ReeHart - Blogging from the Heart

Posts Tagged ‘small business’

It’s always easier to sell to an existing customer than to a new one.  For this reason, owners of small businesses constantly look for ways to keep their customers happy.  Regardless of what you sell, there are a lot of ways you can maintain a loyal customer base.  Here are some tips:

Stay Professional by Keeping Your Training Up to Date 

Keep up to date on the news and innovations that affect your industry.  It’s critical for your customers to think of you as an expert in your industry.  Since information is so readily available on the Internet, customers are becoming more and more knowledgeable every day.  It would not be good for your customer to know more than you do about something you are supposed to be an expert at.  That is why it is so important for you to commit to ongoing training and doing what you need to do to stay up to date with your industry.  Your customers will reward you for your commitment to constant growth. 

Resolve Customer Problems Quickly 

It is rare that you will hear about a customer problem up front, so you need to use your intuition in many cases.  You could learn a lot by asking your customers periodically how their experience with your and your company has been and request suggestions for improvement that might make their situation even more enjoyable. 

Most important, when you hear of a problem never give in to the SODDI defense (some other dude did it).  It’s your business, so everything that goes wrong is your fault – take the blame with grace.  Then, take action to fix it fast.  Customers are more used to excuses than fast action so your commitment will be noticed.  Instead of the error being foremost in their minds, the amiable resolution will keep them returning as repeat customers.  In fact, you may find that some of your biggest “problem” customers will end up being your best referral source. 

Help Your Customer Recall the Reasons They Picked You 

Don’t be timid: it is critical that your customer is reminded of the advantages of choosing you over your competition, and you should praise them for their wise choice in you.  There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t like to be praised, and its the perfect opportunity to help them recall your competitive advantages at the same time. 

The ultimate goal when creating loyal customers is to give them service that is so good, everyone else pales in comparison.  Provide outstanding service to your customers day after day, and they will expect it as a matter of course.  That’s a loyal customer. 

Get more small business success strategies and claim your free white paper: “7 Ways Your Stone-Age Accounting System is Stealing Money From You Every Day … And, How to Get it Back This Year”  to learn about an online accounting program that makes it easy to track repeat customer profitability.

Majority of wholesale retailers from any corner of the business even like selling gps navigation, dog grooming supplies etc…, and freelance people are still sticking to dropship selling due to its excitement and trustworthyness.. This is due to the lesser amounts of profit margins achieved due to the cutoff from the reseller. But if you really analyze the profit margins at the end of the day, there’s a huge chance that it will be in the plus side more often than not. Many people are attracted to dropshipping due to its easeness of handling and maintaining. This kind of an easy processing is achieved with the kind of highly effective dropship programs available.

Customer and the seller both will find the life easier with this kind of a dropship program. Rather than just providing the website with simple HTML format, a use of programs in it to enhance the performances will definitely add some new wings to the relationship between the buyer and the seller. With such dropship program you can include details about currency, support of Multilanguage, listing the items in a detailed and accurate manner and many other useful choices.

Dropship program will also give you the chance to update your website anytime you want in a matter of minutes. You will just need to enter the new details and provide the new statistics so then the program will make the necessary website updating for you.

Dropship program will also give you the chance to update your website anytime you want in a matter of minutes. You will just need to enter the new details and provide the new statistics so then the program will make the necessary website updating for you.

Many of the dropship programs available online are compatible with other online suppliers. Therefore trying an online dropship program would be a smarter option to start your dropshipping career. Many of those programs will let you try out a trial period and decide whether you really want to buy the product. Trying out several trial dropship programs will let you gain more information about what you really require and what you should expect from such programs. Some of these dropship programs could include hundreds of options but still lack the most essential requirements. Some of these dropship programs are free of charge, but will require a payment for you to make an account.

Try out several of those programs online and starting your exciting journey of dropship marketing today. Wouldn’t it be joyous to just sit in front of your home computer and control the business to sell hundreds of your goods?

You, just like every other business owner has the choice to structure and operate your business in one of several different forms or entities. Each form has advantages and disadvantages. Without going into all of the details, I can tell you from experience that LLCs (limited liability companies) have become the entity of choice for most small businesses. One of the most important reasons or advantages for forming any legal entity like an LLC or corporation to run your business is LIABILITY PROTECTION.

You are obviously aware that a growing lawsuit epidemic is happening in the US and it only appears to be getting worse. Small business owners are prime targets for the 1000’s of lawsuits which are being filed each week. A lawsuit may be filed by some government agency, a disgruntled former employee . . . a customer . . . a business competitor or even a total stranger. There are a lot of potential risks.

