WELCOME

Time to Shop Around

As the economic climate continues to re-adjust, you may want to consider breaking with current vendors after investigating others. Here are some questions to ask:

Who Are Your Current Customers? Ask for names and types of businesses they service. How long have they been working with these customers?

Who the vendor services and sells is a good indication of whether they can meet your needs.

Offers and Guarantees? Can they beat the rates you’re currently paying? What kinds of guarantees are offered and how are refunds handled when damaged goods are received?

Basically, look for an improvement on the services you are already receiving.

Finally, remember that sales people often make promises without follow-through. Get everything in writing.

Happy New Year,

Libby Beatty, Chair
MBA Board of Directors

INSURANCE

Discount Card for Prescriptions

Very possibly, MBA members are struggling with the current business environment. Costs are rising and uncertainty abounds for all members.

A complimentary benefit is now available, through The Administrators, Inc., to members that will hopefully assist in controlling expenses or increasing sales.

This RX card will enable you to purchase prescription drugs at a discounted cost. The card, however, is not meant to replace any current health insurance program nor will it provide coordination of benefits.

There is no obligation for you to purchase anything, nor is there any cost for this service. It represents a benefit you can provide for yourself, your employees and their families, to further enhance your offering of employee benefits.

To request cards contact MBA at (800) 533-3732.

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MARKETING

How to Connect To Local Marketing Networks & Ideas

The web is full of free and fast ways to connect to local businesses and see how they are marketing themselves. Here are some places to look:

Meet Up: Meet Up is a very popular way to find and connect to new social circles with common interests, but it also has a directory that lists peer group networking meetings in local areas. Simply enter your zip code and your area of interest and you’re off.

Fiverr: The concept is simple and direct. This is a showcase of wares and services that cost $5. This is a great resource for finding cheap labor. For example, you can pay an artist to create a logo for you or have someone wear your t-shirt around town. Get $5 and then get creative.

Bing: The growing popularity of Bing makes it another avenue where local businesses need to get listed.

Tips for Social Media Marketing

Social networking can be an effective outlet for businesses to gain notoriety, but like any tool there’s some technique in how it is used. Here are some tips to get the most of your efforts:

In-Bound Links: By creating blogs or posting tips and industry news on your Facebook page or any social networking portal, you then have the opportunity to create an in-bound link that brings readers directly to your main website.

Web Events: Contests and giveaways that are hosted from portals like Twitter or Foursquare give people incentive to check out your site and get involved. Plus, contests and giveaways are great opportunities to capture customer data.

Stay Current: People that frequent social networks typically keep up with tech trends so your social marketing page needs to stay fresh and up-to-date. Check out this article about Facebook enhancements to your business page.

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YOUR FINANCES

Collecting Money Online

If you are thinking of parlaying your business into an e-commerce site, you’ll need to pick a service to process customer transactions. While most credit card companies will be happy to oblige you, they will also be happy to set up complex accounts, usually with high rates. Here are some other options to consider:

PayPal: This is one of the older and most-trusted online merchant account providers used by both small and large businesses. PayPal charges 2.9 percent of the sale price and a 30 cent fee per transaction. You can offer one-click transferring from your site to PayPal’s, or you can integrate their entire shopping cart onto your site. Go to paypal.com to learn more.

Google Checkout: This service is newer than PayPal but charges only 2 percent of the sale and 20 cents for each transaction. Checkout functions just like PayPal but if you are already using Google Adwords, your fees can be reduced or waived outright. Go to checkout.google.com for more info.

Volusion: This is the newest of the three companies and they charge 2.17 percent of the sale, but there is no transaction fee. Instead there is a flat monthly fee based on the number of products on your site. Volusion also has the advantage of being the only e-commerce solution that is integrated with Facebook and MySpace. Go to volusion.com for more info.

