Try Some Warmer Cold Calling and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Try Some Warmer Cold Calling and More

Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! Summer’s about over – it’s time for warmer cold calling!

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Upsell Like a Champ

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about upselling. Small Biz Trends says there are some techniques out there which are more effective than not. It’s a bit like warmer cold calling.

25 Percenters

So, here’s an interesting one. Did you know that an offered upsell shouldn’t add more than 25% onto the initial price? But why?

Because otherwise it can feel overwhelming to the customer. This one is truly brilliant. And you see it in practice all the time.

“You want fries with that?”

“For an extra $2, we’ll throw in a pack of pens with your notebook purchase.”

“If you get the sport package, you get a spoiler and a sunroof.”

“Add a salad and we’ll call it a dinner. Then you can get free dessert!”

“Now that you got a new pair of running shoes, wouldn’t you love a new pair of running shorts?”

“Ever notice how when you paint a room, a lot of other things look dull? Buy six gallons of our matte finish latex paint and we’ll throw in a new picture frame.”

You get the idea. It doesn’t work if you offer a second Big Mac (usually). And if you’re already getting an entrée, you probably don’t want a second. But you might be tempted to have a salad. In fact, having a salad translate into a free dessert also takes advantage of people wanting to be virtuous by eating a salad – and then decadent by capping their meal with a hot fudge sundae.

Unbundling

By the way, unbundling can feel weird! Your intrepid blog writer owns a pretty basic car but it’s got a sun roof. And it was quite the chore to get the extra – it had to be specially added. Because sun roofs tend to go with sporty packages, not basic sedans.

Still, I got my sun roof. It was a lot like warmer cold calling in that I was already there and buying. The dealer just had to make sure I was 100% happy so I wouldn’t run off to a dealer down the street.

So try this rule of 25% the next time you’re putting together upselling ideas. And can I have some of your fries?

#9. Scratch ‘Create an Email List’ Off Your To-Do List in an Hour

The next awesome tip is about creating an email list from scratch – fast. Sumo notes it’s easy to get email lists wrong. No argument here.

Now, keep in mind, the article isn’t much more than a long ad for Sumo. But Sumo is free, so we’re okay with that. And it does make one point which we would like to showcase.

Not all of your contacts are alike.

As a result of this insight – which we will be the first to admit isn’t much of an insight – you should be segmenting your email list. We tend to do this intuitively, and we don’t even know we’re doing it.

As in, if your grandmother is in your address book, you probably won’t invite her to go out clubbing with you (or maybe you will…). But your pals from college? You’re a lot more likely to invite them. And you’ll even go more granular. Your quiet roommate might not make the invitation list, but your clubbing partner from back in the day is more likely to.

So the moral of the story is – don’t treat your customers and prospects as one big monolith.

Gee, where have we heard that before?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Leave the sales freezer behind with warmer cold calling and more.

#8. A Lot Better Than Vacation Slides

Our following life-changing tip concerns using Facebook slideshow ads to their fullest potential. Wordstream lays it all out for us.

You’ve probably seen these. In fact, you may not have seen these on Facebook (or been aware that they were what you were seeing). Slideshows.

For example, have you ever been on a site for a clothing retailer and been served both the front and back versions of an outfit? Not separate images – more that the front images change to the back on occasion, and then back again. That’s a slideshow.

For Facebook, one great idea is to showcase variety. If you’re a residential real estate agent, why not show one-family and two-family houses? Or big apartments and studios? Or both the east and west sides of town?

We highly recommend reading the entire article. Yes, it’s that helpful. It’s as good as warmer cold calling – and may even be better.

#7. Great Business Leaders – Are They Born or Made?

For our next sensational tip, we looked at what a new business leader should really be like. Startup Professionals notes a charismatic, innovative leader has certain characteristics.

They looked at people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, but also Elon Musk. And the one characteristic we preferred was doing good works. But our second chance characteristic was lifelong learning.

Hey, you don’t need to be a big time innovator to do either, or both.

#6. Being a Great Boss – An Argument for Nurture Versus Nature

This tip is so cool, and it works! Work It Daily tells us all about developing leadership skills. They note there are some great methods for learning leadership skills. Perhaps our two favorites were all about enthusiasm and knowing yourself.

True Story

Over 20 years ago, your intrepid blog writer worked in the insurance industry. Often, these jobs were dull and repetitious. And that attitude came straight from the top. When management acted uninterested in being there, so did everyone else. Talk about your downers!

Then in 2004, I worked for Dictaphone, in voice recognition (this late lamented company no longer exists). And there things were waaaaaay different. The boss was not just friendly and approachable. She loved her job. And everyone under her caught her fever. We loved working there, and we loved working for her. It all came from her enthusiastic, whole-hearted embrace of our projects.

Want to build voice recognition for lawyers? Awesome! For police officers? Let’s help them catch some criminals. For firefighters? Cool, let’s make their lives easier so they can go back to saving people. For doctors? Terrific – let’s make this chore simple so they can cure cancer and hangnails.

And it goes on.

Want to be a good leader? Then be excited about what you and your team do. And if you aren’t, then maybe you should be considering a new line of work.

#5. Get Out of the Sales Ice Box With Warmer Cold Calling

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

Warmer cold calling is where it’s at. LinkedIn says there are a number of things you can do which aren’t cold calling!

We loved these. Now, keep in mind, we are research fans here, so the first tip was a great one. And it’s LinkedIn! Egad, if you’re going to find out stuff about a prospect, then the prospect’s company website (and maybe blog) plus LinkedIn are THE places to go.

The Times, They Are A-Changin’

So here’s a question. When was the last time you saw someone selling door to door? Not people talking religion – real-live salespeople. For your intrepid blog writer, it was maybe eight to ten years ago, possibly more.

I was sitting on the front porch steps, eating ice cream. And this guy was walking past and he said something from the sidewalk. Now, keep in mind, this is a secondary access road, so there’s traffic on it, and it can be loud.

My “What?” was, to him, an invitation to walk up my front walk and try to hand me literature on buying a satellite dish. And here I was thinking he wanted to know how to get to the Thai place on the corner.

So he hands me papers. I had them back. He hands them to me again. And I give them back again. We do this little dance a couple of times. The big recycling bin is nearby, so the next time I get the papers, I toss them in there.

Oh, I got an earful then. Well, guess what, dude? You weren’t welcome. You slid in under false pretenses. And you didn’t listen to me, not one bit.

What the heck did you honestly expect was going to happen?

C’mon Already!

Don’t be that guy. Do your research and know your prospects. Because if this guy had, he would’ve known that my house is over 100 years old and there is no way I am ever putting a dish anywhere near it.

Please don’t write to us about the merits of satellite dishes. Thank you in advance.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Leave the sales freezer behind with warmer cold calling and more.

#4. Time is Running Out to Write Scarcity Emails!

Check out this spectacular tip, all about scarcity marketing techniques to boost email conversions. Sleek Note informs us that you can tap into customer fear of missing out in any number of ingenious ways. Talk about creating what is essentially a form of warmer cold calling!

There’s More Than Way to be Scarce

So the first thing we noticed was there’s more than one way to convey scarcity. Sometimes it’s the scarcity of the product. You know the drill – they tell you they’re about to sell out of something or other. But did you know that adding a number makes the claim more believable?

But there’s another way to show scarcity – it’s a scarcity of time. “Time is running out!” “You’ve got just two hours left to get …”

Yet another way is via exclusivity. This also appeals to customer desires to be and feel special. And they feel they can be seen as special by others. Social currency is absolutely a thing – and for many people, it feels scarce. A lot of folks will do just about anything to have more of it.

NOW.

#3. You Oughta Be in Pictures

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you grow your YouTube channel. Noobpreneur tells us going with a niche is a great strategy. We agree!

Consider this. Do you listen to the radio? It can be in the car or at home or via satellite. Doesn’t matter. But what does matter is the radio doesn’t play just anything. You’re highly unlikely to hear gangsta rap right after a classical piece. And that’s true even if you, personally, like both pieces of music.

This is because the radio is segmented, big time. And maybe a little too much these days. You can get more than one version of 80s music, for example.

So consider such a strategy for YouTube, and don’t try to be all things to all people. Not even Casey Kasem was.

#2. Tapping into Influence

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on how influencers can promote their platforms. Young Upstarts reveals all about it.

The biggest insight we got was to adapt messaging depending on which platform you’re on. And that works for us. In particular, it matters in terms of platforms you’re trying to break into.

If you’re awesome on Facebook, guess what? You need a whole new approach for Snapchat.

Another great idea was to provide something in return for following. Truth is, we do that here.

That’s kinda what this blog is all about, folks.

#1. Dear Sir or Madam: Please Buy Ad Space On My Blog kthxbai

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on getting companies to buy advertising space on your blog. The Work At Home Woman says you, too, can grab this blogging Holy Grail.

One thing the article goes into is working directly with an advertiser versus an ad network. To our eyes, it looks like an ad network is a great way to get started. The network will do the legwork in terms of finding advertisers. But be aware – for most of the ones mentioned, you need 25,000 or more clicks per month on your blog.

Yeah. About that.

Affiliate Marketing

So there’s another way to monetize things, and it doesn’t hinge on clicks. It’s affiliate marketing. That’s where bloggers add (for example) a link to Amazon for selling a book. The link is particular to the blogger so, if you click through and buy the book, the blogger will get a cut of the proceeds. Because you’re there voluntarily, it’s better than warmer cold calling – you’re actually a hot prospect!

But…

Just like for ads, though, recognize one thing. If your blog isn’t uber-popular, you’re not going to make a lot of money. The number of people who do isn’t very large. Still, you can make some mad money with ads and affiliate marketing. After all, there are some ad networks which aren’t looking for such huge blogs with so much traffic (although shop around and do your homework, to make sure the ad network is reputable and will pay you).

Just don’t quit your day job.

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Leave the sales freezer behind with warmer cold calling and more.

The post Try Some Warmer Cold Calling and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Achieve Perfect Productivity and More! –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Perfect Productivity Can Be Yours – and More

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Love the ‘Gram

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about marketing your business on Instagram. Noobpreneur tells us it’s better to talk to your customers than just blast them with sales messages. And we agree with that! Consider, if you will, why you follow a company on Instagram or any other social media platform.

