Learning to Become an Effective Leader
Leadership, at its purest form, is simply the ability to obtain followers. Effective leaders have a very strong sense of self; they understand the qualities that make other people want
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Don't be Scammed by Fake IRS Communications
The IRS receives thousands of reports each year from taxpayers who receive suspicious emails, phone calls, faxes or notices claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Many of these scams fraudulently ...
What NOT to Wear to Work:
A Guide for Women
A little confused about what to wear to work?
You're not alone. With society becoming more casual and many company dress codes going un-enforced, it's not unusual to walk ...
What Your Buzz Says About You
How do you differentiate yourself in business if you use the same buzz words as everyone else? I hear buzz words all day and often wonder if I asked someone to tell me exactly what the ‘buzzword’ they
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What does your Voice Mail Message say about you?
How many times has one of the following happened to you? You call someone and get his voicemail telling you that he will be out of the office until July 6th.
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Derailing Your Own Success
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What Your Voice Says About You
Many professionals know that in order to gain a foothold over the competition, especially these days, they've got to present themselves as a consummate professional. They must convey competence and ...
Personal Space Basics in Your Work World
You may be an ‘expertly trained’ salesperson but if you violate basic rules of dealing with people all of the training in the world will not replace poor people skills. ...
E-mail Etiquette - Part of your Branding
E-mail has become such an intricate part of our lives that many of us forget that it is part of our brand. E-mail is often our most ‘viewed’ brand. It introduces us, delivers news, responds to questions and is often
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The Power of Print Magazine Advertising
How Magazine Advertising Changes Minds and Prompts Behavior
The power of print magazine advertising to persuade has never been stronger. Two new studies confirm this.
According to a research study commissioned by the Magazine Publishers of America, print magazine ...
The Importance of Feedback
As a manager or leader, part of your role is to give feedback. Feedback is incredibly important to individuals and teams. They want to know what they are doing well and where they need to develop. Sadly, managers and ...
Be a Good Listener
In a recent survey of the Academy of Certified Administrative Managers three hundred members were asked: "What abilities or competencies do you consider to be the 20 per cent that yields the 80 per cent ...
Skills to be a Better Sales Person
Sales is an honorable and wonderful profession. It is a field where we all continue to learn and develop our skills. Recent research has shown the skills salespeople demonstrate that keep them for being more successful.
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Using References for your Resume
Did you leave a job interview thinking you had the job to not only not get the job offer but never hear from the company again? Too many job seekers provide lists of references
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Reaching your Business Potential
Having spent over twenty years as a business consultant I know that there are a finite number of reasons why smart, capable people never reach their full potential. Sometimes they are on the right track ...
The Power of Disagreeing
Workplace disagreements are inevitable – perhaps even desirable. They can lead to the emergence of new ideas, solutions to complex problems, and increased efficiencies. The trick is disagreeing in a way that yields ...
Liven Up your Power Point Presentation
With Presentations now being the de facto business communication tool, it's not surprising that out of the approximately 30 million PowerPoint presentations given every day around the world, ...
Search Engine Optimization
5 Tips you Should Know
It can be easy to feel lost when it comes to the world of SEO. Search engine optimization is the best way to get your site ranking high and attracting new business. For most though, SEO is a hard road to navigate. ...
Social Networking vs Productivity
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Cubicle Etiquette
Our office manners and the way we consistently treat each other at work is something we need to do with intent. We spend more time at work than we do anywhere else and our behavior at work shows people ...
Handwritten Notes
A Powerful Business Tool
Successful people pay attention to the details and look for ways to build better business relationships. When you take the time to send handwritten notes, you will stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. ...
Body Language
In many ways, listeners hear with their eyes. What is your body language saying about you? When you give a presentation or run a sales meeting, are you coming across as authoritative, confident and credible, or ...
Speaker Phone Etiquette
One of the most requested etiquette tips I receive from my public seminar attendees is the request for a weekly tip about speakerphone etiquette or lack of speakerphone etiquette. ...
Utah Health Exchange Opens September 1st to all Small Employers
Starting [September 1, 2010] qualifying Utah small businesses have a new option to offer expanded health coverage to their employees while controlling their own health benefit costs.In a significant step forward, the Utah Health Exchange, which has operated as a pilot program for the past
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Business Meeting Etiquette
Business etiquette is essentially about building relationships with colleagues, clients or customers. In the business world, many people can influence your success or failure. Etiquette, and in particular business ...
Are You Rude at Work?
