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6 Ways to Increase Your Business Online Sales

When small businesses rely on their ecommerce sites or online operations to generate a healthy revenue stream, it can be frustrating when sales slow to a crawl or reach an impasse. If the slump is temporary, attributable to a sluggish economy or bad weather, for instance, then small business owners need only to stay the course until customers start buying again.

However, if the slowdown in sales has been happening for a while, then it makes sense to look at the entire online sales process. Remember, it’s not just content but context that can help drive customers to your site.

Following are five tips that can help small business owners increase their online sales.

Leverage SEO for your content
You could have the greatest product in the world, but if few people know about your site then your hopes of increasing online sales are severely limited. To drive traffic to your site, you will need to broaden audience awareness of your business and product.

A great way to do that is to make your site, specifically the content on it, as search friendly as possible. This way when customers are using a search engine, such as Google, to look for online sites that sell a desired product, they will easily find out about yours via high search result rankings.

Brian Forrester, owner of Dynamic Web Solutions, a digital marketing business in Richmond, Virginia, works with small businesses and is a staunch proponent of this tactic. In fact, his firm has used targeted paid search, which is the practice of increasing web traffic by purchasing ads on search engines, for a local client, which boards pets. Not only did it double traffic to the site but the client ended up with numerous leads.

“Paid search such as Google AdWords, tends to capture traffic further along the buying cycle,” explains Forrester. “This often results in higher conversion rates than other website traffic sources.”

And for those with a tight budget, Anna Lundberg, owner of Crocus Communications, a digital marketing consulting firm that works with small to medium-sized businesses, recommends making a paid search campaign as specifically targeted as possible. This includes putting the limits that you can set within Google Adwords, to define the maximum amount to spend per day.

Says Lundberg: “This means that you can make sure that you don’t go over the budget you have available. It’s very flexible and you’re never charged more than what you’ve specified; you can start as low as you like and increase as you learn from the results which keywords and which ads are working best as your business grows.”

To illustrate her point, Lundberg says that for one client, Grace & Wilde, a new luxury shapewear brand, her firm optimized their website so that it ranked on Google for select keywords. They also launched a paid search campaign that matched ad copy to the specific keywords.

“We also ran targeted Facebook and Twitter campaigns to go from zero up to over 2,000 fans and 500 followers respectively in just a few months,” she continues. “And these were real fans, not just fake or non-interested accounts,” as evidenced by their level of engagement and purchasing interest they showed in the product.

Build up social media presence

This might sound like a given for most business owners but the question needs to be asked: Do you have an active Facebook page? Do you post regular updates, which might include photos of items, special discounts, and even giveaways? Do you even have a Facebook page? If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then it’s time to establish a better social media profile. The same applies to Twitter and YouTube. The more you can use these tools to actively promote your brand, the more you will be able to attract prospective customers to visit your site and buy your products.

At the same time, be careful not to oversell. Balance the sales pitches with content relevant to your target audience, such as how-to articles or whitepapers.

Says Forrester: “Creating content that resonates with the small business audience can drive targeted traffic via organic search. These visitors can convert into leads for service-based businesses and sales for ecommerce businesses.

Study dropout results in your analytics

Another way to boost your online sales is to see if there are any bottlenecks in your checkout process. Check your analytics to see if customers are not completing purchases and if not, when in the sales cycle that is occurring. Perhaps the fault isn’t with your actual products or digital advertising efforts as much as it is your online checkout procedure. Review the steps: Is the navigation complicated, full of superfluous steps? Does the customer have to click through too many pages? If so, you might want to tweak your checkout process to help convert these dropouts to sales.

Offer loyalty rewards

Regardless of the nature of your business, all customers like to feel special. Offering loyalty programs, such as cards or points that will award customers discounts or other rewards for their continued purchases is not just an effective way to increase sales but a best practice when it comes to customer retention.

Digital marketing consultant Lundberg agrees, noting that loyalty options can be done via e-mails that target customers based on specific purchases or information on their profile. “For example, this can be done via exclusive offers to reward Facebook fans,” she explains.

And once the customer signs up, he or she will receive regular news alerts, free shipping offers, and even birthday wishes, according to Lundberg.

Solicit customer feedback

Perhaps the best way to find out what you can do to boost your sales conversion rate is to go directly to the source—your customers. Ask for their feedback on your site. Poll them on their level of satisfaction with your business. What kinds of products would they like to see added to your offerings? Has your price point ever been an issue with them? (And to encourage free and unfettered disclosures, allow customers the option of remaining anonymous or cloaking their identity).

