All posts tagged Facebook

3 Things You Must Do Now to Prepare for Fall Business

3 Things You Must Do Now to Prepare for Fall Business

beprepareSmart business owners are always thinking ahead. It’s not enough to be satisfied with where you currently are, and the business that you currently have. If you want your business to continue at the same or better levels of productivity, you need to prepare in advance. This is how you keep your momentum going, and help your business continue to thrive.

Here are three things you should do right now to prepare your business for growth next season:

  1. Stock up: Now is the time to make sure you have on hand the products and samples you will need for the next season. So find out or plan what you will be offering for your holiday selling season, and make sure you’ve got the samples and products on hand that you need to show your customers. Remember, you are most likely to sell what you show, so be sure you have plenty to show so you’re prepared to meet the needs of your customers.
  2. Make calls and appointments to schedule fall business: Even though you may still be in summer mode, now is the time to scheduling your fall sales appointments. That way, when everyone gets back from vacation, you’ve got a full calendar and are ready to hit the ground running. So reach out to both previous customers and current prospects, and get as many dates on your calendar as possible. Use your new fall product line as a reason that people will want to make sure to get their first choice of date.
  3. Plan 2-3 marketing campaigns: Most people in sales get pretty busy during the fall selling season, with the holidays approaching. So use this time to plan two or three marketing campaigns you can implement to grow your business even bigger. You may decide to hold a contest or event, or host a boutique. Whatever you decide to do to promote your business to a wider audience, get the details squared away now, and create as many materials for the campaign as possible now when you have time to focus. This way, you’ll be better able to focus on serving customers as business picks up.

Don’t run a business built on reaction. Rather, plan for fall business so that your business grows by design in the direction you desire.

What are you doing now to plan for your fall selling season? Would love to read your comments below.

Today’s Highlighted Video from the DSEF: Product Buy-Backs

Today’s Highlighted Video from the DSEF: Product Buy-Backs

Today’s highlighted video from DSEF:

Can’t see this? Click here: http://youtu.be/ryo8JT4z2hg

Do you know what the DSA Code of Ethics says about Product Buy-Backs?

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DSEF & BBB: Back to School? Shop Smart!

DSEF & BBB: Back to School? Shop Smart!

back-to-school-150x150By Kelsey Owen

Getting ready to go back to school? Join the crowd! In 2012, $83.8 billion dollars were spent on back-to-school shopping in the U.S., according to the National Retail Federation. That breaks down to the average person spending around $688.62 on their children in grades K-12.

Of course, not everyone will spend that much, but before you dive into buying new clothes and supplies, check out these back-to-school budget tips from BBB:

Make a shopping list. Even if you don’t know the exact school supply list, you should get an idea of school clothing and other school needs. Make a list for each child, but start by “shopping at home” for items that you may already have left over from last year. For some items, it’s worth spending a bit more (a high quality backpack will last for years).

Create a budget. Do a quick price search online for the items on your list and add them all up. Be sure to clip coupons, and make note of discount codes and any cash-back or rebate programs. If you goal is to reduce spending, now is the time to decide how much you want to cut.

Set up email alerts at your favorite stores. Monitoring pricing early on is key to finding good deals on quality products. Many sites will have an informed community of savvy shoppers on their blog or in their forums who willingly share deals, exclusive coupons, rebates and insider information on where and when to find the best prices, popular models and links to helpful resources. These alerts will assure you don’t miss out on the hottest, and/or limited, opportunities.

Take advantage of discounts. Many stores offer student and teacher discounts on hot items like laptops and uniforms. Retailers will be trying to make room for fall fashion and the newest models, so there are incredible savings to be had on older items.

Shop tax-free. Some states offer a tax-free holiday specifically for the back-to-school shopping rush in August. Check out the “2013 State Sales Tax Holidays” list to see if your state offers any tax-free shopping deals.

 

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

DSEF & BBB: Before You Sell Your Electronics, Safeguard Your Personal Information!

