Ad

I'm a business coach. I've worked with hundreds of small, medium and very large business, and over the course of the past eleven years, I've asked my business coaching clients endless questions which have helped them achieve much greater levels of success than they would have otherwise. While the following may not be the only ten questions -- or even THE ten questions, they are ten questions that you must answer if you want your business Marx toys flourish. The right answers are critical to your companys future.

1. How many underserved prospective clients are in your target market?
The number of prospective clients available to you relates to two key considerations. First -- and most obvious -- as the total core revenue possible from this client base. The other is the toys of marketing tactics that will be most cost-effective. If yours is a mass market, then advertising may almost certainly be part of the your marketing mix. By contrast, if your market is very small (I once sold software to the top-50 international banks) you can contact each and every prospect by telephone and courier.

2. How large do you envision your business?
Does your vision include being a Fortune 500 company? If so, check question 1 above. On the other hand, many of my clients would be completely satisfied generating $5MM with a staff of 50; pocketing $1mm per year and selling the company for $10mm when they are ready. How you answer this question governs the kind of markets you can enter, whether you are vertical or horizontal in nature, mass market or niched, as well as the kind of management structure your organization requires.

3. What important changes are occurring (or have recently occurred) in your market and what is their impact on your business?
The answers to this question may govern changes to your product, your product mix and your marketing campaign. Big changes generally signal big opportunities; however if you arent prepared for them, they can also signal the demise of your business. Dramatic increases in new housing created significant opportunities for a client who sold estimating software and brought a field-ready, cost-saving product to market just in time.

4. Who is your competition, what are their strengths, and why are you a better choice for your prospects?
It may shock you (on the other hand, it may not) how many CEOs cannot provide a compelling answer to this question. Recently, I was at a meeting for Microsoft Business Solutions Partners, and spoke to a number of the VARs who came to improve their marketing programs. When I asked about their competitive advantage, three separate resellers answered telling me how long they had been in business, and how well they understood their customers. Yeah? Well, so what. If you dont want to get blindsided by your competitors, you need to understand their capabilities. And if you want to outflank them in turn, youd better have ammunition more powerful than your length of service.

5. How important is "service" to your clients, and how do you plan to deliver it?
Some markets high service, some do not. What about yours? If you are playing in a market where customers expect to get their hands held, you need to be geared up for it. A client of mine in educational ERP software implemented a big (and effective) sales push, only to have their Help Desk swamped with new customer service requests. Ultimately we fixed this with a new support policies, a knowledge base, an active user forum, plus effective staff training -- but it almost sank the company.

6. Is your business model scalable? In other words, could you grow your business by x%, without your expenses growing by the same ratio?
If not, you can never be more profitable -- in percentage terms - than you currently are. You may sell more, and earn more in absolute terms, but for each dollar you sell, you will make the same, or likely less, money. This means that an acquirer will not pay a financial premium for your business, because adding money to your business wont make it more profitable.

7. What are they 3-5 critical factors for your business success? How would you rate your company in each factor, from 1-10, with 10 being the best?
Where do the profits in your business come from? What are the areas where you beat the pants off your competitors? Why do clients seek you out? These are the critical areas of success -- and youd better be damned good at them. Rate yourself on each, and create an improvement program wherever you are lower than an 8. Ive done this exercise with many of my clients, and it has probably created more value than any other.

8. What portion of your business operations have documented, repeatable, scalable systems? Are there systems which cover the critical success areas?
This is the solution to the problem raised in question 6. It is also your ticket to a well-earned vacation. Ask yourself, if you left for four weeks without voice mail or e-mail, would your business be better than you found it, about the same, or a smoldering ruin? You may think that not all areas of a software company lend themselves to systemization, but all the important ones do. Sales? Marketing? Product development? Customer service? Consulting? All systemizable.

9. How good are your finances?
Your financial picture and your market share, analyzed in the context of a growing or shrinking market determines the future of your company. If youve got lots of surplus cash you can whether anything. You can create completely new products if you have to. Next best thing is strong cash flow out of which you can pay for development, buy a competitor, or expand revenues with new technology. (One of my clients recently reinvigorated their business by buying a non-competitive player selling products to their legal clients.) But if your bank account is poor and your cash-flow weak, you are in a tough place -- particularly if your market is shrinking. My Grand Strategy Model would tell you to sell your company for whatever you can get, and invest the proceeds in a healthier market sector.

10. Is your market growing or shrinking and what is your current market share?
This is the other key to the Grand Strategy. If you dominate your market is there enough room to grow? And if not, who can you steal business from? If your market is expanding there may be years of growth left, but if it is stable or shrinking, the forecast may not be so good. This is where cash balances and cash flow come in. With them you can develop new products and services to expand the size of purchase transactions or increase the frequency of repurchase. If there is just no room for increase, think about how you can tweak your product to redeploy it in an adjacent market space. At a time when a clients customers just wasnt buying their old products, (and recently, whose customers were?) we shifted much of their resources into providing interim services, and thereby saved the company until the new products came out.

Paul Lemberg. All rights reserved

Reprint rights freely given. We ask that you keep all links live and all content the same.

