Meals & Entertainment: What Is Deductible and What Is Not?

Meals & Entertainment: What Is Deductible and What Is Not?
Probably the most common business deductions are meals and
entertainment. However, people are often confused about
whether the expenses are fully deductible, partially
deductible or not deductible at all.

50% Deductible

The general rule for deducting meals and entertainment
expense is that 50% of the cost is deductible provided the
following requirements are met.

Requirement #1

The expense has to be ordinary and necessary in the trade,
business, or profession. In other words, it must be
commonly accepted to have this expense and it must be
appropriate in the trade or business. For example,
business owners routinely have lunch with prospective
clients to discuss business with the goal of attracting
additional business. This is a common and necessary
business expense.

Requirement #2

The expense must be directly related or associated to the
active conduct of your business. To meet this requirement,
you must engage in a business conversation during, before,
or after the entertainment. If the business discussion is
only incidental to the entertainment, the entertainment
expenses do not qualify.

The 50% limit applies to business meals or entertainment
expenses you have while traveling away from home on
business, entertaining customers at your place of business,
a restaurant, or other location, or attending a business
convention or reception, business meeting, or business
luncheon at a club.

100% Deductible

As with every general rule, there are exceptions. The
following exceptions result in the meal or entertainment
expense being fully deductible.

Exception #1

The expense is fully deductible when providing meals,
entertainment, or recreational facilities to the general
public as a means of advertising or promoting goodwill in
the community.

Exception #2

If the meal is provided to employees as a convenience to
the employer on the business premises and is furnished to
more than half of the employees, then the expense is fully
deductible.

Exception #3

A company holiday party expense is an exception to the
general rule and is fully deductible.

Non-Deductible Expenses

Items that are not deductible include membership in any
club organized for business, pleasure, recreation, or other
social purposes. The purposes and activities of a club,
not its name, will determine whether or not you can deduct
the dues. You cannot deduct dues paid to country clubs,
golf clubs, airline clubs, hotel clubs, or clubs operated
to provide meals under circumstances that might otherwise
be considered to be conducive to business discussions.

To ensure that your qualified meal and entertainment
expenses are deductible, you will need to have excellent
documentation. Please contact your Tax Coach for more
specifics about which documentation is required for meals
and entertainment.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

10 Ways the Blindguy Increases Sales

10 Ways the Blindguy Increases Sales
People always are asking me how to increase sales. I have
found some of the top ten ways to increase sales for anyone
and everyone. Use them and have fun and loads of sales.

1. When you make your first sale, follow-up with the
customer. Remember you only have a customer if they hear
from you every month. You could follow-up with a "thank
you" email and "thank you" card (send out cards is a great
program for this) include an advertisement for other
products you sell. You could follow-up every month.

2. You could up sell to your customers. Mc Donald's has
been doing that to you for years. "Would you like to "SUPER
SIZE" that? Is that a large fry? We have hot apple pie
today? When they're at your order page, tell them about a
few extra related products you have for sale. They could
just add it to their original order.

3. Tell your customers if they refer four customers to your
web site, they will receive a full rebate of their purchase
price. This will turn one sale into three sales. "The
Referral Mindset" and "Endless Referrals" by Bob Burg is a
great place to learn how to use this practice.

4. When you sell a product, give your customers the option
of joining an affiliate program so they can make
commissions selling your product. This will multiply the
sale you just made. This is another name for network
Marketing or Affiliate making.

5. Sell the reprint/reproduction rights to your products.
You could include an ad on or with the product for other
products you sell. You could make sales for the
reproduction rights and sales on the back end product. This
is great for Books, E-books, and Articles and Do IT
yourself projects.

6. You could cross promote your product with other
businesses products in a package deal. You can include an
ad or flyer for other products you sell and have other
businesses selling for you. The best way to learn how to do
this was in the book by Joe Vitale "The Power of Outrageous
Marketing". Many examples that are easy to follow and ways
you can think of too.

7. When you ship out or deliver your product, include a
coupon for other related products you sell in the package.
This will attract them to buy more products from you. If
you are a reseller and cannot add the coupon to the
shipments include it in the thank you not and thank you
card. This will keep your customer coming back.

8. Send your customers a catalog of add-on products for the
original product they purchased. This could be upgrades,
special services, attachments, etc. If they enjoy your
product they will buy the extra add-ons. Send them also to
an other site or catalogs for related items even if you do
not make any money from them. Remember the Santa from
Macy's in "Miracle on 34th Street"? He sent them to the
competitor and they came back in groups. You too can be
very helpful and your customers will love you.

9. Sell gift certificates for your products. You'll make
sales from the purchase of the gift certificate, when the
recipient cashes it in. They could also buy other items
from your web site.

10. Send your customers free products with their product
package. The freebies should have your ad printed on them.
It could be bumper stickers, ball caps, t-shirts etc. This
will allow other people to see your ad and order. Get you
name in front of as many people as possible. That will help
increase sales.

Just remember as a "GO GIVER" you always want to give more
value to everything you sell and do. Remember, customer
service is number one and the customer is always right.
This will take you to new heights of sales and you too can
be number one by making sure your customer comes first.

----------------------------------------------------
"Dr. Robin Rushlo", is a well known MLM Radio personality
and is nationally recognized as an expert in the network
marketing business.He is the current host of the radio
show, "Networking with the Blindguy"live daily from Gorilla
Broadcasting Network,and Guerilla Marketing Talk Radio
Network,providing Success and Retention Training for the
network marketing industry.He has a MS in Bio Chemistry and
Nutrition http://thegorillaspeaks.com

How to Deduct Your Travel Expenses

How to Deduct Your Travel Expenses
Travel expenses are a favorite deduction of many clients,
because they love to travel and especially enjoy it when
the IRS is subsidizing part of the expense. In order to
deduct travel expenses, however, you must show that the
expense has a business purpose and is ordinary and
necessary to the business.

Travel expenses that have a business purpose include:

- Meeting customers/prospects/vendors residing in a
different location;
- Searching for investment property;
- Meeting with business partners, both current and
prospective; and
- Holding annual shareholder meetings (usually held in
conjunction with an annual board meeting).

The phrase "ordinary and necessary" generally is defined to
mean, "in the ordinary course of business" and that "the
expense will contribute to the success of the business."

If a taxpayer travels to a destination and while at such
destination engages in both business and personal
activities, traveling expenses to and from the destination
are deductible only if the trip is related primarily to the
taxpayer's trade or business.

If the trip is primarily personal in nature, the traveling
expenses to and from the destination are not deductible
even though the taxpayer engages in business activities
while at such destination. Expenses while at the
destination which are directly related to the taxpayer's
trade or business are deductible even though the traveling
expenses to and from the destination are not deductible.

Whether a trip is related primarily to the business or is
personal depends on the facts and circumstances in each
case. The amount of time during the period of the trip
that is spent on personal activity compared to the amount
of time spent on business is an important factor in
determining the deductibility of the travel expense.
Generally, if business is conducted more than 50% of the
time in an eight-hour business day, the travel expense is
deductible.

Travel expenses incurred on behalf of a spouse, dependent
or other individual accompanying the taxpayer are not
deductible. However, if the spouse, dependent or other
individual is an employee of the taxpayer or there is a
bona fide business purpose, then the travel expense is
deductible.

Travel expenses involving a cruise ship typically are not
deductible. However, they can be deductible if you are
attending a convention on a cruise ship and you can show
that attendance benefits your trade or business. No
deductions for cruise ship expenses are allowed for
meetings related to personal investments, political causes
or other purposes.

There are additional restrictions relating to cruise ship
travel. For example, there is a $2,000 annual limit on
cruise conventions and you must attach a written statement
to your tax return that includes certain facts about the
convention.

Normally, expenses require simple documentation such as a
receipt. However, travel expenses require additional
documentation. If the IRS finds the taxpayer does not have
sufficient documentation, the expense will not be
deductible. The taxpayer must document the amount, time,
place and business purpose of the travel expense.

Sufficient documentation of a business expense includes
receipts, cancelled checks or bills. Although a
contemporaneous log is not required, we normally recommend
that our clients keep an itinerary of the business trip
listing all business activities as documentation of the
travel expense. The log should list all elements of the
expense (e.g., amount, time, place and purpose) as this has
high credibility with the IRS. Documentary evidence, such
as receipts or paid bills, is not generally required for
expenses that are less than $75. However, the IRS has
ruled that all lodging expenses must be documented.

The taxpayer may deduct a standard allowance as set by the
federal government. This is called a per diem deduction.
In lieu of receipts, taxpayer will deduct the per diem
rates. Per Diem travel expense deductions are not allowed
for owners.

Good news for those who hate keeping track of all of those
pesky receipts when they travel. The IRS will allow you to
deduct your meals and incidental expenses for travel away
from home even without receipts. This is their Per Diem
Allowance program.

