Do you think first impressions matter? Studies show that they do. At what stage is the first impression made in business?
The first impression must surely be when a potential customer sees your advertising material. It could be a flyer, a billboard or a banner advertisement.
What does your advertising say about your business? Does it say that you are just starting out? Or does it say that you know what you are doing?
At this point, why don't you visit your letterbox tomorrow after all the advertising mail is delivered and go through the array of literature produced by both large and small business. Lay all the items out on the table and have a look. There will be catalogues, real estate flyers, flyers advertising maintenance, house painting or other such services. There will be a vast array of 4-page brochures advertising jewellery, furniture, and the list goes on.
What common elements do most of these items share? Are they colorful? Do they use images? How much text in relation to images do you see? Can you see any black and white flyers with no images but only text? What do these black and white flyers advertise? Do they advertise the local handyman offering his services? Or maybe a local painter advertising his house painting service?
Does it make a difference whether you use black and white flyers as opposed to full colour flyers containing lots of images and little text? Well think about why successful businesses spend more money on full color advertising when it would be cheaper to produce black and white advertising material. Is it because they like to spend more money and make life more interesting for us when we visit the letterbox? Of course not! The reason they produce full color is because it makes a difference. It makes a difference to their bottom line! No other reason.
Most people are attracted to full color. Most people find images more interesting than pages of text. Most people don't have much time to take in your message and images say a lot more in a short space of time than the text equivalent. When customers notice, then read your advertising, it is more likely that they will buy. If they are bored by the presentation before they even start reading, then it is more likely that your black and white flyer will line the recycle bin way before any of the other more appealing advertising material.
What if your business is new and your budget is tight? Well then, you may have no other option but to produce simple black and white flyers. But don't just accept this as your lot in business. Investigate options. Research whether other businesses can provide full color flyer designs at the fraction of the price it would cost you to develop. Such options exist. Don't buy into using boring advertising just because it is cheaper to produce per 1000 copies. It may be cheaper to produce but how effective is it?
Something else to think about is whether there is a good fit between the presentation of your advertising material and the message. If your black and white flyer promotes business opportunities claiming that incomes in the thousands of dollars per month can be made, it is unlikely that most people will believe that to be true. There will be a disconnect in the minds of most people between the message and presentation of the material. This of course does not mean that no one will respond to a black and white flyer. The point I am making is that you will be making it more difficult for people to respond and your first impression through advertising may not attract the people you really want to attract.
In summary, it is a good idea to think about what your advertising says about your business. Does your advertising promote the credibility of your business? If you are advertising a lucrative business opportunity, does your advertising showcase your success? Learn from the experts - other successful business owners. Do what they do. Don't just keep doing the same thing because that is all you could afford in the beginning. What about now? Stay current. Investigate options. I wish you all the very best success in business.
Authored by Rebekah Raftopoulos, 2009
http://www.workfromhomeadvertising@blogspot.com
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Starting a new business - What does it take?
This is the first article in the series - "Starting a new business - What does it take?"
"Starting a new business - What does it take?"
In recent times, there is a proliferation of new business opportunities being advertised in the electronic and print media. And there is a great deal of interest! It seems that many people want to be their own boss. But what does it really take to start a new business? Is everyone cut out for it? These are good questions to ponder since the advertising of many such opportunities claim that anyone can start their own business if they are teachable and willing to follow the system.
One thing is certain. A prerequisite to starting a new business is a desire for change. A desire for self determination. A desire to stop working for someone else.
How does this desire for change develop? This desire develops when you become dissatisfied with what you are doing. Are you currently employed? Does your job stress you? Do you dislike the people you work with? Do you find that you are now working longer hours for the same pay, or even less pay? Do you lack flexibility in the work place to care for children or aging parents? Do you wish you had more time to do the things you love?
Are you unemployed even though you would love to work? Do employers and recruitment agencies pass you by because you "have too much experience"? Or are you finding employment difficult because you have a disability?
Apart from these reasons, the desire for change also develops when you see a lucrative opportunity in the market place. There may be no other business providing a particular service or product. Or there may be a great demand for a service or product and few providers. Also, you may believe that you can provide a better service or better product than your competitors.
How long does it take for this desire to translate into action? Some people take 5 years, others 5 months, 5 weeks or 5 minutes. It all depends upon your situation and the type of person you are. If you are currently employed, it may take you 5 years to become dissatisfied with your situation so that you want to change it. If your circumstances in life change (e.g. retrenchment, juggling child care, employer cutting back hours, earning less money than before), it may take only a few months for you to develop the desire to become more self determined. So it really depends upon the type of person you are and the situation you find yourself in. In essence, are you dealing with a potential threat to your sense of satisfaction in the work place or do you want to capture an opportunity that presents itself in the market place.
Once desire for starting your own business develops, how do you know what type of business you want to be in? The answer to that question will be addressed in a following article.
Authored by Rebekah Raftopoulos, 2009
http://www.myincomefreedom.com
http://www.workfromhomeadvertising@blogspot.com
"Starting a new business - What does it take?"
In recent times, there is a proliferation of new business opportunities being advertised in the electronic and print media. And there is a great deal of interest! It seems that many people want to be their own boss. But what does it really take to start a new business? Is everyone cut out for it? These are good questions to ponder since the advertising of many such opportunities claim that anyone can start their own business if they are teachable and willing to follow the system.
One thing is certain. A prerequisite to starting a new business is a desire for change. A desire for self determination. A desire to stop working for someone else.
