Personal and Business Loans

“Always be confident and your sales will take care of themselves.”

I have never liked being ’sold’ anything. The pressure of the other person’s need to get your money, to win your deal, is a sure-fire way to dissolve the good will that is initially extended in business. What’s worse is I don’t ever want to be perceived as ’selling’ anything. Yet my company, and I’m sure your company, has an incredible set of solutions to offer the world and that requires sales. So where is the balance between offering and promoting vs. selling and negotiating? For my team it’s in the simple letters of ABC.

We changed the rules for what ABC stands for in sales. Have you heard that ABC stands for “Always Be Closing”? The concept is that your conversations, your actions, your intent is to always be focused on how to ‘close’ a deal. And of course that philosophy works and has worked for many sales people. The problem with that philosophy is that if you are always focused on closing a deal, then you may become too focused on filling your personal needs and you may fail to listen and attend to the customer’s needs. I have personally seen too many sales people fall into this trap and alienate customers, relationship managers, partners and even their own team.

ABC in my company stands for “Always Be Confident”. Classic sales training books and classes teach that “you” are the product people buy not necessarily the goods and services you’re promoting. We all prefer to buy from someone we like and believe in and that person is usually the most confident in who they are, what they do and what their products do. By focusing your personal development and growth on becoming your most confident self you’ll find that:

1. You’re not really selling — you’re promoting and informing.
2. You’re not grabbing someone’s attention — you’re attracting it.
3. You’re not closing deals — you’re winning friends and customers.

I have often told people that the fine line between confidence and arrogance is humility. Have you noticed that the annoying, high-pressure sales person tends to be arrogant? Therefore the fine line between being perceived as a sales-type person vs. someone your customers want to do business with is your confidence. Always be confident and your sales will take care of themselves.

Thanks for reading,

Richard Walker

(Blog: www.EfficientCEO.com)

(Website: www.Quikforms.com)

I became an entrepreneur when I started my first business at age twelve. My dream was simple: become a great leader and change the world. Today, as the President and CEO of Efficient Technology Inc, my vision is constantly being exercised and my goal is still the same. These articles are about the many facets of my passion for business: leadership, management, people, processes and technology. While I enjoy other passions like snowboarding and surfing, my focus is to share what I learn daily with everyone around me, and readers like you. I welcome your feedback and insight!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/the-abcs-of-sales-always-be-confident-1393755.html

“In fact, we often joke about “having a case of the Mondays” because nobody ever does.”

I have mentioned in previous articles that I approach leadership from the “servant leadership” mindset. This means that I put the interest of my team before my own (of course, with the interest of my company’s overall welfare as the focus). If your team is like most then you probably expect the typical Friday to be relaxed, light and less productive than other days, right? That’s not exactly my expectation or what happens on Fridays at my company.

Servant leadership has lead me to give my team freedom to determine how, when and where they work as long as they live up to their responsibilities and deadlines. That has resulted in Friday being like most other days of the week – productive, relaxed yet focused and usually just as fun as a Monday. In fact, we often joke about “having a case of the Mondays” because nobody ever does.

Creating this type of work environment takes more than just telling everyone they can do as they please. It requires the company leaders to constantly reinforce the expectation of fulfilling roles, nurture clear communications to keep everyone engaged and to recognize the right times to deliver good and bad news. Having a case of the “Mondays” is directly related to how much you dread working on Monday so don’t give your team something to dread. There’s no point to having someone stress out all weekend over a problem that can, or even must, wait until Monday to address. As a leader I do my best keep the stress to myself until the time is right to focus on the issue. The result is everyone gets to work on Monday ready for action with a positive attitude.

