1. Give them plenty of advice, direction and support.
While they are still in their learning phase, it is important to ensure they are given constructive criticism to help them fulfill tasks in the future to a better quality, but praise is also very important to maintain self-esteem and boost confidence levels. With this, give extra, specific and almost gratuitous details of the task in hand but without sounding patronising.

Have a read up on Herzberg’s two-factor/hygiene theory and put yourself in the mindset of the new employee.

Read all five here.

Five things for employers to consider when hiring students is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

by reliable-web-hostings.com

Last week, Microsoft unleashed its brand new search engine onto the market. It’s called Bing and, contrary to what the name suggests, you do have to take it seriously. Even if you’re not planning to give up your Google search habit, you’ll still want to familiarize yourself with Bing to understand how you can help your site rank in their local search index.

To list your local business in Bing, head to the Bing Local Listing Center. From there, you’ll be able to check to see if you already have a local listing set up. If you do, you can modify it. If not, now’s the perfect time to create one.

smallbiztrends.com

Grab Your Local Listing in Bing is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

We recently launched a website at which people can recycle electronics. So far, we have been contacting our customers individually by e-mail. How can we keep up that level of service as more people visit the site?

As companies add customers, they run the risk of becoming like the Dr. Seuss character Mrs. McCave, who “had 23 sons and she named them all Dave.” What bugs people more than not getting a personalized shout-out with every communication is having their individuality ignored.

Start out with a personal touch by posting a statement on your website about your commitment to customer service, advises Jack Mitchell, author of Hug Your Customers and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, a high-end clothing retailer with headquarters in Westport, Connecticut. Include your photo and signature so site visitors know a real human stands behind that commitment.

Make sure all specific questions receive specific answers — though there’s no need to construct a fresh response every time. If you document FAQs in an internal wiki, sometimes sending a personal response is as easy as copying and pasting. In fact, cold, faceless technology is often key to providing warm, caring service. “We’ve architected our whole IT system around personal relationships,” Mitchell says. His business uses customer relationship management software to track clients’ tastes, including their favorite designers and whether they prefer Pepsi or Coke served to them in the stores. Salesclerks draw on those data to make each returning client feel as welcome as a regular.

Part of being personable is being accessible, so create more ways for customers to express their love (or hate or indifference). John & Kira’s, a Philadelphia chocolatier, includes a survey at the end of its online checkout process. The company also has a blog and accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. Founder John Doyle says those sites are a trove of suggestions.

Technology, however, cannot be all things to all people — particularly to ticked-off people. Customer complaints deserve responses from human beings. As Web traffic increases, it may not be feasible to field every inquiry yourself. But you can try.

inc.com

Personalized Customer Service with CRM Software is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Great ideas are a dime a dozen. Action is what differentiates an entrepreneur from an inventor. If you want to focus on ideas, become an inventor — not an entrepreneur.

The important thing is the process of planning — but you also have to be willing to throw out that plan. The single biggest advantage you have as a start-up versus an established business is your ability to be nimble, to act, to change. If you’re beholden to your ideas or to your business plan, you will fail.

History is littered with great ideas — they’re irrelevant to entrepreneurs. You need to be nimble and you need to act. Sony is a classic example. Few people know that Sony was founded on the idea of offering rice cookers to the masses. They failed at that idea, but Sony is what it is today because the founders were willing to give up on their original ideas and plans.

Gillette is another classic example of a company that constantly reinvents itself. Every year they come up with new products that transform their own industry. We may end up with razors that take two hands to hold, but Gillette proves that innovation is about change and progress, not great ideas.