In offices across America, good people are engaging in some extremely obnoxious behavior: talking over each other in meetings, failing to respond to e-mails, showing up late to appointments--or blowing them off ...
Why CEO's Should Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging platform that is quickly building momentum. The premise behind Twitter is that users follow each other based on shared interests or common ground. Users "tweet" messages in ...
Practice Your Elevator Speech
Imagine a chance meeting with your ideal suspect. This is a person you really want a chance to sell but you simply have not been able to get their attention. Your chance meeting will not allow much time and you must ...
Common Causes of Business Failure
Why do some small businesses fail, while others stay in business for many years. The SBA gives you some pointers on the common reasons that small businesses fail. ...
Which Legal Structure Works for your Business?
The answer depends on what kind of business it is and how the business owner would like to arrange his/her tax liabilities and the other realities that come with business ownership and operation. ...
Do's and Don'ts of Email
In 2006 nearly one in three U.S companies terminated an employee for violating email policy, and a survey of 294 U.S. companies with at least 1,000 employees found that in many cases employees who sent emails ...
What Your Organization Needs to Know About Email
A Workplace Email and Instant Messaging Survey from American Management Association and The ePolicy Institute shows that only 20% of organizations have implemented an I/M policy and that in any given office, ...
Make Your Business Newsworthy
The media is always looking for newsworthy stories. There are countless ways to make your business newsworthy. Here are a few recommendations: Start an annual charity event. ...
Build Your Subscriber List
Your email distribution list is one of the most valuable tools you have in your online and offline marketing. Complimented by a good Ezine, website, consistent focus on driving your traffic to your site and gaining ...
Data Security for Small Businesses
Every business’s success hinges on its customer relationships, and every customer relationship hinges on trust — trust not only that the company will deliver on its promises, but also that it will protect clients’ sensitive information. ...
Tips on Promoting Your Website
Some ideas on promoting your website include: Sticky Sites. Make your site "sticky" by adding discussion boards, freebies, software downloads, and/or free original content. ...
Ideas On Online Infomercials
If a picture is worth a thousands words, then full-motion video is worth 100,000 words! Any product that easily is sold when people see it in action will greatly benefit from online video. ...
To the Customer, You are the Company
Customers don’t distinguish between you and the organization you work for, nor should they. To your customer’s way of thinking, you are the company.
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Use Affiliate Marketing
Another way to make big bucks with affiliate marketing is when you subscribe to other peoples products and start promoting for them. Every time you make a sale or in some cases send a lead, you get paid. You can ...
Five Tips for Successful Blogging
The top five tips for successful blogging are: Talk, don't sell your product; Post often and be interesting; Write on issues you know and care about; listen to what people tell you; and ...
Spend Time Organizing and Practicing Your Writing
If you take care of marketing your business, one key thing to learn and perfect is copywritting. This is the one of the most important skills you can perfect. Try to block one hour everyday to write and practice your ...
Using Your Vehicle to Promote Your Business
Your vehicle is a moving billboard. You can realize some great business from having your company name, logo, phone number and web address on your car. Granted, mobile business promotions aren't for everyone, but ...
Creating Memorable Customer Service
Recently I had the opportunity to work with a delightful group of people presenting Creating Memorable Customer Service Seminars. I have worked with this group before and truly enjoy working with them. ...
Storing Electronic Data
For a typical small/medium business, the amount of stored electronic data doubles every year. That's particularly discouraging if you don’t have an expandable and solid, plan for storing data. ...
How to Make a Better Verbal Presentation
As more work becomes ‘teamwork’- what you know is less important than how well you communicate it. Without a keen sense of of what you want to say and how you want to say it, at minimum you'll leave your ...
How to Create a Master Slide in PowerPoint
When it comes to presenting, no skill is more important than knowing how to prepare one in the first place and PowerPoint has become the 'defacto' world-wide standard. Here's how to reduce design time using ...
A Blog Can Keep Your Customers In the Loop
Anyone who is serious about online visibility is blogging. The way the search engines work is such that you can increase your rankings by blogging. Blogging is also a great way to let your market know ...
Collect Customer Information Through an "Opt In" Feature on Your Website
The fact is, when people come to your site, you have only seconds to capture their attention. If they leave and you haven't gotten their information (at least email and name) you likely have lost the chance forever. ...
Utilize Your Business Cards in Your Marketing
Business cards are often one of the most underutilized tools in one's marketing. Use the front and back of your business card to gain full benefit. Depending on your market, you can put some very valuable ...
Using Technology Wisely
For some reason, we have changed our work patterns to believe that instant communication is the most important and highest priority for focusing our time. It is as though we have all become customer service ...