Thanks for reading,

Richard Walker

(Blog: www.EfficientCEO.com)

(Website: www.Quikforms.com)

I became an entrepreneur when I started my first business at age twelve. My dream was simple: become a great leader and change the world. Today, as the President and CEO of Efficient Technology Inc, my vision is constantly being exercised and my goal is still the same. These articles are about the many facets of my passion for business: leadership, management, people, processes and technology. While I enjoy other passions like snowboarding and surfing, my focus is to share what I learn daily with everyone around me, and readers like you. I welcome your feedback and insight!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/lead-on-friday-to-be-happy-on-monday-1393941.html

To read part 1 and understand what a merger and acquisition is, please go to: https://ivoireconsultancy.org/blogs/ivoire_article_view.php?id=54

Limitations of M&A

One should know that M&A as a strategy for rapid growth can be risky and uncertain. Shareholders of acquired firms are likely to earn above-average returns, while shareholders of acquiring firms’ shares fall as soon as an intention to acquire is announced. This is indicative that investors do not see M&A as a vehicle for achieving any added value to the acquiring firm.

Over the years we have experienced the failure of major M&A. Some manages are rather concerned with empire-building strategies rather than maximising shareholder value; the bigger the firm, the bigger the bonus and salary.

AOL Time Warner is an example of a US multimedia giant created in 2000 by the merger of AOL and Time Warner, new and old media industries. The merger was intended to exploit cross-promotional opportunities following the decline of AOL after the dot.com crash. However, the marriage failed to produce any intended synergy.

Some of the reasons link with M&A failures:

1. Integration difficulties
When two large organisations try to integrate their activities, this can be time-consuming and difficult- The existing organisational culture within each firm is a major barrier to merger. Companies really never integrate their activities some decades later.

However, some organisations like Cisco have managed to achieve effective post-merger integration. Cisco, an American company has developed strong capabilities in this area. The firm always allocate substantial resources to its M&A activities and make great effort in integrating financial, technical and human resources.

2. Inadequate evaluation of Target Company

Acquiring firms do not take sufficient time to evaluating the target company. Lack of a strong due diligence has been cited as the reason of the poor choice of take-over target.

3. Large or extraordinary debt

The revenue-generating activity of the acquired company can be over-estimated, pushing the acquiring firm to take on too much debt to pay for it. In the end, there is not sufficient revenue to service the debt.

4. Inability to achieve synergy

Lack of synergy could be cause for concern. Many companies have failed to achieve the intended outcomes because managers are too focus on their own interests and fail to identify problems within target firm operations during due diligence. Balance sheets of acquired firms could show bad debts that are not mentioned prior to the bid.

5. Too much diversification and too large

Successful managers are too often distracted by M&A and end up destroying what they have already achieved organically, by, losing sight of the core business activities and, investing in activities that fail to maximise shareholders value. In the end the organisation become so large that managers struggle to control.

Ivoireconsultancy.org is an online outsourcing site where businesses and consultants meet to work on projects.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/why-some-ma-fail-to-succeed-1391980.html

Most of us inherently understand the importance of trust, whether it’s in our personal friendships, business and even down to the contents of our food. Brand trust might appear to some as a fuzzy notion, but ultimately it delivers hard, tangible bottom line results for organisations & brands. It creates lifetime consumer cycles, when customers have trust and loyalty for a certain brand they may use that brand for their entire lives. This drive to create lifetime consumers is what often convinces firms to spend millions on advertising and developing new products.

Given Brand is ‘the relationship with a customer’ and the ‘implied guarantee of quality or experience extended by your firm’ any breach of that contract with your customer and/or employees, and their expectations, places the brand in jeopardy.

Brand Trust – impacting the bottom line

Recent studies into the benefits & drivers of brand trust found that when people trust a brand,

• 83% will recommend it to others
• 82% will use its products & services frequently
• 78%  will look to it first, for the things they want
• 78% will give its new products and services a chance
• 50% will pay more for its products/services
• 47% believe it will keep them informed as to new products/services they’ll like

Harnessing brand trust is basically the key to the consumer equation – through trust, they’ll pay more, try more and ultimately, buy more.

So how do we capture more brand trust? Interestingly, research has found that all six of these drivers below equally correlate in their ability to build brand trust collectively.

