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Business news
Self-mailers in B2B Direct Mail: Advantages and DisadvantagesSelf-mailers in B2B Direct Mail: Advantages and Disadvantages Alan Sharpe Business-to-business direct mail marketers have learned through testing that a letter in an envelope will usually generate more sales and pull more inquiries than a self-mailer will. Why is that? And on what occasions are you wise to use a self-mailer instead of a letter? A self-mailer, of course, is any flat piece of mail that arrives at its ...
Is Your Small Business Website a Diamond in the Rough?Is Your Small Business Website a Diamond in the Rough? Karri Flatla The sheer vastness of the cyber economy is staggering. There are well over six billion web pages vying for the attention Internet users around the globe. Needless to say, millions of these sites are owned and maintained by people just like you--small business entrepreneurs and managers hoping to improve the public profile of their organization and, ultimately, ...
Workflow 101: The Art Of AutomationWorkflow 101: The Art Of Automation James Monahan Workflow refers to the operational portion of a work procedure. It has several aspects: how tasks are structured, who performs them, what their relative order is, how they are synchronized, how information flows to support the tasks and how tasks are being tracked. In business, particularly, workflow is concerned with scheduling task executions, ensuring dependencies. ...
Conducting A Market Analysis On Your BusinessConducting A Market Analysis On Your Business Rodney Boettger The term "market analysis" is often confusing to entrepreneurs, especially for people who focus on a specific niche or market segment. In fact, many small business owners don't understand the process or complain that conducting a market analysis is too complicated or too expensive and wonder why or if it is necessary. What is market analysis?
Leadership SkillsLeadership Skills Chris Thomas Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60% of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this and at such little cost. Introduction There is no doubt that the single most important aspect of a manager's job is the management of people. Of course, a supervisor must manage resources ...
Leadership in Today's WorldLeadership in Today's World Carl Hoffman The most important thing you do is LEAD your people. Every productive activity on your daily agenda is leadership, regardless of what you call it. You manage, advise, teach, decide, and direct. The list goes on but it's all leading. The most valuable commodity of any great organization is the quality of good people. They deserve the most inspired caring leadership you can ...
Going that extra mileGoing that extra mile Marsha maung "Going that extra mile" is not only applicable in business but it's applicable in everything that we do in life. The butcher who gives the extra piece of chicken liver to a special customer will eventually get back more in business than the butcher has ever contemplated. The Internet Business Owner who gives that extra special after service email will get more back in return when the ...
Can You Get Rich on the Web?Can You Get Rich on the Web? By Ken McKay Platinum Quality Author Q: - How can you get rich on the web easier than in a ground based business? A: - A web business needs less 'on the ground' costs. A web business can be run without the costs of store fronts in towns and states, because it has a world wide territory. Start-up costs for a web business are a fraction of those for a ground based business. There is no goodwill to pay for buying an ...
Finding Your Next Big IdeaFinding Your Next Big Idea Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. The business enterprise has two, and only two, basic functions: marketing and innovation. It is not necessary for a business to grow bigger; but it is necessary that it constantly grow better. - Peter F. Drucker The organization that fails to continually innovate new products and services will not survive long. But ...
Buy A Business Without Ever Worrying About Overpaying Or Getting Screwed Over ByBy Art Hamel If you'd like a sure-fire way to make sure you never "overpay" for a business you want to buy, then this article contains a simple little "tactic" that can save you a lot of money. Listen, this will sound very basic but it works: The whole key to making sure you never get taken for a ride on the price when buying a business is to simply take everything the seller says with a grain of salt. In other words, you simply have to ...
Buy A Business Worth Over A Million Dollars-Even If You Just Filed BankruptcyBy Art Hamel If you'd like to know how you can buy a large, multi-million dollar business -- one that pays you a fat, six-figure salary year in, and year out -- and be able to do it even if you have rotten credit with a recent bankruptcy on your record, then this article will show you how. Listen: People I talk to about buying businesses always hear me rail about how it's actually faster, easier and cheaper for you to buy large businesses (worth a million ...