It’s probably for something like – coupons, contests, information/training, or job openings. Most of us aren’t following, say, Coca-Cola, because we feel like watching or reading or listening to an ad. We see enough of those, day in, day out.

So stand out by showcasing something different.

#9. Multiply the Value of Every Customer

The next awesome tip is about selling more to existing customers. G2 has the details. Some of these should be fairly familiar. For example, the idea of upselling or offering cross-selling is nothing new. Upselling can be if you offer an extra something or other when the customer is ready to check out. This is something you base on what they have in their shopping cart.

Cross-selling is bundling – we’re used to seeing it with cable TV. Your customer is buying shoes, so they might also need socks. You get the idea.

But our favorite tip was seemingly counterintuitive.

Downselling.

Say what?

Offer Less to Keep the Prospect Interested

What an interesting concept. When customers abandon their shopping carts, over half the time it’s due to price. So why not offer them lower-priced items in your cart abandonment emails? Or coupon codes or discounts or the like – any of these can work.

Once you’ve proven yourself and your company to your customers, they might be inclined to buy that more expensive item anyway.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Perfect productivity can be yours.

#8. An Awesome Business Plan is But a Week Away

Our following life-changing tip concerns writing a killer business plan in just about no time. Succeed As Your Own Boss says you’re looking for quality, and not quantity.

We really loved the first two tips. One was to look at problems as business opportunities. And the other was an old chestnut – know your customers.

A Fer-Instance

Let’s say the problem you’ve identified in the world is how easy it is for umbrellas to turn inside out in high winds. We all know what happens – people toss out the old brolly and buy a replacement. No biggie, yes?

Well, what happens if we suggest a different outcome? Our reinforced umbrella is probably going to cost more, at least to start. And it may be heavier than your garden variety umbrella. So who are our customers? People with some money and some upper arm strength. Hence our customers might not be the elderly or people with disabilities. At least, not yet.

Once you understand both these things, you start to have a clue about the framework of your business plan.

Of course, this example is simplistic. But there’s no reason you can’t do something similar when figuring out your own business plan.

Oh, and business plans can be changed. So don’t sweat it if oh my goodness your business is expanding and the plan no longer fits.

Just change the plan.

#7. Deals – Faster Than the Speed Of Business

For our next sensational tip, we looked at streamlining your deal flow. Mail Shake lays it all out for us. We were so pleased that the first task is research! After all, how can you understand your prospect if you don’t take even the minimal amount of time to get to know what motivates them? What do they want? And what will turn them right off?

True Story

So this probably doesn’t apply to most people, but what the hey. Your intrepid blog writer does not have children – and none planned. Hence, this is a minority position.

As a result, when talking to a sales person, being told something or other is good for my utterly mythological children is quite the turn off. Now, I don’t expect most sales people to have any idea about this nugget of information about me. Rather, what I expect is for sales to take into consideration that it’s possible they would encounter a member of my type of minority.

Or consider vegans buying a barbecue grill to cook fruit and vegetables (try corn on the cob and pineapple – they’re particularly awesome). And then the sales person goes through a whole spiel all about, you guessed it, cooking steaks on the grill.

You can imagine how well something like that is going to go over, eh?

Outreach, Engagement, and Closing

So these are the three other parts of a streamlined deal flow. The article has wonderful suggestions on how to stand out in these three areas. We recommend reading the article for the details.

#6. Tick Tock

This tip is so neat, and it works! Proof Hub notes that you don’t have to make time management mistakes.

So quit procrastinating!

It’s not so simple. Totally understood.

The article gives some ideas as to why we may be procrastinating. And their #9 is a doozy – you didn’t do the hardest thing first.

This makes a great deal of sense to us. But … we have a caveat to this.

Way Back When…

You know the old saying, “you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince?” That was your intrepid blog writer and jobs, at times. So I’ve been on a ton of job interviews. One question which came up more than once was, what do you do when you’ve got 3 hours’ worth of work but only 2 hours in which to do it in?

Tackling the hardest thing first is admirable, and it may even be rewarding. But it’s not necessarily the best way to get started – at least not in that particular scenario. In that instance, the first thing to do is anything which can make it easy or even possible for you to hand off some of that work to a fellow team member.

Because two people working for an hour and a half is about the same as one person working three hours. And then the work gets done. Pro tip – pointing out that this is a scenario which should be rare will never get you the job. Even though it’s true!

Back to Procrastinating

We also liked the fourth tip, which points out that not making an effort to get past procrastination is a problem. Well, yeah.

So do what it takes, if it means setting up a nanny-style app to keep you off the internet or setting an alarm or whatever. And remember: whenever you’re done with whatever it was you were procrastinating over; you’re going to feel an incredible sense of relief.

So get cracking! No, not after another game of solitaire.

#5. Perfect Productivity Isn’t Just Some Pipe Dream

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

Perfect productivity. It’s the Holy Grail, isn’t it? Resume.io tells us there are a few things we can stop doing the moment we get to work. One which we really liked – two actually – was to turn off your browser for the first half hour or so. And don’t open email then, either.

So, what should you be doing instead? The article also says to not go into a meeting first thing, either. And you shouldn’t be multitasking.

So, er, what are you supposed to be doing? Concentrating on … something.

Writers Unite for Perfect Productivity!

This works rather well for us writerly types. Turning off the world for a while so the work can get down is awesome. And being able to hear yourself think is key.

Of course if you need to check the internet to get your writing done, then you’re kind of out of luck. Like your intrepid blog writer. So we feel that’s a bit impractical. Still, it can help to at least restrict where you go or you can go. Hence you may need to get creative and block Facebook on a temporary basis, at least until you’ve done your first thing-type work.

Quelle horreur!

Heh, you’ll get over it.

Pro Tip for Perfect Productivity!

Sometimes utter silence can be as distracting as a beehive of an office. So here’s what your intrepid blog writer does – I listen to music. More specifically, 80s music. Now, this is where working from home comes in mighty handy. Coworkers aren’t subject to my need to sing along with Morrissey. The neighbors, however, are not so lucky.

Uh, sorry ‘bout that.

So it might work for you to sometimes turn on music. It’s usually best if it’s something you already know, so you’re not carefully listening to see if you like it. Some people report instrumentals are better, and classical can be great. You do you, whatever works best for your own personal perfect productivity.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Perfect productivity can be yours.

#4. Promo and Then Promo Again

Check out this spectacular tip, all about unconventionally promoting your company blog. Freelancers Union says there are methods your competition probably hasn’t heard of.

Our favorite was Quora spaces. We had never heard of them – and we’ve been on Quora! So the concept behind the spaces is to allow people to categorize themselves. Want to just talk to company founders? You can.

Another tip we liked was creating teaser content. So rather than just promoting a post after it’s gone live, why not hype it beforehand?

But one thing we’ve observed wasn’t mentioned – if you tease too much, and you don’t really produce well enough to live up to the hype, people are going to stop falling prey to your teasing. So make sure you don’t overdo it.

#3. Harness the Power of the Google Snippet

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you get more prospects from Google search snippets. Conversion XL has the lowdown. First off, before continuing – read the entire article! Yes, it’s that terrific.

But our favorite tip was something perhaps a bit unexpected. It’s using your meta description and other parts of your blog posts strategically. See, the meta description is the part you see in Google under the URL (note: you may see something else – this tip covers both). Now, you will most likely add your keyword phrase anyway. But why not add synonyms? Of course, you want to be writing this for a person. Don’t stuff keywords! Or even their synonyms.

Just … don’t.

But you can use strategic similar words without appearing obnoxious and overly salesy. Hence if your blog post is on over the road trucking, then you can maybe add related words like trucker, highway, or driving.

An Example

Looking for an over the road trucking company? Our truckers love driving down the open highway and they want to drive your cargo.

Okay, so it looks kind of lame. But it fits the criteria well. So, why do you want to do this?

Easy – when your prospects ask a question on Google, the matching words will show up in your Google snippet, in bold.

Where can I find an over the road trucking company? What’s a good company to get my cargo down the highway? Do I need professional truckers to handle my cargo?

These inquiries could all potentially bring your content to the top of search results. And even better, the matching words will pop.

#2. Spy on Your Competition’s Top Landing Pages

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on gaining insights from your competition’s top landing pages. SEM Rush tells us that there are any number of insights you can glean from checking these pages. These pages, by definition, are what a prospect or customer gets to when they click from somewhere else.

Now keep in mind, this article is essentially a demonstration of how the SEM Rush product works. But the insights are still of some value. So try it yourself. But how?

Do a Little Detective Work

Have you ever shopped at your competition’s store? Whether online or in person, it’s a way to get an idea of the lay of the land. What do they offer? And what catches customers’ eyes?

You would probably disguise yourself if you were going in person – or you would hire someone to do the deed. You’re looking, although you might buy something to see how they do with checking people out. Heck, you could even try returning something and seeing how that goes.

There’s no reason whatsoever why you can’t do something similar online. You can also do this with search. If you are a residential real estate agent working in (for example) Philadelphia, then a search for Philadelphia real estate agent gets you where, exactly? What happens when you click through? And what happens if you use a variant of this search, like Philadelphia realtor or Main Line real estate agent?

Which page comes up? What are you served? And what does it seem is supposed to happen? Do you get information, or fill a shopping cart?

While doing this manually can’t get you metrics, and it’s slow, it can still get you some insights. Try it!

#1. You Can Imagine How Great it is to Understand How and When to Use Persuasive Words

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on the best persuasive words and phrases. Sales Hacker says there are words which spur sales, and others which close wallets.

And one of the most important things you can do is something so many of us do so little of – listen. We strongly encourage you to read the entire article, as it is that good. Oh, and check out how much we implemented in the title for this tip…

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Perfect productivity can be yours.

The post Achieve Perfect Productivity and More! –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Week 3 preseason takeaways: O Canada, land of the shortened field

The Packers and Raiders ad-libbed, Daniel Jones impressed and Tom Brady showed his wheels. Here’s a look at the big takeaways from the third full week of the preseason.

