Question by Kalyboo: Does a business that sets up a booth in IL have to collect sales tax?

If we have a business (LLC) and we are going to go to a seminar and set up a booth to sell merchandise in Illinois, do we have to collect IL sales tax? We are located in IN, but want to set up a booth for a weekend seminar to sell items at retail, but I wasn’t sure how we would handle the sales tax or if we needed to. It is the first time to this show, so we’re not sure at this point if it would be an annual thing or not. Other than this show, we don’t have any employees in IL and don’t have any permanent locations there.

Best answer:

Answer by Ryan M
Yes you need to charge IL state sales tax. You might even need to charge a higher rate if the local sales tax rate is higher than the tax rate. Then, you will obviously need to submit this amount to the state of IL. Having no employees or permanent locations in IL is irrelevant….you are conducting business IN IL……THAT is the only point that matters.

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29 Ideas to Increase Sales and Profit

Growing your business doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. These simple, cost-effective ideas are designed to help you increase your sales and profit, without draining your budget.

1. FOCUS ON HELPING, INSTEAD OF SELLING

You shouldn’t be trying to force people into purchasing your product or service. You should find people who want your product or service and then focus on offering any helpful information to them so that they can make an informed decision.

2. TARGET

If you’re trying to target everybody, then chances are, you’re not targeting anybody. For example, if you’re selling something that homeowners would want, as opposed to renters, then target homeowners. State your target clearly in all of your marketing materials.

3. STOP SPENDING MONEY ON INEFFECTIVE MARKETING

One great way to save money is to stop wasting it on marketing and advertising that isn’t producing for you. Don’t forget to track the number of responses you are getting from whatever method you use. If you’re not reaching your goals, then your strategy needs to be revised.

4. NETWORK

Networking is a great way to get your message out to a large number of people, for free. Since each person knows about 250 other people, you can spread the word about your business pretty quickly. Go to your local Chamber of Commerce meetings. Shake hands at business functions. Exchange business cards with associates you see in stores, churches and community events.

5. SET GOALS AND DEADLINES

Collect your thoughts for a moment or two, and set goals and deadlines. These are vital to your business success. State your goals as specific numbers. (e.g. 10 new accounts, 11% increase in sales, etc.)

6. FOCUS ON BENEFITS NOT ON FEATURES

Spend your time focusing on how your prospects will benefit if they purchase your product or service. For example, if you’re selling central air conditioning units, don’t sell the power of the unit. Sell the benefit of comfort. Selling insurance? Don’t sell the coverage amount. Sell the benefit of security.

7. WRITE TIPS ARTICLES

Newspapers and other publications are always looking for helpful tips articles that would be of benefit to their readers. Submit simple, problem/solution type articles related to your product or service. State the problem, and then share some insightful tips that can help to solve the problem. Always include information at the end of your articles so that people will know how to contact you to receive more information about your services.

8. BE PERSISTENT

Persistence is power when it comes to increasing your sales and profit. Far too many firms fail because they don’t follow-up long enough to produce results. Most sales are made after the seventh or eighth contact–the sale is rarely made after just one contact.

9. SUBMIT PRESS RELEASES

Press releases are a very cost-effective way to get your message out to many people . . . for free. Submit your press releases to a wide variety of publications for immediate release. Keep in mind that the newspapers will usually only print releases that are of interest to their readers, rather than of a selling nature.

10. OFFER TO BE A SPEAKER

Business and civic organizations are always looking for speakers for their meetings and get together. Make yourself available by contacting these groups and offering to talk about your area of expertise.

11. GIVE A FREE DEMONSTRATION

If possible, give free demonstrations of your product or service to those that might be interested. Follow-up with these prospects in a timely manner to attempt sales conversion.

12. DISTRIBUTE SAMPLES

If possible, get samples into the hands of people who may be potential customers. People like to try before they buy.

13. DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIVE LITERATURE

Make sure that you get your product benefits, features and ideas into the hands of your prospects. If people don’t know what you have, how can they make a decision to purchase it?

