Branding - Make Your Business Unforgettable

Branding - Make Your Business Unforgettable
The branding of your business identity will increase public
awareness of your company. By being "brand aware", you
will provide a higher level of consistency and continuity
in your advertising and marketing materials, and you will
become more memorable in prospective clients' minds.

It is important to carry the same theme, message, and
"feel" throughout all of your marketing and promotional
materials so that your company is easily recognized. The
goal of consistent branding of a market identity is to make
your company and its products stand out from others, and
are easily recognizable.

Make Your Visual Identity Unforgettable

Your marketing materials represent you and your company
when you are not present. With an effective visual
identity, every letter, business card, and brochure you
present serves as a mini billboard for your company.

Do your marketing materials draw a second glance? Do they
create interest that someone receiving them will be
interested in reading further what you have to say or
learning more about you? Your graphic image needs to be
unique, attractive, and full of impact. Make it stand out
from all the other symbols and designs in the marketplace.
Be consistent in portrayal of your design throughout ALL of
your marketing materials!

Collect some of your competitors' marketing materials and
study them. What do you like or dislike about them? Are
they interesting? Can you create a design that stands out
from theirs?

What's Your Name?

Your company name is the centerpiece of the identity of
your business. It is the first thing that you hope "pops"
into peoples' minds when they need a product or service you
provide. Avoid names that are:

Vague - like ABC Associates, Moonlighting, Inc. (what do
they do?)

Similar - Joe's Restaurant, Mike's Restaurant (I forgot
which one I liked!)

Forgettable - not easily recalled, such as Executron

Hard to spell or pronounce - Hors De'ouvres Catering (You
try it!)

Sounds bad - Poo Poo Catering (No explanantion required!)

Your name needs to clearly identity what you do. If it
does not, it has little marketing value. If people have to
make notes on your business card, that's a sign that your
business name and business cards do not clearly identify
what you do.

Creating a Recognizable Company Identity

When creating a recognizable brand for your company,
consider the following:

* Who are you trying to attract?

* What is your vision of how you want to be perceived?

*What do you want people to think of you?

* What five attributes best describe you?

* Do you have a tag line for your business that is
benefit-driven, inspirational, and descriptive.

* Do your marketing materials convey the image you want
them to? * What colors describe your company?
(Green-ecological; Gold-finance; Blue-water, Red-high
energy)

Be Unique

You can also differentiate your marketing materials from
your competitors' in several ways. Some examples include:

* Classy - Present marketing materials in a custom-
designed folder with gold leaf lettering rather than a
plain two-pocket.

* Mini billboard - Don't waste valuable real estate! Print
additional information on the backside of your business
card. Or, use a custom-designed and sized card. Example:
for a personal chef your business card can be the shape of
a chef's coat.

* Substance - Use heavier, thicker paper instead of
standard 60# weight.

* Stand out - Use a custom-designed envelope that is larger
the standard to "stand out" in the mail stash.

* Presentation matters - Deliver materials, brochures, etc.
in a box with a custom tag with your company name attached
by a ribbon or cord. OR punch a hole in your business card
and attach!

Remember...

Branding your business identity is a marketing tool that
helps create a consistent and memorable image of your
company.

Set yourself apart from the crowd and pay special attention
to crafting the visual identity of your business. A
graphic designer can assist you in developing a
professional image, as well as assist you in working with a
printer.

Copyright 2007, 2008 Bonita L. Richter and Profit
Strategies.

----------------------------------------------------
Bonita L. Richter, MBA, founder of Profit Strategies,
http://www.profit-strategies.biz (for FREE tips on how to
craft the successful business you desire, visit
http://www.Profit-Strategies.biz ) teaches entrepreneurs
and business owners how to start and grow businesses,
attract more clients, and market their businesses to
increase sales, business success, and generate wealth.

