décembre 2011
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The Top Franchise Trends for 2012 - Small Biz...
There’s certainly no shortage of dynamic concepts to explore in franchising in 2012. Finding opportunities to get into a business of your own is the easy part. Finding a willing financial partner to help you invest in a franchise business is still a bit more challenging.
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Smart expense management strategies for your small...
Now that the new year is upon us, it’s time to start executing your plans to make your small business better in 2012. Whether it’s being more organized or better predicting your company’s needs, many of the big improvements small-business owners can make for the new year are based around better expense management strategies.
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4 Questions to Ask Yourself About Content - Small...
Most of us have been told that we need more unique, relevant content on our websites. We need stuff that will differentiate us from our competitors, convert customers and give the search engines something to rank us for. Unfortunately, many of us take that as an excuse to add random blog posts and pages to our sites that do little more than take up space.
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5 Leadership Tips for 2012 - Forbes
With only a few days left until we usher in the New Year, you’re going to be bombarded with lists of things to do and not to do. Most of them will contain the same tired rhetoric from years past.
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Two Weeks to More Client Leads - FreelanceFolder
Have you ever gotten desperate for clients? Maybe you don’t know how you’re going to pay next month’s rent. Maybe your car broke down and repairs will cost more than you have right now. Maybe a tree fell into your house and your insurance won’t cover it (that’s a true story, by the way).
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5 Tools Make Big-League Websites On A Budget -...
An unpleasant moment for entrepreneurs occurs more often than it should. Someone asks for your business card, and you hand it over. They say, “Great, I’ll check out your site.”
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7 ways to make your press release score, not bore...
You’re launching a new business, product or service and you want to write a press release that will grab the attention of your customers and the media. Here’s what you DO NOT want to do:
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How to Achieve Better Gender Balance through...
According to research from the book Why Woman Mean Business, women now represent a majority of the talent pool, a majority of the market, and better gender balance in leadership yields better corporate performance. The data is compelling:
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Four Powerful Questions To Ask Yourself This...
Most people use New Year’s Eve (and Day) to plan forward for what might be in store for 2012. And that’s a good thing.
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How Good, Old-Fashioned Sales Growth Drives Value...
During every holiday season, business and investment news seems to revolve around retail sales figures. To get the scoop on where sales are heading, journalists probe securities analysts, economists, customers, and industry insiders to collect valuable insights on store traffic, sales conversions, volumes, and pricing.
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Don’t Waste Time On Someone Else’s Beliefs About...
“Everything you done to me has already been done to you.” – The Color Purple
This past weekend I spent some time catching up on some TV programs that I’d recorded but hadn’t had much time to get to. Some of them were 8 months old and that included many of the final shows of Oprah Winfrey on regular TV (since she really hasn’t gone away, having her own network).
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5 Signs that Employees are in Survival Mode -...
Today’s workplace is a reflection of the times: uncertain and unstable. As employees navigate this short-term, fast-paced, tension-filled terrain, they develop an attitude that creates an uneasy environment: survival mode.
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28 Small Business Marketing Resolutions for the...
It is common practice to set New Year’s resolutions in our personal lives, but how often do we do it for our business? As you look forward to running your small business in 2012, think about what resolutions you can make specific to your marketing plan that will give you the most buzz for your buck.
Here are 28 Small Business Marketing Resolutions for the New Year that will inspire you to write...
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Hot or Not: Sales and Marketing Trends in 2012 -...
The techniques that are effective to keep and get new customers continues to radically change. In 2012, they will evolve even more. Here is what’s going to be hot (and what’s not) in the year to come.
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Using Transparency to Increase Business - Biznik
Now that social media has been around for a while and so many people are using it for business, it is quite apparent that it has a tremendous amount of power if used in an appropriate manner. Transparency is key.
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Three Strategies for Winning in 2012 - Biznik
2012 is almost upon us. And I have some good news and some bad news in regards to the year ahead.
The bad news? If you think you’re running fast now, get yourself some new track shoes, because the world isn’t slowing down.
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Top 10 Cause Marketing and Corporate...
At Cone Communications, we spend the entire year tracking cause marketing and corporate responsibility (CR), and between shark fin soap and $3,500 sneakers for a cause, we’ve seen it all. Below, we reveal our top 10 cause marketing and CR trends of 2011.
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5 Red Flags Your Business Might Be Waving -...
