Please Enter Your Name and Email Address to Receive Our Newsletter and Free Products.

Name
Email
  • Most Popular Posts


  • Archive for the 'Business Management' Category

    Roadmap to a Customer-Centric Strategy

    Written by ANutt on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 in Business Management.

    Part of the appeal of customer-centricity is that it takes very little business acumen to grasp its core concept. Focus intensely on customers, align your products or services with their interests, and voila: a customer-centric culture is born. Simple, right? Not quite. Becoming a truly customer-centric organization is perhaps one of the most difficult transitions an organization can make, fraught with hidden obstacles and unanticipated challenges. Here are three potential roadblocks on the path to a customer-centric strategy, and how to get around them.

    Failing to understand your most valuable customer

    A customer-centric strategy is only as good as its customers. You cant let the average customer dictate what you do, says Robert Duboff, CEO of Hawk Partners LLC and coauthor of the book Market Research Matters. Generally speaking, Duboff says, 20 percent of a company’s customer base generates 80 percent of its profits. Given that split, its imperative to put your most valuable customers at the heart of your approach.

    Identifying those customers need not take exhaustive research and complicated measures. It can be a fairly straightforward process, as it is with the Net Promoter Score, or NPS, a metric developed by Bain & Co.s Fred Reichheld. As set forth in The Ultimate Questionwritten by Reichheld and published by Harvard Business Pressthe NPS approach consists of one simple question: On a scale of one to 10, would you recommend us to your friends?

    Based on the answer to that question, customers are segmented into three categories: promoters, who actively champion a particular product to their friends and colleagues; passives, who are lukewarm about the product; and detractors, the opposite of promoters. A given company’s score is simply the difference between its number of promoters and its number of detractors.

    NPS has proven to be a powerful tool for such companies as General Electric Capital Solutions, which has used it not only to identify customers that are already valuable promoters but to gain insights into how it can convert detractors. For a business like GE Capital Solutions, which serves more than 1 million very diverse customers in many different industries, NPS helps us better understand what our customers are feeling and how we can improve their experience with us, says Stephen White, a spokesperson for GE Capital.

    Failing to support your external customer-centric strategy with an internal customer-centric strategy

    Speaking of valuable customers, what about that most priceless customer of all your employee?

    While most companies aren’t in the habit of regarding their employees as customers, those seeking to instill a customer-centric culture should rethink their stance, argues Elaine Berke, president of Westport, MAbased EBI Consulting, which specializes in helping organizations develop customer-centric strategies. Customer-centricity needs to come from the inside out, says Berke. Leadership must avoid a double standard that makes it OK for managers to argue with or demean staff while still being courteous and considerate to external customers.

    Consider the case of the world-renowned Johns Hopkins University Hospital. In developing a comprehensive Service Excellence initiative aimed at boosting its level of patient care, the hospital included employee satisfaction as a core component of the program. The hospital conducted an extensive survey to gauge employee concerns that turned up such simple, actionable insights as making it a point to compliment co-workers and instituting criticism-free no negativity days.

    Customer-centric organizations value and respect internal customers as much as external customers, says Berke. Like the old saying goes, If you’re not serving a customer, you’re serving someone who is.

    Failure to identify the moment of truth

    Companies spend considerable time and resources developing metrics for processes, execution and other day-to-day functions but often overlook defining their moments of truth those points at which a customer interacts with a company’s product or service and forms an impression. Companies are usually very good at creating metrics around [such procedures as] production deliverables but have a much harder time knowing how to create and measure standards relating to the quality of service being delivered, Keith Bailey of Sterling Consulting Group says.

    In defining a company’s moments of truth, Bailey suggests looking at three different angles quality of product, quality of procedures and quality of relationships. Taking a hotel as an example, the quality of the product would be the cleanliness and comfort of the rooms. The quality of procedures would be such factors as how it long it takes to check in or how long customers wait for room service. The quality of relationship would be the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff.

    Considering each angle separately allows a company to isolate the negative moments of truth within each and develop a game plan for turning them into positive experiences. Procter & Gamble, for example, identified its moment of truth as that instant when a shopper picks up one of its products and decides whether or not to purchase its decision the customer makes in an average of six seconds. The company has overhauled its marketing with that insight in mind, creating a global First Moment of Truth business team designed to win over the customer in that moment.

    There are as many different customer-centric approaches as there are customers, and each has its own unique challenges, but the road to a truly customer-centric strategy always begins with the same steps.

