Kamis, 03 Desember 2009

Marketing yang Cerdas

Apakah Anda menarik prospek dalam jumlah yang besar dengan biaya yang rendah ...dan mengubahnya menjadi pembeli? Bukan hal sulit jika Anda mengikuti 3 langkah mudah ini.

Langkah 1: Mengendalikan biaya iklan

Mencari cara untuk meningkatkan volume sales tanpa meningkatkan biaya iklan. Misalnya:

[Nego harga dengan agen iklan]
Banyak agen iklan yang bersedia memberikan diskon khusus demi kelangsungan usaha Anda. Berinisiatif ketika Anda menempatkan iklan. Mintalah diskon... atau diskon yang lebih besar dari yang pernah ditawarkan.

[Memotong iklan]
Mengurangi ukuran iklan sehingga Anda bisa memasang iklan tanpa menambah biaya. Tidak menutup kemungkinan jika iklan mini memberikan respon yang lebih besar daripada iklan yang besar.

Step 2: Melakukan publisitas gratis

Publisitas adalah apa yang Anda dapatkan ketika orang lain mempromosikan usaha Anda. Ini akan menciptakan kredibilitas lebih dengan kustomer daripada iklan…dan ini memberikan sales dengan harga yang lebih rendah.

Mulai program publisitas bagi bisnis Anda atau ekspansi apa yang sudah Anda punya. Berikut 3 cara sederhana yang bisa Anda gunakan:

* Temukan berita yang layak untuk bisnis Anda. Tuliskan dalam news release dan kirimkan ke penerbit.
* Menghubungi usaha lain yang bukan kompetitor di bidang Anda. Tawarkan untuk mempublikasikan produk atau jasa mereka untuk kustomer Anda, dan sebagai gantinya mereka mempublikasikan jasa Anda pada kustomernya.
* Menulis artikel "praktis" untuk membantu kustomer pada target pasar Anda. Promosikan produk atau jasa terkait dengan artikel Anda. Distribusikan artikel Anda di penerbit ezine, web site dan majalah bisnis.

Perhatian: Gunakan publisitas gratis sebagai suplemen iklan Anda. Anda yang menentukan dimana dan kapan iklan tersebut muncul. Anda tidak bisa menentukan dimana atau kapan Anda mendapatkan punlisitas... atau tidak mendapatkan sama sekali.

Step 3: Meningkatkan proposi penjualan

Kebanyakan prospek yang meluangkan waktu untuk mempertimbangkan produk atau jasa Anda akan membeli dari Anda. Tapi mereka juga mempertimbangkan hal lain yang lebih penting atau lebih mendesak.

Anda sering melihat sales seperti ini yang secara dramatis meningkatkan penawarannya pada Anda. Menciptakan "deal yang bagus" yang sangat menarik sehingga menjadi pilihan pertama.

Anda tidak harus memangkas harga untuk meningkatkan penawaran Anda. Namun, tambahkan bonus pada penawaran Anda. Pastikan bonus Anda memiliki nilai yang tinggi bagi customer.

Selalu berikan batas penawaran. Berikan pilihan pada prospek untuk menerima proporsi Anda dalam waktu yang singkat. Ini akan memotivasi prospek untuk menunda pembelian yang lain sehingga mereka hanya membeli produk atau jasa Anda.

Tip: Untuk menciptakan penawaran yang menarik – berikan diskon khusus dan bonus bernilai pada penawaran Anda.

Mengendalikan biaya iklan dan mendapatkan publisitas gratis akan menarik minat konsumen dengan mengeluarkan biaya yang rendah. Meningkatkan propsisi penjualan Anda akan mengkonversi prospek menjadi pembeli. Jika digunakan secara bersamaan, 3 langkah ini saya sebut dengan "marketing cerdas".

***

Oleh: Bob Leduc
Sumber: www.marketingsource.com

Diterjemahkan oleh Iien - tim pengusahamuslim.com
(http://pengusahamuslim.com/strategi-bisnis/pemasaran/718-marketing-yang-cerdas-.html)

Rabu, 02 Desember 2009

Contractors Benefit From Construction Factoring

The tightening of the credit market has been hard on a number of businesses, particularly the construction industry which is responsible for building our nation's houses, corporate facilities, factories, apartments, offices, schools, roads and bridges. Therefore, the general contractors and sub-contractors still may be experiencing cash flow problems - meeting payroll or purchasing supplies -long into the new year.

