Your Business Merchant Account Do you have a business merchant account? If not, isn't it time you got one? The companies you compete against for customer business may already have this special account that allows them to process customers' credit payments. If you are not yet doing so, why not apply for a merchant account to help your business grow?
A business merchant account is the best way to expand your company's operations and conduct e-commerce without risking too much of an investment. Simply apply for a merchant account the way an individual would apply for a personal credit card. As with individual applicants, a company needs to show a positive credit history and the ability to make payments on a merchant account at present. In addition, it cannot be involved in shady dealings with which the underwriters might not agree. Many lenders will let you apply online, although some charge a fee for this. Often you will get a decision on your application within a day or two. If approved, you can begin making arrangements to accept credit payments in a variety of ways. Pay attention to fees and payment terms. For example, you may be asked to pay 15 to 25 cents per transaction. Or you could have the choice of paying a low overall percentage rate. Some lenders impose minimums, though, meaning you will have to pay a "bottom line" fee no matter how many transactions you make.
Your business merchant account will let you purchase or lease a credit card processor that can be plugged into your store. Or you can take a wireless version with you when collecting payments from other locations. Many business owners prefer to use a telephone ordering and payment system. This can be automated, reducing the need for staffing except for questions or glitches. Customers can speak or touch-dial their credit card numbers into the phone to process orders at their convenience. You will need to make sure your system is fully operational at all times and that it is customer-friendly to keep from annoying or even driving away current or new clients.
When you utilize a business merchant account, you can receive a printed monthly statement, discounts for other services, and occasional other benefits as well. Being able to accept credit card payments suggests that customers will look at you a little differently, knowing that you have earned an underwriter's trust for this important role. Posting signs for accepting credit card payments places your company in the ranks of the elite, since many smaller or newer companies do not yet enjoy this privilege. When you begin accepting credit card processing, you can move away from cash-only payments or checks that can bounce. The time saved from managing cash flow can be channeled into more meaningful tasks.
Getting a merchant account means that you're ready to upgrade your business, and that you are taking extra steps to accommodate your customers. Be proud to receive a merchant account, knowing that not everyone is approved. Handle it responsibly, since you have much to be thankful for with your new business merchant account.
luni, 8 aprilie 2013
Your All-in-One Medical Billing Software
Your All-in-One Medical Billing Software Do you have trouble keeping all your files, data, and reports sorted, yet easy to find? The latest medical billing software will do that for you as well as save the amount of time you spend searching and accessing that information; the costs it takes to manage all the different databases, and the headaches you get from worrying about all the various aspects of your business.
Consolidate Offices
Consolidate Offices
You Never Have a Second Chance to Make a First Impression: Position Your Company Wisely
You Never Have a Second Chance to Make a First Impression: Position Your Company Wisely Copyright 2005 UpLevel Strategies
One of the most profound statements made on the subject of positioning comes from Louis Carroll's, Alice In Wonderland. When Alice asks the Cheshire Cat which path to take, he responds, "If you don't care where you're going, it doesn't make a difference which path you take."
Your positioning statement is the foundation on which all communications activities are based upon. It is the most important marketing practice, and often the most overlooked. Without clearly defined messages and positioning, promotion efforts are fruitless.
From a management perspective, positioning is the cornerstone of an effective communications plan. A well-crafted positioning statement defines your company's direction. A positioning statement expresses how you wish to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium. The purpose of this is creating clarity, consistency, and continuity in the way your organization speaks to the market. This makes all forms of communications less complex and easier to manage.
Once established your company should actively apply its new positioning statement to all communications (internal and external) - from marketing collateral to sales material, Web sites to press releases. This means that if communications do not support the sought-after positioning or do not include, reflect, address or amplify the positioning statement and key messages, they are off strategy. This positioning process should be repeated as market conditions require, semi-annually is customary.
An effective positioning statement answers seven essential questions:
- who you are
- what business you're in
- for whom (what people do you serve)
- what's needed by the market you serve
- against whom do you compete
- what's different about your business
- what unique benefit is derived from your product or services
Think of positioning as the perception your target audience has of your product. You have total control over this element of your marketing efforts, and it is critical to how you develop the rest of your plan. Planning your service's positioning must involve taking into consideration such issues as the competition and how their services and products are perceived, the needs and desires of your target audience, and the element of mystique or drama that your product or service naturally has about it.