    Management Career Training Centre provides professional development, and career training, management and sales training, leadership and executive training and career training programs for HR professionals, supervisors and employers.

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Giving out business gifts is a great way to build goodwill towards the company. A good choice of business gift reflects a professional image for the company and leaves a positive and long-lasting impression of the company. Such gifts are an ideal way to show appreciation to employees, partners, clients and customers who have been loyal to you.

    A good choice business gift is memorable. Appropriateness of the gift should be according to the purpose, the budge, and the benefits supplied by the recipient. Inappropriate gifts will do more harm than good. Be sure to follow protocol whenever engaging in this activity. Do not give away gifts without a proper reason behind it.

    When selecting, focus more on the quality rather than quantity. Choose items that your receiver will find useful. The more useful the gift is, the more likely it is that they will use them.You should also consider the etiquette and policies of the company during the selection process. Remember, there are some companies that have some limitations and guidelines concerning them. Understand these limitations and guidelines and always follow them.

    Business Gifts ideas

    There are wide variety of choices for business gifts and selecting the most applicable one can be a very challenging sometimes. As much as possible, always go for unique items. A good business gift should be distinctive in nature.

    Personalized business items, mementos, mugs, fridge magnets, pens, journals, calendars, desk clocks and business cards holders with the company’s logo are great options for business gifts. Having the company logo on each item is already a great way to promote your firm. One excellent way to use personalized business gifts is as loyalty reward for your existing customers. However, personalized business gifts should not be too intimate. For instance, do not give a personalized jewelry to any client or employee. Never choose the personalized gifts until you already know what’s your recipient wants.

    For some safety reason, many would want to give a business gift basket to their loyal patrons, which is a very good option also. You can choose the right gift basket from a wide variety of baskets. Such varieties include savory food baskets, fruit baskets, cigar baskets, wine baskets, flower baskets and many others. You may also think outside the box, like a vacation package for your most outstanding employee.

    Different Business Occasions

    Business gifts are also an ideal way to commemorate a certain occasion. There are different business occasions where you can distribute business gifts to other people. For example, always present a gift to a person who will be retiring from service. Or, give out gifts to show appreciation to your employees during the company’s Recognition Day. Business gifts are also a hit during Christmas Parties and anniversaries. For a retiree, you can give silverware and getaway gift. For Recognition Day, you may give plaque or trophy.

    Sometimes companies distribute business gifts during events and meeting to thank their associates. Most popular items they would want to distribute are leather wallets, business gift bags, briefcases, conference pads, business pens and caps to motivate their executives, shareholders or investors.

    Jnet is an author for a variety of lifestyle issues and topics. If you’re looking for personalized corporate gifts, visit the website Mybusinessgifts.com and browse their extensive collection. Get also desktop business card holder for your colleagues online!

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Business Holiday Gifts Shopping Guidelines

    Written by JanetR. on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 in Business Management.

    Holidays are nearly approaching and you only have few number of shopping days left. Now is your perfect time to think about what you are going to give to employees, customers and clients to show how you really appreciate them. They are the reason why your business is still on the run, and so it’s time for you to give back. But before you begin to shop, consider some guidelines below that will help you select just the right business holiday gifts for them.

    Make a holiday list. Creating your holiday gift list will help you determine who should be given a gift. The list should include names of the people you need to purchase gifts for. You can’t have a right gift if it doesn’t fit into your recipient’s personality, therefore, you should think about each of your recipient’s personality or interest, then set a budget for each one.

    Do some research. Researching before hand will always be an advantage to any giver. In fact, one of the most challenging time to find a perfect gifts for loved ones, friends and colleagues is during Holiday season. So to avoid you from stress, consider researching first using the Internet, or perhaps reading some updated magazines and books.

    Be creative. Explore your imagination and make use of your hidden talent and creativity. If you already have some information about your receiver’s interest, you can then purchase thoughtful gifts that will show that you really put some time and effort in choosing the right gift. Be more creative by adding your own personal touch, or perhaps wrote a personal special message to let that person know that the gift was specially chosen for her.

    Enjoy visiting other locations. There are lots of office supplies and hardware stores where you could find interesting business gift ideas. You might be surprised with other unexpected locations that could offer the same stuff as well.

