Dear !fullname,

I am very pleased to announce the re-launch of my newsletter and I am confident this newsletter will go a long way into supporting your business (or aspirations to start your own business).

In this e-newsletter you will immediately access powerful marketing tools and tips to develop your confidence to sell more of your services and products, as well as maximize the potential of your staff.

The topics covered are wide ranging incorporating business skills and personal development. The aim is to ensure that you fully grasp that their is a direct correlation between business success and personal development/business skills.

It is always an oversight when entrepreneurs downplay the impact of their own personal development and dare I say their staff, on their overall business performance. The two are intricately intertwine and any shortcomings in one will dampen the temperature on the other. Enjoy your reading and let me have your comments.

Marketing Tips –
Boost the
bottom line of your business

As a consultant/coach, and approved by many of the business support agencies across the UK, I am privileged to work with many businesses as well as learn new systems and tools that improve the top and bottom line of real businesses.

Many of the tips I share in this newsletter can easily be adapted to fit your own business regardless of your industry. I am sure by now you would know that marketing and sales are the lifeblood of a business. But ultimately sales without profits and hard cash in the bank account will send your business to the gutters.

It is true that without any cash a business will not survive, hence the famous adage ‘Profit is fantasy, cash is king.’ With this in mind, lets us look at some of the basic things you can do in this economy to jump start your marketing and sales effort.

Next issue I will cover tips on improving your cash flow.

1. Ensure the products you are selling is in demand and that you are clearly focusing your client’s attention towards the benefits your products offer as opposed to the features of your products. Remember, when you buy a drill from a merchant what you really want is a hole not the drill. The drill is just a means to an end. So check how you are selling your products. Are you selling benefits or are you selling features? Benefits focus on the customers where as features bring the focus of attention on you. Remember, the customer does not care about you, they care about their needs being met.

2. Align your business with the needs of the market. Sell what the market is willing to pay for not what you think the market should pay for. Just because your business has been selling to one particular market in the past twenty years does not mean it should continue to do so in the future when the market has clearly changed. Marks and Spencer learned this lesson the hard way. I met a business recently who after being in business selling successfully to the private sector has to rethink their strategies when the private sector stamp down on their spending. Guess what? Suddenly the public sector market becomes attractive. Be flexible and make adjustments.

3. Develop a database of prospects and customers and stay in touch with them. There is a lot of CRM systems in the market. You are spoiled for choice. Remember, the money is in the database list and the more you interact with your list the more they are likely to remember you and your service.

4. Sell more products to your existing customers and new one by adding to your menu on offer. Your backend product lines should be developed so that you increase the spend per customer and grow your business geometrically. This is how Jay Abraham puts it in his Extraordinary Marketing System; move away from linear marketing into the world of geometric marketing.

5. Offer loyalty discounts or coupons to stimulate purchase and do so consciously and with care. You want to ensure that your discount program will not jeopardize the financial viability of your business as some businesses have sent themselves down the drain offering discounts at the expense of viability. Remember, sales revenue and profitability are not the same thing. Check my book on this topic and learn more.

6. Invest in training your staff so that they will improve productivity and customer satisfaction/ retention. This is not a time to cut back, this is the time to think and act creatively.

7. Inspire prospects and customers to buy from you through gathering and publishing testimonials from past and existing clients. Be sure to ask satisfied customers to offer you testimonials and to do so honestly. To boost credibility, make sure you add the name of the person, their email address and/ or business name next to the testimonial- Put these simple tips in place today and I guarantee your business will start generating more sales and profit.

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Tips From Three Millionaires on How to Build a Successful Business

Grow Your Business- Marci Shimoff, Kristin and David Morelli reveal their secrets.

These three powerful individuals all came from humble beginings and build their business into a multimillion empire. All three are now working together and are revealing their secrets to entrepreneurs who aspire to learn proven strategies for business success.

You will be amazed what you will learn. It is not very often that you get this type of opportunity to link up with successful individuals with authenticity and credibility like Marci Shimoff, Kristen and David Morreli.

Listen to what Marci said in the video which you can access through the link below. Did you know that happy people earn one million dollars more than saddos over their lifetime? Click the link below now and find out more.

