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February 2014
Volume 15 Issue 3 
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Article of the Month |
Masters of legendary service
The Masters of legendary service article continues in the same line of thought as the business advisory for this month.
No one likes a pushy or uncaring sales person. If you want to make the sale, for product or service, you have to first be inquisitive about the customer. You have to be knowledgeable and you have to know how to complete the sale.
This month's article shares my thoughts on the topic.
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Book of the Month |
500 Social Media Marketing Tips
by Andrew Macarthy
A new version of this book comes out this month!
This is an easy read book with ideas for almost every social media format. If you are getting started in the social media, or think that your message needs a boost to get more attention, this is a good book to have.
Click on Book Referral to see the complete list of small business books we have found that can be helpful to your business.
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Contact Us |
Profits Plus
P.O. Box 128
Dardanelle, AR
72834 USA
(727) 823-7205 Voice
(727) 898-3179 Fax
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Patience begats profit
The new year has found our office busy with projects for the organizations we work with. We also have our annual project of evaluating our operating expenses to see where savings could be had.
There have been two instances in our transactions that have caused me to ask if our business is guilty of duplicating this. As I ask myself, perhaps you will want to ask this of your business.
The first began as we were working on the Profits Plus website and we need to ask the graphic artist about an aspect of our logo. We had explained how we had been working on the project for the past six months and were down to this last detail.
Unfortunately the artist went into the 'sales mode' with regard to something they thought we should consider in redesigning the website. Our repeated comments about the six months of work and the near completion were not going to deter this person from the sales pitch.
A similar situation came during the expense saving exercise. We are changing the office phone system to a VOIP and we had an issue with the Internet provider. Even though we were attempting to ask questions about our problem, the help desk was busy trying to sell us all kinds of bundled services.
We ask ourselves if we are listening to our customers. The customer has a need and we wonder if we are often going into a 'sales mode' where listening should be applied first.
Another term for this is 'delayed gratification'. To us it means take care of the customer first and the business will come. Of course, this also means that your business has to always be looking for ways to keep your name in front of your customer. When you are busy, you keep your name in front of the customer because you know there will be a time when business is slower and you want to minimize that slow time.
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The e-ret@iler conversation for February is currently schedule to be Thursday, February 20. Our guest for the evening will be Ron Friedman of Damomics.
Our first point of discussion is going to be the changes to the credit card processing system that will take affect in the coming year.
If you accept credit cards, you will want to listen as Ron explains how you and your business will be affected.
Most all of the e-ret@iler conversations from the past five years are recorded and archived on the Profits Plus website. Help yourself to the free downloads.
| Internet Tip of The Month |
The Profits Plus catalog of business sayings
Most every presentation I give ends with a slide which has a bit of wisdom that I believe applies to small business. The quotes come from a wide variety of individuals. One of the most recent expressions I have heard, while not yet a poster, is from Winston Churchill with the adage of, 'Gentlemen, we have run out of money. Now we have to start thinking'.
When you visit this page on the Profits Plus website, each of the business sayings posters is formatted so that you can print them and place them about your business.
Profits Plus posters
| The Power Promoting Idea of the Month |
Have a 'name your charity' event
The days of a 10% or 15% discount have gone by the wayside. Even 25% and 30% are challenged. However, one reader shared this unique promotion with us. It allows the business to connect with more than just the customer at hand; it makes the business look good within the community.
The business tells their customer base they are going to allow each of their customers to designate a donation to a charity of their choice. With each purchase, the customer gets to select a charity of their choice.
The business then makes a donation to that charity in an amount equal to 10% of the customer's purchase. With this transaction, the business has access to the customer's contact information. (By giving the contact information to the receiving charity, you can request the charity send a thank you letter to the customer).
Where appropriate, the donation is tax deductible for the business; the business looks good in the eyes of the community and the customer; and the business has done something different than the traditional discount of products or services.
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PROFITS PLUS, FOUNDER OF... 
©1998-2025 Profits Plus Solutions, Inc.
Tom Shay
PO Box 128
Dardanelle, AR 72834
(727)823-7205
