THE A-TEAM FARM

Finances for business through a new source

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 01:17:00 +0000

Small business loans continue to dry up at the nation's biggest banks. Eleven top TARP recipients -- including Wells Fargo, by far the nation's largest lender to small companies -- cut their collective small business loan balance by more than $2.3 billion in December, according to a Treasury report released late Tuesday.

The drop marked the eighth consecutive month of declines for the 11 banks. In that time, their total loan balance has fallen 7%, to $169.4 billion. Seven of the reporting banks have cut their small business loan balance every single month.

-NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com)

Tight credit chokes job creation:

While the credit crunch has eased for large business, it remains a bottleneck for most small and mid-sizebusinesses. Without access to capital, small companies struggle to finance their daily operations and expansion plans.

This has created a need for alternative financing sources in the industry. When needs arise in the market leaders step up. Two leaders have stepped to the plate and bridged the gap that many businesses need.

Right Business Services is a national consulting firm made up of entrepreneurs who know what it is like to be in a business owner’s shoes. We have experience, knowledge and expertise in small business financing; thereby helping business owners obtain the working capital they need to grow their business. RBS partners with reputable companies to bring other valued added services and products to help businesses become more successful and financially sound.

The owners of Right Business Services bring over 50 years of combined experience in sales, marketing and finance. Chris has been self employed since the age of 15 and has extensive experience in sales and motivation. Wanda has been in the financial sector for approximately 30 years with experience such as VP of lending for large financial institutions as well as over 15 years of sales and marketing experience. Chris and Wanda began working together as independent agents in the travel industry in 2008 They quickly recognized they both shared the same values in life, as well as business, and joined forces in April 2009 as business partners. Together they make a dynamic team with a strong desire to help others become successful. They are continuously looking for ways to improve the business and ways to add additional products and services that will help business owners across American thrive.

If your business is looking for a way to create funding in this hard economy I suggest going to

http://ateam.rightbusinessservices.com

To get all the details. It might be the best decision you make for your business.

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:50:00 +0000

Be sure to check out the new A-Team Blog at http://ping.fm/Tcb3U

The Benefits of Teaming Up

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:03:00 +0000

team - a number of persons associated in some joint action: a team of advisers.

The team is the basis of all relationships. Whether it a an intimate relationship or a pick up game on the blacktop the basic unit is the team. The cohesiveness of the team can make or break that team. It is important to find and define the strengths and weaknesses of all the individual members to establish who should handle what job.

So in terms of a JOINT VENTURE how do we determine how the partnership will work. It is important to first put all ego's aside and understand the team is a team and not out for their own agenda. Their is a shared agenda. Now part of that shared agenda are the components that benefit each party but not at the expense of the other party. You must take a true assessment of what each party brings to the game. Maybe one party is good at advertising and the other is good at writing good ad copy. It's melding of the mind in the true sense of teamwork.

SO WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME

Years ago I was taught that the only way a deal could be a good deal is if both parties left the deal feeling they had achieved their own objectives. I add to this it must also not be at the expense of either partner. As humans our entire experience centers around our own needs. We need to feel important and justified. without this destructive behavior will come out and we begin to act like kids fighting over a toy. To make this work in a joint venture it takes learning to share. Putting egos aside and acting for the good of all parties. It is important to work at this when we go into the deal. To act in a sharing manner. If you take this mindset into it you will succeed. You will walk away feeling like you got exactly what you wanted.

Can you act in a team? If you can't then you must look inside yourself and find what it takes to do this. To be successful in business or in life for that matter this is a skill that is imperative. It about learning to act in the area of sharing. The internet has created an opportunity to connect the world and the ones that become successful had learned to use this connection to give others what they want so they can get what they need.

I challenge you to revamp how you do business and l assure you that success will be in your future. If you are looking for a partner to team up with the A-Team and join us in a JOINT VENTURE . We look forward to our partnership.

JOINT VENTURES

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:43:00 +0000

–noun

a business enterprise in which two or more companies enter atemporary partnership. Abbreviation: JV, J.V.

This is the most amazing concept in the business world. All companies are looking for primarily the same thing. More customers, more sales and more exposure. Why can't we team up together and establish partnerships that benefit us all. In my opinion there is a trepidation to team up with another business especially an internet venture because of the fear of the second company stealing your list or lead base. This is as far from the truth as can be stated. There is a great way to coexist in a manner that will help both businesses achieve their individual and separate goals.