So don’t be afraid to throw out your business plan, adapt and give up on your original idea…and let your company succeed.

harvardbusiness.org

Are You an Inventor or an Entrepreneur? is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

TIPS:

1. Evaluate your space needs. Your lease term will likely be for many years, so plan accordingly.
2. View a lot of properties. Make sure you’re comfortable with the price of comparable spaces.
3. Ask for concessions from the landlord. Depending on the strength of the market, you can ask for things like a few months of free rent.
4. Look for hidden expenses in the agreement. Charges above your fixed or base rent, like operating expenses, can surprise novices. They may not be in the term sheet, so ask specifically for this information.
5. Don’t choose space based solely on the landlord. “There’s nothing in the lease that would prevent the landlord from selling to someone else the next day,” says Kaplan. “There’s a false element of trust.”
6. Have a lawyer review the lease.

news-press.com

Negotiating a lease is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

But your installed base—like the pretty girl at the dance—knows it’s in demand and is playing the field appropriately. So simply doing more of the same marketing programs isn’t going to work with these customers. You need a new way to gain their attention, to keep them engaged with and loyal to you, and ultimately, to induce them to buy your products and services.

1to1media.com

Grow Wallet Share From Your Existing Customer Base is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1.Define the goal before you start.
Think about the entire project life cycle, and whether you have the resources to devote to running sweepstakes. Lastly, be sure to devise a great theme and prizes so that folks remember your company.

2. Consider your prizes carefully.
Think about how you’ll manage the fulfillment of the prizes, and the prize value. Only one state makes you register if the prizes are worth more than $600, and that’s Rhode Island. If the ARV is over $5,000 then you need to register or possibly bond the sweepstakes with NY and FL. A general rule of thumb is to always file with the states at least 30 days ahead of the sweepstakes’ start date to ensure there are no issues. If you have any doubts, you can always contact the states – they are very helpful.

3. Get the legal part right.
Make sure to draft the rules carefully so that they are clear and cover everything. Let a lawyer look over them. Be sure to post the rules beside your company’s privacy policy so any questions or concerns can be viewed.

4. Be prepared for the response.
Your traffic will spike very quickly, so make sure that your servers will be able to handle it. Test the site thoroughly before the sweepstakes starts, and fix any problems as quickly as possible. You should also make sure that your customer service department knows about the sweepstakes and can either answer questions or know who can.

5. Make prize fulfillment quick and successful.
It’s a good idea to choose the winners as soon as possible after the end of the sweepstakes, following the dates given in the rules, so that the winners remember entering the sweepstakes. If you’re notifying by email, use a clear email subject like, “Congratulations from *Sweepstakes Name*” to boost your responses.

about.com

Tips about Promoting Your Business with Sweepstakes is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Quality – Value – Service – Caring
The above four words all fail for essentially the same reasons. Not only are they overused, they’re based on variables that will be different for everyone. There’s a quality/value/service/caring continuum in each person’s mind for every purchase occasion, and it is a continually moving target.

Integrity
A company either has integrity or it doesn’t. It’s either honest or it isn’t. And most people give companies the benefit of the doubt in believing that they operate with integrity. When a company talks about integrity in its advertising it’s for one of two reasons, neither one of them good: They’re either trying to cover up some lack of integrity (which never works) or they’re implying they live by a higher standard than their competition. That’s impolite, to say the least. Every company needs to have integrity. No company needs to advertise it.

businessweek.com

Five Words to Never Use in an Ad is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Photography: Make sure that you have a great selection of visuals available, should your press release capture a reporter’s eye. This includes projects, screenshots, shots of the spokesperson and anything else that is relevant.

Make sure you have high-quality content. Many journalists use digital images, so make sure these are available — with a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (300 dpi).

Pitch: Capturing attention with your press release is just the start of the process. You need to have your pitch ready for when the media begins calling.

Profile: Your corporate profile should always be up-to-date. Never assume the reporter is familiar with your company. Many reporters file several stories per day and sometimes details get lost in the process.

Press pack: A good way to communicate that profile is via a press pack. This should contain additional background information to help journalists prepare a story or an interview.

The four Ps take a little more time, but if you make the investment, you’re likely to see a much greater return on your press release.

venturebeat.com

Four keys to a great PR campaign is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Emphasize the office. A home office has to be just that, an office. If your workspace feels too much like home, you’ll be doomed before you begin.

“Through a telephone conversation, the client won’t know if you are using a desk in your bedroom,” Novey-White says, “but in order to succeed, it is important that you commit yourself to professionalism. Set up your office as though you were working in a downtown office.”

Take a seat. You may be tempted to cut costs, but your office furniture is not the place to do it.

