Websites play a significant role in attaining the goals of a business and the importance of that web design has a big part to play in the successful conversions of viewers into customers.

For those who are trying to build a business with the use of a website, the importance of web design is a factor that needs to be considered. The process does not end by just making a web and have it available. Internal factors such as seasons, categories, and your target spectators must be taken into consideration. You must have a unique identity. Your competitors must be taken into consideration. Your business identity must stand out among your competition if you want to convert the public consumers to long time customers.

Web analysis is another factor that needs a closer look. You need to be aware of your traffic trends. Where does your traffic come from? Which page or pages generate the most traffic? How much time is being spent on your site? Your data and analysis must be reliable. It may take some time to understand the data, but remember that the web will serve as your company’s mirror. When choosing a website designer to either build your new website or update your current site, you need to choose a well experienced designer who can help you achieve the goals you have set for your website.

Another important factor is your SEO and keywords. It is better to have keywords that are unique to your business, but remember, they also must be common and words that are easy for people to remember. The objective is to optimize your web presence thus gaining more traffic visiting your site and therefore, obtaining the ultimate goal of transforming them to customers.

On every website that is launched worldwide, there are lots of factors that need to be considered and checked to maximize the full potential for gaining profit. Strategies on web designs are ways to gain these potentials and earn maximum profit.

In every action made on the world of business is an action plan and facts based on research and studies. Depending on the purpose, assets and liabilities, sources, and business categories. These factors will help to company and establish their tools and a total maximization of their potential and assets. And these also apply in strategies of web designs.

Strategies on this web design can strongly affect the production of an entire organization. On the first list is the factor of its purpose. A website can be a marketing source, or just a plain website, e-commerce or we better know an online shopping websites, or maybe a combination of those. In every partition, there are available strategies, which are proven based on consumer research and studies. If chosen a wrong option, it will be a total risk or even a guarantee of money looses. The other factor that needs to be considered is the target. There are many sub categories for this. It may be a target to earn name by promotions, third party access, or online stores. Other sub categories will include the target as the benefactor. It may be a consumer depending on age level, or even businesspeople from small size to a big corporation.

The other factor would be the pros and the cons of its purpose. You can only do consideration successfully if you put yourself in the end of benefactor. You may wish to ask what are the things that you need and then have it applied but do a thorough study before you apply this, as this would be a subjective part. You may consider a survey first or there are survey medias that you can use if you think that you can trust them or you can just find a reliable source so your purpose will not at stake.

The final talk is about money. Good businesses do not spend investments without any returns. It is a consideration at a must that income must be categorized. There are ways where an income can be generated. It could be on the form of direct selling through your products or services, a pure advertisement website that carries traffic to a third party link, referral program as affiliations, or by membership fess.

After the final identification, it is strongly suggest knowing your rival’s positions on the market. Know their strength and weaknesses if possible and have it improved on your web where you can offer a good combo. Then focus on your strength and make it sure that it is enough to maintain market value and standing on the market level. These strategies on web design can realize your company’s growth and potential even beyond expectation.

How do you feel?

Exhausted? Frustrated? Overwhelmed? Intimidated? Defeated?

Not the feelings any entrepreneur should have to face first thing in the morning!

Time to give yourself a new focal point. While it may take more than 10 Minutes to clear away the damage done by the latest attack of the Paper Monster, you can IMMEDIATELY ADD one thing to your office space to zero in on. One thing that is sure to bring a smile and lighten your load.

Try plants, pictures, play-doh…you name it! Maybe a plant reminds you that you are growing! The more you nurture it, the more you are reminded to nurture yourself. It could be that pictures of a vacation destination ignite your spark and keep your veins pumping with the promise of a dream trip you paid for with your profits! Or perhaps that container of play-doh smiling back at you reminds you that because of your BRAVERY in starting your own business, you get to have a HOME office (and a happier home).

It can be hard to remember that this all started with a dream. TODAY – add a gem to your office that helps you keep that dream alive!

 Isn’t it time you took the time to have the business you set out to have?

Have a wonderful Ten Minutes Today For a Successful 24 hours Tomorrow!

Sharon

PS:  Post a pic of your new office gem on your Facebook page and let me know.  I would love to see what your new focal point is!

Let’s Talk!

