Tips to Conducting a Successful Teleconference

The key to any successful teleconference is in the planning. Here are a few tips to make sure your next teleconference runs as smooth as silk.

1. It is always important to have an agenda. Know what you’re going to talk about, how long the call is going to take and what expected outcome you have.

2. Ask your participants to review your agenda prior to the call.

3. Don’t forget to send all participants the dial in number and pass-codes.

4. Consider arrangements for hearing impaired participants.

5. Avoid headaches and panic attacks. Have a back up plan for potential technology failure.

6. Be sure to tell your participants if they have to have a file or website open on their computer for the call. Make sure all supporting documentation has been delivered well before the call.

7. If you’re facilitating, log on early so that you’re the first one online.

8. Greet and know the people that you’re speaking with. Try to announce everyone’s name before they speak.

9. Find out if anyone needs to leave the call early. You may need to restructure the agenda. Be prepared to do so.

10. Call from a quiet location and make sure your technology is strong and doesn’t have any annoying feedback or distracting sounds.

11. Give listeners the chance to get up and stretch if the call is a long one.

12. Take advantage of guest speakers to keep the call engaging.

13. Track who speaks so that you can involve all members in the conversation.

14. If the group gets off the agenda take steps necessary to refocus the conversation but promise to come back to the issue if there is time at the end.

15. Generally, the larger the group, the more directive your facilitation needs to be to keep a small number of people from dominating the call.

Teleconferencing is a fantastic tool to not only meet with people all around the world in different time zones, it is a great tool to educate, inform and connect with your customers and prospects. Simple steps to ensure that the meeting is planned and structured as well as steps to ensure that common courtesies are given will take you a long way toward a successful teleconference.

Hire a Team To Be Successful In Business

 

In most large businesses, employees perform specialized functions. Secretaries handle all of the filing and related tasks. Marketing people handle the advertising and public relations. Accountants keep the books. Salespeople make the sales.

Many small businesses do not have the luxury of being able to hire employees. So the business owner must handle everything herself. While this may work out reasonably well in the initial stages, as the business grows it gets more difficult to keep up with it all. There are some compelling reasons that business owners should consider outsourcing.

1. You can’t learn everything. No matter how smart you are, you simply can’t. Even if you could, learning takes time, and there are only a set number of hours in a day. If you try to learn every minute aspect of the things that need to be done for your business, you’re going to end up disappointed and frustrated.

2. You have a life outside of your business. Everyone needs time to spend with family and friends, even if they’re running a business. If we try to tackle everything ourselves, we won’t have time to enjoy the finer things in life.

3. The stress of trying to do it all can adversely affect your health. There are enough stressors in life that we don’t need to add to them unnecessarily. But if we put pressure on ourselves to run a business on our own with no help at all, it can really stress us out. Besides affecting our state of mind, too much stress can cause high blood pressure and put us at risk for many other ailments.

4. People who are trained well in their fields may be able to do a better job. If you barely know HTML, it would take you quite a while to learn how to make a good-looking and functional website. An experienced web designer could have your entire website up and running before you were finished learning what you need to know. In situations such as this, it makes more sense to outsource than to try to do it yourself.

5. Outsourcing can save you money. Some tasks require special equipment or software. If you’re not going to need these things in the future, it doesn’t make much sense to buy them for one project. Hiring someone else that already has what is needed to get the job done is usually more economical.

In many cases, outsourcing makes good business sense. It allows us to concentrate on the things we’re best at, and it can save us time and money. So the next time you find yourself with an overabundance of work, consider outsourcing.

Home Based Business Ideas

 Have you been looking for a way to earn money from home? Why not take the skills you currently have and build a business around them? You will be able to create your own work schedule and can choose to work with local businesses or with people you meet online.

People that are proficient in web design can easily find work. Many people want to start an online business but don’t know the first thing about building a website - just visit any work at home message board and you will see many posts asking for help.

Are you creative? If so, you can find work as a graphic designer. Many people need help designing logos and advertising for their businesses. If you enjoy writing, you can find work as a copywriter - the person who writes the information you read on websites.

If you would rather work offline, there are still plenty of opportunities for you. Just market your services creatively - let businesses know how you can help them. For instance, if you were a teacher, now you can be an “Educational Consultant” and coordinate lesson plans for local daycares! If you were the manager at a restaurant, you can turn that into a “Catering Consultant” and help caterers and restaurants come up with new recipes or help brides plan their wedding menus.

