If you own a franchised business there will come a time when perhaps you wish to sell your franchise. When selling a franchise this is called a Franchise Transfer in franchising legal terms. You will be selling your rights in the current term of the franchise agreement to another party. The transfer must be approved by the Franchisor and therefore there is a whole lot to consider. Here are the Top7 Tips in selling a franchised business.

1.) Before advertising your franchise for sale anywhere, be sure to read the terms of the franchise agreement under; Transfers

2.) Contact your franchisor so they know your intentions ahead of time and do not find out by reading it on a website or classified section.

3.) Ask you franchisor if there are any buyers for your area currently or if there have been previously and ask for contact information.

4.) Consider a Business Broker, but shop around as they are not all the same and can tie up a listing and sometimes do nothing with it for 6-months.

5.) Be careful of competitors who are interested as they may not qualify as per your franchisor’s business strategy and they will deny application for transfer and you will have disclosed proprietary information, which could be a violation of your franchise agreement.

6.) Try to get all the money from the sale up-front, as a future dispute with the buyer and the franchisor could mean you will not be paid on any terms you came up with in the sales agreement.

7.) Sell your business to someone who will be good for the franchise systems too, this will help with more smooth sailing thru the transfer application with your franchisor.

Many business consultants promote themselves thru information selling techniques such as displaying website information or writing articles in Trade Publication or Online. One common practice is to tell of Secret Industry Tips to entice potential clientele into signing up for consulting services.

But often some of these poor consultants have so little information to give that once they blow their wad or spill the beans, well they ain’t got nothing left to tell. This is problematic because the consultee is expecting expert advice and know how based on many years of observation, experience and real world doing it. Here are the top 6.9 reasons a consultant should not give out all his or her knowledge in Top 7 articles on their website or in trade journals.

1.) If you write a monthly column in a Trade Journal then eventually you will have given away all your expertise.

2.) The more information you give away, sometimes the less your potential clients need.

3.) If you give all your information away, then it is considered of zero economic value so why pay for it.

4.) If you give all the industry information away you increase competition and decrease the need for consultants.

5.) If you put all your knowledge on your website then your potential clients will take it and never hirer you.

6.) If you post all your information in 35 articles on Top 7 Tips, secrets or reasons on an online article submission site then they will be syndicated to the world and then no one will need consultants in your industry again.

If you own a small business you are in constant stress at the thought of being sued and you can be sued for almost anything these days. Some one can slip on your property and sue you as they walk out the door, no matter that they have never bought anything before and you suspect them of shoplifting?

You can be sued by an employee who breaks a fingernail and the finger later gets infected later, no matter their finger nails are an inch long and they spent the weekend digging out their septic tank, as it must be your fault for sticky cash register keys? You can be sued by a customer, competitor or the government; you just never know who is going to try to sue you and just because someone sues you does not mean they will win the suit, but rest assured that it will cost you in legal fees to defend the case.

The best way to prevent lawsuits is to make sure everyone thinks you are broke, especially your employees. Complain about the bills and high costs constantly. You also need to shield your company from liability using corporation strategies and your attorney can assist you with this. Having placards in place, which state; watch your step or careful open door slowly and such will help too. Try not to upset customers or disrespect them; those disrespected often seek revenge and they may have a spouse or close friend who is a bad-apple type lawyer.

When dealing with government inspectors, take notes, ask lots of questions and act like you care about all the ridiculous rules. Let them know you will fix any things wrong ASAP. Be a community player too, because if you are participating in the community and helping you will find lawsuits less common. Tell your employees, friends, vendors that your brother is a lawyer. Do a monthly inspection of your shop and look around for possible issues and fix them.

The secret techniques of Blitz and Bonsai Marketing are indeed something that every small business needs to employ and the sooner they do the faster they can grow their company and increase their sales to make more money. What is Blitz and Bonsai Marketing? Well, it is simple really, it is a method I created to boost our customer base for our Mobile Car Wash Franchisees in the company I started and franchised.