    You Christmas, however, will not be quite merry if you will do things like reinventing your gifts. If you have given the same business gifts each year, make sure you do not reinvent what others do unto you. Remember, important persons like your clients and loyal customers might look forward to your holiday present. Or, you do an overspending just to make an impression. You should always consider your budget before planning to buy gifts. Another one is by waiting too long to purchase the business gifts. If you have the time, you’re more likely to come up with better ideas sooner rather then being forced to “pressure” shop later. Don’t feel confined because your gift was already through before the holidays. If you are pressed for time or you really want your gifts to noticed, you may consider sending it as a New Year’s gift which can make a welcome surprise to your receiver. Lastly, don’t get stress over the holidays. Holidays are your great time to show clients, employees and customers that you really appreciate them. Don’t get disturbed by thinking what perfect holiday business gifts to give because there are lots of great choices to choose from. Some of the most popular business gifts you may consider are engraved business card holders or cases, office desk accessories, personalized picture frames and photo albums, business gift baskets and many others.

    Jnet is an author for a variety of lifestyle issues and topics. If you’re looking for business holiday gifts, visit the website Mybusinessgifts.com and browse their extensive collection. Get also gifts for executive online!

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Buying Unique Corporate Gifts Online

    Written by GlenPeebles on Monday, December 1st, 2008 in Business Management.

    Unusual unique gifts are always appreciated by people you do business with at work. These presents show how much you value their contributions to the company. There are five basic situations in which it is a good idea to give unique corporate gifts.

    1. Employees often buy their supervisors unique gifts for Christmas. The best way to do this is to go together to buy group gifts. If you do that, your unique gifts will not seem like bribes, but will be seen as tokens of appreciation. Unique gifts ideas for the boss include elaborate clocks and mirrors, gothic figurines, and nice chess sets.

    2. People within the company buy special unique gifts for their equals within the company. If your coworker is having a birthday, it might be a good time to order unique gifts for her. Something simple will do, such as picture frames there they can keep photos of their loved ones at work, or bone china mugs for their break time pleasure.

    Men who give each other gifts will find that paperweights are very popular as unique corporate gifts. Glass paperweight in round, square, and pyramid shapes display images of sharks, flowers, and abstract designs. These unique gifts for men are inexpensive enough so that you can give them for birthdays, unique Christmas gifts, and just about any occasion.

    3. Employers give unique gifts to their employees to boost morale and to recognize service to the company. For these gifts, bosses would do well to think of the employees’ needs both at work and at home. Metal statues make attractive desk brighteners. Glassware is always appreciated when it is given as unique corporate gifts to employees and their families.

    4. Companies give special unique gifts to business associates from other companies. For instance, when there is a birth in the immediate family of a business associate, it is only fitting to send a gift. You can get unique baby gifts each time the situation comes up. When your company makes an important deal, it is also a great time to give unique corporate gifts to business associates outside the company.

    5. Companies give away small unique gifts for the general public. These unusual unique gifts are meant to keep the company on the minds of everyday people. Small, inexpensive gifts are what are needed for this use. Novelty pens, eco-friendly jute bags, or candles make special unique gifts to get people into your place of business.

    It is important to meet all the needs of the people in the company. A Part of these needs is being recognized and remembered. Buying them unique corporate gifts will make them feel better about their company and their place in it.

    Unique Corporate Gifts is more than just gifts. Unique Corporate Gifts demonstrated professionalism and precision, as you offered a concise solution to our needs. Unique corporate gifts, such as gift pens, are perfect for any occasion. Unique corporate gifts, such as games, are fun for everyone. Unique Corporate Gifts given at the right time can truly affect the way a client or employee feels about your company.

    Glen Peebles is the owner of Loxy Gift Shop a website that provides High Quality Gifts and Outstanding Service - find unique gifts for all occasions such as Christmas, Anniversary, Birthday and more. You can visit his website at: http://www.loxy.org

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Small Business Disaster Plans

    Written by BenAnton on Monday, December 1st, 2008 in Business Management.

    Small business owners have an enormous amount of responsibilities on their shoulders. Most don’t have the time to think about planning for a natural or man-made disaster. According to a recent poll by the National Federation of Independent Business, almost forty percent of small businesses experience disaster at some time. That statistic is broken down to ten percent man-made (broken water pipes, mold outbreaks, etc.) and thirty percent natural (flooding, hurricane etc.).

