In my career advising practice, I often find that my clients are not clear about what success means for them. Our society defines success primarily around three elements: power, money and fame. Many of you reading this may be saying, "wait a minute -those elements are not the most important things to me." Success is often intangible. It's certainly unique to each person. Have you considered how you will know when you are successful? ...more
Only the weak ones quit. Is that true? There is a story of a CEO of a multi-national company who decided to withdraw a product from the market when it had consistently failed for nine months and eaten up millions of pounds in advertising, promotions etc. Was he weak? He could have maintained the myth of success and stayed in the market and gradually withdrawn, costing him and his company many more millions. Instead, he chose to face the fact that...more
Most people online are very familiar with the Nigerian Email Letter Scams. They've victimized thousands over the years and continue to do so. I am certain you've received many in your inbox over the course of your online experience. They are easy to recognize to the experienced. But if you are new online check out the following signs. These words are usually included (IN BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS) in the subject line.DEAR SIR/MADAMYOUR SOLICITATIONYOUR HELP IS NEEDEDIMPORTANTPLEASE SIR/MADAMI BEG YOUR ASSISTANCEYOUR ASSISTANCEURGENTFROM MR.....FROM MRS.....A REQUEST FROM MR (FILL IN THE BLANK)Did you know, according to online resources, these emails also originate in Ghana, Togo, Benin.Even more surprising, according to online resources, is that many of these swindlers are not even staying in the country the solicitations originate from. Their home base might be in Europe, Canada, even the United States!What can the average online business person do to avoid these scammers?Plenty! Read On!How The Scam Works!The scam artist proclaims he is an exiled leader or person connected with a former regime. The scammer tries to convince you he was forced to leave his/her home country by...more
Many online marketers work odd hours, with no beginning of the day and no real end. How does this impact support and customer service inquiries? Some small businesses are afraid to reply to customer queries off-hours, fearful that the message time-stamp will betray them as a small business. The Internet however is timeless. The fact is customers...more
It can be a major source of frustration trying to keep up with all of the business-related information, newsletters, updates, offers and so on that land in your email box. And although there may be no perfect way to ensure that you can read everything you want to and need to in order to stay current, while at the same time preserving enough time to...more
You know, those really important outside groups of people whose behaviors can help or hinder any business, non-profit or association manager in achieving his or her objectives? Are you persuading those key stakeholders - especially those whose behaviors affect your unit the MOST - to your way of thinking, then moving them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed? Oh, as a manager, you say you're covered in that regard - your public relations team is racking up some juicy print and broadcast placements, and you say those kinds of exposures are what your PR program is all about? At the risk of becoming a skunk at this picnic, I suggest you consider broadening your public relations field-of-fire to where it best belongs, on your unit's key external stakeholder behaviors rather than the occasional publicity placement. Here's why. The people you deal with behave like everyone else - they act upon their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Leaving you little choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions (and their follow on behaviors) by doing what is necessary to reach and...more
Do classified ads really work? Should you include an email address or fax number in them? How about a call to action? Questions like these are often brought to the attention of OhioHelp.net, an Ohio-based company specializing in helping businesses...more
How popular is online shopping? And is there room for improvement? Let's check out some pros and cons of automated shopping and see. Digital carts offer convenience for people around the globe 24 hours a day. Yet an estimated 4 percent of...more
Are people interested in ebooks? And if so, what are the best ways to sell them? The following statistics reported by the Open eBook Forum, a non-profit organization for the electronic book publishing industry, definitely show an interest in ebooks....more
Some day-to-day work issues can turn into big headaches for small businesses. For example, not having enough help during a busy season or new promotion can hurt production, sales and customer relations in the fulfillment of orders and customer...more
Last month I was invited to participate in a charity golf tournament in Las Vegas to celebrate the life of the late dancing legend Gregory Hines. The event was held to raise funds and awareness of the tragic disease that took this entertainer's...more
It's Friday night, you're sitting at a restaurant, and as your meal arrives, the server says, "Now, don't touch that plate. It's hot." What's the first thing you do?Well, 99% of the time you're going to touch that plate,...more