One expert said your chances of being sued are higher than your chances of going to the hospital this year. I think that may be a bit of an exaggeration . . . but I do know that more lawsuits are being filed all the time . . . and starting a business only increases your risk.

With that said, I want you to know that I am an advocate for small business people. They are great . . . they provide support for many people and help make dreams come true. Small businesses including home based businesses are the back bone of our society and one of the main supports of our national economy. I grew up with parents involved in a small business. I beleive whole heartedly in small businesses.

All business owners, but especially small business owners, need to protect themselves. The most important step any business owner can take to protect yourself is to operate your business through a properly formed and maintained entity like an LLC. If you do nothing, then you are considered a sole proprietor which means your personal assets are at risk if there is a lawsuit.

The LLC entity was specifically created by law to provide a layer of protection between the business and its individual owners. With our lawsuit crazed society, the number of LLCs being formed has grown by over 90% in the past few years. The main reason is protection.

The best way to reduce the risks to small business owners is through intelligent business planning. Many new business owners think that lawsuits and personal loss will never happen to them. Please dont make that mistake. Once a lawsuit is filed, its almost always too late to start thinking about forming an LLC . . . because liability starts when the injury occurs and forming an LLC is not retroactive. You can’t go back and say . . . I should have done it.

If you are going to start a business, its crucial that you take the necessary steps to protect yourself right up front or as soon as possible. If you havent done it yet, don’t delay or procrastinate.

Wise business planning includes the formation of the proper business entity and the purchase of liability or business risk insurance when available. You cannot eliminate every possible risk when starting a business but you can substantially reduce the likelihood of a devastating lawsuit through proper planning and setting up the proper legal structure like an LLC.

You can get more informaiton about LLCs, liability protection, the best place to set up an LLC, the 4 essential steps to set up an LLC, and much more by getting your free copy of The LLC Guide for Business Owners described below.

My wife and I recently got back from the Spring Bada-Bing at around midnight yester night. I was highly satisfied with how the craft show turned out; I can say it was a very good show, indeed! We’re both very exhausted, of course, and things weren’t as perfect as we’d want them to be. But, all in all, we still had a good time and we made some sales.

We could not have expected a much better organized show. You’ll immediately note that the venue is arranged beautifully as you go inside; it’s perfect for an up and up craft fair. It was no problem to unload our stuff early in the morning, as there were a lot of volunteers to help us carry our goods to our booth. Along with two chairs, tables were already accounted for, so it was pretty good to not have to worry about bringing our own tables and chairs.

Lunch might have been a bit of a problem as there weren’t a lot of options near the venue, but fortunately for us, the Mafia of Richmond Crafts organized a lunch-in option for the vendors. It was stress-free, and they brought the relatively cheap meals straight to our booths. It was unsurprising, as this is the 4th time they’ve put on this show; the organizers really know how to handle it. I heard no word of anything that went wrong, and if anything did, I’m sure it was an easily fixed minor problem.

The number of people in attendance was a bit lower than expected, but as I never had a chance to actually see the attendance log, it could only be my perception. Besides, the place was nice and big, and there were a lot of places to hang out. I’d say that there was a light, but steady flow of customers.

Of course, the most important question is how much we made in relation to the costs of the show. I guess we did pretty good: My wife and I both had tight schedules on the days leading to the show, so we weren’t as well-prepared as we would’ve liked. This affected our sales a little, I believe. So, I’d say, for us, it was a good but not great show.

Dear Friend,

If you want to increase traffic to your webpage, you need to rank as high as possible on searches. Although, only one site can rank number one, there are many things you can to help your website rank higher.

The best method to rise through search results ranking is to include an article that consists of at least 250 words or more. Make sure that the article contains keywords depicting relevancy to the content or product of the website.

A very popular way to help as well is link exchange programs. As a part of a link exchange program, you will place other links on your website. These links will be placed on your website and work to help generate traffic.

Many people may wonder how link placement works. Suppose that one of your partner sites is on another site and the visitor is directed to that site. There is a very good chance they will be directed right to your website and this can be a great way to get traffic over to your site. So, this is the advantages of link placement.

Banner exchanges also work like link exchanges. The only difference is that you require to give a lot of space to accommodate these banners.

Orienting on Ezine article writing and newsletters also help in adding to the traffic. You may also try to make your website similar to Wikipedia.

To your success

Jason

P.S. By using the methods above, you can well be on your way to generating more traffic. However, there are many more to assist you in your efforts.

Outsourcing medical billing to the correct billing company can insure that they have the same incentives as you do.