The way it works is that the IRS has a table indicating the
amount of deduction you can take on a daily basis for meals
and incidentals while traveling away from home. If you
choose to use this flat, per diem amount, you do not have
to keep track of the receipts for these expenses. If you
are not an owner in the business, you can even use the per
diem method for travel and lodging. Owners can only use
the per diem method for meals and incidentals.

Of course, per diem allowances, like deductions for actual
expenses, may be used only if the time, place and business
purpose of the travel are substantiated by adequate records
or other evidence.

The IRS has issued per diem rates based upon the
Continental United States ("CONUS") travel and foreign
travel. New CONUS per diem rates become effective on
October 1 of each year, and remain in effect through
September 30 of the following year. Federal rates are on
the Internet at http://www.gsa.gov/.

If employee expenses are substantiated using a per diem
amount, and reimbursement exceeds the relevant federal
rates for that type of allowance, then the employee is
required to include the excess in gross income. The excess
portion must be reported on the employee's W-2 and is
subject to withholding. However, as long as the
reimbursement amount does not exceed the relevant federal
rates, then the amount is not taxable to the employee!

Other technical rules apply to using per diem rates. Be
sure to work with your CPA to make sure you are following
all of the technical rules before using the per diem method
for documenting travel expenses.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

Making the Most Out of Your Work From Home Business and Affiliate Programs

Making the Most Out of Your Work From Home Business and Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs are a godsend for budding entrepreneurs
who are seeking to promote their services online. They work
on the simple principle of linking their site to yours,
thus, all of their visitors will most likely be your
visitors as well, increasing internet traffic to your site.
Through affiliating your business website with a well-known
company, you can be assured that its visitors can take it
as an endorsement, thus encouraging them to visit your
site. Affiliate companies are so named because their
product line is similar to yours or complimenting yours.
However, finding the right affiliate program can be
difficult, especially if you are just beginning.

Once you have found the right affiliate program for you,
it's smooth sailing all the way. This method of marketing
is already very popular on the internet. Affiliate
marketing features a website, host, or merchant that allows
you to sell your products directly or indirectly on his or
her website, and you only have to pay for a small amount as
commission.

The host of ads and pop-ups when you surf casually on the
internet serves as proof of how powerful and effective
internet advertising is. Many companies have already ridden
on this "wave of the future," preferring to post ads on the
internet so as to reach a wider target market and save some
money at the same time. Internet advertising is often less
expensive than printing out flyers or paying for spaces on
newspapers, television, or the radio.

In contrast with establishing your company in the real
world, online businesses can already work even if a
relatively lower capital was invested. You don't have to
pay for renting an office space, electricity costs, water
costs, or new equipment when you establish your business
online. You can easily advertise your company and your
services by going to forums or putting your search engine
to work by searching for websites that offer free
advertising space. Some do require a fee for putting your
name on their website, but it is often quite cheaper.

You can get inspiration for a home-based business or job by
looking at websites with user-generated content, such as
Wikipedia. User-generated content (UGC) is all the rage
nowadays due to its openness to collaboration between
anyone and everyone who can contribute information about a
topic. You can work as a professional content writer,
someone who can provide big websites with text that will
make their website more attention-grabbing. As in UGC
websites, you can see that the world is full of different
perspectives and viewpoints, so why not add yours?

----------------------------------------------------
Learn more about work from home based business
opportunities at http://www.homebasedbusinesst.com and find
out how you can become a success online home business
entrepreneur. Also be sure to check out our featured work
at home opportunity in Xocai at http://www.xocaistore.org

Why Smart Brains Make Stupid Decisions On Money, Work and Health

Why Smart Brains Make Stupid Decisions On Money, Work and Health
It happens. Often.

Why?

We just secured an interview with Ori Brafman, co-author of
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
(Doubleday Business, 2008), to discuss our Dark Side (well,
he calls if "different hidden forces" and "psychological
undercurrents").

While reading some reviews about his book, I particularly
enjoyed finding, after the usual impressive long collection
of endorsements, this "disclaimer":

*DISCLAIMER: If you decide to buy this book because of
these endorsements, you just got swayed. One of the
psychological forces you'll read about in Sway is our
tendency to place a higher value on opinions from people in
positions of prominence, power, or authority. (But you
should still buy the book.)

Alvaro Fernandez (AF): Ori, what is SWAY? can you give us a
couple quick examples?

Ori Brafman (OB): Sway is about why perfectly rational
people make irrational choices. We interviewed business
executives, airline pilots, doctors, and even a Supreme
Court Justice to uncover the psychological forces that
affect our decision-making. What was especially interesting
was to find out that we all get swayed, and that these
psychological forces are much more ubiquitous than we
thought.

Take, for instance, the story of Jacob Van Zanten who was
the head of safety for KLM. One foggy afternoon, Van Zanten
took off without getting tower clearance, causing the
biggest airline accident in history. Why would this man,
who's the head of safety make such an irrational choice?

Or look at the story of Harvard Business School students
who paid $204 for a twenty-dollar bill.

AF: Happy to have attended Stanford... Now, how did that
happen?

OB: The professor set up an auction for a $20 bill. But
there was a twist. The winner would get the $20 bill. But
the second place bidder, would still have to honor his bid,
but would get nothing. At first there are lots of bidders,
but then as the bidding approaches $20 people start pulling
out. Inevitably, though two people stay in. As the bidding
continued to rise, the second-place person became
determined to not be the sucker who pays good money for
nothing in return. The amazing thing is that time after
time the auction continues well past the $20 point. People
are just so determined not to lose, that they keep on
bidding up.

AF: Why do people get Swayed?

OB: Without realizing it, we get swept up by a host of
different hidden forces. I think of it like being in a boat
in the middle of the ocean. It may look like we're standing
still, but underneath the surface, undercurrents move us
without us realizing it. The same thing happens with
psychological undercurrents. In Sway, we look at some of
the major undercurrents and explore how they intersect
triggering so many different irrational behaviors. The
thing is that we're prone to psychological sways all of the
time--whether we're conducting a job interview, going out
on a first date, or deciding whether to sell a stock.

AF: Let's be practical for a minute... what can people do
to Sway other people?

OB: We're constantly engaged in a hidden dance of sorts
where we sway people around us and are swayed by others.
One of the most unusual studies we encountered has to do
with what we call the chameleon effect. In the study, a
group of men and women--who had never met each other--were
told to have a short phone conversation. Now, before the
conversation, each man was shown a picture of the woman
he'd be talking to. Unbeknownst to the men, the pictures
were fake. And half the men were shown a picture of a
beautiful woman, while the other half were shown a picture
of a less attractive woman. The pictures had nothing to do
with how the real women looked like, and the real women had
no idea that there were any pictures shown. The kicker is
that the women who the men thought were pretty ended up
sounding beautiful on the phone. And the women who the men
thought were less attractive ended up sounding less
beautiful. We take on the roles others ascribe to us. Think
about that with employees or even with your kids. If we
think someone is smart, there's a good chance they'll live
up to that role.

AF: And what can people do to prevent being Swayed?

OB: The biggest step is to recognize how often we get
swayed. We have a tendency to think that our decisions are
rational, when in fact, different sways may have informed
the decision. Once we realize that we're prone to get
swayed, the second step is figuring out specific strategies
to counter the sway. It ranges from taking a long-term
perspective to using empirical models for job interviews.

AF: For example?

OB: We have a propensity to "diagnose" a job candidate from
the first moment we meet him or her. We assign a diagnosis,
and are unable to see things in a different light despite
objective evidence to the contrary. It's for this reason
that job interviews are terrible predictors of actual
performance. A much more effective approach is to conduct
very structured interviews that don't allow managers to get
swayed. In these interviews, the questions are pre-scripted
and focus on experience and ability rather than vague
things like "what's your biggest strength?" We call these
the Joe Friday interview (just the facts...) These
interviews may seem less personal, but they're actually
much more effective for actually selecting a good candidate.

AF: Ori, thank you very much for your time.

OB: My pleasure!

----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SharpBrains.com, which reviews resources to test your brain
and improve cognitive ability. SharpBrains has been
recognized by Scientific American Mind, Newsweek, Forbes.
Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA from Stanford
University, and teaches The Science of Brain Health at
UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. You can learn more
at http://www.sharpbrains.com/

Easy Understanding of Bookkeeping - Part 2 Debit and Credit

Easy Understanding of Bookkeeping - Part 2 Debit and Credit
-- Introduction --

In Part 1, I explained in simple terms the meaning of
Bookkeeping and Double Entry.

In Part 2, I will explain the basis of the Double Entry
System, the Debit and Credit.

-- When to Debit and when to Credit?