“What you save in initial costs you will spend in medication for your backaches,” she says. “Sit in it for more than three or four minutes before buying it, and be sure it fits your lower back and doesn’t inhibit your arm movements at the computer.”

Always stay connected. The advantages of working from an office — numerous phone lines and separate modem and fax lines — are a necessity for producing quality work at home.

“It will not appear professional to callers if you have call waiting, rather than a dedicated phone line,” the SCORE member says. “Clients are frustrated when they are told that they have to wait until you hang up the phone to fax something because you didn’t invest in the proper phone equipment.”

Be your own boss. To succeed as a do-it-from-homer, you’ll need to block out all the at-home distractions.

“Do only those things that you would do if you worked in an office tower downtown,” Novey-White says. “You must think of your time away from the office as time and money lost, otherwise you will become less of a business person and more of an errand runner.”

For more small business advice, visit www.score.org.

101 Setting Up a Home Office is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Naturally, no one wants to work with difficult people. When dealing with problematic employees, productivity decreases, frustrations rise, morale goes down and customers and vendors get upset.

How to Handle Them

1. Don’t ignore the problem.
2. Intervene as soon as possible.
3. Research the problem personally.
4. Help the problematic employee to get back on track.
5. If all else fails, termination may be necessary.

The manager needs to follow company guidelines in recognizing the unacceptable behavior, providing direct feedback, providing input to try to turn it around and ultimately taking action in a timely manner. Not doing so is a disservice to the problematic employee, other employees and the success of the organization.

entrepreneur.com

5 Steps to Deal with Difficult Employees is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Good security is a key to good productivity. CSO spoke with two home office security experts about security mistakes home office workers often make and here’s the seven deadly sins of home office security.

1. Failing to physically secure the office
2. Failing to install the most basic computer security measures
3. Forgetting Wi-Fi security
4. Failing to separate your business from your home
5. Failing to remember your office is a place of business and is held liable as such
6. Forgetting to back up data
7. Failing to consider bigger business continuity issues

If you work exclusively from home, your office is your world when it comes to your career. But many fail to consider the possibility of how to continue working if certain conditions, such as weather, or a fire, force one out of the house indefinitely.

computerworld.com

Seven Deadly Sins of Home Office Security is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. To inform and bring people up to speed.
2. To seek input from people.
3. To ask for approval.

Use this as a filter to determine why you are having a meeting and explain that purpose to your audience. Your meetings may often cut across multiple objectives but forcing yourself to clarify the agenda into these three purposes can result in more effective meetings.

Consider a meeting that sets its agenda goals along the lines of: “I want to bring you up to speed on these two things; I need input on this item; and finally I would like to seek your approval on these outstanding issues.” That it – a simple 3 purpose meeting rule that frames the goals of the meeting from the perspective of the meeting participant.

harvardbusiness.org

The Key to Shorter, Better Meetings is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. Blogs are a quick and easy way to tell information about your company online (such as achievements, research, helpful tips, awards, new products and services).
2. You don’t need to know how to use HTML coding to do it. If you can write an email message, you can blog.
3. Blogs are versatile. You can share images, links, audio, and video on your blog.
4. If your competitors are blogging, you should, too. If they’re not blogging, congratulations! You’ve just differentiated your company by deciding to blog.
5. Blogs dramatically increase the search engine optimization of your web site.
6. Reporters love blogs. Blogs help the media learn more about your company.
7. Blogs are one way to obtain useful feedback and suggestions from your customers or members.
8. Blogs can help ameliorate the impact of negative online reviews or criticisms of your company or organization.

by Mary Fletcher Jones of Fletcher Prince

Ten reasons to start a blog for your business is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

