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BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 87

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:04:32 +0000

Fly with Pets Airways

Pets can now travel in comfort and safety inside the cabin, not underneath! Introducing Pet Airways – it starts flying pets around the US in July 2009. From drop off to pick up, every aspect of the pet's comfort has been thought through....

Continued in BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 87 >>>

- Sea King Wooden Luxury Yacht
- A New Competitor to Botox – Dysport
- Wall Clock Radius
- Cocoa Sniffer
- Green Wedding Diamond
- Farm Stays Becoming a Hit
- Paper Toys

Continue reading these top stories in the BIZNESS! Newsletter >>>

- Learn to be Humorous - Joke Format
- What Franchisors look for in Franchisees the Other Side
- Turning Traffic Visitors into Clients
- How Merchant Cash Advance Works: Tips for Getting the Best Rates and Terms
- Marketing by Mommy bloggers
- Automotive Franchises Going Strong
- Word of Mouth Marketing Works Best

Continue reading these top stories in the BIZNESS! Newsletter >>>

Can't stand your demanding boss anymore? Start your own business! Before that, be sure to subscribe to our free informative newsletter. BIZNESS! is jointly published by CoolBusinessIdeas.com and GetEntrepreneurial.com What you get in BIZNESS! - the latest new business ideas, small business advice, business tips and info and entrepreneur resources. Everything you need for your brand new business!

Free 20-pages PDF report (worth $38) - "New Business Ideas Report 2007" - included with your subscription. Learn more here.

Evaluating Franchisor Support

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:03 +0000

You've narrowed your search down to three franchises. All of them promise great support. How can you get a better idea of what you'll really get from each of them?

That's a great question. One of the main benefits of being in a franchise system is that you don't have to figure everything out on your own. With a little research, you'll find a wealth of information about levels of support. That information will help you pick the franchise system that's right for you.

Before you get started, take a few minutes to think about the word "support" and what that looks and feels like to you. Does it mean someone holding your hand through the pre-opening phase, or does it mean someone handing you a manual and checklist and letting you go? Does it mean an "in-market" support person living in your market, or are you willing to accept less frequent visits from franchisor staff who fly in from a home office? The better you understand what's important to you, the more likely you are to get it.

Next, check the UFOC for lawsuits, closures, and transfers of existing units. While not a direct indicator of level and quality of support, they can at least serve as an early warning system. If a company has high levels of lawsuits or closures, it's a good indicator that you'll want to look at everything a bit more closely - including support.

Then, review the list below to determine which items are most important to you. Once you've reviewed the list, start talking with the prospective franchisors and their existing franchisees. The more people you can talk to, the better. Also, look for support information in writing. Does the franchisor have manuals for training you? For training your employees? How often are they updated? Do people use them? If not, why not?

Remember that no franchise system is going to have everything. A young franchisor will often have fewer of these, and that's why it may cost less to get into their system. A more mature franchisor will often have more of these, and that's why it may cost more to get into their system. Here's the list:

Protection of Intellectual Property

* Trademarks and copyrights
* Willingness and ability to protect intellectual property from infringement

Real Estate

* Verification of suitability of potential locations
* Preparation of construction documents
* Preparation of signage construction documents
* Relationships with contractors
* Lease negotiation
* Construction oversight
* Discounted pricing on materials
* Checklists to help keep you on track

Purchasing and Distribution

* Vendor screening
* Vendor negotiations
* Vendor management
* Getting the product to you
* Getting it to you at a cheaper price than you could on your own

Marketing

* Clear, intelligent marketing and advertising plan
* Branded marketing and advertising materials
* Ability to produce custom materials for you if needed; how much does it cost, and how long does it take?
* Development of a marketing plan for your business
* Guidance to help you maximize your return on investment on marketing dollars
* Grand opening support
* Regularly-scheduled marketing coaching
* Discounted pricing for media and printing
* Advertising cooperatives

Operating Systems

* Outlines the standard procedures for running your business. Usually in manual form.

Training Systems

* Initial training at the franchisor's training location how long? How good will you be when you're done?
* Ongoing pre-opening training; does the franchisor have pre-approved training locations, either franchisee or company-owned, where you can continue practicing what you learned at your initial training?
* Grand Opening Training; does someone come out to help you make the last push to get your business open? How long do they stay? How long have they been with the company and what is their level of experience?

Business Operations

* Visits from franchisor staff. How often do you see someone? What happens when they come?
* Back office support staff
* Maximizing profitability
* Budgeting and forecasting
* Local, Regional, National, and/or International workshops and conferences
* Trademarks and copyrights
* Willingness and ability to protect intellectual property from infringement

Enforcement of Standards

* How clearly do they communicate standards? Are they written down? Talked about regularly?
* Is there a clear, objective system for measuring compliance to standards?
* How often are standards checked to verify compliance?
* Once a franchisee or vendor is found to be in non-compliance, what action does the franchisor take, and how quickly do they take it?
* Do they leave flexibility for innovation within acceptable guidelines?