How does this desire for change develop? This desire develops when you become dissatisfied with what you are doing. Are you currently employed? Does your job stress you? Do you dislike the people you work with? Do you find that you are now working longer hours for the same pay, or even less pay? Do you lack flexibility in the work place to care for children or aging parents? Do you wish you had more time to do the things you love?
Are you unemployed even though you would love to work? Do employers and recruitment agencies pass you by because you "have too much experience"? Or are you finding employment difficult because you have a disability?
Apart from these reasons, the desire for change also develops when you see a lucrative opportunity in the market place. There may be no other business providing a particular service or product. Or there may be a great demand for a service or product and few providers. Also, you may believe that you can provide a better service or better product than your competitors.
How long does it take for this desire to translate into action? Some people take 5 years, others 5 months, 5 weeks or 5 minutes. It all depends upon your situation and the type of person you are. If you are currently employed, it may take you 5 years to become dissatisfied with your situation so that you want to change it. If your circumstances in life change (e.g. retrenchment, juggling child care, employer cutting back hours, earning less money than before), it may take only a few months for you to develop the desire to become more self determined. So it really depends upon the type of person you are and the situation you find yourself in. In essence, are you dealing with a potential threat to your sense of satisfaction in the work place or do you want to capture an opportunity that presents itself in the market place.
Once desire for starting your own business develops, how do you know what type of business you want to be in? The answer to that question will be addressed in a following article.
Authored by Rebekah Raftopoulos, 2009
http://www.myincomefreedom.com
http://www.workfromhomeadvertising@blogspot.com
Monday, November 23, 2009
All about me!
This blog is all about me!
I am a motivated and energetic person who loves nearly everything I do. I love learning and being challenged by what I learn. One of my close friends recently described me as 'intellectually curious'. That is an accurate description.
I am a mother of three children. Two girls and one boy. I learn most things about myself through them. For example, I didn't realise until recently that I am not as patient as I once thought I was.
I am also a wife and have been happily married to a great man for over 25 years. I did get married young but I have always been a person who knows exactly what they want - very similar to my three year old!
I was an employee for 10 years, a volunteer worker for 4 years and a casual office worker (temp) for 2 years. I started my own business 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I knew then that flexibility was going to become an issue for me in finding secular employment so I started an administrative/bookkeeping business. It was great timing because GST compliance came in and business reporting skyrocketed.
At about the same time, I commenced a part time university degree. My interests were psychology, management, public relations and human resource management. I completed my Bachelor of Arts (Psycghology) (Honours) Degree in 2008. I was thrilled to obtain a First Class Honours distinction. My Honours thesis was on the subject of "Knowledge and perceptions of child sexual abuse". I found this to be a fascinating subject! During my Degree, I majored in management and psychology with a minor in public relations. I also studied a few units in human resource management.
As I completed the various disciplines during the course of my Degree, I gained experience by offering my knowledge to small and large business. I had the opportunity to contract my public relations skills to a multinational company and in time, consulted to small business in the areas of public relations and human resource management.
There is nothing really special about me. I love learning and applying what I learn to my life in the real world. I have learned that you need to be confident to put yourself forward in areas where you lack experience. If my confidence sometimes wavers, I say to myself, "It's not rocket science! If Mary can do it, then so can I". This seems to work because I go in and do a good job. After the work is finished, I look back and think about what I have learned. This approach really works for me.
I am now in business as an independent Herbalife Distributor and this work is entirely new territory for me. I plan on learning as I go and hope to share my experiences with others who care to read about them. I welcome you on this journey with me.
I am a motivated and energetic person who loves nearly everything I do. I love learning and being challenged by what I learn. One of my close friends recently described me as 'intellectually curious'. That is an accurate description.
I am a mother of three children. Two girls and one boy. I learn most things about myself through them. For example, I didn't realise until recently that I am not as patient as I once thought I was.
I am also a wife and have been happily married to a great man for over 25 years. I did get married young but I have always been a person who knows exactly what they want - very similar to my three year old!
I was an employee for 10 years, a volunteer worker for 4 years and a casual office worker (temp) for 2 years. I started my own business 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. I knew then that flexibility was going to become an issue for me in finding secular employment so I started an administrative/bookkeeping business. It was great timing because GST compliance came in and business reporting skyrocketed.
At about the same time, I commenced a part time university degree. My interests were psychology, management, public relations and human resource management. I completed my Bachelor of Arts (Psycghology) (Honours) Degree in 2008. I was thrilled to obtain a First Class Honours distinction. My Honours thesis was on the subject of "Knowledge and perceptions of child sexual abuse". I found this to be a fascinating subject! During my Degree, I majored in management and psychology with a minor in public relations. I also studied a few units in human resource management.
As I completed the various disciplines during the course of my Degree, I gained experience by offering my knowledge to small and large business. I had the opportunity to contract my public relations skills to a multinational company and in time, consulted to small business in the areas of public relations and human resource management.
There is nothing really special about me. I love learning and applying what I learn to my life in the real world. I have learned that you need to be confident to put yourself forward in areas where you lack experience. If my confidence sometimes wavers, I say to myself, "It's not rocket science! If Mary can do it, then so can I". This seems to work because I go in and do a good job. After the work is finished, I look back and think about what I have learned. This approach really works for me.
I am now in business as an independent Herbalife Distributor and this work is entirely new territory for me. I plan on learning as I go and hope to share my experiences with others who care to read about them. I welcome you on this journey with me.
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