Here are a few tips to help you:

#1 – Start small. Even making small everyday decisions will help you accomplish the bigger goal. Small decisions such as what food to eat at a restaurant are not to be underestimated. A good way to start is the next time you’re eating out, look at the menu and decide what you’d like to eat. Then put the menu down and don’t change your mind. Don’t ask your companions what they’re having and base your decision on that – make the decision on your own and then stick to it.

Small steps like this can be empowering and help you to tackle the bigger decisions to come in the future.

#2 – Approach decisions logically. Many of us tend to make emotion-based decisions rather than logical ones. In business this can spell disaster. A good way to help you approach decisions in a logical manner may be to write down a list of pros and cons.

Simply grab a sheet of paper and label one side pros and one side cons. Then list all the good and bad points of your choice. Logically think through your comments and then make your decision. This way you can leave emotions out of the equation and concentrate purely on the facts.

#3 – Cut yourself some slack. Making decisions is a skill which can be learned but even pros don’t always make the right choices. Realize that making decisions effectively takes confidence and is a great first step, but your decisions may not always be the right decisions. If you happen to make the wrong decision, give yourself a break and take comfort in the fact that you thought out your decision clearly and logically and made the best choice possible at the time.

Being a good decision maker takes time and practice. However, it’s a worthwhile skill to develop. Making decisions regularly may help build your confidence level and also help people know where they stand with you – two great entrepreneurial qualities.

The most important thing to remember when getting negative feedback is to not get mad. Sure, getting mad may give you an energy burst to be more effective and get more things done, but it’s more likely going to get you worked up over nothing and make you waste time.

There are two things you can do instead of getting angry or upset, and which one you choose depends on what kind of negative feedback you got. Negative feedback can pretty much be divided into two categories: useful and mean spirited.

If someone sends you feedback that simply says they disagree with you and says nothing more than that, your next step is simple – ignore it. There’s nothing you can do to change their opinion and acknowledging them is simply going to waste both your times. Just forget about it and move on.

Just because feedback is negative doesn’t mean it’s bad. Negative feedback should be looked on as an opportunity for improvement. And while this person may have been upset and not have been the nicest person in sending their feedback, the first thing to do is thank them.

It doesn’t have to be big, just a quick email letting them know that you value their opinion and will look into the issue. If you already know, you can let them know how you’re going to fix the issue at hand. This will not only help you keep a customer (and possibly make more by referrals), it will also encourage them to send more feedback so you can make further improvements in the future.

Once you have helpful negative feedback, the first step is to analyze whether or not it matters. Just because a suggestion gives a good idea, doesn’t mean it’s worth the time and money you have to put in to it. If a problem is difficult to fix but only affects a few of your customers, it’s probably not worth it to spend your resources making it better.

After you’ve decided you need to take action, it’s time to brainstorm what action to take. This could take a few minutes, or even a few weeks. If you are getting stuck, you can even ask customers (or the person who gave you the feedback) what they think would be a good fix.

For each possible action, also go back and weigh it based on how much the negative effect matters. While you may agree that the problem needs fixing, you may not agree that you need to make a substantial investment to fix it and opt to go for a cheaper, but less effective fix. Once you have all your options laid out, it should be much easier to choose a solution.

Once all this is done, you can finally implement your solution, but don’t forget to let your customers know about the changes – particularly the one who inspired the changes in the first place.

Here are some quick and easy tips:

#1 – Keep the air flowing. One thing you don’t want is stale air in your creative space. Regularly open windows at either end of your office space to allow a clear path of air to flow through at all times. It’s important to keep the air flowing even during the winter months. You don’t have to open your windows very much to get a good flow of air – a little will do.

#2 – Keep the office green. Plants do a lot more than look attractive. Having plants in your office space will help reduce the static energy in the air. This is energy that comes off computers, telephones and other electrical outlets. Green leafy plants will help reduce the amount of toxins in the air and help you breath easier.

Stay away from spiky or thorny plants as this is said to stop the positive energy flow in the Feng Shui of your space.

#3 – Keep things natural. The more natural materials you can use in your office space the better. Opt for natural wood, stone and paints where possible. The key is to reduce as many toxins as possible in your office. Go for simple renewably sourced products. When decorating, opt for a “greener” eco-friendly paint that doesn’t release toxins into the air.

