How are your results with your website? Is it attracting users? What pages do they go to? How long do they stay? What pages are never looked at? Do you have the answers to any of these questions?

There are many areas of internet marketing and development popping up. If you have a website and don’t have any way to analyse its use and function, now is a good time to be sure you have analytics.

If we use the analogy of your website being your sales team, then lets ask:

When’s the last time it had a style change? Is it still wearing clothes that were outdated five years ago? When’s the last shower it had? Has it had any training, upgrading or is it using outdated information to sell with? Has it become boring and obsolete or just in need of a quick face lift?

We’ve all heard the term high maintenance. Personally I’d like to think I am a high maintenance woman – but then again, that takes a lot of valuable time, so maybe not ?

I assure you web maintenance is inexpensive when we think of the value and possibilities it produces. I recommend all sites have a regular maintenance plan.

Keeping your website current, interesting and informative are ways you can motivate clients to return to the site. Use it as a marketing tool in conversation asking people to give you feedback on it. We all know the importance of a good external image. The same holds true of our internal image. We want it to speak and be available to speak to the right clients and their needs. Does your website “speak” what you want it to and to whom you want it to?

Updating the website yourself can be a labour intense process. The extent to which the site attracts users and the ease of use may be the edge between having or not having your next client.

Whether you need regular updates or infrequent ones, it’s feasible to look at a maintenance agreement. If your site needs attention, we’d value the opportunity to meet with you and discuss ways we could help and educate you further on the behind the scenes ways internet marketing and website maintenance can help you.

How much are you willing to pay for a sales team that goes around the world every day, works 24/7 and takes no vacation? This sales team is committed, dependable and changes personal style to meet your every command.

If you consider your website as your sales team – make it everything you want your sales team to be. Give it personality. When presented with interesting and educational flair, it goes the distance in gaining a competitive advantage for you.

If you think of your website as your sales team – ask the questions you would as though you are doing an employee review -

Does this website have the personality representative of the company?

Is it interesting? Does it have personality?

Does this website have the information my client needs to make informed decisions?

Is the information easy to find and easy to read?

Is it producing what I expect it to?

In answer to your question, how much should you spend for a website? A great place to start is to know what you want it to do for your business. Then decide how much you are willing to pay for that result. A good web developer will ask questions that will address your desired outcome and budget and work with both in mind.

My best advise – Start. Besides the site being your sales team, it can be part of your administrative team.

]]> http://bighelp.ca/tips/websites/your-247-sales-team.php/feed 0 http://bighelp.ca/featured/looking-for-solutions-3.php http://bighelp.ca/featured/looking-for-solutions-3.php#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:15:12 +0000 Webmaster http://bighelp.ca/site/2009/07/looking-for-solutions-3/

]]>

Personal Income Tax payments made for both last year and any payments made through the tax year

Prior Year’s Notice of Assessment from Canada Revenue Agency

Completed Prior Year Income Tax Return

T4’s

T5’s

Other – Any information related to any income earned throughout the year that is not included on your T4 or T5

Spousal Support Information

Interest Statements on Mortgage from your lendor, called a Yearly Mortgage Statement. It gives a breakdown of the interest and principle you have paid during the year.

Interest Statements on Investments

RRSP contributions including Jan/Feb of current year

Medical receipts

Spousal Support Information

Child Care Receipts

RRSP contribution amounts for past year as well as Jan/Feb of current year

Any Amounts taken out of RRSP’s

Charitable Donations

Big Help will work with your business to provide the necessary systems and organization to easily produce these items at tax time. Call Big Help to discuss ways of documenting, storing and recording business information.

Tip: An extreme makeover may save you hundreds of dollars in the future! Let the experts organize your filing system and bookkeeping procedures for optimal performance and accurate reporting.

You can contact Big Help in any of the following ways:

Send an email to contact@bighelp.ca

You can reach us by phone at 519.326.2552 or fax at 519.326.7372

Who wants to pay more tax than necessary?

With the April 30th Canadian tax deadline behind us, Big Help is ready to equip your business for better record keeping for next year. Call now and face an effortless deadline next year.
Tip: Equip your business for the lowest possible 2009 tax payment. Call the Big Help Helpline.

For Business Owners:

Tax Time Information to assist in getting every possible tax credit
This is not an exhaustive list but it will assist us in putting the material in an organized all inclusive package.

Mortgage Documents from your lendor, called a Yearly Mortgage Statement. It gives a breakdown of the interest and principle you have paid during the year.
Tip: You may be able to write off part of the interest on your mortgage if you have your own business.
Property Tax Statement Based on your annual income you may get a tax break and if you operate a home based business or office you may be eligible to use some of the expense, lowering your net income.

Insurance Policies (home, auto, health insurance) Given this information an assessment can be made to see what portion of each policy may qualify to reduce your taxable income in part or fully.
Rental agreement(s) Any rental information either on what you rent to others or what you receive rental income for.
Vehicle loan or lease agreements Business owners can write off a portion of the expense of leasing and/or owning a vehicle used for earning your income.
Mileage reports and Fuel Expenditures Keep gas receipts and/or a mileage log. These reports help to qualify and quantify the amount of eligible expense your business can write off. See Big Help for ways to manage your vehicle expenses.

Equipment loans or leases Any new assets purchased during the year need to be available. If your bookkeeping has not been thorough in previous years listing all your assets would be a good exercise. Year after year your tax is reduced by any long term item used to generate income.
Asset changes. If you use Simply accounting you can print a ledger to provide a listing of any new equipment over $1000.00, recorded as an asset. A receipt for these items will be needed for your tax advisor to determine depreciation percentages. Let Big Help do a preliminary check up of your bookkeeping and be sure you are getting the proper credit for your Assets.
Tip: Big Help bookkeepers can work together with you to provide the best day-to-day entry and also work with your tax consultant to offer you the best tax advantages. See Big Help services. We are happy to help!

Charitable donation receipts

Supporting documents for any expenses you paid personally from a source other than your business bank account (for example, cash receipts or credit card receipts that your bookkeeper is not tracking for you. Often Big Help will find major amounts of expenses not accounted for with new clients because expenses paid for with cash, credit card or a personal bank account were not accounted for.
Bank Statements. Reconciled bank statements are a beneficial check point to know you have recorded all expenses paid throughout the year. If you aren’t reconciling your bank statements, call Big Help for more information. If you are audited by Revenue Canada, they will want to see your bank statements and reconciliations. Wil you have them available?
Operating Loan Statements These can be in the form of a monthly statement or yearly depending on the type Operating Line/Loan it is. The important thing is that the interest has been accounted for as an expense if the loan is indeed for the purpose of earning revenue.
Prior year asset listing (including building, land, equipment etc.) with any changes due to assets sold, lost, destroyed, damaged or no longer in use.
List of Inventory Products for resale on hand at the end of the tax year. Big Help can work with you to devise an inventory control system.
Accounts Receivable - a list of clients who owe you money at the end of the year
Accounts Payable – a list of suppliers you owe money to at the end of the year

Governmental Reporting – all payments and submitted returns listed

• GST for the year
• PST for the year
• WSIB
• Source Deductions (payroll)
• Federal Corporate Tax
• Provincial Corporate Tax
• Personal Income Tax payments made for both last year and any payments made through the tax year
• Prior year’s Notice of Assessment
• Prior years Income Tax Forms
• T4s
• T5s
• Any other document pertaining to income received during the year

Spousal Support Information

Child Care Receipts

Interest Statements for all Investments

RRSP contribution amounts for year as well as any amounts taken out of RRSp’s

Medical Receipts