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Be An Expert Internet Marketer

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Perception is so important in dealing with other people in any aspect of human experience. In the field of internet marketing this is especially true. Your website visitors, subscribers and customers should perceive you as someone they can believe in; someone they can trust. To this end it is so important to always ensure that the information you provide is accurate and honest. Even if you are not the greatest expert on a topic your customers should perceive you as a source of reliable and valuable information. Never claim to be something you are not but by offering quality your subscribers and customers will consider you to be someone they can comfortably deal with.

A good starting point is to establish yourself in a particular niche. At a later date you may well wish to expand your business into other fields, but I would recommend that you operate in just one subject area to start with. The more specialized your chosen niche is, the easier it will be to promote yourself as the 'go-to' person. If the niche you choose is one where you already have an in-depth knowledge then you are in a very strong position to market within that niche. You can genuinely portray yourself as an expert by way of autobiographical notes added to your website, articles or sales pages.

If you do not have that level of expertise, concentrate on learning as much as possible about your niche through research and study. Immerse yourself in all aspects of the niche so you do become, at least, something of an expert, able to answer queries and give a genuine aura of knowledge which will go down very well with your customers. It has been said that the definition of an expert in any field is someone who knows more than you do. Any newly qualified teacher will tell you how, from time-to-time, they manage to stay just one lesson ahead of their students.

There have been libraries full of advice about how to select an ideal niche so I am not going to cover that here. You will find that information very, very easily via your search engine, but one piece of general advice would be to find a topic which has a significant following but which has limited coverage on the internet. As always with internet marketing, research is the key. The marketplace is vast so there are seams of gold out there as yet un-mined if you can find them. Go prospecting!

Being seen as an expert by your website visitors will always have a significant positive impact on your business but you do need people to find your website and related copy to be 'suitably impressed'. Finding a profitable niche which is largely undeveloped will make it easier to bring in the traffic as the competition will be much less fierce. Once you have people on your site then, and only then, can you impress them with your expertise, your available information and your products. You might say that these two things go hand-in-hand – traffic and expertise.

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Source by Rob J Hinchliffe

Views: 0

July 28, 2022
Entrepreneurship Development

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Who is an entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur is someone who manages and organizes any form of business. Who has the capability to take initiatives, motivate others, work in a team, and become a leader. He is a man who starts his own venture not seeking for a job but providing many people a hope of life.

Why Entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship plays an important role in case of economic development of a country. A lot of problems of our country would be solved if people will start considering entrepreneurship as the first option for their career.

Employment:

One of the greatest problems of our country is “Unemployment”. Let’s see how entrepreneurship tackles with this problem.

Current employment opportunities can only cater 5 – 10 % of population. Entrepreneurs generate employment both directly and indirectly, directly by self employment as an entrepreneur and indirectly by starting many industrial units where they offer jobs to millions of people. Thus entrepreneurship is the best way to fight with the evil of unemployment.

National Income

National Income consists of the goods and services produced in the country. The goods and services produced are consumed within the country and can also be exported to other countries. The domestic demand increases with increase in population and increase in standard of living. The export demand also increases to meet the needs of growing imports due to various reasons. An increasing number of entrepreneurs are required to meet this increasing demand for goods and services. The manufacturing rate of any developed country lies between 60% – 70%. But unfortunately in our country this rate is below 40 %. If you want to become a great entrepreneur or want to do something for your motherland, become a manufacturer not just go for a service industry.

Dispersal of economic power:

Industrial development normally may lead to concentration of economic powers in a few hands. This concentration of power in a few hands has its own evils in the form of monopolies. Developing a large number of entrepreneurs helps in dispersing the economic power amongst the population. It may help in weakening the harmful effects of monopoly.

Better standard of living:

Entrepreneurs play a vital role in achieving a higher rate of economic growth. They are able to produce goods at lower cost and supply quality goods at lower price to the community according to their requirements. When the price of of the commodities decreases the consumers get the power to buy more goods for their satisfaction. There is a great demand of such entrepreneurs who can make this thought possible.

Creating solutions for society :

An entrepreneur is a person who creates solutions not only for the problems of his business but for the whole society. Entrepreneurs play a key role for innovations and creative ideas that solve different problems in the world with the efficient use of technology. What is needed? or desired should be created with appropriate use of technology. This gives a clear thought of “Creating solutions with technology!”

