E-Mail Wars

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Finding the right employees is critical to the success of your business. When you have the best people working for you, your company is able to offer the best service, develop the most innovative products and plan the most effective strategies. However, finding the right people to hire can be easier said than done, as can ensuring that you develop a long-term relationship with them and don’t lose them to your competition. Fortunately, there are a few easy tips that can help you hire the best employees for your small business and to retain them over the long run:

Write Effective Job Posts

Your job post must sell your company in the same way that a resume must sell an applicant. An effective job posting should be clearly written to properly explain the parameters of the job and the skills required, but it should also sell the position and the company, highlighting why employees should want to work there. Clearly defining the job and the qualifications required will ensure that you attract only qualified applicants. Marketing your ad to promote the highlights of the job and working for your company will give the best applicants incentive to apply.

Explore All Leads

Don’t limit yourself to job boards such as Monster or Yahoo. Market your vacancies the same way you would your company: through social-networking sites, your website, print campaigns, e-mail, newsletter and word of mouth. Explore all opportunities you have to network and to get the word out about your vacancy. Referrals and networking opportunities like conferences and receptions are an excellent way to find valuable candidates as well.

Hold an Open House

A resume doesn’t always give you a good idea of a candidate’s personality and range of skills. Someone who might not read well on paper may be an engaging salesperson or charming people person. Hold an open house to get to know interested candidates in an informal setting without committing to an intensive recruiting process. Give candidates an opportunity to sell themselves to you.

Think Outside the Box

Don’t limit yourself to a traditional interview or the typical playlist of questions. Put your candidates through their paces to challenge their skillset and creative thinking. Design tests or other challenges that apply to the vacant position. For example, you could ask candidates to give you a short lesson in a relevant topic. You could provide applicants with a puzzle or riddle and evaluate the solutions they provide. You could ask interviewees to come up with creative ideas for a hypothetical product or project. You may not be able to see candidates in action before you hire them, but you can use the recruiting process to test their skills and intuition.

Offer a Competitive Package

Once you have found the right employees for your company, you must develop strategies for ensuring that you retain them and are able to build a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. You can start by offering a competitive salary and benefits package that will not only lure them into taking the position, but that will also satisfy them enough to stay on longer than it takes to find their next (higher-paying) job. Research your competitors to find out what typical salary and benefits packages they offer, and find ways to beat their offers.

Create a Great Company Culture

You believe in your company and your vision; now you have to make your employees believe in it, too. Creating this company may have been your life-long dream, but your employees are going to be motivated by shared values, challenging work, and inspiring goals. Make sure that you provide them with it. Take the time to learn your employee’s strengths, and find opportunities to utilize them and to challenge them even more. Create a unifying environment, and find ways to make your employees feel invested in the future of the company.

Finding and keeping the right employees is a critical component of your company’s success, and it is a complicated process that takes insight and managerial skill. These simple tips can get you started, but long-term success will take commitment and perseverance.

About the author:

Amanda Tradwick is a grant researcher and writer for CollegeGrants.org. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, and has recently finished research on international student grants and student grants in new jersey.

Success Strategies: How to Hire and Retain the Right People

When it comes to a successful business it often boils down to this–sales, sales, sales. Whether you are selling your books or products, or promoting a speaking event or book tour, normally the bottom line in measuring success is how many sales you make or how many people show up at your event. The results themselves can be what determines whether or not you are successful.

Therefore, to get the best results, it’s important to focus on exactly how you’re driving those sales and where they are coming from. Ask those who contact you how they found you; was it through an ad, social media, or perhaps a referral? Knowing where your potential clients or customers are coming from is crucial. That tells you what you need to be doing more of in your marketing efforts and what areas to focus on. But just as important is making sure you take full advantage of each and every opportunity that comes your way. It’s so easy to do when you have your systems set up properly.

