Resource: Business Proposal incorporating Peer Review feedback.
. In addition to your week four paper, the second part of your paper will use the revised
information to recommend appropriate pricing and nonpricing strategies for your new or existing
good or service based on the projected economy's stage in the business cycle and the prevailing
projected economic conditions for one or more macroeconomic factors. Explain the evidence
that supports these recommendations.
Required Elements:
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•
•
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Describe the current global economic conditions and their effect on local macroeconomic
indicators for your good or service.
Describe the local economy's stage in the business cycle.
Describe how current credit market conditions affect your planning or operating decision
for your good or service.
No more than 2100 words (in addition to the 1400 word paper completed in week four,
an additional three pages at most is needed)
Running head: Business proposal
1
Week 4
Business proposal
ECO561
Business proposal
2
I spent some time looking for a service that I can offer to clients from the comforts of my
home and still earn a decent income to support my family. After a while, I came across the
real estate note business. To understand this paper, let me explain what a real estate note
is. A real estate note is a promise to pay. What you and I consider a mortgage or IOU that is
registered at your local county court house. What I do is find these notes, determine their
true value based off a formula and notify my list of buyers to see who is interested in making
an offer. So now, I have created my home-based service off the current need within this
market. The need is for professional note finders/locators. Buyers (or investors) are looking
for good clean notes to invest in but don't necessarily have the time to spend researching
every note they come across. They are will to pay for the service to be completed by a
professional.
Market Structure and Elasticity
Currently my market structure is pure competition on the grounds that I must compete with
other notes finders in order to locate, evaluate potential notes and close deals. This type of
service is elastic because of the number of competitors and the fact that the clients could
perform this service themselves with ample time and research. What makes a note finder
effective is that we already have access to thousands of buyers and we screen notes for the
value and turn over retention (of value). These services are directly influenced by the market
conditions.
How will I increase revenue?
The most effective way to increase my revenue will be through networking and marketing my
services through a reputable service. I am currently under the tutelage of the Dalbey Institute
to educate myself in the real estate note business. Understanding the latest trends and
techniques in finding these notes and how to connect them to potential buyers is critical for
the success of my business.
How will you determine the profit-maximizing quantity?
In order to calculate the quantity that will maximize profits, I must understand the economic
concept of marginal analysis. Marginal analysis is the study of incremental changes in profit.
The quantity that maximizes profit is where marginal profits shifts from positive to negative.
So, I assume that quantity is the amount of product or service that a business owner hopes
to sell. As my service demand increases, so do expenses. When the expenses increase to
an amount that no longer maximizes profits, the marginal profit becomes negative.
In this particular industry, it is very hard to have your expenses overcome your profits
especially if you work out of the comfort of your own home. However, it is still possible. So,
determine the profit at each level of sales. Assume I sell an average note of $100,000.00.
Business proposal
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My profit is a 10% fee off the total note balance. 10% of $100,000.00 is $10,000.00. So my
fee earned from that sale is $10,000 minus the expenses my business incurs while operating
(utility bills, office supplies, taxes, medical benefits, etc.). So say for the sake of argument
the monthly expenses to operate my business is an average of $4,000.00. Take the
difference of $10,000 minus $4,000.00 and the profit for that month is $6,000.00.
Other methods to maximize my profits would be to reduce my expenses, which is discussed
under the methods to minimize costs for the product/service.
How could you use the concepts of marginal cost and marginal revenue to maximize profits?
What information do you need to determine this? Without this information, how would you
make a decision?
Since my business is not producing an actual product but a service, I am not expending too
much in material supply and demands to perform my services. I do need to use the internet
and other office equipment in order to operate my business so the profit earned needs to
surpass the expenses of my business's expenses in order to have a profit. But to maximize
my profits I will need to run the business efficiently as to not waste any time or energy on
useless endeavors. Poor notes is one way to cost me time, energy, and money (since we all
know that time is money). The largest expense I risk is my personal time. Knowing how to
maximize my time and learning how to identify productive and useful real estate notes will be
the most effective way to maximize profits for my business.
What is your suggested mix of pricing and non-pricing strategies? Explain you answer.
