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Effects of a slow website A slow website can lead to a significant loss of traffic, potential customers, and damage to your online reputation as users become frustrated and abandon the site due to long loading times, resulting in decreased engagement, fewer conversions, and a negative impact on SEO ranking.  Key consequences of a slow website: High bounce rate:Users quickly leave the site if it takes too long to load, leading to a high bounce rate.   Lost sales:Potential customers may abandon their shopping carts if a website is slow, impacting sales and revenue.   Poor user experience:A slow loading time creates a negative user experience, leading to dissatisfaction and a poor perception of the brand.   Lower search engine ranking:Google and other search engines tend to prioritize faster websites, potentially lowering your search ranking.   Negative brand perception:A slow website can be seen as unprofessional and unreliable, damaging your brand image.    Common causes of a slow website: Unoptimized images: Large, uncompressed images can significantly slow down loading times.   Poor server performance: If the hosting server is not powerful enough, it can struggle to handle traffic and slow down the site.   Excessive HTTP requests: Too many small files on a page can result in a large number of requests to the server, slowing down loading.   Inadequate caching: Not utilizing caching mechanisms effectively can lead to repeated data processing on the server.   Unoptimized code: Poorly written code, including excessive JavaScript or CSS, can increase loading time.   Too many ads or widgets: Third-party elements like ads can add extra loading time.   Lack of a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN can help deliver content faster to users in different geographic locations.    How to improve website speed: Optimize images: Resize and compress images to reduce their file size.   Use caching mechanisms: Implement server-side caching to store frequently accessed data for faster delivery.   Minify CSS and JavaScript: Remove unnecessary characters from code to reduce file size.   Choose a reliable hosting provider: Select a hosting plan with sufficient resources to handle your expected traffic.   Implement a CDN: Utilize a Content Delivery Network to distribute content from servers closer to users.   Monitor website performance: Regularly analyze your website speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvemen

Write better web page content. Use the AIDA marketing principles AIDA is an Italian opera but in marketing you use it to mean the principles of good content writing, especially useful for a web page. AIDA is a simple technique that’s intended to grab readers’ interest and take them through your writing until they take action on what they’ve read or at least consider it. It’s an approach for creating great content from the beginning to the end. AIDA stands for ATTENTION INTEREST, DESIRE ACTION First, you capture the reader’s attention, then pique their interest with some intriguing information. Next thing, you encourage them to learn more, and last, call the readers to take action. Let’s take a look at each one of them. Attention Studies show that you have less than 8 seconds to convince someone who happens upon your web page to stay and continue to read. Studies show that most people are drawn to an attention-getting image or heading. If the web page is unable unable to grab the reader’s attention within the first 8 seconds, then your content may be considered ineffective to deliver the message to the intended audience. Here is how to get the visitor’s attention: An engaging title, catchy image or video, and opening sentences are the first three elements that are essential to draw the reader’s attention. You can create a provocative opening sentence that is paired with the other two elements to attract them. The first is to explain exactly WHO you are and then mention a problem that the visitor might be having. Immediately followed by offering a solution. Raise your visitor’s expectation for possible answers by psychologically, provoking sentences that evoke readers’ curiosity. Interest The main goal at this point is to make your visitors continue to read your content by furnishing pertinent Information, facts, and data that they came looking for. It is not to speak about you, your products, or how great you are. Readers need to know that you have something that interests them. You can do that by informing them that the situation they’re dealing with is affecting their lives. This can be accomplished with storytelling or another approach that causes readers to “feel” their situation which leads to seeking a definite solution. The important part of this stage is to personalize the situation that makes us the solution to their issue and no one else. Desire At this stage, you need to keep this principle in mind: “the readers don’t care about us, the readers only care about themselves.” The thing here is that readers only care about what benefits you offer as a solution to their issues or the answer to their concerns that they’ve been held in their minds. Make the answer you provide way more interesting and desirable. The desire stage is nearly identical to the interest stage. The main difference is in the interest stage you bring up the facts by using detailed and logical information, while you will trigger the reader’s emotions in the desire stage. By showing real evidence such as before and after images and testimonials, our readers should be able to see how our offer can make their lives better. Action Finally, after reading about their problem, your solution, testimonials, case studies you need to motivate the visitor to do something. You need to persuade these readers to act on what you offer.   Ask them to telephone you, email you, fill out a form, download a PDF file, become a member, register, donate, or buy your products of service.   The AIDA principles will help you write better content for your web pages or posts, reduce the bounce rate, and convert more visitors into customers or members.    Get a free quote

Below is a collection of comments gathered from atoun the Internet.   Website Accessibility per the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) per the W3C Read more Here are some more quidelines on how to make your lawyer website ADA comopliant Abbreviations – Define any abbreviations. Animation – No content flashes more than three times per second. Audio Control – Don’t play audio automatically. Audio Description  – Provide captions for audio. Authentication – Don’t authenticate users through memory, transcription or cognitive tests without alternatives. Color  – Don’t use presentation that relies solely on color. Consistent Navigation – Position menus and standard controls consistently. Contrast  – Contrast ratio between text and background is at least 5: Headings and Labels – Headings and labels describe topic or purpose. Images of Text – Don’t use images of text. Keyboard (No Exception) – All functionality is accessible by keyboard with no exceptions. Language of Page – Each web page has a default human language assigned. Link Purpose (Link Only) – Every link’s purpose is clear from its text. Location – Let users know where they are on your website. Page Title – Use helpful and clear page titles. Reading Level – Users with nine years of schooling can read your content. Resize Text – Text can be re-sized to 200% without loss of content or function. Section Headings – Organize content with headings.

Is your law firm website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act? Does my law firm website have to be compliant with ADA? YES IT DOES. The threat of lawsuits Law firms have to be careful if they don’t follow these guidelines, as websites without any accessibility features for the disabled have already gotten owners in trouble. Even for a small website, the necessary changes that need to be made to help disabled users can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars. These problems have made it to the local news, and some small businesses in Florida have had to spend thousands of dollars to pay attorney’s fees and agree to make changes to their websites within a certain period of time as part of a settlement. Here is what the Florida Bar Association says about ADA compliance. “Title III specifically lists law offices as a place of public accommodation and requires law offices to provide full and equal services and privileges to disabled persons.” Read more How to make your law firm website ADA compliant The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that websites be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. This means that all law firm websites should strive to comply with ADA guidelines. Failure to comply can lead to discrimination lawsuits, financial liabilities, and damage to reputation. Businesses can also be fined up to $150,000 for ADA violations.    Here are some ways to ensure your law firm website is ADA compliant:    Ensure all functions can be operated with a keyboard  Make sure all information is understandable: This includes text, images, videos, and tools.  Ensure content is robust enough to be interpreted by a variety of users: This includes users using assistive technologies.  Include alt tags for every media file and map Use descriptive HTML tags for online forms   Make buttons, links, and other interactive elements easily identifiable  Allow users to adjust font size in their browser settings  Supplement color-coding with a second mechanism, such as labels  Use asterisks to indicate required form fields  Provide meaningful alternative text descriptions for images  Provide error messages and notifications to help users interact with the website  Ensure PDF files on the website are accessible  Ensure all archived pages are accessible  Check if your website is ADA compliant I can check you website for ADA ompliance.  Learn more

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Menu HOME Lawyer websites Website Examples Elementor Portfolio Testimonials Articles Policies Upwork Fixed Price Policy Upwork Hourly Policy Résumé Use Independent Contractors Carefully Small business owners often try to save money—especially in the early going—by using independent contractors instead of hiring full time employees. Using independent contractors, or “contract workers,” means the not having to withhold taxes, pay Social Security or Medicare or meet numerous other employer responsibilities. Many such arrangements, however, wilt under IRS scrutiny. And the strategy can backfire if someone later claims they should really have been treated, and paid, as an employee. Deciding who can legitimately work as an independent contractor and who must be given employee status has become a difficult matter for small business owners. You can’t simply choose what’s best for you. The IRS and equivalent state agencies are strict on worker classification issues. Remember that independent contractors work for themselves. They operate their own business. You are their client, not their employer. You don’t dictate their hours or control how they perform their work. In the eyes of most government agencies, a worker is an employee unless you can prove otherwise. Contractors control when and where they work. Avoid setting a pattern of daily or weekly work hours dictated by your business. Also, independent contractors do not usually have a permanent or continuing relationship with the business and have time to pursue other clients. Plan to compensate contractors on a per-job basis, not weekly or monthly. And since contractors are paid to complete a set task, they may bring in others to help, at their discretion and on their payroll. They also should use their own tools and technology and be responsible for their incremental expenses. Contractors can’t be fired as long as they produce results that meet their contract specifications. Do not include them under any insurance or benefits coverage you have for employees. Independent contractors are subject to making a profit—or suffering a loss—based on their own skills and expertise. Always require an invoice before making payment. Before you agree to an independent contractor relationship with anyone, make sure you understand what that means and carefully weigh the pros and cons. If you misclassify a worker, you could be liable for back employment taxes plus penalties.

