123Print's Tips for Your Small Business

03Dec 2012 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Listen Up! Customer Service in Surround Sound

123Print Infographics, Small Business Info

Back in the day, customers had few avenues to voice their opinions to companies. That’s all changed. Today, businesses hear customer feedback in high-definition surround sound — via the phone, live chat, email, Facebook, Twitter, blog comments, good old-fashioned letters, and yes, YouTube videos. Who can forget the “United Breaks Guitars” video, which is now up to over 12.6 million views! Not only is it nice to listen to and respond to your customers, it’s good business. In the December “Hear Ye, Hear Ye” infographic, it points out that nine out of 10 people are more likely to purchase from a company after having a good customer service experience. It also states that 18% of people refuse to do business with a company that provides poor service. You can see…

30Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Everyone’s Favorite Certainty in Life …

123Print News, All Other

123Print is now offering ... W-2 and 1099 Tax Forms for Small Business owners! W-2 Form Kit / W-2 Software Kit If you are a business with fewer than 25 employees, this is the perfect kit for you! Available in packs of 10 or 25, this kit provides you with everything you need to report employee wage payments and tax deductions to the IRS as well as local governments. Click here for W-2 form kit! Click here for W-2 software kit! Just fill in the forms onscreen and print. It's that simple! Kit includes: 4- or 6-part W-2 laser forms Self-seal double window envelopes 3 free Transmittal Forms Free Tip Sheet with guidelines on minimum requirements, penalties, common errors and employer do’s and don’ts Software Kit Only: TaxRight software that…

28Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier 3 Comments

Make Your Business Pitch A Grand Slam

Small Business Info

You’ve got the idea, the passion and the plan for starting your own small business. You have all the office furniture already picked out, complete with customized mugs for all of your soon-to-be employees. You even have the theme from Rocky playing in your head every time you talk about your business idea to your friends and family. So now what? Now is the time to don your fanciest suit and get a new haircut. Now is the time to pitch your business to potential investors. According to smallbusiness.chron.com, whether you make a full presentation pitch, a short “elevator” pitch, in person or via video, your presentation requires practice and knowledge. Don’t know where to start? Think of it as a recipe! Ingredients: 1 Business Plan 1 Slideshow Presentation (make…

23Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

‘Tis the Season for Selling

Small Business Info

We tried to help you prepare for the holiday rush in October by offering “Holiday Marketing Timeline” suggestions and then asking, “Is Your Business Prepared for Black Friday?” At this point, there’s nothing you can do but hope you’re ready. Thanksgiving was yesterday, Black Friday is today, Small Business Saturday is tomorrow, then you might get a day of rest before Cyber Monday kicks off — with lots of folks shopping mobile. That’s a sales-packed 96 hours! Is it any wonder small businesses are optimistic? Last week, Bank of America released its November 2012 Small Business Owner Report. It’s a semi-annual study that looks at the concerns, aspirations and perspectives of small business owners across the country. The study found that small business owners are excited about owning their small…

21Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier 2 Comments

Will You Say “Yes?” 5 Fun Ways to Capture Your Engagement Details

3rd Wednesday Weddings, Wedding Inspiration

Tis’ the season to get engaged! While many associate November and December with being the holiday season, the Washington Post reports that it’s also a popular time of year to pop the question. In fact, according to our Bethesda, Maryland neighbor, WeddingWire, 33 percent of engagements happen between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. For most, a marriage proposal is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Whether it takes place on a Ferris wheel at an amusement park, in Paris underneath the Eiffel Tower, on a secluded sandy beach or in the kitchen at your apartment, it’s a special moment. And it’s a story that you will treasure forever and tell and retell to friends, family, strangers and acquaintances — and possibly your future children. Heck, even we want to know! And as with…

19Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

The Blog Blog!

Monday Marketing Minutes, Small Business Info

Now that you've begun work on your 2013 marketing calendar, it’s time to start fine tuning the smaller ingredients of your overall marketing plan, such as your blog strategy. First off, writing a blog isn’t for every company. Make sure that putting out a blog fits in with the overall goals and standards of your brand. Also, if you have enough on your plate as it is, you may way to hold off on starting another project that requires a significant amount of time and effort. But if you feel like a blog would benefit your existing customers and help bring in new ones, then what are you waiting for? Consider these 5 simple steps in developing a blog strategy for 2013: 1. (If you haven’t already) Choose a hosting site. Here…

14Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier No Comments

Loyal Customers Create Lifetime Value

Small Business Info

I am Lane furniture’s biggest fan. We bought a Lane recliner several years back. It was a very comfy chair. Then, one day, I was pulling on the mechanism to recline the chair and SpROinG. It broke. The handle didn’t break, but there was an odd “sproingy” sound from underneath the chair and it kind of bucked a little, and that was the end of reclining in the recliner. So I did what any good consumer would do, I Googled “Lane Furniture” and contacted their customer service department. I told them what happened and they shipped me a new reclining mechanism for free. They didn’t ask how old the chair was. They didn’t ask if I was using it correctly. They didn’t want a copy of the receipt or to…

13Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier 2 Comments

If Time is Money, Is that Good?

2nd Tuesday Tune-Up Your Life, Life Insight

Some say that Dutch people are cheap. Yes, that is a stereotype. Since I married a Walinga, which is a Dutch name, I hope it’s not too offensive to bring up the idea. For the record, my husband is not cheap. (Occasionally conservative, but not cheap.) But we have some friends of Dutch heritage who may be contributing to the persistence of the stereotype. Our friends, we’ll call them the Mr. and Mrs. Vander Sma, purchased a boat and RV for vacationing. We met them and went boating and camping with them a couple times, and it was fun. But they went camping almost every weekend. Rain or shine. Invitations to other events or not. They were almost frantic about getting their camping in. When I inquired about this, they…

12Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier 1 Comment

Plan Your Way to Success in 2013

Monday Marketing Minutes, Small Business Info

Forget New Year’s resolutions, it’s time to put together your 2013 marketing calendar. With the new year less than 60 days away, do you have your marketing plans in place for next year? Many small businesses do not put together a yearly marketing calendar because they know they can’t predict everything that is going to happen, so they figure why try. That’s true, but it’s also a cop out. Just because you put together a plan, it doesn’t mean you can’t change the plan based on new information and real situations as you move through the year. Taking the time now to think through what you want to do next year will help you better focus on what you need to do to succeed. You can plan for the optimum…

08Nov 2012 by Cindy Berrier 15 Comments

Business Cards Mean Business

123Print Infographics, Small Business Info

While social media networks like LinkedIn, and smartphone applications like the Bump app, might be cool and convenient ways to exchange information, most of the same people who “bump,” “DUB” and “Like” online are still walking around with business cards tucked inside their messenger laptop bags or iPad case. Why? Because even in the era of email and electronic address books, there’s still something to be said about presenting a prospective customer with an attractive, eye-catching business card that clearly conveys the personality, philosophy and attitude of your company. Plus, there’s nothing like a real-life business card that you can touch and feel to remind you of a contact you made. This compared to an electronic file that, once digitally tucked away, can become “out of sight, out of mind.”…