Watch Video Now »

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Feng Shui- Does it Work

You may have heard about feng shui and you may be wondering what it is. Well, recently, I met with Diamond Feng Shui Marie Diamond, while she was in the UK. Marie by the way is one of the stars in the film ‘The Secret.’

My meeting with her lasted for one hour and I have to say she blew my mind and took me to a new dimension. I had no idea that our success is a function of our heavenly luck (33%), earthly luck (33%) and environmental luck (33%) until I met with her. Marie says, "if you can manage to score 20% at each level, you are on your way to success."

Many people are stuck because they do not fully comprehend these different dimensions of the human race and I shall be bringing more information and tips about Feng Shui in my future newsletter. Did you know that your physical environment can impact the level of your productivity?

The more clutter your environment, the more stuck and unclear you are about your life. If you are experiencing stuck in your life, you may want to quickly check if you have clutter in your house or office space. The immediate action you can take is physical space clearing.

Clear all the clutter from your house and I mean all the clutter, then observe your feeling in the environment; you will begin to experience a shift in your energy space and a sense of clarity and strengths.

Until the next issue, stay tight for more Feng Shui tips. Do you want a better relationship, money and health? Check out this column in November.

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The Secret to Attracting
Money By Joe Vitale

Shhh! Here’s the REAL Secret to Attracting Money!

Joe Vitale released his third Nightingale-Conant audio program early this year, called ‘The Secret to Attracting Money.’ Of course, you already know that like Marci Shimoff, Joe was one of the teachers in the movie the Secret. There is no question that there are some financial issues needing to be resolved, and they will be.

But, this is nothing new. We’ve survived the Great Depression (when times were far worse) and twelve recessions. We can handle this one, too.

The truth of the matter (that the media never tells you) is that there are money making opportunities in every challenge. Even today’s recession.

For instance, someone right now is becoming wealthy by seeing a problem as a product. Did you know many people are buying stocks at unheard of prices and selling them for huge profits right now and every other day?

Did you know people are buying up real estate at ridiculously low prices and holding it for the next boom?

Many people are taking advantage of their recent job loss and starting new businesses at a record pace – finally doing what they love.

In fact…if you are feeling like a victim of today’s recession or the negative media – let’s turn that around right now.

Here’s what I want you to do…

1. Choose one of the fear-based messages currently being relayed in the media. (Just turn on the news and you’ll find one instantly).

2. Then write down some creative ideas that might be money making responses to the “apparent” challenge.

It may take some time – but you can do it. In fact, in Joe’s new Secret to Attracting Money program he has cleverly and carefully addressed this issue under the section, "How to Make Money In Any Economic Climate."

When you listen to this one section alone you’ll see for yourself how easily you can make money starting right now, wherever you live.

Read more »

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Win up to $150
Suits and Fragrances

Participate in our Monthly Competition and win up to $150 suits and fragrance.

I am sure you would like to know how you can enter this competition. It is simple. You simply have to invite up a minimum of 10 people to sign up on our Reward Program, that’s all it is. The winner is the person with the highest number of referees.

All you need to do is spread the word about our products in BSSRetail.Net » and CheapWholeSaleShop.Com » Ask them to sign up on either mailing list and mention your name when they do so. At the end of the month, the winner will be announced.

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About Sheila Elliott

Sheila is the founder of BSS Management Consultancy and BSS USA Inc. She is also the author of My Business Is My Business-Learn How to earn a fortune, endorsed by Mark Victor Hansen, International New York Best selling Author and co author of the Chicken Soup Empire.

To have a sneak preview of this book, visit…
http://www.businesservicessupport.com
/business_startup.php

Sheila trains, coach and consult small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in business management and personal development skills. For specialist advice in home business opportunity, business start-up and growth, contact Sheila by email http://www.businesservicessupport.com
/business_startup.php

Sheila trains, coach and consult small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in business management and personal development skills. For specialist advice in home business opportunity, business start-up and growth, contact Sheila by email

The secrets of successful businesses

December 2, 2008

Minority owned businesses in the UK are on the rise with recent statistics showing women playing a significant role in the business community. In my local area (London Borough of Greenwich), one cannot help but to notice a steady increase in the number of ethnic businesses springing up on the high street and this trend is expected to continue into the future.

