Sunday, July 31, 2011

How to Promote Your Salon by Avoiding Discounting and Make More Money

OK, let me say firstly that I generally don't recommend "discounting" as a way of promoting your salon or spa. It can pull in some extra clients in the short-term, but they are often "price-shoppers" who are looking for bargains and may be difficult to convert to long-term clients when they have to pay full price.

Of course it can work as a way of building your business. But, more often than not, it doesn't.

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A far, far better way to promote your business is by constructing a fantastic offer. An offer with the primary aim of increasing the price and building fantastic value to the client at little or no cost to yourselves.

Why is this better?

On three fronts:

1. Cash. Lets say you offer 20% off. You do, say, 10 treatments at £50 each. That's 10 x £50= £500. Less 20% that's £100. So you're now putting £100 less into your till. Now, with the offer, you increase the treatment in price to £55, have extras for the client that cost you £3 and you sell do the same number (10). Now you've got 10 x £55 = £550 in the till at a total extra cost of £30. So, with a discount you're losing £100 and with the offer you're gaining an extra £20!

2. Expectation. People may put off their treatments waiting for you to discount. Where as with the offer you make money so it really doesn't matter!

3. Exposure to new treatments. With an offer you can guide people towards treatments that they normally wouldn't have. The result? They just might book in for another treatment!

Having said that, if you really must discount, here's a quick tip -

Tell them the value, not the percentage.

So, don't say "15% off with this coupon", instead say "£5.00 off with this coupon"
Why? Because it's more specific, and therefore more memorable. People scan adverts and leaflets very quickly, they see thousands of them every day.

If you say "15% off" it means they have to do a mental calculation to work out what that figure would mean to them - and many won't bother! If you say "£5.00 off" it's much easier to imagine. They can see what's in it for them much more easily.

We've tested this, and found that it holds true even if the actual value (e.g. £5.00 off) is less than the percentage value (e.g. 15% off converts to more than £5.00 saving).

A word of caution -
If you do run a similar concept, make sure your vouchers are only redeemable against treatments valued over, say £25 - you don't want folk cashing in their £5 vouchers on a £7 treatment! Also make sure the vouchers have an expiry date on them.

And if you're running the discount in several places (leaflets, vouchers, a newspaper advert, etc.), make sure you put some sort of number, or other mark, on the different vouchers so that you know which client came from which source. That way, you can keep track of what results each advert/leaflet generated, against what it cost to run it.

How to Promote Your Salon by Avoiding Discounting and Make More Money

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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Who Gets Tipped at a Wedding?

You probably haven't given much thought to who you should tip for services at your wedding.

A tip is a completely voluntary gesture, which should be provided if the service is satisfactory. But, it's tricky to know who you should tip and how much to tip each person.

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Here's a guide on who to tip and how much to award each vendor or service provider. Use this guide when planning your wedding budget to be sure you don't overspend.

Who gets a tip?

Delivery People (flowers, cake, equipment rentals) - Each delivery person should receive a -$10 tip once they have completed their task.

Valets - It's best to prearrange this with the valet supervisor. A typical tip is .50 to per car. The guests should know this has been taken care of via a sign.

Limo Drivers - If you use a limo service, you should tip 15-20 percent of the entire bill at the end of their service.

Caterer - Be sure they haven't already included a gratuity in your bill. The typical tip for caterers and their staff is to per wedding guest or 15 to 20 percent of the food and beverage bill. This should be presented toward the end of the reception.

Bartenders - You should tip 10 percent of the liquor bill at the end of the reception. This should be given to the bartender supervisor or divided equally between any bartenders that work the entire reception.

Musicians - It's traditional to tip each musician $10-. This is based on the size of the group and the length of their performance. This is also an optional expense.

Restroom/Coat Attendants - This is another pre-arranged amount. It's customary to tip .50 to per guests. Again, put up a sign announcing that guests do not pay this gratuity.

Who doesn't get a tip?

Don't tip your officiate. Your minister or other wedding professional does not command a tip. You are only responsible for their customary fee. If you do feel like making some kind of gift, make a donation to the organization they represent.

Who should present the tips?

·         Be sure to have the money divided up into envelopes with the labels such as "caterer" or "bartender" on the outside.

·         If you have a wedding coordinator, he or she should arrange for payments. Otherwise, the responsibility falls to the best man.

·         Be sure to have an envelope with extra cash in case of a delivery person or a waiter or waitress goes above and beyond in solving a problem.