#4 – De-clutter often. The less cluttered your environment, the better the overall energy flow. Keep your office space tidy and neat. If you don’t need something, find a good home for it. A clutter-free office space may also help you think clearer and more creatively.

#5 – Add feel-good items. Feel-good items like favorite sculptures, art and wind chimes will all contribute to the positive mood of your space. Add these sparingly without cluttering your space for a feel-good vibe.

#6 – Balance your color scheme. Colors can set a mood instantly. Blues, greens and yellows (yellow in moderation) can create a creative, airy, light mood – perfect for offices. Reds and oranges are fiery and may be a little too bright for most office spaces. Having said that, if you’re in a very dynamic, creative type business this may just be the color scheme for you.

Take a little time to look into colors to see which make you feel good and will create the mood you’re after.

Creating a healthy office space doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s simply about creating a more relaxing, happy, energetic space. When you walk into your office and instantly feel good you know you’ve achieved just that.

The first step in keeping your vision alive is to have a clear vision in the first place. If you haven’t already, try sitting down and writing a clear vision statement, for your business and yourself. Think about why you started your business, and what you hope to achieve.

While it’s important to have a vision statement, you have to keep it in mind if you’re going to actually achieve it. Having an idea of what you want doesn’t really matter if you throw it in a drawer and only think about it once every six months. Try posting it somewhere in your office or having it written down where you will see it regularly.

It might also help you to do more than just post your vision. Most people know the phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, why not use this to your advantage? Find pictures that make you think of what you want and what your goals are in life, and post them in places you’ll see. If may be posters around your office or even just your computer desktop. They’ll serve as a constant reminder of what you’re working for.

To keep your vision going, it’s important that your work reflects your vision. That means not only working towards your goals, but associating with people who feel the same. Sure, you’re not always going to be able to choose who you work with, but you can still try to make business contacts who have similar vision and beliefs as you. These people will help you stick to what you want and become successful.

It’s a generally accepted fact that if you’re surrounded by negative people, you’ll probably start thinking negatively eventually. Attitude is something that permeates to the people around us. To help keep your vision on track, surround yourself not only with positive people, but with those that share your vision, or a similar one. They will help keep you on track when you get discouraged.

If you’re having trouble focusing on your vision statement, maybe it’s not you that needs help, maybe it’s just your vision. You are not the same person you were when you opened your business, so why is your vision statement the same? If your vision statement doesn’t reflect what you want anymore, considering reviewing and revising it. Just be sure not to do it too often, or you’ll find yourself going from focus to focus without actually accomplishing anything.

What’s most important is not to lose faith in yourself and your business. Great businessmen aren’t the ones who have never failed, they’re the ones who failed and kept on going.

To be the most productive, try making a plan. Each project you take on, be sure to plan it out ahead of time. Include each step you’re going to need to take, and who and what you need to get it done.

Once you have an overall plan, use this to make a plan at the beginning of each day. Before you do anything in the morning, make a list of what you need to get done that day.

They say that if you start each day by eating a live frog, nothing else you do that day will seem that bad. While you’re probably not going to actually eat live animals, this is a great philosophy to use in your life.

Start each day by picking the hardest thing on your to-do list, the thing you’re really dreading. Once you get that thing done, everything else in the day will seem much simpler. Plus, the feeling of accomplishment will energize you and help keep you focused throughout the day.

If you’re easily distracted and nothing seems to be working to stop that, try removing the distractions totally. If you keep playing video games, go somewhere without internet access or a TV. If you keep getting distracted by the kids, work while they’re at school or when someone else is there to take care of them. The whole point is that not having distractions is much easier than ignoring them.

If you have trouble starting work or keeping on task, get a buddy to help you. The biggest problem most people have is keeping to deadlines. If you don’t have someone to report to, like a boss or manager, then you have less reason to get things done. Ask a friend or family member to check on your work and push you to keep going or get started. If you feel accountable, you’ll get more done in less time.

One of the best things you can do to get more done in your day is to take breaks. While it seems counter-intuitive, giving yourself a rest every so often helps you re-energize and make better use of the time you do have. Whether it be taking the occasional weekend off, doing some yoga or deep breathing during the day, or just sitting in a quiet room drinking your coffee, you need to take some time to recharge.