Understanding Data Management and Data SecurityBy James Hunt Companies today have so much data that flows in and out of the office that they need an effective system in place to manage all this data in a way that makes sense and from which all employees benefit. Data management is becoming more and more important as the volume of data that a company deals with on a daily basis needs to be sorted, delivered, and utilized. For small companies this usually isn’t an issue as they can easily manage and store their data on computer ...
Managing Customer ContactsBy Halstatt Pires You work extremely hard to attract customers for your business. Once you have them, managing your customer contacts can help you keep them from jumping to competitors. Customers – The Key Today’s market is cutthroat. Retaining customers and finding new ones is a tough job. Every company should analyze the available data to recognize its profitable customers and their needs, and also to manage marketing campaigns and to expand ...
After Christmas World Class Customer Service is NeededBy Larry Galler Every business makes promises to customers. Those promises are put to the test in a peak season. All businesses have peak seasons and have to make good on their promises. Tomorrow is the start of the peak season for customer service personnel who work in retail businesses. It is the “return” season, the time of year that requires real gumption, patience, and courtesy. Exchanges are needed, refunds are requested, lines are long, and tempers get short. Policies ...
Self-Employment - Tax StrategiesBy Richard Chapo Self-employed individuals always cringe at the amount of taxes the pay to the IRS and state. Here are tax strategies for self-employed individuals that reduce those tax amounts. Tax Strategies The good news is being self-employed is one of the best tax strategies out there. Unlike a salaried employee, the full scope of tax credits and deductions available in the tax code are now available to you. The key, of course, is understanding the ...
Developmental Delegation: How To Kindle The Inner SpiritDevelopmental Delegation: How To Kindle The Inner Spirit Eric Garner If you manage others, one of your most important roles will be to develop the resources that you have under you and that includes the people themselves. Here is a 6-step guide to how to develop people through delegation. 1. Kindle The Inner Spirit. The first step in developing others is the belief that everyone in the team is capable of
You Don't Get What You Deserve, You Get What You NegotiateBy Jean Sifleet Easier said than done. Negotiating is complicated. No one style is effective in every situation and it's important to stay focused on your objectives and remain flexible in finding ways to achieve them. The other side will not necessarily play by your rules or behave in a reasonable way. The ideal case situation is when both parties are clear and collaborative and work towards a win-win solution. Positive approaches ...
Personal vs. BusinessBy Matt Bacak Many business owners agree that starting a small business will involve the personal finances of the owner, even though the business may be formally regarded as separate entities. This is probably due to the fact that the business owner may be likely to lose his source of income during the initial operations period, especially during the first 3 to 6 months. With this, adequate planning, budgeting and saving should be done by the business owner prior to starting the ...
Two Keys to Adding ValuesBy Jim Clemmer Just about every company today aims to be "value-driven." Executives are pushing their organizations to create grand statements, often known as "core values," "guiding principles" or "aspirations." Designing these lofty declarations is a good idea. Examples abound of high-performing organizations that have replaced stifling rules and policies with fundamental values supporting the culture they desire. Yet, many such exercises elicit ...
Vision at WorkBy Jim Clemmer "Vision is one of the least understood – and most overused – terms in the language...when you have superb alignment, a visitor could drop into your organization from another planet and infer the vision without having to read it on paper." — Jim Collins, Author of Built to Last and Good to Great Strong leaders make people hopeful about the future. As editor and writer Norman Cousins reflects, "The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of ...
Strategy and Trend AlignmentBy Hans Bool Thinking about trends is a fruitful way of thinking about your strategy. In fact you need to set your plans aside and concentrate on the world outside you. Not that you wouldn't normally do but now in a different way. There are however trends and hypes. A trend is a fundamental movement. A hype is a artificial one. In investment terms, a trend would be supported by a fundamental movement, a hype is a technical wave that could or could not have a ...
Your Leadership StyleYour Leadership Style By: Eric Garner If you want to succeed as a leader, you need to be comfortable with moving around the spectrum of leadership styles. Sticking with just one style means that you become predictable and hence, as a leader, dispensable. It also means that your style of leading may not fit the needs of the team or task. So, learn what the 4 leadership styles are and develop yourself to become skilled in each of them. 1. The ...
How to Finance a BusinessBy John Mussi How to finance a business is one of the main concerns that every new business person has to resolve. There are two main ways of financing a business, equity financing and debt financing. The majority of start-up or small businesses use limited equity financing. As with debt financing, additional equity often comes from non-professional investors such as friends, relatives or colleagues. However, the most common source of professional equity ...
