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Have You Promoted Your Company Today?

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The old adage that you have to spend money to make money is very true, yet we all know businesses that do not adhere to this belief.

So, stop what you are doing for a minute at work and ask yourself a very simple question, is my company doing all it can to promote itself? If the answer is no, now is the time to speak up.

One of the first things you may hear from upper management is that we’re promoting the company within our budgetary means, aka we are spending as little money as possible to get our brand out there.

While it is understandable in a troubling economy that small businesses especially will want to refrain from large promotional expenditures, this would actually be a good time to be using promotional items in order to improve the company’s brand recognition.

Keep in mind that many other businesses are also probably thinking that everyone else is not spending money, so why should we? The simple response to that line of thinking is that while other businesses are holding back on promoting their companies, now is the time to strike.

Whether you are an administrative assistant, an upper management employee or even a company intern, don’t be afraid to offer your two cents as to how your employer can better promote the business.

Among the simple ways to do this include:

  • Social media – I’m still amazed when I peruse various sites on Facebook and Twitter,the two biggest venues for social media, and see that companies are missing the boat. I often hear that management feels it cannot get a true reading of return on investment (ROI) on its social media efforts, so the decision is made to bail on any additional SM work. The bottom line is that social media is essentially free, a great way to promote one’s company, allowing companies to appear as an authority in their respective industry by sharing worthwhile information for current and potential customers. Whether you are active or not in your company’s social media efforts, visit the company Facebook, Twitter, Google+ pages and any other sites your employer is on. Question the individual or individuals in charge of such sites if the pages are not updated regularly;
  • Community events – Getting involved in the local community is a great way with which to promote your business. Such opportunities are not only a way to build up goodwill within the community, but also to network with other local businesses. In the event you run a local cell phone business, get together with your area realtor, florist, eateries etc. to promote each others businesses. The old adage of scratching one’s back while they scratch yours is very true. Before you know it, you will have community members coming to you for business; hopefully you are returning the favor. Small businesses in a local community tend to stick together and patronize one another in order to keep the bigger corporations out, so be a leader in this area;
  • Use bumper stickers, buttons, business cards, T-shirts, etc. – These are great means by which to spread the word about your company. Imagine the potential response rate your small business could get around town if just your employees alone were sporting bumper stickers on their cars promoting your Web site, wearing T-shirts to the local stores and more. It may sound hokey to some, but making up such items is relatively cheap and can be very beneficial to those not aware of what your company does;
  • Buy local air or print time – This means to promote your company obviously involves some funding, but it can be money well spent. Even though many people tune out radio/TV commercials, and even though many newspapers are finding their numbers down these days, there still is a sizable audience that turns to these venues for news and information. Target the most effective times to promote your business, such as radio ads in drive time and coupons in the Sunday paper.

There are a variety of other ways you can employ in order to promote your small business, some of which may or may not get the owner’s approval. Remember too to never overlook your community’s Chamber of Commerce.

The bottom line is ALL employees need to be thinking about ways to better promote the companies they work for.

Remember, each and every employee has a vested interest in the company doing well, so promotion is everyone’s job.

Dave Thomas, who discusses subjects such as online marketing, writes extensively for San Diego-based Business.com.

Is Your Business Pinched at the Pumps?

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It isn’t just the everyday consumer that still gets anxious when they pull up to the gas pump these days.

Since reaching $3.94 a gallon in early April, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas has dropped to $3.75 as of early May, according to the AAA national motorists club. Despite prices heading in the right direction, many motorists are still bleeding at the pumps each time they fill up.

That issue also holds true for many small businesses that rely on one mode of transportation or another to remain in business. Whether it is transporting goods, going out on service calls, or having employees like salespeople meet in person with current and potential clients, a large number of companies are seeking ways to trim their gas expenses.

Businesses That Have to Deliver the Goods Feeling the Pain

Some small business owners most feeling the pinch are those such as florists, eateries, cleaning services and more that have to deliver products and services in order to remain profitable. While it might have cost $100 or so for weekly deliveries only a few months back, that expense has easily increased to double or triple that for many businesses across the country.

If high gas prices seem to be more common than rare, that is because both consumers and businesses have had to deal with them more often the last couple of decades.

It was just as recent as 2008, when the cost for a gallon of regular gas ballooned to a national average of $4.11. Even though the recent AAA report indicates prices have been dropping, the summer driving season is right around the corner, meaning they could just as easily rise as quickly as the summer heat.