The most difficult and crucial part of the Double Entry
System is to know what information or data is to be entered
as a Debit and what information or data is to be entered as
a Credit.

I have known students who when they were starting to learn
accounting and bookkeeping would start by memorising what
to debit and what to credit.

The danger in this is, if they were to come across an item
that they have not come across before and have not
memorised it yet, they will not know what to do with it.

Do I debit or credit?

Everyone that I have taught bookkeeping, I have always
shown them a very simple way to remember this principle of
what to debit and what to credit.

All you have to remember is the D in Debit.

Now think of nothing else in terms of debit and credit.

Just relate D to DEPOSITS.

Right, now we take the example of the $100 Sales in Part 1.

When we receive the $100 cash what will we do?

We would of course DEPOSIT it into the bank.

So, we would DEBIT "Bank Account" and since it is a sale we
would Credit "Sales".

Is that simple enough?

Expanding on this rule, we now can say, since cash is
value, any value coming in would be a Debit.

We have seen the example of a cash sale.

Now let us look at a cash purchase or expense.

When we purchase or spend on something, anything, the value
coming in would be the item itself since cash is going out.

We therefore, debit the item's Account and credit "Cash
Account".

So we would debit, goods purchases, electricity paid, wages
and salaries, rental paid.

Sounds easy enough, but what happens when no Cash is
transacted.

The rule still applies, but the value in or out no longer
goes to Cash Account.

For example, if we were to sell goods to ABC Company on
credit and no cash were to come in, we would simply debit
"ABC Company" instead of "Cash Account".

Here "Cash Account" is substituted with what is known as a
"Debtor Account", in this case "ABC Company".

So the only thing to remember is that any "VALUE" coming in
is to be debited and the corresponding account is to be
credited.

----------------------------------------------------
I have been in Management since the 70s, IT since the 80s
and since the late 90s I began merging all my expertise
into Internet Businesses that includes Accounting Software,
Online Bookkeeping Services, Online Travel Booking System
and Online Shopping Catalog.
To view my products and services go to
http://www.multibizlink.com
To subscribe to any of my FREE tutorial, or for more
information on Bookkeeping email me at
rajaidris@multibizlink.com

Use Price Changes to Make Your Offerings More Appealing in Non-Price Ways

Use Price Changes to Make Your Offerings More Appealing in Non-Price Ways
In many product categories, having a somewhat higher price
is part of establishing a quality image in the minds of
those who buy and use the product. Companies which price
their products based on costs will often miss this point,
and hurt sales volume by having prices that are too low.
How can you use price and non-price methods to enhance the
sales and profits of your offerings?

In the 1970s, Kentucky Fried Chicken usually offered two
kinds of chicken, one produced according to Colonel
Sanders' original recipe and the other made like the
typical "crispy" fried chicken found throughout the
southern United States. Since the crispy chicken had been
offered, both products had been priced the same. The
thought behind this was that the company's competitors
usually sold their crispy products at lower prices, and the
less attention on the price differential the better.

The costs of the two products were such that the original
recipe was actually less expensive to make than the crispy
product. Colonel Sanders had done his homework. He had
designed the product to taste better and to be easier to
prepare. Some people in the company had been considering
cutting the price on original recipe. This would lessen the
price disparity with competitors.

The market research results showed something quite
different. Customers felt that the original recipe product
was a better offering, and thought that it was worth a
premium price. They reported being confused by why crispy
and original recipe were priced the same. They also had
some doubts about the quality of the crispy product, which
created doubts about the quality of original recipe if it
was sold at the same price.

A test was made of charging a five percent premium for
original recipe, along with putting a blue ribbon on the
containers. Volume both increased for original recipe and
for KFC. Consumers reported that the original recipe
quality rose. And it may well have. Knowing that customers
had to pay more for it, the cooks may have paid more
attention. This successful program ran for many years
before parity pricing between the two products was
reintroduced by a new management team.

Introducing a premium-priced brand can make a similar
positive impact on adding profitable market share. Black &
Decker found this out when it added the more expensive
DeWalt line of portable power tools. While many people who
do home-improvements want the least expensive product that
will get the job done, others take pride in their work and
enjoy having the feel and look of top quality tools while
they are working. And those tool lovers will happily pay a
hefty price premium for that sense of being well-tooled.

By offering both brands, Black & Decker can be more
competitive on price with those who care about that feature
of a product offering while being more competitive on image
and quality for those who are more sensitive about those
factors. As a result, the company was able to gain market
share and expand profits even faster.

Where can you use price changes to reinforce a quality
perception?

Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The Ultimate
Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.fastforward400.com .

5 Crucial Points on Working With Recruiters

5 Crucial Points on Working With Recruiters
Today's job hunter faces an increasingly confusing myriad
of choices about how to find that next opportunity, from
where to search for job openings, to how to create an
effective resume or even where to use it. However, there's
one mainstay of the job market that can pay off in huge
dividends for both employers and job seekers: using a
recruiter.

While most professionals are aware that recruiters work to
fill openings from their client companies, few fully
understand exactly how the process works.

Professionals who want to use recruiters as part of their
job search strategy should understand a few key points,
according to Audrey Spencer of ACBS Resource Management,
Inc. A recruiter who specializes in locating candidates
suitable for overseas positions, Spencer notes that one of
the biggest point of confusion centers around the
recruiter's loyalty to the client company over that of the
candidate.

"People often think a recruiter is working for them, and
will say 'That recruiter didn't do anything for me.' That's
when I ask - what did YOU pay the recruiter?" Spencer says.
A core fact of the relationship, she notes, is that the
recruiter is directly fulfilling the needs of the client
company-which is also the organization that pays the
recruiter's fees.

For this reason, she says, you will find some recruiters
may not respond unless a resume is a good fit for the job
orders on that recruiter's desk. Her recommendation?
Remember that you are your own headhunter and should always
put down as much information about your skills as possible.
Have a friend or spouse read your resume to see if they can
then describe your achievements in detail. If not, it's
time to revise it.

In addition, she notes, recruiters often look for very
specific skills per client request. As an example, Spencer
points to her client's strict requirements for junior-level
accountants who are finishing CPA certifications, willing
to make a two-year commitment for placement in Bermuda, and
meet immigration requirements, with an added plus for those
with Sarbanes-Oxley experience.

Spencer offered five additional tips on recruiter
interaction for job seekers, including:

1 - Remember professional courtesy. When you work with a
recruiter, be responsive, returning phone calls in a timely
manner, even if it's only to state that you're not
interested in the position.

Spencer says that you may run across situations where the
same recruiter will have a plum job that fits your
qualifications in a matter of months-and they will remember
your professionalism when it comes to approaching you
again. "Recruiters have very long memories," she says.

In addition, staying in touch over time, perhaps sending a
brief communication every few months, can let the recruiter
know that you are still in the game while maintaining your
network. Don't forget to ask the recruiter if you can pass
along his or her name to other qualified candidates.

2 - Know the difference between retained search and
contingency recruiting. Retained search arrangements are
established so that the recruiter can work exclusively on
that search for the client, where a contingency recruiter
is not exclusive to a search, and the client can be working
with more than one recruiter. Contingency recruiters, she
says, tend to have a higher volume of job orders as well.

Retained recruiters make an estimate of the fee, and bill
for a portion of the fee to initiate the engagement from
the client. Typically, Spencer says, companies that are
looking for very senior-level executives will use retained
search consultants or recruiters.

Remember, too, that when it comes to fees for either
contingency or retained searches, neither recruiters nor
consultants will accept fees from individuals that are
looking for jobs.

3 - Target your resume to the job opening. A general
resume, she says, doesn't tell the recruiter enough about
you for them to see a match between your background and the
client company's needs.

"If a recruiter asks you to add some information to your
resume, listen well," Spencer says, clarifying that there
are often years of perspective behind this advice, and
recruiters tend to know what employers are looking for.

4 - Remember that what you say online can travel-and fast.
Be careful how your opinions are presented, both online and
off. Spencer says she has seen blog postings where
currently employed professionals ask how to find a contact
inside another company.

Don't assume your employer isn't reading what you post, she
cautions, and be aware of who might be reading the blog, as
it is open to many people. She notes that recruiters, in
particular, tend to keep in touch with each other and
compare notes frequently.

5 - Not all recruiters have access to all jobs. "Just
because a company in your area has a job opening doesn't
mean that all recruiters are working with them," Spencer
says. Clients often have a preference for recruiters that
they may have worked with in the past.

In other words, contact other recruiters as needed who
source candidates in your field. This can expand your
network, and help you to spread the word about your search.

Overall, if you want to make the most out of your working
relationship with a recruiter, it's best to understand the
basics before proceeding. Remember that this is a
professional business contact that can serve you well-both
now, and for your future career advancement.