Most small businesses have a Web site of some kind and many are relying more and more on the Internet to help their marketing and sales efforts and contribute to profits. But wanting a Web site that works hard for the business and actually getting one that does so are two different things. There are dozens of ways a Web site can go wrong. Even if you have a crackerjack designer, they may know little or nothing about building a site that actually produces sales or leads. An eye pleasing site by itself won’t necessarily get the job done. This is one area, however, where a great deal of help is available to the small business owner. As small business gains experience with the Web, some clear steps have emerged that you can take to improve your odds of online success. For example, while appearance is important, the usability of a Web site from the customer’s perspective is even more vital. How easy is it to get around your Web site? Can customers find what they want fast? Your goal is to have a site that appears professional and credible to customers as well as being easy to navigate. For a prospect intent on buying, there is nothing more frustrating than having to deal with a clumsy or cluttered site. Categories should be clear and logical. And while the Web’s almost unlimited space gives you the choice of drowning customers with product details, you may want to exercise some restraint. Give visitors the option of clicking to more information if they wish, but don’t force it on them. Coax customers by stages. Filling out forms is often necessary, but keep them simple and break them into bite-sized parts. And by all means, make the photos or other graphics on your site compelling—not the same old generic stock photos you see everywhere. Use graphics of real people and places to add personality to your site and reinforce the notion that your business exists in the real world, too. Every inch of your site should address your customers’ goals and needs, not just the needs of your business. Make the checkout process on your Web site fast and simple. Don’t bombard buyers with a last second registration process, don’t force buyers to answer endless questions designed to fill your need for marketing demographics. By: David Ormerod

When you are speaking before a group be it a presentation for five minutes or you are speaking for the whole program these rules apply. It is always amazing to me how many of these rules are not followed and then people wonder why they are not more effective with their presentation Speaking Do’s Be prepared! – Know your purpose! – Analyze your audience and fit the talk to their needs! Know to whom you are going to talk and what it is you want them to do because of your presentation. Only giving product information will not be of great interest. What is new, different or exciting about your product? What makes you excited about this product? Work on conveying that to the audience. Establish good eye contact – Speak clearly – Project your voice – Smile. Talk to the audience and talk so the person in the back of the room can hear you. This is your chance to show everyone what a great person you are and what a wonderful relationship you have with your clients. No one wants to listen to a grump, so smile till it hurts because it projects across the room and brings smiles back to you. Use pauses effectively – Use pointers specifically – Use natural gestures. Let people soak in what you are saying. Pauses are effective in bringing home a point you are trying to make. If you use the overheads, then use a pointer to highlight the place on the overhead. A laser pointer is only about ten dollars and it allows you to quickly point out the item, and then return your attention to the audience. Practice the talk out loud – Stay within the time frame – Use a conversational tone. Practice the talk until you can give it in the time allowed. When you go over on the time people expect, they start to get antsy and will only remember that you talked too long. Practice it until it is like a conversation with a friend and it will come across as if you are talking to your friends! Select the words carefully – Use the KISS formula – Be enthusiastic – Use simple and effective visual aids. Keep it super simple. Remember, not everyone has the technical expertise you do on your products. Use no more than four points on each overhead and have hard copy of your overhead to leave with your audience. Remember, when you are enthusiastic, they will get enthusiastic. Use an attention getter – Over learn the opening remarks – Establish credibility. When you start you have to grab their attention. By saying something startling or memorable to start with the audience will pay attention. Establish quickly that you have earned the right to give them the information. Speaking Don’ts Don’t read – Don’t memorize – Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare. You can use notes, but if you just read to the audience, you might as well save them the trouble of listening and just hand out your talk, so they can read it at their leisure. If you want the respect of your audience, be prepared ahead of time! Don’t start the speech until you reach the lectern. If you are to be heard, then wait until you are at the lectern before you begin your talk. Let the audience see you, then start to speak. Don’t rock back and forth or side to side – Don’t fidget or play with your notes. Don’t appear like you are nervous or you will make your audience nervous. If you have prepared and practiced your talk, you have nothing to fear. Don’t turn your back on the audience unnecessarily. Remember you are talking to the audience, not someone off stage or some object to the back or side. Most of us do not like to listen to someone who won’t look at us. Don’t show your visual aids until necessary – Don’t talk to the visual aids. When you use overheads don’t talk to the overhead. Point out the place on the overhead you want the audience to look, then turn back to them and talk about that point. Don’t get a white-knuckle grip on the lectern – Don’t tell off-color or inappropriate jokes – Don’t run overtime. Keep your talk and jokes clean and “G” rated and you won’t run the risk of offending someone in the audience. Be relaxed and enjoy the spotlight. Don’t use “Uh’s…”, “And uh’s…”, “Now…”, “Okay…” and “You know…” repeatedly. Enough said! Practice and this will not be a problem. Tape record your talk and listen to it to see if you are using these in your speech patterns. Remember, if you want to get your point across to someone else, dramatize it. The use of drama and showmanship in selling, advertising and speaking are the keys to success. By dramatizing your ideas, you are not just telling someone cold, hard facts, but telling them a story entire of color and excitement. By: John C. Erdman

E-commerce sales by small businesses are increasing rapidly and could double, triple or more during the next five years. Web sites are no longer a novelty; they are a necessity for small firms, solo operators and home businesses of almost any type. Meanwhile, customers have become vastly more Internet savvy than they were just a few years ago. They feel more comfortable buying online and they expect Web sites to be clear, crisp, informative and highly functional. Small businesses that don’t deliver higher levels of Web sophistication risk being left behind. A good starting point is avoiding errors that often doom Web sites to mediocrity. It’s not a matter of making your site complicated. Today, the “less is more” axiom applies and often spells the difference between a Web site that delivers for your small business, and one that doesn’t. Don’t neglect your site. If you want the Internet to help build your business, make your Web site a top priority in your daily operations. If your products, services, prices, location, hours, contact information and marketing messages change, make the updates immediately. Outdated information frustrates customers. Place your contact information in a prominent location. Many potential customers visit Web sites merely for basic contact details. Flashing images, scrolling text and blinking buttons may have seemed clever and high-tech when first introduced, but now they are simply annoying. Dump them in favor of graphics that enhance your site usability. Avoid the temptation of cute bells and whistles. Make a fast-loading site a top priority. And set up a system for tracking your site activity. Don’t be in the dark about what’s happening on your site. Simple and inexpensive Web analytic tools can point to areas that need improvement. Two top sources for Web analysis tools are WebTrends.com and SiteCatalyst.com. Visit the sites and check out the free trial offers. By: David Ormerod

It’s tough to be a real estate agent or broker in today’s market. There are too many agents chasing too few buyers. Buyers are reluctant to spend. Credit is tight. And the economy is in a recession. The problem with the real estate market is that there have always been too many agents trying to sell to the same buyers.  Many of these agents are poorly trained part-time amateurs. This is the fault of big brokers who have encouraged everyone to get their license in order to get rich quick. Of course, once they have sold to their friends, neighbors, and relatives, they are soon out the door. Meanwhile, this system makes it harder for the true professionals to make a living. So you might be on the verge of just giving up. After all there could be better opportunities with banks selling foreclosure property. Or perhaps you could fix up repossessed homes for resale. The debt-consolidation companies seem to be doing ok. Maybe you’ll look into an entirely different field. But before you throw away all those years of experience and knowledge, why not consider re-inventing yourself by becoming a real estate expert in your own “niche”? After all, there are still some bright spots. Prices are down. Interest rates are low. Some customers still hold good jobs with biomedical firms, computer companies, and medical organizations. And many baby boomers are looking to downsize, retire, or relocate. So real estate sales haven’t completely stopped. The real estate agents and brokers who have outlasted the ups and downs of the economy are either the brokers who rely on churning through lots of agents or those who have specialized in a niche. As a small agent or broker, you need to stop competing with all the part-time, low-paid, amateur real estate sales people. Become an expert in a niche. Specialize. Find a niche type of property that still sells. Get to know niche customers who have money to buy. Locate a niche geographical area that is still growing. But how? Start with looking back on your own sales career. What kind of properties have you had the most success with? What kind of buyers can you best sell to? Where are your favorite neighborhoods? Do some research into the types of properties that are still selling. Where are the buyers with money to spend? What areas are growing? Below are some lists of geographical areas, property types, and buyers to help you select your niche. Geographical Area: Can you concentrate in one of these areas? Downtown Resort Rural Small town Suburb Property Types: Could you learn what it takes to sell these properties? Bars Bed and Breakfasts Condos Farms/Acreage Fixer uppers Foreclosures Historical Properties Houseboats Income properties Island properties Luxury homes Manufactured Homes New developments Resort/vacation homes Restaurants Retirement businesses Small business Timeshares Vacant land/acreage Waterfront homes Buyers: Do you know where these buyers are? Do they know who you are? Accountants Affluent buyers Association members Bikers Business owners Car Enthusiasts Church members Computer programmers Condo buyers/sellers Doctors Educators Empty Nesters Families with single moms/dads Families with college students Families with teenagers Families with young children Farmers Fire fighters First time home buyers Government workers Horse owners Investors Lawyers Medical professionals Military Families Minorities- Asians, African Americans, Hispanics Musicians Police Relocating executives Retirees School employees Seasonal visitors Second home buyers Seniors Singles Spanish speaking Sports professionals University alumni Tips to promote your niche: Niche buyers: Join their associations (singles clubs, alumni, church, business groups). Participate in Social Media networking. Go to “Meet up”. Business cards: Consider having multiple business cards that highlight your niche with words like “Downtown Living”, “Affordable Homes for Educators”, “Waterfront Views”, “Se habla español” etc. Websites: Put up multiple websites with each one dedicated to a single niche. The reason some new agents were successful in selling to friends, neighbors, and relatives is because people want to deal with someone who understands them – with someone that they are comfortable – with someone they share a “niche”. While you can’t always become a relative, you can become their friend, neighbor, and real estate “expert”.

