Business
Articles
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Below are Small Business Articles: Expert advice on small
business issues including networking, marketing, home office
issues, cold-calling, follow-up calls, business success and
failure, developing your brand, negotiating and more...
Managing the Fear of Finding Another Job NEW!
Layoffs in today’s business world are common and with it comes the fear and anxiety of finding another job. With this in mind, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their stresses and anxieties in finding a new job.
A technique that can be used to reduce the stress of finding another job is to divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time.
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My Favorite Entrepreneurial Tool - Deciding My SWOT
As the owner of four online companies, my job is to sit down every year and decide my SWOT for the next 12 months and then to consistently revisit my SWOT throughout each year and tweak as needed. I base my decisions on my experience and the emerging trends in the industries I serve.
I also network, engage in learning with mentors, and a lot of the time I simply go left when everyone else goes right. I am a rebel that way and it works simply because it helps my companies stand out in a crowded marketplace.
SWOT is my favorite tool to help me understand at the strategic level how to go left when others go right
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The
Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On!
I read an article this morning entitled, “The
Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes ON!” That caught
my attention!
The company claimed that its service saved marriages, was
fun and invigorating, was a great form of exercise along
with music and made you HAPPY.
Can you guess what they’re talking about? I couldn’t.
Click Here to Read the Full Article!
What's
In a Name? The Six Essential Elements You Need to Know
Selecting a name for your new business is not
easy. A name does more than identify your company. It tells
customers who you are, what you do, and more than a little
about how you do it. Your name differentiates you from your
peers, peaks customer interest, and invites further investigation
-- if you do it right.
I didn’t do it right. At least, not at first.
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Full Article!
The
Anatomy of Networking Events
When you attend a networking event, your networking
opportunities begin as soon as you get out of the car. Start
conversations with people as they enter the building with
you. Being pleasant, warm, and friendly doesn't cost a thing
and can produce huge returns.
First thing, head for the reception table. Sign in, get your
nametag, and pick up any other materials they may be distributing.
If there is a line, being introducing yourself to those nearby.
Start a conversation by finding out who they are and telling
them how much you are looking forward to this particular event.
After you've made your first contact, it usually gets easier
to meet others.
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Full Article!
Top
10 Sure Fire Publicity Tips
1. Introduce yourself with a sound bite - Few
people have time to listen to the full story. Use language
that will grab and captivate the media, show them your star
potential and make them want to move mountains to advance
your career.
2. Come from the heart - To successfully promote your product
or service: you must honestly believe in what you're promoting
and you can't fake it.
3. Follow up - The magic formula for getting publicity is
follow up, follow up, follow up.
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Full Article!
Impress
Your Customers With Great Images
Goods to be Sold, Must First be Seen!
Whenever I begin a seminar with the words, "Goods
to be sold, must first be seen." you can feel the reaction
of the audience thinking, "Tell us something we don't know!"
But in all my years of training and experience in helping
merchants sell their goods and services, I am amazed at the
way in which shoppers are shown the 'goods to be sold' and
the merchants wonder what's wrong with the products! Nothing
is wrong with any product. It's just the way in which it is
seen... or NOT as the case may be!
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Article!
Entrepreneurs
balancing work and personal lives
Female entrepreneurship is an increasingly important
phenomenon in Canada, where the number of businesses owned
by women is rising constantly. According to Industry Canada,
the number of women heading companies has more than doubled
since 1990, while the number of men starting a business grew
by only one-third over the same period. Thus the number of
women in business has shot up in recent years. Today, nearly
half of Canadian small businesses are wholly or partially
owned by women (15 per cent are wholly owned by women).
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Read the Full Article!
Walking
Away from a Sale
Brodow's Law of Negotiation states: Always be
willing to walk away! If you are too anxious to close a sale,
you lose your ability to say NO to unreasonable buyer demands.
Don't place yourself in a position where you accept a less
than satisfactory outcome, just to close a deal.
Your willingness to walk away can help you to
close a sale. Here's how:
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Article!
Is
Your Business Under Fire?
As a business owner, is your enterprise truly thriving, or
are you feeling the pressure from your competitors who are
breathing down your neck? If your business is not what you
want it to be, what do you think is really going on? Being
self employed is probably one of the most challenging and
rewarding aspects of life, and as business owners, we all
need a quick business reality check. This article will provide
you with a quick assessment of the business behaviors which
are contributing to your success or those which might be triggering
failure. As you are reading each statement, perform a quick
self assessment. Can you answer “yes” to each statement? If
not, your business might be under fire, and it’s time to turn
it around.