----------------------------------------------------
Resume expert Laura Smith-Proulx of An Expert Resume
(http://www.anexpertresume.com), author of three books on
resumes and job search, has attained a 98% success rate
winning interviews with techniques for a competitive edge
based on her expertise as a former recruiter. Get Laura's
FREE E-Course, "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep
You From Your Dream Job... and How to Avoid Them," at
http://www.anexpertresume.com/ecourse_signup.htm .

Overcome Objections - Would You Ever Pay $150.00 For A Bird Feeder?

Overcome Objections - Would You Ever Pay $150.00 For A Bird Feeder?
This article is intended to put the fear of low prices and
low priced competitors in perspective so you can sell more
and discount less. It is designed to share with you the
fact that your customers don't buy prices, they buy value
and they buy solutions. When we focus on price, we lose
control, we lose sales and we lose money. If you usually
discount or lose sales over price, we have good news for
you.

Take as an example, a bird feeder. This is a simple device
that holds seeds for birds. The inexpensive brands start at
about $9.00. There are hundreds on line and at big-box,
low-price stores like Walmart. If you sold bird feeders,
would you assume that most customers would have to get it
at the low Walmart price to buy? That is exactly the
assumption many of us make in our sales. If there is a
supplier at a low price, we assume our customers know and
will want to buy from them and that the lowest price is the
benchmark that all other prices are measured by.

Back to the bird feeder. I bought a bird feeder that cost
$150.00. Now before you offer me your swamp land in
Florida, let me explain why I did and why I am very happy
with my purchase. You see, I like birds but I don't like
squirrels. Squirrels don't sing, they eat a lot and they
are basically rats with fluffy tails. I tried a lot to get
rid of them but nothing was effective. Like your customers,
I was searching for a solution to a problem.

One day I saw a bird feeder with a motorized perch. When a
squirrel touches the perch, a motor starts and whips the
squirrel off the feeder. It's entertaining and safe, but
best of all, it got rid of my pesky squirrels. Now, this
feeder cost $150.00...that's 15 times what usual feeders
cost. Worse yet, I already had a perfectly good feeder that
I would have to throw away. It took me about 5 seconds to
make up my mind and make the purchase.

This example shows that you, me and your customers buy
solutions not price. If the problem is bad enough and the
solutions is good enough, price is not an issue. We all
need to concentrate on finding the problems our customers
want to solve and presenting a great solution.

There are a lot of skills in doing this. The words we use
are important, timing is essential and so is finding out
exactly what our customers want solved. Skills in
overcoming price and in presenting value and solutions are
worth developing and refining as they will pay dividends
for your entire career.

----------------------------------------------------
Sales training article discusses how to deal with price
objections and customer will pay any amount if there is a
value and a solution. It teaches how to sell for more and
technqiues required to close more and overcome price
objections. For more information on our DVD visit
http://www.pricedoesntmatter.com

Home Based Business Success Tips

Home Based Business Success Tips
We all know how much we love our businesses and what a joy
it is to be able to finally say, I own my own business and
then to actually start making money doing it. It's the
best! However, sometimes it's just hard to do. We've all
been there -- The biggest project of your business finally
comes your way, and that's when the entire family comes
down with the flu, including you. You land your dream
client, one that you've been after for months, if not
years, and then your inlaws call and say they are making a
surprise visit, they will be there tomorrow. Or how many
times has this happened- you finish a project with the
client eagerly waiting and in trying to send them the file,
your internet decides to go down.

So what's a successful entrepreneur to do? I think one of
the most important things to do is just realize, sometimes
it's going to be hard. And that's okay. Often I believe
we feel that because we finally own our own business, and
we work so hard for it, that we must be positive and happy
ALL the time. We don't. Hopefully the majority of the
time you will be, however, when things come up, it's AOK to
say, wow, this is tough and find support. Have an online
or offline buddy that you can go to and talk. Someone who
will say, hey it's going to be better; someone who knows
you and knows just the right thing to say to make it better.

It's also important to plan ahead. No, you can't tell when
the kids will get sick. However, you can plan and have a
back-up subcontractor so you can go straight to plan B.
The time to plan for this is before it happens, way before
you need it.

Here are a few tips I hope you find beneficial:

1) Find someone now who can help you with your business.
Send them work now so they become familiar with your needs.
Let them know that you will be using them on a sporadic
basis. You'll probably find that once you see how much
help they provide you use them a lot more than you thought,
but at least you know you have the support you need.

2) Computers - Hands up - who backed up their system last
week? Ouch!! Think about this, how would you feel if you
went to turn on the computer and it was blank, dead, gone.
That can and will happen. You need to back-up regularly
and you need to check those back-ups. One thing I recently
discovered is I backed up regularly to another computer.
However, I didn't know how to retrieve the documents I
backed up.

3) Internet down - Do you have a friend in the neighborhood
who also has a computer that you can use. How about the
local library. Most of the time you can wait it out,
however, for many of us if we do legal or medical
transcription, it's crucial to be able to get it there. I
once had an attorney preparing for the trial of the century
(at least he thought so). The case rested on me (at least
that's what he told me), and right when it was time to send
him all the pleadings, our phone went dead. (For all of
you wondering, we did pay the bill, it was a technical
problem). I immediately rushed over to my neighbors and
was able to send the documents. My client was none the
wiser.

4) Summertime - MOMS, tell the truth, it's hard. In the
summer with the kids home from school it's harder to run a
home-based business. They are bored. You are busy. And
just because the school bell rang its last toll, the work
still comes in. Here too you need to plan ahead. Two
words, Summer Camp! If you can't do summer camp, then
definitely get creative. Stock up on crafts at the Dollar
Store. Get Paint by Number Books and things that will take
time, and be fun. We have some fun ones at our site at
www.virtualwordpublishing.com.

Also, allow your children
to get creative. Get 3 ring notebooks and allow them to
write their own book adventures or design their own
magazines. Scissors, a few old magazines, paste and a
little imagination will go a long ways.

5) In laws - It's gonna happen. If you want to get busy in
your business, have company come in town. Guaranteed,
that's the time that you will be your busiest. I've been
in business for 23 years now, and it seems that every time
company comes into town, I get hit with a major rush. And
it doesn't get easier with the more years in business. But
one thing I do is plan ahead. Because I live in Florida
and get lots of company, I can't take time off every time.
However, what I can do is rotate and take time off with
different clients. That way I'm not working for all my
clients during that time. Also, if you don't have a
separate office, do something, anything to get a computer
in a room so you can close the doors and work. When they
see you there, to many it feels you are available. When
you work a 9-5, no one considers you home until 5:30.
However, when you happen to be in the same house, it's
often easy for them to think you can socialize.

These tips should help you survive and thrive in your
business even when times are tough.

----------------------------------------------------
Diana Ennen is the author of numerous books including
Virtual Assistant - The Series, Become a Highly Successful,
Sought After VA and accompanying Workbook. She specializes
in publicity and marketing and is president of Virtual Word
Publishing http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com . Stop by
for free booklets and reports on business startups.
Article is free to be reprinted as long as bio remains.

Coaching Your Employees Can Be Fun

Coaching Your Employees Can Be Fun
What is coaching? Coaching is a more enjoyable way to
interact with your employees. Like a coach of a sport's
team, you want to encourage your team, ensure they know how
to play, know the rules of the role, clarify any
misconceptions, and be there to listen and support them as
they grow in their job knowledge.

You are the manager and that includes coaching your staff.
Your primary focus is to set standards and guide your
employees to higher performance levels. It's about
reframing how you see your role as a manager from demanding
to coaching performance levels.

Coaching an employee includes knowing their skills, depth
of job knowledge and the basic gifts or talent they bring
to the table.

How do you do all of the above while under pressure to meet
the demands of the business? In a downsizing, streamlining
business world, managers also have other functional
responsibilities beside managing employees. With all this
responsibility, you just want your employees to perform and
do what they are supposed to do. Maybe you feel that you
are hand holding them and you can't afford to do that.
Coaching is not hand holding. Rather it is setting clear
standards and making sure each team member is doing their
best work. You have to spend time with your team in
order to maximize the potential of your players.

Even more significant, how do you do this when you never
learned how to manage? Not knowing how to manage, coaching
can be a bit intimidating in the beginning. Like a
beginner, start slowly and make small changes to how you
interact with your team. Don't expect to be a great
manager overnight. Rather focus on one step at a time.
Here are some ideas that can help you move forward:

How often do you recognize or praise them for doing good
work. If you see someone doing something that warrants
recognition, do you stop and let him or her how you
appreciate his or her work?

Since people are different, take the time to find out how
you can best help them perform better....by asking them.