14. USE THE TELEPHONE

The telephone can be one of your most effective, and least expensive, sales tools. Call people who you would like to do business with. Ask for a few minutes of their time so you can show them how your services can help them save time, cut costs, increase sales, etc.

15. GENERATE REFERRALS

Referrals are a great way to generate new business. Don’t just wait for people to refer you. Proactively ask for referrals from existing customers, acquaintances, family and friends. Don’t forget to graciously thank anybody who refers your business to someone.

16. HAVE FUN

Frustration and stress will slow you down. You will succeed far better when you’re doing something that you love.

17. TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS ABOUT THEM AND THEIR NEEDS

Most company publications, ads, letters and sales literature are filled with words, photographs and information that do nothing more than toot the company’s horn. Talk about your customers needs instead. Rather than using the words, “I,” “me,” “my,” use “you” and “your.”

18. DEVELOP CUSTOMER-ORIENTED RELATIONSHIPS

Take an interest in your prospects and customers. Send them helpful articles that you think would interest them. If you know of an event that your prospect or customer will be celebrating, such as an anniversary or birthday, send them a card or small gift. They will appreciate your generosity and will think of you when they need your service, or if they know someone else who may need your service.

19. TELL YOUR PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS WHAT TO DO

Getting your message into the marketplace is important, but getting prospects/customers to respond is the real test. Tell your prospects exactly what you want them to do next (e.g. call for your free brochure, drop your reply card in the mail, etc.)

20. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TESTIMONIALS

Whenever an existing or potential customer says something positive about your company, ask them if you could use their statement in your marketing materials. Your company’s credibility will increase with the use of testimonials from happy customers.

21. MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU

Your customer is not going to work for you. You have to work for them. Do anything you can to make doing business with your company easy and a pleasure.

22. CONTENT FIRST, FORM SECOND

When developing your sales materials and literature, spend less time worrying about the graphics and colors, and more time working on the content — what’s in it for your customers. As long as your message is enticing, black ink on white paper could work just as effectively as expensive four-color materials.

23. GIVE TO GET

There’s an old saying, “You can get everything you want, by helping enough people get what they want.” Listen carefully to your prospects and customers so you’ll know exactly what they want and be generous in your offers. That way you’ll be sure to reap the maximum rewards.

24. LEARN A NEW TECHNIQUE EVERY DAY

Read, go to seminars, listen to audio tapes. Continuously improving your sales and marketing skills will help you to increase your sales and profits.

25. ASSOCIATE WITH POSITIVE, SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

Talking to and learning from people who are always striving for and meeting their goals, will help you commit to and achieve your own objectives.

26. BELIEVE IN THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE YOU SELL

If you don’t believe in the quality and benefits of your product and service, your prospects won’t either. Present the benefits of your product/service with confidence and enthusiasm.

27. FOCUS ON THE LIFETIME VALUE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS

Don’t focus on generating one-time customers. Build a relationship so that a prospect becomes a repeat, lifetime customer.

28. LEARN FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE

Marketing is an important skill based on both knowledge and experience. The fastest way to gain that knowledge is to find someone who knows what works and has done it successfully. Ask about his or her specific experience in generating marketing results, as well as references, or testimonials. Reasonably priced marketing materials, like books, courses, workbooks, newsletters, audio cassettes, etc. can be excellent resources, that allow you to learn and apply effective marketing systems at your own pace.

29. OFFER QUALITY

Consumers always buy same brand from same retailer if retailer offer them quality products. Do not offer or try to push poor quality products for margin. Always offer and recommend good quality products to your consumer even if you are earning low margin.

Question by Brenda J: Showroom Display Seminar?

I’m looking for a class where I can learn the basics on how to set up a showroom… or a basic retail store. Any ideas on where can I find this info? I’d like to provide my customers with ideas on how to increase sales by re-arranging their showrooms/stores. I’m in the Foodservice business.

Best answer:

Answer by ladyofthehollow
check with your local colleges and see if they offer an interior design course that might lead you to an instructor who you could ask

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High Probability Sales Training and Fifty Additional Sales Training Articles

As business owners we know that sales are the key to our continued success. Of course the type of business and industry we’re in has a lot to do with what we call sales. For retailers the potential buyers are in the store, so selling may simply mean closing or does it?

