With the highly competitive nature of our economy, have we lost what other generations would have called "civility"? "Go for the jugular" and "nice guys finish last" are common sayings among highly competitive individuals. In fact, this type of thinking permeates many business cultures, and has for decades. The highly competitive nature of our economy, the consumption-oriented society that requires ever-higher levels of disposable income have created negative work environments. We have lost … [Read more...]
Customer Service Mistakes That Can Cost You Your Business
There are certain behaviors that customers find really upsetting. Here are four customer service mistakes that should raise a red flag. There are certain behaviors, attitudes and actions that customers find really upsetting. Perceived slights on the part of a customer service representative can sometimes have significant repercussions for your business. Many customers today won’t ask to see the manager; instead they’ll tweet about what happened to thousands of followers. You won’t even have an … [Read more...]
How To Loan Money To Family or loved one
What do you do if a friend or loved one asks for a loan? Here are some points to consider. Warning: This article is about how to lend money to a relative the right way. However, it doesn’t guarantee that you'll get repaid. Proceed with caution. As the economy continues a long slide back into recession, many families that haven’t faired as badly as others are receiving an awkward request from relatives and close friends: loans. Loaning money to a loved one is a tricky thing. Once the … [Read more...]
How To Handle Your First Media Interview
Don't ruin your chances of establishing yourself as an industry expert. It’s a rite of passage for any aspiring business mogul. When a reporter reaches out to you, it's an opportunity to establish yourself in the public eye as an industry expert. So if you properly prepare yourself for your first media interview, it could prove to be one of the most profitable investments of time in your career. Being mentioned in the press is far more valuable than buying an ad. It's significantly more … [Read more...]
Sometimes you need to take a gamble to succeed
In today's volatile economy, threats to your business exist everywhere. Sometimes you need to take a gamble to succeed. How Small And Local Businesses Can Play To Win It’s not easy being a small and local business in the United States today. Threats that can lead to business failure are everywhere: poor economic conditions, limited access to financing, high unemployment among potential customers, competition from Internet-based companies and lower prices from large corporate competitors. Taken … [Read more...]
IRS Beefs Up Its Criminal Investigations
12% of the population thinks it's ok to cheat on taxes. The IRS is hoping to change that by putting more focus on fraud. On a regular basis, the IRS conducts its "Taxpayer Attitudinal Survey" which measures what the overall population thinks about different aspects of taxation. The question that is most interesting—and most controversial —is, "Do you think that it is ok to cheat on your tax returns?" According to the results of the survey, 12 percent of the population thinks it is in fact ok. … [Read more...]
Grow Your Sales Without Selling
Do you hate selling but are looking for ways to grow sales? Keep reading. Not every business owner is a natural born sales person. For some people, selling is only marginally more enjoyable than a root canal. I believe that selling is a skill that can be learned. For the most part though, the people that need to learn it prefer not to do so. They find excuses to do something other than selling. So how can you grow your business without selling? At first glance this seems to defy common sense. … [Read more...]
Building Out A Distribution Network
Direct sales can be expensive, time-consuming and risky. What are the alternative options? Direct sales are an expensive, time-consuming and risky way to introduce new products or services to the marketplace. Yet companies seldom consider alternative strategies, like working with a distribution network, to handling their own direct sales. This mistake, however, is understandable. After all, how could anyone other than you actually sell your product? In reality, there are many, many … [Read more...]
Federal Reserve’s latest move
Mike Periu explains the Federal Reserve's latest move. Operation Twist Leaves Economy In Knots One of my favorite shows on television is Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs which airs on the Discovery Channel. Mike travels the country putting himself in the shoes of people that perform dirty but necessary jobs—I’ve seen everything from dead crustacean removal to hog rustling. Given the way things are going with the economy lately, I would like to propose they cover the following dirty job: Chairman of the … [Read more...]
Fight Back When Your Profits are Under Attack
As the economy continues its precarious path forward, consumers and business customers maintain a price-conscious attitude. Many large companies have made the decision to use price reductions, sales and rebates to increase (or maintain) unit sales. This tends to cause a great deal of grief to small business owners who are forced to decide how to respond. In most cases, it would be a mistake to go head to head on pricing with larger competitors with seemingly unlimited financial … [Read more...]
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