One of the easiest ways to develop marketing mojo is for a business owner to fully know their product. What are the product’s best features? What can the product do that the competition’s product can’t?

Setting mini marketing goals can be a fun way to stay on track. Constantly setting and meeting new deadlines will help raise confidence and that will definitely get your mojo running.

These mini goals can be based on tasks that need to be done, such as writing your monthly newsletter or spending an hour doing some social networking. They can also be based on new things you would like to learn.

Learn By Doing

One of the best ways to build your marketing mojo is to just do it. Instead of spending hours of your time reading up on the latest marketing techniques and then debating over which will benefit your business, try different ideas out as you go.

By testing the waters yourself, you can better judge what is going to be worth your time and what needs to be tweaked to suit your product.

Don’t be afraid to experiment or modify marketing ideas that you have discovered. Changes to the standards are what give companies an edge in their marketing strategies.

Even if the tactics you test out do not work for you, analyze why they didn’t quite pan out and see where you can build on the strengths and weaknesses. Those with real marketing mojo learn from their mistakes and downfalls, creating a better plan for the next effort.

Watch Pros In Action

Feed off the marketing mojo of others to help build your own. Watching the marketing strategies of those who have already found success is a great way to build your business’ arsenal. What works for them just might work for you as well.

Networking with other business owners both in and out of your own industry can really pay off with new marketing tips and ideas. Ask for their advice or just keep an eye on what they are doing to present their own product to the world.

Set goals for yourself, try out new ideas, learn from others and above all, have fun with your marketing efforts. Before you know it, you’ll have your own marketing mojo working and will be reaping the benefits of your success.

When in a service-oriented position, take the time to smile and offer assistance. This will immediately let the customer know that you are aware that they are in your store. Customers will feel more welcomed and appreciated and the likelihood of them returning is much greater. That’s exactly what you want, repeat customers.

Active listening is also a must for good service skills. If a person does not listen to the customer, chances are that they will not fully comprehend what the customer is trying to convey, thus leading to a potential problem that could have been solved by listening. Active listening requires a person to focus and be present in the moment. Inactive listening can cause a company to lose customers, receive a bad reputation – and depending on the severity of the issue, potentially can lead to a lawsuit.

There are the occasions where problems arise that an associate cannot handle for one reason or another. Be honest about this. Let your customer know that you do not know the answer, but also make sure to explain the choices available to them and to obtain the help they are seeking. This could be as simple as calling another associate or in-store manager. Maybe you will have to locate the phone number to your headquarters so that it can be offered as a possible avenue of resolving customer conflict. Just know that for the most part, the more helpful you are, even if the customer is agitated, the higher chance you stand of having that customer return – they will remember the help that they were receiving.

In dealing with customers of any kind, look at yourself objectively and ask yourself if you would like to be treated in the manner that you just treated that customer. If the answer is yes, then you are using good customer service skills. If the answer is anything but yes, then it is strongly suggested that whatever it was that bothered you, you change. If you don’t like yourself at that moment, then what makes you think anyone else will like you?

Smile, greet, offer assistance, be courteous and find creative ways to solve conflicts. Attend any conflict resolution classes offered as well as other additional service classes. Don’t make assumptions about people by the way they dress or don’t dress, as this is nothing more than a stereotype and more often than not in today’s world, stereotyping will backfire on you.

As an added incentive, take an extra 20-30 seconds to go out of your way to help a customer. Maybe you can lead them in the right direction for what they are seeking, or find out, before a lot of time is wasted, that you don’t carry the product being looked for. Maybe simply helping them to sit down, stand up or out to their vehicle is what is needed. If that is the case then just do it. Those minimal seconds in your life can impact another person’s life in a variety of positive ways.

Lastly, when a customer leaves, tell them to have a good day or night. I myself tell them to have a better one. I believe that if their day has been crummy then the better day comment will have more effect. It stands out more and in little ways shows that much more of a caring personality behind the associate tag, which of course comes back in positive waves.

You can keep putting out the deals in expensive advertising, but when that fails does that mean you go broke? Absolutely not!