Want More Money? The Secret Formula They Didn't Teach You in School

Want More Money? The Secret Formula They Didn't Teach You in School
I am fascinated by money - what it is, how it operates, how
to attract it, save it, invest it, spend it, give it to
others and create more of it. In palmistry, women
entrepreneurs' hands reveal, in the hand's simple,
straightforward way, the STRUCTURE of money as well as what
to do and what NOT to do to have a good relationship with
money. Look at the palm of your hand. The middle finger is
divided into three zones. The upper zone represents women
business owners' 'system' of money, the middle zone
represents the 'management' of money and the bottom zone
represents the 'roots' of money. The upper zone of the
middle finger says that money has a system to it. This
system may be abstract and invisible at first glance, but
it has a system nonetheless.

The lower zone says that money has its roots in the Earth.
If you think about it, EVERY TANGIBLE THING WE POSSESS
COMES FROM THE EARTH. Your desk, your computer, your
clothes, the food you eat, gold, diamonds, etc. - all this
bounty comes from the Earth.

The middle zone is where the system of money and the
material resources of money combine. Managed properly,
women entrepreneurs put money in the bank. Thus, the middle
zone of the middle finger is about managing money. The
System of Money (palmistry upper zone): Money is a precise
measure of value - it either adds up or it doesn't. Money
deals in numbers that can be put on spreadsheets and on
profit and loss statements. Money is orderly and therefore,
it LOVES order. If women business owners want to attract
more money, they need to have structures in place that
organize the money that they attract. Structures such as
balanced bank accounts, an accountant, a bookkeeper and a
SYSTEM for their business. The more women entrepreneurs can
create reliable, repeatable systems in their businesses,
the more money they will have. The Management of Money
(palmistry middle zone): This is money in the bank -
preferably in an account with your name on it! The
precision of your money system directly impacts the flow of
money in and out of your bank account. As a palmistry
expert, I cannot stress this enough.

The Roots of Money (palmistry lower zone): Money is the
systematic measuring of the value placed on goods and
services. ALL goods and services come, originally, from the
root of all roots - Mother Earth. 'Money' measures value -
tangible and intangible. The 'root' of money is that which
is valuable - things you can touch as well as things you
can't. Your inner value system can't be held like a diamond
in your hand - but it's critical to your success in
business. Your values MUST line up with your actions. Here
are some palmistry formulas that reveal the STRUCTURE of
money: NOTE: Formula Key: Upper Finger Zone = System;
Middle Finger Zone = Management; Bottom Finger Zone =
Resources Excellent System + Excellent Management +
Excellent Resources (your inner values, knowledge, desire,
passion, focus, additional money) = $$$$ Some System +
Some Management + Some Resources = some $$ No System + No
Resources + No Management = what money? Here's another way
to play with our formula: a good system plus solid values
equals money in the bank. For many women entrepreneurs
that I coach, the SYSTEM seems to be the missing piece.
Most women business owners are keenly aware of their bank
account status because it's a physical reality. But the
necessary systems to honor their inner values often get
left in the dust. Why? Because they're not in our face
every day, demanding our attention.

----------------------------------------------------
Beth Davis, "The Hand Analyst," is a professional hand
analyst/palmist and winner of the 2007-2008 Glazer-Kennedy
Information Marketer of the Year Award. Get her free
special report, "The 5 Massive Mistakes
Spiritually-Oriented Women Make in Business and how to
avoid them!" at http://www.handanalyst.com

Taking a Small Business to the Next Level

Taking a Small Business to the Next Level
Taking a small business to the next level. An interesting
concept. What exactly does that mean? "The next level"
indisputably means something different to individual
companies, but the core principals will most likely be the
same. And what holds small business owners back from doing
this? What may come as a surprise some is that money
resources are not the only - or even the foremost - issue
for these companies.

Leadership is the key. It's imperative that owners and
strategic leaders are able to 'let go' and delegate. One
of the most difficult things for a business owner or leader
to do is to empower other people to make decisions; to
provide them with clear expectations and then to let go.
Owners and leaders often have a strong sense that they can
'do it better' and faster than it will take to train
someone else to do it. Sometimes they simply feel that
everything will fall apart without them doing it. Learning
how to empower others is the key to sustainable growth.