Moms are expert organizers - offer up your skills as a “professional organizer” and get paid to clean out closets, attics and garages. Are you an expert at throwing birthday parties? Many busy parents would hire you to take care of planning their children’s parties.

Are you good at sewing, knitting or scrapbooking or some other craft? Hold classes to teach others. If you do not have room at your home, ask your local hobby shop if you can hold classes there.

As you can see, there are many ways to turn your skills into ways to work from home. Once you decide on something to do, get out there and let everyone know you are available for hire! If you do not ask for work, you won’t find any!

Copywriting Do’s and Dont’s

The Do’s of Copywriting

No matter where it’s found marketing copy is written to sell. So there are certain standards that are universal to copywriting whether it’s done for online or offline purposes. Internet copywriting has some of its own unique requirements as well. Here are some of the most important “dos” of Internet copywriting.

1. Do include information that is useful to the reader. Whether you are writing a sales page or articles to market your website, your readers want to read things that are beneficial to them. It’s true that the underlying intent is to sell something but in order to do so you need to provide value to the reader.

How this is best accomplished depends upon what you are selling. If you are selling a tangible product, articles that show readers ways that they may use that product give them both useful information and an incentive to learn more about the product and buy it. A sales page for an information product may include information that is supplemental to that offered in the product for sale or short snippets from the info product itself.

2. Do write as though you are writing to someone you know personally. The Internet is a rather impersonal medium and anything you can do to make your writing feel more personal will make your readers feel more comfortable purchasing from you. Pretend that you are trying to sell something to your brother or sister if it helps.

3. Do use action words and phrases. This type of language will excite the reader and compel her to buy. Instead of “If you would like to purchase this product and get a free gift, you may do so by clicking this link,” try “Click here to order now and receive your free gift!”

4. Do include testimonials. Seeing that other customers have tried your product and found it useful will lead readers to expect the same if they purchase it. If possible get testimonials from high-profile people or experts in a field related to yours. Include the person’s name (at least the first name and last initial), location and picture if you can get permission to do so.

The best testimonials include quantifiable results. If you have testimonials but they do not include any concrete evidence of your product’s benefits, ask the people providing them to elaborate. Buyers respond better to numbers and percentages than to a generic statement that a product is good.

5. Do utilize keywords. Choosing the best possible keywords and using them in headlines and text will increase your search engine rankings. A well-ranked page could potentially get a large number of visitors from the search engines without requiring pay-per-click campaigns. If you’ve done everything else correctly a significant percentage of these visitors will become customers.

Successful Internet copywriting involves getting readers, keeping them interested and enticing them to buy. Taking these things into consideration will help you get visitors to your pages and turn them into customers.

The Don’ts of Copywriting

Just as there are certain things you should always incorporate into web copywriting there are some things that should be avoided. Certain mistakes can be deal-breakers for your potential customers. Here are five things to look out for when you are writing copy.

1. Don’t focus on product features. This may sound counterproductive but features are not what will sell your product. The benefits of your product will. Focusing on what a product can do for your potential customers will create a need for your product. This need will result in more sales.

For example, let’s say you are selling automated budgeting software. This software can take the information you give it and compare multiple different scenarios. Instead of just stating that fact think of a way to state it as a benefit for the customer. “This software makes budgeting a cinch by allowing you to compare multiple scenarios automatically,” for example.

2. Don’t write in an overly complicated manner. Using big words will turn your reader off and might even confuse them. Simple yet powerful words used in short, easy to read sentences and paragraphs get your point across much more effectively.

Don’t go overboard with the adjectives and adverbs. While these are an important part of a successful sales campaign, it’s easy to get carried away with them. Instead of using more words use more powerful words.

3. Don’t go off on a tangent. Stick to the subject at hand and don’t stray too far from it. While throwing in a story from your own experience can add a personal touch to your writing, don’t forget what you’re writing about. Doing so will cause you to lose your readers and losing your readers means losing sales.

4. Don’t be vague. Readers are much more impressed with specifics than they are with vague generalizations. The use of statistics and real figures makes your writing much easier to identify with. Real-life examples of people who have benefited from your product take that a step further.

Which would be more impressive to you? “People make a lot more money using this system than they did without it,” or “Sue Jones increased her profits by 75% using our system”?

5. Don’t overuse “is” and other forms of “to be.” These are not action words and they do nothing to excite the reader. If you find yourself using these words in a sentence try to come up with a way to say the same thing using action words. If you can find a way to do so while still making sense, it can result in a much more positive response.