Here are key points to remember in marketing your business:

Getting the Most from Your Shopping Cart- Make sure you get your website and shopping cart working for you. This is key to success. You are missing out on major opportunities every time you don’t set up an autoresponder for orders, or have your shopping cart set up to reconnect with your buyers in some way. Think how often you have purchased something (say, for the holidays) and then totally forgot about that business until you receive something new from them, like their latest sales event or their company newsletter. That’s exactly how it works – out of sight – out of mind. This one simple step will make a huge difference in your business success now and for years to come.

Knowing Your Statistics- Yes, it truly is important to know your stats so you can utilize that information in future marketing. It will also help you customize your marketing efforts to where there is the most interest, making your efforts more effective. Many in social media obsess over how many are following them, their influence, etc. That is important and one key element to explore, but take it farther than that. Constantly monitor your website stats, blog stats, etc. Many of these will even list keywords that are used to get to your site. Can you imagine just how priceless that can be? That is what is leading clients to you. Monitor all of that. Write down your notes and compare your results monthly. You will be amazed at just how much these simple steps can improve your business and you’ll clearly be able to see what’s working and what is not.

Having a Team to Support You- Do you have a marketing team or a virtual team behind you dedicated to your business? One that knows what it takes to get better results? A team that can connect all the dots together and make sure that each video you create, and each sales page you write will bring you the results you are looking to achieve. Is that team familiar with your products and services and able to take your thoughts and dreams and make them a reality (with very little supervision)? Behind most successful businesses, you will find a team of dedicated professionals who handle the different aspects of a business. If you don’t have a team now, get one. And if you do have a team, make sure you utilize their services fully. Ask them… what else can you do for me? You will be amazed at just how much they come back with.

Running a successful business is mostly about doing the right things over and over again and avoiding the things that aren’t working for you. These simple tips should help you do just that. Need help? Hire a virtual team to maximize all your efforts. With the right team in place, you can focus even more on getting the results you’re looking for.

Terry L. Green, is the President of BizEase Support Solutions and with a team of qualified online support specialists, provides seamless online marketing implementation, technology and administrative support solutions to speakers and business coaches worldwide. Visit http://www.bizeasesupport.com to find out how partnering with BizEase can help you grow your business, have more time, and make more money. Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.

Business Success Starts With the Right Marketing Strategy and Tools

Procrastination is denial’s best friend, which is why I also tell my clients: If your business is in distress, or you aren’t making the kind of money you’d initially imagined, then it’s time to open your eyes and wise up. In other words, It’s time to stop the denial.

Don’t deny yourself until you’re broke. Look at your books and admit to yourself that your profits aren’t where they should be.

Imagine back to a time when you were a small child seated at the dinner table, painfully staring down at a plate of vegetables. You couldn’t push your peas and carrots away fast enough. And even though it appeared that you may have gotten rid of them, they were still on your plate, just a little further away from your fork.
Now, as adults some of us have subsequently taken this childhood habit into our business life. We get up every morning with obligations that we don’t want to meet such as; going over last week’s expense reports in painful detail; calling the bank to ask about renewing a credit line; meeting an employee to issue a performance warning. It’s my guess that heading out for a networking lunch or an afternoon game of golf would be a touch more gratifying so, why not put these things off just a little longer? BIG MISTAKE! – Comparable to pushing the peas to the other side of the plate, the concerns are still close at hand. It’s time to approach them head-on, get it over with, and eat your vegetables!

The longer these tasks don’t get done, the more problems will accumulate. Putting off the stuff you don’t want to do is just another sign you are in denial. Tackle it head-on and get it over with.

Here are just a few obvious red flags to indicate you’ve got problems.

You’re living week to week just to cover operational expenses
Your line of credit is maxed out
Your knuckles turn white every time you try to meet payroll
Facing reality is never easy. Taking a cold hard look at yourself and your business can be the toughest thing for an owner to do. If your bad habits like procrastination or self-indulgence have bled your business dry, perhaps it’s time to assess your leadership. Ask yourself honestly, where you think the business is doing well, and where you need major improvements. Denial is the small business owner’s worst enemy. End it now. Face whatever it takes to build a stronger business.