Not if you have already built up a customer base, and have provided those customers with good auto repair service and good products. What you have built up by doing this is your company's number one asset.

Do you know how much that asset is worth? Do you know the lifetime value of your customers? That is how much a customer spends a year on average with you, times the number of years they stay a customer, times the number of customers you have.

It can add up to a lot, if you are doing things in the right way.

Do you have marketing geared toward your current customers?
Do you take the trouble to find out things they specifically and generally like and dislike? Do you ask what you might do to serve them better? Do you publicize a solid guarantee and honor it?

With the right customer service you can keep your customers for LIFE!

Find out information about your customers. Keep a list of their names and addresses so you can keep in constant communication with them by sending a heads-up on deals, new stock, and anything that would make them feel special. Postcards are perfect for doing that. Even get their month and day of birth so you can send them birthday cards giving them their own special discount on anything they want.

Give away things to your customers. Make promotional items freely available like pens, pencils, pocket planners, calendars, calculators, key-chains, mugs, you name it. All those things will have your business name, address, and phone number on them. Sending something like that to them in the mail would even give it more value in your customer's eyes. The more useful the item, the more you will be in the customers sight and mind. That is a good thing!

If you have a clothing store, get to know your customer's sizes. As soon as they walk in the door, greet them by name and say you have saved something for them that you know will look great on them. Then pick the newest most expensive piece of clothing to show them. Say that they simply must try it on, and while they will be in the changing room anyway, fix them up with everything to go with it for trying on as well. You will collect sales for more items once they see how good they look in them. Throw them over the edge by giving them a break in price if they get the entire outfit with accessories.

If you do not have a clothing store, find a way to get samples of what you do have to your customers that they can try. Get them to use something on a trial basis. Once you do that, their ownership of it is practically assured! Once someone is in possession of something, giving it up creates the painful emotion of loss.

A happy customer is a loyal customer. Loyalty comes by your customers knowing you care about them, are actively educating them in the things they are interested in, and knowing you will continuously be able to meet their needs in the best way for them.

The customer is always right in that they know what they want. You are always on top of it by presenting what you have as not only something they want, but something they've got to have. And not just something they themselves got to have. Maybe they have a husband, wife, or children. Compel your customer to treat the family too.

Here is something to jump on. Perhaps your customer is a business owner. Get that person to send the customers for their business over to your business. Beyond word of mouth referral, they can do that by giving coupons good for things in your store, or maybe you can get permission to put a raffle box in their store that gives prizes given by your store. You can either pay them to do it or return the favor. There can be many ways to help each other in cooperation, even paying each other commissions, and also bundling your two company's products and services together at favorable prices for customers. You will find that such arrangements, called Joint Venture Partnering, can be very lucrative as it quickly builds your customer base.

It pays to know your customer, and to know how to supplement and expand your products and services with things like go-along additions, deluxe automatic maintenance service, special package deals, premium upgrades, complimentary products, etc. Think of anything you can.

Give your customer something to put in their purse or wallet, something that equals money to them. A discount card that gives discounts on purchases, or a buyers card that gives rewards after a determined amount of purchases accumulated from multiple visits are two examples. The surest way to get your customer to spend more with you is getting them a charge card. Your own store credit card in your customer's possession is guaranteed to spike sales.

You will have a solid relationship with the customers you have already gotten, and through that relationship, your business will evolve!

This gives lifetime value of a customer a whole other meaning. You are finding ways to improve yourself and your business. Take periodic customer surveys. That way the customer is giving intellectual input as well as money into your business, and if you are innovative enough to make use of them, the customer will more than likely also be giving you new customers by recommending you to their friends.

Other things you can do: offer your customers incentives for making referrals & collect testimonial stories from them to use in your ads because the best advertising comes from satisfied customers. Not only that, a customer that gives a testimonial for you will become even more loyal by doing it. Imagine that! It just goes to show how things get solidified when written down. Do you write down the goals you have for your business? How about the goals of your business?

Write a Service Pledge to your customers. Post it up where you do business so your customers know what great service they can expect. Find the greatest benefit that solves the most major concern to your customers, perhaps something unique that no other business in the area offers. Make a catchy slogan out of it. Use it wherever the name of your business is displayed so that your business will be known by the slogan. When employees eagerly answer the phone, have them not only say the name of the business, but the slogan as well, followed by giving their name and asking "how may I help you?"

