Surviving the Economy

In this current economy, sales become more difficult to close. With the news of so many companies going out of business, going to work each day can be stressful and even scary. Here are our tips on staying strong in a tight economy:

• Run an honest business – Consider how this recession is a cleansing time for unstable and poorly managed businesses. The businesses that make wise, sound decisions will more likely survive. Just remember, what goes around comes around.
  
• Keep a cool head – In addition to making wise decisions, stay calm about those decisions you make and the news you hear. Don’t overreact to everything you hear. Keeping your mind clear will help you make your stronger and wiser decisions.
  
• Keep a positive attitude – With so much negative thoughts swirling around, it will help you and your business to keep a positive attitude. It will also increase your employees’ and your customers’ confidence.
  
• Show confidence in yourself and your company – Like the previous tip, confidence will assert itself into others’ confidence. If you firmly believe and stand for you company, show it. If your company is doing well, share that to others. In shaky times people want to put their trust in something. Prove to them that your company is still confident about the future.
  
• Spend time researching your clients - Instead of 100 random cold calls, research your potential customers and see if your business can fulfill their needs. When you call them, you will also have a background of their company. The time spent in researching you potential clients can be a great benefit to your company.
  
• Don’t be afraid to take action – When you make the effort to stay cool and collected, do not just sit around and do nothing. Regardless of whether the economy is good or bad, there are opportunities to succeed.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Motivate Your Employees to Help You Succeed

Your employees are the blood that keep your small business alive. Without them, your operations could come to a screeching halt. Having happy, motivated employees can really help your company prosper.

Here is a list of ways that can help your employees become and stay motivated to work for your business:

• Provide a positive work environment. When there are conflicts within our employees, work hard to resolve them. The fact that you are making an effort reflects positively.
• Encourage teamwork. When your company secures a large contract or makes a big sale, reward your employees. Lunch, dinner, or prizes can really encourage your workers to be team players and strive toward common goals.
  
• Reward hard work. If a certain employee has put in extra hours to help meet a deadline or if a hard working father has a long commute, consider alternative rewards. Allow the father to work from home one day a week. Let the employee have a day off of work. When you see that someone who works hard for you has a need, try to find a way to meet it. This will really encourage your employees to work hard.
  

Providing a positive work environment and rewarding good work will really help your employees to enjoy their job, work harder, and be loyal to the company.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Use E-coupons to Increase Your Sales

Coupons are a great way to reward your customers, invite new customers, and increase your sales. Consider how implementing coupons in your business can help your company grow.

E-coupons are easy to use in e-commerce sites. You will need a shopping cart system that allows you to implement a coupon code.

Even if you don’t have an e-commerce site, you can offer coupons that your customers redeem in your store. Make sure that the same person is not coming in again and again.

There are several different kinds of coupons you can use:

• First-Time Customers: Entice new customers with coupons. You can offer a certain percentage off of their first purchase or offer free shipping for new accounts. The sky is the limit on possibilities you could do for your coupon.
• Returning customers: Reward your returning customers with an e-coupon for their next purchase. You can give them their coupon after they finished a purchase or through e-mail.
• Loyal customers: Reward the customers who loyally buy from you again and again. If you keep good accounts on purchases, send out an e-coupon to those that have made a certain amount of purchases from you.
• General incentives: If your sales are going a little slow, offer coupons to everyone to comes to the store. You can do this with a mass e-mail or offer a coupon code on the home page. This is a great way to boost your sales and satisfy your customers.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Get Your News Out

When your company has news, don't you want every one to know? The quickest, easiest, cheapest, and perhaps most effective way is to submit your press release to a free press release site. This free method of advertising can attract many visitors as well as increase your site's links.

Note: Just because these sites offer free services, that does not mean that they accept everything. Make sure that your press release is legitimate and not just advertising.

Here is a list of some free press release web sites that can help boost your business:

• i-NewsWire.com
• PR.com
• Free-Press-Release.com
• PRWeb.com
• PRLog.org
• 1888PressRelease.com
• 24-7PressRelease.com
• ClickPress.com
• PRUrgent.com
• BetaNews.com - IT and Technology Press Releases

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.

Training Your Mind

The mind is a powerful thing. As complex as it is, you can train your mind to think certain ways. Consider this: If all that you think is pessimistic thoughts, which will be your first reaction to a bad piece of news? Will you look to find a good outcome, or will you dwell on the bad?

Train your mind to be positive. Although sometimes it may be hard, teaching your mind can be your greatest asset.

Having positive thoughts will help in business. When you have negative thoughts and are presented with a problem, you may give up and tell yourself that it is hopeless. When your mind is trained to be positive, you may look for a solution and tell yourself that everything will be all right. Consider the impact this will have on your customers, profits, and yourself.

Brad Harmon is the President at a leading financing company, First Star Capital (www.firststarcapital.com). Brad is a frequent contributor to online publications and newsletters, and is the author of this blog on commercial financing topics.