GoToMyPC

I have an Acer mini computer. It’s fantastic. Light weight, sleek and beautiful. I haven’t named her, but I want to. She’s that cute.

I use the mini when I work outside of my office. Sometimes I work at my favorite coffee house because I want a change of scenery, or to be around other business owners and solopreneurs.

Occasionally, however, I need access to my main computer. I want a file that I don’t have on the flash drive I carry with me, or I need other info that resides on my main computer.

GoToMyPC.com has a 30-day free promotion. The promo code is MSNBC, but I don’t think you will need it. I’m going to see how it works. So many people are using multiple computers these days. You may want to check it out too. If you do, let me know how it worked for you.

QuickBooks

Grow your business with the FREE version of the world’s #1 small business financial software. Intuit Quickbooks Simple Start Free Edition 2009. Click and see if it meets your bookkeeping and accounting requirements.

Equifax

Equifax.com is offering free credit scores until May 31, 2009. Yes, you really do want to know what your credit score is. Get your score now while it’s free.

40 Money Tools from Mashable

Mashable is a wonderfully informative blog. This Online-finance post is from its archives, yet remains cutting edge. The money tools are organized by Budget Organizers & Financial Planning; Invoice Management; Financial Trading & Investment; Social Networks; Salary Reports; Online Payment Systems.

Click, skim and save for future use.

How to Raise Your FICO Score

The Money Professor has a lot of information on credit scores. I’m hesitant to suggest articles or sites that don’t share publisher-author information like this is one. That said, I encourage you read this article on how to increase your FICO credit score.

If you follow the suggestions outlined, your credit score will increase, thereby reducing your cost of credit.

Investopedia

Much of finance and money is about terminology, learning to speak the language. I receive a Term of the Day email from Investopedia.com. It explains what words and terms mean, and how they are used. The definitions and explanations clear up any confusion.

Don’t let me anyone snow you with financial terms. Click on Investopedia.com and get the skinny on what’s what. This is a big, well-designed site. Bookmark it and visit often. It will speed your discovery of all things financial. I love it.

Quicken Online

QuickenOnline is free. I like free tools that help you manage your money. QuickenOnline has made improvements to the product including a revamped user interface, a forward-looking spending forecaster, cash tracking and more.

We’re using more cash to curb impulse spending. Quicken’s cash tracking feature is a useful feature. You can access this program from your cell phone. Cool.

WeSeed

WeSeed is a stock market simulation game. It’s where you can experience investing in the stock market without any risk. It’s a fun, safe way to gain experience with investing in stocks. You play with virtual stocks. Fake. Not real. It is a great way to learn what’s going on with the market. You can join the WeSeed community for free, and follow the top WeSeeders.

Here’s how WeSeed explains their site.

This is the stock market for the rest of us… a place where nurses and pilots and gym teachers can practice investing fake stock and get smarter about the stock market in a fresh, fun and completely safe way.

WeSeed is the safest. Our stock is fake. Our money is fake… but all the information and everything you learn is very real. And even when you invest for real someday… remember… baby steps. You don’t have to put a lot of money in the market to benefit from the experience.

I love it. I joined. Hope you do too.

OK. That’s my tool list for today. I plan to do more of these lists regularly. If you have great money and finance links to share, please post it in the comments.

Regards,

Judith

Question: “I am constantly helping others and never receiving any payment for it. No one even thinks to ASK if I charge and I’m not sure how to tell them that I do.”

It is not the prospect’s job to ask if you charge. It’s your job to tell prospects and potential prospects about your services, describe the benefits clients receive from using your services, and to state the fees for those services. If you want to be paid, you must ask for the sale.

Sales and Selling

Selling involves a set of skills that can be learned. To the extent that you decide to learn and respect the sales process, you’re more likely to sell. It’s a mindset that is virtually impossible to do successfully until you change the way you think about it. Business owners who want to earn more will learn more about sales and selling.

People who are uncomfortable asking for the sale tend to be uninformed about selling. I know I was. I had no clue. The thought of selling used to scare me big time. I didn’t know how to ask a person to buy from me. And as a business consultant, I found selling my services personal, as if I was selling me and not just my expertise. It was painful. And not selling was expensive. I decided to learn.

Don’t limit your perception of sales to high pressure tactics or unethical manipulation, for that completely misses the point. How you sell is up to you. However, the bottom line is we all have to sell. No sales means no revenue. Your cash flow — the money you have available to spend on and invest in your business — is a function of your willingness to market and sell. The only way for an entrepreneur to sustain her business is by becoming skilled at selling.

Learn to Sell

The more I sell, the better I do, and the easier it becomes. Now I enjoy selling. I like meeting new people, listening to their stories, hearing their wants and needs, asking questions, probing, and discovering how we may be able to help each other. I enjoy assessing if my services will benefit the prospect, thinking of who I can introduce or refer them to, looking for the win-win while appreciating the fact that I’m building relationships that are as important as the sale. And I frequently get both – the sale and the relationship. How cool is that!

Sales is a mindset that once developed will put dollars in your pocket and confidence in your heart. You can network with thousands, but if you’re unable or unwilling to initiate and close the sale, your business will fail.

Read books on selling. Zig Ziglar has several popular titles. Subscribe to newsletters by online sales professionals Tom Hopkins and Jim Meisenheimer. Build your knowledge base. Discover different sales closing techniques. Find a role model or join a mastermind group to learn and be inspired.

Ask for the Sale

Develop a written script if it helps you think through your presentation. Then practice your sales talk or presentation until it’s committed to memory. And commit to continuous improvement.

Some examples: “I would love the opportunity to work with you. One of the services I offer is XXX. Some of the benefits my clients receive as a result of my services are …”

“The fee for what we’ve discussed is $XX per hour, or $XY for Phase 1 of the project. When did you want to start working on this? Shall I email you a project schedule (or whatever)?”

“Did you have a chance to visit my website? Would you like me to send you more information on my services? When would you like me to follow up with you? What’s a good time for you? Great, let’s schedule that time.”

Sales Is A Numbers Game

Some percent of the people exposed to your service will buy from you. Your plan should be to expose more people to your product or service, and close more of those exposed. Then you won’t get bummed when one prospect doesn’t sign on to your services.

Give more people the opportunity to get to know you and what you offer. And, of course, the opportunity to buy it.

Follow Up!

Follow up is crucial. People usually don’t buy the first time they hear about a product or service. We need multiple exposures before we buy. You will want to contact your prospects and express your desire to work with them. Look for opportunities to interact, to keep your brand at the top of the prospect’s awareness.

I loved the comments shared in part one of this series.Tell me what you think. How do you ease into your sales talk? Have you practiced your presentation in front of a mirror? Have you ever used a script to prep for sales phone calls? In what ways are you honing your sales skills?

Warmly,
Judith