This article is contributed by: Franchise Genius

FranchiseGenius.com is the largest, most comprehensive online directory of franchise concepts, with 1,700+ concepts summarized, and includes a franchise resource center full of objective and useful information.

How to Create a 20/20 Business Vision and Why it Matters

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:45 +0000

At some point in his or her career, every politician gets tarred with a catch phrase—and usually not a flattering one.

George Bush, Sr. is stuck with two. There was "Read my lips, no new taxes," of course. But only slightly less unfortunate was his dismissal of what he called, "The 'vision thing.'"

He was trying at the time to shake the impression that he was a competent day-to-day manager but he lacked any grander vision of where he wanted to lead the country. His choice of words and tone of voice didn't exactly help.

John F. Kennedy had a vision: "A man on the moon before the end of the decade." And it inspired the seemingly impossible. We had about 15 percent of the needed know-how when he made that declaration.

Bill Gates had a vision that there would be a computer on every desk in America. And this was back when most people didn't even know what a computer was!

Why vision matters
I once had a CEO look me straight in the eye and say he didn't really "go for" visions. "I put my energy into training," he said.

But training for what? I wondered. You do training without a vision, you're all gas pedal and no windshield.

A study at the Sloan School of Management showed that leaders who create, communicate, and implement successful organizational visions were more successful in EVERY measure than those who did not.

Three elements of a truly GREAT vision
Powerful, effective, propelling visions all have three things in common:

1. Short, simple and strong. Shorter is stronger. Take a given sentence and ask which words are pulling their weight and which can take a hike. Change vague expressions like "high-quality" and "world-class" into specific, powerful language that reflects your values. Simpler is also better. Use words a fourth grader could understand.

2. Visual. A statement that doesn't create a powerful visual image of the future isn't a vision. It doesn't give people anything to keep in their mind's eye while they work. You need a landmark on the horizon or you're driving blind.

3. Of service to others. Make sure your vision statement reflects an intense, focused drive to serve the needs of your customers, not just to "satisfy."

The human spirit will not invest in mediocrity. That's why a vision always starts with a bold and audacious idea. A vision statement is nothing less than an invitation for others to invest in your dreams and a promise to do the same in return. By following these simple rules, you can create the kind of vision that has been proven to power companies beyond what was ever thought possible.

Vision doesn't stop at the top
Once you've got your vision defined—your clear, concise, powerful, visual, service-oriented vision—don't put it in the drawer. Pour it all over your company. Let it seep into every nook and cranny of everything your company does. Put it on the lips and in the hearts of your workforce or it will never find its way into the wider world.

The turning point for a vision is when everyone sees it, gets it, and buys into participating to make it happen. And if you've built your vision around a bold and audacious idea, a ludicrous, unreasonable, captivating idea—like, oh, I don't know, going to the moon—people will throw their hearts over the bar with you to make that unreasonable dream a reality.

About the Author:

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into massive results-oriented “bring-it-on” environments. To discover how you can create a 20/20 business vision, motivate employees, ignite their passion and catapult performance to new levels, check out her new book – Thank God It’s Monday. Now, you can get a free sneak preview at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/preview_the_book/

A Blueprint for Success

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:32:40 +0000

Article Contributed by Lori Olson

Business goals need to be defined. Startup business plans always need to include what the expected destination will be. Image that you are going on vacation and have no idea where you are going as you get in your car. How do you pack for such a trip? You might end up in Florida with a suitcase full of ski clothing. As obvious as this may seem, many online businesses start out pretty clueless about this.

Step 1 - Pick an online business monetization model.

The four ways to make money online are:

- Ecommerce model - this applies to any business that has a product or service to sell online.

- Lead generation model - this is the cost per action (CPA) approach where information is sold to other businesses

- Advertising model - this applies to sites that are rich with content and attract lots of information seekers and repeat visitors. The site makes money through pay per click and affiliate products. It relies heavily on high traffic and repeat visitors.

- Support - this applies to businesses that specialize in solving customer problems

Once your business model has been defined ("your travel destination") you can figure out the steps needed to get you there. In some cases, there will be overlap of models but one will prevail as dominant.

Step 2 - Identify the steps you need to accomplish your goals.

Here are the minimum requirements for online success:

- Keyword research - This is a crucial first step that is most often skipped or done in a shoddy manner. It accounts for the majority of startup business online failure. It is so critical to be done right, yet most startups fail to take the time to fully research it. They make the mistake of brainstorming keywords that "sound" right. If they do any keyword research they usually stop after identifying keywords that are highly searched. They don't continue the investigation by finding out how much competition exists for those keywords. They don't determine whether the people searching on those terms are information seekers (and will never buy anything) or actual buyers. Keyword research needs all three of these components. If one of these is missing, it is extremely likely that the website will not succeed.