Answer these questions as honestly as possible. Don’t worry. No one’s reading over your shoulder. The only person who has to handle the truth is you.

DENIAL POP QUIZ:

You give someone a task that must be completed as soon as possible. How long do you wait before checking in on him? A: 2 days B. 1 day C. Til the end of the day D. You mean it isn’t done yet?

How closely do you monitor each department? A: Weekly B: Daily C: Hourly D: You didn’t read the question because you’re doing it right now.

If your business isn’t turning a profit, who’s to blame? A: The sales staff B: The sales manager C: The faltering economy D: Take a look in the mirror and take a few guesses
If you answered mostly A’s and B’s: You have no business owning a business.

If you answered mostly C’s: There may be hope for you yet but you’re probably just scraping by.

If you answered mostly D’s: You’re on the right track, but there’s always more you can do.

Founded in 1986, American Management Services has worked with over 6000 small businesses in 400 industries. American Management’s mission is to increase profits and cash flow to small and mid-sized companies.
Celebrating its 25th year American Management employs over 100 full-time professionals, all seasoned executives, working in turnaround management, profit management, cash management services and strategic management throughout the nation.
The founder George Cloutier aka ‘Turnaround Ace’ graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School, where he wrote his MBA Thesis on implementing increased profits, cash flow and organizational effectiveness for small and mid-size companies.
If you are a small business owner, committed to increasing your company’s sales, profits or cash flow, American Management Services is much more than another consulting company. We deliver “Results, not Reports”.

Article Author: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sue_VonAchen Are you currently in denial about the state of your business you will only hurt the business if you are not totally honest with yourself, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Denial Is the Small Business Owner’s Worst Enemy

With the proliferation of World Wide Web, the spectrum and method of doing wholesale business has changed drastically over the past few decades. You can now start doing business without having to pre-purchase or stock any goods. All that needs to be done is to merely list products along with descriptions and graphics on the website of a B2B trade portal.

The secret of success lies in finding the right portal that has built its name and is well-known throughout the world of business for its extensive coverage of buyers and sellers. It would also be necessary to display the products of the wholesale business in an attractive manner with all pertinent information, prices, terms of business and graphics.

Basics of Wholesale Dropshipping Business

The essence of Dropshipping business is that you have to do some research and find products that would have a ready market and then find reliable dropshipping suppliers who would supply the goods against your orders promptly and without any complaints from your clients. You can only succeed if you can find saleable products and the relevant suppliers who will not let you down. Having done this exercise and having selected the right online trade portal, the products should be listed on that website in a proper manner.

You can then pass on the orders that are received, to the wholesale suppliers and ensure that the shipment is made on time. The website listing your products will receive the payment from the customer and will pass on the same to you after adjusting its charges. The payment to the wholesale supplier can be made thereafter.

Fighting Competition

It is obvious that since this business appears to be so simple, many people will be in the fray to capture the market. Competition will be fierce and you will have to find innovative means to fight the same for survival. The following tips will help in being successful in combating your competitors.

• The more attractive and informative your description of the product, the greater will be the possibility of impulsive purchases. It is essential that the information provided by you is persuasively descriptive.

• The description should be accompanied with attractive graphics and good quality photos of the products in actual use. It would also be a good idea to provide comparisons with other similar products. This will enable the visitor to the site to compare different products and make up his mind while he is still hooked on to your site. This will also prevent him from browsing and visiting other sites and ultimately it will improve your chances of getting the business.

• Offering a bonus with the product will prove to be very effective. The bonus could be in the form of reports containing interesting information and tips regarding use of the product.

• Once your client enters his credit card information and before the deal is closed, other products can also be recommended. If the wholesale order is for an electronic item, you can recommend related accessories.

