Borrowing too little or too late can jeopardize your business Getting a business loan can be the fuel your company needs to reach the next level of success. But you have to prepare yourself and your company to get the money and make sure the loan is right for you. 1. Borrowing too late You may be […]
How to prepare a winning business loan application
Preparing an effective, well-documented commercial loan proposal is the first step toward getting the money your business needs from a bank. Your small business loan proposal will often be the first contact a banker has with your company. So you need to craft a document that presents your business in the best possible light. The goal is to persuade […]
A step-by-step, no-nonsense marketing plan
Every marketing plan should include these five elements Doing business without a marketing plan is like driving without a map. You may get to your destination—eventually—but you risk making time-consuming and costly errors along the way. You might be assuming there’s a demand for your product when there isn’t, for example. Your services might be priced too low. Or […]
7 low-cost marketing strategies to implement now
You know it’s going to take a marketing push to meet your sales goals this year. But your budget is tight and you’ll need to use your imagination to make it. Where to start? For many business owners, marketing doesn’t come naturally. They lurch from one tactic to another without a clear idea of whether […]
How to create a customer loyalty program
A good customer loyalty program can generate significant gains in recurring revenue for your business by improving the return on your marketing and sales budget. Here are some facts: Keeping an existing customer costs up to five times less than winning a new one. It’s easier to persuade a customer who already knows you to […]
Free and low-cost customer relationship management (CRM) solutions for your business
Contrary to popular belief, customer relationship management (CRM) is not just another type of business management software; it is a business strategy to acquire, grow and retain profitable customer relationships. This distinction is important. CRM can only succeed if the CRM technology supports a truly customer-focused strategy and fits your unique requirements. How does CRM help? CRM […]