Who Gets Tipped at a Wedding?

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Friday, July 29, 2011

The USDA Standards for Ordering and Receiving Chicken and Steak Commercially

The United States has an agricultural department or USDA which sets the guidelines for meat products and all meat products and inspection services. They ensure that meat and poultry is processed, labeled and packaged according to the federal standards laid down by them. There are standards established in Acts that apply to interstate and foreign trade. Most states also have their own standards which quite often will exceed the USDA standards for ordering and receiving chicken and steak commercially. While ordering meat products USDA regulations must be stipulated and it is up to the supplier to see that all of these are scrupulously met.

When receiving steak or chicken products it is essential that you inspect the meat product labels and ensure that they contain the net weight and name of the product. The inspection information should contain the identification number of the inspection facility. All these items have a specific location on the label and also included would be the list of nutrients, facts about nutrition, instructions for safe handling and an address line. The label should also have the name of the establishment that has been authorized as a food safety inspection service and you should check the weight and numbers to make sure that the information given on the label is authentic. You can include all this information on the internet or overstock coupons you give out for increasing your business. And if you sell steak you can get Outback Steakhouse coupons for your customers.

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Ingredients would need to be listed on the label if there are two or more ingredients. The list should be in order of the weight of each ingredient, but items that constitute less than 2 percent can just be listed at the end of the ingredient list. Sub ingredients also need to be part of the list, so that as a buyer you can be sure that you have not received any chicken or steak that contains ingredients that you may not like to sell or may not be a choice of your customers. All artificial flavors, coloring or preservatives also need to be listed as some of them can cause allergies.

You should make sure that the information regarding handling contains the need for keeping these products refrigerated or frozen. Some products are ready to eat where others need to be cooked. The USDA regulations need that this should also be specified on the label along with any information on utensils to be used, dealing with leftovers and need for clean working surfaces or the need to keep the chicken and steak separately.

Meat products need to be kept at temperatures of under 26 degrees Farenheight and it is essential that transport carrying them must be capable of maintaining this temperature up to the point of delivery. Transport must also maintain cleanliness standards essential for food items including hygiene standards necessary for the persons loading and unloading the meat products. Chicken is normally slaughtered at the age of six to eight weeks if they are broilers. Cows are ready for slaughter after the age of four, two years after she has had her first calf.

The USDA Standards for Ordering and Receiving Chicken and Steak Commercially

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Thursday, July 28, 2011

What Household Budget Percentage Breakdown Is Typical?

The typical American household budget percentage breakdown looks like the list below. For most of the categories a range is shown. A range makes more sense to help you see where your personal budget fits (or doesn't fit.) If your budget doesn't fit the typical American household budget, rejoice! The average American household budget is jacked up - we carry too much debt and we just don't save enough. We're so worried about our neighbor's new pool, our co-worker's new car and our friend's new designer shoes that we spend more than we earn to try and keep up. But take heart! Review the percentages below, compare your household budget and then read on to find out how you can move yourself into the elite minority of Americans who have mastered where their money goes.

Typical Household Budget Percentages

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33-38% Housing (59%-66% of this is on shelter - mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs, and rent, and other items) 15-19% Transportation (up to half of this is vehicle purchase - 2 cars per household average) 13-14% Food Budget (55% at home, 45% away) 0-2% Alcohol 0-3% Tobacco and related products 0-2% Caffeine related products 4-5% On clothing and related services (drycleaning) 4.5 - 6% on out of pocket Health Care 9% Personal Insurance and Pensions (breakdown: 1% life and other personal insurance, 7.5% Social Security, .5% investment 5% Entertainment 2.5% Charitable Contributions 2% Reading and Education 1% Personal Care products and services 2% Miscellaneous 4% Credit Card, Consumer Loan Interest

If your budget closely matches the above, here's what you can do to fix that. Do these in order. Do not proceed to the next step until you've addressed the current step:

Stop using your @#!&*! credit cards! Make a down and dirty budget right away! Don't worry about it being right at first...you can perfect it over time. Just do it! Cut back on your easy to identify, frivolous spending habits (3 dollar lattes, magazines, 450 extra satellite channels, etc.) If you've got some expensive habits you've wanted to quit for some time, now's the time. For example, if you're a hard-drinkin', chain smokin', coffee drinkin' fool, you can reap a windfall of up to 7% or more of your income! Just cutting back to 2 drinks per day, only drinking coffee from home and quitting the cigarettes will net you a nice amount of extra cash and add years to your life! Refine your budget after eliminating what you can. Reduce your 401K and other investment payments (if you have any) to the minimum allowable to keep your 401K and/or other investment accounts open. If your employer has a stock matching plan, keep that in addition to the minimum to keep your investments accounts open (but only up to the minimum you need to get all the matching money.) You're going to reap a whole lot more return on paying off your debts than you can ever hope to reasonably get from traditional investments. If you're paying into a college fund for your kids - keep doing that - if you're not and you really want to, hold off until step 6. Refine your budget to reflect the extra income available, if any. Build an emergency fund equal to 2% of your gross annual income. It should be a little hard to get to (like a separate checking account or mutual fund), but not too difficult (Certificate of Deposit.) Work this into your budget - it's very important. You will not believe the amount of stress that will melt away when you do this. Pay off your debts - everything except mortgages. And don't just move your revolving debt into a second or third mortgage - that's bad. Pay them off using a rapid debt paydown system. Pay off any student loans (for future reference, these are a bad idea.) Pay off your car(s) too. If you're not upside down on a car loan (your car is worth more than you owe) you can sell it and get a cheaper, paid for car. Throw a small (inexpensive but fun) party for yourself and your loved ones every time you pay off a debt. Take all the money you WERE spending to pay off your non-mortgage debt and start putting it into those investment accounts you put on idle. Make sure you're investing at least 10% of your gross income. If you followed steps 1-4 exactly, you should have lots of breathing room in your budget now. If this is true and you want to invest more than 10%, go ahead, but be sure to reward yourself too and live a little. Grow your emergency fund to a level you're comfortable with (2 or more months of income is a good start.) If you have young kids and you want to send them to college, start putting money into a college fund of your choice for them, if you haven't already. Throw a bigger party than usual when this is done. Pay off your mortgage and throw your biggest party yet! You can start towards this by refinancing to a single fixed rate mortgage (your credit should be in pretty good shape having paid off all your other debts.) If it's a 30 year mortgage, pay more than your monthly payment to dramatically lower the amount of interest you give to the bank. If it's a 15 year fixed - wow! That's excellent! When you're totally debt free, regularly give away whatever you think you can afford. It's good for the soul!

Easy? Not. Worth it? Doing the above will pay dividends in your life in many more ways than just dollars and cents. You will assure yourself a dignified and financially secure retirement. Do this well and you will also build a way for your kids and your grandkids to enjoy prosperous lives, and they will remember you with fondness and respect long after you've moved on to the other side. Now get started!

What Household Budget Percentage Breakdown Is Typical?

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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Discount Organics - Six Tips for Buying Organic Foods on a Budget

We all know the benefits of eating organic foods, but sometimes the costs can be prohibitive. Here are six tips to help you buy organic while staying within your budget.

1. Get a card. One of the best ways to save on organic food, and foods of all kind, is to sign up for a free supermarket savings card. Many different grocery stores have savings cards that allow you take a certain percentage off of your total bill, or that give special prices on certain food items. As an added benefit, supermarkets collect data on their customers' buying habits. By using your card and buying organic, you could be affecting their future buying decisions. If more people like you buy organic, your favorite supermarket may begin to stock more.

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2. Buy generic organics. Many supermarkets also carry generic store-brand organics. These brands can have the same ingredients as pricey, brand-name organic products, but at a fraction of the cost. You might be surprised at the quality of ingredients that you'll find in store brands.

3. Look online for coupons for organic foods. This, of course, only works on pre-packaged organic foods. Go to the website of your favorite health food stores as well as your favorite companies and get on their mailing lists so they can email you promotions and coupon codes.

4. Don't skip the warehouse. Savings on organic food doesn't stop at the local supermarket. You can also save big when you buy at warehouse clubs. Many warehouse stores are starting to carry organic produce, organic frozen meals and even eco-friendly household items. You can purchase items that you use every day, such as oil or flour, and lower your costs for organic goods.

5. Shop farmer's markets. Try shopping at local farmer's markets for fresh produce grown organically. Look for farmer's markets in the newspaper and try to find one nearby on a weekend or weeknight. As you are shopping, you can ask the farmers how they grow the produce and if they use organic methods. Keep in mind that, at a farmer's market, you'll only be able to buy produce that is in season, but the prices may be as much as half to one third cheaper than you'll find at supermarkets. You may even be able to lower prices further by buying in bulk from farmers.

