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Starting A Business Trading in Second-Hand Goods

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These days, a lot of people are starting their own small business ventures using the internet. This can give you a lot of freedom in terms of when and how much you work, and if you make the right choices, can also be quite lucrative.

Trading in Second-Hand Goods

One type of online business that is quite popular is buying and reselling second-hand goods. People who do this look for bargains at things like local sales, auctions, thrift shops, and on sites like Craigslist, and sell the items on at a higher price. Sometimes they refurbish items like furniture so that they are worth more, but often they simply buy things they know they can get more for than they pay.

How to Get into Doing This

Generally, people get started in trading as a result of selling their own old items on sites like eBay. When they realize how easy it is to sell on auction sites, and what kind of items manage to sell well, they decide to look out for things they can buy cheaply locally and sell on in the same way.

It can be fairly time-consuming scouring local garage sales, thrift shops, and other places where you may find things you can sell for a profit, but a lot of the work of finding things to sell can be done online. All you really need to do is decide what kind of items you know enough about to be able to identify what will sell for a higher price than you have to pay to get it.

Not everyone has a niche, and some simply sell anything that seems like a bargain, however some specialize in things like designer clothing and accessories, toys, ornaments, furniture or antiques.

Using the Web to Find Bargains

While sites like eBay can be good for finding stuff, in general you are going to end up paying as much as you are likely to make back except when you are very lucky in an auction, or you are buying something to refurbish. In general, it is better to source things from local sales rather than online auctions, where you may well end up getting things far cheaper than they may be worth when sold to a bigger audience on eBay.

One good site for this is Craigslist, and you can use a tool called Zoom The List that can help you search all of Craigslist more easily to find the kind of things you are interested in in your area.

Another good thing to do is join any local Facebook groups where people sell or give away their unwanted items. These are usually much cheaper than on eBay as people just want to get rid of stuff and have someone collect it rather than having to list and send it.

Trading in second-hand goods can be interesting and fun and as you get to know the market better you will soon find it easy to see what you can turn a good profit on!

Four Tips on Hiring an SEO Agency for Your Startup

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article
In today’s business market, online brand visibility is key to getting your new start-up off the ground. No matter what type of products or services you are selling, the type of audience that you are reaching out to or your goals for your business future, it’s important to have a strong online presence in order to reach success. A strong visibility in search engines and the ability to showcase your expertise and knowledge about your industry online is key to building your customer base and improving customer retention and sales. One of the first steps towards building a strong online presence is search engine optimisation; search engines are one of the first places that customers will go when they are trying to find a brand like yours.

We’ve put together some top tips to help you choose the right SEO agency for the job.

Tip #1. Ask for Recommendations:

As a business owner, you probably spend some time networking and building relationships with other business owners and influential, experienced individuals in your industry. One of the best ways to find a good SEO agency is to simply ask around within your business circles for recommendations – chances are that you know somebody who’s hired an SEO agency before, and will be able to point you in their direction if they were satisfied with their work and believe they’d be a good choice for your needs.

Tip #2. Check Out Portfolios:

Before you make a final decision on an SEO agency, it’s important to take a look at their portfolio of past work to determine whether they are offering the kind of things that you are after. Most good SEO agencies, will display a portfolio that prospective new clients can easily access to get an idea of the kind of work that they do on a regular basis. Take the Lexel SEO agency in London as an example. They have a section on their site dedicated to case studies which their audience can browse through. This is something you should be looking out for whenever you visit an SEO agency’s website.

It’s also a good idea to look at how well any prospective agencies have been doing their own SEO; are they high up in search engine rankings themselves?

Tip #3. Understand What You Need:

When choosing an SEO agency for your business, it’s important to have a list of needs and requirements in mind to ensure that you make the right decision. For example, if you run a smaller, local business, then you’re going to prefer an SEO agency that specialises in conducting local SEO and improving your brand’s visibility within your local area.

Tip #4. Conduct a Background Check:

Finally, once you have determined a few SEO agencies that seem like a good fit for your needs, it’s a good idea to take a closer look into them. One of the best ways of doing this is to get information from past clients regarding their experiences with the company. You can often do this by simply searching for online reviews – third-party websites are the best place to look since you’ll often find more honest and reliable reviews there.

Did you find these tips helpful? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Which Lead Generation Tactics Get the Best Results

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article
The worst number in business is one. If you have just one source of leads, it is only a question of time when the price per click goes up or the targeting options change or the viewership of the publication changes.

Because of this, you want to have several lead generation mechanisms in place. This way, if something happens to one of them, the other ones will continue working for you and generating new leads. This article will introduce you to five tactics you can use in your business.

1. Media Buying

Media buying is the process of negotiating and purchasing advertising time and space.

The secret to successful media buying lies in knowing your audience. One of the biggest mistakes a marketer can make is to advertise a niche offer to a broad market. The ad campaign will be expensive and the response will be small. This is not how you want to run your campaigns.

You need to know the age of your buyers, their gender, level of education, income, family status and interests. You also want to know what publications they read, how they spend their free time and what websites they visit.

Once you have this data, you can start making intelligent choices about how and where you can advertise to them. One of your goals should be to find media that are not obvious to your competition. This way you will be able to purchase space and time at reasonable rates (because the competition is not yet there) and be the only advertiser in your category in that media.

If there are certain media that you would like to use for advertisements, but can’t afford, call them or email them and tell them how much you can pay. Often, you’ll be able to get a last-minute offer if one of their advertisers pulls out and they have some free time or space. Many media are very negotiable as to how much they will sell advertising for. This is not something they advertise upfront, but if you negotiate, you will often be able to get a great deal.

2. Affiliates

Affiliate marketing is a great way to market products and services because in affiliate marketing you don’t have to pay for advertising upfront and you don’t have any risks.

Typically, you pay for advertising or lead generation activities first. These activities generate leads. Then, you have to do the work to convert the leads into paying customers. If the work is successful, only then you get your money back and a return on your investment.

This is not how things work in affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketers do all the work for you. In exchange, you pay them a percentage of the sales or a pre-agreed amount per sale for all the sales that they make.

The best way to use affiliates is to scale your sales systems that are already working. Nobody wants to pay money to test something that is not proven. While you may get affiliates to test your offers, if they lose money, they will not work with you again. If, however, you have a system that works and need more leads or need to convert more leads, then working with affiliates is a great way to go. You will make more money and your affiliates will make money, which will make them want to work again with you in the future.

3. Social Media Marketing

Today there are all kinds of social media, from Pinterest to Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn. However, this does not mean that you have to be everywhere. You need to be where your customers are. If you are selling a consumer product, you probably do not need to be on LinkedIn. If you are a high-end executive recruitment boutique, then being on Pinterest may not be a good strategy for you.
Find out where your customers spend their time. Then, get in front of them.

The good news is that social media today offer a variety of tools and ways to reach prospects and existing customers.

Using Facebook Pixel or Google Tag Manager, you can mark everyone who visits your website or certain pages on your website. You can also create audiences based on sequences of pages that people visit, videos they watch, elements of pages that they click on and parts of the pages they scroll to. Then, you can retarget these visitors with custom ads on social media and other websites. The opportunities for marketers today are virtually unlimited.

4. SMS

SMS or text messaging can be a very effective way to target customer but you need to be very careful with how you use it. Today most people use text messaging to communicate with their friends and family. They don’t get a lot of advertising messages via text. For this reason, you want to only text them about something important. Reminders typically fall into the important category and work really well. For example, you can send a reminder about a webinar. You can also send a reminder about a demo or a sales call that you have coming up.

You can also offer your existing customers to notify them via text about special sales and events.

At the same time, sending regular updates and marketing messages via text messaging is probably not a good idea. Most people check their text messages very frequently and if you are sending them messages that they don’t find valuable, they may feel as if you are spamming them and interrupting them with no good reason.

5. Ringless Voicemail

Ringless voicemail is a relatively new technology, which is why it is extremely effective.

Ringless voicemail works only will cellphones. According to studies, over 90% of adult Americans own a cellphone, which means that you can reach virtually any person with ringless voicemail marketing.

Ringless voicemail works by completely bypassing cellular networks. It contacts the cellular provider directly via a business landline call and drops a message on the server of the cellular provider. The provider then moves the message to the server space of the recipient and notifies the recipient about the message. This way there is no call made to the recipient, no charges to the recipient and no interruptions.

When the recipient checks his or her voicemail, he or she can listen to the message. The message can be as long or as short as the sender likes. This means that you can create ringless voicemails that are really effective.

A ringless voicemail can have options that connect the recipient to a sales person or drive the recipient to a website. By using these options you can measure the ROI from your ringless voicemail campaigns and make sure that you are spending your marketing dollars wisely.

The Best Business Cars for 2017

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article
If there’s one thing we can say about 2017, it’s that it has been quite the year for cars. From an influx of supercars, to a whole new level of luxury in our everyday vehicles, the world of automobiles has done nothing but improve this year. But what about the selection of company cars on the market? Are there really any models available that make the perfect business car? Have Honda given us something to work with? Or Audi? You’ll have to read on to find out.

Mercedes E350e

As far as company cars go, you can very rarely go wrong with a Mercedes, and the E350e is definitely no exception. This car has all the luxury and comfort of the perfect company car, and if you want a posh-looking and feeling saloon car with feel-good factor by the bucket load, then this Mercedes E-class should be at the top of your list. With amazing ride quality and a plush and spacious interior, this plug-in hybrid is an environmentally friendly choice for your business car – and it runs smoothly too! What more could you want?

BMW 330e

BMW are certainly up there alongside a Mercedes in the fight for most popular executive cars. This BMW 3-series that we’re focusing on today, however, is definitely no exception to that rule. This compact saloon has a smart interior, classy look and all the high-end technology you could want. Factor in excellent handling and a powerful engine and you have a fun to drive, efficient and competitive company car. The rear-wheel drive gives balance to the handling, and with a comfortable yet firm suspension, the steering is undeniably accurate and weighty. And the infotainment system? Well, if you’re looking for a Sat Nav, active cruise control, climate control, DAB Radio and a Bluetooth phone connection and more then you’re in luck!

Renault Zoe

Okay, so this cute little electric vehicle is hardly your typical-looking company car, but don’t be fooled. This charming car is perfect for city driving and is relatively cheap to run, so if you’re on a budget, this really is the right model for you. It’s quiet and it’s easy to manoeuvre, so even new drivers can benefit from this car. The interior is just like the Renault Clio, so it’s modern and easy to use, and with a TFT display rather than dials, and an advanced infotainment system for an extra level of sophistication, this decently-spacious car is a nice little one to get around busy cities in!

Alfa Romeo Guilia

Alfa Romeo’s first attempt at an executive car is quite a valiant effort. While this car could be mistaken for yet another German-made executive saloon, the Alfa Romeo is definitely different. The Italian model has rear-wheel drive and a smooth and fluid ride. Nicely balanced handling makes this car user-friendly, something that is certainly lacking in many of its competitors. The interior features low-set seats and a fully adjustable steering wheel for optimum comfort, as well as the option to choose the right trim for your needs and desires. The infotainment system is controlled by a rotary controller, and displayed on an 8.8inch colour display. While the graphical quality isn’t the best, it does its job, though it can be a little difficult to navigate to start with due to its confusing menu. All in all, however, this car really has plenty to offer as an executive car, and is a strong first effort from Alfa Romeo.

You Could Be The Key To Employee Motivation

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Maybe you can see that your employees aren’t motivated, or you’re just wondering how you can add a little extra oomph to their working day to make them feel like they can conquer whatever is on their plate. Do you realize that you could be the key to employee motivation? That’s right – the things you say and do could either psyche your employees up or make them feel demotivated.

Here are some key points that should help you motivate your employees:

Build Relationships With Your Employees

When you build better relationships with your employees, they will automatically want to work harder for you. If they think that they are just another face or number in your business, they are going to become demotivated eventually. Talk to them, tell them stories about when you were making your way up the ladder –  help them see that you’re like them. Don’t sit in your big office chair having somebody else carry your bags for you.

Praise Your Employees Regularly

Make sure you make an effort to genuinely praise your employees both together and separately. Let them know that you notice the hard work they’re putting in. Put it in emails, say it to their faces, put it on a noticeboard…find all kinds of creative ways to make them feel appreciated. This will give them an incentive to continue.

Make Employees Lives Easier

Do what you can to make their lives easier. For example, investing in a new program to help them save time. It not only makes their lives easier, it shows you care. If you don’t care for your employees, don’t be surprised if you end up with some of the following.


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