such as to make a return on their investment, deliver better customer service and to lower the cost of training, to name a few.

It is important that they are able to make a return on their investment. There is a lot of equipment available at very different prices but it is important to have the best equipment possible, as this will make the work easier and also possibly the cost of wages. It is important for companies to do research into the equipment that is available as there is a vast choice.

There is a lot of competition within the restaurant trade therefore it is important to offer customers the best service possible as this is one of the factors that will determine if a restaurant succeeds or fails. It is a good idea for the staff to have easy equipment to work as this will enable them to interact more with the customers as jobs will not take them as long to complete.

It is a good idea to also increase the level of efficiency within the restaurant and finding the correct used restaurant equipment for sale can do this. A good level of efficiency will be beneficial to the company as there is likely to be fewer errors and things will be more accurate.

When the best used restaurant equipment for sale is selected then this may also be able to cut the training costs of the staff because if it is easy enough to use it could be self taught or taught to the staff by the manager or the restaurant owner.

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Five Reasons to Increase the Profit on Used Restaurant Equipment For Sale

By Taina Uy

When doing business you always have to do your best to try and protect your business from those who wish to take advantage of you. The moment you neglect to protect your business you might find yourself in a world of trouble costing your company a lot of money or worse, you might end up losing your business. You wouldn't want such a thing to happen to your business. So how do you protect yourself and your business? The best way to do that is through proper documentation and contracts.

What is a contract? In basic terms a Contract or Memorandum of Agreement is a document executed by two or more parties that clearly defines and states the details and terms of the agreement agreed upon by all concerned parties. Once the parties involved have agreed to the contents of the contract and once all parties have affixed their signatures in the presence of a witness and a reputable lawyer to properly document the execution of the contract, the contract and all its conditions shall take full effect on both parties for as long as what is stated in the contract or until such time both parties agree to execute another contract to supersede the existing agreement. Once it is signed, the contract shall become binding and legal.

Contracts play an important role in business. Contracts come in different forms and guises; it can be an employment contract, a partnership agreement, a contract for the construction of a building, an agreement for the delivery of a service, or a merger. A contract is designed and entered into to protect the parties who have decided to enter into an agreement for the purpose of business. By having a legal and binding contract all parties involved are assured that everyone will adhere to the terms and conditions stated in the contract; should any of the involved parties fail to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement; then, that party is in breach of the contract and the other concerned party have the right to pursue the matter through legal means. By having a contract properly executed, both parties will be able to protect themselves from any problems or misunderstandings since all the terms and conditions of the agreement and the involvement of all parties are clearly outlined and stated. A contract assures all parties that each one will deliver on their promises as stated in the contract.

It is only natural for a businessman to want to protect his business; and having transactions and agreements properly documented through contracts is one of the best ways you can protect yours. It is also important that you find a reliable and reputable lawyer to help you with such matters. Knowledge of government laws pertaining to the nature of your business wouldn't hurt either and can even be an advantage for you. The more you know and understand about the nature of contracts and its relation to business, the better off you are. So the next time you decide to enter into an agreement with anybody for the purpose of business, make sure you have it in black and white.

Taina Uy is a visual and literal artist, who dabbles back and forth between spinning stories and drawing things. She's a big fan of digital arts, and is into web design and digital painting. Should you want to get started on creating your own website as a part of your eBusiness plan, start out with these SiteGrinder video tutorials

Visit her SiteGrinder website for more information.

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Contracts and the Roles They Play in Business

By Sean R Mize

If you are running your own business, you better have a solid plan of action as to how you can make it thrive. You need to know ahead of time how you can generate leads, how you can convert these leads to buying customers, and how you can get these people to come back for more. In addition, you need to know how and when to expand your business, how to put your marketing campaign to the next level, and how you can make your business cope up with the growing competition in your chosen field.

Here are some of the most effective business planning techniques:

1. Set your goals. Before you even start your own business, you must have clear, measurable goals (both short and long term) that can serve as your guides all throughout. Spend a day or two trying to figure out the things that you would like to achieve. You may want to sell xxx number of products or services on your first months of operation, you may want to expand your business in the next 2 years, etc. Getting these goals on paper can help you out as they will not only remind you of all your objectives when you first started out but they will also keep you motivated especially when the going gets tough.

2. Keep an open line of communication with your customer base. Your business will most likely to succeed if you continuously offer your clients with everything that they are looking for. Keep yourself updated on their ever-changing needs and demands by building an ongoing communication with them. Give them easy ways on how they can get in touch with you should they have any question, suggestions, and feedback.

3. Take good care of your employees. You must have great plans on how you can take good care of your employees. Bear in mind that keeping these people happy is the surest way to motivate them to do better. Set up programs where these people will be rewarded for their contributions and make sure that all their efforts in bringing positive difference to your business will not go unnoticed. You can offer them with rewards or exciting freebies for every year they choose to spend working for you. The key here is doing all your might to make these people feel that they are truly valued so they will remain loyal to you and to your company.

