Are you looking for ways to boost your productivity as a small business owner? Here are a few tools that you may find to be useful. Three Technology-Based Productivity Tools for Small Business Google Docs – Are you tired of sending edited documents back and forth to your business partners, employees and customers? If keeping [...]
Business
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Most Topular Stories
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Three Technology Tools for Small Business Owners
Daily Biz Solutions13 May 2012 | 9:48 am -
How I became one of the 100 most influential Indians online in just 1 year?
The Joys of Teaching16 May 2012 | 7:55 amI decided to quit my job and become a full time Online Branding consultant one year back. I had two options viz. to set up an organization, hire staff and create a digital agency or to create my own personal brand and be an example to the people who want to develop personal brands (and thus get consulting/coaching business). I decided to use the latter option.Though I had created a Blog six months back which had already got listed on Alltop.com but I was hardly devoting 2-3 hours a day with the pressures of a fulltime job. Since the Blog was a hit already taking risk to quit my job was not a… -
Shorten Your Path To Success!
Ask Mike Palumbo about Your Career!15 May 2012 | 10:33 amIs there a way to shorten your path to success? I’m not talking about a short cut, but is there a way to shorten your path? Yes, it’s called an advisor or mentor. Being successful is hard work. It takes a lot of hard work and persistence, that’s why so many people give up too soon. Please don’t give up! You must find a mentor, tutor, advisor, whatever you want to call it, but you have to find someone to help shorten the learning curve for you. It doesn’t matter what you want to do. If you want to a successful barber, welder, mortgage banker, pilot, horse trainer, recruiter,… -
Use Your Head To Communicate Effectively
Interpersonal Communication Blog14 May 2012 | 6:24 pm‘ Effective communication includes an awareness of not only what you say, but also how you say it. However, another important tool of communication is body language. We all know that actions speak louder than words. Our bodies give away signals of how we feel, what our true intentions are, and what we’re not saying. So we may be sitting on a crowded sectional sofa during a family gathering without saying a word, yet communicating clearly to anyone who glances over. Gestures and body language are so ingrained that we take them for granted. We are almost unaware of behaviors such as… -
Stop Waiting On Other People To Determine Your Success
Everyone's Blog Posts - Ms. Boss Network23 Apr 2012 | 12:51 pmSo many times we are presented with opportunities that we know could change our lives and put off taking advantage of those opportunities because we want to wait and see what someone else will do. I was watching Joel Olsten yesterday morning and his topic was based on Stop Waiting. I thought this was so timely because I was having a conversation on Friday with one of my partners who said that she had people who said that they saw the opportunity, but they were going to wait and see how she did in the business. To me that's crazy. Someone else success or failure does not determine…
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Cyber Alert Blog
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Weekly Media Monitoring News
7 May 2012 | 7:16 amOur goal is to bring you “interesting stuff” about PR, social media, and marketing each week in Media Monitoring News. Mostly, we focus on media monitoring, PR measurement, and media relations, and other topics core to public relations and marketing. In addition, we include interesting content on personal development and other business issues. This week -
Weekly Media Monitoring News
30 Apr 2012 | 6:35 amIn addition to articles on the core subject of media monitoring and measurement, Media Monitoring News this week wanders into the value of AV production in PR including podcasts and videos for online distribution. It also offers some thought-provoking articles on the value of human curation (selection/filtering), and the power of the new “intelligent” technologies -
Weekly Media Monitoring News
23 Apr 2012 | 2:30 pmMedia Monitoring News this week focuses on media monitoring in public relations, marketing and employee communications. Two articles look at the subject of crisis communications, with some unusual viewpoints. The issue also features multiple articles on “communications” including proper use of email, the communications skills of great leaders, and a thought-provoking opinion piece on how -
Weekly Media Monitoring News
16 Apr 2012 | 9:19 amMedia Monitoring News this week features articles covering an unusually wide range of topics. In addition to typical topics like writing skills, media relations and social media marketing, this issue includes articles on the value of automated sentiment analysis vs. human analysis in media measurement, approaches to writing effective requests for proposal, the issue of -
Weekly Media Monitoring News
9 Apr 2012 | 2:19 pmThere was a plethora of worthwhile articles this week on media monitoring, measurement and other PR and marketing topics. Media Monitoring News has selected the crème de la crème including multiple articles on content monitoring, social media measurement, Google Analytics, and search engine optimization. Also included are excellent articles on strategic thinking, leadership, and overcoming
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Emerging Markets Insight
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Latin America in March 2012
2 May 2012 | 10:16 amThe Latin American markets, as proxied by the MSCI Latin American index, declined 3.2% for the month of March. It was the first negative monthly performance for the Latin American markets in 2012 after appreciating 18.4% in the first two months of the year. As of the end of March, the Latin American index has appreciated 14.6%, making it one of the top performing regions in the world. The negative performance in March was led by the Brazilian market, which declined 6.3%. All of the other countries in the region posted positive performance. Mexico increased 4.4% followed by the 2.8%… -
Emerging Markets in March 2012
2 May 2012 | 9:29 amMarkets took a breather in March. After a very strong start to the year, the broad emerging market indices fell by more than 3% as optimism waned a little. In contrast to the rally experienced in January and February, where the rising tide lifted all ships, market returns in the current month were much more widely dispersed. Countries with heavy exposure to energy and materials, the two sectors affected most by the decline, fared worst, with falls of 8% or more in Brazil and Russia. At the other end of the spectrum, Singapore, Mexico and Chile rose, albeit modestly. We view this as a… -
Latin America in February 2012
28 Mar 2012 | 9:23 amThe Latin American markets, as measured by the MSCI Latin American index, appreciated 5.2% during the month of February. Leading the region were the markets of Chile and Colombia, up 9.0% and 7.5%, respectively. Both of these markets were largely bouncing back after underperforming during January, which started the 2012 rally in particularly strong fashion. For the first two months of the year, the Latin American markets have posted an 18.4% return, which has outdistanced the 18.0% of the MSCI EM index, the 8.6% appreciation of the S&P 500, and the 11.4% return of the EAFE index. -
Emerging Markets in February 2012
20 Mar 2012 | 9:30 amIt was another positive month for markets generally, and emerging markets participated fully. There was not much dispersion of return between the regions or sectors, with prices rising in a general uplift inspired more by improving investor sentiment than by economic improvement. By country, the markets were typically heterogeneous with Thailand rising sharply, for example, while near neighbor Indonesia fell. There was genuine differentiation in the performance of small and mid-cap stocks, which rose more than the average in something of a catch-up to the broader trend. This effect can be… -
Latin America in January 2012
23 Feb 2012 | 12:30 amThe Latin American markets, as measured by the MSCI Latin American index, rose 12.6% in January. All of the region’s main country indices, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Peru, rose during the month. Brazil was the leader with an increase of 15.2%. The strong gains in Latin America outpaced the 11.3% increase of the emerging markets index and the considerably milder gains of the S&P 500 and the MSCI Europe indices, which went up 4.4% and 4.7%, respectively. The Latin American index was also boosted by the outperformance of commodity stocks, which as a group increased 16.5% due to marginal…
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Get Your Business to Work!
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2 DAY INTENSE BIZ-BUILDING BOOT-CAMP
10 May 2012 | 12:51 pm2 Day Intense BIZ-Building Boot-Camp June 14 & 15, 2012 – Charleston, NC July 26 & 27, 2012 – Newport Beach, CA “HELP! I’m Stuck! I Want My BIZ To Work!” Want To GROW Your BIZ In Tough Times? Want More Bottom-Line PROFIT? Want A Great Management Team? Want Written Goals & Plans? Want Organized SYSTEMS? Want To Let Go & GROW? Want New Customers? Want To Make More $$$? Stop waiting for the economy to turn around! Let me help you get your business back to work! Profit-Builder Circle Academy 2 Day Boot-Camp Outline Day1: Get Your BIZ Back To Work! How… -
Hire the Right Players Now!
17 Apr 2012 | 8:00 amIf you were the owner of a NBA basketball team, one of your top goals would be to have the best players on your team. With only five players on the court at any one time, every one of them is critical to winning. If you don’t do a good job hiring the right players, your team won’t win many games. And eventually the fans will stop coming out and spending their money on tickets. In other words, the success of your winning team is to have the right players on the floor at all times. Business owners tell me they can’t find any good help. But how much time do they actually spend finding the… -
Fill The Seats Or Go Broke!
2 Mar 2012 | 7:17 pmIf you were the owner of a NFL football team, your number one goal would be to fill all the seats every week. To fill seats takes a multiple approach. You must put a winning product on the field and you must sell seats. Seats don’t sell themselves. It takes a huge effort to create sellouts at profitable ticket prices. Over the last ten years, you didn’t have to sell very hard to keep profitable revenue flowing into your company’s coffers. If you put a mediocre team on the field, called the usual plays, and used an average business strategy, your customers would keep coming back… -
5 ‘Must Do’ New Year Resolutions!
27 Jan 2012 | 12:15 pmIt is almost 1 month into 2012 and things are already moving too fast. Hopefully you took a few moments and wrote out your goals for the next 12 months. Written targets and goals will insure you get what you want by keeping you focused. Less than 20% of all business owners actually write out their goals. And guess what? These top 20% are in the top 20% of the most successful business owners in their marketplace. A simple way to start is to write out these 5 goals: 1. Don’t be an island! Get involved with a group of like-minded business owners to seek advice, share challenges, get… -
Do-Over #2: Diversify, Market & Serve Customers Sooner Than Later!
15 Dec 2011 | 12:17 pmWhen business is steady with lots of bidding opportunities coming your way, it’s easy to keep busy working for a limited number of customers doing the same type of projects. This business model works during a good economy. Once you establish a few repeat customers, they continue to feed you work to bid on. You don’t have to go out and find new customers. You don’t have to market or sell. You don’t need an updated brochure or impressive website. And you don’t have to have a customer service or follow-up program. Work is easy to get: wait for the phone to ring, pick up a set of plans,…
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VIPdesk Blog
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The Language of Social Media
15 May 2012 | 10:45 am“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne Social Media, as the name implies, involves person-to-person or group-to-group communications that use a wide variety of technological mediums. It can be delivered or accessed online through blogs, instant messages, social networking sites, email, websites, webinars, live chats, and any place where you can leave a comment, thought, or opinion. It is also available in growing popularity… -
Experience is the Future of Marketing
9 May 2012 | 12:25 pmExperiential marketing allows customers to engage and interact with brands, products, and services in sensory ways that provide lasting impressions. Determining what type of experiences will work with your company is key. Recently I stumbled across an article by Jacob Braude which was featured in Fast Company Magazine, “Experience is the Next Frontier of Marketing”. In the article Jacob discusses the five major types of experiences that form the basic building blocks of the experiential code; sensations, actions, space, situations and impressions, all of which are equally as important in… -
In Booming Pet Industry Personal Service is Key
8 May 2012 | 8:21 amThis week is Pet Appreciation Week , a time I believe should be not only for pet owners to appreciate their pets, but for the pet industry to appreciate the customers who have taken what was once a niche industry and made it a powerhouse: The 2011-2012 APPA National Pet Owners Survey showed that 62% of U.S. households now own a pet—which equates to 72.9 million homes. According to some estimates, more than $50 billion dollars are spent by consumers in the US alone related to pets. There are 8,800 pet and pet supply stores in United States alone, according to the latest Research and… -
Over Half of all Customer Loyalty Programs Embrace Social Media and Mobile Communication Tools
3 May 2012 | 12:41 pmWe recently hosted a webinar, along with Banyan Branch ”Engaging and Retaining Customers through Social Media and Mobile-Enabled Loyalty Programs“. Below is the press release which outlines the poll results from the webinar which included over three hundred mid-to-high level managers and executives from many of the world’s leading brands. We recommend that you download the webinar to learn how brands can strategically incorporate social media and mobile applications into their loyalty programs. Alexandria, VA – April 31, 2012—Over half of loyalty programs either have a… -
The Connection Between Customer Loyalty and Pet Ownership: It’s Not What You Think
1 May 2012 | 11:19 amTo have a dog, or not to have a dog? That is the question. Paraphrasing Shakespeare is much easier than making a decision to become a pet owner, at least in my household. Growing up I always had a plethora of accidental pets: a homeless dog I stumbled upon, a cat who made his domicile in the elevator cage of our apartment building, a dove who broke its wing and landed on my balcony, even a white rat whose story I cannot recall. These are all happy memories: pet ownership was an adventure and every day there was a new world to explore. However, now that I have been in the realm of adult…
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Smart Online EarningsSmart Online Earnings
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Adsense Privacy Policy
14 May 2012 | 9:29 pmPrivacy Policy for www.smartonlineearnings.com. The privacy of our visitors to www.smartonlineearnings.com is important to us. At www.smartonlineearnings.com we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit smartonlineearnings.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell [...] -
SquishyCash: Another Easy Way To Earn Cash From Surveys and Offers
6 May 2012 | 7:38 pmSquishyCash is a free get-paid-to site that was established in 2007. It is a legitimate place to make money online and you automatically earn $5 just for signing up. The site gives members the opportunity to make money from paid online surveys, product offers, quizzes, downloading videos and games and clicking on paid-to-click ads. There [...] -
3 Companies That Offer Product Testing Jobs
3 May 2012 | 8:39 amIf you are looking for a new way to make money, or get free products, consider product testing jobs. Although I’m using the word “job”, this is really more of an opportunity to earn some extra cash on the side, or get freebies. The one cool thing about testing products is that you can be [...] -
3 Legitimate Companies For Virtual Call Center Jobs
1 May 2012 | 10:34 pmIf you need a work at home opportunity with stable income, you might consider applying for a few virtual call center jobs. There are a lot of scams out there, but this is a real job that pays for answering phone calls. The virtual call center industry is huge right now and it’s expected to [...] -
4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Spend All of Your Time Writing for Revenue Sharing Sites
30 Apr 2012 | 5:31 pmRevenue sharing sites like Hubpages, Bukisa, InfoBarrel and Suite101 are places where you can submit articles and earn a bit of advertising revenue in return. No doubt, writing content for these types of sites is an awesome way to funnel traffic into your own site while earning some money, but relying on it as a [...]
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Sprout Insights
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Google Introduces Its Powerful New Knowledge Graph
16 May 2012 | 12:56 pmYour search experience is about to get a whole lot better as Google just unveiled one of its most significant updates to its search engine: the Knowledge Graph. In March, Google announced its plan to provide you with more relevant results through semantic search — which refers to the process of understanding the meaning of words. Previously, if you searched for “kings,” Google didn’t know if you meant royalty, a sports team, or a TV series, so it displayed results for all of them. Moving forward, a box will appear and you will be asked to clarify your search and your… -
American Express Launches My Offers for Small Businesses
16 May 2012 | 11:29 amThis week American Express released an updated version of its iPhone app that will provide shoppers with daily deals to be redeemed at nearby businesses. AmEx is using cardholders’ purchase histories and location to determine the most relevant offer. Merchants can use My Offers as an opportunity to reach new customers, or you can extend the offer to everyone. Additionally, you’re able to create loyalty-based offers for repeat customers. Staff training is not required since AmEx handles the processing of discounts. Your customers just need to swipe their card to pay; there’s… -
Facebook Adds Negative Feedback Metrics to App Insights Tool
16 May 2012 | 10:05 amFacebook has added app ratings and negative feedback metrics to the App Insights tool in an effort to provide you with a better understand of your app’s performance. Previously, Facebook used this data to determine what appears in members’ News Feeds, but you were unable to view these insights or track your performance over time. Facebook’s app ratings dashboard will display how individuals have rated your app on a scale of one to five stars. You’re able to view the ratings across several different demographics, including age and gender, country, and locale. The… -
5 Sources for Beautiful, Legal Facebook Timeline Cover Images
16 May 2012 | 8:00 amWhen Facebook rolled out its new Timeline layout for branded Pages it created an opportunity to present a more exciting, expressive and personal experience to fans of your brand. One of the most striking changes was the addition of a Cover image. The Cover image gives you an opportunity to add a touch of customization and closely align your Page with your company’s branding. When deciding what image to include for your company’s Cover there are many factors to consider. One factor that is frequently overlooked, and can get you into trouble, is legality. It’s important to make sure you… -
Facebook Welcomes Foursquare Check-Ins to Timeline Maps
15 May 2012 | 1:39 pmThis week Foursquare announced that people who send check-ins to their Facebook Accounts will now be able to see them on their Facebook Timeline maps. The Timeline map displays all of the places members have visited by either checking in to a nearby location or adding a life event to Timeline. Previously, the map could only see check-ins made through Facebook or Instagram. Moving forward, it will also include check-ins shared by Foursquare as well. Additionally, any check-ins made prior to the update have been retroactively added. It seemed like many customers were having to check-in twice to…
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The Joys of Teaching
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How I became one of the 100 most influential Indians online in just 1 year?
16 May 2012 | 7:55 amI decided to quit my job and become a full time Online Branding consultant one year back. I had two options viz. to set up an organization, hire staff and create a digital agency or to create my own personal brand and be an example to the people who want to develop personal brands (and thus get consulting/coaching business). I decided to use the latter option.Though I had created a Blog six months back which had already got listed on Alltop.com but I was hardly devoting 2-3 hours a day with the pressures of a fulltime job. Since the Blog was a hit already taking risk to quit my job was not a… -
Social Media and the Future of Society
11 May 2012 | 6:17 amHow Personal Branding will Evolve in Future?Social Media is going to play a major role in globalization and evolution of our society. Many of these social trends are already visible and some of these trends will either emerge or become more prominent in future. These trends will cause macro shifts in the way we live and handle human relationships. So you must be having suspense by now that what are these trends and how are they going to impact personal branding in particular. So let us discuss these trends one by one.Social Trend 1-Creativity becomes more criticalIf your content goes viral on… -
10 Myths about Spirituality
11 May 2012 | 3:51 amMyth 1-Spirituality is serious and boringIn fact it is the opposite. If spirituality is presented in the right way it is the most relaxing and gives absolute happiness unlike relative happiness gained from material objects and successes. Spirituality can be real fun. For example Nithya says asimple fact interestingly, “True education teaches you how to google your consciousness and find all your answers within.”Myth 2- Spirituality is taught by the uneducated (babas) who may not have intellectual capacity and understanding of real life and corporate worldNot true anymore. There are… -
My Blog-My Mirror or My Alter Ego?