• Ultra Light Startups caters to “bootstrapping” entrepreneurs, says founder Graham Lawlor, who started Ultra Light by gathering a group of friends and fellow entrepreneurs in New York last year to brainstorm some business ideas. The informal gatherings morphed into monthly meetings in locations around the country that include pitch sessions and panel discussions on topics of interest to new business owners.
• The Funded is an online networking group for startups seeking venture capital, following the same entrepreneurs-helping-entrepreneurs model as Ultra Light, with a focus on sharing information about investors. Founder Adeo Ressi says the free networking site lets its more than 12,000 members dish about specific investors anonymously. Resso adds that a thorough application process ensures members are actually business owners.
• Venture Architects, a business plan development firm, has helped hundreds of companies obtain more than $500 million in investment capital since 1998. But when entrepreneurs call Venture Architects looking for startup dollars, managing director Melissa Krinzman advises them to get back to basics first. In a world of get-rich-quick schemes Krinzman advocates slowing down and backing up.
• North Venture Partners, “Venture capital is a secretive and unfamiliar realm to most entrepreneurs, and we wanted to give people a clear idea of how investors see their business compared to other businesses seeking the same funding,” managing partner Alex Bernstein says.

Lifelines For Your Start-Up is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

The following 9 headline formulas are some of the easiest to write and the most powerful. When it comes time to write a headline, try one of these first. At the very least, this can give you a creative jumping off point to write a headline that works.

1. Say it simply and directly.
2. State the big benefit.
3. Announce exciting news.
4. Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.
5. Pose a provocative question.
6. Bark a command.
7. Offer useful information.
8. Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial.
9. Authenticate your proposition with a little something extra.

There are many, many other ways to write a headline. Whatever strategy you choose, don’t make a decision too quickly. Take time to brainstorm. Write dozens or even hundreds of headlines. You never know exactly what you want to say before you say it, so giving yourself plenty of choices is the surest way to arrive at the best, most powerful headline.

copyblogger.com

9 Proven Headline FormulasThat Sell Like Crazy is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Worse, how often do you see someone take an idea similar to yours, start a business and create their fortune? Well, the time has come for you to stop kicking yourself and to turn that million-dollar idea into a reality.

Most entrepreneurs follow similar paths to success. Sara Blakely, entrepreneur and founder of the multi-million dollar company Spanx, shared her keys to success in an interview with SUCCESS, a top magazine for budding entrepreneurs and established professionals. How can you turn your next idea into a million-dollar business? Follow Blakely’s advice:

Differentiate yourself from the crowd. “Whether it’s in the marketplace or in those first few seconds you meet somebody — whatever it is — if you don’t know how it has been done before, you’re almost guaranteed to do it differently,” says Blakely.

First impressions mean everything. “If you make someone laugh or smile in the first five to 10 seconds, you might get another 10 seconds,” she says.

Be persistent. Work hard to win over manufacturers and prospective buyers who may be unsure about your idea or product. If you display enthusiasm and desire for your idea, they will begin to believe, too.

Visualize your goals. “Take a mental snapshot of what success looks like for you,” she says. Keeping that vision of success in mind will help you through the tough times.

Pay attention to opportunities. “There are a million ways to improve everything around us,” says Blakely. Making just one improvement could result in your million-dollar idea.

Hire your weakness. Focus on your strengths, and hire well-qualified people to handle the rest.

For more on Blakely’s interview with SUCCESS magazine, pick up a copy at newsstands, or subscribe by visiting their Web site at www.SUCCESS.com.

fosterfollynews.com

Make Your Next Million-Dollar Idea a Reality is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

And on Sunday, their one day off, they drive together to the nearest house of worship of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The salesmen are mostly former Mormon missionaries from Utah who cut their teeth — and learned their people-skill chops — cold-calling for their faith. In Chicago and in its suburbs where their employer, Pinnacle Security of Orem, Utah, has shipped them for the summer sales season, they are doing much the same thing, but as a job.

nytimes.com

Need door-to-door salemen? Hire a Mormon. is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. First, keep sex, politics, religion, and family out of your online life to the extent that you can.
2. Second, tell the truth.
3. Third, if you are one of the unfortunate ones who are presently between jobs, make LinkedIn and other sites part of a daily ritual.
4. Fourth, decide on what your “friending” policy is going to be and be consistent, at least for inside each social site that you frequent.
5. Finally, spend some time thinking about how you acquired your existing professional friends: do you like to meet and greet at industry conferences?

