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New York City, NY Home Owner Insurance - Compare Rates and Save! Starting a Biz When You Don't Know Anything
by Kevin Nunley http://DrNunley.com Sometimes you see a great business opportunity that comes with plenty of customer demand and oodles of potential profits. The only problem is, you don't know anything about running that kind of business. You may never have run a business at all. Don't let that stop you. Some of the biggest profits in the business world are earned by franchisees: people who are members of a franchise. McDonalds, Wendy's, Subway and thousands more are franchised organizations. As a franchisee, you'll be required to follow the company system to the letter. Most tell you what to sell, how to get it, how to present it, how to price it, and how to market it. They may even require you use a particular accounting system. While that might tie the hands of some more independent entrepreneurs, somebody who wants lots of guidance can fit perfectly into the franchise system. Sam Walton, the founder of the now giant Wal-Mart chain, started out as a Ben Franklin variety store franchisee. Knowing very little about running a store, Sam followed the Ben Franklin system for years, eventually building a big regional chain of highly profitable stores. Boost your business with Kevin's 10,000 free marketing ideas great for promoting for $1 a day. See http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at mailto:kevin@drnunley.com or 603-249-9519. What's Wrong With Overture and Google AdWords? by Kevin Nunley http://DrNunley.com Just about every day I hear from somebody who says, "I get 200 hits a day to my site but no sales." When I ask how they get all those visitors who don't buy, they tell me from advertising in pay-per-click search engines and on Google. This is such a common problem that a number of theories are starting to circulate. One of my favorites is Overture is paying people in poor countries to sit all day and click on paid links. The real reason behind the lack of success with pay-per-click visitors is probably a lot simpler. These people don't buy from you specifically, because they have so many other choices. When you search for "website promotion," you don't just find one listing, click there and buy. You click through a number of the listings, maybe even page after page. Because you have so many choices, it may take you several days of research before you buy. What can you do to improve sales with pay-per-click advertising? Design your landing page for somebody who wants to find out about you and your service with a nothing more than a quick glance. Include your main benefits in a bold headline. Give your product or services key features in short bulleted text. Include the price in large type. Also have a few customer comments that tout your main benefits. Kevin Nunley and his staff of top writers will write your web page copy so it sells! And you'll get it cheaper and faster than almost any writing service on the Net. See http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at mailto:kevin@drnunley.com or 603-249-9519. Small Store Competes With Big Box Corporation by Kevin Nunley http://DrNunley.com Often a small store will find itself competing head-on with a major supersized Kmart, Target, CompUSA-you name it. As these big corporations search for more and more market share, they are moving into more and more suburbs and small towns. What do you do if your small store has to compete with these much larger "big box" stores? First off, forget trying to beat them on price. Their massive bulk discount buying and computerized distribution will keep them way ahead while you quickly go broke. Instead, keep your customers by doing things the big stores can't. Greet your customers by name if possible. People love it when the manger or owner rings up their purchase. Answer questions and offer advice to customers. The hourly worker at the big competitor probably doesn't know nearly as much about the product or service as you do. Get involved in the community. Sponsor kids' sports, church bulletins, and charity drives. You want your name listed where residents are used to seeing hometown businesses promoted. Look for specialty areas where you can go deep. Most big stores cover lots of variety with very little depth. Boost your business with Kevin's 10,000 free marketing ideas great for promoting for $1 a day. See http://DrNunley.com Reach Kevin at mailto:kevin@drnunley.com or 603-249-9519. Value of The Soft Sell by Kevin Nunley http://DrNunley.com In recent years we've heard a lot about how much more effective a hard sell can be. The idea is to go after the prospective customer with all the facts, benefits, stories, and attention you can give them. In short, put pressure on the customer to BUY NOW while they are still interested. The problem with that approach is probably clear to most of you. Even when you walk into a store or visit a site ready to make a purchase, you don't want a sales person putting a lot of pressure on you. I know many times I'll go into a store looking for a specific item, but when the eager sales person descends on me asking if they can help, I answer "no thanks, just looking." The point is I want to have a little more time-unpressured-to make up my mind. This same soft sell principle works with Internet marketing and email. I've noticed prospects often buy if I write in an email "we can have your project ready in two days." But sales drop quickly if I rephrase that line to create more pressure: "we can have your project ready in two days IF you order today." I'm not saying hard selling doesn't work. It often does. But be aware when your prospect wants a softer sell. Be there to provide additional information, but be careful not to add too much pressure. Kevin Nunley writes both hard sell and soft sell copy for your site, email, or mail marketing. See his popular and affordable copywriting deals at http://DrNunley.com. Reach him at kevin@drnunley.comm or 603-249-9519. Getting Your Press Release to Media by Kevin Nunley http://DrNunley.com I was reminded again this week just how cheap and effective a press release can be to get your business in front of a LOT of people. Stephanie McHue, owner of The Running Woman Errand Service, said she reviewed the press release tips on my site, then tried her hand at writing her own press release. "It was published in the major newspaper on a Sunday with a big picture and story," she said. Your local media are always on the lookout for interesting businesses in your area. This week I've seen my local paper do big stories on a muffler shop with an employee competing for the "fastest pipe bender" championship. The strapping young guy bending an exhaust pipe made for a great photo. The paper also covered a local barber who has been running his own one-man store for 40 years...and a bakery that sells to police officers, school teachers, and kids from their back door during the early hours of morning. Look for the things that make you, your employees, or your business interesting to the media. Newspapers like a good story, TV wants something that makes a good photo, and radio loves anything that is funny, entertaining, or even sad. Media organizations have gone wild filtering their email. I suggest you email your press release, then regular mail it to the media outlet, then call to point out you sent it (I'll get a howl from editors for telling you to call, but it's the plain truth the more noise you make, the more likely some of those editors will notice you). Kevin Nunley spent more than 20 years writing and reading news for radio and TV. He knows what media are looking for in a press release. See his affordable press release deals at http://DrNunley.com. Reach him at kevin@drnunley.com or 603-249-9519. Getting a Sign For Your Store by Kevin Nunley http://DrNunley.com Signage, as it is called in retail, can be quite expensive. Those big, colorful, creative signs that adorn the outside of big stores often cost thousands. Yet few things are more important in marketing. Great signage can make or break a business that depends on local traffic. Here are a few things to keep in mind. 1. The businesses that need a great sign are ones that depend on impulse visitors for lots of sales. If you are one of the only businesses of your type providing a specialized product or service to a very interested group of prospects, you probably don't need much of a sign. Your customers will find you. 2. Think hard about signage while you're choosing your store or office location. Zoning and landlord rules often tell you exactly what kind of sign you'll be allowed to have. 3. Prices of signs vary widely. When I looked around my local area, one supplier estimated my sign would cost $600. I was able to get an online sign company to design AND manufacture a MUCH better looking sign for $275 including shipping (see http://www.signspecialist.com ). 4. A basic rule of sign designers is the fancier your sign looks, the harder it is to read. If you want people to be able to spot your name while driving by at 40 miles per hour, keep your lettering big, bold, and simple. Kevin Nunley has more than 10,000 marketing tips for you to peruse free of charge. See his site at http://DrNunley.com. Reach him at kevin@drnunley.com or 603-249-9519.
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