It can be frustrating for a small business trying to land its first sale to a public institution, government agency or major corporation. One of the most helpful steps—meeting personally with the right person—is often the most difficult to take. But a fast-growing program from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering hope to small business owners. Donnie McDaniel was once frustrated trying to “break in.” His Arlington, TX-based industrial products distribution business was looking to sell more to big customers. But the right doors weren’t opening. So McDaniel attended an SBA-sponsored Business Matchmaking event. Business Matchmaking, launched in 2003, is a series of regional events that bring corporate and government buyers face to face with small business owners. So far, business owners have landed over 20,000 one-on-one appointments with key government and corporate officials from hundreds of major corporations and agencies. Matchmaking was so successful that the program was expanded in 2005 to include more regional events. For McDaniel, a single meeting led to a contract potentially worth $1 million in new sales. “To do business with any large buyer almost takes an act of Congress,” says McDaniel. “These companies are busy focusing on their core businesses, but they take the time to attend these events to meet with potential vendors in person and that’s a chance we won’t pass up.” Business Matchmaking doesn’t promise you’ll snag a deal, but it does give you a chance to state your case directly to decision makers. If you’ve never sold to large corporations or government agencies, this is an excellent starting point. Business Matchmaking levels the field, allowing every small business an equal opportunity to learn about selling to big business, public institutions (like universities) and government entities at local, state and national levels. If you aren’t sure how to prepare your pitch, Small Business Procurement Workshops held a month in advance of each Business Matching event could help you: Identify potential buyers of your product or services. Write and submit successful proposals. Plan your marketing and sales approach, and line up financing. The workshops and matchmaking events are free. You can register, set up to three appointments and get all you need to participate online. Slots at Matchmaking events are limited so sign up early. The Matchmaking Web site at www.businessmatchmaking.com has a calendar of events and information on how to participate. By: David Ormerod,

When customers can easily comparison shop online with a few mouse clicks, the notion of loyalty seems almost old fashioned. Your best customers are someone else’s most sought-after prospects. Big companies have adopted a fancy term for addressing the problem, called “customer retention management” or CRM. Massive amounts of time and energy are devoted to it, including countless Web sites, conferences, software products, online applications, magazines and books. The core of the issue, however, comes down to something small business owners have been good at for centuries: building customer loyalty. A loyal customer is doing business with you, not your competition. Small businesses that concentrate on keeping customers are more successful in the long run. It only stands to reason. Selling to folks you already know and understand is more efficient, more predictable and more profitable. A loyal customer base gives you an edge. But building loyalty is not a marketing matter, so don’t look there for help. Spend all you want to attract new cadres of customers, but if they don’t stick around your days could be numbered. When a customer leaves, you should consider it unacceptable. Find out why it happened and then work to prevent it from happening again. To foster customer loyalty, a small business needs a strategy that keeps patrons coming back. It starts with basics that are sometimes overlooked. Thanking customers for their business, for example, goes a long way. But try going beyond a few spoken words. Write some thank you notes and letters. Make them personal and sincere. Just let them know you appreciate their business. Creating value will help boost loyalty. Ask customers if there is anything else you could be doing for them. Then, after they tell you, do it. Customers are more likely to be loyal if you make it easy for them. Review each customer “touch point” — your phones, your Web site, your store — for ease of use. Offer incentives. You can’t buy loyalty, but you can make it easier to happen. Special perks, discounts or freebies for loyalty work wonders. By: David Ormerod

If you are involved in a small business that is also a family business, you’ve probably heard warnings about the pitfalls of working with relatives. Operating a business with a spouse, parents, siblings, children or other family members presents many potential pitfalls over and above the usual problems business owners face. To help ensure survival of a family-run business, you will need to seek a harmonious balance between the needs of the business and the needs of the family. The characteristics of a healthy business may not always be compatible with family harmony. When bringing family members into a business for the first time, especially as investors or in a startup situation, you should consider putting the business relationship in writing. Family members sometimes buy into the excitement of a business startup without a clear idea of their role once the business is underway. In an ongoing family business, it’s important to treat family members fairly. While some experts advise against hiring family members, that sacrifices one of the great benefits of a family business. Countless small companies would never have survived without dedicated family members. But avoid favoritism. Pay scales, promotions, work schedules, criticism and praise should be evenhanded between family and non-family employees. Don’t become the employer of last resort for every distant relation who calls. Base employment on the skills or knowledge they can bring to the business. If your kids will be joining the business, make them get at least three to five years business experience elsewhere first to help them gain perspective of how the business world works outside of a family setting. Problems and differences of opinion are common in a family business, so it’s important to keep lines of communication clear. Weekly meetings to assess progress, air differences and resolve disputes work well for many family firms. Drawing some lines between business and family life will also help. For family business operators, it’s tempting to talk shop day and night. But constantly mixing business, personal and home life can lead to trouble. Limit business discussions outside of the office or at least save them for an appropriate time — not at a family get-together. By: David Ormerod

For a small business, taking the first steps into advertising can be an intimidating and mysterious process. Even though we see advertising everywhere, creating and using ads ourselves can seem alien and expensive. Understanding how the medium works and what it can and cannot do for a small business is tougher than it seems. And there is always uncertainty over results. Think of advertising as one element of the broader area of marketing. You recognize it in many forms, including magazines, newspapers, directories, online search engine ads, Web site banners, radio spots, TV, billboards, flyers, direct mail and others. Before you spend your hard-earned money on advertising, you’ll want to investigate what to realistically expect. Only then should you draw up a plan for moving ahead. Ads can do the following: • Attract new customers, prospects and leads. • Encourage existing customers to spend more on your product or service. • Build credibility, establish and maintain your “brand” or unique business identity, and enhance your reputation. • Inform or remind customers and prospects of the benefits your business has to offer. • Promote your business to customers, investors or others and slowly build sales. But here’s what advertising probably cannot do: Create an instant customer base. Solve your cash flow or profit problems by producing an immediate sales windfall. Cure poor or indifferent customer service. Create benefits that don’t really exist or sell products and services that nobody wants. In short, advertising won’t guarantee quick sales for your product or service by itself, but it will get you noticed, if you do it right. That means you must know, as precisely as possible, the demographics of your target audience and craft a precise message about your product or service that will touch them. You must give customers a compelling reason to call, visit your Web site or stop by your business. Your ad must also stand out in some way. If it fails to grab your potential customers, they are not likely to respond. Frequency is also key. A single ad in one place won’t do much. Getting people to see your ads as often as possible in different places will deliver better results. By: David Ormerod

Why Network? Networking is a cost effective way of putting your business on the map and expanding it. More people in your network mean more exposure for your products/services. You will also expand your sphere of influence as you connect large numbers of people to your network and have the opportunity to connect to their network. The more you network effectively the more you will become the “Go-to person.” is a cost effective way of putting your business on the map and expanding Becoming a Master Networker To become a Master Networker, you must be passionate about helping people achieve their dreams. There are two ways to approach networking: Interesting I am going to be SO INTERESTING by what I say, how I look, how well I talk about my product or service, and exude so much charisma that people will be so impressed that they will want my product or service NOW and will tell everyone they know about it! I will just get better and better and better at this and inevitably become rich and successful. Result? You might as well try to win the lottery.. Interested I will be SO INTERESTED in everyone I talk to, in what they do, in what they need now, in their dream, that I will inevitably create abundance for everyone I meet by connecting them to the people and groups that will contribute to their success. I will get better and better and better at this and inevitably help others become rich and successful. I will not expect anything directly back from anyone I help. But as I am wise enough to see that this path will surely guarantee my business, financial and personal success, I will become fulfilled in all areas of life. Result: A wide open door of willingness to buy your product or service, or connect you with someone who will. If you focus on being INTERESTING you will actually be mostly unseen and unheard. If you focus on being INTERESTED and deliver valuable help, the door will swing wide open to being seen and heard. Ask enough of these questions until you determine, and can tell them: “So your ideal client is…” Tell me more about your business? What do you enjoy most about your business? How did you get into this business? How do you get new customers or clients? What is your area of responsibility here? Who is your target market? What geographical area do you cover? What are the demographics of your customers? What size businesses do you focus on? How are you different from other businesses like yours? What is the greatest benefit/help you give to your customers? What do your customers like best about your product/service? What do people like most about working with you? What is an excellent example of someone who has benefited from your product or service? Can you give me an example of your ideal client? Do you have special offers for your customers/clients? How much networking do you do? What other networking groups do you belong to? By: John C. Erdman

In order to be a successful small business, you have to think and act like a successful business. Sounds simple, perhaps, but many small business owners and startup entrepreneurs forget this basic concept. In the face of financial adversity, they adopt a “can’t do” attitude. As leader of your business you should spread a message of success to everyone involved, from employees and vendors to customers and prospects. High-performance businesses—both big and small—allow people to take risks, generate new ideas, make mistakes and learn from them. The most successful entrepreneurs find ways to make successful thinking contagious. One way they do that is by emphasizing long-term potential over short-term thinking. They learn to innovate rather than hesitate, and shun the status quo as they seek to spark new interest and enthusiasm inside the business. Sure, working productively will help build your business. But generating creativity and passion for what your business does, no matter how seemingly mundane, is a hallmark of a high-performance business. But these don’t need to be grandiose concepts. Simply going out of your way to help a customer in an unusual fashion qualifies. Emphasize the collective success of your business as a whole, not of any individual person, project or product. Then you can accelerate success by identifying a few profitable activities and making them happen ever more flawlessly and quickly. Open the lines of communication. Generally, those around you need more information, not less, in order to feel successful. Let people know where you think the business needs to go, the problems it faces and what keeps you up at night. That makes it easier for you to involve them in finding solutions to your biggest challenges. Ask their advice about what you are doing right, what hurts and what needs fixing. That way, everyone has a bigger stake in your success. Be open to new ideas, even if they sound silly or outlandish. One such idea just might be your “next big thing.” And reward people for extra effort. Non-cash incentives—like time off or a company lunch—have gained popularity as a means of rewarding employees. But cash bonuses still reign. And always deliver what you promise. That includes keeping promises to employees and suppliers as well as customers. Integrity fuels the success engine, and it’s tough to recover if you blow it. By: David Ormerod

Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways for a small business to attract new customers. It requires no expensive and time-consuming advertising or marketing campaigns and uses the most trusted spokesperson you could ever find for your business—a satisfied client. But while the power of word-of-mouth can drive business to your door, even if your marketing budget is nonexistent, don’t expect a marketing miracle to suddenly appear. Contrary to popular belief, word-of-mouth is not something that just happens. It might work that way for a few businesses. But for most, it is a phenomenon that you, the business owner, can actually take steps to create and nurture. And it generally does not happen quickly, but rather over time as word has a chance to spread. To help generate word of mouth, create a simple marketing message that is easy for people to pass along. If it’s not simple, it won’t pass the test. But make it specific to a real benefit or need, not something vague or general. If you can, include success stories or testimonials from real customers. These can have a tremendous pass-along impact. To stimulate word of mouth, you might also consider asking customers for referrals and recommendations. And put your networking efforts into high gear. If you network and get to know people in your community or industry, they will think of you when they need your product or service. Join networking groups and local business organizations, and attend conferences. Donating your products or services to local charities can generate goodwill and get your name around. Consider introductory discounts or free samples. People are more willing to try a new product or service if they can do so economically. Many small companies have jump-started sales through carefully controlled giveaways. Above all, perhaps recognize that people will spread the word if you treat them well. Providing superior customer service and addressing problems quickly will help generate the word of mouth that you want. By: David Ormerod