Take one employee each week and watch their
performance.....how do they do their job, where do they
need some help, how do they interact with other members.
It can be overwhelming to watch everyone at the same time.
One person at a time can be interesting.....like putting
together the puzzle pieces.

Watch how your manager handles you.....are you getting what
you need to develop your management skills. If not, read
or take classes to become better at this role.

As each team member is different, so are managers different
in their styles of management. Coaching is fundamental in
the development of your management skills.

----------------------------------------------------
Pat Brill is the author of the blog "Managing Employees"
http://www.ManagingEmployees.net . You can reach her at
pat@TheInfoCrowd.com.

First Impressions Count: The Importance of a Top Class Exhibition

First Impressions Count: The Importance of a Top Class Exhibition
Every business wants to find a powerful and cost-effective
way to market their product.

For many, trade shows and exhibitions create the perfect
platform to do so, allowing businesses to interact with
large volumes of industry-focussed buyers in a short space
of time.

Whether you're looking to launch a new product, revive
sales of an existing product or raise your profile within
the sector, trade shows offer the ideal space to showcase
your brand.

But with so many organisations competing for attention in
the same space, it's important to set yours apart.

Investing in a top class exhibition stand that's tailored
around your product can make all the difference to its
success at a show. Here's how...

Maximum impact

The type of stand you have depends on your budget, the
space available and the nature of your product.

First time exhibitors on a limited budget often start with
standard shell scheme spaces, but these identical
structures make it extremely difficult to set your brand
apart from the others.

Modular units create much more impact and can be
instrumental in creating a buzz around your stand. They are
also more flexible. They can be custom-built and tailored
to match your corporate identity, or specifically designed
for re-use at future events - making them more
cost-effective in the long run.

Space and consistency

Building your stand around one central theme or message
creates the feeling of consistency and flowing design,
making it easier for visitors to stream through your space
and interact with your product.

Every aspect of your stand, including your exhibition
staff, should compliment that theme.

It's also important to ensure there are no physical
barriers to getting onto your stand - think about how you
arrange your stock and sales materials so that they're easy
to reach and don't obstruct access.

Displaying too many products can confuse and overwhelm
visitors, so try to keep it simple and uncluttered by
selecting only key products or ranges.

Attracting customers

In a busy exhibition hall, sellers have less than five
seconds to attract a buyer's attention. In that time, your
stand should tell visitors who you are, what you do and how
it will benefit them, in a clear, powerful and engaging way.

It's often harder to maintain their attention once they're
on your stand, but there are several things you can do to
stimulate interest.

For example, stands which allow space for movement through
demonstrations and presentations often attract the highest
level of participation and the largest crowds.

Incorporating visually-engaging materials such as
state-of-the-art digital imaging is also a popular choice
on top-of-the-range stands.

Lighting is equally important as it creates the right mood
around your product, so give careful consideration to the
lighting design and ensure it reflects your product's
appeal.

More complex products and services that are less obvious to
passing consumers will need a more vibrant design scheme to
attract initial interest, and this can be achieved through
striking use of colour and graphics.

The benefits of investing in a custom-built stand are
significant, and provide a powerful and cost-effective
selling aid that can be adapted and re-used time and time
again.

----------------------------------------------------
Exhibitions are a great way of getting your message across
to your 'public', but you need to do it the right way, and
your prime weapon is your exhibition stand. Get this wrong
and you are handicapped from the start. This article
provides some thoughts on the subject but if you want more
information and ideas, visit
http://www.fullcirclegroup.co.uk

Are Your Meals 50% Deductible or 100% Deductible?

Are Your Meals 50% Deductible or 100% Deductible?
There are several specific rules to determine if a meal is
a legitimate business expense. These specific rules
include meeting the business purpose requirement and the
ordinary and necessary requirement. In this article, it's
assumed that the meal has met these requirements and is
indeed a business expense.

*General Rule

Meals are generally 50% deductible. This means when a
business pays for a meal, only 50% of that amount is
deducted on the tax return. It's extremely important to
know the exceptions to this rule because some meals are
100% deductible!

Meals that are 50% deductible include:

- Meals with clients, customers and vendors.
- Meals with employees
- Meals with partners, shareholders and directors
- Meals during business travel
- Meals while attending a business seminar or convention

**Exception to the Rule (This is a great exception!)

Some meals are 100% deductible! These meals include:

- Meals for the business holiday party or other social
event (like the company picnic).

Office snacks provided to employees at the office. This may
include coffee, soda, water, candy, donuts, and similar
snacks.

Meals provided on the employer's premises to more than half
of the employees for the convenience of the employer. An
example of this is when a business provides meals to
employees in order to keep them working weekends or working
later than usual. This is for the employer's convenience to
keep the employees at the office.

Meals for which the business is reimbursed for the expense.
For example, if a business takes a client to lunch and then
bills the client for that lunch in a separate line item on
the invoice, then the business can fully deduct that meal.

Ever wonder why some accountant or attorney invoices show
the meals expense as a separate line item? Because it
makes the meal expense fully deductible to them and makes
it 50% deductible to the client! Be careful if you are on
the receiving end of this invoice!

If the meal expense is not specifically itemized on the
invoice (and just lumped into the service fee), then the
meal is only 50% deductible to the business and 100%
deductible to the client.

*Important Tip: When it comes to preparing your tax
return, it's easy to forget which meals met the
requirements to be 100% deductible. And if your tax
preparer has never asked you this it most likely means all
of your meals are being subject to the 50% limitation !
It's best to capture this information when you actually
have the meal. You can do this by setting up two meal
expense accounts in your books:

Meals - 50% deductible
Meals - 100% deductible

Simply code it the proper account when you enter it in your
accounting program (such as QuickBooks). Then it's all
ready for your tax preparer with no additional work!

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

Shopping - One Of The Best Leisure Activities

Shopping - One Of The Best Leisure Activities
Women and shopping are two inseparable factors that are
knitted together closely wit each other. Shopping is an
experience in itself that relaxes as well as rejuvenates
the women in the most fantastic way. Shopping is also
called as one of the most effective stress busters that
combat the problems such as depression, tensions and
emotional fluctuations. But this renowned activity requires
certain skills so that women end up doing the most
profitable deal for themselves.

So if you are interested in learning great facts about
shopping then keep reading on and learn exciting stuff.
Here are presented some of the most valuable tips for doing
shopping smartly and that can serve the purpose in the best
ever possible manner:

- Whenever you go for shopping, make sure the thing you are
looking for, whether it is outfit, jewelry, shoes or
anything suits you well. This is considered the essence of
the true fashionista. It should give your look the fusion
of elegance, smartness as well as appeal. Always be honest
to your body structure and choose the things that look
great upon you. Also take care of the complexion factor and
go for things that suit you well according to your skin
tone.

- It is always wise to get access to the names of the sales
associates. These sales associates can provide oceans of
information about the upcoming sales. This way you can
avail heavy discounts on different products and save pools
of your hard earned money.

- Nowadays a vast array of renowned stores and outlets
offer special coupons, notifications and invitations for
the new products. These pieces of information can be easily
and readily assessed through the Internet. One of the
biggest benefits of such valuable information is that you
can avail heavy discounts on the newly launched trendy
things and add a touch of enthusiasm in your life.

- Another useful tip for shopping is that always make a
list for the things to be bought. This way you can minimize
unwanted and undesirable inefficiency while shopping and
end up enjoying your favorite activity with a focused
vision.

- One can get more inclined towards designer outlets as
this can help you immensely in saving bundles of your
money. The fact of the matter is that designer outlets
offer attractive discounts at the different things which
provide the customers with the scope for getting the "in"
things at the most reasonable prices.

- It is always better to pay your bills in cash as this
will let you minimize the hassles related to credit-card
bill and you can enjoy better satisfaction while shopping.

- Nowadays many stores provide the facility of signing up
the newsletter. The advantage attached with this amenity is
that you get free fashion tips as well as up-to-date
notifications about the latest and hottest sales.

So make use of these highly valuable shopping tips and
enjoy the leisure activity of shopping with a difference.
So, what are you waiting yourself? Get yourself indulged in
smart shopping. Happy Shopping!

----------------------------------------------------
The article is written by Nor Nan. Please visit following
websites for more information:
http://www.newretailmarket.com
http://www.cellphonefair.com

Coaching Skills Training: Mind the gap!

Coaching Skills Training: Mind the gap!
If people are not performing to their potential something
will be missing in terms of their own knowledge, skills or
attitude. In other words, there will be a performance gap.

Where the performance gap is to do with knowledge:

Coaching is of little use where a person needs to develop
their performance by acquiring knowledge; coaching can not
tease out what is not actually there.

For example, it would clearly be absurd for a driving
instructor to take a pupil on a first lesson and ask "How
might you press those pedals in sequence to bring about
some forward movement?" The pupil would have no idea
because in the first instance they need some input, some
knowledge that they can begin to use and develop.

