Musings On Personal Injury
by CB on Feb.12, 2010, under Reviews
Back in the 1980s, a series of television commercials in the U.S. created fame for the personal injury law sector. Maybe you remember those commercials; the tagline was something like, “Larry Parker got me $2.1 million.”
Larry Parker and others like him are known as personal injury lawyers. If you’ve been hurt in an accident, these are the people who represent you. The types of accidents these lawyers handle include car accidents, grocery store falls, dog attacks, etc.
Personal injury lawyers in the U.S. are paid on a contingent fee basis, meaning the client owes nothing until the case is won. In the U.K., this fee arrangement is called No win no fee. Companies like U.K.-based Accidentconsult.com make it very easy for injured parties to start a claim: they can submit their information online, call the help line or talk to a live chat operator.
There are two reasons you need to know all this. (continue reading…)
9 Steps to Starting An Online Store
by CB on Feb.07, 2010, under ecommerce
I was browsing the small business questions on Yahoo! Answers recently and came across a question about starting an online store. The individual asked what steps were necessary for starting an e-commerce business. Here’s my answer:
Assuming you are starting completely from scratch:
- Decide what product you want to sell and to whom
- Learn as much as you can about your target customer: what motivates him/her to buy, where he/she likes to hang out, etc.
- Find a source for your product
- Estimate your costs to buy the product
- Start researching marketing/promotional efforts that would allow you to reach your target customer and tell them about your products
- Estimate the costs to run your business and allocate a big chunk to marketing
- Find a trusty web developer/designer and copywriter
- Define your brand image and create an appropriate logo and tag line
- Get your site up and start promoting it
What do you think — did I miss anything?
See the original conversation here.
Maybe Your Banker’s Just Not That Into You
by CB on Feb.03, 2010, under Small Business Finance
The American Bankers Association (ABA) recently published a white paper entitled, “Assessing Your Banking Relationship: Seven Key Questions.” The article is the fifth in a series of white papers intended to help small businesses obtain bank loans.
In the article, author Robert Seiwert poses seven true/false statements to help you evaluate the quality of your relationship with your bank. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine whether your bank will continue to “be there” for you, in terms of providing financing when you need it, giving you competitive pricing on financial products and services, and offering you guidance and support as you set out to achieve your business goals.
The premise of the article is interesting enough: one means of protecting your bank funding is to woo your banker, in the figurative sense. Your banker wants you to be a stable and committed business partner, and it’s up to you to prove that you fit that mold. If you aren’t making the desired impression, you will see your banker become distant and non-responsive — like a bored spouse who’s wondering if there are other, more exciting fish in the sea. (continue reading…)
Working With Freelancers: Defining Scope and Setting Reasonable Expectations
by CB on Jan.27, 2010, under Hiring Freelancers
This is the third article in a series that provides tips for working with freelancers and independent contractors. Our topic of discussion today is defining scope and setting reasonable expectations. When you take steps to clarify expectations before the project begins, you are far more likely to be satisfied with the project outcome.
You have a project to complete, and you’ve decided to find a freelancer to do it. Maybe you’ve collected a few phone numbers and you’re ready to start interviewing your prospects. Don’t do it until you are prepared! Before you pick up the phone, you must take the time to clarify the scope of your project and define your own expectations. The success of your project depends on it. Here are a few reasons why: (continue reading…)
Have An Online Store? Need-to-know Info About Shipping Costs
by CB on Jan.26, 2010, under ecommerce
According to a recent survey by Compete Online Shopper, free shipping offers can and do impact consumers’ decisions to purchase online. Further, free shipping also affects customer satisfaction. The presence of shipping costs, particularly on small purchases, creates bad feelings with consumers. But free shipping offers make your customers happy and encourage them to purchase more.
Key takeaways from the survey include these data points:
- 93% of respondents said that free shipping offers encourage them to buy more.
- 66.6% of respondents said they’d increase their online purchases if returns were free.
- 67% of respondents said they buy items in stores to avoid shipping costs.
Bottom line: absorbing the cost of shipping your customers’ orders can pay big dividends in the form of happier customers and bigger orders.
A Quick and Dirty Review of Intuit QuickBooks Billing Solution
by CB on Jan.22, 2010, under Managing Money
Intuit QuickBooks Billing Solution promises convenience and faster-paying customers. But does this service really measure up to that promise? In my experience, no. Read on for the gritty details.
One of the challenges of running your own business is finding the time to manage the details and still do the work that makes you money. If you are a graphic designer, for example, you must market, sell, bill and collect — while still finding the time to design. When your scarcest asset is time, you are attracted to services of convenience, services like the Intuit QuickBooks Billing Solution. (continue reading…)
Five Tips for Hiring Freelancers
by CB on Jan.19, 2010, under Hiring Freelancers
This article is the second in a series about working with freelancers and independent contractors. Once you’ve made the decision to retain a freelancer, the next step is to find the right person. Try these five tips to help you find and select the right freelancer.
Get referrals
Ask everyone you know for a referral to a qualified freelancer. Post a note about your search on your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. Colleagues who’ve worked with an exceptional freelancer are usually happy to share information. If someone does pass on a name, press the referring individual for details. Questions to ask include:
- What were the freelancer’s strengths? Weaknesses?
- How well did the freelancer accept direction?
- Was the freelancer able to work independently?
- How quickly did the freelancer adopt the goals of the project? (continue reading…)
How to Make a TV Commercial in 5 Steps
by CB on Jan.14, 2010, under Marketing Your Business
SmallBusinessNewz published an article today defining the five steps you need to take to make an effective television commercial. The article is accompanied by a video hosted by Jon Bond, Co-Chairman of creative agency Kirshenbaum, Bond, Senecal and Partners. In the video, Bond explains the five steps of commercial-making, four of which are really just questions you need to ask yourself. The answers to those questions will shape the creation and production of your commercial. I would add that small business owners and entrepreneurs should be asking these five questions before producing any kind of advertising.
Who are you talking to?
Who are you?
What is your brand’s personality?
What is the offer?
Make your commercial.
Three Types of Searches Bring Customers to Your Site
by CB on Jan.13, 2010, under Marketing Your Business
Here’s your small business sound byte for the day: all of the millions of Web searches completed daily can be group into just three categories. Do you know what they are? (continue reading…)
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