The benefits and needs of entrepreneurship is endless. The greatest demand of today’s world is simply “Be an Entrepreneur!” that will solve economic problems of your family, your society, your people and your country. Let’s create wealth,not just seek for a salary.

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Source by Mohammed Faizan Ansari

Views: 0

July 28, 2022
Importance of Evidence-Based Complementary Medicine
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The modern-day world has many challenges and thus good health is one of the greatest blessings in today’s era. For example, a rich man with a bad health will always be unsatisfied and unhappy! “Health is Wealth”. Improving your health is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. It is a fact that your health affects all the aspects of your life, be it professional, or personal. Probably that is the reason why evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine came into existence!

With increasing number of health-related apps and journals on the internet, you can now easily move towards a healthier lifestyle. Even the experts of medicine have admitted that the advice and products of work best when supplemented with a doctor’s standard care and supervision.

As the famous proverb suggests, “Prevention is better than cure” and evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine helps you achieve this goal. So, here are a few benefits that you might get if you follow an integrative healthcare protocol:
- It helps you in receiving specific treatment plans as per your physical requirements. As each individual has a unique body, it is not advisable to subscribe to a generalized treatment protocol. An effective biotyping assessment studies your inherited traits such as body frame, personality type, digestive capacity, metabolic activity, nutrigenomics, as well as environmental factors. In this way, it provides you with a personalized holistic Integrative healthcare medicine advice.
- It aims at examining and treating all the aspects of physical as well as emotional components. It is proven that daily stress negatively affects your emotions, biology and genetics. All this further results in greater risks of several chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease!
- It offers a wide range of Natural Cure and Remedies so that you are not completely dependent on pharmaceuticals, many of which have side-effects. The food that you eat is one of the biggest reasons behind your healthy (or unhealthy) life! Following unhealthy food habits can result in an increase in the risk of heart conditions, high blood sugar, obesity, etc. So, what could be better than utilizing food as a medicine?
- It focuses on the prevention of diseases before it even occurs. While conventional medicines are prescribed for a lifetime for chronic disease, alternative medicine examines the root causes of the disease. It also encourages the patients to focus on preventing a disease by eating healthy foods, exercise, meditation, etc.
So, if you also wish to treat or prevent any disease with Natural Cure and Remedies, evidence-based complementary medicine is the key! After all, it’s never too late for improving your health.

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Source by Luke Harper

Views: 0
July 28, 2022
Direct Sales Team Vs Distributor – Which is Better For an International Market?
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If you’re looking to expand your sales to new markets, then there’s one big question you must ask: do I build a direct sales presence or use a distributor? Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, but we’re going to make a strong case to use one method over the other in almost every instance.

What’s the difference between direct sales and distributors?

A direct sales presence means that your company establishes, manages, and pays a sales team of one or more people in the target market.

An outside agent is any entity that will sell your product in exchange for a service fee. One example is a sales rep, who sells your product in exchange for a percent of the sale. A distributor is similar to a rep, except they would buy product from your company and sell it directly to the end customer.

Is Direct Sales Better?

For most businesses expanding into new markets, especially international markets, hiring a distributor is a better decision-at least until there is enough return from the market to justify building a direct sales presence.

Sure, there is one major advantage to having a direct sales presence-control. Control over the day to day activities of your sales personnel is appealing to most business owners. But this control comes at a heavy price. To start, you’ll need to spend the time to hire someone in that market, then train them, then equip them with sales material and management, if not office space and equipment. These costs are prohibitive for most small businesses looking to expand internationally.

And there are even more costs that we haven’t mentioned yet. Each market has it’s own unique laws, cultures and customs that are essential to master if your company wants to establish a successful sales presence. Japan is a classic example of a marketplace with unique legal structures and business customs that, if not followed, guarantee the failure of any sales efforts. It’s hard to pin down an exact monetary value to this learning, but ask yourself this: Can you afford to establish, manage, and pay a sales force in a foreign country for at least a year while they learn the ropes and generate no revenue?

What about a Distributor? Is a Distributor better for new markets?