Finding Good Wholesale Dropshipping Suppliers

If a reseller wants to have a smooth and profitable business operation, the most important thing is to find a good dropshipper. He will have no problems or hassles regarding delivery of goods, recovery of payments, and maintaining good quality of the products in line with what has been shown to the customer when the order was finalized. A drop-shipping list can provide names, addresses and telephone numbers of hundreds of companies but most of the time, these lists are outdated. As such, it is better to register with a website that has lists of itemized suppliers and make a choice. You can also become a member of wholesalers’ forums which will make it possible to get useful information by way of other people’s experiences and recommendations regarding reliable suppliers.

Wholesale dropship directories can also be consulted.

Wholesale dropship business can be profitable if proper research and homework is done in the beginning to find the right product and the right wholesale supplier.

The authors website is http://www.esources.co.uk have you considered drop shipping as a business model for your startup?

Essentials Of Wholesale Dropshipping Business

Is it possible for a lighthouse to serve as a guide to many if it has no light at all? How about a house without it? Would you walk on the street at night? Imagine this world in total darkness.

We are no longer living in a traditional way. Electricity plays a vital role in almost every aspect of life. It has become one of the basic commodities of man. The ancient history and customs barely exist. Using candle only brings hassle. For this reason, innovations make it possible to light up a whole street. The picture of Las Vegas would be so dull without those bright lights on almost every corner of it. Thanks to the electrical experts out there that provides electrical systems. It is such an ease.

So, what these electrical experts do?

An electrical contractor carries out construction work specifically in designing, maintaining or installing electrical systems in residential, industrial or commercial areas. Some of their services include electrical installations, lighting installations, and light and circuit repairs. It is not a plain job. Their forte is a bit complicated and earning profit isn’t as easy as you believe it to be.

Many electrical contractors want to make money in simple way. Flat rate pricing is a certain system that can multiply income, time as well as effort. It is more convenient for the potential customers to know first the price before moving on to the next process. That is why pricing the cost of a certain work is also considered. An electricity flat rate pricing is a far cry from other services. It does not charge poles apart rates based on the usage of the customers on a certain electrical utility. The end user will also pay the same amount of electricity not depending on the utilization of it. It doesn’t matter the demand for use is high or not. The bottom-line is contractors will receive a fixed payment over the system. Through this strategy, an electrical contractor or company will earn profit especially if the customers never consume much of the electricity in their homes or in business firms. This factor greatly increases the earnings of the companies that are involved in this sector. This system is different from the variable type of electricity pricing.

On the other hand, there is a special type of meter available, it is called time of use meter. It charges a non-flat rate pricing. Chances are end users’ electrical bills can be charged lower or higher depending on the amount of usage. Using electric services during off-peak time can lessen the amount of bills on your electricity service provider.

When it comes to easy money making, Electrical Contracting Secrets can attend to your needs. Dominating the market would be simple as ABC. This serves as a channel in order to create a successful career. The progress of one’s business depends on the strategies use. They have the so-called Total Domination Marketing. There is no secret to success. It is just a matter of tactics.

To learn more about of their services, simply visit http://www.electricalcontractingsecrets.com/.

Tobias Sommer from Omaha, NE started his own electrical company called Advanced Electrical Services in 2003. He was a great electrician but he realized that being a great electrician was not enough to make his business have revenue or profits. He learned the secrets on how to attract customers and prospects to buy his services. Are you planning to put up electrical contracting business? Head on over to http://www.electricalcontractingsecrets.com to learn more valuable information on how you keep your electrical contracting business progressive.

Market Domination Through Flat Rate Pricing

There is nothing that excites me more in my business than to talk to someone that is genuinely excited and passionate about their business, their ideas and their goals and taking the step of making them happen. One thing that these people will always have in common is a love of speaking about their idea. Some do it brilliantly with Schwarzenegger voices and demonstrations, some do it calmly a succinctly, yet others tell the entire history of their business from the first thought that happened in their Grandmothers living room.

