Business Book Summaries

Doing your marketing as you always do it for an internet store usually isn't enough these days. You've got to market and do it more aggressively every single day. You know there's still a lot of money to make if you're selling wholesale merchandise through distributors. You know it, almost everyone financially successful with their resale business usually knows it. Today whether it's an up market or a down market every single one of us wants entertainment. Whether it's drama on TV with Nancy Grace, you've it, it still keeps selling – she's live on TV. Whether it's video games or any merchandise relating gaming, the video games industry keeps surpassing the DVD industry in sales for the last couple years consistently by 8 figure margins. The point? Independently of what you sell online these days you've got to market your brand, your merchandise and confirm why your customer's should pick you instead of your XY competitors more aggressively, as in greater consistency now more than ever. First and last marketing 101 suggestion. But again, you know it and almost all of us need a reminder from time to time. There is always business, but working smarter is now more important than ever. Where can I start advertising my business right now in order to get more customers? Many answers, but there is one specific classified ad website that pulls in good numbers depending your marketing and how consistent you become. Site has been in business since 1999. The prices are cheap and the options are eye-grabbing, sweet and almost too sexy to even believe if you can put numbers into a mental picture. How can numbers become sexy you may ask? Well, they might be for you. For around $10 per month or the equivalent of $120 per year you've unlimited advertisement in one of the major classified ads site on the worldwide web. That usually means; big exposure and less work once you set everything up on autopilot for automatic ads renewal. Upfront, that's the highest price you'll find on the site. Don't worry! I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm just an advisor who loves grabbing 100's of links thanks to free informative articles like the one you're reading now. Articles that provide you the meat without charging a penny! Best thing of this classified site, it's absolutely free to place ads if you're willing to do it manually and has an additional option of $10 per year only! Again, enough options for every budget. I went right into the point with the $10 per month as the first option because it's plainly the smartest option anyone in business today should consider to put this part of their marketing in semi-autopilot. How does advertising in classified ad sites on the internet might help your business? Again, that's whether you're selling home-made candy or whether you are selling wholesale merchandise on eBay or the likes! Classified ads help you (and this specific ad site that you'll get to know in this very same article in the next lines) to drive targeted traffic to your internet shop, and if the classified site is really, really good – it usually lets you post hyperlinks into every single ad! Meaning, more link juice and more linkage authority to your website! That's what you need to be #1 in the search engines. Links, links and more relevant links! So what what's the site? Come on let it out! I'm reading you. The site I'll highly recommend and suggest you join right now is USfreeAds. Just Google it and you'll find more information about their classified, enrollment and how everything works. Pretty simple and straightforward and user-friendly system! Of course, no affiliate links to sites that aren't mine in this marketing suggestion. This is just the usual friendly assistance to keep you getting traffic to your e-shop and if you don't know me yet, it's my welcome to my marketing suggestions. Some say it's all about marketing, most of the times I'd agree. Have fun and keep getting updated on what's working!

The tasks of advertising management, ad design and media selection are often complicated because the company may not be able to afford an advertising agency. Even those with budgets large enough to afford an agency may not have as much money as the business would wish to spend on advertising. At the same time, advertising should not be abandoned. Careful and selective use of advertising funding is the most important issue. Ad design is critical to getting noticed among national ads that are created with large budgets. While a national advertiser can spend a million dollars creating a 30 second spot, a local advertiser may be able to spend only $500. The challenge is to design an ad that speaks clearly and effectively. Under these circumstances, small businesses are tempted to put too much into the ad, trying to present all of the reasons consumers should purchase from them. This type of ad is too cluttered and overwhelms the viewer. A small business manager should develop a creative brief to aid in the development of company advertisements. When business is new, the objective of advertising should be to create awareness. Creating persuasive or reminder ads should wait until there is a higher level of brand or company awareness. Realizing its brand name was relatively unknown, Southland Cleaning Services of Springdale Arkansas, decided to tie the company's brand name to other companies that were well known in the area. At a cost of only $400, a 45 second ad was creating featuring four local businesses that were Southland's clients. Two included short testimonials from the client, while the other two featured Southland workers cleaning the facility. The ads ran on local television on rotating schedule. Soon, Southland was getting phone calls from businesses asking – - Are you the company that clean Sears? – - They were, because the featured Sears in the opening spot. While businesses could not always remember the Southland brand name, they did tie it to Sears and the message clearly came across to the right people, who concluded, – - If this company could keep Sears clean, they could keep my business clean – - . Once the ad message is defined, various media can be selected while keeping the business's budget in mind. These mediums can vary from Television, Radio, Billboards, Magazines to Newspapers and Internet. First four methods can be quite costly to the new businesses while the later two are good and affordable methods to start with. In fact Internet ads may be more effective for small and start up businesses in different ways. A local company can often purchase ads on the community's Chamber of Commerce site or city's website. If ads can not be purchased, having the firm's name on the site or linked to the site is important. For example, a new restaurant should make sure it is mentioned by the local visitor's bureau and Chamber of Commerce Materials. Providing a link to the restaurant's website is even better because it allows locals as well as visitors or tourists to access the company directly. Another option is a reciprocal arrangement with another business. For example, a local pet store may offer to list local veterinarians on its website in exchange for the veterinarians listing the pet store on theirs. The Internet can be a very powerful tool to provide information for prospective customers that can not be placed in an advertisement. On the website, a firm can place information about the business, its products and services, guarantees, current customers or clients and special offers as well as prices. Television, radio, newspaper, magazine and billboard ads all can identify the firm's website and encourage consumers and businesses to access it. If done properly, the Internet can be a beneficial form of advertising once consumers have been directed to it by some other form of advertising. The company considering local advertising must consider the – - bang for the buck – - criterion. Dollard must be spent judiciously. Also, low quality ads may injure the reputation of the company. It is better to spend more money on developing a quality ad and less on the media reach of the ad than to create poor advertisement that is the burnt of local jokes. Small and start up companies must advertise, even though it is often a major challenge for the entrepreneur or business owner.