Distributors are a cost effective means to enter a new marketplace successfully. Here are just a few of the reasons:
- No Overhead:
  Unlike running your own sales team, a distributor will take care of the hiring, managing, payment, and optimization of its channel. You’re just borrowing their distribution, while they handle the maintenance.
- Established Channel with Local Knowledge:
  A good distributor will already know all the laws and customs of the market you’re entering. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel-you can use someone who already has valuable local knowledge.
- Understand Pricing and Purchasing Power of Market:
  Along with knowledge of the laws and customs comes knowledge about the most successful ways to price and market your product locally.
- Cost Effective:
  Since you won’t be paying for the above items, distributor relationships are much more within reach of a small business trying to enter a new market.
Using a distributor has some downsides as well, but they can be minimized by building a good relationship with a distributor.
- Not your own people:
  You won’t be able to directly manage every step of the process. While it may make you nervous to lose some control over the sales process, you can manage the risk by building a transparent relationship with your distributor with constant updates and feedback from both ends.
- Distributor has many products to represent:
  You may not be the distributor’s top priority at any given time, and you want to be sure your product is not getting shuffled to the back of the line. Once again, a well-established relationship with constant contact will ensure that your product is getting the attention it deserves.
- Not a “turn key” solution:
  You can’t just give the distributor your products and expect success. You’ll have to manage the relationship. This takes time, but it’s still less costly than trying to install a direct sales team from scratch.
So what do I do next?

If you aren’t convinced that a distributor would be better for your organization than establishing a direct sales team, seek help from a consultant who has experience establishing a presence in new markets. A consultant can use his or her experience to analyze your opportunity and recommend the best course of action.

Before you choose a distributor, you need to know….

Choosing the wrong distributor will set you up for failure. The wrong distributor simply won’t generate sales, and you’ll have wasted at least a year finding and setting up an unprofitable relationship.

There are certain things to look for in a distributor, and they are different for every market. The best thing to do is to find a professional, one with experience in distributor relationships, and hire that professional to help you search for and identify the right distributor.

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Source by J. P. Williams

Views: 0
July 28, 2022
The 2 Fatal Mistakes Online Business Owners Make With Customer Service

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Customer service can make or break your business, and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to an eCommerce business in particular. When someone comes to your website to make a purchase, you have to realize that they are choosing you over thousands of other stores on the web.

What are you going to do to not only close the deal, but make sure they are satisfied after the delivery?

Having excellent customer service will be key, but you have to avoid these two common mistakes to make sure you can keep your new customer coming back time and time again.

1. Not Being Accessible

People have issues trusting stores on the internet these days. With so many scams out there, you have to show that your company is a trustworthy source for whatever it is you happen to be selling. One of the ways you can do that is by making your customer service department very accessible.

This doesn’t just mean listing a phone number in the header, which instantly adds credibility, it also means having other options that you can be reached through, like live chat, email, and even social media. By making yourself accessible, you give people reassurance that you’ll be there should any problems arise with their order.

And, in today’s world where a lot of people don’t have the time to speak on the phone, live chat is definitely the way to go in most situations. Have a chat box automatically pop up on the website so people can get in touch with you without searching for a hidden “Contact Us” link.

2. Not Following Up

The second biggest mistake an online business can make when it comes to customer service is not following up with buyers after they have made a purchase. You should invest in an email list and autoresponder to make sure that every customer is emailed a “thank you” for their purchase email, a delivery confirmation, and then a follow-up email a few days later to see if they like what they are getting.

This follow-up email is also the ideal time to ask for a review, which can help boost your reputation even more. If they happen to be unsatisfied with the product, you greatly reduce the risk of chargebacks or returns just by offering to make it right for them up-front. Instead, you might be able to settle with store credit or an exchange.

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Source by Jon Allo

Views: 0

July 27, 2022
How to Think Like a Marketer
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Many people say they hate marketing. That’s usually because they think marketing is all about advertising and sales.

Marketing is a process, not an event. It involves research, promotion, and distribution along with advertising and sales.

Maybe the most important and most overlooked aspect of marketing is having the right marketing attitude or marketing mindset. Think like a marketer.

When you have a marketing mindset, you ask how you can build brand awareness to help your target audience become familiar with your products and services, and you as well. Developing that know, like, and trust factor with your audience is key.