Something very common is how long these speeches can be. If it took me 15 minutes to accurately describe my business I don’t think I could ever really be a success. What we want to be able to do is break down our business into a couple of inspiring phrases that capture attention and communicate exactly what we are about.

It’s the elevator speech.

If you met someone in an elevator and had to describe your business, how would you do it? Or even better, if someone was jumping into a taxi and you had to tell them what your business was about before they left, how could you get them to be interested?

There are a few questions you can ask yourself to start building your Business Story.

1. What Do I Do?
2. What is the Problem That I Solve?
3. How am I Different?
4. Why Should You Be Interested?

You can develop an effective and impressive Business Story just by succinctly answering these questions in a sentence each.

I am very proud of my business story and I think it communicates exactly what I do. I create brands and websites that serve a purpose. Then if they want to hear more I can tell them that most websites and brands, although functional or beautiful, may not actually serve the purpose that they are there for, if they even have one. I can say that what separates me from the pack is that I have an instinct for finding, creating and guiding purpose and reflecting it through design that I have not seen anywhere else.

My business story will usually only go as far as the first sentence, then people get it. You want them to immediately know what you do and how it benefits them.

If you can create a compelling Business Story, people will always want to know more!

Scott Stuart is the founder and lead designer of Scott Creative Design ( http://07design.com.au/ ). We Create Brands & Websites that Serve a Purpose & Achieve Results!

What Is Your Business Story?

Your challenge right now and before you read any further, is to keep an open mind – can you?

If you are going to make your business FLY as a opposed to slowly die, it takes people, right? To get people involved in your business takes relationships with people, do you agree? If you don’t believe that, stop reading this now.

Why? It’s because the ROOT of everything we do as humans comes back to this one simple core, human relations. Human relations create business for you. If human relations are that important, how can you quickly make more relationships?

We all know about referrals. A referral is when someone who is aware of your business tells another person (often a family member) about your business. The best referrals are from a happy customer, but second best is someone who is just aware of your service or product, telling another person. Both types of referrals are the single most powerful business builder there is, period.

Do you hate talking to strangers?

Most people are afraid to talk to strangers. Yet, talking to strangers will change your business or start your new business up, overnight. Really? Really. It is because when you talk to strangers you’re not talking to one person, you’re talking to a group of people. You’re talking to that one person who has family and friends. If your message to them, delivered in a minute or two, is delivered right, your message could go out quickly to many more people.

Are you on-board this train with us here?

If you’re with us – if you agree that talking to strangers is what you need to do, how can you break down your personal fears and enjoy talking to strangers? Would it make a difference in your business and your life if you could approach anyone, any time and tell them about your business? Use the following rules, and you’ll have more fun than you can believe, while exploding your business.

Rule One:

Go where the people are. You have to find someone to talk to, right? They are in their homes. Simply knock on the door firmly, and give them a chance to answer. If they don’t answer, leave your dynamic flyer or business card. Don’t confuse this with leaving flyers on doors. You WANT to talk to people. It is ten times more effective.

Rule Two:

Deliver. For the following example, let’s pretend you’re in the custom cake business. When someone answers the door, they don’t really care (at that point) what your name is. Smile and deliver your message: “Custom Cakes is what we make.” Keep smiling as you say it. When you smile, they can be pretty sure you’re not going to harm them. Continue. “Do you or does anyone you know have a special event coming up, like a wedding, retirement, or special anniversary?” Now, hand them the brochure.

What just happened? You began a conversation with a stranger, about your business. What did it cost? One of your cake brochures. Who else will probably get the message? It is very likely that your message will get to more people from that one contact.

Rule Three: (This is the EXCITING rule)

We have 30 years of small business experience. My son has a $200,000 degree in Entrepreneurship, and other experts will agree: If you deliver your message in person, with your voice, to 50 people, your effort will result in a purchase of your product or service, in six months or less. This is the worse case scenario. What is the best case? IF your product or service is hot, your return for time invested could shock you.