The post Week 3 preseason takeaways: O Canada, land of the shortened field appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

The Art and Science of Social Storytelling –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Start Social Storytelling and More

Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! Wow your customers and prospects with social storytelling, and more.

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Don’t Forget the Videos!

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about adding videos to your marketing strategy. The Self-Employed says video is compelling and persuasive and boy do we ever agree!

One of our favorite points in this article is all about retention of information. It seems we remember about 95% of what we view. And about 10% of what we read. Sorry, books.

This means it makes a ton of sense to add video to your bag of tricks. Video is a particularly persuasive marketing tool on mobile.

This article also has a ton of excellent tips for how to best optimize your video. After all, YouTube is the second-largest search engine, second only to Google. It makes sense to do everything in your power to make your video content discoverable.

We recommend reading the entire article. Yes, it’s that good.

#9. Set Up Your Field Sales Team for Success

The next awesome tip is about aligning the planets for your field sales team so they’ll be more successful. Open View Partners notes face to face requests are some 34 times more effective than emails. So send your sales team into the field. But don’t send them without preparation.

Their two great tips were to arm your sales people with data. And give them good mobile tools. Don’t make them squint at too-tiny screens.

Pro tip – this works in a lot of other areas. The asking in person bit, that is. So if you ever have to argue a mistake on a bill, go to the place where the bill came from, if you can. Be nice, of course. Don’t look like some loon who they’re only too eager to call the cops on.

Be there, and be reasonable. You will be hard to say no to.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Learn the art and science of social storytelling.

#8. Get More Social Media Sales

Our following life-changing tip concerns selling on social media. LinkedIn points out it’s a great source for B2B social media leads – to the tune of 80%!

As we have seen elsewhere, one terrific strategy is to showcase your expertise. In all seriousness, who wants to read about someone who’s fumbling along? Of course, they can have compelling stories. But anyone without expertise needs a ‘happy ending’ of gaining expertise. Without that, they don’t belong in the B2B marketing space, now, do they?

But we also liked the idea to help the overwhelmed decision makers among us. When there are 111 choices out there, so many of us are tempted to close our eyes and point. Guiding such people is another form of value. In truth, it’s a lot like the strategy to showcase expertise.

Helping people. Whooda thunk?

#7. Give Your Email Marketing a Boost

For our next sensational tip, we looked at best practices for email marketing. Sumo lays it all out for us. Our fave tip was to clean house! For so many email marketers, their lists have black hole-style addresses. These are people who never respond. But the email may or may not bounce. If you have an email address you only use for one thing, then you know what we mean.

Let’s say you have 1,000 bad email addresses, and you send two messages per week. Then in month, you’re sending 8,000 emails to the void. Pay a penny per email? Then you’re wasting a good $1,000 per year on the dead weight.

And there’s another thing, which the article didn’t get into. There are any number of email service providers which will ding your company if you get too many bounces. After all, bounces clog up their servers and make everything go slower.

So clean house and send re-engagement emails to stale subscribers on a regular basis. Maybe once a quarter? No response? Then sayonara; it’s been nice knowing you.

#6. Improve Your Emails

This tip is so cool, and it works! Science of People has us covered. Speaking of emailing, this article hit home in all sorts of unexpected ways.

Two tips which stood out to us were to not bury the lede (yes, that’s the spelling: you could look it up), and to not ramble on and on. Oh boy, do we love those!

But the one tip which we suspect will save both working relationships and social ones was #6. Add the address last.

This is vital. Trust us.

And check out their bonus. Someone should sew it on a sampler and hang it on a wall!

#5. Specialize in Social Storytelling

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

It’s time to wow your customers and prospects with social storytelling. Sales Hacker says it’s a way to buck the automation trend. That is, we still don’t have AI which can write a story and keep it compelling.

So, that reminds your intrepid blog post writer of a tale. See, social storytelling is everywhere! In fact it’s here most Fridays.

Social Storytelling and the Author

Now, I can’t honestly recall if I have mentioned this before. But I am an author. You know, published and everything. But of course life wasn’t always this way.

Good writing comes with training. And some of my best education came in, of all places, high school.

My 12^th grade English teacher was big on creative writing. So she gave us the formula, which I will now pass onto you.

Characters. Conflict. Crisis. Change.

That is, your story must have all four. The setting, by the way, is a form of character. And conflict can also be seen as purpose or the desired end result.

Think of your favorite stories. In The Wizard of Oz, the characters are obvious, including the title character. The conflict (desired end result) is to get Dorothy back home to Kansas. The crisis is when the team has to battle the Wicked Witch of the West. And the change is Dorothy gets to go home. While at the same time, her companions realize they had the power within them all along.

Bringing it All Back to Social Storytelling

So there’s a point to this little side junket. It’s like the tips in the article. We are talking about super-short social storytelling. As in, 20 to 30 seconds. How do you make a compelling character? Give him or her a struggle. What’s an interesting conflict or desired outcome or purpose? Something like what your customers and prospects want. What about the crisis? Where are things coming to head. When does it become do or die? And what’s the change? Where’s the happy ending?

For example – in your social storytelling, you might have a customer who’s tried everything but not been able to succeed. They want to, of course. And then things turn dire. They may realize they’re not getting any younger. Or a new baby or a house or the like means financial needs are more pressing. They need to succeed yesterday. The change, as you may have guessed, is how your product or service gets them there.

Human beings are storytellers. Social storytelling probably goes back to when we lived in caves and were first developing language. Homer told the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey to his fellow Greeks, many of whom could neither read nor write.

Social storytelling is in our DNA. And it is powerful.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Learn the art and science of social storytelling.

#4. Social Storytelling and Social Proof in Email Marketing

Check out this spectacular tip. It’s all about using social proof in your email marketing campaigns. Sleek Note says there are lots of compelling ways to use social proof in email marketing.

We loved their examples of showing authority. You can earn it, with great reviews from your customers. Or you can borrow it, through an association with another company or organization. You can polish it up with celebrity endorsements. And you can make it newsworthy with media endorsements.

But what if you have none of these? Then it’s time to build your brand and encourage reviews, to start. Why not show a short (yes, short, as in no more than three questions) survey upon checkout? Give away a small token of your appreciation for filling it out. Maybe a 10% discount on their next shopping trip?

Then you’ll start to get some social proof.

#3. Get Down on One Knee

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can increase engagement on Facebook. BuzzSumo gives us the lowdown. They have four daily tasks to help you increase engagement.

We were so happy that these are all data-type tasks! One was to figure out when’s the best time to post on FB. Companies and their customers differ; this is not ‘one size fits all’. Your prospects might check FB at lunch. Or the morning or the evening could be their time to socialize online.

The weekend might be the right time. You’ll never know unless you keep tabs.

And you’ll also never know which content does best unless you measure. That’s their second task. What content works? What falls flat?

Do more of the former, and less of the latter.

We also loved the third task, to schedule your FB posts for the week. This is with a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer. After all, if your customers are on Facebook at 3 AM on a Tuesday, you have every right to want to sleep then!

Their fourth task was more measuring. Check your content and see if it works. For the second task, you’re looking at individual content. Here, you’re looking at the bigger picture. If quizzes do better than slideshows, then guess what you should post more often?

#2. Grow Network, Grow!

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on how to grow your network. Entrepreneur notes we don’t start networking by sending strangers random calls. We don’t press our business cards into the hands of everyone on the bus.

At least, your intrepid blog writer hasn’t done that. In a while.

(Note: that was a joke)

So start with the people you know. Classmates. Friends. Neighbors. Colleagues, both current and past. Family. They know you! And they know you’re dependable, smart, etc.

And then the second tip makes even more sense – help others before you get them to help you. Yes, you’re creating an expectation of a quid pro quo. You’re also, you know, doing the right thing.

For the third tip, we encourage you to read this article in its entirety!

#1. Stand Out in an Overcrowded Voice-Assisted World

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on standing out as a brand while your customers and prospects shop with voice assistants. You know, Siri and Alexa and the like. The Harvard Business Review says there are a few strategies which should work.

Consider that this hasn’t quite happened yet. So the HBR could change their minds later. But there was one tip which made a lot of sense to us. And it can work, in some ways, even for other types of marketing and sales.

It’s to bundle the stuff you sell. Or, at least, to suggest the similar stuff. So if you sell, say, dog treats, there’s a good chance your customers will also take an interest in dog toys. They called this affinities. Then they took this from beyond the realm of Amazon’s recommendation engine.

That is, they suggest putting together different types of customers. And cater to their particular affinities. Your young mom groceries customers might be more interested in convenience. But your hipsters who want to cook something new.

Yet again, there’s a suggestion to treat customers like individuals. You know, like people.

What a concept.

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Learn the art and science of social storytelling.

The post The Art and Science of Social Storytelling –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Three Cheers for Creative Interactive Content –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Make Awesome Creative Interactive Content and More

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Tricky Marketing

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about tips and tricks for marketing your small business. Young Upstarts says there are a few inexpensive ways you can stand out and start to build customer loyalty.

Perhaps our favorite tip was the one about being seen. But what does that mean, anyway?

Be Seen – Be Present

It means, quite simply, to get out from behind your keyboard and go amongst the people. Now, this is probably something which is more likely to be important if yours is a local business. But it probably can’t hurt even if your business is more or less 100% online.

True story time.

The Event

So, did you know what your intrepid blog post writer is also a published author? Yeppers.

And there is a species of marketing which goes along with being an author. In fact, every author has to do something or other like this to market their book. Yes, even Stephen King and JK Rowling! Gone are the days of just letting a publisher’s publicity department do the work. Every author has to help sell their work these days. Bigger name authors go on talk shows; little indies might take out ads on Twitter or run groups on Facebook.

And a couple of years ago, this meant going to a local convention with an indie author friend. We rented a table together and we also ran a panel discussion. Lots of fun!

But beyond fun, it was also a chance to look at marketing. For we were far from the only vendors there. And many vendors were not authors.

One which stood out was a vendor which sold comic books online. Now, they didn’t have to go to the convention. They could have simply continued their advertising efforts online. But it was a golden opportunity. Their audience dovetailed rather well with the people going to the convention (yes, we’re geeks).

Presence was exceptionally valuable. And for this company, it also meant not having to depend on Google’s search algorithms. It meant they could just meet and greet people.