Almost all medical billing companies are paid a percentage of what they collect. This means they are only paid when you are paid. It also means the more they collect for your practice, the more they are paid. Internal medical billers, on the other hand, are almost always hourly employees. They are paid based on showing up in your office, not based upon how well they perform your medical billing or how much money they collect for your practice. This is not an alignment of incentives.

Most people would prefer all their service providers to have “skin in the game” and only be paid for success versus just for making an attempt. For instance, would you prefer to pay your mechanic only if he properly fixed your car (and only for a previously agreed to price) or would you prefer to pay him an hourly rate and hope he will be as effective and efficient as possible in performing the job?

I recently spoke with a partner at a busy cardiology practice. While one of the billers was out sick, some paperwork was required and the supervisor went looking for it. When the supervisor opened the missing biller’s desk, a stack of unfiled, old claims was discovered. It turned out about $40,000 of them were past timely filling deadlines. They were lost. I repeat-the practice lost $40,000! When the biller returned from her leave, she was “sternly” reprimanded. Let me say it one more time-she was reprimanded. Not fired, but reprimanded. Either way, the practice lost $40,000 in just this one instance alone.

When I asked the doctor why a more severe action was not taken, he explained to me that “we already have staffing problems and did not want to alienate the billing staff any further.” The guilty biller was apparently moved to the front-desk role and is now responsible for gathering demographic information and money.

There should be safety nets in place to catch $40,000 in missing claims. So how could this have gone unnoticed until a desk excavation? The office did not track and reconcile charges, payments or write-offs. The doctors had been told that the practice’s system could not report at this level. The system, however, indeed had the capability to do this, but the billing staff did not know how to properly use it. Without the the fully aligned incentives of a medical billing company, the investment is often not made to full utilize the capabilities of a practice’s medical billing system. $40,000 in missing charges is likely only the tip of the ice berg for this medical practice.

Utilizing a medical billing service that meets the following criteria can help you avoid a medical billing horror story like the one above:

- Complete visibility and tracking of charge and payment batches should be in place. This will prevent anything from “falling through the cracks”.

- Any claims that are denied for timely filing should be the responsibility of the billing company. In other words, they should make the practice whole if they fail to file your claims. This is not a demand you can make of in-house billers (it is not even legal to make it).

- You should have access to the billing system so that you can see real time status of your account.

Physicians are working harder for less as costs rise and reimbursements fall. This is exacerbated by selecting a medical billing approach that does not have the proper alignment of incentives to prevent disasters (such as $40,000 in unbilled charges) from occurring.

No - your staff will not work harder for you just because you employ them; and No - the biller who lost you $40,000 will not do any better job collecting money and gathering information from patients. You will probably need to “sternly” reprimand them again.

A judicious selection of a medical billing company that meets the criteria outlined above is your most direct and reliable method for avoiding your own medical billing horror stories.

Copyright 2008 by Carl Mays II

Every year, more than 30,000 limited liability companies are started in Missouri. MO LLC is the most often used legal entity by new business owners in the state.

Many attempt to form one only to find out that their filing is defective in some way because it does not meet the requirements of the Missouri Limited Liability Company Act. Even worse, others might be able to get a filing processed by the state but find out later there was something incomplete or noncompliant with MO LLC legal requirements.

It pays to try to stay out of the legal turmoil and liability that can ensue in such a case. Summarized below are the 6 requirements specified by Missouri LLC laws for the filing of an LLC formation.

NAMING YOUR MISSOURI LLC

Specific requirements are set forth in Section 347 for a Missouri LLC name. First, the name must have an LLC designation tail. Second, the name must be different and uniquely distinguishable from any other recorded names in the state. You should perform a name search before you submit your filing.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of your LLC must be stated in your formation documents. There is a provision allowing your to utilize general statement in standard language. Most businesses would do best to keep the language in the statement of purpose broad so your enterprise’s authority will not be restricted as it grows and changes over time.

DESIGNATED REGISTERED AGENT

Furthermore, according to the Missouri Limited Liability Company Act, a registered agent must be designated for every MO LLC. This registered agent can be a legal entity formed or registered in Missouri, or a resident person. The address of the company’s principle office and that of the registered agent do not have to be the same.

MEMBER MANAGEMENT

A MO LLC is member managed by default. If you desire for your limited liability company to be manager managed, this must be disclosed in the formation filing documents.

DURATION

Duration used to be a sensitive matter due to tax reasons. But since 1997, the IRS made LLC taxation matters easier without any requirements related to the life of a company. As a result, most states including Missouri now allow for this kind of legal entity to have a perpetual life. Missouri requirements do require a certain statement of duration in the documents on record with the state.