I consider my style to vary between cost-plus, limit and predatory pricing. My mix in pricing
and non-pricing strategies are contingent upon my sales performance. I have a set
percentage I take out as a fee for my services off the real estate note balance at time of
transaction. Should the sale be stalled because the buyer's offer is on the low side for the
seller, I may choose to lower my percentage by a couple of points (say 8% instead of 10%)
in order to get the seller to cement the deal. Now, on the flip side if the offer is high enough, I
may increase my percentage (the highest has been recorded at 30% with competitors) in
order to maximize my profits and not maintain the sale. A non-pricing strategy that I am
working on employing is market leader strategy. “A market leader strategy focuses on being
the best in the market of the basis of something other than price, such as quality, or
customer service.” (E How, 2011). Educating myself of the real estate note industry will
better my chances of accomplishing that. Another strategy is known as the niche strategy.
The strategy focuses on a small population and offers a product or service to fit their
particular needs. If I choose a target group of note holders (example: age and class of note
holder) I can focus on that group’s defining traits and use them for my business advantage
(a single mother with the need for the total sum the money NOW and not small payments of
Business proposal
4
it over 20 plus years or the group who never wanted the note in the first place but the cash
from sale up front).
Both types of strategies offer me the ability to compete on grounds other than price which in
turn affords me the ability to demand a higher price from the consumer (note buyer, not
seller). The translates into higher profits on few sales therefore requiring less sale volume
(permitting me to be more selective in which notes I’m willing to evaluate and submit to my
buyers).
Can you create or increase barriers to entry? If so, how?
This industry is growing thanks to the banks really tightening their policies on who they lend
money out to. Currently, we are dealing with a $159 Billion dollar industry in the ownerfinanced real estate notes nationwide (Dalbey, pg 2). Creating a barrier is almost impossible
as new students are being trained monthly to become successful note finders. The best
defense against the incoming competition and to go up against long time professionals in
this field is to be constantly involved in this field by means of education and actively
networking.
How will you increase product differentiation?
The most effective was for me to increase service differentiation is to create awareness of it.
Not to many note holders out there are aware they can sell their note for the money now and
therefore sit on these notes. By actively advertising my services locally and on the internet I
can assist in creating awareness. Also, while conducting my research within the public
records offices in various county courthouses, I can send out postcard mailings to
prospective clients. The largest factor for this service is to create awareness any way that I
can.
Are there other ways to minimize costs for the product?
There are tons of ways to minimize costs within my business. First off is using the internet to
the max. I can access hundreds of databases of public records on-line to minimize my travel
or extensive calls to those offices conducting research on the real estate notes I seek.
Another way is to use the internet for advertising. However, the downside to going viral is
this, not everyone uses the internet (yet) and therefore the good old fashion method of
reaching potential clients still remains a solid method (mailings, cold callings, etc.). This
physical hands on approach would work best in local and neighboring country courthouses
that do not offer access to their public records online. The best method is to perform all tasks
online until profits are enough for me to add additional services or hire on more help
(searching for titles or cold calling, etc.)
Business proposal
5
So, initially I can minimize waste at my office to assist in minimizing cost. For example,
printing excessive amounts of forms or papers may not be productive. Having a couple of
necessary blank forms on file may be beneficial over having 100 copies sitting in a file
waiting to be used. Create documents as needed minimize print and fonts for in-house
records to save on ink and paper. Those are all small yet helpful tips to conserve resources.
Conclusion
In the business of real estate note selling, there are multiple ways in which you can earn a
decent profit for your business. Understanding how to maximize your profits through pricing
and non-pricing strategies, product differentiation, and creating barriers to entry are just
several methods in which you can apply. Also, understanding how to gauge the success of
your business through marginal analysis will assist you in determining if your business is
maximizing its profits or creating excessive waste. Being that I have recently started my own
home-based business in real estate notes, I have used my experience and research for this
paper in effort to help you (the reader) and myself in understanding how to promote the
services of a real estate note finder as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Business proposal
6
References
McConnell, C. R. (2009). Economics: Principles, Problems, Policies (18th Ed.). McGraw-Hill.
E
How,
Definitions
of
Non-pricing
strategy.
Retrieved
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6783614_definition-non_price-strategy.html
May
2,
2011
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