Make a Good First Impression A customer’s first contact with your company must be a positive experience, regardless of whether that contact occurs via the telephone, the internet, or in person. If clients generally call your company, make sure your receptionist interacts well with strangers and is knowledgeable about the business. And, whenever possible, avoid automated telephone recordings with confusing menus. If clients are likely to first encounter you via the internet, make sure your website is attractive, easy to navigate and, by all means, accurate. If you meet customers face-to-face, make sure they’re greeted with a smile and…

Maintaining an active blog presence can be a lot of work. You have to write unique content on a regular schedule, respond to reader comments, promote your blog through social networking, and try to build traffic through links and keyword search ranking. When your blog is only a part of your business, and not the business itself, this can be a lot of extra work in addition to growing your business itself. Fortunately, there are many ways to help promote your blog with freelance writers. Here are a few tips for how to use this vast resource: Finding Talent You…

Content has become a large part of marketing, especially online. Inbound marketing tactics such as article marketing, blogging, and social media marketing have all proven to be very effective. As opposed to “interruption marketing”, inbound marketing is a technique that attracts the attention of a target audience member that is already looking for information on products or services that you provide. It’s a way to join the conversation with a prospect, which is more effective than starting it. The success of these marketing tactics largely depends on the quality of the content that is being distributed. If it’s sloppy or…

When it comes to branding – small businesses in general assume a lot. They more or less figure that if money is coming in the door then everything must be alright. But is it? Do you have that nagging in your gut, that you simply aren’t performing to your potential? Maybe you’re not getting your fair share. Are you aware of what your brand actually stands for in the mind of your stake holders? What are you doing to distinguish your brand? Are your sales staff motivated and moving your brand higher? If you don’t know where your brand is…

Why should a small business invest in an exhibition stand? The costs can seem prohibitive. However, those businesses that present themselves to the public not only earn back everything they put into the exhibition stand, but they generate tremendous amounts of potential revenue. In any business, retaining customers is essential, but creating new ones is equally vital. In many ways, an exhibition stand functions as one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising and promotion. By securing a physical locale at a trade show or venue, a business can literally attract people who are interested in a particular product or…

Large companies have lost large amounts of money lately due to hacker activity. Sony suffered a hiccup when somebody infiltrated their PlayStation 3 database and got hold of their users’ credit card numbers. Sony repaired the error and gave customers 2 free games to download online. Citigroup was also a target for hacking attacks, but unlike Sony, company directors decided to withhold this information from consumers for 3 weeks. In a world where online purchases are becoming the norm, security is key. You can offer your customers any perk you want, but nobody is going to spend their hard-earned money…

Small business owners frequently believe that their particular industry or field is far too specialised to benefit from project management software. However, project management software can be enormously beneficial for small business, despite its perceived high cost. This is because the software, once properly configured, enables small business owners to quickly manage large quantities of data that would otherwise take significantly longer not only to process, but to frame in context. As an example, any small business must invariably generate revenue statements detailing the progress in a particular quarter or year. By having project management software already in place, a…

I believe that most small businesses ignore their brand. They have absolutely no idea what the perception of their brand is among their stake holders. Many even fail to recognize that they are a leader and are content with settling with following the perceived leader. They allow that leader by default to define their brand for them. If your understanding of a brand, is restricted to that of your image then I’ve got some bad news for you. Your brand is so much more than that. Your logo and marketing materials are simply the face of your brand. Every touch…

We’ve often heard, “it’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.” And for the most part, it’s true. When you’re a small business owner, contacts play a very large role in the development and maintenance of your enterprise. From forming customer relationships to getting the best deals from wholesalers, it’s important to keep in touch with the right people. This is essentially what B2B (business to business) communication is. B2B is the relationship between two businesses that trade products, information, or services via the internet, whether it is a regular transaction or a one-time-only occurrence. With the advent of…

Managing a small business is fraught with issues. There’s the going concern of financing growth, managing payroll, paying vendors and creditors, proper invoicing and bill payments, as well as the constant issues of managing cash flow. All of these can become a source of great frustration and a continuous drain on the company’s resources. Thus, small businesses must be proactive in managing their operations. To this extent, purchasing the right accounting software is more than just another business expense. It’s an investment that allows small businesses to better manage all aspects of their finances, and an essential tool that empowers…