Monday, August 31, 2015
The Top 10 Sales Don’ts to Avoid at All Costs
By Diane Helbig Every day people enter sales positions or start businesses. They are either taught techniques and tricks of the trade, or they assume that certain behaviors are appropriate. Unfortunately, many of these people are doing the wrong things and therefore, not getting the results they seek. Below are the top ten sales don ts, listed from least offensive to screaming hot bad. 10. Do Not Hand Your Business Card to Everyone You Meet First of all, they don t want it. Secondly, you are telegraphing that you are interested in what you can get, not what they need. Only give your card to people who ask for it. This way you ll know who really wants it. DO ask for the other person s card every time. You ll want to follow up with them, if only to send them a short note saying it was nice to meet them. 9. Do Not Prospect by Email I m not talking about email marketing which I believe in. I m talking about prospecting; sending an unsolicited email to someone trying to gain their business
http://bit.ly/1IBJMiY
Create Perfect Personas to Boost Your Content Marketing Efforts
Clare Hopping, Editorial Director at L&T, writes about personas — what they are, how to identify them and why they're important for your content strategy.
http://bit.ly/1JAssvz
How to Host a Website on Google Drive for Free
We’re a big fan of cloud services on this blog, and Vinay has written on Process Street about Dropbox vs Google Drive in the past as well as a great guide on how to migrate to the cloud. If you’re wondering how to host a website on Google Drive for free, well, I just did (and it took me 2 minutes!) so I’ll tell you all about it.
http://bit.ly/1NE1aut
4 Content Writing Mistakes Small Businesses Make
Are you and your business making these common, yet damaging, content writing mistakes? Let's hope not.
http://bit.ly/1Vft4PC
Sunday, August 30, 2015
8 Ways Social Listening Can Benefit Your Content Marketing
We are big believers in the benefits of content marketing at Brandwatch. Since the very beginning we’ve worked hard to create content that offers value to our audience.
http://bit.ly/1NDJ3G1
How to Host a Website on Google Drive for Free
We’re a big fan of cloud services on this blog, and Vinay has written on Process Street about Dropbox vs Google Drive in the past as well as a great guide on how to migrate to the cloud. If you’re wondering how to host a website on Google Drive for free, well, I just did (and it took me 2 minutes!) so I’ll tell you all about it.
http://bit.ly/1LrQltf
Connect Your Personal and Team Workflows Together with Process Street and Zapier
For as long as there has been tasks to complete there have been checklists. Our daily tasks, recurring event needs, project checklists for an entire team to complete. Process Street allows you to create those checklists you need, collaborate with your team across different workflows, and assign those tasks out so everyone knows their responsibility and things are completed in a timely manner.
http://bit.ly/1WVE7zg
7 Strategies to Catch the eyes of Influencers on LinkedIn
If you re itching to know the best way to come onto the radar and get noticed by some of the top rated influencers in your field, LinkedIn may very well be the place for you. This guide lists 7 in the finest methods to optimize your LinkedIn advertising efforts by receiving the chance to be shared by choice makers with big audiences. Integrated is really a checklist you are able to work through at your very own pace to ensure you happen to be producing the very best of the time as you progress. Connecting with these sorts of persons could be the greatest way to come to be the resource. What this means is that you ll be the only one readers visit for information and facts, making it pretty simple to sell to them once you ve got their focus. It s not essential to be a premium LinkedIn member to stick to this guide, so take a look and discover the most beneficial technique to become an influencer on LinkedIn. Find a lot more about advertising and marketing on LinkedIn here.