6. Know what you need. You can also save on your total food costs by making your organic choices carefully. You don't have to buy everything 100 percent organic. Adjust your purchases based on your needs and the level of pesticides that different foods contain. Some produce, such as bananas, avocados, and broccoli, retain less of the pesticides, so you can feel safer buying conventional varieties of these types of foods, and going organic with other items, such as like apples, cherries, and peaches.

Discount Organics - Six Tips for Buying Organic Foods on a Budget

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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Success Depends on Carrying Over Your Marketing Message to the Retail Floor

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided to spend a day in the yard raking up the last of my fall leaves. Not wanting to lose my belt-clipped cell phone during the process, I removed it, placed it on the counter and did my best to corral the leaves that ultimately would fill 23 yard bags.

After completing my chore, I went to retrieve my phone, but instead of finding it on the counter where I had left it, I found it submerged in the dog's water dish at my feet. It seems that the vibrating ring tone gave my cell phone just enough mobility to walk to the edge of the counter and take the plunge into the drink.

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Replacing the phone involved a sales procedure I'm sure all marketers would like to mimic, but very few can. It involved me setting an appointment with a sales consultant -who actually understood the various cell phones being offered and the service plans that were available- a 45-minute visit with the sales consultant and me walking out the door not only with a new phone and higher-priced service plan, but also an entirely new commitment to a broadband wireless Internet service via the mobile phone network.

Compare my experience to another high-tech consumer shopping experience that will be repeated over and over this holiday season: shoppers seeking an HDTV from Santa. Many walk into an electronics store after seeing an ad in the newspaper or a commercial on television convinced that they want the high-def viewing experience but fuzzy on the details. They engage in a conversation with a sales associate who may be selling HDTVs one day, computer peripherals the next and maybe even a kitchen range the next. Customers ask questions, sales associates do their best to answer, but things get murky -so much so that as many as 30 percent of HDTV owners don't sign up to receive an HD signal via cable or satellite, according to a recent article in USA Today.

Oh how the Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung and other HDTV manufacturers must pine to create a sales experience involving their products like the one I had buying my new cell phone!

Consider this: In 2006, total spending on advertising in the United States will exceed 0 billion, according to an article from Metrics 2.0. Yet once an ad runs in a newspaper or magazine or a commercial is played back on television, the amount of control a marketer can exert on messaging, consumer education, and influencing a purchasing decision dissipates rapidly. How many marketers get a little queasy thinking about the money they've spent on an ad that motivates a consumer to go to a store to buy their product, only to have those shoppers redirected by a sales associate into buying a competitor's product? Compare that to my friendly sales associate who educated and influenced my cell phone purchase in an environment that the cellular service provider controlled.

While it's not practical for all the HDTV manufacturers -or those of other products- to offer their products in their own stores where they control the sales process as thoroughly as my cell phone salesman, it is important that marketers begin to see retail stores as a communications medium, according to a recent MediaPost.com article.

In "In-Store Media Significant Influence on Purchase Decisions," author Jack Loechner quotes Joe Pilotta, vice president of research for BIGresearch, as saying that "the store is a medium of communications" and "media has relevance and influence on a purchase decision."

That's where digital signage can stand in for a knowledgeable sales consultant like the one I encountered. Digital signage can carry through the marketing message transmitted in newsprint or on TV to the point of purchase, relieving to a large degree, the nausea that strikes marketers who wonder what happens when they're ads are no longer present to influence events.

The Bigresearch study quoted in the article found that in-store TV influenced or greatly influenced 10 percent of adults 18 years old and up in making purchasing decisions. The tie between in-store TV and digital signage is obvious. What might not be as obvious is that digital signage can play a strategic role for marketers and retailers when it comes to shelf coupons and special displays, which influenced or greatly influenced shoppers 39.5 percent and 35.5 percent of shoppers, respectively. Digital signage plays in this space -particularly in terms of shelf coupons- when set up with the right software and hardware to do double duty as an interactive kiosk.

What's needed to pull off this carry though in marketing messages to the store floor is deep sixing old attitudes and concepts about marketing and planning ways to use digital signage strategically to re-enforce and expand upon the print and broadcast ads that currently command the biggest share of the marketing budget. Doing so may soon mean the difference between success and failure.

Success Depends on Carrying Over Your Marketing Message to the Retail Floor

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Monday, July 25, 2011

How to Get a Home Depot Discount Coupon

Home Depot gives customers a 10% off coupon who are moving. This can take up to 3 or 4 months because the coupon is sent in the mail. They give their employees a 20% off coupon during the holidays and the coupon can only be used by an employee. You can however use this coupon at Lowes Home Improvement because they will match any competitor's coupon.