Freelancer, sole operator, independent contractor and free agent are all terms for a similar type of small business operator with a key trait in common—all are constantly looking for new gigs to fill their time and pay the bills. For these business owners, the Internet has become a boon to finding work. Web sites that play matchmaker between employers and freelancers have taken the art of project hunting to new levels. To be successful as a free agent operator, you need to hone your project-finding skills and improve your marketing, just like any small business. Two keys to being successful at this are consistency and dedication. Most independent contractors already know that the search for work is constant, so you’ll enjoy it more if you develop a passion for finding the next big project. To build repeat business, you also need to be a stickler for client satisfaction. Always stand behind your work and try to gauge client expectations at every step, and then exceed them. Also, recognize that building your personal brand is important. As a sole operator, your brand is you, so focus on leveraging your special knowledge, style or expertise. But don’t lock yourself in too tightly. The most successful independent contractors try to build new skills and leverage existing ones to higher price levels. Project sites for freelancers vary in their approach. Some work on a bid system where employers post projects and freelancers bid on the work. These sites will likely take a cut of your proceeds. Others are more like a job board where projects are posted and you respond with a pitch letter and resume directly to the employer. Some sites to visit include Guru.com, Sologig.com and Elance.com, which cover all industries and areas, as well as Aquent.com, which specializes in the fields of marketing and creative services. By: David Ormerod

“Do I trust him or her?” Others may ask many questions about you, but this is a key one. Trust lies at the root of building good interpersonal relations. Research into human relations proves that if trust is present, weaknesses tend to be overlooked and mistakes tolerated. Some people are trusted, and some are not, it depends on how they behave. Trust is grounded in four very concrete and specific behaviors: Acceptance, Integrity, Openness, Reliability. The presence of these four behaviors leads others to say: “I trust him or her”. If you put these four behaviors into practice, you’ll be trusted. If you don’t, you won’t. Simple as that. Let’s look at each of the four, in turn, to get the whole picture. First, trust requires acceptance. If I sense you accept me as a person, I’ll trust you. That means I must sense that you feel it’s OK for me to be me, you don’t pass judgment on me, you don’t put me down and you don’t treat me as an “it” by trying to manipulate me, treat me as an inferior or by just criticizing me. You accept me as an individual with my thoughts, feelings, interests, differences and my imperfections. You don’t have to agree with me but you do have to accept me. If I sense you don’t accept me, I won’t trust you, because I’ll wonder if you are trying to use me or deal with me only as a means to your ends. If you behave in an accepting manner by taking me as I am, treating me as a worthwhile person, showing respect for my personhood and not judging me, then your behavior will lead me toward trusting you. Acceptance is necessary to earn trust. Second, trust requires integrity. If I sense you are being straightforward with me, I’ll trust you. That means I must see you as being honest with me. I must perceive that you mean what you say and say what you mean, that’s having integrity. If I sense that you are telling me one thing and feeling the opposite, trust goes down. If I don’t see and feel your integrity, I won’t trust you, because I’ll be in doubt about what you really mean, feeling that I can’t count on you to tell me the truth. If you behave in an honest way, saying what you mean and meaning what you say, then your behavior will lead me toward trusting you. Integrity is necessary to earn trust. Third, trust requires openness. If I sense you are being open with me, I’ll trust you. That means I must feel that you are letting me in on what you know about the matter at hand, at least the essentials. I must perceive that you are willing to let me know what affects me, that’s being open. If I sense that you are keeping important things to yourself or that you have a hidden agenda, trust goes down and you become less believable to me. If you behave in an open way, share information with me and tell me what you have in mind, then your behavior will lead me toward trusting you. Openness is necessary to earn trust. Fourth, trust requires reliability. If I sense you are dependable, I’ll trust you. That means you do what you say you’ll do. If you make a promise, you’ll keep it; if you say you’ll take care of something, you’ll take care of it; and if you say you’ll be somewhere, you’ll be there. I must have the experience that you take your agreements seriously, you are a person of your word, that’s being reliable. If I see you making promises you don’t keep, if you say you won’t do a certain thing, and then you do it, trust goes down. If you behave in a reliable way and if I can bank on your dependability, then your behavior will lead me toward trusting you. Reliability is necessary to earn trust. Trust is the cornerstone for building on-going, lasting relationships. Trust is earned, it’s not a gift. Others don’t trust you just because you tell them you can be trusted. You earn trust by your behavior, and that takes time, because others must experience these behaviors in you. You earn it if you behave with acceptance, integrity, openness, reliability. By: John Erdman

The recession is not yet over. Business is still slow. It’s tough to find new customers. Traditional advertising just doesn’t seem to be working. What to do? First forget about finding new customers. They are expensive to acquire. Many are only price buyers and have no long term loyalty. Why bother chasing after them? Your best customers are the ones you already have. And the ones that others have that they might share with you. With new customers you not only have to sell them on the benefits of your product or service, you have to sell them on buying from you too. The toughest sale is selling new products to new customers. New customers must be convinced that they need your product or service and then you must convince them to buy from you. It’s much easier to sell more of the same product or service to people who already know and trust you. How can you do that? Take a moment to make a list of people that you know. Friends, neighbors, relatives, acquaintances, business associates, and people you buy from. Do they know what business you are in? Contact them and let them know what you are doing. Offer free consultations, evaluations, or samples of your products and services. Ask them for leads and referrals. Ask for more business. The second easiest sale is selling new products and services to existing customers. Develop some new products or services to offer your current customers. And also consider partnering with other companies that might have products and services that your customers could use. They might also have customers that want your products and services for their customers. Here’s how. Make a list of companies that have complementary products and services. For example, if you offer accounting services but not tax advice, whom do you know that is offering tax advice that you could partner with? If you are selling or installing kitchen equipment could you partner with an interior decorator? What are your competitors offering that you don’t? Could you offer their customers something that they don’t offer? Could your own customers use something that they offer? Instead of competing against them why not figure out a way to partner with them? Often competitors are not really selling the exact same product or service to the exact same customers or geographic area. Could you subcontract with them for overload work? Could you both expand your markets by selling to each other’s customers? How? Offer fees and commissions for leads and sales. Prepare a joint mailing or advertisement. Sell each other’s products or services. Participate in joint seminars or trade shows. Develop a joint product or service. Offer discounts to each other customers. It’s much easier to work together than to compete in a price war. What about your suppliers? Could they use your products and services? They might be in the market for the same products and services that you currently offer. Why not contact them and find out? In today’s economy it’s important not to just go it alone. Many other companies are having the same problems getting customers that you have. Why not try to partner with them to find common solutions?

Everyone knows that backing up computer files is important, and most of us will face a computer crisis of some type sooner or later. But simple laziness, or perhaps a lack of information and belief that backups are too costly or time-consuming cause business owners to put it off. And that can have disastrous consequences. Damaged or lost data files have cost many small or home-based businesses weeks, months or even years of work. It can happen in an instant, for many reasons. Suddenly your hard drive starts making loud grinding noises and stops working. Your laptop might be stolen or maybe you simply push a wrong button. Computer viruses also can make files vanish. Technological dangers are common and you must be prepared to avoid them. Having backup files available in the event of trouble could be the difference between staying open or having to shut down. There are several ways to backup your business files. One simple method is to copy or “burn” your files to CDs. This works if you don’t have large amounts of data to protect. You also can keep a secondary computer or external hard drive around to serve as your backup center. Another option is to use a service that lets you back up your data over the Internet. Depending on the amount and type of data you need to save, you can use any one method, or a combination. The key is to make certain at least one set of files is kept in another secure location. It helps to have a specific plan in place to protect your files. First, decide which files are critical to keeping your business operating. Choose a backup method and perform a full backup at least once a week. Backup any critical data daily to a removable device. To make sure the backup systems really work, test your backup files at least quarterly. Keep a full backup on site for convenience, but be sure to store one set far enough away so a disaster won’t strike both locations. Imation is a top supplier of backup hardware, also called “removable data storage media,” and has one of the broadest product lines in the field. The firm’s Web site at www.imation.com has a section devoted to “Small & Medium Business” with helpful tips, advice and product information to get you started. HP.com and Symantec at http://smallbiz.symantec.com also offer backup solutions designed for small business. By: David Ormerod

Successful business owners shine at most aspects of operating their business. Usually they’re great at planning, or marketing, or creative thinking or crunching numbers, or knowing just how to satisfy customers. But when it comes to leading, managing and motivating others involved in the business, whether employees, outside sales reps or key partners, they sometimes fall short. One reason is widespread confusion about the difference between “managing” and “leading.” Leadership experts say they are two very different roles, even though most small business owners consider them the same. “Managing” implies structure, control, rules, deadlines and efficiency, says Ken Blanchard, best-selling author of The One Minute Manager. But according to Blanchard, “leadership” is nearly the opposite of “management.” Leading requires actions that are more experimental, unstructured, visionary, flexible and passionate. Managers and leaders think and behave differently. Blanchard and his partner Drea Zigarmi spent seven years studying how business leaders exert influence and how their values, beliefs and personalities contribute to their success—or failure. Through it all, one finding was clear: A one-size-fits-all style of leadership does not exist. Owning a business automatically puts you in a position of leadership. Your goal is to engage employees, partners, vendors, investors, independent contractors or other participants in your venture in a course of action that helps achieve a mutually shared vision. But being in a leadership position does not necessarily make you a leader. Many entrepreneurs turn to management techniques to enlist the minds and muscles of the people they lead, but fail to capture an equally important component—their hearts. If you merely work to focus activities of followers and fail to engage them in a purpose, you won’t likely be seen as a good leader. “The first step to becoming a better leader is to study yourself and get honest, unfiltered feedback about how you are doing from the people you lead,” says Blanchard. “You cannot effectively lead if you do not know your own values.” Try combining direction with support. Direction includes setting goals, scheduling, specifying priorities, evaluating results, defining roles and showing how results are to be accomplished. Support includes listening, praising and encouraging, seeking input, sharing information, offering reasons for decisions and helping others to solve problems. By: David Ormerod