In crowded markets, it is very important to position your company and products appropriately. Think about the 3000 messages your audience is bombarded with every day! In order to stand out, your product has to have a clear position in your audience's mind.
One of the most profound statements made on the subject of positioning comes from Louis Carroll's, Alice In Wonderland. When Alice asks the Cheshire Cat which path to take, he responds, "If you don't care where you're going, it doesn't make a difference which path you take."
Your positioning statement is the foundation on which all communications activities are based upon. It is the most important marketing practice, and often the most overlooked. Without clearly defined messages and positioning, promotion efforts are fruitless.
From a management perspective, positioning is the cornerstone of an effective communications plan. A well-crafted positioning statement defines your company's direction. A positioning statement expresses how you wish to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium. The purpose of this is creating clarity, consistency, and continuity in the way your organization speaks to the market. This makes all forms of communications less complex and easier to manage.
Once established your company should actively apply its new positioning statement to all communications (internal and external) - from marketing collateral to sales material, Web sites to press releases. This means that if communications do not support the sought-after positioning or do not include, reflect, address or amplify the positioning statement and key messages, they are off strategy. This positioning process should be repeated as market conditions require, semi-annually is customary.
An effective positioning statement answers seven essential questions:
- who you are
- what business you're in
- for whom (what people do you serve)
- what's needed by the market you serve
- against whom do you compete
- what's different about your business
- what unique benefit is derived from your product or services
Think of positioning as the perception your target audience has of your product. You have total control over this element of your marketing efforts, and it is critical to how you develop the rest of your plan. Planning your service's positioning must involve taking into consideration such issues as the competition and how their services and products are perceived, the needs and desires of your target audience, and the element of mystique or drama that your product or service naturally has about it.
In crowded markets, it is very important to position your company and products appropriately. Think about the 3000 messages your audience is bombarded with every day! In order to stand out, your product has to have a clear position in your audience's mind.
You May Have A Successful Small Business Idea
You May Have A Successful Small Business Idea You surely know that a small idea can lead to a great business success. The first movement is to think of an idea that would be suitable for the business market. After coming up with the idea, the next step is to put that idea into action. Of course, this is a very difficult step and having the idea is only the start of the journey. After that you will have to face many obstacles before being able to carry on with your business project. This is just the beginning of this process and there is a lot of questions you will have to answer before even start.
Some of the main aspects you have to concentrate on when you have business ideas are the abilities and gifts you can pour into the business. It is very important for you to be identified with your business project. Those ideas should be based on activities and actions you take pleasure in doing. For example, if we suppose that you dislike working in the open, landscaping business would not suit you. On the other hand, if you like working with children, setting up baby-sitting or tutoring business would be an excellent idea. In this case, without any doubt you business will be more successful because you will have put your mind, effort and also your heart on it.
Another vital step is to analyze the needs of a specific product or service in your region before setting up your business. Do people of your area need your product? Are there other business like the one you are planning to start? You should ask yourself whether or not you are the only one offering that service or product. If you are not, you will have to analyze the competence you will have to face. You have to think whether the service you are offering is one that customer would repeat, or if it is a one-time specialized service. Obviously, the former are more likely to succeed than the latter.
There are other aspects you have to take into account. These aspects are described below:
- One of them is that if the idea is unique, you will reign the market. But if there is much competition, it will be difficult to enter into the market.
- A second point would be if you can offer quality from the very beginning, otherwise, you won't succeed.
- Finally, you have to think about your capital to start your own business. There are many business ideas that require little investment and bring great profit. Some demand research, such as daycare service, and others need a large amount of money to begin the business. So take this recommendation into account before investing all your money in a small business idea.
Some of the main aspects you have to concentrate on when you have business ideas are the abilities and gifts you can pour into the business. It is very important for you to be identified with your business project. Those ideas should be based on activities and actions you take pleasure in doing. For example, if we suppose that you dislike working in the open, landscaping business would not suit you. On the other hand, if you like working with children, setting up baby-sitting or tutoring business would be an excellent idea. In this case, without any doubt you business will be more successful because you will have put your mind, effort and also your heart on it.
