Logoworks Reopens Under New Ownership |  |
- Logoworks Reopens Under New Ownership
- QuickBooks Online Goes Global
- Ways To Build Trust With Prospects
- Getting Your Small Business Started On Yelp
- From Behind The Scenes: SMBInfluencer Media Partner Interviews
- RIM Introduces the BlackBerry 10 Beta
| Logoworks Reopens Under New Ownership Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:30 PM PDT
According to Wolfson, the purchase of Logoworks from HP included the technology, trademark, and domain name, though he is unable to comment on the purchase price. Of the purchase decision, Wolfson says he was simply “in the right place at the right time.” A contact who used to work for Logoworks under HP connected Wolfson to HP, and a deal was struck. Bringing the Team Back Together Wolfson recognizes that Logoworks‘ design community and internal team were its competitive advantages over other design services like 99designs. That’s why he’s going to great lengths to bring previous Logoworks employees back:
So far, the new iteration of the design company has just a handful of employees (many of whom previously worked for Logoworks) and a dozen or so external designers, but Wolfson plans to grow it back to its former glory, bit by bit. What’s Changed? Wolfson recognizes how important Logoworks’ small business customers are, and aims to continue to provide professional design services to this market, with a few key changes. Wolfson says services will remain the same in terms of packages and pricing. For example, the introductory package includes four logo choices from two designers, with two revisions for $299. The company might experiment with smaller packages at lower prices down the road, says Wolfson, in an effort to “give a higher quality product that is tailored for the customer." He aims to improve customer service, which, according to online reviews, had room for improvement under HP’s leadership, and provide faster turnaround. Wolfson plans to nurture his design community, who he calls the “crown jewel of Logoworks.” Rather than any designer being able to sign up and offer customers logo options (like 99designs), designers are vetted and selected by Logoworks, and are more involved in customer interaction. What About Former Logoworks Customers? Many former Logoworks customers have asked whether their previous files are still available. Unfortunately, the files were not made accessible through the acquisition, but Wolfson says they have a special offer for previous customers looking to recreate previous files. If you are a former Logoworks employee and are interested in rejoining the new team, please contact Logoworks at Contact@logoworks.com for more information. The post Logoworks Reopens Under New Ownership appeared first on Small Business Trends.      |
| Posted: 27 Sep 2012 01:00 PM PDT Accounting software for small businesses has traditionally been focused on all things local – local tax laws, local taxes, local accounting standards, and more. That's why it can be difficult for many small businesses to go global or cross over borders, especially without taking the time to grow first. However, small businesses received some good news this week when Intuit announced its new version of QuickBooks Online that is now available to businesses around the globe. This change means that small multinational businesses or businesses operating outside the U.S. can use the software to create localized invoices, pay bills, and track expenses based on standards from wherever the business is located. Users can personalize currency and formatting according to their country's standards. The program can also help businesses process taxes, sales, and more. This could mean big things for small businesses around the globe. Previously, features of QuickBooks and similar programs weren't available to businesses headquartered outside the U.S. or a select few other countries. The new global version eliminates many of the borders and hoops that these small businesses had to jump through in order to become multinational or operate in other countries. The program, which has already been used by businesses in over 130 countries since its beta launch in July, is also customized for local impact. This means that not only can users customize settings like languages, but they can also input specific cultural information so that they can get the most out of the program and make it meet the specific needs of their business's home base. The program maintains all the QuickBooks Online features that thousands of businesses already use, such as centralized forms, expense and income tracking, reporting tools, cloud usability, and more. There are three different versions of the software available, including QuickBooks Simple Start, QuickBooks Essentials, and QuickBooks Plus. Costs start at $15 per month, and vary based on which features are needed. The post QuickBooks Online Goes Global appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| Ways To Build Trust With Prospects Posted: 27 Sep 2012 11:00 AM PDT Lead generation is not about how many numbers you dial or how many decision makers you talk to – ultimately it is a matter of building trust. Every time your sales team talks to a prospect, they have a chance to build trust so that the prospect will want to hear more from them. At a time when prospects are feeling overwhelmed with too much to do, too little time, and too many bad cold calls, your sales team can stand out from the competition by learning how to build trust. By avoiding the pitfalls of a canned sales pitch and