10 May 2012 | 3:12 amJapan and India- Two AnglesBlogging Japanese Style While the Japanese may have been slower at embracing social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn, they quickly jumped on board to blogging when it became popular in the country from 2002. Since then, Japanese have slightly edged out English in becoming the dominant language of the blogosphere. Pretty amazing considering that English speakers worldwide outnumber Japanese speakers by over 5 to 1. Here are some interesting factoids about blogging in the Land of the Rising Sun.•While 40% of English-language… -
30 X 30 X 30 Personal Branding Blogathon
10 May 2012 | 1:48 am"I am excited to launch my 30x30x30 Personal Branding Blogathon in June – 30 days x 30 thought leaders x 30 amazing posts! Over the next couple weeks I will introduce you to these 30 amazing people. Visit their sites before the blogathon and then make sure to come back every day in June." Peter Sterlacci, Japan's Personal Branding PioneerPeter is organizing a Blogathon in June on Personal Branding with varied topics relating to Personal Branding and 30 thought leaders from across the world will participate and contribute 30 perspectives.Stay tuned.For more, visitPeter's…
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Daily Biz Solutions
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Considerations When Choosing an Attorney
16 May 2012 | 6:26 amAs a small business owner, there may be times that you need to enlist the services of a defense attorney. Choosing the right firm to provide legal representation if you find yourself being accused of a crime is an important key to protecting yourself as well as the assets of the company that you have [...] -
Recruiting Employees for Your Texas Business
15 May 2012 | 1:17 pmAre you the owner or manager of a business in Dallas or Houston? Do you often find yourself working with applicants who will need to relocate to the area from out of town if they accept a position with your company? Whether you are hiring employees who will move from another part of Texas or [...] -
Corporate Gift Occasions
15 May 2012 | 11:40 amAre you wondering if there are times that your company should be giving tokens of appreciation to employees, referral sources or customers? If the thought has crossed your mind, chances are that implementing corporate gift giving is something that you probably should do. After all, if you didn’t have relationships with individuals that are valuable [...] -
Three Technology Tools for Small Business Owners
13 May 2012 | 9:48 amAre you looking for ways to boost your productivity as a small business owner? Here are a few tools that you may find to be useful. Three Technology-Based Productivity Tools for Small Business Google Docs – Are you tired of sending edited documents back and forth to your business partners, employees and customers? If keeping [...] -
Minimize Data Security Gap Risk
12 May 2012 | 5:45 amThis is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CDW for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. In the modern world, our businesses are quite dependent on technology – we rely on computer equipment, network systems, websites, mobile applications, cloud storage and more to run our companies and do business with customers. While [...]
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Bud to Boss
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Are micro-inequities driving your team apart?
16 May 2012 | 8:00 amEvery week, the Briefings marketing team arranges for first-rate speakers to deliver audio conferences on a range of workplace topics. Past speakers have shared their expertise on everything from navigating change to increasing productivity to motivating employees. This week I’m especially excited about the talk “Nonsense at Work: The Micro-Inequities That Destroy Morale—and How to Overcome Them” from James McIntosh, scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, May 17 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern. The term “micro-inequities” is new to me, but the concept is not. Like most people, I’ve experienced… -
Prepare to move up the ladder
11 May 2012 | 8:00 amWhether you started your supervisory position last year or yesterday, it’s never too early to work toward your long-term career goals. If your immediate reaction is to put planning on the back burner because you’re “too young” to start thinking about executive leadership, think again. Twenty percent of organizations have executives who are younger than 30, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey of over 2,000 hiring managers and HR professionals. If you want to continue climbing the ladder in your organization or field, you need to do more than know the right people and be in the… -
7 ways coaching employees is like training a puppy
9 May 2012 | 8:13 amBy Amy Beth Miller, editor of The Organized Executive The past few weeks have been exciting, frustrating and very rewarding in our home. Welcoming a puppy into our family has been a lot like the journey a manager takes in developing employees. Keep these observations in mind as you manage your team: Choose the right one. Taking the time to find an employee who is a good fit for your team pays off in the long run. Look for the right attitude, and remember that you can train people to develop skills but you’re unlikely to alter someone’s attitude. We knew that Newfoundlands fit our family… -
Embrace your inner leader this summer
4 May 2012 | 8:10 amIf you’re ready to reach your potential as a manager—and even more importantly, as a leader—we have three great training camps for you this summer: First, there’s this blog’s namesake, the Bud to Boss Training Camp, featuring trainers from the Kevin Eikenberry Group. That workshop is designed specifically for first-time supervisors, giving participants confidence in their new roles by teaching important leadership skills such as mediating conflict, hiring, firing and dealing with HR issues. In June we’ll be in the following cities: June 4-5: St. Louis June 6-7: Orlando, Fla. -
The go-to danger
2 May 2012 | 9:00 amBy Amy Beth Miller, editor of The Organized Executive As a new manager, knowing there are one or two outstanding team members you can rely on in a pinch is a great comfort. The problem comes when you go to that go-to person too often. I knew I had reached that point one day when I turned to ask Doug to handle another last-minute assignment and could see the frustration in his eyes. He had not only been handling his own responsibilities well but also had been picking up the slack for other team members whose performance was lagging. Under the pressure of being a new manager, it can feel like…
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Reality Burst
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5 Signs You are Hiring the Wrong VA
24 Apr 2012 | 8:46 amAt some point, if you’re doing things right, you go from “solopreneur” to “solopreneur with helpers.” Part of the reason that people start businesses, and one of the major reasons that I did, is to gain freedom. But you soon realize that freedom has a price. And that price is lack of freedom. At least in terms of time. Being a solopreneur takes a lot of sacrifice in terms of time. But eventually, or maybe even fairly quickly depending on your situation, you can outsource some of the work. Outsourcing can be your best friend. You can outsource tedious taks you… -
Biggest Lesson of 2011: The Secret Ingredient of Business Success
27 Feb 2012 | 10:39 amI spent the whole of 2011 blogging, tweaking and learning. I learned quite a lot… How to write blog posts that get noticed (content that gets shared). How to reach out and conduct group interviews with experts (content marketing mistakes). How to organize my content using a content inventory (content inventory). How to get more subscribers (increase opt in list subscribers). How just because everyone in the blogosphere is saying to do something a certain way, it doesn’t mean it’s the right way to do it (do blog comments really matter?). How to create and set up a sales… -
The Archaic Solution to Growing Your Business
24 Jan 2012 | 10:17 amNote: This post is part of the January Word Carnival — a monthly group blogging event specifically for small business owners. (It’s the most fun you’ll have all month!) Check out the rest of the fabulous carney work here. And don’t forget to join us for our Twitter Chat on Thursday (Jan 26) at noon (Pacific). We’ll be tweeting up a storm under the #WordCarnival hashtag. Bartering. Most people don’t think twice about it. Bartering is just an archaic form of commerce that doesn’t exist any more. But that’s not entirely true. In fact, it’s not true at… -
How to be Creative: Multiplying Your Ideas by Dividing
28 Nov 2011 | 8:46 amBeing creative is a essential for any entrepreneur. The need for creativity is even higher in the online world because the competition is so high. If you plan on employing content marketing, you need to get really creative because the internet is overflowing with content (and exponentially growing). So how can you stand out of the crowd when it is very likely that someone is already doing what you are trying to do? How do you separate yourself, your service or your product? You have to tweak it and make it unique. You have to be creative! Breaking Down Ideas While I was in school I attended a… -
Give Yourself a Holiday Gift: Two Days Left to Get Headway
23 Nov 2011 | 9:36 amOn November 25th, the great people at Headway Themes will be releasing Headway 3.0. After seeing some of the features, I am excited! Standard Headway Features Let’s begin with three features that made me absolutely fall in love with the Headway theme: SEO Optimization: I used to be a huge fan of All-In-One SEO Pack. That is until I switched over to Headway theme. It gives you full control over tags and titles and keywords on every single page. Plus, it provides a preview of what your page will look like as a result in search engines so you can edit the meta description and alternate…
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The Conversation - Business + Economy
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When it comes to solving the euro's woes, it's the same gold story
15 May 2012 | 11:08 pmAre the tragedies of the 1920s repeating themselves in the twenty-first century? In the 1920s, an irrational attachment to the gold standard helped cause the Great Depression, as European fears of inflation acted as a deadweight on growth. By the 1930s, economic collapse facilitated the rise of fascism, Nazism and World War II. While the Great Depression eventually broke the gold standard, enabling economic recovery, this would come too late for central Europe. In the current day, a similar attachment to the euro – again as a bulwark against inflation – risks a similar tragedy. Once… -
Greeks to go back to the polls - and back on the edge
15 May 2012 | 10:13 pm“I don’t envisage, not even for one second, Greece leaving the euro area. This is nonsense; this is propaganda.” That’s Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, chairman of the Eurogroup, speaking after Monday’s EU finance ministers' meeting. Not given to half-measures, Juncker added: “The exit of Greece out of the euro was not the subject of our debate today. Absolutely no one, absolutely no one, argued in that sense.” The global media is agog with speculation about what appears to be Greece’s Eurozone death throes. Like a car crash about to happen, one can’t… -
Hollande and Merkel: breaking up is hard to do
15 May 2012 | 8:30 pmEurope is in economic dire straits and the two most powerful economies on the continent are, at least on paper, led by individuals with considerable differences. The previous French President Nicolas Sarkozy was not merely regarded as a man of austerity, but a man who Chancellor Angela Merkel could do business with. The Sarkozy-Merkel imprint marks the entire bailout strategy that is now being employed against the Greeks. It is a model that has ushered in technocratic governments whose loyalties lie less to the citizen than the budget. Balancing accounts and paying creditors is considered the… -
Wicked problems and business strategy: is design thinking an answer?
15 May 2012 | 3:02 pmObesity. Climate change. Brain drain. Tax havens. War in Afghanistan. All have been described as “wicked problems”. UC Berkeley scholars, Rittel and Webber, coined the term in 1973 when they were reacting to urban planning challenges, a frustrating process that was attempting to find scientific bases to social problems. Wicked problems were described by systems scientist and philosopher C. West Churchman as “a class of social system problems, which are ill-formulated; where the information is confusing; where there are many clients and decision makers with conflicting values; and where… -
Scientific research spending lags behind smaller countries
15 May 2012 | 10:20 amNations half the size of Australia spend more on scientific research, have higher employment levels for scientists, and greater appeal to foreign investors, according to a report on Australia’s global standing in science. Although Australia’s rate of spending on research and development is greater than in France, Canada and Britain, it remains well below the rate in smaller Scandinavian nations, according to the report, commissioned by Australia’s chief scientist, Ian Chubb, and released today. The author, Alan Pettigrew, an Adjunct Professor at the College of Medicine, Biology and…
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Jackie Purnell - Respectfully Disobedient
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Is Blogging Sucking The Life Out Of You?
14 May 2012 | 6:00 pmEver had one of those days, weeks…even months when you really wonder if this blogging game is worth the effort. You get up in the morning, punch the keys and it feels meaningless. That spark that excited you has long been overshadowed by the constant need to crank out content. After all that’s what we’re supposed to do right? The fact that your backspace key is completely devoid of its identifying features is testimony to your complete lack of faith in your words. Your art. Your commitment. Could it be you’ve become trapped by the boundaries of your blogging schedule? -
Does Online Terminology Leave You Scratching Your Head?
7 May 2012 | 6:00 pmYou may have heard me say in the past…”business is business, there’s nothing magical or mythical that happens online”. While this may be true, every new environment usually gives birth new processes or technical applications, which in turn gives rise to new terminology. Terminology that can be confusing and overwhelming to understand. So if you’re convinced that cookies are just something you eat, or that spiders are just 8 legged beasties that find their way into your house, then stand by for your quick reference to deciphering online terminology. Lets kick off… -
Do You Really Need That Mentor?
30 Apr 2012 | 6:00 pmThere are times when you need help. It might be skills or strategy. It may be breaking through some existing boundaries by challenging your existing thought processes. With so many people offering their services via coaching, consulting and or mentoring, how do you know which one to choose….do you even need someone at all? Nobody can magically impart their skill and wisdom to create change in your life or business without your application of the principals being taught. Each genre has thier style. Make sure you’re getting the right match up for your requirements. Coaches tend to… -
Please, Let The Day Come When Most “Online Selling Rules” Die
25 Apr 2012 | 6:00 pmA little change of pace on Respectfully Disobedient this week with a special guest post from Karol K, who’s not holding back on his views on some less than savory online selling practices (Warning. Rant inside … Oh yea.) Enjoy! Some sales attempts I see on the Internet make me both cry and laugh. And I’m also amazed at the same time, because apparently, the techniques are working to some degree…otherwise no one would be using them. Of course, it all depends on your definition of “working” … if it’s “I’m pissing 98% of people off,… -
Blog Security – Are You At Risk?
23 Apr 2012 | 6:00 pmIt all started over a simple yet sinister comment. “Approve my comment…otherwise I’m gonna hack your blog” Far from being the shy retiring type, my immediate thoughts were, “WTF…who the hell are you…you jumped up little twerp” I know, I know…very misguided of me. After all the “little twerp” is probably spamming this message across hundreds of sites as we speak. But it was enough to pull me up and address my complacency on blog security. Hacking Monkeys (as I like to call them) have always been around, and I don’t know if…
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Execution & Strategy
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Are You Growing Backwards?
8 May 2012 | 10:00 amQuestion: If your business / division grew by 10% but overall market in which your product / service operates grew by 50%, did you in fact grow? Let's look at this in a little more detail, as outlined in the tables below. (Folks: Please do not write to me and say I am using ridiculous numbers. I am using exaggerated numbers to illustrate the point succinctly). As you can see, this very simple example shows your business / division growing its' revenue by 10%. At the same time the rest of the market grew by 50%. Therefore when assessing the growth of your business /… -
Are You To Blame? Your Mirror Moment.
22 Apr 2012 | 5:04 pmHow's your Latin? “Iniquissima haec bellorum condicio est: prospera omnes sibi vindicant, adversa uni imputantur.” Tacitus, Agricola Book 1:27 (written around 98AD). This translates to, “It is the singularly unfair peculiarity of war that the credit of success is claimed by all, while a disaster is attributed to one alone.” which has made its way to the well known phrase “Success has many Fathers. Failure is an orphan.” In my view this is not an " unfair peculiarity " but rather a hallmark of a genuine leader. I have always thought the best job in the… -
Do You Celebrate Wins, Even When You're Losing?
22 Mar 2012 | 9:00 amOn a recent engagement, an auditor was reviewing the customer feedback process as part of the broader Quality Management process. Towards the end of the discussion the question was raised, “Where do you capture all positive comments from your customers?”. What makes this question so important is that the business was going through significant change i.e. employees were reapplying for their roles, cost reduction initiatives etc. Whilst the question may be related directly to a customer feedback capture process it nevertheless highlights a recurring theme I see in a number of… -
Aligning Values. Game On!
5 Mar 2012 | 10:00 amA number of years ago I did some work for a company who proudly told all employees that the core values (there were 8 in total) included: Courage Integrity Unity When it came to "Courage", employees were afraid to tell the CEO they (I am using 'they' instead of he or she) were wrong in case the employee got sacked. Every day employees would switch on their computers and low and behold there were the corporate values spinning around and around on the desktop. You see, if it is on the computer then it must be true! In 1980 an article appeared in Business Horizons, called… -
Do You Remember Your Lollipop Moment?
23 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amRegular readers of my blog will know that I have written about what inspires me and about the subject of leadership. The video below from TED is both inspirational and about leadership. The small bio on the TED site states, "In this funny talk from TEDxToronto, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each other’s lives." However that description does not do the 6 min 21 sec talk justice. The essence of Drew's talk is that we are all leaders and that leadership is not about changing the world. I know many of you will think: What a load of…
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Birds on the Blog
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Five unnecessary insurance plans
16 May 2012 | 1:00 pmA guest post by Carol Seiler Being prepared for life’s events concerns most people. Getting insurance coverage is usually at the top of the list. There are many specialties of insurance policies. Glossy brochures and sleek websites compel you to inquire for additional information and purchase their policies. Which do you choose? More importantly, which ones do you not need? Most life insurance policies provide for the disbursement of a certain amount of money upon the death of the policyholder. The recipient is entitled to use the funds as desired such as payoff a mortgage or cover living… -
From Hunted to Hunter in Love
16 May 2012 | 8:00 amDear Jackie, A couple of weeks I met a new woman in a bar in London. It was love at first sight for both of us. We made out in the toilets and it was the best sex I ever had. Unfortunately I lost my wallet somehow and had to sleep at her place, not that I minded . I noticed there were a lot of empty bottles shoved under the bed but didn’t say anything. Last week she came to my place and got very drunk and tied me to the bed. It was very exciting! I woke up and she had already left, but she wrote me a lovely note saying she had borrowed my laptop and iPhone and would be in touch very soon… -
Happy families? What is the world coming to?
16 May 2012 | 4:00 amI used to enjoy the whole weekend paper ritual. Yet a few pages in and I wonder why I bother to stick with it these days. I picked one broad subject to share with you. Just see if, like me, you end up wondering just how bonkers the world is becoming… Happy families I: Would you help us start our family? It appears that a fertility firm has been distributing leaflets offering up to £750 to tempt Cambridge Univerity students here in the UK to become “super brain” egg doners. The leaflet allegedly states: ‘We are looking for a real-life angel to be our egg donor.’ and goes… -
In her shoes: My descent in entrepreneurial hell
15 May 2012 | 1:00 pmIn her shoes is a series of anonymous posts from women in business, sharing their experience. In your comments you are asked to answer the question – What would you do in her shoes? My story began 9 months ago; it is a story of self-realisation, friendship, love and betrayal. After 11 years at home raising my family an opportunity arose to work for a friend. I jumped at the opportunity to exercise my creativity, a jump that 6 months later proved to be one without a safety net. I took a job as a consultant to a burgeoning entrepreneur. I had never worked for an entrepreneur before,… -
I’m in the Army now!