Customers who are on Home Depot's mailing list will receive coupons in the mail throughout the year. These coupons are usually $10 off of a purchase. If you had several of these you could save a lot of money.

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Combining a discount coupon with the items in the store already marked down is a great way to save hundreds. Home Depot frequently marks down their items already on clearance. To make sure you don't miss a great buy, check the store frequently. If you see an item in the clearance section that has been sitting there for quite some time, ask a sales associate if they would mark it down a little more. This has happened many times. Home Depot does not want to have any liquidation items so after it has been on clearance for a week or two they are then ready to mark it down again and again.

Combining discount coupons with items already marked forty percent off of clearance price is a great way to shop. You could even stock up on several items that are on sale and sell them for full retail price.

How to Get a Home Depot Discount Coupon

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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Free Restaurant Coupons is Marketing That Pays Dividends For Restaurant Owners

When someone owns a restaurant they know they must do something to keep a steady flow of customers coming into their establishment. One of the most effective they accomplish this is with free restaurant coupons. Effective restaurant marketing is all about keeping the restaurants name known to the public and reinforcing the quality of the food, service, and value the restaurant provides. There are several ways a restaurant owner can market their restaurant without spending a fortune at the same time.

Some of the most common methods in restaurant marketing are yellow pages listings, flyers, and radio ads. Most of these methods are expensive and for the most part are out of reach for most restaurants on tight advertising budgets, but coupons offer substantial value to those seeking a great deal while dining out.

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With the Internet offering free information for anyone with a computer at home, laptop, or smart phone, finding the perfect restaurant is a click away for instant results with the details that are important, such as cuisine, location, reviews, and even the most popular spots for nightlife fun after you meal, but the real value for using the internet is in getting free coupons for dining out.

Free restaurant coupons will bring people into a restaurant by offering additional value in dining out. People are all about saving money these days, so if there are coupons that will allow them to enjoy a nice meal out while not costing them a fortune they will go for it.

These restaurant coupons can be for any discount the restaurant wants to offer. They can be based on certain time or dates, fixed rates or a percentage off your total bill. They can offer a buy one meal get one free. They can be for free items or other valuable inducements that will draw the customer in.

Why is this kind of restaurant marketing a good idea? Because it brings customers into the restaurant and building traffic is the key to success. If they leave satisfied then they will return. If they leave satisfied then they will recommend the restaurant to others and every marketer knows that 'word of mouth' is the best restaurant marketing there is. So these coupons can greatly benefit the owners of the restaurant.

Of course they are saving the customers money also. This is a great appeal to the customers. This will give the customer an added incentive to come to the restaurant.

The best way for a restaurant to do some restaurant marketing with these coupons is on the internet. They will make them available on there for customers to go check out. All the customer has to do is go on the internet and type in restaurant coupons and many sites will pop up. They will put in their zip code and it will show restaurants in their area. They can choose a coupon from a restaurant that interest them and print it out.

Now the path is set. The customers use the coupons and save money and the restaurant benefits and profits because they did. This is some great restaurant marketing. If you own a restaurant try this tactic. If you are a prospective customer you should go check out these coupons. All will be happy they did.

Free Restaurant Coupons is Marketing That Pays Dividends For Restaurant Owners

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Friday, July 22, 2011

Toys R Us Coupon Codes

Toys R Us is one of the biggest retailers of toys in the world. It is also one of the most imitated names in the world. There companies all over the place with names like 'Carpets R Us', 'Taxis R Us' et cetera, et cetera. Toys R Us also has quite an extraordinary Internet presence.

This equals that millions of people are looking for Toys R Us coupon codes, especially at Christmas. Money-off coupons for Toys R Us can save lots of money on modern toys as well as traditional toys such as dolls' prams, dolls' houses, rocking horses, board games and dolls.

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Coupon codes are a array of numbers and letters, which when entered at the checkout will reduce the cost of the thing that you are purchasing or entitle you to a bonus with that item. They can be entered at physical and Internet checkout points of sale.in exactly the same way. There are a number of benefits associated with coupon codes, some of which we will talk about later in this article.

The first and most obvious advantage of using coupons is the discounts that they provide. A Toys R Us coupon could give a fixed discount, maybe , a percentage discount as in 5%, or a bonus, as in a free outfit with each Barbie doll or three outfits for the price of two.