Are you in DISTRESS? Are these 10 Minute Solutions helping you see that your business has HUGE potential, but you aren’t even scratching the surface of your success? Time for a SOS! Virtual Assistant Sharon can provide the help you need, for a fraction of the cost.  No idle office time.  No employee benefits.  No payroll taxes.  No water cooler distractions!  I help overworked business owners spend time doing what they love, while I help them grow their business! Contact me today and we can talk about customizing a support plan to fit your specific needs! http://virtualassistantsharon.com/contact-sos

Success and Your Business

Are you a business owner?  If you are, you likely already know that you have to compete with a large number of other businesses to become a success.  You may consider many of these successful businesses and they may be larger than your business or that they have more money to “toss,” around.  While you may think that your size automatically puts you at a disadvantage, it doesn’t have to.  You can still be a smaller business and be a big success.  There are a number of ways that you can go about making sure that your small business is a success, and a profitable one with ways that actually require little or no work on your part.

One of the simplest, yet most effective ways that you can turn your small business into a success and keep it as one is by smiling.  Yes, smiling. Many people, possibly even you, do not actually realize just how far a smile really goes.  When it comes to buying a product or a service, from both large and small business owners, many customers want to feel appreciated or at least like they are being noticed.  After all, without the customer, you and your small business employees wouldn’t even have jobs.  That is why it is important that you and your employees always smile at your customers and always put on a happy front.

Small talk is another simple, yet effective way to make your small business a success.  Small talk can be something as simple as asking any of your customers if they need help finding anything, if you run a retail store, or asking them about the weather outside.  Small talk makes your customers feel important.  It makes many consumers feel good that there is assistance available if it is needed, as well as the fact that some actually values their opinion or insight, even if it is only about the weather.  That is why you and your employees are always advised to strike up a conversation with your customers.  This conversation is what will likely keep them coming back for more.

As outlined above, being friendly and pleasant are simple, yet effective ways to make your name and business a success.  That positive name is what may help to keep your business running strong and profitable for years to come.

Here’s to your success!

Contact me today to discuss simple yet effective ways to make your business a success.

If you need a new website or want to do a facelift on your current website, visit SOS Web Designs Online.

Here’s an interesting thought:  Do you realize that there are mistakes you can make at various stages of your business’ growth that can be slowly killing it for months or even years if you don’t watch for them?

Well, these mistakes do exist and these mistakes are not just reserved for the rookie companies.  Many working businesses, including those you might think are “successful” because they’ve been around for 10+ years, are often still making these mistakes… and are possibly losing a lot of money and/or wasting a lot of time in the process.

Check out the example of mistakes below to prove it.

Common Mistakes

Mistakes:  Underestimating Project/Service Time- These mistakes are big ones and they pertain to service companies as well as companies that sell products.  This is a service company’s bread and butter. If you don’t estimate your time to perform each and every service in your repertoire, you will get burned and there is little you can do about it but bite the bullet and learn from this mistake.

Mistakes:  Not Knowing YOUR Company Numbers/Incorrectly Setting Prices- Notice I emphasized the word “your”.  Common mistakes are to use a competitor’s as your pricing gauge without actually knowing why they use those numbers.  Think about the nightmare you will get yourself into if you take a competitor’s price, cut it by 10% and then start selling. What if the competition has a bad pricing structure and is barely making money or even losing money?!?!  What if your costs are more than theirs?!?!  You can use a competitor as a starting point but you can’t base your whole strategy on it.

Different industries have their own variables as far as costs go and you need to be aware of them for your project or product pricing.  What you pay for a product you are going to sell is not the only cost to have in your head when you are pricing products.  How much your labor and materials cost for a service is only a piece of an hourly rate.  Employees cost more than just salary and not every employee is part of your labor cost.  Some businesses have insurance to pay for. There can be several overhead expenditures that need to be part of your price.

Mistakes:  Not Charging for All of Your Time & Costs- This seems like a stupid statement to some but I bet most business owners will admit to making these mistakes and that they have given away a little too much of the farm at times. Hey, there is nothing wrong with giving a little extra here and there to show you care. But either way, that’s not what I’m talking about here. What concerns me are those that put a lot of quality into their work or products or stores and do not cover the cost for it.  As an example, say you run a service company and your competitors don’t do a certain standard service that you do. You can’t just undercut their price to steal a job; you need to have that cost covered in your rate and advertise the fact that it comes with the price upfront. Stores make mistakes and undermine themselves, for example, when they put more people on the floor for customer service but don’t charge for it. These mistakes cost you money and when your competitors don’t do them it costs them less money.  Put out better service and then under price them, and your competition just has to wait a little bit for you to make mistakes and fall on your face so they can swoop back in.

As a business owner you need to believe that you are providing your clients worthwhile wares that deserve to be paid for.  If you get the chance to explain why your prices are higher, then take that opportunity and do it.  Don’t let your potential clients make the mistakes of undervaluing your services or products.