If your small business has been feeling the pain of the prices at the pump, there are ways to bring the costs down and still meet the needs of your customers. Practices to think about for your business plans include:

  • Trimming delivery services for a period of time;
  • Requiring employees operating company vehicles to not take them home for the remainder of the day once their shift has ended. Installing GPS systems on the vehicles if they do not already have them is a great way to track how far the vehicle has been driven;
  • Making additional deliveries during a stretch of time in concentrated areas instead of several trips out;
  • Shopping around where your business is located for the best prices at the pump. A number of Web sites provide weekly and even daily information on which gas stations have the best deals available;
  • Taking some time to rethink how you do business. Do you really need to make all those deliveries and service calls or can more things be done online in order to cut fuel costs;
  • Consider providing your customers with deals in return for not having to make deliveries. If you run a floral shop as an example, instead of having to make a large amount of deliveries, provide customers willing to come to the shop to pick up flowers with coupons that they can redeem during an upcoming purchase.

As politicians and the oil companies blame one another for high oil prices, it is the consumer, including the business owner that gets caught in the middle.

Photo credit: app.com

Dave Thomas, who writes on subjects such as office equipment and supplies, writes extensively for San Diego-based Business.com.

Will Your Business Get Credit for Finding the Right Merchant Services Deal?

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Especially in a day and age when the economy is still struggling to get a firm grip, companies that are wavering on or turning their backs to small business credit card processing are missing the boat.

As a small business owner, you know myriad of challenges you must deal with when it comes to competing with large competitors. By having the right credit card processing system in place, your business can effectively compete and even win in some instances.

So, where do you start as a small business in securing the right credit card processing deal?

Options Abound for Merchant Services

The first step is locating a service that treats its merchants well, including providing stellar customer service and not tacking on a ton of fees.

Businesses would be advised to turn to sites like the Better Business Bureau and other such groups that have a handle on which businesses are best to deal with. Among the businesses you make look to for credit card processing include banks, independent sales organizations, third party processors and trade associations.

Once you have some companies with which to compare (consult as many financial institutions as possible, minimum three), be sure to sort out the different fees that they may possibly charge you. If you feel you may be hit with too many fees, do your best to negotiate them out of any contract. One reason for being charged high fees is if your history includes having credit issues, i.e. being in credit card debt.

After reviewing the companies and deciding on one, then comes the time to sign the contract.

Before signing a contract, make sure you read the fine print, including what happens if you decide to terminate the deal before it is up. In the event that should happen, will you be hit with any early termination fees?

The type of merchant account your small business will require depends on a number of factors, most importantly, how you conduct sales and process credit card payments.

A retail merchant account is slated for companies that physically swipe an individual’s card via a credit card terminal. In the event you need to process credit card payments electronically, you could find yourself facing additional fees, not to mention penalties and surcharges.

Meantime, both mail and telephone order merchant accounts are geared towards business without a physical card present. In this case, the credit card details are provided to a terminal with a keypad and then processed using software available on a personal computer.

In the event you travel at times with your business, making sales at your customer’s locale or other venues, you should look into a wireless merchant account. In this scenario, you will utilize a wireless credit card terminal that allows you to process the credit card transactions wherever you may be.

Lastly, you want to work with a vendor that deals with transactions from the major credit card providers, among which would be MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express to name a few.

Finding the right merchant credit card company doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth. If you do your research and listen to and read carefully the terms of agreement, you need to give yourself a lot of credit.

Photo credit: blog.chargesmart.com

Dave Thomas, who writes on topics such as business equipment leasing, writes extensively for online resource destination Business.com.

Time Waits for No One

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As the saying goes, just about all of us are just one job layoff, illness or other unfortunate happening away from major financial turmoil.

For me, that day of reckoning came some six years ago when I was laid off from my job of five and a half years. Once the initial shock of getting laid off by an e-mail died down, my first thoughts turned to how I would pay my rent, buy food, meet my car payments etc.

I was fortunate in that I had a pair of very supportive parents, not to mention a can-do attitude, reminding myself I was going to see this layoff as a challenge and not the end of the world.

Fast Forward Six Years Later

As I today celebrate my one-year anniversary with another employer, I am thankful that the layoff six years ago did not entirely derail me. While some may just brush off a layoff, I took it personally, especially given what I would discover were the true reasons behind it. As they say, however, move on and move up.

Today’s job finds me working with some extremely talented people, many of whom are quite younger. I see some of myself 10-20 years ago in them today, knowing that they have a ton of opportunities ahead of them.

While I am far from retirement, I am also not foolish enough to not be putting money away for that day.