Did they add to their mailing list? Probably. And those people are warm if not hot prospects. Pretty good for a $75 table and about five hours out of two people’s lives.

#9. Finding Your Elusive First Customers

The next awesome tip is about zeroing in and finding your first customers. The SBA gives us the lowdown. Now, this is kind of similar to tip #10, but also not so much.

See, they, too, suggest you be present. And they pulled a leaf right from my indie author marketing book (please put it back – don’t deface books! ), to team up with someone with a complementary but not competitive product.

But they had one great tip which was different.

Make a List and Check it Twice

Oh, Santa. You could be a great marketer the other 11 months of the year.

It’s kind of true! But what do they mean by this?

For startup companies hunting for their first customers, scouring your network is a smart way to get started. Why? Because these people already know you. Even if you’re just Facebook pals from playing Words With Friends, you’re still more familiar than someone who they’ve never, ever interacted with.

Plus most people have an altruistic streak in them. Even when it can sometimes feel as if the world is collapsing, there are a lot of folks who truly enjoy helping others.

How do you ask? Be polite and direct. “Hi, I’m starting a business. Do you know someone who might be interested in ___? Thank you for any leads you may have, and for your time.”

One thing the article doesn’t say, but your intrepid blog writer will tell you – don’t expect perfect answers. And don’t expect everyone to answer. If you can get 25% of your network to reply, and have 75% of those replies be on point, then you’re hitting it out of the park.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Engage your customers and prospects with creative interactive content.

#8. Networking for Us Introverts

Our following life-changing tip concerns networking tips for those of us who don’t find networking quite so intuitive. Small Biz Trends notes there are a lot of options if you just can’t get the hang of what often looks like a lot of glad handing.

What impressed us the most is that the listed tips tackle certain introvert anxieties head-on.

For example, for people who fear being alone with no one to talk to – bring someone with you! And for those who fear being stuck with someone they have nothing in common with – connect online first! Plus for those who can’t figure out how to break the ice – wear or carry something which is a conversation starter.

This last one truly resonated with us. It’s easy to add an interesting pin to a lapel or carry a funky purse or wear a remarkable tie. Someone is bound to ask you about your NASA pin or your dolphin tie or your Victorian era reproduction purse.

Hey, it can’t hurt.

#7. Management Rescues for Overwhelmed Team Leaders

For our next sensational tip, we looked at helping out overwhelmed team leaders with management. Entrepreneur lays it all out for us.

#6. What’s a Venture Capitalist? Why Should They Matter to You?

A venture capitalist is essentially a professional investor in new businesses. Now, not every business will be able to get VC funding. They mainly just want to toss cash at truly groundbreaking products and services. Think of Uber and Twitter.

But keep in mind – VCs don’t give money out of the goodness of their hearts. They will want a substantial chunk of your business, and they are expecting you to deliver. But if you’ve got a business which is taking off, fast, and you can’t keep up, then your business and a venture capitalist could be a match made in funding heaven.

This tip is so interesting, and it works! The Self Employed says there are best practices in every area, and that includes pitch decks. A pitch deck is the slide show you use to try to convince the VC that they should invest in your business.

We really loved the tip about bringing two separate pitch decks. One is the teaser, for when the VC doesn’t have enough time to really get into things. The other is longer, for when the VC has time and you can get into the nitty gritty.

And consider this – how considerate are you if you ask the VC if they’ve got only a little or a lot of time? Without just launching into something long without asking, you’re telegraphing a lack of respect for the VC’s time and interest level.

Food for thought, eh?

#5. Amp Up the Engagement with Creative Interactive Content

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

Creative interactive content is where it’s at! Buzz Sumo tells us all about it.

Different Kinds of Creative Interactive Content

So you have undoubtedly seen most if not all of these. And the first and perhaps most prevalent one is … (drum roll please)

The mighty quiz!

If you’ve ever whiled away a few minutes to figure out which type of plum you are, then you’ve taken an online quiz. And while such a topic is utterly silly (for the record – your intrepid blog writer has never seen such a quiz although there is a fruit quiz – I’m a banana, apparently).

Quizzes are simple, and they are also kind of a sneaky way of getting information on people. After all, let’s say you sold women’s shoes. Then it would help to know who’s daring and who’s more sedate. That could change how you market to some people – the stilettos or the sneakers.

Figure it Out

We also loved the calculators. And, in fact, we’ve looked at online business calculators before.

The beauty of creative interactive content is that it’s not just helpful to your customers and prospects. It’s also helpful for keeping your website visitors on the page.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Engage your customers and prospects with creative interactive content.

#4. This is How We Get Skynet

Check out this spectacular tip, all about using artificial intelligence in your business. Quuu says there are some terrific ways to incorporate using AI. Now, we’ve heard of chat bots already (and we’ve even covered them).

But there was one area which we really loved.

AI Hiring

Here us out. Or, rather, hear Quuu out. There are any number of lower level tasks which run through the hiring process. Use AI to weed out candidates and to bring other candidates to the fore. You know, the folks with better qualifications.

AI can also bring analytics into the process – and you know how much we love analytics here! Imagine understanding why one version of an ad worked, and another didn’t. Or understanding how and why a few changed words cut down the number of applicants who aren’t good for the job. Because weeding through applicants who have no business being in the applicant pool is a waste of time!

But our favorite part had to do with bias. Using artificial intelligence in hiring can help combat conscious and unconscious biases, so you hire people because of their qualifications, not their looks.

#3. Get on the Training Train

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you with employee training. Effortless HR tells us something which we wish was more intuitive. What’s that?

People have differing learning styles.

So for the people who do best with repeated phrases, big posters might not do the trick. And for folks who need to be hands-on, just showing them won’t help until they can do the work for themselves.

#2. Find Fresh New Vendors

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on scouting for new vendors. Under 30 CEO points out working with vendors is vital to every business. And this is beyond the vendor credit tier.

Which vendor is the best one to handle your shipping needs? Or packaging? They aren’t all the same. So the article – which we highly recommend you read in its entirety – points out some considerations you may not have, well, considered.

Price, location, and product quality are pretty much a given when it comes to what to think about. But your packager – are they green? Do they offer bulk discounts? How big an order do you need to make before the discount kicks in? After all, a discount is meaningless if your business will never qualify for it.

#1. Create a Great Google Shopping Feed

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on success in the Google shopping feed. Founder U says there are a number of things to think about. By the way, the Google shopping feed is just another way to talk about the ads which come up when you search.

The article thoughtfully explains how to best write ad copy for the Google shopping feed. We loved their idea of thinking about a game of ‘I Spy’ when writing product copy. The other tip we loved was to use the most common name for what you’re talking about.

So it’s a movie, not a film. And it’s a shoe, not a brogan.

The entire article is so helpful we recommend reading it in its entirety. And get better placement and results!

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Engage your customers and prospects with creative interactive content.

The post Three Cheers for Creative Interactive Content –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Take Courage and Don’t Let Difficult Customers Drag You Down –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Handle Difficult Customers and More Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. Yes, you can even … Continue reading Take Courage and Don’t Let Difficult Customers Drag You Down –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

Take Courage and Don’t Let Difficult Customers Drag You Down –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Handle Difficult Customers and More

Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. Yes, you can even take that to the bank – these are foolproof! You don’t have to let difficult customers defeat you!

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Email Marketing Works If You Can Get Your Customers Engaged With It

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about getting more email marketing engagement. Foundr says there are four things you can do. We highly recommend reading the entire article to get the full benefit. So instead we’ll just concentrate on a part of the article.

Relevance

Our favorite tip was all about creating relevant content which your customers and prospects actually want to read. Personalization matters! Why should your customers and prospects read your ad copy if it doesn’t relate to them personally? Admit it – you wouldn’t, either.

So spend some time, and personalize what you can. Yes, you’re busy. We all are.

But email marketing is truly great. It can have a terrific open and conversion rate.

But you need to put the work in.

#9. Where Will Your Advertising Dollar Go? Where Will They Do You the Most Good?

The next awesome tip is about creating the best, most cost-effective ads. Wordstream tells us there are a ton of reasons why you would want to get started with digital advertising. That is, in contrast to traditional advertising.

We recommend checking out the article in its entirety. It gets into the specifics of cost per click on platforms such as Google search, LinkedIn InMail, Google maps ads, Amazon sponsored advertising, and more. The article has details on industries. You’re bound to find yours!

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Don’t let difficult customers defeat you!

#8. Churn, Baby, Churn? Er, Actually, Please Don’t

Our following life-changing tip concerns how to get to net negative churn with your pricing. Open View Partners lays the facts on us.

What the heck is churn? And why do you want it to be negative?

Churn is when your subscription business loses customers. Why does it happen with subscriptions so much?

It all has to do with billing.

So if you see a subscription service which you think you’re going to love, you might even be happy to pay for a month or two, to see what it’s all about. But when you get to the second or third month (or perhaps later), you realize the Spaghetti of the Month Club (or whatever) isn’t worth the $85 you’re paying per month (or whatever).

If you don’t think you’re getting value, then you’ll be reminded of that the moment the bill comes due. And then you’ll cancel.

On the business side of things, of course we don’t want that.

So, what do we do?

Let’s Cut Through the Math

There’s some esoteric math in this article but we’ll try to translate it.

Our fave idea is to determine what your customers want to do, and then put a value on that.

The idea of goal-oriented pricing makes sense to us. Further, the article goes into a fascinating rule of thumb. For whatever money the customer thinks they will save with your solution, charge one-tenth of that.

Hence if you create a solution which will save them $100 per month, then the way is clear. Charge ‘em $10 per month.

But that price is not set in stone! Adjust, test, and see what you get. That brings us to another rule of thumb. If you raise your prices, you can keep doing so until you get more than 20% of your prospects balking at the cost.

Because when that happens, you know you’ve gone too far.

#7. Oh, Behave!

For our next sensational tip, we looked at using buyer behavior to grow your business. Founder U has the answers. What are your buyers doing? And why? Because if you can tap into what motivates your customers, you’ll be really onto something.

We loved the idea of helping people to buy more. This is basically when you get a notification from (for example) from Amazon that tells you people who bought X were likely to also buy Y.