Whilst this trend is a step in the right direction, new businesses, and to a large extent existing ones, will need to be sensitive to the challenges of building a successful business. Business support services can play a significant role in the nurturing and development stages of businesses. Equally important are opportunities for sharing best practices.

This article reveals what well known and respected business veterans say about the sources of their success. I am sure we can all learn from them.

Successful businesses take their customers’ perception about their products and services very seriously. They generally focus on quality, innovation and profitability. Under promising and over delivering is a guided principle that underpins their ethos. In addition they understand that their business is as good as the people who work for them. Consequently, cultivating a culture that values, respects and develops staff is a common strategy employed by successful businesses to gain the support and commitment of their staff. As a result, they are able to stem the cancer of high staff turnover that is prevalent in unsuccessful businesses.

It is a well-established fact that people will make or break a business and successful businesses understand this philosophy all too well. Successful businesses have retention strategies, which could take on various forms. One such strategy includes involving their staff in decision making through focus groups aimed at innovating, creating new products and encouraging a strong listening culture right across the organisation. In the final analysis, one cannot underplay the importance of strong leadership, competent managers and staff, integrity and honesty in the formula for business success.

Sheila Elliott is the managing director of Business Services Support Limited

http://www.businessservicessupport.com

email sheila@businessservicessupport.com

Getting the best from your staff

December 2, 2008

Many businesses purport that their greatest asset is their staff. On the other side many claim that their greatest headache is their staff. Whatever camp you belong to, be rest assured that people are vital to every business no matter what the technocrats may like us to believe. It is true that we live in the age of technological advancement and evolution with many businesses queuing to take advantage of the next automated system that comes into the market with a promised tag to streamline business processes, improve quality of services and products, deliver added value to customers and, to top it all, increase profitability for investors. Your staff are invaluable assets to your business but sadly there are very few managers that are adequately skilled to deal with staffing issues efficiently and effectively. Some even believe that staff are assets that must be controlled, until they are threatened with a resignation or strike action.

This article seeks to provide information on strategies successful managers use to get the best out of their staff. It is hoped that readers will benefit from this article and ensure their businesses improve their approach to managing staff in the future.

To start of with, you need to know that people are different in many respect and successful managers generally strive to know their people well enough to ensure they receive the necessary support to effectively undertake their jobs within the standards set by the business. Some of the differences in people include their learning styles, which can sometimes miss the radar of managers. You will be surprised to know that people take in information differently, with some learning through reading books, others through observations and reflection and others through practical hands on approach.  Equally, some people are thinkers and learn best using their auditory senses, others are more visionary and learn better through images whereas others are kinaesthetic and learn best through their emotions. In the light of all of these differences, successful managers generally provide support using mediums that are most appropriate to the learning style of their staff, as opposed to using as “One-Size-Fit-All” Approach.

Successful managers are acutely aware that it is not sufficient for their staff to know the overall objectives of the team, as well as the roles and responsibilities of individuals in the team. They take steps to communicate clearly to their staff and make time to deal with matters affecting their wellbeing. Whilst doing all of this, they simultaneously ensure that the overall objectives and goals of the business are kept well in focus.  Getting the best from staff is a balancing act between the managing the needs of the business and the needs of staff. Both needs should be given careful attention to avoid management paralysis, staff apathy and demotivation. This brings me to yet another point.

People are special types of resources in a business; they provide services to the business and must be treated with respect and value. Managers who consistently get the best out of their staff do not demean their staff and certainly avoid situations that will lead to humiliating staff.  Remember this simple formula:

“Getting the best from your staff = motivating staff + providing them with skills and knowledge required to do the job effectively”.

To motivate staff and train them effectively, a manager must know their staff well enough to ensure their proposal for performance improvement and motivation strategy is appropriate.

Over the next few weeks, we will be giving free consultation advice to businesses that need help in financial and human resource management. If you would like to take advantage of this do send me an email. For advice and support on this subject, contact sheila@businessservicessupport.com

Sheila Elliott is an expert in business  and personal development strategies. She is the founder of Business Services Support Limited and the author of My Business Is My Business- Learn How To Earn A Fortune. For more information about are free articles visit, http://www.businessservicessupport.com and http://www.sheilaelliott.com

A Profitable Bankrupt Business

December 2, 2008

Some of you may be asking if it is possible for a business to be profitable and bankrupt at the same time. Well the simple answer to this question is “Yes it is”.  A business can be profitable and be cash-strapped all at the same time. In practice, there are many businesses that precariously operate in this way. Some of them are under the misguided belief that their business is financially healthy just because they are generating strong profits.  The connection between profit and cash is hardly made by such businesses until their bank informs them that their cheques can no longer  be paid due to  lack of cash.