In other industries the sales person must sort out the potential buyers from the universe of suspects around them. Then, once they’ve been qualified the selling process can begin. The price points of your products and whether they are essentials or luxuries also matters when considering the sales and sales training process.

It was for that reason we located fifty articles for you.

In my opinion the primary reasons to invest in sales training are to make your sales force more effective – what is sold stays sold and increase customer satisfaction – satisfied customers refer their friends, with the results of greater profitability for your customer, your sales person, and your company.

Many organizations investing in training are not getting the expected ROI. Why is that? Is it because the vendors chosen are using out of date techniques, or the people you hired and are trying to get trained are losers or maybe (heaven forbid) your products are not competitive in the marketplace.

Before you indulge in the blame game I’d like to recommend High Probability selling. The book, the seminar, and the in house training are worth your time investigating.

Naturally companies that specialize in sales training are listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book. When you contact them and you should – have one of their reps come by. Let’s see how good their sales people are. Presumably they will be using their own sales process when they come to sell you.

Many in managers and business owners are of the opinion and I agree; that good sales training starts and stops with the fundamentals. The clever bells and whistles favored by those who practice 1950′s style manipulative selling practices, not only preach what no longer works – but is guaranteed to provide disillusionment to your 21st Century sales person.

The two main reasons I hear for not providing more sales training are that it costs money and takes time. If managers spent as much time, energy, and money developing sales training programs as they do dealing with under performing sales people…

The potential for high earnings combined with the opportunity for personal growth and sales training are yours when you provide sales training for your people. The benefits are very substantial to everyone.

High Probability prospecting teaches how selling over the telephone can increase your business. The unique sales strategies to propel your business growth. Sales is the backbone of your business – without it, your bottom line would suffer. Hiring and educating the right sales people is key to your business’ success. If you want to create a business breakthrough, then this is the book High Probability Selling is for you.

Sales is what drives your business and makes the difference between growing or dying in today’s competitive marketplace.

The articles we’ve collected for you, the insights and contacts to their authors and the High Probability Selling seminars will provide excellent jumping place for you.

Remember, a properly organized training program almost always insures the company’s top position in the marketplace.

Retail Franchise Opportunity UK

There are various factors that make the franchise business one of the best industries in the world today. One of the main reasons is that the initial investment needed for a franchise is much less when compared to other businesses. In the case of a franchise, people can even run the business from their home.

There are many business franchise opportunities available; most which are listed on www.franchiseselectuk.com . Retail franchise business is one of the main ones. There is an enormous amount of growth for retail franchise opportunity in UK.

When you have decided to go for a retail franchise, there are two options available. The first option is to buy an already running franchise which is for sale. The next is starting a new franchise. Various retail franchises include food, consumer products, clothing etc.

One of the main advantages of this retail franchise is that, it can be run from home itself. Thus the normal huge investment required at the starting stage is reduced. By starting a retail franchise you will be able to stay with the family members, as well as run your own business.

You should do the market research before starting a retail franchise. You must share your thoughts with experienced guys in the franchise industry. Get better ideas by visiting relevant websites like Franchise Select UK, seminars and reading franchise related publications. You should have better ideas related to the costs and various other resources required to start the franchise. Every retail franchise are adopting new business styles, they follow the current marketing trends in each country.

We can find various online resources for providing information regarding retail franchise opportunity in UK. Franchise Select UK is one of the main ones.

Question by Nuclear M: How do i learn about real estate “short sales” without spending money to learn?

I would like to know how to get involved with real estate “short sales”…I love customer service, but I want out of retail and the R.E.S.S. breed of service can save a lot of people a lot of money, as apposed to convincing them to spend more money as you so often find yourself doing in the retail environment. However, I don’t have money to spend on seminars, boot-camps and other such conveniences or money traps (should that be the case). I would really appreciate anyone who would be willing to take their time to teach me at no cost up front…and i have no problem arranging appropriate kickbacks for the kindness once I get going. Thank you in advance for your time.

