The Gift Basket Exchange Blog

When it comes to the success or failure of your business, being organized and staying motivated can be two deciding factors.  In fact, these two topics can go hand in hand. Here are some reasons why being organized can help you stay motivated and, therefore, lead to business success.

When you are disorganized, you can feel frustrated and easily lose the motivation to work your business.  You may lose data such as when projects are due or even your client’s email address.  If your office is messy, it can be anxiety inducing to set foot in it.  Seeing the clutter and chaos can remind you of everything you need to do but keep putting off.  Eventually, you may stop working all together.

In fact, being unorganized is one of the leading causes of procrastination.  When you procrastinate, you are intentionally putting off a task that you know needs to be done. This can lead to stress, ill-health, and financial despair.

However, there is a flipside to all of these problems.  Finding an organization system that works for you will help you stay on top of your tasks and keep you motivated.  You will know when projects are due.  This alone can help you stay motivated.  When you are organized, you will easily be able to find your client’s contact information.  You will no longer feel defeated when you enter your organized office.  Instead, you will feel refreshed and ready to work.

There are two basic ways to stay motivated.  One is through traditional paper planners and the other is through digital or electronic planners.  It doesn’t matter which type of system you use.  The important thing is to find one that you enjoy enough to keep using.

If you prefer paper methods, you may want to consider a planner that showcases the week on two pages.  That way, when you open up the planner you can see your whole week at a glance.  You can use highlighters to highlight various types of tasks.

For instance, all of your family obligations can be highlighted in blue, administrative tasks can be highlighted in pink, and sales and marketing tasks can be highlighted in orange.  Using a method such as this will allow you to instantly see the types of tasks you will be working.  Depending on the type of digital planner you use, you can color code activities in a similar manner.

If you decide to buy a digital planner, you may want to consider an all-in-one smart phone.  These devices combine a cell phone with a digital planner.  You can make and receive phone calls, read and send email, and keep track of your schedule.

Discount codes give cost savings to customers while providing valuable data and inventory control to the seller. Here are five reasons that creating discount codes can benefit an etailer’s business:

• Bring in new customers. When a consumer is ready to buy and knows of multiple sources for the product, price is often the deciding factor. Consumers are attracted to a good deal. Offering a discount code to new customers provides an added reason to shop at a particular website over all other options.
• Encourage repeat business. Satisfied customers will be more likely to shop again when they are reminded to do so, and given a compelling reason to return. A special discount code can be sent via email at specific intervals as a thank-you for past purchases and to encourage repeat business.
•  Increase order size. Time-limited offers create a sense of urgency and give customers a reason to buy more than they originally intended. Discount codes can be offered for a percentage off the purchase price of a second item, for example, or for free shipping on orders totaling a specific amount.
• Tracking. Gathering data on customer trends is imperative for every etailer. Issuing separate discount codes for different mailings, website promotions and affiliate partners, for instance, provides important information on where customers come from and which marketing campaigns are most effective. This data can then be used to make decisions about future marketing programs.
• Control inventory flow. Physical stores manage inventory flow by marking down items they want to move. Online storefronts can use discount codes for the same purpose. The discount can be offered across the board, or used to bring in new customers with an interest in that particular product category, or sent to previous customers who bought similar products. 

There are several ways discount codes can be applied. Etailers generally offer a set dollar amount off the normal price of a product, a percentage off the price of a single item, a discount on the order total, or free shipping on orders that exceed a minimum dollar amount.

Discount offers can be extended through a number of vehicles. They can be posted on the landing page of the storefront. They can be emailed to select past or potential customers. They can be introduced on the order summary page to encourage the customer to add items to the shopping cart. Or they can be listed at sites such as currentcodes.com or dealhunting.com.

Many etailers determine the effectiveness of their marketing strategies by tracking the use of discount codes. The information can help businesses achieve the highest possible ROI and sales at the best available rates.

You may be familiar with the fable that involves a farmer dangling a carrot in front of a donkey in order to motivate the donkey to work. When you work from home, there isn’t anyone standing over your shoulder to motivate you. You are the boss and the employee. You have to motivate yourself to get the work done.

To find your motivation, think about why you wanted to work from home in the first place. Perhaps you wanted to spend more time with your family or maybe you needed a flexible schedule. Take some time and think about your “why”. Write it down and keep the paper near your work space. Whenever you start to doubt your decision, read over your “why”: you will find instant motivation.

Working from home can be lonesome, especially if you are used to working in a large corporate environment and having lots of interaction with co-workers. The internet can be a great place to network with other people working from home. You can meet other people that work from home through message boards and forums.

Once you meet a few like-minded people, form an accountability group with each other. You can meet weekly in a chat room or on a conference call and discuss your goals, the things you achieved, and the things you didn’t. You can offer each other congratulations when things are going great and solutions when problems come up. You can also offer each other weekly challenges, and that friendly competition can offer some great motivation.

Just because you don’t have anyone to dangle carrots in front of you doesn’t mean you can’t do it for yourself. Take the time to write out some goals and choose some appropriate rewards for each one. Once you have achieved the goal, you can have the reward. This can be as simple as giving yourself a night off from cooking and ordering in pizza once you have written and submitted your first press release.

If you choose, you can get creative and write out your goals on poster board and paste pictures of the rewards next to them. This will be a constant visual reminder of what you need to achieve, and seeing the rewards attached to them will be a great motivator. Plus, anyone else who sees this will be able to keep track of your progress. They will know if you are accomplishing your goals and that can also serve as a source of motivation.

Whether or not you choose to put them on a poster board, you should have a way to keep track of your progress. Whenever you feel stressed or unmotivated, take a look back at all the things you have accomplished. You will remember the struggles you went through and the feeling of joy as you finished what you set out to accomplish. This is a great confidence booster, and will leave you feeling ready to tackle your next goal.