The great thing about Bonsai and Blitz Marketing is that it works for nearly any type of business, especially those who are community based, sell to both individuals and other businesses. The secret is so simple that it is often laughed off, but it works and that is all that really matters right! So how does this Bonsai and Blitz Marketing work anyway?

Well I am glad you asked because here are a few simple techniques you can use to get started. First, you need to assess your location and find your sphere of influence on a map, understanding where your best customers are clustered. Also which customer types are most profitable; you want more of those!

Now you grid out the area and pick your best guess for best types of customers and areas first, zone offense if you will. Next we send out teams of 4-5 Blitz Team members to canvas the area and collect information and introduce your company and invite people to partake in your goods or services. This is how you start your Blitz and Bonsai Marketing Plan and then you are ready for level two or the five-part mission.

Let's face it…when we operate a business online, there's a certain segment of the population that looks on us with suspicion. It seems as though everyday I receive another warning in my Inbox about the scams, tricks and schemes of unscrupulous Internet marketers.

But we're not there, right? I believe that the majority of Internet marketing companies hold themselves to a high ethical standard. They offer quality products and services and truly want to develop good, long-term relationships with their clients.

So how do we 'rise above the rest'? How do we present ourselves to the world in a way that inspires trust, not suspicion? There are the obvious ways - we keep our sales copy fresh and exciting, without being misleading. We deliver what we say we're going to, without excuse. We follow up on complaints and make sure we stay connected to our clients. And most of all, we protect their trust by not spamming them or selling their information to other companies.

But here's one more that might not have occurred to you. If you're out there, running that growing Internet business on your own, are the balls getting harder to keep up in the air? Are shipments not going out on time, emails not getting answered, because you're trying to juggle the roles of webmaster, customer service manager, new product development, and accountant? What if you could assign some of those tasks to someone, without having to hire employees? What would happen to your professional image online if you could say "Please contact my assistant, Mary, to schedule a call with me today?"

Having that kind of help, just when you need it, can make all the difference in succeeding online. Having someone who will answer those client emails, update your webpages, send out information, schedule your coaching calls, or set up your blogs, can give you the kind of professional image you may be lacking now. That someone is a Virtual Assistant. She uses her office, her computer, her advanced technical knowledge to help you succeed. She's not an employee, and she doesn't want to be. She's a business owner, just like you. Doesn't that sound like someone you'd want on your team?

How important is a business proposal? For one, it gives you a head start in starting up your desired restaurant business. You see, before the bank or the lending company will give their nod of approval for your proposed loan, you have to actually convince them first that you deserve the money. Without it, you wouldn’t have enough startup capital to buy the much needed equipment and supplies and pay your expenses, such as salary to your employees and advertising costs. Yet how do we exactly go about the business proposal? Consider the following suggestions:

1. If you are a novice in writing business proposals, then don’t be afraid to get some extra help from the experts. You can ask for different strategies on how to write them, such as what clicks and what doesn't to the intended readers. Luckily, for those who are just too shy to approach anyone, there are numerous computer programs available on the market. Included in the package are some business templates that you need to slightly modify to suit your desired output. Also, these can be saved for future references, and changes are easy to implement.

2. One technique in writing a business proposal is to divide it into two parts. The first portion will focus on describing the different opportunities of your business as well as your plans on how to take advantage of them. The second part will show the current financial data, like the financial statements and tax returns.

3. When you have made your outline, you are then ready to write your restaurant business proposal. The keys here are conciseness and clarity. Thus, it is ideal that the first part will just be limited to 10 pages. Clear examples are also advisable especially when you are trying to give them a picture of the various marketing opportunities.

4. Even in your proposal, sell your business, that is, include the reasons why your company is totally different from your other competitors. You can highlight your special talents, experience, and achievements that give you the edge. Identify your target market. This will guide you in planning your marketing methods to gain market share in the industry. Surely, intended parties will be interested in such information.

You know, I am a keen observer of business activities, not at international level, but at the nook and corner of the city.

A “school drop out” makes gold coins on the street!

