Oct
16
How to REALLY reach a prospect with your sales message
Filed Under Business Builders, Editorial & Guest Columns | Leave a Comment
EDITORIAL
By BOB MASSEY
Time was, the mantra of copywriting was “Stress benefits, not features.” That is, don’t talk about the traits of a product or service, or what it does – elaborate on why those things pose an advantage for the consumer.
“ ‘Features versus benefits’ is Marketing 101,” says expert Internet marketing consultant and bestselling author Bryan Eisenberg in a ClickZ column. “But as I look around the Web, I wonder if anybody heard that through their college-day hangovers. Very few people even talk about benefits, much less make the effort to get really good at translating features into benefits. Yet power-packed words describing benefits are what trigger the emotions that motivate us to spend our money, time, or energy. People (including you and me) buy because of the positive emotions associated with the benefits.”
However, to create copy that engages customers and compels them to buy, you have to your copy to the next level.
Don’t get me wrong: If you’re creating an ad, brochure, direct mail piece or Web site that’s based primarily on the merits of your product or service, you’d definitely want to emphasize benefits over features.
But in the latter part of his quote, Mr. Eisenberg touches on an element that’s far superior to just a product’s benefits.
Oct
16
Customer loyalty is Key
By GUS BUENZ
Naples SCORE Counselor
Today customers benefit from an endless array of choices. New opportunities for them to spend their hard earned money grow, and with the Internet, they seem to quadruple. This is true regardless of the type of business.
When customers can easily comparison shop online with a few mouse clicks, the notion of loyalty seems almost old fashioned. Your best customers are someone else’s most sought-after prospects – so how do you keep them?
Jun
26
Manage your staff’s performance
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By PAULINE CASON
Guest Columnist
Part 2 of two parts
Position Descriptions provide a foundation for developing performance plans for individual employees. They should contain indications for the level of independence, technical proficiency and professional development for the level they document. Résumés grouped within a Position Description should have experience in some of the specialties listed (not necessarily all to qualify) and the education levels required for that Position Description. Read more
Jun
26
Buy a business only after you have done your homework
by BILL McCABE
Charlotte SCORE Counselor
Existing businesses already have a location, name, permits, customers and cash flow. Find one that has a proven record of success and you may be taking on less risk than if you start one from scratch. That is, if you do your homework first. Sadly, I have counseled entrepreneurs who failed to look carefully before they bought and are paying the consequences now.
Collecting the appropriate data from the seller early on will reduce the probability that you will encounter unforeseen problems later. It will also help you negotiate and finance a deal. The following may seem like a lot of information to ask for; however, a motivated seller should be more than ready to supply what it takes to get the sale. If you are inexperienced with any of these issues, get appropriate outside advice.
Jun
26
Installment sales and like-kind exchanges
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How to minimize taxes on sales and exchanges of certain property
by JEFF MITCHELL
Noack Mitchell & Company CPAs
Do you know it is possible to sell certain assets at a profit and defer payment of a substantial amount of the income tax owed to future years? This is called an installment sale and can happen when at least one payment is received from the sale in a tax year after the year of sale. The amount of gain from an installment sale is calculated by multiplying the payments received during the year by the gross profit ratio for the sale. The gross profit ratio is calculated by dividing the gain on sale by the sales price. Read more
May
29
Comply – or face calamity
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What you need to know about the Fair Labor Standards Act
By LISA L. GARRETT
Guest Contributor
The signs are clear – now more than ever, it is essential that employers know how to become compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and stay that way.
Nationally, the number of wage and hour lawsuits filed in federal courts has more than doubled in the last five years. There are now more class action wage and hour suits filed than any other type of employment law class action, even outpacing discrimination cases.
In the United States, Florida ranks second – behind only California – for the number of wage and hour lawsuits filed by current or former employees, and more federal overtime claims are filed in South Florida than anywhere else in the country.
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