Business121 Small Business Newsletter #8

Business121 No.8

In this week’s Business121:

1. Turn Your Knowledge into Sales Power
2. The 7 Deadly Sins of Web Design
3. How to Increase Visitor Value at Your Site
4. Overview of Trademarks & How to Apply
5. Ten Early Small Business Resolutions for 2006
6. Business121 Campaign – Sign Up Today
7. Small Business News

Turn Your Product Knowledge into Sales Power

Last weekend, I decided it was time we bought a digital camera. With a holiday to Australia on the horizon I wanted to make sure we’d have some good photos as well as good memories of the trip. So off I charged, full of purpose, into the town to make my purchase.

I was quietly excited at the thought of taking some snaps of a sunset at Uluru as I approached the first shop. But as soon as I walked in I was faced with a huge array of cameras.

Slightly daunted at the massive choice, I started studying the different cameras, surveying the long list of features each one had to its armoury. But the reality was that I didn’t really know what any of these features meant. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted the camera to do, but I didn’t have the knowledge to translate the long list of features into a language that meant something to me.

What would a, ‘3x SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON Optical Zoom Lens’ do for me and is it better than a ‘3x Optical Zoom, up to 14x Smart Zoom, 6x Precision Digital Zoom’?

I was flummoxed and started to look around for help. I waited for a short while but with no sales assistant available, I quietly slipped out of the door, frustrated that I hadn’t managed to make the purchase but quietly confident that I’d be able to buy online later that day.

On the walk back my mind soon turned to thinking what lessons could be learned from this experience.

Firstly, it’s a reminder that we are naturally reluctant to make a purchasing decision if we feel that we lack the knowledge to make an informed decision. The fear of making the wrong decision and later regretting it (buyer’s remorse) over-rides the desire to purchase.

This is where the sale assistant plays such an important role. They plug the knowledge gap – giving you the reassurance you need to take the plunge

The second lesson is that we all need to remember the difference between features and benefits. A feature is something the product possesses; for example a camera may have a ‘3X Optical Lens’ or a pair of socks may be ‘elasticated’.

Features shouldn’t be confused with the benefits. Benefits are what the features can do for you. A ‘3X Optical Lens’ will mean that you can ‘take great pictures from afar’ and the ‘elasticated sock’ will mean that they don’t fall down when you’re wearing them.

It’s all too easy to pack a brochure, sales letter of website with features of your product but it’s the benefits that people will respond to.

To learn more about features and benefits read this excellent article and then see if you can improve your marketing literature by turning dull features into irresistible benefits.
http://snipurl.com/_Copywriting

Before you start working on your own, have a look at this list of 20 so-called ‘Benefits’ of the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC W7 on this well known camera retailers website:
http://snipurl.com/Features_or_Benefits

How many of the 20 ‘Benefits” are really benefits? Precisely, none. Every single one is a feature. And they still all mean pretty much nothing to me!

(Emyr Williams)

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***************************************************************The 7 Deadly Sins of Web Design Imagine a town with two shops that sell nearly identical merchandise, for nearly identical prices. Both shops are conveniently located in the same safe neighbourhood, clean, brightly lit and well-stocked.

But while the sales associates in one store are always friendly, knowledgeable and eager to help, the salespeople in the other store are consistently rude, lazy and uninformed. Which store would you think the townspeople would be most likely to frequent? Guess what - it's the same for Internet consumers and websites.

So what practices are guaranteed to squash your online sales? Here are the 7 deadly sins of web design:

http://snipurl.com/_7_Sins_of_WebDesign

How to Increase Visitor Value at Your Site

When a new visitor clicks on a link and arrives at your site for the first time, what will you present to them?