1. Stability – a brand needs foundations and to be stable in order to be trusted
2. Innovation –  continuing to develop & innovate
3. Provide a ‘relationship’ – brands must open up  a relationship with their customer/s
4. Have Practical Value
5. Be competent and deliver
6. Vision – Brands must adopt guiding principles and a Vision in order to be trusted.

Tips for building greater Brand Trust

Establish Brand organisational values and metrics (what exactly is the strength of our trust drivers?) then set about defining your Brand’s trust drivers (what is our brand actually trusted for?). Has your organisation set a Brand vision which both engages and attracts customers, consumers and your employees? Finally ensure marketing tactics (processes & programs) both internally (in regard to employee culture) and externally, across business activities and communications with your customers lend themselves to building greater brand trust.

Brand management and market research experts – The Right Group. Services include brand strategy & identity, marketing strategies, corporate branding & management training. We especially focus on the alignment between brand strategy and business strategy.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/what-is-brand-trust-1380598.html

There are many ways to set up a business model, and more are developed every day with the growth of the world wide web. The classic brick-and-mortar storefronts, pure service ventures, and manufacturing and warehouse models still exist, but have been expanded from their classic versions to remain competitive in today’s environment. In addition, purely web-based businesses and incorporating internet opportunities into the classic models have been added to the mix. These various distribution channels serve to both multiply the startup opportunities and increase competition for consumer spending.

With so many options available for how you set up your business, it is critical to consider which alternative best fits both your personality and your business idea. If you are looking forward to working with the public and doing something different every day, a purely online business is probably not for you. If you are eager to work independently with few distractions, and you prefer to be in an office in front of the computer most of the time, a brick-and-mortar store is probably not for you. Be realistic about the environment that motivates you to do your best work. Brainstorm the different ways that your business idea can be developed to be successful in that environment.

Different business models require different resources to successfully launch. A brick-and-mortar store or manufacturing operation requires significant startup capital to cover the lease costs, furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) expenses, staff to cover the open hours, and inventory. A purely online retail business requires more time than capital — it can take months to show up on the top search engines, especially if your business’s key words include significant direct or indirect competition. The actual expenses can be kept fairly minimal, as you can use dropship distributors so that you carry no or very little inventory or you can use a just-in-time inventory system to keep your costs down. You can run the business from home so that your overhead expenses are kept low as well. If you have a good idea of the resources you will have to launch your startup, develop a business model for your startup that is within those means.

Whatever your basic business idea, there are likely a number of business models that could be effective for launching and growing your venture. Ultimately, it is best to diversify both in product and distribution channel, and those future expansions should be in mind when determining where to start. For example, if your goal is to own a chain of pet supply and training stores but you don’t have the funding to open even one storefront, consider starting out with a limited online retail store. Add self-published how-to books for training and animal care and perhaps a local in-home training service. Build a reputation as an expert by submitting good articles to websites and print magazines that draw your target customers. Consider adding seminars on related topics for other trainers or pet owners. Over time, you will increase your revenues to the point that leasing space is within the budget, and you will have multiple income streams up and running before your overhead becomes a major factor.

The business model you choose is not the primary factor in whether your business succeeds. Many business ideas can be modified to fit different methods of distribution, as long as the benefit to the customer is convincing. Selecting a business model that doesn’t fit your personality is set up for failure because you will lose your motivation and desire to keep pushing through. Every venture requires dedication and perseverance to succeed, so you have to enjoy at least the method enough to keep you focused on building the business.

K. MacKillop, a serial entrepreneur with a J.D. from Duke University, is co-founder of LaunchX LLC. The LaunchX System, a five Unit series of step-by-step startup procedures, key business software, and marketing reference books, is designed to assist entrepreneurs in developing a business idea into a successful company. Take the free Business Readiness Assessment and get on the road to business startup today.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/choosing-the-right-business-model-for-your-startup-1369150.html

Chanel founder Coco Chanel was originally called “Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel”, 1883, was born in France’s Auvergne. She was six years old when my mother passed away, his father even leave her and four other brothers and sisters. Since then, her upbringing by her aunt adult, a child admitted to convent school, and there learned first-hand sewing skills. In her Nianer years old, that is, in 1905, she became a “coffee shop singer”, and played a stage name “Coco”, in different music clubs and cafes sing-song living. During this showgirl career, Coco has to meet two old customers and become their lover, confidante, a British industrialist, the other a wealthy officer. To meet dignitaries, so that Coco’s financial ability to open their own shop in the child.

