Faint At Heart

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5 Marketing Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make

In virtually every area of business, there will be pitfalls along
the way. Marketing is no exception. Time and time again, retail
stores of all sizes make the same costly mistakes. But knowing
how to avoid these mistakes can save you energy, disappointment -
and money.

Mistake 1: Eliminating marketing efforts when times get tight.

When cash flow slows, advertising, direct mail and other forms of
marketing are the easiest expenses to reduce, right? But cut
these, and you eliminate the very activities that will bring in
new customers to turn your business around. This is the time
when you may be spending more time analyzing the results of your
marketing efforts. But by stopping marketing efforts, you will
be setting yourself up for additional loss of business.

Mistake 2: Not measuring results.

Don’t wait until times get tight to start measuring the results
of your marketing efforts. By analyzing regularly, you will be
able to reinvest in what is working, and drop what isn’t. Ask
customers how they found your business, and then track the
results. Use in-store or on-line coupons. Or host a focus group
of a variety of customers to discover what attracts them to your
business.

Mistake 3: Putting all your marketing dollars in one area.

If your entire marketing budget is used on just one method of
promoting your business, you won’t realize the highest return on
your investment. Diversifying your efforts will increase the
frequency and reach of your messages and stretch your marketing
dollars.

Businesses can get hooked into one large advertising program with
a local newspaper, magazine or radio station, and put the
majority of their marketing dollars there. They feel as if they
have to advertise with the same media source, just because they
always have or because fear they will lose ground since their
competitors are advertising there as well. Some business owners
actually stay with a company for fear of upsetting their sales
associate.

Remember, it’s your money and your investment. Don’t ever let
anyone talk you into an advertising program that is not producing
the best results for your business. And measure the results of
your advertising dollars spent vs. the income received from your
advertising on a consist basis.

When you diversify, don’t’ forget about direct marketing. Many
business owners only do a few direct-mail programs a year,
targeted to their existing customer base. They need to do more.

Your customer base and mailing list is gold, make sure you have
budgeted a large part of your marketing dollars to advertise to
your existing customers. They already love you, so keep them
coming in by sending promotional (promotional - not just sale)
postcards to them at least six times a year.

Mistake 4: Allowing your ego to get in the way of common sense.

Ego can tempt a very bright person to do dumb things. Your
marketing decisions should be based on factors that will
positively impact some area of your business - usually the bottom
line. Buying full-page ads or covers featuring yourself and not
focusing on your business’ unique offerings may result in money
going out the window.

Mistake 5: Not getting help when you need it.

If you find you’re too busy to handle your marketing efforts or
that your materials aren’t looking as professional as they
should, it’s time to call in the reinforcements. Hire a full-or
part-time employee to allow you more free time to work on the
“business end” or hire an independent business consultant to
bring in new concepts and fresh ideas.

About the Author

Business speaker, Debbie Allen has presented to thousands
in nine countries. Featured in “Entrepreneur”, “Sales Marketing
Excellence” and “Selling Power,” Allen is the author of five books
including best seller, “Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters,”
published in five countries. To learn more or to take her free
business card quiz & evaluate your own marketing, visit: www.DebbieAllen.com

The term “equity value” is often used synonymously with the entire equity of a given home loan. When homeowners consider equity loans, the lender will consider the equity built in the home. If the home is not worth the amount applied for, the homeowner will pay higher rates of interest and mortgage payments. Thus, the equity if negative is considered a higher risk than positive equity. Still, the equity is factored by current market value, value of the home, and so forth to determine the risks.

Lenders put risk first often since large sums of cash are involved. First time buyers are offered various types of loans, but are often high-risk candidates simply because equity is non-existing until the closing is final. First time buyers searching for home loans will be rated by their credit history, employment, age, gender, the area considered to reside in, and so forth. If the buyer has excellent credit, this is a plus to the lender.

The lender will often help the borrower by finding adequate rates of interest and may even suggest a loan that would benefit the borrower moreso than other loans. Thus, when equity exists, this takes a bit of the load off the lender; however, if the home has “negative equity,” then the lender is threatened.

Therefore, if the lender suggests that your home has negative equity, you may want to request a surveyor to test the homes value to confirm that the lender is realistic. The surveyor will help you to determine the equity on your home, and if negative equity exist due to a drop in market value, you may want to negotiate with the lender, however, if negative equity exists due to structural damage, mites, or other damage to the property, you may want to consider a different amount of loan to borrow.