For example, instead of “Our product is the highest in performance of its kind,” you could try “Our product outperforms all others of its kind.” Don’t forget to back it up, as shown above.

The purpose of copywriting is to sell something. Successful salespeople are not dull and boring. They engage the consumer, hold her attention and create a need for the product. By remembering what causes readers to go elsewhere and avoiding it, you can do the same.

6 Tips To Organize Your Home Office

Organization is essential to productivity. The less time you have to spend searching for the things you need, the more time you have to concentrate on getting your work done.

While keeping your files organized is of great importance, it is also vital to keep your workspace organized. A neat desk that has a place for everything and everything in its place helps you work more efficiently. It can also reduce stress, and a well-organized desk makes a better impression on clients.

Different people have different ways of organizing. But there are some things that we could all benefit from keeping in mind.

1. Small compartments are great for items like paper clips and staples. There’s nothing worse than having to dig around in a drawer for one tiny yet vital object. Some desks have compartments built in. If yours doesn’t, you can find trays with compartments for small items in most office supply stores.

2. Supplies should always be close at hand. Pens, staplers, sticky notes and other things that we use regularly need to be where we don’t have to look for them. A shelf or drawer just for this purpose would be ideal, but keeping them in a designated corner of the desktop will do if necessary.

3. Keep paper to a minimum. Storing documents electronically is not only good for the environment, it also reduces clutter astronomically. Organizing computer files is just as important as keeping paper files in order, but it is often easier and always requires less space.

4. In and out boxes or baskets are a great way to organize papers and files that you need close at hand. It’s fine to “think outside of the box” and use these in ways that best suit your needs. It’s your workspace, so the key is to organize things in a way that makes sense to you.

5. Things that you are finished working on do not belong on your desk. Filing them away will reduce clutter and confusion.

6. A trash can should always be within easy reach of one’s desk. If there’s no trash can nearby, it’s much easier to accumulate unwanted and unneeded items.

Keep in mind that organization is highly subjective. If you gave five people the same items to organize, each person would have his own unique way of organizing it. Neither way is wrong or right. As long as the person using the items is able to find what he needs quickly and easily, that is what counts.

Getting organized allows us to make the most of our time. By following some simple guidelines and coming up with an organizational system that works for us, we can get more done with less effort.

How to Form a Nonprofit Organization

1. Choose a name for your nonprofit. (While you’re at it, select and reserve a Web domain name.)
2. Form your incorporating board of directors (often only three people are needed).
3. Write Articles of Incorporation including a statement of your purpose and submit them to the appropriate office in your appropriate state government with the required fee.
4. Wait for a response from your state. (In some states you can expedite the process by paying a surcharge.)
5. Obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number, submitting IRS Form SS-4.
6. Develop organizational bylaws-the rules by which you will operate.
7. Hold your first board meeting.
8. Review IRS Publication 557, instructions for filing for tax exemption. (call 1-800-TAX-FORM.)
9. File IRS Form 1023 if you are applying to become a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization (preferably within 15 months of the date of incorporation). Other kinds of nonprofits organizations may file Form 1024.
10.Pay filing fees of $500 if you anticipate having revenue of over $10,000 per year, or $150 if you anticipate having revenue of less than $10,000 per year and the accompanying Form 8718.
11. Sit back and relex. Celebrate when your letter of determination arrives!
12. Register as a charity within your state.  While you’re at it, check your state’s laws: some require you to apply for a separate (in addition to federal) tax exemption.

Along the Way to your Nonprofit Status

1. Consider using a fiscal sponsor so you can begin offering programs and developing a reputation.
2. Once you’ve incorporated and filed IRS Form 1023 you can begin to operate and even solicit contributions as long as you tell donors the application has been filed.

Keys To Being a Successful Small Business Owner

Before starting or acquiring a small business, it is important to take the time to review a wide array factors and considerations about yourself and the business you plan to enter.

Be honest with yourself. Know what you’re getting into.