Mistakes:  Not Getting Paid Fast Enough- That’s right, the old cash flow issue.  As long as you are actually making enough money to pay the bills, these mistakes can be solved, prevented or at least made to be not as bad as it could be.

Bill customers very promptly. It is very common for a small business to not have the procedures or systems in place to get invoices generated and out the door in a timely fashion (see the next segment for more). Again, this would seem unlikely since that’s the reason why we are doing the work- to get paid. But it is very easy for the people responsible for getting this info to the billing people to be too busy to get it there or not have enough organization to give it to them the right way.

Mistakes:  Failure to Have Solid Systems and Procedures in Place- Too many procedures (known as “red tape”) is the reason why many people start their own business in the first place. Unfortunately, having no procedures and systems in place at all is not an alternative. Depending on the type of industry, business owners must come to a happy medium or chaos and the unknown will ensue. Some basic examples where procedures or systems are needed include billing, collections, payroll, hr (interviewing, hiring, vacations, benefits, job responsibilities, etc.), manufacturing, operating equipment, maintaining equipment, inventory, sales calls/visits and logistics to name a few.

Even a one person show needs to have some admin procedures in place.  This will make it easier to hire temps and subcontractors and control what they are doing for you.  Without at least a watered down version of a system or procedure to do everyday work, it will cause many major headaches as your company grows.  This is extremely important to have when you bring on new employees.

Mistakes:  Spending Advertising Money Just to Say You Advertise-  I would almost rather see my clients not advertise then to spend without regard to tracking the results. There is no point in a marketing campaign if you do not put things in place that allow you to measure how well the plan is working.  The other wasteful part of marketing that many people make the mistake of doing, is not tracking their previously successful campaigns.  Why some people think that just because a $400 dollar a month ad worked once very well for one busy season, that it will automatically work every year after that is beyond me.

Mistakes:  Spreading Yourself Too Thin- This is a classic mistake made by every entrepreneur. The key is to figure out when you are at that “wearing too many hats” point and start getting some help.  The solution here is to know your strengths and to be able see when you are not performing the duties that demand these skills. If you are the best sales person, you can’t get caught up in day-to-day operations. If you do, sales will slip and eventually you won’t have any operations to worry about.  Think about this to help you figure out if you are spread too thin: Did you really go into business for yourself to work 80+ hours a week?

Mistakes:  Not Getting Help Soon Enough- Set goals to know when to hire people to take over where you are light on knowledge. It is a mistake to not get help or waiting too long and can kill a company. Most people who start a business do it because they are good at the technical end or the sales end.  If you know the best way to make a widget, then your strength is in production and that is where your time should be spent. Hire an outside company or consultant to take care of the sales and marketing and then hire inside when you can afford someone full time.  Don’t be something to your company that you are not. It will only hold you back.

Avoid those mistakes!

The three big mistakes people like to tackle themselves but usually are least knowledgeable about are legal issues, accounting/bookkeeping issues and daily operations issues.  The odds are that these three mistakes are your weakest link so if you don’t have a partner that has the background for these subjects, then be prepared to get help as soon as possible to avoid those mistakes.

Although looking for these mistakes at any time is a good idea, the end of a year or season is an excellent business interval to make sure you are not making these errors.  Take the time, or make the time, to fix these mistakes. If you don’t know how to reverse the mistakes, then get some help.  If you really don’t have enough time to either figure out if you have these issues or know they are there and can’t break away long enough to do it right, then get some help.

Contact me today to discuss how to avoid making some of these business mistakes.

If you need a new website or want to do a facelift on your current website, visit SOS Web Designs Online.

Is your life out of balance?  You may be thinking that your life needs to be more balanced, more time spent at home and with friends and less time spent at work.  Perhaps you’ve even mentioned this to your spouse, girlfriend, best buddy, doctor or co-workers. 

If you have mentioned feeling out of balance, it is likely that at least one of these people raised an eyebrow and explained the facts of life to you.  That is, that nearly everyone is overworked these days and you should just get used to it. 

You may hate what has happened to your life. You may not know how to change it but you can change your life.

Balance Your Life

The solution to balance? 

You must set goals! Involve your boss, co-workers, friends and family in the process.  To keep your life and the life of your family in balance, you need time and attention. But you also need communication. 

Having enough time and focus to appreciate your life outside of work is one thing.  Having the mental, emotional and physical stamina to do it all is another.

Understanding how to keep your life in balance, and what factors are involved to get in balance are also important.

If you can’t manage your time, you will never have enough of it, no matter how few hours you work.

