Business Coaching Articles For Entrepreneurs & Small Business OwnersTraining and Development in Economic RecessionsThe Case for Investing in Employee Training During an Economic Recession When companies struggle through economic downturns, much like the one we are experiencing now, the first instinct is to start slashing the operating budget. Managers and employees are asked to do more with fewer resources.The economic outlook for the foreseeable future in our country […] V is for (Ad) VantagesIn business, one of your key roles is to spot opportunities that can give you the advantage and help you stay ahead of the competition. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell what these opportunities are as they’re not always obvious, but it’s important that you’re aware of them rather than letting them pass you […] U is for UnderstandingI try not to write too much on market research and understanding your customers and your competitors – while it’s important, it’s not what most of you want to hear. Most small business owners simply want to know how to get more customers and don’t necessarily care how this comes about. But what if I […] New Consumer, New Tools Equals New Normal“This is Jason Bourne. You are nine hours behind the toughest target you have ever tracked. Now I want everyone to sit down, strap in, and turn on all you’ve got. That would mean now.” – Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), The Bourn Ultimatum (2007), United Pictures You should really be excited. The government – no […] Seven Ways to Improve Sales Results Without Hiring New PeopleAre you tired of hiring new sales people that never seem to quite work out? Since 1980, we have been helping our clients improve sales results by assessing and developing their people. We’ve learned one or two things along the way. Take a second look at the big picture. What are your goals for the […] Surviving Your First, Your Worst Media InterviewReporters Aren’t Your Friend, They Aren’t Your Enemy…They’re Reporters Most journalists – online, on air, print — don’t ask tricky, tough questions. They simply ask a question and let the interviewee fill in the awkward silence. Or as Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) said in All the President’s Men, “I never asked about Watergate. I simply […] Add a New Line On Your Business Card…Hack Me!!!Marketing, communications folks were some of the first in line at the Apple store to get an iPhone. First again to get an iPad. Probably have their order in for a Mac Air. You’ve put them to great use with your personal and company Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube pages. You’ve got your own blog that […] If You’ve Got to Meet, Do It RightTypical managers spend nearly 40% of their work hours in meetings, not to mention the time spent preparing (and recuperating). A survey of business leaders showed: • 33% of time spent in meetings is unproductive • 75% of the respondents said it is “almost essential” to have an agenda, yet they use them only 50% […] What’s In Store for HR?Economists predict that recovery is unlikely until 2011. As the economy continues struggle, what should HR professionals expect to see through 2011? Because of the number of recent layoffs, workers are anxious about job security. Companies will have to find ways to maintain morale and build employee involvement and commitment to the organization amid the […] Leadership Strategies for WomenForget what you heard about “being one of the boys,” “having it all,” and “going for the jugular.” Here is how real women get ahead. Get In Line According to Catalyst’s 2002 Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners, women fill less than ten percent of line positions held by corporate officers and just […] Become an Expert … Write an ArticleOne of the easiest ways to gain expert status – at no cost – is to have your own byline. A published article promotes your expertise, your products, and your services. And writing articles is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your Web site. Getting started… Now you may be thinking two […] How Dale Carnegie Tenet “Let The Other Person Save Face” Earned Me An Exceptional Year End-BonusLate one evening at home the telephone rang. “Mr. De Rycker, this is Robert Lowe. I have dined this evening with Harold Naideau, the European president of AVON Products. Avon banks with our Westminster branch in England. He is looking for a general manager to start an Avon operation in Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. I have […] Stanley Marcus, Founder & Chairman Neiman Marcus Group Reveals Success FormulaAt 11.35 p.m. on August 25, 1956, I stepped out of the Gimbel Brothers’ Building, Rue Saint Honoré in Paris, together with James Vaneys. I had just been appointed General Manager of Gimbel Brother’s Benelux Inc. , viz. Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. I had acquired experience as assistant to James during four years. He had […] Keep Calm And Carry OnRunning a business is a funny thing. One minute, you can be swamped with work and the next you’re so quiet and you can’t see where the next penny is coming from. When you’re desperate for new business, it’s likely that you’ll do tons and tons of marketing. You’ll really get off your back […] Self Esteem Equals Self AcceptanceHave the courage to be yourself. We can choose to live fully, or to live within a framework of what is familiar and safe. If we choose the latter we will be limiting ourselves by our past experience. There is always risk involved in living fully, and thereby choosing to be more fully alive and […] I Is For (Free) InformationThis week, I wanted to address a question that I get asked by many small businesses. How much information is appropriate to give away for free? Most of us get asked to give away a fair amount of information – from information that we choose to provide (like this article) to people contacting us […] H Is For How ToIn this article, I’m not going to be teaching you “how to” do something, but rather I’m going to be talking about the benefits of writing and recording “How to” information for your customers. Trust me. I’ve reaped the benefit of creating “How to” material 1000 times over. Creating “How to” information: Positions you as […] Engineer To CEO … The Development Of BalanceOver the past 10 years we’ve studied the formation of more than 50 companies in the PC/CE/communications content arena. We’ve also talked with the heads of several venture capital organizations about the subject. We realize this isn’t startling that 90 percent of them were started by engineers, beyond that, we focused on the disciplines that […] F Is For Following upOver the last few years, I’ve spoken and written in depth about following up with people and why I really do think that it is the most important marketing technique that you can do. But, I still see business owners struggling with following up with people. Case in point, I was speaking to a contact […] The Social Media Seismic ShiftSocial media is information created to be disseminated through social interaction, created using accessible and scalable publishing techniques via the net. Now there is a mouthfull. It is an umbrella term that defines a wide range of activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures via the web. That said, […] |
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