What Are QR Codes And How Can They Be Used In Your Business

What are QR codes? Well, they’re similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products at the point of sale. The main difference between the two is the amount of data they can communicate. Traditional bar codes which I’m sure you’re familiar with use vertical lines and can only hold up to 20 digits, whereas QR codes are two-dimensional (2D) and can hold much more information.

When a customer scans or reads a QR code with their iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled Smartphone, the phone can automatically:

• Be linked to a web page (for your shop, or business)
• Activate a number of phone functions including email, messaging or SMS
• Directed to an online video (Youtube, etc)
• Display prices or other data about a product, etc

Really it makes it EASIER for a customer (or potential customer) to obtain further information about a product – WITHOUT having to enter in information (e.g. your website address). It’s a good marketing and sales tool.

I’ve recently seen a big electrical goods retailer use QR codes as a ‘teaser’ for advertised specials. So it will be interesting to keep tabs on the varied (and creative) uses for QR codes in retailing and business.

$8,000+ In Net Profit After Sending 97 Letters

Direct mail is a beautiful thing once you have a well-crafted letter written in our style of marketing.

Our client, Brad Podmore of Coffee & Tea Supplies WA, sent 97 copies of the letter we wrote for him and picked up a new client worth more than $8,000 in net profit per year!

Brad’s Giovanni blend coffee is so good that he retains cafe and restaurant clients for many years – hence the Lifetime PROFIT Value of that new client would easily be $32,000 over 4 years.

To read other marketing success case-studies, click here.

Updated Marketing Tips For More Customers & Sales

Updated articles (December 2011) on marketing, more customers and sales:

• Tip #21 – Getting More Customers – Fast! (part 1)
• Tip #22 – Free Marketing Strategy: Lead Generation In Public
• Strategy #32 – Store Traffic Information : A Simple Way To Boost Store Sales!
• Strategy #33 – How Many Customers Didn’t Revisit Your Store? And What You Can Do About It!
• Marketing Strategy
• Marketing Products – our business marketing systems
• Client results – case studies and testimonials from clients using our business marketing systems
• Client results #2

Article published from our head office – Balcatta, Perth, Western Australia.

Is there life after MYOB?

What other accounting systems are used by Australian businesses?

Interesting question… I found this useful list:

• Business Vision 50 Accounting
• BusinessWorks
• DacEasy
• MAS 90
• MAS 200
• Microsoft Dynamics GP
• Microsoft Money
• MYOB Accounting
• MYOB Premier
• One Write Plus
• Peachtree
• Sage – Simply Accounting
• Sage PFW
• Quickbooks
• Quicken
• Timberline

Any others I’ve omitted?

Are You Stuck In The ‘Wrong’ Mode For Business Success?

Entrepreneur v.s. Employee tasks – what’s the difference?

Just had one of those days where you were just putting out fires in your business and you feel like throwing in the towel? The reason often is due to the business owner not setting up the right systems to handle the business operations. It’s a mind-set issue you see. The role of the business owner is to eventually remove themselves from the business. Not be the "cog" in the business.

WHY? Answer: A business is more valuable when it can operate profitably, survive and grow and survive without the business owner.

The business owner needs to spend a little time EACH and EVERY day (as much as possible) to work on "Entrepreneurial tasks" and not "Employee tasks". Entrepreneurial tasks like marketing planning and documenting processes (or working with a staff member to document processes) adds significantly more value to a business than $18-$22 per hour employee tasks like making deliveries, filing, bookkeeping, etc.

For more information about which business tasks are entrepreneurial – click here.