WARNING:

Safety first. Take a friend with you. Carry pepper spray. If anyone starts to say, something like, why are you bothering me, simply smile and say, “Hey, I’m just out looking for work. You understand that, don’t you?” (It stops them in their tracks). The vast majority of people are friendly and want to help you. Yes, talking to 50 people at the doors will require you to knock on 200 doors. It will take about 4 hours. You’ll get exercise and fresh air. People will meet you, and they’ll know that you care.

Is it worth it?

There is no competition. Very few people will knock doors. Fortunes are made, even today, knocking on doors. Even in this market, there are Realtors, landscapers, plumbers and even cake makers making up to $500,000 a year, knocking on doors. You will be so excited when that first call comes from your effort. You’ll just go through the roof! It is simple. It is good for you. It will rock your world!

What do we have for you?

There is a lot more you can do with the basic idea of this article. For a limited time, we are offering a free eBook, “How To Knock Doors For Fantastic Fun And Profit.” This is a comprehensive guide you’ll enjoy reading, and it will make you serious money if you apply it.

How to get it:

Go to http://www.iTechRepairPlus.com You can email, text, or call us to request the eBook. We’ll send you the eBook by email. There is no obligation what-so-ever! We won’t use your email for anything. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

How else can we help you: We repair iPads, iPods, and iPhones, and we have done thousands of repairs. No matter where you are, we can help you with quick mail service, to get your problems repaired. We are located in Southern California. We offer a valet service – we’ll come and get your iPhone or iPad, and return it the next day.

You can check out: http://www.iTechRepairPlus.com. You’re welcome at our iPhone repair shop at 631 East Arrow Highway, Glendora, CA 91740. Let us know how we can help you.

Thanks,

Kort and Scott Linden

How To Start Or Increase A Current Business Fast, And For Free

Choosing the right business to start is something that nobody can tell you except yourself. Seeking the advice of others is simply confusing and is a waste of time. Ask ten business owners what they think as to which business to start and you’ll probably end up with fifteen different ideas because answering the Golden Question of Entrepreneurship often proves difficult to even the most seasoned business professional.

The ten answers that I can guarantee you’re not going to get are of the businesses that those entrepreneurs are currently in.

The process of choosing which business to start is often done incorrectly and does not factor in the experience level of the younger entrepreneur or lay a foundation for the first-time business owner to grow both personally, professionally and fiscally.

The issue with many business plans is that, prior to inception, they fail to take into account certain variables that can determine whether a business has longevity, such as search engine marketing competition, the hassle and entrepreneur’s inherent ability to recruit and manage outside manufacturers as various globalization factors will flood a market.

With the advent of the web and the multifaceted programming features of WordPress, many younger entrepreneurs have the ability to go into business for themselves very easily and very cheaply, but very haphazardly. What may be a cost-effective business now could be a nightmare waiting to happen.

Despite factors such as a cost-effective start-up that should be considered major tailwinds, why do so many of these businesses end up becoming a hobby alongside a full-time job?

The reason these companies fail is simplistic. Many entrepreneurs don’t venture into industries that are truly needed by the market. Things such as social media, online vacation packages, online dating and video production are not a necessity for businesses or the consumer to purchase and often prove a lot harder to break into than the business plan formula claimed it to be.

Laying A Structured Foundation For The First Time Entrepreneur

To mitigate a failed start, I have attempted to lay down some industry and target market boundaries from which the entrepreneur can safely use to pick a business that has a fighting chance from the onset.

For one’s first business, I always suggest that they start a company that sells services to other businesses rather than directly to the consumer. There are a few reasons as to why entrepreneurs should venture into “B2B” (“Business to Business”) service based companies as opposed to any form of “B2C”(“Business to Consumer”) company, “B2B” product-oriented company or strictly a web-based B2B firm.