http://bit.ly/1IwSsHr
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Be Prepared for Your Next Business Event
By Small Business Editor Have you given much thought to planning for a business event this week? Here s a chance to do a little research to make the most out of what such events have to offer. Make a plan and know what you hope to get out of the experience. Do you want to promote your brand, sell a product, gain information or maybe just focus on networking? A goal can give you direction and help you make the most of your time. Finding out information like what brands will be there, what other business owners are likely to attend, and what functions will be taking place can give you an edge no matter what your objective. Go in armed with knowledge and get a leg up on the competition. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards Content Inc. Summit September 11, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more out of your marketing or to drive innovation in your
http://bit.ly/1NGAFpk
Friday, August 28, 2015
7 Ways to Catch the eyes of Decision Makers on LinkedIn
If you re questioning how one can come onto the radar and get noticed by some of the top rated influencers inside your field, LinkedIn may be the place for you. This guide lists 7 in the best tactics to optimize your LinkedIn marketing efforts by obtaining the opportunity to be shared by choice makers with significant audiences. Incorporated is often a checklist you may work through at your individual pace to make sure you happen to be creating the very best of your time as you progress. Connecting with these sorts of individuals is definitely the ideal method to turn out to be the resource. What this suggests is that you will be the 1 readers visit for information, producing it quite effortless to sell to them when you have got their attention. It really is not essential to be a premium LinkedIn member to stick to this guide, so take a peek and uncover the most effective strategy to grow to be an influencer on LinkedIn. Discover a lot more about advertising and marketing on LinkedIn
http://bit.ly/1KssJ9g
Incoming! As Tropical Storm Erika Looms, Small Businesses Prepare
By Joshua Sophy It s been a relatively tame tropical storm season in the Atlantic Ocean but Tropical Storm Erika is making a late-August run at the Southeast U.S. Some tracks have the storm on a path to collide with the southern tip of Florida — and potentially move into the Gulf of Mexico — by early next week. That potential has prompted Florida s Small Business Development Center to issue a warning to companies in the state: Get prepared. The U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that 25 percent of small businesses never reopen in the wake of a natural disaster, like a hurricane or tropical storm. Some suggest that rate could be even higher, though it all likely hinges on the severity level of the storm. In preparation for such extreme weather emergencies, the federal agency recommends businesses: Determine which of your business systems are mission critical, Develop an emergency communications plan to keep your people connected. Confirm that your business systems are tru
http://bit.ly/1i8RM6b
Thursday, August 27, 2015
How Transparency Can Keep Your Company Burn Rate Under Control
By Annie Pilon No business is immune to failure. Even those with plenty of investors can find themselves out of cash at some point. But businesses with high burn rates are certainly more likely to experience such a predicament. A company s burn rate is the amount of money it spends each month. For plenty of young startups, burn rate might even be significantly higher than the amount of money being brought in each month. The startups that have plenty of venture funding can withstand that sort of lopsided cash flow for awhile. But it can t stay that way forever. In fact, a high burn rate is what caused virtual assistant startup Zirtual to abruptly shut down recently, despite successful multi-million dollar funding rounds within the past few months. So, what is a business that needs to spend money in order to make money to do? Danielle Morrill, co-founder of business information startup Mattermark, thinks that more startups should be transparent about how much they spend. And Mattermark
http://bit.ly/1MYWTmg
Grow Your Business by Developing Your People
Are ideas on how to grow your business a secret? An illusion of knowledge? Not really. It is surprising how many businesses don’t make growth a priority.
http://bit.ly/1KPrpJo
73 Awesome Free Resources for Growing Your Small Business
An enormous list of some of the best free resources for small businesses available today.
http://bit.ly/1WTOZhh
100 Valuable Resources To Grow Your Business
Starting an ecommerce business is hard work with many steps and decisions that need to come together at the right time. To help, we have put together a comprehensive resource list, compiled from Shopify's most popular blog posts. These posts have been placed into a logical order based on how you would research, build, launch and grow a profitable ecommerce business.
http://bit.ly/1KPr0Xl
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Would You Wear a Cape to Promote Your Brand?
By Annie Pilon There are plenty of ways to display your branding to customers. In fact, wearable branding is a whole category on its own. But while some entrepreneurs wear or sell simple sweatshirts or hats with their logo or company name, Allyn Reid chose a more unconventional route. The founder of Sherpa Press instead wore a cape to promote her brand. Cheryl Conner explains in a Forbes article after hearing Reid speak at the Secret Knock event in San Diego earlier this year: “We re all familiar with the idea of wearing your brand. Shirts, hats, pens, notebooks, tees and even car wraps declare the affiliation of thousands of entrepreneurs. But Allyn Reid, founder of Sherpa Press publishing (and cofounder of Secret Knock with husband Greg), took her brand to another level in 2014. Committed to the concept of tailoring your own happiness and of showing the courage to be all you can be she made the commitment in 2014 to wear a cape, every day, for an entire year, ensuring that her per
http://bit.ly/1Jx8wK3
How to Host a Website on Google Drive for Free
We’re a big fan of cloud services on this blog, and Vinay has written on Process Street about Dropbox vs Google Drive in the past as well as a great guide on how to migrate to the cloud. If you’re wondering how to host a website on Google Drive for free, well, I just did (and it took me 2 minutes!) so I’ll tell you all about it.