    Document recovery experts, like Joe Perko, Director of Field Services with Rapid Refile, LLC agree that this is one of the most common shortfalls in business planning. “Although the experience of Katrina in New Orleans has motivated many companies and organizations in high-risk areas to develop disaster recovery plans, and to incorporate document salvaging as part of those plans, there remains a great number of people and businesses that have not formalized a response to potential property damaged and/or business interruptions” said Joe Perko in a recent interview.

    Regardless of the time, it remains very necessary for small businesses to take some steps to ensure a disaster doesn’t take down their entire business. Developing a recovery plan does not have to be difficult, it just takes some time and a little forethought.

    There are a number of reasons small business owners give for neglecting disaster planning.

    1. Lack of Resources (staff, outside resources)

    2. Limited Budget

    3. Don’t see the need

    The need is very clear. Small businesses that go through a disaster without proper recovery plans are far more likely to fail. The Association of Records Managers and Administrators estimates that over sixty percent of businesses fail within two years of experiencing a major disaster.

    Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan

    When developing a disaster recovery plan, you have a few options. You can use online resources to put together one on your own or you can search for a third party company that can help you. There are a number of disaster recovery companies that will help you plan for alternate work space, communication contingencies and computer storage and back-up in the event that flooding, a fire or other disaster destroys part or all of your business facility.

    One of the most important and useful resources you can reach out to for disaster plan assistance is a document restoration company. These companies will assess your businesses’ document storage facilities and mechanisms and provide you with recommendations for how to better prepare for a water or fire disaster. Architects, doctor’s offices, lawyers, construction companies, tax preparers, and any other business using hardcopy or electronic records, x-rays, or pictures would benefit the greatest from consulting with such a company.

    The importance of having a plan for document protection cannot be under-emphasized. “A strategic plan for recovering water or fire damaged auditable records, X-rays, blueprints, pictures and so on is necessary to ensure functionality, and even survival, after a disaster,” reminds Perko. “Whereas physical structures can be temporarily replaced by off-site locations or office trailers, the paper trail of open contracts, patient files, tax documents, etc., is the irreplaceable lifeblood of a business.”

    Too often small businesses realize the importance of disaster recovery plans once it is too late. Take the time to do some research and develop a plan for your business so that it can exist for a long, healthy while.

    ~Ben Anton, 2008

    Learn more about flood and fire document damage and restoration techniques from the professional document restoration services experts at Rapid Refile.

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Practical Uses of EFT in a Business Setting

    Written by StewartRobertson on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 in Business Management.

    Much has been said about Emotional Freedom Techniques and its ability to attract success in business and boost a person’s net worth. But how does one apply it in a practicable business setting? Following is a step-by-step guide on how to use EFT to help you move forward in the business world.

    According to Gary Craig, creator of the Emotional Freedom Technique, getting started on the program is much like learning how to bake a cake. One has to follow a basic recipe and make sure that all the ingredients are mixed in the right manner and that the baker mixes the ingredients in the correct order.

    The first step in baking the EFT cake is called the Setup. It is simply the act of preparing your energy system for the process that lies ahead. And exactly how does one do that? You have to recite an affirmation three times while rubbing your body’s “Sore Spot” or tapping the so-called “Karate Chop” pressure point.

    Your affirmation can be something like, “I completely accept myself even if (state negative situation)”. The Sore Spot is located at the upper left and right portions of your chest. The Karate Chop Point, on the other hand, is between the top of your wrist and the base of your little finger.

    Next step in the “baking” process is called the Sequence, which involves tapping on the body’s major pressure points. You may consult reflexology manuals or the EFT manual itself to get information as to where the pressure points are located.

    The third step is the Nine Gamut Procedure, which is said to be the weirdest of all steps in the EFT. It involves tapping the area between the base of the ring finger and the little finger, while performing nine different actions. This is where you are required to do some eye exercises and hum parts of a song. Be properly warned that this step is where several beginners report feeling a bit nauseous, perhaps due to the eye-rolling activity.

    After doing the procedure described above, it is time to repeat the Sequence. Repeating this step after performing the gamut has been found to improve the effectiveness of the entire EFT program. Finally, one need to come up with a “Reminder Phrase”, which needs to be said out loud repeatedly while performing the four basic steps that have been previously outlined.

    To ensure effectiveness and maintain focus, it is usually best to choose a phrase that directly addresses the area you wish to improve. For example, if you think that you lack the self-confidence to start your own business, the best reminder phrase for you would perhaps be “lack of self-confidence”.