So one idea we liked was that of using social proof. Social proof is when you show prospects how people are using your product or service. So if you sell women’s clothing, you can show women wearing your creations for job interviews or for parties or whatever you like. Because sometimes it helps to see the product in the wild, as it were.

#6. Talk to Your Difficult Customers – Here’s How

This tip is so helpful, and it works! Freelancers Union gives us the lowdown on the kinds of communications solutions you need to draw on to deal with difficult customers.

These communications solutions are actually good for talking to pretty much anyone. Possibly the best tip is to restate their concerns. Why do you want to do this? Because it makes it clear whether you understand what it is they’re complaining about. Or maybe you don’t. Just going ahead without clarification is a recipe for more difficulties.

Another reason is to be able to restate their concerns and complaints in language which softens the situation.

“Oh my God! You’ve ruined me!”

But maybe they really mean: “Delivering my order late is costing me money!”

The softer statement is also far more specific. It has details in it which may be actionable.

One Person’s Meat is Another Person’s Poison

True story time.

Before the internet was much of a thing, your intrepid blog post writer was a data analyst.

This was difficult, slow work, requiring lots of precision. My boss at the time was a rather disorganized person. Furthermore, this person just plain did not like dealing with a certain internal customer.

As a result, when this internal customer asked for reports, their requests were often buried under mountains of paperwork. This meant that not only didn’t an acknowledgment go out – it also meant the reports were often done under extreme pressure. Because the request for a report might have come on the first of the month, but the request didn’t actually get to me until the last day of the month.

You know, the day before the report was due.

This was a lousy way to do things and I told my boss as much. When the boss was away on business, I took to looking through the top of their desk (not in the drawers; that would have been far too intrusive) to see if there were any buried report requests. I would do them, assuming I could find them.

One day, the internal customer called and demanded to speak with me. My boss said, “You’re about to get an earful. I’m sorry.”

Instead, the customer was calling to thank me for being on top of things. And we arranged for this customer to make requests directly of me, thereby leaving my boss out of the equation entirely.

My boss was relieved, my stress level went down, and the customer got what they needed.

Ducking and avoiding this hard to work for internal customer was the worst way to handle things. Please don’t do that to your hard to work for customers and prospects!

#5. Don’t Be Daunted by Difficult Customers Demanding Discounts

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

Difficult customers getting you down? Are they demanding a discount? You’re not alone. Fortunately, HubSpot has the solution.

It’s All About the Strategy

There are several reasons why difficult customers might want discounts. And sometimes they’re not even trying to be difficult! So, when do you give in?

HubSpot says it’s more important to figure out why, and how.

Haggling For the Sake of Haggling

If you don’t think this exists, think again. Possibly our favorite tip concerned this very subject. Essentially, if you seem close to a meeting of the minds, but the rug keeps getting yanked, that should tell you something.

Sometimes, customers and prospects push for discounts because they unfairly believe every product and service is overpriced. How do you deal with these difficult customers? Ask why they want a discount.

Having to give a reason is very powerful. If they can’t – that is, it’s not a budget consideration – a lot of people will back down.

Quid Pro Quo

Another great strategy is a form of compromise. Such as, I’ll give you 15% off if you commit to an extra year on your service contract. Or whatever bargain you think is best.

But no matter what, don’t just hand out discounts willy-nilly, to anyone who wants them. That’s a sure-fire way to fail in business. You just won’t make enough money. Your difficult customers and prospects will smell blood in the water, and they’ll all want less.

And, most importantly, it gives off a clear signal that you don’t believe in your own work product.

Ouch.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Don’t let difficult customers defeat you!

#4. Tackle the Triple Bottom Line

Check out this spectacular tip, all about balancing your profits to a higher purpose. Startup Professionals says there’s currently a kind of triple bottom line. It’s not enough to just make money. You also have to be socially responsible. And green. Also known as people, planet, and profit.

So, how do you juggle all of that?

What Does Success Mean to YOU?

That’s the first step, and we could not agree more. If your sole concern is social responsibility and being green, you may find you don’t make too much money. And so the article (rightfully, we think) suggests you might not want to be an entrepreneur. Maybe a nonprofit or a government role is more your speed.

You know, there’s nothing wrong with either.

Measure!

Hey, there’s our favorite thing to do. Measure not just your profits. How about seeing if you can quantify how much you’re helping the planet? One ton less paper used every quarter is something you can point to. It’s tangible. And you can adjust as well. Maybe that’s hard to do. Or maybe it’s a lead pipe cinch, and you can do better. But you won’t know that until you start measuring.

#3. Get More Done – Yes, You Can!

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help make you more productive. Fundera tells us a lot of it is about procrastinating. We all do it. So what happens if we do something at least semi-productive during that down time?

Two ideas they had which we really liked were to do minor chores and to change your scenery. If you’re putting off a task, how about spending a few minutes tidying up your desk? If you’re procrastinating about something, why not change the venue? You may find getting a little exercise, or just a new set of walls to stare at, can bring your productivity mojo back.

So one of our favorites was a bit of relaxation therapy. Apparently, there’s a real-live Japanese study which supports a few minutes looking at pictures of baby animals can increase your concentration and, thereby, your productivity.

Note: we said minutes, not hours.

One, two, three, everyone – awwww.

#2. Back to Email Marketing – We’re Talking About it a Lot Today…

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on email strategy. Sumo has some excellent ideas.

Now, we’ve looked at this kind of marketing before. Yet it bears repeating. Essentially, one of the things you want to do is communicate with your customers and prospects at logical times.

Sumo shows off two different flavors of welcome emails. One is a welcome for signing up for a webinar. The other is a welcome with a giveaway. By using two separate welcome emails, why not try a little A/B testing?

Our fave bit was the emails both set expectations. They both tell you how often you’ll hear from Sumo. So if it’s too much or too little email, you can’t say you didn’t know.

#1. Human Resources Means Managing Actual Humans

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on HR management tips. Effortless HR says communications are key. Kind of like our tip #6, although presumably your employers are easier to take than your toughest customers!

So our fave idea was one which we truly hope is something of a no-brainer. That is, encourage all opinions and ideas.

Yes, even the ones that maybe aren’t so positive. You just might learn something.

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Don’t let difficult customers defeat you!

The post Take Courage and Don’t Let Difficult Customers Drag You Down –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Smash the Summer Selling Slump and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Smash the Summer Selling Slump and More

Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! Smash your summer selling slump and keep your revenues so hot you could fry an egg on them. And more!

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Your Marketing WILL Be Televised

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about cutting costs and improving customer experience with your business’s TV set. That is, if your business has one. Lots of businesses with waiting rooms do. Noobpreneur says there are a few things you can do to take advantage of this bit of advertising real estate.

Our favorite tip was not to advertise your own business. Although of course we can see and applaud the use of a business TV set for this particular purpose.

Nope. What we liked better was using the TV to advertise other businesses. Of course you will charge for the privilege. And keep in mind, this will not succeed if your business isn’t much of a business leader in the area. But if your business fits the bill, then why not try this?

Pro tip: why not reach out directly to related businesses? So, for example, pharmacies could sell advertising space to local dentists. Day spas could sell ad space to local aesthetician-type businesses, such as hairdressers. Marketing synergy is a good thing.

#9. Do You Speak Design?

The next awesome tip is about presenting UI/UX designs to non-designers. Dribbble tells us one issue is just plain communicating. So, in the interests of full disclosure – UI means user interface. And UX means user experience.

The idea here is to make your website easy and enjoyable. And it should be clear and easy to understand. If you’ve ever loaded a s…l…o…w website or didn’t know how to get back to an earlier page, then you’ve witnessed, respectively, a lousy user interface and a terrible user experience.

What we really liked were the emphases on identifying a problem and demonstrating how your solution works. For the money people, this is key. After all, why pay for a design overhaul if you’re still left with the same old problems?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Smash the summer selling slump and keep your business as hot as a summer sidewalk.

#8. Push-Me/Pull-You

Our following life-changing tip concerns using pull marketing when push marketing just plain isn’t cutting it. Startup Professionals lays it all out for us.

One thing which surprised us was how there are still some 25% of all businesses which don’t use social media at all.

Huh?

We can’t conceive of that these days.

And of the 75% which do, there are a number which just monitor and don’t engage.

Don’t be one of those companies. Not engaging, or worse, not being on social media at all, is like leaving free stuff behind. You’re tossing away free and (pretty) easy chances to get your brand out there.

Why the heck would you do that?

#7. How Much For Just the Planet?

For our next sensational tip, we looked at setting the proper prices for your goods or services. DIY Marketers has all the details.

This is a terrific article, and we recommend reading the whole thing as the process makes the most sense when you look at it in order. It’s a fascinating exercise. But it all starts with one thing – how much do you want to be making?

Say what?

Now this makes more sense than you might think at first glance. Consider this: we have covered goals many, many times here. And what’s the first thing you need for a goal to succeed?

Anyone?

Bueller? Bueller?

You need a target!

And what better target than to decide how much money you want to make?

A Fer Instance

Let’s play with a few quick numbers, for illustrative purposes only. So let’s say you want to make $100,000 per year. And let’s further say that you sell widgets. If you sell one widget at $100,000 then you’re done, right?

Not so fast.

More expensive goods and services require excellent customer service. So if you sell your one $100,000 widget, then you maybe you need a dedicated person to handle that account. They might not handle any other accounts, in particular if the customer is fussy.

So if you have to hire a dedicated account manager for $50,000 per year, then you’re only making a $50,000 profit on your one overpriced widget ($100,000 profit – $50,000 in overhead costs for your account manager’s annual salary).

Now you need to sell two widgets. And you need an account manager for each of them. This is a simplistic sample. So we’re not looking at other costs such as manufacturing or shipping.

Now let’s sell your widget for $10,000. Your account manager may be able to handle ten accounts now (just to use a simple number here). Understandably, the customer service expectations are lower for cheaper widgets. So if your account manager still makes $50,000 per year, then once five widgets are sold, you’ve paid your account manager’s salary.

Sell 20 widgets and you’ve made your profit (you’re paying 2 account managers at $50,000 per year). If you give your account managers raises, you need to sell more product, or raise the price.