Many a business owner, concerned about the lack of success in their chosen trade, has cried into the night, “Why oh why is nobody buying? The doodads I sell are of the finest quality and fairest price!”.
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Every Sales Assessment Tells a Story: This is...
When his boss couldn’t understand why Fred wasn’t performing, we performed a sales force evaluation and among the things we focused in on was Fred. Read more…
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10 Ways to Realize Hidden Opportunities -...
“Great moments are born from great opportunities,” said the late Herb Brooks, one of the world’s most famous hockey coaches.
Brooks certainly seized opportunity during his career. He agreed to coach the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that beat the “unbeatable” Soviet Union in Lake Placid, New York during the famous “Miracle on Ice” game on the way to winning the gold medal. Read more…
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3 Keys Leaders Can Use to See the Future - Thought...
We’re all aware that there are timeless leadership principles that have been true since the dawn of time and that will continue to be valid in tomorrow’s business environment. Read more…
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Better Communication Tips - Mitch's Blog
While trying to come up with the title of this post, I wondered if I should limit it to business communications, since this is a business blog. I decided that it didn’t matter who it was geared toward because communications is a problem we all have with each other, business or not. Read more…
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The Three Components of Great Customer Service -...
We all want good customer service. As customers, we want to be treated with respect and to get the assistance we need to fulfill our transaction or reach our goal. Read more…
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The difference between a failure and a mistake -...
A failure is a project that doesn’t work, an initiative that teaches you something at the same time the outcome doesn’t move you directly closer to your goal.
A mistake is either a failure repeated, doing something for the second time when you should have known better, or a misguided attempt (because of carelessness, selfishness or hubris) that hindsight reminds you is worth avoiding....
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Sales trends for 2012 - Management Blog
Social, economic and political tensions are reshaping the business landscape and altering the way companies should approach sales strategy, Sue Barrett writes in a recent Smart Company post. Read more…
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Being More Present in Life - Learn This
During a book study recently, I had a question or comment from my pastor that really struck a nerve and it left me thinking about it for a while. It was along the lines of “How do you learn to be more present in everyday life?” Read more…
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3 Incredibly Useful Reasons to Hire a Coach - Duct...
I’ve been coaching business owners for years. I’ve trained hundreds to be marketing coaches. I believe in the process of strategic thinking, planning and doing, but I had never employed a coach myself. Read more…
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2011 Trends: This Way Up - Entrepreneur.com
In his inauguration speech, President Obama paid homage to entrepreneurs. The path to greatness, he rhapsodized, has been paved by “the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things—some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.” Read more…
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5 Employee Engagement Tips from...
Surprisingly, Shannon Schuyler, Head of Corporate Responsibility at PwC, who oversees engagement for the 35,000 PwC employees, is trying to move away from “employee engagement.” Read more…
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6 Laws of Green Marketing - Triple Pundit
As standards become more well-defined and consumers demand more transparency, companies are increasingly in need of the skills to, first of all, begin that difficult process toward the ever-evolving “sustainable” business. Read more…
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3 Business Lessons From The Godfather - American...
The 1972 movie The Godfather is without question one of the best motion pictures ever produced. It was the top-grossing movie of that year, won multiple Academy Awards and launched a genre of movies that catapulted the theme of organized crime into the popular culture spotlight (for better or for worse). Read more…
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3 Ways Gratitude Can Grow Your Business - Michele...
My business and life are going great right now, better than I had planned, but it hasn’t always been that way. There were plenty of times where things were looking pretty bleak. Read more…
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8 Reasons Why SMEs, Startups and Entrepreneurs...
My experience in the technology sector has shown that innovation is a driving factor for many tech-based startups. In other areas that attract SMEs – service industries, handmade goods, small scale manufacturing, etc. – innovation is usually less common. Read more…
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The Three Rules of the Intelligent Shopper -...
Last night my wife came home from the shopping mall really upset. I wondered what had happened. As it turned out she couldn’t stay long enough on line to buy a pair of shoes for an upcoming holiday party. Read more….
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Be Humble or Else - Forbes
Just read a great article by Dave Balter, a serial entrepreneur, talking about humility. I loved it because it rang so true: Dave came to understand the importance of humility for leaders after almost destroying his own company through arrogance Read more…
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Five Keys to Sustaining Your Consulting Business -...
After 14 years of consulting and having relocated my business to Western Pennsylvania, many have asked, “What keeps you going, Andy?” Read more…
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10 New Years Resolutions For Small Businesses and...