As you develop a marketing mindset, ideas of how to meet marketing goals on a daily basis will come easily, but here are a few ways to get started:
- Know Your Product & Service Inside Out: This may sound obvious but think about how many times we, as customers, have walked away from buying something because the person helping us couldn’t answer a few basic questions about their product or service.
- Find Ways to Leverage Mistakes of Competitors: It’s easy to see what the competition is doing well but just as much (and sometimes even more) can be learned by observing what your competition is doing not so well. The Internet is saturated with career service companies, but what makes your career service better than your competitors? Do your homework. Where are they weak? What client needs are not being met and what can you do to step in and meet those needs?
- Point Clients In Your Direction: Solve client problems. Point them to one of your services or products and emphasize the benefits, value, and results they can gain from it-being a solution to their problem.
- The “Bottom Line” Isn’t Just About Money Coming In: Looking for ways to save is just as important as finding new revenue streams. Instead of just recording where the money is going, watch for places to save. When looking at those numbers is there a way that sales can be made more efficiently?
- Every Client Interaction Is a Networking Opportunity: The word “networking” makes some people uncomfortable. But it doesn’t have to be about schmoozing or closing a sale. It’s simply having a conversation in an effort to build new relationships or strengthen current ones.
“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.”-Peter F. Drucker

In business, everything ties into marketing in one way or form-what you wear, how you communicate (verbally and non-verbally), and what you do to attract, retain, and maintain client relationships. All of it affects or contributes to the profitability and success of your business.

Thinking like a marketer is a way of ensuring your company’s longevity.

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Source by Maria Hebda

Views: 0
July 27, 2022
Sweden – Utopia For Multi Level Marketing (MLM) Business

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The general thought and notion of the Swede is for them to be reserved, quiet and maybe stick to themselves more then other more outspoken and spontaneous populations.

Is this really a good environment for a multi level marketing business to thrive and for its representatives to earn not only additional income but considerable salaries?

Well, that is not the truth about the Swede, so Yes.

Sweden is a great market for networking and MLM business.

The facts paints a completely different picture.

• Sweden is in the 6th nation in Europe in direct selling.

• Usually make-up, juices, cleaning supplies, nutrition etc

Federation of European Direct Selling Associations,

“European Direct Selling Statistics – 2010 Retail Sales”. 2010. Accessed Jan 28 2011.

Key Indicators

• Direct selling has increased with an average 10% per year over the last 5 years

• 95% is part time and 5% is full time within direct selling

• 95% is part time and 5% is full time with direct selling

• 75% women and 25% are men

Some of the products that through time have been most prominent in the Swedish market are:

• Cosmetic, Skin- and Body products

• Laundry – Cleaning Supplies and House-ware

• Groceries, Nutritional Products

• Books

• Child Clothes

Sweden is THE place to be for any multi-level marketing, direct selling or network marketing business that wants to go for the masses. To add on to the already existing growing population of marketers in Sweden, there is now an explosive demand for home based Internet companies with a low initial start up cost. For any Swede who wants to get serious and wants to get into the business, find yourself a good solid business, which fits your interest and market. Find a team within that business that you would like to work with, get excited, get going and never quit!

The general conception is that this type of business is only for the young and technology savvy individuals… The largest growing age segment on Facebook is the 60+. That means that all these baby-boomers, who are set to control the global markets over the next 20 years, are now connecting on Facebook. The marketers and companies who tap into that “network” will have a large potential lead pool.

With the changing population of participants in the online communities and with the statistics above, we show Sweden to be a fruitful direct selling market. If you know someone or have connections on the Swedish market. Go for it!

“European Direct Selling Statistics – 2010 Retail Sales”

http://www.fedsa.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=8

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Source by Jonas Carlsward

Views: 0

July 26, 2022
MLM Basics – The Multi Level Marketing Business Model

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MLM, also known as Multi Level Marketing, can be a wonderful method for achieving your personal and financial dreams when combined with the power of the Internet.

My goal in this article is to briefly explain what this business model is and what it is not since it is used by hundreds of companies to move their goods and services from production to the end consumer.

With the information I will provide here, you will be able to make an informed, educated decision as to whether or not this business model is right for you.

Multi Level Marketing is nothing more that a business model that uses independent distributors with a multi level commission payout plan to move products from production to the consumer.

Some people believe that Multi Level Marketing companies are nothing more than scams or illegal pyramid schemes. However, for true MLM companies, nothing could be further from the truth. These people simply do not understand how Multi Level Marketing companies work.

