Archive for March, 2009
How To Keep Customers Loyal
March 31st, 2009 | 
Author:
Business analysts know that it costs a company much more money to get a new customer than to keep doing business with their existing ones. Thus, to be as profitable as possible companies are urged to have loyal customers that keep coming back again and again. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, and focusing all of your efforts on keeping existing customers is a sure way to ruin your company as truth be told people don’t live forever and companies have to look to the next generation of buyers eventually. 1. Nobody Is Loyal Anymore No thanks to the internet, loyalty is lower than ever before. In just a few mouse clicks, customers can compare the prices of you and a dozen or more of your direct competitors for the same product. Not to mention online auctions where prices can go even lower. This means that people have literally no loyalty – they will choose thatever retailer offers the lowest price. 2. Bidding Wars This means retailers often engage in bidding wars. This can escalate to nonprofitable proportions – often retailers sell products for the exact amount they purchased them for from manufacturers. Of course, in order to do business retailers have to pay expenses like rent so they can have a physical store open at all. In addition, utilities, shipping, labor, not to mention possible losses from theft all come into play. 3. Making Money With all of these costs, youd wonder how they make money at all. Retailers often sell products that require other products in order to function – for example a toy that requires batteries or a printer that needs a printer cable in order to work. Manufacturers could make printers that connect wirelessly using bluetooth, but retailers won’t buy them because then there wouldn’t be any money to be had. The same is true for the automotive industry – hardly any money is being made on the cars themselves, and the cost of gas is skyrocketing. 4. Cutting Losses This leads to a worst case scenario – your retail operation has overstock of last months technology and there’s already new products out there that customers will select instead. It becomes urgent to sell off your products at a loss just so you have the shelf space to put the new items out for customers to look at. 5. Building Loyalty Many retailers will offer customers a membership option that will save them money on select purchases within the store. Of course, every retailer has some sort of program like that and so, again, it doesn’t matter where consumers shop. Lost leaders can draw customers in, often in the hopes of having them buy more than just the lost leader, but that rarely happens. The same is true for first-time customer offers. 6. Perfection Or The Highway Customers now demand absoloutely flawless service. Everything from the price to how the product is packaged needs to be, for lack of a better word, immaculate. With a dozen major competitors to your business just a click away, you have to give them some reason for doing business with you other than your price is cheaper. Sell customers on brand awareness or, better yet, offer free extended warranties and free technical support on everything you sell.
Related posts
How To Make Money Via Blogging
There are two major types of business models that entrepreneurs use to make money blogging. The first and most common way to turn a blog into a profit making machine is to sell advertising to different companies and brands who want to reach that blog’s readers. The second kind of money making blog is one that helps a single brand improve its image by creating positive associations between the blog and the product in the mind of consumers. Both kinds of blogs can make a lot of money, especially if the creator has a keen mind for marketing. If you are blogging with the goal of selling advertising, there are two basic ways that you can go about recruiting sponsors who want to put ads on your site; you can let someone else do all of the legwork, or you can do the work yourself and keep all of the revenue. Within the first group, many people make money blogging by selling space through Google’s AdSense program. The advantages of this program are numerous, as it requires very little effort on the part of the blogger or webmaster to begin raking in profits. However, most people discover that they make less money through this method than they had hoped that their blog would earn. Selling advertising directly to companies who want to put banner ads or sponsored links on your blog can take quite a bit of time, but it is often fairly lucrative. If you have a lot of contacts in industries that are related to the topic of your blog, you may want to try to go this route. People who have a strong background in sales and are experienced at pitching proposals can make quite a bit of money by renting blog space to interested companies. The most serious problem with this model is that you often have to build quite a sizable readership before you can attract advertisers, which can mean that you have to do several months of work before you start to make money blogging. As blogging becomes a more and more lucrative business, a lot of established companies are considering how they can get into the action. One way that companies are capitalizing on the blog movement is by having blogs that provide a kind of friendly face for their corporation. Often, a company will employ an established blogger to create a weblog designed specifically to appeal to that company’s customers and to create positive associations with the brand in consumers’ minds.Setting up AdSense on your Blog is a breeze, and you can complete the whole process in less then an hour. Free $97 Adsense Secret Ebook on Adsense Tips here. More than one writer who never even dreamed that he or she could make money blogging has been approached by a company and offered quite a pretty penny for this kind of gig. Most people can make their AdSense Blog sites veritable cash cows! Free $97 Secret Adsense Book at http://www.honestreview.info/adsense/index.html