Talbert Williams offers debt consolidation referrals and advice. For more information, articles, news, tools and valuable resources on debt solutions, visit this site: http://www.1debtfreedom.com

Mind-Body medicine is far more powerful than most reasonable minds would like to admit. The most clearly illustrated example of this power is the placebo effect.

It is widely known and well demonstrated that the human mind will heal the body when told that some inert pill or potion being taken has this power. This has been shown again and again in double blind, well constructed, research projects. What is happening in these situations is that an ill person is told that an outside power, i.e., the medicine they are taking, has a greater power to heal their condition than they themselves have. Believing in this theory, the ill patient takes a sugar pill and undergoes a stunning recovery.

What does this say about your minds control over disease? Now, examine the medical system. You are told that you have high blood pressure. You are told to first attempt a few benign lifestyle changes. You cut down on salt, you drink less liquor, and two weeks later, you still have high blood pressure. Out comes a prescription for expensive, toxic, blood pressure medications. Here, two things have happened.

Firstly, you have been told that you do not have the power to control this health problem on your own. Secondly, you have been told that an outside source is better at controlling your health than you are.

While nothing could be further from the truth, it establishes a relationship of dependence.

This is the centre of the health philosophy of too many: that we are helpless in controlling our own health. It is this philosophy that has weakened western man’s understanding of how tremendous the power of the mind is over the state of your physiology.

Truthfully, our minds play an incredible role in determining our mental and physical health. The secret is to understand this role and to properly guide our mental resources. Equally important, our mind must understand how our body works. An in-depth understanding of how your body works and the sources of disease processes is not likely to have found itself to you through mainstream health sources.

Dedicate yourself to exactly this function. As a regular source of food for thought, this continual effort for knowledge will bring you to a point of greater physical and mental power. I strongly urge you towards making this discovery. It is no risk to you, and may seriously deepen your knowledge and understanding of your body and your health.

Dr. Bryan Brodeur is the author of Vitalism, an e-book teaching you how to master your body.

Will the first world nations have to stop testing advanced nuclear weapons in order to coax third world nations from developing nuclear weapons and into signing nuclear peace accords?

Can the first world nations afford not to have nuclear weapons to stop a rogue nation like Iran which threatened to blow Israel off the map, sends insurgents into neighboring nations and then chooses to support International Terrorist organizations like Hamas?

It is interesting that to stop a nation from doing the unthinkable you are almost forced to do the unthinkable yourself. Yet every nation including Israel has the right to protect its self from such things.

The United States as much as we would like too, cannot get rid of its nuclear arsenal or stop the further development of more strategic nuclear weapons if it is to survive in a world with emerging nations with fundamental extremist leadership. Leadership which threatens to break ranks with all peaceful nations of the world, threaten them and eventually use nuclear weapons to prove a point.

Indeed the day they do, their point of their fundamentalism is a mute point in that, it will no longer matter who was right and who was wrong, the damage is done forever and at that point, well it is just too late. I hope you will consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

If civilization hopes to prevail against the terrorist thugs and the massive populations in whose names they act, we need to attack their core ideologies, in much the same way that we attacked the Soviet mindset during the Cold War.

The United States, and our allies, insisted that the Soviet perspective was fundamentally flawed because:

(1) Command and control economics, with its top-down, governmental planning of production and consumption is inefficient at best, and it stymies innovation, distorts investment, and discourages growth. Free people enjoy a more prosperous life.

(2) Communism and individual liberties are at odds. Liberate people from constraints and they’ll make far better decisions than a government can make, and people will be happier through self-determination.

(3) Communism crushes true spirituality, injecting bureaucracy into matters of individual faith and personal preference.

We need to devise a set of postulates that directly confronts the weaknesses in, and the threats posed by radical terrorist fundamentalism.

One of our targets should be the practice of martyrdom. As long as Islam is interpreted as supporting and calling for martyrs, we’ll be plagued by suicide bombings, and perhaps truly threatened for the first time by nuclear destruction.

During the Cold War, each side possessed mutually assured destructive means at its disposal. Knowing this, discouraged each side from being first to pull the trigger.

Unlike America and the Soviets, radical Islamists perceive nuclear self-immolation as justified, philosophically. If they bury their own kind, they believe they’re all going to be rewarded in paradise, in the afterlife.