In such cases we are obliged to adopt a Tell style although
we must recognize its drawbacks and look to move towards a
coaching style as soon as the people we coach have enough
knowledge to become responsible for developing their own
learning from that point. Many coaches make the mistake
of trying to coach where the development need is one of
knowledge and invariably the coaching session breaks down
and leaves both parties feeling frustrated and confused by
the coaching process.

Where coaching can be useful is in helping people think
through for themselves the ways in which they might go
about filling their knowledge gaps.

Where the performance gap is to do with skills:

In any sphere of work there will be a body of knowledge
needed to perform well in a job and a set of skills
necessary to put that knowledge to good use. The key to
developing good skills is practise. If I wanted to develop
my skills as a public speaker I could read every book ever
written on the subject but I would not begin to become a
good public speaker until I had got on my feet and began to
practise the skills of positioning, hand gestures, speech
variance and so on.

Coaching can be very useful here as although it cannot
replace the time needed for practise it can help people to
decide exactly what their practise priorities should be and
how they are going to get the most from any practise
session.

In trying to develop my presentation skills, I might
practise positioning my visual aides and asking audience
questions because the books I read suggested these were key
aspects of successful presenting. However, my coach may
help me realise that in fact my last presentation didn't go
as well as I hoped because I ran out of time and was
rushed at the end. Much better then, for me to practise
pacing my delivery and designing flexible material.

Where the performance gap is to do with attitude:

Coaching comes in to its own as a development tool where
individuals have a decent level of knowledge and skills but
for some reason are not putting them to good use.

Of course this may be because they have become
disillusioned with the work or the organization and are
looking for an opportunity to leave. If this is the case
it might be best for both parties to part company and
perhaps we could offer coaching as a way for people in this
position to decide on their next steps.

Quite often though people are not harnessing their
knowledge and skills because they have lost sight of what
they are trying to achieve or have some limiting beliefs
that say 'I'm just not good enough' or 'it's a young
person's world these days' or 'they'd never take me
seriously' etc.

Coaching is a wonderful remedy to such problems because it
quickly enables people to regain focus. Focus means being
free form distractions and we focus most easily on what we
find compelling. If you've ever watched a cat toy with a
mouse or an insect or watched a child play with a toy
they find fascinating you'll know that this is true.

Some people confuse focus with effort but this is not the
case. In fact if we try too hard we tend to get uptight and
tired. We begin to develop a fear of failure and our
endeavours become totally unenjoyable.

We can develop a quality of focus quite easily by noticing
what we notice. If for example I discover in a coaching
session that I tend to lose eye contact with an audience
when giving a presentation, then I should try to note how
often it happens next time. The likelihood is it will be
far less because I will be far more focused.

Hopefully you can see that this is very different to
someone suggesting that I 'don't lose eye contact'. Such
well-meaning advice will simply increase pressure and
probably produce mistakes in other aspects of my
presentation.

Focus is a very tenuous thing and we can be distracted
quite easily. Especially from things we do not really enjoy
(compare reading a novel with a textbook).

Coaching is effective because it works with what the person
being coached finds most interesting and promotes
ever-deeper levels of focus, and consequently awareness.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. His popular
mini-guide "Coaching for an Easier Life" is available FREE
at http://www.mattsomers.com

Your Suppliers Are Your Partners

Your Suppliers Are Your Partners
Forging strong relationships with your suppliers can be
critical to the success of your company. And like any
relationship you need to embrace building and strengthening
that relationship. You may only see yourself as a customer
and them as a vendor but your relationship can be much more
than that. You may say that there are other suppliers out
there and that may well be true but will having to start
all over give you more value or less. And if you do a lot
of business with other small companies will a big company
appreciate you as much as that fellow small business does.
Your relationships are not something that should be
overlooked.

Relationship building in business never ends but it starts
on that first day when your dream is born. When you take
your concept and begin to turn it into reality. And no
matter what type of business you are in you will need
suppliers of one sort or another. Whether it is for your
phone service, landlord, banker, or a soft drink supplier.
Everyone you buy something from whether it is a product or
service is a form of supplier. Now obviously some suppliers
will only require limited contact, and going to your local
office supply store and buying something won't provide
opportunities to build a meaningful relationship but plenty
of opportunities will present themselves.

Many of those opportunities will come through phone calls
with sales representatives. This can turn into sit down
meetings with them. Many times they'll come to the office
for a visit. One of my standard practices has always been
to get to know the sales reps that come to visit. And
whether you need something from them or not ask them to
drop buy. The better they know you the more they will
appreciate your business with them. Especially if they've
worked for the same company for many years. I've always
made it a point to show them around our facility. So that
they could get a feel for what we do and where we're going.
I've always made sure to tell them how much I appreciate
working with them and that I'm glad they're along for the
ride. Using the saying my success is your success may sound
kind of cliché but it has always been the point I
was trying to make. My suppliers are my partners and with
they're help I can succeed. And my business can thrive.

You do need to remember that you're still their customer
and they will look out for their own best interests first
just as you would yours. So when you are on the lookout for
new suppliers especially in the first months of your
company's existence you need to be diligent when searching
for vendors. Especially if they're going to be critical to
your existence by supplying something you have to have that
few companies offer.

So you need to realize that just as your relationship with
your customers is important so to is the relationship with
your suppliers. Because when you need something in a hurry,
or you need to stretch a payment out a little, or you have
a large job that won't pay for awhile and you need special
terms they'll be more willing to listen to you if they know
you by more than a customer number. In business all your
relationships are important.

----------------------------------------------------
Cash Miller is an experienced entrepreneur and speaker who
has spent over a decade as a small business owner. His
years of experience in small business cover such topics as
planning, management, marketing, human resources,
ecommerce, and taxation. If you are looking for more
information on this subject and others related to starting
and running a small business you can visit his website at
http://www.SmallBusinessDelivered.com

Your Suppliers Are Your Partners

Your Suppliers Are Your Partners
Forging strong relationships with your suppliers can be
critical to the success of your company. And like any
relationship you need to embrace building and strengthening
that relationship. You may only see yourself as a customer
and them as a vendor but your relationship can be much more
than that. You may say that there are other suppliers out
there and that may well be true but will having to start
all over give you more value or less. And if you do a lot
of business with other small companies will a big company
appreciate you as much as that fellow small business does.
Your relationships are not something that should be
overlooked.

Relationship building in business never ends but it starts
on that first day when your dream is born. When you take
your concept and begin to turn it into reality. And no
matter what type of business you are in you will need
suppliers of one sort or another. Whether it is for your
phone service, landlord, banker, or a soft drink supplier.
Everyone you buy something from whether it is a product or
service is a form of supplier. Now obviously some suppliers
will only require limited contact, and going to your local
office supply store and buying something won't provide
opportunities to build a meaningful relationship but plenty
of opportunities will present themselves.

Many of those opportunities will come through phone calls
with sales representatives. This can turn into sit down
meetings with them. Many times they'll come to the office
for a visit. One of my standard practices has always been
to get to know the sales reps that come to visit. And
whether you need something from them or not ask them to
drop buy. The better they know you the more they will
appreciate your business with them. Especially if they've
worked for the same company for many years. I've always
made it a point to show them around our facility. So that
they could get a feel for what we do and where we're going.
I've always made sure to tell them how much I appreciate
working with them and that I'm glad they're along for the
ride. Using the saying my success is your success may sound
kind of cliché but it has always been the point I
was trying to make. My suppliers are my partners and with
they're help I can succeed. And my business can thrive.

You do need to remember that you're still their customer
and they will look out for their own best interests first
just as you would yours. So when you are on the lookout for
new suppliers especially in the first months of your
company's existence you need to be diligent when searching
for vendors. Especially if they're going to be critical to
your existence by supplying something you have to have that
few companies offer.

So you need to realize that just as your relationship with
your customers is important so to is the relationship with
your suppliers. Because when you need something in a hurry,
or you need to stretch a payment out a little, or you have
a large job that won't pay for awhile and you need special
terms they'll be more willing to listen to you if they know
you by more than a customer number. In business all your
relationships are important.

----------------------------------------------------
Cash Miller is an experienced entrepreneur and speaker who
has spent over a decade as a small business owner. His
years of experience in small business cover such topics as
planning, management, marketing, human resources,
ecommerce, and taxation. If you are looking for more
information on this subject and others related to starting
and running a small business you can visit his website at
http://www.SmallBusinessDelivered.com

Benefits of Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search and Career Networking

Benefits of Using LinkedIn for Your Job Search and Career Networking
If you are a business person and you are online, you have
surely heard of LinkedIn. In fact, with 19 million users
around the globe, the odds are good that you have already
created your own LinkedIn account.