Prior to getting into the reasons why the first-time entrepreneur should play within these boundaries, let’s define and give examples in order to clarify the difference between a “B2B” service-based company, a “B2B” product or web-based company and, finally a “B2C” company.

We are going to leave out companies selling into municipalities or educational institutions due to long sales cycles that are very complex, hard to manage and even harder to profit from.

What Is “B2C”? Defining the examples:

“B2C” – means that you are selling a product or service directly to the consumer as opposed to selling a product to service to another business.
Examples of “B2C” product-based companies:

Ex 1: Selling t-shirts geared toward the individual consumer
Ex 2: Selling lipstick marketed toward teenage buyers
Ex 3: Selling custom skateboards
Looking Further Into “B2C” Product-Based Companies

Why do I recommend that the first time entrepreneur shy away from “B2C” product based companies?

For the seasoned entrepreneur with exceedingly strong fundamentals and monetary backing, there can be a lot of advantages in opening a “B2C” product-based company. If you look at companies and subsequent brands such as Abercrombie or Sephora, there is a lot of a money to be made in “B2C” product-based marketing if you hit a home run.

Though, the marketing, operations and other intricacies of these companies are well-above most seasoned entrepreneurs’ heads let alone the first-time start-up.

There are a few significant advantages that companies like Abercrombie enjoy and that falsely lure the first-time entrepreneur into starting a “B2C” product-based company. Two of these big advantages are that “B2C” product-based companies don’t have lengthy sales cycles like most “B2B” companies are likely to have, and that they can use their brand to justify significant pricing mark-ups.

However, just as there are many upsides to owning a successful “B2C” product-based company, there are even more deterrents to success for the first-time entrepreneur when opening one.

It is very hard to be considered a player in the “B2C” product-based world without a physical store location. When buying everyday goods, the consumer is going to tend to purchase from companies with actual stores as opposed to those with just websites. Consumers want to see and feel before they buy; it’s half the fun of shopping. The entrepreneur can attempt to have a store such as Macy’s sell their fashion products for them, however, as someone somewhat familiar with the fashion industry, this is a very long sales cycle and to get space from the Big Players is exceedingly competitive and often comes with the price tag of having to attend costly trade shows.

I have found that the marketing for “B2C” companies is very complex and often very expensive.Before even bringing their product to market, the successful “B2C” entrepreneur should be familiarized with the intricacies that make people open their wallet. Aside from the basic lists behind consumer buying that are readily found on the web, most drivers as to why Americans buy can be traced back to highly advanced persuasion tactics, pristine web design and sometimes costly celebrity endorsements.

The consumer buys on repetition. This means that the first-time entrepreneur, literally must beat their brand and its advantages into the head of the consumer before they are going to see any traction or credit card receipts. Accomplishing this can take a very, very long time. The consumer moves quickly for no one and the ability to stay level-headed throughout this pre-selling process (if it even comes to fruition), can not only leave the entrepreneur frustrated, but it can leave them writing a resume as well.

If the entrepreneur cannot afford a physical location that means that they have to gain the trust of the consumer to even a larger extent as people are very hesitant to give their credit cards to websites that they are not 100% familiar with. This is not always the case with the younger generation, however it is going to prove to be somewhat of a hurdle for anybody who is unfamiliar with Firefox.

If the entrepreneur is selling a product, he or she is most likely going to incur start-up costs such as warehousing, shipments, design and other fees from manufacturers that I can vouch firsthand can quickly add up.

Global competition is another headwind that “B2C” product-based companies have to contend with. Anybody, anywhere, at any age can manufacture competing t-shirts or could make and market the same exact custom skateboards. Because there is no human interaction needed with most B2C product sales, the competitive landscape immediately goes global. Another thing to remember is that when an industry goes global, the threat of losing money to intellectual-property theft skyrockets.
If the above didn’t deter you, here’s a good story for the “B2C” product-based aspiring entrepreneur:

In 2007, I got a call from a start-up company that sold yoga mats and the owners were looking to staff a sales representative. Based somewhere outside of Boston, the owners couldn’t afford a full-time sales representative nor could they afford my fees, therefore our conversation was not too lengthy.

