All posts in Business Strategy

I have now written about 10 short reports, and I will tell that they have generated lots of income for me since I first got started with this in 2006. My most popular ones are my short reports on membership sites, affiliate marketing, and how to get started with an online business. You can learn how to write your own profit generating reports in less time than you might think.

You can decide whether to give away or sell the reports you write. I prefer to give mine away for a few different reasons. The main reason is that many more people will be able to read my reports if I make them available at no cost. These readers are also more likely to give them away to others who they know. The result is that my short report ends up in the hands of people who would otherwise never have connected with me. That is the beginning of viral marketing, especially if what you write in your report is considered good enough to share.

Keep in mind that you will want to focus on a narrow topic in your report. Instead of writing about an overall general topic, keep it niched down so that it is more specific. This will establish your credibility as a specialist in this area, and make both you and your information more sought after in the marketplace. Include some affiliate links in your report, and make sure they are appropriate to what you are writing about. This is one way that you will earn income from your writing for years to come. No more than one affiliate link per page is a good rule of thumb with this.

Also be sure that your contact information is on each page. Imagine someone printing out your report and giving it to a friend. Then, imagine that person dropping it on the floor and picking up a few pages later on, maybe even months from now. If they do not have your name, website, and other information, they will never be able to connect with you. This is simple enough to include in your footer and header. Do the research you need in order to include as much valuable information as possible in your short report. Most of mine tend to be about ten pages long, but yours should only be as long as is necessary to provide the information your prospect would need to understand your topic.

I encourage you to make a schedule for yourself so that you can create one new report each month. Decide how you will market it and see how quickly your business will grow.

Some people confuse business strategies with business planning. In actual fact business strategy is a merely a part of overall business planning. In short, business planning includes business vision, business mission, and business goals, while business strategy is the road that you will take to reach that goal. You may not need to set some fancy goals for a wholesale enterprise, still you can not start without having a well thought out strategy in place. You know that being a wholesaler, your basic job is to store, assemble, sort and deal out goods that you’ve got in large quantities from manufacturers (or other wholesalers). Outwardly, it is quite straightforward job that requires a storehouse, inventory management software, transportation, and distribution facilities; still you need a documented strategy to serve as a road map. Remember, before you start making a strategy, you should be having a business vision and mission statement along with clear cut goals. Start from conducting market research to see if there’s a need of a wholesaler in some particular industry or area. In case there’re already more than enough wholesalers in the market, analyze your business to see if you will be able to provide superior services to your customers? Decide the type of wholesale enterprise you’d like to start and also some specific type of products that you’d be dealing in (e.g. food, garments, grocery, cosmetics, etc). You need to decide on some specific product because it will require a massive setup to deal in all kinds of products. Do some research to know about the requirements of storing, sorting and shipping the product that you have chosen? Do a SWOT analysis (strength, weaknesses, opportunities & threats) to confirm if you’ll be able to pull it off. Make an initial budget to see what kind of funds you will need to successfully start and run the business. Consider all expenses including licensing, rent, transportation, and shipping costs. Create flow charts for all departments and come up with a rough estimate of the number of employees you’ll need to start with. Mark key performance indicators for all departments. As you’d have already noticed, one needs to know the wholesale business inside out to be able to make a foolproof strategy. It’s better to hire some professionals to assist you in strategy making. In the end, keep in mind that business strategy is not a one-off job. Once you’ve started operating as a wholesaler, this strategy will require several additions, modifications and changes.

William King is the director of Wholesale Suppliers, Wholesale Baby Goods and Wholesale Directory. He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries and has been helping retailers and startups with their product sourcing, promotion, marketing and supply chain requirements. s.

In this article, I’m eager to give out some real help to folks who find the complete option of packing for moving residence slightly overwhelming. You’re probably dreading the concept of having to decide where to start and what to take, so let’s set up a step plan for you to adhere to, and I think, after you take the initial step, you’ll understand that just getting going is the highest hurdle you’ll cope with.