Another vital step is to analyze the needs of a specific product or service in your region before setting up your business. Do people of your area need your product? Are there other business like the one you are planning to start? You should ask yourself whether or not you are the only one offering that service or product. If you are not, you will have to analyze the competence you will have to face. You have to think whether the service you are offering is one that customer would repeat, or if it is a one-time specialized service. Obviously, the former are more likely to succeed than the latter.
There are other aspects you have to take into account. These aspects are described below:
- One of them is that if the idea is unique, you will reign the market. But if there is much competition, it will be difficult to enter into the market.
- A second point would be if you can offer quality from the very beginning, otherwise, you won't succeed.
- Finally, you have to think about your capital to start your own business. There are many business ideas that require little investment and bring great profit. Some demand research, such as daycare service, and others need a large amount of money to begin the business. So take this recommendation into account before investing all your money in a small business idea.
Writing A Business Plan What Makes A Good One
Writing A Business Plan What Makes A Good One Writing a business plan can be a lot of hard work or it can be great fun. An effective plan can help your company to greatness. A poor one can lead you out of business. No plan is like asking to fail before you even start.
Not every business needs a 200 page bound business plan. However every business needs to have some idea of where they want to go and how they are going to get there. This article covers some key insights into writing a business plan that get your business to where you want to be.
The first stage of any plan is ANALYSIS. You need to take a very objective look at a number of factors that may impact your business. There are many factors to consider but the two major ones are competition and your operating environment.
Let's look first at competition. Every business has competition, even if you think your product or service is unique. How is this? Well it's quite simple really, people have choices to make. The most fundamental choice they make in most cases is whether to buy what you offer or but something else. For example I could buy a game console or I could buy groceries instead. Customers only have so much money available so you first task is to ask yourself what is my competition like and can I beat them? The more you understand your competition the more you can develop your business strategy of being different and outperforming them.
Now let's look at operating environment. This is understanding what factors around your area of operation are likely to affect your business performance. For some companies this includes looking around the World in other cases it's just your local neighbourhood. You need to ask questions such as:
How is the economy going?
What is consumer confidence like?
Where is technology heading in my industry?
After answering all the questions you need to decide how these might negatively or positively influence your performance.
Now you know more about your competition and operating environment it's time to set some OBJECTIVES. This is what you want to achieve in the period your business plan covers. It is said that good objectives are SMART. That is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and targeted. Here's an example of a SMART objective for a hypothetical business.
"By the end of this year we will have increased sales of product X by 7.5% over the previous year."
You can see how clear this objective is. It is much easier to achieve high performance with clear objectives.
Now you need to outline your STRATEGY. How are you going to reach you objective(s)? This is where your marketing plan often comes in as it helps describe the programs you will run to achieve your desired objective(s). To continue the example above our strategy may be to gain distribution for our product in one new major retail chain.
To make your strategy work you must then allocate appropriate RESOURCES. Certain things will need to be provided to reach your goal. This could be dollars, people, equipment, etc. Your plan must have included the resources you are allocating and why you believe this is adequate to get the result.
Every business plans also has some PROJECTIONS. This is your basic financials that you plan will deliver. Are you expecting a profit or loss? How much?
Lastly you need to allow for CONTINGENCIES. Things change all the time and your plan needs to consider these possibilities in advance. A good way to do this is to ask What if?
What if a new competitor enters our market?
What if a distributor delists our product?
What if interest rates rise?
Your analysis should give you some idea of likely contingencies. It saves a lot of stress if you have some documented ideas for dealing with them before they become a big problem.
Writing a business plan is never perfect, the plan is on paper and you're operating in the real world. However a good plan can really guide you in the right direction. Take time to put real thought into preparing your plan an above all make sure you USE YOUR PLAN!
Not every business needs a 200 page bound business plan. However every business needs to have some idea of where they want to go and how they are going to get there. This article covers some key insights into writing a business plan that get your business to where you want to be.
The first stage of any plan is ANALYSIS. You need to take a very objective look at a number of factors that may impact your business. There are many factors to consider but the two major ones are competition and your operating environment.