Related posts
Posted in Internet | 
Tags: Adsense Decoded, adsense tip, adsense tips, Adsense tricks, Adsense Tutorial | 
No Comments »
90 Percent Of All Home Based Businesses Are Failing
Many home based businesses are failing. Studies show 90 percent of all home based businesses are failing to make any profit. There are many reasons for this. I believe everyone from the companies to the home business owners are at fault. Many people are afraid to join or start a home business because of all of the negative publicity going around. Many people who have actually started a with a business have lost lots of money but at the same time many people have also made a ton of money with these types of businesses. I will separate the myths from the facts in this article and explain what is really takes to be successful with these types of businesses. Hopefully this will put to rest any fears or questions you may have about the home business industry. Like anything else in life you will alway’s have a few bad apples ruining it for everyone else. And this is what has happened in the home business industry. There have been a few companies who had one purpose and that one purpose was to scam hard working and decent people out of their money. Once this happened of course word spread and a therefore a bad rep was given. Another thing that has hurt the home business industry is bad advertising. Some companies make promises they cannot deliver on. For example make $100,000 a year only working 10 minutes a month. Claims like this are completely untrue and many people have been burned by companies proclaiming ads like that. But it is not entirely the companies fault, either. This maybe something you are not used to reading or hearing but it is also the faults of the people looking to join or start a home business. Most business owners will not tell you that since they are looking to sell you something, so they tell you everything you want to hear. I will be very blunt, many people looking to go into this industry are looking for the quick fix. They are looking to make money overnight. Many will give up after one month of trying to get a business off the ground. Now as a business owner myself, I think that is crazy, quitting after a month is ridiculous. You have to give your business a chance to succeed by sticking with it and working it daily. Over 90 percent of home based businesses fail because many people come in with the wrong mentality. They come in thinking they will get rich quick by only working 10 minutes a month. Some of the companies in this industry also do not help out since they make such claims, like work 10 minutes a month and make 6 figures. Building a business for yourself can be one of the greatest things you can do for yourself but you must understand a business takes time and work to build. It does not happen overnight. If you are willing to put in the work and stick through the ups and downs you will find yourself enjoying a life of wealth and abundance.
Related posts
Top 8 des Bonnes Raisons de Jouer au Casino
Lors de multiples discussions, il en est ressorti que ce qui motive une personne a jouer de plus en plus au casino et autres jeux d’argent est son rapport a la vie. Pour ces dernieres, la vie elle meme est un jeu. Respirer est un jeu,sortir hors de chez soi est un jeu, bref, meme le quotidien est un jeu. mais le casino, quant a lui, nous offre des sensations uniques car les paris ne sont, contrairement aux mouvemet quotidiens,bases que sur le fruit du hasard. Le casino procure a l’homme une montee d’adrenaline hors norme. Le risque est donc plus fort. Ainsi, de cette etude. il en est ressorti les resultats suivants: Le temps des vacances: Ces 10 dernieres annees, Las Vegas est devenue l’endroit populaire pour jouer en famille car a la mise en place de systeme de resort et d’attractions familiales. Pour gagner et devenir riche : De toutes personnes interviewйes ces personnes sont les plus representatives du phenomene. Elles sont venues au casino avec l’espoir de devenir riches et de pouvoir changer le cours de leur destin. Problиmes d’argent : Rejoint l’idee precedente. Beaucoup semble croire qu’ils peuvent regler leurs problиmes d’argent en jouant. Or, il y a aussi de forte chance, si madame chance n’est pas la, qu’elles engrangent d’avantages de pertes et de problemes si elles ne peuvent gerer leurs jeux et leurs mises. Salle de Mariage: Pour certains, se rendre au casino est l’endroit ideal pour celebrer son mariage. Un peu comme dans une eglise quoi. Et de preference a Las Vegas ou Salt Lake City. Leurs salles deviennent a la mode pour ce genre d’evenement en raison de leur prix rentable, l’originalite de leur hall d’accueil et l’espace de la salle pouvant accueillir grand nombre d’invites. Leurs revenus. Pour certains, le casino est comme un metier. Certains y passent toute leur journee pour pouvoir remporter une sorte de “salaire” plus ou moins eleve d’ici la fin du mois. Pour trouver l’ame soeur: Vous n’imagineriez pas le nombre de personnes celibataires se rendant en casino lors de parties de celibataires, uniquement dns l’espoir de trouver l’ame soeur et pourtant. Grand nombre de personnes interrogees y ont mentionne ce desir. Pour fuir de chez soi : La majorite des personnes interrogees ayant repondu pour sortir de chez soi sont essentiellement des gens de la gente masculine, tous maries depuis plus de 10 ans et peres de famille. Ces derniers se rendent generalement au casino en moyenne une fois par mois pendant quelques heures avant de rentrer. Pour le plaisir : Ces personnes auraient eu la bonne reponse. Toutefois, j’ai du mal a croire que cette categorie, qui devrait apparaitre en premiere place, ne se trouve au final qu’au bas de la liste. En effet, jouer au casino devrait etre avant tout une partie de plaisir. Integrer une ambiance hors pair d’un casino reel, avoir des boissons gratuites et ameliorer leur techniques de jeux, telles sont leurs principales preoccupations.
