DeskTop Lightning - An Honest Review

FFA's, Gifting Programs, Cookie Cutter Scams - I remember them all. With the exception of FFA's, all things of the past. I've been around the Net for a while now. I've watched to programs and products fade into distant memories. Scams - Lord I've seen hundreds of them, with more of them rearing their ugly heads on what seems a daily basis.

Recently I was invited to try out a new marketing/advertising tool called DeskTop Lightning. I was, of course, leary, as being a veteran of the world of Cyberspace will tend to make you.

I checked out the sales page and was intrigued. It sounded like something I've been looking for to solve my newsletter mailing list troubles - you know - you send out an email to your list and you're never really quite sure if the intended receipients every received the message or not? My newsletter list is over 5,000 subscribers, so you can just imagine the frustration I've felt with delivery problems. I've tried RSS feeds, but found it a bit too teckie for me, and have yet to master it. So I've had the problem, but no solution had presented itself. I couldn't help myself - I had to try this software.

And so I started the download process. The software is certified as virus and spyware free, but I scanned it anyway just to be safe. I found neither viruses, nor spyware included in the file. The download for the software was a small file, and the download went not only quickly, but quite smoothly as well.

This is how DTL works. After your download it, it sits in the system tray of your 'puter. When you get a new message, there is a simple pop-up that tells you about the new message. You click on the little pop-up and it opens the software, so you can read the message/s. When you add new members to your network, you are also adding people that you can send your business promotions to.

I've been using the software for approximately 3 weeks. At first I didn't promote at all. I sorta put it on the back burner for the time being. Then I started getting signups. I thought "This is cool!" So I thought, "Well, if I'm getting signups and I'm not even trying to, what would my results be if I did do a little promotion?" So the past week or so, I started doing a small amount of promotion. Mind you, I've not done any broadcasting yet. I wanted to see how easy it was to build my network. To date, I have 7 in my first line group and 2 in my second line.

I am just amazed.

Considering the small amount of work I've done promoting, I have to say...

This is one of the coolest programs I've come across in my 8 1/2 years online. And its hot.

DTL offers both Regular [free] and Platinum membership. Of course the latter offers more tools, you are told when your messages are is opened; sending twice a week instead of weekly [as the regular members can]; send messages in HTML [including subject line] and personalization of your messages. There are other perks as well.

Cost: Platinum memberships are currently $19.99 per month. FYI: You should know that the owner of DeskTop Lightning has already stated that the original price was set at $29.99 per month, but decided to let it go at the lower price. That's about 33% off the original price. How long will this last? Your guess is as good as mine!

Also, there is a 30 trial membership offered.

In conclusion: If you have been looking for a way to replace marketing via email, or building your own list without having to do so via email, you should really give DeskTop Lightning a try. For the small amount of money a month verses never having to deal with the woes of email again.... hands down, its worth it!

Need more information? Visit my site.

When should you hire a business plan consultant? Read below to find out!

When Do I Need to Hire a Business Plan Consultant
by Howard Schwartz

Every new business owner knows that a business plan is critical – it is drilled into them by potential investors and every banking officer they meet. So why is something that is so important to the launch of a new venture so difficult to write? Good question! In this article I will try to address when you should go out and hire a business plan writer versus taking on the task yourself. First time entrepreneurs often cringe when sitting down to write their business plan. Some spend 6 months agonizing over each period and comma, and even worse others spend 6 months procrastinating and do nothing. So lets break it down and see where / when a business planning company should be brought in:

Who will read your business plan and why?

First you need to really understand the purpose of your business plan and who your audience (reader) will be. This is an important point as a business plan being written for a $100,000 loan is VERY different than a document needed for a $10 million round of venture capital! Since this article is focused on first-time small business owners, I will focus on preparing business plans raising less then $1 million in capital. For this “startup” or “seed” business plan 30-35 pages are perfect. You are not expected to deliver a thick book (and no one will read it anyway!). Once you have this down, you can honestly assess which sections you are qualified / comfortable writing and which may need consulting help.

Here is what you should write on your own

It is important for you to write a basic draft / outline of your business plan. Without this direction you are probably asking too much of your consultant. Once you have your thoughts organized on paper you can see what you are comfortable completing. Here are a few suggestions:

Executive Summary: Draft the opening of your business plan – then hire a pro to come in and re-write it. Your executive summary will be read first and first impressions are critical!