To become successful it is necessary to be committed to yourself, your ideas, your desires and your goals. The word commitment strikes fear in the hearts of many people, but commitment is as simple as setting goals and action plans. Goal setting to most people is a chore they do only on a small scale, if at all. To most people, goals are something they talk about but seldom have in a concrete form. When you have well defined goals, you know where you are going and how to get there. I define this as Commitment. To establish the road map to achieve your real potential you must have written goals and desires. Remember if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. Have you ever wondered why you set some goals but they never seem to come true. To understand why this happens we need to realize we function in three realms of consciousness. In psychological terms the three areas become the creative subconscious, the subconscious (mental) and the conscious (physical). The process starts in the creative subconscious in the form of thoughts or desires. We then move them into the subconscious and begin to formulate them into goals. Now most people stop there without moving it into the conscious realm. If it does not move to the consciousor physical realm, your chances of achieving the results you want are slim because you are being influenced constantly on the physical and mental realms. By writing down your goals and your action plans will move from the mental realm to the physical realm Let’s look at the steps necessary to bring your goals from the mental realms to the physical realms so you can begin to achieve your success. A goal of life is to live a balanced life. In order to live a balanced life your goals need to be established in all of major areas. There are eight major areas in which to set goals. Spiritual Family Professional Career Mental Self-Improvement Physical Self-Improvement Social Financial Community The seven steps to establishing your goals in the physical realm are: Assess the “As Is” Establish the “Target Point” Select the goals, set the time tables and put them in writing Commit yourself to the goals by knowing the “Whys” Determine there are no conflicts Start working on the “Bite Size” pieces Follow up and change as necessary Step one. You need to understand where you are right now or the “As Is” situation. If you do not know where you are when you start to plan goals, you will draw your road map with only one road. Think for a moment of being lost, you have no idea where you are. If you have a map that shows where help is, but you don’t know where you are on the map, can you use it to get out of the wilderness? Probably not. Most people, when sitting down to write out or establish their goals never bother to think about where they currently are in their progress, so write down where you are right now to establish a base line. Step two. In establishing your goals in the physical realm, you need to decide on a “Target Point”. This statement will be a description of what you really want out of life. You write down what you want for yourself, your family and should be based on all eight goal setting areas. This statement will be written in approximately 250 words or one page long. The statement is future orientated, write it based on how you will look 2 years, 5 years, 10 years or 100 years from now. The time span is up to you. Be creative and positive in your statement. Write as if someone has waved a magic wand over you and erased all your limitations. Step three. You now know where you are and where you are going. You can select the goals that will give you the desired results. Write out what has to happen to move you toward or into the “Target Point” areas. Set the timetables so you will know when you want to accomplish these goals, then you will not end up on “Someday I’ll”. Without definite timetables, we will drift and will not accomplish what we set out to do. With the definite time tables we stay on track and do the things we need to do when we are supposed to do them. Break down the goals into three areas: Long Term, Mid Term and Short Term. Long term goals are one year long. We can control things or events one year at a time and anything longer falls into our “Target Point”. The question to ask yourself is, “What can I do during this year that will move me towards my Target Point?” Next we break down the long term into midterm goals. These can be quarterly or monthly time spans and will give us 4 to 12 check points to gauge our progress. Next break these midterm goals down even further into short term goals. Weekly or daily goals will make our progress easier and seemingly faster to accomplish. Your goals are now into “Bite Size” pieces you can work with. All of these items need to be put into writing so we have a physical record of these goals and action plans. Step four. Commit yourself to the goals by knowing the “Whys”. The only way to stay on track with goal achieving is to know why you want to achieve it. If someone else is establishing the goals you probably won’t have any real commitment in going after them. Always ask this question, “Why is this goal important for me to accomplish?” Step five. Determine if you have conflicts in any area. When goals written are out you can look them over and see if they are in conflict with each other. If you do not solve the conflicts before starting to

As you launch or expand a business, keeping track of the money, preparing tax returns and performing other financial tasks can quickly become a burden. If you need more time to do other things, it might make sense to turn over tax, accounting and other financial chores to outside specialists. Choosing the right type of tax, accounting, bookkeeping or other financial help is an important decision. An outside accountant can be one of your most trusted business advisors and a key to your success. Although many business owners work with big national firms, most prefer to work with small independent firms or solo accounting professionals. Accounting services differ from bookkeeping services, however. An accounting firm prepares financial statements and tax returns based on the numbers that you give them via your own in-house books. Bookkeeping services, if offered, will be extra. If you plan to hire your own bookkeeper, make sure the person you choose is qualified. One way is to use the “Bookkeepers Hiring Test” available free from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers at their Web site, www.aipb.org. Before selecting a certified public accountant (CPA) or other financial pro, list the services you think you need, such as tax preparation, financial reports, balance sheets, invoicing, payroll services, general bookkeeping or someone to set up your books. Some firms may handle it all, or you may need to split the tasks. CPA Directory is a huge online listing of CPAs nationwide and can help you find an accountant in your area. The Web site also offers helpful advice on hiring and working effectively with a CPA. Visit www.cpadirectory.com. And don’t forget about Enrolled Agents. EAs are licensed by the Federal government to prepare tax returns. They have either worked for the IRS or have passed a rigorous IRS exam. They are savvy tax experts, but generally don’t have the degrees of CPAs and tend to charge less. Visit the National Association of Enrolled Agents Web site at www.naea.org. Fees vary greatly among accountants, from $50 per hour to $300 or more. Some firms will provide a specified list of services for a flat monthly fee, and may provide less costly help for bookkeeping and other tasks that don’t require CPA-level training. If you are considering a larger accounting firm, find out which people you will be working with directly. Also try to match your general philosophy with a firm that is as conservative — or aggressive — as you are on tax matters. By: David Ormerod, MBA, SCORE Small Business Counselor and Agent, NYLife Securities LLC

For many small businesses, the administrative burdens of hiring, managing and paying employees are just too much to contemplate. As a result, many business owners are turning to alternative methods of hiring staff, including something called the “professional employer organization” or PEO. PEOs are companies that help businesses find and hire people, plus manage such things as health benefits, workers’ comp claims, payroll, unemployment insurance and more. As a business owner, you contract with a PEO to assume these and other responsibilities, allowing you to concentrate on the revenue-producing side of your operations. PEOs establish and maintain an employer relationship with the workers assigned to you and assume many employer responsibilities and risks. Most small businesses are new to the “human relations” or HR field. But one advantage of using a professional employer organization is that they already have experienced HR pros who can handle benefits, payroll, OSHA compliance and just about everything else you will need. By bringing employees into a larger overall group, a PEO can offer your workers benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans that you’d be hard-pressed to deliver on your own. Pre-employment testing is another area PEOs can help. Without a screening process, you risk placing the wrong person in the job, leading to lost productivity and costly turnover. PEOs tailor pre-employment tests to predict loyalty to you as well as success on a specific job. The tests aren’t foolproof, but they can have a big impact. Small business owners often dread the prospect of reading mountains of resumes and conducting interviews for prospective hires. PEOs can reduce this burden and deliver candidates quickly, then handle the paperwork for the new hire. Some PEOs have entire divisions devoted to recruiting and helping small business owners gather information to make the right hiring decisions. Many entrepreneurs who’ve used PEOs credit the choice with helping grow their businesses quickly. The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) is an excellent source of information and help. The organization’s Web site describes how PEOs work, the benefits of using one and guidelines for selecting one that’s right for your business and industry. Visit the Web site at www.napeo.org. By: David Ormerod, MBA, SCORE Small Business Counselor and Agent, NYLife Securities LLC

Like most entrepreneurs sooner or later you will give a speech or presentation to a group of prospective clients or customers. You’ve seen plenty of presentation before so you know that you will have to get to work on your PowerPoint skills. After hours of work, you finally have the ideal presentation done just like the books say. You put your talking points into bullet items and add some animations, transitions and special effects. It looks great. The big day came. First you planned to tell them what you would be speaking about. Then you would tell them. And at the end you would wind up with a summary slide. Here is how it went after you were introduced. FIRST: You handed out copies of your slides so everyone could take notes. Someone dimmed the lights. And you were ready to go. SECOND: Your beautiful fancy welcome slide faded into view with your company logo, name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, social media and web site. Everything they needed to contact you. Next was your slide that listed all the products and services you offer along with the names of many of your client’s endorsements – you never can tell which services or products people might want so you covered them all. THIRD: With the preliminaries out of the way, you launched into your speech. PowerPoint was wonderful because you could put all your notes right there on the screen in the form of bullets. You didn’t even have to memorize your speech. The bullets kept you on track. To make your presentation exciting you had some of the bullet items fall down, twist, rotate, spin, and fade in or out. This really showed them that you know your stuff. And for those in the back of the room who couldn’t see too well, you simply read each slide as it came up. FOURTH: And you hadn’t forgotten that a picture is worth a thousand words. You had plenty of stock photos of people looking over business reports and sitting around conference tables. There were even some cute animated images. And how about that skyscraper building? FIFTH: And you had a great slide which summarized all your points. It was all very colorful, professional, and an exciting presentation. What a great evening! You didn’t miss one point and none of the slides were out of order. SIXTH: In the interest of time, you held all the questions until the end. There was only a few so the meeting didn’t run overtime. You spoke to one or two people who came up at the end and came away with a couple of new business cards that could turn into some real business. Unfortunately the following week the telephone was as dead as usual. And those two hot leads turned out to be people wanting to sell you. Oh well, at least the coffee and donuts were better than last time. What went wrong? Why wasn’t there more interest? Why didn’t you get dozens of questions and business cards? How come no one telephoned? After all you did exactly what Microsoft and all the experts told you to do. Wasn’t it a successful PowerPoint presentation? Yes it was a great PowerPoint presentation. But it was not a great YOU presentation. FIRST: People came to see YOU. They did not come to hear you read notes from a TelePrompTer®. If that’s all you planned to do you could have just passed out copies of the slides and then called it a night. People did not come to see a wonderful PowerPoint presentation. They wanted to hear emotion, excitement, stories, examples, and motivation. They wanted to participate. They wanted their questions answered when they had them. They were interested in their bullet points, not yours. Put your notes on 3×5 cards and not in the slides. PowerPoint is only a tool to get your message out. It should not have become the focus of the presentation. SECOND: Don’t open with a welcome message, logo, contact information, and endorsements. Give them all that information at the end like book authors do. Let the person who introduced you mention your credentials and then get on with it. Open with an image that dramatizes the main problem your audience has that you can solve. Get their attention at the start. THIRD: Don’t use stock photos of actors sitting around looking at charts or business reports. No one believes that you are a major corporation. Let them know who you really are. You’re probably a small business than can offer personalized attention. Use pictures of your staff. Show them the real office that you work from not some skyscraper. Let them see you in action helping clients or customers. Get rid of all those cute, unprofessional animated cartoons and clip art. Only use graphics that support your points. FOURTH: Speak naturally. This is not a school lecture. Slides should only reinforce your points, not make them. Use mostly visuals or one line “billboard” text with no more than 6 words in big bold type. Forget trying to put up all your points as bullets. For example, if you are an accountant looking for clients and your point is that accounting forms are complex, have a slide with hundreds of IRS forms on it. If you are a lawyer, have a slide with newspapers headlines about how expensive litigation has become. Show ads from companies going out of business because they failed to use a good consultant. FIFTH: You probably decided to give your speech to enhance your reputation, get a sales lead, network, or make an emotional sale. You need to move the audience to action as a step toward your goal. You were not there to entertain. SIXTH: Instead of passing out copies of your slides (which will only get pitched as they walk out the door) prepare two documents. A summary of your speech (not your slides) and an evaluation form. Give the