15 May 2012 | 8:29 amAs I sit here writing this blog post I’m having a wave of nostalgia as I go back 20 years (and nearly faint that it was 20 years ago!!) that I volunteered to do Army training in Israel. As an Israeli (I was born there although bought up in the UK) I’m incredibly proud of my heritage and although I fully support the Army in truth I’m totally against war and fighting of any kind. But then I guess I don’t always live in the real world… Fish out of water 20 years ago I decided to spend a year in Israel and do voluntary work. As part of that I also carried out Army training. Now 20…
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Investors.com
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Blood Of Housing Massacre On Obama's Hands
15 May 2012 | 5:57 pmSubprime Scandal: Analysts now say the housing market is so weak it may not rebound in our lifetimes. Yet the White House is pursuing the same policies that put it on its back. Worse, many of the officials it has put in charge of reviving the housing market are the same ones who crafted the fatal policies before the crisis. First, consider the latest data supporting a lost generation in housing: The average homeowner today has 7% equity in his -
America To Reap Big On Jobs With The Colombia Free Trade Pact
15 May 2012 | 5:57 pmTrade: Six years after it was signed, the U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement took effect Tuesday, giving our economy a shot in the arm. Tell us again why this pact was a bad thing? Look at the Port of Long Beach. Monday, port officials drove the first golden pile into the water for their $1.2 billion upgrade and expansion, hailing a modernization that will double the port's traffic when completed in 2019. The project restores the California port -
Obama's Economic Winter: Can Adam And Steve Find Jobs?
15 May 2012 | 5:52 pmJob Creation: With just 7% of Americans considering gay marriage the top issue, the presumptive GOP nominee asks: What about the 23 million Americans who are out of work, underemployed or have simply given up? The battle of the steel ads between venture capitalist Mitt Romney and venture socialist and incumbent President Barack Obama has ended with the advantage going to Romney. The Obama spot dubbed "Steel," but which perhaps could have been -
Law Of The Sea Treaty Is A Bad Deal For U.S.
15 May 2012 | 5:52 pmThe stunning repudiation of Sen. Richard Lugar's, R-Ind., bid for a seventh term has sent shock waves through Washington's internationalist lobby. A former Rhodes scholar, Lugar has spent his career promoting a globalist agenda since succeeding the late Jesse Helms as the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. One day after Indiana Republicans handed Lugar his walking papers, an outfit called the Atlantic Council held a forum to -
JPMorgan Chase Loss Is No Reason For New Regulation
15 May 2012 | 5:52 pmIt's a teachable moment, but what's the right lesson? Already, the $2 billion-plus trading debacle at JPMorgan Chase has inspired a powerful story line. Nothing has changed since the financial crisis, it's said. Big banks remain out of control, gambling recklessly. If Jamie Dimon's bank, reputed to be one of the best-managed, can get into trouble, what about the others? Government regulations and regulators need to be tougher to counteract
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Arrive Prepared – The business and market research blog from HighBeam Business
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Greece’s exit from eurozone: Austerity measures the sticking point
16 May 2012 | 11:22 amGreece election front runner, Alexis Tsipras Elections in Greece held on Friday, May 11, 2012 resulted in a failure to give any party enough seats in Parliament to form a coalition government. After living for two years on international bailouts and enduring endless rounds of spending cuts and tax hikes, Greece faces the choice of submitting to more harsh austerity measures or being ejected from the eurozone. What was once thought to be a prelude to financial disaster, the exit of a nation from the eurozone is now being considered by some experts as a change that could be survivable. Turmoil… -
Facebook IPO kickoff — Zuckerberg to control of what could be $100 billion valuation
11 May 2012 | 5:39 pmMark Zuckerberg (© Guillaume Paumier/Wikimedia Commons) The Facebook IPO kicked off last week with presentations to fund managers in cities across the country. It is expected that the initial public offering of shares will begin on May 18, 2012, with share prices set from $28 to $35 each. Interest in the stock has not dampened despite a recent slowdown in revenue growth. Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, will retain control over the company, leading some to question whether it’s a good idea to place so much confidence in a young entrepreneur. Company valuation David Roeder… -
Student debt crisis: Total student loan debt burden tops $1 trillion
7 May 2012 | 4:49 pmOn Friday, April 27, 2012, the GOP-led House of Representatives voted to extend federal student loan interest rates for another year. But, the elephant in the room was when student debt hit the $1 trillion mark, placing total student debt higher than that of car loans and credit card debt. This student debt crisis, coupled with a weak job market, has led for calls to create relief measures through the courts. Student loan debt Today the average student loan debt is about $25,000 — an increase of 43 percent since 1996. What that means for this year’s crop of graduates is that roughly… -
Google Drive launch takes aim at SugarSync and Box
25 Apr 2012 | 6:22 pmGoogle has finally released its own highly anticipated cloud storage service this week, just the rumors suggested. Google Drive offers users 5 GB of free storage space placing it in direct competition with web-based storage services SugarSync and Box.net. The service will be available for mobile devices and will run on both MAC and PC platforms. Check out Google’s release announcement on the Official Blog. Cloud competitors Rumors that Google would eventually launch its version of cloud computing have been around for years, but it may be the 2011 performance of cloud storage companies… -
The CPI rise and modest inflation prove economy is slowly growing
16 Apr 2012 | 2:08 pmThe consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.3 percent in March 2012, reflecting the fact that inflation has slowed and the economy is easing toward growth. Changes in the CPI are used as the basis for monetary policy, making changes in the tax code and in setting interest rates. Current CPI figures indicate that gas prices may be leveling out, thus easing fears of price hikes in other major spending areas and a possible rise in interest rates by the Fed. What is the CPI? The consumer price index (CPI) is a measure of the change in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer…
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THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE - Douglas E Castle
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Internationalist Education: Response To Globalism
13 May 2012 | 4:44 pm"Domestic Education" may soon join the growing ranks of entertaining oxymorons and anachronisms. It is impossible to deny the realities of the shrinking world, internationalization, outsourcing, offshoring and a global job market (versus a disintegrating and far less promising career path than ever in modern history in the U.S. and in other industrialized nations undergoing their share of economic, social and political challenges) where cultural sensitivity, multilingualism and training in international trade practices and basic ambassadorship skills are becoming increasingly important in… -
Citizen Ambassadors, Citizen Activists And True Democracy
24 Apr 2012 | 2:25 pmThe following article extract comes to us courtesy of Truthout.org, an organization labeled by many as being "Progressive" (now a pejorative term when spoken by conservatives and Republicans) news source. And yes, I read The Liberty Digest, too (they tend to be called "right-wing" or "ultra-conservative" by many of those folks whom others are calling Progressives and Liberals. I read as much as I can, and I make my own decisions after gleaning insights from the full spectrum of politicized and cause-based media. I am what some people would call an "Independent Thinker." It even gets lonely. -
Energy Access: Global Game-Changer In Breaking The Chain Of Poverty
16 Apr 2012 | 5:13 pmEnergy access to poor or slowly emerging nations, villages and communities can truly be a global game-changer in breaking the continuous cycle of poverty in so many areas of the world and the International Community. Ready access to reasonably-priced energy means electricity, the advancement of agriculture, the beginnings of industrialization, and, of course to broadband communication with the rest of the world -- the inspirational, educational and sheer economic benefits (not to mention the increased possibilities and incentives for peace) make this a very high priority item on the United… -
Internationalism And Patriotism: Potential Conflict. Why?
12 Apr 2012 | 10:03 amIt was stated in the Old Testament, purportedly by Cain to the Lord when the Lord asked Cain where his brother, Abel was. Cain answered, perhaps a bit defensively (and being evasive), "Am I my brother's keeper?" -- this was Biblespeak for "How should I know? The situation is played out in many interactions between people where they either have an implicit responsibility for others, or when they should reasonably have knowledge about the conduct, acts and deeds of another person who may or may not be in their charge. The European Union is very tenuously holding together at this very moment… -
LIBOR, PRIME And Other Published Rates: Becoming Irrelevant.
14 Mar 2012 | 6:56 pmThere was a time when certain key lending and borrowing rates, determined with due consideration and caution by various international governmental agencies or special cooperatives of trusted institutions were incorporated into the terms of agreements. 1) You could have a variable-rate loan pegged to LIBOR or PRIME; 2) You could have a low point or a high point of "not less than" or "not to exceed" LIBOR or PRIME; 3) You could have a variable-rate or adjustable-rate mortage that was geared toward some formula based upon the U.S. Treasury bond or U.S. Treasury note yield at adjustment…
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Chief Customer Officer 2.0
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Why Annual Planning Hurts Customer Profitability
15 May 2012 | 11:30 amAnnual planning is a missed opportunity for driving customer profitability inside the corporate machine. Ah, the joy of the annual plan. Those last three months before the fiscal year ends are spent rushing about trying to decide what you’ll do next year. Each silo pushes its numbers around for head count, capital expenses, vendors, and programs. The silos usually pick their projects and plan their budgets independent of one another. Here’s what happens: Short-term tactics with outcomes easily attributable to individual departments (for purposes of “clean” compensation and… -
3 CCO Tools to Reduce Dueling Silos
10 May 2012 | 11:30 amYou can recognize disconnected silo agendas at work when short-term revenue requirements compromise long-term revenue efforts. It’s when lack of clarity on what’s really important to differentiate the company for the customer is not understood the same way by everyone who needs to know. And it’s when there is an imbalance between the culture to drive revenue and the understanding and purpose of including customer investment to meet those goals. The shorthand for the CCO role is to be that duct tape to connect the silos by reframing the work of the business through the lens of how the… -
The Chief Customer Officer Job Description
8 May 2012 | 11:30 amThis is a brief, shorthand description for the Chief Customer Officer. You can use this as the starting point for a job description, modifying it as necessary for your organization. The goals of the CCO are to: Engage the organization in managing customer relationships, revenue, and profit. Create a persistent focus on the customer in the actions the company takes. Drive the organization to work together for optimum customer experience delivery. Support leaders in their role as cultural leaders in the transformation journey. As a change agent inside the company, the Chief Customer Officer… -
The 5 Customer Experience Competencies
3 May 2012 | 11:30 amAs has been the case with nearly every incarnation of customer focus activity, this focus on “experience” is inadvertently randomizing corporations, sending people out on tactical missions to map customer touchpoints with no future relevance to the operation and making a lot of consultants happy. To make customer experience stick as part of your operation, you need an organized and phased approach for how to integrate this new competency into your organization. Without it, “CX” becomes one more customer focused “hoopla” event that your company tried for a while and then abandoned. -
3 Sobering Facts About Cross-Silo Customer Treatment
2 May 2012 | 11:30 amThe grand outcome of dueling silos is the random and inconsistent customer treatment delivered to customers. It is our organization charts that emerge most clearly to customers when they do business with us, certainly not a unified brand experience. Lack of a unifying purpose for customer treatment across the silos PLUS A hodgepodge of inconsistent metrics MEANS Parts of the organization deliver varying levels of performance to your customers (Translation: Bad Mechanics and Biorhythmic Service) Service providers and everyone else throughout the company can’t get a grip on what their…
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Interpersonal Communication Blog
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Clinic Training Brings Laughs and Learning
15 May 2012 | 9:20 pmAfter John and I dramatized one of the cases in our book, John bowed and asked for the 15 veterinary staff members to hold their applause. That, of course, was the cue that we were finished, and it was time to rise and yell “bravo!” The stage was set for a light-hearted and friendly discussion about a serious topic. This took place during the regular weekly staff meeting of the La Jolla Veterinary Hospital. The topic was listening to others. The process was a communication case study, facilitated (and dramatized!) by John and Carolyn. The case we chose from our book was “I Want A… -
Use Your Head To Communicate Effectively
14 May 2012 | 6:24 pm‘ Effective communication includes an awareness of not only what you say, but also how you say it. However, another important tool of communication is body language. We all know that actions speak louder than words. Our bodies give away signals of how we feel, what our true intentions are, and what we’re not saying. So we may be sitting on a crowded sectional sofa during a family gathering without saying a word, yet communicating clearly to anyone who glances over. Gestures and body language are so ingrained that we take them for granted. We are almost unaware of behaviors such as… -
Job Searching with Social Media
13 May 2012 | 3:22 pmVia www.jeffbullas.com Business Communication Headline News -
The Biggest Mistake People Make on Twitter
12 May 2012 | 12:24 pmIf you’re just using Twitter to lurk, you can stop reading now: This advice does not pertain to you. But if you intend to use Twitter for any sort of marketing, whether for yourself or your company, then I beg you: Please take a few minutes now . . . Via www.businessinsider.com Business Communication Headline News -
How to make an impact in meetings
11 May 2012 | 9:19 amTop tips for making yourself heard in meetings and for coming across with confidence and conviction – whomever you’re faced with Speak First RSS news feed
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SAKETVAANI
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Identify your "Consultant Type"
25 Apr 2012 | 6:16 amConsulting as a profession has been growing steadily with more and more firms setting their base in India. Consulting landscape has also been helped by maturing of Indian business set-up as well as growing popularity of professional courses like MBA. But joining a particular industry, sector or a profession, is just the beginning. After all, our professional career could well span over 35 years. -
Three types of Primary Interviewees that Consultants come across
3 Apr 2012 | 2:44 pmAs they say, consultants are not scientists; they largely thrive on collective wisdom. And one of the major sources of this collective wisdom is “primary interview”. By primary interview, I mean the one-to-one interactions that you have with people who may be SME (subject matter experts), competitors, customers or other stakeholders. I must say that these primary interviews have been one of the -
Coke opens Citra: Strategic or a shot in the dark?
28 Feb 2012 | 12:32 pmI must say that I feel a bit nostalgic writing this post. I still remember, it was one my birthdays almost 2 decades ago (yeah I am getting older) when I sipped “Citra”, a new flavored soft drink for the first time. While I don’t recall tasting the clear drink in green bottle too often after that but I was surprised when I heard that Coca-Cola plans to revive Citra after 19 years. This move -
Telecom Industry: 3 cheers to 2G verdict?
6 Feb 2012 | 1:18 pmSo, finally the cat is out of the bag. Through a drastic as well as unprecedented judgment, the Supreme Court has cancelled all the 122 2G licenses issued in January 2008. Some may say that the crook corporates got what they deserve, whereas others might say that it wasn't fair to paint everybody with the same brush. Let’s try to discuss the major fall outs of this landmark judgment. The -
Rupee Depreciation: There are lessons to be learnt
1 Jan 2012 | 2:32 pmRupee, our very own Indian currency, has witnessed a literal free fall especially in the past few weeks. The rupee slid 15.8% in 2011 and by 0.2% in the last week of 2011 to 53.065 per dollar in Mumbai, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. According to reports, this currency weakened the most in Asia this year. So, what has led to such weakening or should I say, depreciation of the rupee
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index
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Legoland Florida creates program to help parents of first-time coaster riders
16 May 2012 | 4:08 amImage (c) Legoland(News) The 2012 summer travel season is here and theme parks from coast to coast are rolling out all-new, ever-daring thrill rides. For parents hoping that this is the year their child musters the courage to take that first roller coaster adventure, it's a tough call.This summer, LEGOLAND Florida, Central Florida's newest theme park, is helping families deal with Veloxrotaphobia, or fear of roller coasters, by arming parents with "Roller Coaster Readiness" tips. Leadership at the park reached out to nationally-recognized psychologist and award-winning author Dr. Susan… -
Vanilla Ice hosts launch of MR. FREEZE: Reverse Blast at Six Flags Over Texas
15 May 2012 | 6:15 am(News) Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast was introduced at Six Flags Over Texas with the ultimate cool dude, Vanilla Ice, performing in concert to officially celebrate the ride’s grand opening. After his performance, Vanilla Ice grabbed a front row seat on the park’s newest twist on one of its most popular thrill rides. Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast sends riders backwards through a 190-foot tunnel, into a 180-degree inversion then climbing more than 200-feet in the air where they will find themselves suspended, dangling in the air, before repeating the entire chilling experience.“I am an adrenaline… -
Belgium's Océade and Mini-Europe may be forced to close this year
15 May 2012 | 3:37 amImage (c) Océade(News) Brussels-based theme/water parks Mini-Europe and Océade came a step closer to a forced closure last week when the city council approved the development of the land they sit on for a new shopping center, residential space, parks and a hotel. Both parks, which are an integral part of the city of Brussels, have to make way for the new development, with the city requiring the parks to return the land "in its original state" by the end of this year.Attempts by the parks to stay open and be integrated into the new infrastructure has been refused by the city and it looks… -
Cedar Point's Celebration Plaza to replace Wildcat coaster
14 May 2012 | 1:18 pmImage (c) Cedar Point(News) Cedar Point announced that it is expanding its new Celebration Plaza. As a part of that expansion, Cedar Point will be removing the WildCat roller coaster. According to Cedar Point, the WildCat was coming to the end of its useful life. With the desired expansion of Celebration Plaza, coupled with the low ridership and increased maintenance costs, Cedar Point has decided to accelerate the removal of the ride. WildCat will be removed from the park prior to Opening Day and the materials will be sent to a recycling facility.This expansion is one of several initiatives… -
World's largest mall with giant indoor waterpark gets Polin's dragon-themed water slide
14 May 2012 | 5:41 amImage (c) GOMC(News) Dragons rule in China. For thousands of years the Chinese people have considered dragons to be a potent and auspicious symbol of power and fortune with special control over water, rainfall, hurricanes and floods. In historic times, the Chinese worshipped dragons as the rulers of moving bodies of water, too, from waterfalls to rivers and seas.With such a fitting backstory it's no surprise that the owners of a new indoor waterpark in Beijing have chosen a dragon as the theme of a major waterslide attraction. The waterpark, which is currently under construction at the Great…
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NBRI
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The Productivity Problem
7 May 2012 | 9:38 amIt seems that the larger the business, the better the internal data. Expense reports and quarterly earnings are parts of a well-oiled business machine. However, you can’t find an answer to your productivity problem even though your leadership team has pored over every morsel of data available to them. Or, you may not be aware your company has a productivity problem. Maybe you’ve been lead to believe the current output is the best you can achieve. Take a look at the following three productivity factors, and you’ll begin to get a sense of where you stand: Tools: The first part …… -
Customer Service: The Power of Social Listening
2 May 2012 | 9:42 amThe opportunity to provide better customer service improves as technology becomes more innovative. The Internet boom has made customer service easier for your customers via email, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. However, you may still be missing a huge customer service opportunity. Hundreds of millions of people use the Internet daily. And, just as people are unique, there are millions of online conversations that are vastly different from each other. Somewhere, in one of the many online streams, someone is talking about your brand or company. It could be good, but knowing what we know from… -
Employee Engagement: The Generational Value Gap
23 Apr 2012 | 9:42 amEngaged employees work more efficiently and produce higher-quality work. There are many employee engagement elixirs that claim to cure your unengaged employees. However, one key concept foils any one-size-fits-all solution: Your employees don’t all hold the same workplace value set. It’s important to look at your employees from multiple perspectives, especially generational differences, rather than viewing them as simple cogs that complete a machine. Some workplace values become less important as life moves from generation to generation while new ideas and concepts can suddenly become the… -
What is Customer Experience?
