Business Email Etiquette
As so many of us live and do business in cyberspace, we find that often communication is conducted by personal meeting, phone or letter less and by email. Of all Internet activities, email is the most popular. Almost 88 percent of all Internet users in the U.S. use email. This information comes from a survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Communication Policy (The UCLA Internet Report: Surveying the Digital Future. UCLA Center for Communication Policy. 2001). According to the same survey, approximately 90 percent of those who use the Internet at work use it to access business email.
With that in mind, here are some tips to use when writing a business email.
Be concise and to the point.
Do not make e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading e-mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be very discouraging to read.
Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. Hello, this is why you have spell check.
Do not write in all CAPITALS
IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS IT MEANS THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING! This is not only highly annoying but can trigger an unwanted response.
Answer as soon as you can
Client’s s send e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually customers will then be very patient!
Do not attach unnecessary files.
By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive. . I used to live up in the mountains where we only had dial up connection and sometimes even a few large photos could crash my system for hours.
Use proper structure & layout.
Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and lay out is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.
Read the email before you send it.
A lot of people don't bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. Apart from this, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments.
Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.
In business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley :-). Would you sign a business latter with a smiley face? I think not. The same should go for an email to a client.
Helping You Find Peace and Prosperity
David Carroll
952-544-0117
www.thehomebusinesscompany.com
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Small Business Deductions
Small Business Deductions
Are you paying more income taxes than you need to? To reduce your tax liability, you either need to make less money or deduct more expenses. It's easy to miss taking some deductions because you don't know about them, you forget about them, or your business records don't adequately reflect the expenses you've incurred.
Expenses can be deducted if they are ordinary and necessary. Ordinary means that someone else who has a business like yours would likely have a similar expense. Necessary means that you needed to spend this money in order to operate your business. In general, business expenses are deductible if they are costs you wouldn't have had if you didn't have your business. In other words, if you would have had this expense, even if you didn't have your business, it's probably not deductible.
A list of common deductible business expenses follows. You may have expenses, unique to your business, that aren't on this list. If they are ordinary and necessary for your business, they are deductible.
· Advertising and promotion, including charitable contributions that result in publicity for the business.
· Accounting and bookkeeping fees (including the portion of your tax return preparation fee that includes your business return)
· Bank service charges
· Car and truck expenses. You can either use the mileage rate or the business percentage of the actual auto expenses you had (gas, insurance, repairs, lease payments, car depreciation, etc.) Don't forget the miles you drive on errands such as picking up office supplies and going to the post office.
· Contract labor, including subcontractors and consultants. It's best to list these expenses on your return in the category of expenses covered (i.e. 'graphic artist', 'computer consultant', etc.) rather than listing them as 'independent contractors'.
· Credit card annual fees for cards used in your business. If your card is used partly for business and partly for personal expenses, pro-rate the fee accordingly.
· Computer supplies.
· Depreciation on business furniture and equipment and vehicles. See Section 179 of the IRS code for specific allowed amounts
· Dues and fees related to your trade of profession
· Education, including seminars and conferences that increase your knowledge and skills. You can't deduct the cost of education that prepares you for a new line of work.
· Employee pensions and benefit programs
· Entertainment and business meals (these are 50% deductible)
· Equipment, including computers (see information about depreciation.)
· Furniture for your office or home office
· Gifts to business associates or clients (up to $25 per person per year is deductible)
· Home office expenses, if you qualify. The rules for deducting a home office have relaxed as of 1999. You qualify to take the deduction if you have a space in your home that's used regularly and exclusively to do the administrative work for your business. If you claim the deduction, the business percentage of all related expenses (i.e. insurance, real estate tax, mortgage interest, rent, maintenance, etc.) can be taken Even if you don't claim the home office deduction, you still can deduct phone expenses and the purchase cost of such items as a file cabinet or desk.
· Insurance. This includes liability, malpractice, business overhead, workers compensation, and other business-related insurance. Disability insurance is not deductible.
· Interest on business credit cards and loans. As with credit card fees, interest on a card used for both personal and business expenses needs to be pro-rated.
· Legal and professional fees, including costs for preparing the business portion of your tax return
· Licenses and fees
· Magazines and books that you need for your business. General circulation publications, including the local newspaper, are usually not deductible.
· Maintenance and repairs on equipment and office or store space
· Office supplies
· Online fees, based on the percentage you use the Internet for business
· Parking and tolls. Don't forget to include the amount you spent on parking meters.
· Payroll taxes that you pay on behalf of your employees (not the taxes that are withheld from your employee's pay checks.)
· Postage, delivery, and freight costs.
· Printing, copying, and fax charges.