http://bit.ly/1NE13PC
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Small Business Lessons to Be Learned from Google’s Big Changes
By Ed Lieber Google s recently announced a drastic restructuring that includes the naming of a new corporate parent company, Alphabet. The change offers key lessons for small business owners in running their companies. The key to the search engine behemoth s move has to do with the entrepreneur mindset of its founders, Google CEO Larry Page and co-founder Sergey Brin. But it also involves the need to fashion a buffer to shelter the billion-dollar Google brand. Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly traded entity. The company even has a new CEO, former products chief Sundar Pichai (pictured above.) Google will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Alphabet, which also will be the parent company of additional subsidiaries. Basically, Google is the best known brand in a collection of unrelated companies, such as Life Sciences, which works on glucose-sensing contact lenses. Creating Alphabet sets Google apart. Essentially, the founders created a large umbrella company under
http://bit.ly/1KjjJDi
How to host a website on google drive for free
We’re a big fan of cloud services on this blog, and Vinay has written on Process Street about Dropbox vs Google Drive in the past as well as a great guide on how to migrate to the cloud. If you’re wondering how to host a website on Google Drive for free, well, I just did (and it took me 2 minutes!) so I’ll tell you all about it.
http://bit.ly/1LrQ89o
Great new startup methods for pre-launch businesses
Uncover the way to progress from 0 to 1000 subcribers to get your initially traction before launch day. These methods involve content material promotion and distribution, along with the very simple rule for time management in the course of these methods. It all begins with fantastic content, and from then on you ll be able to use these awesome content material promotion approaches to create your e mail list and have a solid audience to offer to after you setup your product. Makers Tool lists a great deal of unique locations it is possible to submit your service and content, along with strategies for doing outreach to individuals with influence. Discover more about content material marketing here.
http://bit.ly/1V834pf
Monday, August 24, 2015
Look Deeper Than the Surface for Business Experience
By Jack Yoest It was one of the most unqualified hires I ever approved — and it was my fault. One of my sales guys needed to retain a translator for our Chinese clients based in Hong Kong. But we (okay, I) made mistakes. (See, some of the business challenges related to language translation noted by publisher Anita Campbell writing in Small Business Trends. And the problem of Differing Weights in different cultures.) The new woman was brilliant and polished with a maturity beyond her years. She was a striking young lady, which apparently masked concerns about business ethics. I didn t think ahead about the interview questions that my interview team would ask. I d hoped they d ask if she spoke Cantonese, the major dialect in Hong Kong. I checked with my secretary on how the interview was going. She didn t know. “The guys didn t seem to ask too many questions,” she said. And the job candidate didn t ask or volunteer about dialects. She was picture-perfect, right off the silver scre
http://bit.ly/1EgBmTb
How to Host a Website on Google Drive for Free
We’re a big fan of cloud services on this blog, and Vinay has written on Process Street about Dropbox vs Google Drive in the past as well as a great guide on how to migrate to the cloud. If you’re wondering how to host a website on Google Drive for free, well, I just did (and it took me 2 minutes!) so I’ll tell you all about it.
http://bit.ly/1NE12uQ
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Renewable Energy Group Acquires Imperial Renewables
By JoAnn McFarland The $15 million acquisition of a biomass and crop waste energy company may show the growing viability of this market as an alternative to fossil fuel. And in turn, this may suggest opportunities for smaller agriculture businesses, like family farms hoping to find alternative markets for their byproducts. Renewable Energy Group Inc. headquartered in Ames, Iowa, has acquired all bio-diesel production assets from Imperium Renewables Inc. With 11 active biorefineries, Renewable Energy Group Inc. has developed a system of biodiesel supply to the nation. They refine the fuel from both oils and from biomass sources. This is not just ethanol from corn, but fuel produced by cracking the hydrocarbons of waste materials from crops and wood works. A few steps can transform it into something the gas refineries can use. Specific biomass ingredients can be used to make renewable chemicals, replacing the use of petroleum byproducts for various items like cosmetics and packaging. Re
http://bit.ly/1NE6CgR
Awesome new venture strategies for gaining traction
Come across the way to progress from 0 to 1000 subcribers to have your 1st traction before launch day. These approaches involve content promotion and distribution, plus the easy rule for time management in the course of these methods. It all begins with excellent content material, and from then on you are able to use these awesome content promotion strategies to develop your e-mail list and have a solid audience to advertise to as soon as you setup your item. Makers Tool lists a great deal of different locations it is possible to submit your product and content material, together with tips for performing outreach to individuals with influence. Get significantly more about content marketing here.
http://bit.ly/1EPXLBv
Microsofts Yammer & Workflow Management Software Process Street Now Integrated
Collaborative workflow software Process Street is now integrated with Microsoft’s Yammer, a private business social network. The workflow management tool now enables businesses to monitor and search conversations, attachments, and name mentions between and within departments.
http://bit.ly/1huf6LH
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Make the Most of Summer Season Events
By Small Business Editor Summer will be ending before you know it. So, before you start shifting gears to face fall check out, here are some events you can still attend in the warm weather. You can checkout an expo in Georgia. Get business tips in Maryland or attend a convention in New York. There is even an event in Miami, if you want to really enjoy the late summer sun. Take a look at our list below and see what might be happening near you. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards Content Inc. Summit September 11, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more out of your marketing or to drive innovation in your industry? Then you ll want to check out the Content Inc. Summit, a one-of-a-kind, day-long workshop happening in Cleveland on Friday, September 11, 2015, following Content Marketing World 2015. Exclusive Small Business Trends $195 member discount
http://bit.ly/1KDGQEe
How can you save time using the snooze button?