But at least you have a measurable goal. You know how close you are to making it. That matters more than nearly anything when it comes to pricing and budgeting.

#6. Improve Your Selling!

This tip is so helpful, and it works! The Work At Home Woman gives us the lowdown on how to get better at selling.

This one, of course, goes far beyond smashing a summer selling slump. It goes directly to the ultimate success – or failure – of your business.

Confidence Sells

This was our absolute favorite tip. Of course, this can be easier said than done. But the bottom line is, we like to buy from confident people. And there is a huge reason for this.

Who wants to buy from someone who doesn’t seem to believe in their own product?

So no matter if you are desperate in real life – and don’t think there aren’t any seasoned salespeople who aren’t – do your level best not to show it while selling. Now, that may be easier said than done.

But practicing, as the article says, is a great idea. No matter what, you need to know your product or service backwards and forwards. And a quick pro tip from your intrepid blog writer – not having to worry about knowing what to say rather effectively removes one reason to be nervous.

Get out of your summer selling slump and for gosh sakes, don’t let it turn into a winter sales slump.

#5. Smash Your Summer Selling Slump

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

The summer selling slump is real. Fundera tells us how to smash it.

From June to September, Things Get S…L…O…W

Even if you don’t actually have a summer selling slump, the truth of the matter is, your employees are going to be distracted.

The kids are out of school – and perhaps underfoot. It’s light out longer, so the end of the business day doesn’t coincide with nightfall. As a result, the days might feel longer, or shorter. It can be a bit disconcerting during about a month before or after the solstice. In all fairness, the same can happen around the time of the winter solstice.

We loved that some of the best suggestions had to do with keeping employees happy!

Keep Your Employees Happy

A few of these may very well seem like no-brainers. For example, creating Friday hours and allowing work from home seem to be almost intuitive. And so is changing to a casual dress code, even if it’s only for one day a week.

We also liked the idea of hiring a passel of summer interns. They can bring in a fresh perspective, even while they do the scut work. It’s hard to have a summer selling slump when there are new people around, with new perspectives.

A True Story

Over two decades ago, your intrepid blog writer worked in the insurance industry. Egad, has it really been that long? Eek.

But I digress.

Now, keep in mind that this is before businesses got too comfortable with the internet. And it is also before casual Fridays were the norm, rather than the exception.

So what happened?

We did what we could. And since this was an office in beautiful downtown Boston, there were plenty of places to get the signature food of the summer.

I’m talkin’ ‘bout ice cream, of course.

We used to get cones every Friday, just after lunch. So it would be maybe 2 PM or thereabouts. This activity did not take too long. It had the added bonus of getting outside, however briefly. We would come back to the office if we were not finished beyond a certain time. That was around 1:30 if memory serves.

It was fun and easy. And it didn’t even cost the company any money. We bought our own cones. This tiny break made it a lot more tolerable to sit in an office, in a suit, no less, during the best weather of the year.

Keep Your Customers and Prospects Happy

Of course, one part of a summer selling slump directly relates to your customers and prospects. Unless you want your employees to just sit around and play backgammon all day long, you are going to want to do something or other to bring in revenue.

So we really liked the idea of test launching a new product. In particular, if your website isn’t too busy, you will have an easier time of it when it comes to A/B testing and other details that go along with launching a product. Now, we would not recommend launching something big during this time. But if you have something minor, or just an extra to fling to the universe, why not do so during the slow months?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Smash the summer selling slump and keep your business as hot as a summer sidewalk.

#4. Let the Leads Come to You

Check out this spectacular tip, all about effective inboard marketing strategies. Word Stream says it’s all about the quality content. That is, the high quality content.

One excellent point W0rd Stream makes at the very start is something we have been observing for quite a while now.

There is just a ton of content out there. And it comes at all of us, 24/7. So what is happening is, essentially, people are tuning out a lot of that content.

Don’t act so surprised! You do it. I do it. Everybody does it.

After all, there are just so many hours in a day. If we felt the need to consume every moment of content, every pixel of it, we would get nothing else done. Ever.

Consider this: in 2017, a good 300 hours of content was uploaded to YouTube. Every. Single Minute.

And that’s just YouTube. So it is just plain not physically possible to consume every bit of content.

As a result, we have all become curators. Like it or not, we sift through the tsunami of content. And we inevitably search for what moves us. This means that ho-hum content is not going to cut it for much longer.

So as a business, your mission is to release quality content.

What Sort of Quality Content?

The article – which we truly feel should be read in its entirety – goes over a lot of familiar forms of content. these include podcasts and, surprise! YouTube videos. And it does our hearts good to see the suggestion of books.

What is this telling us? It’s telling us that longer form content has heft. And that makes a ton of sense. We all consume the equivalent of an all-junk food diet when it comes to most content.

So throw your prospects and customers a full-course meal and they’ll see you as an expert. And that means they will trust your product or service.

#3. Don’t Be Spammy!

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help keep your sales emails out of prospects’ spam folders. Succeed As Your Own Boss tells us there are some tell-tale signs of spam – at least, that’s according to email carriers and internet service providers.

Some of these may be self-explanatory. For example, clean up your email address lists! The more bouncing back you get, the more you look like a spammer. And don’t email all at once – a big bulk email screams ‘Spam!’

Our favorite tip was to keep triggering words out of your emails! Those are phrases like ‘absolutely free’ or ‘instant access’.

Consider this: if your email looks like spam to you, it’ll look like spam to ISPs and email providers. And, even worse, it’ll look like spam to your customers and prospects.

You don’t want that. Ever.

#2. It’s All About the ‘Gram

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on making your business Instagrammable. Small Biz Trends lets us know all about it.

For some businesses, Instagram is where they post images of their product or service. But for others, customers may be posting about the company.

For those latter businesses in particular, the idea is to showcase the work place well. Our fave tip was to create an interesting wall. That’s a real wall, by the way. The idea is, if there’s a good backdrop for photographs, then people will be all too happy to use it.

This is why you see so many exterior walls with wings or the like.

Pro tip: why not hire an artist for this? This person can even be an art student. Of course, ask for samples to be sure you like what you’re paying for.

And by the way, while this is likely to be best for businesses where the customers come there in person, why not paint an interesting exterior wall? Which just so happens to have your signage in the background?

#1. Things Can Always Get Better

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on how to change your business – for the better. Score says there are a number of steps you can take which will help you, no matter what sort of business you’re in.

We particularly loved two ideas – to get organized and to take a class. Both can refresh both you and your business.

Getting organized is key for your business and for you, personally. Consider all the time you may be spending looking for stuff. Now imagine having that time for something a lot more fun. Or more profitable. Or at least something which you need to get done.

Now you can.

And taking a class dovetails well with another tip, which is to get out of your comfort zone. You might be able to save time or money with what you learn. Pretty cold, eh?

But wait, there’s more!

While the article doesn’t get it, we couldn’t help but think about how taking a class in something utterly unrelated to your business can be just about as helpful.

So don’t feel confined to just taking accounting courses or software use training or the like. Unless you want to, of course.

Why not take ceramics, or philosophy, or music theory?

No learning is ever wasted.

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Smash the summer selling slump and keep your business as hot as a summer sidewalk.

The post Smash the Summer Selling Slump and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Make Meaningful Business Connections and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Make the Most Meaningful Business Connections and More

Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! So let’s start making meaningful business connections!

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Let HR Lead the Way in Fulfilling Business Objectives

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about hitting your business objectives with Human Resources. Effortless HR says Human Resources is a great place to start when it comes to meeting certain business goals.

Our favorite tip was all about corporate culture. We particularly loved the idea of HR being a vehicle for anonymous surveys and other means of taking the temperature of the workforce.

Getting a handle on whether employees are happy is a laudable goal for any organization. By putting HR in charge of that, it removes the personal nature of such an inquiry from the equation. Rather than being pressured to say everything is awesome, employees can feel free to be honest in their assessments.

A corollary to this is working with HR to get a pipeline of employee suggestions set up. Because on the other side, HR can be the buffer between employees and management. A more frank discussion can happen if there is a referee. And HR, with its traditional tact-filled role, is perfect for the job.

#9. Stop Shrinking!

The next awesome tip is about effectively stopping shrinkage in your business. Business KnowHow lays it all out for us.

Er, what’s shrinkage? If you are a seller of goods rather than services, then you are all too familiar with it. It’s when the amount of stock you think you have on hand does not correspond to the amount of stock you actually do have on hand.

What Causes Shrinking?

The article lays out four reasons and three of them are criminal in nature. Those are shoplifting, employee theft, and return fraud. Return fraud comes in many forms, such as fake receipts or ‘returning’ goods which were shoplifted in the first place.

The only one of the four which is not criminal in nature is administrative errors. Even with computers and impeccably honest employees, someone just might enter a 9 when they meant to enter a 6.

Fix Your Incredibly Shrinking Problems

The solutions are likely the ones you would expect. Better store layouts with fewer blind spots can deter shoplifters. Improving employee hiring practices can cut down on employee theft. That is, if you ask for references, follow up on them! As for return fraud, better employee training can help, so your employees can spot this fraud and feel empowered enough to push for receipts and even identification. As for administrative errors, an improved point of sale system can help, as can better employee training.

We would also suggest doing inventories more often, so if there is a problem, it’s found before it snowballs into a disaster.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Make meaningful business connections today.

#8. Bring it All Home

Our following life-changing tip concerns your inbound marketing strategy. G2 says it’s all about the specificity.

Inbound marketing is, essentially, the use of a website to attract prospects. By creating sharable, findable content, you bring people to your website (more about making your website awesome in tips #4 and #3). These often are ‘warm prospects’, i.e. people who are seriously considering plonking down some money on either what you sell or something awfully similar thereto.

Hence inbound marketing is an exceptionally important tool in your kit. But when you’re scattershot, your inbound marketing efforts are wasted. Or, at the very least, they involve a lot more effort than they should.

The part we really loved was the ‘blink test’. Which is: can you find the value on any given page in two seconds?

Yes, two seconds, less time than it takes for the fastest humans to run a 100 meter dash.

So the moral of the story is, get to the point. Yesterday.

