And this week's spam is....

We are obviously all under-educated in't Western world, so this last month has seen an inundation of education opportunities - buy your degree, missing out on the job you deserve, earn more when qualified etc.

Other than that, this week has seen the spam innovation (yawn) of the subject line being the surname of the sender. Unfortunately, the spammers' imaginations are on holiday and there are no more vaguely interesting names such as 'Unmerrily Thompson' or 'Doublechoc Vinszcaya' so tis all a wee bit boring this week. But, like I said, always worth reporting!

What have you had in your spam sandwich this week?

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Reminder to self

Now here's a canny idea. Your business has targets to meet, but sometimes it can be hard with so much to do to remember those targets and check progress over time.
Why not send a letter to yourself at a set point in the future to check you are still on track achieving your targets? You can now send letters to a future you for any purpose at all, but using this service to keep yourself on target has got to be a good one for keeping your goals in sight and ensuring you are doing what you set out to.

If you just want an every day reminder service though, why not use Backpack?

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Why giving is good

I have previously posted about giving away information for free. Let's go one step further and see what else you can do which will bring in enquiries, sales and profits.

A recent discussion about contacting Richard Branson about a business proposal for a community a group of us have led to talks about whether he (or Bill Gates, Dragons' Den players etc) would rip us off if we took such an idea to him/them. After all, this idea would benefit potentially thousands of people if done in a certain way, but would also yield money. What would be to stop them nicking the idea, converting it into a purely profit-making exercise, and destroying the underlying purpose?

The conclusion we came to is that although many of these players may well be in it for the money, they are also in it for a deeper reason. People attract money, are successful in business, or are canny entrepreneurs by being 'themselves' generally. And that personality is not generally 'nasty'. How many nasty successful business people can you think of?

Gates is well-known for his philanthropic activities, and Branson has become known for taking on the big boys on behalf of the consumers. Yes, it is good for profits and branding, and it buys loyalty too, but it also has a 'feelgood factor' to it. And that, potentially, for the individual able to do so, is worth more than the money generated as a side effect of doing good, or giving.

The Body Shop, run by the late Anita Roddick, built a huge amount of loyalty through its activities to protect those making the products, to reduce environmental impact etc. This was because Anita Roddick cared a great deal about doing business ethically, and giving to those individuals and communities who she felt were suffering at the hands of unethical activities by governments, large corporates etc. She felt she could make a difference to people she dealt with, and she did.

This a common thread amongst successful entrepreneurs. Giving to get.

And every business needs to look at how they can treat their customers well, go the extra mile, not try to make money from every single thing they do. To do it for the well-being of their customers. To help them overcome hurdles which might be preventing them succeeding.

For instance, Cybersavvy UK has given huge amounts of free information over the years. Not just to establish that we know what we are on about with internet marketing and small business advice, but also because we want to help people.

It is so frustrating finding people day in, day out, who just do not know where to turn to for help, who cannot justify spending consultancy fees for specialist advice, or who just don't know what they don't know.

This blog is currently the replacement for a website in rebuild that has over 600 pages of free advice on it. (It will shortly be returning to your screens so watch this space!)

The lengthy discussions about how to monetise that website have led to a decision to make 90% of the Web PR advice available for free. Why? Because at the end of the day, we want to help people 'get online to better business' - which has been our strapline for 12 years now. The side benefit is that more business is generated by helping people to get beyond the basics of SEO and Internet Marketing etc for free than by attempting to charge them for that service. Ditto in the other worlds we are involved with eg broadband and IT skills and training. We earn more by helping people to get connected, or to use their computer with some degree of competence, because then they want to be able to do more, and can see the benefits (economic and otherwise) that the free advice has brought them.

Let's pick any business and see how adopting this approach could benefit you. This approach benefits any business at all, but let's try a couple of different ones to see what we can come up with...

Let's say you are a picture framer. When a customer comes to you for a frame, what could you offer them for free?

How about advice on how to best light the picture they are going to frame? Show them examples of lights that can be used, and how placement of the light will improve the picture. Does it cost you anything? Well, maybe a few moments of your time, and you may need to get hold of a lighting company's catalogue, but that will cost pennies.