If you ve ever wondered how you may save time by leaving tasks till you are much more productive, this post about saving time has the answer for you personally. When pressing the snooze button inside the morning is likely not the productive issue you might do, throughout the functioning day you ll want to decide which tasks have to have your attention and in what order.
http://bit.ly/1PsjmFR
Friday, August 21, 2015
The Density Device Means Mobile Employees Find Empty Spots to Work
By Annie Pilon Counting the number of people in a room seems like a pretty simple task, and not one with a whole lot of practical value. But that s not the case for Density. The San Francisco-based company is actually completely based around that concept. The company makes a gadget that can be installed on the door frame of a business to count the people who come and go. You might wonder why anyone would find such a thing useful. Well, currently the company partners with the Portland, Oregon, firm Workfrom, a company that reviews coffee shops, bars and other WiFi connected spots based on factors that might affect remote workers. Density s offering is applicable in this instance because it can give people an idea of how many people are in each spot in real time. So, that way freelancers and mobile employees can avoid lugging their laptops all over town in search of an empty table. And at the same time, the tool could help those businesses with empty tables bring in some extra customers
http://bit.ly/1hziTqZ
Thursday, August 20, 2015
This Beverage Company Demonstrates a Valuable Sales Lesson
By Annie Pilon No matter what you re trying to sell, one of the first steps in the sales process should always be learning what your customers expect from you. For experienced or ambitious entrepreneurs who think they ve already figured out their whole plan, it may be tempting to skip this step. But the truth is that no one knows exactly how a product or the sales strategy for that product will do when actually released to consumers. One of the tried and true methods for learning about your customers is to actually get out there and sell your products face-to-face early on. This can be a lot of work but the insights and the interaction can be invaluable. That s what Ben Weiss, founder of Bai beverage company, did. While others might have jumped into riskier growth strategies or gone after venture funding, Weiss stuck with the slow but steady path. He wanted to actually learn how to make his company and product better. So he put in the hard work early on to do so. He told Inc: “When
http://bit.ly/1J932bj
The Asian Success Magazine: The #1 Magazine for Asian Achievers
At the height of his career as a corp recruiter, he earned $140,000/year. But he wasn’t happy and felt the inflexibility of his corporate job. Well, today’s guest is a Asian Success Show’s fan who reached out to sent me an email about how to use his tool to streamline my show’s process flow. And that’s how I became user of his app and learned about his “how-to launch” journey. If you want to learn how to launch from the maximum height of your career, learn from him.
http://bit.ly/1Lgvclr
The 30 Best Resources to Learn Marketing for Free
Between January 2011 and January 2015, the number of job listings on Indeed containing “content marketing” or “content strategy” grew by about 350 percent; therefore, I think it’s safe to assume some of you startup founders are hiring a marketer or two.
http://bit.ly/1gZyMpV
How the snooze button can save you time
If you have ever wondered how you could save time by leaving tasks till you happen to be much more productive, this post about time management has the answer for you. Although pressing the snooze button inside the morning is probably not the productive thing you could do, during the functioning day it is best to make a decision which tasks want your consideration and in what order.
http://bit.ly/1JsBZem
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Don’t Forget About the Value of Sales Presentations
By Annie Pilon When it comes to sales, so much emphasis has been put on new media methods in recent years. You need to know how to reach customers on social media. You need to have a website that makes buying easy for your customers. And you need to have a comprehensive online communication strategy. And while all of those factors are certainly important, they have somewhat taken away from the emphasis on a more traditional form of selling — making in-person presentations. When done correctly, a presentation can make potential clients feel connected with your business, enough to buy from you today and create a long-lasting relationship with you for the future. That s why it s so important for sales people to still place emphasis on presentations. Elisabeth Osmeloski, VP of audience development for SearchMarketingExpo.com and MarTechConf.com, recently spoke to Forbes on the subject. She said: “Lack of preparation is the biggest cause of failure across the board. Not having a clear
http://bit.ly/1PAPqb9
Dr Jeremy Weisz Finding Your Motivation
Dr Jeremy Weisz from Inspired Insider shares about finding your motivation and what he's learned from talking with high level entrepreneurs.
