转帖：浙商闯荡法则

1. 坚持看新闻联播，把握经济大势。
2. 不要轻易相信合约，哪怕合约让律师看过，公证处公证过，甚至钱已汇入也要确认能不能拿出。而合约以外的涉及到利益冲突的任何口头承诺都只是承诺，在对方兑现之前都不要沉湎其中。
3. 一诺千金。一定能够做到的事情才可以承诺，但不要夸大其辞。
4. 赢得起但输不起的生意不做。
5. 在先期不要投入太多，给自己留够底牌。
6. 商人有所为也有所不为。 “毋以善小而不为，毋以恶小而为之”，说的是做人的道理。生意同样如此，不要因为利润少就不去做，也不要因为风险小就去做。
   
7. 慎重选择合作伙伴，好的搭档要做到以下五点，否则合作不会长久。其一，你们在一个战壕里至少共同战斗过一年；其二，他对他说的每一句话都能负责；其三，必须是个实在人；其四，他考虑得更多的是共同的利益；其五，关键时刻没有躲开更没有出卖你。
8. 不要在团队里有家庭成员的影子。
9. 不要给你的女人讲商业细节。
10. 不要偷税漏税但要学会合理避税。
11. 可以利用新闻记者但不要相信记者。
12. 不要摆大，哪怕你真的是老大。
13. 保持中立，不要卷入政治派系纷争。
14. 不要太在乎金钱与利益得失。古训有云，有所得就有所失，而有所失就有所得。天下自然有赚不完的钱，基本上你应该没有时间去计较一时的得失才对，哪怕你有的是时间去品茗赏色。
15. 资本决定发言权，但你不应该轻易让别人知道你有多大的发言权。
16. 总结别人的成败得失，但国外的案例可以不用理会。
17. 不要用黑白道的规矩去解决商业冲突。
18. 在能把握全局的前提下，不要事必躬亲。不要把自己搞的没有时间与朋友交流，最要紧的是不要让自己没有时间放松与思考。所以，在牢牢掌握核心业务的同时，应该学会让别人帮你打点生意。同样，把事情交给别人去做的风险，一定是你能够预防的，不然，你会成为一名忙碌的救火队员。
19. 给自己留条后路，预防众叛亲离。
    

Successfully contact your first supplier/wholesaler

You've found a product you'd like to sell. You have the supplier's contact information. You're ready to make the call. But wait! Are you really ready? Chances are if you're new to working with wholesale suppliers, you're not fully prepared.

And being prepared before you contact that new supplier can make all the difference between beginning a successful supplier relationship and making a call that hits a dead end. First impressions count with suppliers, and you'll want to make sure you put your best foot forward when setting up supplier relationships.

Take these five steps now and you can be confident that you'll maximize the results from each and every supplier call.

1. Get your business paperwork in order

Wholesale suppliers require you to have certain things in place before they can set up an account with you, fax over a price list or even send out a product catalog. At the top of the list is being a registered business owner and having your business license/tax ID number. A true wholesaler can only sell products to you at wholesale cost if you are a legal business entity.

Getting your business set up as a legal business is not a difficult process, but because state rules can vary, you'll want to contact your state's Department of Licensing and find out the requirements for becoming a legal business in your state of residence. Most states have a Web site that will give you the information you need to get started.

Before you can purchase inventory, your supplier will also likely ask you to provide a resale certificate. A resale certificate is a standard business form that you'll fill out and give to your supplier. Its purpose is to confirm that you are a legal business and that the goods you are purchasing are for resale. This is a standard form issued by your state's Department of Revenue.

Most states will supply a resale certificate form, but as with obtaining a business license, procedures vary from state to state. For more information on obtaining a resale certificate form in your state, contact your state's Department of Revenue.

Contacting a supplier before you have these things in place will only waste your time and the supplier's. So don't make your first supplier call until your business is legal.

2. Convey a professional business presence

“Investing in a business e-mail address helps suggest to suppliers that your business is here to stay”

When contacting wholesale suppliers, you are representing a very important company—yours. Presenting a professional business image is as important as having your legal business paperwork, although it is frequently overlooked.

One of the most important things to do before contacting a supplier is to set up a business e-mail address using the domain name that you have purchased for your company. For example: yourname@yourcompanydomainname.com.