Let's look first at competition. Every business has competition, even if you think your product or service is unique. How is this? Well it's quite simple really, people have choices to make. The most fundamental choice they make in most cases is whether to buy what you offer or but something else. For example I could buy a game console or I could buy groceries instead. Customers only have so much money available so you first task is to ask yourself what is my competition like and can I beat them? The more you understand your competition the more you can develop your business strategy of being different and outperforming them.
Now let's look at operating environment. This is understanding what factors around your area of operation are likely to affect your business performance. For some companies this includes looking around the World in other cases it's just your local neighbourhood. You need to ask questions such as:
How is the economy going?
What is consumer confidence like?
Where is technology heading in my industry?
After answering all the questions you need to decide how these might negatively or positively influence your performance.
Now you know more about your competition and operating environment it's time to set some OBJECTIVES. This is what you want to achieve in the period your business plan covers. It is said that good objectives are SMART. That is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and targeted. Here's an example of a SMART objective for a hypothetical business.
"By the end of this year we will have increased sales of product X by 7.5% over the previous year."
You can see how clear this objective is. It is much easier to achieve high performance with clear objectives.
Now you need to outline your STRATEGY. How are you going to reach you objective(s)? This is where your marketing plan often comes in as it helps describe the programs you will run to achieve your desired objective(s). To continue the example above our strategy may be to gain distribution for our product in one new major retail chain.
To make your strategy work you must then allocate appropriate RESOURCES. Certain things will need to be provided to reach your goal. This could be dollars, people, equipment, etc. Your plan must have included the resources you are allocating and why you believe this is adequate to get the result.
Every business plans also has some PROJECTIONS. This is your basic financials that you plan will deliver. Are you expecting a profit or loss? How much?
Lastly you need to allow for CONTINGENCIES. Things change all the time and your plan needs to consider these possibilities in advance. A good way to do this is to ask What if?
What if a new competitor enters our market?
What if a distributor delists our product?
What if interest rates rise?
Your analysis should give you some idea of likely contingencies. It saves a lot of stress if you have some documented ideas for dealing with them before they become a big problem.
Writing a business plan is never perfect, the plan is on paper and you're operating in the real world. However a good plan can really guide you in the right direction. Take time to put real thought into preparing your plan an above all make sure you USE YOUR PLAN!
Work Your Home Based Business Idea in Three Easy Steps
Work Your Home Based Business Idea in Three Easy Steps Create a Business Plan first
The primary necessity is to get a perfectly designed plan of action for a genuine business. A business plan on its own is useless. It is a mere reflection, but it will not suffice you also need an action plan. A business scheme is the first step in working out your idea into actions that you can follow. Well-illustrated business plans can be found online or at your library.
Begin now
- Do not be afraid of failure. Remember failure is the first stepping stone to success, if this home based business idea does not work out for you now do not let this deter you. Always remind yourself of the spider when you feel like losing hope.
- Do not let that wonderful home-based business idea gather dust. Start today.
- Waiting for the right time to start your business might make success elude you forever. If there is any specific right time, it is right now. Do not waste your precious time.
-
Put a figure on it
This is the greatest stumbling block for most home-based business owners. That is, they fail to evaluate their work. If you do not give proper attention to this, you may have to wrap up your business. You need to know that real figures and numbers are needed for you to stay in business. If this is not your agenda of work, you are probably going all wrong.
Large businesses usually set up balanced scorecards. The idea is to have a referring point to compare how successful your work is. For example, to get five customers in one month you could settle on free seminars but if you see that your plan is not getting you five clients, you need to reassess your plan. Change of plan prevents waste of energy and resources.
Entire contents copyright 2005 Morpheus Institute.
The primary necessity is to get a perfectly designed plan of action for a genuine business. A business plan on its own is useless. It is a mere reflection, but it will not suffice you also need an action plan. A business scheme is the first step in working out your idea into actions that you can follow. Well-illustrated business plans can be found online or at your library.
Begin now
- Do not be afraid of failure. Remember failure is the first stepping stone to success, if this home based business idea does not work out for you now do not let this deter you. Always remind yourself of the spider when you feel like losing hope.
- Do not let that wonderful home-based business idea gather dust. Start today.
- Waiting for the right time to start your business might make success elude you forever. If there is any specific right time, it is right now. Do not waste your precious time.
