Is almost every dime of income your business makes pouring down a black hole to pay bills leaving you asking 'Where did all the money go?' Want to know an important principle about managing money?

Income must be greater than outgo!

How can you accomplish that? With a tactic called INCOME PLANNING. Here are some steps you can do every week to make more money.

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT - To begin, figure out what products or services your clients desire and then offer that to them. A simple method to figure out what your clients want is to study your sales receipts, and figure out what product or service is selling the best. Question your customers about 1) why they purchased that item or service, and 2) how they expected the product or service to benefit them. Then repeat the answer they gave in your advertising campaign to promote that product or service.

TARGET YOUR MARKET WITH PROMOTION - Promoting something in a way that will be responded to by your customers is an art. Advertising does not necessarily mean offering a reduced price. It's much more important to find out the reason a client wants or needs what you have to offer, and what criteria they will use to make a buying decision. Price may be less important to them than quick delivery and dependable service.

Find inexpensive, but effective ways to promote. Collect business cards from potential customers, and send them a personal letter telling them how your products and services can be of benefit to them. This is one of the least expensive, most personal promotional actions you can use. A series of postcards mailed at regular intervals to current and potential clients can also be very effective.

Another great way to get new customers is to request referrals from your satisfied customers. You can make it enjoyable for your clients to participate in referring new customers by creating a referral game they can play, where they get something in return for a certain number of referrals who buy. Allow your clients help you out. They honestly do want you to succeed in your business.

SELL AND DELIVER - Selling is easier when you are genuinely interested in your clients and want to help them. ASK them what they want. Then it becomes easier to sell them your services or products. For example, a family of 4 who wants a van to cart the kids and their equipment around to sports activities is going to walk off in disgust if the salesperson is showing them 2-door sports models, despite the fact that the sports car is a good deal.

Once you've made the sale, courteous, professional, fast delivery is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction. If you are in a service business, this is doubly important. Delivering what you promised, when you promised it, can mean repeat business and referrals of new customers.

PREVENT THE WASTE OF MONEY - For each dollar you agree to spend in your company, figure out how that expenditure is going to bring $5 or more in income back into your company. Set aside a percentage of the weekly income to fund a promotional budget and then figure out the most effective ways to reach your customers within the budget. It is no laughing matter when your hard-earned income gets wasted on things that fail to give you a profitable return on your investment.

REPEAT SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONAL ACTIONS - Look back at when you were last making the most sales. Find out what your successful promotional actions were at the time and do those actions again.

There is a revolutionary new money management software tool available to help you use your time, energy, and creative thinking power on planning how to increase the income. That action gets the CASH FLOWing in the right direction. It helps you manage your money so you can put your attention back on customer service and you will enjoy your business even more.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, has years of experience helping business owners manage their money to achieve their financial golas. To learn more about the Money Management Software she created, visit her website and watch the FREE 5-minute demo video at www.moneymgmtsolutions.com