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Tax Time Tidbits
- Direct deposit is the fastest, safest way to receive your tax refund. When a taxpayer combines e-file and direct deposit, the IRS will likely issue your refund in as few as 10 days.
- Our QuickBooks Seminars are on hold for tax season, but we've posted some helpful tips on our website.
- Visit our website for a helpful Tax Calendar from the IRS filled with usefull information to address your small business concerns.
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Marketing Tip from Rebecca Plankey
It's About Them
What makes an impact on a potential customer these days? Not the same old sales terms according to a small business advisor article. Do you see and hear the same old phrases in brochures and by sales people? Is your business doing the same thing? Pretend you're the customer and see how you react when you hear some of these phrases: 
- Exceed Expectations - Tell the customer exactly what you will do, then let them be the judge.
- Customer Focused - Would you be anything except customer focused? Instead, tell how you are better.
- Best in Class - Who said so? You? Customers need what's best for them so tell them how you will meet their needs.
- Low-Hanging Fruit - You mean the easy stuff the customer should have already done? Instead, tell them how you prioritized your list using cost-benefit terms.
- Unique - Isn't everyone else? Focus on how you are better suited to meet the customer's needs.
- Value Added - Explain the deal. Give them their options and add-ons and help them figure out how to utilize all that you provide.
- Turn Key - Remove skepticism by explaining what you will provide and at what level the customer will participate.
- Expert - Prove it. Show what you can do and let the customer decide how expert you are.
- Outstanding ROI - Show the costs and let the customer calculate their ROI. Without seeing their numbers you are only giving them a "best case" scenario.
- Partner - Until the customer can reach their hand into your pocket the way you reach into theirs, it's not a partnership. Maybe based on long-term performance they will view you as a partner but they will determine that over time.
Once these words made a real impact, today they could be viewed as empty and meaningless if only because they have been used so often. Take the time to connect with your customer in a way they need. After all it's not about you, it's about them. |
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Technology Tip from Jessica Yoder
You update your browser each time you are prompted. You are on your way to being completely paperless, posting most of your documents to the cloud. You have invested in sophisticated CRM software. So what could go wrong? Here are 7 small business technology slip-ups for you to be aware of and avoid.
- Buying the wrong laptop
- Using simple passwords*
- Paying for data by the megabyte, not the gigabyte
- Trusting your anonymity
- Posting sensitive data to the cloud
- Revealing your location publicly
- Not using anti-virus software
Detailed descriptions of these common mistakes can be found in this Inc. article.
*Paul Wade recently wrote about a password manager program in his November 2011 Tax Tip. View the archive here. |