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Full Article!
Taking
Your Business to Higher Ground?
Are you an independent entrepreneur? Are you
a sole proprietor with a staff of one …namely, you? Are you
having to set your own goals and create your own daily agenda?
Working alone in your business can be a lonely
experience. You spend long hours working in your business
attracting customers and sending out invoices to increase
your profit margin. Working on your business? Who do you talk
to? Who would understand? You can't just talk to anyone about
the insider track of your business. Your business is, after
all, your stake holder's claim to your share of the market
place.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
The Power
of One
One is a very tiny number. However, it can have
a tremendous impact on your revenues. Here are some ideas
to consider:
Make one more cold call every day. One extra
call a day equals 260 call in a year. How many meetings could
you set up with this number of calls and how many of those
meetings could you turn into sales? Consider your current
conversion ratio and think of the impact on your business.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Work
Life Balance Made Simple
The difficulty in achieving good work life balance
is that there is more to do than there is time in a day to
do it. The simple answer is to discover a way to insert more
hours in each day. However, since no one has cracked that
one yet, the next solution is to focus on making sure you
do the important things with the limited time you have.
Children in our MindLab classes learn a very
useful tool which can help you focus and prioritise your time.
Our pupils learn to distinguish between what is trivial -
things that are unimportant and give little value and what
is crucial - things that are extremely important and valuable.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Defining
a Quality Networking Group
When it comes to quality, how do you choose
the group that matches your expectations?
Defining a quality group is not as easy as it
looks. You first need to conduct the research into meetings,
type of attendance etc. The next thing you want to know is
the size of the group. Size does count as a smaller group
will not often have enough leads for each individual.
Click Here to Read
the Full Article!
Overcome
Cold-Calling Jitters
When I ask people what their aversion is to
prospecting or cold calling, I hear things like "I don't want
to say the wrong thing," "I don't want to look bad," "I don't
want to be pushy," "I don't want to be a nuisance," "I
want to honor who I am and my integrity," "I don't want to
impose," "I don't want to be rejected or hear, 'No,'" or "I
don't want to blow it." Isn't it interesting that every single
one of those statements begin with the word "I"?
Practically every salesperson I've ever met
at some point during their selling or prospecting efforts
makes the process about them. This is the #1 roadblock to
successful prospecting and the leading cause of call reluctance.
If you're focused on anything other than the prospect, the
value that you can deliver, and whether or not there's a fit,
it becomes about the salesperson having an agenda and their
need to establish credibility, prove the value of their product/service,
get the sale, or book the appointment/demo.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Follow-Up
Calls Can Give You the Competitive Edge
What happens when you grow out of your office
or decide homebased life isn’t for you?
Most salespeople are reluctant to follow up.
They worry about "bothering the prospect." Quite often, this
reluctance stems from not having a follow-up process they
are comfortable with. They don't know what to say, they don't
know when to make these calls, and they don't know the frequency
or how often to make follow-up calls. Here's a story that
illustrates how a consistent, permission-based follow-up system
can generate more "free" sales for you.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Five
Stumbling Blocks To Successful Networking and How To Overcome
Them
The ability to connect with people
is essential to success in any business. Professional networking
events present opportunities to interact with others on a
personal level and to develop profitable relationships. These
occasions are critical for anyone who wants to grow a business
or promote a career.
Many people are simply not comfortable
walking into a room full of strangers and striking up conversations.
Here are five common stumbling blocks that you may face and
tips to help you overcome them.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Get
Organized! Organizing Your Computer
“YOU’VE
GOT MAIL!” Whose voice is this that continues to stress me
out? The postman quietly puts mail in the my mailbox. This
does not stress me out. Only a computer can make me feel so
powerful, yet so helpless. Overflowing e-mail boxes and poorly
labeled computer files are just a few of the frustrations
that come with the electronic age. But remember, we’re the
ones who operate these systems, so it’s up to us to develop
ways of managing the digital clutter. And that’s where the
power comes in. We have the power to create effective e-mail
management systems and electronic file organization.
Click
Here to Read the Full Article!
Developing
Your Brand
Many businesses assume that customers know what
they are all about. But how could that be? How can a customer
know even an ounce of what you know about your business? It
is your job to educate them both visually (with a logo) and
verbally (with a short message that best describes your business
and its benefits). You must offer prospective customers a
reason to come into your business.