Don't use your personal Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail accounts to contact suppliers. While these addresses are great for personal communications, they are not appropriate for representing your company. (When's the last time you received an e-mail from Barnes & Noble with a Yahoo e-mail address?)

Your suppliers want to know that you are a serious, stable business entity. Investing in a business e-mail address helps suggest to suppliers that your business is here to stay.

You'll also want to brand your business with a logo. Many new businesses skip this step. A professionally designed logo should appear on your business cards, your letterhead, even the fax cover sheet you use to fax information to your supplier.

The way you package your business and represent it contributes significantly to your success in working with a new supplier.

3. Research the company

Learning as much as you can about a supplier before you make your first call is the key to making a successful supplier connection. Finding out as much as possible about your potential supplier can give you a huge advantage over someone who calls "cold" with no knowledge.

Rather than asking the supplier to explain their business and product line, find out as much as you can ahead of time. This allows you to have an informed conversation with the supplier rep and ask the right questions. And asking the right questions is important.

If your supplier has a Web site, spend time on the site reading as much as you can about them. Look over their "About Us" page, learn about the company's history and review their policy pages. Get a good feel for who they are, what types of products they deal in and what kinds of retailers they work with.

If your supplier doesn't have a Web site, you can research the Web to find out what other companies carry their brands. This will give you some idea of the type of company you are dealing with.

This knowledge will make you sound like a seasoned professional even if you are new to selling online.

4. Create supplier note cards

“It's human nature to forget things when we're nervous and making supplier phone calls is no exception”

No matter how well prepared you think you are, you never know how your first supplier call will go until you're on the phone having the conversation.

It's human nature to forget things when we're nervous and making supplier phone calls is no exception. A great way to stay on track is to create supplier note cards.

Purchase 3- by 5-inch note cards and make a note of all your pertinent business information, supplier specifics and the points you want to cover during your first call.

Writing down your tax ID number and even your fax number may seem like a simple thing to do, but it will go a long way when it comes to providing a smooth delivery over the phone.

Over the years I've talked with numerous new business owners who, when faced with a supplier call and jangled nerves, have forgotten information as basic as their own business name. Don't leave your supplier calls up to chance. Jotting down your research points will allow you to refer to those notes while talking with your new supplier.

Make a list of the questions you want to ask your new supplier. Then write down their answers next to the question.

By the time you complete the call, you'll have everything you need in one place to determine how you want to proceed with this new supplier connection.

5. Do a dry run

You've found a great supplier, they have the products you want to stock in your store and you're ready to make the call—except for one thing: You're feeling a bit nervous about calling this supplier.

One of the best ways to counteract those pre-call jitters is to do what I call a "supplier dry run." Before making that all-important supplier call, get some practice in by calling a few suppliers you are less invested in doing business with. This enables you to practice talking with suppliers and familiarize yourself with the industry terminology and the type of questions a supplier might ask.

Doing a supplier dry run eases the pressure of calling your most important supplier first. And it can yield some surprising results. Many of our clients who have used this method have established very profitable supplier relationships with companies they originally thought would not be a match for them.

Contacting wholesale suppliers is like everything else you undertake in business. The more experience you have, the better you'll be become at what you do. Following these five steps for supplier preparedness will help shortcut your learning curve, position you well to speak with your first suppliers and give you the confidence you need to know that you're putting your best foot forward.

(Source: auctiva, By: Lisa Suttora)