-
Put a figure on it
This is the greatest stumbling block for most home-based business owners. That is, they fail to evaluate their work. If you do not give proper attention to this, you may have to wrap up your business. You need to know that real figures and numbers are needed for you to stay in business. If this is not your agenda of work, you are probably going all wrong.
Large businesses usually set up balanced scorecards. The idea is to have a referring point to compare how successful your work is. For example, to get five customers in one month you could settle on free seminars but if you see that your plan is not getting you five clients, you need to reassess your plan. Change of plan prevents waste of energy and resources.
Entire contents copyright 2005 Morpheus Institute.
Will and Vision
Will and Vision Remember Chux? The disposable diaper that took the market by storm in 1932?
Of course you don't. Chux saw its product as a luxury item, and happily kept its little throwaway business to itself for almost forty years. Then Pampers came along in the 1960s, supported by a huge, mass-consumer vision with persistence to match, and blew Chux out of the market-transforming baby rearing forever.
And everyone knows the legend of the two Steves-Jobs and Wozniak-who invented the personal computer in someone's garage. Only they didn't. The Altair MITS came to market long before in 1975. It's just that Steve Jobs had the mammoth vision of a computer on every desk; and Apple II became the first PC hit.
I just finished reading a brilliant book titled Will and Vision-How Latecomers Grow to Dominate Markets, by Grard J. Tellis and Peter N. Golder.
This book takes the concept of vision and makes it concrete, demonstrating sixty-six cases where a huge vision of value for a market combined with persistence and indomitable will, made the ingredients for blockbuster success. Along the way the authors bury the concept of first mover advantage. They offer numerous examples of companies that arrived second, third or later, and went on to dominate their markets.
So what does Will and Vision say are the key elements of success?
The authors-academics grounded in research-not than starry-eyed growth consultants like yours truly-carefully reviewed the historical record: vision was the number one element.
That's right. Big fat vision backed by persistence, will, and relentless innovation.
Today's world offers many choices. People who lack vision are apt to drift to the next appealing project as soon as things don't go the way they planned. They lack persistence to achieve anything important.
Will and Vision offers us a different kind of world. (Of course I'm biased. I've been shouting about vision and commitment for years.) We aren't talking about a "vision" that's sloganized and prettified and pasted on a plaque. We mean the kind of vision that highlights the importance and value of a product or service to many people and ultimately points the way to a new future. And, of course, requires a 100% commitment to bring into reality.
More mass-value vision examples, from high tech and low: Dell computers, not IBM or IMSAI; Sony video recorders, not Ampex-who gave up a ten year lead; Microsoft Internet Explorer-not Netscape, or its predecessor, Links; McDonalds' Ray Kroc-not the McDonald Brothers; Gillette-not Wilkenson Sword.
Mass market + high utility = big vision.
Seeing what no one else can see. Having a new world view.
Leaders in each of these companies owned a view that extended further than any of their predecessors.
And that expansive vision enabled these people to gain access and leverage the resources (Key #4), maintain the persistence to bring the vision into reality (Key #2), and sustain relentless creativity and innovations (Key #3), over a period of years.
Here are a few points about a successful vision taken from the research:
* The vision must be unique. Not uniqueness of product per se, but unique in the way your product serves the world;
* The vision must be simple and easy to grasp;
* Seeds of the vision typically exist in some form in other products or services; (Thank goodness we don't all have to be inventors or originals-only visionaries!)
The new vision may be of a thing for which there no market-yet. (This last bit is illuminating for any of us stuck in market research.)
And some important points regarding will:
* Reaching your vision may take a long time. Vision without will won't get you there. Only great commitment can;
* A misplaced belief in luck or other unseen forces hinders our ability to persist. We will find evidence that no such luck exists, and use that as an excuse to quit.
* And this great insight: persistence can manifest as a series of minor solutions, and contrarily, complacency in small successes can be a barrier to innovation that farsighted vision requires.
Some additional tips for long-term success:
* Maintain a continuous feedback loop and solicit others' opinions regarding your execution;
* Keep a sharp eye for market changes, and be willing to respond quickly;
* And as Andrew Grove suggests, paranoia drives innovation. A healthy fear of competitors sneaking up on you can keep your product or service fresh;
So how big is YOUR vision?