In 1910, Coco in Paris has opened a women’s hat shop in the child (millinery shop), relying on extraordinary sewing skills, sewing up a simple and engaging and another top style hat. Two of her confidant as she introduced a lot of celebrity guests. At that time the ladies are tired of fancy of the edging, so Chanel simple hat on their Oasis is like a general cool. Just one year, the business is rising; Coco moved her shop child temperament fashion of the Rue Cambon, since this area is still the Chanel headquarters base. Coco can not make hats for the fashion industry to meet the ambition, so she set out to enter the high-level uniform (Haute Couture) area. In 1914, Coco opened two boutiques; fashion brands have far-reaching impact later declared the official birth of Chanel.

Into the Twenties, Chanel designed a number of innovative models, such as knit sailor dress, black miniskirts (little black dress), and bottle collar sets of clothes and so on. Moreover, Coco made from the men’s inspiration for the ladies man; added a little more taste, a women’s over-year change the brightly colored Yee extravagant fashion. For example, a suit jacket (Blazer) to join women’s series, it launched a women’s pants. Do not forget that in two decades on behalf of women will only wear a skirt. Coco This series of creation as a significant revolution in the history of modern fashion. Coco on the unique fashion aesthetic insight and a rare talent, that she makes a lot of poets, painters and intellectuals. Abstract of her friends, there were masters Pablo Picasso, French poet Jean director. Jean Cocteau and so on. 1:00 Merry refined, it was a French fashion and the arts golden age of development.

Actress Nicole Kidman as the spokesman for No 5 perfume ad In addition to fashion, Chanel introduced in 1922 also Chanel No 5 perfume, the bottle is a very a decorative arts taste of the bottle. This is the first-ever bottle of perfume named after the designer. The “double C” logo is also a bottle of Chanel perfume into the history of the most profitable product, and in the corridor on Hengyuan time are eternal, and so far the official website of Chanel is still focus on introducing products.

Three to four decades on behalf of the Second World War broke out, Coco Chanel shop her son switched off, and love of the Nazi officer refuge Switzerland. In 1954, Coco’s return to France, Chanel makes a comeback with her usual succinct style of women’s nature to quickly re-capture a public Bali Shi woman. Short thick wool coat, bell-bottoms, Coco Chanel, and so are the works of post-war period. Next Chanel became a symbol of the glory of France’s fashion history, they do not redundant in this pen, you can at any one book about the history of fashion can be found in annotations. Or just talk about the post-war style, Chanel has always been expensive to maintain simplicity and Korea, multi-purpose Tartan Plaid or Scandinavian-style geometric print, and often spend tweed made clothing or Chanel handbags, comfortable and natural.

Or is still room for a mention in the Coco Chanel after the death of (1971 death), the German designer Karl Lagerfeld to become the soul of the brand Chanel. Since 1983, he has served as the chief designer of Chanel, the Chanel fashion towards another peak. There can be a fun place worthy of mention is the brand created nearly nine decades, have never had such a men’s clothing, until the autumn and winter 2005/2006 series was made available just a few pieces of men’s.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/chanel-brand-story-1362490.html

