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I'm looking for some feedback about killer tips to increase revenues. I work at a business coaching and consulting firm. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Here is something I put together:

You already know that the offer is the second most important success factor
of any direct marketing campaign, either online or offline. (The most important
factor? Your potential or existing client list.) What you may not know is that
the difference between an "okay" offer and a "killer" offer
can translate to many thousands of revenue dollars. The best use of your
marketing time and money, therefore, is to develop a killer offer and make sure
you have a great list.

Here are six tips that will raise your offer to "killer" status:

• Figure out exactly
  who you are going to send the offer to. Follow just this one tip,
  and your campaign will be more successful than at least 90% of your
  competitors. Most businesses come up with the offer first, then decide who
  to send it to. This is nowhere near as effective as deciding who you want
  to attract, then fashioning an offer that will appeal to that particular
  group of people.
• Make the value of
  your offer a no-brainer. Consumers today, whether businesses or
  individuals, are inundated with all kinds of sales pitches that include a
  multitude of offers. As a result, they are fairly suspicious and short on
  patience. Your offer must be so clear that your recipients understand it
  instantly. If your offer is some kind of discount for example, half off is
  easier to understand than 50% off, which in turn is a heck of a lot easier
  than 35% or even 60% off.
• The offer should
  involve either a discount or a bonus or, even better, both. A
  bonus is something you will give free to someone who takes the action you
  are asking them to take. Offering a bonus will increase your response rate
  by as much as 30%.
• Have a reason for the
  offer and make sure you say what it is. If you make a great offer
  for no reason, you will raise suspicion flags in your readers' minds;
  after all, we've all been told that there is no such thing as a free
  lunch. Therefore, you need a reason for your offer-we are new to the
  neighborhood, it's our business's anniversary, it's customer appreciation
  week at our company. Be as creative as you want, but be sure to have a
  reason.
• Create urgency.
  There must be a reason for your readers to take immediate action. This
  could be an expiration date on the offer, an extra bonus for fast
  response, or some other element that will cause your client or prospect to
  take action.
• Make the call to
  action another no-brainer. In the same way that the value of your
  offer needs to be crystal clear, so does that call to action. Tell your
  prospects exactly what you want them to do. Ask them to go to your web
  site and click on a particular word, come in to your store on a particular
  date or in a certain time range, whatever action you want them to take. Be
  very clear.

Incorporate these six tips into your
next direct marketing campaign and watch the results. You will see killer-level
improvement!

Year-End Business Finance Checklist

Taxes must be paid, but it is good business practice to minimize the
amount you must pay. As the tax year comes to a close, consider strategies to
help you reduce taxes and get a jump on next year's tax planning.

• Spend extra time ensuring
  that your books are accurate. You need to have a good understanding of
  your financial situation as of the end of the year. Spend some time with
  your financial advisor to review any pre-January 1 actions that you need
  to take and that are particular to your operations.
• Defer or delay income to next
  year. Revenues earned through December 31st are taxable this year. Income
  deferred or delayed until January will not be taxed until 2007. Any
  deferral strategy will depend on your profit and losses for the year and
  your corporate legal structure, so this is a topic for the year end
  discussion with your financial advisor.
• Accelerate donations. Bring
  charitable donations scheduled for early 2006 charitable donations back to
  2005, and get a receipt for the tax deduction.
• Increase your expenses. If
  you know you will need particular supplies, goods, and services in the
  first quarter of next year, buy them now if your cash flow will allow it.
  Stock up on office supplies, prepay bills for things like cell phones,
  insurance, and rents, book any early 2006 travel, and consider purchasing
  capital equipment now.
• Delay the disposal of
  depreciable assets. If you plan to dispose of depreciable assets, don't do
  so until the new year so that you can still claim their depreciation for
  this year.
• Write off damaged or obsolete
  inventory. Depending on the accounting method you use, check inventory for
  any goods that are damaged or have become obsolete. The drop in market
  value of the inventory can provide added deductions.
• Make payments to your
  retirement plan or set one up before the year-end. Retirement plan
  contributions will reduce your income for this year. Check the
  contribution limits and payment deadline. for your type of plan. Discuss
  strategy with your financial planner.

This checklist will apply differently to each business owner's situation and
accounting method. Use it as a basis to review your best year-end strategy with
your financial advisor.