Sure, you may hear some cold hard truths about your business and your selling practices. But at the same time, the information gleaned could jolt you from complacency to begin the steps you need to take to increase your online sales.

eleanordrury310 April 30, 2014 Today's Business6 Ways to Increase Your Business Online Sales, analytics, customer_feedback, ecommerce, google_adwords, increase_online_sales, loyalty_rewards, online, online_sales, small_business_ecommerce, small_business_online, social_media, social_media_presence 0 Read more >

Small Business Home Based Ideas for Writers

Small Business Home Based Ideas for Writers
So you have decided to take the plunge a home-based business. Good for you! It will be nice to be able to wake up every day, grab a cup of coffee and walk into your office. No more rush hour, no more cubicle, and a chance to make it on your own. Sounds great doesn’t it? But there is one small snag before you can open shop. You need to know just what sort of business you should be running.

There are a myriad of opportunities for your small business requiring very little initial investment. If you are stumped for business ideas, here are ten quick ideas for you to consider.

Branch Out From Your Current Job

If you are already a professional, but want to get out on your own, this is often the best way to go. Architects, air conditioning repairmen, computer professionals, and plumbers are all in demand. You simply need to start up your own little section of these burgeoning fields. All it takes is the required tools and a willingness to put your name out there. Advertise in the paper, on the Internet, and in the yellow pages. If you are a landscape designer, you probably have a drafting board already. If you are a motorcycle mechanic, it is a safe bet that you already have the tools you need. Make them go to work for you in your own business.

Handyman/Home Repair

If you enjoy fixing things around the house, you can easily parlay this into self-employment. Not everybody knows how to patch drywall, grout a ceramic floor, or install a new countertop. Chances are, most people don’t even want to know. However, people do want these things done. And you are just the person to do it.

If you have worked on houses before, now is your chance to make it pay off. Advertise your reasonably priced services in the newspaper and the yellow pages and people will call. The best part is that, when you have done a great job at a good price, your customers will refer you to their friends. Word of mouth is very big for those who work on houses.

Landscaping

You already own a lawn mower. You have a hedge trimmer and an edger. You have a large collection of lawn and garden bags. You have a pickup truck that can haul them around. And you like fresh air, sunshine, and working in the yard. Well, now you can get plenty of all three.

In case you hadn’t noticed, there are many people who do not enjoy mowing their lawns. Make their day by offering your services to them. Do some market research and figure out how much you should charge for your services. Get some quotes for your yard from other landscape companies. Figure out the area of your yard and translate that into the price you should charge. Then, you are ready to start. Put fliers on the neighborhood door handles and wait for the calls.

Computer Consultant

In case you have been in, say, a small plastic bubble on the bottom of the ocean for the last fifteen years or so, you may want to know that computer work is in high demand. For all the talk of the dot-com bust, the shrinking technology sector and outsourcing, computer professionals are in high demand. If you know how to program, how to repair or upgrade a PC, or how to configure a network, you can turn your knowledge into your own home-based business.

As well, web site design is an exciting opportunity for those with little programming experience, but loads of experience with the graphic arts. All you need to do is learn the very simple HTML formatting language and study other web sites for their design ideas. Languages such as PHP, ASP, Java, and JavaScript would be useful, but they are not necessary for a great deal of web design work.

Fixing/Restoring It

You already get a kick out of repairing electronics, refinishing furniture, or rebuilding Chevy small-block engines. You have all the tools that any good repairman would own. You can turn your hobby into money by starting your own small business.

There are a lot of people out there who want their toasters fixed, their vintage record player working again, or their car’s body repaired for a decent price. If you can do any of these things, you can put yourself on the map with an ad in the paper and the yellow pages.

By working out of your home, you can keep your overhead down and your profit high. Be careful though. If you are doing something such as automotive repair, your neighbors won’t be happy if there is a line-up of wrecked cars in your driveway. Check your zoning codes on work of this nature.

However, if you are working on smaller items, even appliances, you can easily do this work without the neighbors being too much the wiser. So start advertising and make your small business go!

Giving Lessons/Tutoring

If you have a special skill, such as playing the piano, playing tennis, dancing, or sewing, you can give lessons from your home. There are plenty of boys and girls, and even adults, who want to learn to swim, type, or speak Spanish. So translate your abilities into some dinero. You have skills that other people want to learn. They are a great place to start a home-based business.

Likewise, if you are a former teacher who wants to see the faces of young students again, tutoring may be a rewarding pastime. If you can, and if you are allowed, talk to your former teaching colleagues to see if they have any students who are interested in receiving extra tutoring.

Cleaning/Maid Service

Another option for a home-based business is a cleaning service. You already clean your own home, why not help somebody else with theirs? With a few of those household cleaners and chemicals, you can start up a nice little income. You need to be thorough, detailed, and willing to scrub everything to a shine. But with some effort, time, and patience this business opportunity can quickly pay dividends.

