Today's competitive marketplace for consulting services is no longer responsive to the marketing strategies that worked in the past. The services you provide should speak volumes about your consulting business. Think about what happens when you hear phrases such as 'the ultimate driving machine,' 'don't leave home without it,' and 'just do it.' Chances are good that you can immediately associate them with BMW, American Express, and Nike. These...more
About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have dinner with the CEO of an engineering startup company in Pennsylvania. As we discussed engineering design matters over Chinese food, he took a few moments to talk about his business philosophy. "As far as I'm concerned," he told me, "if a product is good enough, then it's perfect." He explained that in his view, product improvements should only be performed with the specific goal of increasing sales....more
Too many businesses wait until a crisis occurs before they start to focus on improving their financial management. Often, by that time, it can be too late. By setting aside an hour now to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your company's financial management activities and systems you can save a lot of time and aggravation. It can also help increase your profits, and at the end of the day that is what it is all about. The following are five strategies that will help you start to build a strong financial foundation and build value in your company. 1. Set up a financial control system The first thing you need to start with is a control system so that there is consistency in your process and procedures. A control system is designed to prevent and detect errors in your daily activities. For example, is there is a standard way of processing your receivables, payables and inventory? If there are no standard guidelines to follow, there is probably no control system. 2. Have daily access to your account information Make sure that you can access your account information every day; it is invaluable to managing your cash effectively. With most banks providing...more
Lately the age-old business dilemma of how to stand out from the crowd has been haunting companies and professional service firms more than ever before. All too many firms nowadays look too much alike, with marketing strategies seemingly unable to distinguish them from their competition. Glossy brochures, snazzy websites, press releases,...more
The intellectual property transfer market is now estimated to be worth over $100 billion. If you have a new idea, an invention, a new art or craft, you may be able to license it or sell it for millions of dollars. Many Fortune 500 companies are now making their intellectual property available for sale or licensing at new online...more
With the advancement of computer simulators, anybody can repeat all the business routines before he goes to the field, and have the opportunity of relaxing from the tedious work with numbers. The businessman can concentrate more on the human factors: The Customer Service, the relationships among fellow workers, and self care. The occupation with Human factors is obligation to deal with emotions. Emotions volumes are not measurable accurately, contrary to cognitive or physical volumes. We can measure I.Q., or weight lifting, but not the intensity of love or hate. Questionnaires about satisfaction from a product or a boss give very limited answers.The reason we cannot measure emotions is that they expand all the time. This is their main attribute. It gives them their most unique quality: The ability to identify with the other and be empathic. We can memorize cognitive or physical practices, but with emotions we are left bare like children in a barren field. This leaves the businessman exposed to mistakes of emotional intelligence, and the computers cannot help him. There is nothing better then the sense of humor, the best therapy for the soul, for illuminating the human factor. The...more
Borrowing money has become more and more popular in the UK over recent years, and this is partly due to the fact that it has become far easier to borrow money. The rising popularity of consumer finance has also been aided by the wide variety of deals...more
There are many reasons why people get into debt - some of them self inflicted and some of them way outside of our control. Losing a job, illness or accidents, all of these can suddenly plunge one into unexpected expenditure, and often the only way to...more
Your business is successful, but now your ready to take it to the next level and begin accepting credit card transactions, or you have already taken this step but your feeling that your merchant account provider has high fees and your not sure what...more
You do your best to make sure your organization is operating as effectively as possible. But if your policies and procedures are incomplete, outdated, or inconsistent, then they are not driving the performance improvement they should. When employees...more
These days, people need to very carefully consider what type of credit card they will carry in their wallets. There are so many options out there, and each individual has different needs. Some of us tend to carry a balance, so we need a low interest...more
Here's a newsflash: Cover letters work, plain and simple. This is why I'm intrigued by the fact that a) jobseekers rarely submit them and b) hiring managers seldom read them. As a result, I started asking questions. Specifically, "What's your problem...more