http://bit.ly/1E1WwEm
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Tot Squad Will Help Install Your Baby Gear
By Aubrielle Billig Busy moms, have no fear: the Tot Squad is here! While attending the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, CEO and Founder Jennifer Beall came up with a concept that would help busy new parents maintain their work/family balance. She wrote a business plan, entered the Kellogg Cup Business Plan Competition and won first prize. Soon after, she received the Student of the Year Award, which gave her the confidence she needed to make her idea reality. The franchise began as CleanBeeBaby LLC in Los Angeles and re-branded itself in 2014 as Tot Squad. Currently, the company serves locations in Los Angeles, Orange County, New York City, and San Diego. Just recently, they have opened the sales of franchises with hopes of growing internationally, and perhaps globally. So, exactly what does the Tot Squad do? As Beall stated in an interview with Business-Opportunities: “Parents are incredibly busy these days and don t want to spend what precious free time th
http://bit.ly/1MChhcF
Top 19 Social Media Management Tools
Do you get lost when trying to find the right social media management tools for your business? It seems like a new app or social media tool is popping up every day, and many of them handle a lot of the same tasks. To make it easier, I've compiled a list of my absolute favorite social media tools that help my business to run more efficiently and cost effectively. It’s a mix of both free and paid tools but I’ve personally used everyone of them at some point in my career so I feel comfortable recommending them.
http://bit.ly/1E1UjbO
Start-up idea: Marketplace for mechanics to help buyers purchase used cars
I am thinking about a marketplace that would help buyers who know nothing about cars evaluate if a second hand car is a good buy or not. You could create a profile and post the 3-4 cars you are considering. Post details of their make, model, price and pictures or a video of the car and the engine. You could then post a bounty for a mechanic to help you out, with a reward of say $50 (or whatever you choose). Then similar to 99 designs, mechanics from all around the world could submit their reviews and advice on the cars. Giving you questions to ask, feedback on your pictures and prices, links to other cars or whatever you may need to help you make a decision. At the end of the process, you reward the most helpful mechanic the $50 prize. I imagine this would be a great way for mechanics from all around the world to earn some extra cash and an easy way for buyers to protect themselves from getting ripped off on a shitty car that could potentially cost them thousands. If you know of anyth
http://bit.ly/1Lk3cQK
Monday, August 17, 2015
What Is The Small Business Owner’s Most Valuable Activity?
By Jack Yoest Nothing. Doing nothing. Your Business Professor was advising a CEO after a train wreck caused by his team. It was a case study on how to derail a project on each of the four parts of management. Usually crashing one part of management is enough. I marveled at the thoroughness of the wreckage. “What happened?” I asked. You can count on complicated questions from consultants who have no clue. “Time,” said the CEO, his head down. “I wish that I took 10 minutes — just 10 minutes to think about it and — if I just took some time to give the problem some real thought — then I could have provided some direction …” The boss was taking all the blame. As he should. It started with an incomplete arrangement (plan), using the wrong people (organize) who were distracted with other responsibilities (lead). There were no milestones, no deadlines and no managerial oversight (control). He is not alone. The U.S. armed services has codified this ultimate responsibility i
http://bit.ly/1hkC9bu
2 Steps to Quickly Generate Revenue in Your Business
Ryan has always had a knack for finding profit and generating revenue in businesses to prove out any business concept.
http://bit.ly/1LaDyhq
Sunday, August 16, 2015
How to Use Live Streaming for Content Marketing: Meerkat, Periscope, katch.me
By Austin Iuliano Meerkat is the hot new live streaming app that is taking the world by storm. Recently, the company teamed up with GoPro to live stream from your GoPro to your phone, and now we have so many new emojis. This gets my inner adrenaline junkie revving and makes me excited about what content I can produce this winter. Katch.me is a NYC based start-up that lets you record your Meerkat or Periscope streams. Just type in “#katch” into the title of a new Meerkat or Periscope stream and they will automatically record it. It s awesome! Even easier, go to katch.me, sign up, and have your streams automatically recorded. How do these new platforms, tools and the use of live streaming play into your content marketing efforts? Use Live Streaming for Content Marketing First You Must Build an Audience Meerkat and Periscope both allow you to live stream video to your network of followers. While Periscope is winning in the number of downloads (a million downloads in 10 days and up to
http://bit.ly/1PubIvj
3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1KTGvjB
How the snooze button can make you more productive
Making decisions is one of the most important traits of any leader and is something I have to deal with on a day to day basis as CEO of Process Street.