Here you are, having to lay off yet more people. They don't deserve it. Their work is essential to your team and the company. They are co-workers, even friends. What's worse, nobody believes how hard it is to terminate people. They don't understand that you have trouble sleeping, you can't eat, you have headaches, you just want to go in your office and close the door. And if one more person says, "At least you still have a job," you're going to kick something. It is possible to stay sane even when you have to lay people off. The key is to prepare yourself, and take care of yourself. You may feel like you don't deserve it, since you still have a job and the people you're laying off don't. But you won't help your company by losing your sanity, your health, or your peace of mind. And remember, it's not your fault that these people are being terminated. Create a Process for Yourself So, your HR department has done their work: they (or Legal) have reviewed the termination, checking that there are no legal issues; they've decided whether there will be a severance package, and if so, what it will contain. Now it's your turn. Create a concrete process to follow. Don't leave the success of the termination interview to chance. If HR provides you with a process, use it. If not, develop your own (be sure to have HR or Legal, or both, review it before you use it). Write a Script for Yourself First, write a script of what you will say. Start with how you will tell the person that they're being laid off — keep this simple and direct. Then information about the severance package, if any, and any exit procedures such as signing forms, turning in badges, etc. Limit the Time Set a time limit for the termination interview, say, 10 minutes. Schedule the Interview Carefully If you can, schedule the interview for a day other than Friday, and earlier in the day rather than later. Schedule an additional, later time when the person can ask questions; they may not think of what they want to ask until after the interview. Know the Most Common Reactions Prepare yourself for the six most common employee reactions to being terminated: denial and bargaining, formality, grief, anger, stoicism, and relief. For a description of each of these, and suggestions on how to respond to each of them, see "Handling the Tough Task of Laying Off," at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008942544_layoffs29m.html. Help Yourself Recover - Afterwards, do something calming and nurturing for yourself. - Stay Calm and Businesslike during the Termination Interview It's not easy to remain calm and businesslike in a termination interview. But there are some techniques you can use. The goal of these techniques is help you to neutralize your natural reaction to someone who is angry, hostile, crying, or having any other reaction that makes it hard for you to continue the interview calmly. Visualization Techniques One technique is to visualize the other person as something that can't harm you, or is damaged but will repair itself. For example, you might visualize the person as a small, localized, natural disaster — such as a tornado or thunderstorm– small enough and far enough away that you are safe from it. Alternatively, visualize the person as a tree that's been damaged by a storm but has strong roots, or a meadow that will re-grow after being burned by a forest fire. A second technique is to visualize yourself as some strong, calm entity that can withstand the difficulties of the interview. You could visualize yourself as a solid, stable mountain; a deep lake; or a perfect, smoothly running machine. Cognitive Techniques A cognitive technique to neutralize your reaction to someone is to create a phrase you can repeat mentally that helps you remain calm. For example, you might say to yourself, "I did not create this situation, I am merely communicating the facts," "I am well and whole, healthy and happy," "I am fine," or "Nothing he (or she) does diminishes me." Another technique is to neutralize your sense of horrible power over the other person. Imagine that, a year from now, the person you are terminating will have to terminate you. The point is not to feel the other person's pain — you already feel it enough — but to balance your perception of the power in the situation, and allow you to prepare for the interview in a calm, professional, and neutral way. And a final technique is to write all of your feelings and concerns about the interview on a piece of paper, and put it in your desk. Remind yourself, during the interview, that you have set your feelings and concerns aside for the moment. Take Care of Yourself Studies show that managers who lay people off continue to suffer from stress-related illnesses for several years. Guard against emotional exhaustion, sleep problems, headaches, ulcers, and similar problems by eating right, exercising, practicing good sleep hygiene, and seeing your doctor. Your stress may sneak up on you, or you may find yourself unusually irritated or angry. Schedule a time to vent with someone you trust, such as a spouse, friend, or counselor. Remind yourself that the economy will get better with time, and stay sane until then.