Arts & Crafts

If you happen to enjoy candle-making, soap-making, or designing teddy bears and decorative hats, you can make start up a small business selling your creations. Be prepared, this will probably not start out and be very lucrative. However, with some time and patience and a few church sales and flea market visits, your skills will improve, your eye for the market will sharpen and you can sell many of your original designs. The work can be fun, and some extra money won’t hurt either.

Artistic Pursuits/Graphic Design

Another business opportunity that may take your fancy is in the pursuit of the arts. Whether you happen to paint, perform graphic design, take photographs, illustrate, or write calligraphy, you can start a business that caters to the needs of those who want something not merely done, but done prettily. Wedding invitations require a calligrapher and photographers. Books need illustrators. Businesses need logos that are attractive to the eye. Living rooms can be livened up with a painting. You can use your special, unusual skills and turn a leisurely pursuit into a home-based business.

Communications/Writing

If you happen to enjoy writing, you can turn your writing and proofreading skills into your own cottage industry. Perhaps you can start writing articles and send them to the magazines you enjoy. Or you can spend your time translating foreign language texts. As well, good proofreaders, book indexers, and researchers are needed by both writers and publishing companies.

Sell your skills in these areas to people who need this sort of work done. As well, if you are a writer, you may even want to sell your typing prowess to those folks out there who can’t bang out 40-80 words a minute at the keyboard. Perhaps the local high school or university could bring some business your way.

These are just a few of the business opportunities available to those who wish to work from home. In fact, the possibilities are almost endless. You can get tons more information from our website.

You could buy and sell antiques, provide day care to working mothers, or a dog kennel for people who travel. You could sell house-painting services, wedding cakes, patent searching, permit filing, and event planning. The possibilities are endless.

Find the home-based business that is right for you and you will find that it can be both rewarding a lucrative. See what people need, what people want, and what they are willing to pay for it. Then, the rest is up to you!

Have a way with words? If you dream of writing for a living, but feel stifled in your everyday job, there are some top home based businesses for writers that you should consider. The demand for good writing is very high, so finding one of the top home based businesses for writers that fits your needs just takes a little digging.

One of the five top home based businesses for writers is being an advertising writer. If you have a flair for writing that sells, then being a copywriter may be your niche. Advertising agencies, private companies, non-profit agencies and more are all looking for someone to sell their products and services through ad copy, making copywriting one of the top home based businesses for writers.

The second of the five top home based businesses for writers involves creating a resume writing service. Not all job seekers have what it takes to create an effective resume, and having a talented resume writer on hand can be a blessing to them. If you find that you have a knack for putting together resumes that get people in the door, then you should take advantage the second of the top home based businesses for writers.

E-book writing and publishing is another of the top home based businesses for writers. In our technology soaked society, you can immerse yourself in the e-commerce boom by writing fiction or non-fiction e-books. The sheer number of topics available is endless. More and more people are looking to purchase their literature on the net, which makes writing e-books another one of the top home based businesses for writers.

Business writing is also one of the top home based businesses for writers, and it can be one of the most lucrative home based businesses. Companies are always looking for writers to create brochures, annual reports, sales letters, direct mail pieces, instruction manuals and more. The fact that there are all kinds of businesses out there means that this is one of the top home based businesses for writers just out of the sheer volume of writing available.

Finally, freelance article writing is another of the top home based businesses for writers. When people think of freelance writing, they most often think of magazine writers, but there are a number of people who will use freelance writers to create articles for their websites, e-zines, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and more. The sheer volume of periodicals both online and on paper make this one of the top five home based businesses for writers.

Still, no matter what type of writing you love, you need to remember that your writing is your business, and you want it to be one of the top home based businesses out there. Make sure you stay abreast of current trends and hone your writing skills before you take advantage of any of the top home based businesses for writers. In order to sell your work and build your reputation as having one of the top home based businesses, you need to produce quality work on time, every time.

eleanordrury310 April 12, 2014 Today's Businessbest, home business, home-based business, leads, make money, mlm, online, Small Business Home Based Ideas for Writers, work at home, work from home, world, writers 2 Read more >

Negotiating Rules Like a Pro

Negotiating Rules Like a Pro

Mary Greenwood

No matter whether you are negotiating a raise with your boss, negotiating a vacation schedule with you ex-spouse or negotiating with a seller or buyer on an on-line auction, there are certain rules or principles that will help you settle your disputes.

Rule 1. Focus on the goal. Don’t be distracted by your emotions. It is important to check your emotions at the door before trying to negotiate anything. Emotions such as anger can make one lose control. We have all seen someone who gets red in the face and starts shaking his finger and generally looks as though he could easily have a heart attack. Sometimes that person is so mad that he is incoherent. You need to get past that stage if you are going to succeed. If you are the one who is angry and upset, you need to focus on what you hope to accomplish and tell yourself that nothing is going to stand in the way of that goal. It really does not matter whether you like the other side or not. Some parties are rude, obnoxious and insulting. Try to get past these insults so you can focus on resolving the dispute. The other side may be baiting you so don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they have gotten to you. If you focus on the goals of the negotiation, it won’t matter whether you like or respect the other party.