Is your vision big enough to drive the kind of success you seek? Is your vision large enough to sustain you? Is it important enough to mobilize the resources necessary for its realization? Is it sufficiently inspiring to partners and employees and customers and investors-and all the other people you need to be successful?
If you don't think it's big enough, it may be time to get your vision checked.
Of course you don't. Chux saw its product as a luxury item, and happily kept its little throwaway business to itself for almost forty years. Then Pampers came along in the 1960s, supported by a huge, mass-consumer vision with persistence to match, and blew Chux out of the market-transforming baby rearing forever.
And everyone knows the legend of the two Steves-Jobs and Wozniak-who invented the personal computer in someone's garage. Only they didn't. The Altair MITS came to market long before in 1975. It's just that Steve Jobs had the mammoth vision of a computer on every desk; and Apple II became the first PC hit.
I just finished reading a brilliant book titled Will and Vision-How Latecomers Grow to Dominate Markets, by Grard J. Tellis and Peter N. Golder.
This book takes the concept of vision and makes it concrete, demonstrating sixty-six cases where a huge vision of value for a market combined with persistence and indomitable will, made the ingredients for blockbuster success. Along the way the authors bury the concept of first mover advantage. They offer numerous examples of companies that arrived second, third or later, and went on to dominate their markets.
So what does Will and Vision say are the key elements of success?
The authors-academics grounded in research-not than starry-eyed growth consultants like yours truly-carefully reviewed the historical record: vision was the number one element.
That's right. Big fat vision backed by persistence, will, and relentless innovation.
Today's world offers many choices. People who lack vision are apt to drift to the next appealing project as soon as things don't go the way they planned. They lack persistence to achieve anything important.
Will and Vision offers us a different kind of world. (Of course I'm biased. I've been shouting about vision and commitment for years.) We aren't talking about a "vision" that's sloganized and prettified and pasted on a plaque. We mean the kind of vision that highlights the importance and value of a product or service to many people and ultimately points the way to a new future. And, of course, requires a 100% commitment to bring into reality.
More mass-value vision examples, from high tech and low: Dell computers, not IBM or IMSAI; Sony video recorders, not Ampex-who gave up a ten year lead; Microsoft Internet Explorer-not Netscape, or its predecessor, Links; McDonalds' Ray Kroc-not the McDonald Brothers; Gillette-not Wilkenson Sword.
Mass market + high utility = big vision.
Seeing what no one else can see. Having a new world view.
Leaders in each of these companies owned a view that extended further than any of their predecessors.
And that expansive vision enabled these people to gain access and leverage the resources (Key #4), maintain the persistence to bring the vision into reality (Key #2), and sustain relentless creativity and innovations (Key #3), over a period of years.
Here are a few points about a successful vision taken from the research:
* The vision must be unique. Not uniqueness of product per se, but unique in the way your product serves the world;
* The vision must be simple and easy to grasp;
* Seeds of the vision typically exist in some form in other products or services; (Thank goodness we don't all have to be inventors or originals-only visionaries!)
The new vision may be of a thing for which there no market-yet. (This last bit is illuminating for any of us stuck in market research.)
And some important points regarding will:
* Reaching your vision may take a long time. Vision without will won't get you there. Only great commitment can;
* A misplaced belief in luck or other unseen forces hinders our ability to persist. We will find evidence that no such luck exists, and use that as an excuse to quit.
* And this great insight: persistence can manifest as a series of minor solutions, and contrarily, complacency in small successes can be a barrier to innovation that farsighted vision requires.
Some additional tips for long-term success:
* Maintain a continuous feedback loop and solicit others' opinions regarding your execution;
* Keep a sharp eye for market changes, and be willing to respond quickly;
* And as Andrew Grove suggests, paranoia drives innovation. A healthy fear of competitors sneaking up on you can keep your product or service fresh;
So how big is YOUR vision?
Is your vision big enough to drive the kind of success you seek? Is your vision large enough to sustain you? Is it important enough to mobilize the resources necessary for its realization? Is it sufficiently inspiring to partners and employees and customers and investors-and all the other people you need to be successful?
If you don't think it's big enough, it may be time to get your vision checked.
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