    Once you have mastered these basic steps, you will be able to make use of it to unwind after a hard day’s work at the office or to loosen up before an important presentation. As you become more and more attuned to how EFT works, you will find it easier to put things into perspective especially when making crucial business decisions. From this point onwards, you will become not only a more astute businessman, but a better person in general.

    Most valuable EFT moves you and Your business from Stymied to Successful !!! What is stopping YOU, Overcome hurdle in making money, learn a great deal from this set of eft dvds and meet your eft practitioner.

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Are You Learning Based?

    Written by AliciaMarie on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 in Business Management.

    Does the economic climate have you feeling threatened? With all of the changes brought on by the arrival of the information age, do you feel left behind? Most of us do feel uneasy and a little behind the eight ball. Sometimes it seems we have to run as hard as we can just to stay in one place! Everything is changing so fast that what we learned yesterday could very well be outdated tomorrow.

    So how do we keep our competitive edge in our business?

    The fundamental strategy of a high achiever is their focus on being learning-based. Being a learning-based person means that you take education, training, and self-development as the foundational piece of your plan to achieve your goals.

    Maybe learning is key?

    No matter what we do, no matter where we go, owner or employee, now more than ever before, we must stay sharp…continue to study, learn and remain curious. Everyone in our business, everyone, every day will stay engaged when we emphasize and encourage learning. Learning is the key to innovative, creative, out of the box solutions. It is not enough for us as leaders to stay abreast of our industry, attend training programs or read books. We need all of our employees playing at their very best to stay in the game of business.

    The irony is that the issues that are creating so much potential for anxiety like the economy, global business, changing cultures and technology are potentially the learning opportunities that can potentially propel you forward.

    Consider the unprecedented wealth of information available on the Internet, in seminars, webinars and books. When I feel threatened by the economic uncertainty and by all of the new knowledge and capability that’s emerging, I just make a point to learn something new: e-commerce, business principles, or how my industry is adapting to the marketplace. Learning anything that will keep me thinking ahead and tweaking my existing business is so very gratifying.

    How do you maximize what you are learning? Focus on the top 5 areas:

    People - training, coaching, developing, and managing effectively.

    Money - how to project, manage, budget and leverage.

    Business Development – web 2.0, promotions, retaining and recapturing customers etc.

    Operations - process, systems, functionality of the business.

    Personal growth - learning about yourself will make you better at all of the above.

    When I have that insight or acquire that new understanding or capability I feel stronger, I feel resourceful, like I gained a little ground in the marketplace. Maybe today I put the heat on somebody else? My competitive advantage…me.

    Give it a go, and then share what you learned with your employees. The only thing better than knowing that you just got a little smarter is knowing that your business did too. Learning is everything.

    Alicia Fruin

    Does the economic climate have you feeling threatened? With all of the changes brought on by the arrival of the information age, do you feel left behind? Most of us do feel uneasy and a little behind the eight ball. Sometimes it seems we have to run as hard as we can just to stay in one place! Everything is changing so fast that what we learned yesterday could very well be outdated tomorrow.

    So how do we keep our competitive edge in our business?

    The fundamental strategy of a high achiever is their focus on being learning-based. Being a learning-based person means that you take education, training, and self-development as the foundational piece of your plan to achieve your goals.

    Maybe learning is key?

    No matter what we do, no matter where we go, owner or employee, now more than ever before, we must stay sharp…continue to study, learn and remain curious. Everyone in our business, everyone, every day will stay engaged when we emphasize and encourage learning. Learning is the key to innovative, creative, out of the box solutions. It is not enough for us as leaders to stay abreast of our industry, attend training programs or read books. We need all of our employees playing at their very best to stay in the game of business.

    The irony is that the issues that are creating so much potential for anxiety like the economy, global business, changing cultures and technology are potentially the learning opportunities that can potentially propel you forward.

    Consider the unprecedented wealth of information available on the Internet, in seminars, webinars and books. When I feel threatened by the economic uncertainty and by all of the new knowledge and capability that’s emerging, I just make a point to learn something new: e-commerce, business principles, or how my industry is adapting to the marketplace. Learning anything that will keep me thinking ahead and tweaking my existing business is so very gratifying.

    How do you maximize what you are learning? Focus on the top 5 areas:

    People - training, coaching, developing, and managing effectively.

    Money - how to project, manage, budget and leverage.

    Business Development – web 2.0, promotions, retaining and recapturing customers etc.