http://bit.ly/1EpgrId
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Connect and Grow at One of These Business Events
By Small Business Editor Pocket those business cards and get ready because we are in for another week packed with events and opportunities to get out there and make things happen. You can join a webinar and learn more about business technology. Meet and connect with other small business owners in New York. Or head on out to California to get some new tips for productivity and collaboration. Whatever you may choose, make the most of this week and grow your knowledge base, and maybe even your customer base. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards Content Inc. Summit September 11, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more out of your marketing or to drive innovation in your industry? Then you ll want to check out the Content Inc. Summit, a one-of-a-kind, day-long workshop happening in Cleveland on Friday, September 11, 2015 following Content Marketing W
http://bit.ly/1PfGxmA
Friday, August 14, 2015
Verizon’s New Optical Technology Passes Test
By JoAnn McFarland Verizon Communications has announced the development of a new fiber optic system, fiber-to-the-premises FTTP, which can carry data at speeds of 10 gigabytes per second with the potential of even faster speeds. The new generation passive optical network (NG-PON2) is an improvement over current fiber-optic technology. Each light color transmitted can hold up to 10 gigabytes of data. The current trial transmitted four colors, but it is expected to carry more as demand increases. Verizon anticipates that businesses will appreciate the NG-PON2, which will offer speeds substantially faster and more comprehensive than the gigabyte passive optical network (GPON) currently in use. The test was done in Verizon s central office in Framingham to a ViOS customer s home three miles away. An optical line terminal was installed with four wavelengths available, each capable of 10G/2.5G. Eventually, it is expected to increase to 10G/10G. When a fault was introduced, the system seamle
http://bit.ly/1KnahKE
Thursday, August 13, 2015
3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1MdKgTX
Majority of E-Laughs are Hahas, Facebook says
By Tom Coombe You may have laughed out loud at something you saw on Facebook recently, but you probably didn t type “lol.” That s according to new research by the social media platform, which analyzed user “e-laughter” across Facebook for the last week of May. Facebook s conclusion: Most people during that time — 51.4 percent — used “haha” to denote laughter. Another 33.7 percent posted some sort of emoji. In third place came haha s cousin, “hehe” at 13 percent. Finally, there s “lol,” which accounted for only 1.9 percent of e-laughter during the time of the study. (To be fair: this study only looked at Facebook users, and only at one period of time, so it s possible “lol” still holds sway over other corners of the Internet.) Small business owners need to communicate online, and knowing how e-laughter works is another tool to understanding and speaking the language. Facebook s research was done in response to a New Yorker article by Sarah Larson, which sugg
http://bit.ly/1Wo7slF
How the snooze button can make you more productive
Making decisions is one of the most important traits of any leader and is something I have to deal with on a day to day basis as CEO of Process Street. The science behind why decisions are important is explained in Science says you should do your most important work first thing in the morning by Drake Baer. While we don t always realize it, as we breeze (or slog) through our working days, we make countless decisions. Which email should I reply to first? Should I take care of this now or after lunch? The reason that we get tired at around 3pm isn t just because our body is diverting energy from the brain to the stomach as it tries to digest your lunch, but also because we have decision fatigue. We take the path of least resistance. Things we would usually have given thought to, we dismiss. Judges are well documented when it comes to decision fatigue, and since our decisions might not be as impactful or obvious as a choice to send someone to prison for life, it s still a real proble
http://bit.ly/1EpgrId
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Make Presentations from Your Android Phone — Anywhere
By Michael Guta The ability to deliver a presentation remotely can have myriad advantages for small businesses. And a new tool from Google will allow users to share Slides presentations via Google Hangouts that can be viewed by multiple parties in different locations in real time. Google Slides software engineer Fenil Shah writes on the Official Google for Work blog: “Google Slides helps you share your big ideas with the world, but sometimes presenting these ideas can be challenging. In June, Slides added support for Chromecast and Airplay, which made it easier to project your slides on the big screen. Now there s another new way to share your work: easy presenting to Hangouts video calls. Teammates, partners, clients and classmates can see your ideas, even if they re on the other side of the planet.” Imagine delivering a training session with slides to your remote team spread across the country. Or, perhaps, you could impress potential clients with a Slides presentation without h
http://bit.ly/1L7i3LD
3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1KTGmfZ
3 Client Onboarding Process Checklists
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1MdIsu8
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
This Founder Used Cremation Urns to Get Funding
By Annie Pilon If you want to gain funding for your startup, you need to be able to grab the attention of investors. There are several ways to do this. But one of the more unique methods is the one recently used by Eliam Medina. Medina is the founder of Willing, an online will creation platform. So he stuck with that theme when he applied to be a part of Y Combinator, one of the most prestigious startup accelerators in the world. He did so by sending cremation urns to each of the partners with their names on them. It s absolutely unconventional. It might be a little creepy. But it was a clear and interesting strategy. Since Willing s job is to help people with their end of life planning, Medina needed to emphasize the importance of that sort of work. And nothing can get that point across quite like reminding people of their own mortality. It was a risky move. But Medina knew he had to take that sort of risk to have any chance of succeeding. He told Business Insider: “It doesn t take
http://bit.ly/1J38YE0
3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1KTFNTh
Monday, August 10, 2015
Card Isle Offers a New Way to Buy Greeting Cards
By Annie Pilon Traditional greeting card shopping means going to a store and sifting through a wall of different designs. But the team at Card Isle thinks there s a better way. The company s founders, Adam Donato, David Henry and Stephan Sabo, met in a class at Virginia Tech University where they were assigned the job of coming up with an idea for a new business. Sabo suggested the idea of creating greeting card kiosks for people to buy greeting cards. The team ran with it, and then continued even after the class was completed. Thus, Card Isle was born. The business provides more than just convenience to potential customers. Card Isle also allows the company to offer even more designs than customers can find in stores, with more customized options. And though customers can also go online to fill those needs, Donato thinks there s still a need for Card Isle s greeting card kiosks. He explains to the Washington Post: “We serve a niche that online-only greeting card providers can t rea
http://bit.ly/1NmRz8V
3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1MdHY7p
Managing Workflows in Your Law Practice with Process Street
Process Street is a pretty awesome app for law firms. It can help you stay on top of your repeatable tasks, allowing you to manage yourself and even a team.