However, about three months later and upon further review of the current competition in the industry, I determined that my search engine optimization skills would allow me to rank a website highly on Google for keyword phrases pertaining to “Yoga mats” and related phrases.

As quick as I was to pull the trigger on a new business back then, I was even quicker to pull the plug on this endeavor. It started when I began researching yoga mat manufacturers and quickly learned that to even have somebody produce a basic yoga mat, we needed to buy thousands of them… from China.

This was quite problematic for a few reasons. The first was that half of the manufacturers (particularly, the ones in the States) would not even speak to us because we didn’t have enough money to warrant them starting a new business relationship with. Second, we did not know where to keep these mats and, after shopping around, storage costs were very expensive.

Third, the storage companies charged exorbitant fees to ship the mats to the consumer. Finally, if we wanted to do custom yoga mats with custom art, we would have to manufacturer the mats ourselves because nobody wanted to print single mats for a new company.

Therefore, before the company was even off the ground, I was looking at a minimum fee of $20,000 in manufacturing, warehousing and upfront shipping costs as well as a warehouse full of unsold yoga mats and a website that ranked on the third page of Google.

Looking Further Into “B2C” Service-Based Companies

Examples of “B2C” product-based companies:

Ex 1: Dating services
Ex 2: Online travel services
Ex 3: Financial services
Why do I recommend that the first time entrepreneur shy away from “B2C” service-based companies?

Many “B2C” service-based companies are dominated by the big names in the industry. For instance, if you want to open an online travel company, you are going to compete against Expedia and you are going to have to make quite a compelling case as to why the Smith family should trust you coordinating their Honolulu vacation regardless of the bells and whistles you claim that you can deliver.

Many “B2C” service-based companies are too cyclical and thus advanced for the first time entrepreneur. When opening a first business, the entrepreneur wants to choose an industry that is in need regardless of economic conditions. Waiting for an industry to come back, then hoping to compete in it is not a solid business plan.

Many “B2C” service-based companies must compete globally just like their “B2C” product-based counterparts. As a first time entrepreneur, you are going to want to avoid this at all costs. For all intents and purposes, the fewer players in the game, the better.

If the first-time entrepreneur opens a “B2C” service-based company that is strictly web-based, the advertising costs are going to be astronomical. These days, Google advertising a.k.a. pay-per-click (better known as”PPC”) costs can quickly amount to five figure sums as single clicks can easily surpass $5 per visit to your website. This is not factoring in more advanced marketing costs such as your website’s bounce rate. Even further, this is not factoring in your conversion rate that essentially tells you how many clicks it takes to make a sale. Therefore, you could be paying up to $60 in advertising costs just to make a single sale of $130. The web is no longer a cheap place to advertise and more and more “B2C” service-based companies have turned to television because simply advertising on the web shows little to no ROI. Another thing to remember is that when it comes to “B2C” service-based companies, you can assure yourself that the top 10 ranked on Google will be competitors for life.

The first time entrepreneur will often make the mistake of marketing towards a consumer that is fun and hip, but has no money. For instance, coaching entrepreneurs and job seekers is fun, but entrepreneurs and job seekers, by definition, typically don’t have excess funds to spend.
Ken Sundheim is the Founder and President of KAS Placement Recrutiers Headhunters a sales and marketing staffing agency that helps both U.S. and International firms recruit all levels of sales and marketing experts throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The staffing professionals at KAS Recruiters Headhunters have been around since 2005.

What Is B2B And Why Choose This Business Model For Your Startup? B2B Vs B2C

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• economics
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Please take a look at these and run some searches yourself you will find some great sites and very useful information. Have you tried pLnx before let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Top twenty searches on the business resources search engine pLnx