Related posts
Posted in Internet Business |
Tags: casino, casinos, gambling, games, hobbies, recreation, sportsbook |
No Comments »
The Many Uses Of An All In One Printer
With products being introduced every day that streamline systems and work space, it’s no wonder that the all in one printer has become something of a staple in modern homes and offices. For the home office especially, the all in one printer can revolutionize a work environment, bringing unsurpassed organization and functionality to all projects. The all in one printer executes a variety of functions including printing from the computer, general copying, scanning, and faxing. Its compact size maximizes space; gone are the multitude of machines that would be required to complete all that an all in one printer handles on its own. You will find that this greatly increases your workspace – clearing up an ordinarily crowded desk. Of course the downside of having an all in one printer that encompasses all of these job functions is that if one system breaks, they all break to a certain extent. Having one portion of the all in one printer repaired requires you to part with the entire machine. Also, users must operate only one system at a time with an all in one printer; for instance, you can not copy while you are also scanning. If your work environment is such that multiple functions must take place simultaneously then an all in one printer may not be appropriate for your needs. The cost of an all in one printer is really quite reasonable considering how much it would cost you to purchase all of these machines separately. They range in brand, size, and price from store to store. So take the time to shop around; you may even want to investigate online deals through the Internet. There are many office supply websites that offer comparable, if not deeply discounted prices, on machines such as the all in one printer. You may want to consider purchasing an extended warranty on such a machine, as it carries the responsibility of multiple functions. The all in one printer, like most products continuing to appear on the market today, is meant to provide a streamlined alternative to commonly “bulky” equipment. If it fits your particular needs, you will find it to be an essential part of your home office.
Related posts
Environment Friendly Home Business
Whether a person is conservative or liberal, young or old, male or female the message is the same. No matter where they live, how much money they have, education, social status, you name it, most people agree. Albeit for different reasons, people are becoming more environmentally aware. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is becoming a common household and business phrase. These three “R”s will help to save the planet but there is an added benefit to your home business. When we started applying these to our home business we achieve amazing results. With regard to paper, we print or copy only what is absolutely necessary and then we use both sides of the paper. We provide our customers electronic information and only supply paper copies when requested (and may even charge a fee for this). We reuse paper that we receive that is only printed on one side, for notes or message taking. When we do buy paper, it is 100% recycled for only about one dollar more per ream. We recycle our paper and printer cartridges as well. Because of all these things, we contribute less to landfills and to destruction of forests and very importantly, our costs for paper and printer ink is way down. We have seen no negative consequences by taking all these steps. To save electricity, we have replaced our light bulbs with florescent ones. They cost more initially, but our electricity costs are reduced and they last six times longer. We have a power bar on all of our electronic equipment and we turn the power bar off at night or when they otherwise won’t be used for an extended period of time. This saves electric costs and I personally like the idea of having my internet modem and wireless network unavailable to hackers when I’m not using the equipment. To save on heating and cooling, we have accepted that the temperature may not be ideal and that we can change what we are wearing (great benefit of a home business!) to become more comfortable. So the temperature range set on our thermostat is set a bit higher or lower than we used to depending on the season. Our utilities bills continually show that we use less power or natural gas than in the same month of the preceding year and this is our goal. There is more that can be done but these simple steps described here will: 1. Help you save money on paper, ink, electricity and natural gas, 2. Impress your customers if you advertise that you are environmentally friendly, 3. Contribute less to landfills, and 4. Help to preserve the environment for future generations. Efficient and effective use of resources should be a goal of every business. It does not cost more money to be environmentally friendly, contrary to popular belief. If we focus on efficient and effective use of nature’s resources then the result has to be a positive one. One person and one business can make a difference, one person and one business at a time.