Remember that most of us are still pretty new at MyBook and Friendspace and that even Oprah did her first Tweet in ALL CAPS. Do experiment and try different strategies, and feel free to share what works for you if that is appropriate. Just don’t send me any links to those toga party pix.

smallbiztechnology.com

Five tips to being more professional on social networks is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

In return, all they need to do is claim and verify their listings at the Google Local Businesss Center. It takes about as much time as setting up a new email account, maybe a little more. Google gets clean data (and, thus, better results), businesses get free analytics and an opportunity to train Google’s search engine. Right now only a few hundred thousand businesses in the U.S. have been claimed out of approximately 20 million.

techcrunch.com

Google Local Lures Small Businesses With Their Own Web Dashboard is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

René Burton personifies the name of her business–It’s Never Too Late. Like so many of us, Burton knew what her passion was, but life had other ideas.

At age 57 Burton earned her bachelor’s degree in science management. She continues to add certifications that allow her to follow her passion–helping people over 55 become physically fit so they can live their lives to the fullest.

Now Burton is making plans to expand from her Southern California base and go national. At age 73, Burton is living up to her trademarked business name–It’s Never Too Late.

Reflecting on lessons learned, here’s the advice she offers would-be entrepreneurs:

1. Be passionate about your business. This passion will carry you through life’s detours and bad times–and be assured, there will be tough times.
2. Ignore age as a deterrent. Burton was 57 when she went back to college to realize her dream. She was 60 by the time she completed her studies.
3. Get good professional help. Don’t try to do it all on your own. Burton had an attorney to help her incorporate and trademark her business. But she did not have a business plan, a marketing plan or people to rely on. These missing links cost her dearly, particularly when she made her first videos. She lost valuable time and a good deal of money before she found people who understood her vision for her products.
4. Maintain control over your own business. As her business grew, Burton was approached by an executive who wanted to get involved and help her grow. She realized just in time that this would cost control of her vision and her company. She resolved then and there to always maintain control of her business. She worked too hard and waited too many years to lose the “roadmap” in her heart.
5. Get involved in the community. Burton not only works in traditional senior facilities in her area, she is involved in local organizations and is a well-known participant and advocate for National Senior Health and Fitness Day. These activities help keep her in touch with her passion and help her decide what her next steps should be.

womenentrepreneur.com

It’s Never Too Late to Start is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. Adapt Strategic Marketing for Sustainable Online Success
2. Design and Navigation: Make Your Website Dynamic and Visitor-Friendly
3. Dynamic Web Copy: Get People to Respond
4. Traffic Conversion: Increase Sales and List Building
5. Automation: Increase E-Commerce Profits
6. Multimedia: Increase Your Impact using Audio, Video, and Conferencing
7. Web Audio
8. Podcasts
9. Web Video
10. Use Video to Increase Revenues: YouTube
11. Taking Your Video Viral
12. Video Blogging
13. Teleconferencing and Web Conferencing
14. Traffic Strategies: Get More Visitors to Your Site
15. Optimize Your Website
16. Web 2.0: The Key to Using Social Media Effectively

entrepreneur.com

Transform Your Website Into a Sales Powerhouse is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Know that there are many solutions to all problems. Think about all the possible options and identify many solutions to determine which would give you the best result.

Noticing a problem and finding a way to solve it is an opportunity for the business to grow in other areas and to increase productivity and sales.

New ideas are always hidden in the problems which we solve each day and as the problems are solved the business will be stronger and makes the business model better.

Listen to the problems that people complain about and realize that every problem is a brilliantly disguised opportunity.

When one problem is solved others always appear and the biggest challenge is how you deal with them.

score.com.

What You Didn’t Learn In Business School is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Whether a child is groomed to take over the family business or mistakenly pushed into it, problems often arise when family and authority mix.

“Being in an emotional relationship and a business relationship puts a different, more difficult kind of strain on relationships,” said Getzler, who inherited his consulting firm from his father.

Difficult-to-solve personality issues are almost inevitable in family companies, and without an exceptionally strong patriarch or matriarch leading the family business, problems can mushroom.

Despite whether a favored daughter was groomed for the business or a son was mistakenly pushed into a position of authority, a parent might not have the ability to select an appropriate heir.

“Once the patriarch or matriarch retires or dies, many businesses become a free-for-all – despite carefully laid plans,” Getzler said.

