A great way to impress new customers (and keep your business covered).

A good way to make a great first impression is the new customer packet. This should be printed on business grade paper (not copied-go visit you local quick printer-and get at least 3 quotes), and sent in a good looking envelope. What should be in your new customer packet? Here are some ideas.

1) A credit application. The credit application allows your business to legally pull a commercial credit bureau and should outline your company’s terms and conditions. It should ask for 3 trade credit line lenders, and a commercial bank check (on a separate form) both of which should be signed by an officer of the customers company. This document obligates the customer to pay invoices in the terms that you permit.
2) A sales tax exemption form or reseller certificate from the appropriate state. This is an absolute must for any company in any business but retail or retail food service. If your company is doing business to business commerce you must obtain this document!
3) A request for a freight guide. This is especially crucial for your small to medium business if you are conducting business with a Fortune 1000 type company. Other wise, your company’s invoices maybe delayed by the freight auditing department or your company fined for not following the customer’s guidelines (or probably both)! This also creates more expense as your company’s accounts receivable department (or yourself if you are just starting out) must now pursue the deduction for pay back which will most often be denied.
4) A welcome to your company. This is a sales and marketing document. It thanks your new customer for their order, and lists appropriate contact people. Who should be included: the main sales contact, customer service lead, credit representative or manager, and yourself-the owner. This document should include all appropriate business cards (included in packet)!

Follow these steps, and your company can reinforce your excellent first impression and ask for new orders. This lets your customer know that they are dealing with a classy organization no matter the size. All customers appreciate class, and this is a way to let them know that your company values their business. Remember to request that the packet be sent back complete if at all possible.

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What not to tell a banker (or other financial institution)

The big day has finally arrived for your small business, and you are to meet with “financial people.” It hardly needs to be mentioned that this is probably one of the most important meetings you will ever attend. Of course the financial institution will have copious paper work for you to fill out and have verified by accountants and lawyers. These people (accountants and lawyers) are great assets and can help a great deal, but you as the business owner will have to carry the day. I have been in a great number of these meetings, and I have seen some of them go very well, but I have seen other business owners sink themselves. It was almost like they were piloting the Titanic and went looking for ice bergs! Here are some mistakes that you as a business owner do not want to make!

Do not lament your business situation! I had set up a meeting with a banker for an asset based loan. This owner had rolling stock and mineral rights as assets; these were very valuable and well secured assets. As soon as we were on the conference call, the owner went on to lament his business situation-how his competition had increased (going as far as to name off his competitors whose situation was so much better than his), how the last season was very poor and the outlook for the next season was much the same or maybe a little worse! I could not even walk out of the office before the bank was on the phone advising me that they wanted no part of this deal! The business owner was stunned when I told him the bank was not interested. I gave him some advice (again-I told him the same thing before the call) just tell the bank, “I need capital to meet rising competition and the changing business environment.”

A second idea is not to be overaggressive. I set up a meeting with a venture capital association. The owner was hard charging –maybe it was the many years in retail sales. He was ready to make a buying trip to Madagascar, but he had very little of his own money invested. I had set up a meeting with two of a Venture Capital company’s officers (it was a restaurant meeting), and one took an immediate dislike to owner, stuck the business owner with the check, and walked out. The other, the more analytical of the officers, patiently listened, courteously asked for the financials, but called me right after saying he had no interest in the deal. He didn’t think the owner was analytical enough to succeed. He said, “This guy is so aggressive he will go from hunter to hunted in a very short time!”

Lastly, don’t appear needy. If you are asking a rich relative for seed money, you might be able to appear with hat in hand asking for money, but for business dealings you have to sell your businesses success! It’s all right to be nervous, most financial people expect that you might be a little nervous. Business lenders lend money as a business, and they are concerned with two things-getting their money back (it’s their only commodity to sell), and making a profit. You as a business owner have to show them how they can participate in your businesses success.

Avoid these three pitfalls: lamentation, over aggression, and neediness, and you will go a long way in securing your companies first big loan package, and good luck!

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Projector Rentals for Business Presentations

When you have to make a big business presentation, you know you have to sell something to your audience, whether it's a service, topic, concept or product, and you've probably worked tirelessly to put it all together. You need the right pitch, you need to know everything there is to know about what you're selling, and you need it to be perfect. With so much on your mind, what sort of equipment you're going to use to make the presentation or how to set it up, should be the least of your worries.

That's where RentOurProjectors.com comes in. If you're planning to make your presentation in your own office or on the road, we can deliver any projector to any location in the United States. Without having to worry about picking up equipment or carrying it along with you when you travel, you'll have extra time to work on the presentation. And because you'll only need the projector for a short period of time, you'll save money by renting a projector instead of buying. We have some of the most competitive rates in the business.

Remember, next time you need a Projector Rental for your Business Presentation one visit to Rentacomputer.com and you can book the highest quality Projector Rental. Together with your informative and engaging slideshow or multimedia presentation, a quality projector rental will help you leave a lasting impression with your employees, clients, customers, bosses, and co-workers.

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Looking for a GeoVison Security Camera System to help secure your small or medium business? Call www.CameraSecurityNow.com today at 877-422-1907 for a free phone consultation. Ask about the new Hybrid DVR/NVR surveillance solutions.