FILING THE EFFECTIVE DATE

The Missouri Limited Liability Company Act also demands that an effective date be stated for the LLC in the filing. Most filers will pick the document processing date, but you may also select a date at some point in the future. Future dates must be no farther than 90 days from the submission date of the filing.

Some franchise candidates want to earn their mark by building a franchise business from scratch. Others opt to skip the startup and purchase an up-and-running franchise business.

If you consider you might be part of the latter group, here is some franchise information to study before you get your heart set on this path:

1. Identifying an existing franchise that is part of a well grounded franchise system, fills your needs, fits your skills, at a price you can afford, in an area where you wish to live can take time. Going concerns that match these criteria dont come along frequently.

2. You usually need to pay more for a successful existing franchise than you would pay to build the franchise yourself.

3. Whereas franchisors may give you an idea of what it costs to build a franchise in Item 7 of the Franchise Disclosure Document, you often must rely on your own resources to find out the value of an existing franchise. You need to know how to appraise the business, or you need good advisors who are familiar with the business category or even with that franchise system.

4. Taking over an existing business can be a little like climbing on a moving train. The train is already going down the tracks. Your job is to figure out how to drive the train before it derails.

If you discover a suitable franchise, there can be many nice advantages.

1. A growing existing business should already have a proven client base you can rely on after you take over.

2. A flourishing existing business should also have a happy group of employees that know how to lead the day-to-day operations of the business.

3. You should be able to assume the existing lease thereby eliminating the need to search for space and wait for the build-out to be finished.

4. You may step right into a positive cash flow situation.

Over the years I have worked with many people. Most have an opinion in regard to whether it is more advantageous to pay a premium for a successful existing business or build a business from scratch. I can tell you that both approaches have their pluses and minuses. Remember that there are no free rides. If the business is flourishing, sound and profitable, it is going to cost more to purchase and you will experience a smaller upside. Put differently, you are purchasing cash flow at the expense of growth potential.

On the other hand, if you start your own franchised business it might cost less with a smoother learning curve but the ramp up to cash flow break even will be longer.

Which constitutes the correct answer? Well that is for you to determine. It you need advice, feel free to contact us at The Educated Franchise.

The hassle of working for a mean firm is enough to make anyone miserable. So it’s now time to take those career concepts you have been thinking of and form a home founded career. These types of business ventures are perfect for parents who are at home as they afford you the chance to have home time while creating an income. Nevertheless, this can only be determined if you know how to form your home based business venture into the success it is projected to become.

Prior to getting earnestly committed with your profitable home based businesses, give some thought what it will need to propel the earnings you’ll need to escape the drudgery of your daytime line of work. A general understanding of how search tools function will help you to maximize your business ventures and your net income. Search tools rate web pages founded on the form of written content, how many visitors they are receiving, and distinct keywords or keyword phrases.

Identical written content will devalue your website, so it’s essential that World Wide Web written material be individual. What this indicates is that for you to take in visitors to your primary website, the one that sells your product, you need to surround it with other sites fashioned to increase your placing with the internet search engines. Consider it just like a queen bee surrounded by tiny worker bees where the worker bees bring the honey home to the hive, in the same way your affiliated website will bestow home the money to you!

These functioning websites will have to have original, fascinating text written content so that your products can be observed. Who’s going to compose this content for your sites? You will find that not only is it awfully tedious to pen all day long, but you would rather be making your profitable home based businesses and passing your free time as a stay-at-home parent.

Engaged authors are elementary enough to discover, but they do not have any involvement in your home founded business. Many of them may not speak English at all well, and it’ll apparent as you look at their efforts!

Prevent this frustration and turn over the forthcoming businesses who specialize in generating web subject matter. Writers with superb English skills are enlisted to write material en masse for a considerably reduced cost to you. The complete operation is plain, you provide your demands and in return are given unique, quality written content that doesn’t require adjusting - set up support for your profitable home based businesses. The written material producing company has a repute to look after, so they’ll be interested in your contentment and your business venture opportunity’s success.

It is easy to observe yourself engaged as a home parent and in addition having a profitable home based business enterprise. The other parents who stay at home will be envious that you’ve actually managed to proportion their work and rest so well. You might even feel a bit bad about being such a respectable parent while your wares sell because of the efficiency of your internet subject matter.

Your productive and profitable home based businesses are dependent on you understanding you’re the key to a happy, tension free life, so get those content producers working for you. As the visitors to your merchandise websites improves, the prospects you will have to work for another boss will decrease!