When most of us think about sending out, let’s say 10,000 brochures or offers, we naturally think of using bulk mail. After all the printing costs are the same, but First Class costs twice as much. Here is how most of us think the mailing process will happen. The printer prints 10,000 copies of your camera ready brochure. These are then delivered to the letter shop that stuffs envelopes for bulk mailing. They sort your brochures into zip codes and deliver them to the post office. The post office weighs them and determines the postage. The letter shop pays and sends you the receipt. The post office sends it to other post offices in various cities. Then a local postal carrier delivers them to your prospects. That is the way it is supposed to happen. Unfortunately, what can really happen is often very different. The printer is only obligated to print plus or minus 10,000 copies. You could get a few as only 9,000 copies from an honest printer, or even less from a dishonest one. The lettershop will make some mistakes so they might only get 8,000 envelopes to the post office (even though they give you a post office receipt that says 10,000 – there are ways). There are also many cases on record where post offices “lose” bulk mail and many carriers just can’t be bothered with bulk mail by the end of the day. Moreover, bulk mail will not be forwarded even though prospects have left a forwarding address. You might be lucky if 7,000 get delivered to prospects. Unfortunately, statistics show that 80% of people who get bulk mail, take one look at it, consider it junk, and thrown it out without even reading it. The result is that only about 1,400 actually take the time to open the envelope and read you brochure or offer. Original print run requested 10,000 Actual quantity printed -1,000 10% not printed GIVEN TO LETTERSHOP 9,000 Lettershop damage -1,000 Another 10% gone GIVEN TO POST OFFICE 8,000 Post office “errors” -800 10% Unable to forward -600 7% DELIVERED TO PROSPECTS 6,600 Thrown out without being read -5,280 80% national average NUMBER READ BY PROSPECTS 1,400 What did this campaign cost? Let’s say printing is constant at $1 each brochure. Bulk rate is about $0.22 each. So you would be paying $1.22 for each piece. The cost would be $12,000 for 10,000 mailings. If you got a 2% response rate which is considered good for direct mail, you got 200 leads. Each lead cost therefore $60. (In reality since only 1,400 pieces were read and 200 people responded the actual response rate is really 14% of those who actually read your proposal.) Is there any room for improvement? Let’s see what might happen if you decided to use first class postage instead of bulk rate. Three things might improve. First, post office errors could drop in half to 5% because they handle first class letters better than bulk mail. Second 600 more letters would get forwarded. GIVEN TO POST OFFICE 8,000 Post office “errors” -400 5% fewer mailings “lost” Unable to forward 0 First class is always forwarded% DELIVERED TO PROSPECTS 7,600 That would mean 7,600 people will now get the brochure. The third big benefit is that people are at least twice as inclined to open personally address mail than bulk mail. That would mean cutting in half the number of brochures thrown out without being read Thrown out without being read -3,040 40% half as less NUMBER READ BY PROSPECTS 4,560/td> 3 times more readers In other words, 4,560 prospects now will actually read your brochure. And if 14% of readers responded as above, that would be over 600 leads instead of 200! The first class mailing cost $1 for the print and stuffing plus $0.44 for first class postage. That is $1.44 per each mailing. The total mailing would now cost $14,400. That is $48 per lead. Three times the leads at 20% less cost per lead. Now just think what the results would be if you could only get the printer and lettershop to really deliver 10,000 brochures to the post office. By: Joseph Leonard

The key to pulling everything together in tough times is to develop unlimited enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the element that inspires us to greater achievement and success. You can sell your ideas, your products, your services or yourself to others if you approach them enthusiastically. With enthusiasm, you can move the mountains of doubt and negative thinking from your life for good. Norman Vincent Peale said, “You can put new spirit, new creative skill into your job. Indeed, you can do better with everything. Enthusiastic, zest-packed living is yours if you want it. I have seen the tremendous things enthusiasm has done for so many. Believe me, it works!” B. C. Forbes, of Forbes Magazine, said, “Enthusiasm is the all-essential human jet propeller. It is the driving force which elevates men to miracle workers. It begets boldness, courage, kindles confidence, and overcomes doubts. It creates endless energy, the source of all accomplishment.” Frank Betcher in his book, “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling”, talks about the time he was playing baseball and was moved from the major league to the minors because he played “deadpan” ball. On a hot summer day he decided he would play with enthusiasm and he did. He was noticed and within a short period of time was moved back to the majors with a large increase in pay. He found if you “act” enthusiastic you will become enthusiastic. It was a lesson he never forgot and it served him well through his careers in both baseball and selling. Enthusiasm is the second most contagious thing in the world today. Do you know what the first most contagious thing in the world is today? It is “lack of enthusiasm” Most people find it is very easy to be enthusiastic when everything is coming up roses. It is when you have one of those days, when you only open your mouth to change feet, it is difficult to remember you are an enthusiastic person. Lack of enthusiasm on your part or those around you can affect how everything goes during the day. Have you ever been really enthusiastic in the morning, but when you got to the office someone was sick, another got a ticket coming to work, another just ached all over? How did your enthusiasm hold up? What do you do when you’re surrounded by unenthusiastic people? You need a trigger that will break through the negativism and allow the enthusiasm inside to continue to flow out. Bitch Cans One thing you can do is use a “Bitch Can” at the coffee pot where you work. The “Bitch Can” works this way: You take a three pound coffee can and decorate it so it is bright and shiny. Then place it near the coffee pot in the morning. Anyone can say anything they want, as long as it is positive. If anyone says anything negative, it costs them a dollar. At the end of the first month you take everyone out to dinner on the money in the can. The second month you probably will only have enough money to buy donuts. After the third month, you most likely will no longer need the “Bitch Can”. By the way, if anyone says two negative things its two dollars even if they say them in the same sentence. For example, “It is an ugly day outside and I don’t feel good either”. Red Dots The best trigger we have found is putting a red dot on your watch. The average person looks at their watch a minimum of 30 times per day. When you look at your watch the red dot will trigger your subconscious tape of enthusiasm and will break through the negative atmosphere. We use a red dot on your watch because it will remind you: “I Am a Ball of Fire!!!” A sure way of maintaining your enthusiasm is to associate with enthusiastic people. All of us need a support group of one sort or another. You should have a support group of enthusiastic people. Make a list of the enthusiastic people you know. While you have these people in mind, think of the personality traits they exhibit. Make a list of ten of the traits enthusiastic people exhibit. How many of the top ten personality traits do you personally have? Remember if you act out the trait you will acquire the trait. Now list the five traits you will set your goals to acquire over the next 21 days. What are you willing to do to improve your enthusiasm and acquire the traits you listed? If you use these tools you will become enthusiastic and you will build lasting enthusiasm that will carry you through the tough times and magnify the great times. Remember people want to be purchase goods and services from enthusiastic people. I will leave you with a poem I have attached to my computer with a red dot. You Are As young as your faith; as old as your doubts. As young as your self-confidence; as old as your fears. As young as your hope; as old as your despair. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Anonymous By John Erdman Ideal-Companies