How about advice on positioning a picture in a room for best effect? Height of the picture, placement etc all make a difference to the impact a picture will have. Which pictures complement each other to create a theme in a room, or business premises? Are there other similar artists you could recommend they look out for?

Or let's say you sell carpets... Why not offer every customer a free sign that says, "Shoes off please" or a free doormat so that their carpet stays clean? Offer them practical, free advice on looking after their new carpet. Give them stain remover advice, especially natural products they may have anyway around the home so they do not need to spend big money on specialist shampoos etc.

Perhaps you teach people computer skills.....a free email newsletter once a week or month that helps them to achieve a new skill, use a new Internet tool, or provides advice about backing up their important files and documents. Why not set up a free remote back up service? Space on a server is bordering on free now, so it needn't cost you very much to provide and it is a great extra service.

Everything you do need not be about making money. Nor need there be a hidden agenda in doing things for your customers. Look at where they need help, and provide it. For free. Firstly, you will feel good about helping people, secondly, they will undoubtedly come back for more, and thirdly, there is nothing like word of mouth or word of mouse recommendations for building your business.

Give it a go today. Give a little!

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Credit crunch - collect your debts

Another in our series about how to prevent the credit crunch eating your business. This week - managing your debts
One of the biggest problems any business has is ensuring cash flow runs smoothly, and making sure that outstanding debts don't go unpaid for too long. In 1998, the government in the UK introduced legislation which gave all businesses a legal means to collect debts, and in 2002 this was amended to help businesses recover certain expenses accrued in the collection of debts as well as interest.

However, surprisingly, many businesses fail to use this legislation to ensure that debts don't remain unpaid. However, in these times of economic uncertainty, it is ever more important to ensure that the money owing to you is in your bank account and helping your cash flow management rather than in your debtors' bank account.

Firstly, including a single sentence on every invoice sent out can make it clear to your business customers that you are fully aware of the legislation and will enforce it should they fail to pay on time.

We understand and will exercise our statutory right to claim interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation if we are not paid according to agreed credit terms.

The interest rate you can charge is 8% over base rate so that is at the time of writing (June 2008) 13% interest on the debt calculated from the day it is incurred.

There is clear information about how to apply the legislation, claim interest and collect debts on the Pay on Time website

Secondly, ensure that your terms and conditions are understood by your business customers before entering into a relationship with them.

Thirdly, once a debt is unpaid, you need to apply interest from the day the debt becomes due. We have had one instance where despite regularly contacting the client, frequently sending them the amended invoices showing how the debt was increasing because of interest, we still ended up taking them to Small Claims Court. By the time the debt was finally paid, the interest was more than the original debt. We did not like having to resort to Small Claims but this particular client had made every excuse in the book to try to convince us that 'any day now' the cheque would be in the post. The amount owing was fairly trivial but had we had five clients doing the same, our cashflow would have been impacted, causing us our own set of problems.

And finally, you should always know how much money is owed, by you or to you. It is surprising how many small businesses are unaware of their current level of debt or credit, nor how this affects relationships with customers and suppliers. Not only should you ensure that your customers pay you on time, but you should also adopt an 'on time' payment strategy for your suppliers.

Should you be facing economic or cash flow difficulties during this time of the so-called credit crunch, then you need to assess what actions you could take to change that situation. This can include prioritising payment of bills so you pay those with the highest interest rate first eg bank loans, credit cards etc, and make sure that any delays in paying your suppliers are agreed with them, or you will weaken the relationships with your suppliers and they may amend your payment terms to make things harder in the future for you.

So, to sum up:

* Check "What is the late payment legislation"? See the Payontime website
* Implement the late payment law on all your invoices and in your terms and conditions and contracts
* Follow up on late payments with interest and reimbursement of debt collection fees, according to that allowed by law. If the worst comes to the worst, take bad debtors to the Small Claims Court - after all, it is your money!
* Pay your own bills promptly, and prioritise bills when you are having problems to keep your own interest payments at a minimum

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Sell promotional products

If you are looking for a great way to sell products promoting your brand, company, or just to make extra income, why not check out CafePress?
One of the sprogs just started her own shop selling her clothing range featuring the deadBEAR Collection, Tony the Mushroom and other original designs. So, firstly support my kids so they can start saving for University, but once you have done that (!) why not think about what this type of activity could bring to your business too?