Their would-be martyrs need to be tirelessly and systematically vilified, not celebrated, and our propaganda efforts need to be aimed directly at this threat.

Essentially, we need to argue, through various means and techniques, that martyrdom is stupid, meaningless, and criminal.

Only then, can we hope to truly create a safer world.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. Headquartered in Glendale, California, he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

For more information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to: http://www.customersatisfaction.com

In a quest for customers and to keep those customers, restaurants are now compelled to develop a marketing plan. Marketing plans are a crucial component for anyone who has the desire to make their restaurant a success.

Marketing plans are a crucial component for anyone who has the desire to make their restaurant a success. In a quest for customers and to keep those customers, restaurant are now compelled to develop a marketing plan. However, many restaurant owners are not comfortable with marketing, or don’t know how to write a proper marketing plan - after all the thing they know best is the restaurant business. If you want to be a better restaurant marketer, attract customers, and have an ongoing direction to follow for your business, then it is important that you follow a strategic marketing plan.

Having a solid marketing plan for your restaurant enables you to clearly articulate your message so that customers and prospects are interested in and listen to what you have to say. You marketing plan should deliver such a strong message that it compels these customers and prospects to take action and vote with their feet by coming into your restaurant.

Standard marketing plans contain most or all of the following sections: market research, description of your target markets, description of your products or services, your competition, budget, strategy and goals, and action items to complete. They should also include your pricing, and positioning and branding statements. In order for your plan to work, it must be a living document, so make changes as you implement the plan according to what works and what doesn’t.

If you are not a marketing expert then help is only a step away. Marketing plan software is available to help you outline and develop a solid marketing plan yourself or you can hire an external marketing consultant who specializes in restaurant marketing to write the plan for you.

Learn more about bringing new customers to your restaurant / new marketing ideas:

http://www.hjventures.com/restaurant-marketing-ideas.html

Howard Schwartz is a partner in several business strategy groups, including HJ Ventures International, Inc. Howard has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs worldwide with a focus on writing business plans for companies interested in raising capital from Venture Funds and Angel Investors. Howard’s business plans have secured several million dollars in funding.

For more information: http://www.hjventures.com

Do you love to write? Do you have a knack for making words come alive on a page? You may want to consider freelance writing as a way to make a good living from home.

Freelance writers write anything from newspaper columns to web content and even ebooks.

Getting Started

Before you go looking for freelance jobs, you should build up a portfolio of articles. You can write for your own website or blog, offer to write free articles for friends, or contact your local paper about writing a column for them. Work on some articles that you can use as samples of your work and build a list of references for your potential clients to contact.

Where To Find Work

The next step will be finding potential clients. You can visit some of the big freelance sites like elance and bid on projects. It is also a good idea to set up a website that showcases some of your writing, tells a little about you and your area of expertise, and of course you will have your contact information on the site. You may also want to consider adding a blog to your site. It’s an easy way to add articles, short tips and any other writings to your site on an ongoing basis.

Networking is another great way to find work. Think about friends, former colleagues, bosses and clients that would be interested in having some writing done and call them up. As you start building your own client base, ask for referrals. Do you know someone that successfully freelances now? Ask them for advice on getting started and spend some time with them. They may refer clients to you that they don’t have time for. Do the same for other freelancers if you are contacted with a project you can’t handle.

Many magazines will accept freelance work. Keep a spreadsheet with names and addresses of the editors of the various publications and pitch story ideas on a regular basis. It can be tough to get a foot in the door with magazines, but once you start getting published it will become easier and in many cases more lucrative.

Getting Paid

How much you will get paid will largely depend on the size of the project and how involved it is. Short articles on general topics that don’t require research may pay as little as $5.00 a piece while doing research for and writing an ebook may bring you several hundred dollars.

If you love writing about a variety of topics, I encourage you to give freelance writing a try. It’s a great way to do what you love and stay home with the kids at the same time. The main key to becoming a successful freelance writer is to practice writing all the time, whether you get paid for it or not. Just get out a pen and paper, or open you favorite text editor and start writing.

The Shih Tzu is a lively, proud and very lovable dog as owners will testify. The Shih Tzu is one of the most popular dog breeds on earth for good reason. In 1994 the Shih Tzu was the 12th most popular dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club.

