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You want to stay on top of things in your business during good times and bad times. You might pick a specific time each week and see how you're doing compared to your marketing plans and goals.

Running a business often leaves very little time to keep track of how the business is doing and look at trends in the local, national, and regional economies to see what type of business decisions you'll need to make.

When you're doing the regular routine for your overall business operations, Watch your inventory. Don't hold it so tight that you lose sales. Monitor it.

Monitor your cash flow. You want to looK at the trends and forecast to Stay in line with your budget.

Make "To Do" lists. Separate them into things that might need to be done and things that definitely need to be done. Focus on things that will help build your business.

Many people pay their bills the minute they get them when they don't necessarily need to because the invoicing company gives you 30, 45, 60 days to pay it. Use a manager file and put those invoices in the proper files for 5 to 10 days before they're due and spread out your debt.

Get aggressive with collections. Use the collection agency model "You owe us some money. Perhaps our notices crossed with your check in the mail. If so ignore this." If they haven't paid you in 15 days send them a second notice.

Do not skimp on service and quality by being Under staffed. This will help you also provide timely and the best service you can.

Do not skimp on marketing. This must be your main focus. Remember you're a marketing company. You're not a company that sells a product or service. You're a company that markets those products and services.

If you constantly create expectations with your customers that is so high that you can't deliver, you will have happy customers - until they stop being customers' altogether. We always see advertisements that seem too good to be true and they usually are. There's no better way to lose customers than to offer them a diamond and give them a lump of coal.

You want to meet and exceed their expectations whenever you can. Everyone likes getting something at no cost. You can give them something they didn't expect.

If you promise in an advertisement that they can get something at no cost, surprise them and give them a coupon for another or a percentage off.

You want to build it into your marketing mission and promotional ads, then choose an item with some big value, but at minimal cost to you. You can promise them a certain amount. but you can always deliver more.

When you compare your goals, if you did better than you projected, just keep on doing what you're doing. It's important to keep track of how you're doing against your marketing plan. Once you know your numbers, you will know where to improve, what's working, and things that you should do more of.