DSEF & BBB: Before You Sell Your Electronics, Safeguard Your Personal Information!

blue_with_website-225x30022By Jason Mcglone

The market for used and refurbished electronics is understandably huge; it’s often a really good way to get a gadget for less than full price.  What’s more, you can still stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest in tablets, cellphones and computers.

Whether you’re selling or buying used or refurbished electronics, you’ll want to be thoughtful when it comes to personal information.  It’s vital to safeguard your personal information and to be sensitive of others’, as well.  If you don’t you could risk embarrassment at best and identity theft at worst.

If you’re selling a phone or computer, BBB recommends that you be sure that you wipe all the personally identifying information from it before you ship it off to the person, or business, to which you sold it.  This should be a fairly simple task that almost any competent user can achieve.

If you’ve never attempted to wipe the personal information from an electronic device, or would like to have a resource on hand to walk you through it just in case, the blog Lifehacker has guides on how to wipe your smartphone and the best approach to tidying up your computer.

Should you be in the market for used or refurbished electronic equipment, you might consider wiping its information before you begin any heavy usage.

For more information about selling or buying used and refurbished electronics, see the “Technology” category on the BBB.org Blog.

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

5 Creative Ways to Keep Your Business Thriving in Summer

5 Creative Ways to Keep Your Business Thriving in Summer

Businesspeople Applauding --- Image by © Royalty-Free/CorbisDuring the summer, some business owners experience a drop in sales. People go on vacation, social networking numbers drop, and the usual ways of business don’t seem to bring the same results. But it doesn’t have to be this way! People are still spending money in the summer. You just need to be a bit creative to encourage those people to keep spending with your business. Here are some tips to keep your business thriving throughout the summer months:

  1. Host a Summer Bash – People like to kick back and relax when the summer gets warm. So offer a party! Host a summer bash that offers food, fun and music. It’s a great way to attract families, and encourages them to bring their friends which can potentially open you up to new business. Post the flyer around town, as well as on local event websites, and sell tickets for the food (or team up with local restaurants to offer it.) It’s a great way to generate buzz and visibility for your business.
  2. Get a Booth at a Local Farmer’s Market – Farmer’s markets today offer much more than just produce, and many consumers look forward to shopping there weekly. Get a regular table at your local farmer’s market. You can offer products for sale while also generating new interest in your business. And take time to talk to the other vendors there. Often a community develops among the regulars, and they may begin to refer other business to you, as well as telling you about other markets where you may do well.
  3. Offer Summer Workshops – During the summer, people often look for workshops, camps and other events for both themselves and their children. Local communities offer weekly learning events. So think about what you can teach related to what you have to offer, and offer workshops that will teach new skills while also exposing more people to your business. The business you cultivate in summer can bring you income all year!
  4. Christmas in Summer – Chances are, the holidays are your most productive time of the year. So offer a “Christmas in Summer” event. Pull out those holiday decorations, and offer specials that help people begin their holiday shopping early (saving them stress!) Host a holiday-themed event and serve holiday cookies, play holiday music, and make the even light-hearted in fun. It can be a great way for people to beat the summer heat and shop at your business.
  5. Take Your Business With You on Vacation – Are you going on vacation? Don’t leave your business behind! Take along promotional items that talk about your business, and be sure to network with people you meet along the way. When someone shares a need they have that your business can meet, be sure to share information about your business. If you sell through parties or appointments, try to schedule some in the city you’re visiting ahead of time. By planning ahead, you can develop some new business, and possibly even write off your trip as a business expense (check with your tax advisor on this!)

Summer doesn’t have to mean a drop in business. You simply need to look at your business differently, and create opportunities that work with what people want to do.

How do you keep your business thriving in summer? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below!