16 Apr 2012 | 9:46 amWe spend a lot of time discussing customer service – how to improve it, how to streamline it, how to stay ahead. However, customer service is only one part of the customer experience. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes through their entire interaction with your company. That’s what the customer experience is – your advertisements, your customer service, your store or website – everything. While raw data may indicate that a customer had their problem resolved, it may not show that they spent 57 minutes on hold while being transferred four times. That customer will not be entirely… -
Trending Now: Why People Hate Their Jobs
10 Apr 2012 | 10:32 amEvery business strives to be as productive as possible. One way to increase your employee’s productivity is to make sure employee engagement levels stay high. Workers that are engaged with their jobs will naturally be more productive. Our latest micro graphic gives you a quick insight into what people that aren’t happy at work have been saying on social media. Embed this Infographic As a leader, keeping a pulse on your employees engagement levels is of the highest importance. We’ve found that the majority of the issues arises from middle management not having a flexible schedule. Take…
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Simply stated business
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Better Business Writing: A Simple Infographic
16 May 2012 | 5:00 amWith a shout-out to my writer friend, Anne Wayman, for the inspiration with her simple infographic for getting published. Here is my own feeble attempt. It’s what this blog is all about – better business writing. I hope you enjoy its simplicity. I will be out of town at a family wedding. I will catch up with you when I return to the office on Tuesday. I’ll touch base when I can, but you know how family reunions go. Take care. Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs. -
Health Care Tuesday Shares Government Typo
15 May 2012 | 6:03 amIt’s Health Care Tuesday over at my health care blog, Simply stated health care. This week’s post finds the oops in a recent government template for summaries of benefits and coverage. It’s another requirement from health care reform. Get out the white-out. Here’s a sneak peek. Government Summary of Benefits and Coverage Typo Means New Templates Ah, typos – the great equalizer. It’s tough to come down on errors when your own template has a pretty big one. As part of healthcare reform’s, Affordable Care Act, a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) is a… -
Your Litmus Test for Marketing Success
14 May 2012 | 6:35 amIt started out as an answer to a question on LinkedIn ~ What do you look for on an About page? My response was what I look for in any kind of marketing Who are you? Why should I care? What problem(s) are you going to solve for me? What makes your product/service different from any other? Prove it. It became my litmus test for my business writing. 5 Elements for Success Whether it’s marketing for my own business or a client’s, I make sure all 5 of the elements are answered. In the video below, I review the 5 elements. You can also view the presentation copy of Your Litmus Test to… -
A Guest Post About Guest Posts
11 May 2012 | 8:28 amNo, that’s not double talk. It’s simply letting you know about my guest post at All Freelance Writing. The post was inspired by fellow bloggers on both sides of the issue. If you own a business blog, guest posting is a great tool. Here’s a sneak peek to get you started. Click on the Continue reading link to go to the All Freelance Writing site. The Two Sides of the Guest Post Story Guest posts are one of the hottest strategies for increasing online visibility. Like most marketing strategies, there are different opinions on how to do it right. I am not a fan of the do… -
Posts in Friday Lite Review a Mother Could Love
11 May 2012 | 5:00 amHappy Mother’s Day to all mothers this weekend. While the florists are hopping, take a moment to thank your Mom if you are blessed to have her in your life. Then take another moment to catch up on the posts you missed in this Friday Lite review. Commercialism – it’s everywhere. Yes, YOU Can Create a Professional Analysis Report Whether you are a small business owner or a consultant for a Fortune 500, professional analysis reports are probably a part of your life. This post provides a 5-part template for creating a professional analysis report – even if…
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Business Computing World
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Is Your Network In Shape For The Olympics?
16 May 2012 | 10:13 amThe Cabinet Office’s official advice warns that business could suffer degraded, or even lost, Internet connection during the London Olympics. Companies have also been advised to relieve pressure on the transport infrastructure and rush hour traffic by encouraging more staff to work from home during the event. It brings to mind a Punch cartoon from [...] -
Why Is Everyone So Hyped Over Big Data?
16 May 2012 | 9:58 amThe security industry has realized that log data is an incredibly rich source of information for detecting security intrusions, and has since developed a taste for more and more logs. Log Correlation has since then followed as IT professionals realised that individual log entries by themselves meant very little, but when placed into context against [...] -
Top 5 Twitter Mistakes To Avoid
16 May 2012 | 6:45 amAlthough it’s only a few years on the scene, Twitter is a massive social media network that practically everyone with a mobile device uses. From famous celebrities and politicians to the average plumber and stay-at-home mom, sending out a tweet has become as addictive as cigarettes in some circles. With so many active users, of [...] -
Unified Communications: Unify Your People First
16 May 2012 | 5:51 amAs predicted and wished for by many, work is becoming something done, rather than a place to go. The once solid delineation of the workplace is breaking down and the impermeable barriers are becoming porous. A number of technologies are driving this – mobile, cloud, social – and ultimately the pervasive nature of lower cost, [...] -
Harnessing Mobile Technology For Business Is Key
16 May 2012 | 5:35 amMore than ever, mobile technology is ingrained into every aspect of our personal lives. Mobile devices have been providing us with instant and timely access to family, friends and global information for some time. To give this some context, 97 per cent of mobile phone users will read a text message within 15 minutes of [...]
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Merchant Express
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Merchant Express® Salutes National Small Business Week 2012
16 May 2012 | 12:52 pmThe week of May 20-26 has been designated National Small Business Week 2012, a time for celebrating small businesses and the contribution they make to the American economy. As a merchant services provider that delivers credit card processing products and services to small business owners across the nation, Merchant Express® salutes these entrepreneurs and all that they do for this country. The annual National Small Business Week Conference, hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in Washington, D.C., offers educational forums, networking sessions and an awards ceremony… -
How Payment Gateway Works
9 May 2012 | 1:43 pmA payment gateway is used to process electronic transactions, including credit and debit card purchases. It is the equivalent of the physical POS (point of sale) terminals found in traditional retail establishments. Payment gateways can be used by retailers of all types, including store-based, online and “bricks and clicks” (combination of traditional and e-commerce). What follows is a concise description of how a payment gateway works. Gateway Security An electronic payment gateway like Transaction Express™ from Merchant Express® processes credit card transactions through an Internet… -
Low-Cost Credit Card Processing Can Be Yours
8 May 2012 | 10:05 amSmart business owners know that keeping their operational costs as low as possible makes sense (and cents!) for their bottom line. This requires keeping a sharp eye on expenses across the board: rent, utilities, labor costs and ancillary services like credit card processing. In fact, low-cost credit card processing can be yours, if you’re willing to do the work needed to find the best merchant account package and provider for your specific needs. Before we go any further, however, it’s important to note that no decision based on cost alone is likely to be the best choice in the long run. -
Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing
7 May 2012 | 10:02 amThe word “virtual”, as it’s most often used today, means “not real” or “imaginary”. For many people, virtual has become synonymous with the Internet. A virtual terminal uses the Internet to provide credit card processing that’s quick, efficient, cost effective and as real as the processing provided by a countertop terminal. With the right merchant account, retailers and service providers can use a virtual terminal to process payment cards from any computer or mobile device with Internet access, including laptops, smartphones and tablets. For example, Transaction Express™… -
High Risk Merchant Account
11 Apr 2012 | 7:58 amIn the world of merchant services providers, some businesses are considered more high risk than others. This doesn’t mean these businesses can’t obtain merchant accounts or process credit cards, but they may be required to provide additional documentation in order to do so. If you want to accept credit cards for your business but you’ve had trouble finding a credit card processor that will approve you, Merchant Express® may be able to help. As long as your business is legal and not adult related, we may be able to set you up with either a high risk merchant account or an…
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Hustle Bear - by Judd Weiss
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Acceptance is the Key
11 May 2012 | 1:45 pmSomething truly horrible happened to me recently. The worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I know that far more terrible injustices happen around the world, but I’ve never experienced anything like this. I can’t talk about it. I will be happy to at some point in the future. Anyway I was getting pretty depressed and disturbed. And then I saw this video, and it hit me really hard. In fact I think it might be one of the most important videos you ever see in your life. So beautiful and inspiring: The photo above is Philip Gould standing over the grave site where he will… -
Why Israel BENEFITS with Ron Paul, and Why Jews and Minorities Should Embrace Him
30 Dec 2011 | 7:05 pm(I have a video on this article below) I’m not religious, but I do come from a large religious Orthodox Jewish family. I’ve been to enough orthodox temple services to get a good idea of the one main issue that matters to most religious Jews when they vote for a presidential candidate: Is he a friend of Israel? I’m a supporter of Israel. Especially after I visited in 2007. I kind of just assumed it was a big desert with a bunch of odd religious fanatics. I was wrong. What a beautiful country. Tel Aviv was such a fun city. The nightlife, the beaches, the ancient castles, the… -
I organized an event for Peter Schiff at my house, some difficulties ensue… (with Photos and Video!)
16 Nov 2011 | 9:23 pmWhoa man, my house has been packed before, but never like this! Last week I held a cocktail party with a short talk from Peter Schiff. About 300 people came over, and most of them piled in my living room all at once to see Peter speak. It was so tight that the photographer actually had a hard time lifting his arms to take pictures. I was honestly terrified by the sheer number of people I knew would show up that I’ll somehow fit in one room; but hey, we made it work! And it was a great time! Everyone looked amazing. Check out all the pictures below: (Many more photos below at the end of… -
Music Pick: The xx – XX
14 Nov 2011 | 6:22 pmThe xx – XX Islands Crystalised Shelter VCR Infinity (Click image for Amazon.com) This is one of those albums you’ve got to let grow on you. When I first listened to it I remember thinking that I couldn’t believe I actually listened all the way through that boring piece of shit album. I couldn’t understand what the buzz was about, it didn’t click with me, and I never intended to listen to it again. This music is sparse. Very minimal electronics over a minimal acoustic sound with a male/female duet that goes for personality over precision. I like… -
Introducing California Common Sense, Cocktail Party at My House Tonight
14 Sep 2011 | 3:22 pmOk guys, tonight September 14th, I’m throwing another cocktail party. It’s an event to present the new California Common Sense organization. I’ll explain below why California Common Sense is such a cool idea, why what they’re accomplishing already is very impressive, and why just about everyone in California is gonna love this. My mind is blown about their possibilities. The full details are at the Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=217273151661724 Confirm there if you’re coming. So my friend Joe Lonsdale is a guy with big ideas and…
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WorkingPoint
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A Whole New Kind of Clout
15 May 2012 | 10:00 amWe’ve been talking a lot about social media – how it can help you market yourself, extend your networks, and build buzz around your brand or business. From Pinterest to Twitter, these online platforms are making it possible for the everyday man to compete against larger marketing machines. One San-Francisco-based startup is taking the wild world of social media one step further. Featured in this month’s issue of Wired Magazine, Klout is a three-year-old business working to transform how we measure influence. Its algorithms comb through social media data to create a… -
Pinterest: a New Forum to Promote your Business!
7 May 2012 | 10:00 amIs Pinterest the Twitter of 2012? Perhaps, perhaps not, but regardless an it poses an excellent business opportunity! Have you heard about Pinterest? Chances are you have. What you may not have thought of is how this new form of social media can help you build your business and increase the visibility of your brand. In its own words, Pinterest is an online pinboard that enables you to organize and share things you love. Users “pin” images or videos to themed online bulletin boards. These photos or clips can then be “re-pinned,” “liked” (similar to Facebook) or commented… -
Win Big for your Small Business
2 May 2012 | 10:00 amHearkening back to our post on successfully marketing yourself as a freelancer, today’s blog post highlights five small business competitions that can not only help build your reputation, but award you money to grow your business. With deadlines in April, May and June, now is the time to check out these opportunities to win as much as $100,000: MassChallenge - Judges, many of whom are billionaire entrepreneurs, can select as many as 20 startups to split $1 million in cash. Turnstone – Five finalists will win complete office makeovers. NewSpace – This NASA-supported award… -
Capturing the Moment: Share Your Story
17 Apr 2012 | 10:30 amAs anyone who has tried it knows, entrepreneurship takes a lot of planning and a lot of faith. Taking that leap to start your own business, or deciding to work as a freelancer, is a critical moment in anyone’s life. It gives you the power to decide how you’re going to make yourself happy and successful. For many of us, the moment came when we’d had “enough.” Enough job searching, enough of crappy bosses, enough of commutes and HR handbooks. Taking your career into your own hands is a landmark decision; a shift to the road less traveled. The Huffington Post wants… -
Marketing 101 for Freelancers
13 Apr 2012 | 11:00 amFrom copy-writers to graphic designers to photographers – making it in the freelance world depends on how well you sell your experience and abilities. You don’t have to be an expert in marketing, but a few tips and strategies can make it a lot easier to get noticed, and get paid. To begin, it is essential to convey real confidence in the services you offer. Others perceive your value based on what you project, so don’t sell yourself short. Second, promoting yourself as a freelancer doesn’t mean only marketing yourself when you need work. Successful freelancers are…
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AMA Shift
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Don’t get bored! It’s bad for you and your business
16 May 2012 | 1:46 pmNolan Bushnell is legendary in the world of video games. He founded Atari and provided the stimulus for Steve Jobs to create Apple. Bushnell’s pioneering work continues to evolve as trainers and companies use “gamification” to train professionals and educate students on everything from world hunger to climate change. Bushnell is also famous for his innovations in leadership. At a time when most offices were still buttoned down, starched, hierarchical, and traditional, he created a space where casualness, humor, collaboration and creativity held sway—a place Steve Jobs wanted to work. -
Why risk intelligence may be one of the best qualities a manager can have
15 May 2012 | 2:28 pmWhat if there was a methodology within your company that took you through a risk assessment exercise for your latest product launch, research investment, inventory order, design choice, or hiring practice? Emotional Intelligence swept through many corporate offices as the key to keeping employees motivated, happy, productive, and collaborative by teaching managers to empathize with their employees. The business was ultimately the people, not just the numbers; but this was only part of the story. Numbers, however, are real too and could easily take all the well-meaning people of a business… -
Gamification can help make CRM systems easier to use (and more fun)
14 May 2012 | 9:47 amTurning work into games isn’t wasting time: it’s a way of making time pass more productively. So gamification is a big trend at work, internally as well with customers. One key application may be to get sales staff to start using CRM systems, and to keep on doing so. At AMA Shift, we like gamification. We think it’s fun and useful. As we wrote back in March, “Gamification—introducing games into normal business online—is helping companies and brands around the world get fans, get bigger, and make more money.” Since then we’ve created a seminar that we are rolling out later in… -
Just one thing. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to make a difference
11 May 2012 | 10:23 amBy Bruce Katcher Several years ago the president of a 200-employee division of a high-tech manufacturer of telecommunications equipment asked me to conduct an employee survey of his workers. The division had just split off from a larger group in the organization and about one-third of the employees had lost their jobs during the restructuring. He wanted to gain an objective understanding of the views of those who had survived the transition. The results of the employee survey revealed a terrible morale problem. Employees were unhappy with every aspect of their job. I met with the president… -
Marketing with social media means focusing on people more than tech
10 May 2012 | 12:57 pmSocial media sites like Facebook and Twitter are creating huge new opportunities for marketing. Media companies like The Atlantic are finding it a great way to find and keep new readers, and most companies are now using it to build brands. Their success is about learning how to relate to their communities more than understanding a technology—and that’s a valuable lesson for everyone, whatever their industry. “The number of online news consumers has grown consistently over the past half-decade, yet not every publication has gotten the same lift as The Atlantic, whose web audience has…
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Growth University - Small Business Tips and Resources
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Qualifying Leads Saves You Time and Makes You Money
16 May 2012 | 5:00 amQualifying sales leads is critical to the sales process and is vital to the success in a sales and account management role. Use a simple CRM and sales tracking app like Base to manage all stages of your sales pipeline. Properly filtering out good leads from bad will help you save time and maximize the potential of closing more deals and making more money. Why is Qualifying Leads so Important? Qualifying leads helps you prioritize potential deals so that you can allocate the right amount of time to the right activities. Qualifying prospects helps you schedule your time appropriately,… -
Sales Compensation and Summer Fun: Sales Leadership Ideas
15 May 2012 | 5:00 amIt is unreasonable to expect your sales staff to perform if you don’t give them the proper tools to stay organized and execute. A simple CRM and sales tracking app like Base gives your sales team all of their contacts and deals on any computer or mobile device. At this time of year sales management must be looking at pipeline levels and goals for July/August and determine if there is the necessary level of activity to ensure targets will be exceeded. In this post, I wanted to share a few basic ideas from my books on sales management: Leading High Performance Sales Teams and… -
Why Constant Prospecting is Important to Your Small Business
14 May 2012 | 7:35 amConstant prospecting is an essential part of any small business’ success. A simple CRM and sales tracking app like Base will help you manage your entire sales process from prospecting to closing. Regardless of how healthy your bottom line is right at this very moment, if you’re not constantly prospecting, your small business is in danger. What would happen if your biggest 2-3 clients stopped buying from you suddenly without any warning? Many small businesses who have a few big clients and a bunch of smaller ones would find the loss of their biggest customers to be financially… -
Sound Relationships Convert to Better Business
11 May 2012 | 5:00 amRelationship selling isn’t just a buzzword, it is the reality of today’s sales economy. Develop relationships and stay on top of clients and prospects using a simple CRM and sales tracking app like Base. Early in my career, I kept hearing “sales is a numbers game”. This referred to approaching many, many prospects in order to finally make a sale. But, as one improves on their approach, a better conversion rate takes hold. So let’s skip to the better techniques that will improve your statistics more quickly! The process begins with finding the best match for your… -
Business Rules to Follow on Twitter: Socialize Smartly!