Marketing: You need to write your own definition of your target customer / audience. For the market research on industry growth and fancy charts go ahead and hire a consultant.

Competitive Analysis: You should put together the first draft of this section, as it is almost as important to understand your competitors, as it is your customers. If you find a consultant that is an expert in your field, then you can work together and add to your initial list.

The Dreaded Financials

This is the most difficult part of a startup business plan, as you are making projections and assumptions on products / services that you have not even produced or sold yet! If you are stuck on this section you can hire a business plan consultant to just assist you with completing your projections (income statement, cash flow, and balance sheet). Figuring out the cost of goods, delivery costs, and return rates can be simplified by breaking them down into a “light” spreadsheet. Next you need to understand your startup and operating costs – items like electricity, travel, phone expenses, etc. Again just organize these and your consultant can make all the fancy charts and graphs. Just make sure you understand all of the assumptions – for example if you are opening a retail business, you should not look towards your consultant to “guess” your rent – go out and meet with a realtor and come back with real data. If you work closely with your consultant, the financials are a great section to bring in professional help.

Managing Expectations

Now that you know a bit more about when to hire a business plan writer you also need to manage your expectations. You can’t expect a $1,000 business plan to have 20 pages of competitive analysis and a full-blown marketing strategy! If you carefully work through which sections of your business plan need outside help and then manage your consultant closely, your final document will be a success! My next two articles will focus on “How to Find / Hire a Business Plan Consultant” and more importantly “When to Fire your Business Plan Consultant!”

About the Author

Howard Schwartz is a partner in several business strategy groups, including HJ Ventures International, Inc. Howard has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs worldwide with a focus on writing business plans for companies interested in raising capital from Venture Funds and Angel Investors. Howard’s business plans have secured several million dollars in funding.

For more information: http://www.hjventures.com

5 High Impact Marketing Tips

5 High-Impact Marketing Tips
by Bob Leduc

Here are 5 high-impact marketing tips you can use to boost your sales quickly. All are simple to implement and they involve little or no new expense.

1. Promote Only One Thing at a Time

Promote only 1 product or service each time you advertise. Many people have difficulty selecting one product when their decision forces them to delay or reject buying something else they also want. When prospects cannot make an easy choice they often make no decision at all ...and you lose the sale.

Tip: Offer new customers a related product or service immediately after they buy from you. Many will accept your offer, producing an easy sale without jeopardizing the initial purchase.

2. Provide Multiple Ways for Customers to Buy

Providing choices of what to buy will reduce your sales. But providing choices of how to buy will increase your sales. Offer many different ways for customers to buy from you. The same method is not convenient for everybody. Prospective customers are more likely to act immediately when their favorite way of ordering is available.

3. Avoid Your Competitors

Look for some new niche markets you and your competitors overlooked. You may uncover a market you can dominate with little or no competition.

One quick and easy way to find profitable new markets is to sub-divide your current market into several narrowly defined niche markets. Then customize your advertising to the unique needs of prospects in each niche market.

Tip: You can narrow the appeal of an existing web site without losing its effectiveness with your main market. Just create customized web pages for each market segment you want to target. Then add a link to each of these specialized pages on your home page.

4. Use Alternative Marketing

Look for alternative media your competitors may be overlooking. For example, many internet marketers are beginning to use direct mail postcards to generate traffic to their web sites. It's a low cost way to bypass the heavy competition online.

A brief captivating message on a postcard with an enticing offer sent to the right prospects will generate a flood of traffic to your website - or a large number of sales leads.

Tip: Postcards are also an excellent low-cost alternative to email. People get so much email today that even legitimate messages are getting deleted unread. But they get few if any postcards. Your message is guaranteed to get their attention when it's delivered on a postcard.

5. Encourage Questions

You're walking away from a lot of easy sales if you don't encourage prospects to ask questions about your product or service.

Only interested prospects will take the time to ask questions. Many will buy ...especially if you answer their question quickly and completely. You can even include a promotion for your product or service as part of your answer.

Make it easy for prospects to ask questions when they are at your web site or in other selling situations where there is no personal contact. For example, provide a phone number or an email address they can use to ask questions.

Tip: If you find yourself personally answering a lot of questions, add a Questions and Answers section to your web site or your sales brochure. Include the answers to the most frequently asked questions. It will reduce the number of questions you have to answer personally.

Each of these 5 marketing tips provides a simple way for you to boost your sales quickly ...and for little or no new expense.

Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com