- An SEO friendly website - Failure to develop a search engine optimized (SEO) website is another typical and huge mistake that startup businesses make online. Unfortunately, the main focus is on a website’s looks (whether that be "pretty", "trendy", or professional). Many startups make the mistake of using web designers who know little or anything at all about SEO. They are graphic designers who will make a site look terrific but will be a coding nightmare for search engine spiders. They often include excessive amounts of flash (spiders are just starting to be able to make some sense of it) and dynamic scripts (e.g. spiders cannot read JavaScript). The focus should not be on creating the most beautiful website but rather on the most functional one that has high visitor usability.

- Great content - Sites need to provide the content that is highly relevant to the expected audience and that is also of great quality. It must contain the right keyword weight, frequency and proximity. The content needs to be chunked in a way that makes it easy for visitors to find and consumed. It needs to have correct spelling and grammar.

- An obvious call to action that is easy to execute. Anything that is frustrating to your visitor is likely to send them away (even if they are in the midst of your shopping cart).

- Web analytics - Business owners need to follow the Japanese concept of kaizen. This is looking for ways to make continuous improvement. Web analytics is essential for all web businesses. It can tell you about the way visitors enter and exit your site, how long they stay, what pages lead them on and which ones cause them to leave and so forth. Web analytics will tell you where your site needs to make improvement otherwise you will be completely clueless as to why the traffic your site gets does not convert.

- Marketing strategies - This includes developing organic search engine traffic (developing back links etc.), PPC and Social Media strategies.

- Business processing software - Systems that automate your business will cut down costs, prevent follow up failure and make your business manageable. This is important even no matter what size business you have. If you are a solo entrepreneur, it can be the difference between having free time or not.

Step 3 - Evaluation of your resources:

The first thing to realize is that there a lot of technical steps that need to be done. Startup businesses need to determine what in house skill sets exist and what needs to be outsourced. Solo entrepreneurs and small business owners typically have the "must do it yourself" attitude. This can be a formula for online businesses that are unprofessional looking, never get found online, and never get passed the formulation/beginning stage of development. It is not necessary to learn HTML, JavaScript and PHP. It is not necessary to become and SEO or analytics wizard. It is however, essential to know that you need these things. This is why so very many of online businesses fail. They are missing so many crucial elements because of not knowing or by doing things in an incomplete, haphazard and non-professional manner.

Evaluation of resources includes determining what can and should be done by whom. It includes deciding on how to allocate funds so that your business will grow. The reality is that most individuals to not have all the skill sets that are needed to do the required tasks of a successful online business. Getting the help of experts is the most cost effective route. Fortunately, getting expert help for an online business is highly affordable; especially compared to the costs of starting an offline business. Many so-it-yourselfers turn to "magic bullet" solutions. Startup businesses need to evaluate the benefits of the many do it yourself type of products that are available from internet gurus. While many of these products do have value, the cost in terms of time to learn how to effectively use them (and the energy involved) must be considered. How many products will be needed for the do-it-yourself approach? Will the product do what it says? The reality is that the cost of hiring professionals is often the same or less than attending workshops and buying products. After the workshop is over, small business owners still need to attend to execution of the details whereas hiring a professional accomplished this.

There is no doubt that startup businesses who follow this three step blueprint will distinguish themselves from the vast majority of new online businesses that fail.

About the Author
Lori Olson has a passion for helping small businesses develop strong online presences with a team of 250 professionals who analyze & implement SEO, SEM, PPC Campaign Mgmt, Social Media, Copy Writing & Web Development strategies which are customized to fit any needs, wants & budget. Update Small Business also provides leading edge employee & sales assessment & training; & CRM solutions. http://updatesmallbusiness.com or call 877.265.6568.

Close More Sales: 3 Ways to Get In, Get Started and Make More Money Now—No Matter the Economy

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:13 +0000

Yes, the economy is lagging and budgets are cut. Yes, we have competition. Yes, clients are postponing buying decisions.

So what?

If you focus on building relationships and implement the sales strategies I reveal here, you’ll be able to close more deals and get more sales now. People will buy from you even in a lagging economy — no matter what your price point.

3 Ways to Get In, Get Started, and Close More Deals

Sales Closing Tip 1: Recommend New Approaches

Good salespeople have always talked about creating value. Now we need to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and be creative. We must get in and get started. Think smart, not big. It’s always smarter to have a smaller piece of something, than a big piece of nothing. Begin with a smaller project, a reduced order, or a regional, rather than global, implementation. Get in, and get to know the client. Let them get to know you. Get to know their business.

Sales Closing Tip 2: Create Metrics

Sit on the same side of the table as your client. Work together to determine the best way to get started. Always, always, create metrics with your client. How do you, together, define success? Get agreement that once this project is successful—according to the metrics you’ve agreed upon—that the client will work with you to identify other sales opportunities within their organization. A successful project breeds a successful relationship, which leads to successful referrals. This means more sales leads and more money for you!