I was watching at the boy in a corner shop at the ninth street of that populous cross cut road. He was holding a small slicing tool with one hand and operating it rhythmically with the other. The slices fly off and fall into the simmering coconut oil. He turns and takes them out as gold coins. Yes. When you see them, they look like gold coins. More or less it is also true. The banana slices he makes are fetching very good money equal to real gold. He is a real entrepreneur.

But, tell me, what his educational qualification is. He is just a school drop out. He has learnt the techniques of making the banana chips from his father and uncle, who are all experts in this trade.

The technical knowledge required for making good banana chips should not be under estimated. Impregnating the color, taste, flavor and crispness quite naturally into the golden banana chips is so highly a technical subject. The expert person, say, the little boy, could be awarded with a Ph.D. in chips making! Here, the low level of academic knowledge and a high level of technical expertise brought the success!

A Management Expert also sells gold coins! But, in the international highways!

You may need to walk only a few more hundred meters to see a gentleman doing the same trade with the same technical knowledge, but with his customers in very far off places.

He is an M.B.A.; an expert administrator, sells a variety of beautifully fried and packed banana slices to Arab countries. Here, the gentleman is not too crazy to use all his knowledge gained from all institutions he studied.

He limits and narrows down his knowledge to a sharper point of doing his business with a single product, but to an international level.

If you want to say that both of them are minting gold or money in a special way, then, I will not deny it!

Both of them are successful, one with limited knowledge and another with narrowing down and limiting his knowledge!

What is the academic qualification required for achieving business success?

Man is a silent listener. He starts learning the very basics of life from his mother, the very first teacher to any child. Then, he goes on to learn from his close surroundings and the Mother Nature.

When he grows up, he is taught by teachers in the school and then in the college. He learns ‘how to learn’ from various resources. For a longer period, the print media and very recently the electronic media play a great role in bringing knowledge to the mankind.

The atmosphere is always ready to endow him with good amount of knowledge.

But, is he ready?

Only his open mind can tell us the truth.

What is open mind?

Open Mind: A Treasure house of knowledge!

“Open mind gathers knowledge.” What is an open mind? Open mind of a person has no preconceived thoughts! It has no egoism or restrictions! Open mind is very much receptive in action and is ready to gather knowledge liberally.

It allows the person to see, observe, study and accept from what is being taught by the teachers, associates, books, modern teaching aids and media like radio, television, internet, on-line education etc.

The open mind concurs that what it knows by itself is only to an extent expressed as ‘handful of earth’; the unlearnt things are enormous comparable to the size of our ‘Planet Earth’. Open mind says “I don’t know”, when it really does not know!

When a technical student pretends and says that he knows everything, he gets less opportunity to learn! But the one who admits and says ‘I don’t know’, gets great opportunity to learn more about it! The person with an open mind opts himself to gather more knowledge and equips himself with knowledge, the very first tool of entrepreneurship!

A small and sharp knowledge about doing a business is enough!

But, keep your mind open always. Be ready to learn more!

Say ‘I don’t know’ whenever you need to know more.

Learn whatever is needed! It is quite an essential and prime important qualification for an entrepreneur!

Narrow down the higher academic knowledge towards the purpose of the business!

We know, too much of wider knowledge brings dilemma in taking a decision, even about choosing a career or a business. In such circumstances, the higher academic knowledge could be narrowed down just for the purpose of the business in need. Keep your extra knowledge in reserve for the future.

When presenting your business plan to an angel investor you must understand that they will be very interested in your spreadsheets and proformas, but you must also realize that it is typically an entrepreneurial optimistic approach, which causes problems with proformas.

Therefore, you should have dueling spreadsheets; that is to say the spreadsheets, which take your best guess and double the time, double the expenses to compete with your optimistic approach. You should be able to present both of these to your Angel Investor; who chances are is a retired business person with a little bit of financial savvy.

This will show your Angel Investor that you indeed are a rational thinker and concerned about the money as well as the truth. If the Angel Investor cannot trust you your chances of being funded are nil. An angel investor is betting on the jockey not only the horse. As an entrepreneur you must be honest with yourself as well as your financial partner.