First you need to know that Multi Level Marketing companies are 100% legal and many large multi-million dollar companies employ this business model to move their products from production to the consumer. The pyramid shape associated with MLM companies is the same shape as almost all non MLM companies. There are always more workers in the lower ranks than there are senior managers, Vice Presidents, and CEOs. If companies were not of this shape, they would collapse.

Many Multi Level Marketing companies have been around for decades. Some of the better known MLM companies are Shaklee, Tupperware, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Amway, A.L. Williams (Insurance), Princess House (a subsidiary of Colgate Palmolive), Melaleuca, MCI, U.S. Sprint, and NSA.

MLM is an explosive growth field and there are hundreds more MLM companies that, just like other companies, include some that are good and some that are not so good. Today, more and more Fortune 500 companies are even embracing Network Marketing for a portion of their marketing portfolio!

No matter what some MLM recruiters would like you to believe, Multi Level Marketing is not a get rich quick scheme and work is certainly involved if you want to build a long-term stable business. So, why are MLM companies and programs so popular? It is because the Multi Level Marketing business model presents an excellent opportunity for the “little guy” to start, on a part-time basis, a business that has a large residual income potential.

The magic of MLM is that independent distributors earn commissions not only for their own efforts, but also on the efforts of other distributors that they recruit into the business. Earning 1% of a hundred peoples efforts is always better than earning 100% on your own efforts, as John Paul Getty noted.

The term “multi level” comes from the process where by one distributor recruits other people to become distributors and the new distributors are placed under them in what is known as a downline. Each distributor is paid a retail commission on the products they sell themselves, and a wholesale commission on the products their downline sells (down to some designated level).

The larger downline a distributor can recruit, the larger will be his or her commissions as they will earn a wholesale override commission on all the products moved by their downline organization down to the designated level. These commissions can add up quickly for distributors with large downlines.

Thus if a distributor can teach his or her downline members to be successful, then then they will be rewarded by increased earnings themselves. To paraphrase what Zig Zigler once said, you can get anything you want if you help enough others get what they want. By helping others succeed, a distributor helps themselves.

In addition to selling products directly, recruiting, training, and retaining others becomes the key to earning a large stable residual income with Multi Level Marketing. It is not easy, but it is very rewarding.

Millions of people are discovering the advantages of being their own boss and working from home with the MLM business model. A basic computer, telephone, fax machine, a HUGE ambition, and the knowledge of how to proceed to grow your business are all it really takes!

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Source by George Dodge

Views: 0

July 26, 2022
BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) – Online Trading System

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Gone are the days when you needed a broker to help you buy and sell stocks, shares and make stock market investments. Through online investment you can buy and sell shares with just a few clicks of the mouse. The economic and capital market in India cannot exist without a stock exchange; there are two main stock exchanges where transactions take place; the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). While all the major transactions take place here, there are over 20 different stock exchanges located across the country.

Online trading in India has changed the meaning of trading in the country. With no requirement for a broker, trading has become easier, faster and far more convenient than earlier days. Some of the major financial products and services offered through online trading are mutual funds, equities, general insurance, life insurance, share trading, portfolio management, commodities trading and financial planning. In online trading, the investor has to pay less brokerage as compare to offline trading. There is no need for any paperwork through online investing and the need for a middle man is eliminated. All the stock accounts are stored in a Demat account where they can be viewed.

BSE online trading was established in 1995 and is the first exchange to be set up in Asia. It has the largest number of listed companies in the world and currently has 4937 companies listed on the Exchange with over 7,700 traded instruments.

The only thing that an investor requires for online trading through BSE is an online trading account. The trading can then be done within the trading hours from any location in the world. In fact, BSE has replaced the open cry system with automated trading. Open cry system is a common method of communication between the investors at a stock exchange where they shout and use hand gestures to communicate and transfer information about buy and sell orders. It usually takes place on the ‘pit’ area of the trading floor and involves a lot of face to face interaction. However, with the use of electronic trading systems trading is easier, faster and cheaper; and is less prone to manipulation by market makers and brokers/dealers.

The BSE provides an efficient and transparent market for trading in debt instruments, equity and derivatives. This is performed through a system known as BOLT – BSE’s Online Trading System.

In the stock exchange, a key index is used to keep track of the important or the most traded stocks in the exchange. The indice used at the BSE while trading is the SENSEX and is displayed in all major portals, newspapers and magazines. It is India’s first stock market index that enjoys an iconic stature and is tracked worldwide. It is conducted on a free-float methodology and is sensitive to market sentiments and realities.