giving prospects a reason to listen, you can build stronger sales relationships that lead to better conversions and bigger profits. Here are a few ways that your small business can build trust with sales prospects: Do Your Homework Too many sales reps pick up the phone and start making sales calls without really knowing anything about the person they're calling. Don't go into a sales call flying blind. Before your sales reps pick up the phone, they need to know who they are calling and why. The easiest way to build trust is to show the prospect that they're not just another name on a calling list. Show them that you know something about their company, you know the industry, and you have a specific reason for why you thought they would like to hear from you today. Ask Questions Instead of making the classic mistake of launching into a canned sales script that will quickly cause the prospect's eyes to glaze over, your sales reps need to ask questions to provoke a thoughtful response. For example, instead of jumping the gun by telling the prospect, "We can help you improve productivity by 15% and reduce your costs by 20%," lead into the value proposition by asking the prospect open ended questions such as, "What is the biggest challenge facing your business (related to our solution)?" Or, "How would you feel if your team could achieve a significant productivity boost at a lower cost?" Listen for Unstated Needs Sales people often make the mistake of steering the conversation in one direction, and then when the prospect says "no" or "not interested," the sales rep has nowhere else to go and has to end the call. Instead of getting shut down, talented sales reps know how to "read between the lines" of a conversation to find hidden opportunities. Prospects will rarely tell you flat out, "This is what we need, and this is what we're willing to pay." Instead, your sales team needs to uncover the prospect's needs by delving deeper into the conversation and really listening to what the prospect has to say. Offer Something Valuable Every time you or your sales reps talk to a customer or prospective customer, that conversation is an opportunity to show the prospect that you genuinely care about their challenges and that you want to be seen as a trusted industry peer and colleague. Instead of just breezing through a sales script and asking for a sale, the most credible sales reps know how to offer the prospect something of value without tying it to the expectation of a sale. Could you offer your prospects some valuable business intelligence or thoughts on industry trends? Offer to share a white paper or presentation with them? Share a success story from a similar company in their industry? All of these little acts of generosity are building blocks for a more trusting relationship and possibly an eventual sale. Take Your Time One of the most common mistakes in B2B sales is when overeager sales reps ask for the sale too soon. Or they get discouraged by "not interested" responses and let long-term sales leads languish without any follow-up. B2B sales leads need to be nurtured and managed over a long period of time, sometimes months or years, depending on your sales cycle. One of the best ways to build trust is to show your prospects that you are in it for the long haul and are willing to develop a sold working relationship with them over time – you're not just swooping in for a quick sale. If you show prospects that you are committed to their success and you're willing to keep talking with them for the long-term, they'll be more likely to trust you and eventually buy from you. Some of the most valuable business relationships require nurturing, time, an investment of resources, and that most important ingredient of all, trust. The reason B2B sales leads are so valuable and elusive is because they are worth much more than simple transactional one-off sales – each B2B sales relationship has the potential to deliver significant profits to your company. For this reason, it's worth investing some time and attention to build trust with your prospects. Building Trust Photo via Shutterstock The post Ways To Build Trust With Prospects appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| Getting Your Small Business Started On Yelp Posted: 27 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Yelp is one of the top ways for local businesses to get noticed and found by consumers, especially on mobile devices. It is an easy and affordable way to market your company and it is not just for restaurants. If you run a company that uses or could leverage its local presence, Yelp is worth testing out. Brick and mortar businesses often are the most logical companies using Yelp. My business does not have a “local” presence in the way that matters to mobile consumers (or any consumers since I serve business owners directly), so I tested Yelp with my TechBizTalk brand knowing it would not be found. As you can see in the screenshot above, my business was not found. Right below that, you see a blue link “Add Your Business to Yelp” and that’s where you should start. Go directly to the small business page of Yelp. Yelp knows they have to make it super easy and super fast to attract a business owner who is wearing many hats. The business page immediately lets you know the value proposition. On that page, you’ll see:
Turn Yelp visitors into paying customers. Create a Deal in minutes. When Yelp users buy your Deal, you get paid.
You have a voice, so join the conversation regarding a business; reply to reviews either publicly or privately.
