Watch Out !-- Scams are everywhere and they will find you as soon as you open.

If your business is already open, you may already have experienced this.  From the second you open your doors (or business) people will come out of the woodwork to get your hard earned money.  Just say no to EVERYONE.  Seriously.  When someone calls you on the phone, and tells you they can get you more business then you ever dreamed of, or if your company is not using them you will be hedged out by competition, here is what you say, "Thanks for the advice; I will research your company and get back with you."   Of course, they are going to try to keep you on the phone or get you to say "yes" in whatever way you can, but just say "NO."  You must protect your investment, and giving in to just one of these people will widdle away your cash month by month, one $20-$30 charge at a time.   Some of these programs are nearly impossible to get out of. 

It took me 3 years to get out of my Citysearch jam.  They claimed I was "lucky to be grandfathered in" to my $250 per month service.   Well, I did not feel so lucky that all of my clicks were happening on the same day, and my budget was always used up by the fourth or fifth day of the month.   It is hard to prove the this company is practicing click fraud; but I consistently monitored the activity and the clicks always only happened on a few days of the month; the other 27-25 days had 0 clicks.  And conversions were rare.  So, business owner beware.   Just Google search Cityseach scam or Citysearch fraud and you will find tons of other business owners with similar complaints.  Decide for yourself if you think that the now $350 per month minimum is worth it.

Another, scam I found out about after apparently 2 years of payments is called Merchant Discount Health Plan.   I never saw the charges of $120 per month for the so-called "health plan," "legal plan" and "tech support plan" I was paying for because they took it DIRECTLY from my Discover merchant services before Discover ever paid my bank.  So here is how Merchant Discount Health Plan gets you.  They will call your business and it does not matter who the employee is with whom they speak, if that employee says "yes" to anything, they will begin charging.   This one I can say with certainty is a total fraud and completely unethical.   Again search online and you will find merchants outraged that the clerk or answering service even at their business "authorized" this charge.   The scary thing is, these people have access to your bank account through their relationship with Discover Card.   So small business owner beware, tell your employees to say "no" to all solicitations.   Here is the scripted line I have given my employees, who handle many calls and are required to be courteous and professional at all times:

Solicitor: "Hi! Is this the manager?"
Employee: "No, I am not the manager. And I am not authorized to make decisions for this business, how may I direct your call?"

If the person on the other end pushes them for a yes or no answer, they are instructed to repeat, "I am not authorized to make decision for this business."   That way we are covered, and when they play back their recorded message (Merchant Discount Health Plan always records their calls) you have this on your side that indeed no authorization was given.  

These are just two of many scams and jams I have dealt with.  Owning businesses is fun; but you have to watch for would be financial predators.  They take your hard earned money in small amounts, here and there and think you will not notice.  Don't lose the hard way -- you have been warned!

Some Advice From the Client Attraction Guru

Every once in a while I stumble across business advice that really works, and is not just a scam to take your money, promising to that you'll make loads of dough or triple your business if you take this or that consultants advice.  I say "wake up,"  they are trying to make money just like you and their promise is a "pitch."  But I have found a good e-newsletter from the Client Attraction System that really is handing out free advice that seems sound.   So, I want to pass it on.   This gives you step-by-step ideas on how to keep people coming to your business through constant communication.  I have heard this same advice a million different ways over the years and the thing is, it is absolutely right.  Think about it on a person level; who are the people you know that you give the most attention to?  It's the friend who always calls, the child who always asks, or the colleague who always has a friendly hello or stops by for a chat.  So, let your business be that person; the one who is always saying, "Hey, I am right here when you need me and I just wanted to say "Hi" and see how you are." I am a big proponent of efficiency, so rather than regurgitate Fabienne Fredrickson's sound advice, here it is, read on and then go DO these things!   I have for my own business and it works! The Difference between Salad and Garbage (and How it Affects Your Number of Clients) "The only difference between salad and garbage is timing!" At least that's what I've been focusing on recently, especially for businesses that are time sensitive. Some chiropractors have this problem, so do lawyers, but my thought is when you're in a service business, timing is EVERYTHING. If you wait around, let the proverbial 'hot iron' get cold, that hot lead turns into a cold lead, and you can just forget about turning it into a happy paying client. The question then becomes, 'How can we ALWAYS be around to have the elusive Perfect Timing?' The answer to the timing problem is to ALWAYS be on their radar screen. You can never anticipate what's going on in the lives of your prospective clients; otherwise, you'd be God (obviously) or at least very clairvoyant. One thing you can do is always be top of mind, so that WHEN something happens, you're the first person they think of. And when they think of you, when they see your compelling message right there under their noses, when they've got your contact info at their fingertips, there's every reason in the world to call YOU and not anyone else, when they have the need. That's when all your Client Attraction and marketing effort and systems have paid off. So, how does one stay top of mind and always on the prospect's radar screen? With Stay-In-Touch Marketing Vehicles: That can be a direct mail campaign (and I mean CAMPAIGN, not just one letter that you send ONCE and wonder why you haven't gotten results). It can mean a weekly ezine. (I wouldn't even bother writing one quarterly or even monthly. You're not on the prospects radar screen often enough to have them remember you in time of need.) It can be a quirky postcard campaign, which really stands out. (Pick a strange fact, quote, or oddball holiday calendar and mail regularly. We're looking for consistency and something that stands out, as well as something that relates to what you do.) It can be a personal card campaign where you send meaningful, unexpected cards on a regular basis. (I use an awesome service called ClientAttractionCards and the results are great.) An attorney client of mine always used to say to me, "Fabienne, it's difficult for me to attract clients because I can never anticipate when they're going to need me. I don't know when to market, it's all so arbitrary!" Well, with Stay-In-Touch marketing vehicles, you solve that problem. Now, I know what you're thinking… "Won't I be pestering them if I write them an email once a week or do a mailing once a month?" I have three answers for you: If you make your email or mailing high content and high value, then people actually LOOK FORWARD to hearing from you that often. If you're authentic about providing solutions and value, versus self-promoting all the time, people welcome the consistency. If it's going to bother someone that you're in touch that often, then they're probably not your ideal client and will probably not ever buy from you, so it's time to get over it. :) Your Client Attraction Assignment: Find a way to communicate proactively with your prospects so that you actually ANTICIPATE any current or urgent needs, just by being there consistently, with high-content, high value, and frequency over time. That way, you'll establish a know-like-and-trust relationship in ADVANCE of the need. Best of all, you'll eventually be on their radar screen when the need arrives, and that equals clients who happily pay for your services, without you having to chase ambulances. That makes for a Happy Day! The key to this is setting up SYSTEMS so you don't have to think about it too much. For this, I mean systems for being in touch and being the first one people think of when they have a need. If you want to copy my own systems, I spell it all out in the Client Attraction Home Study System™. I've outlined every technique in detail, and it's all there so you can start using it all right away to get similar results. It's all step-by-step, so, you do step one of the system, and when you're done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. When you do, you'll start seeing clients come out of the woodwork to work with you. It's an amazing process actually. And SO easy. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. You can get it here: http://www.theclientattractionsystem.com/.2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your in.come, visit http://www.clientattraction.com/.

