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Saturday 24 November 2012

Business Coach and Business Investors


Starting a business is no easy task, and there’s ample room for failure: whether it’s creating an enterprise that is too broad or narrow, not adequately funded, or not properly managed, many entrepreneurs can find themselves in a compromising position right off the bat. One of the best ways to avoid these pitfalls is to hire a knowledgeable business coach who can guide a new business through the hard work of establishment. Business coaching is one of the most important investments any young company can make.

A business coach is like a personal trainer--for your business. A good business coach will help you to realize your dreams, goals, and achieve success through careful step by step planning and processes. The business coach is there to help you with resources, support, motivation, and planning of your business venture. If you already have a business, the business coach is there to help your business succeed and grow in ways that you could only imagine. You can find a business coach in a number of different ways, and in many places. The key is to find the right business coach for you and your company. 


There are several things to consider when looking for a business coach. The first thing that you will be likely to consider is cost. Many business coaches are quite expensive, but there are some that are extremely cost effective. The important thing to remember when considering the cost of a business coach is the cost of not getting the business coach. Starting a business can be difficult and costly, but starting that same business can be more costly if you are not sure what you are doing. When you have a business that seems to be failing, or if your business is simply not going anywhere, you are more likely to lose money by doing nothing than by spending the money on a good business coach.

You also want to make sure that the business coach that you choose specializes in business start ups and development, not one or the other. Someone that can only assist in business development will not be able to help you start your business effectively. Likewise, you will quickly outgrow a business coach that can help you start your business but not manage it effectively.
The role of business investors differs greatly within different organizations. If you are starting a business or already have a small business, business investors can be a key tool to get your business of the ground. Business investors give money to small businesses or start-ups in exchange for ownership in a part of the company. Essentially, business investors are making a gamble on companies they believe will be successful with the knowledge that they may or may not profit from it. If the business is successful, the business investor can receive a return of ten times the original amount they invested. Some investors can even gain 20-30 times their initial investment! However, if the business is not successful the business investors will not profit. For this reason, business investors are generally very selective about which companies they choose to invest in. They want to know the current operational status of the business, current market conditions, visions the business has and a forecast of how the business will do in the future. 



Business Consultant Executes Your Business Plan

A business plan is like a road map that defines goals and objectives for your business to follow in order to grow and achieve success.

In most cases, a business plan is created to explain and illustrate the vision you have for your business, and to show that vision to others including possible business partners and business investors. To accomplish this, your plan will need to demonstrate on paper that you have a firm visualization of what your business is going to be and how it will succeed. It needs to convince others that your business concept can be successful and that you possess the expertise-alone or collectively-to assure that it will be both successful and profitable.

While it is obviously important to be able to present your business concept in a way that allows others to understand quickly and precisely what you hope to be doing, you also need to develop a plan for your own use. The process of developing your plan will require you to focus on exactly what you are trying to achieve, precisely where you want to be going, and exactly how you plan to get there.
  
Everyone who opens a retail business should have a full financial plan completed before they open. It is probably more important for you, than anyone else, to be able to see the potential profit and loss for your proposed business. The extensive research which will be necessary to project expenses, sales, and profitability is essential to your understanding of the financial operation of your business. The importance of each of your management functions-setting menu prices, establishing cost of sales and expense budgets, creating sales goals-can only be appreciated when understood individually, and as they relate to the overall financial statement.

The problem is that most entrepreneurs do not know how to write a plan, so they avoid the process completely. Entrepreneurs need to learn to embrace the services of small business consultants and hire a business plan consultant to help get this important document written. The first thing a business consultant is going to do is to sit down and discuss your business with you. The business consultant needs to know what your plans are, your vision for the company and the activities that the company will focus on. These things become the company's mission statement, and it is the underlying foundation of any good business plan. The next thing that a business consultant will do is give you a sample business plan and explain how to develop startup costs, operational costs and long-term sales projections. The methods you use to run your company are dictated by what you can afford. A business consultant will see you through from a startup business plan to an operational organization. He will show you the things that need to be in your plan and then give you advice on how to execute the business plan. He will also show you how to constantly amend your plan so that it matches your business progress. Utilizing a plan writing service is one of the best ways to make certain that your company's blueprint is in place and ready to go.

