Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Growing | Posted on 08-10-2010 | 
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Turn Your Business Into a Global Business The world has gotten smaller, faster, more connected. In today’s world, any business can be a global business. It’s easier, faster and cheaper to be connected worldwide. Take my own business – a small publishing company. My printer’s in Canada, my mobile apps designed in Australia, my books [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Planning, business plans | Posted on 01-10-2010 |
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New Must Haves for Successful Business Plans Think there’s nothing new in business plans? Still using a dusty ole’ business plan outline or business plan software created a couple of decades ago? Well, think again. The business world evolves, and expectations about business plans change too. Sure, you still have to describe your business, competition, [...]
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Online Networking Still Requires Person-to-Person Follow-up All relationships begin with a conversation. These days conversations start not from meeting someone at a conference, but from connecting online through chirps and tweets. Social media has changed the way we communicate – it allows Joe Smith to direct message Barack Obama on Twitter. And whether or not [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Managing | Posted on 10-09-2010 |
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How To Interpret Your Company Culture In my previous post, I talked about company culture and how to create one your employees enjoy. What I didn’t mention is that your company most likely already has a culture and before you try and change it, you must understand it. Back in 2009, Stephen C. Harper, Author [...]
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Tips to Inspire Any Company, Any Size Company culture? We’ve all tried to define it; most of us have tried to create it. In fact, large companies spend millions of dollars a year with surveys, management training to foster sustainability and events to spur creativity and engagement with employees. Let me re-peat: Millions. For us [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Managing, customer service | Posted on 27-08-2010 |
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Make Business Plans Easy on Your Customers My mechanic has me trained. When I take my car in for an oil change, he places a sticker in the upper left hand corner of my windshield to remind me what date and mileage I should have my next maintenance completed. But every once in a while, [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, networking | Posted on 20-08-2010 |
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Networking Tips to Strengthen Business Relationships Have you sent anyone a handwritten note lately? Okay, so quit wrinkling your nose and thinking that the idea is so 90s. Hear me out. Sending notes is not just something that’s “touchy-feely,” it’s about maintaining good business relationships with the people you know and the prospects you meet. [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Organization | Posted on 13-08-2010 |
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Worth While Voice Mailing Techniques Sometimes trying to connect with a real human is like playing a game of “tag, you’re it.” Have you had the same experience? You can’t call anyone these days and not get voice mail, it’s so common. I happen to love it and think it can work really well. The [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing | Posted on 06-08-2010 |
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Writing Headlines That Sell Your Business If you’re spending time to send a monthly newsletter, ensure you are making the most of it. Your email newsletter competes for eyeballs from your readers. Unless you have a captive audience sitting at their computers waiting for just the right email from you, you have only a few [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, customer service | Posted on 30-07-2010 |
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Earn a Reputation of Customer Satisfaction It’s one of my strongest beliefs that being customer-centric is the key to market success and growth. And the best way to drive growth through customer relationships is to build an organization that is truly customer-driven. It’s something that takes continuous focus and commitment — and leadership from the [...]
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Get Customer Feed Back for Increased Profit It may seem a little obvious, but in building a customer-centric company, you really do have to ask your customers for their help. You can’t do it in a vacuum and expect to succeed with any type of authenticity. You have to ask your customers for their feedback, [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, customer service | Posted on 16-07-2010 |
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Increase Passionate Customers, Increase Profits One of the keys to having a successful business is turning casual customers into passionate customers, ones who will tell others about you, and will share their rave reviews on social media sites, in emails, and other places they connect with friends, family, and colleagues. Do you know the characteristics [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, customer service | Posted on 09-07-2010 |
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Gain Referrals and You’ll Increase Profits We all have limited sales and marketing budgets, which makes rave reviews, referrals and repeat business by your current customers even more important. Your existing customers already know you are legit and able to serve their needs. Not only are they pre-disposed to buy, but research shows that repeat customers [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, customer service | Posted on 02-07-2010 |
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The Art of Retaining Customers What does it mean to have a customer-centric business? It means much more than the old adage about how the customer is always right. That may or may not be true, but in many cases, it’s only lip service at best. What I’m talking about is building your entire business [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Growing, business growth | Posted on 25-06-2010 |
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Successful Entrepreneurs Give Inspriation to New Business Owners As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel bogged down in routine, and not particularly inspired, especially if you’re an entrepreneur serves as salesperson, marketer, bill collector, bookkeeper, cleaning staff and CEO. And yet, inspiration offers something no entrepreneur should be without–emotional support that helps through tough times. [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Growing, business plan | Posted on 18-06-2010 |
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Alternative Business Models Bring Success Plan B. The idea of resorting to a Plan B, instead of your original business idea for most people is about as inviting as an unwanted guest at a party. Why? It’s probably because they view Plan B as an admission of failure–their business model didn’t work. But is that [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Starting | Posted on 11-06-2010 |
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Take a Start-Up Self Assessment
Few of us would willingly cross a busy intersection with blinders on, and yet plenty of new entrepreneurs do something just as crazy: they enter the marketplace with lots of zeal and enthusiasm, but without first doing a self-assessment. An honest self-assessment may be the most important key to future entrepreneurial [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Planning, business plan | Posted on 04-06-2010 |
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Focus Your Plan By Entering Business Competitions
The idea of writing a strong business plan can be daunting for new entrepreneurs–something akin to a root canal. But thanks to a new trend, entrepreneurs can now enter business plan contests that guarantee every entrant is a winner.