The actions and the person who can get a business to one
level may not be (and often is not) the same action or
person who can move that company to a higher level. To
illustrate this point, consider the people an organization
hires that are perfect for them when the company is
generating $1M in revenue. Those individuals may not be
the right people for the organization as they approach the
$5M revenue-generating point. It's sad to acknowledge that
companies can outgrow their key leader, but it is true
nonetheless. Businesses owners and leaders need to be
willing to look at their staff regularly and determine if
they have the right people to move the company forward.
Often, the actions that have taken them to one level in
sales will not be the same actions they need to take in
order to get to the next level. They may need to change
how they market, who they market to, who they see as their
ideal client, the level of service they supply and/or many
other actions.

Another of the biggest challenges small businesses face is
the act of growing too fast. They may even be just growing
steadily, but the leaders are ignoring the need for a more
integrated and effective infrastructure. Business needs
change as a company grows. Let's face it. If you are
building a simple one story house you need a totally
different foundation than you would if you wanted to build
a sky scraper. The same concept applies to business. You
need to look at your systems, processes, procedures,
technology and all related infrastructure. You need to
evaluate these things and change them as necessary while
your business is growing. Far too often we see businesses
facing a huge growth in sales without the infrastructure in
place that's necessary to support the growth. As soon as
growth gets beyond infrastructure, these companies begin to
experience other problems. Their customer service is
lacking, internal communication amongst staff suffers and
they can't manage basic tasks, like delivery, that have
grown out of control.

So the main challenges for a small business moving to the
next level are:

1. Refusal of business owners to let go of the technical
aspect of their work. Many owners are too closely involved
in actual day-to-day work and production. A business
cannot grow when the "person at the helm" continues to wear
so many hats.

Solution: Let the professionals you hire do what they are
paid to do.

2. A lack of strong infrastructure to support the growth of
the business.

Solution: Put the right foundation, systems, processes and
technology in place.

The key to long term success is looking at everything, and
finding lessons you can glean from what you see.
Successes, and what might be perceived as failures, all
have lessons attached if we are willing to look for them.
To grow a business, one has to continually have a beginners
mind. Always be willing to think innovatively, find new
ways of perceiving what you see, and always look for lesson
that comes with what you have already tried.

----------------------------------------------------
Linda Finkle, CEO of INCEDO GROUP, works with innovative
leaders around the world who understand that business needs
a new organizational growth style. These innovative leaders
know that powerful cross-functional communication is the
highest priority and the strongest strategy for building
organizational effectiveness. To find out more, visit:
http://www.IncedoGroup.com

Ted Baker: No Ordinary Fashion Designer

Ted Baker: No Ordinary Fashion Designer
From the United Kingdom comes a stylish clothing retail
company that is consistently gaining popularity not just
locally but also internationally. Ted Baker is a designer
house that has been offering a strong line of well designed
apparel and fashion accessories. Not only that, the brand
is best known for its unique ability and expertise in
integrating new twists and unconventional designs applied
to its signature fashion products.

Ted Baker started as a retailer of men's shirts in Glasgow.
It was March 1988 when managing director Ray Kelvin started
a store that lured fashionable men not just by the
exquisite design and quality of shirts but also because of
a unique promotional service that offered exclusive dry
cleaning services for the shirts.

From then on, word of mouth has helped promote and boost
the popularity of the store. Because of the unique shirt
designs, the high quality of fabrics used and of course,
the helpful and convenient dry clean services, Ted Baker in
no time grew and has expanded to open stores in Manchester
and Nottingham. The expansion to Covent Garden marked the
formal aggressive growth of the company.

In mid 1990s, branching out of Ted Baker became inevitable.
During the period, the brand also started catering not just
to fashionable men. Apparel and accessories for women and
kids have started being launched and marketed. Now, under
the popular fashion house, people from all around the world
are starting to enjoy the different feel and attitude
provided by the name.

Across the UK, Ted Baker is currently being distributed
through numerous stand-alone stores in London and in other
key cities. The company has also commissioned several
retailers, called Ted Baker Trustees, to help market and
distribute its signature fashion products better.

As a sign of its aggressive expansion, Ted Baker is now
operating stores across the rest of continental Europe, in
the United States, in the Middle East and in the
Australasian region. The brand is also active in the
wholesale business, which cover New Zealand, Australia, the
US, Norway, Canada, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, the
British Isles and Belgium.