Importance of Marketing Consultant and Plans to Grow Your Business

Marketing plans are an essential component for all businesses. All businesses that are successful have followed a plan. Their success did not happen because of luck, it happened because the success was planned. A marketing plan helps establish, coordinate, and direct marketing efforts. It forces the organization to take a good, hard look at the market of your field and what is currently happening to it. It’s a time to establish marketing goals and objectives, which can be later used for benchmarking yourself. Marketing plans helps keep the organization on the right track by following the guidelines it sets. It is also critical when trying to borrow money. When an organization plans to allow you to borrow money or invest in your organization, they require to examine your business plan. The marketing plan is a critical part of the business plan.
Marketing Plan Elements:
•    Executive Summary: brief explanation of what the organization does its mission statement, the management’s infrastructure, and a short summary about the marketing objectives and the proposed plan.
•    Current Marketing Situation: provides information about the current location, the target markets, and competitors in the market.
•    Competitor and Issue Analysis: a more detailed description about the competition. Also includes potential challenges that could arise in the future due to business issue.
•    Marketing Objectives: where the marketing goals and financial objectives are set. Objectives should be challenging, yet attainable for the organization.
•    Marketing Strategy: plan for meeting the marketing objectives. Incorporates the marketing mix.
•    Action Programs: an explanation of the different tasks of the marketing strategy. What will be done? When will it be done by? Who will do it? What will it cost?
•    Budget: A more detailed look at the cost of the proposed marketing activities.
•    Measurements: sets levels to measure if objectives are being met. Sets timeline to meet these measurable objectives.
•    Supportive Documents: references to support the marketing plan. Includes the marketing research report.
•    Controls: monitoring system for the marketing plan. Monthly or quarterly checklists to insure that the plan is operating effectively. Also included contingency plans. Plans of action in the event of a crisis.
•    It is important to regularly update your marketing plan. The market changes almost by the hour. The first marketing plan you create probably will not be effective in the future.
Marketing is as important as the production, design, export, sales etc. Unlike agents who are middlemen between your company and the ad agency, a marketing consultant is the one who has education and experience in the marketing field.

Marketing consultants must be recruited in the company because they not only help in marketing products but also suggest tips and tactics to improve the marketing strategy of the company. Since they are consistently in the marketing environment, they know the recent trends and the competitors, thereby improving your business with their marketing skills.Marketing consultants provide new ideas and are generally creative, innovative people.

Importance of Marketing and Business Strategy

Marketing strategy is something that every single business-no matter how big or small-needs to have in place. Many business owners are hesitant to set up an actual marketing strategy because they simply don’t know how to do it. A marketing strategy can include simply trying something new every week or month, whether it’s tweeting one week or running an ad in the paper the next week. Business owners who use marketing in this way are simply using different forms of marketing in hopes that one turns out to be effective.

For truly effective Marketing strategy, you must study and evaluate your business and its target audience, then create a plan of action and follow through with it. The first part of your business that you will need to evaluate is the actual business that you’re in. This means looking at your business from a customer’s or end user’s point of view and finding what they truly get out of your company. And many business owners are surprised to find that it’s not what they actually thought. An insurance company for instance, may sell policies but it’s actually a customer’s safety and security that they’re buying, not that piece of paper. Find out what your Unique Selling Proposition is (USP) and make this the objective of every aspect of your marketing techniques.