Related posts
FSBO Closing Costs
What Are Closing Costs? When selling your home “For Sale by Owner” (aka FSBO), your lender usually prepares a “Good Faith Estimate” of closing costs. You are entitled to receive this estimate no later than three business days after you apply for a loan. Because it is an estimate of the costs you may incur, it may not contain all potential costs. The lender will not know what all of the costs are going to be. The “Good Faith Estimate” will be an estimate based on previous experience. Actual closing expenses usually exceed the estimate. To avoid problems, go prepared to pay more than the amount listed on your estimate. If you are comparing two lenders, look only at the costs charged by the lender. Lenders can only make educated guesses about the charges made by others. You will receive an itemization of costs you may have to pay when you buy your home. The costs are listed in the order that they should appear on a Good Faith Estimate you obtain from a mortgage lender. There are two broad categories of closing costs. Non-recurring closing costs are items that are paid once and you never pay again such as loan origination fees, recording fees, survey fees, etc. Recurring closing costs are items you pay again over the course of home ownership, such as property taxes and homeowner’s insurance. Closing costs are usually made up of the following: 1. Attorney’s or escrow fees (yours and your lender’s if applicable) 2. Property taxes (to cover tax period to date) 3. Interest (paid from date of closing to 30 days before first monthly payment) 4. Loan origination fee (covers lender’s administrative costs) 5. Recording fees 6. Survey fee 7. First premium of mortgage insurance (if applicable) 8. Title insurance (yours and your lender’s) 9. Loan discount points 10. First payment to escrow account for future real estate taxes and insurance 11. Paid receipt for homeowner’s insurance policy (and fire and flood insurance if applicable) 12. Any documentation preparation fees. On closing day, you’ll present your paid homeowner’s insurance policy or a binder and receipt showing that the premium has been paid. The closing agent will then list the money you owe the seller (remainder of down payment, prepaid taxes, etc.) and then the money the seller owes you (unpaid taxes and prepaid rent, if applicable). The seller will provide proofs of any inspection, warranties, etc. Once you’re sure you understand all the documentation, you’ll sign the mortgage, agreeing that if you don’t make payments the lender is entitled to sell your property and apply the sale price against the amount you owe plus expenses. You’ll also sign a mortgage note, promising to repay the loan. The seller will give you the title to the house in the form of a signed deed. You’ll pay the lender’s agent all closing costs and, in turn, he or she will provide you with a settlement statement of all the items for which you have paid. The deed and mortgage will then be recorded in the state Registry of Deeds, and you will be a homeowner. At closing, you will get: 1. Settlement Statement 2. HUD-1 Form (itemizes services provided and the fees charged; it is filled out by the closing agent and must be given to you at or before closing) 3. Truth-in-Lending Statement 4. Mortgage Note 5. Mortgage or Deed of Trust 6. Binding Sales Contract (prepared by the seller; your lawyer should review it) 7. Keys to your new home Your Settlement Costs are going to consist of the following: 1. Sales/Broker’s Commission: This is the total dollar amount of the real estate broker’s sales commission, which is usually paid by the seller. This commission is typically a percentage of the selling price of the home. 2. Items Payable in Connection with Loan: These are the fees that lenders charge to process, approve and make the mortgage loan. 3. Loan Origination: This fee is usually known as a loan origination fee but sometimes is called a “point” or “points.” It covers the lender’s administrative costs in processing the loan. Often expressed as a percentage of the loan, the fee will vary among lenders. Generally, the buyer pays the fee, unless otherwise negotiated. 4. Loan Discount: Also often called “points” or “discount points,” a loan discount is a one-time charge imposed by the lender or broker to lower the rate at which the lender or broker would otherwise offer the loan to you. Each “point” is equal to one percent of the mortgage amount. For example, if a lender charges two points on a $80,000 loan this amounts to a charge of $1,600. 5. Appraisal Fee: This charge pays for an appraisal report made by an appraiser. 