Give Your Customers the Complete Story
The more facts you tell… the more product you sell! Give your prospects the complete story. Share with them all of the reasons they want and need to buy your products... in every ad. If you deliver only one ...
Top "10" Executive Networking Tips
Careful preparation is definitely the key to successful executive networking. Here are the top ten tips: 1) Work on an action plan. Look at a networking plan as another ...
Tests That Apply to Your Product
You can test just about anything, but here are the four most important things to test, in order of importance. The Market. Who you market to is most important. A mediocre offer in a mediocre package can do reasonably ...
Becoming a Published Author
It's incredible how many people have the dream of being published. According to some studies, over 85% of adults in the United States dream of getting their writing published. Sadly, most will never realize their ...
Good Advertising is Timeless
When I was a Cub Scout, I used to love the ads in the back of Boy’s Life Magazine. They had survival knives and dog tags, and they had go-cart plans and "sea monkeys." And they had one that said, "See the miracle ...
Know Your Costs BEFORE Marketing Product
Maybe this goes without saying, but before you market anything, you ought to know what the cost of the product is, compared to the price you anticipate selling it for. ...
Success Takes a Long Term Commitment
Make a commitment for the long-term. Contrary to what many so-called experts claim as they try to sell you something that will get you rich quick, rarely is there "overnight success" in business, event with the ...
Meeting Etiquette
I’m surprised by how many inquiries I’ve received lately from clients and others about how to behave at meetings. More people are viewing emails, texting, holding side conversations, and plainly not paying ...
Offer Mini Courses On Your Web Site
Regardless of who your market is you can create added value by offering free online mini courses that are of interest to them. Your market is seeking valuable information that is designed to improve the quality of their ...
Strategies to Increase Your Distribution Load
In today's world of using the Internet in your marketing your job is to look for ways to continually offer value while ...
Choose "People-Oriented" Customer Service Reps
Make sure you have "other-oriented" people in customer service positions. People who are motivated by the opportunity to serve others. When you interview for these positions, use the trick Southwest ...
"FREE" is the Strongest Word in Marketing
In a Proctor & Gamble test, a FREE sample offer beat a price discount and a rebate offer three to one. Why? Because customers don’t have to ...
Develop a Strategy for Dealing with Your Electronic Data
In a typical small or medium size business, the amount of electronic data stored doubles every year! That's particularly overwhelming if your business doesn't have a positive strategy/plan for data storage. ...
Who Has the Best Market Research?
Who has the best market research in the world? You might be surprised to know that it isn't a research firm, ad agency or industry group. Your best market researach will come from your customers. ...
Take Care of Your Vendors
Always take good care of all of your vendors. They're your team members and your customers. Add value to their lives and it will pay off in the long run. ...
Why is sending an email like launching the Space Shuttle?
Why is sending an email message like launching the Space Shuttle? Because you have to perform a thorough email quality checklist to make sure all systems are go before you can hit "send." A ...
Get to Know the "Father" of Image Advertising
If you never read any other advertising book, you must read Ogilvy on Advertising. David Ogilvy is sometimes referred to as the "Father of of Image Advertising. Yet he believes passionately in testing and tracking and ...
Use Testimonials in Your Marketing
These independent, third-party endorsements of your product or service are powerful because they invoke the Weapon of Influence called “Social Proof.” In other words, your prospect will believe your product is good ...
Give Something Away to Get Sales
You may have to give something away BEFORE somebody commits to actually buy. This can be a FREE report, or some kind of small gift just for responding. It could be a FREE initial consultation, or maybe ...
Generate BUZZ Through Viral Marketing
One of the greatest advantages of the Internet is the power of reach. Not only do you have the ability to constantly reach out to your market, there are ample opportunities for others to market for you through what is referred to ...
Create an E-Zine to Market Yourself Online
One of the greatest benefits of the Internet is the ease at which you can provide valuable information to your market. Not only does this benefit them, it benefits you in that your name remains fresh in their mind. ...
Handwritten Notes: A business essential
How does an $800 million company connect personally with customers? Handwritten notes are a nice start.
Hannah at my local J. Crew store sent me a note last other week. I was on my way to a movie and stopped to pick up some things.
Your Professional Image
People are constantly observing your behavior and forming theories about your competence, character, and commitment, which are rapidly disseminated throughout your workplace. It is only wise to add your voice in framing others' theories about who you are and what you can accomplish. ...