There are also indices such as BSE small cap, BSE mid cap and BSE500 to take care of medium and small companies. Furthermore, India index services and Products Limited has indices such as CNX Nifty Junior, S&P CNX Nifty, CNX 100, S&P CNX 500 and CNX Mid cap. The BSE offers 22 indices to suit a multiplicity of needs, inclusive of 12 sectorial indices. For example, the BSE PSU Index tracks the performance of the listed PSY companies and also helps the Central Government to monitor its wealth on the bourses.

The BSE has become a completely ‘corporatised and demutualized stock exchange’ through the use of online exchanges. With partners such as Deutsche Borse (DB) and Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) it has a global competitive force. BSE has strategic relationships in almost every part of the world- Europe (DB)), Hong Kong (ETF) and Asia (SGX), prominent public sector undertakings such as State Bank of India, Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India and Central Bank of India.

Benefits of BSE trading system in India for share brokers or newbies

There are a number of attractive services to empower investors and facilitate smooth transactions. Some of these include:

1) Investor Services: A range of services are offered to investors. Being the first exchange in the country to provide an amount of INR 1 million towards the investor protection fund, the BSE had launched a nationwide investor awareness program; ‘Safe Investing in the Stock Market’ under which there were 264 programmes which were conducted in over 359 cities in India.

2) BSE has an Online trading BOLT system: the online-Trading system (BOLT) facilitates on-line screen based trading in securities. Currently it operates 25,000 Trader Workstations which are located across 359 cities in the country.

3) The BSE has the world’s first centralized exchange-based Internet trading system – BSEWEBX.com. This system helps the investors anywhere in the world to trade on the BSE platform.

4) The BSE has an online Surveillance system (BOSS) which monitors on a REAL-TIME basis the price movements, the volume positions and members’ positions as well as real time measurement of default risk, generation of cross market alerts and market reconstruction.

5) The BSE has a training institute – known as the Bombay Stock Exchange Training Institute (popularly known as the acronym BTI).The BTI imparts capital market training and certification; in collaboration with a number of reputed management institutes and universities. There are over 40 courses to choose from on different aspects of the capital market and the financial Bombay Stock Exchange market.

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Source by Monish P Kumar

Views: 0

July 26, 2022
Why Customer Concentration Impacts a Business Sale Transaction
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Few owners recognize the major impact that customer concentration has on the sale of their business. Customer concentration represents a significant obstacle and will affect the salability, valuation, and deal structure of a business-for-sale transaction. Not only will it create problems in qualifying buyers but it will impact the ability for any prospective purchaser to obtain third party financing to complete the acquisition. Determining if customer concentration is present in an enterprise is a critical element of the succession planning process.

Customer concentration is a situation when one customer represents a significant portion of revenues or when the business has a very small customer base. Based upon the expert one consults, the exact percentage for a concentration to exist varies. In most cases it is recognized when one customer represents more than 10% of sales or when the top five customers comprise greater than 25% of a company’s revenue. In either situation, a huge risk is created from the lack of diversification and steps to mitigate it should be taken years in advance of a planned business exit.

When evaluating a business sale it is important for an owner to recognize that their client base has a significant impact on the enterprise value of the company. A broad and diverse base of customers where there are a large number of clients contributing to the business’ revenue will achieve a higher transaction value as it reduces the risk that a sizable decrease in earnings will occur if any one customer is lost or a particular industry segment that the business serves encounters economic distress.

In addition to a lower sales price, businesses with customer concentration issues are more difficult to market for sale. For main street business transactions (those with adjusted earnings of less than $2mm) third party financing is used in the majority of cases. Businesses with high levels of customer concentration are very difficult to get financed. Lenders may provide only partial financing, offer sub-optimal terms, or decline the loan altogether. In situations where third party financing is not available, the pool of available buyers is significantly restricted and the terms of a deal could be heavily weighted on a contingent earn-out based on retaining the revenues derived by the largest customers. “Typically we want no customer concentration over a 10% level when considering financing an acquisition. Higher levels are possible with much more explanation and supporting documentation but remain a major concern” states Steve Mariani, President of Diamond Financial Services.