DSEF & BBB: Trick Your Brain Into Saving Money

DSEF & BBB: Trick Your Brain Into Saving Money

Close-up of human hand inserting two euro coin into piggy bankBy Kelsey Owen

Looking to save a little money? You may want to try “tricking your brain.” According to a new report from Chase Blueprint, a specific section of the human brain lights up when we face a choice, such as, say, spending money on something that we know we shouldn’t. The report goes on to say that, “Only 25% of us are born with the ‘good’ variant of that gene. Some people are simply better than others at self-control, and neuroscientific studies have shed light on why this is the case.”

While science (read: SCIENCE!) shows that our brains are more likely to choose the self-indulging choice, there are ways to “trick our brains” into being smarter about money. Not convinced? Lifehacker has put together a few scientifically proven strategies to be a better financial version of yourself than you ever thought possible.

Adopt a new mantra. For this exercise, you’ll be using the help of a fancy scientific term known as a “heuristic,” which is essentially a rule of thumb that you live by to make decision-making easier. You probably already have many money heuristics that you abide by every day—whether you’re conscious of them or not. If you have bad money habits that you’d like to improve—from getting zinged by bank fees to overspending on gifts—come up with a specific heuristic to help you combat each one. Psychologists have found that we tend to feel poorly about ourselves for breaking the rule, even if we created it. Weird, but helpful.

Make saving a no-brainer. In an experiment called Save More Tomorrow, employees were asked to save more for retirement by signing up for a 401(k), then voluntarily increasing contributions by a set amount every few months. The results? Over the course of 28 months, the average participant’s savings rate jumped from 3.5% to 11.6%. By having the money come directly out of their paychecks, before it hit their bank accounts, the participants never missed the money. Essentially, they bypassed the portion of their brains that loves temptation and activated the slow-thinking region that promotes self-control.

You, too, can apply this bit of trickery to any savings goal. Simply pick a start date, set calendar alerts for set times when you want to up your contributions, and then sit back and watch your balance grow. Certain banks and brokerages will even automate the process for you by letting you program a percentage amount by which you can increase your contributions over time.

Pick a plan and stick to it.  Have debt to pay off? There’s a way to outsmart your brain here too. Researchers chalk the success up to three factors: choosing a particular plan, committing to the idea of allocating a certain amount to repayment each month and engaging peer support (read: those telephone or email reminders from friends). Once again, effort trumped any underlying genetics.

Spend on your best self. To make your money behave the way you want it to, you need to first decide who you are and then make your budget obey that identity.  It can be hard to just “save” blindly or “not spend so much” when you don’t have a larger goal driving you. But if you’re someone who believes that providing for your children is important, you’ll be a lot more likely to make financial decisions align with your principles. Humans have a desire to see themselves in a certain light, and we’ll reject anything that conflicts with that reality. It’s a phenomenon known as identity reinforcement theory. In other words, you can override bad money behavior by adopting good habits that reflect the person you really want to be.

To read the full article, visit lifehacker.com/how-to-trick-your-brain-into-banishing-bad-money-habits-952152494.

 

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

Three Sure Ways To Increase Loyal Customers

Three Sure Ways To Increase Loyal Customers

Smiling Group of Professionals --- Image by © Royalty-Free/CorbisBuilding a base of loyal customers is essential for any business. These are the people that not only purchase from you regularly, but they also tell their friends about you, spreading the word in both their social circles and online. It’s important to spend time on a regular basis building up and nurturing your loyal customer base, in order to keep your business thriving.

Here are some tips for increasing your business’ loyal customers.