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Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it in high priced coaching, consulting, and online class packages, and is an expert at using articles like this to drive traffic to his website, and has taught hundreds of clients his secrets. Sean says "If you have an existing marketable service or skill that you can teach others, I can teach you to package it into a high-priced class or coaching program, guaranteed"

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Business Planning - Discover 3 Effective Business Planning Techniques

By Tiffany Provost

Businesses are always looking to get ahead. Whether the requirement is to find a specialist in a certain field or just reduce costs, outsourcing may be the answer. Follow these suggestions for contracting out your needs and look for a person not employed by your organization to complete these tasks and you will be pleased with the results.

1. Keep up your standards. You shouldn't cut the quality of work to cut cost by outsourcing your employee base. It is important to keep consistent standards even when you outsource. Many employees overseas are willing to work for very little, however you don’t know if they lack experience and if the language barrier will cost you. It works to contract out these jobs to people who know how to do them and will meet your requirements. Don't let the allure of a bargain price yield lower quality work.

2. Filter through those who apply. There shouldn't be any difference between outsourced and the rest of the employees. Stay active in the hiring procedure, investing time to look over whether applicants are eligible and qualified. The candidate needs to have the proper knowledge and skills to be the best possible person to hire. To run a successful outsourcing operation will require a lot of time and effort to screen out the poor quality or unqualified workers. Be sure to stay involved in the hiring process in order to ensure that only people who are qualified are hired. An interview, whether it is in person or on the telephone, should not be overlooked. Before you decide to outsource you should get a good feel about the person.

3. Keep in contact. It's important when outsourcing work to keep in touch with your employee. If you cannot visit the employee, you can still keep track of the job's progress by frequent emailing or calling. For larger projects it's worth it to travel to meet the employee or company and get to know them. Constant communication with those doing the work will ensure the project's success.

4. Be sure to think about the disadvantages associated with outsourcing. The practice of outsourcing can prove to be more trouble than it is worth. You will not have the free access to your employee base like you do when you work with the same people day to day. You have to just trust that the work is receiving complete attention and will be delivered on time. The resume may look good, while the employee not so much. Due to lack of personal communication, an employee’s weaknesses may not become obvious until the job has already begun to fail. Realize that there are drawbacks to outsourcing and make an effort to prevent any issues. This advice will help ensure that the project you outsource is a success.

Tiffany Provost writes about Outsourcing and business tips for HowToDoThings.com. Article Source

Outsourcing - Tips For Success

By Consuelo Meux

Confidence in business is a necessary characteristic for a woman in business to succeed. Staying focused and ready for success is not always easy. Working with a mastermind group can be one of the most important business decisions a woman in business can make as she starts her business career. These 7 top tips will tell you how a woman working a mastermind group can build her self-esteem and confidence for business success.

1. Mastermind groups consist of a group of people with the same goals that come together to support each other to reach their individual goals. Finding a mastermind that works for you provides an effective ways for you to stay focused on your goals. If you have a problem setting goals the mastermind group can help.

2. Mastermind groups help you to maintain the self-discipline to get moving towards your purpose each day. Being in business often means feeling tired and burned out. If you feel like stopping in your business pursuits, your mastermind members are there to keep you on track and help you develop business routines for success.

3. Mastermind groups provide a place where you can be accountable to reach your goals. Because you check in on a regular basis with your group, you will soon begin to feel accountable to report on your goals to the group. You will enjoy having the other members recognize the efforts you made to reach your stated goals. This helps to build your self-esteem because you will be sharing your successes on a regular basis. They can also help you through the tough spots without being judgmental.

4. Mastermind groups hold you to the expectation of doing what you set out to do in business. They are supportive when you want to implement new ideas or try creative concepts. You have a sounding board of people who can let you know whether or not they feel your idea needs some tweaking or is fine as is. This lets you have more confidence to try something innovative before introducing it the world without this type of feedback.

5. Mastermind groups often share insider information that you wouldn't be able to find in other settings. That is because the focus is usually very tight and the members are professionals in the same area. You can expect a level of confidentiality that is respected by each group member so you can speak freely bout your issues. Of course, be sure this idea of being confidential is a stated policy in your mastermind group before sharing too much.

6. Mastermind groups provide a mentoring atmosphere which means you are supported to understand the nuances of your profession that only come through a close mentoring relationship. Everything can't be taught or passed along through books or even public training sessions. Some have to come through a mentoring situation and the mastermind can provide that setting in your industry.

7. Mastermind groups could help you to establish life long friendships and business partners that you wouldn't find in other situations. Mastermind mind members get to know each other in a way the general population doesn't. Members want to see each other succeed and often provide support and resources only with other mastermind members that could make the difference in building a business quickly an defectively.

Mastermind groups are one of the most important concepts for helping a woman in business to build her self-esteem and confidence to succeed. When you know you are working with a select group of people who care about your success, hold you accountable and support you no matter what, you naturally grow in the confidence to reach you stated business goals.

Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., is a Strategic Mentor to Women in Leadership. Her programs assist women to build self-confidence in their leadership talents. You also learn to use your abilities to develop new streams of income. Get a free 7 session ecourse for women in leadership at her website and find a mentoring experience that will encourage your life. http://www.consuelomeux.com

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7 Top Tips For How Women Can Build Business Confidence Through a Mastermind Group