Best answer:

Answer by operababe_61
Are you talking about representing sellers in a short sale? If so, you have to become a licensed real estate agent first.

If you’re talking about buying properties that are being sold as a short sale in order to buy them cheap and flip them, there are a million books at the library. I read one called Millionaire Real Estate Mentor (or something close to that) that was pretty informative.

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What is All the Fuss About Short Sales?

What is all the fuss about short sales? Everywhere you turn, there is another seminar, another guru, or another boot camp all teaching the same thing. Can so many people be right? How many different ways can there be to do the same thing? Folks, believe it or not, there are not one hundred different ways to do short sales, there is only one. What you have is people trying to put a spin on it to seem original. My partner and I were the first to bring this topic to the forefront. It is very exciting for us to see how this incredible topic has exploded in the last few years. I am going to review the short sale concept and show you just how easy it actually is. My students and I have done hundreds of short sales. If you will do what we do, you can expect the same incredible success.

A short sale is simple: Through simple negotiations you get the bank to accept less than what is owed as payment in full on a property. For example, you find a homeowner with a property worth 0,000 that has a 0,000 mortgage balance. You work with the bank to negotiate a discount on the payoff. The bank agrees to accept ,000 as payment in full and you have just completed your first short sale.

Is it really that simple? You bet! The key to successful short sales is to understand the mindset of the people involved and make the deal appealing to each person. There are basically three parties involved in a successful short sale: the homeowner who is interested in getting out of foreclosure, the bank who wants to get a bad debt off its books, and the rehabber who wants a great property to fix-up and sell retail. In each situation, we strive for a win/win outcome.

Let us start with the homeowners. Their motivation is obvious. They are behind in payments or already in foreclosure. Creditors, banks, attorneys, mortgage broker’s and more everyday, are calling them. They just want to sleep at night and get out from under the stress of this situation. Their downfall: they have no equity. They have called every investor in town and have been turned down by everyone because they have no equity. They call you and you say, “No equity? No problem!” You explain the short sale concept, get the property under contract, and get busy.

“Why would the bank accept less?” you ask, “The bank can just take the property back at the sheriff’s sale and then retail it.” Well, let me ask you this: do banks want to lend money or own homes? Correct, lend money. Is a foreclosure an asset or a liability? Right again, a liability. Folks, banks are in the business of wholesaling money. They borrow money from bigger banks and then lend it to you. They have to show their credit report, just like you do, to get a low interest rate on the money they are trying to borrow. If you were going to lend millions of dollars to a bank, would you lend your money to the banks with the low default rates or the banks with the high default rates? Right again, you would lend to the banks with the smallest number of defaulted or foreclosable loans. The banks motivation to accept a short sale is to clean up its books so that it can borrow more money, at a cheaper rate, and then lend it to you for more.

Were does the rehabber come into play? You have to have someone to sell your properties to once you negotiate a successful short sale. Rehabbers are the perfect outlet. Rehabbers like to purchase fixer-uppers at 65% of the retail value. In the case of the 0,000 property, a rehabber wants to buy it for no more than ,000. In order for this to happen, you must get the bank to say yes to your offer.

So, how do you get the bank to say yes? You build a great case. Think of it like an attorney defending a case. The better case you build, the better your chances are to win. I send as much information as I can to the bank to show the bank why it should accept my low offer now instead of waiting out the foreclosure and bankruptcy process and getting the house later.

How do you build a good case? Send: a sales contract, signed by the homeowners, for the amount you want to offer the bank; an “authorization to release information” form; low comps; bad pictures; a detailed list of repairs; a hardship letter written by the homeowners – backed up with proof such as late notices, shut off notices, bank statements, job layoff papers, medical bills, tax returns, or whatever you can find; a crime report; a list of sex offenders in the area; articles from the newspaper that negatively reflect the area – job layoffs, crime, natural disasters, foreclosures up, bankruptcies up, and whatever you can find that is detrimental to the neighborhood; net sheet; and a cover letter from you stating why you couldn’t possibly pay full price for the property.