10 May 2012 | 5:00 amTwitter can be a great resource for lead generation if you socialize smartly. Use a simple CRM and sales tracking app like Base to help you keep track of all of your leads. With the growth in influence of social media sites, many businesses are making moves to take advantage of its influence. Twitter can be a very effective marketing tool for small businesses. Twitter can serve as an online platform for developing your brand, interacting with clients and the public, promoting products, and sharing information on your business. Functionally, Twitter works the same way for both a…
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BUSINESS NEWS | DARE - Because Entrepreneurs Do |
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Guinness Record at Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery 12 Conference
15 May 2012 | 11:13 pm328 of the brightest minds in Canada speed-networked their way to setting the newest Guinness World Record in the Most People Attending a Business Speed Networking Event Single Venue category at the Discovery 12 conference hosted by Ontario Centres of Excellence. The World's Largest Business Mentoring event is the first to Read more... -
Dhingana launches new music app for facebook timeline
9 May 2012 | 4:41 amPune, May 9, 2012: Dhingana, the leading Indian music-streaming platform, today announced an integration with Facebook that enables people to share their music with friends and discover new songs through their timelines on Facebook. Snehal Shinde, Co-founder and CEO, Dhingana said “More than 45 million Indians are sharing updates about their lives with their friends on Facebook. In the same way, Dhingana will enable music lovers to discover, play and share their favorite music with friends on Facebook.” Users will now be able to log into Dhingana with their Facebook account and add songs… -
VentureNursery receives over 120 applications for acceleration.
7 May 2012 | 11:35 pmMumbai May 8, 2012: VentureNursery, India’s first angel-backed start-up accelerator, today announced that it has received a very encouraging response to its call for applications for its inaugural boot camp as well as the ParallelTrack acceleration program. The application process for the boot camp, that opened on April 1 and closed on April 23, 2012, has attracted over 100 applications from seventeen cities, with Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Delhi leading the list. While all the six sectors VentureNursery was inviting applications in have got strong responses, retail, consumer technology… -
PropTiger raises Rs. 25 crores, SAIF and Accel lead second round of funding
23 Apr 2012 | 6:16 amNew Delhi, April 23, 2012: SAIF Partners and Accel Partners today announced their investment in PropTiger Realty Private Limited which runs PropTiger.com, India’s leading technology enabled real estate marketing services platform. PropTiger was created in February 2011 by Dhruv Agarwala, Kartik Varma and Prashan Agarwal and since inception has achieved a gross value of property sold amounting to Rs. 1,100 crores Dhruv and Kartik are classmates from Harvard Business School who previously had successfully built iTrust Financial Advisors, a mass-market wealth management business that… -
Indian Angel Network to step up angel investments, Partners with NASSCOM for technology start-ups
18 Apr 2012 | 5:41 amNew Delhi April 18, 2012: Indian Angel Network, India's most nimble angel group, with over 200 highly influential members, comprising of India's most successful entrepreneurs and dynamic CEOs, has given a special call to entrepreneurs building ventures in the SaaS, PaaS, Education and Skill Development space. Announcing this today, Mr. Saurabh Srivastava co-founder of Indian Angel Network and NASSCOM said, “The IAN-NASSCOM partnership is exemplary as it creates a unique platform: bringing young entrepreneurs from around…
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EpicLaunch
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Assemble! Rackspace and Redapt Link Up
14 May 2012 | 12:43 pmThere is a raging debate over the use of private cloud vs. public cloud computing solutions. Since the cloud is not a one-size-fits-all solution for enterprise data management, it’s likely that most businesses can benefit from a hybrid approach. Still, for many businesses dealing with massive sets of data requiring extra layers of security, migrating to a private solution not only makes perfect sense but is an essential element of efficient business practice. Rackspace, perhaps the most widely used private solutions provider, fully understands the pain that is internal cloud installation. -
MySocialCloud Makes Your (Online) Life Easier
13 May 2012 | 1:03 pmI am very interested in internet startups and technology in general. And what they means for me is that I am always signing up for different services and websites just so I can try them out. On top of that, I have about 5 different emails that I have to check, a Facebook, a Twitter, a Google account, a Pinterest, etc. The list of sites that I have an account with goes on and on. But with all of these accounts comes a huge problem: Remembering usernames and passwords. It seems as if each different website has it’s own view on how long your password should be or how many letter vs numbers… -
An Interview with Max Borges, Founder of Max Borges Agency
13 May 2012 | 10:04 amToday we’re talking with Max Borges, founder of Max Borges Agency, one of the top consumer tech PR agency’s for clients with innovative products & services. How and where did you get the idea for your company? I wish I could say I always had the idea of starting a PR agency but the truth is, 10 years ago I was flat broke, looking for a job and I couldn’t get anyone to hire me. One company gave me some part-time marketing consulting work. That’s where it all started. I just kept signing more clients and hiring people. All the while trying to figure out what the business was… -
3 Ways To Stay Motivated On the End Goal
10 May 2012 | 7:50 pmWhen people engage in goal setting and begin a new endeavor, they commonly are filled with excitement and motivation. As time passes, however, enthusiasm can wane and the individual working toward the desirable end can lose sight of the goal completely. When goal-setters lose their motivation, they run the risk of getting completely off track. It’s vital to fight through and bring the end goals back into sight, since without a set plan these objectives will almost certainly not be achieved. Regardless of the nature of the goal, be it completing a rigorous online MBA program or trying to… -
How to Motivate the Crowd With a Motivation Wheel
9 May 2012 | 3:49 pmThe following infographic explains how a differing factor among various projects and organizations is what motivates them. It was sent to us by the Founder of IdeasWatch.com, Michal Hudeček and we are happy to have it here on EpicLaunch to hopefully help you make your own motivation wheel. Let’s us know what you think about it in the comments below. Created and designed by Michal Hudeček.
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Stock Prices Today » Stock News
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Top Decliners at Dow Jones: JPMorgan, Bank of America and Intel Corp
15 May 2012 | 9:17 amUS equities started the week on bearish note as the Dow Jones Industrial Average index fell 0.98 percent or 125.25 points to close at 12,695.35 on Monday. Standard & Poor’s 500 index declined 1.11 percent or 15.04 to 1,338.35 while NASDAQ composite slipped 1.06 percent or 31.24 points to settle at 2,902.58 for the day. The top bears of the Read more ... -
Europe Worry Pushes Markets Lower
15 May 2012 | 6:47 amMarkets are concerned over the current situation in Europe and Greece, which in turn is seeing prices fall. Still we have high volume, and any sign of stability in Europe should see investors in a better mood for buying. Dow: 12,695.35. – 125.25 Nasdaq: 2,902.58. – 31.24 S&P 500: 1,338.35. – Read more ... -
End Of Week Recap
14 May 2012 | 4:27 amOur stock market report for today covering the companies on Friday who were most active by volume and percentage movement. As always Bank of America leading the volume on the exchanges. Dow: 12,820.60. – 34.44 Nasdaq: 2,933.82. + 0.18 S&P 500: 1,353.39. – 4.60 Top 20 Volume Leade Read more ... -
Leading Stocks from Yesterday – Report
11 May 2012 | 5:18 amMarkets remain uncertain whilst the situation in Europe unfolds and earnings season ends mixed. A look at some of the movers and shakers on the stock market today including volme leaders and gainers. Dow: 12,855.04. + 19.98 Nasdaq: 2,933.64. – 1.07 S&P 500: 1,357.99. + 3.41 Top 20 Vol Read more ... -
J.P. Morgan’s CIO Prop Desk Blows Up
11 May 2012 | 5:15 amAnd I can’t stop laughing. The official figure that Jamie Dimon quoted in the impromptu conference call that had to be cobbled together to fend off the news that Standard & Poor’s was downgrading their debt was $2 billion. J.P. Morgan’s (NYSE:JP Read more ...
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Citeman Network
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Placement, Induction, Mobility and Separations
15 May 2012 | 12:36 amPlacement: With reference to current understanding of the word ‘placement’, it sounds a very technical and complex term. But at the very base of it, the word is very simple and easy to digest. It simply means to get the vacant place filled by the right candidate and avail the organization with smooth tool of [...] -
Selling and Marketing Orientation
15 May 2012 | 12:08 amThe selling approach is more transaction based and aims at maximization in the short term. As opposed to this, the marketing approach emphasises customer management, customized approach to winning and retaining the customer and hence focuses on building profits over a long term. The selling approach generally undermines research. It is more intuitive. It works [...] -
Out of the box thinking: The real Challenges for leaders
14 May 2012 | 12:53 amWhen new leaders take over their roles, they are often know to change the ways of business. This has essentially two dimensions: (i)The business situation is constantly evolving, thereby, calling for new ideas and business paradigms and (ii)The stakeholders have different comfort levels on the appropriateness and competencies of particular leaders, thereby, supporting and welcoming change through the [...] -
The Limits
7 May 2012 | 12:12 amProcess Reengineering – At the heart of the lean manufacturing paradigm is the concept of continuous improvement. Even though the operating system that it results in may be vastly different from that embodying the older mass production paradigm the process of getting from the latter to the former generally requires a myriad of incremental improvements [...] -
Selling Tactics Defined
7 May 2012 | 12:12 amImagine that you’re the manager of XYZ and that your team is about to play Real Madrid. The big game is one week away and the films of the Spanish team’s last couple of games have just come in. Your players are eager to see them so they can start working out game plans, but [...]
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Consumer Goods Club Blog
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Tesco´s Recovery Plan
6 May 2012 | 2:15 pmLast week UK retailer Tesco (http://www.tesco.com), ranked number 3 in the world, reported a sales increase by +7.4% to 72 billion pounds. At the same time ist profit increased by 5.2% to almost 3.9 Read more... (http://www.consumergoodsclub.com/cgc-official-blog/76-management-a-leadership/1102-tescoas-recovery-plan) -
Nestlé the Baby Giant
30 Apr 2012 | 3:13 pmPfizer’s (http://www.pfizer.com/home/)infant nutrition unit for $11.9 billion, beating Danone´s (http://www.danone.com/?lang=en)bid of about $11 billion.It is Nestle’s biggest purchase since it bought pet-food Read more... (http://www.consumergoodsclub.com/cgc-official-blog/76-management-a-leadership/1099-nestle-the-baby-giant) -
Succession at Benetton
28 Apr 2012 | 2:01 pm -
Ahold´s 6 Strategic Pillars
26 Apr 2012 | 10:25 amLast week Dutch retaiIer Ahold (http://www.ahold.com) reported a sales increase of 5.5 percent at constant exchange rates to more than €30 billion. Net income grew by 19 percent to over €1 billion. It really Read more... (http://www.consumergoodsclub.com/cgc-official-blog/76-management-a-leadership/1095-aholdas-6-strategic-pillars-) -
Best Buy is searching for a new CEO
25 Apr 2012 | 7:19 amRichard Schulze (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_M._Schulze), Read more... (http://www.consumergoodsclub.com/cgc-official-blog/76-management-a-leadership/1094-best-buy-is-searching-for-a-new-ceo)
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Successwise
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Get Out Of The Commodity Business By Developing A Unique Selling Proposition
13 May 2012 | 9:30 amYou know you’re marketing your business as a commodity when prospects start the conversation by asking you about price. Positioning yourself as a commodity and hence being shopped on price alone is a terrible position for a small business owner to be in. It’s soul crushing and this race to the bottom is bound to end in tears. The answer is to develop a unique selling proposition (USP). Something that positions you differently, so that prospects are forced to make and apples-to-oranges comparison when comparing you with your competitor. If they can do an apples-to-apples comparison… -
Where Are You Singing Now?
6 May 2012 | 9:29 amRecently I was listening to an interview with Denis Waitley. The interviewer asked him what advice he would give someone to turn their life around and point them in the right direction. Denis answered with the following anecdote: “I had a UPS delivery guy tell me he always wanted to be a rock star, so I asked him, ‘where are you singing now?’. He said, nowhere I’m driving this truck and I have two children. I said no let me tell you this, whatever you want to do, you must be doing now because there isn’t a single person who wants to be in a profession who… -
Walk Away From The 97%
29 Apr 2012 | 9:53 amThe 97% are expecting to get by doing as little as possible. They then wonder why they are in the situation they are in. Entrepreneurs are different. They take on responsibility and risk that most are simply unwilling to take on. Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don’t use their excuses, don’t read what they read, don’t talk like they talk. The 97% do only enough to take away whatever pain they are currently feeling and not one bit more. Their goal is to get through the day rather than get from the day. The 97% are waiting for the government or their employer or someone or something… -
Crafting Your Elevator Pitch
22 Apr 2012 | 9:16 amThe 30 seconds that follows the “what do you do?” question is one of the most commonly wasted marketing opportunities. The retort is almost always self focused, unclear and often nonsensical. This is where many people reply with the most high sounding title they can get away with, as they feel the inquirer’s judgement of their worth will depend on the answer. “I’m a waste management technician”, says the janitor. While it’s true many shallow people judge a person’s worth by their job title or line of business, there’s a much better way to… -
Getting Unstuck
15 Apr 2012 | 9:29 amAre you a victim of the next shiny object syndrome? There are so many great opportunities out there these days, it’s easy to be swayed by something new on a frequent basis. Everyone knows that success requires focused attention. Trouble is, it’s hard to maintain focus and easy to get caught up with the next shiny object or the next opportunity. There’s one thing that happens when you lose your focus and start paying attention to every new fad and shiny object – overwhelm. And overwhelm in turn leads to paralysis and inaction. You get worked up and confused on what to…
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Asian Business Daily
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Increased direct investment in Asian countries sees South Korean overseas direct investment jump 18.7% in Q1
16 May 2012 | 7:14 amGrowing investment in to the Latin American and Asian countries has helped push South Korea’s overseas direct investment up 18.7% in Q1 2012 from a year earlier, a report released by the government Wednesday showed. Over the January-March period, the country’s overseas direct investment clocked USD 10.98 billion up 18.7% year-on-year, a report from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance revealed. Direct investment in to the Latin American and Asian countries surged 231.9% and 95% respectively over the same period, a fact that led to South Korea’s first quarter overseas… -
China cuts bank reserve ratio to stimulate economy
15 May 2012 | 8:15 amChina has taken a raft of measures aimed at staving off an imminent economic crisis, the latest being a cut in the bank reserve requirement ratio. However, economists voiced their concerns yesterday saying such a measure would do little to avert a crisis in the world’s second largest economy. According to the economists, an interest rates cut and more stimulus policies are needed to boost the economy. The economist’s reaction was prompted by an announcement made by People’s Bank of China on Saturday, to the effect that more money for lending will be available from Friday… -
Electricity data suggests brakes have been put on China
15 May 2012 | 6:36 amA series of economic indicators published in the last few weeks points to a rapid slowdown in the Chinese economy. The latest electricity production statistics for example show growth of just 0.7% in April against a year earlier. Electricity production is an indirect measure of the amount of economic activity going on, but one that many economists rely on as it is seen as a real statistic that is not subject to interpretation, estimation or even manipulation. Until recently electricity production was growing by a similar order of magnitude to the economy. March 2012 production was up 7.2% on… -
Chinese real estate investment collapses by 70%
15 May 2012 | 6:17 amSigns that China’s real estate market could further be cooling are now clearer than ever after a report released yesterday showed real estate investment in the country’s mainland shrunk by 70% in the first quarter of this year. Similarly, major capital investments across Asia Pacific also sunk 42% quarter-on-quarter to to USD11.6 billion,the report revealed. According to the Asia-Pacific Capital Markets Market-view report released by CB Richard Ellis, a renowned real estate services provider, the decline was partly attributed high value of investment in the second quarter of… -
Fiat to return to Korea after 15 years
14 May 2012 | 6:54 amThe iconic Italian Fiat car brand will re-enter the Korean market next year after an absence of 15 years. The immensely successful Fiat 500 small car will be launched as soon as regulatory approval for its import is granted, which realistically will be in 8 or so months time. The stylish Fiat 500 (‘cinque cento’) has taken European markets by storm with 500,000 units sold globally since 2007 in what has proved to be a welcome cash generator for the Turin based car maker. Fiat was forced to withdraw from South Korea during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis when its local partner,…
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Joanne Dewberry
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Do you remember the why?
14 May 2012 | 4:00 amDo you remember the why? -
HELP! I’ve lost my blogging mojo!
