Everywhere I go lately, small business owners, company execs and everyone in sales is preoccupied with closing deals.  The economy has certainly made business a lot more difficult to succeed in, and more than ever, we all need to constantly be analyzing how we’re doing things to keep getting smarter, better, more efficient and more effective.  And at the top of everyone’s list: making more money.

That all said, I want to share some hard earned insight that will hopefully save many of you a lot of time, money and aggravation.

When you’re courting a new company or client, the sales process can easily get dragged out over a matter of weeks, months, or worse, never really result in an answer at all – be it yes or no.  So, how do you cut to the chase and find out whether there’s really even a deal to be done in the first place?

A few simple questions can make all the difference.

1.  What exactly are you looking to have done?

2.  What does success look like for this project?

3.  Where does this fall on your overall priority list?

4.  Are you exploring solutions with other prospective consultants/contractors?

5.  What questions do you have about me/us/our work?

6.  What’s the time frame you’re looking to start and execute this in?

7.  What does your budget look like?

8.  Who is the ultimate decision maker? (Who controls the checkbook?)

9.  Do you have a specific process for closing deals like this?

10.  As for next steps, would you like me to send you a recap of our conversation and a proposal on how we might be able to help you/best serve you?

They say yes, and you have yourself a hot lead.

It may take a meeting or so to build rapport and get comfortable enough to ask these questions, but rest assured you’ll start closing deals a heck of a lot faster when you get answers to these questions early on.

I always wanted to be both an entrepreneur and writer. Which is what led me to start Literary Magic, an online literary magazine. I was only 15 at the time and was heading into an industry known for thick competition and thinner business plans, but I used my verve and love for writing and words to distinguish my creation from the rest. So was born Literary Magic, the first online source for literati of all parts: short stories and literature combined with linguistics and etymology.

Literary Magic is like a story to me. Like my life, it’s had its up and downs. Successes and failures. But now our traffic has grown and our name has begun to establish itself within the minds of literati and bibliophages (people who “consume” books at a ludicrous rate). We receive hundreds of submissions a year and dozens of book review requests. What started as an idea for a website has been transformed into a thriving venture. Now I’m working on turning it into a profitable business, utilizing a three-pronged business model of advertising, consulting and e-commerce.

I first got started with Literary Magic by following my passions. At 12 I wrote my first book. That took three years. My second book took three days. Sound crazy? Well, if there’s a will there is a way. This led to me to explore other aspects of the English language, which birthed Literary Magic. Since then, I have written over 200 articles and reviews on language and business, received the Attorney General’s Triple C Award and won my high school’s English literature award.

But my passions took me further. Only six months after working on Literary Magic, the former New York Times columnist William Safire dubbed me a “word maven.” A few weeks later, I was invited to intern with The McGraw-Hill Companies to work with their Online Media team.

The most important things I have learned from my experiences is to never give up and that while there is no formula for success, one method that works for me is the equation “Idea + Implementation = Success. Ideas are nothing if you do not persist and put in the effort to make it happen.

I have also gotten a taste of the incredible amount of effort that goes into running a website and managing people. However, from this experience I have improved my communication and marketing skills.

Today, as I start college,  I still run Literary Magic as CEO and Editor-in-Chief, with a staff of six editors, two dozen staff writers and a couple of web technicians. It has transformed into Reichman Media, which will serve as my platform for all future web ventures. I’m trying to both build a business model and expand the readership of Literary Magic. I also do marketing as CMO for robotics and electronics startup Narobo. I have interned with McGraw-Hill for 4 years and I am working on my third novel. When I’m not working on business, I write and tap dance.

But to me, entrepreneurship isn’t just a career choice. It’s way of life.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about writing or entrepreneurship or if you just want to connect. I love meeting fellow entrepreneurs and writers!

Five ways to look like you make a lot of money without spending a lot.

In today’s cluttered, hyper-competitive marketplace your business can’t afford to make a poor first impression. Every touch point that leads to your company needs to impress, motivate and inspire a prospective customer. You may have a great product or service, but to be taken seriously, clients need to believe that you’re on the same playing field as the bigger guys. Even if you’re a consultant that works from a home office, you’ll need to position your company as a polished brand that touts confidence, experience and quality. Fear not. Here are five simple tips for branding your business to create the illusion that it is a global corporation with an army at the ready — all without breaking the bank.

1. Website:
Your website is the center of your brand universe. Simplicity is the key to looking like a big fish. Less is more. A clean, easy-to-navigate two-page site with useful content will make your company look far more established than a cluttered 20-page site with long-winded fluff. Design your site with the needs of your user in mind, not your ego. Sites that try to be everything to everyone will often become nothing to anyone.

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t know how to build a website. You can solicit bids from designers and programmers using sites such as Elance.com, GetACoder.com and Freelance.com. Other solutions include subscription-based companies such as Web.com. These service providers offer small businesses online tools, templates and hosting packages that can have your site up in a matter of hours without you needing any previous web experience.