Rule 2. Look forward, not back. The past is called the past for a reason. If one party gets too involved in what has happened in the past, it can be counter-productive. One party in a divorce case, may be so intent on documenting everything the husband has done wrong, that the wife is not even thinking about the goals of the negotiation beyond blaming the husband. You have to figure out a way to get to the present and deal with current issues of custody or visitation. Ask the other party what they want now to resolve the dispute.

Rule 3. You don’t have to be right to settle. What are the three words we want to hear the most, even more than “I Love you”? We love to hear those magic words, “You are right”. For some people, this is even harder to say than “I love you”. And if you say, “You are absolutely right”, that is even better. When someone says, “It is the principle that counts” or “It is not the money, it’s the principle!” I know that the negotiation is in trouble. That is because the party is making a judgment call that it is more important to be a martyr than settle the case. When someone is obsessed with the principle of a situation, he/she is still emotionally vested in his/her feelings. Unless you can get beyond those emotions, the dispute is not likely to be resolved. Feeling that you are right can be a heady emotion, but it has no place in the negotiation. If the other side is only interested in being right, chances are the situation won’t be resolved.

Rule 4. Know what you want and what the other side wants. Knowing what you want may seem obvious, but many parties don’t know what they want. They are so angry that they have not even asked themselves how the issue can be resolved. If they don’t know what they want, how can they go about getting it? They may want to hash and rehash the circumstances that got them into this negotiation. Depending on the complexity of the situation, you should have a detailed plan of what you want. In addition to knowing what you want, you also need to know what you are willing to give up to get what you want. Generally you can get what you want if you are willing to pay the price for it. Don’t ever begin a negotiation without knowing what you want.

Rule 5. Be prepared and do your research. Once you have an idea what you want, you must do your research and preparation. That could be as simple as listing your arguments on a sheet of paper or as complex as doing the research to cost out a request for wage increases. Either way, you need to be prepared. Otherwise, you might make a concession or agreement that you will later regret. You need to know the rationale behind your requests and a good estimate of the costs, including the future costs. Nothing is more embarrassing than making a presentation and having someone question the accuracy of your numbers and having the whole presentation fall apart because the data is confusing, or even worse incorrect. If you are not completely prepared, consider delaying the start of the negotiation. If you go in with little or no information, and try to wing it, you will regret it later. You cannot be over-prepared. Even if you don’t use everything you prepared, it does not matter. It is important to have as much information and research as possible just in case you need it.

eleanordrury310 March 5, 2014 Today's BusinessADR, Alternate dispute resolution, arbitration, business, coach, collective bargaining, conflict resolution, dispute resolution, ebay, law, mediation, Negotiating Rules Like a Pro, negotiations, ODR, online, online dispute resolution, problem solver, union 0 Read more >

What To Consider When Choosing A Online Printer

What To Consider When Choosing A Online Printer
Have you experience calling a printing company asking for their services and when you do go to their store to give your files you found out that they don’t carry the printing process that you want? Or you called a print shop, asked for a quote and when you were about to have your file printed the amount of printing service changed? This can be quite frustrating especially if you need the file immediately. When this happens to you, you can always consider online print companies.

Maybe you need something in an instant? Or you want to know every process that your print job goes through? Or you want to see how your print job will look like before it’s printed? If your answer is yes then online printing may be a good idea for you to try. Online printing offers several perks that are not available with traditional printing companies. As printing is time consuming especially if your artwork involves multiple colors, online print shops can deliver the job with ease and speed. Additionally, with print shops available 24/7 in the virtual market, there is no hassle waiting in line until your order gets taken, hence, allowing you to have more time in getting the services your project needs.

With this new technology, it is much easier to upload documents for printing. Clearly, you are not only limited to the printers in your area. Hence, you can make sure that your print job is handled by the best qualified to do the job for you. On top of this, you can have your print job delivered right at your doorstep. There is no hassle in driving down to the shop just to get your printed materials. Print jobs are also done professionally having a crisp and sleek look less the glitches that traditional printers often provide. If ever you need your documents in the future, you can always retrieve it with ease and efficiency when you have printed it with online printers.

Nonetheless, when you look for the printing company to do your print job, make sure to do your homework and choose the right printing service for your print project. As much as possible, send your documents to established printers who have years of experience in the business. This way, you can be sure that you print job is in good hands.

eleanordrury310 February 27, 2014 Today's Businessonline, printing, service, What To Consider When Choosing A Online Printer 0 Read more >

Six Sigma And Online Training

Six Sigma And Online Training

Six Sigma And Online Training. While nothing can exceed the breadth, depth, and quality of direct in-person training, various factors can make it inconvenient. If your organization is serious about Six Sigma training, but find it difficult to get everyone together for instructor-led training, then an online Six Sigma course is a worthy alternative. An online training program can give your organization more flexibility and even reduce your training costs.

