Any small business person knows that clients are hard to come by and if you’re wise you will treat them like gold so that they’ll keep coming back and bring their friends with them as well.

Sadly though there are just some clients that aren’t worth keeping and they become a complete burden on your business. They take up too much of your time and contribute very little to your bottom line.

While there are some clients who fall into that category the moment they walk through the door there are others that gradually grow into it and before you know it they have become a drain on your resources.

Here are five signs … in no particular order … to look for that will tell you that it’s time to let those clients go.

1. They start calling dropping in to see you even though you’ve asked them several times to make an appointment.

2. When they do drop in and find that you’re busy with another client they show their displeasure at having to wait and expect you to stop what you’re doing and attend to them.

3. They expect you to do their work for them and ignore you when you ask them to provide you with clear guidelines or the resources … that they control … that will help you get the job done quicker.

4. They expect you to be available to take their calls out of normal hours or complain when your away from the office. They see themselves as the most important person in your life and expect to be treated as such.

5. They expect to be able to change their minds about details … numerous times … even though you have already completed the project they hired you for and they’ve approved it.

6. Accounts begin to slide beyond the due date and they become incensed when you gently remind them that they have accounts outstanding. Some will even expect you to go on working for them despite those outstanding accounts.

There was a time when we would bend over backwards to accommodate the demands of all of our clients but these days we’re beginning to realise that our sanity and the future of our business depends on only dealing with those people who value the work we do for them and are prepared to treat us with some respect.

AdWords advertising is where Google has made its real money and now that it has shareholders it wants to go on making more and more money from AdWords and the best way for Google to do that is to quietly herd small businesses towards the choke-point where AdWords advertising seems to be the only option if small businesses want to be found on the Net.

So what do you need to know to succeed with AdWords or PPC advertising? What do you need to know about PPC advertising so that you can increase your sales without blowing all your income on this unique form of advertising?

Here are some of the tips that we give our clients … hopefully they’ll help you save money on PPC advertising.

1. Before you spend a single cent on PPC advertising clearly identify how much you can afford to pay per click before the cost of each click begins eating into your profits.

Many small businesses seem to think that as long as the clicks are coming and the sales are happening then paying whatever it takes to get those clicks is worth it and they never stop to consider the true cost to their business … especially if they’re getting lots of clicks and few sales.

2. Understand that when it comes to search there is a sales funnel. At the top of the funnel there are lots of clicks but few sales because people are searching for information. At the bottom of the funnel there are far fewer clicks but more sales.

You need to target the keywords and keyword phrases that people are using when they’re lower down the funnel because that way you’ll keep your costs down and your sales up.

In some verticals the sales funnel is very short and tyre kickers are using the same keywords and phrases as serious buyers. We have a  client who is in that position. They operate a helicopter charter company and their target market is serious businesses who are about ready to buy and spend lots of dollars on what our clients are selling and not-so-serious tourists who want to kick a few tyres before making a decision.

To appeal to the people who are ready to buy and look a little less appealing to those who want to kick the tyres we’ve focused the limited text in the PPC ads more on the business buyer and less on the tourist.

The result is that clicks are limited but sales are definitely up and the click through ratio – the ratio between the number of people who see the ad and those who click on the ad is well above the low single digit figures considered by many to be a reasonable figure … and sometimes it’s up in double digits.

3. Never ever send any clicks from your pay per click advertising to the front page of your website! That’s a sure sign of ignorance or plain laziness … especially if you’re paying someone to handle your PPC advertsing.

If you’re an online shop and you’re advertising a particular product then send them straight to the product page. That’s ok because the people who click on your ad want to make a sale and the sooner you give them the chance to buy the more certain you are getting the sale.

But if you’re a business selling a service then sending them to the front page of your website is a major mistake. Instead of sending them to your website you should be sending them to a landing page that focuses entirely on the item you’re selling and clearly gives the potential customer only two choices. They either use their back button to leave the page or they take whatever action you want them to take to move forward with the purchase of the service you’re offering.

You don’t give them anymore than two choices and you certainly don’t give them access to anymore of your website. The more clicks you let potential customers make on your site the more potential customers you will lose.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of PPC Tips for Small Business.

Then we take that information and mix it in with our experience and produce a site that will do what our clients want. Quite often that’s the end of it … our clients are happy and we’re happy … but every so often a client suddenly decides that they want a second opinion so off the go to their families … their accountant … their neighbour to see what those people think.

Things never seem to go well from then on and just lately we seem to have been on the receiving end of a lot of critical reviews from people who simply have no experience in effective web design. The end result is this little rant that I just had to have!