  1. Identify your true client. Most businesses cannot be everything to everyone. So focus on identifying who your business can best serve. What are their needs? What can you do for them? When you create an ideal customer profile, you’ll be prepared to develop a loyal client base of people who are fully served by what your business has to offer.
  2. Get involved with things that are important to your customers. Once you’ve created that ideal customer profile, you will have a better idea of the causes that are most important to them. Then you can participate in those things that allow you to promote your business. For example, if you sell health supplements, your true client is most likely into healthy living. Why not sponsor a 5K race that donates money to health research? It’s a way to increase visibility of your business and meet people who may be interested in what you have to offer. At the same time, your current customers who are interested in both healthy living and the research the race supports will appreciate your involvement, helping to increase their loyalty. 
  3. Constantly improve to keep up with your customers’ needs. Nothing in life stands still, and this should include your business. So make sure you are talking to your customers and researching what’s important to them. Are there breakthroughs or new products that will meet the needs your customers are telling you about? Have new discoveries led to new desires among the clients that you serve? For example, if you sell cookware, you may find that more and more of your customers are going gluten free. So find or develop some gluten free recipes and send them to the customers that you know have decided to eat this way. They’ll appreciate the resources, and the fact that you took the time to provide them, increasing their loyalty towards your business.

Yes, it takes effort to build loyal customers for your business. But the effort is well worth it when those customers continue to come back, and help you build your business even bigger by telling their friends.

What can you do today to build up your base of loyal customers? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

How To Be Persuasive Without Being Pushy

How To Be Persuasive Without Being Pushy

Low angle view of two business executives shaking handsA big fear that many who enter the sales field have is that they may be perceived as “pushy” when seeking sales. It’s important, of course, to ask for the sale, but at the same time you don’t want customers to come away feeling uncomfortable about their encounter with you. So how do you find a balance? How can you be persuasive and get sales without crossing a line and becoming pushy? Here are some tips:

  • Focus on what they need, not what you want. This is the single most important thing that every salesperson must take to heart in order to be effective. If you are driven by quotas and your own bottom line, you will not be successful. The most effective salesperson takes the time to build a relationship with each and every prospect, discovering the challenges that he or she faces, and then crafting solutions with products or services that meet those needs. You may not sell as much at first as you would being pushy (at least not the first time), but what you will do is build customer loyalty that results in many more sales over the long term.
  • Make your solution realistic, applicable and concrete. In order to truly present a solution that is valuable to the prospect, you must understand WHY they need what you have to offer. If you sell to other businesses, take some time to learn about their business. If you sell to individuals, take the time to interview people who are in the target market of your product line and learn about their day to day needs. Invest time in truly understanding where your prospects are coming from and what problems they face. Then the solutions that you offer will come from a place of understanding, rather than sounding like you’re making them up as you go along based on what you want to sell. The best solutions are realistic because you understand the need, apply to the problem at hand, and truly offer concrete help to the problem at hand.
  • Tell stories. When presenting a solution, one of the best things you can do is tell stories that the prospect can relate to that draws similarities to their situation. Talk about another person who had a similar situation (this is one of the place your research pays off!) and how your product or service helped resolve that situation. The phrase “facts tell, stories sell” is quite true, because it helps people to imagine how what you have to offer is applicable to their situation. Many people are visual learners, so create a picture for them that helps them to understand why what you have to offer is compelling, and meets their needs.
  • Listen more, speak less. Even if you feel that you understand the prospect’s situations perfectly because you’ve seen it a hundred times before, let them tell you anyway. People are more likely to feel comfortable with the solution you offer if they feel like they’ve been heard. So be sure you listen more than you speak when working with a prospect. And when you do speak, rephrase what they’ve said and ask them to confirm that you’ve stated it correctly. Everyone wants to be heard, and too often we don’t listen enough in our society. Give the gift of total attention and listening to your prospect, and they will walk away from the experience feeling positive about the interaction.
  • Accept “no.” If you’ve done your research, listened well, shared stories and offered good solutions that meet the customer’s needs and they say no, that’s OK. While you will, of course, ask questions to confirm that they aren’t missing relevant information related to your product, not every single person will buy. If the prospect begins to avoid eye contact with you or their body language indicates that they are trying to distance themselves from you, it’s time to stop. Thank them for their time, offer a card and a willingness to help in the future, and move on to the next prospect. You don’t have to close every single person every single time. There are plenty of other prospects who need what you have to offer, and rather then spending lots more time on someone who won’t buy, focus on finding people who will be interested.