Submit that information to the Loss Mitigation department of the bank and you are in business. The rep will negotiate with you and once you settle on a price, wholesale the property to the rehabber. You become the middleman and make the difference between what you negotiated with the bank and the price the rehabber is willing to pay.

Folks, short sales are that easy. There are millions of dollars being left on the table. Get busy and put some of it in your pocket. Good luck! For more information on short sales, please contact me at www.1234closures.com

Question by mnl318: What strategies and techniques should I use to become a profitable shoes sales associate?

I am strarting a new career in the retail industry…the salary sound great! But how should I prepare my self to get successful in this position? (I know there will be a 2 day trainning seminar before I start…but I am curious) anyone know tips and techniques in shoe sales?

Best answer:

Answer by Carousse TX
Develop a good nose to tolerate the smelling feet!!!
Smile broadly to women who have a great love for shoes – most are! regardless of income, race, class, etc…
Know your products, styles, fashions, and sizes…
Be willing to go extra mile….. always…
Don’t look down on people..
Be extra courteous even with returns or difficult yack yack bitches… They will come back to buy out of guilt because of you.
Learn to fit shoes and perhaps a little massage to nice and clean feet!!!… It is on the show Sex and City….
Good luck to you.

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Retail Installment Contracts and Consumer Receivables

Many businesses sell their products or services to consumers on terms. The consumer can purchase high priced goods and services with affordable monthly payments over 6 to 60 months. This enables many consumers to buy products and services, which they could not pay for in one large payment.

This method of buying products and services allows consumers to enjoy and utilize products immediately while paying for it over several months or years and fits into a budget that is manageable. This type of purchase is called a Retail Installment Contract, which is between the retail establishment or merchant and the consumer. The consumer signs a contract and agrees to pay the merchant a monthly payment until the purchase amount of the product plus the interest is paid in full. When the contract is paid in full, the consumer has full ownership of the product.

Many businesses would be unable to stay in business if they did not sell goods and services on terms. Products and services ranging from 0.00 to ,000.00 are usually financed – sold by using a Retail Installment Contract. A good example would be purchasing a car. The car is financed for 60 to 72 months and the buyer can drive the car as long as the payments are made each month.

Buying a home would not be considered a consumer Retail Installment Contract. A home is financed by a mortgage with a payment term of 30 years.

Some common industries that sell products and services using Retail Installment Contracts are Health, Home, Technology, Education, and Recreation. These might include Computers, Campgrounds, Radio Keratotomy, Personal Jewelry, Internet Access, Nursing, Travel Clubs, Orthodontia, Security Systems, Web Sites, Massage, Resorts Timeshares, Veterinary, Water Purification, Dating Services, Electric Mobility, Furniture, Business Opportunities, Fitness Equipment, Hearing Aids, Plastic Surgery, Pet Stores, Appliances, Household Goods, Seminars, Martial Arts, Dentistry, Buyer’s Clubs, Electronics, Health Clubs, Piano Sales, etc.

Merchants can be traditional brick and mortar retail and service stores, in-home direct sellers, direct-mail, infomercial sellers, and internet sellers. Merchants that are selling products or services that range between 0 and ,000 may lose many sales opportunities unless they offer financing to the buyer. By utilizing a consumer finance company, merchants are not required to have deep pockets to carry the sales financing themselves.

A finance company buys (at a discount) the installment sales contracts of retail merchants, which provides an immediate cash flow to the merchant. The merchant can stock more products and make more sales. A merchant can sell new Retail Installment Contracts as they are originated and their current in house portfolio of consumer receivables to generate immediate cash for restocking, capital improvements, and provide working capital.

14 Obstacles To Retail Store Success

There are so many things that can prevent a retail store from being successful. We have listed 14 obstacles to retail success. Any one of these can be harmful to your retail business, but it only takes one to be fatal. They are not listed in any particular order.

1. Selection of Products- Many retail owners select products based on what they like. The key is to pick items your customers will love. If you get input from other employees or management, it will make it easier to make better buying decisions. Also, many times the owner has a limited taste and is missing a large group of customers. Ultimately, the owner may make the final decision, but the more info presented should result in better buying for the retail business.