The new year is fast upon us and it is time for that ritual known as resolution-time! I am not talking about a new resolve to eat lighter and get to the gym 4 days a week Read more…
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For the first month and a-half that I have...
For the first month and a-half that I have conducted this social media experiment, I’ve focused solely on laying the foundation to promote a blog solely through social media. Read more…
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How to become the clear winner in your buying...
Here are the 3 lenses you need to build for your prospect to help them see that the solution you provide is the best fit for them:
Timing Lens — Help your prospect to determine where they are in their buying curve. Are they an early adopter, a fast-follower or a late market buyer? Each of these timing conditions comes with different needs from a provider. Training is the need for one,...
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5 of the BEST Sales Tips Ever - The Sales Hunter
Here is what I said:
1. It’s not what you say; It’s what your customer believes.
You can have the best sales presentation in the world, but if the customer doesn’t believe your proposition, then you don’t have a chance. Take the time to engage with the customer.
Ask them questions and let them tell you their wants and needs. Yes, many times they don’t know what their needs are and you’ll...
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Lessons from Four Years of Business Blogging -...
Distilling ideas down to straightforward lists can help bring clarity to murky situations. At the end of 2010 the combination of an unusual presentation and work on The Little Black Book of Innovation inspired a post that was a long list of one-sentence answers to common innovation questions. When the post appeared on December 27, I figured it would land in a holiday wasteland. But strong...
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Presenting? Three Quick Tips - All Things...
Here are three things that I’ve learned and used along the way. I hope they serve you well:
1. Don’t Let “The Facts” Speak for Themselves
People can make facts and numbers mean almost anything. I think it was Mark Twain who noted, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Facts need interpretation, so interpret yours. And, be...
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Food Industry Trends: Food Business Trends -...
Here are 10 of the most promising trends I’ve featured on my food trends site, SmallBizTrendCast.
Artisanal everything: Not new, but still going strong, “artisanal” originally referred to handcrafted foods but is now springing up everywhere. The term has even trickled down to quick-service restaurants, with major chains like Jack in the Box touting “artisanal” breads as a selling point. One...
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4 Common-Sense Tips for Product Development - NFIB
Follow these steps to ensure successful product development.
1. Build the right budget.
Launching a new product might never happen without a reasonable budget at the outset of the project. Underfunded projects rarely make it to the launch phase, and overfunded projects can result in wasted time and money, Sherman says. Owners need to figure out the total costs related to a new product, set a...
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Essential Guide To A Profitable (And Famous)...
Sell something people can afford
It’s crucial to build a product that people want and can afford in order to have long-term business success. The Segway was a visionary product that it seemed like people would want. But the price put it out of reach for the average person’s finances. It’s a failed product.
This chart shows the price of Apple products during Steve Jobs’ first stint as CEO.
He...
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The 3 Words Guaranteed To Grow Your Business Next...
1. Knowledge
The tendency is to hoard knowledge is a seductive one. It makes us harder to replace, enables greater leverage, increases promotability and gives us a competitive advantage. But a lot of the time, in those moments when we operate from a scarcity mentality, we act selfish with our knowledge. We avoid telling people what we know for fear of losing power. And then everybody loses. Like...
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4 Essential Elements of Freelance Business...
Element #1: Your Freelancing Vision
What is a business vision?
Simply put, it’s the difference between having a vague idea that you want to be a freelancer and knowing that you are starting a freelance web design business that specializes in creating customized WordPress themes. Vision gives your freelancing business a purpose and a direction.
Your freelancing vision should reflect your...
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20 Do's & Don'ts for Better Social Media Marketing
10 Social Media Marketing Do’s
#1: Save Time, Re-purpose Content.
While this is a great tactic it is important to be thoughtful about the way that you are re-using content. Simply spitting out the same information over and over again will not work. Be sure to change elements of your posts in order to either highlight different information within the post or target a different segment within...
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Top 3 Lessons in Selling from the Post Office —...
Many of us don’t go to the post office anymore but I found myself there yesterday with some packages that seemed easier to run over than to weigh myself (I have since changed my mind). What amazes me is that the same issues are within the post office as have been for years – here are my top 3.
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The 14 items to know about your business and...
In order to succeed in business with your business or sales you need to know your business and your offering by identifying:
1. The value proposition:
What value does your business or solutions bring ?
What is your value proposition ?
2. The uniqueness:
Many companies have me-too products. Still most of them have at least one unique function or feature that sets them apart.
3. The...