Think about your last good and bad experience with a salesperson. What made those situations what they were? Chances are the good experience was with someone who knew their product line and could answer your questions competently. It was someone who could point you in the direction of a good value that would solve your problem. The bad experience was probably with someone who was ill-informed about the product line and was simply trying to sell you something. Remember, a service-oriented salesperson is one who is focused on solving problems and meeting needs. This type of salesperson is the one who creates the good experiences that people remember and tell their friends about.

How do you avoid being pushy when selling your products? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

DSEF & BBB: Online Shopping Taxes to Be Implemented

DSEF & BBB: Online Shopping Taxes to Be Implemented

ecommerce3-150x150By Nicole Bradley

According to The Wall Street Journal, online purchases will soon be subject to taxes. The Senate has passed a bill putting an end to tax-free online shopping; however, the final vote is set to occur on May 6. This bill, titled the Marketplace Fairness Act, enforces states to require online sellers all over the country to collect sales tax on any online purchase made by their residents. In the past, online retailers have greatly benefited from not having to charge shoppers with sales tax. With this luxury coming to an end, Web stores are now part of corporate support helping to aid the passage of the new bill.

Chief Executive of eBay, John Donahoe, explains that this bill will damage smaller retailers in that it will treat them the same way larger merchants are treated; however, these larger merchants have greater tax-collection capabilities.

Is this fair? What do you think?

For more information visit, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324743704578445220306876996.html.

DSEF and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) foster honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visit www.bbb.org/us for more information.

5 Powerful Ways To Combat Procrastination

5 Powerful Ways To Combat Procrastination

Five Powerful Ways to Combat Procrastination from http://dsef.orgSometimes when a task seems challenging or just a lot of work, it can be tempting to put it off and procrastinate. Even though you know that the task is something you should do, you find reasons and excuses to put it off, or you just never seem to get to it. But procrastination can hold you back from meeting your goals, so it’s important to work through this and get things done. Here are five powerful ways to combat procrastination so you can continue on the path towards your goals.

  1. Write it down. Having a written list is a powerful reminder that there are things you must do to accomplish your goals. If you find yourself putting off important tasks, make a list of what must be done and keep it in front of you as you work through your day.
  2. Do it first. In the morning, we have more energy for tasks that seem like a lot of work. So prioritize your list of things you must do, and make the difficult task number 1 on your list. If you know you must complete something in order to get to a more enjoyable task, you’re more likely to get it done.
  3. Ask for help. If you are finding that you simply cannot motivate yourself to get a particular task done, reach out to a spouse, family member, or good friend and ask them to hold you accountable, or even to help you complete the task. When you know that someone is going to ask you about something, you are more likely to get it done.
  4. Be creative. Perhaps the reason you don’t feel like completing a particular task is because it isn’t interesting to you. Why not look at the task and think about a different way to do it. Be creative! For example, if organizing your desk sounds like a drag, why not get your kids involved in helping you create a filing system? Give them prizes for the most decorative file box or prettiest space. Or if you are putting off those calls you know you really must make, why not change your location by going to your local coffee shop or park, and rewarding yourself after making a few calls with a treat? Find creative ways to make the task more enjoyable, and you’re more likely to get it done.
  5. Give yourself a deadline. Sometimes it’s easier to complete a task when you know you have a deadline. So schedule something (a conference call with a colleague, a more enjoyable task that you will do with others, etc.) that can only happen once the task at hand is complete. Especially when others are involved, you are more likely to complete the task to avoid disappointing others.

Wanting to procrastinate is natural sometimes, but be firm with yourself and get help when needed to keep yourself on track towards reaching your goals. Those that keep themselves going are the ones who succeed. You can do it!

How do you avoid procrastination? What are some tips you would offer? Would love to read your suggestions in the comments below!