Online training has been shown to be useful for many learning applications and Six Sigma is one of those. The advantages of online training over instructor-led training are simple but profound. There is considerable savings in cost as online instruction is less expensive than in person classroom training and there are no travel expenses. Also online training offers greater flexibility in scheduling and causes less interruption in work schedules. Six Sigma And Online Training

An online training course combines the advantages of uniformity in training and self-paced training. The basic course is the same for each trainee but can be delivered to different people at different times. While a human instructor is only available a limited time, online training materials don’t “go home” and trainees can review the subject matter as needed or desired. Support can be supplied via e-mail or phone. This scheduling flexibility is one of the benefits of online training. Six Sigma courses can be made available for a specific amount of time. For example, you could be granted access to the course material for four weeks which could be extended an additional two weeks on request at minimal or no extra cost. Six Sigma And Online Training

The electronic format of online training makes it easier to tailor training to your specific needs. Training can be split into modules and you can present different modules to different people in your organization giving them only the training they need to fulfill their role. A Six Sigma online training program can provide an overview of the Six Sigma concepts and tools while going into detailed procedures and knowledge as needed. Those who need the basics of the Six Sigma methodology can receive it in a concise and easy-to-understand format. Those who need more advanced topics such as Six Sigma deployment practices, project development, and the DMAIC problem-solving approach can receive those. Six Sigma And Online Training

Six Sigma training in an online electronic format focuses on active and applied learning methods where people can interact directly with the material and tools. Trainees are able to view samples of Six Sigma projects including some of the methods used within a Six Sigma project. Trainees can also get hands-on experience using some of the many statistical tools used in Six Sigma. Rather than just hear about statistical methods, they can see how they work in a spreadsheet in front of them. They can play with the numbers and even practice computing for variables to see directly how the tools function. Six Sigma And Online Training

The online format also gives you more control over the training and greater assurance that your people are achieving each learning objective. Well placed mini quizzes can be employed to check for student understanding and give immediate feedback. Trainees will know in “real-time” whether they understand the concepts presented and the online course can provide repetition of content if needed. Trainees can spend more time on the modules you need. –invest as much or as little time as appropriate for you and not a class on each module.

Online training most likely will not require any additional equipment at your location. Training is delivered through existing computers and an Internet connection. Most online courses will run through any Internet browser on any operating system. You will need to dedicate newer and powerful computers to the training is the course has graphics, sound or video. Don’t make the mistake of using old castoff computers as your training computers. That will just make your trainees frustrated.

A well designed Six Sigma online training course can be highly effective. The flexibility of scheduling and content delivery, plus the cost savings make online Six Sigma training either as an addition to or a replacement for the face-to-face classroom environment, a strong part of your organization’s Six Sigma deployment. Six Sigma And Online Training

eleanordrury310 April 9, 2013 Today's Businessapplications, course, expensive, instructor, learning, online, organization, person, sigma, Six, Six Sigma And Online Training, training 0 Read more >

Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet. EBay has been referred to as the fashion capital of the internet, and with good reason. According to one ratings website, EBay’s Clothing, Shoes & Accessories category is the #1 website for fashion. The site attracts well over one million buyers a month who are specifically looking for fashion-related items; these same buyers spent $2.4 billion last year alone on items from the CS&A category. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet. Once you make the decision to sell fashion-related items, there a few things that you need to bear in mind for maximum profits and a high sell-through rate. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet. Once you make the decision to sell fashion-related items, there a few things that you need to bear in mind for maximum profits and a high sell-through rate. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

EBay is often the first port of call for buyers looking for unique, rare or limited edition fashion items that no one else has. So if you’re thinking of expanding your business into another area, the fashion category of eBay is definitely worth considering. Not to mention the fact that hunting out and selling unique items that people want is actually FUN!

Once you make the decision to sell fashion-related items, there a few things that you need to bear in mind for maximum profits and a high sell-through rate. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

First, be as specific as you can in your description of the item, including any flaws, color, size, measurements (waist and bust measurements are two of the most important), any history to the item (buyers love a story attached to an item), and any other details you can think of. A good rule of thumb with descriptions is that they can never be too long; buyers want to know everything (and more!) about an item. Just make sure that your descriptions are nicely laid out in a way that’s pleasing to the eye and with a natural progression. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

Second, take good photos. I cannot emphasize enough how important good photos are in any listing, but especially in a category such as fashion.