What exactly is LinkedIn? It is an online network of people
all over the world. While technically, it is one of many
social networking sites on the web, LinkedIn is probably
the best know and most widely used business networking
site. Additionally, while it has similarities to well-known
social networking sites such as MySpace, there are also
fundamental differences that make it much more useful for
business purposes.

So, the next question, of course, might reasonably be,
"What exactly is a business networking site?" And more
precisely, "Why should I even care and how can it benefit
me?" If you are asking these questions, you are definitely
not alone! While there are huge numbers of people creating
LinkedIn accounts and building their networks, there are
relatively few who are getting the optimal benefit out of
their effort.

According to LinkedIn's own explanation, the mission of
LinkedIn is "to help you be more effective in your daily
work and open doors to opportunities using the professional
relationships you already have."

Even if you are not conducting a current job search, for
ongoing career management and personal branding efforts,
any tool that can help you network more effectively and
efficiently should be of great interest. Again, in
LinkedIn's own words:

"When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your
professional accomplishments. Your profile helps you find
and be found by former colleagues, clients, and partners.
You can add more connections by inviting trusted contacts
to join LinkedIn and connect to you.

Your network consists of your connections, your
connections' connections, and the people they know, linking
you to thousands of qualified professionals." Through
LinkedIn, then, you can search for jobs, you can easily
make personal "inside" connections in relation to job
opportunities, you can promote your personal brand and
qualifications and be found and pursued for job
opportunities, and you can form relationships that are
critical to your career success and progression.

But remember, effective networking requires reciprocity
through developing and nurturing win-win relationships.
Through LinkedIn, you will also have the opportunity to
help out those in your own network, answering questions,
providing relevant leads, and helping them make connections
to further whatever their goals are.

In the definitive guide to using LinkedIn for business and
career management purposes, "I'm On LinkedIn: Now What?"
Jason Alba explains that there are six major benefits to
using LinkedIn:

1) The ability to be known and enhance your personal brand

2) The ability to be found by recruiters or other hiring
authorities

3) The ability to find others and make important connections

4) The opportunity to learn and share

5) The ability to connect with group members

6) The opportunity to show you are plugged in to current
technology

If you already have a LinkedIn account and have an
established network in place. Let me urge you to take a
closer look at how you are using it. Have you fully
explored the features and benefits? Have you enhanced your
profile? Have you joined any Groups? Participated by
answering the questions of those in your network? LinkedIn
is an excellent and very effective networking tool, but
only if you use it!

If you have an established a LinkedIn account, but have
just let it sit, unused, now is the time to log on and
learn how to get the maximum benefit from it. Now-before
you are actively job searching-is the best time to work on
building up and cultivating your network. And, if you are
new to LinkedIn and haven't yet created an account, there
is no better time than the present! The more professionals
that use LinkedIn, the more effective it will be.

Happy networking!

----------------------------------------------------
Certified resume writer and personal branding strategist,
Michelle Dumas http://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledumas is
the director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through
Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her
Executive VIP Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com

Michelle has empowered thousands of professionals all
across the U.S. and worldwide.

Strategic Marketing vs. Tactical Marketing

Strategic Marketing vs. Tactical Marketing
Most businesses have both a strategic marketing plan and a
tactical marketing plan, and it is important to keep these
two platforms separate. People often mistakenly assume that
when you talk about marketing, you're speaking of
"tactical" marketing, which consists of placing ads,
generating leads, sending out mailers and brochures, etc.
However, strategic marketing focuses on the message and
communication of the message. Simply put, tactical
marketing is the execution of your marketing plan - the
medium by which your message is delivered, and strategic
marketing focuses on the content of your message—what
you say and to whom you say it.

The key difference is the focus on making sure overall
customer situations mesh with your overall company
direction. Not to get distracted, or veer off course of
your overall company direction, but at every step of
development for your strategic plan, and execution of your
plan, that you are indeed on course of what the overall
vision and goals of the company are.

Content vs. Execution

Many companies try to figure out how to sell more before
they find out how to provide a solution to their consumers'
needs. The procedure for accomplishing this is exactly the
same every single time, for every kind of business. It is
the advertiser's job to pay attention to human nature, to
research human nature, and to have some insight into how
people make their purchasing decisions. Strategically,
marketing programs and advertising should get the attention
of target market prospects and facilitate their
decision-making. This lowers their risk for taking the next
step in the buying process. By understanding what's
important to your target market, you can then put together
a strategy that gets more qualified prospects to call,
reduces your sales cycle, and increases your conversion
ratios. After the strategy is in place, the tactical
execution simply consists of testing and implementing your
strategic plan. Business-to-business Strategic Marketing

There is a business-to-business aspect to many companies,
in which case these business-to-business transactions count
as customer situation. For marketing to businesses who are
your clients and customers, this means combining industry
sector segmentation and product use with other factors
related to purchasing decisions. For example, this would
include purchase criteria and decision motivations that
effect larger, enterprise sized purchases. In this case,
part of your strategic marketing plan is to build strong,
personal relationships with these larger businesses, and
focus on providing customized service, products and even
anticipate the needs of your business clients. Although a
business is obviously a larger entity than a single
customer, many of the same principles prevail; the most
important being a keen sense of service, and making them
feel they are important and that you pay special attention
to them.

A strategic marketing plan encompasses developing a
message, and developing the best way to communicate this
message—and contemplates the best strategy to deal
with communicating this message. Tactical marketing is
important as it executes the strategic plan, but it is
important to keep these two subjects divided as you develop
a successful marketing plan for your company.

----------------------------------------------------
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic
Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers
business owners to discover and implement Integration,
Alliance, and Joint Venture marketing tactics to solve
specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create
your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your
sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
Contact: christian@christianfea.com
http://www.christianfea.com

Strategic Marketing vs. Tactical Marketing

Strategic Marketing vs. Tactical Marketing
Most businesses have both a strategic marketing plan and a
tactical marketing plan, and it is important to keep these
two platforms separate. People often mistakenly assume that
when you talk about marketing, you're speaking of
"tactical" marketing, which consists of placing ads,
generating leads, sending out mailers and brochures, etc.
However, strategic marketing focuses on the message and
communication of the message. Simply put, tactical
marketing is the execution of your marketing plan - the
medium by which your message is delivered, and strategic
marketing focuses on the content of your message—what
you say and to whom you say it.

The key difference is the focus on making sure overall
customer situations mesh with your overall company
direction. Not to get distracted, or veer off course of
your overall company direction, but at every step of
development for your strategic plan, and execution of your
plan, that you are indeed on course of what the overall
vision and goals of the company are.

Content vs. Execution

Many companies try to figure out how to sell more before
they find out how to provide a solution to their consumers'
needs. The procedure for accomplishing this is exactly the
same every single time, for every kind of business. It is
the advertiser's job to pay attention to human nature, to
research human nature, and to have some insight into how
people make their purchasing decisions. Strategically,
marketing programs and advertising should get the attention
of target market prospects and facilitate their
decision-making. This lowers their risk for taking the next
step in the buying process. By understanding what's
important to your target market, you can then put together
a strategy that gets more qualified prospects to call,
reduces your sales cycle, and increases your conversion
ratios. After the strategy is in place, the tactical
execution simply consists of testing and implementing your
strategic plan. Business-to-business Strategic Marketing

There is a business-to-business aspect to many companies,
in which case these business-to-business transactions count
as customer situation. For marketing to businesses who are
your clients and customers, this means combining industry
sector segmentation and product use with other factors
related to purchasing decisions. For example, this would
include purchase criteria and decision motivations that
effect larger, enterprise sized purchases. In this case,
part of your strategic marketing plan is to build strong,
personal relationships with these larger businesses, and
focus on providing customized service, products and even
anticipate the needs of your business clients. Although a
business is obviously a larger entity than a single
customer, many of the same principles prevail; the most
important being a keen sense of service, and making them
feel they are important and that you pay special attention
to them.

A strategic marketing plan encompasses developing a
message, and developing the best way to communicate this
message—and contemplates the best strategy to deal
with communicating this message. Tactical marketing is
important as it executes the strategic plan, but it is
important to keep these two subjects divided as you develop
a successful marketing plan for your company.

----------------------------------------------------
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic
Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers
business owners to discover and implement Integration,
Alliance, and Joint Venture marketing tactics to solve
specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create
your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your
sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
Contact: christian@christianfea.com
http://www.christianfea.com

A Checklist to Properly Document Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses

A Checklist to Properly Document Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses
One thing you can always count on during an audit is a
request for documentation supporting meals and
entertainment expenses. The IRS has found that these
expenses are heavily abused and are an easy way to generate
additional tax revenue, not to mention additional revenue
from penalties and interest.

You don't have to spend a lot of time reading tax cases to
find one where meals and entertainment expenses were
disallowed specifically because of improper documentation.

