Ionic Burritos Business

Archive for May, 2010

Many small business owners think…

Why do I need a website when I have advertising in place that works for my business?

Well what does that businesses advertising provide to the prospective customer?

Can they see a brochure of your company through an advert?

Can they learn about your organisation through small adverts?

A website is a professional face for your company, an interactive brochure that your clients can have freedom to browse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. A website opens up a whole new world of advertising potential and is proven to not only generate new business but to retain your existing clients by offering them the information they need, any time, at the touch of a button.

You can advertise as much or as little on your website as you need. It is a fully dynamic brochure about your company which can be updated quickly and easily, add photos to draw your clients attention, market out your ‘News’ to existing and new customers for free, regain customer enquiries and orders and more importantly be up to date against competitors.

The Internet is the number one source where people will look for anything and everything at their ease and as the saying goes ‘you have to be in it to win it’, a website offers, credibility and professionalism but most importantly, provides the potential customer with IMMEDIATE INFORMATION, at a time when they want it!

A website can do 3 things for any business:

- Save money

- Save time

- Make money

And will recoup its costs in weeks or months, not years!

Re-evaluate your spend on advertising/marketing, surely its not about what it costs, its what it returns and with a website you can do exactly this.

Hourly, daily, weekly, monthly whenever you like you can see how many people are viewing your website and looking at what your company can do.

Can you ring your local newspaper and ask how many pairs of eyes have seen your advert?

NO, but you can with a website, with live up-to-date reports on your website that can be viewed any time you can see how many people have been on your website, what pages they viewed and how long they stayed on the site.

Can your business be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

NO, but a website can, allowing you to still supply information to your existing clients and also gain new business whilst you are off for the weekend, away on holiday or just asleep!

Can you give your potential client a copy of your brochure immediately when they need it?

NO, but you can with a website, allowing them to view everything that may be in a brochure online, quickly and easily and saving you money (no print or postage costs with a website)

For the cost of a professional looking website, how can any small business afford not to be online. Here at Activ Web Design we have a network of local advisors across the UK who can assist your business in getting online.

If you’re planning a window or door replacement project, then now’s the time. That’s because you can receive a tax credit for 30% of the cost of qualified energy-efficient windows and doors, up to $1,500. This is a huge opportunity for you.

The tax credit was originally a measly $200 for windows and up to $500 for doors. Now Congress and the President have passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, aka “The Stimulus.” Inside is a provision that triples the old tax credit.

This isn’t just a handout. To qualify for the new Tax Credit, you have to be a smart shopper and buy the most energy-efficient windows. Energy Star certification, the old standard, doesn’t cut it anymore. The new standard will help our country become energy independent. Plus, better windows save you money on energy bills and keep you comfortable all year round.

What Are The Requirements For The Tax Credit?

Only windows and doors with a U-Factor of .30 or less qualify. U-Factor is a measure of the window’s overall energy-efficiency. Many windows have U-Factors of .31 or .32. Those don’t qualify.

Windows and doors also need a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of .30 or less. A low SHGC blocks the blistering heat that comes through windows in the summer, reducing the load on your air conditioning. Once again, .31 or .32 aren’t good enough. It has to be exactly .30 or less.

U-Factor and SHGC are independently tested and verified for windows by the National Fenestration Rating Council. Any reputable window will have a NFRC sticker.

How To Tell Which Windows And Doors Qualify

To get your $1,500 tax credit, you need to shop smart. Many windows and doors out there don’t meet the new requirements—even some high-end brands you’ve heard of. A lot of companies haven’t processed or don’t even know about the new tax credit. There’s a lot of confusion about this right now—you don’t want to be left empty-handed.

Here’s what you need to do: Make sure that any replacement window or door you buy has a U-Factor and SHGC of .30 or less. If the window company won’t show you the NFRC sticker certifying the ratings, walk away. If you’re unsure or suspicious, visit the NFRC at www.nfrc.org. You can verify ratings in the product directory or contact them directly.

How To Claim Your 2009 Energy Tax Credit For Windows And Doors

1. Purchase and install any replacement window, patio door, or entry door with a U-Factor and SHGC of .30 or below between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010.

2. Save your receipt and each window and door performance label (NFRC label) with your tax documents.

3. Claim your tax credit on your Federal filing for the 2009 or 2010 tax year.

Terms and Limitations

• The tax credit is for the cost of the product only and does not include installation costs. Be sure to ask for a sales receipt that shows the cost of the product only.

• The tax credit is 30% of the amount paid up to a $1,500 maximum.

• If a combination of windows and doors are purchased, the total maximum credit is $1,500.

• This is a new tax credit for 2009/2010

 

Manage Customers and Sales Leads More Effectively

Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003 uses familiar, integrated, easy-to-use software to help you manage customers and sales opportunities more effectively, create marketing materials in-house, manage e-mail, and share information efficiently.

Running a small business is never easy. You need to get a handle on large amounts of information and find a way to get everything done quickly – all within a budget. Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003 can help you find new customers and pursue sales leads effectively, even if customer information exists in a number of places.

Build Great Customer Relationships

Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager makes it easy to manage all your customer relationships. It can help you increase profits by assisting as you follow up on sales leads and business opportunities. You can consolidate activities relating to a customer, account, or opportunity all in one place for easy retrieval. You have instant access to all email messages, notes, phone calls, appointments, tasks and documents for any customer. Then you can run one of the preformatted reports to gain further insight into your customers’ activities.

Keep Customer Acquisition and Retention Costs Down

Make the most out of the time and money you spend to gain new customers and keep your current ones. Use the integration between Outlook 2003 with Business Contact Manager to help manage mailing lists and track marketing campaigns.

New features you’ll love:

· Send personalised, professional-looking email messages and newsletters to your mailing lists.

· Sort and organise your business contacts the way you prefer using Outlook 2003.

· Link Office System documents to your Contacts so you can always find them.

· Open and view Office documents from within Outlook 2003.

· Export reports on your customers and sales opportunities into Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and Microsoft Office Word 2003.

· Create mail-merge documents quickly and easily in Word 2003 and Microsoft Office Publisher 2003.

· Build personalised newsletters from a variety of Word 2003 and Publisher 2003 templates.

· Attach faxes and scanned documents to your contacts.

Important points to know:

· Business Contact Manager is an add-on to Outlook 2003. Both are part of the Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003 suite.

· Business Contact Manager works seamlessly with other Microsoft Office applications.

· It is a “single user” contact management solution to help small businesses with less than 25 employees, or little IT infrastructure.