Step 1: The Big Clear Out.

This sounds like an obvious step, but from my experience, it’s overlooked all to often. An opportunity has arisen at this time where you can get rid of a bunch of garbage and open up a quantity of valuable breathing space, and decrease your workload and expenditure on removal day. This is especially critical if your move is over a long distance, or if there’s going to be a storage phase connecting your moving out and moving in days. Remember, the higher the volume of goods to be moved, so therefore the more packing resources, men necessary, time necessary, superior vehicle necessary, bigger storeroom unit necessary. It all has a knock on effect, so strip your residence down to the essentials and save your time and money. Take a good long look at your furniture, and ask yourself if you really intend to shell out to have that worn-out old couch taken to your pristine house. Are your beds or mattresses due for replacement? Do you really need to keep all those back issues of your favourite magazines? A clever proposal is to ask yourself when was the previous point you used that thing, and force yourself to cast it away. Use it or lose it. Get this step correct by being as brutal as you can, and you’re on your way to a much smoother, and much cheaper move.

Step 2: The Non Essentials

We all obtain those items which we can’t be parted from, such as private photo albums, ornaments and trinkets, artwork, and of course our clothes and cookware, but for a good number of us it can be packed, weeks in advance of moving time without impacting on our lives. If you can cut back down to manage on the bare essentials, and box up the surplus ahead of time, you’ll suddenly observe that the workload on moving day is now down to a much more controllable level. If you can get this stage concluded before you call in the removal companies for quotes, it follows that you can expect the prices to be much more reasonable. The sales rep from the moving company will respond far more favourably to a tidy organised household, than he would to a jumbled residence with a mountain of graft to get through. So work ahead of time and box up the things you can manage without. Don’t be troubled too much as regards what goes away on this stage, as you can leave your boxes unsealed in case you need to find that special pair of shoes or your kids other toys. Stack your packed boxes to the wall in each room, ready to seal them up right before moving day.

Step 3: The Night Before

Relax. With steps one and two complete you’ve already prepared much better than nearly all. You can award yourself a pat on the back at this moment and know that your moving day is going to plan. Now, all that needs to be done is to place everything in your essentials collection which is no longer required into the unsealed boxes. You’ll need fresh clothes, wash kit, a couple of towels and the breakfast items for the morning, but everything else can go away. My special reminder is to keep the coffee pot out and a few mugs and teaspoons, milk and sugar. We all have a mid-morning break on the day and it’s so much nicer to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Especially imperative at this time, is that you get a sound nights sleep. Moving day is a long day so catch your rest and wake up refreshed and energised ready to rock and roll.

Step 4: Get up and enthusiasm!

If your movers are coming by 8am, it follows that you’ll aim to be up, washed, dressed and fed earlier than they arrive. Then you’ve got to get the breakfast dishes washed dried and packed, get the wash kit away, but leave a towel and a little soap in the bathroom. Strip your beds down and bag the sheets, pillows and duvets. Seal up all the boxes which have been left unsealed up to this stage and presto, youre all set. When the movers arrive, thay can move straight to work lifting boxes away to the van while you polish off a small amount of last moment tasks. Once your boxes and furniture are moved out, you’ve got to turn out the lights, lock up, transfer the keys and get after that truck.

Hopefully at present you’re looking forwards to moving. I know as soon as I arrive on nearly all jobs, a look of absolute panic is showing, but generally by the mid morning break we’ve got the bulk of it finished and things calm down. If you take my advice and abide by the plan then you to will be able to sleep well the night beforehand and welcome your movers with a smile.

Warmest regards from me, and let me know how it went.

How To Run A Successful Event

Events are a powerful tool for marketers to truly engage their consumers and leverage their brand. No matter what type of event you plan to run, there are a few points you need to remember to ensure your event is a success.
A successful Event Marketing Campaign is one that:

* Meets your brand objectives.
* Delivers a meaningful message directly to the target market.
* Complements your overall marketing plan.
* Provides a talking point amongst consumers.

