Blitz Ezine #269 Jan. 2, 2006

Secrets of Business Planning - Effective Email Strategies

The Blitz-Promotions News Letter
Issue no. 269, January 2, 2006

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Blitz Comments
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So how are you going to make this year different than last. Just pretend like it is a blank slate (because if you think about it, that's what it is).

Make sure you check out (almost daily) or Blog.

http://smallbizpromo.blogspot.com

We hope you and your family have a very Happy NEW Year!!

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In this Issue
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- Secrets of Business Planning
- Effective Email

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Food for thought
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Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  ~Benjamin Franklin
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Learn The "Secrets" Of Business Planning!
© 2004, Jon Kogan, All Rights Reserved.

Almost everyone needs or wants more money than they currently have, and with this desire most of these people would like to start some sort of extra income producing project. The trouble is, not many of these people seem able to fit "a second job"
into their time schedules.

It's true that people are very busy, but extra time for some sort of home-based extra income producing project can almost always be found. Here is the most important "secret" of all relating to starting and building a profitable home-based business.

Regardless of what kind of business you start, you must have the capital and the available time to sustain your business through the first six months of operation on the basis of not taking in any money. Most importantly, you must not count on receiving of spending any money coming in from your business, on yourself or for your bills, during those first six months. Any and all the income from your business during those first six months should be reinvested in your business in order for it to grow and reach your planned first year potential for it.

Sit down with pencil and paper, and list your daily schedule.
What time do you wake up - then step-by-step, list everything you do each day. Most people will find that they have about 3-hours each day that can be utilized in a more constructive or efficient manner. As we've already noted, you may have to give up the time you waste in your local pub or a few of the television programs you watch, but it should be worth it in the long run.

Efficient time management boils down to planning what you're going to do, and then doing it without back-tracking. Start by making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow, each evening before you jump into bed. Schedule your trips to the store or wherever to coincide with other things you have to do and with your trips to or from work. Organize your trips to take care of as many things as possible while you're out of the house.

Whatever chores you have to do at home, set aside a specific time to do them, and a specific amount of time to devote to them For instance, just one hour a day on yard work would probably make your property the envy of all your neighbors. Don't try to do a week's work in one big flurry. Whether it's painting your house, fixing leaky faucets, or mowing your lawn and trimming your shrubs, do a little bit or one particular job each day and you'll be amazed at your progress.

Take care of all your mail the day you receive it. Don't let those bills and letters pile up on you. If you're unable to pay a bill immediately, file it in a special place that's visible and note on the envelope the date you intend to pay it. Answer your letters the same day you get them.

The important thing is to think of your time as your most valuable asset - it is - so organize what you have to do, and what you want to do. From there, it's just a matter of arranging your priorities.

Once you start listing and planning what you want to do, and them carry out your plans, you'll find plenty of "extra time" for handling virtually any kind of home-based income-producing project. People in general may not like routines or schedules but without some sort of plan relative to what is supposed to be done, the world would be lost in mass confusion.

The secret of all financially successful people is simply that they are organized and do not waste time. Think about it review your own activities - and them see if you can't find a couple of extra hours in each day for more constructive accomplishments.

When you begin planning, and then when you actually become involved in an extra-income-producing endeavor, you should work it exactly as you've organized your regular day-to-day activities - on a time-efficient basis. Do what has to be done immediately - don't try to get done in an hour something that's going to take a week. Plan it out on paper what you have to do, what you want to do, and when you're going to do it - then get right on each project without procrastination.

Finally, and above all else, when you're organizing your time and your business, be sure to set aside time for relaxation. Be sure to schedule time when you and your spouse can be together.
You must not involve yourself in anything to the extent that you exclude other people - particularly your loved one - from your life.

Taking stock of the time you waste each day, and then reorganizing your activities is what it's all about. It's a matter of becoming time-efficient in everything you do. It's really easy to do, and you'll not only accomplish a lot more, you'll become a happier person.

