Trends for 2005

According to an article posted by Small Business Trends, it's looking like it could be a great year for small business :)

A few trends for 2005, according to Watts Wacker, the renowned futurist are:

Accelerated Online Sales: We are going to see an increase in the increase of buying online. Online shopping and technology has moved beyond the early adopters and the mainstream. It is now so well established it is drawing in the laggards. Watts drew an analogy from hearing a cell phone ringing during a church service. He said don't assume it is just a rude person. It is probably someone in his 70's who just purchased a cell phone for the first time who doesn't yet realize what the rest of us have known for some time about cell phone etiquette

Return of Loyalty: After years of saying "loyalty is dead" and "consumers are fickle," there are signs that when people find something that works, they stay with it. Expect to see the real power not only of service (i.e., how you provide something) but experience (i.e., how I feel about the result). This bodes well for the small business market -- and Watts suggests small businesses think about customer loyalty strategies. He points to the example of the high-end Dorothy Lane grocery stores, and how they stopped advertising. They took their ad money and developed a loyalty award program: the top 10 shoppers get an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

So how can we apply this knowledge to home based business? In the first trend, with the increase of online shopping, everyone needs to make sure the visitors to their site will have a pleasant and memorable visit. Easy site navigation, easy to read, a convenient shopping cart are just a few of the things that are necessary for every online retail store.

For the second trend, Customer Loyalty... how can you ensure that your customers will return for more? By delivering more than the customer is expecting, following up with customers, prompt shipping, top notch customer service are all keys to loyalty.

Here's an article that may be useful in helping you build your own Customer Loyalty Plan.

We'll be discussing this in further depth in an upcoming chat, so stay tuned!!

~ Dianne ~

Reflections of the Past

The end is very near for 2004. What steps do you take in closing out the old and reigning in the New Year business wise?

I personally take some time to reflect over the past year. The choices that I made - were the joint ventures that I entered into worth while? What advertising worked for me and what didn't - what needs to be adjusted. Is my business plan still on target and if not, what adjustments need to be made there.

More importantly for me right now is -- are my members happy with the services we've been offering, and what other services can we implement in 2005 to make our membership community even stronger?!!

Perhaps you set personal and business goals at the start of every new year - have you achieved all of your goals for 2004? If not, I challenge you to sit down and really think about WHY you didn't achieve them.

Many people think that just creating a goal is enough, truth is though, that's far from the reality of the situation. Setting your goal is the ultimate finale - that's what you want to achieve usually by a date that you set for yourself. The factor that most people miss out on however is How Will You Achieve Your Goal? Each goal needs to be carefully planned out. Each goal needs to be broken down into numerous smaller goals, and with each little goal achieved, you take one step closer to you ultimate goal!

Here's an absolutlety superb *free* resource that can help you realize your goals - the Resolution Success System.

Here's some of what you will find inside:

1. The Resolution Disillusion
Why do our resolutions fail?
2. Step One: Learning the Resloution Success System
Focus on the method and not the result.
3. Step Two: Pick One and Get It Done
Narrow your focus to achievable goals.
4. Step Three: Divide and Conquer
Deconstruct your goal in to managable parts.
5. Step Four: The Rule of 20
Learn how to take action.

...and more!

I've found it unbelievably helpful to me with my goal setting, and I hope that you will too. Please note that I am in no way associated with the Resolution Success System and earn nothing.. not so much as a thank you (lol) for referring you.

Dianne >:o)

Marketing with Message Boards

Dianne Fratscher, founder of WahmsUnited (http://www.wahmsunited.com), a resource and educational site for those either interested in starting a home business, or those current home business owners looking for further success.

Dianne has been an online work at home mom (WAHM) since the summer of 2002, after health issues interfered with working outside the home. Today, a full time mother of 2 and part time entrepreneur, Dianne enjoys the freedom of working online – according to her own schedule.

Affordable means of advertising and site promotion are key issues to the majority of home based business owners, and through her workshop on Marketing with Message Boards, Dianne will teach you how she succeeds in marketing herself as an Expert in her field.

Join Dianne on Thursday, January 20th, 2005 at 12:00 noon EST at www.webpageone.org to discover how you too can bring further success to your business by utilizing this well known media.