http://bit.ly/1N25lA6
Sunday, August 9, 2015
3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process
The process of perfect onboarding differs depending on your business, but the essence is the same. Of course, you’re updating your CRM and complying with legal regulation, but that’s not going to make the customer think you’re the best choice and quell the buyer’s remorse. You’ve also got to build a relationship, get to know the customer’s individual needs (once they’ve signed up, they’re not just a vague profile or target audience) then integrate them into your existing business process.
http://bit.ly/1KTFBn8
How Legal Professionals can Work with Virtual Assistants
How much time do you assume you waste on tasks you ll be able to either be automating or delegating to a law firm VA? Operating a legal office is complex as it is with out fretting about extra tasks that will finish up consuming your time rapidly. You ll be able to acquire virtual assistants by way of options like oDesk or Elance, but what will you appear out for? This informative article will allow you to know something you may need to know about hiring the proper person, what kind of software program to use for the onboarding procedure and what sorts of issues you could be automating or passing onto a VA.
http://bit.ly/1DAjPVW
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Get Some Face Time at a Business Event Near You
By Small Business Editor Showing you care about your industry and other small business owners goes a long way toward getting your name out there. Increased visibility can mean staying on customers and potential clients minds. There are so many opportunities to step outside your office and get some face time at one of the many events happening this week. Check out the events list below and see what s happening near you. Sometimes just showing up wins the sale. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards Content Inc. Summit September 11, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more out of your marketing or to drive innovation in your industry? Then you ll want to check out the Content Inc. Summit, a one-of-a-kind, day-long workshop happening in Cleveland on Friday, September 11, 2015 following Content Marketing World 2015. Exclusive Small Business Trends $195
http://bit.ly/1MZYoiO
Friday, August 7, 2015
Infusionsoft Recruits Former Intuit Exec for New Products Division
By Louis Gombocz The former Vice President and General Manager of Quickbooks Online, Terry Hicks, has accepted a newly created position. Hicks has moved to Arizona-based email marketing and sales software company Infusionsoft. There he will serve as Infusionsoft s first Chief Products Officer. Hicks established the now $600 million business, Quickbooks Online, and focused on accelerating its growth to a worldwide level from the ground up. According to Infusionsoft, Hicks will drive the company s global product strategy which will include product management, payments and business development. He will also oversee the company s suite of services, program interfacings, and apps called “Marketplace” designed for small business use. Having served in various leadership roles at Intuit for more than 15 years, the Silicon Valley executive grew Quickbooks Online from 450,000 U.S. subscribers to 840,000 in 120 countries worldwide. Hicks says he is excited to join Infusionsoft because he see
http://bit.ly/1IOy1Gm
Thursday, August 6, 2015
The 5 Best Real Estate Apps You’ve Never Heard Of
5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1OydOJs
The One Word Every Small Business Needs In Sales and Marketing
By Jack Yoest Consistency. The wrong combination of what the small business offers and then delivers can leave a bad taste. The salt-water taffy candy tasted terrible. It was safe to eat and would hurt nothing but sales. And it was my fault. Your (much younger) Business Professor did it on purpose. It started as a noble experiment but then devolved into a base prank. One summer, I was working as a candy cook with two other bored confederates. We dreamed up a chemistry research project combining two of the five senses: color coordination and a taste response. No animals were hurt in this human testing. Our hypothesis was simple, “If the taste and coloring were different, would the tongue taste what the eye saw? Or would the eye see what the tongue tasted?” So we mis-mixed the purple coloring with the lemon flavoring, instead of with the grape additive. And we combined the yellow lemon coloring with the grape flavoring. This produced a mixed-message that tasted awful, or so I was to
http://bit.ly/1DutWLH
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Google Says U.S. Adsense Publishers Must Comply with EU Cookie Rules
By Tom Coombe Just because your business is outside the European Union, doesn t mean you can flaunt the new EU cookie rules. At least that s the position Google is taking with regards to its Adsense Publishers. Google has given U.S. Adsense Publishers — and those from any other country outside the European Union — a little under two months to comply with the new EU cookie rules. The new regulations say Adsense users in the United States have until September 30 to follow its “user consent” policy. In a message to publishers on its official Inside AdSense blog, the Google Policy Team says: “This requires that you obtain EU end users consent to the storing and accessing of cookies and other information, and to the data collection, sharing and usage that takes place when you use Google products.” The message continues: “It does not affect any provisions on data ownership in your contract. If your site or app does not have a compliant consent mechanism, you should implement o