Choosing the right URL is also a vital part of your brand positioning strategy. Your main URL should be no more than 10 characters in length. Long URLs are harder to remember, harder to read and are more likely to be spelled incorrectly. Avoid URLs that are phrases, begin with lackluster words or utilize dashes. There is a reason Apple.com isn’t WeLoveApple.com, or Apple-Computers.com. Finally, use a URL with a .com extension. While it’s important to purchase all of the other domain extensions to protect your name, major companies rarely use extensions such as .tv and .net.

2. Vanity Numbers:
How often have you seen a billboard or heard a radio spot that advertises an easily forgettable phone number? Phone numbers must be catchy, memorable and relate to your product or service in order to prove effective. Online services such as TollFreeNumbers.com sell custom vanity numbers for around $50. Purchasing a vanity number is a great way to increase sales call volume, build brand awareness and increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Case in point, one of my businesses, SizzleIt.com, witnessed a 30 percent increase in calls the month after we replaced our generic 800 number with 877 EZ SIZZLE. Our clients told us that the number was easier to share with others and reinforced the simplicity of our services.

3. Automated Phone Systems:
Combining a toll free number with automated phone systems and virtual assistants enables small businesses to look and sound like a cohesive Fortune 500 enterprises while operating in multiple locations anywhere in the world. These services utilize professionally recorded voice over talents to automatically route callers to the appropriate party and provide callers with brand messaging and information while they wait on hold. While big companies pay tens of thousands of dollars for their phone services, small business phone systems, such as those offered by OneBox.com and My1Voice.com, can cost as low as $50 per month. This gives small-business owners and employees the ability to receive calls in their home offices or on their mobile devices while appearing to be available in their office. Which brings me to‚

4. Virtual Offices:
Even though you might be answering a call on your mobile phone from your living room, it’s important that your customers believe they are calling a global headquarters located in a skyscraper overlooking Central Park. Virtual offices are an effective solution for businesses that conduct most of their day-to-day communications via phone calls and emails, and rarely need to host their clients on-location. For only a few hundred dollars per year, virtual offices offer small businesses high profile mailing addresses on brand name streets in major metropolitan areas. In addition, they include mail receiving and forwarding services, receptionists and options for on-location meeting space. Instead of paying exorbitant NYC rental fees, my first business saved over $100,000 by purchasing a Madison Avenue address for only $300. The address enhanced my company’s clout so much that we needed to increase our rates in order to keep the illusion believable. After all, Madison Avenue companies aren’t cheap hires.
5. The Business Card:
Now you have a slick website, a jingle-worthy toll free number and a captain-of-industry street address. It’s time to combine all of those elements into a single tool. The business card is a vital part of the first impression experience and an instant reflection of you and your company’s work. A cheap, uninspired business card may send the wrong message to a prospective customer. Spend time designing a card that will have people saying, “Wow, nice business card.” Be creative, yet tasteful. Avoid using white, standard size business cards. Choose a thicker card stock with a high quality finish. Make the card longer, a different shape or a bold color to stand out. These printing options will increase the price of your cards, but they will pay off ten-fold in the long run. Customers want to do business with companies that demonstrate their ability to provide high quality services, and a creative business card will send them that message.

Scott D. Gerber is Entrepreneur.com’s Young Entrepreneur columnist and CEO of Gerber Entertainment, a brand development and venture management company that specializes in the entertainment, Internet, media and marketing industries. For information on speaking engagements, media appearances or Gerber Entertainment’s portfolio of businesses visit www.GerberEntertainment.com.

Hi,

I have been in the corporate world for the past two years since graduation, but have a huge itch for entrepreneurship. Therein lies the problem, no idea where to go from there. Great resources on YSN, I just need to get the ball rolling! Any advice?

They say “It’s all about who you know!” Yes, this is true. But have you ever thought about who YOU really need to know?

Your ability to grow your company, make better decisions, learn from leading experts, and have access to the right resources at the right times, can make all the difference in whether you struggle to survive or thrive.

First you need to build a FOUNDATION of contacts – your arsenal of people most critical to your life and work. This includes:

• Mentors/Advisors: Seasoned people who can guide you though your most critical decisions, and can play a critical, external role in your business.  Having a good mix of these people is essential to you in growing your business.

• Peers: Other entrepreneurs and professionals in the trenches who have the best understanding of what you’re setting out to accomplish and what you’re going through on a day-to-day basis.

• Contacts: The bulk of the people you know in life and business.  Casual relationships and acquaintances, whether purely social or connected in some way to your work.

• Confidants: People you can trust with your life and tell practically anything to regardless of how high you fly or hard you fall.  They’re the ones who pick you up and dust you off or tell it to you get your act together when you get of track.
  Friends:  Those you socialize with, hang out with, share common experiences with.  The people who love and support you for you, not your business, but can also be among the most critical of your decisions and lifestyle.

Beyond those who make up your foundational support system, you always want to be building your network of people who are making an impact in your community, your circle, your industry, and the greater world at large.  Not only does your knowing about certain people show you know the business you’re in, but having access to them can help in a myriad of ways you can only begin to imagine – from raising money, to staffing, landing new clients, opening new doors, meeting great people, going to fabulous events, etc.

Read Jen’s full article on Under30CEO to learn how to keep on top of the movers and shakers in your industry and what to do once you identify who they are.