To that end, Getzler offers some tips to help business owners make rational decisions about their successors. These strategies can also help owners make other tough calls when family relationships are at stake.

1. Set up an advisory board.
2. Employ a family business counselor.
3. Manage egos and salary demands.
4. Stop the feeding frenzy.

“Everyone gets along generally when there is a lot of money to go around. The fights start when someone feels they are working hard and not making enough,” Getzler said.

In the end, he insisted, “there’s nothing magical,” to navigating through difficult family business issues. “It’s about getting people to focus on the end result.”

Help for handing over a family business is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
   
2. Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.
   
3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
   
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
   
5. Let the other person save face.
   
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
   
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
   
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
   
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.
   

How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

University of Dreams uses its staff’s personal contacts at 500 companies to get students internships with employers they couldn’t otherwise get into, said CEO Eric Lochtefeld. For interns, that’s better than sending in a résumé and hoping, he said.

“Does any college student really, sincerely believe that their résumé will stand out or get better consideration than an actual introduction would provide?” Lochtefeld said.

In four years, the company has placed 1,800 students in companies such as Paramount Pictures or MTV Networks, both divisions of Viacom Inc. It has slots this summer for 850 students, he said.

Students pay from $6,499 to $8,999 to have the company find them an eight-week summer internship, plus housing in dorms at universities, some meals, transportation to work and activities for a summer. Financial assistance, including loans, grants and full scholarships, is available.

An admissions team reviews applications and makes an offer. Students who are accepted pay a deposit of $500 to $1,000. Then they work with a placement agent, who finds a matching company.

They’re guaranteed an internship in the field of their choice or their money back. Most of the internships are unpaid, but University of Dreams arranges for college credit through universities.

rockymountainnews.com

University Of Dreams is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

• Why even the highest priced or lowest quality products sometimes outsell their competitors’?
• Why and how your prospects buy the products or services they do, even if their choices seem irrational or impractical?
• Why some brands have a devoted cult-like following while others have zero loyalty?

Will The Real Decision Maker (In Your Brain) Please Stand Up? — According to neuroscientists, there are 3 main parts to the brain, each functioning as a brain unto itself. These “three brains” – nestled inside one another — are as follows.

• The “Human” (“New,” or outer-most) Brain: Most evolved part of the brain known as the cortex. Responsible for logic, learning, language, conscious thoughts and our personalities.
• The “Mammalian” (Middle) Brain: Also known as the limbic system. Deals with our emotions, moods, memory and hormones.
• The “Reptilian” (Old) Brain: Also known as the R Complex controls our basic survival functions, such as hunger, breathing, flight-or-fight reactions and staying out of harm’s way.

Our “old” brain often overrides our voice of logic and drives all buying decisions for reasons beyond our conscious awareness. To influence your customer’s buying decisions, you must learn how the “old” brain operates and speak its “language.” Below are 7 key insights about the old brain that can add to your bottom line.

1. The old brain is driven by emotions.
2. The old brain “decides” on the basis of the gain vs. pain tradeoff.
3. The old brain is highly influenced by beginnings and endings.
4. The old brain is visually oriented and responds rapidly to images.
5. The old brain perceives the “pain of buying” in relative, not absolute, terms.
6. The old brain understands only what is tangible, physical and concrete.
7. The old brain’s control over buying decisions varies from culture to culture.

While neuromarketing is still in its infancy, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we market our products/services. The most important point is to use it for the right reasons. That is, as a way to better understand your customers and ultimately to better serve them. When used in this way, it can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line.

Business Know How

Top 7 Insights To Unlocking Your Customer’s Brain For Instant Sales is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Here are the three major points for Intuit’s success according to Cook:

1. Treat your employees as a volunteer workforce – Nurture your employees as entrepreneurs
2. Ultimately the work is delivered by people and process – Experiment and Adopt tools that let you stay agile
3. Word of mouth is more important than ever – Demonstrate value ahead of the sale and Proactively create customer delight

These words were delivered by the leader of one of the biggest companies around and yet, they apply to the one person shop equally.

ducttapemarketing.com

What does it take to grow a company? is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Delivering Success, which is available online at http://www.sba.gov/deliveringsuccess, provides a video library of interviews with successful entrepreneurs sharing their experiences and insight into business plans, financing, business promotion, planning, and research, among other issues.