A business plan competition is designed to help entrepreneurs develop and [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 04-06-2010 |
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Few of us would willingly cross a busy intersection with blinders on, and yet plenty of new entrepreneurs do something just as crazy: they enter the marketplace with lots of zeal and enthusiasm, but without first doing a self-assessment. An honest self-assessment may be the most important key to future entrepreneurial success.
What’s an honest self-assessment? [...]
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How to Sell to Large Companies
Buying and selling is the key to business. Buying is easy, if you hold the purse strings – selling, on the other hand, is more difficult. Selling is a broad term that is often used in business dealings. In this instance, however, I am couching my definition within the rubric [...]
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Tips to Reinvigorate Your Next Meeting
There is an adage in corporate America that says the average executive will spend 75% of her time in meetings. In my own experience, I have found this to be true. As the president of a marketing consulting firm with many Fortune 500 clients, I am called upon to constantly [...]
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Understanding & Pitching Your Value Proposition
As entrepreneurs, we strive to bring a new, fresh perspective to our chosen business environment. The supposition is that our venture will provide a value that has been untapped and/or under-served. This is principally what drives most small business owners as intuitively we feel “I can do it better myself.”
All [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Growing, Managing | Posted on 07-05-2010 |
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Key Practices for Small Business Employee Growth
I started my company a few years ago as a solo venture. I knew I had the skills and resources to be successful on my own, but the business’ rapid expansion made employee growth imperative.
All small business owners hope to consistently generate enough revenue so their business can continue [...]
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Seven Essential Tips
If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be running a virtual company with 10+ employees from my cell phone and laptop computer, I would’ve thought you were mad. When I started my career, corporate business was done in board rooms, executive assistants sat in the hallway just outside their [...]
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How to Reach the ”Hispanic” vs. “Latino” Market
One of my clients asksed me if the term “Hispanic” and “Latino” should be used interchangeably. He also asked if his company needed special marketing strategies to reach those segments of the population.
What’s the Difference between Hispanic and Latino?
Historically, the term “Hispanic” is derived from the people of the [...]
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Competitive Advantage from Cultural Differences
In a rapidly globalizing market environment where corporate alliances cross boundaries, organizations increasingly have to interact, manage, negotiate and compromise with people from different cultures. If ignored or mismanaged, cultural differences can lead to great frustration and ineffectiveness by uselessness of competitive advantages.
Competitive advantage from a marketing perspective is the ability [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Managing, SUCCESS | Posted on 09-04-2010 |
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Be SMART with your Small Business
Some people establish life objectives easily, but struggle to do the same for their businesses. Companies need to act SMART, in every decision, especially those that lead or impact business direction. There are a lot of approaches to define organizational and employee objectives, but I recommend that you Be SMART. Consider [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Managing | Posted on 02-04-2010 |
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Knowledge Management: Not Just for the Big Boys
Two important questions arise when we talk about knowledge management. First, what does it mean? Second, how important is it to small business?
What is Knowledge Management?
There are a variety of definitions for Knowledge Management (KM). According to Ron Young, it is “the discipline of enabling individuals, teams and [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, brand | Posted on 31-03-2010 |
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Increase Brand Awareness
All companies depend on marketing strategies to build brand awareness. Strategies include advertising/PR, product development, pricing strategies, target market development, and competitive analysis.
Advertising/PR: Advertising and PR are the communication vehicles of the company or organization; how your message is told.