What’s word-of-mouth doing for you? Stats and charts measure the performance of a business page on Yelp. Then a button to “Create a free account now.” After you locate your business, you’ll hit that simple and fast process I alluded to, as you can see in this screenshot, there isn’t much to do and you can be up and running in minutes. Unlike some other review services, that add lots of layers and steps, Yelp wants you to verify and get active in the community. That’s it. You hit the Add button and your listing is live. Here’s an important note: Yelp will review your listing to make sure you’re not a spammer or someone who doesn’t really own or manage the company. So, if you’re serious about putting up a new listing, fill in all the blanks including your Web address and phone number because the listing goes up right away. You cannot change it until they finish the verification process. It isn’t instant, that’s all I can say at this point. So you don’t want to play around with incomplete information. Having an account gives you a lot more control and opportunity to engage. Once you have your listing complete, you can add special offers, upload photos, and interact with your customers. You also get access to the statistics on who visits your Yelp profile, which can be huge to creating smarter offers and coupons. Creating offers, via Yelp advertising, has mostly pros in my view, but some people have complained that Yelp blackmails small business owners into paying for advertising. Let me explain: if you have a free listing on the service, competitor ads may show up on the same page next to or below your profile. Before you freak out, many, many services do exactly this and no one blinks an eye. Look at Google, Facebook, and now Twitter, just to name a few. Your organic listing in Google very likely shows competitive pay-per-click ads at the top of the page. The positive with Yelp is if you are an advertiser, they give you the option (and who wouldn’t take it) to block competitor ads when your profile comes up. You don’t get that option with the others I mentioned. Far from it. So, I see it as a huge opportunity, not blackmail. Business is competitive. Yelp is not doing anything wrong. They are helping the retailer and other service-oriented business. If you have been around as a retailer or local business for a while, then it is very probable you are already on Yelp and have reviews. All the more reason to claim and verify your listing. As Lisa Barone points out in several posts, Yelp can be a small business owner’s best friend, “Two Reasons To Check Back In With Yelp” and “Yelp Data Shows Power of Mobile Marketing.” You can also learn more about their advertising program. How are you using Yelp? The post Getting Your Small Business Started On Yelp appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| From Behind The Scenes: SMBInfluencer Media Partner Interviews Posted: 27 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT
The awards give much-deserved recognition to businesses, organizations, apps and people who have made an influencial impact with their contributions to the small business market. The Small Business Influencer Awards media partners are all small businesses like you. They offer products and services that help small businesses succeed. Below, is a series of short interviews that I conducted with several of the media partners. Let's get to know these small businesses and hear from the voices behind the scenes. * * * * * Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Trends: How does Manhattan Chamber of Commerce help small businesses? Laura Bucko: We advocate on behalf of the business community, educate our member businesses about current trends and provide networking opportunities to find clients, partners and grow our members' base of contacts. Small Business Trends: What was the last business book you read? What did you like about it? Laura Bucko: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked how it showed how outside random circumstances can influence our success and how, with a few small changes, we can create more opportunities for success for all. Small Business Trends: What’s your favorite quote that you apply to your business? Laura Bucko: I was going to go with, "never ever ever give up" from Winston Churchill, but then found another lesser known quote by him: ”The pessimist sees the problems in every opportunity. Whereas the optimist sees the opportunity in every problem.” * * * * * BizLaunch
Small Business Trends: Can you tell us something completely surprising about your company? Andrew Patricio: We have trained business owners in 18 countries. Small Business Trends: What was the last business book you read? What did you like about it? Andrew Patricio: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. The book teaches how to develop good habits for you and your employees. Small Business Trends: What's your favorite social media channel and why? Andrew Patricio: LinkedIn. I like that it’s focused on business. It's useful to connect with buyers, and I enjoy the groups. * * * * * Your Virtual Assistant
Small Business Trends: What's your top tip for small business owners today? Michelle Mangen: My top tip would be that we have to stay current in our industry in order to remain knowledgeable and competitive. Maybe this means taking some classes, reading certain material, etc. Building relationships is also important as well, especially if you are a solo-preneur. Small Business Trends: If you were stuck on a desert island with Internet, what would be the single app or website you couldn't live without? Michelle Mangen: For me that would be Basecamp. Since most of the tasks I receive from clients are through email it's important for me to have some system that makes it easy to record items that need follow up. Basecamp allows me to assign tasks out to other team members and the threaded conversations makes it easy to keep everything together (and tidy). Small Business Trends: What role does social media play in marketing your business? Michelle Mangen: Both very little and a lot. Twitter has always been my favorite social network and the one I spend the most time on. I don't really "market" my business per se but have gotten the majority of my client base as a direct result of a relationship that developed on Twitter. I've never been the self-promotion type (it makes me uncomfortable) which is why I really don't do any marketing. I've also been incredibly blessed with "word of mouth" referrals. * * * * * MyVenturePad