Many items of clothing are truly unique so the importance of a good photo that shows the true color, pattern and style of an item cannot be overstated. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

Third, make your shipping and return policies clear. It may seem scary to offer a no-quibble money-back guarantee on all your items, but trust me, it will boost potential buyers confidence which in turn prompts higher bids on an item. And you will be surprised at how rarely anyone will actually take you up on your money-back guarantee. The more you can throw in with your guarantee, the better. Promise to return shipping costs as well as the purchase price of the item, including the cost the buyer has to lay out to return an item to you. Sounds a bit extravagant? Think about it – how many sellers do you know of that offer a guarantee like that? Can’t think of one? Exactly. Not only will you set yourself apart from other sellers (and that is ALWAYS a good thing), you will earn yourself loyal customers who will buy from you over and over. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

Another great thing about selling fashion on eBay is that it is an ever-changing marketplace with a constant demand for new products. That means that you can – with a little marketing savvy, an eye for products with ‘I want that!’ appeal, and great customer service – create a loyal customer base who will buy over and over from you. Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet

eleanordrury310 January 10, 2013 Today's Businessauction, business, Drew020, ebay, online, Opening A Business Selling Fashion by Tim Jacquet 0 Read more >

3 Tips For Choosing A Payment Gateway: Collecting Money Online

3 Tips For Choosing A Payment Gateway: Collecting Money Online.
As a consumer, when you check out of your local convenience store, you may swipe your credit card through a point-of-sale device and your gas, coffee, and donut are paid. But what if you are the retailer and your business is online? It’s not like you have a card-swiping device at every customer’s PC! There must be a way for you to process that information. Essentially, that is the job that a payment gateway does for online retailers. Roy Banks, president of http://Authorize.net, a leader in the payment gateway industry, describes his company’s function as “the digital version of a hardware point of sale terminal.”

What is a Payment Gateway?
Payment gateways allow online merchants such as eStore owners or auction sellers to accept credit card payments over the internet. They authorize the cardholder’s credit—that is, they check to ensure that the customer has enough money on their credit card to cover the charges. They then place a hold on that amount so the buyer can’t turn around and spend that same money elsewhere before it gets transferred to the retailer’s merchant account. Banks describes this as “the technology…necessary to consummate a payment transaction.”

A Payment Gateway is NOT a Merchant Account.
Many people confuse merchant accounts with payment gateways but they are not the same. Merchant account services act, for the most part, as a liaison between your business bank account and the payment gateway. When a customer orders a product from your online business their card is processed via the payment gateway. The money is then moved over to the merchant account service. The merchant account service then moves those newly captured funds to your business bank account.

3 Tips for choosing a Payment Gateway:

1. Is it PCI-compliant? That means that the company’s security has been audited by a third party and found to be up to industry standards. Since payment gateways store all your customers’ credit card information (sparing you the stress), it also means you can sleep better at night, knowing your customers’ valuable information is safe and sound.

2. Good customer support. ‘Nuf said.

3.Lastly, it is important that the payment gateway you choose be integrated to the third-party solutions you are planning to use. That means things like store front platforms and shopping carts—you want them to be compatible with your gateway.

Payment gateways will not only allow you to collect the monies from your sales, many also offer an array of security features, some of which will help you avoid becoming a victim of fraudulent orders! In the end, they will make your ecommerce business a less-stressful, more pleasant experience—for both you and your customers.

eleanordrury310 November 21, 2012 Today's Business3 Tips For Choosing A Payment Gateway: Collecting Money Online, business, credit, ecommerce, estore, gateway, internet, merchant, online, payment, secure, website, webstore 1 Read more >

Smartphone as Right Hand Man: Can New Virtual Assistants Replace the Real Thing?

Smartphone as Right Hand Man: Can New Virtual Assistants Replace the Real Thing?by Erin McDermott.

Ryan Frankel likes to run, sometimes even competing in triathlons. Like many entrepreneurs, he gets some good ideas when he has time to think, especially when he’s out pounding the pavement.

So when the MBA candidate brought along his iPhone 4S on a training run and tapped his Siri virtual assistant to take a message to remind himself of a thought to pursue, he hoped the much-touted Apple technology would take copious notes.

When he later listened to the recording, however, he found nothing but jibberish.

“It seems to never work right with background noise or wind, but it’s OK when it’s quiet and you’re slow in enunciating,” says Frankel, a second-year student in the Venture Initiation Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia. “I’d never rely on it for anything serious, or do so sparingly. It just isn’t there.”

PQ_VirtualAsst.jpgNote to self: Popular new virtual assistants may not be entirely ready for prime time when it comes to the needs of an entrepreneur or small-business owner. While the ability to handle some small time-consuming tasks, such as search, managing a calendar, and text messaging, can be of value to anyone on the go, for those running the complexities of a modern business, there are questions of reliability.

