http://www.maccopy.com.au/ Mac Copy Design & Print Articles http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4993 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4993 1  - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.  During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4991 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4991 Ok, so last month we learned 10 quick and easy ways to stay in regular contact with your customers.  And the first way was to have a regular newsletter.  Many people have asked “but how do I structure my newsletter?”  So this article will provide you with the basic to include. When making decisions regarding your newsletter, you must make the decisions like you are the customer receiving the... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4412 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4412 YOU’RE INVITED! With the growing success of BNI in the Gold Coast Region, many business people have been waiting to hear when BNI will have another opportunity for them to get involved. Well we’re off and running. BNI is a business network that has enabled me to receive enough referrals to help grow my business to what it is today. Our current team have been working very hard to have the basis of a successful... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4414 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4414 Staying top of mind to our clients is very important to ensuring repeat business.  Your clients see thousands of advertising messages each and every day.  To make sure you and your company are the next choice for their job you need to remain top of mind.  In this article I have listed 10 quick and easy ways to have regular contact with your clients.  1. Regular Newsletter Send your customers a regular... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4332 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4332 Even if you don’t realise it you are networking, and working your network! If you mention to friends over a casual dinner that you just had your pool cleaned and the job was perfect, not to mention the guy wasn’t half bad either, you are networking. Word of mouth, networking and referral business are an important part of your marketing mix which should not be ignored. Networking is one of the most cost effective ways... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4289 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4289 The end of the financial year has been and gone. So how did your company perform? Did you get the end of year results you budgeted for? If you want to improve your bottom line this financial year, try our month by month guide to marketing your business. Some of these strategies are completely free – whilst other will require a small investment. By combining them all together by the end of the next financial year your business... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4169 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4169 My boyfriend Dean and I have recently moved into our first home. We purchased the house in October, already tenanted. In December we struck a burst hot water tank. The burst tank caused over $15,000 worth of damage and resulted in replacement of stairs, carpet and walls. As the stairs had mammoth amounts of mould growing on them, they were deemed unsafe and our tenants had to say goodbye. As we had the correct insurance we were covered for... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3735 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3735 A wonderful story which was emailed to me this week. I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now. A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4168 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4168 If you are going to spend the money to advertise in Yellow Pages wouldn’t it be worth have an advertisement which is going to generate you income, not just look pretty. Yellow Pages advertising isn’t cheap so it is in your best interest to make sure your hard earned money to working for you. Most business owners leave the design & layout of their ad to the Yellow Pages design team. Yellow Pages aren’t... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4167 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=4167 In part one I explained that marketing is like a pie, where each piece makes up a component and it’s all tied together with your branding. The last article explained the components of branding, advertising, positioning, price, public relations and location. A copy of the article is available at this link. In this article I will explain the remaining components of; website, new business development, signage, new product... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3073 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3073 Remember the day when you first decided to start you business – you realised that you were a great plumber, lawyer etc, so why not. You had this image in your mind that all your clients would be lining up for you to complete their work. 12 months down the track things aren’t exactly as planned. This phenomenon is the basis of the E-Myth – that you got into business because you are good at what you do –... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2937 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2937 Online newsletters (ezine's) are a quick and effective way of reaching your clients.  You are able to keep them informed about new products and special offers and they are a great way to get your clients back to your website or into your office.  However, as we are all aware, we are bombarded with hundreds of emails, so the trick is to keep your clients interested.  We want to make sure that your ezine... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2545 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2545 Email marketing is the new way to reach your clients in a quick and cost effective manner.  There are many email marketing programs available, but what should you be looking for in order to get the best value and greatest flexibility?  I have included tips and hints of features you should consider when choosing your email marketing program. Spam If you have taken the time to gain your clients and prospects... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2723 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2723 Digital developments are continuing apace, as the mainstream printing community embraces the benefits of the digital world, which in three years time will be outputting 53 trillion pages a year HERE is no doubt that digital printing has come of age. From shaky beginnings on the fringes of print a dozen years ago to solid growth in what is approaching the mainstream digital print has steadily moved forward, and that movement is now getting... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2324 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2324 The Internet is becoming a safer place for businesses thanks to the recently established Website Standards Association. While the Internet has revolutionised the way companies can do business, it has also allowed many of these companies to be ripped off by the surprisingly large number of website developers that produce below-standard websites. Website Standards Association (WSA) was established in 2006 to promote the production of... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2203 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2203 Hello to you all! Isn't life amazing! Every moment of every day, we have the ability to create for ourselves new beginnings and new challenges that will help us reach our full potential, and that all things are possible.In business it's easy to be overwhelmed by negative thoughts, people and circumstances, but we can take steps to understand what it means to live a balanced life.Here are 7 tips to keep yourself in balance through the... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2204 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2204 "The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers" Your brand is what sets you apart from your competitors. It is how your customers see you and your business. Many of your customers perceptions of you and and your brand are not... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2202 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2202 Business cards are vital to business success. They are often the first impression of your company. Are your business cards portraying the image which you want to project? I have included 8 tips to creating a successful business card, hence a successful first impression. 1. Get a professional graphic designer The best way to ensure you put your best forward is to enlist the help of a professional graphic designer. Do your research and ask to... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2206 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2206 The New Year is the time of year when everyone sets their New Year Resolutions. Most of them are surrounding weight loss, giving up smoking, and debt reduction. Statistically, 90% of the New Year resolutions you made will be broken by February. I believe 2007 will be the year that we can all achieve our New Year Resolutions by following some simple fail-proof steps; 1. SMART Resolutions - Make sure they are SMART resolutions. SMART is the... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2205 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2205 On Thursday 21st September 2006, Leonie and I attended a seminar in Brisbane put on by the National College Of Business. Kerry McEvoy, one of the directors at the NCB told us his tale, from living on rice and tomato sauce to being listed on the BRW young rich list and living a truly ful filling life. Apart from Kerry's recommendation to live a life full of passion, the thing that stuck out the most for me was his concept of easy or easier.... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2207 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=2207 Traditional LetterheadThe dictionary defines a letterhead as "a printed heading on stationery, esp. one giving the name and address of a business concern, an institution, etc. - a sheet of paper with such a heading." Traditionally companies have all their details including but not limited to name, address, phone & fax number, email and web address, ABN and ACN printed on to paper in a designed manner. These are printed in either one,... http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3734 http://www.maccopy.com.au/?process=views/article.php&articleId=3734 In your previous Success Marketing Strategy I pointed out how you can win the battle of building your business by understanding the importance of Customer Service Diplomacy and the effect it has on word of mouth advertising. One of the organizations that really understands and stresses this is Disney. The Disney Parks, Disney Land and Disney World benefit tremendously from repeat business and from word-of-mouth advertising because of the...