11 May 2012 | 4:04 amHELP! I've lost my blogging mojo! -
Marketing for Mummies (other genders are available) via QR codes
9 May 2012 | 3:14 amMarketing for Mummies via QR codes -
Social Media: Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You’re Good
7 May 2012 | 4:30 amSocial Media: Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You're Good - guest blog -
From Cheerios to Charlie’s Angels – iPhone App Mum’s First Photo Shoot
4 May 2012 | 4:33 amFrom Cheerios to Charlie’s Angels – iPhone App Mum’s First Photo Shoot - Guest Blog
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SunGard Availability Services UK / Blog
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Shared hosting provider relies on SunGard Availability Services to maintain customers’ web presence
16 May 2012 | 5:43 amAs one of the leading website design and shared hosting companies in Ireland, reliability and high availability are critical to iSeek.ie’s business. With more than 1,200 SMEs relying on its service, iSeek.ie needed a managed hosting provider it could trust to support its fast-growing customer base. “We have zero tolerance for downtime. Quite simply, we would be out of business within 24 hours.” Liam Coyle managing director, iSeek.ie Read the full iSeek.ie case study on the SunGard website -
Businesses Set for Olympic Hurdle Over Employee Absenteeism
30 Apr 2012 | 8:53 amResearch by SunGard Availability Services Reveals More Than One in Five UK Employees Would Skip Work to Watch Live Event Key findings: More than 1 in 5 UK adults would skive off work to watch a live event Over a third (38%) of employers in UK organisations admit they will not, or are unsure as to whether or not they will, discipline staff if they take unauthorised leave during this summer’s Games Less than a quarter (22%) of staff feel their employer is prepared for possible organisation disruption during the Olympics London, UK – 30 April 2012: UK organisations are… -
Lessons from Tilbury Power Station
27 Apr 2012 | 4:08 amSunGard's Keith Tilley outlines the business lessons to be learnt from February's major fire in Tilbury Power Station. On the morning of the 27th February a major fire broke out in the fuel storage cells of the Tilbury Power Station. The blaze caused substantial damage, the full extent of which is still being assessed, and rendered the facility out of commission for the foreseeable future. It's an unfortunate reality that incidents do happen and as the recent and unexpected blaze at the Tilbury Power Station shows: it's impossible to tell what's around the corner. A… -
SunGard Availability Services Wins Cisco Cloud Partner of the Year at Cisco Partner Summit 2012
23 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amSunGard Availability Services today announced that it is the recipient of a Cisco Partner Summit theatre award for Cloud Partner of the Year in the service provider category. Cisco unveiled the award at its annual channel partner conference in San Diego, California. SunGard’s cloud solutions, including Enterprise Cloud Services, are delivered on a highly available and secure cloud infrastructure. SunGard cloud solutions are a suite of compute, network and storage resources delivered on a resilient cloud infrastructure. SunGard’s Cloud services are pre-integrated and… -
Fresh Business Thinking – 72 hour London Underground strikes to go ahead on April 24th
19 Apr 2012 | 4:16 amWith the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union today (Wednesday) announcing plans to strike for 72 hours from 4pm on the 24th of April (next Tuesday), the industrial action could have severe implications for the London transport network, affecting underground lines and potentially causing disruption to thousands of commuters. With the strike potentially slowing up business as usual operation in the London area in particular, Keith Tilley, expert in business continuity and disaster recovery services from SunGard Availability Services, reviews what steps businesses can take to ensure…
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Upstart
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Greece: Looming Catastrophe
15 May 2012 | 2:57 pmPolitical deadlock in Greece rattled world markets Monday, reviving fears that the fractious Mediterranean country could spurn an international bailout, abandon the common European currency and risk a fresh round of world economic turmoil. European stock indexes fell, with Greece’s market now at a 20-year low, while the euro currency continued a recent decline against the dollar. U.S. stocks also fell. Coming only days before the leaders of the world’s Group of Eight industrialized nations meet at Camp David, the standoff in Greece over its political direction has thrust Europe’s… -
When “Ethics” Trump Performance
15 May 2012 | 12:41 pmYahoo CEO Scott Thompson lasted just four months before revelations of résumé padding forced him to resign over the weekend. Best Buy Chairman and founder Richard Schulze exited Monday after directors determined he used poor judgment for failing to disclose CEO Brian Dunn’s personal relationship with a young subordinate, a violation of company ethics that led to Dunn’s departure last month. And JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is under fire after the investment bank’s $2.3 billion trading blunder that’s already cost a key deputy her job. PHOTOS: See some of the most… -
Would You “Pay” for Email
14 May 2012 | 2:38 pmQuestion: I want to move my email from Yahoo, but Gmail’s privacy issues scare me. What other options do I have for a reliable address independent of my Internet provider? Answer: Google’s free, ad-supported email service has a lot going for it, but knowing that nobody besides your correspondents reads your messages isn’t among them. Instead, automated software scans them to see what advertisements would match them best, with occasionally creepy results. But opting out of Gmail may not be that easy: If you don’t mind that ad system, it’s the strongest of the… -
Do You Really Need to “Tweet”
14 May 2012 | 11:59 amTo tweet or not to tweet? That was the question. I resisted jumping aboard the Twitter bandwagon until last week for reasons both practical and philosophical. But it basically boiled down to this: I don’t have that much to say. And certainly, once I turn in this column each day, I’ve pretty much said it. I’ve never understood people like Anderson Cooper who, going to a commercial, announces festively, “And I’ll be tweeting during the break!” Let’s think about this for a moment. We’ve been listening to AC360 for, say, the previous half hour under… -
Greece: Getting Some “Breathing Room” on Debt
13 May 2012 | 2:24 pmAs another day passed with Greece no closer to a working government, European officials suggested Wednesday that they had a new tool in their mission to keep the shared euro currency with all its partners: time. A ticking watch may be the most powerful bargaining chip Europe has against the possibility that anti-bailout voices in Greece will push it off the euro. Every day that ends without new European bailout money for Greece to pay its bills heightens the pressure on its leaders to comply with the austerity measures that come as a condition of the $171 billion rescue package. Read Full…
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Influence Experts|Presentation Skills Training | Business Growth Strategies
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Do You Believe?
14 May 2012 | 5:02 amI was recently speaking with a friend of mine that is really unhappy with his job. As we were talking a common theme kept coming up…”we are not a direct supplier”, “we are not competitive with our prices”, “our support staff is dropping the ball”. I happen to know he is not having the kind of success or making the kind of money he would like to. The thing is, he has everything it takes to be a great salesperson. He is not afraid of rejection. He is unbelieveably likeable. He has great sales skills. So why is he struggling? Part of the reason he is not… -
Master This to Achieve Greatness
9 May 2012 | 1:27 pm“Few great things are accomplished by one person alone.” I am sure you have heard this saying before. I would say that the majority of people I have met in my professional life would agree with this statement. The logic behind it is very simple: any big accomplishment that you want to achieve in life is going to be with the help from other people, directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously. Think about that for a second. In any field, I do not care if it is in sports, entertainment, politics, education, business, or spirituality, at some level, someone is going to help… -
Presenting to Win: The World Is Waiting to Hear Your Message
7 May 2012 | 4:00 amBack in the 80′s, public speaking and presentation training were skills that only a few were committed to invest resources to master. Why? Because, a professional, after learning the skills of presenting effectively, had to find an audience to speak to. So, if you wanted to speak to groups you had to: a) Promote your own event (that requires time and money to put people in a room) b) Sell yourself to speak at OPE (other people’s events) or trade associations or c) you already had a captive audience (you worked for a big corporation where you can speak to your coworkers or you were… -
Present Your Ideas with Passion, Energy and Enthusiasm
3 May 2012 | 7:00 amYour business is a series of presentations. Most of your day is presenting to clients, prospective clients, team members, buyers, sellers, referral partners, etc. The professionals who have been in the same industry for many years, sometimes are “trapped” by the Law of Familiarity, and when that happens, their presentation suffers. In this quick video, you will learn the 4 questions that I ask myself before I present my message. When you ask this question yourself, I guarantee you will present your ideas with passion, energy and enthusiasm every single time! Roberto -
Top 10 Skills to Be Successful
30 Apr 2012 | 9:00 amI have been wanting to write about today’s subject for some time. The reason I haven’t is because I, myself, couldn’t come up with an answer. But today I’m going to give it a shot and I would love to hear what your thoughts are. Here’s the question: “what are the 10 most important skills in life?” Wow! That is a BIG question. It’s one I have been pondering for some time and I keep finding new and better reasons for the new answers. It was not easy to narrow it down to just ten. But here are mine: #10 Versatility/Flexible: In our new world of instant connectivity and the speed…
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Naomi Simson's Blog
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Customer Intimacy
16 May 2012 | 2:25 amSometimes all the intention in the world – still means that a customer does not have a good interaction. The question I pose is can we please all the people all the time? I was saddened by an email I received directly from a customer this week – accusing RedBalloon of not listening….. I reviewed all his correspondence, we had clearly acknowledged each of his concerns and offered suggestions, hence I could see that the RedBalloon team member had listened. The reality is that the customer just didn’t like our answers. And my suggestion that he could use his unwanted… -
Trust takes Time
8 May 2012 | 9:19 pmTrust takes Time... and also the ability to be oneself at work - The RedBalloon corporate team - I wonder what teenagers would say if this was their first experience of work. I have teenagers – their friends are beginning to get part time jobs… I am fascinated to watch them learn and discover the world of work. The experience that they have with these businesses my well determine what ‘work’ looks like for them. Trust is paramount in every employment relationship – without it, it is really difficult to achieve great things. So imagine a young person – his first work experience… -
Coming up this week 7 May 2012
7 May 2012 | 12:23 amMentoring weekend participants... fun. Last week I learned a lot – things about mobile and eCommerce. I finished reading Abundance by Diamandis and Kotler… which I found completely inspiring. We had our company meeting which was hosted by the marketing team – and they chose a ‘Thank you’ theme… letting each team know how we all contribute to our marketing effort. (It gave me a chance to talk about the upcoming book.) I did a presentation to RAMs and met the CEO, Melos Sulicich last week and was surprised to bump into him again at the end of the week during his ride in the… -
The state of eCommerce in Australia
3 May 2012 | 1:29 amI attended a eBusiness round table this week… below is a list of things that I gleaned from the presentations LoSoMo = the trend towards Local Social and Mobile The internet represents a $50b contribution to GDP in Australia (the same size as iron ore exports. 36.7% of all music sales are now done online The Google campaign with MYOB ‘Getting Aussie Businesses Online’ was considered a success – now about 50% of all Australian small businesses have an internet presence. One in every 12 retail dollars is spent online (this number excludes travel and airlines and group buying.) Group… -
Coming up this week 30 April 2012
30 Apr 2012 | 4:02 amFabulous Women creating amazing businesses Last week was too busy to even write what was coming up – apart from all the great RedBalloon events and meetings, we held the inaugural mentoring weekend in the Blue Mountains. Over the 2 days and three nights we worked through the ‘Entrepreneurial Cookbook’, had one on one sessions and challenged each other to ‘what could the world look like’. I completely enjoyed getting to know – and experience the thrill of being inside other businesses. I was truly fascinated by how their business models worked, and how passion and determination has…
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Negotiation and the News
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Six Principles Every International Negotiator Must Know: Concessions Easily Given Appear of Little Value
7 May 2012 | 8:11 amThis is the seventh post in a series entitled: The Principles of International Negotiation: Finding Universal Value in a Complex World It’s a worldwide phenomenon: You’re on vacation in a foreign country and decide to buy a souvenir. You know you shouldn’t pay the price they’re asking, so you make a lower offer on that “locally produced” carving. The vendor takes it. As your purchase is being wrapped, you’re thinking, “That was too easy. I could have bought it for less.” We’re not trying to teach you to deprive starving artists of their living. But whenever someone asks… -
Sales Negotiator Training: Better Forecasting Closes More Deals
2 May 2012 | 9:49 amSales forecasting is a critical activity for any team, but many companies have a hard time getting it right. Business pressures or subjective measures – emotions and opinion – often have too much weight, and distort the process. For business leaders who want to give their teams a dependable way of analyzing deals so they can focus on activities that will result in more closes, sales negotiator training should include some aspect of sales forecasting. Most sales or negotiation training focuses on the process, rather than the "why" and "how." Yet this process… -
Six Principles Every International Negotiator Must Know: A Divided Team is a Costly Team
24 Apr 2012 | 12:51 pmThis is the sixth post in a series entitled: The Principles of International Negotiation: Finding Universal Value in a Complex World As many have learned, cracking the united front of a negotiation team can yield prized concessions. As with a teenager who knows how to play one parent against another to get permissions and privileges, the party across the negotiation table will pick your team apart if given a chance. Even if it’s an opportunity they don’t take, disunity can severely damage your credibility, and prolong or sometimes cripple negotiations. In an international environment,… -
The Six Principles Every International Negotiator Must Know – Protect Your Weaknesses, Utilize Theirs
30 Mar 2012 | 8:38 amThis is the fifth post in a series entitled: The Principles of International Negotiation: Finding Universal Value in a Complex World Employing this principle begins with a clear-eyed assessment of your negotiation team’s weaknesses. Be brutally honest with yourself in evaluating how critical factors like tight deadlines, lack of patience, insufficient alternatives, lack of understanding of the customer, poor cash flow, or product credibility issues might affect your position. Poor teamwork is another weakness, making a team susceptible to divide-and-conquer tactics by the other side. -
Negotiation Examples: The Power of “Face”
23 Mar 2012 | 2:25 pm"Face" is a person’s standing in the eyes of others. In negotiations, that means looking good to each negotiation side, peers, management, spouse and family. It avoids putting someone in an awkward position that could humiliate or embarrass them, particular with a direct confrontation. When confronted negatively, negotiations can quickly deteriorate. However, giving someone "face" makes them feel good and helps form good business relationships. A Business Negotiation Example – Saving "Face" At K&R Negotiations, we have extensive experience in…
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Everyone's Blog Posts - Ms. Boss Network
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Stop Waiting On Other People To Determine Your Success
23 Apr 2012 | 12:51 pmSo many times we are presented with opportunities that we know could change our lives and put off taking advantage of those opportunities because we want to wait and see what someone else will do. I was watching Joel Olsten yesterday morning and his topic was based on Stop Waiting. I thought this was so timely because I was having a conversation on Friday with one of my partners who said that she had people who said that they saw the opportunity, but they were going to wait and see how she did in the business. To me that's crazy. Someone else success or failure does not determine… -
Kiwi me or... the color green is so soothing and sweet.
18 Apr 2012 | 7:34 pm -
Gray is quickly becoming the new sexy!
18 Apr 2012 | 7:30 pm -
Boysenberry Ice cream thrown all over your gray sofa.
18 Apr 2012 | 7:05 pmImagine a crush velvet duvet in this scrumptious color thrown all over you gray sofa... Delicious! -
Blog Talk Radio
18 Apr 2012 | 6:52 pmKelly Desmore Cico Producer Film Festival Will be on my show Artist, Designers, and Things Oh My 6:30 pm April 19th on Blog Tak Radio.
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Whitehurst | Mergers & Acquisitions
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Dallas Business Broker Minute
14 May 2012 | 12:31 pmEach M&A week brings new headlines about the current US and world economy. As business markets rise and plunge, it affects the business owner large, small and mid-size. One very successful approach to understand the economic market and strive in it, is to keep abreast of business climates to better study their impact. 10 Cities Poised For Greatness In 2012 The standard line in the Real Estate business is “location, location, location.” This is also excellent advice for the small and mid-market business owner. The valuation of a company is often linked to its geographic… -
Top 3 Predictions for Becoming a Successful Business Owner
8 May 2012 | 12:59 pmAs a Dallas business broker, I’m often asked, “What does a business broker do?” A business broker is someone who does M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions), and often gets leads from connecting with a well-established business broker network. As a consultant in a complex business, I meet many entrepreneurs and I would like to share some of the traits of this amazing group of people. My goal here is to help you you to predict your success as a business owner. Here, then, are three traits common to successful entrepreneurs: 1. Entrepreneurs are not afraid to dream While many… -
Dallas Business Broker Minute: Helping Business Owners Through The Sales Process
24 Apr 2012 | 11:50 amSelling a business is best handled by people with the expertise to do it right. Many entrepreneurs take justifiable pride in their ability to run their operations. They may have started from scratch and built a successful venture, which is now a valuable asset. When the owner decides to sell, the biggest mistake he or she can make is to go it alone. The Business Broker Is A Specialist Business brokers are often known as M&A (Merger and Acquisition) consultants. It’s a complex business with its own set of rules, both formal and informal. Some think of M&A as a game, and… -
Business Broker Minute: Top 5 Things To Know In Today’s Mergers & Acquisitions Marketplace
17 Apr 2012 | 10:59 amBusiness Broker Minute: Selling A Business In Today’s Marketplace Current economic conditions make selling a business a challenging endeavor. Even when sellers price a business to move, many buyers hesitate for fear of adverse conditions such as an economic downturn, changing taxes and new regulations. Unable to do much to change economic and governmental policies, business owners can still take definite steps that will improve their chance of selling their business. Business Broker: Make a Good First ImpressionSomeone who buys a business does not want to start with a disaster. -
Dallas Business Broker Minute. What you need to know before you say “Sell My Business”
9 Apr 2012 | 10:12 amBusiness Broker? Why is it Important to Have the Right One? If you’ve taken the time to build a successful business, figuring out a way to sell your business to a third-party could provide you with a lump sum of cash that you can retire on or invest into a new business venture. Although you could always try to sell your business on your own, using a business broker is often a better way to facilitate this process. What exactly is a business broker and what do they do? A business broker is an individual who helps sell your business. While real estate agents help people sell their…
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Midas Touch
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Tax planning, tax avoidance or tax evasion?