About the Author:

Paul Lemberg is the president of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only fully systemized href="quantumgrowthcoaching.com">business coaching program guaranteed to help entrepreneurs rapidly create More Profits and More Life(tm). donate auto get your copy of our free special report with detailed steps on how to grow your business at least 40% faster, even when you arent sure what to do next, go to Paul's href="paullemberg.com">business coaching website.

Click Here if you interested in Quantum's href="quantumgrowthcoachingfranchise.com">Business Coaching Franchise opportunities.

# posted by hieej : 10:20 AM  0 comments

Are you overwhelmed by administrative tasks Creature from the Black Lagoon model your business, and are considering 1960's toys some help? Have you decided that a Virtual Assistant, or VA, is the best choice for your business, but don't know how to take the next steps? If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, it's time I show you how choosing a quality "virtual staffing agency" can be the difference between finding a quality professional to assist you in growing your business, and spending your personal time, money, and energy, only to find you've hired a Virtual Assistant who couldn't "hack it."

So, you've decided it's time to expand your business by hiring a Virtual Assistant. Congratulations! You have just set yourself apart from many entrepreneurs, because you are willing to embrace the staffing solutions of the new millennium. Your competition, who may still be insisting on hiring an "on-site" assistant, is having to run expensive employment ads, create and initiate training with their new hire, pay for additional phone lines, computers, and desk supplies, AND be bothered by dealing with payroll taxes and benefits for their employee. What an antiquated system!

On the other hand, you've decided you want to "go virtual," by hiring a Virtual Assistant. The VA you hire will have a fully functional home office, complete with unlimited long-distance, virtual fax capabilities, a virtual PBX, cellular phone, computer with high speed internet access, a printer, and a quiet work environment. Best of all, you have the ability to hire your Virtual Assistant as an independent contractor, which will save you when dealing with the IRS, and your state and local taxing authorities.

Now you have to decide whether or not it is to your benefit to hire your Virtual Assistant on your own, or go Dunny a "Virtual Staffing Agency." The first thing most of us think of when we think of going through an agency, is EXPENSIVE. Why would anyone want to go through a virtual staffing agency, when they can just run an ad and hire a VA on their own?

Let's Spider-Man action figure a cost analysis on hiring your own Virtual Assistant, versus hiring a VA through a Virtual Staffing Agency. First of all, if you plan to hire a VA on your own, you are undoubtedly going to have to run employment ads; so you're going to invest your time and energy, creating and submitting your advertisement. If you run an employment ad that has a cost involved, for instance, in your local paper, you're looking at an average cost of approximately $300 - $400, for a weekend run, with internet coverage. This ad may or may not yield the new hire you are looking for. On the flip side, if you utilize a reputable virtual staffing agency, like Team Double-Click, The Virtual Assistant Company, one simple phone call gets the ball rolling. Their pool of over 10,000 qualified, tested, and trained Virtual Assistants, makes the placement process seamless, and you incur NO upfront costs.

What happens if you choose to hire your own Virtual Assistant, and he or she is not right for the job? What do you do, if the VA you hired quits? Well, when you hire a VA on your own - it's back to the drawing board. You're going to have to spend the time, energy, and money all over again, to find a replacement. When you hire a Team Double-Click Virtual Assistant, you call or email, and a new VA will be assigned to you.

Let's talk about what you're going to pay your assistant. If you hire your own VA, you're going to have to pay him/her the general going rate; which is currently between $18.00 - $50.00 per hour, depending on the expertise level required by the assistant. Obviously, it would cost more to hire an "agency" VA, right? Not really, when you look at the big picture! Team Double-Click offers clients rates as low as $22.50 per hour, and you only pay for the actual time that your VA is performing the assigned tasks! Initially, you receive 2 hours free, to acclimate your VA, and go over your expectations. They offer a satisfaction guarantee, and there is no contract length commitments.

Let's break down the costs in black and white:

Hire VA on your own

additional expenses when hiring replacement

Hire a Team Double-Click VA

Hiring a Virtual Assistant can be one of the most cost-effective means of growing your business. While hiring a VA on your own can work in some cases, it comes with no guarantees the relationship will work out. Utilizing a virtual staffing agency, like Team Double-Click can be the win-win situation you need - just do the math!

To receive additional information about Team Double-Click, visit the Referral Partner center, located at rel="nofollow" href="chrisarcherinc.com/tdc.html">www.chrisarcherinc.com/tdc.html or send an email with your contact information to href="mailto:VA@chrisarcherinc.com">mailto:VA@chrisarcherinc.com.

Chris Archer is the owner of href="chrisarcherinc.com">chrisarcherinc.com and has owned small and home-based businesses since 1992. Currently residing in Pickerington, Ohio, Christina is the wife and mother of 5 children, ranging in age from 1 - 18. When Chris is not working with small and home-based business owners, she enjoys visiting 1959 Topps baseball cards spending time outdoors, amusement parks, movies, reading, video games, computers, home-schooling, and engaging in lively political conversations. If you'd like to obtain a free Home-Based Business Resource kit via email, visit her website at href="chrisarcherinc.com">chrisarcherinc.com

# posted by hieej : 10:16 AM  0 comments

By legal definition, a wrongful death is "A death caused by the wrongful act or negligence of another and that serves as the basis for a civil action for damages on behalf of the deceased's heirs." While many people assume a wrongful death suit is a criminal case, it is not. However having said that, a wrongful death case may follow a criminal case, and the best-known example of that is the OJ Simpson affair.

