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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 268
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| Thought for the week: "If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing." Margaret Thatcher |
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In this week's issue:
How's your e-mail marketing etiquette?
Many of us have probably used an e-mail marketing campaign, or have been targeted by one. What's important here is the marketing content and flavour of your e-mail. When creating your messages there are some key issues to consider. For instance, make sure all your e-mails:
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Use the recipient's name at least once after the introduction. People love to hear their own name - use it as you would in a normal conversation. And make the introduction suit the recipient. For example if you would normally say "Hi" when meeting a person face to face, why start with "Dear"? Also keep in mind cultural norms when e-mailing someone in another country or from a different ethnic background.
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Sign off personally, and for this person only. Picture the person you are e-mailing - how would you sign off in a normal conversation? Please avoid the standard words such as "With kind regards" contained in many footers - they are very impersonal and can spoil the good message you have strived so hard to construct and communicate.
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Ensure you have a "hook" in the form of a link to your website, product or service in the standard address footer. Do you have a "clickthrough" counter to test the effectiveness of your various footer messages?
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:
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- Create positive expectations. Learn from some of the most skilled sales professionals by creating positive expectations for customers. It's easier than you think, says Art Sobczak - he's been on the receiving end! (Issue 157)
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- So how do you deal with complaints? We have all had customer complaints - but how do you deal with them? Are you grumpy and grudging? Don't be - it's a great opportunity to capture a customer for life, says Colin Thompson. (Issue 152)
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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.
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Retail store for grooms. Set up by three brothers in 2007, TheManRegistry is a unique take on wedding gift registries, as it's one geared towards men. It provides them with hints and tips on the whole wedding process, as well as wedding gifts that might appeal to men.
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Edible business cards. Arigatou Corporation Taberume has come up with the novel idea of printing business names and logos onto peanut shells. The peanuts are put into jars (150 in each jar) then shipped to the customer.
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 'ebullient'?
a) positive, happy
b) powerful, confident
c) honest, truthful
d) thoughtful, considerate
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) The Government is calling for employees to be given the right to request time to train. In a recent survey by the Federation of Small Businesses, what fraction of small firms already offer formal training?
a) a third
b) a half
c) two in five
d) four in five
2) Business owners and employees could face fines of £1,000 if they are caught watching TV programmes as they are broadcast, online. What do the fines relate to?
a) exceeding download allowances from Internet service providers
b) not possessing a TV licence
c) not complying with data protection laws
d) using bandwidth for non work-related activity
3) Business advisory firm Deloitte has released figures revealing that entrepreneurs are optimistic despite the financial gloom. Which types of businesses are the most optimistic about their growth prospects?
a) health and beauty businesses
b) technology, media, and telecoms businesses
c) clothing and accessories businesses
d) sport and leisure businesses
Answers at the end of the Bulletin.
Free survey and poll creation tool
Polls are a great way of getting feedback from customers or website visitors in a relatively short timeframe. PollDaddy is a free tool that enables you to create surveys and polls for your website, e-mail or blog. It also facilitates online, real-time reporting and enables you to close surveys after a certain date or response quota.
Recycling and energy saving tips
The UK Energy Saving website is packed with information to help businesses go green. There's information on energy saving, green living, renewables and energy switching. You can also sign up to an e-newsletter and use the site's energy saving calculator.
Share business travel plans with colleagues
Dopplr is a useful application for business owners who travel frequently. It lets you share your travel plans with colleagues, friends and acquaintances, and alerts you to coincidental arrangements. For example, you could have scheduled a trip to London, and so could three others who know you. The service works with computers and mobile phones.
Financial health calculator for your business
The UK Insolvency Helpline website has a financial calculator which helps you assess whether your business has enough assets to cover liabilities. Simply enter your total current assets and your total liabilities, then press the calculate button. The tool will calculate your current payments received ratio.
Win one of four copies of Business Plan Pro
EnterQuest has teamed up with Palo Alto to give readers the chance to win a one of four copies of Business Plan Pro Premier which is ideal for creating a business plan.
Business Plan Pro Premier software automatically customises your plan to match your business type. The software automatically creates all the spreadsheets, charts and graphs that you and investors look for, including cash flow, breakeven and profit and loss. It also comes with over 500 business plan examples to give you inspiration.
Palo Alto is offering four lucky readers the chance to win a copy of Business Plan Pro Premier. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:
Q. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, what fraction of small firms offer their staff formal training?
E-mail your answer, together with your name, address and daytime telephone number, using "Business Plan Pro Competition" as the e-mail subject line, to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
All entries must be received by 30 June. EnterQuest and Palo Alto 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 are available on request.
This book gives the reader pointers on how to turn their hobbies or interests into a source of extra income that also enables them to do what they love doing most. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is a).
Ebullient means positive, happy.
The entrepreneurs decided to hire an ebullient graduate to design the business website. |
How's your business radar? The answers
1) The answer is d) - Four out of five small firms claim they already offer formal training. The FSB wants the Government to help micro-businesses get the training they provide formally recognised.
2) The answer is b) - Business owners who watch (or allow any staff to watch) TV online could face a fine if they do not possess a valid TV licence. The TV licensing watchdog is urging businesses to check their online activity and apply for a licence if necessary.
3) The answer is b) - Technology, media and telecoms businesses are the most optimistic about their growth prospects. On average, these businesses predict they will grow by 26% in the next year, while most businesses in other sectors predict a 20% growth. |
Visit www.enterprisequest.com to access all back issues of the EnterQuest bulletin. If you have any feedback or suggestions for us to make this service more relevant please e-mail your comments to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
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Remember that we guarantee never to sell or give your e-mail address to anyone else.
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. |
