INTRODUCTION...
I'm hoping this information will be especially useful to entrepreneurs working on a challenged budget, home-based businesses, affiliate marketers, virtual business owners and yes, the "hobbyist" who has decided to start a business. 

And why am I singling out these poor souls? Because they are the most likely to disregard some very important practices that distinguish a business from a hobby. Over looking some key points can hinder or even halt the progress in taking your business to the next level. 

Let me start out by saying, these tips are in no way intended to rewrite or clarify the IRS guidelines for whether an activity is a business or a hobby. Indeed your venture may well qualify as a legitimate business.  But are you indifferent to some of the valuable practices that create a foundation for running a successful, long lasting business? Come along and find out!  You may well pass or exceed the recommendations and if you agree with the value, why not then share this information with an "up-comer" who may need it!

SETTING UP YOUR BUSINESS HOURS (1 of 10)
One of the "joys" of being self-employed is being able to “set-your-own-hours”.   That freedom can turn into a blessing or a bane of your business.   Setting business hours can be challenging, but it is a critical element to displaying professionalism and it's one of the 9 tests the IRS looks for in distinguishing a business from a hobby.

Keeping regular hours does not necessarily mean 9am to 5pm, nor does it mean having a “We're Open” sign on the shop door, or even a little bell that tinkles each time a patron enters the establishment. Brick and mortar owners are sort of "forced" to keep business hours, but  for some folks it's a matter of discipline and planning.

If you are serious about doing business, then showing your availability will not only help build the KLT (Know, Like and Trust) factor, it can also  demonstrate that you are not just a hobbyist.  And even more:

• Setting appointments (can help you know and grow your numbers)
  
• Keeping appointments (can help you build business relationships)
  
• Being sure people know your availability (can help cement the KLT Factor)
  
• Making it easy for people to make appointments with you (shows respect for their time)
  
• Following up with appointments (strengthens reality... growing takes time)
• Being consistent with your availability ( shows you are committed)
  

Fortunately, there are many options available to help you set up your hours, manage your time and show your commitment.  The best part is, no matter how unique your business model is, your ability to set solid hours need not be hindered.

If you’re juggling with your schedule or struggling with keeping consistent hours, let’s talk about a solution. A short strategy session with me will reveal some great options.  You can find extra time in  your day and maybe even reduce the stress!    Looking forward to speaking with you soon.

If you are not blogging, start right away … I said blogging not jogging!  There may be some reasons physically and mentally why you are not jogging, but with blogging there are no boundaries and no excuses!  
 
If you are looking for ways to increase your traffic and your potential conversions, consider starting a blog. You’d be hard pressed to find a more economical and effective way of attracting interest in your business and bringing more visibility to your brand.

It’s true that in the beginning, blogging can take some work and time, but like all good actions it has good  rewards and there are tool sand systems to make it easy for you to take advantage of all blogging has to offer.

There are so many positive reasons to blog, any negatives simply boil down to lack of knowledge about the benefits.  That’s right if you are trying to grow your business and you are not blogging then you need to ask yourself …why not?
 
Every excuse (and notice I did not say “reason”) you can muster up would be lame; including not enough time, not enough stuff to blog about, no audience, can’t write, and on-and-on.
 
So get started now… create a content schedule and start blog consistently. Once a month is better than nothing, bi-weekly is better than monthly, weekly is great if you can manage it and daily will be SUPER!  

Soon your business persona will have the appearance of a champion and the cape of a super-hero!
 
If you need inspiration to get started, we'd love to help!    Schedule a complimentary strategy call now!  Let's discuss what’s best for you and your business.  

It's important to include access to testimonials on your landing page and on a dedicated page as well because "Social Proof" helps build trust toward your brand, products or services.

"Customer reviews and testimonials have tremendous influence over the purchasing decisions of other consumers. On average, online consumers look at up to ten reviews before purchasing an item; 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 72% of consumers say they trust a local service more if the service has positive online reviews."

So I know you get it ... using reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers can help visitors decide whether to select your business over your competition.

Here's something else we know: Collecting feedback is not as easy as it may seem.  You'll find that getting people to actually take the action required to leave a positive remark can be quite challenging. 

You may need to put several strategies in place to cover all of your bases. Why is it so hard to get people to leave a few positive words?  Our research showed some of the most well-known excuses:
http://blog.aginto.com says:

• There's no obvious place to submit a review.
• No one asked for a review.
• There's no incentive for writing reviews.
• The business doesn't respond to the reviews that are left for them.
• It’s difficult to leave a review. The process is to complicated

Now that you've seen just a few of the reasons why people say they don't leave reviews, perhaps you are already thinking of some ways to overcome these challenges.

I can tell you there are countless ways to get honest and much needed reviews from your Clients and I wish I could share them all with you, right here, right now, but getting positive feed back is totally tied into your individual business set-up.  A plan created specifically for your business would work best.

I will however give you a good starting point: In setting up a strategy for requesting reviews you should always consider a mobile solution.  And I've got lots more on this topic.

If getting more reviews for your business is a challenge and you'd like some fresh ideas on how to overcome the hurdle, I'd love to connect with you.  Let's talk

Think of a valuable incentive for your audience (e-book, info-graphic, white-paper, etc) and provide it for free. One might think that any of these great items would have people signing up like crazy ... right?  It all depends.