Other videos cover reality checks for business, start-up tips, and how to take a business to the next level, the agencies said.

Post Office, SBA Offer Entrepreneurship Videos is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. A faster and better way to create newsletter articles.
2. A strategy for getting published.
3. A low-cost way for a small business owner to market online.
4. A method to communicate and connect — especially important for business owners.
5. Satisfaction of some inner need to share.

Why do you blog? Or, if you do not currently blog, tell us the reason you do not.

smallbiztrends.com

Five Reasons For Small Business Owners To Blog is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. “Today’s”
2. “Modern”
3. “Classy”
4. “Savvy”
5. “Swanky”
6. “Lady”
7. “Tidy”
8. “Charming”
9. “N’ Things”
10. Anything with a “K” where a “C” belongs – If you own “Kountry Klutter Kakes”, I will Kut you.

BusyMom.net

Ten Things NOT to Name Your Business is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Not all attendees are the same, and not every buyer on the floor shares these secrets. But most do, whether they’d like to admit it or not. These secrets are strong unifying factors that influence their buying decisions. If you, as a smart and savvy trade show exhibitor, know what these secrets are and tailor your exhibit appropriately, you’ll come away with higher sales numbers every time.

If you could hear your attendee’s deepest, most secret thoughts, they might go something like this:

• We’re impatient
• We’re lazy
• We’re Egotistical
• We hate math
• We liked to be pushed

businessknowhow.com

5 Things Trade Show Attendees Don’t Want You to Know is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Here is a sampling of some of the benefits of using Work.com:

• By contributing to the large database of 1,300 how-to business guides and developing your own guide, you become published and viewed as an expert in your field.
• Work.com guides become indexed by the search engines providing additional visibility. Keyword research as well as using the proper terms related to your topic will benefit the visibility of your guide within the search engines.
• Your guide may bring additional contacts and networking sources to your doorstep, as well as supplement your marketing efforts. You can begin by emailing your guide to clients and colleagues, linking it to any web sites you may have, and including it in your bio.

smallbiztrends.com

How to Become an Expert is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

Some questions that a well-designed plan will answer:

• What does your particular industry look like right now and what will it
  look like in the future?
• What markets are you competing in – what will they be 5 years down the
  road?
• What specific competition will you be up against? What are their strengths
  and weaknesses?
• What products or services do you offer? Will they remain constant?
• What value (not features) do you provide to your customers?
• What long-term advantages do you have over the competition?
• How will you maintain them?
• How big and profitable will your business become?
• If youÂ’re using the plan to borrow money or attract investors: How much
  will you need & why?
• What action steps will you need to take to have your plan succeed?
• What will happen to the business when you retire or after your death?

Too often, business owners as so busy working “in” their business that they overlook the necessity to work “on the business”. A business plan helps you do this. How can you improve the odds of success? Planning! And the way to start planning is by creating a business plan, and continuing to pull it out, look at it and tweak it as your business grows. So, even if you don’t need to raise capital or borrow money, a plan can help your business significantly.

businessknowhow.com

The Top 7 Reasons to Write a Business Plan is a post from: Top Business Opportunities

1. Great Faith: To build a business — or start anything new — you have to believe in yourself and your ideas. You can envision something that others cannot. You think up a new business, process, design or technology that hasn’t existed before.
2. Great Doubt: Even the best-laid plans and the best-planned businesses can fail. You have to allow yourself to clearly see and anticipate potential problems. If you do not bring a healthy and respectful appreciation of the challenges you’ll face when building a new business, you’ll be unable to withstand the difficult times.
3. Great Effort: Nothing succeeds without hard work. I’ve seen hundreds of people with great ideas who have never made a dime.

Great faith. Great doubt. Great effort. It takes all three. Others will challenge your ideas and question your chances of success. Without great faith, you’ll be shaken. Without great doubt, you won’t listen. Without great effort, they’ll be right.

usatoday.com

Faith, doubt, effort go a long way is a post from: Top Business Opportunities