Sales Closing Tip 3: Negotiate or Walk

Yes, the client will want to negotiate on price. That’s their job—to build business while watching the bottom line. How many times have you submitted a sales proposal to a client, and had them say, right off the bat, “Great! Where do I sign?” It doesn’t happen. We always want to get the best deal, so why wouldn’t our clients?

If you must adjust your price, then adjust the scale of your project or the deliverables as well. Always get something in return and write it into your agreement. Maybe the client agrees to write a testimonial or promises to refer you to another business unit in their organization, or to someone they know at a different company. Maybe you barter some of your services. Bartering is an age-old way of doing business, and it makes sense in many cases if you want what they have and they need what you have. Perhaps the client has software that your company needs, or a consulting methodology that could propel your business. You get the picture. Work it out.

If you can’t work things out, be willing to walk away. It’s a tough decision, but it may be your best strategic sales decision. You’ll be off to the next client who values what you offer and is willing to pay for it.

If you follow my advice in this article and in my book, No More Cold Calling™, you will build lifetime customer relationships with clients who want to buy from you over and over again even in a lagging economy. You will get more referrals. And, you will close more sales.

So, what are you waiting for? Get in and get started now!

About the Author:

America’s leading authority on referral selling and founder of No More Cold Calling®, Joanne Black helps salespeople, sales teams, and business owners get more referrals and attract business fast without increasing the cost of sales. Discover how to turn prospects into clients more than 50 percent of the time even in a lagging economy with her No More Cold Calling sales programs at http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com.

How to Get Motivated and Love Your Job Again

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:57 +0000

Remember your very first day on the job? Your shoes had a shine like the tiles on the Space Shuttle and the crease in your slacks could have diced celery. The air was somehow fresher, the birds chirpier. You had been hired. You'd been given a chance to excel, a chance to make a difference.

Now contrast that with this morning.

Are you motivated to wake up every morning and go to your job with full enthusiasm?
After a while, most people end up making one compromise after another until they've resigned themselves to mediocrity. It's darned hard to keep that first-day buzz going.

BUT…there's no reason you can't choose to recover a good measure of that first-day feeling. You can motivate yourself to strive for excellence, and put it to good use in the service of everyone whose lives you touch on a daily basis. And, you can love your job again.

It's all about making the choice to do it.

Why You Need to Get Motivated, Find Your Enthusiasm, and Love Your Job Again

Have you ever met a two-year-old who wasn't enthusiastic? We come prepackaged with it. And then…

What happens to us?

What happens is that we make a choice. Some of us choose to make the effort to stay in touch with our inner enthusiasm and love our jobs. Others find reasons to lose touch with it—boredom, responsibilities, challenges, fatigue.

But here's the problem: Enthusiasm is the lifeblood of all success. Without it, nothing great happens. If you choose to lose touch with your inner enthusiasm, you are choosing mediocrity. It's really that simple.

Sure, there are plenty of reasons to curb your enthusiasm. But there are just as many reasons to find it again including celebrating your incredible good fortune. In the process you can make that fortune even better.

Here’s How to Find Your Enthusiasm

Step 1: Start with the fact that you're not dead yet, that you were born at all, that you have a job, and that compared to a lot of folks, you have a pretty darn good job.

Step 2: Now take a close look at the circumstances of this good job you have. Write down your five biggest complaints and spin them into positives. For example, "My boss micromanages me" can be reframed as "My boss cares enough about me to step into my work when I need help."
If you've truly committed to finding your first-day buzz again, you should be an awful lot closer to it now than you were ten minutes ago.

All this rethinking and reframing has removed a HUGE energy drain from your life—one you were probably unaware of. It takes massive amounts of energy to continually reinforce your own sense of victimhood. Excellence is MUCH less expensive. Now that you feel lucky instead, what on Earth are you going to do with all that energy?

How about playing the Big Game you signed up for?

Now, you just filled yourself up with a lion's share of this precious thing called the human spirit, and it will not invest in mediocrity. So play the meaningful, bighearted game you always dreamed of playing, and leave the mediocrity to others. Get motivated and start loving your job again.

About the Author:

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform the “ho-hum” attitudes of leaders, executives, business owners and entrepreneurs just like you into massive results-oriented “bring-it-on” attitudes. To discover how you can get motivated and love your job again, check out her new book – Thank God It’s Monday. Now, you can get a free sneak preview at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/preview_the_book/

Learn to be Humorous – Public Speaking Jokes

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:59:33 +0000

Many people equate the ability of being funny with the telling of jokes. This is not the case as you do not need to learn to be humorous in order to deliver effectively a joke. But I am going to look at some pointers on specifically how to handle jokes. I'm not going to give you public speaking jokes, but I will help you select ones appropriate for your situation.

Where people fall down with jokes is in their initial selection, their remembering of the joke and their delivery of the punchline.

First of all you have to consider the situation that you're going to be delivery your jokes in. If you're out with friends, in a social environment then, presumably, you will know what types of jokes are appropriate to tell to this particular friend and what aren't.