Yes, I often live paycheck to paycheck like many others I know, but I do my best to take a little from that bi-weekly check and dump it into my 401(k). I also set up my own retirement account a number of years back. While it is certainly nothing to brag about, it is comforting to know that I’m more of a saver than a wild spender.

Lessons Learned Over Time

As I look at the faces of a number of younger co-workers these days, I admire those that pay close attention to how they handle money.

For those putting money away for a rainy day and for decades from now when they retire thumbs up. Although I was by no means careless with my money when I first started working, I would have definitely done some things differently financially if I knew then what I know now.

One of the cool things about my profession of writing is that unlike other jobs that require major physical efforts, something many of us “older” folks will see dwindle in the decades to come, writers need only be of sound mine, have a trusty Internet connection, and an audience desiring to read their content. Until the day comes that I am not physically able to write, you can bet I will be banging out article after article on my keyboard.

If I could offer just a word or two of wisdom to those younger folks, think about your futures, especially from a financial point of view. Be smart with your money and think about how you would get by should your world as you now know it be suddenly turned upside down.

I never envisioned 23 years of work having flown by so quickly, although I am very grateful for some of the opportunities that have been presented to me. The difficult times too were good learning experiences, something that allowed me to grow as a person.

Now, however, I would not mind if things would slow down a little, although we all know that time waits for no one.

Photo credit: Facebook

Dave Thomas, who covers among other items workers compensation and small business loans, writes extensively for Business.com.

Here’s a story…. Don’t Look Back on Life With Regrets

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Each and every one of us has the opportunity to define the course our lives will take over time.

Essentially in life you have those who will never move far from their comfort zone and those willing to take a chance or two.

Now before I tell you which one I am let me state that those that choose to not take risks are not doing anything wrong by any means. When they choose to play their life cards close to the vest, they are no better or no worse than those that choose a little riskier proposition.

As for my story, I was always fascinated with California as a kid growing up in a middle class family back on the East Coast.

The Brady Bunch and One Kid’s Dream

Maybe it was watching one too many Brady Bunch episodes or the allure of warmer weather practically year-round, but something hooked me at a young age. Truth be known, I always thought the Brady kids lived in the coolest house, but we’ll save that discussion for another time.

So as I worked my way through high school and college, I knew once my schooling days were over that a decision would present itself. Would I stand pat and stay back home for work the rest of my life or would I venture to the other side of the country, roll up my sleeves and give it a whirl?

As I pondered this decision more and more, the thought of starting up a business always appealed to me, but I also knew that financially I was not in a position to do such. Maybe I would join the Coast Guard, become a police officer or involve myself in the sports world, three other career choices that always intrigued me?

When my college graduation day finally arrived, I was then thrust into a little more of a hurry up when it came to making a decision on what route I was going to take in life.

After working part-time to have a little money coming in, I got my first full-time job as a sports writer for a local newspaper. Let me be quite frank, the money was nothing to jump up and down about, but at least I was not giving my parents any additional heartburn as to what their youngest one was going to do with his life once his college days were over.

Working for nearly six years with that publication, I came to the realization that while I enjoyed the work and the ability to stay involved in my local community, I was not totally satisfied. Something was eating away at me, something that I had the power to control.

The Vacation to Change a Lifetime

I decided to fly off to California for a week’s vacation and check it out, you know, just to satisfy my craving.

After spending a week visiting San Diego and Los Angeles, my life was about to do a 180.

I returned home and told family and friends that I had to do it, I had to go live in California and at least give it a shot. Sure, it may be the dumbest decision in my life, both from a personal financial stand point and also professionally, but I had to take that risk.

So, with marginal savings, no job lined up and the reality that I would be some 3,000 miles from my comfort zone, off I went. I must point out that without two very supportive parents, the journey may not have even materialized in the first place.

Despite some ups and downs along the way, it is now nearly 18 years later and I’m still calling California home. Whenever I go home to the East Coast to visit family and friends, I’m always quick to think about what might have been:

  • How different would my life be today had I stayed home and not undertaken this journey?
  • Would I be further ahead in my life both professionally and personally or further behind than I am today?
  • If I knew then what I know today, would I have made that gamble to leave a full-time job and family?
  • What would have happened had my parents not been as supportive as they were?
  • If I had children, would I encourage them to do what I did or selfishly want them to remain standing pat and under my eye?

Although I would have changed some things regarding this journey knowing now what I did not know back then, I’m 99.9 percent sure I would have made the same choice today as I did some 18 years ago.