    Operations - process, systems, functionality of the business.

    Personal growth - learning about yourself will make you better at all of the above.

    When I have that insight or acquire that new understanding or capability I feel stronger, I feel resourceful, like I gained a little ground in the marketplace. Maybe today I put the heat on somebody else? My competitive advantage…me.

    Give it a go, and then share what you learned with your employees. The only thing better than knowing that you just got a little smarter is knowing that your business did too. Learning is everything.

    Alicia Fruin

    As owner of Profit Consulting Co., Alicia has become a leader in the field of coaching, consulting and training for small business. She has designed more than 100 custom training programs for hundreds of business owners in a variety of industries across the country. In addition, Alicia has coached managers, presidents and sales professionals on how to build a business truly worth having!

    Alicia Marie applies almost two decades of business ownership experience, as well as a wealth of sales and marketing knowledge, to help her clients tackle the business challenges they face http://www.profitconsultingco.com

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    The Benefits of Getting a Toll Free Number For Your Business

    Written by JasonKay on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 in Business Management.

    Are you concerned about the accessibility of your business to clients in this tough economy? Are you worried that your customers will not place an order and will not communicate with you by phone because they are unwilling to spend a few dollars to make a call?

    If you have these concerns, consider the merits of a toll free number to make you more accessible to your clients. Contrary to what is generally believed, getting such a number is not an expensive investment. For as little as $10, you can get 100 monthly minutes and for twice that, you can receive 500 minutes per month. If you have a more active business, you can get about 2,600 (almost 50 hours) for as little as $50.

    Due to its affordability, you can now level the playing field with large businesses. Much of the success of your business depends on your image and the professionalism you project. Toll free numbers attract customers to your business because they give it an air of professionalism. They also increase the customer’s confidence in the security of financial transactions with your company. With a toll free number, you can create a virtual office in your home-based business.

    One of the greatest benefits of a toll free number is the ability of your company to increase its client base because you can now sell your goods and services to those who live outside the area in which your business is located. People do not need to hesitate before contacting you and there is no longer an advantage for them in dealing with local businesses.

    You can also provide better customer service. Should a customer have questions or concerns about a product, they can call without hesitation, providing your business an opportunity to build a relationship with or troubleshoot with clients. Otherwise, those long-distance clients who have issues with your products or services may just remain silent, never to be heard from again.

    Perhaps one of the most critical benefits to having a toll free number is its portability. If you have to move your business for some reason, you can still be reached by your customers, without any interruption in the services that you provide. A related benefit is that you can be mobile in your day-to-day business activities, as your toll-free number can be forwarded to your cell phone, pager, email address, and even you home phone.

    Another perk to having a toll free number is that you can have a plan in which you only have to pay for the usage and the calls made to your number. Thus, your bills don’t shoot up if just a small number of calls come in. They only go up once usage of your toll free number goes up as well. This is great news for small, start-up businesses that do not yet have a large customer base.

    Toll free numbers are also easy to set up and come with a lot of features and bonuses. These include the capability for audio conferences, professional voice announcement feature, call screening, call recording, call forwarding, auto attendant, and many other features.

    Most significant, however, is that having a toll free number is a guaranteed means of staying in touch with your customers. This will keep you attuned to their needs and will boost customer service. Taking good care of your relationship with your customers is a surefire way of keeping them and enticing more to expand your clientele by way of referrals from your old customers. By making it easier for your customers to reach you, you get to stay up-to-date on trends in the market. Obviously, customers love toll free numbers because they wouldn’t have to spend anything to get certain information or to comment on your goods and services.

    Get an affordable toll free number for business use and increase your professional image.

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    Time Management For Entrepreneurs

    Written by FrankLucer on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 in Business Management.

    Time management is an essential element in establishing a strong business and will help you to develop a solid foundation upon which to grow into a successful and competitive business. The first thing to keep in mind is that as an entrepreneur, you must develop skills and habits that will ensure that you are able to maximize the time available to you.

    Why is time management so critical? You may think that you are already adept at managing your day, but remember that if you have a job you are required to be at work at a certain time, take your lunch at a certain time and be accountable for specific responsibilities that are easily undertaken within a work day. But what happens when you are the boss? Who’s in charge now? You are! And therefore it is up to you to establish an efficient method to operate your business. One of those methods is establishing good time management skills.