Product Development: Product Development is the research and analysis needed to make sure products will [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Planning, SUCCESS, plan | Posted on 26-03-2010 |
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Are You Like Alice in Wonderland?
Alice in Wonderland asked the Cheshire cat “Do I go left or right?” when confronted with a fork in the road. The big, smiling cat asked a poignant question back, “Where are you going?” Alice replies, “I don’t know.” The cat answers in return, “Well, then take either road.”
If you [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Facebook, Marketing, twitter | Posted on 19-03-2010 |
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Use Social Media to Promote Your Biz
Are you a social media enthusiast? It seems most people are either “all in or all out.” Used wisely, social networks afford the opportunity to connect with target markets in a very effective way. The best part? It’s free!
Social networking is not only enjoyable but it can have a [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in SUCCESS | Posted on 12-03-2010 |
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Believe in Your Success
A fundamental of becoming a successful entrepreneur is gaining control over thoughts. Our thoughts are truly the only thing we own. Thoughts lead to actions and actions lead to results. Where you’re at today is a direct result of the thoughts and actions of the past. Are you pleased with the outcome?
Consider [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in SUCCESS, Starting, recession | Posted on 05-03-2010 |
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Use the Economy to Your Advantage
Remember being a kid and thinking you could be anything you wanted as a grown up? The only limitation was our imaginations! Guess what, you still can! It’s not too late. This economy is the perfect time to step back and evaluate career choices. The timing for starting a business [...]
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3 Tips for Effective Public Speaking
A small business owner and I recently discussed the growing relationship economy. And a favorite topic of ours came up: social media and the progress her team was making on that front.
She was thrilled at how her staff engaged through their Facebook fan page and a Youtube video series to [...]
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The One Criteria for Building Your Signature Speech
Two events recently made me reflect on an audience and the impact of public speaking.
One was hearing a keynote address by tech entrepreneur and champion of Twitter Laura Fitton. The other was reading a quote from Gel Conference creator Mark Hurst.
Laura gave the opening keynote address at last [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Leadership, Marketing | Posted on 12-02-2010 |
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Avoid Public Speech Mistakes and Re-build Trust with an Audience
It’s almost Valentine’s Day and images are everywhere reminding us to care.
In that spirit, have you ever seen a public speaker who came across like they just didn’t care?
I did recently at a conference. And their indifference was like receiving toothpicks for Valentines - it was technically [...]
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Tips to Develop Your Public Speaking Ability
Fellow business owners and I met a few weeks ago to celebrate 2010. And social media came up – Twitter, Facebook, Posterous and other platforms. We kept reveling in how easy it is to ‘just be human’ when conversing online and agreed it helps build trust with customers.
Then someone [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Finance, Life Balance, budget | Posted on 29-01-2010 |
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In the current economic climate, what’s the most important thing that people can do to decrease their spending and stay on track with their finances?
One of the most helpful actions you can take to decrease your spending is to track it for at least a month. For one solid month, write down every purchase you [...]
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What affect will the new Credit Card Reform Act have on small business owners?
When the new Credit Card Reform Act was first unveiled, many consumers breathed a sigh of relief…and most small business owners were feeling left out in the cold. How the new credit card legislation will affect you depends on two things: [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Finance, Growing, Managing, tips | Posted on 15-01-2010 |
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How can I save money on the basics, like office supplies?
The pens, the paper, the ink cartridges… These seemingly small things can really add up. Thankfully, there are ways to keep your office running efficiently and cut your office expenses at the same time.
Buy in Bulk
One of the best things a small business can do [...]
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How should I budget if I have a freelance business? Where should I keep my earnings?
When you freelance, the amount you make from month to month fluctuates, making budgeting a bit of a challenge.
The first thing you’ll want to do is map out your monthly expenses. For one month, write down everything you spend. And [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, SUCCESS | Posted on 26-12-2009 |
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The Ten Commandments of Social Media
Lon Safko, author of The Social Media Bible, is an Ambassador with Greater Phoenix SCORE. His book is the number two best seller on Amazon and number 15, as I write this, in the nation.
Lon has a published list of Ten Commandments of Social Media:
1. Thou Shalt Blog (like crazy).
2. [...]
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Posted by Guest Blogger | Posted in Marketing, networking | Posted on 20-12-2009 |
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Boots on the Ground
Here in Arizona, it is my experience that networking is a very powerful tool for our clients and their businesses. It is also my observation that most of them don’t know how to effectively achieve good results from this activity, which is the same observation that I had when I worked in [...]
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