How to Take a Summer Vacation From Your Small Business |  |
- How to Take a Summer Vacation From Your Small Business
- Your Next Smartphone May be a Samsung and Run On Android
- Five Steps That Lead to LinkedIn Lead Generation
- Google Plus Rolls Out New Badges, Embeddable On Your Website
- 8 Tips to Get Ahead During a Summer Slow Down
| How to Take a Summer Vacation From Your Small Business Posted: 03 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT
Summer is a popular time for Americans to set off to their favorite vacation destinations. But for small business owners, taking time off can lead to missed opportunities and missed income. For example, less than half of small business owners, about 49 percent, plan to take even a week long summer vacation this year, according to the American Express OPEN Spring 2013 Small Business Monitor, a survey of small businesses now in its 12th year. That’s down from a high of 67 percent who planned to take a week off in 2006 and 54 percent who said they were planning to take at least a week off last year. It’s Important to Take a BreakOne of the biggest reasons for this, ironically, is the slowly improving economy, said Alice Bredin, small business advisor for American Express in a recent interview with Small Business Trends. Over the last few years, Bredin said, many business owners felt they couldn’t afford to spend any time away from their businesses in a tough economy. Today, with the economy improving, there is a desire not to miss out on a single potential customer. “The bottom line is kind of the same,” she said. Fortunately, there’s no need to spend long periods of time away from your business in order to come back refreshed and invigorated, said Bredin. “You don’t have to spend three weeks in Tahiti,” she added. Sometimes just 48 hours or even 10 to 12 hours away can be enough to do the trick. If you are planning on getting away at all this summer, below are some tips to help your trip run as smoothly as possible for your business. How to Plan a Summer Business VacationSchedule WiselyEach industry and business has a few points in the year where things get really busy. You should know pretty well in advance when you have major deadlines or big projects to launch. Schedule your time off around these big events so they don't interfere. Plan AheadDon't leave all the preparation for the last minute or you'll end up trying to cover a week's worth of work in a day. Keep a reminder of the dates on your desk so that you don't schedule any important meetings or events for that time. Do a little bit of extra work whenever possible over the few weeks leading up to your vacation so that you don't get overwhelmed directly before or after. Let People Know You're On VacationSet an automatic email response telling people that you're out of town and when you'll return. Call the clients and colleagues you talk to most before you leave to tell them when you'll be gone and how they can contact you in case of emergency. Only Bring What’s Most ImportantYou'll likely want to bring a few work items with you in case something comes up that you absolutely need to take care of. Only bring the most important items and leave the rest behind. You don't want to get tempted to work too much or forget anything when you leave. Go MobileDeciding what to bring with you can be a lot easier if you convert as much work data as possible to your smartphone, tablet or other mobile device. Set a Designated Work TimeIf you absolutely need to work while you're on vacation, set designated time for you to do tasks like checking email and making phone calls. You don't want your work to completely takeover what is supposed to be a vacation. Ask For HelpIf you have employees or business partners, ask them for help with little tasks that need to be done while you're away. Be prepared to do the same for them whenever they decide to take a vacation. RelaxIt's easy to get so wrapped up in your business that it's difficult to enjoy your vacation. But taking a break from your business and clearing your head can be just as important as checking those items off your to-do list. Make relaxation a priority and have your family members or friends you're traveling with keep you in check. Taking a vacation away from your small business can seem like a risky move if you're constantly busy. But taking a break can help you to clear your head and bring a fresh perspective to your business. Follow the above tips and your time away from your business should run smoothly. Bali Photo via Shutterstock The post How to Take a Summer Vacation From Your Small Business appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Your Next Smartphone May be a Samsung and Run On Android Posted: 03 Jul 2013 01:30 PM PDT
[Samsung Galaxy S4] Small business owners and other entrepreneurs know the value of smartphones. They keep us connected in an increasingly mobile world. But the choices out there have become a bit daunting. And there’s no reason to believe industry leaders like the iPhone will always be the best choice. In fact, two competitors have emerged to challenge Apple, which makes both the operating system and the device for the popular iPhone. One is South Korea-based Samsung, the original equipment manufacturer or OEM of smartphones like the Galaxy S4 and other mobile devices. The other is Android, the Google mobile operating system. It is used not only on Samsung devices, but on other popular smartphones too. Continued GrowthThe most recent comScore report shows that Android continues to lead among operating systems and has seen the greatest growth. In May, the most recent month for which data is available, Android grew from 51.7 to 52.4 percent. That .7 percent increase was more than double the .3 percent growth of Android’s chief competitor Apple. Meanwhile in the smartphone manufacturing market, Samsung is making major strides. The comScore report shows Apple still leads the market with a 39.2 percent share compared to Samsung’s 23 percent. But Samsung’s growth was more than five times that of Apple for the month, an increase of 1.7 percent. A Double ThreatMost significant in these trends is probably the fact that Samsung and Android work together. This makes the two combined a viable alternative to the iPhone and iOS. That’s totally different than if, say, BlackBerry were gaining rapidly in the platform market (it isn’t) and HTC looked like it might dominate the smartphone market (it won’t.) So which smartphone did you choose for your business and what operating system does it use? Image: Samsung The post Your Next Smartphone May be a Samsung and Run On Android appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Five Steps That Lead to LinkedIn Lead Generation Posted: 03 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT
If you're trying to find the single best place to do B2B social media lead generation, focus on LinkedIn. You have the best chance of finding your decision makers here. According to a recent survey, 59% of social networkers said that LinkedIn is more important than any other social media site. But getting sales leads from LinkedIn is not as simple as just signing up. You need to take a careful, focused, patient approach to building relationships and starting conversations with your prospects on LinkedIn. LinkedIn Lead GenerationStart With Your Immediate NetworkOne of the most powerful aspects of LinkedIn is that it shows you, in full transparency, your entire professional network (and the network of everyone else in your professional network). Just like the old saying about "six degrees of separation," no matter which high-level decision maker you're trying to reach, you probably already know someone who knows someone who knows them. You might only be 2 or 3 degrees removed from most of your key decision makers. So if there's a prospect that you'd like to talk to, before you pick up the phone and make a cold call, see who you know at their company. See if you can get introduced via LinkedIn. See if you can get someone to put in a good word for you. LinkedIn won't necessarily open all of the doors to every decision maker on your list, but it will definitely help warm up a decent percentage your cold calls. Upgrade Your AccountMost LinkedIn users have a Basic account, which has fewer features and benefits than some of the other premium memberships. For as little as $19.95 per month, you can get access to more tools that make it easier to reach your prospects, find out who's searching for you, and find more of the people you'd like to reach (by searching based on industry, job title, company, ZIP code, etc.) If you're a small business owner, it might be worth investing in upgraded LinkedIn accounts for yourself and/or your sales team. The reason why LinkedIn charges for expanded access to the site features is because they are trying to minimize spam and maximize the valuable time of their members – it's the same reason why LinkedIn encourages members to only connect with people they actually know in real life. So by purchasing an upgraded membership, you are showing that you are legitimately trying to use LinkedIn for lead generation and are not a spammer. One of the best tools on LinkedIn (if you upgrade your account beyond Basic) is InMail, which we'll discuss next. Use InMailLinkedIn has a feature called InMail (if you buy a premium membership) that allows you to send a limited number of direct messages to anyone on LinkedIn, even to people outside of your network. Unlike a regular email which is too often ignored or deleted, InMail can be a great tool to directly reach key prospects and decision makers. LinkedIn guarantees you a response within 7 days, or you won't be charged for the use of your InMail message. InMail messages tend to have a higher degree of trust and credibility, because the prospect can see your LinkedIn profile and immediately decide whether or not you're someone they'd like to talk with further. Because you only get a few InMail messages per month (3, 5 or 10 messages, depending on the level of your LinkedIn membership), you need to make them count. Craft your message specifically to each prospect. Make it personal. Show them why you're trying to reach them and why it would be valuable for them to talk further with you. Get the Most Out of LinkedIn GroupsBeyond direct contact with prospects through your network and outreach, another great way to get sales leads from LinkedIn is to take a longer-term approach of building a reputation and developing relationships through LinkedIn Groups. But you need to focus. Spamming 50 different groups with links to your latest blog post will do nothing. It’s a waste of time, and will most likely get you blocked from the group. To use LinkedIn effectively, you need to focus on joining groups where your prospect company's CFO or CEO may be located. This next part really requires a lot of patience, but you will need to go through the various discussions in each group, and sort through the spammers to find the people who are genuinely asking questions about their pain issues. Take the Conversation FurtherFor example, if you sell accounting solutions and you see in a LinkedIn Group that a controller for a company has said, “Does anyone know how to treat depreciation of assets for the new 2013 tax codes?” This is your chance to build that relationship. Even though it’s not the CFO, the controller is only one level below. Answer the question privately, and let that controller know that they can feel free to ask you questions as a resource, since you are an expert on this subject. After you have exchanged a few responses, don’t come off too strong, but find out if the prospect is having issues that your solution might be able to address. You may say, “My company has developed a software solution that automatically calculates depreciation and other line items on your balance sheet. Can I send you information on it?” Notice how gentle and subtle that was? We weren't asking, "Do you need a new solution?" Or, "Can you introduce me to your CFO?" Instead, use your LinkedIn conversations to test the waters for receptivity. In my field that is what we call “testing for pain.” We know that the prospect has an issue (they didn’t know how to calculate depreciation) and, most likely, are having trouble with other calculations as well. But now we want to see if they are motivated to act on their pain issue (motivation). That controller who you talked to on LinkedIn (even though they aren't your decision maker) will most likely bring your solution to the CFO. You have extended your hand to help them, and hopefully they will do the same for you. LinkedIn can do amazing things for your business if you know how to take the right approach. Instead of sending out sales pitches, use a more gradual, patient approach to building relationships and developing trust. Digital Handshake Photo via Shutterstock The post Five Steps That Lead to LinkedIn Lead Generation appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Google Plus Rolls Out New Badges, Embeddable On Your Website Posted: 03 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT
New Google badges are now available. Google has added new profile, page and community badges (examples provided by Google pictured above) that allow you to promote your Google Plus page on your business homepage or your personal blog. Google designer Chris Messina announced the launch of the improved Google badges feature on his own Google Plus page late last week. (At the same time, the fledgling social network celebrated its second birthday.) The badges should grab some attention on your business website and, in turn, build connections on Google Plus. Messina writes:
Selections include:
The new Google badges will allow businesses to direct visitors to their Google Plus page from a blog or other website. Badges feature a snippet of the profile photo, the thumbnail icon you use to represent your Google Plus page, a page name, a tagline, a Google Plus follow button and a +1 button. A new stand-alone follow button has also been added. Creating a new Google Plus badge is simple. The steps are similar to adding any other widget to your site. Select the Google badge you wish to create. Customize the badge by adjusting width, color, layout and choosing whether you wish to include cover photo and tag line. When finished, copy and paste the embed code into your business website or blog. Image: Google The post Google Plus Rolls Out New Badges, Embeddable On Your Website appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 8 Tips to Get Ahead During a Summer Slow Down Posted: 03 Jul 2013 05:00 AM PDT
Some seasonal businesses heat up during the summertime, but most businesses see a major slow-down during the summer months. Clients and customers take vacations, and new projects and purchases are usually delayed until after the vacation season dies down. However, this downtime isn't necessarily a bad thing. Savvy small business owners know they can use the time to update their skills, technology, marketing, and anything else that can drive their business forward for the rest of the year. Below are some suggestions for ways you can make the most of the summer months. Get Ahead During a Summer Slow Down1. Attend Your Own "Summer School"There's no shortage of new things to learn and summer is the perfect opportunity to add to your arsenal of skills and expertise. Maybe you've been wondering about how to use Pinterest, how to put how-to videos on YouTube, or how to boost your website's Google ranking. Pick one topic to focus on. Attend a local class, pick up a book, or find a training webinar on the topic. And if you have school-age children at home for the summer, they could be a perfect teacher on the latest social media trends and digital technology. 2. Update all Your Social Media ProfilesIf you have a LinkedIn profile, make sure it's up to date with your latest skills, experience, contacts, endorsements, etc. If you use Twitter or Facebook to connect with your customers, take some time to review your bio and profile description. In general, you want to make sure that all your digital calling cards are accurate, up-to-date, compelling, and loaded with your important keywords. 3. Get Out of Your Comfort ZoneBreak away from your tired old routine to find new inspiration this summer. It could be as simple as going to a different coffee shop in the morning, trying a different exercise class, or attending a festival you'd never consider going to. You never know where your next great idea will come from, so look anywhere and everywhere this summer for inspiration. 4. "Summer-ize" Your MarketingThink of creative ways to incorporate summer themes into your marketing, such as blog posts, Facebook updates, newsletters, events, and more. Give your readers good summer content like grilling recipes, your summer reading list, or summer pet care tips. If applicable, you could even treat your top clients to a summer activity like golf, a baseball game, summer wine tasting, lunchtime barbecue, etc. 5. Revisit Your Business GoalsThe summer is the perfect midway point to reevaluate your business' goals for the year. If you made goals at the beginning of the year, pull them out and see how well you're sticking to them. Are there any less important tasks that are distracting you from your top-line goals? Do you need to realign your day-to-day tasks with your top business goals? 6. Get Ready for Tax SeasonIf you're guilty of waiting until the last minute to organize and file your taxes, the summer is a perfect opportunity to get on track for the year. Meet with a tax adviser to see if there's anything you should be doing this year (whether it's changing your business structure or increasing your expenses and distributions) to optimize your tax position. Get your finances organized, including all expenses and receipts for the year. You'll be grateful you did when tax time rolls around. 7. Touch Base With Your Best ContactsWhen things get busy, it's easy to fall out of touch with key clients, colleagues and mentors. Summer is a great time to reconnect. A simple lunch meeting or phone conversation might give you valuable insight on important ways to grow your business. 8. Set Time Aside for YourselfAs an entrepreneur, you've probably gotten used to working round the clock. Your clients and customers are taking vacation, so maybe you should to. Whether you take a two-week beach vacation or just make a point to set aside an hour to do something you enjoy every day, remember that it's important to recharge your batteries in order to stay focused and motivated throughout the year. A change of scenery can stoke your creativity. Who knows what brilliant plan you'll dream up when you step outside your daily grind? Slow Down Photo via Shutterstock The post 8 Tips to Get Ahead During a Summer Slow Down appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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