Let me explain it this way in a scenario. My primarily business is in the travel industry with an organization named Coastal Vacations . In my venture I have as many unlimited 3 day 2 night taxes only vacations as I want. To explain in laymens terms what this means is that for a nominal fee of about $50 you can enjoy a 3 star hotel stay. This is an incredible tool as most 3 star hotels like the Holiday and La Quinta's charge about $100 a night. Thats a savings of about $250 for your stay. Now imagine if we offered every customer that came to your website a chance to win one of these vacations in a drawing? Or used it to market one of your products. I have used this method on various occasions with business to market there goods. For example I did a promotion with Domino's Pizza where everyone that bought a certain product or spent $25 with a chance to win a Carnival Cruise ( I forgot to mention I have an unlimited supply of Carnival or Caribbean Cruise where all the customer pays are the port charges and taxes for a 4 day 3 night cruise and nothing for the cabin) and was able to give everyone that entered the drawing one of the taxes only vacations just for looking at my website. Domino's went from a $1000 daily profit to a $7000 profit and I gained over 3000 travel leads and ultimately made 11k from my follow-up selling my Coastal Vacations Lifetime Travel Package . It was an easy promotion and with the help of the manger and a little ingenuity on my end by creating a website that the participants could go to for details my presence wasn't even necessary. Domino's did the promoting of the event for me so my cost was nothing. All I had to do was approach a business owner that was open to a new way of advertising.

Now how does this help you? Easy. We can do the same promotion over and over with whatever product you desire. The best part is im willing to do this for free. For me its a great way to promote my travel business. For you it's an amazing way to promote whatever product you desire or just get more traffic to your website. The word of mouth advertising that this created allowed me to do the same promotion with many other businesses. I did the work one time and get paid over and over. Now talk about duplication. The best part is that other than others in the travel industry I can do this promotion with any other business internet or otherwise on the market. I can do this as well with businesses to reward employees. They can create promotions for employee of the month or however they see fit.

So now its up to you. Is this something that you think can benefit you? I believe it is. If you think so the ball is in your court. Contact us asap to find out how to do your own promotion. Again I mention this is a free service we provide in an effort to increase our sales as well as help others thrive in the world of internet marketing. By using joint ventures we both can succeed.

Be on the look out for massive advertising campaigns I'm creating promoting this idea. There will be how to videos as well as video's showing the promotion bonanzas.

Marketing Your Business With Video – 7 Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:33:00 +0000

BY ERIC GREEN

You’ve heard that using video to market your business can bring incredible results. But do the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to put your video online? In a word, Yes! Shooting a video, editing and formatting it, uploading it to the internet with the right title and description takes a bit of time. But the payoff for video marketing can be tremendous. Here are seven real benefits of marketing with video:

1.Personal Connection – Especially for internet based businesses, the personal connection with your potential market is a huge selling factor. With video, your audience can truly get to know you, eye-to-eye. They get to see that you are indeed a real, live person. They start building a deeper relationship with you and feel as if they actually have met you.

2.Social proof – There’s an old proverb: “Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” On the internet it’s so easy to be a fake and a fraud. People are skeptical about claims they read online, and rightfully so. But video puts a face to your words and makes you more believable and trustworthy.

3.Traffic – People are watching 2 BILLION videos per day on YouTube alone! That’s a whole lot of traffic you’re missing if you’re not marketing yourself with video. It’s free and easy to add your video to a large number of the video sites available online.

4.Emotional Influence – The classic horror movie is a great example of how the audio has an emotional effect on us. The creepy music comes in, immediately cluing you in that something bad is about to happen. Now, imagine combining that audio with powerful video cues to influence the emotions of the listener and create a much more compelling message than with just text alone.

5.Portability – Maybe even more so then articles and ebooks, video is portable. iPhones, Smartphones, iPads and all kinds of other devices allow video to be seen on the go. You can also allow people to download video easily so they can view it over and over again.

6.Demonstrations – Reviews, case studies and examples are great ways to sell products and services. It’s the reason why infomercials make millions of dollars. Now there’s no need for you to be as annoying as the Sham-Wow guy to make money with video; you just need to create videos that show and tell your potential customers why your product will be helpful for them.

7.Engagement – There are many reports available online to show that video boosts response and conversion rates. When someone is watching a video, you have their full attention – eyes and ears. Unlike with the written word, they’re not likely skip ahead or gloss over important information. Most people will watch a video from beginning to end, allowing you to clearly create a message and call to action that engages your audience.
Overall, video is an effective marketing strategy that is only growing in popularity. Since video is here to stay, it’s time to check out the options and see how quick and easy video marketing can be.

REPRINTED FROM ERIC GREEN - THE DIGITAL GANGSTER

Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:52:00 +0000

If you aren't using TWITTER then take a look at this
CLICK HERE

This is some great info that I caught very late last night.