You want to start a business? Top 3 Problems and Solutions... Here's how I did it!

I wanted my first blog post to be about my two recent scams and jams... But that's no way to start something good, now is it?  No, let me first write about what is good about being a business owner, because you know, the bad news always travels faster! 

Let me tell you why I love business.... it is the most creative endeavour I have ever undertaken.   And work at it long enough and you can have freedom and control you have never dreamed of.

I opened my first business when I was 27.  It was a small theme bar in Florida in a popular tourist beach area.  When curiosity seekers would come by as I was painting the interior and getting set up and asked "whose the owner?" I would say, "I am."  The most commom response I got was a sarcastic "good luck" and even one "I'll give you three months before your out of business."  Well, Mr. 3 Months became a regular customer, and maybe still is after 10 years.  I don't know because I sold the place after two years for a nice profit.    Since then I have opened 3 bricks and mortar style businesses: a spa, a production company, and an adventure company in Asia; and I have online business (it feels like) everywhere!  

I would like to tell you that I am wildly rich, but I am not.  What I am is under 40 and free to do what I want with my life.  My early entrepreneurship has afforded me a modest lifestyle that gives me the freedom to travel and live where I want.  I can work a lot or a little, it just depends. 

The most frequent question I get is:  how do you do it?  It's easy and hard.    The easy part is -- just do it!  The hard part is having the guts.  But if you are reading this, my guess is you do.   Let's look at what's stopping you and then focus on how to solve it:

Things that stop people from starting a business:

1) Don't have enough money.
Solution: start something you have enough for.  What about an e-business?  Get a personal loan from family.  Get someone to co-sign a business loan.  I know one owner of a multi-million dollar corporation that started with a $5000 loan from his father, and got a bank loan and bought a Pizza Hut.  My first business, my parents co-signed a bank loan.  I never defaulted, always paid on time, and everbody won.  Thanks Mom and Dad!  Some lucky monkeys have a Fairy Godmother, but I do not know many.  The one I did actually know, lost his million dollar DVD distribution company due to poor management and spoiled brat business practices.

2) Don't have enough time.
Solution:  I won't lie... we all had to keep our "day jobs" to start out.  If you can not handle 70 hours work weeks, you can not start a business.   But the good news is; after about a year, it should pay off.  You can invest a year of hard work, come on.  ONE YEAR -- Just do it.  You will have to work during the day and do your business later at night, or vice versa if you have a night job.  If you start small and just dedicate a certain amount of time to your goal each day, it'll pay off (unless your idea is totally a bomb, then just quickly move to plan B.)

3) Don't know what business to do.
Solution:  This is a biggy... there are just so many choices right?  Well, everyone says just do what you LOVE.  But I only have agree.  I tried that once, and eventhough I own this "love" business still, it has always been a struggle to make it profitable.  So the best thing to do is, research what you even remotely like and then DO THE MATH.   You want to feel proud of your business, but unless you are just trying to create a manager's job for yourself, why do you have to LOVE it?  Don't you want to make some money and then have a little fun and freedom?  Do what is profitable.   There are lots of online stores or bricks and mortar places where you can fill a niche.  I don't live in your town, or your country, so I can not tell you exactly, but here's an idea...

In my town there is a vacant lease space (which I know is relatively cheap rent) right next to a busy karate class studio.  This space is perfect for a Yoga/meditation studio.  Not into that?  How many mom's are waiting for their kids to finish karate?  How about a coffee shop?  How about a muffin shop -- my community looks like the type that love muffins.   Or what about this... an e-business; I become a domain reseller with the name of my town in the URL, like smalltowndomains.com, and then since I have a sort of over 50 demographic, they feel like there service provider is right here in their town and they can get help whenever they need it.  That is important here.  So look around your area and see how you can help or entertain your community, and, to quote that inspirational old film, "if you build it they will come!"

Check my next post for how to get out there and let them know you're in business!  Marketing tips for your start-up!