Many online marketers work odd hours, with no beginning of the day and no real end. How does this impact support and customer service inquiries? Some small businesses are afraid to reply to customer queries off-hours, fearful that the message time-stamp will betray them as a small business. The Internet however is timeless. The fact is customers appreciate a quick response. With the globalization of the Internet federal holidays are blurred....more
It can be a major source of frustration trying to keep up with all of the business-related information, newsletters, updates, offers and so on that land in your email box. And although there may be no perfect way to ensure that you can read everything you want to and need to in order to stay current, while at the same time preserving enough time to do the work you need to do to keep your business functioning., I have found a way that cuts down on...more
You know, those really important outside groups of people whose behaviors can help or hinder any business, non-profit or association manager in achieving his or her objectives? Are you persuading those key stakeholders - especially those whose behaviors affect your unit the MOST - to your way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed? Oh, as a manager, you say you're covered in that regard - your public relations team is racking up some juicy print and broadcast placements, and you say those kinds of exposures are what your PR program is all about? At the risk of becoming a skunk at this picnic, I suggest you consider broadening your public relations field-of-fire to where it best belongs, on your unit's key external stakeholder behaviors rather than the occasional publicity placement. Here's why. The people you deal with behave like everyone else - they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions (and their follow on behaviors) by doing what is necessary to reach and move those key...more
Do classified ads really work? Should you include an email address or fax number in them? How about a call to action? Questions like these are often brought to the attention of OhioHelp.net, an Ohio-based company specializing in helping businesses worldwide with their marketing, public relations and freelance writing services. Here are some top...more
Are people interested in ebooks? And if so, what are the best ways to sell them? The following statistics reported by the Open eBook Forum, a non-profit organization for the electronic book publishing industry, definitely show an interest in ebooks. Note the Forum boasts members like Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems, McGraw-Hill, Random House,...more
Some day-to-day work issues can turn into big headaches for small businesses. For example, not having enough help during a busy season or new promotion can hurt production, sales and customer relations in the fulfillment of orders and customer service. A quick glance at the following stats reported by the US. Small Business Administration, shows that small businesses are not small potatoes in today's economy. In fact, the number of small businesses multiplied by the number of large problems equals the need for a lot of solutions. Small firms*: Total approximately 23 million in the United States, with roughly 75 percent of the firms having no employees. Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms. Employ half of all private sector employees. Pay 44.3 percent of the total U.S. private payroll. Generate 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually. Create more than 50 percent of non-farm, private gross-domestic product (GDP). Are employers of 39 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists, engineers, and computer workers). Made up 97 percent of all identified exporters and produced 29 percent of the known export value in FY 2001. How can small business handle big issues?...more
Last month I was invited to participate in a charity golf tournament in Las Vegas to celebrate the life of the late dancing legend Gregory Hines. The event was held to raise funds and awareness of the tragic disease that took this entertainer's life....more
It's Friday night, you're sitting at a restaurant, and as your meal arrives, the server says, "Now, don't touch that plate. It's hot." What's the first thing you do?Well, 99% of the time you're going to touch that plate, right?I call it the 99% rule....more
Staying ahead of the marketing curve seems to be a never-ending quest. Marketing doesn't have to be as complex as some people make it out to be. It's simply a matter of understanding who you are marketing to - your ideal customers - and then coming...more
No matter how great your idea is, if the market isn't ready for it, or if it's already saturated, you just won't profit from it, at least not at the moment. So how do you know if it's just another great idea or a money tree ripe for the picking? How...more
Defining a long-term investment in the stock market.For some "long term" would mean holding a stock position over the weekend. For others, it may mean holding a security for at least 1 year for the purpose of declaring a long-term capital gain, thus...more
Leaving school, getting a new job, or even a raise at your current one, has most people considering their next great purchase. Few think about the affect this could have on their future. Rather than pay down the debt they carry, many...more