Welcome to the NEW weekly e-zine Business Consultant Weekly

Business Consultant Weekly is a FREE newsletter brought to you by NetChecks of Quartz Hill, CA <http://netcheckspayroll.com> helping small and home businesses succeed.

The goal of this newsletter is to bring insight into the challenges you face whether you're going it alone or working in a group to carve out a niche in the business world. Increase your cash flow and productivity with informative articles on time management, marketing, daily operations, and read messages from well-known motivational speakers that will encourage you to persevere toward your goal.

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In this issue:

1) Tip of the Week

2) FEATURE ARTICLE: Tame Your Telephone by Billee Pike

3) Classifieds

4) FREE Resources

5) MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE: FINDING A BEST FRIEND by Bill Hodges

"Tip of the Week"

Last week's tip recommended bulletin boards as a good way to communicate your product or service to the local community. A good choice for marketing on bulletin boards and through direct mail are brochures. Brochures can range from the small, inexpensive type to more expensive glossy types, depending on your particular product or service. The goal of a brochure, like any sales material, is to convey your message effectively and move your prospect to buy.

For most brochures, I suggest seeking the advice of a printer to ensure a professional look. In order to save on set up costs, do as much of the preliminary work as possible. Following are some things to think about before calling the printer:

1. Confirm that they support the platform you're working in...usually Windows or Apple.

2. After verifying the program, check that you're both using the same version. If you're using an older version, there is a greater chance of incompatibility.

3. Check to see if they have the font you've chosen. You must either supply a copy of the screen and printer fonts (check your font license agreement) or limit yourself to the fonts installed on both systems.

4. Special characters like bullets, copyright marks, etc. do not always translate from platform to platform.

5. If you plan to use photographs, ask the printer about their capabilities and cost for handling them. 6. Always review the final proof on paper before it goes to press. Check then re-check since the printer's liability for mistakes usually ends when you leave with your brochure.

FEATURE ARTICLE

Tame Your Telephone by Billee Pike

Your telephone can be one of your most valuable business tools. Or it can become a time management handicap Ñ incessantly demanding your attention and be coming more of an intrusive interruption than an asset. And it can cost you hours of precious time. Here are some ways to tame your telephone:

Is it really necessary to answer your phone each time it rings? If not, let your answering machine or voice mail answer it for you.

Leave a short greeting on your answering machine or voice mail. Some people won't wait to leave a message if your greeting is too long. Also, in your greeting, ask people to leave a detailed message so you'll be better prepared for your return call.

Make sure you have everything you need before you make or return your calls, for instance, customer files, price lists, order forms, a pen.

Make or return calls during a certain block of time. Anytime you group activities together, it's a time saver.

Make or return calls between 4 and 5 p.m. Most people end their business day around 5 p.m., so they will be more inclined to get down to business rather than chat.

Use a timer. When you answer or make a phone call, set your timer for a certain amount of time. When the timer goes off, it's time to wind up the call.

Do other "busy" work while you're on the phone. Stuff envelopes, sign letters, staple reports, etc.

Use a speaker phone or headset. With your hands free, you can be far more productive. It's much easier and faster to check files, use the computer, take notes or other necessary tasks.

Leave a detailed message when you get an answering machine or voice mail during your outgoing calls. This lets the other person be prepared when they return your call. If your message is detailed enough, it may eliminate the need for a call-back altogether.

Control your time on the phone and you will save valuable time. Remember, in one hour of uninterrupted time, you can get as much done as you would in 2 hours of interruptible time. Think about it (but not too long Ñ you have work to do!). HBM

Billee Pike has a full line of reports and books, many with reprint and resell rights. Send $1.00 to the following address for a copy of her catalog: DAILEE DISPATCH , 7415 Bauchat, Brighton, MI 48116-9145.

Originally Published at http://www.homebusinessmag.com/

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MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE

FINDING A BEST FRIEND copyright 1998 William N Hodges, used by permission

Have you ever looked for a best friend? Probably not. Best friends generally just seem to appear. But if you did look for a best friend, what criteria would you use? Here are a few that I think might be important.

1. A best friend will care about you. To use the word "care" is somewhat nebulous; but in this instance, I mean one who is sensitive to your needs.

2. A best friend will speak well of you. He will never run you down or miss an opportunity to build you up.

3. A best friend will help you build on your strengths. He will cheer you on for your accomplishments, and help you overcome your setbacks.

4. A best friend is good company. She is one whose company you find interesting, entertaining, and/or stimulating.

5. A best friend is one you know will be there for you when you need him. It's easy to lie down and quit in the face of adversity; but a best friend will stay the course, remaining strong.

6. A best friend will see beyond your faults. None of us are so perfect that we do not have faults. A best friend sees through the surface faults and dwells on the goodness within each of us.

7. A best friend will challenge you. He will help you, as the U.S. Army says,"... to be all you can be."

8. A best friend will hold you accountable. She will accept your word, and she will insist that you keep it.

There are more ways to define a best friend, but I think this list is a good start. The question is, do you know anyone who meets this criteria in your life-one who you can call a best friend? There should be at least one; that one should be you.

Look at the list. See how well you do at being your own best friend. Are you as sensitive to what you need as you are to the needs of others? Do you speak well of yourself? Do you concentrate on getting better? Do you enjoy your own company? Do you strive to keep your word-especially to yourself? Can you see the goodness within you, and do you challenge yourself to greater levels of accomplishment? If you can say yes to most of these questions, then you are probably a great best friend to yourself and have much to offer to others.

Bill Hodges is nationally recognized speaker, trainer, and columnist. If you enjoyed this article, you will enjoy his book Within Your Reach which contains 60 such articles on positive thinking. If ordering from your local bookstore, reference ISBN #0-9622717-0-5, or you may order directly by sending your check for $4.95 USCurrency plus ($1.30 USA $3.00 Other) for shipping to Hodges Seminars International, P O Box 22 Fairborn OH 45324. Or order by Visa or Mastercharge at his Web site http://www.BillHodges.com

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