Research shows that the right message, to the right people at the right time can bring the right results, but getting these three planets to align can be very challenging., so offering a freebie can sometimes be the deal-maker! 

Take a close look at your free offer:

• Have you accurately stated the perceived value
• Are you being honest about any "catches" (avoid bait and switch)
• Are you presenting it to people who can really use it
• Are you presenting it to people who can afford any subsequent subscriptions
• Have you accurately estimated the time and cost to produce it
• Is it easy for people to use (If it's a download can it be easily accessed)
• Can they get the same offer elsewhere (how does the competition stack up)
• What will it cost you (consider time, effort and money)
• Does it need to be shipped (consider all costs)

Patience is truly a virtue in the small business world.  Consumers are very savvy and the competition is very stiff.  If you think you have an excellent freebie and your befuddled that no one wants to take advantage of it, connect with us. A complimentary consultation can possibly expose gaps in your promotional plans! 

If you've ever been in a conversation with me about marketing your business, then you've probably heard me mention Alignable®.

Alignable is a fast growing, non-nonsense business networking platform...very much like  LinkedIn®, the Alignable platform is very bright on the horizon today.  Every part of the platform offers ways for you to bring more visibility to your business or organization. My philosophy is ..."they have to see you in order to connect with you"; and Alignable helps you get seen in the community.

With hundreds of networking platforms available, it's difficult sometimes to see why one sticks out from another and time constraints for many small business owners don't allow for managing dozens of platforms. Your business should be enrolled only in the platforms that can clearly help you reach your goals. So let's dive into it.

First out of the gate...your Alignable profile should be perfectly in place.  The platform has a Profile Completion Meter, so you can easily see what's needed to complete your profile.Please don't go in thinking that you can omit your profile pic and half-way fill in your profile data to get great results.  You won't. Your completed profile means you are there to do business. A profile with no logo or profile pic, no Web site, no products or services, only indicates you are not seriously looking to network with others...but even more critical, your lack of information can bar others from networking with you!

As a part of your set up, keep in mind that Alignable is a local centric platform. If you have a national business, you'll want to build your profile on your headquarters and then spread  out from there.  Watch this 2 min Video from me to see just one of the ways I use Alignable.  I'll show you how the "Ask and Learn" feature can help you build business relationships!

Now that you watched, my recommendation is to just browse the "Ask and Learn" section to see how others are using it and benefiting from it. Then set aside about 15 mins once a week to become an active participant. You can take longer if you'd like (it is seductive), but you don't need to spend lots of time there to reap the benefits.

My best advice:
When posting questions in Alignable, you'll be notified when a member responds to you...try to visit the responders profile BEFORE you reply to them. Send your reply ASAP with a "thanks"  and a "nod" that you have visited their profile.  Add an invitation to take the next step in connecting with them ...especially if it seems appropriate, and mutually beneficial.

When answering questions Alignable, again FIRST visit the profile of the person who is asking the question. In your answer try to stay on point, be honest, be helpful, be positive and open for further business discussions.

In all, it's a business platform where people want to network and share business ideas, resources and ultimately make referrals and sales!

Sure you may meet a few people who only came to "test the waters" but that's okay too!

The DonPaul Business Directory Has Joined Alignable!
We'll help you spread the word about your business through-out our Network!

These words are quoted in various combinations by many well know experts....

• Forbes
• Deming
• The Harvard Business Review
• The McKinsey Maxim
• and many, many more.

This quote ranks high on the list of quotations attributed to Educator Peter Drucker, and has always been one of my favorites.   There’s just one problem: He never actually said it according to the Druker Institute.

None the less, Mr. Drucker did put in place some of the most life-changing, inspirational quotes I've encountered related to life and business management. What he did say was (to me) even more fruitful:  “Your first role . . . is the personal one,” Drucker said in a 1990 TV interview .

“It is the relationship with people, the development of mutual confidence, the identification of people, the creation of a community. This is something only you can do.”

Does that ring true for you?  If you're looking for proven, affordable ways to build business relationships and grow your business, connect with me to learn more about how we do it and the methods we recommend.

Business

Why Some People Hate MLM

"......There are few industries that ignite the passion as does the industry of network marketing. There is rarely a middle ground. Most people clearly pick a camp. It's the best industry in the world or is the worst thing in the world. Having always surrounded myself with smart, successful and opinionated friends, I have heard many points, examples and rationale for both sides of the argument. I believe that I see clearly why multi-level marketing (MLM), or network marketing, moves emotions:

1. The need to be re-educated.

People hate MLM because they must really take the time and apply the effort to learn something new.  

2. The unfair equalizer.

People hate MLM because there is no place to hide from your real performance.

3. The Fear of  Standing naked.

People hate MLM because they know that the world will know what they have done or not done.

4. The Ugly duckling.

People hate MLM because in this great country of opportunity, of capitalism, of no borders, of free speech and unlimited information, MLM is the clearest mirror on the wall that will always show you who you are, in spite of where you come from, what you look like, and what you say."  Author - Earl Mann, CEO AlphaLoop, Corp.
Read the full Article.....

With just that teaser you can see why I scrapped my planned article and shared this one with you instead.  I’m the first to admit, MLM is not for everyone, but reading the full article will give you great insight on why Network Marketing may ...or may not be right for you! 

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Business Directory
Meet Two Members in the DonPaul Business Directory