Contact me today to discuss how to achieve balance in your life.

Ok, so you’ve come up with a new idea for your business and you think it will be a big success.  What is keeping you from going for it?  Do you say things like, “I have a great business idea, but what if no one else thinks it’s great?” 

Don’t let fear be the obstacle that is keeping you from starting your big dream and obtaining success! 

We have all failed at some time in our life.  We know how to do that.  Now you have to learn to overcome that fear and believe in yourself and your idea to become successful.   

Most people want to be successful in life. 

Goals must be set and then the hard work begins to reach those goals of being a success.

What is success?  Success can mean different things to different people.  Some people thing that success means being wealthy.  Success does not always involve money.  Success can be defined by some people as being respected for what they do  Success comes in all different shapes and sizes with one common denominator.  Success is obtained through hard work and belief in ones abilities.   Success will come from the hard work you put in to obtaining the goals that you have set for yourself.

You need to believe that you have the potential to reach your goals.  Once you have that mindset, you can overcome any fears and succeed.

Contact me today to discuss how to avoid making some of these business mistakes.

Dare to Dream

To succeed, you need to have dreams and aspirations for your life.  Now take some time with this and really think about this.  What are your dreams?  Be honest with yourself as to what you really want out of life and what you want to give of your life.  Allow your mind to dream and think big. 

Have an Unstoppable Attitude in Life

You need to have determination.  There may be a close friend or family member, who have really good intentions, and maybe they feel that it would be better if you focused your attention in another direction.  Be strong and have an unstoppable attitude, and be determined to succeed your life.

Don’t Give Up

To reach success, you have to persevere in your life.  Even Thomas Edison had to learn this.  When he was creating the incandescent light bulb, it took him thousands of times to get it right.  Keep striving even when it becomes challenging.

Focus on Something You Like

To increase your chance of succeeding, you should concentrate your efforts on something you enjoy.  When you start out, make a list of everything you find interesting.  Then in a second column, write down the skills you have in relation to each of those items. 

This will help you narrow choices down based on interest and skill, which gets you started in the right direction for success in life.

Contact me today to discuss how to achieve your goals in your business life.

 Do You Have Passion?

I have always believed that if you don’t really love what you do; then you are in the wrong profession or line of work. 

If you have a job that you really love, others will be able to see that and feel that passion.  That passion will be passed on to each of your clients.

Ask yourself; do you have passion for what you do?  If you won the lottery tomorrow, would you still be in the same business?  Would you still be doing what you do now, even if it was just as a hobby? 

Do your clients or customers feel that passion and joy for what you do? 

How many times have you been somewhere and you can tell that the cashier, salesperson or even manager has the “I don’t want to be here” attitude?  Did that make you want to go somewhere else?  I personally see this more and more.

If your customers and clients believe that you are happy to be doing what you do, then they will be more likely to return and continue to be a valued customer.  A happy and positive attitude will be rewarded.

So go out today and show your passion and email me and let me know how great of a day you had!!!

Why outsourcing? When a lot of entrepreneurs start out with their home based businesses, they have no idea that their businesses could grow very quickly and often they feel overwhelmed.   When your business does grow to the point that it’s hard to manage every little aspect of your business, that’s when outsourcing can help.

Bring on the outsourcing!

While you have to hire people on wages for some jobs, most tasks can be accomplished by outsourcing to independent contractors. You only pay for the time it takes to complete a project. There is no idle time spent in the office. No salary expenses. No benefits payments. No payroll taxes. No paid vacations. You are paying for the outsourcing of a project or projects, to someone who is experienced and loves what they do.  For example, you can hire a virtual assistant to take care of email management, database contact management, desktop publishing and creating presentations, just to name a few things.  The list is almost endless. 

By outsourcing some of your responsibilities and projects to a virtual assistant, you can free up your time from these consuming and sometimes difficult tasks. I am a firm believer in doing what you love to do and outsourcing the rest! The first time I talk to a potential client about outsourcing, I usually hear about how they hate doing a certain task and I explain that by outsourcing that task, they will gain more time in their schedule and then I hear the relief in their voice knowing that they will no longer have to do this task that they hate doing.

There are many benefits to outsourcing to an virtual assistant.

Think of it this way; it might seem that you will lose a little money to hire other people to do some of your daily tasks, but you will earn more money from the increased productivity from your outsourcing.

Make a list of tasks that you don’t like to do or don’t have time to do and contact me for a free consultation on ways that outsourcing your business can benefit you.

If you need a new website or want to do a facelift on your current website, visit SOS Web Designs Online.