61% of U.S. Voters Think Rich Entrepreneurs are Good for the Economy |  |
- 61% of U.S. Voters Think Rich Entrepreneurs are Good for the Economy
- 4 Essential Role Players You Want On Your Team
- Google+ Upgrade Rolls Out: Beautiful New Look
- 10 Visual Social Media Tips for Image Success
- Nokia to Introduce a New Lumia Windows Phone With a Metal Case
- How I Outsourced My Non-Core Sales Tasks
| 61% of U.S. Voters Think Rich Entrepreneurs are Good for the Economy Posted: 17 May 2013 02:00 AM PDT
You may sometimes wonder whether Americans hate the rich. With all the TV air time given to tax increases vs tax cuts for the wealthy that politicians love to argue over, it would not be surprising to get that impression. Entrepreneurs may take their money and reinvest it into their companies, benefiting the whole economy. They have often made their wealth creating jobs and prosperity. But one may wonder – does the average American understand this vital role? Does the average American think rich — including the very rich, as in billionaire rich — entrepreneurs are actually good for the economy? Fortunately, it now appears that most Americans do “get it” as far as the relationship between jobs, a steadily growing economy and entrepreneurship. Sixty-one percent of likely U.S. voters believe letting entrepreneurs get rich is good for the economy, said a recent national phone survey by Rasmussen Reports. Only 13 percent of those surveyed say they believe entrepreneurs getting rich is not good for the economy and actually hurts it. Ten percent of those surveyed believe entrepreneurs becoming wealthy from their investments and efforts has no impact on the economy one way or the other. Another 18 percent of those surveyed say they are unsure what effect entrepreneurs or small business owners’ earnings have on the economy. The report also found 49 percent of those surveyed felt it is “very fair” for successful businessmen to grow rich from their efforts. The survey looked at 1,000 likely voters nationwide surveyed by phone between May 1 and 2, 2013. Among questions asked were, ”How fair is it that people who build very successful companies become very rich?” And, “Does letting people who build successful companies and become rich help the economy, hurt the economy, or have no impact on the economy?” The post 61% of U.S. Voters Think Rich Entrepreneurs are Good for the Economy appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 4 Essential Role Players You Want On Your Team Posted: 16 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT
Do you have a mentor, accountability partner, confidant and evangelist on your business team?
We can not afford to have a lone wolf, go it alone, isolationist mentality in our life or business. That is not a survivalist formula. We live in a hyper connected, engagement, interactivity, real time world. The World Wide Web, social media and smartphones have connected us all far and wide, 24/7. Having an extended support system of key people that we can seek out and rely on to help us through moments and cycles of fast paced change is a valuable asset to have. I think back to several turning points in my life and can clearly remember how important my support system was and is. The 4 years my mother took ill and then passed, the months leading up to leaving a 20+ year career in Broadcast radio sales, launching my current endeavor, challenging economic times and 2012 which was a turning point year for me. My support system guided me through all of those moments, times and cycles helping me to find the humor, wisdom and grace in the challenge and the solution. I have always welcomed and sought out great people as mirrors, sounding boards and sources of feedback from my family, friends and colleagues. We are built as social creatures and need to have community and connections to survive. The importance, value and benefits of a support system and role players in life and business are well documented in history. Below are 4 essential role players to have on your business team that can make a huge difference in your sanity and the outcome of things. 4 Essential Players You Want On Your Business TeamMentorsHaving people who educate, inspire and pass on what they know and have learned is an old tradition. “Seek out mentors who offer you career guidance, advice and assistance from a real world point-of-view”, says Chrissy Scivicque in “How To Start a Mentorship Relationship.” She suggests choosing someone you respect, is willing and available and that you like personally. The key is defining the relationship from the beginning and making it an open dialogue. Accountability Partners or GroupAccountability is our ability and willingness to give an honest account to someone else of our actions and motives. Who do you trust to keep you on track, honest, true to your word and that you allow to call you out when you don’t fulfill your promises? This can be uncomfortable but very beneficial. ConfidantsWe all need those inner circles of trusted people we can have honest conversations with about what’s really going on, that we may not have with anyone else, including family. Airing out fears, reservations, dilemma’s and self confidence issues can be empowering. Confidants can be found through friends and family, self help groups, counselors or meeting new people through shared activities. EvangelistsWelcoming people who are your ambassadors, cheerleaders and evangelists is such an esteem builder. These are people who truly believe in us and like us with no agenda, who are simply our fans. Here are some things that an ambassador or evangelist does for us in business. Not only welcome them but let them consistently support and cheer you through and on. Build a championship team of people who can help you grow, accepts you exactly the way you are and has your best interest at heart. These role players are the true secrets to success and happiness. It begins with “me” and continues with “we.” Who are the key role players on your business team that are on your side and make a difference? The post 4 Essential Role Players You Want On Your Team appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Google+ Upgrade Rolls Out: Beautiful New Look Posted: 16 May 2013 02:46 PM PDT
