Small-business
owners must market their companies tirelessly and use creative outlets
to spread the word, a sales consultant told a home-based business
conference on Thursday. "You
have to be marketing every day," said Lois Creamer, the owner of Fast
Forward Selling of Kirkwood. She spoke to about 60 people attending
the Home-based Small Business Breakfast, part of Small Business Week.
Creamer
recommends frequent phone and e-mail contact with prospects and grading
them in three categories: motivation to purchase, money to pay for
goods or services and the likelihood of choosing you. Prospects that
fit all the categories should get particular attention.Small-business
owners often tell about the features of their product or service rather
than asking what a prospect needs. What a potential client is looking
for is the solution to a problem, Creamer noted.
She
also recommends using a variety of media to spread the word about
an entrepreneur's business. Instead of a newsletter, she periodically
sends a brief e-mail with two to three short tips on how to sell more.
Iris
Salsman, co-owner of Salsman Lundgren Public Relations, also offered
several tips. "Your visibility is more important than your ability,"
she said, urging business owners to promote themselves.
A
catchy slogan of five to seven words also is helpful, she noted. Repetition
is the key for any marketing message, Salsman said. In the past, three
to five exposures to a message were needed to get attention.
PHONETAG
Launches VoIP Service for Small, Home-Based Businesses
TAMPA,
Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2005--PHONETAG, LLC has launched PHONETAG
Small Business, a hosted voice-over-IP (VoIP) service designed specifically
for small and home-based companies. "VoIP is considered by many to
be the future of telecommunications, unless you happen to be a small
business owner," says Rob Cash, CEO of PHONETAG.
The introductory price for Small Office is $49.95 per month, which
includes basic features and a free VoIP phone. Activation charges
vary by number of users, and additional features such as email, account
codes, alternate number/distinctive ring, priority alert and premier
conference calling are available for a nominal per-feature fee.
"PHONETAG
Small Business lets small and home-based businesses enjoy all the
cost-savings and rich features of VoIP without the costly upfront
capital investment for hardware, equipment, infrastructure upgrades,"
says Cash. "And, because the service is fully hosted and managed by
PHONETAG, the need for specialized IT expertise is all but eliminated."
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