When was the last time you gave a passing thought to your pricing? It's no secret that how you charge for your services can either make or break you. It can mean the difference between a mediocre and a successful business. In my experience, most people don't spend enough time thinking strategically about what pricing strategy they should use. The majority of people in service businesses - and especially people who work independently - establish an hourly rate. They use a process called “reverse competition” to determine what their rate should be. This involves taking a look at what your geographical competitors are charging, and deciding where in the range you want to fit on the spectrum of hourly rates. Inevitably, we choose a rate somewhere in the middle, so we can say that we're not the most expensive, but neither are we the cheapest!

Buying and Selling Automobile Dealerships – Duties Negotiating the Contract Duties of and to Shareholders

This is a stupid question but it has to be asked. Does your sales letter create as many sales as you would like?

In order to examine ethical issues, it is first necessary to define ethics. Today, we regard ethics as a "rational process founded on certain principles." However, I believe a definition that is more applicable to this project is the ethical theory that existed in ancient Greece. There, ethics was the study of what was good for both the individual and society. We will look at some online issues and how they may be good and/or bad for society. Cyberethics is quite simply the study of ethics on the Internet. "Ethics begins when elements within a moral system conflict." Cyberethics is often called as Information System Ethics. Information System ethics can be defined as “The study of moral, legal, ethical issues involving the use of information and communication technologies“ There are many unique challenges we face in this age of information. They stem from the nature of information itself. Information is the means through which the mind expands and increases its capacity to achieve its goals, often as the result of an input from another mind. Thus, information forms the intellectual capital from which human beings craft their lives and secure dignity. However, the building of intellectual capital is vulnerable in many ways. For example, people's intellectual capital is impaired whenever they lose their personal information without being compensated for it, when they are precluded access to information which is of value to them, when they have revealed information they hold intimate, or when they find out that the information upon which their living depends is in error. The social contract among people in the information age must deal with these threats to human dignity. The ethical issues involved are many and varied in Information System Ethics.

Every business works within the context of core beliefs. We have developed beliefs about people (entrepreneurs) that define how we work with our clients. We consider them to be guiding principles that, if applied, will improve the quality of your business plan as well as the quality of your relationships with others. We share them with you in this article in the hope that you will find these beliefs worthy of adopting in your business as well.Belief 1: Everyone is worthy of our offerings.Good ideas come to people in all walks of life. Some may already have business experience while some may not. We work with everyone, regardless of their level of experience, and help them learn what they need to understand in order to meet with investors and present themselves as people worthy of investment.In your business, it's important to broaden your market as far as possible and make sure each potential customer or client is the most important customer or client you have.Belief 2: We offer the best chance for a business to be funded and to make financial management decisions. Our experience tells us that we have the best tools on the market for helping businesses properly prepare their funding or business plans.While this may sound like a self-serving belief, it is a guiding principle backed up by customer and investor feedback. In your business, it is critical that your management and employees receive feedback that helps them confidently define your place in the marketplace. Then you must convey that belief to your customer base.Belief 3: Next to the lender or investor, we are most qualified to assist the entrepreneur and the lender or investor to understand each other.We've spent many years making sure investors and entrepreneurs understand each other. We work closely with both constituents to make sure we continue to provide the service and communications tools to foster these relationships.Again, in your business, you must build on your experience to solidify your place in relation to your competitors.Belief 4: People only do those things they believe will help them in some way.This is a basic belief that drives our efforts to always provide products and services that give value in excess of their cost. In addition, we make sure we do everything we can to help our clients fulfill their dreams.Belief 5: They want to succeed in their business or project.No one goes into business with the idea of failing. Their expectations are that they are going to succeed. We can help them achieve that goal.Belief 6: They have the right to control their own destiny.We will tell them what we believe they need to do, or not do, based on our experience and successes. However, we always respect their right to make the final decisions.Belief 7: They must learn our information.If they do not learn or take advantage of what we have to offer, they may still succeed. But, they will eventually spend more time, money, and effort learning the hard way what we already know. Whatever they decide, we recommend they keep a link to our website. Our attitude is, "When you've had enough pain, give us a call!"Belief 8: It is our responsibility to mold their dream into reality.We take their projects seriously. So seriously, that we will ask the hard questions. We will question everything they say to make sure it is as sound and solid as possible. We will help them make sure every projection is defendable. We make the truth believable!(c) Copyright 2006, Leonard M. Stillman Jr., All Rights Reserved. Len Stillman is the owner of Business Plan Tools, LLC and the Thrifty Shoppers Club. He has served entrepreneurs, banks, and investors for over 35 years. You are invited to learn more about the information in this article by visiting his Business Plan Tools blog.