Get on to your favourite search engine and look for some jokes that might be suitable for your circumstance.

If you are to deliver a presentation in a business situation, then the rules are going to be completely different. Here's a quick snapshot of the subjects that I would avoid:

1.Racial. I think this pretty much goes without saying, but I wanted to be as explicit as I can and not leave any stone unturned.

2.Sexist. Again I think this goes without saying. Using this sort of humour can offend over half your audience. Why that much? Well, anti-women jokes will alienate the women and you may even have married couples present which means you'll alienate some guys too.

3.Disability. Humour that mocks any sort of disability is also a no-no.

4.Sexual in nature. Avoid humour that is sexually explicit that could cause potential embarrassment.

5.Political. This seems innocuous compared to the other topics, but why run the risk of dividing your audience or offending the person who pays you?

6. Religion. You might be a Believer, but what if you speak to a room full of people who aren't? Or vice versa. Mocking any sort of religion is a big no-no. Even the Jedi Faith.

I would also avoid making derogatory comments about the organisation that you're speaking for, unless you don't mind not getting paid.

When using street jokes, it is best if you are able to tell the joke in your own words. That way it will help reduce the possibility of you forgetting it. Go over it several times so you get used to the important elements that will feature in the set-up part of the joke.

Say the joke out loud and change words that you wouldn't normally say. The closer the joke is to your own natural speech rhythm, the easier it will be for you to tell it and the easier it will be for your to remember it.

By editing the joke you are able to get to the punchline a lot quicker. Being succinct in this way is ideal for humour.

This will also help you remember the punchline, which is one of the elements that people can forget. The punchline is very important as it allows you to generate the laughter.

That said, it is not more important than the set-up line. The set-up line is all the information that occurs before the punchline. Without that information to establish the situation and story of the joke, the punchline will fail.

As an example here's a punchline from Gilbert Gottfried:"Is it hot in here, or am I crazy?" Hilarious, right? Not unless you already know the joke. Which means that you need to recall the information provided by the set-up.

Let me put you out of your misery and give you the set-up line: “Last night I was having dinner with Charles Manson, and in the middle of dinner he turned to me and said...” Now you've got the final piece of the jigsaw the humour makes sense.

So select a joke, make sure that it's not going to offend anybody. Practise saying the joke out loud which will allow you to edit it to fit your own way of speaking. Practise saying the joke several times as this will also allow you to remember it.

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Consultant based in London, England. For public speaking tips and to learn how to add humor to your speeches and presentations to win over your listeners visit: Pro Humorist.

Word of Mouth Marketing Works Best

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:02 +0000

Young Entrepreneur: Word-of-mouth is certainly the best form of marketing available. In a recent study by the authority site emarketer.com, it was shown that fully 53% of online traffic comes from word-of-mouth – recommendations and referrals made by others.

The growth of the Internet has certainly enhanced the potential for positive results from word-of-mouth referrals. News used to take a lot longer to spread when the telephone was the most effective means of communication. News can now travel at lightning speeds through the many forms of e-mail, instant messaging, SMS text messaging and the Web 2.0 children – Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

Nowadays, in Internet marketing terms, it is relatively easy to prompt people for a recommendation. “Tell a friend” scripts are easy to promote and these messages stand a great chance of reaching their proposed recipients, due to the fact that they are coming from a trusted friend or acquaintance. Recognizable e-mail addresses normally sail past those pesky spam filters.

There are many ways to generate valuable online publicity through the use of press release services. You should have a clear strategy, defined and regular, and strive to incorporate different tactics. A series of written press releases should aim to show your product or service as relevant and “hot”. Create a buzz around your product. Inject some controversy and color and always aim to establish yourself as a credible expert in your niche.

One of the beauties of the Internet as we know it today is its ability to provide viral exposure. Whilst aiming to brand yourself as the credible expert, consider giving something of value away for free. Make sure that you research this well, however, so that your intended audience feels that you truly are giving away something of value and that this is not just your opinion!

Find out what value and what kind of information your target audience is looking for. Are they looking for inspiration, or simply a lighthearted message of some kind? Use the many Internet distribution channels to provide something of perceived value at little or no cost. Never employ the hard sell – but do make sure that you include subtle links so that interested people can find you.

Why word of mouth is still the best form of marketing [Young Entrepreneur]

Learn to be Humorous - Joke Format

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:22:29 +0000

When doing a presentation an easy way to connect with your audience is to use humour. Not only do people like to laugh and be entertained but they will also more easily remember your message. But need to know an effective joke format.

My aim is not to turn you into a comedian I am simply going to present you with some ways to add humour to your speech or presentation.

In the first instance, you want to make sure that your speech as an overall objective. What’s the message that you’re trying to get across? From there you should find at least 3 supporting points that support your main point.

Once you have that down, concentrate on creating your speech first. That’s the most important thing. Create the speech first and then focus on finding the humour afterwards.

