Rimberg Online Bookkeeping

First impression is essential – who is the first person your potential clients will speak to when they call your company? Are you losing money right from the start by the way in which customers are asked to communicate with your company? Listen to Rob’s ideas of the risk some businesses take by not thinking about that very important first contact.

We’d love to add you to our list, where we send out bookkeeping and tax saving ideas as well as good business building practices. Just click here to sign up today.

When’s the best time to plan your exit strategy? The answer may surprise you. (And even if you don’t think you need one, watch anyway because you’ll get some new ideas.) In this very informative video, Robert discusses what situations call for an exit strategy, and how to get started with that important business process.

We’d love to add you to our list, where we send out bookkeeping and tax saving ideas as well as good business building practices. Just click here to sign up today.

Forget mailers and ads in newspapers; advertising on the net is the way to go.

Yes, with the recession came a decrease in spending on advertising budgets, but how are small businesses coping? With a trending shift toward online ads!

According to research firm The Kelsey Group, this is the first time ever that small businesses are spending more money on online advertising than traditional. The even better accompaniment of this trend is that with an increase in spending for online ads, comes an overall decrease in spending.

With our current economic situation, overall advertising spending decreased by 23.5 percent; spending on websites increased by 26.8 percent. More and more companies are utilizing digital space for an increase in value with video ads, mobile targeting, and promotional websites.

Steve Marshall, director of research at The Kelsey Group, says that the trend of using online ads more than traditional media is an indicator of a broader shift to online platforms, and that small businesses are not going to revert back to traditional methods after the recession.

“A ‘new normal’ is being established for the ad mix,” says Marshall. Small businesses are more weighted toward online than print, and this shift to new media will be permanent. So take our advice and start experimenting with new media and online trends. After all, it is the new normal!

We’d love to add you to our list, where we send out bookkeeping and tax saving ideas as well as good business building practices. Just click here to sign up today.

We all know that clients stay longer when they feel appreciated. In this two minute video Robert explains how his client newsletter is turning heads and what elements he adds to make the clients want to read it.

We’d love to add you to our list, where we send out bookkeeping and tax saving ideas as well as good business building practices. Just click here to sign up today.

Are you making the mistake of just working your business to break even? Listen to this short video as Rob talks about understanding profit and loss statements, and gives his two cents about why you want to shoot higher in your business.

We’d love to add you to our list, where we send out bookkeeping and tax saving ideas as well as good business building practices. Just click here to sign up today.

What networking group/s will you join?

Well, now there’s good news for your small business!

On June 8, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced new lender guidelines for the America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) loan program. In essence, the ARC really aims to increase the cash flow of your small business.

Since June 15, SBA’s America’s Recovery Capital Loan Program can provide loans up to $35,000 in short-term relief — no fees, no interests, and 100 percent guaranteed by the government. Loans are backed by small, community banks and do not have to be paid for during the first year. You have five years to repay, and loans will be provided up until September 30, 2010.

As stated in its mission, ARC loans are for “viable small businesses suffering immediate financial hardship.” So check out the ARC loan program and maybe you’ll get that cash flow back too!

For more information on the ARC loan program, check out the SBA website.

Marketing is the fuel that powers your business. I come across to many businesses that are not using the internet to their advantage. Even if you own a retail store, also known as brick and mortar, you can increase sales exponentially by creating a website that sells your merchandise. It can be done quickly, cost effectively, and make money for you almost instantaneously. What are you waiting for?

A recent article from CNN Money discussed how important it is for small businesses to adjust to new media by creating websites and online marketing strategies. In the article, web marketing and search engine optimization specialists give tips on how to lure local traffic to your website. As a true believer in the power of new media, I would like to share some of those tips with you.

There are three key elements in a website: design, content, and search-engine ranking. With content it is important to think about the top three things a client would want to see on your business’s site. Highlight exactly what you do and build on the concept in order to give visitors information on what you provide to your clients. You should provide articles and free information to prove that you are an expert in your field. Can your business handle this customer’s specific situation? Your website’s content should answer that question! Keep it fresh and update continuously. You want to remain timely, relevant, and credible.

Expanding your content increases search engine optimization. The more articles and links your website contains, the more keywords a search engine will find and the higher your site ranks! Typically, sites with more articles, statistics, stories, etc., are visited more frequently because clients want the personal and informative experience. Make sure your website is organized with sidebars and sitemaps and fix any broken links! Carelessness comes across to potential clients and affects search engine optimization. Also, establishing your business on other locally focused sites like citysearch and yelp can help.

Don’t forget that increasing your website’s ranking and user traffic is not the only thing that matters— you need a professional, neat, and inviting website in order to get the clients! It is especially important for the homepage to be attractive so that potential clients want to stick around and continue to learn more about your business! Keep the hierarchy of information on your website extremely organized and make sure the layout on each subpage is consistent and eye-catching. In addition, make it easy for clients to get started with you by advertising a marketing deal right on the contact page.

In the new age of technology and social media, there are plenty of ways to increase marketing and visibility on the web ‑ it’s just a matter of getting started and doing it right! So take advantage of the tools out there and give it a shot. Don’t be afraid to ask a professional for some help, and check out Luring Local Traffic to your Web Site for even more suggestions!

Hi – Rob Rimberg here. Let me share with you in this quick video (3:34) a story of a business in which the owner is really mismanaging his time and losing tons of money. See if you are making some of the same mistakes he has and listen for my suggestions on how to turn that around.

Last month I attended Brendan Burchard’s Experts Acadamey in San Francisco. One of Brendan’s guest speakers was literary agent, Scott Hoffman. At first I wasn’t sure why I would write and publish a book, but after listening to Scott, I’m ready to go!

What will YOUR next book be about?

Robert