In business, there are no guarantees. There is simply no way to eliminate all the risks associated with starting a small business - but you can improve your chances of success with good planning, preparation, and insight. Start by evaluating your strengths and weaknesses as a potential owner and manager of a small business. Carefully consider each of the following questions:

• Are you a self-starter? It will be entirely up to you to develop projects, organize your time, and follow through on details.
• How well do you get along with different personalities? Business owners need to develop working relationships with a variety of people including customers, vendors, staff, bankers, and professionals such as lawyers, accountants or consultants. Can you deal with a demanding client, an unreliable vendor, or a cranky receptionist if your business interests demand it?
• How good are you at making decisions? Small business owners are required to make decisions constantly - often quickly, independently, and under pressure.
• Do you have the physical and emotional stamina to run a business? Business ownership can be exciting, but it’s also a lot of work. Can you face six or seven 12-hour work days every week?
• How well do you plan and organize? Research indicates that poor planning is responsible for most business failures. Good organization of financials, inventory, schedules, and production can help you avoid many pitfalls.
• Is your drive strong enough? Running a business can wear you down emotionally. Some business owners burn out quickly from having to carry all the responsibility for the success of their business on their own shoulders. Strong motivation will help you survive slowdowns and periods of burnout.
• How will the business affect your family? The first few years of business start-up can be hard on family life. It’s important for family members to know what to expect and for you to be able to trust that they will support you during this time. There also may be financial difficulties until the business becomes profitable, which could take months or years. You may have to adjust to a lower standard of living or put family assets at risk in the short-term.

Keys to success

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the following traits are found among successful entrepreneurs:

• persistence
• desire for immediate feedback
• inquisitiveness
• strong drive to achieve
• high energy level
• goal oriented behavior
• independent
• demanding
• self-confident
• calculated risk taker
• creative
• innovative
• vision
• commitment
• problem solving skills
• tolerance for ambiguity
• strong integrity
• highly reliable
• personal initiative
• ability to consolidate resources
• strong management and organizational skills
• competitive
• change agent
• tolerance for failure
• desire to work hard
• luck

Start with questions about yourself and the business you want to pursue.

Your answers will help you create focused, well-researched business plan that should serve as a blueprint. It should detail how the business will be operated, managed and capitalized. Before starting out, list your reasons for wanting to go into business. Some of the most common reasons for starting a business are:

• You want to be your own boss.
• You want financial independence.
• You want creative freedom.
• You want to fully use your skills and knowledge.
• What do I like to do with my time?
• What technical skills have I learned or developed?
• What do others say I am good at?
• How much time do I have to run a successful business?
• Do I have any hobbies or interests that are marketable?

Then you should identify the niche your business will fill. Conduct the necessary research to answer these questions:

• Is my idea practical and will it fill a need?
• What is my competition?
• What is my business advantage over existing firms?
• Can I deliver a better quality service?
• Can I create a demand for your business?

The final step before developing your plan is the pre-business checklist. You should answer these questions:

• What business am I interested in starting?
• What services or products will I sell? Where will I be located?
• What skills and experience do I bring to the business?
• What will be my legal structure? 
• What will I name my business?
• What equipment or supplies will I need?
• What insurance coverage will be needed?
• What financing will I need?
• What are my resources?
• How will I compensate myself?

Team Management for Small Business Owners

Assistants are invaluable to small business owners. They handle administrative and other tasks that we don’t have the time or patience to handle. They allow us to concentrate on making our businesses more profitable and doing what we love to do.

When working with assistants, it is important to keep tabs on the work they are doing. It helps us ensure that everything is taken care of. It eliminates confusion about pay. And it helps us determine when our assistants need to be rewarded for a job well done.

Each business owner has his own way of keeping track of the work of assistants. There is no right or wrong way, as long as it works for the business. Here are some pointers on how you can effectively manage your assistant’s work.

To Do lists are beneficial to both you and your assistant. You could provide her with a list each week or each day, and keep a copy for reference. Then when she completes a task, you can check it off of your list.

 If you’re working with a virtual assistant, email can help you keep tabs on her work. Creating folders and setting your email program up to file project-related messages accordingly makes it quick and easy to review communications about your assistant’s work. This may not be the best way to keep official tabs on work, but it provides you with something to refer to in case there is any question.

 There are software solutions that can be of great assistance in project management. Some are based online, while others are in the form of software to be installed on your computer. These programs make it a cinch to assign and communicate about many types of work. Many of them even provide integrated file sharing that assistants can use to turn in completed work.

No matter how you choose to manage your assistant’s work, it’s a good idea to make notes once the project is completed. Was the project completed ahead of or behind schedule? Was there anything you would have liked to have seen done differently? Did your assistant go above and beyond the call of duty? This information can help you recognize any problems or miscommunications and improve the way you handle things on your end.