Divided into three basic areas, construction includes: 1) Building, including general contractors who build residential, industrial, commercial, and other buildings. 2) Civil engineering construction where contractors build roads, bridges, highways, and tunnels, and 3) Specialty trade contractors, who work on projects such as carpentry, painting, electrical or plumbing.

Construction jobs are not just about new structures, but often require site preparation, repairs, maintenance, or improvements to an older project

The industry supports architects, engineers, inspectors, appraisers, brick masons, carpenters, electrical and drywall contractors, flooring and tile contractors, and even asphalt companies, all of whom could take advantage of invoice factoring to help them get by during bad times.

Construction jobs are usually done by general contractors, who specialize in one type of construction such as either residential or commercial building. They are in charge of the entire job, and although general contractors may do a portion of the work with their own crews, they often subcontract work to specialty trade contractors who typically do the work of only one

They obtain orders for their work from general contractors, architects, or property owners. Repair work is almost always done on direct order from owners, occupants, or architects dependent upon economic business cycles, the construction industry might face changes in interest rates and tax laws that affect individual and business decisions related to construction. Changes in state or local regulations or budgets can result in new construction or a cancelled job.

There has been an increase in factoring among contractors during the last year, and it is helping to provide the cash flow needed to pay suppliers, meet payroll and pay for insurance, as well as workmans compensation. Construction factoring enables businesses to obtain funds based on their current accounts receivables, so they can go ahead with the next phase of a project, rather than wait till the invoices are paid.

Why does the construction industry benefit from factoring? Because when factoring is used, the sub-contractor, or construction company, does not have to wait for payment before starting on the next phase of a project, or begin construction on a new project. With invoice factoring, the sub-contractor or construction firm can realize quick turnaround, from 24 to 48 hours, on accounts receivable due for completed stages of a construction project. With construction invoice factoring, the construction company, or the sub-contractor, can be paid overnight for accounts receivable invoices, which speeds up cash flow and improves the company's ability to start immediately on the next phase of construction for each project.

A marketing professional, Kristin Gabriel works with The Interface Financial Group (IFG), North America's largest alternative funding source for small business. The company provides short-term financial resources including invoice factoring, serving clients in more than 30 industries in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. IFG offers expertise in construction factoring, accounting, finance, law, marketing and banking.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristin_DeAnn_Gabriel

Selasa, 01 Desember 2009

Online Payroll Software - Deadline Stress Reducer

Online payroll is a top option if you're ready to move up from manual payrolls or from expensive payroll services. Now, of course, you can choose to buy your own software. There's a high cost to that too. It's not just the cost of the software. It's learning the software and keeping it updated.

Here's what you gain with online payroll software...

They have the update worries.

Forget about software updates. Let the online payroll people stay busy keeping all the table sand calculations changed to meet the rules. Just keeping up with all the changes is a full time job for some people. Even keeping software up to date almost requires a service just for that. Remember all the state updates too. Or just let the online people handle it.

Plus the filings too.

Electronic filing becomes easy with an online service too. That combines well with online tax payments too. This all together just eliminates several steps and lots of places for errors. See, in effect you're outsourcing a good part of the payroll process. That's going to free up somebody to work on something other than filling out forms and mailing forms.

Checks and deposits also.

In addition, you get payroll checks prepared and ready to print. You can even set up direct deposits for your employees. That's seen as a benefit by many people. But there's more than just check preparation.

See, you want integration.

You can get a service that just does payroll checks. What you really want is for the payroll service data to be integrated with all your other accounting system. That way there's no double entering of data. Especially if you use one of the major software brands like QuickBooks or Peachtree, most services handle the complete integration of payroll easy.

Online payroll software can make payroll days go easier and faster. Owning your own software has many advantages. Maintaining that software isn't going to be cheap or easier either. You can use an Internet service as a tool to eliminate much waste and allow somebody to spend more time on more productive work. That way you can get more done and eliminate a lot of hassles.