32 Ways to Use Facebook for Business

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Facebook’s not just for keeping tabs on friends and filling out quizzes — it can also be used as a highly effective business tool. It’s great for marketing your products, landing gigs and connecting with your customers.
Here are 32 ways to use Facebook in your business.

Manage Your Profile

Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.
Establish a business account if you don’t already have one.
Stay out of trouble by reading the Facebook rules regarding business accounts.
Install appropriate applications to integrate feeds from your blog and other social media accounts into your Facebook profile. (Although you should be careful before integrating your Twitter feed into your Faceboook profile, as a stream of tweets can seem overwhelming to your contacts.)
Keep any personal parts of your profile private through Settings.
Create friends lists such as “Work,” “Family” and “Limited Profile” for finer-grained control over your profile privacy.
Post a professional or business casual photos of yourself to reinforce your brand.
Limit business contacts’ access to personal photos.
Post your newsletter subscription information and archives somewhere in your profile.

Connect and share with others

Obtain a Facebook vanity URL so that people can find you easily.
Add your Facebok URL to your email signature and any marketing collateral (business cards, etc.) so prospects can learn more about you.
Post business updates on your wall. Focus on business activities, such as “Working with ABC Company on web site redesign.”
Share useful articles and links to presentation and valuable resources that interest customers and prospects on your wall, to establish credibility.
Combine Facebook with other social media tools like Twitter. For example, when someone asks question on Twitter, you can respond in detail in a blog post and link to it from Facebook.
Before traveling, check contacts locations so you can meet with those in the city where you’re heading.
Research prospects before meeting or contacting them.
Upload your contacts from your email client to find more connections.
Use Find Friends for suggestions of other people you may know to expand your network even further.
Look for mutual contacts on your contacts’ friends lists.
Find experts in your field and invite them as a guest blogger on your blog or speaker at your event.
Market your products by posting discounts and package deals.
Share survey or research data to gain credibility.
Use Facebook Connect to add social networking features to your web site.
Suggest Friends to clients and colleagues — by helping them, you establish trust.
Buy Facebook ads to target your exact audience.
Read up on Facebook Beacon to see if it might be useful for you.

Use Network, Group and Fan Pages

Start a group or fan page for product, brand or business. Unless you or your business is already a household name, a group is usually the better choice.
Add basic information to the group or fan page such as links to company site, newsletter subscription information and newsletter archives.
Post upcoming events including webinars, conferences and other programs where you or someone from your company will be present.
Update your group or fan page on a regular basis with helpful information and answers to questions.
Join network, industry and alumni groups related to your business.
Use search to find groups and fan pages related to your business by industry, location and career.

How do you use Facebook for business?

Reprinted from Gigaom
By Meryl K Evans

How to Market Your Business on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:20:00 +0000

We all used to think Facebook was for kids; I'm with you I used to think the same thing as well, but it's time to change our thinking. There are many companies using Facebook to market and seeing success in doing so.
Consider the following statistics provided by O’Reilly Media. Between September 2008 and February 2009...

The number of Facebook users between the ages of 35 and 44 increased by 51%
Facebook users among the ages 45-54 grew by 47%
Facebook users ages 26-34 increased by 26%
More than half of the 140 million Facebook users are out of college

As you can see Facebook is no longer for just college students. Why should you use Facebook as a marketing tool? The answer is easy; you can use Facebook to gain new clients, stay in touch with current clients and promote new products and sales offers. You can also use it to create buzz and PR that is specific about your business.
How do you do this? Facebook offers you many tools, to be successful in marketing your business you must have an understanding of these tools. In this article we will look at two in particular:

Facebook Pages
Facebook Groups

Facebook Pages
Facebook Offers you Facebook Pages. What does that mean? You can use Facebook Pages to create and give your business their own profile on Facebook; the best thing is right now they are free. These pages give your business an identity on Facebook which strengthens your brand. Current customers or even potential customers can become fans of your page and by doing so this allows them to follow you and receive any updates that you post to your page.
The great thing about Facebook Pages is that every time someone becomes a fan of your page all of their friends see that they have become a "fan." This often attracts other followers as well as creates a buzz regarding your business and of course your Facebook Page.
You can use your Facebook Page to not only share your company information, but you can also use it to post photos, videos, applications and messages. Any activity that you perform on your Facebook Page is then broadcast into the mini-feeds of your followers.
When creating your Facebook Page, there are things to keep in mind. You will be given a choice of three options when you start out. You will be asked whether your page is about:

A Local Business
A Brand or a Product
An Artist, Band or a Public Figure

Which are you? Good question. This depends on what you want to promote. Do you want to promote your business locally, do you want to promote your brand or a product or are you working to promote an artist, band or public figure?
Each of these categories will provide you with an opportunity to complete your "basic information", "detailed information" or your "contact information." Each option will provide you with a page that enables you to provide different ways of showing your information. It's important to realize that you cannot edit your page type once you select it, and also remember that the page type that you select will categorize your page with other like pages in that category; this is why you want to make sure you select the correct category to be displayed in.
Your Facebook Page, when done correctly can be used to bring in new customers as well as to help you maintain current customer relationships.

Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups, carry a similarity to Facebook Pages, the difference is they are built around a group of people rather than your business or your brand. You must be a member of Facebook to create a Facebook Group. In order to create a group just login to Facebook and then click on the Groups link in the main menu on the left hand side of the page.
You can use Facebook Groups to create awareness, but they do not have the feature that allows users to become fans, they only become members. The downfall of this is it will not share as much information with friends of "group" members as they interact with the group.

Which One is Right for You?
The question I hear most when it comes to marketing on Facebook is "Laura, do I need a page or a group?" The answer depends on the goal you want to achieve with marketing on Facebook. The truth is you will gain more exposure from a Facebook Page, because it can be seen by unregistered users, but a group page can only be seen by registered Facebook users.
Now, that feature alone should make it easy to decide, right? Wrong. You must also consider that when you send a message to Facebook Page members, they will only receive an update notification, but if you are sending a message to your Facebook Group they will receive the message via their Facebook inbox. If you goal is to be able to communicate in a personal way, the Facebook Group option may be a better fit for you.

By Laura Lake, About.com Guide

Finding Your Dreams by Leaving Your Comfort Zone

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:49:00 +0000

What do you desire that you don't have now? A new job? A new Relationship? A new home? Make a list of all the things you want in every category you can think of. Everything you desire that you don't have, is outside of your comfort zone. Do you want to release some weight or be in better shape? If you do, then you just got your answer on how to find everything else on your list. Einstein said, "To continue doing the same thing expecting different results is insanity." The implication is if you want different results you have to do something different.

That where most people stop. They either feel that they can't change, or they come up with reasons not to change. Either way nothing new happens. Change is scary for many people. Men might not admit it but it scares them too. Change usually represents the unknown. Fear of the unknown is a big cause of stuckness.
If we can recognize the fear and push through it, we usually find that whatever we were afraid of isn't as bad as we thought. Sometimes it's not only pleasant but downright exciting!

Change happens instantly. Deciding to change usually takes time, sometimes years. The easiest way to change is the baby step process. Set your goal, but then break it down to very small, and very doable tasks. Begin by choosing something you can definitely complete today. It could be as easy as looking up a phone number. You don't even have to place the call. Just look up the number. You may find that you will place the call, but the goal was only to look up the number. When you complete your small goal, you are retraining your sub-conscious mind to work with you. Since the majority of our lives are run by our sub-conscious mind, it's best to get it to align itself with our conscious mind.

Sometimes we don't want to choose for fear we might make a mistake. Not choosing is a choice. It's another way we stay stuck. Procrastination is putting off the inevitable which usually makes it worse. Why not empower yourself by taking the time to evaluate your choices, choose the best one, and take action. If it's something that involves something unpleasant, why not get it out of the way, which allows the healing to begin to take place.

Sometimes it helps if you have support while going though your changes. So build a support team. Find people that will be supportive of the changes you want to make. Often times the people closest to you are actually the ones that oppose you changing. So be careful who you choose. A professional has your best interest at heart. Whether a coach, a trainer, a therapist or a friend or family member, be sure they know how you want to be supported. We each like support in our own way. Once you have a plan and a support system in place, dip your toe in the water outside your comfort zone and see what you find. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Written By: John Seeley

Welcome to the FARM

noreply@blogger.com (Adam Frederick) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:11:00 +0000

The A-TEAM FARM is your one stop shop for all of your business needs. FARM is an acronym for Financing, Advertising, Referrals and Marketing. In addition as your business consultant we can COACH you in how to take your business to the next level. As the CEO of the FARM I have over 20 years of experience in business as well as a background in sales, banking as well as law enforcement. This gives me a well rounded view of how most businesses work and the know how to give you the strategies to succeed in this new business age.

Our reason behind creating the FARM was to give business owners especially internet based home business owners the tools they need to be successful. Having started my career in network marketing over 25 years ago I have seen much of what is on the market and lost my shirt in many opportunities. My goal is to save you the trouble of making the same mistakes I have made in the past. With the experience our organization brings to the table we will be able to steer you in the right direction and take your business to the success you desire.

So be sure to look over our site and contact us for a free consultation so we can work together to reach our collective goals.