Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 282

Thought for the week: "Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week." George Bernard Shaw

• How to buy advertising space at discount
• Free e-books on attracting customers and branding
• Top six technology challenges for home businesses
• Ways in which your business can be greener
• New keywording tool from Project WORD
• Win a year's Vodafone 3G Mobile Broadband contract

How to buy advertising space at discount

You want to advertise your product but you know the rates for space in the chosen magazine is way beyond your means. Plus you worry that you would not pick up enough business to justify the outlay. How can anyone afford such an astronomical rate, you wonder? The answer is they don't have to! Here's how to negotiate a better rate.

• Pay on time. Gain a reputation for paying your bills on time - media sellers will offer bigger discounts to people they know will pay promptly.

• Go for series. Ask what discounts they offer for a series. Most people won't commit to a series until they have seen results from at least one advert in a publication. So ask about a 'one-time test rate' - a significant discount for new advertisers. You may have more success if you say you will consider a series if the first advert is a success.

• Seek out the hidden discounts. Some publications have extra discounts that they don't promote on their rate card. For example, some offer an extra discount for mail order advertisers; discounts for members of a particular trade organisation; discounts for subscribers. If you don't ask, you don't get! So ask an open-ended question: 'What other types of discount do you offer?'

• Play on weaknesses. If they are a newly established magazine or newspaper, the advertisement sales team will be hungry for business and may be prepared to set the ball rolling with a special deal. However, be wary of paying up front for all your ads in such publications. Instead, agree to pay per issue. That way you won't lose all your money if the publication collapses.

• Buy big. If the publication specialises in small ads, such as Exchange and Mart, you may find them keen to shift a larger space and will deal. Even if they won't throw away the rate card, there are other ways to get a better price. For example, when you find a copy/medium combination that works, think about increasing the size of your advert gradually. Doubling the size of an advert does not usually cost twice as much. The key to watch, of course, is whether the advert generates double the responses!

• Display it. Classified sections are effective because your prospect is already looking for what you sell. However, rather than getting buried among all the other lineage adverts, consider placing a classified display advert. The column may be narrow but the cost is usually less.

• Run out of season. Conventionally, certain times of the year are regarded as 'dead', as far as advertising goes. Such periods include the middle of summer and the run up to Christmas for certain products.

This tip is an extract of an article from EnterQuest's sister publication, BETTER business magazine. Subscribers to the magazine can read even more articles to help them run a better business, including:

Overcoming those hurdles to growth. Growing a business is a critical issue for any small business owner. (Issue 145)

Help people get a lightbulb moment. If you want to build your business, it's vital you create a climate where people are not afraid to ask questions and come up with new ideas. (Issue 148)

A match made in heaven. Want to expand your business? Maybe it's time to consider getting into bed with another business and pooling your resources. (Issue 150)

To receive a free copy of BETTER business magazine simply send us your name and address to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com, putting 'EQ magazine offer' in the subject box.

Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.

• Chauffeur services on the up. Chauffeur businesses are enjoying a bit of a boost thanks to the credit crunch, which is putting the squeeze on business owners and their company cars. A chauffeur firm in the West Midlands says business owners find the service useful because they can spend their travelling time being more productive.

• Online marketplace for designer modern furniture. This fresh offering from Lushpad is a place where lovers of mid-century modern furniture can buy and sell that must-have item.

Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.

Do you know the meaning of the word 'propitious'?

a) untrustworthy
b) favourable
c) loss-making
d) extreme

Answer at the end of the Bulletin.

The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up?

1) A recent survey of small business owners has revealed that a staggering 40% of start up firms don't have which type of plan?

a) marketing plan
b) customer service plan
c) business protection plan
d) cash flow plan

2) An annual survey by customer analysis software firm Tealeaf has revealed that how many people who try to buy online run into problems?

a) three in ten
b) five in ten
c) seven in ten
d) nine in ten

3) Businesses in Humberside are lobbying local councillors to scrap a particular charge, claiming that by doing so trade between businesses in the region will improve. What charge do they want axed?

a) parking fees in Hull city centre
b) the Humber Bridge toll
c) a charge to drive on busy a-roads in the area
d) the empty properties levy in office buildings in the region

Answers at the end of the Bulletin.

Free e-books on attracting customers and branding

Design firm Truly Ace is offering two free e-books for anyone interested in learning more about branding, how to not compete on price, and how colours can control customer emotions. To receive the e-books you have to complete an online form and by doing so will also be subscribed to the firm's newsletter.

Top six technology challenges for home businesses

This handy guide from Microsoft can help home-based business owners overcome those little technology and IT hurdles that have the potential to make life difficult. The tips cover basics such as handling viruses and hackers, and backing up data adequately.

Ways in which your business can be greener

The YUDU Green e-book is packed with ideas for saving businesses money and helping them become more environmentally friendly at the same time. The publication contains useful web resources and links.

New keywording tool from Project WORD

Project WORD is a keywording tool that enables users to define keywords that link to their website. Users simply choose the keywords that are relevant to their business, using the online search to check for availability. Next, the keyword is linked and categorised and becomes exclusive to a business, Each keyword costs £1.

Win a year's Vodafone 3G Mobile Broadband contract

EnterQuest has teamed up with Shimmer Telecom, an independent provider of telephony, data and IT services, to give a lucky reader a 12-month subscription to Vodafone 3G Mobile Broadband worth over £300.

A service ideal for use on your laptop, and requiring no more than a simple USB stick, the plug-and-play mechanism works with any PC or laptop, including Apple.

With the Vodafone mobile service, you can browse the web, access your e-mail and, if your machine is set up for it, use your PC as a phone using VoIP.

Shimmer is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a 12-month subscription. Just answer the following question:

Q. What does the acronym VoIP mean?

a) Voice-over Internet Protocol
b) Voice-on Internet Protocol

E-mail your answer, together with your name, address and daytime telephone number, using "Vodafone 3G competition" as the e-mail subject line, to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.

All entries must be received by 30 September. EnterQuest and Shimmer Telecom will use the information you provide for their own marketing purposes only and your details will never be shared with any third parties (except to arrange delivery of the prize). Competition rules and terms and conditions for the prize are available on request.

This book tells the reader how to build up a design-driven business which in turn could help to create more products and services that customers want or need. The authors discuss how to use design research and how to incorporate design values into a business. Check out:

Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company, by Robert Brunner and Stewart Emery

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Good luck

The EnterQuest Team

This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate.