Smart Money Choice$ » News Flash

Were you planning on going, too?

gabrielle — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:19:43 +0000

There’s a new development regarding the free webinar that
I mentioned in my article this week (and I recommend you
do go! I’ll definitely be there myself!)

It’s called…

“The Insider’s Guide to Making Great Money
Online With Info-Marketing”

Get the details here

It’s about using information-based products (downloadable)
to create an additional income stream and attract more
high-quality clients to your business in the process.

This concept works like a charm for service-based businesses.
I’ve been doing it for years, so I know first hand.

But I just got a message from the guy who’s doing the webinar
saying that it’s already OVERBOOKED! That means there are
more than 1,000 people registered. Wow!

The webinar is TONIGHT!

So if you were thinking of going, you can still register,
but you’ve got to show up at least 5 minutes early to be
sure you can get in. (Some people will get shut out)

Register here

If you can’t make it, there will also be a replay available,
but you’ll want to be there live if at all possible.

His message also said he’ll be sharing some EXTREMELY
valuable (premium quality) special training only with those who
show up LIVE and it will NOT be included on the webinar replay.

So I’m DEFINITELY planning to show up early!

Word is spreading fast because this guy is a real expert
and is a self-made multi-millionaire from selling ONLY
info-products online!

Hope you get to go too.

Gabrielle

PS – I’m giving you this tip about the webinar because it’s
a great way to position yourself head and shoulders above your
competition AND attract high quality clients at the same time.

It’s not often that you can get this kind of true cutting edge
guidance for free, so I wanted to make sure you knew about it.

The BEST Way I’ve Found to Attract More Customers and Beat Your Competition

gabrielle — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:46:43 +0000

Have you ever thought about what a little bit of fame could do for your business?

If you were well-known in your field as an expert, what kind of customers could you attract?

Best-selling business authors are assumed to be the best in their field, usually because they’ve written articles and/or published a book. That’s the catalyst that helps get them invited to appear on TV spots or radio talk shows. And you can be sure that that kind of publicity works wonders for their business.

SECRET REVEALED: Business authors don’t write books to make money from the book sales, but to make sales because of the authority and notoriety they get from the books!

But when we think about it, what great feat have they accomplished?

Nothing too difficult, really. They’ve provided some helpful information related to their field of expertise…and made it easily accessible to the public. That’s it!

Guess what?

You can easily (and quickly) do nearly the same thing and start positioning yourself as the go-to authority in your field too! That’s what will help attract high-quality customers to your business like a magnet (and they won’t complain about your prices, either!)

Why So Few Do It

Q: If it’s so easy, why don’t more business owners do it?

A: Because writing a book can be a huge, time-consuming project…when done the hard way, which is how most people do it. It can take a long, LONG time. Most entrepreneurs cannot afford that much time. And once it’s finally written, they don’t know how to get their book published.

But that’s actually VERY good news for you!

With the Internet and online technology, it is quite easy (and MUCH faster than traditional methods) to publish information, whether in writing, as audios, or with videos (or all three!). You can even SELL your information to create another income stream for your business!

This is exactly what I’ve done in my own virtual bookkeeping business, and it has brought me FAR more high quality clients than I can possibly serve myself. I regularly refer incoming client inquiries to colleagues because I am truly booked solid. (And they always want to know how I’m able to keep pulling in so much business!)

How did I get my business to this point?

Simply by providing helpful, instructional information online surrounding my expertise as a QuickBooks trainer and consultant. I’m just sharing my knowledge using what are called info-products.

And here’s the secret – if you are a professional in your field, you can DEFINITELY do this too. You could start by offering a free or low-priced special report on your company website.

That’s actually how I got started.

And the best part is, once you do it, it’s like having a little salesperson working for your business 24/7! Online technology automates the whole thing.

And I’ve got to tell you, it sure is a nice little bonus to open your email in the morning and find out that you’ve made sales (and found new customers and prospects) overnight while you were sleeping.

Will This Work For YOU?

Creating small, but effective info-products works for ALL kinds of businesses, but it’s especially powerful for service-based businesses.

Because so few people are doing this effectively, creating small but valuable informational products positions you as the obvious expert and the person your prospects will trust and want to do business with when they need your services. In effect, you won’t have any competition!

If you can see how powerful it would be for your business to position yourself as an authority simply by providing useful information geared toward your best customers’ needs, then I highly recommend you serious consider publishing simple information products as lead generators for your business. It’s really quite easy.

And remember, you can even sell the information to create an additional revenue stream. Few ways of marketing your business is sweeter than that!

But I bet you’re wondering, “Where do I begin?”

I’m glad you asked!

This coming Thursday, February 10th at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time) there’s a FREE online webinar that shows you how to create your first info-product fast AND avoid making BIG mistakes that can really backfire on you and actually KILL your reputation.

Even though I’ve been doing this successfully in my business for years now, I’ll definitely be attending this online event. The guy teaching it is (in my opinion) the absolute BEST!

I always pick up time-saving tips every time I attend one of his events.

If you’d like to attend too (remember, it’s 100% FREE), you can get all the details here:

=> Click Here to attend the Webinar

Online Services: What They’re NOT Telling You

gabrielle — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:10:42 +0000

More and more small businesses are using web-based software to run key day-to-day functions. Even if you are only using simple tools like online email services or online banking, should you be concerned about the risks? Are the risks real?

Software companies large and small are pushing most of their flagship applications into “the cloud” (accessible only online through a web browser and/or mobile device). Think about QuickBooks, Quicken, and even Microsoft Office. They are all gradually moving us to web versions of their software with eventual plans to phase out the desktop software altogether.

That means your software and your data will no longer be accessed on your own computer, but only through the Internet on computers located in large data centers “somewhere.”

This trend is quickly gaining momentum, especially with the break-neck pace of new “app” development – including how financial information is being accessed and manipulated using mobile devices.

It’s important to listen to what’s NOT being said by the companies promoting “The Move To The Cloud.” Besides it being more convenient to use web-based software, there are other reasons why they are pushing us more and more onto the Internet.

With some tongue-and-cheek humor thrown in, this short video raises some important questions about businesses that are completely dependent on the Internet and cloud-based technology.

What do you think about this? Should we be worried about having vital financial information stored in the cloud? Or is this really no different than the risks we face with our dependency on electricity, or the risk of loss due to theft or natural disaster?

What’s your take on it?

Two Reasons Why Attending Live Seminars Helps Your Business

gabrielle — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:29:15 +0000

1. Live Training

2. In-Person Networking

Nothing can take the place of live training and networking.

Training helps you to keep up with what’s going on in your industry or adapt new strategies that could give your business a fresh angle that puts you miles ahead of your competition.

In-person networking helps you to build strategic alliances and stimulate new ideas that can make a HUGE difference in your business. When you look for ways that you can complement other businesses and make friends in the process, that’s a powerful way to build your business that you just can’t do any other way.

In fact, for many years it’s been my goal to attend at least one major seminar a year. And my business has always prospered from making the investment in attending live events.

This year, I’ll be attending three important training events. And when it comes to getting extremely valuable training AND making important connections by networking, nothing can compare with the event I’ll be attending in Las Vegas November 5-7, 2010

It’s called the Big Seminar (I know, not the most creative name)

If you’ve got a business and you’re trying to use your website as a way to market your business, then I guarantee that learning the best ways to market online EFFECTIVELY will put you MILES ahead of your competition!

(Most businesses have absolutely no idea how to use the Internet to explode their bottom line!)

In fact, this seminar has made a HUGE difference for me in my business.

Ever since I started attending (and using what I’ve been learning) from the Big Seminar several years ago, my revenues have increased…dramatically.

That’s because this is the largest Internet marketing seminar in the U.S. with the best trainers in the industry. All of the faculty members are business owners themselves (many of them self-made multi-millionaires) who are using what they are teaching in their own highly successful businesses.

Doesn’t it make sense to learn from and model those who are already making millions? I think so. In fact, the business owner who runs this seminar, Armand Morin, has an expression worth remembering:

“Success leaves traces.”

Like other seminars, you can learn from the faculty on the stage. But there’s something that makes this one really rock…

You also get to network with the faculty and other extremely successful business owners…it’s actually part of the scheduled program! Many of the people you meet are world class business marketers. And THAT is what has kept me coming back year after year. I’ve made some amazing connections that have had a direct effect on my bottom line.

I never could have been able to meet such influential people any other way.

In fact, this seminar has created more success stories than any other seminar in the history of Internet Marketing.

The only sad part is that this is the LAST Big Seminar (after 7 years straight!)

But…

It’s going to be a BIG finale worth remembering!

See what I mean and get all the details here:

http://bit.ly/Big-Seminar

I know I wouldn’t miss it for anything! Will I see you there?

If so, let me know, and we’ll get together!

I’ll introduce you to my friends and we can brainstorm some ways to get YOUR website boosting sales and being the vehicle to take your business to a whole new level of success in the coming year!

Hope to see YOU there!

http://bit.ly/Big-Seminar

Gabrielle

PS – Even if you can’t make it, it’s worth getting onto the mailing list because between now and when the Big Seminar begins in November, there will be completely free live online training calls with each of the faculty members for FREE! So check out the speakers and then make sure you attend the free one-hour training that Armand will do with that person… and take notes!

http://bit.ly/Big-Seminar

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Big Seminar 14 (Finale) – Online Marketing Seminar

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Time	Friday, November 5 at 8:00am – November 7 at 7:00pm

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More Info	If you’ve got a business and you’re trying to use your website as a way to market your business, then I guarantee that learning the best ways to market online EFFECTIVELY will put you MILES ahead of your competition! (Most businesses have absolutely no idea how to use the Internet to explode their bottom line!) In fact, this seminar has made a HUGE difference for me in my business. … Ever since I started attending (and using what I’ve been learning) from the Big Seminar several years ago, my revenues have increased…dramatically. That’s because this is the largest Internet marketing seminar in the U.S. with the best trainers in the industry. All of the faculty members are business owners themselves (many of them self-made multi-millionaires) who are using what they are teaching in their own highly successful businesses. Doesn’t it make sense to learn from and model those who are already making millions? I think so. In fact, the business owner who runs this seminar, Armand Morin, has an expression worth remembering: “Success leaves traces.” Like other seminars, you can learn from the faculty on the stage. But there’s something that makes this one really rock… You also get to network with the faculty and other business owners…it’s part of the scheduled program! Many of them are world class business marketers. And THAT is what has kept me coming back year after year. I’ve made some amazing connections that have had a direct effect on my bottom line. I never could have been able to meet such influential people any other way. In fact, this seminar has created more success stories than any other seminar in the history of Internet Marketing. The only sad part is that this is the LAST Big Seminar (after 7 years straight!) But… It’s going to be a BIG finale worth remembering! See what I mean and get all the details here: http://bit.ly/Big-Seminar I know I wouldn’t miss it for anything! Will I see you there? If so, let me know, and we’ll get together! I’ll introduce you to my friends and we can brainstorm some ways to get YOUR website boosting sales and being the vehicle to take your business to a whole new level of success in the coming year! Hope to see YOU there! http://bit.ly/Big-Seminar See More

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Tips for Boosting Your Bottom Line This Fall

gabrielle — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:45:28 +0000

What better way to kick off the Fall than by getting some useful information on how to effectively promote your business and increase your bottom line?

If that’s what you want, then you’ll want to read this article by my favorite online marketing expert. It cuts to the chase to solve the mystery of effective marketing using the Internet. You’ll find it on this brand new blog especially designed for small businesses.

Small Business Marketing Weekly

Although I’m primarily a freelance bookkeeper and QuickBooks trainer and consultant, I love to learn what makes small businesses really prosper – and apply it to my own, as well as suggest improvements for my clients’ businesses.

I’ve learned a lot through the MANY books I’ve read and seminars I’ve attended. And the vital conclusion I’ve come to is that, as business owners, marketing is really job #1 for all of us. That’s what keeps the sales coming in, which keeps the cash flowing. And as we know, cash is the lifeblood of your entire business! No sales = no business.

And I can tell you honestly, out of everything I’ve studied over the years and all the people I’ve learned from whose techniques I’ve actually used in my own business, there is no one that has given more high value and true nuts-and-bolts information that really works like Jim Edwards.

No one.

So I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did for a big picture reference of what we really must to be doing to pull more business in locally or virtually with our websites (and beyond). This one’s a keeper:

Small Business Marketing Weekly

And it looks like Jim will be writing a series of these helpful articles. I’m definitely going to be following them, so I thought you’d like to know about them too.

Enjoy!

Gabrielle Fontaine, PB
BookkeepingDirect.com

By the way – I’m a long-time member of Jim’s monthly training program, The Net Reporter. As I said, I think he’s the best (and I’m picky!) because he tells it like it is… AND shows you exactly how to market your business effectively online. (My business is proof of that!)

Most of his training, though, is primarily geared toward building an information-product based online business. So I usually have to try and translate what I’m learning to work for my own QuickBooks consulting business.

But this month he’s doing something I’m quite excited about… Tomorrow he’s starting a 2-webinar training series entitled:

“Using Internet Strategies on a Brick and Mortar Business”

No translation needed! So I’ll definitely be attending this one LIVE! If you’d like to attend the first webinar on Tuesday too, just join The Net Reporter and try it out for a month (you can get two of these live webinars AND get access to Jim’ “Fast Track Video Coaching” for less than most other people charge for a single webinar!)

The Net Reporter

Is Your Website Doing Its Job?

gabrielle — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:18:39 +0000

Whether you realize it or not (you probably already do), the Internet is a highly cost-effective way to promote your business… even if you’re a business of one.

But here’s the thing. If you are in any way actively promoting your business, whether with word of mouth, networking or any form of online or offline advertising, everyone is going to want access to more information about you and your business from your website.

You do have a website, right?

Many prospective customers judge businesses and freelance professionals based on their website. That’s a fact.

So whether you already have your own website (and you should), or you need to get one going, I just found out about a free LIVE webinar coming up this week that you’re going to want to attend.

It’s called, “5 Critical Elements of An Effective Website”
by professional web designer and business marketer Ely Delaney

I’ve known Ely personally for a few years now, and he knows what he’s talking about, both from a technical and a marketing standpoint. He works with local small businesses and runs his own home-based business.

So Ely is right here in the trenches with us.

In the time I’ve known him, Ely has generously passed along some great website tips and tools that were a big help to me in my business. So I’m sure he’ll be giving away fantastic tips and tricks, especially for small businesses like us on this webinar.

It’s all about making our websites work harder for us and pulling in more inquiries and sales 24/7 on autopilot.

So don’t miss a chance to tap into Ely’s real world experience and cut straight to the good stuff by attending his free LIVE training this week.

When:
WEDNESDAY, August 4, 2010 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time
(That’s 6:00 PM Central, 5:00 PM Mountain, and 4:00 PM Pacific)

Click Here ==> Webinar Registration

You’ll discover specifically what needs to be included on your website in this economy to turn it into an effective 24/7 low-cost salesperson for your business.

Reserve your spot now. This webinar is very limited. ONLY 50 people will be able to attend. Procrastinators will literally get locked out. So that’s why I wanted to get this to you now, before it’s completely booked.

Here’s to YOUR success with the Smart Choice of turning your website into a hard working salesperson that works for you 24/7…. and never even takes a coffee break!

Gabrielle

PS – Remember, the webinar is time-sensitive, so if you want to get in on this free professional training, I suggest that you register now, before the class is full (a total of only 50 spots available).

Here’s the link again:

Click Here ==> Webinar Registration

NOTICE: The webinar is completely free, and I personally

recommend Ely’s training, but in the spirit of full disclosure,

the link is tied to an affiliate program.

Can Social Media Really Help You Grow Your Business?

gabrielle — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:41:25 +0000

I’m sure you’ve heard all the noise about the BIG claims of mega-success by businesses who are using Social Media to promote their businesses. But is it really just that – a lot of NOISE that doesn’t mean a hill of beans in the real world? Or is this an important trend that small business owners need to pay attention to for the sake of their bottom line?

Cut through the hype and find out what the real deal is with social media. Get straight answers from an expert who’s actually doing it and knows first hand whether it’s really just a big waste of time, or if you can truly use it to market your business profitably.

Join me, Gabrielle Fontaine, and my special guest, marketing expert and social media guru, Ely Delaney as we cut through the hype and finally learn…

* How to use social media to build relationships with prospects, customer and referral sources

* How social media is changing the way we do business

* How to easily get up and running on the three biggest and most strategic social media networks

* How to attract quality “friends” and “followers” without getting caught up in the numbers game

* What free automation tools you can use to maximize your reach and save time in the process

* How to avoid getting sucked in to wasting a ton of time keeping up with your social posting

* What NOT to do so you don’t make enemies, or worse, get banned from the social networking sites

* How networking online is not the same as in-person networking

Find out for yourself why such respected business authorities as Inc. Magazine are now saying that Social Media really is worth your time.

Isn’t it time you found out how to put it to work for YOUR business? Now you can, right after you attend this cut-to-the-chase, FREE, get-action webinar.

Join us Thursday, July 8 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time for this LIVE webinar training.

“Social Media” Online Business Networking Basics”

Grab your seat as our free guest right here:

=> Register Here

QuickBooks 2007 Critical Alert

gabrielle — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:31:44 +0000

If you are using any version of QuickBooks 2007 (or older), you need to pay attention to this.

Effective May 31, 2010, Intuit (the makers of QuickBooks financial software) will discontinue live telephone support and add-on services for QuickBooks 2007 software (all versions).

Services that will be discontinued:

Assisted Payroll
Basic Payroll
Enhanced Payroll
Standard Payroll
Employee Organizer
Merchant Service
Billing Solution (formerly QuickBooks Online Billing)
QuickBooks Email
Bill Pay
Online Banking
Terminal Download
Technical Support Plans and Services

This is not really surprising news, since according to Intuit’s official Discontinuation Program, they only support “the most current version of QuickBooks, plus the prior two versions.” So that means after May 31st, QuickBooks 2010, as well as all 2009 and 2008 versions, are the only years they will continue to support.

Do I HAVE to upgrade?

That depends on how you use the software.

If you are currently using an older version of QuickBooks and do not need any technical support or add-on services, you can continue to use the software as you have in the past. It will keep working just fine.

However, if you need to use add-on programs and support for services such as payroll or merchant services, you will need to install and register a supported version of the QuickBooks software by May 31, 2010.

But what if I don’t know which version of QuickBooks I’ve got?

That’s easy. If you don’t see which version you have on the “splash” screen when you are opening QuickBooks, then from within the program simply press Ctrl+1 (from the keyboard, not the number pad) and you will get all the information about your current QuickBooks program, including which version you’re using.

An important reason to upgrade if you’re still using QuickBooks 2007 (or older) is because even though Intuit promises to help you out if you lose your keycodes or have licensing issues, their terms and conditions say they will do so only “if that data is available.” In other words, there’s no guarantee they can help you if you are still using an old unsupported version, and you lose your password, have data recovery issues, or need a replacement software CD.

This is significant.

If you are locked out of your data file because you’ve lost your administrator’s password, or you can’t get into your program because of a registration issue, you’re dead. Not being able to access your financial records could literally cripple your business.

But if you are determined to stick with an outdated version of QuickBooks and you do happen to lose your password, you can use the Automated Password Reset Tool available for free on the QuickBooks website. But of course, there’s no guarantees there either. You are still on your own.

If, however, you are ready to give in and upgrade, here are my best suggestions.

Your Upgrade Options

You can, of course, upgrade directly through the Quickbooks website and get a $40 discount (as of this writing, the upgrade price is $159.95)

But you quite likely can get a better price by shopping around a bit. Generally you’ll find QuickBooks at all the major office supply stores locally and online. Amazon is currently selling QuickBooks Pro 2010 for $123.

Some other places you could check out are:

www.staples.com
www.officedepot.com
www.officemax.com
www.bestbuy.com
www.costco.com
www.samsclub.com

And if you are a real bargain hunter, you might be able to find a legal copy of a supported version (QuickBooks 2008 or 2009) on eBay. But realize that you’ll be in the same pinch in another year or two.

So my best suggestion is to just bite the bullet and upgrade to 2010 and be done with it (for three years anyway). There are some great new, truly helpful features you’ve been missing out on in the years you’ve fallen behind.

Getting Up To Date Using QuickBooks

For quick and free mini-lessons in QuickBooks, make sure you get in on my QB QuickTips video series.

And if QuickBooks has always been a struggle for you, why not go all out and get some proper training on using the program more easily and efficiently? I’ll teach you all the must-know functions in QuickBooks in my QuickBooks Core Training course. (The next class starts this coming Monday, May 24th.)

If you are upgrading from QuickBooks 2005 or older, training is especially recommended for you, since QuickBooks is practically a whole new program since that far back. it won’t be an easy transition without some assistance.

The State of Small Business: Cash Flow, Sales & Profit

gabrielle — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:58:00 +0000

We are already one-third of the way through the year. Have your revenue numbers been improving?

I came across some revealing stats recently that are quite eye-opening about what’s really going on with A LOT of small businesses. I made a quick video to show what the numbers are really telling us about what we need to be doing to turn it all around.

Click above to start video

This is important stuff for so many entrepreneurs. If you know someone who could benefit from this new information, by all means, go ahead and let them know about this video. They’ll appreciate it, and so will I!

www.CashFlowMasteryCourse.com

What The New Economy Means For Entrepreneurs

gabrielle — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:10:45 +0000

As an entrepreneur, what does this “new economy” mean for you and your business?

Do you have a plan? How are you doing so far with this year’s goals?

If you’re still trying to navigate in the right direction, that’s great! Even if the revenue numbers aren’t quite where you’d like them to be (yet), here’s a short video that I think you’ll enjoy. It helps to put things in the right perspective…

While this is definitely one of my favorite “feel good” videos, there are some key lessons here:

1. The greatest innovation and success happens when our back is against the wall and we are forced to find new ways for doing things. And entrepreneurs are usually the ones blazing the trails to success

2. There are opportunities to seize (lots of them) by focusing on the positive vision of what your business could be. And the rewards belong to the thinkers and the doers (that’s YOU!) and not those with privilege or resources.

The new economy really means it’s our time to shine.

So what could you do TODAY to move one step closer to your vision for yourself and your business?

Smart Money Choice$ » News Flash

Were you planning on going, too?

The BEST Way I’ve Found to Attract More Customers and Beat Your Competition

Online Services: What They’re NOT Telling You

Two Reasons Why Attending Live Seminars Helps Your Business

“Success leaves traces.”

Gabrielle

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Big Seminar 14 (Finale) – Online Marketing Seminar has no recent posts.

Tips for Boosting Your Bottom Line This Fall

Is Your Website Doing Its Job?

Gabrielle

Can Social Media Really Help You Grow Your Business?

=> Register Here

QuickBooks 2007 Critical Alert

The State of Small Business: Cash Flow, Sales & Profit

What The New Economy Means For Entrepreneurs