Eliminate a lot of never-ending hassles with the right online payroll software.
Get more free payroll ideas. Click Here http://AccountingSoftwareTrends.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Al_Bullington

Senin, 30 November 2009

Choosing an Accountant Who is Right For You

Whether you are hoping to have someone look over your business books or you just need some help getting your taxes in order, you will find that there are plenty of different options in front of you. There are plenty of accountants out there, but how are you going to be sure that you are going to get the one that suits you and that understands your affairs? Getting the right accountant can be something of a challenge, and if you are looking for one at the moment, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

The first thing that you need to make sure of is that your accountant needs to be familiar with your affairs. Have they worked with someone like you before? How much experience do they have when it comes to dealing with your industry and with a business of your size? The practice of accountancy is something that can be a very specific field, and you are going to be best off if you have someone who is familiar with the work that you are doing right off the bat.

Another thing that you should look for are testimonials, especially if they are advertising online. You should take the time to hunt down their contacts and to make sure that they have done as good a job as they said that they have done. You will find that if you are looking to make sure that you have a good accountant that you should have someone that other people would recommend.

You will also find that you may end up choosing to working with a firm. Working a firm can be a good thing, because it gives you a little more stability and it will also introduce you to a wealthy of pooled knowledge. Unfortunately, this also might mean that you are not going to get very personalized service and that the service that you are going to get is all about making sure that you are going to be in and out quickly. When you are looking to make sure that you are going to get the kind of service that you need, you are going to find that you are going to need to ask some hard questions about who will be working with your account and what they are going to be doing.

When you are looking for the accountant who is just right for you, you will also find that you should stop and think about making sure that you are going to be able to stop and to ask the other people in your field. This is an area where there is a lot to be said for a good personal recommendation, and if you are looking to make sure that you can get a lot of work taken care of, you'll find that you can learn a lot by going to your friends and colleagues and asking about their experiences.

Take some time to make sure that you have found the person that you are looking for when it comes to managing your money; this is an important decision that should not be made lightly!

Richard Mitchell has worked with many accountants throughout the UK including Birmingham Accountants. You can find out more about the wide range of business and personal accountancy services available at http://www.parkerbd.co.uk/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Mitchell

Minggu, 29 November 2009

How Tender Service Websites Work

Daily Tenders are an important economic factor and a chance to acquire new customers. Invitations to tender are made public via a large number of newspapers and websites. Don't waste time and money looking for business opportunities - Tender information services will find and send notices specific to your type of business to you!

How These Services Work

By applying automated workflows and template-based document generators, Tender information services simplifies the process of public procurements.

Every morning tenders are gathered from the specific area of that website region or globally and, using a recommended state of the art software model, they are entered into main database. Tenders are categorized according to the area (the place where the service/product is required) and the department (the industry category of the service/product required).

The members are informed daily by email or mobile alerts of tenders matching their category. This tender alert with the detailed tender information is available to all members of these online tender information services websites.

Both tenders and members are registered according to their area and department. By maintaining these informations these services are able to match tenders with members, thus ensuring that members only receive their required tenders - relevant to where they can provide their service/product and to what service/product they can provide. Members can nominate more than one contact to receive e-mail or mobile alert notification.

Advantages Of These Services

Tender information services will keep you posted on all new Tenders of your choice. Over & above Tender Notice, They will also share with you Tender Corrigendum, Tender Document, Minutes of Pre Bid Meeting & Tender Results wherever available.

You can choose to get Daily Email Alerts or Access to Their Website if you are always on the move. If you want best of both the worlds, you can go for Combination plan too.

How To Subscribe

Step1. Select the site that best suits your requirement.

Step2. Register your self on the selected site, by paying their subscription.

Step3. Just inform them your product name and name of Government customer / organization, in which you are interested, they will start sending information regarding 'New TENDERS through SMS ALERTS!!! on your mobile phone, as well as followed by e-mail alert.