They want to make sure you believe in what you are doing and that you also have risked your own capital, time and energies into the new business. Angel investors want you to succeed and often they also like to give their input and if you end up taking their money for your startup, the need to realize that their input needs to be taken seriously.

Angel Investors are typically much better investors for a long-term business plan that Venture Capitalists, although they do not come usually with the incredible network to help you succeed. Venture Capitalists are more interested in themselves and making money on their investment then what you get out of it or the future of the business with you in it. An angel investor is interested in you, the future of the business and the possibility of making a whole lot of money on their investment. Please consider all this when presenting your business plan to an Angel Investor.

When starting Massage Therapy I did the same thing as everyone else did. I put up some flyers (everywhere) and hoped people would be impressed by what massage therapy qualifications I had and call me for a massage treatment.

How blind I was.

Little did I know that was actually costing me valuable time and money....why? It’s simple; I did not identify my target market. You've probably heard me talk about this before, but I want to explain a little bit more about it.

You see a common misunderstanding a massage therapist might have is that just because massage therapy is good for everyone, then everyone will come to have massage.

Wrong!

The reality is so far removed from this. The reality is that not everyone will come to you for massage therapy. In fact some people even do not like massage therapy. (Can you imagine not liking massage?) Some people can't stand being touched by a stranger, let alone removing clothing for them. On the other side of the fence, some people can't get enough of massage therapy in general and will pay what ever you ask and will refer you their friends and family, AND come to you for a long time.

The latter group are the ones you should be marketing to for your massage therapy business. That’s easy to say right? The big question is how to find these people who will want to come to you for massage. The key is not only finding people who want massage, but who want YOUR massage. So how do we start such an endeavour?

Okay relax. It’s not as hard as you think. You can never be guaranteed of anything in life, let’s get that clear. One thing you can do is increase your chances of success, which is what this game is all about.

To increase your chance of success in massage therapy as a sole practitioner in business by themselves is to understand what type of client you have already. You see by doing that you will get a good idea of what type of person actually comes to you. Once you have a profile of this person you can work to increase at getting more like this type of person. Once you have done this then have a look at where these current clients have already come from. Then you can one of two things:

1. You can market yourself to the places that these people heard about you and,

2. You can find out where more of these people are and market to that source.

Okay, doesn't sound too hard does it? It's not, in theory. It’s the application of going through all your client records and marketing that takes the energy and time. However I want you to think of it this way. This practice of finding out about your massage therapy clients is an investment. It’s powerful because this information is in your very own practise already. You don't have to go outside your own massage business to find out. You don’t have to pay anyone to find out; you've got all the information there in front of you already. It’s just a matter of sorting out what you need.

Once you have sorted this information out you can then start designing the marketing that massage therapy clients are attracted to by using the right words, images and messages. From this point you can integrate some really dynamic marketing into your target market. So get started!

Relationship marketing is a better way to market. It benefits you and it benefits your prospects. Producing a win win situation is always advantageous so relationship marketing just makes good common sense.

What does relationship marketing mean for your consulting firm? For starters relationship marketing creates a lot less sales resistance. The trust has already been established.

Relationship marketing typically produces a buyer who is less sensitive to price. These people are not out there shopping for a commodity.

With relationship marketing you will find much faster sales cycles. Your contacts won't be doing a ton of comparison-shopping. They might get a second comparison quote but they won't get 15 - 20 price quotes.

With relationship marketing you'll almost always see higher conversion rates - the rate at which you move people from prospects to clients.

Relationship marketing significantly reduces your credit risk. The trust factor is built up and people don't want to risk the embarrassment of running into you later knowing they haven't paid a bill.

What does relationship marketing mean for your prospects? Relationship marketing brings peace of mind. They know you, they trust you, they perceive less risk.

Relationship marketing means a reduced likelihood of personality clashes. They already like you. There’s already some chemistry established and in a lot of cases you have been talking with them and chatting with them for a few minutes every time you have met over a period of a few months.

With relationship marketing, chances are you are already up to speed on their business. You've chatted lots before so they don't have to waste time explaining what it is they need, what kind of software they use, and the kind of problems they are having.