2009 good time to buy property: broker

January 2, 2009 - 2:08P

Australians could find 2009 an opportune time to buy property, but they should not expect a swift recovery in housing prices.
Loan Market Group executive director John Kolenda says low interest rates and subdued property prices combined with government initiatives have made entering the property market easier, particularly for first home buyers.
Australian policy makers have provided stimulatory measures in the second half of 2008 to boost the domestic economy.
Since September, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut the cash rate by three percentage points to a seven-year-low of 4.25 per cent.
In October, the federal government doubled the first home owners grant to $14,000 and increased it to $21,000 for buying or building a new home.
Debt futures markets are pricing the cash rate to be as low as 2.5 per cent in June, while many market economists predict at least another one percentage point cut in total by the central bank.
"Despite the global economic uncertainty, the conditions in Australia for those seeking to enter the property market are ideal," Mr Kolenda said.
"Mortgage holders in the coming year are likely to benefit from the lowest variable interest rates ever offered in Australia as the cash rate could fall to 2.5 per cent."
House prices have been sluggish across the eight capital cities in the past two quarters, down 1.8 per cent in the September quarter, the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) said.
This followed a 0.2 per cent drop in the June quarter.
CommSec chief economist Craig James said property prices would rise moderately this year due to an undersupply of housing.
"Overall, national housing prices are tipped to grow by three to five per cent over 2009 with major variations across the regions," Mr James said.
Mr Kolenda said the rise in the grant had stimulated interest in the lower half of the housing market.
"These concessions will continue for the first half of 2009, while we also expect to see home mortgage rates fall further, encouraging a variety of buyers, including Australians returning from overseas," he said.
The peak home building body, the Housing Industry Association (HIA), forecasted a recovery in the property market in the second half of 2009.
"We will be into 2009, possibly some months through, before these lower interest rates translate into a significant stimulus to housing sector expenditure," HIA chief economist Harley Dale said.

(Source: smh.com.au)

Money Magazine's Best of the Best

Money Magazine has found the cheapest deals on everything from mobile phone plans to credit cards, the best home loan package, super funds.
The list goes on and on - all the hard work has been done for you.
So get ready to save a fortune and start thinking about what you're going to do with all that money.
This is a brief summary of the best deals – the full list and all the details can only be found in the November issue of Money magazine.

Mobile Phones
Money Magazine's Effie Zahos says the first place to cut costs is on your mobile.
"The ones that are advertising with the big marketing budgets, often don't have the best deals," Effie tells ACA.
If you don't use your phone very often, go prepaid with Savvytel:
Effie says the main benefit of this operator is they carry credit on at the end of the month – so your credit never expires.
"This is unique to Savvytel, it's a great plan for seniors or if you have kids and you want to give them that contact," she says.
If you use your phone regularly and send around 150 texts a month - sign up with Go Talk:
Effie's tip: "Now they actually get gold here because for $45, you get $250 worth of calls."
But if you're a continuous caller and send 300 texts a month, switch to TPG.
Cheapest High-Use Mobile Plans
1.)TPG Unlimited All You Can Eat 2.) Virgin Mobile Postpaid $99 Topless
Cheapest Low-Use Mobile Plans (Prepaid)
1.) Savvytel SIM Starter Kit $20 2.) Virgin Mobile Bean Counter

Home Loans
Founder of Money Magazine, Paul Clitheroe, has a simple message:
"A whole bunch of Australians are paying for bells and whistles in their mortgage and mobile phone contract - and most of us don't use the bells and whistles," he tells ACA.
"If you don't need stuff - don't pay for it."
When it comes to home loan packages the Commonwealth Bank and Colonial Bank both win gold.
"Get rid of credit card debt first, the high cost car loan second and then think about getting the mortgage lowered while you can," Paul says.

Credit Cards
If your credit card is already getting a Christmas workout, just remember that come February you'll need to start paying it off.
"There are great cards for the Christmas credit card hangover. If you're looking for a bank, St George or Bank of South Australia pick up gold here," Effie reveals.
"If you want a credit union, a number pick up gold and overall, they're a lot cheaper. For reward points, Westpac pick up gold, while in the non-banking category, Amex are the most rewarding."
Paul Clitheroe says getting rid of credit card debt should be your first stop in getting your finances under control. This year the non-banks offer cheaper credit cards than banks.

Best Value Car
If you're in the market for a car, the Mazda Neo wins gold for best car under $25,000.
And Mazda win again for best car under $35,000.
According to Paul, the best deals on cars should be arriving in 2009. "Next year there are going to be some sensational consumer bargains."