Understanding the rudimentary principles of interpreting and evaluating financial statements accurately can help businesses identify whether their business is profitable and liquid. In reality is cash is king, whereas profit is fantasy. A business with no cash will soon become insolvent regardless of whether it is profitable or not. In this article we will explore strategies businesses can implement to ensure they generate healthy cash and profits at the same time.

The first strategy is to set up a clear policy on credit sales.  Such strategy can include approving customers’ credit lines based on their credit ratings. To do this you must have a system in place to determine customers’ credit worthiness before approving credit lines. The next stage is to determine how much credit period to extend to customers. In determining the credit period, it is always advisable to find out what the normal practice in the industry is (e.g. 15 days, 30 days or more) and what credit period you can expect from your suppliers and bankers to cushion you over this period. All too often, small businesses in particular, give very long credit periods to large businesses only to run into cash flow problems owing to its inability to make timely collections from these customers. One way to get around this problem is to stipulate the payment terms clearly on the invoice before issuing it to the customer, as well as to charge interest on outstanding invoices after the approved credit period. But remember, the policy of charging interest on outstanding invoices after the credit period must be clearly communicated before it is enforced. Failure to communicate terms in advance could result in damaging the business’ relationship with its customers. Most successful businesses operate this policy and as a business owner you can do the same.

Other strategies you can use include using factoring agents, insuring against the risks of bad debts, negotiating competitive credit terms with suppliers and giving discounts to customers for prompt payments. For advice and support on this subject, contact sheila@businessservicessupport.com

Sheila Elliott is an expert in business  and personal development strategies. She is  the founder of Business Services Support Limited and the author of My Business Is My Business- Learn How To Earn A Fortune. For more information about are free articles visit, http://www.businessservicessupport.com and http://www.sheilaelliott.com

Unlocking the gem in business planning

December 2, 2008

Why do some businesses believe they have no need for a business plan until they run into financial difficulties, whilst others spend colossal sums of money preparing a business plan exclusively for their shelves. These are questions I have asked very often as I work with SMEs, who consistently fall fowl of this practice. It may appear that the benefits of business planning are not quite understood by these businesses and hopefully this article will help shed some light on the subject.

From a practical perspective, it is inconceivable to find any reliable products in the market including our homes that was developed without any planning time set aside for the determination of the design, development and implementation process. One cannot deny that the process of planning can be time consuming and tedious, particularly as the benefits of the process is not immediate and often far from sight. However, lurked within the planning process is the opportunity to discover flaws in original ideas which in return  provides opportunities to improve them?

So what are the benefits that can be derived from business planning and how can a business maximise their returns from the process. First thing first, business planning is a management tool that aids the delivery of strategic objectives. The strategic objectives set out what a business want to do and where. A business plan simply helps map the path to achieve corporate objectives. But it must be stated that just because an organisation prepares a business plan does not automatically mean it will maximise the potential benefits from the planning process.  Getting the best results from business planning demands the management of the organisation possessing the right level of skills and competencies required to deliver a business plan as well as the motivation to do so. A business plan can look great on paper but unless someone rolls up their sleeves and get on with the work to bring the plan into reality, it will ultimately die with the business.

Therefore when an organisation prepares a business plan that is supported by a competent and motivated management team, as well as a competent workforce, here are some of the gems that can materialise:

• Effective alignment of a business’ resources in  markets that draw on their strengths
• Effective development of marketing strategies born out of  critical evaluation of operating market
• Better resource planning for effective delivery of corporate goals and objectives.

For more information on this topic, contact sheila@businessservicessupport.com

Sheila Elliott is an expert in business  and personal development strategies. She is  the founder of Business Services Support Limited and the author of My Business Is My Business- Learn How To Earn A Fortune. For more information about are free articles visit, http://www.businessservicessupport.com and http://www.sheilaelliott.com

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