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What Small Business Owners Can Learn From the Olympic Games
After years of waiting, the Olympic Games were back with us once again and concluded with a spectacular closing ceremony on Sunday night. Whether you are the type of fanatic who tuned into London for every sport, or the kind of viewer who watched the highlights and medals on the evening news, it’s hard not .. read more
Aug
4 Strategies to Increase Sales Revenue Growth and Become Your Customers First Call
Is it possible to implement strategies to increase sales revenue growth with very little marketing? Customers calling you 24 hours a day nonstop, more business than you can handle and no need for a large marketing budget? The answer is, yes, it is possible. This only happens when you become what I call, the “Customers .. read more
Aug
Stop Getting Bad Advice
People love to give advice. While it’s useful to hear what others think, sometimes they give off-target or foolish guidance. Here are a few ways to increase your odds of getting good input: Target your requests. Don’t ask whoever is available. Create a list of people who have access to relevant resources, information, and experience .. read more
Get the Most From Your Star Salespeople
1. Get rid of commission ceilings. Caps on commissions incentivize salespeople to sell to the quota and then stop. Without them, you’ll likely see increased revenue and happier salespeople. 2. Offer over-achievement commissions. For those who surpass their quotas, increase the commission rate. This will keep your stars working hard during the fourth quarter, which is .. read more
How to Handle Customer Complaints
All companies depend on customer feedback to make their businesses better and increase customer satisfaction. Yet, customer complaints take up an inordinate amount of time and money, and the complainer doesn’t often get what he wants. Here are three tips for expediting the complaint process and keeping customers happy: • Understand the full context – .. read more
Put Yourself in Your Customers’ Shoes
If your company is looking to innovate, don’t waste time analyzing market research reports and delving into customer data. What customers say they will do is not necessarily what they end up doing. Instead, put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Observe them using products and watch for frustrations they may not even notice. Don’t delegate .. read more
Jul
Live your Mission, Don’t just state it
The problem with most mission statements is that they are full of jargon and platitudes that apply to any company, not just the one they were written for. Don’t wring your hands over the wording: focus on action instead. A mission statement is an abstraction. A Company on a mission is inspiring. Think about what it .. read more
Jul
Develop the 4 Qualities of an Inspirational Leader
Leaders need vision, energy, authority, and a natural strategic ability. But those things don’t necessarily help you inspire your employees to be their best and commit to you as a leader. Here are the four qualities you need to capture the hearts, minds, and spirits of your people: Humanness. Nobody wants to work with a perfect .. read more
Jul
Construction Sector C2 Issues
Construction Sector C2 Issues The revised electronic arrangements which see a Principal Contractor getting a direction from Revenue as to the appropriate rate of withholding tax deduction applicable to payments to a sub- contractor are now in place for 4 months. The rate previously applying in 2011 was deemed to continue automatically until the .. read more
Jul
Facebook Advertising
Many of us have a Facebook profile. Most of us are aware that Facebook presents businesses with an opportunity to connect with potential customers. Few of us have worked out how best to utilise Facebook as an effective business development and marketing tool. One way to use social media to market your business is by .. read more
Jul
Holiday Time!
Many business owners and managers strive to ensure employees use their allocated holiday time. It is commonly the case, however, that these owners and managers fail to use their own holiday allowances. One reason that some owners and managers struggle to take time off is that they feel “wedded” to the business – they simply .. read more
Jul
Cloud Storage Solutions
According to a leading I.T. consulting firm, the personal cloud will replace the personal computer at the centre of users’ digital lives by 2014. So what will the impact be for businesses, and what products and services are likely to be made available in order to service the move to cloud computing? Well, the impact .. read more
Jul
Get Your Colleague’s Attention
To capture any audience’s attention, you must frame your message properly. Whether you’re making a presentation, composing an email, or talking with your boss, here’s how to convey your idea: Start with what you want – Busy colleagues don’t want to wait for the punch line. Provide the most important information up front. Explain the .. read more
Jul
3 Things to Assess Before You Back Down
Leaders who take on huge challenges and win are lauded. But recognising when a challenge is too daunting or risky is equally heroic. Here are three ways to evaluate whether you should step up or back down: Assess the odds. You need to know what you are up against and be realistic about your chances of .. read more
Jul
Ask for Immediate Feedback
Much of the feedback we get at annual, semi-annual, or even quarterly reviews can feel stale and outdated. Feedback is most useful when it is frequent, fair, and quickly follows the task or occasion you’re curious about. Twitter’s format – immediate, short, and to-the-point – is one way to give on-the-spot feedback. After a presentation, .. read more
Jul
3 Survival Lessons from Small Businesses
We hear daily reports of small businesses going bankrupt. But for every small business that goes belly up, there are dozens more that are thriving. Here are three lessons from them on how you can operate your business to survive even the deepest of downturns: Agility. Small businesses have a great advantage in a fast-changing world: .. read more
Jul
3 Ways to Quietly Promote Change
A leader who pushes a change agenda too hard risks building resistance and resentment, or even alienating his people. Here are three ways you can challenge the prevailing wisdom and make change happen quietly: Model the change. Demonstrate the way you want things to change through your own language and behaviour. Often, seeing a leader do .. read more
For This Year’s Budget, Don’t Rely on Last Year’s Numbers
When developing a budget for the coming year, the previous year’s numbers loom large. Even if you challenge every assumption and explore every figure, you’re likely to come up with numbers that only slightly vary from the last year. That’s because those numbers anchor you, unduly influencing you. Instead of being tied to history and .. read more
Jul
3 Ways to Drive Real Change
Getting people to change their behaviour can feel like an impossible task. Even when the change is positive, it’s often difficult for people to embrace something new. Here are three ways to approach change to make it more palatable: Focus on joy, not fear. Fear may seem like a powerful motivator but it actually can make .. read more
Jul
How to Be a Changemaker
The leadership skills that worked in the past are quickly becoming irrelevant in today’s fast-paced, change-is-the-name-of-the-game world. To be effective, you need to know how to adapt to and drive change. Here are the six core skills that can turn you into a changemaker: Bring people together who aren’t connected. Design new business models by .. read more
Jul
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