A winner has a positive confident attitude about themselves, others and the situations which they find themselves. They realize the subconscious mind has been recording everything they have ever seen, done, smelled, tasted, felt and thought since birth. All of these recordings are called our “old tapes” and these tapes play a large part on how we deal with any current situation. Very simply, the mind functions on two levels, the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious mind is your decision making tool; the subconscious mind is your computer or memory bank. When you are faced with a decision, the conscious mind sends an order to the subconscious mind to play the memory tapes on that subject. The conscious mind then makes a decision based on the feedback coming from the old tapes and from the current data on the physical level. The subconscious mind has been recording everything said, heard and done since before birth. But for our discussion let’s just use 16 hours a day to find out how long you have been building these old tapes. Take the formula of 16 x 365 x your age. This means you have only been recording and learning 16 hours per day, 365 days per year, every year you have been alive. 16 x 365 x your age = _____ hours of old tapes! The subconscious mind records everything as fact and it does not perceive information in a judgmental form. It simply records the thought or action as true. Because of this, it is possible to reprogram the mind to give you the results you desire. The subconscious mind is fertile ground. We control the information received into the subconscious mind with our self-talk. We spend most of our time alone with our thoughts and doing self-talk. Examples are driving our cars, waiting in line at stores, using the washrooms, etc. We can do this either positively or negatively. Positive self-talk opens the creative mind and frees the positive attitudes and mental resources needed to function in a winning manner. However, negative self-talk locks up your mental resources, your attitudes and your actions. By turning your negative self-talk into positive self-talk and using positive affirmations you can take control of how you act and react to all situations and in all areas of your life. Positive Self-Motivation • A motive is the positive or negative force within people that moves them into action. • Fear is the most powerful negative motivator because it restricts, tightens, panics, forces, and defeats a person’s will to win. • Desire is the strongest positive motivator because it attracts, reaches, opens, directs and encourages a person’s will to win. • We control our lives either positively or negatively by the way we talk to ourselves, that is, by our self-talk. • Winners always see the rewards of success in advance and always tell themselves “I can”, “I will” and “I want to”; they do not fear the penalties of failure. • Losers always see the penalties of failure in advance and always tell themselves “I can’t”, “I won’t”, “I have to” and “but, I tried”; they fear both the rewards of success and the penalties of failure. • Winners realize there is no such thing as a stress-free life and know how to respond positively to stress. They use it to their advantage rather than being controlled by it. • You cannot move away from the reverse of an idea; your actions will be controlled by your current dominant thought. • What are your fears? Determine your fears and start to do the things you fear to do and the death of fear is absolutely certain. Action will minimize and ultimately eliminate fear. • Positive self-motivation is dissatisfaction with the status quo, or more simply, a desire to change. • Positive self-motivation is a self-management skill which will move you in a positive direction. Remember: “Life is a do-it-to-yourself project”. Negative Self-Talk Desire and fear are the two greatest motivators. They propel or compel us to action, and make themselves visible through our thoughts and words. You are constantly talking – either to others or to yourself. Your life is affected – either positively or negatively – by your current dominant thoughts (your mental dialog or “self-talk”). Negative self-talk sets you up for failure by locking up your mental resources, your attitudes, and your actions. Establishing Positive Influences Negative self-talk has a devastating effect on your life and work. On the other hand, positive self-talk has a freeing, expanding effect. There is a simple, two step process for turning any negative thoughts into positive thoughts: Step number one: Make the decision to turn negative self-talk into positive statements. You can do this by 1) becoming aware of your own negative self-talk and 2) turning your negative self-talk into positive self-talk. Step number two: Don’t allow others to add negative self-talk to your thinking. Negative self-talk is often a habit picked up from a parent, co-worker, or a friend. For example, a person might state, “My mother told me I had a terrible memory.” She would say, “You’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached to your body!” The next time someone offers you some of his or her negative statements, don’t agree mentally with them. Instead, affirm positive self-talk. Here are some negative statements others may impose on you. What positive self-talk can you use to keep this kind of conversation from affecting you negatively? “Sure is a lousy day, isn’t it?” “I don’t trust them, do you?” “I don’t think it will work, do you?” “This company doesn’t care about us!” “He really made a mess of it, didn’t he?” When someone states something negatively and expects a response from you, you have three choices: 1.) You can ignore the comment and say nothing. 2.) You can agree with the comment. 3.) You can turn it around and help the person see the positive side of the situation Guidelines for Using Positive Self-Talk

In this age of instant communications and Web-based business services, there’s more than one way to start and build a business. If your budget and time are limited, and potential partners or co-workers are widely dispersed, a good model to consider is to operate as a “virtual business” where most of the business structure exists online. The virtual business movement has transformed how millions of small, successful firms operate in America. Under the virtual model, business owners outsource nearly everything—including people and partners who may be anywhere—to create their company. The technologies and Web-based services to tie it all together are becoming more sophisticated, but less expensive all the time, helping fuel the move to virtual existence. But while the absence of a traditional office might change how you manage your business and the people who work for you, it doesn’t eliminate the need for doing so effectively. Staying connected and working in unison are vital to virtual success. Cell phones, e-mail, follow-me-anywhere messaging and shared workspaces on the Web can keep it all running smoothly. With people interacting only electronically from remote locations and little if any face-to-face contact, you will need to make an extra effort to foster trust and bonding between individuals involved. Talk by phone, use Web conferencing and try to meet in person on occasion. Leverage the strengths that a virtual business affords, including flexibility, such as offer short turnaround, low overhead to keep costs lower than the competition; and competence by touting the credentials of your virtual partners. The Microsoft Small Business Center at www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness is a portal site that offers nearly everything you’ll need to get up and running. This site has been reinvented as a suite of small business tools and services such as Web marketing, payment processing, online catalog creation, shopping cart, list building, banner ads and search engine submission. HotOffice.com, and several others specialize in offering virtual small businesses Web space and handy tools to communicate, collaborate and get things done, while Yahoo Small Business, http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com, and BigStep.com offer an extensive lineup of tools and services to help establish a virtual retail business quickly and inexpensively.

 Some small business owners believe they can stand out with just a great product and exceptional service, and that they are too small to create a “brand.” But to set your business apart—no matter how small—branding is a vital strategy in today’s competitive marketplace. Buyers have short attention spans, so you need all the tools you can get to help them remember who you are. Every business can benefit from branding, right down to the independent contractor working alone. In fact, some marketing experts say that branding and marketing go hand-in-hand. “If you can build a powerful brand you will have a powerful marketing program. If you can’t, then all the advertising, fancy packaging, sales promotions and PR in the world won’t help you succeed,” says Laura Ries, president of Ries & Ries, an Atlanta-based marketing firm. Almost anything can be branded, including you. But branding is complex and involves the customer’s total experience with you, your product or your service. The most effective branding combines both online and off-line elements. The Web offers tremendous opportunities for promoting your brand, through low-cost search engine ads or interactive features on your Web site. Keep in mind that the best brands tend to tap emotions and appeal to a person’s natural need for involvement. Be original in identifying your brand identity—the thing that truly sets your small business apart. Everybody touts quality and service, for example, so look for something that’s really different. If you are having trouble pinpointing a branding message, try asking your customers what they need from you the most. Then base your brand on that. Your brand should also last a long time, so avoid elements or catch phrases linked to trends likely to disappear or become outdated. Simplicity is also a virtue in your branding message. Buyers are overwhelmed by excess information. Too much information confuses your brand message. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by market guru Al Ries and daughter Laura is a smart and accessible book on branding that includes 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding as well. Another helpful book is The Brand Called You by Peter Montoya, which offers ideas and advice on how entrepreneurs can promote themselves, personally, as a brand. In addition, a Web site created by branding expert Martin Lindstrom has an extensive library of branding articles. Visit www.martinlindstrom.com. By: David Ormerod, MBA, SCORE Small Business Counselor and Agent, NYLife Securities LLC

Choosing to go into business for you is a major decision that usually means a commitment to hard work and long hours. As you struggle to build your business, however, you also must be careful not to overdo it and succumb to business owner burnout. It’s vital to take some time off to recharge your personal batteries. But there’s a problem. Many business owners are afraid to leave, even for a short period. They fear that something will go wrong or they’ll miss out on that next big opportunity. With so much to do, how can an entrepreneur ever relax? According to a survey conducted by American Express, 40 percent of the smallest business owners—those with less than $200,000 in annual revenues—plan no vacation time whatsoever in any given year. And even those who do schedule a break never really get away. One of every three link vacation time to a business trip and half will check in with the office at least once a day, if not several times. According to the AmEx survey, these are the vacation-blocking concerns cited most often by business owners: There is no other competent person to leave in charge and others will make the wrong decisions. An important client or customer will not receive appropriate service. The business will miss a new opportunity. An operational breakdown will occur without anyone to solve the problem. Despite these concerns, you can schedule a refreshing getaway with some careful advance planning. For example, draw up a list of worst-case scenarios and brief those in charge on the possibilities and chief concerns of each customer. Tell key clients or customers in advance of any extended time away you are planning. Introduce your stand-ins and express your confidence in their ability to handle any issues that may arise. If you never delegate important tasks to others at your business, you can’t expect them to fill your shoes when you take time off. To create a saner schedule for yourself, and achieve a comfort level that good things will happen when you’re not there, learning to delegate responsibilities is vital. By: David Ormerod, MBA, SCORE Small Business Counselor and Agent, NYLife Securities LLC

Owners of new and growing small businesses today know one thing for sure: conditions on the business playing field can change rapidly. The technology that seemed cutting edge last year is now outdated; or worse, obsolete. Buyer moods can swing dramatically, and marketing strategies are in constant flux. Anticipating trends can be extremely valuable in keeping you current on everything from sales strategies and customer desires to technology tools and the general economy. As your business grows, change will be inevitable and small business owners should constantly look ahead and seek out ways to shake things up. The more you test the winds of change, the better your chances of success down the road. But how can you tell the difference between a fleeting fad and a true trend? Louis Patler, a market research guru for companies such as American Express and Dell, has spent decades tracking emerging trends and studying their impact on business. He says the key to successfully piloting a business in the years ahead will be embracing new ways of thinking. For example, Patler says that truisms like “stick to what your business does best” are outmoded. If you want your business to grow, consider that past business traditions and processes might only hold you back. Trying new approaches is vital. Not all customers are created equal. Some are more valuable and loyal than others, and those are the ones you should lavish the most attention on with special savings and service offers. And don’t expect loyalty from employees. As American society becomes ever more mobile and labor shortages worsen, workers won’t stay on a job for more than three years. Advances in technology will continue to radically change how small companies do business. You will need to keep up. Small business owners who know how to acquire and manage information will achieve the most success. Capturing and analyzing data about customer needs, wants, behavior and how they use your product or service will become increasingly critical. By: David Ormerod, MBA, SCORE Small Business Counselor and Agent, NYLife Securities LLC