The next part of creating great Marketing strategy is finding out what your company offers that no other company does. While you’ll definitely want to advertise the fact that you sell a certain product or service, there are probably many other companies that offer the same thing for customers to choose from. So to set yourself apart, you must also advertise the thing that makes your company special – the magic that no other company has. So whether you offer the lowest prices, the best customer service, or promotions whenever customers shop at your store, this must not only be included in your marketing strategy, but it must be a part of every aspect of marketing you do. Just make sure that whatever differentiation pointyou’re promoting to your customers, that you can deliver on it.
Good Marketing strategy is essential for every business to have. This will give you a clear direction as to where you should go with your marketing efforts, and will give you a better understanding of what marketing methods are going to reach your customers in the exact manner that you were hoping for.
The success of any good enterprise is based on the measures that are laid out by the various stakeholders. In commerce, business strategy is important for the achievement of the objectives set. In a commercial setting, the main aims normally revolve around making lots and lots of profits, growing and expanding, and most importantly, diversifying. These goals must be achieved for business success in any flourishing industry.

A business strategy is a mechanism to ensure that the resources or assets of a business are applied profitably across all its activities for developing and retaining a competitive edge in the market place.  There are very many business strategies that can be utilized by new or old ventures in order to compete healthily in the market. A business strategy is a definition of the tactics and methods you will use to manage your business. One of the quickest ways to lose customers is to not have an effective business strategy in place for customer service.

The Importance of Business Marketing Plan


These days, no business can afford to trade without a marketing plan and business plan. This applies to all types of businesses, large or small, online or bricks and mortar. This vital service is offered by all online marketing agencies that recognize the importance of this for any business.

A marketing plan is a document that outlines well-organized course of action(s) to achieve your marketing objectives. Think of it this way, your marketing plan will be your marketing guidebook or rather your reference point for all your marketing activities. It details your marketing budget, target market, the proper media or channel to be chosen, etc.


In addition, a business plan provides you with an in-depth perspective of your industry and your business and gives you insight on developing targeted market strategies while also serving as a barometer of your performance. Moreover, a business plan allows you to examine and re-examine your marketing objectives and provides the basis for your marketing decisions.

Creating a solid marketing plan can be the difference between a successful marketing campaign and a failed one. As most people have already experienced, marketing can be an expensive and complicated endeavor. A business plan will help you determine your marketing strategy by specifying your objectives, defining your goals, and targeting your market in an effective, time and cost-efficient manner. This business or marketing plan enables you to reach new audiences, raise awareness of your brand and sell your products or services. And yet there are still some businesses that don’t have a marketing plan and wonder why they are failing to attract customers.


Items or Ideas a marketing plan may include:
There are several which include:
• Access to a global market which means reaching out to new customers, globally or expanding the business/markets.
• Usingnew methods (or channels) to reach different types of customers.
• Targetingor launching your products or services to a new groups of customers, e.g. market segmentation.
• Using social media to raise your online profile, target new customers and build your reputation.

The end result can be an increase in customers or web traffic if you trade online, which leads to increased sales. This provides a very good return on your investment (ROI) as well as boosting your bottom line.

Stages of a marketing plan
A marketing plan consists of a series of stages which are reviewed at intervals. These stages include:
• Customer research: identifying your target audience before dividing them into groups – if applicable. Once you know who your customers are, you can target your plan to them.
• Competitor analysis: learn more about your competitors. Study their strengths and weaknesses. How do you stand out from the rest?
• Define your goals and objective: every business has a set of goals which typically include building your brand identity, generating new leads, retain existing customers and establishing your position in the marketplace.
• Develop a strategy: work with an experienced online marketing professional to develop an individual plan. Think about which marketing methods are appropriate for your business and how these will be measured. Set a timescale.
• Set a budget: cost is always a factor. Many businesses avoid marketing due to the cost but it is possible to market your business on a budget.

Importance of Marketing Consultant’s Strategy


Marketing Strategies play a very important role in the promotion of your business. A consultant can strategize about not only theoretically developing your business in terms of products and offerings, but also about practical implementation in terms of bringing those strategies into action.