If you are shopping on the Internet, the added value might be in the manner of free delivery, although that may be only within a fixed geographical zone such as continental United States.

Convenience can be a big consideration. If you do not know what toy to buy for a youngster and you have a fixed amount to spend and you see a discount coupon for a suitable toy, then that can make your mind up for you.

For instance, if you were going to purchase a board game, and there is a 10% discount on Monopoly, why not get Monopoly? It saves having to think about whether to buy Risk, Monopoly or Cleudo, does it not?

On line shoppers frequently get fairly limited issue coupon codes as a loyalty bonus or to encourage them to come back and buy something again. These personalized coupon codes are often quite generous, but may be quite specific.

For example. if you bought a Barbie on line a couple months ago, Toys R Us may send you a coupon code for Barbie clothing three or four weeks before Christmas. This sort of coupon is normally distributed by email.

All in all, Toys R Us coupon codes, similar to any other coupons, are useful, if you would like the item they are discounting or can find a use for it. They are especially useful at Christmas, when people have to buy several gifts.

However, you must not let coupons from any company persuade you to purchase and do not hold your breath waiting for a coupon off any item that is in huge demand, money-off coupons are normally reserved for items that are not selling too well or are last year's hot seller.

Toys R Us Coupon Codes

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Ways to Use Coupon and Discount Codes in Your Website - Drive Sales and Learn About Your Business!

If you have a website and you sell products, you will want to consider using coupon codes and discount codes. The proper use of them can teach you a great deal about your business while also driving sales.

1) E-Commerce Sites

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Coupon codes and discount codes are a must for e-commerce sites. Consumers expect them and look for them. You should create these codes with definite expiration dates and with specific goals in mind.

Sample goals:

- Move a specific line of products (product-specific codes)

- Increase overall sales (site-wide code)

- Pre-sell items (product-specific code)

- Clearance items (product-specific code)

- Announce new product line (product-specific code)

When you set up your coupon or discount codes, you also want to track where the person found the code. Set up different codes for each of the following resources:

- Your internal blog and website

- Your e-mail distribution list

- One for each of your social media accounts/sites

- External blogs (one per blog)

- External sites (one per site)

Setting up your coupon and discount codes in this manner will help you learn where your buyers are coming from. You want to know who is actually buying on your site and where are they coming from. Coupon codes are a good way to start to learn this.

You can even set up different coupon and discount amounts based on the resource. For example, you may negotiate with a large blog that you will offer their readers a bigger discount code than offered anywhere else in exchange for a blog posting about your site. It can be an effective bargaining chip because all blog owners want to reward their followers.

2) Brick and Mortar Stores

Your website may or may not sell directly online. Regardless of whether or not it does, you want to offer coupon codes and discount codes that they can print and bring into your store. This will help you start to see how much traffic is driven from your site to your store.

Auto dealerships and restaurants effectively use this to gauge how well their online marketing is going. Simply have a printable coupon or discount certificate that must be presented at your business and see the effect of your marketing.

Similar to the e-commerce sites, you want to have different certificates or coupon codes based on where they found you. This will help you determine which resources are driving the most traffic to your website.

3) Frequency and Discount Amounts

At the very least you should offer quarterly discount codes. Depending on your business you may consider monthly, weekly or even daily specials. If you are going to offer any discount codes you want to make sure they are real. People will read right through "fake" discounts and you will lose all credibility.

Some discount and coupon codes you can consider:

- Free domestic shipping

- Free overnight shipping

- 10% - 90% off (you determine the appropriate percentage off)

- Buy 1 get 1 free (or similar)

- Free gift with purchase

Again, the key is creating a real discount code or coupon code that has value. If you do this you can increase sales while also learning important information about where your business gets its clients/customers.

Ways to Use Coupon and Discount Codes in Your Website - Drive Sales and Learn About Your Business!

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Getting In On The Lucrative Coupon Business

