Marketing the Government for Profit
Steps and tips on marketing your business to the government.Fact: Federal, state and local governments buy over $450 billion combined in goods and services each year.Part of that can be yours if you know how to get it.Fact: Federal procurements under $25,000 never go through the bid/RFP process.The only way to earn these government procurements is to market your business wisely.You probably know there are huge opportunities for any business to earn government contracts. But how will YOU win them?It’s easy to think of the government as a thing, an entity of inanimate form, but actually, the government is made up of people, hard-working business minded people just like you. With that in mind, marketing to the government is actually branding your name in the minds of the many thousands of government people who buy what you sell.If you will be doing business with the Federal government, the first step is to become registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). The CCR is a vendor database that collects and distributes data about potential contractors to government buyers. It helps Government Buyers know who you are and that you’re a valid contractor. You can find it on the internet at: www.ccr.gov.Your next step is to find the right people. Numerous government buyers purchase different things. Some buyers only purchase supplies, while others are re

Maximizing Your Yellow Page Investment
Yellow Page users are the hottest of all prospects – someone who has made the decision to buy, and now is looking for a place to do it. Does your ad convince them that your business is that place?It doesn’t have to be the biggest, although that can certainly help. And if you do it right, it won’t even matter if your business is listed first. What matters is that your ad is the most persuasive.“But, Lisa!” you’re saying in your most shocked whisper, “Everybody knows that the first listing in a category gets the most response! That’s why so many business names start with ‘A.’”Well, yeah, if I’m faced with a list of indistinguishable company names, I’ll just go with the first one I see. And 99% of all Yellow Page ads seem to have the company name as their headline.But your business may be better than the one that starts with “A.” So why don’t you tell me that? Move your company name to the bottom, beside your phone number, and greet me with a bold headline telling me just what’s so great about you. Invest in a few lines of copy (get rid of the photo of your store if you have to – I don’t really care about it, anyway) that prove you can deliver on some great promises.Did you know that making those changes can increase your response by 600%? Yes, really. That beats having an “A” name any day!

How To Lower Your Advertising Budget And Increase Results At The Same Time
So, you’ve acquired a customer, they’re paying you a monthly rental fee, referred a friend, purchased packing supplies and a lock from you and just insured their grandmother’s heirlooms and son’s baseball card collection they have stored with you…What else could we possibly ask for?A lot. What if it cost less to acquire this fine customer? What if we were able to lower your cost of acquisition by just 10%? 20%? 50%?Don’t laugh, it’s possible.Most facilities have advertising dollars spread out all over the place. Some of it is working, some is not, but in most cases the facilities have no clue whether it’s working or not, and if they do, they’re not quite sure how each medium is performing.How about knowing your cost per call and cost per acquisition for each medium? This information will not only be extremely insightful, but will help you cut your budget where it’s not performing. You can either put that money back in your pocket or re-allocate it to mediums that are performing extremely well.That’s one way…But pretend for a moment that all of your advertising efforts are producing efficiently and there’s no room for improvement there.Can we still lower your cost per acquisition and increase your profits?I’ll put money on it - here’s how: You’re paying real cash to make that phone of yours ring. Yet, you’re not answering it each time it does. If it costs you $100 to make the phone ring

Information To Include On Your Business Card
The logo and graphic elements that you include on your business card are quite important, but having the right text and contact information on the card is equally important. Here are our tips about the elements to include:Your name — Consider whether you want to include your middle name or initial, degrees or professional credentials that are unique to your field.Title — Including a title on your card will help your potential clients to identify your position within your company. Including a title can also make your company seem larger. A reason to not include a title would be if you're a consultant, and want to market your solo nature as a benefit to your clients.Address — Always include an address on your business card, even if you are operating a business out of your home. Including your address greatly increases your credibility and makes your business appear established. If you're concerned about privacy, a post office box is a great way to go. When signing up for a post office box, consider using a commercial mailbox vendor (such as the UPS Store) instead of a box at the United States Post Office. At a mailbox store, you are given a street address instead of the typical "P.O. Box". The store also accepts shipped packages from UPS, FedEx, and other carriers, so you won't need to give out your home address as a shipping address.Phone number (and toll-free number) — Include your phone number and, if y

How to Tackle Worker Satisfaction with Spiritual Formation - Nu Leadership Series
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. The sin is limitations. As soon as you once come up to a man’s limitations, it is all over with him. EmersonHave you been paying attention to the latest workplace issue? Clearly, one would not argue that it’s workplace spirituality. This reality does not mean that people want to conduct church at work or to carry their favorite religious guide. However, workers want to more meaningful lives.Many individuals don’t want to separate their personal and work lives as it pertains to this purpose. Will organizations listen? Over the last several months, I have been fascinated with the possibility on applying the concept of spiritual formation in America’s workplace.I am not advocating infusing religion into a secular environment. The term spirituality relates to the spiritual need of humanity. It’s about allowing employees to develop their spiritual aspects in a holistic manner.For the most part, employees are asked to keep their personal lives separate from their work environment. This is maddening to many. The spiritual void in the workplace provides unnecessary stress at work and home. What does spirituality mean for secular organizations?Spiritual formation encompasses growing an individual’s character, emotional capacity, and personal achievement; however, it also relates to allowing an individual to discover him or herself. Therefore, the notion of s

3 Steps To Financial Freedom
Achieving wealth in America is not about how much you earn, but how wisely you use what you earn. This article is aimed at helping you to both increase your income, and manage your money properly. Among other things, you will learn that spending more than you earn in an effort to impress friends and neighbors with your material possessions is a recipe for financial disaster. Additionally, lacking the patience to invest for the long-term, develop action oriented goal statements, and failing to protect yourself with proper insurance and legal advice, are all indicators of poor financial management. Again, it’s not what you earn, but what you do with it that matters.When it comes to wealth building and any business endeavor, one of the biggest obstacles you will encounter is the programming of your parents, friends, school, and media. Popular opinion has taught us that wealth and success comes to those who are lucky, or cheats. But these are all myths. In fact, over 85% of wealthy people in America earned their wealth through hard work, small business ownership, and careful investing.One standard measurement of wealth is a six-figure income, which pertains to the number of digits in your annual income. A six-figure income equals anything above $100,000. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2004, the number of households with income between $100,000 and $149,999 exceeded 11 million, 3.5 million American households had income between $150,000