They are generally friendly and self-assured. The Shih Tzu is the kind of dog that expects to be treated like a king, and wants you to know it. It is for this reason that often Shih Tzu’s are not a good choice of dog if you have babies or toddlers in the house. They can become jealous easily.

Shih Tzu’s make excellent watchdogs. Their alert and active nature means they are excellent good mannered companions. Poorly bred Shih Tzu’s can be noisy and snappy.

If you want a Shih Tzu it’s best to take a few precautions to avoid half-bred or genetically faulty Shih Tzu breeds. Rather spend some time making a good decision than have to regret it later. Unethical breeding practices are common and you will need to be an informed buyer if you are going to choose the best Shih Tzu for you.

Choosing a good breeder is very important. You don’t want to end up buying a puppy from one of the notorious puppy mills. Cross bred varieties can produce all kinds of health and behavioral problems. If you want to be certain that you are getting a genuine Shih Tzu it’s wise to check the breed standards before buying.

This means careful attention to the look and temperament of a Shih Tzu. Ask your breeder to show you the parents of the dog before you commit to buying the puppy. Check the parents of the puppy carefully for any of the faults outlined. This is just a guideline; it is not an absolute standard for pet quality.

If you intend on showing your dog at competitions and shows then an even more careful reading of the breed standards are important. You will also want to choose a more confident puppy - look for the puppy in the litter that seems poised and friendly - and of course good looking!

Some general points to look for

Color, age and size are the most important and immediate things you can check. The puppies will tend to look like their parents however this is not fool proof.

Shih Tzu’s do not have gender related temperament differences and both male and female are equally loving.

Teacup varieties are not officially recognized for good reason. People who breed these minute dogs do not do so improve the breed; ethical breeders breed for that reason. Teacups, the ones that will be under three pounds as adults, have many problems and usually do not live beyond the Shih Tzu’s that weigh a little more.

Caring for your Shih Tzu

Usually the major grooming has to do with care of the coat. If you do not have time to groom your Shih Tzu at least every other day then you will need to consider another breed. Neglect of the Shih Tzu’s coat will lead to skin problems as well as a host of other horrifying conditions, Painful matting, skin infections and even maggot infestations can occur if you leave the coat for too long.

The Shih Tzu is also prone to renal dysplasia (kidney disease) and slipped kneecaps. Because of the shape of the Shih Tzu’s face the eyes are more prone to injury. The short muzzle can mean breathing problems.

Spend some time learning about the Shih Tzu breed before you commit to a puppy. They can make a very nice pet for your family. Well looked after Shih Tzu’s can expect to live a long and healthy life, by your side.

Steve Allison is a third generation of professional dog breeders along with his brother Gary. It all started with his grandparents in 1970 with the Boston Terriers and has expanded to Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Shih Tzu’s and Pomeranians. He is also actively involved with dog rescue and has a website that showcases the puppies they occasionally has for sale at All My Puppies Online Steve is also the co-author of two consumer guides, Carpet Secrets and Moving Secrets Guide

Aaargh! Why is my competition getting way more hits than mine?

There are several reasons why, but I hope to explain at least the major reason.

Poor titles with a lack of highly targeted keywords

The majority of eBay sellers are completely unaware that they are jeopardising
their success through lack of knowledge. Knowledge is POWER and the most
effective way to power-pack your auctions is to use highly targeted keywords in
your auction titles and descriptions…

Let’s start with your title …

eBay estimates that over 90% of users search eBay by using the basic search
feature which means they only search the auction titles.

So what does this mean for me?

Above all else … it means focus more on your auction titles first and foremost
and then consider integrating those same highly targeted keywords into your
auction descriptions.

So where do you find these highly targeted keywords and which ones should you
use?

The best place to start is with ‘eBay
Pulse’ http://pulse.ebay.com/ and browse through the top popular searches in the category where you
would like to list your auction using the Category drop-down box. Jot down the
list of the top 10.

Now the number of words allowed in your auction titles is limited so be sure to
find several popular search terms that you can easily integrate into your
auction title remembering to make it sound interesting also - not just a swag of
keywords!

You can generally assume that on average, people search for the same terms on
eBay as they do in search engines. In light of this, to see how valuable your
chosen keywords really are I suggest using the Overture Keyword
Selector Tool at
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ to see how popular those keywords/search terms are by the
estimated number of times they were searched for in all the major search engines
for the past month.