Example of how to use an effective verbal message:
"We sell kitchen and bath fixtures" informs but it does not
motivate action. Your catch praise or slogan and visual logo
must jump out and grab them by their emotions. A branded slogan
such as, "Our expertise is kitchen and bath accessories that
transform your home into a palace" says much more about the
uniqueness of your business and why a prospect should go there
to check you out.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Networking
Etiquette
Everybody is doing it. At least, successful
people are doing it. And “it” isn’t even a dirty word. “It”
is Networking. Successful business people network for a variety
of reasons.
Click
Here to Read the Full Article!
Developing
a POWERFUL 30-Second Elevator Speech That Could Double Your
Business
First let me tell you what NOT to do. Don’t
talk about you, don’t talk about your products. In as short
a statement as possible tell them the measurable results
you deliver, and who you deliver them to. Then
shut up.
Don’t try to tell them EVERYTHING in one breath.
Tell them something that is so powerfully grabbing that they
just have to ask you for more, and even then when you respond
keep it short, keep them asking for more.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
10
Great Reasons to Conduct Customer Surveys
Do you know what your customers think of your
business? Have you ever asked them? In a survey of 140 large,
North American companies, it was found that only 35 did any
measurement and analysis of their interactions with their
customers. Only 25% had information on how their customers
felt about their products and services and these were big
companies!
Conducting customer surveys is essential if
you want to keep your existing customers and attract new ones.
Surveys provide an opportunity to identify and resolve any
outstanding issues, doubts or problems that your customers
may have.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Is
Your Networking Working?
Small business owners attend
networking events to get clients. Much of the time, it doesn't
work the way they anticipated, and they often give up before
really determining why it didn't work. They move to a different
group and are destined to repeat the same mistakes.
First of all, let's talk about
networking basics. In order to get the maximum bang for your
networking buck, join a group where your target market gathers
and keep showing up.
Click Here to Read
the Full Article!
The
Chief Cause of Business Failure and Success
Business rises and falls on leadership. According
to business guru, Brian Tracy, "Leadership is the most important
single factor in determining business success or failure in
our competitive, turbulent, fast-moving economy." Still not
convinced? Based on a study by Jessie Hagen of the US Bank,
here are the main reasons why businesses fail:
• Poor Business Planning
• Poor Financial Planning
• Poor Marketing
• Poor Management
Proper application of these key factors is a
function of good leadership.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Top
10 Tips For Effective Networking
Networking is a business development and marketing
function… an opportunity to introduce yourself and your business
to a select, targeted group of people. You can make it beneficial
and enjoyable by meeting new contacts, creating strategic
alliances and mutually supportive friendships. Don't let these
networking events be a chore or a waste of time. Here are
tips on how to make the most of your time spent networking.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Customer
Loyalty Means Bigger Profits – 5 Tips For Repeat Business
I always buy my fresh fruit and vegetables from
a little corner market, even though it's right near a big
supermarket that sells at cheaper prices. Why am I a loyal
customer despite the fact I have to pay more? It's because
they remember my name each time I shop there, and if my bag
is too heavy, they'll deliver it to my home. The big supermarket
does none of these things.
If that small business didn't look after their
customers, they'd be forced to close their doors within a
month. Repeat business is absolutely essential for their survival.
It's essential for the survival of every small business. So
as a small business owner, how do you make sure your customers
become repeat customers?
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Strategies
For Successful Business Networking
Networking is a popular buzzword
these days. Every blogger seems to be talking about Networking,
Buzz Marketing and Word of Mouth Marketing. However, not many
of them seem to be presenting specific strategies for making
the most of local networking groups. This is why I decided
to write this article.
Click Here to
Read the Full Article!
Top
Ten Tips To Get The Most "People-Power" Out Of A Trade Show
Or Networking Event
Networking is a business development
and marketing function… an opportunity to introduce yourself
and your business to a select, targeted group of people. You
can make it beneficial and enjoyable by meeting new contacts,
creating strategic alliances and mutually supportive friendships.
Don't let these networking events be a chore or a waste of
time. Here are tips on how to make the most of your time spent
networking.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Moving
Beyond Your Home Office
What happens when you grow out of your office
or decide homebased life isn’t for you?
Home sweet home--as a homebased business owner,
that perennial country sampler phrase encompasses your world.