If you spruce up your business enough to make it an interesting topic of conversation, your customers will even talk you up to strangers they meet. Your reputation will travel by work of mouth.

Instead of you looking to find new customers, they will be finding you. And on top of that, their lifetime value will be much greater by your building the greater value into your business. This happens just by catering to your current customers rather than doing the usual routine of chasing after new ones.

That is why you will never lack if you keep your auto repair customers coming back.

The savvy internet marketer is learning how to use this powerful marketing method to grow their business and make valuable contacts for the future.

Of course this also means making more money if you do it right. Let's take a look at 4 ways to use social media marketing to make money online.

1. Blogging is a very strong way to combine various forms of social media marketing all in one place. If you do not have a blog you are losing ground to your competitors who do.

2. Social bookmark your blog posts to create traffic from social directories and as search engine bait for search engine traffic.

Be sure and use a quality blogging platform such as WordPress. They offer a terrific plug-in that makes social bookmarking a blog post very simple.

Social bookmarking gives you a way to get backlinks to your blog very quickly. You should be bookmarking to social directories such as Technorati, Digg, Stumbleupon, and Propeller.

Also go get a Twitter account and learn how to make friends and use it to drive traffic to your blog. This is fast becoming one of the top social sites online.

3. Video such as You Tube is becoming a favorite way for bloggers to add some excitement to their blogs, but it is also much more than that.

Many bloggers are also easily creating videos and putting them online on their blog. This is a very powerful form of social media that is giving your visitor what they want. Many people are a product of the TV generation and like to learn by watching as opposed to reading.

4. Discussion forums are a great place to make friends and sell products if you do it right. They can also be an excellent place to create joint ventures and millions of dollars are sold online now because of these.

There is much more we could say about social media including social networking in places such as FaceBook, My Space, and many others. The bottom line is making money online via social media all comes down to finding a way you enjoy and then mastering how to use it to your business and personal advantage.

Some ways that your business might waste money includes the following:

1. Manage your credit cards – If you have several cards, develop a computer program that will show you the exact balances, due dates, and the interest rate you are paying. Always be aware of other solicitations that save you money and possibly change your balances over to a new company. If you have any employee cards, see if you can set a limit on them. If not with the credit card company, make sure that the employees know their limits. Manage your credit cards wisely and never, ever miss a due date.

2. Develop an annual plan so you know where you will spend money. This helps you in several ways. The business person will be aware of what portion of the profits are going to advertising, towards incentives, towards accounting and other internal expenses, etc.

3. Do not over-purchase any products or services for a business. If you buy in bulk, the money is tied up and a place must be provided to keep the extras. That might be an unnecessary expense.

4. Developing an advertising budget and knowing just what resources to use is key to keeping money under control in a small business. You must advertise, but you also must get value for your money or you will soon be out of business. Keep a record of how much is spent, can you get payment terms, when is the most efficient time to advertise your particular product or service to get the most value for the dollar. Every dollar must be accounted for in advertising because the lifeline of your business depends on new and paying customers. Advertising is the way to get the word out to the community or the Internet.

5. A small business owner will sometimes be under self-induced stress to manage all aspects of the business. Sometimes, leaving the control and decisions to others that are qualified is the best way to manage the business. Releasing control may be hard to do sometimes, but in a lot of businesses, money can be wasted because the owner cannot possibly be as efficient as the person who has studied or is knowledgeable about a particular field. For instance, if a business owner does not know accounting, many mistakes in reporting income and taxes can be made. A qualified accountant can possibly save more than the cost of their services in reduced taxes.

Take a hard look around your business and do not let anything be set in stone if saving money is the goal. Challenge everything that will cost money and see what can be done to change the situation. Any money that is saved is money that can be put back into the business either in profits or in growth.

A business owner wants their business to be successful and will work hard to sustain growth. A business owner wants a way to continue making and growing money from a product or service that is interesting to them. After growing a business and being smart with cash flow, many business owners will sell their businesses only to start another business.

The reason is that business owners are independent types and challenges are rewarding when met and faced. Saving money through every day operations will help the business owner to meet their financial and emotional goals.