A marketing plan and marketing strategy go hand in hand. The marketing plan consists of steps to be taken so as to attain success in the implementation of the marketing strategy chosen.  Big projects involve creation of different strategies at different levels. Usually a strategy consists of well-sketched tactics. They are meant to help the business ultimately reach their marketing objectives.

Marketing strategy helps organizations to focus their attention to complete resource utilization, to increase sales and effectively compete in the marketplace. Every company applies some kind of marketing strategies to maintain existing customers, attract potential customers and also to maintain and enhance their reputation in the market.
If there is a gap in the strategy, the marketing plan will lack a solid foundation. A reasonable marketing strategy should not only facilitate marketing goals, but also the action sequence of a campaign in order to achieve those goals. A marketing strategy is created only after thorough evaluation of the business’ internal position.
A marketing consultant’s strategies can be broadly classified into two types. The first part aims at the development cycle of a product that is in demand in the market. This part makes sure that what your business is offering actually has buyers. Such strategizing is based on several factors. Market analysis and then scaling it to meet up your business’s standards is the core of this kind of strategy. This part requires the marketing consultant to work in close association with the company and business owners often choose not to outsource this to a consultancy. In such a case, their in-house marketing specialists address this issue.

The second kind of marketing involves the promotion and presentation of your brand and its products within the buyer’s market. The marketing consultant strategies required for such a project are very different. They involve the careful planning out of a promotional campaign for your brand as a whole. More specifically, a separate brand or product strategy should be custom made for each of your individual products or services.

Without an efficient strategy you might not be getting the desired marketing results. Marketing consultant strategies involve the planning to use the funds available most judiciously. Simply registering for the most expensive advertising agency or ad campaign can’t assure you good business. Unless you invest time and effort into actually making a comprehensive and brand supportive marketing strategy you would find that you’re simply wasting money and not getting any results.

Finding Business Consultants for Successful Marketing Services


Small businessconsultants are an enormous benefit for your business either online or to help a business properly market their products and their services to the right kind of customers. One way that business consultants can benefit you is by helping you generate more traffic to your business website in order to channel the right customers and clients to the site in order to generate more sales, or for your website to be recognized by potential customers and clients if they need any of the products or services offered on your site. Here are some of the main reasons why consultants are important for your business. 

Fixing your website is one of the top priority tasks that business consultants have to take care of. This is crucial in order for potential customers and potential clients to browse through your site. If they are able to easily browse through your website and they find that the prices are reasonable then they most likely will opt to purchase your products and/or order them online.

Also, one of the priorities that small business consultants take care of is how your website ranks up on various search engines on the internet. Ranking first in Google and other search engines ensures that when a potential customer or client searches for what they need to purchase online the first website that ranks first on the search can provide them with what they need and how they can order or purchase the product needed. This way potential customers and clients need not search any further for what they need.

Various techniques used by small business consultant
s are traffic generation, back linking, article submission etc. These are just some of the ways to make sure that a client’s business website ranks well in various search engines commonly used by potential customers and clients. They need to ensure that your website is introduced to the right kinds of customers or clients which are in need of the products you might be selling or the services you can provide. Lastly, make sure that the price range of your products and services are competitive compared to others. 

The heart of your business success lies in its marketing. Most aspects of your business depend on successful marketing services. The overall marketing umbrella covers advertising, public relations, promotions and sales. Marketing services is a process by which a product or serviceis introduced and promoted to potential customers. Without marketing services, your business may offer the best products or services in your industry, but none of your potential customers would know about it. Without marketing services, sales may crash and companies may have to close. Marketing also fosters an environment in the marketplace for healthy completion. Marketing efforts get the word out on pricing of products and services, which not only reaches the intended consumers, but also reaches other companies competing for the consumers’ business. As opposed to companies that have a monopoly on products and services that can charge almost any price, marketing helps keep pricing competitive for a business to try to win over consumers before its competition does. Without competition, well known companies would continue to sell while lesser known companies or new companies would stand little chance of ever becoming successful. Overall, marketing services are hugely important for a business to succeed.