Activeley Recruit Repeat Sales
Once the initial sale is complete, you’ve spent the bulk of your marketing budget to successfully generate a new customer. Don’t forget the Lifetime Profit Value of that customer. Make an on-going effort to sell your ...
Use Your Front End to Yield Results with Customers
If you’re a traditional retailer, your front end is your store, and the traditional advertising you do to try and attract customers. If you’re a manufacturer or wholesaler, you've got a "live" sales staff for your ...
Generating Publicity for your Company
Your company doesn’t need a massive marketing budget or a large presence to get its name out into the media. Following are a few suggestions to generate some positive public relations for your business through non-paid media coverage... ...
More Texting Tips for Business People
With the advancements in smart phone technology, text messaging is becoming a more popular way to communicate. Commonly referred to as “texting”, this method of communication is simple, efficient and effective. ...
Online Registration Available for Non-Profits and LLC's
The state of Utah is offering online business registration for nonprofit groups and limited liability companies. The program called OneStop Business Registration, is supported by several state agencies ...
Business Expenses: What Can I Deduct?
Business expenses are the cost of carrying on a trade or business. These expenses are usually deductible if the business is operated to make a profit. To be deductible, a business expense must ...
Being on Time
An essential business skill
I attended a community meeting in the Mayor’s conference room with other community leaders when a late comer arrived. He walked from the back of the room to the front of the room and across and in front of the speaker to a seat in the front. ...
"Wink Wink" Marketing is about Creating More Loyal Customers - Part 2
Turns out, giving customers (what they perceive to be) preferential treatment works in all kinds of situations. Take the case of waiters using candy to increase their tips.
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The Psychology of the "Wink, Wink" Deal
Part 1
Researchers from the Wharton School of Business discovered that they could increase a customers' participation in frequency programs by simply giving them a head start. ...
Daily Deals: The Good, the Bad & the Deadly
Everyone now knows about the Daily Deals craze - Deals of the day that are 50% or more off retail for a special package. They are used by restaurants, day spas, playhouses, cell phone stores, nail salons, hair salons, sports teams, movie theaters and others. ...
Make it Easy for Your Prospect to Respond
Two important points for making it easy for your customers or prospects to respond to your deal. First ask specifically, but make it simple. For example: if you are asking somebody to mail in an order, have the ...
Create Value for Your Customers
Creating value is first done in the headline and body copy of your ad, in your sales presentation, in your letter or your e-mail. You've got to identify for the prospect the "Whats in it for Him" stuff. You've ...
Twitter Etiquette?? You bet!
Every form of communication deserves an etiquette manual, if only so we can treat each other better, even in 140-character bites. Twitter etiquette is a lot like the advice your mother gave you when you were young. ...
Test Your Adds and Track Results
Make sure you treat your advertising like a commission salesperson. If it doesn't consistently return a profit, fire it and get something that will. That means testing your ads and tracking results. ...
Special Tip For Sweetening the Pot
A special tip for sweetening the pot is to include some premiums with your special offcers. These are gifts and some of the best premiums to offer are PAPER & INK. Give them information in the form of special reports ...
Tell Your Customers the Value of a DEAL!
Make sure your customer KNOWS exactly what a great value you're giving! So always put a specific dollar value on your offer. Unless you communicate that value to your customers, how are they going to know what a ...
Visualize Your Success
Imagine what it will be like to achieve each of your goals. Take the time to picture yourself having succeeded. What will you do? How will you celebrate? What will you say, to whom, and why? ...
How Customers Rate Service
Quality of service is becoming an increasingly important differentiator between competing businesses in the retailing sector. In today's fiercely competitive marketplace, characterized by similarly ...
Customer Service is a Marketing Tool
Common sense suggests that if I want to keep my job that is based upon a continual stream of customers then it would be extremely beneficial to deliver professional customer service. Unfortunately, customer service still appears to be a significant issue ...
The Value of a Mission Statement
In many successful family-owned businesses, family members are not allowed to be with the company until they have worked and trained elsewhere for a number of years. This way, the family member ...
Closing Deal is Critical
For small businesses, closing a deal is critical. You may have the best product or service available but without a wise strategy to close a deal or complete a sale, your business will suffer. ...
Family Owned Business
When most people think of a family-owned business, they think of "Mom and Pop" operations. It might surprise you to know that 37 percent of the Fortune 500 companies are family-owned businesses and ...
The Importance of Being Listed in Internet Business Listings
It‘s more important to get listed on relevant business directories than to spend money on outdated yellow page listings. More people are looking for the things they need on the Internet than ever before. There are ...