6. Credit Report Fee: This fee covers the cost of a credit report, which shows your credit history. The lender uses the information in a credit report to help decide whether or not to approve your loan and how much money to lend you. 7. Lender’s Inspection Fee: This charge covers inspections, often of newly constructed housing, made by employees of your lender or by an outside inspector. 8. Mortgage Insurance Application Fee: This fee covers the processing of an application for mortgage insurance. 9. Assumption Fee: This is a fee which is charged when a buyer “assumes” or takes over the duty to pay the seller’s existing mortgage loan. 10. Mortgage Broker Fee: Fees paid to mortgage brokers would be listed here. A CLO fee would also be listed here. 11. Interest: Lenders usually require borrowers to pay the interest that accrues from the date of settlement to the first monthly payment. 12. Mortgage Insurance Premium: The lender may require you to pay your first year’s mortgage insurance premium or a lump sum premium that covers the life of the loan, in advance, at the settlement. 13. Hazard Insurance Premium: Hazard insurance protects you and the lender against loss due to fire, windstorm, and natural hazards. Lenders often require the borrower to bring to the settlement a paid-up first year’s policy or to pay for the first year’s premium at settlement. 14. Flood Insurance: If the lender requires flood insurance, it is usually listed here. 15. Title Charges: Title charges may cover a variety of services performed by title companies and others. Your particular settlement may not include all of the items below or may include others not listed. 16. Settlement or Closing Fee: This fee is paid to the settlement agent or escrow holder. Responsibility for payment of this fee should be negotiated between the seller and the buyer. 17. Abstract of Title Search, Title Examination, Title Insurance Binder: The charges on these lines cover the costs of the title search and examination. 18. Document Preparation: This is a separate fee that some lenders or title companies charge to cover their costs of preparation of final legal papers, such as a mortgage, deed of trust, note or deed. 19. Notary Fee: This fee is charged for the cost of having a person who is licensed as a notary public swear to the fact that the persons named in the documents did, in fact, sign them. 20. Attorney’s Fees: You may be required to pay for legal services provided to the lender, such as an examination of the title binder. Occasionally, the seller will agree in the agreement of sale to pay part of this fee. The cost of your attorney and/or the seller’s attorney may also appear here. If an attorney’s involvement is required by the lender. 21. Title Insurance: The total cost of owner’s and lender’s title insurance is shown here. 22. Lender’s Title Insurance: The cost of the lender’s policy is shown here. 23. Government Recording and Transfer Charges: These fees may be paid by you or by the seller, depending upon your agreement of sale with the seller. The buyer usually pays the fees for legally recording the new deed and mortgage (line 1201). Transfer taxes, which in some localities are collected whenever property changes hands or a mortgage loan is made, can be quite large and are set by state and/or local governments. City, county and/or state tax stamps may have to be purchased as well 24. Survey: The lender may require that a surveyor conduct a property survey. This is a protection to the buyer as well. U
sually the buyer pays the surveyor’s fee, but sometimes this may be paid by the seller. 25. Pest and Other Inspections: This fee is to cover inspections for termites or other pest infestation of your home. 26. Lead-Based Paint Inspections: This fee is to cover inspections or evaluations for lead-based paint hazard risk assessments. 27. Total Settlement Charges: The sum of all fees in the borrower’s column entitled “Paid from Borrower’s Funds at Settlement” is placed here. This figure is then transferred to line 103 of Section J, “Settlement charges to borrower” in the Summary of Borrower’s Transaction on page 1 of the HUD-1 Settlement Statement and added to the purchase price. The sum of all of the settlement fees paid by the seller are transferred to line 502 of Section K, Summary of Seller’s Transaction on page 1 of the HUD-1 Settlement Statement. Don’t be overwhelmed by all of the fees and charges. Your closing agent will go over each item one line at a time.
Related posts
Posted in web |
Tags: by owner, closing, closing costs, for sale by owner, fsbo, real estate |
No Comments »