So you’re an accountant … a pilot … a tyre fitter … a bus driver … a stay-at-home mum … and you’ve never designed a commercial website in your life but you’re sure that you know what goes into a good web design?

Then let me ask you a few questions?

Do you know what a headline is?

Do you know why a headline is important?

Do you know what the maximum number of words should be in a headline?

Do you know the difference between benefits and features?

Do you know why it’s vitally important to stress the benefits and spend very little time talking about the features?

Do you know why the word “you” and it’s derivatives are important in website text while the words “I” and “we” should be avoided?

Do you know which way images should face on a page?

Do you know which side of a page the images should be placed on?

Do you know why stock photography should be avoided in a business website while images that directly involve the business the website is being built for should be included?

Do you know why you should avoid great blocks of text?

Do you know why using short sentences and dot points is a good idea?

Do you know what a call to action is and why it should be included on just about every page of a website that is built to sell something?

Do you know why it is important for a business website to include the address and phone number on every single page?

Do you know what percentage of your site visitors leave your site every time you ask them to make one more click to reach the information they’re looking for?

If you couldn’t answer every one of those questions right off the top of your head without searching for the Net for the answer then stick to your day job and leave us to do ours.

If you can do that then I promise that we won’t tell you how to fly your plane, keep your accounts, run your family, drive your bus or fit your tyres.

Yeah right!

Sure anyone can get something so appear on the Web … after all there are any number of free site builders out there that you can use … there are plenty of WYSIWYG HTML editors out there too … and they must be so easy to use.

And basically they are easy to use BUT what’s not so easy is ending up with a website that looks professional … has some hope of generating sales or leads … and might even rank well in the search engines.

The fact is that building a business website should be left to professionals who know how to achieve the outcomes you want. Your cousin … your uncle … your son … or your best friend’s dog might all be able to use a free site builder or a WYSIWYG HTML editor but they’re not going to be able to give you a business website that will work.

Don’t believe me? Go ahead and waste your time or pay someone close to you peanuts to build your business website and objectively reiew it’s performance in six months time.

Perhaps you think that we’re losing business because people think that they can build their own websites but we’re not … in fact we’ve never been busier than we are right now and that’s why I rarely have time to post anything here anymore.

Perhaps you think I sound a little bitter that people are trying to do things for themselves but I’m certainly not bitter … I am just very sad that many business people try to do the work themselves, produce something that is never going to work for them and then complain that the Web is not working for them.

If you do it right and have your business website built by someone who knows what they’re doing then the Web will work for you and your business.

It’s hard to believe that anyone could be put off making a purchase … or picking up the phone to call your business … simply because they had so many choices that they couldn’t make a decision.

But it is possible and the video that you will find here will show you why … and give you some tips on other ways to improve your website too.

Google encourages all their Adwords advertisers to target as many keywords as possible … if there is a keyword or keyword phrase for your particular business then you should be targeting it with Adwords or Adwords Express according to Google

What they don’t tell is that if you happen to target a keyword phrase in Adwords Express that you already have a good listing for in Google Places you may well lose your ranking in Google Places. A number of people have seen it happen to them or their clients.

So if John from John’s Gardening Service … who just happens to have the top listing for ‘gardening services’ in the Google Places 7 pack were to target that phrase in Adwords Express he would quite possibly lose his listing in Google Places.

That means that instead of getting something for free he has to pay … and compete in a bidding war for that top spot.

You can read more about it at Understanding Google Maps & Local Search

But there are so many other things we could be doing when it comes to marketing the business … things that don’t involve the Internet at all … and it took a friend of mine to point them out.

Michael Dorausch is a successful chiropractor in Los Angeles and he runs a popular blog for chiropractors. Several years ago he wrote a post about 23 easy ways of marketing your business and even today it provides 23 invaluable tips for any small business that wants to build its customer base.

Follow the link to 23 small Business Marketing Tips and try them … they may work wonders for your small business.

Even though times are tough and your struggling to survive don’t forget your family
Yesterday I was doing some research for a client when I came across this piece of very good advice … “remember the things you have, not the things you don’t have” … and I realised that it was definitely worth sharing here.

When times are tough we tend to focus on our business … all the problems with our business take up so much of our time that we forget that there are some very important people who still need our attention.

When you’re really getting hammered by the downturn in the economy don’t forget your family. They still need your love and support … and your attention … so give them all the love, support and encouragement they need because without them you and your business won’t survive.

Don’t ignore them just because you’ve got a heap of worries. Don’t take all the support they have for you and give nothing in return just because you’re struggling to survive … they’re struggling to survive too and you are the person they look to for help so don’t let them down.