#7. Defrost Your Emails

For our next sensational tip, we looked at cold email tips. Sales Hacker tells us there are some basic, almost universal components to a good cold email.

A cold email, of course, is a lot like a cold call.

But the first element is, unlike a 100% cold call, you introduce yourself and give a reason why you’re emailing. You make the contact a little less out of the blue this way.

Next up are the offer, and proof that it works. After all, why should your prospect download your e-book or schedule a demo or whatever if they have no idea what’s in it for them?

Last are the call to action and what to do next. “So hit reply and I’ll….”

That’s it? That’s it!

#6. Why Don’t You Write Me?

This tip is so cool, and it works! Foundr tells us all about how to make money with your email list.

We have written about email marketing before, but it bears repeating: it may not feel glamorous or cutting edge, but it sure does sell. And that’s kind of the whole point, now, isn’t it?

Segmentation, Measurement, Timing, and Calls to Action

Let’s say you own a residential real estate business. Don’t your childless clients have different needs from those who have kids? So why are you sending emails with information about school districts to people who aren’t parents and aren’t planning to change any time soon?

Measurement and metrics are, of course, some of our favorite things (we also kind of like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, if you must ask). But measurement, ah measurement. It’s the surest way we know of to know if we’re succeeding. So bring on the yardsticks (and see tip #2)!

Timing matters because your customers and prospects might prefer weekend shopping, so an email on Monday is too late. Or they might want to take advantage of a sale – so they need some lead time.

As for calls to action, we sprinkle them throughout our blog posts and you have undoubtedly noticed them. These can be anything from ‘click her to buy’ to ‘call now for a free consultation’. Because your customers and prospects won’t know what you want from them unless you tell them.

#5. Make the Most Meaningful Business Connections

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

Meaningful business connections will help you sell – because it’s all about the business relationship these days. And customers don’t want a summer fling – they want a business relationship with some heft to it. Entrepreneur gives us the lowdown.

Go beyond networking and create meaningful business connections. But how?

Everyone Has Value

We had really hoped this would be 100% intuitive. You know, the kind of common sense which turns out to be utterly uncommon? Yeah, that stuff.

So the concept here is to be kind to everyone. As in the taxi driver, the receptionist, and the person who delivers your food. This should, when we get right down to it, be the kind of thing we all do instinctively. But unfortunately that is not always the case. So consider this a little refresher, okay?

And gather ‘round the electronic hearth because it’s time for a true story.

True Story

Nobody starts at the top, and your intrepid blog writer is no exception. Hence, way back (as in the Reagan Administration), I was a receptionist. It’s a fairly repetitive job. You answer calls, leave messages, and occasionally file or make copies. Keep in mind, this is way before the internet and a PC on every desk.

Of course job seekers would come in. They were always pretty obvious – nervous-looking people who seemed overly uncomfortable in their good clothes. They rarely accepted any offers of water or coffee.

So far, so good.

Most people are good and kind-hearted. We’ve all been in the same or a rather similar boat. Most people are polite and can sometimes be to a fault.

Then there’s the (thank goodness) minority.

Being barked at is no one’s idea of fun. It’s not even a cocker spaniel’s idea of fun.

Have you ever heard a story about a person who didn’t get a job because they were rude to the receptionist? That is a 100% true story. Yes, of course I told the powers that be if someone was rude. You better believe it.

Meaningful business connections start with being good to everyone, for you never know who can help you. Be a jerk or be successful. It’s your call.

Make Networking a Lifelong Habit

For a lot of people, networking can feel like a minuet of sorts. We trot it out only when we need work, and then it feels forced and weird.

But what if you did it every minute of every day? And what if you stopped calling it networking? What if, instead, you called it talking to people?

When networking and other attempts at forging meaningful business connections are only done when you want something, you’ll never get comfortable with the process. By the way, this also applies to your personal life. If you only talk to the gender of the person you desperately want to ask out when you want to ask someone out, then every single one of those conversations will be fraught with meaning. The stakes will be unbelievably high. The pressure will be enormous.

So cut yourself some slack and communicate more often with your fellow human beings. Yes, even if the pretty ones where you get all tongue-tied. This is the best way we know of to relieve that kind of social pressure.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Make meaningful business connections today.

#4. Don’t Let Your Domain Name Crush Your Business

Check out this spectacular tip, all about choosing the right domain name. Lead Pages tells us there are a lot of ways you can mess up your domain name. And some of them you might not even realize.

Scrap, Therapist, and More Unintentionally Funny and Cringeworthy Domain Name Words

Woe be unto Benjamin Dover, a scrap metal dealer with multiple hits and a therapy business on the side. And consider the problems William Todd Farmer (he’s a real person – just Google him) has when he just wants to use his initials.

So write out your proposed domain name. Then write it out again. And again. Get people you know and trust to give it a look-see. They might spot something you don’t.

And be prepared to change your idea of an ideal domain name.

So perhaps the best piece of advice is one we get from reading between the lines. And it is this. Until money changes hands and you actually own a coveted domain name, don’t get too attached to it, just in case you find out it’s a bad choice after all.

Top Level Domains

The article also repeated some information which we find to be exceptionally helpful. And that is, if you are buying .com, then you should buy .net, .us, etc. as well. Why? Because you don’t want someone to spoof your site, particularly when you are right in the middle of a social media crisis. And you also don’t want to have to buy those extra top level domains at an inflated price if you need them some time later.

So spend a few extra bucks at the start and cover these bases. You will be unbelievably glad you did.

#3. Build Your Business Empire Online

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you create a business website – fast! Crowdspring lays it all out for us.

One of our imperatives when it comes to business credit building is to set up a professional business website. The first step is one we discussed in tip #4 – get a good domain name.

Logos, Design, and Coding

You may or may not be artistic, and you may or many not understand HTML or WordPress. But lots of other people do – and they are easy to hire.

Why do you want to hire a professional? Because otherwise you run the risk of getting a generic logo, a boring design, and out of the box, by-the-numbers coding. We highly recommend Upwork and Fiverr for these necessities. You can spend less and still get a great website.

#2. Bring on the Yardsticks!

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on using Google Analytics. Main Street ROI tells us there are lots of great ways to use this amazing data. But they recommend five rather specific measurements.

Channels, Pages, and Products

Do you know where your visitors are coming from? Do you know if you’re getting more visitors from Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter? And do you know if your widget page is doing better than your signup page?

Measuring People

What are the main characteristics of the people who visit their website? What makes them ditch their shopping carts? How old are they? Where are they? When do they visit your website?

Google Analytics makes all of this measuring possible. We loved this article, and we highly recommend reading it in its entirety.

#1. From Local to Online and Back Again

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on how a home services company can improve their online sales. Young Upstarts says a purely local business such a plumber can still get great sales from online visitors.

Our favorite tip was to provide more detailed information. As in, probably a lot more detail than you might expect.

For instance, let’s say you own a day spa. Do you offer manicures? And if you do, do you offer gel manicures, or nail art? You may think it’s overdoing it, but giving your prospects a better idea of what you can do for them will tell them whether it’s worthwhile to head on over to your shop.

And much like in tip #8, you’ll attract prospects who are searching for what you can provide. After all, they won’t know what that is, unless you tell them. So tell them!

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Make meaningful business connections today.

The post Make Meaningful Business Connections and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.

Kick Off a Student Startup and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week

The Hottest and Most Brilliant Business Tips for YOU – Kick Off a Student Startup and More

Our research ninjas at Credit Suite smuggled out ten amazing business tips for you! Be fierce and score in business with the best tips around the web. You can use them today and see fast results. You can take that to the bank – these are foolproof! You can do more than just kick off a student startup.

Stop making stupid decisions and start powering up your business. Demolish your business nightmares and start celebrating as your business fulfills its promise.

And these brilliant business tips are all here for free! So settle in and scoop up these tantalizing goodies before your competition does!

#10. Get on Google’s Good Side

Our first jaw-dropping tip is all about improving your search engine rankings. Young Upstarts lays it all out for us.

It’s all about search. Seriously. Because unless you’re a big company (and if you’re reading this blog, then you probably aren’t. Yet), you are going to depend on people discovering you. There are, of course, things you can do offline. Send out paper newsletters, buy radio ads, go to conventions, or hand out flyers. Buy billboard space or run ads on TV. But you also have to get discovered online. Yes, even if your demographic group isn’t normally online. Why? Because their friends or family undoubtedly are.

Hitting the top of Google searching rankings is key!

Discovering You

So you’re scanning the internet horizon for figurative ships. How do you send up a signal flare to them? We really loved the idea of essentially asking typical questions and then answering them in your blog or other website copy.

Where can I find a great auto mechanic? Who makes the best gnocchi? Which home projects will add the most value to my house? How do I introduce a new puppy into my household? What is the best way to get an ink stain out of a dress shirt? When is the local Little League team next playing? Why can’t I mix bleach and ammonia?

Asking and answering questions on your website can help you rank on Google – so long as those are the questions your customers and prospects are asking.

#9. More Love for Google – and Facebook – Ads

The next awesome tip is about writing your best-ever Google and Facebook ads. Wordstream does us a huge favor! There are two great tips per platform. We loved this article so much that we think you should click through and read the whole thing.

Yes, it’s worth it.

Platforms and Uniqueness

It used to be, if you were advertising in the local penny saving paper and the area’s big newspaper, you would use the same or almost the same ads. Don’t do that here.

For Google, the best takeaway, we feel, is to get to the point fast and make every letter count. Most people are just scanning Google, so you want to get them as quickly as you can.

And for Facebook, we think the best point is to blend in. After all, how often do you click on obvious ads on Facebook?

We’ll wait.

Okay, we got tired of waiting. But in all seriousness, many people go to Facebook to connect with family and friends, and to relax. They may or may not be shopping. But while they’re busy looking at a cousin’s new baby or playing Words With Friends, or arguing politics, they are still the same people who need haircuts or to sell their homes or ship their goods out of state.

When an ad looks a lot like something that isn’t an ad, it can really shine on Facebook.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Kick off a student startup and more!

#8. A Place for Every File – And Every File in its Place

Our following life-changing tip concerns getting organized with a filing system that works for your office. Small Biz Trends gets us in line. Now, this article is about paper files. But the truth is, you can adapt it for computer files with almost no effort. But first, let’s look at paper.