In instances of wrongful death, those left behind are called dependents or beneficiaries and because of this death, they are entitled to damages (meaning money) due to the negligent actions of the defendant. This is not a normal negligence lawsuit either.

To explain the differences between a wrongful death civil case and a normal negligence lawsuit one has to know a bit of history first. Under the common law, a wrongful death claim didn't Archie Comics The reason Weird Science it was believed that the claim died with the victim, so how could s/he be compensated for damages? This meant survivors couldn't ask for damages from the person who caused the death.

Eventually realizing this was a rather backwards and exclusionary approach to justice, the states remedied that glaring error by passing what is called "wrongful death statutes." These statutes specifically provide compensation for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Not all states have the same statutes and you would need to talk to an expert attorney to find out what the rules for filing are Wolverine movie your particular state.

While most of the state wrongful death statutes are considered to be unique, they do follow the same general principles. This means that there are four common elements in all states for a wrongful death claim. The first element is that the death was caused partly or wholly, by the conduct of the defendant.

The second is that the defendant was negligent or in the alternative, strictly liable for the victim's demise. Element three is that there is a surviving spouse, children, dependents or beneficiaries. The final element is that monetary damages have resulted from the victim's death. If a case meets these elements, then it must also meet the statute of limitations for filing, and in most states the claim must be filed within a year of the death.

The courts have a great deal of discretion in what type of damages they may award. For instance they may award for emotional pain and suffering, for the loss of future earnings, funeral expenses, medical costs and loss of benefits (e.g. health, life etc.). In some instances the court may also award punitive damages based on the facts of the case.

If your have lost a loved one and want to find out about filing a wrongful death lawsuit, contact an attorney who is highly experienced in this area of the law. These cases are not easy and having a competent lawyer guide you and your family through the process donate your car make things that much easier in the long run.

Robert Webb is an href="webbdorazio.com/">Atlanta Generic Drugs injury lawyer with Webb & DOrazio, a law firm specializing in href="webbdorazio.com/">Atlanta personal injury, malpractice, criminal defense, and business law. Learn more at Webbdorazio.com

# posted by hieej : 3:33 AM  0 comments

Many busy professionals put off success Webkinz because they're afraid of the time commitment. They fear weekly one-hour appointments stretching on indefinitely. Because of that fear, they miss out on the benefits of feedback from Gormiti professional coach on life, work and success issues.

Laser coaching removes the fear of long-term commitment. With laser coaching, clients hone down their concerns to one bite-sized piece that can be addressed in a single hour. Client and coach work intensively for one hour on that specific issue, and emerge with an action plan. No further sessions are necessary. Additional laser coaching on different topics can always be added without ongoing commitment.

Laser coaching works best in the following situations:

Situation #1: The client can narrowly define the behavior or obstacle and car donation clear about its impact. Because laser coaching has only one hour, there's no time to dig into the past or uncover cause and effect. The client should come prepared with a clearly defined problem and objective. For example, a client who is fearful about pulling together a major presentation could meet with a coach to devise strategies for organizing and presenting the material, along with positive reinforcement techniques.

Situation #2: The problem involves interpersonal relationships such as a problem boss or a difficult colleague. Laser coaching can help develop skills for dealing with difficult people that manage conflict successfully. It Wolverine with the here-and-now, not untangling long-standing patterns.

Situation #3: The problem is part of a larger issue that can be broken into smaller related pieces. For example, a client who fears public speaking may choose to deal with that fear over a series of laser coaching sessions spread out at her convenience as budget permits. One session might deal with techniques for speaking to a small group, while another session might cover body language and gestures. By breaking a big topic into smaller pieces, it's possible to make progress without a long-term coaching commitment.

Situation #4: The client has one or two concerns but is otherwise confident about his/her life and career. If a client only needs help with one or two defined concerns, laser coaching makes sense as a time-efficient and cost-effective way to get results.

Situation #5: A client wants to check out a coach before making a long-term commitment. Starting with one or two laser coaching sessions is a great way to make sure you and the coach are a good fit.

By making coaching a defined project with a beginning, objective and clear end, laser coaching as a technique appeals to many busy professionals. Most importantly, laser coaching makes success coaching accessible to more people than ever before, helping professionals become more confident, productive and fulfilled.

Faith Monson is a Success Consultant who works with entrepreneurs, designers, retailers and sales-driven The Joker action figure She makes people and businesses better by daring them to be great and helping them to reach their full potential. Visit href="FaithMonson.com">FaithMonson.com or contact her directly at href="mailto:Faith@FaithMonson.com">Faith@FaithMonson.com or 703-237-2077.

# posted by hieej : 3:30 AM  0 comments