Don’t Look Back on Life with Regrets

One of my older co-workers at the time back then told me that she really admired the fact that I was willing to take such a risk. As she informed me, she and her husband had a similar idea to try something completely different, but they did not, and now it was too late in life as they were raising a family and essentially entrenched in their lives back East.

My feeling at the time was quite simple… if California did not work out I was always free to come home.

My feeling was also that I did not want to look back with regrets years later that I did not pursue my dream of getting to California one day.

I can’t say that I’m a huge risk taker these days, sitting here knowing that statistically I’ve lived more than half my life.

I can say with certainty, however, that if I died today, it would be as a happy man. Quite simply, my dream in life has been fulfilled several times over.

Sometimes when I look at the palm trees, the ocean, the California license plates and more, I have to pinch myself and take stock of the fact that I’m actually here.

No matter what life throws at you, don’t ever let your dreams be extinguished.

Keep in mind that each and every one of us does indeed have the ability to dream and see those dreams come true.

I know one kid growing up some 40 years ago on the East Coast that saw his dream become a reality.

Photo credit: waycoolmusic.blogspot.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other items advice on starting a small business and obtaining workers compensation insurance, writes extensively for Business.com.

Would You Hide Behind an E-Mail to Let an Employee Go?

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Many of us have been down that road no employee wants to travel; you are laid off or fired.

In my case, it was the former some six years ago while working for a company in San Diego. What made the action even more difficult to take was how it was handled.

To set the stage for you, I worked as an online editor for a publishing company. My responsibilities had grown during my five-plus years with the company from starting out as a staff writer, to temporary editor during some transitioning, to full-time online editor when all was said and done.

As I was nearing my sixth year of service with the company, I had a Friday that would forever change my life and especially how I would look at employers going forward.

Something Smells Here

On that Friday, I began my day working from home since we were allowed to do that from time to time. Just the day before, I was at my desk in the office working and nothing seemed terribly unusual. The owner of the company and I exchanged usual pleasantries and went on about our work days.

I left the office later that afternoon at my normal time, unbeknownst to me that it would be the last time I would ever set foot in that building again.

The next day (Friday), I started my work assignments online from home when I got an e-mail from my manager. She asked if I was coming in the office that day to which I replied no.

She then e-mailed to ask if I had time to do a conference call with her and the company CEO, something that seemed a little out of the ordinary for a Friday. I was never a Dean’s List student by any means, but I like to think that I make up for that lack of book knowledge by being rather street smart. The bottom line is something smelled here.

I e-mailed the manager back to ask her if something was up and she responded a few minutes later to say that I was being let go.

Okay, I don’t know how you would handle such an event, but about a dozen different emotions ran through my head at that time. The first and foremost one was why was this not done face-to-face the day earlier in the office?

Hiding behind a Computer

As it turns out, the owner of the company had his daughter-in-law (my manager at the time) do his dirty work for him. All the respect I had for that man over a five-year period went out the window in about 30 seconds. At least the way I was raised, you handle your business face-to-face with people, not hide behind a computer screen.

I would go on to find out that the CEO, a man that told me one day to my face his door was always open and I could always talk to him, was the one that orchestrated my dismissal. He also chose to hide behind his computer and not get on the phone with me at the least to give me an explanation of the dismissal. Again, he didn’t owe me that, but his previous words rang rather hollow at that point.

In 23 years of employment, I have come across some very good companies to work for and one or two that were not so good.

In a sense, what happened that Friday morning over a computer screen altered my outlook to a degree on employers forever.

One thing that will never change, I will always give 100 percent to any person that is kind enough to take me on and ask me to work for them; to do anything less is not the way I roll or how I was raised.

Secondly, however, I will never get as attached to a company as I did to that one six years ago.

The people at that company that I thought were my friends, the ones I traveled to conferences with, the ones I went to ballgames with, etc. dropped me like the plague when I got laid off. While they certainly were under no obligations to stay in touch with me, it really opened my eyes as to who your true friends are in such a scenario.

Years later I am happily employed with another company and coming up on a year anniversary.

What happened six years was a good learning experience,  one that will always make me look twice at people.

Some would say doing that is unhealthy and unfair to others – I see it as a way to never put myself in that position again of thinking those I worked with were any more than that – co-workers.

So, what are the ways you have been laid off or fired in the past?

Photo credit: ehow.co.uk

Dave Thomas, who writes on subjects such as VoIP phone service and credit card processing writes extensively for SanDiego-based Business.com.