The Strategy

Choosing the right event strategy for your product or service requires a thorough understanding of the brand objectives. You may require an experienced event agency partner if you do not have sufficient in-house resources to help you to achieve your goals. Look for a good team of experienced and creative minds who are ready to analyse every element of your product and service and its current position to design the best possible strategy. The following points should be considered:
Event Outcome

Clarity and agreement around the issue of event outcome is imperative. Key stake holders will have different views and perspectives of what they want out of an event. Defining and agreeing the desired event outcome means that the correct approach is taken. It means that the creative development of the event and the content to all work together to produce the right results. Ask yourself the following questions.

* What is the outcome you want for this event?
* What change do you want to effect?
* What tangible changes do you want? Eg Increase in sales, lead generation?
* What is the best thing/outcome that could happen as a result of this campaign?
* When the road show is over what do you want the guests to be saying about the event over coffee to their friends?
* What would be the ultimate sign of success for the event?

Target Market

Your target group are your guests. They could be prospective or existing clients or they could be staff. Again ask yourself: Who are they? Where are they? Why do you want them to attend? What do they like to do? How do we get their attention? What do they think/know/feel about your company now? What do you want them to think/know/feel about your company post the event?

Think about what events they have experienced before either with your organisation or with your competitors. What is their age group, are they an even mix of male and female? Understanding your audience is a good first step in the event planning process.
Message

A clear message is critical to the success of any event. Knowing exactly what you want to say is imperative. Its about what you want to say rather than how you want to say it at this stage? What is the main story you want to tell? What is imperative that they know when they leave? Communication of the message needs to be clear and concise. Consistency is key and your message needs to be included in each step from the invitation to web marketing campaign, to the event, the marketing collateral and the carefully planned post event strategy.
Brand Positioning

A good understanding of your brand position is crucial in building an event strategy. Is the event about a new product or service? Is it the launch of a new variable product or service? Are there set sales objectives for the product or service? Your brand position will assist in clarifying the best type of event your company needs and the most appropriate communication vehicle to engage your audience.
Creative

The creative development of the event can vary enormously. Considering the questions above certainly points you in the right direction to as to what kind of event will provide the most powerful result. It could be a national road show with international speakers or it could be a half day relationship building experience with key clients. A golf day, seminar series, exhibition, conference, experiential marketing campaign or any other various type of event should focus on leveraging your brand and provide a forum for you to connect with your target audience. Ask yourself how do we best represent the brand? How do we support above-the-line marketing strategies? How do we make it a memorable experience?
Planning

Finding your market and connecting with them in a memorable way is more than just guess work. It is staggering how many events are run with the minimum of planning. People are willing to invest significant money putting events on but they tend to overlook the need to invest in planning and smart thinking.

Planning is crucial to any event not matter how small and intimate it may be. Critical paths, risk assessments, measurable results, budget control are essential tools when planning a successful outcome. You need to plan on maximising the number of touch points with guests. Plan on results or you can guarantee you are planing on a disaster.
Implementation

With the correct planning the implementation of an event is the easy part. Ensure that every member of your event team have a run schedule of the event from start to finish so they aware of all timings. Rehearsals are imperative and why not consider professional speak training for all staff that will be presenting. An overall risk assessment is probably in the back of everyones minds but unless it is written down you are open to disaster. A good event company will also supply you with a thorough mitigation strategy to ensure you get a good result from your event no matter what.
Outcome

And weve come full circle. The results of your event should be measurable or how do you know if you have achieved good value for your investment. Events are all about building strong long term partnerships with your prospects and clients. When all of the above factors work together they create a truly powerful experience that not only moves people but motivates them to act. Remember your customers and staff holds your future in their hands. They control your revenue, your profitability and they are the central point on which your economic performance balances. Events are a powerful opportunity to leverage your brand and promote your services to this influential group.

Got some more queries? Why not check out the team at JH Events?

JH Events, Sydney Australia