As for its important and flagship products, Ted Baker is
enthusiastically continuing in its tradition to clothe the
modern and vanity conscious men from the inside and out.
Ted Baker is a men's fashion line that is offering
different models and designs of underwear, socks, swimwear,
t-shirts and tops, trousers, suits, shirts, knitwear and
denims. The brand also manufactures and distributes its own
line of accessories like men's watches, hats, belts,
fragrances, cufflinks and bags.

----------------------------------------------------
Paul Beckett is a retailer of men's fashion accessories
from designer brands including Ted Baker, French
Connection, Lacoste and Timberland. Click here for more
information about Ted Baker:

http://www.kjbeckett.com/acatalog/tedbaker.html

Challenging Customers - Love Them or Leave Them?

Challenging Customers - Love Them or Leave Them?
My husband and I have been blessed with many wonderful
customers over our 25+ years owning and operating a
residential construction business. In fact, I could count
on one hand the challenging ones.

One customer in particular caused me many sleepless nights
and more than a little stress for a few weeks. The
relationship started out on a positive note, but quickly
turned south when it became clear that their expectations
and ours could never meet at a place of compromise.

If you own a small business, you will likely run across
some customers who try your patience and may even cause
emotional turmoil and undue stress. Here are 7 tips, from
a Soulpreneur's perspective, to help when you encounter
disgruntled customers.

1. Keep Your Cool. When you're upset, don't make rash
decisions. Remove yourself from the situation, if
possible, so you can look at it with fresh eyes. Time and
distance can give you time to think about the interaction
from all points of view.

2. Everyone is unique and different. Understand and accept
that personalities will clash from time-to-time, and it's a
normal part of doing business. If you understand it's
normal, you can learn techniques to help you handle them
without getting excessively defensive and taking it
personally. Customer conflicts happen to the best of us.

3. Customers are human too. You don't know what's going on
in their lives. Maybe their dog just got run over, or they
just got fired. With intuitive listening you can hear what
they may not be saying. Observe their tone of voice, body
language, and the key words they use to get clues about
what may be going on in their life. Try putting yourself
in their shoes for a while. Empathy can go a long way
towards resolving the issue at hand.

4. What are you learning that you can use in the future?
We learn with every customer interaction, good or bad, what
we can do differently in the future. In every experience
are the seeds for a new way of looking at life - and the
potential for doing it better in the future. This becomes
clearer once you're past the emotional aspect of the
interaction. Again, time and distance will give you a new
perspective on the situation.

5. Where are you placing your trust? Are you stuck on
looking at the challenging customers you've had in the
past, or are you able to trust in the basic goodness of
most people and focus on the ones you want now? If you
keep your mind on the type of customers you want, you're
placing your trust in the ability of the Universe to
deliver them to you.

6. Visualize and affirm what you want. Your thoughts send
magnetic signals that bring back to you what you think
about, in the same way tuning into a radio station picks up
that station's frequency in the ethers. Make sure you're
tuning your thoughts into the frequency of the specific
type of customers you want - customer's that are prosperous
and easy to serve. I have a 3x5 index card on my
refrigerator that says, "Wonderful, prosperous customers
call us daily wanting our quality construction services."

7. Trust in yourself. You can't always trust in other
people, but you can always trust in your inner guidance.
If you're meeting with a prospective customer and get that
feeling of dread in the pit your stomach, it may be a
warning that it would be better to refer the person to
someone who is better suited to their personality. Always
listen to your feelings.

Turning challenging customers into great, easy
to-do-business-with customers is not usually an easy task.
Sometimes it's better, as we found out, to let them go as
quickly as possible, learn from the experience, and focus
on bringing the customers you really want to your business.
Then you can focus on meeting, or exceeding, their
expectations and getting those valuable referrals.

----------------------------------------------------
Would you like to learn more about how building a
soul-based business can create a thriving business that
feeds your spirit and bank account? Visit my website at
http://www.soulpreneursuccessstrategies.com to check out my
free "Creating Money" ebook, free articles, and Soulpreneur
Coaching Services.
Sandy Reed, the Soulpreneur's Coach, is a business coach,
writer, ex-corporate manager, and co-owns her own
successful home-based business.