Step4. Relax and enjoy the luxury of saving time and money,

Dr. Irfan Ahmad is the Chief Editor of http://www.tenderserviceonline.com and CEO Tender Service Pakistan. He has twenty years of experience in providing tender information services to the clients. He has written two books on tendering by the name of "Managing Tender Business" and "Combating Procurement Frauds"

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Irfan_Ahmad

Jumat, 27 November 2009

The Importance of Lighting in Signage

We often see various signs in public buildings, workplaces and other such public areas like streets, subways etc. The signs are meant to convey some message. They are always targeted to a certain audience.

The signage is used in workplaces to give information or directions to the workers. They may be used on the walls or on the machinery. They always contain some direction or information.

The signage in the machinery may have instructions regarding the operation of that machinery. Other signage in the workplace is for giving directions to the workers. There may be warning signs like pointing out some danger zone, where the worker needs to be careful, or there can be signage about giving directions around the workplace.

Signage is also used to point out the emergency exits and also the fire extinguishers.

In the streets, we see many signages regarding the directions that people need to follow on the road, such as a stop sign or the speed instructions. If there is some work going on, like the construction of a building, these signs are used to give instructions to the pedestrians or the passer bys to be careful.

Signages are very important if we look at them practically. They provide useful information to the people, in order to keep them.

Signages are also used by companies and business for their marketing. There are many such advertising signages that we see every day. They give you useful information about the business or their product, and they are also meant to attract attention of the target audience.

There are many different types of signages used for different purposes. Some of these are: street signage, oil stock signage, modular signage, custom-made signage, modular curved frame technology signage, light-emitting diodes technology signage, architectural signage, way-finding signage and neon signage.

All these signages have their own specific properties, and they are used for different purposes. For example, the way-finding signages are directed to tourists or people who are going somewhere and looking for the direction to their destination. Similarly, custom made signages are made according to the specifications and requirement of an individual.

Some countries have certain specifications for putting up a signage. These requirements are related to the size, text, pictures and colours. These specifications vary with the purpose for which the signage is being used.

Now that we all know the purpose that the signage serves, we know that they should be made prominent enough to be seen by the target audience. There is no point in putting up a signage if it is not visible to the target audience. Therefore, they are made prominent with the help of neon colours or by using neon signs. There also are led signages, which use lighting to get more attention.

Therefore, it is very important to use light in the signage as it helps a lot in getting attraction of the target audience; they become catchier and attention grabbing. Many businesses use lighting to make their signage prominent.

Harrison James is a advertising expert. You can take services of professionals to make banner stands for the advertising of your business at this recommended sites http://www.soyang.co.uk.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harrison_James

Kamis, 26 November 2009

Replacing Rotting Windows

Are you tired of having to paint your windows every couple of years to prevent them from rotting and warping? Are you sick of your gas and electricity bills getting higher and higher every year? If this sounds familiar then it may be time to replace your windows with energy efficient double glazed uPVC windows. Research has proven that up 25percent of the heat generated in a home can be lost through inadequate windows. By installing energy replacement windows the amount of heat lost from your home will be reduced considerably. This will not only lower your gas and electricity bills but they will also help to put less strain on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of the problems they cause. By installing uPVC windows you will also reduce the amount of maintenance which is required as uPVC windows requires no painting and just regular cleaning with a suitable detergent will keep them looking as good as new for many years to come.

When you have decided to install replacement windows it can be difficult to know where to start as there are many companies to choose from. The internet is a good starting place there are lots of sites with information on the different types of windows available. Reading up and having an understanding of the different options available can be highly beneficial. You will also be able to find out about different styles and colours and ensure you find the best windows to suit your home. You are now ready to visit the double glazing showrooms.

It is important that you ask the salesmen and women lots of questions as you need to be sure that you are confident that they will have the skills to do a good job. They should be able to offer you suggestions and come up with ideas which you may not have previously thought of.

It may also be a good idea to get a quote of several different companies and just because a firm offers the cheapest quote does not mean that they will be the best firm for the job. You need to find a firm that you fell 100 percent comfortable with. Ask family and friends of past experiences they may have had. Your new windows are a likely to be a very big purchase and you will have them for many years to come therefore you need to make sure that you make the right choice.

For more information on new Replacement Windows, Double Glazing and uPVC Windows please visit our website or call into your local Conservatory Outlet showroom.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_A_Wells