Follow UP
Creating and using a follow up system is a guaranteed way to grow your business. In fact with less than 52% of all sales people following up with their prospects you ...
Low Risk Offers
An offer in the advertising world is to present to someone a perceived special that will encourage them to buy or use something you either have or provide. A low risk offer is an offer that the prospective
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Basic Business Etiquette
Establish good basic habits and build upon them. Here's some basic reminders. When going through doors: You hold the door open for a woman if you would hold it open for a man in the same situation.
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Using your Business Cards for Marketing
Traditionally business cards were given out to executives and other select personnel depending on their role in the business or organization. But more and more companies – particularly small businesses with
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Being on Time Matters
Being on time, every time, conveys far more than just a good sense of timing. It tells people that you’re on top of things, that you’re organized, that you can be counted on, that you value them, and, ultimately, that ...
One Common Mistake Entrepreneurs Make
Underestimating or dismissing competition is one common mistake many entrepreneurs make. Numerous business plans I have recently reviewed included only a sentence or two about their competition. ...
Become a Sub-Contractor for Government Contracts
If you are new to the government contracting market, an excellent way to get your foot in the door is to partner with another company who has who has experience working with the federal ...
Using the GSA Schedule for Procurement Opportunities
When the Department of Defense or other federal agencies want to purchase products or services, they will either purchase off the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule, or they will put out a ...
Doing Business with the Federal Government
Central Contractor Registry
All businesses who want to do business with the federal government must also be registered in the Central Contractor Register (CCR). To complete the easy online registration, go to www.ccr.gov for more ...
Applying for a DUNS Number for Procurement Opportunities
All businesses who want to do business with the federal government must obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number. To obtain this number, call Dun & Bradstreet at ...
Marketing your Product Online
Too often I see hardworking entrepreneurs who put great effort into delivering exceptional products and services, but little-to-no effort into reaching customers online. While they have all the makings of a successful ...
What's in a Handshake?
It is said that the handshake predates written history and was initially used to show the other individual you’re a friend and are without a weapon in your right hand. Although we have evolved from warriors to ...
The 6 Most Common Offers and How to Effectively Use Them
Something many people have asked me about over the years is what marketing works and what doesn’t? The answer to that question really lies in what you are trying to accomplish with your advertising effort. ...
Every Company is a Marketing Company
Nothing happens unless you first make a sale. Without continued revenues, the business will be short lived. For that reason, every company, regardless of it's product or service, is a marketing company. Every ...
Personal Reference Tips and Etiquette
A reference is someone who will speak highly of you to potential employers. Establishing reliable references can be the advantage that sets you apart from other job applicants. However, there should be more to references than just names and contact information ...
Plan Ahead for Tax Preparation
The division line between planning and preparation for taxes is December 31st. If you want to take assertive action to lower your taxes, you must seek tax advice before the NEW year and before your taxes are due. ...
Building Better Ads - Part 2
Types of Ads and How to Use Them Better
Competitive Edge ads - When you see (or hear) a competitor's ad, you say to yourself "I am better at this than they are!" How are your customers and, more to the point, your competitor's customers going to ...
Building Better Ads - Part 1
Many advertisers will use an image building ad and don't understand why they aren't getting great results like the the traffic building ad they used to run did. They also try using the wrong ad in the wrong medium. ...
Telephone Protocol - The Pitfalls
Most people think that they are very good at handling telephone calls; however, it could be the smallest thing, such as sighing as you pick up the phone that could send a potential client to your competition. One day, I called a retail store and was greeted by ...
Tips to Create a Company Salary Structure
Attracting and holding on to high-quality employees requires a salary structure that is both competitive and fair. It’s important to determine your company’s philosophy in terms of compensation and benefits. ...
Are you an Expert?
Write a report or an article for publication.
I have heard from many professionals that when they are going to school in their discipline, they are taught that they should look for opportunities to get articles that they write, or have written for them, published. ...
Text Messaging Etiquette - For Business People
Text messaging is a very popular way to communicate, both personal and professional. Texting is simple, efficient and effective. But what is consider acceptable when texting business contacts? ...
Successful Networking
Everybody is doing it. At least, successful people are doing it. “It” is Networking. Successful business people network for a variety of reasons.
Career networking is an excellent tool for finding and landing your next great job opportunity. In fact, ...
The 5 "Ps" of Successful People and Why Aren't You Doing It?
Those of you that have worked with me know the 5 Ps of Success. You know I take them very seriously and have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of practicing or not practicing what I preach. ...