Easier said than done? Of course it is … I know from personal experience just how hard it is but if you have the strength to build a business then you have the strength to support your family through these tough times too.

So as part of a small business that’s been going through the same tough times as everyone else I thought that we might share 10 survival tips for small business. If your small business is in the middle of some tough times these tips will help you survive.

Don’t Give Up
When times get tough there comes a time when you start to think of giving up. Don’t feel guilty about feeling that way when you reach that point … it’s normal … it’s part of human nature.

But don’t give up … keep on pushing ahead … keep on looking for ways to drag yourself out of the financial mess that’s going on around you. Always remember that these bad times will pass and every day you survive you get yourself one step closer to that point where the good times return.

Pay Down Debt
Got credit cards? Got regular monthly debt repayments? Get rid of them if you can!

If you have loans that you can’t pay out then look for ways to reduce the amount that you’re paying on those loans each month. The more you can reduce your outgoings in tough times the better your chance of surviving.

Don’t buy anything on credit
Cut up your credit cards and pay out the accounts … if you can. Don’t even run 30 day accounts with your suppliers if you can avoid it.

Pay cash or use a debit card for everything and if you can’t pay cash or use a debit card then don’t buy it.

Cut Expenses
Look at everything you spend money on each month and make an objective decision on whether that money is well-spent or not. In tough times lots of big businesses bunker down and don’t come up till conditions improve.

Unfortunately most small businesses can’t do that but you can certainly cut your expenses.

However there’s one expense you can’t cut … the cost of advertising. Tough times are the times when it’s important to spend money on getting your message out to those people who still want to buy the goods and services that you’re offering.

The trick is to find the form of advertising that gives you the best return on investment. If you haven’t thought about it before then think of trying Google Adwords and if you don’t know how to do that then talk to us … click Google Adwords Management for more information.

Make equipment last longer
Equipment is expensive to buy or lease so make it last longer and if you replaced your gear every two years make it last for three. Look after your equipment and it will last much longer than you might think.

Review staffing
This is something that I feel uneasy about … letting someone go who has worked for you for a long time is never easy but there may come a time when letting some of your staff go is the difference between surviving or seeing your business go down the drain.

Curb your lifestyle
I know that can be hard … partners and children develop an expectation of what their lives should be like but what sort of lifestyle will they have if you go broke. So bite the bullet … sell the jet ski … cancel that expensive holiday … eat at home more often.

It can hurt but it’s what you have to do if you want to survive.

Keep your business premises neat and tidy
When things are tough some people tend to let things slide and their business premises is often one of the first things to start looking shabby. Their cars don’t seem to get washed as often either … and their websites never get updated.

If you want people to do business with you then you have to look as though you’re worth doing business with. Keep your office space or your workshop neat and tidy … keep your cars and vans washed … and keep your website up to date.

If you can’t afford to spend a lot of money updating your website talk to us … when it comes to small business website management we’re the experts. We understand small business.

Look for ways to expand
Expand?? In tough times??

Yes … when times are tough and your competitors are hiding away till the storm passes there are always plenty of opportunities around. Be cautious and don’t rush in but at the same time don’t be afraid to grab an opportunity to grow when it comes your way.

Have a positive mental attitude.
When you can’t pay your accounts and no one is paying you keeping positive can be all but impossible but if you want to survive it’s what you have to do. Look for ways to stay positive … keep your mind away from negative thoughts … keep encouraging those around you and let others encourage you.

Stay positive and you will survive … believe me, there have been times when a positive mental attitude has been the only thing that has kept us going.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss two websites that this group of people owned. One was designed by our competitor and the other was designed by us and during the meeting discussion turned to search engine optimisation … something that we specialise in and our competitor does not.

Almost as soon as the discussion turned to SEO our competitor thought he might score some points and announced that although he had no experience in search engine optimisation for any for of business he was sure it was something that these business people could do for themselves.

I’m over arguing the point about that subject … if people want to believe that small businesses can do it all for themselves then that’s fine by me. They’ll learn the hard way … and hopefully they will remember who gave them that bad advice.

The fact is that search engine optimisation is a never-ending sea of change and those changes are coming faster and faster. Nothing stays the same and Kristine Schachinger, a search engine optimisation specialist, from Las Vegas put it in perspective when she asked “Is there any other job out there where you have to keep up w/ it every day almost every hour?”

And just to press home the point she followed that question up with this statement “What is happening now in Search & Social is like code in 200/1 – miss a week is like missing 6 months missing a month is like (missing) a year ”

Does that sound like something that small business people can do for themselves?