http://bit.ly/1K4E8Y8
The 5 Best Real Estate Apps Youve Never Heard Of
5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1OydvOF
How Legal Firms can Outsource Virtual Assistants
Just how much time do you assume you waste on tasks it is possible to either be automating or delegating to a law firm VA? Operating a legal office is difficult as it is with out fretting about further tasks that will finish up consuming your time fairly quickly. You are able to receive virtual assistants via solutions like oDesk or Elance, but what will you look out for? This informative report will allow you to know anything you will need to understand about hiring the best individual, what kind of software program to implement for the onboarding process and what sorts of factors you can be automating or passing onto a VA.
http://bit.ly/1MQqNrG
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Discover Global Network Announces a Partnership with Creditcall Corporation
By JoAnn McFarland In an effort to increase acceptance of Discover Card and Diner Club Card, Discover Global Network, based in Greenwood, Delaware, has partnered with the U.K. firm Creditcall Corporation. Discover Global Network is a payment network consisting of several credit cards such as Discover Card and Diners Club International. It also includes PULSE and affiliated networks. Creditcall is a company seeking to make payments easier for both businesses and consumers. The company has played a large part in expanding use of credit cards for online and by phone purchases, according to company information. Creditcall is also currently assisting U.S. businesses in the adoption of EMV “chip card” technology. These are the cards set to replace traditional magnetic strip payment cards in the wallets and pocketbooks of many consumers. The new partnership will allow Discover and its associate, Diners Club, to expand their acceptance by a wider range of businesses around the world, acco
http://bit.ly/1MamkAZ
The 5 Best Real Estate Apps Youve Never Heard Of
5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1h213fG
Monday, August 3, 2015
This Franchisee Found a Creative Way to Survive a Recession
By Annie Pilon Franchise businesses often outline a specific business plan for all of their franchisees. Some entrepreneurs interpret that as having a lack of creative freedom. And so they might shy away from franchise ownership. But there are franchise opportunities out there that allow their franchisees to really put their own stamp on their businesses. It was that creative freedom that gave Dawna Kelly a chance to succeed with her Abrakadoodle franchise in the Detroit area. Abrakadoodle is a business that focuses on teaching art to kids. The business mainly does this through after-school programs paid for by kids parents But because the business was based in the Detroit area, Kelly thought that they might have a hard time finding enough parents who would be able to spend the extra cash for after-school art programs. So instead of focusing solely on after-school programs, Kelly, who runs the business with her husband, Al, decided to go after contracts to teach art at local schools.
http://bit.ly/1VYfUaZ
The 5 Best Real Estate Apps Youve Never Heard Of
5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1h1Xx4X
Sunday, August 2, 2015
#EntrepreneursUNite for the Next Billion Jobs
By Chaitra Vedullapalli Did you know 70 to 90 percent of new jobs around the world are created by entrepreneurs who run small businesses and startups? Did you know that the world needs 600 million new jobs in the next 15 years for a sustainable global economic growth? Have you ever wondered if our entrepreneurs and small businesses are ready to create the necessary new jobs in the next 15 years to employ the eligible workforce? Great news! Yes, it is possible if they have access to capital, talent, technology, and markets. I am asking you to join Michael Dell, me and many other entrepreneurs in securing support for U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 8, which aims to improve conditions for entrepreneurs around the world. The United Nations General Assembly will gather in September to vote on the Sustainable Development Goals. The ones that are adopted will become our road maps toward sustainable growth for the next 15 years. This will influence policy in countries around the world. Goal
http://bit.ly/1Izbuxk
Keeping Organized!
One of the things that I am always working on is my organization process. Yes, process is the correct term—for me. I see organization as a journey not a destination. There is not finality to the process. It is ongoing.
http://bit.ly/1h9pOqg
The 5 Best Real Estate Apps You’ve Never Heard Of
5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1h1X5DV
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