Google announced dozens of changes and upgrades to Google+, its social network, today. Google+, launched in 2011, is is a relative newcomer to the social media game. And Google has been known for launching things and then either not investing in them further or shutting them down. Not so with Google+. Google has shown remarkable commitment to improving Google+. And this latest Google+ upgrade is one more example. Here at Small Business Trends we are still investigating the changes. But at first blush they seem like positive improvements that small business owners will love — visually and functionally. Here are some of the changes rolled out today:
The post Google+ Upgrade Rolls Out: Beautiful New Look appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 10 Visual Social Media Tips for Image Success Posted: 16 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT
So your online business has always experienced praise for its crisp quality content from customers and admirers? But as of late, maybe you’ve noticed that your posts are facing a lot of stagnancy in reaching your perfect target audience? And after initial analysis, you may have realized that your social media messages somehow lacked the “visual magic” that is necessary for image success? Below are some tips to get you back on track. Social Media Tips for Image SuccessTying the Knot with VisualsImages add that much needed zing to your text. Subject specific photos accompanied by fast paced text makes the messages move faster across several channels. Trash the readability woes of your clients by clearing off the content clutter. Place the perfect blend of words and visuals into a trendy look and witness its reflection on the soaring sales of your products and services. Your Business in PicturesTell the world what you do by garnishing your rich content with just the right photos. Try to have an interactive illustration or a pictorial layout through which you can pamper your clients with surprises and offers. The pictures should be able to reflect the current scenario of your business: A sharp rise in sales can either have a graphic view or a couple of nice doodles. Similarly, a new product launch can have images portraying the concept behind the new endeavor. You can celebrate the company's birthday with visual surprises for your clients and customers. Admiring a Montage of Your WorkHave you have picked a cluster of images but you’re in a fix as to selecting the most pertinent one to accompany your message? In this case, preparing a collage of high resolution pictures is the most suitable solution. You can convey the different layers of a campaign through a photographic collage for image success. Sharing Photos with the WorldConnecting with your customer base is just a share button away. Social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and tools like Picasa enhance the reach of different products and services of your company through awesome photo sharing tools. Create a platform where your customers can flaunt their photography skills and share images related to your business. These concepts go a long way in sowing the “you” seed in the minds of customers. If this endeavor clicks, then they will start identifying your product with a necessity and not as an option. Facebook Photos, a Perfect Branding StrategyPhotographs uploaded on Facebook, Google+, Digg and Tumblr weave wonders for your business. You will be amazed to see the high level of user engagement of major global brands across different social media platforms. Some interesting Facebook trivia revealed that an image has greater potential in converting “Likes” into business more than links. The more photos, the more longevity of your brand. Image is Mightier than WordsThe logistics of a new service or product needs to be explained. Are you planning to burn the midnight oil in creating cerebral content? If so, just drop this idea and turn to visuals. If you are able to arrange pertinent images or illustrations in a simple and lucid manner, then you will surely get a thumping response from users. Extend charts and illustrations to disseminate statistics based information to your users for image success. It becomes easy for them to understand the seemingly hard facts of your well toned business. Visual Display of Your GradeTestimonials carrying an image make a good impression, more so than slides. Similarly, a review of your product made by a user along with a photo can act as a great marketing tool for image success. Once you have gathered a number of reviews and testimonials, you can share them on social media to seek a large following. Show it with WordsAdd variety to how your posts look by treating an image with typography. It is a fascinating art where a specific arrangement of words makes up a great image. Say, you are trying to revive the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of your brand. You can simply invoke your creativity by using a popular image of your brand with beautifully carved words for image success. Achievements: Say Cheese!Show off proud moments to the world with pictures and captions. Award winning products, appraisals from clients and hitting the bull's eye in the sales of a particular product can all be archived in pictorial albums and used as a strong branding tool. New users will get a perfect picture of your accomplishments. Zoom in on Your #1 QualityExplaining the superior quality of your products through crystal clear visuals is always a good idea to attain image success. You cannot accomplish this with words. The perfect close up of a product with some brief text will help your users embrace it. They are getting a detailed view of how the item actually looks so the message conveyed is extremely transparent. Begin to apply the tips above and you will begin to experience image success on your favorite social media platforms. After all, it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words – speak less and show more. Sucess Photo via Shutterstock The post 10 Visual Social Media Tips for Image Success appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Nokia to Introduce a New Lumia Windows Phone With a Metal Case Posted: 16 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT
Nokia will release a new Lumia 925 Windows phone in June. This phone will have a metal case and upgrades to its camera technology. The Lumia 925 features the same software and technical specifications as its predecessor from Nokia, the Lumia 720. The most notable changes are how the phone looks and feels, and the quality of image it produces. The Verge.com’s Tom Warren writes that the Lumia 925 is made from aluminum on a polycarbonate base rather than the traditional polycarbonate case common among Nokia phones. The addition of aluminum on the frame and on the sides makes it lightweight. But metal also makes this Windows Phone sturdy — an advantage if employees will use a phone outdoors or in rugged conditions. Nokia has been focused lately on upgrading its photo and video capture capabilities (Nokia recently invested in a camera technologies company). The Lumia 925 makes improvements on the previous model of Windows phone from the company. An 8.7-megapixel camera accentuated by two LED flash lights adorns the rear of the phone. The camera is mounted inside a small hump on the rear of the phone. At the time of the 925 release, Nokia announced an update to all Lumia phones, with the addition of Nokia Smart Camera. This camera software captures up to ten images at one time of a moving subject. The camera upgrades should be welcome news to small business personnel who use smartphone images in their operations or post frequently to social networks. Nokia claims that its low-light images are better than similar ones taken using an iPhone 5. Windows 8 An Advantage for Business UsersThe Lumia 925 is a Windows 8 based smartphone. Warren calls this a weakness, but that depends on how you plan to use a phone. Business owners may find the Windows 8 phone system to be an advantage. The applications and overall look/feel will be familiar to those who use Windows 8 on their desktops. The IT department can provide enterprise-wide support. And there’s integration with desktop Windows. “We keep innovating,” Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, said in a statement announcing the details of the Lumia 925. “We’re advancing experiences on the Nokia Lumia portfolio whether that means great new benefits for an existing Lumia owner, or bringing new showcase devices like the Nokia Lumia 925.” The Lumia 925 Windows phone will be introduced in the U.S. through T-Mobile. A retail cost has not yet been established. Lumia 925 Photo via Nokia The post Nokia to Introduce a New Lumia Windows Phone With a Metal Case appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| How I Outsourced My Non-Core Sales Tasks Posted: 16 May 2013 05:00 AM PDT
As a small business owner and also the person who is responsible for the sales for my company, it is important that I focus on sales tasks that generate revenue. One day, I stopped and looked at all the different sales tasks I was doing and realized that I was doing stuff that took away from generating revenue. In most cases, anything that is outside of meeting with clients and prospects that doesn’t build a relationship or uncover what a client needs is what I look at as non-core or non-revenue generating. For example, in a typical day, I was spending about 50% to 60% of my time on sales tasks that didn’t generate revenue. Once I figured this out, I realized that I could be way more efficient and generate more sales. Outsourcing Non-Core Sales TasksBelow is a process that you can use to determine what sales tasks you should outsource: Keep Track of What You Do During the DayThis is easy to do. You can typically look at what you do in any given day or you can keep a journal that lays this out for you. Determine if it Helps You Generate Revenue or NotYou need to say to yourself, “If someone else did this, would it allow me to focus on those activities that will make me money?” If you say yes, then you should outsource that task. Map Out the ProcessWhen you determine what tasks you want to outsource, make sure that you document the process so that it can be easily followed. The reason for this is critical. If the person doing the task can’t follow your process, they won’t be able to do it correctly. To see if it is easy to do your documented task, let a friend see if they can do it. If your friend can follow your steps, then everything is good. If they can’t follow your steps, then ask for input and refine your outsourcing process. Find Someone to Take on This ChoreThis can be accomplished either at a local level or by offshoring the tasks. At a local level, you can put an ad up in a local classified service like Craigslist or ask around to see if someone can help you. If you are looking to offshore your sales tasks, you can look to services like Elance or Fiverr. In either case, you can have people do work for you on an hourly basis or on a quoted fixed price basis. One thing that I did have to overcome was cultural differences and time zone differences. I have experimented with the different services listed above and one that I found that helped me out with the cultural and time zone issues was Teleworking Expats For Hire. They were able to source North Americans based in Mexico to help me out. Make Sure That You Monitor the Work Being DoneYou should always make sure that the work that is being done it up to your expectation. If it isn’t, then see if the contractor can fix it or else you will have to find another contractor to complete your sales tasks. Outsourcing ExampleBelow are some examples of some sales tasks that I am currently outsourcing; emails, cold calling, list building, answering phone calls, monitored live chat on some of my websites and transcribing videos, among others. As an example, I’ll look at cold calling. I have a process that I use that is very effective but it is very time consuming. I looked at how long it was taking me to call on new businesses each day and realized that if I could outsource this process, then I would be saving about 2 to 3 hours per day of time. Not only did I gain back 2 to 3 hours of time, I also was able to increase the amount of sales calls that I could make and this in turn allowed me to increase the amount of sales I make. I am kicking myself for not doing this earlier in my career. In fact, had I had the opportunity to outsource some of my tasks years ago, I am sure that I would be way further ahead today. Here is my suggestion, if you work for yourself or for a company, take a look at what you can outsource so that you can focus on your core revenue generating sales tasks and then get someone to look after these tasks so that you can focus on the revenue generating tasks. Outsource Photo via Shutterstock The post How I Outsourced My Non-Core Sales Tasks appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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