Do Coupons Still Bring Customers for Small Businesses?

November 27, 2013

Do Coupons Still Bring Customers for Small Businesses
Coupons are dead! Long live the coupons! Some people have argued for some time that coupons have gone out of fashion with today’s customers. No one has time to clip coupons anymore. With the advent of internet and Smartphone customers can just pop up digital discounts at the time of purchase rather than looking for and clipping coupons before hitting the mall. The arrival of Groupon and LivingSocial, where customers can buy great deals (sometimes as much as 50-60% off the price) has dented  the use of coupons.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With:

Can Bundling Save Money for Small Business Customers?

November 26, 2013

Can Bundling Save Money for Small Business Customers
Bundling products and services is a time honored technique used by businesses of all types. Walk into a McDonald’s and you will see bundling in the form of Value Meal where you can buy burger, fries and drink for the price that is lower than if they were bought separately. When you book your vacation package that includes airfare, hotel and car rental for one low price you are buying a bundle. In customers’ mind bundling saves them money by paying less than what they would have to pay otherwise. Businesses also benefit from bundling because they are able to sell more even if they sell at a discount. It appears that bundling is a win-win for both customers and businesses.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Management Tagged With:

How can Direct Marketing Help you Improve Sales

November 25, 2013

How can Direct Marketing Help you Improve Sales
In this internet age when all customer interactions are moving online and businesses can always stay in contact with customers some wonder if there is any value left in direct marketing. Direct marketing was popular before the arrival of internet when customers used to get number of mailings every day in the form of postcards, catalogs, and personal letters. However, the volume of such mailings has recently gone down. Even postal service is feeling the impact of this reduction posting huge losses for several years. While there is no denying that internet has made it easier to interact with customers using Smartphone and other electronic devices direct marketing can still provide value to business owners if it is done right. Customers still love to see their name on emails and printed postcards. Before we go into the benefits of direct marketing let’s answer the question –what is direct marketing?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: ,

How to Choose the Best Option to Train Employees in Small Business

November 25, 2013

How to Choose the Best Option to Train Employees in Small Business
Many small business owners treat training as something that should be avoided unless it was absolutely mandated by law. They consider it a necessary evil that just wastes their time and money. After all, who has time to train their employees when there are thousands of tasks to take care of. Many of them also work on tight budget, which limits the amount of money they can spend on “unnecessary” expenses such as training. This myopic thinking on training is wrong. By not providing training to their employees small business owners limit the potential of their employees and the contribution they can make to grow your business.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Employees Tagged With:

6 Reasons Small Businesses are not Getting Return on BI Tools

November 23, 2013

6 reasons small businesses are not getting return on BI tools
Business Intelligence is the latest technology that promises to revolutionize the way management can have a pulse on their business. Today’s businesses are awash in data generated from all types of sources at the fastest rate in the history. Majority of businesses cannot keep up with this so called Big Data and simply don’t understand what to do with it. No doubt this data holds lot of valuable insight and can help businesses make the right decision at the right time. The problem is finding that needle in this haystack.  This is where business intelligence tools come into picture. Companies are investing large sums of money in these tools. When used properly these tools can provide succinct reports that can managers gain insights make quick decisions.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With:

Why Buying a Franchise Is Your Key to Future Business Success

November 20, 2013

Why Buying a Franchise May Be Your Key to Future Success
So you want to be in business for yourself, but not by yourself. In today’s uncertain economy, it is a good idea to have someone who has your back. This is especially true if you are getting in the business for the first time. With a franchise model, that is exactly what you get – a business partner that helps out with marketing and sales, supply costs, and operations. Franchises usually have hones their business model over years and can help potential business owners get off the ground quickly. However, not all franchises are created equal. You need to do extensive research to find the one that is right for you. Here are the tips you can use to narrow your search.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Buyers Tagged With: ,

What are the Alternative Job Prospects for Finance Graduates

November 19, 2013

Job prospects for finance graduates
Finance is one of the most sought after and lucrative career paths for many business school students. It is estimated that almost 30-40% of any graduating class in the business school graduates with a focus on finance. When you think about it the reasons are not too hard to find. The demand for graduates with a finance degree is never going to diminish, except for the unusual dip that was experienced after the Great Recession of 2008-09. These finance experts are needed by all types of companies in all geographies. Finance is an incredibly broad topic to study, yet those who graduate with finance degrees typically stick to one of two career paths – accountancy or investment banking.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Finance Tagged With:

How to Choose Broadband Provider for Small Business

November 17, 2013

How to choose broadband provider in small business
Broadband has revolutionized the way small businesses provide services to their customers. Majority of the population in developed countries has access to broadband. With the ability to combine voice, data, television into once affordable package broadband providers can provide a compelling value proposition to small business owners as well as individuals. Those who do not take advantage of this are at a disadvantage. With broader access and ever decreasing price there is no excuse for a small business owner to not jump on the broadband train.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With:

How to Choose the Most Effective Promotional Gifts for business events

November 14, 2013

How to Choose the Most Effective Promotional Gifts
Small business owners spend significant time, money and effort in attending the business fairs and events. When done right, these events do provide you with targeted audience who is there for the purpose of learning about new products and services. The challenge for any small business owner is to stand out in the crowd of other businesses who are also there for the same purpose. How do you attract people to come to your booth? And once they do stop by how do you get their attention and ensure they remember your business long after the event is over? This is where promotional swags can help. Promotional items provide an avenue for business owners to remind people about your business after they have gone back home. For promotional items to be effective you need to give careful consideration to the type of items you give away so that people don’t end up forgetting them, or even worse, tossing them in the trash. Here are some tips on what type of items will be remembered by your potential customers.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With:

Leaders are Trained, Not Born. How to Develop Your Leadership Skills

November 13, 2013

Leaders are trained not born
It is said that leaders are not born, but made through hard work and dedication. It takes different types of skills to advance in your profession and be a true leader that everyone admires. Unfortunately, these “soft skills” are not taught in the classroom. You have to learn these skills on the job and by seeking advice from friends and professional colleagues. The good news is these skills can be learned, and once you master them the payoff is significant in terms of promotion and pay increase / bonus. You don’t even have to wait till you get a job to learn these skills. You can teach your school going kids these skills to give them jump start on their future careers. After all, you need a combination of school education and soft leadership skills to get hired and advance in the career.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Management Tagged With: ,