When keeping up with your assistant’s work, simplicity is a good thing. If you spend more time tracking the work she has or hasn’t finished than you save by having her do it, you would be better off to do it yourself. But with the help of technology, we can keep detailed records of an assistant’s work without putting a lot of time and effort into it.

Entity Structure Basics for Your Home Based Business

There are three primary ways to legally organize a business: a sole proprietorship, a partnership and a corporation. When organizing a new business, it is important to take time to review the advantages and disadvantages of while one of these structures you will choose. Factors influencing your decision about your business organization include: Legal restrictions Liabilities assumed Type of business operation Earnings distribution Capital needs Number of employees Tax advantages or disadvantages Length of business operation Sole Proprietorship This is the easiest and least costly way of starting a business. A sole proprietorship can be formed by finding a location and opening the door for business. There are likely to be fees to obtain business name registration, a fictitious name certificate and other necessary licenses. Attorney’s fees for starting the business will be less than the other business forms because less preparation of documents is required and the owner has absolute authority over all business decisions. Partnership There are several types of partnerships. The two most common types are general and limited partnerships. A general partnership can be formed simply by an oral agreement between two or more persons, but a legal partnership agreement drawn up by an attorney is highly recommended. Legal fees for drawing up a partnership agreement are higher than those for a sole proprietorship, but may be lower than incorporating. A partnership agreement could be helpful in solving any disputes. However, partners are responsible for the other partner’s business actions, as well as their own. A Partnership Agreement should include the following: Type of business Amount of equity invested by each partner Division of profit or loss Partners compensation Distribution of assets on dissolution Duration of partnership Provisions for changes or dissolving the partnership Dispute settlement clause Restrictions of authority and expenditures Settlement in case of death or incapacitation Corporation A business may incorporate without an attorney, but legal advice is highly recommended. The corporate structure is usually the most complex and more costly to organize than the other two business formations. Control depends on stock ownership. Persons with the largest stock ownership, not the total number of shareholders, control the corporation. With control of stock shares or 51 percent of stock, a person or group is able to make policy decisions. Control is exercised through regular board of directors’ meetings and annual stockholders’ meetings. Records must be kept to document decisions made by the board of directors. Small, closely held corporations can operate more informally, but record-keeping cannot be eliminated entirely. Officers of a corporation can be liable to stockholders for improper actions. Liability is generally limited to stock ownership, except where fraud is involved. You may want to incorporate as a “C” corporation or “S” corporation. Develop A Business Plan You will need to develop a business plan before starting or acquiring your business. A more detailed description and discussion of business plans can be found in the Business plan entry of Smallbusiness.com. The following outline of a typical business plan can serve as a guide. You can adapt it to your specific business. Breaking down the plan into several components helps make drafting it a more manageable task. Introduction Give a detailed description of the business and its goals. Discuss the ownership of the business and the legal structure. List the skills and experience you bring to the business. Discuss the advantages you and your business have over your competitors. Operations Explain how the business will be managed on a day-to-day basis. Discuss hiring and personnel procedures. Discuss insurance, lease or rent agreements, and issues pertinent to your business. Account for the equipment necessary to produce your products or services. Account for production and delivery of products and services. Concluding Statement Summarize your business goals and objectives and express your commitment to the success of your business. Once you have completed your business plan, review it with a friend or business associate or a Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) or Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counselor. (See SCORE and SBDC listings in this guide). When you feel comfortable with the content and structure make an appointment to review and discuss it with your lender. The business plan is flexible document that should change as your business grows.

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Successful Business Plan Basics

While many people don’t think they need a business plan unless they’re trying to acquire
financing, a business plan is important for your success.  A well written business plan will give you direction, helping you define your business goals.

A business plan will help you set goals and then determine which strategies you’ll use to achieve those goals.  When you formulate your business plan you’ll see any weaknesses in your plan and you can adjust your strategies accordingly.

A well written business plan well help you determine handle any unforeseen problems, determine resource allocation and make good business decisions. A business plan should include the following:

• Description of the business
• Marketing Strategies
• Competitive Analysis
• Operating Procedures
• Personnel
• Income Statements
• Cash Flow Statements
• Balance Sheet
• Loan Applications
• Capital Equipment List
• Supporting Documents

Once your plan is written, use it!  Your business plan will change as your business grows.  You can also use your business plan to determine if you’re on course to achieve your goals.  Make it a habit to update your business plan annually.

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