Before you invest time and money into promoting your website with search engine optimization, social media, linking, or advertising, you should test your website for any problems. There are many easy ways that you can do this yourself without getting too technical. If you want just an overall score of your website go to http://websitegrader.com/. 1. Grammar and Spelling: The biggest turnoff on many sites is (are?) grammar and mispelled misspelled words. These mistakes send a message to users that your company is simply not professional. You should check and double check all content before you put it on your website. Do not allow anyone in your company (including you) to add content to your website without having it put through a spell checker . One of the commonest mistakes is confusing “it’s” and “its”. “He’s” means “he is”. The apostrophe indicates that the “i” is missing. Likewise “it’s” means “it is” because the “i” is missing. If you want to use the possessive pronoun the word is “its” just like “his”. 2. Loading Time: Users quickly make up their mind if your page is worthwhile viewing. If a web page takes more than 20 seconds to load, 50% of your users will be gone. Flash and images are the slowest elements to load. See how your web pages are loading at http://analyze.websiteoptimization.com/wso and http://tools.pingdom.com/. 3. Different Browsers: If you usually surf using just one browser you might not realize that there are problems with other browsers. Check your pages in Internet Explorer 7 and 8, Firefox and perhaps Chrome, Opera, and Safari. If you haven’t installed all these on your own computer you can see multiple browser views at http://browsershots.org/. 4. HTML Code: If the HTML code is not written correctly, many browsers will not display your web pages as you intended. Bad HTML code makes almost all browsers slower to display and can confuse search engines. Check your site at http://validator.w3.org/. A common mistake is to fail to tell browsers that your web page is coded to the latest standards with the result that the web page will display like an old 1999 webpage. (This is called quirks mode.) Mistakes are caused by poor web programming, poor website design wizards, and content management systems like WordPress. Don’t be too alarmed as many web browsers overlook many of these coding errors. But that doesn’t make it right. 5. Accessibility: People with sight disabilities and search engines can only read text. They cannot “see” your images and beautiful Flash presentations. . Go to http://www.contentquality.com/ and see how accessible your site is. If your company name, for example, is only shown in your logo image then the search engines cannot index your company name from the web page. 6. Your Links: There are two types of links on your website. Those that help users navigate to your other pages and links to external sites. Be sure none of these links are broken. And be aware that many fancy dropdown menu links cannot be followed by search engines. (Turn off JavaScript in your browser and see if your menu links and buttons still work.) You can check broken links at http://validator.w3.org/checklink 7. Inbound Links: Your search engine rankings can be increased if other sites have links back to your web pages. Just type in “link:www.MyDomain.com” in most search engine URL boxes to see who might be sending users to your site. Be sure to thank them. 8. Image problems: Naturally you should go through all your web pages to see if any images are missing. Only use Internet Explorer as it will show a red “x” for every missing image. (Firefox doesn’t tell you that images are missing.) Next mouseover each image and see if you see some text which explains what the image is about. Search engines cannot index your images if you don’t have this (these are called“alt” attributes). 9. Error Problems: Most images are kept in an “images” or “pics” folder. Right click on any image on your page and then left click on Properties. You will see something like http://www.MyDomain.com/Images/MyPictueer.jpg. Then type only http://www.MyDomain.com/Images into a URL box. Your users should see a nice friendly explanation message with your banner and navigation, not a technical error message. Also see what happens on your site if you mistype a page name like http://www.MyDomain.com/Indexx.html. 10. Bookmarks: Many users might like to bookmark you website as a favorite. Your “title” in the far upper left top of your browser should have your company name and the name of the web page. Too many sites have “welcome” or “untitled”. Search engines like to see a descriptive titles too. 11. Content: Up-to-date and interesting content attract both search engines and users. Make sure that your latest press releases, articles, or news items don’t have old dates. Your “copyright” should have this year’s date too. You don’t want to give the impression that you are “out of business”. If your content is also stale and never changed, both users and search engines will eventually stop coming back to visit. 12. Search Engines: It goes without saying that if a user types your company name into Bing’s, Google’s, or Yahoo’s search box that your company should come up on the first page. See what happens, however, if you type in one of your keywords with your city location. Sometimes in Google a map is displayed with local businesses. Is your company listed there too? Is the description that the search engine shows what you want users to see? 13. Look and Feel: As you move from page to page in your website, the banner and navigation should remain in the same place and the colors and fonts should be coordinated. In Microsoft Word you can use “styles” to control the format of your document. For web pages these are called CSS styles. If they are not coded correctly, these styles can cause major problems in how your pages look. Check them out by going

When many women retire they usually find that their Social Security benefits are much lower than they thought – especially if they are divorced, single, or a widow. This article will explain why. First here is how Social Security benefits are calculated. The Social Security Administration will look at the best 35 years of your earnings (adjusted for inflation and counting them as months) in which you were a contributor to Social Security to get a grand total. If you worked more than 35 years the grand total of your best 35 years’ earnings will be divided by the best months in those 35 years (ignoring months when you did not earn much or anything at all because you were unemployed or a homemaker). This will result in what is called the Average Indexed Monthly Earnings. If you worked exactly 35 years then the grand total (again adjusted for inflation) will be all the months in those 35 years. If you worked less than 35 years then the grand total will still be divided by the number of months in those 35 years but each month that you did not contributed will be added as a ZERO which will drastically bring down your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings. THIS IS THE CASE FOR MOST WOMEN who have not worked in the workforce for many years. If you worked, for example, only 50% of the time (17 years) then your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings will be 50% less than it could have been. And if you NEVER contributed to Social Security because you never worked outside the home, then your Social Security benefit is ZERO. This Average Indexed Monthly Earnings number is then multiplied by a percentage number which based on your retirement age to determine how much money you will receive every month. Work more – get more The more years you worked (only the months up to 35 years) and the more you earned each month then the more you will get as a Social Security Monthly benefit. The rich get more – the poor get less. However, if you spent many years working in the home and not contributing to Social Security or had many low-paying jobs, then your Social Monthly benefit will be much less. As a result Working in the home is penalized in calculating your benefits. And because women on average make less than men, the Social Security benefits are much lower than what men get once again. The final calculation is complicated so check out this document Social Security explained or use this Social Security calculator. What is your situation?* Single and not yet retired You are not eligible for any Social Security benefit. Married and not yet retired The only Social Security benefit coming to your household will be that of your husband. Widow and not yet retired You can get 50% of whatever was your husband’s Social Security benefit. Divorced and not yet retired You will not be entitled to any Social Security benefit from the government or anything from your ex-husband’s Social Security – even if he has passed away. Single and retired You get only your own Social Security benefit as calculated above. Married and retired You get your own Social Security benefits and your husband gets his as calculated above. Widow and retired You can get your own Social Security benefits OR 50% your husband’s as calculated above at your option. Most women take the larger amount. Divorced and retired If you are divorced you are not eligible for any portion of your husbands Social Security payments. You can only receive your own benefits after you reach your retirement age as calculated above. Remember in ALL cases the amount of your Social Security benefit will be lower than your husbands unless your earnings were more. So what can you do? Start a retirement business to supplement your income.  * I am only talking about normal Social Security benefits and nor other benefits like being disabled. Back to SEO Content Writer page

Our parents, school counselors, financial advisers, newspapers, books, and peers all told us to ►Study hard to get a good job. Unfortunately, what we learned at school became obsolete later in the market place and as we got older our income stagnated. ►Get a good job. Often the good jobs weren’t there – especially if we were laid off late in life ►Work hard, be loyal, and you will get ahead. Unfortunately the company merged and you were let go. ►Save your money in the bank. Alas the fees were high and inflation ate away your savings and the interest rates were too low. ►Participate in the company pension plan. Sadly in many cases the company went bust due to globalization and / or it borrowed the pension funds and never paid it back. Many companies just canceled the pensions altogether. Too many of us just lost our pension when we changed jobs because we were not fully invested. ►Invest in a 401(k) investment program. In most cases, the last stock market crash destroyed up to 50% of our 401(k) value and high fees took the rest. So that didn’t work out well either. ►Depend on Social Security. The rules have been changed and benefits have been cut. Social Security payments were never that great to begin with. ►Invest in a good house. But the neighborhood has changed and the housing crash also wiped out a great deal of our equity. ►Stay out of debt. Although inflation came down the interest rates on credit cards stayed high. Almost all of us thought that we would be “entitled” to retire after all these years of hard work? But the truth is No one is “entitled” to retirement. In fact in many countries there is no such thing as retirement. Seniors continue to work forever and most have to be supported by their children (which is also often the law). The government in many countries offers little or no help with retirement. But in the United States it was supposed to be different. Social Security Act of 1935 In the USA the concept of a government “retirement” program was started during the Great Depression in 1935 when the Social Security Act was passed. The real purpose of the Social Security Act was not to provide a pension to retirees as most of us think but to push older people out of the workforce in order to make room for younger workers and cure the high unemployment problem. And it did just that! The original idea was that workers would be taxed in a forced savings program. Then the money would be invested like insurance companies do in “safe” government bonds. It was thought that the investment gains would be enough to pay us our pensions when we retired. It didn’t work out that way. Moreover, very few people lived more than 2 or 3 years beyond retirement age in those days so the anticipated payout would not be that much. Or so the government thought. But it did not work out that way. The Social Security system is actually going broke. Where did all the Social Security money go? For years Social Security taxed younger workers and used that money to pay older retirees. There never were enough gains on investments to pay retirees so the money had to be taken from those working. There used to be 10 workers paying Social Security taxes for every retiree. Now there are only 2 workers paying taxes for each retiree. Our generation had fewer children than our parents. As a result there is a shortage of younger workers that can be taxed to pay the growing number of retirees. There are now more retirees than the program ever envisioned due to better health and longevity*. So we are collecting Social Security for a longer period of time. To make matters worse, the federal government started “borrowing” the Social Security funds to use for other purposes instead of raising taxes. They have left Social Security with a big fat I.O.U. So to avoid a crisis Congress has had to raise the retirement age, reduce the benefits, and change the rules to order to pay less money to retirees. In other words, retirees have been left holding the bag for governmental irresponsibility. Many of us are living way beyond retirement age. And in addition to all that Social Security is also paying money to people who are not strictly retirees – such as spouses (widows / widowers), children of disabled retirees and the disabled. In order to pay them Congress decided to take the money from Social Security rather than raise taxes elsewhere. In addition Social Security payments are not keeping up with inflation. Most individuals with high incomes have also avoided paying a lot of Social Security taxes and yet they are still eligible to collect benefits. * Over 57 million people receive Social Security benefits each month. That is one out of every six people in the United States. In other words, in one household out of every four someone is receiving Social Security benefits. Back to Articles page