Please bear in mind that these results are not entirely accurate, however they
will give you an overview of which keywords are the most important and will be
searched for the most.

Enter each search term separately and from the results jot down the top 5 search
phrase results for each of the keywords.

Another hot tip is with eBay itself. Go ahead and search for similar items to
which you want to list and take note of 3 things.

1. The title at the top of the page - here eBay lists other highly targeted
words for your item.

2. Underneath the search box (depending on what you have searched for) you will
see ‘related searches’ which can give you more ideas.

3. Be sure to click the check box on the left hand side for ‘completed items’
and then click the search button and have a look for items that have sold
similar to yours. When the results are returned, click the column title called
‘price’ to sort by final price.

Make note of the most successful sales and look at their titles. (As a side
note, it pays to look at what category they listed in and also anything you can
learn from their description, layout etc - remembering of course not to copy
their text or photos).

Now you’re ready to strategically integrate those highly targeted keywords &
phrases into your auction titles to drive highly targeted traffic to your
auctions.

Remember, as I mentioned earlier, be sure to make full use of the best keywords
but the title must make sense and be inviting (not just a list of keywords that
will get your auction deleted for keyword spamming) - You need to be creative,
after all you may get hundreds of visitors from searches but you still need them
to click on your title!

Find out how easy it is to seriously
Make
Money on eBay. Everything you need to launch your own highly profitable Ebay business overnight … It’s all here from one convenient source at
http://www.livingfreeonline.com

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as you leave the article title, author, body, resource box & links intact, unaltered & active (means NO changes whatsoever).

If you were to ask your employees or your customers what they thought
of your business, what do you think they would say? Do you think they
would be as positive if they were asked the same question by a stranger
who happens to be a potential buyer of your business?

Not knowing the kind of reputation your business has can come back to
bite you when you decide to sell. Most people interested in buying a
small business (or even a large one) will do some investigating into the
reputation of your business. Of course they won’t ask you - they’ll ask
your employees, your vendors and suppliers, your customers, your
competitors, and local community.

Maintaining your business’s reputation should be a priority for any
business owner, and not just because of the impact it can have on a
sale. Your business’s image can attract or repel customers, too.

Here are some of the things that can negatively affect your business’s
reputation, and some tips to improving a tarnished reputation when it
comes time to sell.

Relationships That Matter
Your customer is #1, right? Pleasing customers is a primary objective for
most businesses, whether the customer is a family seeking quality and
budget-friendly meals in your restaurant, or a large contractor who
purchases supplies from your manufacturing facility.

But the customer isn’t the only important relationship in business. The
way you interact with your own vendors, your business location’s
landlord, the local government, your utility companies, your competition,
and the bank is just as significant.

These business relationships are essential to developing a good
reputation. Do you pay your vendors on time? Do you pay your rent and
utilities on time? Are you in frequent rifts with local government or other
local businesses? How do you treat your competitors? Do you talk badly
about them?

Don’t Try to Sweep Things under the Rug
Just because it didn’t make the front pages of the local paper doesn’t
mean an informed buyer can’t find out about any lawsuits or customer
complaints levied against your business. For a small fee, the public can
find out a great deal about a business through a business background
check. Though a person won’t be able to find out everything, he or she
can easily discover enough to change their mind about purchasing.

If scandal or damage to your business’s reputation has prompted you to
sell, it will likely be reflected in your asking price, but that doesn’t mean
you shouldn’t be up front with an informed buyer who asks for this
information.

A truly motivated buyer may not be fazed by a few nicks and cuts to your
business’s reputation, and in some cases, hearing your side of the story
can help to improve it. But when it comes to more serious issues, such
as a lawsuit or scandal that has noticeably affected your customer base,
it will show in your financials, so it’s best to just come clean.

In some cases, it may be in your best interests to hire a publicist or
public relations firm to help manage the fallout of a scandal or lawsuit,
especially if you have time before the information gets to the public.
Crisis management is a key area of expertise for most publicists.

Treat Employees Well
Some industries are naturally more disposed to heavy turnover of
employees. Businesses that generally hire people who are looking for
part-time work, or are satisfied with minimum wage pay (such as
teenagers and college students) are going to see workers come and go.
Knowing that an employee isn’t going to make a career working in your
convenience store doesn’t mean you should disregard him or her, or
treat him or her any differently than long-term or “white collar”
employees.