1. Will you present something like a brochure that has a home page filled with information and links to products?

2. Will you show an online catalogue that offers a variety of products and services?

3. Or will you have a straightforward, focused sales page that promotes a single product or service?

How you answer these questions directly affects the profitability of your web site. Numerous market studies make one thing very clear: when new site visitors are offered too many choices, they get confused and don't buy. They leave; most of the time they never return. Here’s how you can make it easy for a new visitor to become your client:

http://snipurl.com/IncreaseVisitorValue

Overview of Trademarks & How to Apply

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a symbol or sign that differentiates one type of business from another. A sign can include a business logo, words/content or anything similar. In order for a trademark to be registered, it must be sufficiently distinct for the services/goods it is applied to cover. Obviously, it must not be similar to existing trademarks, nor can it be deceptive or illegal in any way.

http://snipurl.com/_Trademark_Overview

Ten Early Small Business Resolutions for 2006

Is your business fit and ready for the challenges of the New Year? In 2005, market conditions proved too much for many companies with the number of compulsory insolvencies in quarter three up by 35.7 per cent compared to the previous year. Take steps now to make sure your business doesn't become a casualty in 2006.

Steve Websdale from Venture Finance suggests ten early New Year's resolutions that will help get your business into shape for 2006.

http://snipurl.com/early_resolutions

Business121 Campaign – Sign Up TODAY

One of our objectives at Business121 is to get a better deal for small businesses. We don’t lobby the Government – we leave that to organisations that have the wherewithal to do it effectively – but we do encourage our readers to help each other and work together where possible.

That’s why we recommend you join LogBuy – the UK’s Business Discount Club.

By joining LogBuy, all of us small businesses club together to get a better deal from suppliers. By teaming up we effectively become one big buyer and with our collective muscle LogBuy negotiate a discounted rate with suppliers. The result is that we all benefit from lower prices from trusted suppliers.

And, as more and more of us join the greater our purchasing power becomes and the better the prices we can all enjoy. It’s a virtuous circle that big businesses have used to increase their profits for decades. Now it’s the time for small businesses to enjoy the benefits of ‘economies of scale’ too.

If you haven’t already joined, sign-up here now:

http://snipurl.com/_LogBuy_Join

Remember, there is no cost to join, no annual membership fee and no commitment to purchase anything. It’s an effortless way for us small businesses to work together and get a better deal.

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To read Oliver's special report explaining the specific steps you should take to profit from eBay click here now: http://snipurl.com/_eBay_Secrets

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Small Business News

Scam warning for Small Businesses
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Scottish business network, Business Buzz, is issuing a warning to businesses owners to be on their guard against a new "phishing" scam that is currently being targeted at small businesses.

http://snipurl.com/new_phishing_scam

Festive networking for businesses in Northern Ireland
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B4B, the Business Networking Organisation in Northern Ireland, is getting into the Christmas spirit with two networking events in December.

http://snipurl.com/B4Bfestivenetworking

Worried and Stressed Out at Work? – speak to the Wife!
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Trend Micro, a web security and antivirus company, has released some interesting survey results showing that a huge majority of small and medium-sized-business owners and managers are regularly worried and stressed about work.

But what is worrying small businesses and who are they turning to for support?

http://snipurl.com/_Speak_To_Wife

Personal insolvency rates soar due to lifestyle changes
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Lifestyle expectations and changes in bankruptcy laws are to blame for the worrying rise in personal insolvencies, according to insolvency expert Philip Long of accountants and business advisers PKF.

http://snipurl.com/_Insolvency_Rates

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FreelancerMoney specialise in arranging mortgages for small business owners, freelancers and contractors. To learn more about how we can help you to get the mortgage you want just click here: http://snipurl.com/_FreelancerMoney
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THINKING OF GETTING A NEW WEBSITE?
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Then don't go ahead without speaking with us first. At Blue-Egg eCommerce we're dedicated to producing websites specifically for small business. You can get a professional web design from just £750 (including hosting) and we're happy give a 10% discount to Business121 readers. Visit: http://snipurl.com/Blue_Egg

SEE YOUR AD HERE
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Business121 is read by over 12,000 small business owners every week. You can book an ad here for as little as £30. Just email: Classified@Business121.co.uk for details
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(c) Business121.co.uk 2005