The main reason why 95% of online businesses fail is because of poor sales letter. Write your sales letter with an Individual in mind; think as if you are writing personally to them. People love to read good stories, tell them stories that illustrate a point you are trying to make.
1.Heading.
Write attention grabbing & powerful heading. Remember you have 15 seconds or less to capture your visitors attention before they click away. Offer the best benefits or the biggest promise to your visitors. Increase their curiosity by showing them self-serving benefits. Your heading should immediately create a desire in the reader to want to know more.
2. Testimonials
One of the biggest problems on the internet is being believed. Testimonials are the best way to assure people that you are not a scam artist. People want to know what others are saying about the product. In fact, a good testimonial from respected well-known authorities within your targeted field will definitely build your credibility & boost sales. Try to include a testimonial as close to the top of your sales letter as you will get people immediately believing what you say even before they read your sales letter.
3. Build Interest.
Build interest in your reader by discussing a problem or telling a story. The first part of your sales letter should build interest in your readers and try to expand the benefits you got people excited about in your headings. People love to read stories, so tell them some exciting story of your past experience, but remember the story should be within your targeted field.
4. Bullets.
Bullets are one of the most powerful persuader in sales letter. People spend a lot of time reading bulleted list. Bullets arose the curiosity of your visitor, so use them to stress the benefits of your products or services and spell out exactly what is included in your offer. Make you bullets like a mini heading. Use them to narrate the benefits of your products in a step-by-step way.
5. Comparison.
To prove that your product or services is of a great value you need to show them what you are offering is much better them your competitors. Show them that others are charging much more for a less quality product then yours. Explain them that they are getting a better deal by ordering from you. This way you can prove your products or services are of a great value.
6. Bonuses
Make your offer different & valuable by adding some good products as bonuses. Do not give away outdated junk as a bonus it will damage the credibility of your main product. Your bonuses should be as good as they could sell on their own. Remember sometimes people buy the main product just because of the bonuses.
7. Guarantee.
If you have a good product then there is no need to worry about offering a strong guarantee. Make your guarantee look like a personal promise. Try to convince your visitors that they have nothing to lose all the burden is on you to deliver what you promised.
8. Demand Immediate Action
Include a deadline to create a sense of urgency in the mind of your customer. Nobody wants to make a decision, so let your customer know that they will be missing out on a great deal if they do not act now.
9. What to do next?
Do not make your customer guess what you want them to do next. Tell them clearly that “Click here” to order or get immediate access. Make this process as simple & understanding as you can.
10. P.S.
P.S. is very important part of your sales letter as most of your site visitors will immediately scroll down to the end of your page to find out how much it would cost.
A P.S. is a best place to summarize your product or services as visitor checking your price will also have a detailed description of what they will get if they order now.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/get-them-with-a-powerful-sales-letter-1358586.html

This year has been a rude awakening for many sales professionals. A few years ago, large sales were easily had. In 2009, reps are working twice as hard for smaller sales. Margins are also tight due to intense competition among companies that are willing to sacrifice profits for the sake of staying busy.

The good news is that unless you’ve traded in your Blackberry and drive-through Starbucks for a pork-pie hat and a place in the soup line, you’re still in the game. The bad news is that you’re far from alone.

Complaining about the bad economy is very 2008. The new water cooler rant is that there are too many companies competing for the same small pool of work. When 30 piranhas are stuffed into a 12-gallon tank, any morsel of food is quickly devoured-yet all of the fish remain hungry.
As salespeople, we can either accept mediocre results as an inevitable byproduct of

the bad economy or we can find a way to distinguish ourselves from the mass of competition. Going back to the piranha analogy, there will not be enough food put in the tank this year. You want to be the lone fish that jumps and catches the morsel before it hits the water.

One easy way to elevate yourself is to get out of the “bid-list” mentality. Asking to bid jobs or be on someone’s bid list is a weak, passive way to solicit business. An inanimate fax machine can be on a company’s bid list. You’re better than that. In a good economy, working this way yields mediocre results, and we’re not in a good economy.