Punchlines are different from jokes which tend to be mini, self-contained stories. A punchline can just be your personal reaction to something that you’ve said. Here are two joke formats for you to consider when structuring your speech:

1)
Intro

2nd Funniest joke

Main body of Jokes

Theme

Funniest Joke

The second format is as follows:

2)
Intro

Funniest joke

Other Jokes

Theme

This last one ends on a serious note instead of a laugh. Personally, if I'm doing a humorous speech I'd rather end on a laugh. But that's just my personal taste.

You will still also need to make at least 3 points during your speech. People have come to hear your message and not just be entertained by your sense of humour. So during your main body of jokes section, make points that relate to your overall theme.

What you might consider doing is reducing your actual speech or presentation by about a third or even a half. Keep the core details that are necessary to convey your message to your audience. So what do you replace the edited content with?

Funny jokes, funny stories, maybe you could quote other comedians or witty people as long as you give credit where it's due. There's no sense delivering a line by Dave Chappelle in your presentation and passing it off as your own. There will always be someone who can attribute it to the original author, plus it's illegal and highly unethical.

You can legitimately quote another comedian as such: "as Jerry Seinfeld once said..." you can immediately get your audience into a better state to laugh as they'll remember their favourite Jerry Seinfeld moment.

Then if the line doesn't have everyone rolling in the aisles then you can get out of it by saying, "obviously it's much better when Seinfeld did it". Your listeners will love you all the more then because you will have revealed yourself to be slightly vulnerable.

Ask yourself “what are you trying to convey to your audience?” What's the take home message that you want them to walk away from your speech remembering?

If you can follow some of these tips in your next presentation you'll be well on your way to being remembered for your humorous speeches.

Pizza Industry Latest Facts and Figures

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:00:38 +0000

Article contributed by Franchise Direct

Franchise Direct has analyzed the latest facts and figures from the pizza industry. What emerges is a snapshot of a food franchising sector that is well-positioned to thrive during the current economic downturn.

This research comes from assessing FDD (UFOC) documents of a sample size of 20 pizza franchise chains, as well as published industry sources.

Generally-speaking, the restaurant industry has shown initial resilience in coping with the downturn. Americans continue to rely on restaurants, primarily take-away establishments, for their daily eating. National restaurants surveys show an industry bracing for hardship, but confident that consumers will remain loyal.

Franchise Direct’s research shows that pizza franchises make up a majority of America’s restaurants. Our findings state that pizza franchises experienced consistent sales growth up until last year, when the industry slowed. There are a number of reasons why pizza franchises are projected to remain strong. Commodity prices will fall in the coming years, creating savings for the purchase of ingredients. Pizza franchises will also seamlessly fit into new consumer trends, such as the switch towards healthier and organic food options and the integration of new technology in ordering food. Our research suggests that pizza franchises present a deft balance for consumers searching for a quality at an affordable price. It is believed that pizza franchises will succeed as other more expensive dining options fail.

Pizza franchises also boast a number of advantages as far as purchasing a restaurant is concerned. New entrepreneurs can avail of a franchisor’s assistance in getting their business up and running. Our research reveals the typical franchise fee for a pizza restaurant. That figure tends to drops significantly for carry-out restaurants and double for larger, full-service pizza franchises.

The total investment sum for a pizza franchise can also vary greatly depending on location, unit size and whether the restaurant is take-out or dine-in. Our research tracks the range in investment in owning different types of pizza restaurant, factoring in fixtures, signs, inventory, training expenses, payroll and more. There are also a number of ongoing fees that the franchisee must be accountable for and our analysis details every payment that one can expect to make.

Most pizza franchises come with an exclusive territory, although some franchisors maintain a right to open new outlets within a given territory in certain circumstances.

In all, it remains hard to forecast the total earning potential of owning a pizza franchise. Every franchised industry is facing challenges at the moment, with the economy flailing and the sales expected to drop across the board in 2009. Cost control, management efficiency and slumping commodity prices will help to offset the sales decline brought on by the slump in the economy. According to research by Franchise Direct, pizza franchisees who can enhance their service and offer true quality to consumers will be the ones that will enjoy positive outcomes in 2009.

Automotive franchises going strong despite industry problems

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:56:12 +0000

Article contributed by Franchise Direct

These are very hard times for the American automotive industry, but an exclusive franchise study by Franchise Direct has revealed that automotive franchises are doing well nonetheless. With Americans holding onto their cars for longer than ever before, their analysis of the Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD’s) of 30 automotive franchises found that more and more drivers are turning to franchises to keep their car on the road.

The endemic problems in America’s car industry have been well-documented. But Franchise Direct’s study has found that the sharp decline of automotive industry, coinciding with America’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, has actually created some exciting opportunities for aftermarket and car rental and sales franchises.

The reality is Americans are not buying new cars as regularly as they once did. According to this new automotive franchise study, the projected new car sales for this year are 9.7 million units. This constitutes a 40% decline since 2007. Yet Americans continue to love their automobiles. The bottom line is that drivers are becoming more dependent on services provided by automotive franchises because they are choosing to get more life out of their car.

