Long Forgotten? Stir Old Accounts Back to Life
An award-winning contractor in Savannah, Georgia (who also happens to be my award-winning brother) wrote:‘In my business (home construction and remodeling), I have many accounts with different suppliers supporting the construction industry. Sometimes I use their services and then will not see them again for 8 to 12 months or whenever my next project requires. When I do return to order new supplies, some companies have let my account “run out”, and I have to apply for a new account with them all over again.‘I ask why they don’t send a card letting me know that my account has become dormant, and is about to be closed? Perhaps they could offer me an incentive to return and make a purchase instead of just “letting me go”. After all, they already have me as a good customer, just not very frequent. I just thought this might be happening in other industries as well.’***This is a great question, and a terrific point for anyone seeking to grow their business. Once a company has the benefit of receiving a customer’s business, it makes no sense to close the account simply because the customer has not ordered from you in a while...even a long while. Unless there is substantial cost to keeping an account open, you should allow the customer to return at anytime, and welcome them back with enthusiasm.Remember, once a customer has purchased from you, they will have become familiar with your products, your location, your ordering system and the way

Envelope Manufacturers
Envelope manufacturing is a widely established fraternity. Since envelopes are in great demand all over the world, there are many companies in the business. Each one of them strives to produce the best, most useful, and most creative envelopes for attracting customers great and small.A good envelope manufacturer should have the capacity and capabilities to meet the growing need. The main raw material is paper supplied by paper mills supplemented by plastic for special envelopes. The main investment is in printing, cutting and folding equipment. Production, customer support and sales teams do their part in handling orders.Some envelope manufacturers offer to produce envelopes of particular sizes only, while others offer a limited variety based on their machinery capabilities.An envelope manufacturer needs to take into account size, windowing option, folding or seaming positions, flap styles and sealing methods. Some offer customized printing for bulk orders, while others invest in inserting equipment to offer additional service to their clients. In a few cases, manufacturers act as suppliers and sell the envelopes directly to clients.For the benefit of envelope manufacturers, an association also exists to provide assistance in technology, marketing and manufacturing ideas. Most of the envelope manufacturers enjoy the benefits of membership. Locate an envelope manufacturer on the Internet or check with the envelope manufacturers association

Paperless Office for CPA for Under $1,000
Considering what CPAs are being asked to pay for pre-packaged paperless solutions for their offices, the title of this article is quite radical. Since the title and what is discussed here is based on actual experience of the author, it is alright for it to get some media attention.Most CPA practices these days have a small office network in place to handle the operations of the business. Rather, it is almost impractical for them to be operating without some kind of a computer network in their offices. Most CPAs and accountants also efile their clients’ tax returns and so they need a reliable internet connection in their office. Unbeknownst to them, CPAs have over 90% of what they need to go paperless, at least on the hardware and the software side.CPAs have almost all the hardware and software needed, in their office, to convert their practice into a paperless practice. Almost means close to 90%. However, they need to build up another asset to be able to go paperless in a very short time. The asset they need has to be built in house and cannot be purchased. They have to first recognize the extreme importance of the need to go paperless and then develop a strong determination to do so within a short time and limited budget.Recognition of the importance of going paperless is the major hurdle facing the accounting industry at this time. Many CPAs are still waiting on the sidelines to watch how this trend evolves. Generally, that is not a very bad s

Are You A Victim Of Sales Cycles
Many products and services have different sales cycles – from the first prospect meeting to the close of the sale. Some cycles can be several months to a few years. Some can be just a few days.Many salespeople believe that they are not in control of the sales cycle. They put the buying control into the hands of the prospect. Of course, you cannot sell something to someone before they are ready, but you can discover the sense of urgency or attempt to create it.Keep in mind that people buy when they are ready to buy, not when you need to sell.This week, let’s focus on these arbitrary sales cycles. First of all, remember that you do not change the prospect’s buying needs, timetable, readiness or urgency – you discover it or them. If your prospect has just signed a three year contract with a competitor, guess what? This is not a prospect for you until the time when he begins to consider renewing or changing suppliers.Most sales cycles are not etched in stone. They are a function of your ability to get to the real issues, needs, pain, problems, etc. If you fail to identify these accurately, you will most likely never develop the interest or desire necessary to cause a buying decision. However, if your questioning skills can quickly cut to the chase of the prospect’s primary emotional buying motive, and you have a viable solution for them, you can most likely move the sales process along quicker rather than slower.Don’t get yourself in

Creative Marketing Management Leadership
To some, it means bottom line only. To me, it means increasing teamwork, building communication systems that work, centralizing a message, generating a consistent message and assuring the fundamentals are clearly communicated within your company first to maintain a marketing edge, which then makes your bottom line healthy. With these fundamentals in place, good creative and honest communications can be created.This includes and makes necessary on my behalf, the need to understand management goals and to then be able to lead your creative marketing team in implementing those goals. You will receive experience which provides significant value to your company in my ability to conceptualize, articulate and implement strategic creative across a broad range of marketing initiatives, including creative, print, direct mail, advertising, brand identity and the internet and it's increasingly large share of the world's markets.You will receive a proven ability to lead a creative team in achieving company visions, and this provides companies we work with well trained knowledge based staff with clear company visions.This is an investment in your company, not an outsourcing of knowledge.Part of my philosophy is the need for leaders to trust that their staff have a vested interest in the organization and given the right information regarding revenue and business models, will act in the best interest of the company. To that end, your company will enjoy w

Proxy Voting - Small Business Corporate Regulations
A proxy is an agent who has been legally authorized to act on behalf of someone else. When shareholders are unable to attend corporate meetings they can still cast their votes by using a proxy, who votes on their behalf. The proxy needs to produce a power of attorney document.Generally shareholders get a mail from the particular company, in which they hold shares, prior to any meeting containing several documents providing information about the company’s growth, performance, its management, information about changes in the share structure, notices about any mergers or acquisitions etc. The mail would contain all the matters that shareholders would require to vote during the meeting. Along with these documents, there would be a form to allow shareholders to vote by a proxy if they cannot attend the meetings in person.Importance of Proxy VotingShareholders have to carefully study all the documents provided to them and cast their votes. It is the primary means by which a shareholder can influence a company’s operations, its corporate governance and other important issues. Therefore voting and making their choices clear is very essential for a shareholder. Hence, voting in person is not possible; proxy voting becomes essential for a shareholder. Usually a shareholder has the right to cast one vote per share he owns, so it is important that the shareholder casts his vote at least by a proxy. Proxy voting enables a shareholder to own shares of compani