· Rent of equipment and store or office space
· Small furnishings and equipment
· Small tools
· Telephone (you can deduct long distance business calls made from home even if you don't qualify for an office-in-home. Monthly service charges are deductible only if you have more than one phone line in your home.)
· Travel for business, including costs to go to seminars and conferences. Deductible travel costs include hotels, airfare, taxis, car rentals, tips, and so on. These expenses are 100% deductible. Travel meals are only 50% deductible.
· Uniforms or special work clothing (i.e. steel toed boots or coveralls)
· Utilities
· Wages paid to employees
This list is not exhaustive and certainly you should check with a tax professional before making any decisions.
Helping You Find Peace and Prosperity
David Carroll
952-544-0117
www.thehomebusinesscompany.com
Are you paying more income taxes than you need to? To reduce your tax liability, you either need to make less money or deduct more expenses. It's easy to miss taking some deductions because you don't know about them, you forget about them, or your business records don't adequately reflect the expenses you've incurred.
Expenses can be deducted if they are ordinary and necessary. Ordinary means that someone else who has a business like yours would likely have a similar expense. Necessary means that you needed to spend this money in order to operate your business. In general, business expenses are deductible if they are costs you wouldn't have had if you didn't have your business. In other words, if you would have had this expense, even if you didn't have your business, it's probably not deductible.
A list of common deductible business expenses follows. You may have expenses, unique to your business, that aren't on this list. If they are ordinary and necessary for your business, they are deductible.
· Advertising and promotion, including charitable contributions that result in publicity for the business.
· Accounting and bookkeeping fees (including the portion of your tax return preparation fee that includes your business return)
· Bank service charges
· Car and truck expenses. You can either use the mileage rate or the business percentage of the actual auto expenses you had (gas, insurance, repairs, lease payments, car depreciation, etc.) Don't forget the miles you drive on errands such as picking up office supplies and going to the post office.
· Contract labor, including subcontractors and consultants. It's best to list these expenses on your return in the category of expenses covered (i.e. 'graphic artist', 'computer consultant', etc.) rather than listing them as 'independent contractors'.
· Credit card annual fees for cards used in your business. If your card is used partly for business and partly for personal expenses, pro-rate the fee accordingly.
· Computer supplies.
· Depreciation on business furniture and equipment and vehicles. See Section 179 of the IRS code for specific allowed amounts
· Dues and fees related to your trade of profession
· Education, including seminars and conferences that increase your knowledge and skills. You can't deduct the cost of education that prepares you for a new line of work.
· Employee pensions and benefit programs
· Entertainment and business meals (these are 50% deductible)
· Equipment, including computers (see information about depreciation.)
· Furniture for your office or home office
· Gifts to business associates or clients (up to $25 per person per year is deductible)
· Home office expenses, if you qualify. The rules for deducting a home office have relaxed as of 1999. You qualify to take the deduction if you have a space in your home that's used regularly and exclusively to do the administrative work for your business. If you claim the deduction, the business percentage of all related expenses (i.e. insurance, real estate tax, mortgage interest, rent, maintenance, etc.) can be taken Even if you don't claim the home office deduction, you still can deduct phone expenses and the purchase cost of such items as a file cabinet or desk.
· Insurance. This includes liability, malpractice, business overhead, workers compensation, and other business-related insurance. Disability insurance is not deductible.
· Interest on business credit cards and loans. As with credit card fees, interest on a card used for both personal and business expenses needs to be pro-rated.
· Legal and professional fees, including costs for preparing the business portion of your tax return
· Licenses and fees
· Magazines and books that you need for your business. General circulation publications, including the local newspaper, are usually not deductible.
· Maintenance and repairs on equipment and office or store space
· Office supplies
· Online fees, based on the percentage you use the Internet for business
· Parking and tolls. Don't forget to include the amount you spent on parking meters.
· Payroll taxes that you pay on behalf of your employees (not the taxes that are withheld from your employee's pay checks.)
· Postage, delivery, and freight costs.
· Printing, copying, and fax charges.
· Rent of equipment and store or office space
· Small furnishings and equipment
· Small tools
· Telephone (you can deduct long distance business calls made from home even if you don't qualify for an office-in-home. Monthly service charges are deductible only if you have more than one phone line in your home.)
· Travel for business, including costs to go to seminars and conferences. Deductible travel costs include hotels, airfare, taxis, car rentals, tips, and so on. These expenses are 100% deductible. Travel meals are only 50% deductible.
· Uniforms or special work clothing (i.e. steel toed boots or coveralls)
· Utilities
· Wages paid to employees
This list is not exhaustive and certainly you should check with a tax professional before making any decisions.
Helping You Find Peace and Prosperity
David Carroll
952-544-0117
www.thehomebusinesscompany.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