Lastly, customer concentration will have a direct impact on the deal structure for the business sale transaction. Buyers will strive to bridge the customer concentration risk through a variety of delayed ‘performance based’ financing methods. For example: Assume both parties agree on a transaction price of $900,000 based upon $300,000 of adjusted earnings (a 3x multiple). If the key account in question represents $75,000 of the $300,000 this would represent $225,000 of the transaction price. A buyer will strive to isolate the $225,000 component to ensure that revenue is maintained post sale. After a period of 12 months, if the customer and income are still in place the seller would receive the funds. If the identified client and corresponding revenue was lost during this period, a pricing adjustment would be made.

In situations where the buyer is unable to obtain transaction financing due to customer concentration issues, the seller might have to accept a “contingent earn-out” for the revenues derived from the largest customers, or worse, they may also have to finance a major portion of the “non-contingent purchase price” negotiated with buyers.

Contingent payouts could be structured in a variety of methods:

Earn-Out:

Earmark part of the purchase price with payments made over a period of time contingent upon the retention of specific customers or achieving specific revenue targets.

Escrow:

A percentage of the acquisition price will be held in an escrow account for a specified time.

Seller-Financing:

The seller would be responsible for financing a major portion of the purchase price through a seller note. The seller note could be structured with contingencies for revenues derived from the largest customers.

With any of these deal structuring techniques, the seller cannot be expected to guarantee the revenue in perpetuity and if the transaction price is based upon retaining one or more key customers, the seller may require more active involvement in maintaining the client relationship during the term of the agreement. Obviously, this brings an additional complexity to the transaction.

In most cases, buyers will look to discount the amount they are willing to pay for a business (with high customer concentration) unless they receive assurances that the risk is low. While the obvious strategy to reduce customer concentration risk is to diversify and increase the business customer base, there are a number of situations where customer concentration either does not pose a significant risk or could be mitigated.

Customer Contracts:

Having a contract in place will not eliminate all of the risk of losing a key customer, but it will provide the buyer with security that the revenue and profits will continue after a change in ownership takes place. When customer contracts are involved, the ability to assign or transfer will be important to understand. In many cases, a stock sale vs. asset sale is elected to preserve these contracts.

Barriers to Entry or Exit:

Businesses could have intellectual property, product expertise, or patents that create competitive advantages barring competition. Others are located in geographically remote areas where the supply benefits discourage customers from changing the relationship. Lastly, there could be significant capital requirements for manufacturing and tooling or agency approvals (pharmaceutical or government contracting industry) that creates a barrier to entry from potential competitors.

Providing a Variety of Products and/or Services:

Having a broad relationship with a key customer where the relationship is not based solely on one product, one location, and one individual decreases the risk that a singular change will fundamentally impact the future revenue stream and continuity of the account.

Economies of Scale or Synergies:

The acquisition may be pursued by a strategic buyer where they are bringing new products/services to the enterprise, a broader geographic distribution footprint, or economies of scale in production. Any of these elements would assist in reducing the concentration of revenue risk that an identified key client would represent to the future organization.

Summary

Businesses which have high levels of customer concentration are inherently risky and it is important for the owner to appreciate this concern from the perspective of a potential acquirer. Ultimately, the buyer seeks only to retain the customers which have contributed to the success of the business and are factored in the valuation and transaction price. From the position of a buyer a few logical questions and concerns would be:
1. How does the value of the company change if a customer representing 10% or more of revenue and/or profits is lost in the first year?
2. How easy would it be for the client representing the customer concentration concern to leave the business?
3. What unique situations exist within the business to preserve the customer relationship in the years ahead?
4. What are the logical steps and corresponding costs to mitigate the customer concentration risk?
5. How do I achieve a win-win transaction? Protecting me, the buyer, against the risk of a near term revenue loss while providing the seller with the proper remuneration for the fair market value of their business?
While the risk may not be able to be totally eliminated, there are a number of situations where customer concentration is more palatable and a proper explanation should be provided to the buyer at the earliest opportunity. Getting out in front of this potential challenge is critical to achieve a win-win deal. When good communication exists, and two fair and reasonable parties are at the table, there are a number of structuring options available, when necessary, to mitigate the risk and negotiate a fair and reasonable transaction price. Obviously, the best approach for a prospective business seller would be to develop and implement plans to reduce any customer concentration elements years in advance of a business exit. Eliminating this type of risk is just sound advice for any small business owner regardless of whether a sale is contemplated.

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Source by Michael Fekkes

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July 25, 2022