When Apple’s Siri debuted in October 2011 on the new iPhone 4S, many hoped it would revolutionize the way users utilized their smartphones. But since then, many have found that even the most advanced virtual assistant can’t comprehend context the way a human being might. So far, this modern contest of man vs. machine shouldn’t have actual human assistants losing much sleep.

Frankel said his frustration with his device’s inability to provide crucial information pushed him to found PalmLing.com, a crowd-sourced translation service that lets actual humans answer questions in Mandarin, Spanish, and Hindi. He got the idea after contracting food poisoning in China—and being unable to use a personal technology device to express the important notion that he needed an antibiotic. “At that point, I’d have given my left arm for someone to communicate on my behalf,” he said.

OK, so virtual assistants have their notable limits, but they are able to adapt. The more you use them, the more they learn, even from mistakes.

What does work well?

Siri: Let your new “friend” get to know you better, says Olga Mizrahi, a management and marketing expert, whose blog, Chunk of Change, touts smart new efficiencies from technology. She uses Siri to add expenses to her roster verbally and send text messages when she’s driving.

The more Siri knows about the people in your life, the easier it will be to contact and interact with them, Mizrahi says. Start by going to Settings> General> Siri > My Info and fill in your own contact information through your address book thoroughly. Then introduce Siri to your favorite people:

she says there are two easy ways to add a relationship:

1. Go into your own contact listing. Click “Edit.” Click on the name of a relationship (e.g. “ mother”), which appears underneath your address. Either choose one of the given labels or click “Add Custom Label” and use the arrow to choose a name from your contacts.

2. Go into someone else’s contact information. Click “Edit.” Click “add field” at the bottom of the screen. Choose “Phonetic First Name.” Either type in the name you want to use, or click on the microphone to have Siri record it.

(You can also try using Siri to check your bank balances—follow blogger Ryan Spahn’s instructions here.)

Vlingo: BlackBerry users can get its free SafeReader app, which can read your text messages and emails aloud, a hands-free aid for drivers with an itch to check their messages.

Evi: (For iPhone and Android). While this True Knowledge product isn’t able to send emails or text messages on voice command, its search answers get points for brevity: They are to the point and not just forwarded to a search engine.

Plus: watch this market space for Google’s Assistant, a new personal virtual assistant that’s reportedly coming later this year and is said to be focused on “accomplishing real-life goals,” not just churning out search results.

Dwight Carey, who teaches advanced entrepreneurship at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, says the technology could be useful to watch certain benchmarks. Work on getting your virtual assistant to monitor important numbers, such as a commodity price or how inventory levels compare with sales—and raise a flag for you if your set threshold is crossed, Carey says.

“The future is bright for technologies and services that make better use of people’s time, since we are becoming increasing time-constrained and more comfortable with mobile devices,” says Mizrahi, who’s based in Long Beach, Calif. “Small changes can make big differences over time, such as saving five or 10 minutes here and there throughout the day using a digital VA on a smart device.”

So for now, maybe it’s wise to just focus on the little advances these devices offer.

Perhaps Samir Malik has the right idea. As an MBA candidate at Wharton and a founder of 1DocWay, a HIPAA-compliant videochat service that links doctors with patients, Malik finds the most useful feature of his voice-activated Siri comes in the winter.

“When it’s cold, I use Siri a lot,” said Malik. “I don’t have to take my gloves off to do a search. I love that!”

eleanordrury310 April 14, 2012 Today's Businesscustomer_data, Marketing, online, small_business, Smartphone as Right Hand Man: Can New Virtual Assistants Replace the Real Thing?, technology_management, website 6 Read more >

Your Online Storefront: Launching an E-Commerce Site to Increase ROI

Your Online Storefront: Launching an E-Commerce Site to Increase ROI.By Iris Dorbian.

Over ten years ago, e-commerce was still an emerging channel. Now it’s become a worldwide phenomenon racking up sales in the stratosphere. According to a new report by the market research firm Forrester, online retail sales in the U.S. are poised to tap $327 billion by 2016. Furthermore, overall online consumer spending is expected to increase to $1,738 per person by 2016 in contrast to $1,207 per person in 2011. For 2012, the forecast is for $226 billion, a 12 percent jump from $202 billion in 2011.

Improvements in mobile devices, coupled with myriad online promotions, may be driving the growth. In the same Forrester survey, conducted in partnership with Bizrate Insights, approximately 75 percent of shoppers polled during last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday said they made their holiday purchases online simply because the deals were better. Clearly, for small business owners looking to increase their profits, launching an e-commerce site is not simply a key best practice anymore—but an imperative.

However, if you don’t have an e-commerce site (and you don’t have unlimited capital), how do you start? What should be on your to-do list?