People like to talk about their jobs - especially if they aren’t happy. If
you’ve ever treated employees unfairly, people are going to hear about
it, and even this can damage your business’s reputation.

Your business’s reputation can be affected by more than just former
employee complaints. Senior staff members, who you trust to do the
business’s accounting, handle invoices, and pay bills are going to know
what’s happening financially. This goes back to the issue of vendor and
supplier relationships. If your vendor and supplier relationships are
poor, the staff members who deal with those people are going to know it,
and they could talk about it - even just with friends or family in the
community.

Treat your employees well and don’t expect internal blemishes to
remain internal.

Word on the Street
Your customers are sort of your unpaid representatives in the field. If
they’ve had a great experience with your business, they’ll probably tell a
few people. This referral system is called “viral marketing,” and is one of
the most effective ways businesses gain new customers.

In contrast, a customer who has had a bad experience with your
business will probably tell a lot more people. This is human nature,
which is why it is imperative that your customer service be equipped to
handle complaints expertly.

You aren’t going to be able to please everyone, and when you are
confronted with a customer who has been dissatisfied for some reason
(no matter how silly it may seem to you), treat them the way you’d want
your mother to be treated if she were in their place.

You can turn around a customer’s negative experience by going out of
your way to “make it better.” When people are treated like a V.I.P. in
regard to a complaint, they’ll probably tell even more people. And, it
demonstrates how important your customers are to you. They’ll
appreciate it, and you won’t have to worry what the locals say if a
potential buyer holds a street survey (and they do).

Competitors aren’t Enemies
Being part of an industry puts you in a network of business people just
like you. It’s true, everyone is looking out for their own bottom line, but
camaraderie among competitors helps to strengthen an industry, which
benefits everyone involved.

Speaking badly about a competitor is not just in poor taste, but can be
against the law, too. Slander is a real offense recognized by the courts. If
you think it will help your restaurant to instigate a rumor about a
neighboring café’s poor cleanliness, or if you purposely (and falsely)
mention a competitor’s struggling financials to anyone who’ll listen, you
could be liable for causing damage to another business’s reputation
(and it doesn’t do much for yours, either).

Laws affecting libel and slander are found in a state’s business code
under Deceptive Trade Practices. Every state has a law on this, and
though penalties may differ from one state to the next, the context of the
law is basically the same: “disparaging the goods, services or business
of someone else by false or misleading representation,” is prohibited.

Take advantage of the wealth of experience and business wisdom that
exists within your community or your industry. Burning bridges among
competitors can do nothing but harm to your business’s reputation.

Repairing a Damaged Reputation
Like a person’s reputation, a business’s reputation develops over time.
And, just as you can’t improve your own ‘name’ overnight, it takes a
considerable amount of time to repair a business’s poor reputation.

Unfortunately, businesses with poor reputations do not often have the
luxury of time to fix things prior to a sale. If you’re a business owner and
you haven’t been paying bills on time, and haven’t treated your
customers or your employees very well, you may have a hard time
selling the shop without some carefully planned renovations - to your
business’s image.

There are plenty of things you can do to improve the look of your
business, but changing the minds of the vendors, suppliers, lease
owners, employees, and customers takes time and effort. This means
that when you come to the decision to sell, you can’t realistically expect
to sell for a decent price within a few weeks. You must prepare to sell by
taking steps to improve fractured business relationships.

Give yourself a year to begin paying bills and invoices on time and
improve your customer and employee relations. Twelve months of effort
won’t take your business’s reputation to the absolute top, but it will leave
a positive impression with the people you work with (vendors, etc.).

You’ve poured time, money, and effort into your business. When it
comes time to sell, you want to be able to get enough out of the sale to
make your investment worthwhile. Keeping your business’s reputation
in good standing is a must. If you’ve suffered a blemish here or there,
take the time necessary to repair damaged relationships and improve
your business’s good name before you place it on the market.

Failing to do so could represent a significant difference between what
you wanted to sell your business for and what any knowledgeable buyer
will be willing to pay.

Karen Torbett is founder of Venture Point, LLC (http://www.VenturePointOnline.com). She
spent almost a decade running someone else’s company before she
achieved her goal of business ownership. Now, Karen helps
entrepreneurs like her seeking to buy or sell a business on their own.
Check out Karen’s informative blog at http://www.VenturePoint.WordPress.com
and contact her at: Karen@venturepointonline.com.