2. Not Organized- Too many owners run their business without a plan. You should have short-term and long-term goals. I used to have a weekly list plus a master list of things to do. It was always subject to change. Also, take care of mail daily. I have been to stores and see mountains of mail stacked high in the store.

3. Lack of Delegation- Too many owners refused or afraid of dele-gating. It may be they are control freaks or do not trust employees. Both are bad and will severely limit your business. By delegating to employees, it creates better employees and ones who will take more pride in your retail business. Start with delegating simple things and go from their. You will be amazed at what your employees can do.

4. Not Thinking Outside the Box- If the owner’s thinking is lim-ited, so is the chance for success. It is hard running a retail store. The key is not to follow everyone else and consider choices that will be different. Once again, your employees may be able to come up with creative solutions.

5. Resistance to Change- Owners and employees do not like to change. They want to continue to do things business as usual. Times change and if you wait too late for change, your business may even fail from this obstacle by itself. It is so common for a retail store to doing poorly and the owner will not make major changes. This brings me to the next obstacle.

6. Fear of Failure- Every business that tries different things will have some failures. The key is to learn from these failures to help you in the future. Too many owners just think the following. I tried something different and it did not work. Every successful person and business has failures, but they did not let it stop them from reaching their goals.

7. Store not Unique- One of the keys is to make your store different from the rest. Over 90% of all retailers are similar. The others create a unique shopping experience. They understand that special events combined with unique items or service will have the customers saying WOW when they leave. Yes, it takes extra work, but the payoff can be huge. Special events can be low cost or even free to promote your business. There are thousands of possibilities, such as dog costumes, children storytelling, and free short informational seminars about a product or service.

8. Service not Superior- All stores like to think their service is great. In reality, most stores fall far short. It not only takes meeting the customer’s expectations, but exceeding them. For example, you could special order an item and delivered it to their house or work, if the customer does not have time to get to your store. Superior service starts with an owner’s strong commitment for it to happen.

9. Work is not Fun- Everyone has a job to do, but it can be made to be fun. Happy employees are more productive and give better customer service. Get to know your employees and think of them as a person. Humor is a great way to relieve tension and make your employees happy to work for your retail business. Hard bosses to work for have high turnover which is costly to any business.

10. Poor Ad Merchandise or Pricing- Owners love to run sales for products that do not sell or have poor prices for better selling items. The purpose of the ad is to get customers into your store to buy products. Selling a good item at 1/2 off regular retail will result in more sales and profits for your store than selling poor merchandise at 75% off regular retail. Many customers coming into your store for ad items will purchase other products at full price.

11. Not Aggressive with old Inventory- Inventory either makes you money or costs you money. Old inventory should be sold to create cash flow plus to clear space for good selling products. Too many owners think short-term and will not sell an item below cost. Old inventory is better liquidated at 75% off, instead of sitting on your shelf or stockroom. The cash can be used to purchase good inventory, which can more than make up for the loss of the old item. I have seen many retail stores continue to suffer, because the owner will not take the necessary markdowns for his business.

12. Employees not Educated- Employees must be shown what to do. All employees should be educated on a consistent basis. This will result in less turnover, more productivity and more profits. Do not think educating employees is about the first day or week.

13. Lack of Mailing List- Getting a mailing list is the best way to cut down advertising costs and increase sales. Customers on a mailing list will result in 5-10 times the sales as new visitors to your store. The best ways to get customers on your mailing list is from checks and asking them for their address to be on your store mailing list. You may have to give a small incentive to get them on your list, but is worth it.

14. Website not Effective- A website should either sell products/ be used to get visitors e-mail addresses. The more you keep in contact with the people on your list, the credibility goes up and so do the sales. Many people do not buy the first time, they visit a website. Also, having some basic info about your store would be great also. I have seen many owners spend ,000 or more for a website, plus a high monthly fee and not be effective. Flash can be nice, but if it takes too long to load, your website visitor is long gone. I have a website with all the bells and whistles and there were no up-front costs or contracts, less than a month, and easy to do yourself. I have been able to save some of my consulting clients thousands by switching and having a more effective website leading to even more profit.