Starting a new business is a very trying ordeal that is already complicated by the number of decisions you have to make. Decisions that involve money and since your the boss only you can make them. Just as you’re in business to sell and make money so are thousands of others. They offer a variety of products and services that although you think might be a good idea at the time really aren’t and will only prove to be a drain on your bank account.
I’ve seen all sorts of offers for items and services that would supposedly help my small business. But most small businesses are already cash strapped and can’t afford to be wasting money. And oh will you see some ways to waste your money. Those ways will come from door to door solicitations, emails, snail mail, and the occasional phone call. I even get regular fax’s telling me how good fax advertising works as I’m wading the paper up and throwing it away.
You’ll constantly get such offers. I’ve been offered magnets, buttons and pins to advertise my company. Coffee mugs and phone book covers as marketing materials. Credit card machines for credit card processing. Magazine advertising, and offers to build me a website.
I’ve even received offers from people wanting to help me sell my business. The list goes on and on. But hey maybe you’ve been in business awhile and are looking to sell or just want to know what your business is worth. Well what are you going to do with all these offers so you can see if one might just be useful?
The first thing you need to do is take a breather. If you have a sales rep right in front of you don’t fall for the pressure of having to make a decision right away. I once had a magazine rep that was in my office for over an hour trying to get me to commit to an ad in her magazine. She finally got me to sign and almost as soon as she left the office I regreted it. Here I was committing money to something that was going to cost me month after month and I’d let the pressure make my decision. I ultimately had to go to the trouble of canceling but luckily I hadn’t given her any money.
Constantly salespeople use pressure tactics to try to get you to make a decision. But you don’t want to be an impulse buyer. An early mistake I made was signing up for a check clearing machine. When you received a check from someone you would run it through the machine and the processing company would essentially insure the check by confirming the funds were in the account.
If the check bounced the processor would cover the check and incure the cost of getting the customer to cover the check. What I failed to pay attention to was my own customers. They are mostly businesses that never bounce checks and are repeat customers. But that machine was costing me monthly.
One bill from the processor and another from the leasing company for the machine. I was able to cancel the processing side by I was stuck with the lease at about $60 a month for four years. I made an impulse decision without considering all the ramifications.
The worst thing you can sign up for is a credit card machine. Yes you may need one but do your homework. You’ll find that you can get them a lot cheaper by buying them outright than by leasing. You’ll save thousands of dollars.
So when considering all these offers take time to really think them over. Don’t give in to the pressure, it can cost you a lot of money with little or no return.
Cash Miller is an experienced entrepreneur and speaker who has spent over a decade as a small business owner. His years of experience in small business cover a variety of topics. If you are looking for more small business help please check out smallbusinessdelivered.com