Sort, Classify, and Keep it all Together

After talking to your staff about filing – because they’re going to be using the system, too – sort your documents! Maybe you thought there would be a lot of documents from the Houston office, but it turns out you only have 5, whereas you have 500 from your Little Rock office. Then you’d best make sure your system allows for different amounts of storage for each section.

Tag everything! And hey, that works for purely electronic files as well. If you are, say, a wedding photographer, your sections might be something like traditional, religious, LGBTQ+, and destination. As a result, for weddings with a full Catholic mass, you should tag them as religious.

Pro tip: to adapt for purely electronic files, use the tags section of Microsoft Office documents. And when it comes to Google docs, you can do it with a naming convention. That naming convention can work for both your documents and the folders they live in.

Think of one thing, and one only – if someone arrived tomorrow, and they had never seen your office or files or industry before, would they be able to find most things? If not, then it’s time to get organized.

#7. Unwind Your Brain and Dust Out Your Mental Cobwebs

Speaking of getting organized, for our next sensational tip, we looked at decluttering our incredibly busy days. Entrepreneur tells us something we already know or at least can guess. That is, our lives are filled to the overflowing with … stuff. We are on constantly. We are distracted every moment.

Egad, that’s no way to live.

So this great article has some ideas for cleaning out some of that detritus. One of our favorite ideas was strategic time blocking. That is, the concept is to list what you need to do and rank them in order by priority level. Then block off time periods to get each of these tasks done – and focus only on that task during the allotted time frame.

This is, by the way, how your intrepid blog writer gets these Friday blog posts accomplished. Writing time is spent, well, writing. It’s not spent answering emails. Does this mean there are never any breaks? Of course not. And if a quick email will get someone unstuck, then it’s done. But otherwise, the time is spent getting the blog post written and out the door.

#6. CPR For Your Startup Dream

This tip is so cool, and it works! Entrepreneur tells us all about keeping the startup dream alive.

Our favorite tip was about preventing burnout. The idea is to, essentially, cultivate a growth mindset. How can things change? And how can your company benefit from such changes?

This dovetails well with another tip, to have a business plan which allows for change. And that makes a lot of sense to us. Consider this: a decade ago, would you have believed it if someone told you that you could get same-day delivery from a non-local company? Yet you can with Amazon. Would you have believed it if someone told you people would open up their spare rooms and rent them out to vacationers? Yet that is precisely what AirBnB is all about.

So why assume anything is going to always be the same. Business is kind of like a shark that way. It keeps moving forward, or else it stagnates.

#5. It’s Time to Kick Off a Student Startup

So, speaking of startups…

Grab this mind-blowing tip while it’s hot!

If you’ve ever begun a business while still listening to lectures, then you’ve undoubtedly kicked off a student startup. But how do you do it? Noobpreneur says you just might never be too young to start a business. So why not kick off your student startup while you’re still going to class?

Balance Your Life and Your Student Startup

We loved this tip! Because it speaks to something that is an issue for, well, just about everyone. That is, just when do you say no? When and how do you turn off the clock and phone? What happens when you put the laptop to bed?

Of course your new student startup business is wildly important. But so is your education! Considering how many small businesses fail, it behooves you to continue and complete your schooling.

Just like not quitting your day job until you’re absolutely certain your business can make it financially – don’t quit your school, either.

Focus! Also Known As: Ignore the Squirrels

This tip is good for anyone, any age, any generation. Basically, of course, we all need to focus and master the clock. This means creating a schedule, and sticking with it. Why? Because it means certain aspects of your life can go on autopilot. It makes those tasks a lot easier.

So it’s story time.

A Fer-Instance

Consider this: you set your alarm clock for, say, 6:30 AM every day. While you don’t necessarily micromanage every moment of every day, you finish eating, working out, and showering by 7:30 AM every day. Sometimes you’re ready at 7:29:59. Sometimes you’re early. But no matter what, you hit that drop dead time of 7:30.

As a result, you make it to the 8:00 AM commuter train almost every single morning. Every now and then, there’s traffic when you’re driving to the station. Or you can’t find a parking spot in time. And if you walk, there are going to be days when the going is slow, such as there’s a lot of snow on the ground, and your neighbors haven’t cleared it yet.

For a good 200 – 250 days per year of work, you make it to the 8:00 train over 95% of the time. That is, 190 – 238 days per year, you get to work on time. Hey, that’s awesome.

And Then There’s This …

Now let’s look at what happens when you don’t set your alarm clock. Or maybe you do, but you have to remember to do so. And like most people, you don’t remember every single thing you need to do. So sometimes you just plain forget. Now you get up at 7:00 AM when the alarm isn’t set. That is, you’re not sleeping till noon.

But now you’ve got choices to make. Do you work out and miss your train? If you do, then the 8:15 AM train will probably be more crowded. And more so for the 8:30 AM train. And if you thought it was hard to find a parking spot at around 7:55 AM, it’s going to be considerably harder at 8:25 AM. So you might be at the station on time but you miss the next train anyway, because you can’t find a place to keep your car.

Or let’s say you skip the workout and get in on time. Er, yay? Kinda, sorta. But you miss out on the energy boost you get from working out. You break your streak. And maybe it gets harder to focus.

Of course these are simple examples. And pretty much everyone has some sort of an alarm. But consider what life would be like if you put a hard end time on your binge watching? Or if you laid down a mental law where you can’t spend more than 5 minutes selecting your clothes for the day?

Tick tock.

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Kick off a student startup and more!

#4. Selling Your Products and Services By the ‘Gram

Check out this spectacular tip, all about selling on Instagram. Foundr tells us this platform has more features for sellers of goods rather than services. But that doesn’t mean companies which sell services are out in the cold! Rather, they need to be a bit more creative.

One great tip we liked was to do Instagram Live. This doesn’t require you to be a seller of goods to work! So, what do you do if you don’t sell stuff? How about a quick how-to? Or a tipoff of when you’re next having a sale – or where your next new outlet is opening? Maybe you can offer a fast tip to help your followers.

You have expertise. Now share it live on Instagram!

#3. Let’s Be Business Friends!

It’s not your imagination: this winning tip can help you forge new relationships with collaborators and customers. Copyblogger lets us know how.

Our favorite tip, hands down, was to craft a shareable summary. Because the last thing most people want is a long, drawn-out pitch or explanation.

Why, It’s a Lot Like This …

Elevator pitches. They didn’t go out with shoulder pads. They are as relevant today as they ever were before. And, it can be argued, they are even more vital now. After all, how much free time have you got these days?

If you said ‘not much’, then you are far from alone. So how do you summarize a complex concept? And, more importantly, how do you get people to want more than just your summary.

Here comes a secret from the world of publishing.

Blurbs.

Hear us out.

Back Cover Copy

Grab a paperback off your shelf. Doesn’t matter which one. Look at the blurb on the back.

It began for the Losers on a day in June of 1958, the day school let out for the summer.

That’s the first sentence of the blurb for a book that’s over 1100 pages long – Stephen King’s It. You don’t have to read 1100 pages to know what the book is all about. You don’t even have to read 100. The entire blurb is 16 sentences long, and it makes you want to read more.

Consider a similar exercise for your summary. Your summary will undoubtedly be longer than 16 sentences. But it’s got the same purpose – give information, enough so a person knows what’s going on.

And then give them a reason to want to know more.

#2. On Bended Knee, Engage Your Customers

Our second to last unbeatable tip can give you a new perspective on creatively increasing customer engagement. Succeed As Your Own Boss states there are some great ways to actively engage your current customers. Some are a bit involved and may be costly. Others are pretty easy to implement.

But it all comes down to one irrefutable truth – keeping your current customers is easier than cultivating new ones. And it’s also cheaper! So instead of thinking – what have you done for me lately? – adopt an attitude of gratitude.

Also, you can enlist your employees to the cause. Consider this – what if your company does tech support? There’s a big difference between bored workers who can’t wait to get a customer off the line and enthusiastic, interested employees who are friendly and offer extras.

Case in Point

Your intrepid blog writer has a website and a blog. As in, not for work. And like many websites, there have on occasion been technical issues. Contacting the internet service provider is a decent experience. The downsides are wait times. But that’s understandable once you realize what the tech support people are doing.

Tech support goes the extra mile. They suggest products which can prevent future issues – and they often find discounts for those products. Or they hand out their direct numbers and ask for a call back to find out if everything is still going all right.

Are these employees incentivized? Probably. But they can still make customers feel special. And they can convert angry customers who are ready to quit into customers who want to stay. You know, customers who just might blog about their experiences for work. Like, er, me.

#1. Permanent Solutions to Temporary Business Problems

We saved the best for last. For our favorite remarkable tip, we focused on the Holy Grail – solving business problems – for good! Entrepreneurs’ Organization says there are some pretty permanent ways to solve systemic issues.

Our fave tip was the first one – to get to the root cause of issues. But we caution you, gentle reader, that sometimes this can be a little painful. It can feel a touch too much like rocking the business boat. But you’re going to need to rock it anyway.

Case in point.

Dig Up the Roots of Your Business Problems

Over 35 years ago (egad, has it really been that long?), your intrepid blog writer practiced law. Well, one year, secretary after secretary found a new job. Or they would take maternity leave and never return. One retired. Why?

It all came down to one reason – the office manager. Once the managing partner started exit interviews, the truth came out. This office manager had been an expensive hire, and was supposed to be efficient.

Yet the quite literal bottom line is, efficiency isn’t worth a hill of beans if all of the employees abandon ship.

So the office manager was shown the door. And the clerical staff stopped finding other jobs. The ones on maternity came back – and the firm could ooh and ahh at the pictures of their little ones. All it took was digging at the root of the problem, even though it was not an easy decision.

You can make those decisions, too. And you can get to the heart of your business problems, and change things for the better.

So which one of our brilliant business tips was your favorite? And which one will you be implementing now?

If you are as passionate about succeeding in business as we are, please help us spread the word about how to take the plunge and save time and money – and your sanity! Kick off a student startup and more!

The post Kick Off a Student Startup and More –10 Brilliant Business Tips of the Week appeared first on Credit Suite.