Aftermarket automotive franchises are best positioned to succeed, as consumers seek maintenance and repairs with greater urgency. Used car and rental franchises will also enjoy the benefits of this new reluctance to splurge on new automobiles.

There are also new niche markets developing for franchising to exploit. In the last few years, drivers have embraced automobiles with complicated engine control, microprocessors and high-tech safety and entertainment equipment. There has also been a movement towards ‘green’ technology in car manufacturing. As these technologies become more and more popular, a new market is growing for aftermarket franchises. Drivers no longer have the know-how to do this complex automotive work on their own and will turn instead to reliable franchise brands.

The great irony is that the global recession and the collapse of Detroit’s auto industry has opened the door for the recent success of automotive franchises. America’s love affair with the automobile is undiminished, but American’s attitude towards car buying has radically changed. This research shows that consumers are turning towards automotive franchises to keep their cars on the road. With the government’s stimulus plan providing economic optimism, it is an excellent time to consider franchise opportunities in the automotive sector.

Vocal Exercise For Clear Speaking

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:18:17 +0000

The voice is important for a speaker as well as for an actor, is an important part of one's instrument. Just like an actor, a speaker’s body and voice is an instrument. If you think about it as a speaker, or presenter, you are using just yourself whether or not your have slides. So it’s important to know at least one vocal exercise for clear speaking.

Muscles of Articulation

Without getting too bogged down with the science of the muscles of articulation and how the work, I'll just quickly mention that they are as follows:

- the tip of the tongue
- the hard palate
- the soft palate
- the back of the tongue
- the teeth and the lips

Now, there are probably many professional vocal coaches out there who are ready to argue with me on these points and say that I should tell you what the correct categories are, whether they are active or passive articulators. But for the purposes of this post I don't feel it's necessary.

Some Quick Vocal Tips

Speak out loud: I've talked about the benefits of rehearsing your speech or presentation elsewhere in this blog. By speaking the words out loud your mouth gets used to saying the words and as a result you're less likely to stumble over what you're saying because your body has a physical memory.

Avoid dairy: Before you speak or present make sure you keep your dairy intake to a minimum. Dairy products have a tendency to produce excess mucus which can make you snort and constantly feel like you have to clear your throat.

Keep yourself lubricated by drinking plenty of water or herbal tea. Too much caffeinated tea can dehydrate you. If you're drinking plenty of water before you speak remember to use the loo (rest room).

Hum before you speak: By gently humming, your voice gets to go hum and down it's range and gets warmed up. As you hum try to imagine the sound resonating in the front of your mouth around your teeth.

Try humming a slow version of the nursery rhyme "Pop Goes The Weasel". As a quick refresher here's the lyrics as I know them:

"Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel".

A quick search on the internet will help find the tune if you are unfamiliar with it. It's quite a jaunty little jig, but you'll want to slow it right down when you hum your way through it. Don't push yourself, you’re not in a contest. There’s no prize for completing the exercises first. Be gentle.

Use tongue twisters: Tongue twisters are a good way to exercise your articulation muscles. Here're a couple of my favourites:

"Red leather, yellow leather". (repeat 5 times)

"Articulatory agility
is a desirable ability
manipulating with dexterity
the tongue, the palate, and the lips". (repeat 5 times)

"The back of the tongue and the tip of the tongue" (repeat 5 times)

"The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips". (repeat 5 times)

If you jump on to your favourite search engine and search for tongue twisters, you can find plenty in whichever language you choose. Just make sure you choose the correct pronunciation.

For instance, I had an American voice teacher at drama school whose pronunciation was different to the English students in the room. We had to make sure that we didn’t end up saying “yella” instead of “yellow”.

So remember that vocal exercises are as important for public speakers as they are for professional actors.

What Franchisors look for in Franchisees the Other Side

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:36 +0000

The franchise sales process is kind of a paradox: both sides want the other to like them, to show that they are perfect for each other. At the same time, both the franchisor and the prospect want to make it clear that they’re looking for the perfect partner.

In other words, franchise prospects want to put their best foot forward but make it clear that this is only one of several possible choices and the franchisor wants to impress the potential franchisee, but make it clear that they are very selective in whom they choose to allow into their system.

So what is it that franchisors look for in prospective franchisees? Most franchisors talk of “awarding” franchises, rather than selling them. The difference is that they won’t sell to anyone. You must be someone who values the same things as the franchisor and be financially qualified. The franchisor is taking a risk by letting you into their system – here are some of the things they look for, either through explicit questions or by watching your non-verbal “answers” to situations.

Are you financially qualified?
You don’t have to have a six-figure bank account but you do need to a) show some resources of your own and b) show that you understand how to obtain money to cover franchise fees, start-up costs, and operating capital. You can do this through loans, friends, and partnerships. The last thing a franchisor wants to do is put someone in who doesn’t have enough capital to get over the initial customer ramp-up period. You make the cut if you show you understand how to obtain capital.