27 Apr 2012 | 8:24 amIn a recent speech the CBI Director-General, John Cridland, introduced a report entitled ‘Tax and British Business: Making the Case’. This was a clear response to the current levels of press and other comment, largely ill informed, where the boundaries between tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion seem to have disappeared. He noted that in the last year for which records are available, “that UK businesses pay around a quarter, £163 billion, of the country’s total tax revenue, and that a competitive tax system is essential to the economy and prosperity.” Of course it is also… -
Manufacturing grows again in March
5 Apr 2012 | 3:54 amThe Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for manufacturing rose to 52.1 last month from 51.5 in February. For those who have no idea what this means, let me enlighten you – any figure above 50 implies that the UK manufacturing sector is growing. Since the downturn hit the UK, the media have delighted in drowning the population with negative statistics, whether it be GDP, ‘the deficit’, unemployment, growth (or lack of it), interest rates, inflation rates etc. As is normally the case, good news is rarely reported with a similar emphasis. So is the Markit/CIPS data good… -
5 reasons why the 2012 Budget is good news for entrepreneurs
4 Apr 2012 | 7:34 amGeorge Osborne’s third budget made a clear statement that entrepreneurs will be key to the UK’s economic recovery. Here are my 5 reasons why UK business owners can be cheerful about the statement: 1. Corporation tax to be reduced from 1 April 2012. Corporation tax, currently at 26%, is to be reduced more than anticipated to 24%. The rate will be reduced a further 1% in each of the following two years, so that’s 22% from April 2014.We now have one of the lowest rates of corporation tax in the OECD, which makes the UK an attractive location for doing business. And for existing… -
Will SME’s benefit from the Olympics?
2 Apr 2012 | 5:15 amI was talking to a print business owner the other day when he mentioned that he had been had been contacted by a trade journalist who was doing a piece on whether companies in the print industry expected to see a boost to business from the Olympics. We had a chat about the various ways in which companies like his (i.e. those without a lucrative contract with LOCOG or an official supporter) might get a boost, and it reminded me that at Kingston Smith last year we were required to change our approach to a seminar we ran because our intended marketing would have breached the law on what… -
Budget 2012 winners & losers
26 Mar 2012 | 7:29 amThe truism goes…….for every winner there has to be a loser. Portsmouth FC get docked 10 points after going into administration and now hover around the Championship relegation zone, whilst Coventry City move upwards without kicking a ball. And of course this truism is especially pertinent when Budget Day comes around as it did last week. If the Budget were a football match, the scores may go something like this… 1-0 : Higher earners and business owners able to control when they receive income – defer it until the 50p top rate of Income Tax is cut to 45p next April. 1-1 : …
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Latest blog entries
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Improve Team Communication with a Style of Influence Personality Profile
13 May 2012 | 4:10 pmA Style of Influence personality profile can improve your team communication and provide a deeper understanding of yourself and others. No group ever complained that their team communication was too good! In fact, most of the workplace interpersonal conflicts you may have seen or been part of are likely the results of relationships between people who simply do not have an appreciation for the personality profile or strengths of their coworker. We all have a style of influence – a way that we prefer to deal with information, emotions, goals, or details – and when we experience difficulties… -
The 12 Most Exalting Phrases Leaders Can Share With Their Team
5 May 2012 | 9:09 amThis article about exalting phrases for leaders is published as a guest post on the "12 Most" website... Many thanks to Peg, Paul, and the "12 Most" team for sharing it with their audience! You can read the entire article on phrases to use with your team by clicking HERE. -
Team Personality Styles, Tessellations, and Teamwork Lessons
5 May 2012 | 8:10 amThis article on team personality styles and tessellations is published as a guest post on the "Power Basketball" website. Many thanks to Coach Power for sharing it with his audience! You can read the entire article on the teamwork lessons of tessellations if you click HERE. -
Leadership Insights on Decisions From McDonalds
4 May 2012 | 5:29 amThis article on decisions and leadership insights is published as a guest post on the "Coaching Confidence" website. Many thanks to Jenn Waller for sharing it with her audience! You can read the entire article on "Leadership Insights on Decisions from McDonalds" if you click HERE. -
Team Trust is a Three Legged Stool
28 Apr 2012 | 8:53 pmIn virtually every aspect of your life, you can find examples of the importance of teamwork. But teamwork is built on team trust, and that trust is supported and established like the seat of a three legged stool – by three important supporting elements. The absence or weakness of any of the legs on a stool would cause the stool to fall – or at the least provide a much less comfortable and solid foundation for the seat. The three legged stool metaphor is similar to team trust resting on separate but equally important “legs.” And whether you acknowledge it or not, most every…
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Firepole Marketing
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Nandos: Rock Star Marketing Skills, Dinky Judgment
16 May 2012 | 7:15 amOne of the funniest commercials in the history of the world was discontinued on television due to death threats issued by an angry militant youth groups in Zimbabwe against Nandos execs and customers. The South African based fast food chicken franchise, Nandos, produced a commercial of marketing genius that makes fun of just the wrong person. The commercial is a hilarious portrayal of the Zimbabwe despot Robert Mugabe, and his sentimental feelings towards his fellow despots who have passed on. The ad uses the Mary Hopkins song “Those Were the Days My Friend,” to display Mugabe… -
Time To Put The “P” Back Into Your Marketing – It’s All About People
14 May 2012 | 7:15 amZig Zielgar once said “If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.” Well trust is built on strong relationships and relationships are all about people. Many large companies have built solid business models on this idea. Starbucks built its success on good coffee. However the inspiration for the company’s coffee-bar format came in the early 1980s when their marketing director Howard Schultz, who had recently come on board, visited coffee bars in Italy and noticed the close rapport between customers and the baristas… -
Tools, List Posts, Videos, and More – Best of the Web!
12 May 2012 | 7:15 amAnother month, and another Best of the Web round-up! The last month has been really intense – between all the content that we’ve run on the blog (which is a lot), the webinars that I’ve been doing for our wonderful partners (over a dozen of them), and the interviews that I’ve been asked to participate in, it’s been crazy. And on top of that, there’s my super-secret new project that I’ll be releasing to you (for free!) at the end of the month! So yeah, it’s been busy, and it’s been hard to keep up with the rest of the blogosphere. But just… -
The ‘Slow Drip’ Method for Building a Massive Following
10 May 2012 | 7:15 amFacebook grew from around 1 million users to over 845 million in 7 years. Amazon.com grew in five years to 10 times the annual sales of Walmart, Target, and Buy.com combined (not to mention that Walmart and Target – together, have had about 150 years of growth to get there). When it comes to growth and results, we tend to be drawn toward those that are eye-opening, astonishing, and “off the charts.” We don’t care about companies like Walmart or IBM, or websites like Yahoo (at least not anymore), because their growth was the kind of slow and steady kind that… -
Mastering Differentiation: Become an Oyster of Your Industry
8 May 2012 | 7:15 amWe all want our businesses to be successful. All of our hard work, sleepless nights, truly caring about customers, demanding high standards from the team… People say “If you build it, they will come.” Well they did, they came. But once the novelty wore off, what keeps customers from coming again? Coming often? You do all the right things – great customer service, high quality products/services, friendly environment, decent location… But there are only a handful of customers who would really miss you if you go out of business tomorrow. How did this happen? You…
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Business Success
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A Little Inspiration Can Go A Long Way…
9 May 2012 | 9:07 pmThis YouTube video was made known to me by a newsletter from a friend of mine over at Coachability. I figured it might just hit the spot for some of you. -
Creating Offers Folks Can’t Refuse
8 May 2012 | 5:00 pmI mentioned in an earlier post how much I like the writing resource over at Copyblogger. A new Copyblogger post is a great example of why. It’s about crafting offers that people can’t refuse. Give it a read and let me know what you think. -
The Magic of Surveying Your Customers
29 Apr 2012 | 7:43 amIf you take a little time and ask your customers what they really think, implementing what you discover can produce magical effects. Every business owner should certainly know what their unique qualities are and how their service or product is different, better than the next guy’s. But have you ever directly asked your clients? They may have a slightly different view of this. Or they may have a very different idea of what makes you special to them. It’s as simple as asking. When you’re talking with a handful of your clients over the next few weeks, find a good spot to ask them “why… -
Hello and Welcome!
2 Apr 2012 | 4:04 pmStan Dubin here. What can you look forward to here? Simple, useable advice to make your business life easier, more productive and more enjoyable. You’ll find the tone here very conversational. My first business book, The Small Business Success Manual, was written in this way: light-hearted, practical, easy to understand. 9,500 copies later, I’m told I’ve helped many companies improve their scene. So you’ll see a variety of things here, but they’ll all have one theme: helping you achieve business success…one idea at a time. Last but not least, we’re… -
Free Internet Marketing Course
28 Mar 2012 | 10:25 amFor me, some of the best information available on the subject of internet marketing and writing good content (whether for use online or offline) comes from the folks at Copyblogger. They put together a free course that draws from their best content over the last 6-7 years. This is seriously intelligent stuff. I highly recommend you head over to Copyblogger, scroll down the page a little and you’ll see the section on their free Internet Marketing Course. Over 70,000 people have signed up for it, including yours truly. I also listen to their podcast, which I find extremely insightful.
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Red Fish Marketing Promotional Products Blog
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Promotional Pens to promote your Business
16 May 2012 | 9:51 amPromotional product is an easiest and very affordable way to endorse your product. Advertisement is very influential in promoting your product. And it also helps the company to be known in public. Promoting your product is also one way to promote the company, the makers and the producer of that product. In order to have cheaper expense in promoting your product, try some techniques. Like, you want to promote a pen and we all know that printing a tarpaulin is expensive and usually differs from its’ size and sometimes differs from how long your “quotation” or sentence you’ll put. So try… -
Environmental Friendly Products
15 May 2012 | 10:18 amLooking for a way to show your commitment to the environment? Why not select a product that reflects your values and that’s by using eco friendly promotional items. We have assembled on this page some of the most popular eco-friendly products that can enable your business or organization to stay top-of-mind and help the environment. We have promotional items that are made from recycled materials, biodegradable, solar & water powered products or made from environmentally friendly sources. Here are Red Fish Marketing’s Environmental Friendly Products: Biodegradable Products Reusable… -
Summer Corporate Gifts Ideas
14 May 2012 | 12:55 pmCorporate gifts are often based on the time of year they are given out. Gifts tend to change depending on what time of the year you are going to hand it out. Choose a fun and useful corporate gift for this summer. Here are some great corporate gift ideas perfect for the summer months. Coolers and Warmers –Coolers and cooler bags may just be the ultimate summer time corporate gift. It helps preserve food and keep the beverages cold. Barbeque sets –Everyone enjoys a nice barbeque during the summer. Beach Accessories –Everyone… -
Benefits of Corporate Gifts
9 May 2012 | 8:23 amThere’s a lot benefits of giving away corporate gifts to your employees and business associates. The most important is maintaining your relationship with them. It is important to always have a good relationship with your workers and associates because it will help your business prosper. It is most advantage to have a harmonious working place coz it will make them more productive. All entrepreneurs agree that it’s important for them to always make their staff feel valued. As you want to give a suitable gift as a reward to a deserving employee, come up with an item that will represent the… -
How Corporate Gift Giving Works For Businesses
9 May 2012 | 8:15 amCorporate gift giving is essential to the success of most companies and businesses. Business people know that it is not only important to have clever business strategies to ensure success. Rather, it’s essential to be careful about other details such as giving corporate gifts to business partners and clients. The corporate gifts that your company should be using must be well planned. The most common corporate gifts to be given away are the inexpensive ones. As the sayings goes, it’s the thought that counts when giving away gifts. However, some tend to overlook a most common mistake, which…
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ExpertMortgageAssistance Blog
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Mortgage Lenders & Brokers — How To Make Outsourcing Work for You
11 May 2012 | 8:13 amOutsourcing, if handled well, can be a competitive advantage for your business, as it helps you overcome several operational shortcomings and realize substantial cost savings. For an industry that has to comply with several federal and state guidelines (which keep changing periodically), the idea of outsourcing seems challenging. However, the benefits of outsourcing make it a compelling factor to be considered by top management. Thankfully, there are a few mortgage service providers who keep up with all the regulatory changes and industry updates, and offer quality and affordable back office… -
How outsourcing mortgage processing benefits lenders & brokers
21 Mar 2012 | 9:12 amEvery business is ambitious to grow and expand. However, few are equipped to handle even a 50% increase in the volume that they currently deal with. It gets even tougher for players in the mortgage industry, as they already have to deal with cyclical fluctuations of 20–30%. Hiring new resources and training them on tasks like loan processing can be cumbersome and time consuming. It also substantially increases operational expenses. Resource planning for peak periods and growth stages needs attention from top management, which can sidetrack them from working towards more important strategic… -
How to increase Mortgage Loan Processing efficiency
19 Mar 2012 | 8:09 amLoan processors can get overwhelmed with following up on different documents from multiple sources (including 3rd-party service providers) that are required to close a loan. They need to interact with loan officers, underwriters, borrowers and 3rd-party service providers to be able to fulfill conditions on a loan application before it is cleared for the final underwriter’s decision. Tracking all this communication and responding to each one on time is tedious and time consuming. With their busy schedules, it is easy for loan processors to miss follow-ups, which causes further delays in… -
MBA’s National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo 2012
21 Feb 2012 | 11:12 pmThe Mortgage Bankers’ Association is holding its National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo 2012. The event is going to be hosted by the Orlando World Center Marriott from the 21st to the 24th of February. MBA’s National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo 2012 comes at a critical juncture for the industry. Over the past couple of years, times have been hard for mortgage service providers. With the number of foreclosures on the rise, carrying on business is difficult. The conference is going to educate mortgage service providers on the needs of the hour. The dynamics of their… -
Benefits of Outsourcing Mortgage Processing
25 Jan 2012 | 1:41 amHandling mortgage processing with an in-house team can be time-consuming and expensive. Seasonal fluctuations in volume make hiring permanent staff and scaling up unaffordable. By diverting your organization’s focus from its core competencies, it can affect your bottom line too. Outsource your mortgage processing needs to a professional service provider to minimize the time, costs and hassles involved, while maintaining high levels of service and quality. How dedicated mortgage experts can help you Mortgage experts work with a diverse range of customers and applications, and can quickly and…
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Midlands perspective
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Inspiration, Innovation and Ingenuity
16 May 2012 | 11:32 amI had the great privilege recently of meeting Professor Muhammad Yunus at the launch of my firm’s Social Innovation Pioneer competition. What an inspiration! On the off chance that anyone reading this hasn’t heard of Professor Yunus and his achievements, take a look at this: http://www.muhammadyunus.org/Home/. Some story eh? Some man. Speaking at the launch of our competition, Professor Yunus said: “Businesses with a clear social purpose have the power to deliver profound and sustainable change for the benefit of all. I strongly believe that this is the future of business. I’m… -
Finding Funding - the challenge for SMEs
2 May 2012 | 11:30 amThe paradox of recession: as the UK expects SMEs and entrepreneurs to play an essential role in economic recovery, the adverse conditions make harder than ever to grow a business. The Breedon Report concluded that UK banks are more likely to reject borrowing applications by SMEs now than they were previously, and more likely to do so than their counterparts in Europe. For the majority of SMEs I speak to, raising cash is the first and last worry. There are some measures in the Budget which address this. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here is Ian's comment on the Budget… -
What will Budget 2012 deliver for Midlands Manufacturers?
26 Mar 2012 | 10:12 amMy first post on our new Midlands blog. As I will be largely be talking about Manufacturing on here, last week’s visit from our Chief Economist, Ian Stewart, was an ideal opportunity to get his thoughts on what the Budget will deliver for Midlands Manufacturers: Deloitte's Chief Economist, Ian Stewart, on the impact of the Budget 2012 for Midlands Manufacturers Overall there is a clear effort from the Chancellor to encourage local innovation, and make manufacturing destinations like the Midlands more attractive to overseas businesses looking to expand. In a world of increasing… -
Budget 2012 - for Midlands Game Developers
26 Mar 2012 | 10:07 amHow often will I get to write about computer games on here? Budget 2012 seems like a golden opportunity. The Midlands is home to around 25% of the UK game production industry, with several of the big names including Codemasters, Rare and Blitz. The West Midlands alone has a workforce of 2000, which contributes a quarter of a billion pounds towards UK GDP. A video games tax relief, to be introduced in 2013 (following consultation and state aid approval) is welcome and important news to the region. The industry has campaigned for years to secure a competitive tax regime. Homegrown talent has… -
Budget 2012 - summary from Deloitte’s Chief Economist
26 Mar 2012 | 9:33 amLast week it was a pleasure to welcome Deloitte’s Chief Economist, Ian Stewart, as Guest Speaker at our Directors’ Budget and Economic Update Dinner in Brindleyplace. He was kind enough to give us some words on camera to launch our new blog Deloitte's Chief Economist, Ian Stewart, on the Chancellor’s actions for the UK Budget 2012 Deloitte's Chief Economist, Ian Stewart, summarising the likely impact for Budget 2012 Ian is a Partner and the Chief Economist at Deloitte where he advises clients on macroeconomics and financial markets developments. Before joining Deloitte, he…
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Gaurav(b)logs
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The First Mover Disadvantage
8 May 2012 | 11:28 pmGoogle and Facebook were not the firsts in their space. And so were not HP and Intel. They saw the opportunity in the market that was discovered/created by other companies and built a better product to take on that market. While there is surely some advantage in being the first mover, many companies become market leaders by being early movers rather than first movers. The disadvantage with the first mover is that they have to spend a lot of resource on defining/creating a market and testing the market opportunity. So sometimes, it makes sense to keep eyes and ears open and seize the… -
You dont waste time, you waste yourself.
17 Apr 2012 | 9:14 am"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” -Albert Einstein When we waste time, we really don’t. Time doesn’t belong to us, we cant bind it, we cant control it, so it will be naïve to think we can waste it. It goes on , inspite of us. Each moment, every day some people makes it big, some people reach their glory, some people achieve their goal. Each day, each moment begins to belong to some people. When we let it go, we let go of the opportunity to make that moment ours. We let go of an opportunity to stamp that moment as ours. Get set... Get going.. -
Trying to catch up is no match up.