Small Business Trends: What's your top tip for small business owners today? Robin Carey: Be prepared to change your model at any time. Small Business Trends: What's one thing you never skimp on in your business? Robin Carey: Customer attention. Small Business Trends: If you could have one small biz superhero power, what would it be? Robin Carey: A great night’s sleep. * * * * * Hawkeye Management
Small Business Trends: What's one thing you never skimp on in your business? Tom Gazaway: Our brand. Don't have a crappy logo, don't put out bad content, don't have bad business cards or a bad website. Do it right or don't do it. There are a lot of things we may be ready for, but we won't do it if we can't do it well. That doesn't mean you won't make mistakes, but shoot for perfection and settle for excellence. Small Business Trends: What role does social media play in marketing your business? Tom Gazaway: It's integral. We use tools like Hubspot, TweetDeck and Vocus to make our social media efforts more effective, efficient and measurable but you're not a pioneer if you get on Twitter. You're a dinosaur if you're not there. Small Business Trends: If you could have one small biz superhero power, what would it be? Tom Gazaway: I'm rarely and probably never the most talented, most gifted, or smartest guy in any audience but I have an unquenchable thirst to be better, grow our brand, and shake up the market. So passion can make up for a lot of things. * * * * * Research Access
Dana Stanley: You may think market research is out of your budget, but technology has made it easier than ever to affordably get market feedback before making major business decisions. It can be inexpensive to do online surveys and get feedback on your products and services prior to investing your money and time in launching them. A small investment in research can pay off big. Small Business Trends: If you were stuck on a desert island with internet, what would be the single app or website you couldn't live without? Dana Stanley: Market researchers love information, so I'm going to have to go with Wikipedia. Not only does it have a shocking level of detail, it's also updated seemingly to the minute on current events. Small Business Trends: If you could have one small biz superhero power, what would it be? Dana Stanley: As market researchers we're obsessed with understanding the way customers think. So my small biz superhero power would be having the ability to read minds. * * * * * This article is part of a series highlighting key players in the Small Business Influencer Awards. The post From Behind The Scenes: SMBInfluencer Media Partner Interviews appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
| RIM Introduces the BlackBerry 10 Beta Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:30 AM PDT One of the companies that led the way in mobile business technology, Research in Motion, Ltd., introduced its BlackBerry Beta 10 to press and developers earlier this week. While the industry is waiting with baited breath to see how business users will respond, here’s another look at how mobile is transforming business everywhere. Mobile MilestonesA good beginning. Expected to be available to consumers and business users in January or sometime later in 2013, the BlackBerry 10 has already partially won over critics. In a video overview, tech writer Dieter Bohn admits being impressed with the device, but says it remains to be seen whether the new BlackBerry catches on. The Verge The PC paradigm. Despite the importance of the mobile market that yet another device represents, startup businesses and online entrepreneurs continue to focus upon desktop or laptop-based products and services first. Blogger M.G. Siegler insists it's time to make mobile more than just an afterthought. Massive Greatness Data DirectionsThe results are in. If you haven't yet thought about the importance of mobile technology to your business, this post from blogger Scott Dudley should give you plenty of food for thought. Drawing from data supplied by Google, Dudley shares insights pointing out the latest mobile trends and where they are leading. Mobile Marketing Answer Man Another perspective. This post and infographic look at the ongoing mobile trend by examining the proliferation of mobile devices and their uses by consumers. The increase in the number of these devices and their popularity will lead to more opportunities for mobile marketing. Fusion Alliance Tech TransitionsI'll take mine to go. Of course, mobile devices and the apps they use are helpful to businesses for much more than marketing. They can also be helpful for productivity by giving you access to your files, staff, social media, transactional data, and expense information while on the road and away from the office. Merchantos Conference call convenience. And, hey look! You can even gather the troops without actually…er…gathering the troops. Take a look at technology that makes conference calls affordable and mobile from your smartphone. Keep in touch with your staff while on the run and out of the office. Smallbiz Technology Get moving on the Web. Of course, the most important question for businesses to answer is whether their Websites are mobile-ready so customers on mobile devices can access them easily. Fortunately, getting your business site primed for this portable pump is easier than you may think. Search Engine Journal The post RIM Introduces the BlackBerry 10 Beta appeared first on Small Business Trends.     |
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If you prefer to speak than write, get yourself a voice recorder or dictation app to allow you to "talk out" your blog posts instead of writing them by keyboard. I find my voice recorder app particularly useful on my drive to and from work when my mind is already bursting with ideas and I just need an outlet to release and save them for later.
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