Here’s why I don’t like bid lists:
• You’re not the only one receiving that request for quote (RFQ).
• Bid lists reduce everything down to price. If you have a premium product, your bid is going to look high when compared to an inferior product. It’s extremely difficult to point out your product’s superiority on a bid list.
• RFQs are often red herrings. Have you ever walked into a prospect’s building and been surprised by some newly purchased materials despite having been erroneously assured that you’re on the bid list?
• Bid sheets create the illusion of an even playing field. Buyers often have a preferred vendor in mind before they distribute RFQs. If you’re not the preferred vendor, you have a few strikes against you from the start. The preferred vendor’s bid only has to be in the ballpark. You may be the low bidder across the board and still not get the job. Low bids are rejected because “they’re too low, something must be wrong.” High bids are accepted because “it’s not that much more, and we know what we’re going to get.” It’s not spelled out on the RFQ, but it’s a reality.

Here’s what you can do:
• Get the order before it’s put out for bid. If you can find out what projects are upcoming before the RFQs go out, you’ll have the opportunity to sell before your competition becomes aware of the opportunity. Great sales pitches can easily be drowned out by dozens of mediocre ones. Don’t wait. Pre-sell your products.
• Work to become the preferred vendor. If customers want to give you work, selling becomes exponentially easier. If you’re a second- or third-tier vendor, don’t assume that you can bid your way to the top tier. Find out why your competition is getting the lion’s share of the work. Nine times out of 10, you’ll be told it’s price. It’s probably not.
Think about it. If you’re a purchasing agent, are you going to admit that you prefer one vendor because he lets you use his condo in Palm Springs every year or because the owner likes him? No, you’ll give a less accurate, but more respectable answer (“His prices are lower”). Find out what makes your customer tick, then you can decide how to improve your relationship, or if you even want to.
• Find out what’s important to your customer so you can bid accordingly. Don’t assume all of the important specs are on the bid list. Maybe you’ll be the only vendor quoting product that hits all of their specs. Make sure they know it.
• Find a good reason to stay on your customer’s radar. Repeatedly calling to ask, “Do you need anything?” or “Are you ready to order?” keeps you on their radar, but not in a good way. “I’ve got a good idea that should save you some money” is a call that your customers will want to take. A busy purchasing agent will often bypass the bid process and give an order to a rep who happens to be on their radar when a job is released. Contact them often, but make sure you have a worthwhile purpose or you’ll be put on the dreaded straight-to-voicemail list.

As a hardwood vendor, my goal is to solve problems and present opportunities to my clients. A proactive approach often gives me the first, and sometimes the only, look at new business. 

Stephen Ondich is the owner of Commercial Forest Products, Fontana, Ca., a manufacturer and distributor of hardwood products. He can be reached at (909) 256-4583 or sondich@commercialforestproducts.com. www.commercialforestproducts.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/sales-articles/dont-put-me-on-your-bid-list-1350032.html

photo credit: papalars

There are many reasons why I feel the merchant loan will be one of the most sought-out methods of business financing for 2009. Many of those reasons stem from our current economic situation.

Fact: “We are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” as stated many times by President Barack Obama. It is also a fact that the issues that tipped off the U.S.’s recession ultimately have a domino or ripple affect and in the worst cases can even result in a cycle of economic hardships that is difficult to break.

Example: Banks tighten their lending standards, making it more difficult for business owners to get loans. –> Business owners have to find other ways to finance, such as increasing prices. –> Read more of this >>

photo credit: edkohler

You need money for your business. Under normal circumstances, you’d look into a getting a small business loan. But these are far from normal circumstances. Our economy is in a full-on recession and you need something fresh, something new, something innovative. You need a small business loan alternative.

If you own a retail and/or service-oriented business, you are in luck; because, as its name hints, the merchant cash advance is the perfect method of business financing for merchants.

Clothing stores, grocery stores, restaurants, spas, salons, etc. are all businesses that might be eligible to receive business funds through an advance.

The merchant cash advance is known as the small business loan alternative for many reasons, but mainly because many business owners who have not been able to get funds through a bank have been able to get those funds from a cash advance lender.

In addition, this type of funding typically occurs faster than bank funding, requirements for merchant cash advance eligibility are looser than requirements for bank loan eligibility as well. Read more of this >>