31 Mar 2012 | 3:35 amIndividuals, companies at times just follow the competitors to catch up with them.They dont have any other strategy. While idea to catch up is alright, but plainly emulating the competitor may not lead to match up with the competition. Sometimes, even nations do the same. India is the biggest importer of arms and weapons buying almost 10% of world's total exports. India wrested the sobriquet of 'largest arms importer' from China a few years ago and China has dropped to no. 4. However, China has also emerged as the sixth largest exporter , thanks to its ability to manufacture lot… -
Stuck in the Elevator or Stuck on the Escalator
27 Mar 2012 | 10:13 amSuccessful Entrepreneurs have stories to tell. Some of them about how they got stuck and then pulled themselves out. Sometimes, it seems we are really blocked, have hit a cul de sac, there is no way out. Like being stuck in an elevator, we cant do much than looking, screaming for help. However, at times, we just dont put extra effort when we get stuck , like being stuck on an escalator in this video. We wait, look for help, curse. Lot of people jump into entrepreneurship because of the rosy picture media paints about it. However,the path to entrepreneurship is not always smooth. In good… -
Moment of Doubt
26 Feb 2012 | 11:18 pmInnovation could be cumbersome for Entrepreneurs. It sometimes hits the roadblocks. At these roadblocks,the entrepreneur has his/her Moments of doubt. Moment of Doubt 1 : Our tendency to focus on present and short term. It conflicts with what we are looking ahead. But innovation is really about being ahead, being better than what it is now. It is about the future and may find no visible trajectory in the present. Moment of Doubt 2 : Radical versus Incremental. Exploration versus improvement. The former can be disturbing when you may find yourself to be in middle of nowhere. The whole…
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Enterprising Gals
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Goal Setting – Follow Up
23 Apr 2012 | 10:27 amA couple weeks ago I mentioned that I ordered the Zig Ziglar and Seth Godin goal planner called Pick Four. I wanted to give you all an update on my progress using the goal planner. The goal planner comes in a four pack. I’m not sure why, since each booklet has you work on four goals at one time. But it’s nice to have a couple extras to share. The purpose of the planner is to help you pick four goals that give you balance and ones that “take over your life” (in a good way). Then, for 12 weeks, you write down your progress in achieving the goals each day. I… -
EG Spotlight – Kerry Bannigan, Nolcha Fashion Week
16 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amA few years ago when I was working on a fashion business, I learned about Nolcha Fashion Week, a fashion show and platform aimed at discovering independent fashion designers. I was so impressed when I discovered this fabulous event was created by an Enterprising Gal named Kerry Bannigan. I recently asked Kerry to share her start-up story and she graciously agreed. Here’s how Kerry paved her own way in the NYC fashion scene. Kerry Bannigan, Nolcha Fashion Week (www.nolchafashionweek.com) Please describe your business and the number of years you have been in business. Kerry: Launched in… -
EG Spotlight – Stephanie Johnson
10 Apr 2012 | 11:00 amI had the great pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Johnson a while back for my fashionCEO site. I’m reposting the interview so you can gain some insight into how Stephanie built a highly-successful line of cosmetic bags. Stephanie is a wonderful person and a true Enterprising Gal. I love stories like hers. She was unhappy in her high-paying corporate job so she left to launch her dream business. And it was a good move. Here’s Stephanie’s story. Stephanie Johnson (www.StephanieJohnson.com) I love stories when people know that their not comfortable in the corporate field and… -
Goal Setting & Zig Ziglar
5 Apr 2012 | 12:01 pmI am full of inspiration today and I want to share it with you. I subscribe to Neil Patel’s newsletter. He has a site called Quick Sprout which is a blog chock full of his tips and great information if you have a blog or web business. I highly recommend his newsletter. I was reading today’s post on 10 Lessons Seth Godin Can Teach You About Blogging (great post by the way). That post linked to another interview with Seth Godin where Seth mentioned how a goal planner created by Zig Ziglar saved him from bankruptcy. This really caught my attention, because I love to make goals. But… -
3 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make With Social Media
4 Apr 2012 | 5:18 pmAs the owner of a relatively new business myself (EG being relatively new), I know firsthand how overwhelming the whole social media thang can be. It kind of makes my head hurt sometimes. I have been consulting with the owner of a small company for a couple years who creates products directed at moms. Over the last two years, I’ve been encouraging her to move towards a bigger presence on Facebook and Twitter – and now Pinterest. She’s been a bit resistant, but has finally realized the value social media has in growing her brand. She’s still in the early stages of her…
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CaseFox
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Entering Time and Expense in CaseFox
13 May 2012 | 5:33 pm1. To enter an hourly billing item, enter the time (either hours/minutes or tenth hours format) in the provided boxes. System will automatically calculate the amount based on your hourly rates. (by the way, you can set different hourly rates for different cases. Click on the “Grant Access/Set Rates” tab, select a user, an “Edit” link will appear next to the hourly fee amount. If you don’t set a different hourly rate for a user, the user’s global hourly rates will be used automatically. 2. To enter a flat fee item, simply enter the amount in “Total… -
Setting Different Hourly Rates For Different Cases
13 May 2012 | 5:32 pmClick on “Cases (Projects)” tab on the top of the page. In the left panel, select a desired case. On the right side panel, click on “Grant Access/Set Rates” tab. On the screen, check the checkbox in front of a staff name. An “Edit” link will appear. Click on that link to enter a new rate. Click Update. This process will do two things, first, if the selected staff is not an administrator, the selected staff will now have access to this case (administrators have access to all cases automatically). Second, a new hourly rate (only for this case) for the… -
Generating Invoices For All Clients With One Click
11 May 2012 | 9:21 pmYou and your people (including contract staff) can enter time and expenses in CaseFox as you work on projects/cases. At a month-end (or whenever you so desire), just click one button and all your invoices will be automatically generated. That is, less than a minute to generate all your invoices. http://www.casefox.com/web/automatic-invoice-generation.html -
Import Your Client List into CaseFox
27 Apr 2012 | 1:39 pmCaseFox Timekeeping and Billing Software supports importing clients via a CSV file. You may export your client list from another system and follow the instructions for importing the client list into your CaseFox account. -
CaseFox User Roles Explained
28 Mar 2012 | 2:42 pmCaseFox User Roles: http://www.casefox.com/web/userroles.html Here is a brief guide to get started with CaseFox: http://www.casefox.com/web/gettingstarted.html Register for free and explore the power and simplicity of CaseFox.
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Ask Mike Palumbo about Your Career!
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Failure Isn’t An Option!
16 May 2012 | 11:50 amIn all of your dealings in life, whether it’s looking for your first job, changing careers, interviewing for your dream job, or even going through something in your personal life, you have to believe that failure isn’t an option! When believing failure isn’t an option something starts to happen to you, almost immediately. You start to make things happen. You think differently. You don’t want to fail and failure isn’t an excuse for you to use anymore. You’re a winner now! I know you might be laughing at this, but let me tell you about my own experiences and how this type of… -
Shorten Your Path To Success!
15 May 2012 | 10:33 amIs there a way to shorten your path to success? I’m not talking about a short cut, but is there a way to shorten your path? Yes, it’s called an advisor or mentor. Being successful is hard work. It takes a lot of hard work and persistence, that’s why so many people give up too soon. Please don’t give up! You must find a mentor, tutor, advisor, whatever you want to call it, but you have to find someone to help shorten the learning curve for you. It doesn’t matter what you want to do. If you want to a successful barber, welder, mortgage banker, pilot, horse trainer, recruiter,… -
How To Overcome Your Lack Of Experience
14 May 2012 | 10:37 amDo you think your experience will hold you back? It most likely will, but the truth is most of us are only qualified for a small percentage of the positions out there. So don’t sweat it! How can you get experience if companies won’t hire you because you don’t have any experience? Having this issue is normal for most new graduates and career changers. Are you frustrated because you can’t get a company to hire you because of your lack of experience? Again, it’s impossible for you to have experience in every position in the world. So keep things in perspective. So what’s the answer? -
The Games of Interviewing…
11 May 2012 | 8:34 amWhat are the games of interviewing? Some of the games being played are unintentional and some are a part of a company's interviewing process. Either way, you have to win the games to get the job! When I just graduated college I learned first hand about these interviewing games. I was in an interview with a company and the interviewer asked me, “Can you tell me a funny story?” What? Can you picture this? Here I am, a young guy just graduated college and I was ready and prepared for questions about my schooling, internships, and overall experience in the industry and this is the question I… -
Don’t Be A Wimp!
10 May 2012 | 10:38 amIs there anything worse than a wimpy guy? You women know what I’m talking about, right? If you’re being a wimp - stop it! If you think you’re the first person that has to commute, travel, relocate, work the night shift or do work that’s beneath you, you’re wrong. Most successful people have done all of this, or maybe still do, in their careers. When I’m speaking with some of you about your careers and job prospects, some of you are not being realistic. You can’t start at the top. You can’t cheat the system. You cannot go from A to Z skipping all the other steps in…
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Activate Group, Inc. » Articles
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7 Reasons Your Goals May Not Be Achievable
16 May 2012 | 9:17 amMany organizations set goals and fail to reach them. Others achieve some of their goals by accident, and some could achieve a lot more. Are your goals mandatory or experimental? In my leadership development coaching projects, I’ve seen many organizations … -
Why Strategic Change Fails
14 May 2012 | 9:25 amYou embark down a strategic planning process, bring in a consultant and discuss the matter with your senior management team. Everyone comes to the same conclusion: your existing strategy will not work for the future. So you decide on a … -
3 Myths That Kill Motivation
11 May 2012 | 8:49 amWe all want to see 100 percent effort in our workforce every day, but most of us struggle to achieve that level of motivation. Maybe you’ve tried motivational speakers and management trainers, and maybe you’ve even told everybody what you … -
The Difference Between Training and Development
9 May 2012 | 12:38 pmHow much budget have you wasted on training that didn’t result in ROI? I’m a sales trainer and coach and see failed training programs every day. If you are spending your training dollars on training that strengthens employees’ skills while … -
Is It Time to Bring on a Business Partner?
7 May 2012 | 9:08 pmHow do you know when it is time to bring on a business partner? I just brought on an executive leadership partner, and am so excited for the great opportunities this will bring to AGI. My new partner, Lou Partenza, …
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Half Bridge Business News & Articles
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Yahoo CEO resigns
14 May 2012 | 9:11 amThe Chief Executive of Yahoo Scott Thompson has quit his job after he was accused of having a fake accounting and computer science degree, which was also included in his CV and Yahoo’s financial reports. He is being replaced by Ross Levinsohn who is currently Yahoo’s global media head. Levinsohn will take the CEO’s responsibility on a temporary basis until the board of directors decides on the new CEO. This is another bad news coming from the company headquarters in Sunnyvale after it announced, a month ago, that it was going to lay-off 2000 employees. Yahoo has been facing severe… -
Can Greece leave the Eurozone?
13 May 2012 | 9:21 amCountries in the Eurozone have the democratic right to leave, even if it is not in the larger interest of Europe. A Greek exit from the Eurozone is therefore “possible”. This was recently stated by Luc Coene, European Central Bank’s (ECB) governing council member. On the other hand, Mario Draghi, president of the ECB has refused to comment on the possibility of Greece leaving the euro. The economic repercussions, he believes, would be far worse than anyone can imagine. The bank has already spent approximately $51bn in purchasing its bonds to support the country. … -
What JPMorgan wont tell you
13 May 2012 | 5:10 amJPMorgan has been in all the business headlines owing to its shocking $2bn trading loss. This has lead to a revival of debates questioning whether these ‘megabanks’ are actually beneficial to the society. The banks believe that they bring economies of scale, therefore higher efficiency. The critics have argued against the high levels of leverage maintained by these financial institutions and the risks associated with it. The current crisis has also revealed that very little has changed following the 2008 global financial crisis. Lessons that should have been learned have been completely… -
Chinese Banks in US
12 May 2012 | 12:29 pmThe U.S. Federal Reserve has given approval to The largest Chinese Bank, Industrial and Commerce Bank of China (ICBC) to purchase the New York based The Bank of East Asia U.S.A. The Agricultural Bank of China to open a branch in New York City. The Bank of China to open its branch in Chicago. The bank already has branches in New York and Los Angeles. The Government of China is one of the primary shareholders in all of these banks. ICBC, one of the biggest global bank, has assets exceeding $2.5 trillion, approximately 70% of which are owned by the government. According to the agreement… -
JPMorgan reports $2bn trading loss
11 May 2012 | 3:33 pmJP-Morgan Delivers a Shocker and Voldemort was responsible The biggest US bank, JPMorgan has reported a trading loss of at least $2bn on Thursday. The CEO Mr. Jamie Dimon said in the press conference arranged after the markets closure, “errors, sloppiness and bad judgment” were committed by the bank that caused the monumental loss, which “could get worse”. The bank had adopted a risky hedging strategy which could take the total loss to $3bn. The strategies adopted have been "riskier, more volatile and less effective" than originally thought. Net losses, after…
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High Street Partners' Blog
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Germany Q&A
14 May 2012 | 10:43 amLast week's webinar Doing Business in Germany: Avoiding Common Pitfalls encouraged a lot of discussion. There were several interesting questions from attendees for HSP's Germany experts; here are some of the highlights, and answers: Does hiring an employee as a NRE create a permanent establishment in Germany? It depends on the specifics on the situation and what the employee on the ground is actually doing in country. A good of thumb is that if you are not renting office space and the employee is not concluding contracts, PE will not be created. However, it really is dependent on the… -
Selling Apps, MP3s and eBooks in the EU? You're on the Hook for VAT
4 May 2012 | 9:52 amIs your business delivering electronic content to consumers worldwide? Have you registered for value-added tax (VAT) where your customers are located? When it comes to electronic content, VAT can be complicated, and your business may need to be registered in each country of supply. The global electronic content market is booming. Products that were traditionally sold in tangible formats—music, books, movies—are readily available as instantaneous downloads, straight to a consumer’s device of choice. And companies invested in these types of goods are working quickly to make the digital… -
April International Operations Update Available
1 May 2012 | 8:45 amThe April edition of International Operations Update is now available. You’ll find an overview of China’s proposal to overhaul its existing entry and exit laws, a look at several new tax incentives in Brazil, a review of Belgium’s new older worker protections and a helpful how-to guide for reclaiming VAT in Europe. If you have operations in India, you’ll find several updates of particular interest, as we’ve included information on the new annual statement filing requirement for all liaison offices, news regarding managerial staff secondments and possible service PE triggers, as well… -
Value-Added Tax (VAT) & Your Supply Chain: Q&A
27 Apr 2012 | 8:52 amYesterday's webinar VAT & Your Supply Chain: Getting it Right in a Global Economy encouraged a lot of discussion. There were several interesting questions from attendees for HSP's VAT expert Nick Hart; here are some of the highlights, and answers: We shipped a piece of demo equipment to the U.K., but are not registered for U.K. VAT. We were charged a 20 percent import VAT on products we do not intend to sell, and that may ultimately be shipped back to the U.S. How do we get a refund for the amounts paid? If you are importing something into a country that you intend to export, import… -
Pondering Expansion to China? 3 Entity Options to Consider
18 Apr 2012 | 8:59 amIf expansion to China is on your mind, good news: The Chinese economy is expected to become the world’s largest by 2020. The not-so-good news is that, even if you’re interested in simply exploring the Chinese market prior to making a long-term commitment, you may need to set up a legal presence. The country is seeking more foreign investment dollars, but strict rules for nonlocal companies make getting into China a complex and time-consuming process. The country is ranked 91st on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report, and is in 151st place for ease of actually starting up a…
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ion interactive blog
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5 Types of Headlines to Test on Your Landing Page
14 May 2012 | 9:45 pmYour headline just may be the single most important element on your landing page. Time and time again we’ve seen the headline prove to have a huge impact on conversions. Headline writing, however, is an art and one that takes time, practice & patience. To help inspire your headline testing, we’ve outlined 5 types of headlines to test on your landing pages. 1. Benefit-driven One of the first techniques you should explore is transforming your major benefit into a headline. To write a successful benefit headline, you must know your target audience well, so you can… -
"I'm a Post-Click Marketing Professional."
9 May 2012 | 12:08 pmEveryone knows the the standard “meet and greet” conversation format. This can happen virtually anywhere, but the usual locations are at a bar, party, or some other form of social gathering. The conversation generally is a variation of your given birth name, where you live now, with a quick reference of “But I’m originally from…,” and then the age old question, “What do you do?” This is the defining moment of the conversation, the portion that you must answer with complete confidence and a subdued brilliance. In this split second… -
Selling Landing Pages to the C-Suite
9 May 2012 | 10:01 amSelling to the C-Suite takes more than just an exciting pitch. You have to ready to explain how a landing page program can benefit the whole company. Luckily, this is a pretty easier answer, and it’s been well documented that landing pages can help increase online marketing ROI and improve lead generation efforts. The key to selling the idea to the C-Suite however is to make it very clear how landing pages will be able to do this for your particular company. Here are a few tips on how you can make a strong case for landing pages: 1. Align With Company Goals Step back and analyze current… -
How to Turn Display Ad Clicks into Conversions
7 May 2012 | 9:30 amI recently came across an article from AdAge that suggests that marketers should move away from holding banner ads accountable for conversions and instead focus on branding metrics. The basis for this comes from a study that found clicks aren’t an important metric for measuring the success of a banner ad. The study was run on campaigns from 18 advertisers, and found almost no correlation between a click on a banner ad and a conversion. I, respectfully, disagree. Display ads can drive conversions and the correlation between a click on an ad and a conversion can be… -
4 Ways to Increase Conversions
4 May 2012 | 9:00 amYou only have a few seconds to convince your visitor to stay on your landing page. These seconds are critical and your landing page needs to do everything it can to make a great first impression. If you are looking to increase your lead generation efforts through conversion optimization techniques, check your pages for these must-have elements that make a great first impression. 4 Ways to Get More Conversions 1. A strong call-to-action If you don’t ask for it, you probably won’t get it. When your landing page visitors get to your page they want to first know that they are in the right…