    The first step in time management is to realize that both you and your competitors have the same amount of hours in a day. The growth and success of your business may not necessarily be based on who works the hardest, but rather who has developed a way to work more efficiently; in other words, the smartest.

    The following are 5 smart ways to manage your time.

    1. Being able to say “No”: This is a critical aspect of managing your time. It’s easy to become caught up in the sense of responsibility, importance or achievement of running a business and the number of tasks that need to be accomplished on a daily basis. Being unable to say ‘no’ at the right time may leave you in a position where you are unable to accomplish those tasks that you have set for the day; and without knowing it, you are actually developing a negative habit based on compromise. If you take on too much you run the risk of not getting any of your tasks done correctly.

    2. Begin the day with a strategy: This is critical. In fact you should have a strategy not only for the day, but for the week, the month, the year and thereafter. Having a strategy is very much the same as having a road map to a vacation destination; without one you may well find yourself lost in the wilderness. Understand that if you do not arrange your day, someone or something else will.

    3. Take a break! The best way to make efficient progress is to be sure that you are refreshed, recharged and ready to go. To do this you need to be sure that you are taking breaks and getting away from your work environment. As much as you may be in the ’swing of things’, you will find that your efficiency and quality of work will be far more prolonged by taking breaks throughout the day.

    4. Know what is important: Each business has a number of tasks that require attention, but be sure to recognize that you will not be able to accomplish all of them at once. Therefore get into the habit of prioritizing the tasks that need to be completed, otherwise each task will seem as important as all the others and you may well become overwhelmed by what needs to be done.

    5. Be flexible: Of course you will have days where you will not be able to accomplish everything you set out to do. Without allowing this to become a habit, learn to work with the unexpected interruptions, mistakes and missed opportunities that may occur during the day. This will avoid the build-up of frustration and allow you to clearly restructure your schedule to fit in any missed errands or tasks in the following days.

    The entrepreneur who has developed their time management skills will find themselves in a mindset where they able to take full advantage of opportunities and interruptions, as they present themselves on a daily basis. Strong time management skills will also allow you to be the entrepreneur who works smarter, rather than harder.

    Russ Dalbey founded the Dalbey Education Institute in 1995 to provide customers with the highest quality of wealth-building products, services and networking resources for buyers and sellers of real estate and all other cash flows.

    Popularity: unranked [?]

    How to Improve on Customer Relations

    Written by TomTessin on Sunday, November 30th, 2008 in Business Management.

    You might have heard about Customer Relation Management. It might looks like a piece of normal software that has forms for your customers to fill and many other things that are included. The truth is Customer Relation Management is more than just a software to manage your customers. If you truly understand the meaning, you will realize that it is a way of doing business in life.

    As we all know customers are very important for any kind of business, no matter what you are selling or offering. With no customers, there is no way you can make money let alone in making big bucks. However, if you can target on your customers and make use of their data or details, you are on your way for winning in your business. However, you will need to spend time analyzing and devising a plan in order to get them stay loyal to you.

    Do you know what information you should get from your customers in order to understand your customers better? First of all, you must ask them how they feel about the services or products they have purchased from your business. This is crucial because you will be able to break down the percentage of those who are satisfied and not satisfied with what you are offering. Then, you can work your way to improve on what they don’t like. On the other hand, you must maintain on what they like about your business.

    Secondly, you also need to find out how many times the manager of your business store has to go out and meet the customers regarding of their complains or problems. This is to get a general idea on how your business is dealing with customers affairs and the quality of customer service provided.

    The third is to find out what they purchase and who they bring along when they shop at your store. Usually, you can observe them whenever they come to your store. However, the easiest and perhaps the cheapest way is by doing a survey. Pass them a survey form whenever they pay for their items at the counter or simply leave the survey forms at any location that is easy to spot and fill up instantly. Then they can either return it to the counter or just insert into the feedback mail box in your store.

    Get some people to gather all the data in readable form such as in excel format so you can analyze everything easier. You might not see how powerful these data can be but when you see the result coming from the analysis and your business plan, you will be surprised.

    A customer is a very important aspect to a business and it’s important that you do everything you can to keep that person happy. Sometimes you amy find that there may be problems that do exist but make sure you do everything in your own power to keep him/her, even if you have to lose out on a sale. Remember that old say, the customer is always right, even when they seem wrong.

    Get rewards today with your business credit cards all at FINDbizcards.com, where you can find more of Tom’s work.

    Popularity: unranked [?]



    Site Navigation