Trip Tips

Just because the economy is in a downward spiral doesn’t mean that your business stops. If your business keeps you on the go, there are plenty of ways you can start to save. Here are some tips for budgeting your next trip better:

Bargain Websites: More often than not, the best rates on flights and hotels can be found on comparison sites like Orbitz or Priceline. Purchasing rooms or flights at regular rates just means you didn’t look hard enough.

Go Economy with Vehicle Rentals: Sometimes economy reservations are over-booked, and most rental companies are contractually obligated to give you a free upgrade. If that’s not the case, just inquiring about upgrades will often get you a free one.

Don’t Take Insurance on Rentals: This is where rental companies make most of their profits. Instead find out exactly what your policy covers and ask questions about what portion your credit card would cover.

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FOR THE HOME-BASED BIZ

Home Biz on the Go

Home business owners do a lot of business on the go or set in a virtual atmosphere. Here’s how to manage your time and protect your business from the hazards of virtual and mobile workspaces:

Back up Your Work: Working on the go may be time efficient but it increases the risk of losing critical business data. Back up your work every day with an external hard drive or on an online data sharing site.

Give Face Time: Face-to-face contact is as essential to home businesses as any other type of business. Aside from getting out of the house, meetings help to solidify client relationships, so shake up your routine and spark innovation.

IT Plan: Unless your expertise is information technology, the time will come when you need fast and reliable technical expertise. Find a consultant with experience in your industry, with small businesses and with the software/hardware you are using.

Virtual Employees: Trying to manage employees from a distance is a challenge. Set clear goals and realistic time limits, and decide on a method to contact each other quickly. When you give your employee the freedom to work without constantly checking in, their worth will be quickly revealed.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

The Importance of Office Ergonomics

Comfort and convenience are the cornerstones of ergonomics, and are related directly to positive attitude and productivity. In order to give yourself and your employees the best environment to reach your goals, try implementing the following ergonomically-sound suggestions:

Seat: A desk chair should support your lower back and give you enough room for your feet to stay in contact with the ground. Arm rests can help reduce the amount of strain on shoulders and neck that relate to stress.

Desk: Most desks are slightly higher than they should be, hence the prevalence of under hung sliding keyboard trays. The keyboard should be 23-25 inches from the floor to help eliminate the risk of carpel tunnel syndrome. Wrist rests are also a good way to combat repetitive stress injuries to the hands and wrists.

Monitor: Your computer monitor should be 20 degrees below your line of site to ease neck tension. Your face should be 13-15 inches from the screen to protect your eyes from glare and screen radiation.

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IT

Phonebooth for Your Business

Phonebooth is a web-based inbound phone system that helps small businesses appear and perform professionally.

The free account provides your business with a local phone number and 200 minutes of inbound calling per month (6 cents additional). Your inbound calls will be answered by an auto attendant that provides customers with options of departments or people.

Other options include call-routing to personal and cellular phones, message transcription that turns voicemail into readable e-mails, and an easy-to-use web-interface that makes managing communications fast and easy.

Phonebooth OnDemand is the pay plan that costs $20/person a month. Its features include unlimited local and long-distance, 24/7 customer service and conference calling capabilities.

Line 2 for Small Business iPhones

A new app for the iPhone dubbed Line 2 allows users to take any phone number and create a second line on their phone.The second line includes contact list, voicemail options and the ability to connect anywhere where there is Wi-Fi service.

Aside from enabling users to separate their business and personal calls on one phone, Line 2 lets users stay connected when poor reception or dropped call are an issue.

The service is $15/month after the first free month, and it creates an inexpensive way to communicate internationally making adding a second line a cost-effective investment.

Other notable features include visual voicemails, conference capabilities and auto-attendant.

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NEW MEMBERS

When our member base increases there is more of everything: more creative networking, more benefits and more experienced, enthusiastic business owners. All move our members toward growth, success and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Click here to meet our newest small business partners.

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Unless specifically indicated, MBA does not intend mention of companies, products or services discussed in this publication to be construed to be endorsements. The information in this publication is offered as examples that may be useful to our small business readers. Please consult with an industry professional before implementing any of the tips or subscribing to any of the services described above.