Jon Kogan
EDITOR - Home Business Breakthroughs Ezine http://www.zivomarketing.com

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Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby

Effective Email

Before the advent of email most of us, other than sending out cards for special occasions, would write very few letters. If we did write a letter, it was carefully prepared, and considerable thought went into it. Today, with computer access available to most people, we have tremendously increased our amount of written communication, and sometimes fall into a rut. There are seven words that will serve as our guide and help us to communicate more effectively.

Perhaps the first word to consider is "Brevity" - we receive and respond to more mail each day, than we would in a year before the advent of the Internet. As we became experienced with email, we found certain shortcuts that we would never use in "pen and ink" communications. Many people simply copy the entire note to which they are responding, and make their comments. Others might lift a pertinent paragraph and respond. This is acceptable practice. Let's face it - unless you are socializing with a friend, if someone asks a question, they want an answer, and don't really care if you had rain last night. But, you can be too brief in your replies. I get email all the time, and don't have a clue as to what they're talking about.

Negativity is probably next on the list. Some people write with a negative style, and while they are truly not being critical, their wording comes across that way. If you are making a suggestion to someone, or reporting a problem, if you expect positive results, be sure to couch your note in positive terms.

Patience - I had a person write me 4 times in one day about a perceived problem. Now, most of us are not sitting at the computer 24 hours a day just waiting to receive email. A person must be given ample time to respond. This may take a day or so, or even longer. When I didn't "immediately" respond, the notes got nastier and nastier. If you act this way, you may be simply written off as a "crank" or a "pain in the neck", and never get an answer. Patience pays - and if you do send a reminder, be civil.

Audience - since the web is truly world wide, remember that you may be speaking with a person limited in your primary language.
While you don't want to appear condescending, your email should be written in short, concise sentences that are easy to understand. Words that have several meanings such as wound, produce or refuse should be avoided.

Morality is always a big issue. What may be acceptable to one person may not be to another. Never use language that is even border line. Many people think that if someone uses words that are not acceptable in "polite" society, you might not know how to express yourself any other way, and be considered ignorant.
Never use a "double entendre". We had a police chief of a neighboring town use the term "guido" in an internal memo to his staff. To many, the term "bennie" or "guido" simply means a summer resident. But this term was highly offensive to the Italian American community, and he quickly learned to choose his words more carefully.

Sarcasm - this is always a double-edged sword. While something may be said with the best of intentions, another may interpret it the wrong way. Your best bet is to avoid it. While on the subject, the use of humor has to be done very carefully. What may be extremely funny to you, could be extremely offensive to someone else.

Spam - most people get a number of emails every day, and much of it is unsolicited commercial email, which is immediately deleted. Always title your note so it doesn't blend in with all the other junk they receive. The spamsters are becoming more deceptive in this regard however, so you should probably try to give this a little extra attention. Be sure that the “From”
field in your email contains your name or the name of your business – your email address may not be recognized by the recipient.

There are of course many other things, which should be avoided, such as spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and the use of ALL CAPS, but these would not be considered one of the worst.
Try to couch your communications so you are not guilty of making these basic mistakes. This is especially true if your email is going to multiple users. The anonymity of the web doesn't always allow us the luxury we enjoyed when all we wrote was with "pen and ink" and knew exactly who would be reading it.

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Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips – Monday. Wednesday. And Friday. Instructions on how to place an ad are in the Newsletter.
Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

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Links you can use -
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One of our new clients may have something you may be interested in.

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Some Fun Links
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Have a snowball fight without getting wet.

http://snowball-fight.freeonlinegames.com/

Has anyone ever given you a wooden nickel ----
http://www.wooden-nickel.net/

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Useful links
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Ezine Archives links to all our past issues (well most of them) in one place.

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Next Issues
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Our next issue will be Feb. 6th 2007

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Final Thoughts
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Tim and Lisa Hamblin
Tisa Enterprises
PO Box 221
Hazard KY 41702
http://www.blitzpromotions.com
http://www.crochetnmore.com
http://www.webpageplanner.com
http://www.ineedlinks.com