Finding EmployeesFinding Employees Matt Bacak The process of finding the right employee is a daunting task for many employers who are unsure how to go about the task, or even where to begin. Fortunately, there are a number of services and methods available that can make an employee search much simpler. Of course, one of the most popular methods for recruiting employees is to use the traditional help wanted poster and classified ...
What Kind of Client/Customer Are You, Mr./Ms.Entrepreneur?What Kind of Client/Customer Are You, Mr./Ms. Entrepreneur? Eric Barnes Odd question, isn't it? Not really. The answer to it can determine your success potential. The Customer Is Always Right - NOT! In many cases, you are the customer. Especially when dealing with other providers, insurance people, your banker, funding sources and a host of others who help support you in
Seven Secrets to Being the Leader Everyone Wants to FollowBy: Ed Sykes In this changing, challenging, and competitive workplace, we can’t overestimate the importance of good management. Good managers will consistently motivate you to perform at higher levels of productivity. Bad managers will drive you crazy and eventually out of the organization. Managers with poor skills will frequently produce the following results: 1. Decreased productivity 2. Increased ...
Top 7 Small Business Tax TipsTop 7 Small Business Tax Tips By : Stephen Pope Here are seven ways for owners of small businesses to save money on their taxes. 1. Incorporate Yourself: If you`re still a proprietor or partner of a business, it`s time to incorporate yourself. Not only will you limit your liability, but you may enjoy lower tax rates on small business income and other tax advantages as well. 2. Be Home Based: If possible, continue (or switch to) being ...
Good First Impressions Count when You Mean BusinessGood First Impressions Count when You Mean Business Jay Bell First impressions can mean the difference between closing the deal of a lifetime or getting shot down in flames. When meeting with a client or a customer for the first time, or interviewing with your prospective employer, you have just a few minutes to make a first impression that determines the success or failure of your mission. Be on Time
Are You Missing Your Best Quality Improvement Ideas?Donald Bryant November 2005. Winter is just around the corner here in Western Michigan. The leaves are literally raining off the trees. Just this morning at breakfast as I looked into the woods and I could see a steady stream of golden brown, red and yellow leaves heading towards the earth. Last month I talked about keeping your quality improvement changes in place--using a manual that you develop of SOP's,
How Time Pressure Affects the Outcome of a NegotiationBy Roger Dawson In Puerto Prince, Haiti, former President Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell, and Senator Sam Nunn were in intense negotiations with Haiti's military commander, General Cedras. The phone rang and it was President Clinton calling to tell them that he had already started the invasion and they had 30 minutes to get out of there. That was putting extreme time pressure on the negotiation, and people become flexible under time pressure. When do your children ask you ...
On the web:
Singapore kept its top ranking for the third year in a row as the easiest place in the world to do business, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday.
Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, led by Azerbaijan, made more changes than any other region to make doing business easier over the past year, according to annual rankings of 181 countries by the World Bank.
News Corp's (NWSa.N) MySpace advertising business is operating ahead of expectations and its digital ad business is performing better than the marketplace, the company's chief operating officer said on Tuesday.
Not only is Allion Healthcare taking care of business, the business of healthcare may just take extra good care of it.
Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Sports Direct International Plc, the U.K.'s largest sporting-goods retailer, said business since the end of July was ``in line'' with management expectations.
Old Mutual Sets Aside More Capital For U.S. Life Business
Which baby do you love more, your home or your business? When times are tight, small business owners are more likely to pay their business expenses than their mortgage, according to a new study by credit rating agency Experian.
Business and labor leaders addressed several dozen members of the City Club of Denver on Tuesday in an effort to inform and sway them on several competing measures set to appear on the November ballot.
SINGAPORE (AP) - Eastern Europe and Central Asia, led by Azerbaijan, made more changes than any other region to make doing business easier over the past year, according to annual rankings of 181 countries by the World Bank.
The financial officer of New Jersey's alternative-energy program tried to alert his superiors that an off-the-books account worth millions might be improper but was told repeatedly to mind his own business, the officer testified Tuesday in a suit against his employer.