Best Value Broadband
If you spend a lot of time online, the best broadband deal goes to TPG.
"You get 50 gigs on that deal for 49.95 a month – that's a lot of downloads for a very low price."
Cheapest Broadband Plans – High Speed
1.) TPG ADSL2+ Ultimate Medium 2.) Chariot netconnect Explorer ADSL2+

Super Funds
Super funds have had a shocking year - not a rough year but a shocking year. However, according to Paul, their long-term performances are a lot better than their one-year performances.
The best balanced super fund is MTAA. But if you still have a few years left in the workforce, hand your super worries over to the best growth super fund – Hostplus.
"You'd be crazy not to have a look at what's out there - and you may save yourself a fair bit of money," Paul advises.
Depending on how long you have left in the work force, different super options will have different appeals. Balanced super funds, which will suit those looking to retire soon, tend to focus on hedging their bets to keep a pretty standard return. Growth funds, on the other hand, invest mainly in riskier areas like the stock market to try and get a bigger return.
Best Balanced Super Funds
1.)MTAA Super – Balanced 2.) AMIST – Balanced
Best Growth Super Funds
1.) Hostplus – Shares Plus 2.) AustralianSuper – High Growth

Bank Accounts
You could also be making a fair bit of money if you tip your savings into one of the competitive online accounts.
"We looked at the best online savings account in the past two years and the gold winner for that goes to Bankwest," says Effie.
But with rates constantly on the move, the best deal going today is with DragonDirect.
"Spend less than you earn – That's the best tip I can give anyone," says Paul. It's not about winning lotto, it's not about finding a share that doubles or property that doubles. Forget the fancy stuff and get your finances under control," he says.

(Source: current affairs)

The Property Professor's Top Australian Suburbs

Real estate expert Peter Koulizos' new book, Top Australian Suburbs, tells investors which suburbs across Australia have the best capital growth potential over the next 20 years.
The book outlines each suburb's types and styles of housing, and local and state government plans for improving the suburb and surrounding areas, but what makes the book so important for investors is that it focuses on suburbs that are currently undervalued and lists streets within the suburbs which will reap the largest rewards.

We have the top 20 suburbs from Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Queensland; the top two suburbs in Canberra and Darwin; and the top three suburbs in Hobart.

Here are Peter's top picks for best suburbs in Australia.

TOP SUBURBS ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Brooklyn Park, Christies Beach, Cowandilla, Ethelton, Exeter, Flinders Park, Glanville, Hallett Cove, Hilton, Hindmarsh, Kensington, Largs North, Marryatville, North Haven, Port Noarlunga, Port Noarlunga South, Semaphore Park, The Barton, Torrensville, West Hindmarsh

Brisbane: Albion, Annerley, Brighton, Chermside, Clontarf, Fairfield, Herston, Kelvin Grove, Lota, Lutwyche, Margate, Norman Park, Redcliffe, Sandgate, Scarborough, Thorneside, Upper Mount Gravatt, Woody Point, Woolloongabba, Wynnum

Canberra: Braddon, Narrabundah

Darwin: Millner, Rapid Creek

Hobart: Glebe, North Hobart, South Hobart

Melbourne: Abbotsford, Braybrook, Brunswick, Brunswick east, Carrum, Chelsea, Coburg, Collingwood, Cremorne, Flemington, Footscray, Frankston, Geelong, Kensington, Maidstone, Mordialloc, Seaford, Seddon, West Footscray, Yarraville

Perth: Carlisle, Dudley Park, East Victoria Park, Erskine, Halls Head, Mandurah, Morley, Munster, Port Kennedy, Quinns Rock, Rockingham, Safety bay, Secret Harbour, Shoalwater, Tuart Hill, Two Rocks, Victoria Park, Waikiki, Warnbro, Yanchep

Sydney: Arncliffe, Ashfield, Banksia, Bexley, Camperdown, Campsie, Chippendale, Darlington, Enmore, Erskineville, Forest Lodge, Kogarah, Leichhardt, Marrickville, Newtown, Rockdale, Sans Souci, Turrella, Ultimo, Woolloomooloo

World's Weakest Currencies

By Bruce Einhorn

From the Arctic coasts of Iceland to the Southern Ocean shores of New Zealand, the financial crisis has humbled many of the world's currencies. As risk-averse investors have rediscovered the U.S. dollar, they have swiftly pounded down currencies that until recently had been highfliers. Especially hard-hit have been countries such as Australia and South Africa with large mining industries, as slower economic growth has popped what had been a steadily inflating resources bubble.

There are some holdouts against the dollar's rise. In Japan, the yen is up 13% year-to-date against the greenback. China's yuan is up 6.8%. Having a strong currency has its disadvantages, especially for exporters in both countries. Japanese giants like Sony (SNE), for instance, are now less competitive against Korean rivals, as the Korean won has dropped 27% against the dollar this year, making it one of the weakest of all the major currencies. The Chinese currency's appreciation is causing problems for manufacturers in coastal China's industrial centers, where many recession-hit factories are in danger of going out of business.

