Participate in Web Communities

Try to set aside some time every day to actively participate in online communities relating to your field or running a business. Simply getting your voice out there and talking with others who have similar concerns to yours is a powerful way to make contacts.

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Dwight Lester, Performance Business Brokers

Include a Call to Action in All Emails

It’s important that every email you send to potential customers asks them to take an action. You may want them to call an 800 number, register for a webinar or check out a product on your website. It doesn’t matter what action you want them to take as long as you ask them to take it.

Cheers
Dwight Lester

Network More in 2012

Networking is among the best ways for small businesses to pick up new customers. One of your 2012 resolutions should be to join a new community or neighborhood group and/or attend a new networking event. It’s important that you keep talking about your business

New Year’s Resolution: Get Mobile

If you want customers to find you in 2012, you must be found on the mobile web. Converting your business website to display and operate correctly on smartphones needs to be a top priority in 2012. If you don’t know how to do this, get help.

Streamline Processes for the New Year

Streamlining and standardizing procedures make daily operations easier, efficient and more effective. They are also a key to increased profitability. As you plan for the coming year, make systematizing your business more of a priority. Start with just a few. Focus on those that save you time, increase sales, or fix problems that consistently erode profit.

Limit Sales Pitches on Social Media

Only 20% of your posts on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter should be marketing messages. The rest should be about helping and informing your audience. People will follow and fan you because they’re interested in what you have to say. Sales will follow.

Stay on Top of Invoicing

You’d be surprised how many businesses fall behind here. Failing to send out invoices is a sure way to put your company in the hole. Why? Because most customers who do not receive a bill will not volunteer to send a payment. Stay on top of invoicing and build in steps in the accounting process to follow up with accounts that become overdue.

Don’t Compete on Price

You’ve probably already put a lot of time and thought into setting your prices, and if you’re like many small-business owners, you may be barely skimming by on your current prices. That’s why it’s usually not a good idea to match the competition when their prices are lower than yours. Instead, focus on offering a superior product or service. Customers and clients will pay for it.

Add These Important Extras to Your Emails

Make sure you include a signature file in all of your outgoing email–personal and business—that includes full contact details, including phone number, address and website address. This is also a great place to promote a special offer or to highlight a promotional page on your website.

One of the best ways to give your future the maximum opportunity to be successful is to make sure each new year begins with as little baggage from the past as possible. So, what grandmother used to do after a long winter, businesses need to do in December. Instead of spring cleaning, let’s do some December baggage elimination. Here are a few places to start.

Eliminate stuff: Even if you’re not a pack rat like me, you’ve accumulated stuff you don’t use anymore. If you’re not using it, sell it, give it away, or throw it away.

Digital graveyard: Don’t say you don’t have one. Whether it’s an old PC, monitor or printer–even if it isn’t broken–if it hasn’t been used recently it’s occupying valuable space. Sell it or call a computer recycling company.

Retool the team: The only thing worse than firing someone is letting an unproductive employee hold your team back for another year. The timing may seem insensitive, but it’s just an unfortunate coincidence that
the holiday season coincides with December cleaning. You owe your productive people the most effective organization possible, which often means you have to let the unproductive ones do that elsewhere

ABCDs of customers: Segregate customers into four groups, from the most profitable As to the least profitable Ds. Worship the As, cater to the Bs, encourage the Cs and teach the Ds about self-service. Customers who demand more commitment from you than they’re willing to reciprocate should be allowed to join your unproductive employees elsewhere.

ABCDs of inventory: As with customers, categorize inventory from the most profitable As to the least profitable Ds. Stock lots of As, some of the Bs, maybe a couple of the Cs, but never let a D spend one night under your roof unless it’s paid for. Remember, profitable inventory management means just-in-time, not just-in-case.

Scrub accounts receivable: Take the hit, and write off uncollectable A/R this year so you can start January with a clean list. A/R write-offs that are later collected become gravy for the new year, otherwise they’re tax deductions this year.

Each new year deserves to have the maximum opportunity to be successful, which means it shouldn’t be saddled with the baggage of last year’s obsolescence and bad decisions. By taking these steps you’ll be proving to yourself–and your banker–that you have the discipline to make critical decisions for which successful managers are known.

Write this on a rock: Don’t wait for spring. Start December cleaning today.
The Author: Jim Blasingame