Here is a business with true unlimited opportunity. "Everyone and their brother" uses coupons -- they are well known and well ingrained element of the American Way!
Basically, this idea is to sell coupons for services that merchants have agreed to honor with service or products as an advertising expense to promote their businesses.
A few ago, an experienced and highly successful entrepreneur walked into a neighborhood service station and announced to owner: "i can double your business in 30 days and it won't cost you a dime -- are you interested?"
Needless to say, the owner was usually interested. They signed a contract requiring the entrepreneur to pay all the costs for printing and distributing of 500 coupon books and receive all proceeds from their sales for his effort.
The service station agreed to honor 20 specific free service coupons (such as battery charge, tow-in, oil change, flat tire repair) on a one coupon per visit basis.
Most of the free services involved no out-of-pocket expense. In order for the customer to take advantage of all the coupon offers, he had to visit the station 20 times. This was good news for the station owner who was confident he could keep a good percentage of them as new customers after 20 visits.
The entrepreneur had coupon booklets printed and assembled, worked out a presentation (canned spiel) for sub-salesmen who sold them door to door for .95 each.
The salesman's presentation began, when a adult answered or came to the door. It began: "how do you do, sir. Do you have an automobile?"
This almost guaranteed the desired YES answer, since any car in the family counted. Then, "I'm (first name) from the Signal service station over on First and Main and I have some complimentary service for you!" The salesman then briefly describe each coupon and winds up by offering the booklet for .95.
After the salesman's commission per booklet and printing costs, the entrepreneur cleared 00 on that first 500 coupon booklet contract, and did even better on a repeat order the following year!
There are many possible variations to this type of business. The best part is that everyone (the buyer, the salesmen AND the customers), and don't do all that badly yourself. Here are a few suggested variations:
1. design and sell coupons for merchants to sell or give away themselves -- at their places of business or publish in the newspaper. Normally this is a one-time fee to design their coupons and promotion.
2. Work with community non-profit and fund raiser groups to sell coupons or books of coupons for donated goods and services. You can either charge a fee for your services or a percentage of sales.
3. Print local school sports schedules and sell advertising space (cut-out coupons) to merchants. Sell or give the schedules away or let the school sell them. Your profit is included in the cost of the coupons.
4. Design and offer a package of coupons from area merchants in a WELCOME KIT for newcomers or tourists. get their names from the water or electric company (connections), or from RV parks and motels (visitors).
5. Charge merchants to print and distribute freebie coupons that involve no out-of-pocket expense on their part, such as a half priced dinner with a full course one, a free roll of film with developing, or an extra gallon of gas with ten.
6. Charge merchants to print and distribute advertising specials with a guaranteed minimum distribution. For example, that to print and distribute 1,000 of their coupons to homes in the community. You can give these low rates because you can handle several different, non-competing orders collectively. You can print 10 or so coupons to the page and pay kids 10 each to distribute packets, booklets or sheets of 50 such packets, each operation could gross 41250 and net up to ,000!
One of the strongest selling points for coupons is that the customer must visit the place of business to redeem them. They can easily be restricted to the redemption of one coupon per visit to stretch the effectiveness of package offers.
Other limitations (such as "good until...") can be included in the fine print. The merchant not only gets the potential customer into his store, where he hopefully will buy something else while there.
When negotiating with prospective clients for coupon contracts, don't volunteer too many restrictions on your self. If the client is adamant about something, by all means include wording in the agreement to allay his fears.
You certainly aren't out to take advantage of your customers, but you also don't want to unnecessarily limit yourself.
For example, if a client does not want the offer to last more than 90 days or to distribute over 500 coupon booklets, include this stipulation in the contract.
If the client does not insist on limitations such as these, use your good judgment not to continue beyond a reasonable period or to distribute an inordinate number of booklets.
You may want to deal with this client again and your reputation as an ethical business person is too important to jeopardize it by taking unfair advantage of a client.
Coupons can be printed in quality color on fine paper, or they can be produced by the most inexpensive means available (including desktop publishing and copying).
It is their offer that makes them desirable, not so much their looks. Tis is not to say, however, that a little flourish is bad. If you can have them printed with fancy borders, illustration cuts, or on colored paper, by all means do so -- just don't make them so expensive they are hard to sell.
Coupons can be for free services, merchandise, discounts, or good only with a purchase -- any desired terms or conditions can be spelled out right on the coupon.
They can be distributed door-to-door, sold at stores, mailed out or given as premiums with purchases.
They can be offered in booklets, as certificates, printed as attachments (cut off or out) to other material or grocery bag stuffers at the supermarket.
Coupons are a form of advertising that is not offensive. People almost always look at them to see what they offer -- all of which are reasons why your customers should consider coupons as an affordable and highly effective form of advertising!
To start a coupon business, look around your community for businesses that you think could use some boosting (but keep that opinion to yourself).
Think of a plan that you think would achieve the desired result, then figure out how you can put it into effect. Locate a printer to work with and find out how much you will have to pay for different types of printing AND different sized orders (stress the fact that you hope to have many such orders in the future). Learn the different pricing combinations and be prepared to offer your clients different packages and prices.
For example, how much more (per 500 or 1,000) would it cost to use colored ink and/or paper; larger size print or to include a logo or border? What about larger orders -- where are the volume price breaks? Familiarize yourself well so you can tell prospective clients exactly what you can do for what price.
Place an ad in the local paper, but don't use the word coupons in your ad: use something like "business builder" or "profit expanders." The idea to convey here is that your will help your client build his business -- but not reveal your methods until you can present the entire plan in context.
During the planning stages of your first few orders, you might want to consult a lawyer to help with the contract wording and answer any questions.
Now, rather than just sit back and wait for the orders to roll in, start calling on businesses in your area and leave each one a card (and brochure, if you have one).
Tip: Get a Rolodex type punch and have your business name at the top of your business cards, Then, when secretaries put your card on their rolodex, your name will be prominent.
When you have worked out a tentative plan for a specific business, contact that business and ask for an appointment to explain your plan to increase their business.
Be ready to incorporate and additional specifications and if acceptable to you, adjust your prices accordingly. If they won't cooperate, (most will at least listen), you can still use most of the presentation (since it is still unused) for the next potential contract.
Don't be too surprised if that first job is a little difficult to get. After all, you are still an unknown commodity at this early stage. But just wait until the word gets around that their business increased (or other businesses think their competition might be gaining on them due to you coupon plan!).
Each successive contract will be easier to present and sign. Soon, businesses will ask for your assistance. That is when you can start thinking about hiring help or raising your prices.