PQ_Ecommerce.jpgFind an inexpensive, user-friendly e-commerce provider

If you don’t have the funds to outsource this (and chances are more than likely you do not), then ask for recommendations among trusted colleagues regarding the e-commerce provider they are currently using. Also, do some research on your own. Make sure that whatever provider you choose for your inaugural site, they offer the most bang from your buck—meaning they offer an affordable price plan in line with the volume of products you would like to sell.

Ask yourself the following questions: Does the e-commerce platform you’re considering require monthly fees? Can they link in directly with any PayPal or bank account? Make sure before you partner up with them that they don’t take a percentage of your sales revenues. Examples of some e-commerce solution providers that small business owners might want to check out are Shopify and Big Commerce.

Check out the competition

What are your rivals doing in this space? Review their sites. What they are offering? What are their payment plans, target audience(s) and their Google search rankings? What can you do to distinguish yourself from the competition and seize a sizable portion of the market share? Offering improved customer service, expedited shopping, or the ability to speak to product experts on the phone may be what distinguishes you from online titans like Amazon.com and eBay.

Make your site search friendly

By leveraging customer service and search marketing, Bill and Lauren Elward were able to position their online store Castle Ink, which sells recycled printer ink cartridges and toners, as a formidable contender against heavyweight competitors such as Hewlett-Packard and Epson. Launched in 2005 by the husband and wife partners for $5,000—a sum culled from their savings—Castle Ink generated $1 million in revenue last year. This is in stark contrast to its first year when the site didn’t quite crack sales of $50,000. Not bad for a venture initially viewed by Lauren, a former high school English teacher, as a way to supplement family income while on maternity leave.

Bill credits search engine optimization (SEO), which he honed as the director of web analytics, digital strategy, and online marketing at the College Board (a day job he continues to hold) as the number one factor behind Castle Ink’s success. “I think that’s been the key to everything,” he explains. “To have our site findable on Google where almost 100 percent of our traffic comes from [has been critical]. We’re able to outrank some of the super large companies that have much deeper pockets than us simply by having a better organic ranking.”

Don’t sacrifice quality for pricing

Another challenge that Castle Ink has had to tackle is pricing. Larger competitors, says Bill, offer low price points as a way to draw in the most customers. But that doesn’t presuppose the quality is up to par. “Because there’s a false sense of inferior products out there, it has turned consumers off to the whole idea of using a recycled product,” he says. “That’s been a battle for us. One of the things we’ve done to overcome that is to give people a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. We pay for return shipping so basically they can try our products for free; if they don’t like it, they can always send it back.”

Hire staff and make sure they’re qualified

Even if your business does not have the funds to hire a full complement of staff to get your e-commerce site running, it’s still a good idea to bring on someone, even if temporarily, whose sole responsibility will be to launch this component. This is especially true since it might end up yielding more revenue for your company than your other platforms. Take it seriously and don’t treat it like a sideline hobby.

In this vein, make sure you find someone who is qualified. “Don’t go with someone’s nephew who just graduated from college and can program a site,” cautions Julian Barkat, founder and director of e-commerce at Egg to Apples, a Philadelphia-based marketing agency. He adds that one client hired a niece to set up an e-commerce site simply because she “liked colors and studied that in college.”

Barkat, who has managed e-commerce operations for large and mid-sized companies in the past, currently acts as a consultant to small businesses looking to overhaul their site or launch one. Recently, he had a success story with Rescue Rittenhouse Spa, a luxury spa located in Philadelphia. Barkat started working with them in 2010, following the client’s earlier failed attempts at online sales.

After streamlining its SEO efforts, Barkat and his colleagues built out the spa’s e-commerce site via a new platform, Magento. After launching the site in November 2011, the client saw an immediate impact on revenue, while relevant search terms rose up in rankings. For 2012, Rescue Rittenhouse Spa’s year-over-year revenue forecast (which encompasses both the spa and the online store) is up 150-200 percent.

Here are a few other best practices for entrepreneurs to employ when launching an e-commerce site to bolster ROI:

View your e-commerce site as a way to deepen your relationships with your existing customer base rather than pursue new customers already.

Link all of your marketing efforts to your site.
Use Google analytics to track and monitor the visits to your site, particularly your repeat visitors. This will give you a keen sense of what is working on your site and what isn’t.
And finally test your site out before it goes live. Before Bill and Lauren Elward launched their e-commerce site, they spent considerable time and energy testing it and working out the kinks. “In the online space, it’s easy to try something and to wholly invest a small amount in it to see if it’s going to work,” says Bill. “Launch a pilot before you fully embark on a huge display advertising campaign or a huge search marketing campaign.”

eleanordrury310 April 14, 2012 Today's Businesse-commerce, google_keyword, keyword_relevancy, online, optimization, sales, search_engine, search_engine_optimization, small_business, Your Online Storefront: Launching an E-Commerce Site to Increase ROI 5 Read more >