From sharing lunch with your kids in the kitchen and your
hallway commute to your linen closet-cum-storage room, your
home is your life. So why would you ever give up your home
office?
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Generate
New Clients and More Business Using Seminars and Workshops
Face it ladies, we can all use a new or different
form of marketing, promotion and/or publicity. I’m a true
believer in multiple venues for getting my name and product
out to my potential customers and clients. One avenue I have
found that works for me is planning and implementing seminars
and workshops. This great marketing tool also gets me out
of the house, away from my computer and face to face with
my customers and potential clients. Who is the perfect candidate
for leading a seminar or workshop? Anyone who has a product
or service to offer and wants more clients and customers -
is that you? This brief overview shows you the benefits of
seminars and workshops and helps to get you started with development
and designing ideas. First, let’s define seminars and workshops.
With this understanding you will be able to decide which fits
you and your marketing plan.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Public
Speaking Is Good for Business
Each and every time you stand in front of an
audience to deliver a speech, you are giving yourself the
opportunity to generate additional business. For all intensive
purposes, public speaking is an audition.
Effective public speakers improve their bottom
line because they understand communicating is the number one
requirement of an effective leader. Business owners are in
leadership positions whether they acknowledge it or not.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
10
Steps To Better-and Less Annoying-PowerPoint Presentations
What is your biggest hate when it comes to presentations?
Slide after slide of boring PowerPoints right? Don't fall
in to the same trap yourself - adopt the following 10 steps
and you'll be welcomed!
Steps: 1. Keep it simple! Don't use a template
that becomes the focus of attention itself - a pastel color
background with contrasting text is fine.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
PR
Secrets to Unlock Your Promotional Potential
For many business owners, Public Relations (PR)
efforts are a black hole, an unknown that makes them hesitant
to invest time and money. Handled correctly and approached
with realistic expectations, PR can be one of the most cost-effective
tools in your marketing toolbox.
Here are five things every business owner should
know about PR:
Fact #1: PR offers you several things that you can’t
buy with a paid ad.
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Article
Writing Mistakes - 7 To Avoid
Making your articles available for reprints
by other ezine publishers and webmasters is the cornerstone
strategy in building an avalanche of pre-qualified visitors
to your website.
If you want your articles to be picked up and
massively distributed by others, here are 7 common mistakes
to avoid:
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
Teamwork
- Creating the Best Team Possible
How strong is your team? If you are a CEO, manager,
supervisor or business owner, you may understand the importance
of creating and sustaining a supportive team while working
towards a common goal. However, do the individuals within
your team fully understand the significant role they play
in achieving ultimate success?
To help your team get started here are a few
suggestions:
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
Isolation
Busters
Kids are great isolation busters for those of
us who work from home. I have to get out with Meghan all the
time. We have playgroup, new moms groups, swim time at the
pool and more. But here are some more suggestions to get you
out of the house and refocused on what you're doing:
1. Find networking opportunities, both official and unofficial.
Click Here to Read
the Full Article!
Three
Strategies to Create an Abundant Life
Each of us has many things to be grateful for
in our lives. But sometimes we take them for granted or, even
worse, we forget them in the midst of our crowded daily schedules.
Working moms tell me that when they are really busy they find
themselves focusing on what they don't have instead of treasuring
what they do.
Returning home from a particularly stressful
day at work, you might find yourself complaining that your
house isn't clean, big or modern enough. When you've woken
late and are rushing yourself and two school-age children
out the door, your offspring's behavior may lead you to think
(or say out loud) that they are wild and uncooperative. And
if you are experiencing mounting deadlines and unreasonable
demands at the office, it may be difficult for you to muster
a positive attitude about your career.
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
The
MOST Powerful Marketing and Advertising on the Planet!
It sounds too simple to be true, but it really
is... A well-targeted and timely PRESS RELEASE to the media
is the most powerful form of marketing and advertising on
the planet! A high quality press release, with the proper
targeting and distribution to reach the correct media members,
could have many businesses sailing on a sea of new sales and
profits. Just one feature or a mention in a popular or targeted
business publication has the potential to cause some business's
phones to literally be ringing off the hook!
Click Here to Read the
Full Article!
10
Steps to Effective Networking
1. Know your business, and know
it well
2..Be able to describe what you
do in a few clear sentences
3. Know what you want and need
from networking
Click Here to Read the Full
Article!
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