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And this week's spam is.....

I thought I'd keep a note of what the latest mass spam is. I can't imagine the reason but I thought it might be interesting over time!
Only ever see the subject lines so this week it is "Best of ...." and then three brand names in the fashion industry eg Burberry, Gucci, Armani, Dior, Chloe, Versace etc.

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A licence to print money?

Every which way you look at the moment, Internet marketers are building communities. And charging their members a fortune to join, whilst creating whole new product ranges and future incomes for themselves.
For years, internet marketers have been raking in the cash. Some, not all. (Some of us aren't quite so captivated by the need for cash and just love our job and helping business people get online to better business. Although being paid in flapjack this week won't necessarily prove the way to dealing with the economic crisis, but it was delicious and worth it when I earned the recipe too!)

Internet marketers, IMHO, are usually a couple of steps behind, and probably a zero or two, the porn site owners. If you want a new strategy, technique or idea for promoting your business and making money, who better to look to than the successful people doing it?

So, one of the latest trends appears to be building communities of people (read: wannabes) and using them as a resource, whilst charging them for the privilege. The porn sites have been doing this for years with Reader's Wives etc, or so I am reliably informed.

OK, OK, I can hear the shouting from the wings already - by no means do I mean everyone. I'm generalising alright? Poetic licence and all that!

I'm also not saying that those members of a community are not getting their money's worth because I believe some of the sites are offering quality content, help, advice, networking opportunities, products etc. But let's face it, much of the value is being part of an active community.

And there are plenty of those out there, have been for years, which don't charge a bean to join, and offer cracking content, help, advice etc (in some cases better than the paid versions).

But what these marketers are doing seems to follow certain fairly good ground rules for making money. And I think the ground rules are valid for any business.

I remember being told years ago, when I worked for a niche publisher, that the reason their books were so expensive (ie 10 times the price of a paperback novel....for a paperback) was that you would never get a Rolex in a cereal packet. Rolex know the value of their product and price it accordingly. So did this publisher, and by putting a high value on it, they were viewed, rightly, as a quality product.

So, ground rule 1: VALUE YOUR PRODUCT HIGHLY and price it accordingly

BUT, completely opposed to that view, these guys (the IM crew) are also offering ridiculously cheap products (as OTOs, or even freebies) that seem like real value for money. And that I suspect hits that psychological trigger in so many people, a human trait perhaps, that just LURVS a bargain. Go into any supermarket and you will see 2 for 1 offers, tempting bargains by the door or till etc. And the Tescos and Walmarts of this world know ALL the tricks, don't they?!

Ground rule 2: FREE or nearly FREE wins customers every time. They just can't help themselves.

Then there is the involvement factor. People love to be asked their opinion, view of the world or a specific topic, and to get interactive in discussions, heated arguments etc etc. And most importantly, in a world where people are increasingly isolated from their real world neighbours that need to belong, to be part of a community. many businesses fail to ask their customers to get involved, or make it very difficult.

Ground rule 3: Don't just listen to your customers. Actively involve them. Use their ideas, and get them talking to each other as well as to you.

And that last sentence contains a critical factor that I suspect most of us don't fully make the most of.

Use their ideas. The new IM communities are asking people what they want to know about, and then creating infoproducts, videos etc to meet those needs. And those new ebooks, videos etc become part of the product range - either loss leaders to bring in more paying subscribers, part of the monthly content required to keep members engaged and paying, or new pay for products. Who needs R&D teams when you get all the new ideas you want for nowt?

Ground rule 4: Talk to, listen to and plagiarise from your customers. And not just the happy ones. It may be that Mr Angry has got a valid complaint, the solution to which could be just what your company needs.

I've got more to come, but that'll do for now. Sweltering in an abnormally warm Cumbrian night and enough is enough!!

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