Are you self-motivated?
This seems obvious, and most potential franchisees would say that they are successful people who have always been self-motivated. Your house is on the line, after all, so of course you’re motivated to succeed. But this goes more to what happens when things are hectic or there are challenges unique to your area. Franchisors want to know that you’re motivated to seek help within the system (franchisees, business consultants, and other resources) – that you recognize this is your business. The franchisor has many tools and resources for you to use. But it’s up to you to ask for them and to implement them.

Do you have a passion for the product or brand?
Passion overcomes many obstacles. Franchisors want to know that you can be an evangelist of their brand, to promote the products and uphold the trade dress in your market. A passion for the brand indicates a franchisees willingness to overcome challenges, while still keeping the brand’s best interests in mind. Passionate franchisees are generally more successful than others who just “want to be their own boss.”

Do you just want to be your own boss?
Very often, potential franchisees will expound on how they would do things or offer tips as to how to make the system better. These tips are appreciated when they come from existing franchise owners, but most often are red flags during the franchisee selection process. A franchise system is just that – a system. Franchisors need to know that you are willing to work within the system and that you’re not just buying a franchise because you can get open faster and then do whatever you want (it’s your business...right? You can sell magazines and suntan lotion in your sandwich store if you want to...right?).

Good business partnerships are like good marriages and take just about as much work. If you do your research, and are honest during the application and selection processes, your new relationship will have a firm foundation.

If you’re out to impress the franchisor and you oversell yourself, there’s a good probability that neither of you will be happy with the partnership. Find what you love to do, then do it with passion.

This article is contributed by: Franchise Genius

Turning Traffic Visitors into Clients

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:37 +0000

Young Entrepreneur by Adam Toren: While getting traffic to your website is important, the most essential goal is turning that traffic into sales. If visitors are not buying your products or service, then it’s time to evaluate your website. There may be some roadblocks on your site that might be preventing visitors from becoming customers. Review these 6 essentials that a website sales page must have to ensure that it is positioned for profitability.

1. Less clicks.

How many times does a visitor need to click through your website to get to the product page? The less navigation tabs, the easier it is to land the sale because there are fewer distractions to take away from the viewer’s focus.

2. Convincing sales page.

Your sales page needs to be persuading in a concise fashion. Create a headline that will attract attention and encourage further reading. The copy that follows should show how your product or service will meet the customer’s needs. Illustrate why a visitor should buy from you rather than the thousands of others online offering similar products or services. Keep the tone causal and conversational. Use words that spark emotions and, where applicable, compare benefits to results. The sales page is where you need to establish trust and credibility with the visitor and show why you are far superior to all the rest.

3. Provide testimonials.

Testimonials from actual customers praising your product and service carry much more credibility than words in your sales copy. These testimonials can be either audio or visual, but it is essential that they are on the sales page and contain the customer’s name, hometown and photo in order for them to carry any persuasive weight.

More sales tips can be found under: Essentials For Turning Sales Page Visitors Into Clients

Marketing by Mommy bloggers

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:15 +0000

Marketing to Women Online: You want to reach moms? You want word-of-mouth advertising? You want moms to get on board with your brand or product and to tap into the influence they have with their friends and family?

Meet the mommy blogger.

Companies small and large are trying to climb on to the mommy blogger bandwagon. Advertising Age recently did a story about the phenomenon - Inside the Mommy Blogger Business.

Despite their lightweight moniker, mommy bloggers have become marketing business heavyweights. Now said to number in the millions, these online women have cobbled together content networks that rival some mainstream media companies. And they're clearly a force that retailers underestimate at their own peril. In this "About Digital" report, we talk to a retail giant, an analyst, major publisher and a PR agency to better understand how various segments of the industry are adjusting to this phenomenon.

There's a reason why mommy bloggers are gaining the attention and respect of advertisers.

eMarketer just published the results from the 2009 Social Media study from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners. The study found that:

Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs. Nearly 23 million of the social media users read blogs.

But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.

In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.

When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.

“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.

There's another reason why advertisers are reaching out to mommy bloggers.

In her book Too Busy To Shop, Kelley Skoloda talks about the importance of the "messenger." Women listen to messages from trusted sources. An advertising message in a commercial is one thing. But that message delivered by a trusted credible source carries a lot more weight.

With the bombardment of consumer information, a more transient society, and significant time constraints, more women are turning to less conventional sources, such as blogs, social networking sites, and Web sites, to get trusted information and recommendations.

In fact, these interactive sites are becoming extended networks of friends and family. These virtual neighborhoods give women access to many other women who are in the same life stage as they are, making the topics and discussions very relevant to what they want to know and where they are in life.

The bottom line for advertisers and brands is this - women, especially moms are reading and interacting with blogs in record numbers. It's where they are at.

Mommy Bloggers - Why Advertisers Want Them [Marketing to Women Online]