Brazilian Real
Down 18%
Brazil's real has tumbled 18% this year. Other Latin American currencies have been hurting, too. The Mexican peso, for instance, is down 15%. Government intervention has helped slow the decline, though. And with over $200 billion in foreign currency reserves, Brazil's central bank can continue to keep selling dollars for a while.

Indian Rupee
Down 19%
Until recently, India's currency had been rising steadily, causing headaches to the country's big IT outsourcers like Infosys (INFY) and Wipro (WIT). The rupee's sudden turnaround should help those companies become more competitive, since their Indian employees won't be as expensive for their dollar-paying customers. But the weaker rupee might hurt Indian companies that have been actively seeking deals overseas such as Tata Motors (TAMO), the automaker that agreed to pay Ford (F) $2.8 billion for Jaguar and Land Rover in March.

Norwegian Krone
Down 20%
The end of the oil bubble has contributed to the big fall in the Norwegian currency. The Bank of Norway's recession-fighting efforts haven't helped, either. The central bank cut rates twice in October. The latest, a 50-basis-points cut on Oct. 29, put the overnight deposit rate at 4.75%, its lowest in a year. And with plenty of room for more cuts ahead, the downward pressure on the krone is likely to continue.

British Pound
Down 21%
After sinking to a six-year low on Oct. 27, the pound briefly staged a modest recovery, climbing 6% by Oct. 30. Stabilization of equities markets after several volatile weeks helping the currency. But with the Bank of England cutting interest rates to fight the economic downturn, a strong comeback for sterling will be difficult.

New Zealand Dollar
Down 23%
The New Zealand dollar was one of the major beneficiaries of the yen carry trade. Now, with the crisis diminishing interest in borrowing yen to buy currencies benefiting from high interest rates, the Kiwi is one of the biggest victims. New Zealand's economy is heavily dependent on exports of products such as wool and dairy, and the currency is therefore also suffering from the end of the global commodities bubble that has pushed down global demand.

Australian Dollar
Down 24%
For five years, the Australian dollar couldn't be stopped. Earlier this year, the Aussie (which at the start of 2002 was worth only U.S. 51¢) was approaching an important psychological threshold of parity with the U.S. currency. Those days are long gone, though. After a long economic boom, the Royal Bank of Australia is now in recession-fighting mode. The central bank on Nov. 4 announced a 75-basis-point cut in interest rates, following a full percentage point cut in October.

Turkish New Lira
Down 25%
The new aversion to risky emerging markets has depressed the Turkish new lira. That's hurting Turkey's effort to fight inflation, which the government on Nov. 3 announced was up 2.6% in October. Turkish leaders are currently in talks with officials from the International Monetary Fund about renewing an agreement that lapsed in the spring providing the country with access to $10 billion in stand-by funds in case of financial strain.

South Korean Won
Down 27%
A month ago, South Korea's currency was down 33% for the year, making it the world's worst-performing major currency. Since then, though, the won has staged a mild comeback thanks to government measures to support the currency. Although the central bank has used billions of dollars to defend the won, Seoul still has a big pool of foreign-exchange reserves (over $240 billion as of August) to help the currency from falling further.

South African Rand
Down 32%
Fears of a severe global recession have taken their toll on the South African rand. The currency had a terrible October and in early November fell to a seven-year low. Manufacturing is slumping, and consumer spending is falling. Moreover, since South Africa's export economy is heavily dependent on gold and other resources, slower growth worldwide is likely to lead to slumping demand for South African products—and South African currency.

Icelandic Krona
Down 50%
No country has suffered more dramatically from the global financial crisis than Iceland. The country is on the brink of bankruptcy, with Norway announcing on Nov. 3 it was prepared to lend Iceland $635 million on top of the $2.1 billion the country is receiving from the IMF. The Icelandic currency's collapse and high inflation led the central bank in October to raise interest rates 600 basis points, to 18%.

(Source: Businessweek)

Rule of 72

How long compound interest will take to double your investment?

A rule of thumb - called Rule of 72 can tell you:

Simply divide 72 by the rate of return on your investmenr.

For example:

For rate at 6%, will take you 12 years.
For rate at 10%, will take you 7.2 years.