If your business is in trouble, I am here to tell you right now there has never been a better time in history to implement simple, easy and cost-effective strategies that can change whether you will remain in business in 2009. Why? Because your competitors are operating out of fear in the marketplace. Take advantage of the situation instead of falling prey to the media hype.

All too often business owners are too close to the problem to find the answer or make that small tweak in their marketing mix that can skyrocket their business from barely surviving to seeing dramatic results to their bottom line profits in 30 days.

Business owners frequently tell me that they have received genuine breakthroughs as a result of receiving another opinion. The business owner was too close to concentrate on looking at and solving the problem that the business is struggling with.

Take these 3 Easy Steps to get the most out of our new ’20 Minute Onsite Business Strategy Evaluation’.

1. Write down the problem, challenge, or situation you want to discuss or that you need immediate help with in your business.

2. What you have done to solve, satisfy, or overcome the situation.

3. The results you have gotten (positive or negative) and what you think the reasons are.

I want you to take time off to enjoy loved ones and family members because right after the New Year I am going to put you to work immediately.

3 Step Marketing Action Guide

Businesses should develop marketing goals and strategies on an annual basis along with a 90 day action guide. Here is your homework.

1) The week of January 5, 2009 while things are still slow and your competition is crying over not making enough sales I want you to step into overdrive by writing down a marketing plan for the first quarter of 2009.

2) What steps will you take to monitor the effectiveness of your marketing efforts during the first 90 days?

3) How will you consistently measure your marketing campaigns to allow you to course correct and revise your strategies based upon the results and performance in your business?

The best way to ensure a prosperous New Year for your business is to plan for it right now. There is no time to waste with this economy so until January 4, 2009 relax with the vision in mind that you will start fresh on January 5, 2009 with a clean slate.

by Mark Sullivan, PC World
Finding great sites on the Web is easy. But it takes hard work and dedication to find the truly annoying and dazzlingly useless ones. Of course we didn’t shrink from the task.

While locating the most useful sites on the Web, we felt it only fair to call out the some of the most useless, too. We found no shortage of sites that are poorly designed or boring, but we list here some of the sites that go that extra mile — the dazzlingly ugly, the patently offensive and the mind-bogglingly pointless.

To read an excellent article in its entirety click here.

There has been so much hype of the power of social networks so I am testing it. Is it just a waste of time or is there true value? Internet marketers are selling courses in the thousands to learn the new and improved Web 2.0. Let me know what you think.

Most importantly share with me how Plaxo or Friendfeed have helped your business. I want to hear your opinions regarding these two web sites. I am sold on Twitter but experimenting and testing other forums as any good marketer should. If you do not test and measure your results you are doomed to fail.