LOWES 10 PERCENT OFF COUPON

Getting In On The Lucrative Coupon Business

LOWES 10 PERCENT OFF COUPON

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Grand Canyon West Rim Helicopter Tour Coupons

In less than five minutes, I'm going to tell you how to save up to 35 percent on Las Vegas helicopter tours to the Grand Canyon.

Ready? OK, here we go.

10 PERCENT OFF COUPON

Las Vegas is the king of discount helicopter tours. This is due to competition among tour companies for your travel dollar.

Papillon, Maverick, and Sundance are all based in Las Vegas. These companies are huge, and West Rim helicopter trips are a huge part of their business.

The "pie" is most certainly big enough: More than 35 million people annually visit Vegas. Say just 10 percent of these folks took a helicopter ride. That's 3.5 million trips!

Everyone, from the hotel concierge and the ticket vendor on the street to the travel agent and the resort hotel itself, profits at your expense.

What to do? Purchase direct from the tour operator. It's ironic, but true: The companies that own the helicopters and fly the tours want your business. And they are willing to reward you with big discounts if you buy direct.

Papillon Helicopters, for example, offers significant price cuts on its West Rim trips. Its popular Grand Celebration tour retails at 9 but can be purchased on its website for 0. Or take its Grand Celebration with boat and Skywalk. This tour retails for 7 but is available for 0 online. The savings really rack up as you upgrade your package to include such activities as rafting, horseback riding, and the Skywalk.

Groups of ten or more enjoy up to an additional 10 percent off the promotional price. This extra savings is not automatic. Let's take Papillon Helicopters again. On their site, find the West Rim tour you want. Then, on the left-hand side, click the blue bar for "small-group" pricing. The web page will refresh and now you are in group mode.

Here are some West Rim quick facts that will help you find the tour that meets your needs:

1. The West Rim is the only place where you can fly to the bottom. I strongly recommend that you consider a bottom-landing tour like Papillon's Grand Celebration.

2. The West Rim is home to the Skywalk, the glass bridge that extends 70 feet over the edge and suspends you 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.

3. Most helicopter tours to Grand Canyon West take just half a day. It takes 45 minutes to reach the Rim, which are 120 east of Las Vegas. Great aerial views of Lake Mead and Hoover Dam are included.

4. This Rim is home to the most activities. River rafting, horseback riding, ATV trail riding. There's even a package that includes a working ranch in El Dorado Canyon.

Savvy travelers know you never pay full retail price for Grand Canyon helicopter tours. Las Vegas is stacked with promo codes and discounts, some of which discount your tour price by up to 35 percent. Papillon Helicopters is your best option for cheap, quality tours to Grand Canyon West.

Their best deals are on their website and must be booked online. Groups usually get an additional 10 percent off. Helicopters are a great way to visit the West Rim. Combined with incredible promotional offers, the time to go is now.

Grand Canyon West Rim Helicopter Tour Coupons

10 PERCENT OFF COUPON