*Here are a few examples from recent cases:

The taxpayer's business meal expenses did not satisfy the
substantiation requirements because they did not include
the taxpayer's relationship to the parties involved or
specify the business purposes of the meals.

The taxpayer's meals and entertainment deductions were
disallowed because the taxpayer couldn't provide anything
to tie the deductions to specific copies of receipts,
checks, or other documents. Plus, in the few records the
taxpayer did provide, there were duplications and other
irregularities in the records making them unreliable
altogether.

A spreadsheet listing the numbers the taxpayer put on his
return was insufficient to substantiate or use to
reconstruct business expenses for meals and entertainment.

This means that even if a meal or entertainment expense is
perfectly legitimate, it can be disallowed if the
documentation is not proper!

How to Protect Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses:

In my teachings, I dedicate an entire session to Travel,
Meals and Entertainment. One of the strategies I share is
how to use the IRS rules to make money on your meals and
entertainment by turning your current non-deductible
expenses into legal tax deductions. One of the key parts
to making this strategy work is protecting your meals and
entertainment deductions by keeping proper documentation.

Use this short checklist for all of your meals and
entertainment expenses and your deductions will be well
protected:

____ Amount of each separate expense

____ Date of expense

____ Location of expense

____ Business purpose of expense

____ Names and business relationship of the people involved

It may seem like quite a bit for each and every meal and
entertainment expense, but here are a few ways to make this
process very simple:

Get a receipt! The first 3 items - amount, date and
location - are usually printed on the receipt. Then simply
write the remaining 2 items - business purpose, names and
business relationship on the receipt.

I always recommend scanning your receipts so you have an
electronic copy. Many receipts tend to fade in just a year
so your documentation could disappear! A scanned copy
won't fade and can help reduce the clutter of receipts.

If you don't get a receipt, then document all of the items
listed above (either write them down or type them up) and
then attach support for the payment. Here are a few
examples:

If you paid by check, attach a copy of the check and your
bank statement showing it cleared your bank account.

If you paid by debit or credit card, attach a copy of your
bank or credit card statement showing the debit or charge.

If you paid by cash, try your best to get a receipt!
Otherwise, make sure your documentation is precise and make
sure a very small percentage of your expenses fall into
this category of paid by cash and no receipt.

**Important Tip!

Don't force it! If a meal or entertainment expense doesn't
meet the business purpose requirement because it was a
personal expense, then don't deduct it. If the IRS finds
personal expenses being deducted, then all of your other
expenses will be heavily scrutinized, putting your
legitimate deductions at risk for the slightest reason.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

A Checklist to Properly Document Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses

A Checklist to Properly Document Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses
One thing you can always count on during an audit is a
request for documentation supporting meals and
entertainment expenses. The IRS has found that these
expenses are heavily abused and are an easy way to generate
additional tax revenue, not to mention additional revenue
from penalties and interest.

You don't have to spend a lot of time reading tax cases to
find one where meals and entertainment expenses were
disallowed specifically because of improper documentation.

*Here are a few examples from recent cases:

The taxpayer's business meal expenses did not satisfy the
substantiation requirements because they did not include
the taxpayer's relationship to the parties involved or
specify the business purposes of the meals.

The taxpayer's meals and entertainment deductions were
disallowed because the taxpayer couldn't provide anything
to tie the deductions to specific copies of receipts,
checks, or other documents. Plus, in the few records the
taxpayer did provide, there were duplications and other
irregularities in the records making them unreliable
altogether.

A spreadsheet listing the numbers the taxpayer put on his
return was insufficient to substantiate or use to
reconstruct business expenses for meals and entertainment.

This means that even if a meal or entertainment expense is
perfectly legitimate, it can be disallowed if the
documentation is not proper!

How to Protect Your Meals and Entertainment Expenses:

In my teachings, I dedicate an entire session to Travel,
Meals and Entertainment. One of the strategies I share is
how to use the IRS rules to make money on your meals and
entertainment by turning your current non-deductible
expenses into legal tax deductions. One of the key parts
to making this strategy work is protecting your meals and
entertainment deductions by keeping proper documentation.

Use this short checklist for all of your meals and
entertainment expenses and your deductions will be well
protected:

____ Amount of each separate expense

____ Date of expense

____ Location of expense

____ Business purpose of expense

____ Names and business relationship of the people involved

It may seem like quite a bit for each and every meal and
entertainment expense, but here are a few ways to make this
process very simple:

Get a receipt! The first 3 items - amount, date and
location - are usually printed on the receipt. Then simply
write the remaining 2 items - business purpose, names and
business relationship on the receipt.

I always recommend scanning your receipts so you have an
electronic copy. Many receipts tend to fade in just a year
so your documentation could disappear! A scanned copy
won't fade and can help reduce the clutter of receipts.

If you don't get a receipt, then document all of the items
listed above (either write them down or type them up) and
then attach support for the payment. Here are a few
examples:

If you paid by check, attach a copy of the check and your
bank statement showing it cleared your bank account.

If you paid by debit or credit card, attach a copy of your
bank or credit card statement showing the debit or charge.

If you paid by cash, try your best to get a receipt!
Otherwise, make sure your documentation is precise and make
sure a very small percentage of your expenses fall into
this category of paid by cash and no receipt.

**Important Tip!

Don't force it! If a meal or entertainment expense doesn't
meet the business purpose requirement because it was a
personal expense, then don't deduct it. If the IRS finds
personal expenses being deducted, then all of your other
expenses will be heavily scrutinized, putting your
legitimate deductions at risk for the slightest reason.

----------------------------------------------------
Tom Wheelwright is not only the founder and CEO of
Provision, but he is the creative force behind Provision
Wealth Strategists. In addition to his management
responsibilities, Tom likes to coach clients on wealth,
business, and tax strategies. Along with his frequent
seminars on these strategies, Tom is an adjunct professor
in the Masters of Tax program at Arizona State University.
For more information please visit
http://www.provisionwealth.com

Start a Conversation With Your Customers

Start a Conversation With Your Customers
The secret to making people sit up and take notice of you
and your company is to identify and address the problems
they are facing. This is really the only way that you'll
get their attention and any resulting action on their part.

Sure, people may take a second glance at your flashy
brochure or your great looking website, but they won't
"stop to have a conversation" if you haven't shown them
that you understand their needs and wants, and have a
solution to offer.

The first stage in trying to form a relationship is usually
to approach someone and offer a simple smile or hello -
establish some contact. It's the same with a marketing
relationship - you want to give people an opportunity to
"get to know" you.

At this stage in your marketing, your goal is to have
people notice you so that you can start introducing
yourself. Use everything from your business card to your
web site to direct mail to free speaking engagements, and
start attracting attention.

Don't expect people though, to immediately call you up and
book an appointment with you or purchase your products
right away. Some might, but the majority of people need
time to get to know you and to feel comfortable with you
and what you're offering.

Prospective clients also need to be convinced of the value
of your services. How can you convince them without
actually "doing" the service for them so they can see the
great results you provide?

The best way is to provide a sampler - you know, like they
do at your local supermarket and liquor store. Not too many
people pass those little freebies by. It doesn't cost them
anything and there are no strings attached to purchase.

You can accomplish the same thing with your business by
offering something like a report that allows them to "test
drive" the benefits of your services or products. Just make
sure the free give-away addresses a key concern or issue
your prospect is experiencing and gives a suggested
solution - one that your service provides.

There are lots of marketing tactics you can use to offer
people a taste of your products and services - an
introduction to you and your business:

* teleseminar

* ebook

* special report

* audio e-course

* tip sheet

* complimentary consultation

* introductory seminar

* an online assessment

* mini-course

* ezine or newsletter

* self-evaluation test

* articles

Offering something of value for free is a very important
step in marketing. It is a way of introducing yourself to
prospective clients in a non-intrusive, friendly manner.
People are naturally more cautious and skeptical these days
so you need to make it as easy as possible for them to get
to know you at their pace - which will be different for
each person.

The thing that many businesses forget to do with this free
give-away is to ask for the prospect's name and email
address. These people have indicated an interest in finding
out more about you by asking for your "sampler" and you can
offer it in exchange for their name and email address.

In this day and age of internet selling and buying, the
majority of people are comfortable with giving you this
information. Once you have this information you will now be
able to continue developing the relationship with these
prospects and moving them through the other steps in your
marketing process.

This simple step let's you get around having to ask
prospects to make a big initial commitment by contacting
you directly. All you're doing is simply offering them an
introduction and an invitation to start a conversation.

----------------------------------------------------
Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, delivers
simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to
help business owners find and keep their most profitable
clients. To learn more about how she can help you take your
business to the next level, and to sign up for her FREE
special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at
http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com