Features
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Talk to Me! How to Use Voice Software to Create Incredible Customer Experiences
April 06, 2011
As a business owner today, you have multiple communications tools at your fingers. Contact forms, your website, Facebook, Twitter, text… and did I mention email? But there will always be a time when you need to talk to your customer. Pick up the phone. Chat. Follow up, Or even to resolve an issue.
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All Six Recovery Indicators are Now Positive
April 05, 2011
All six of our recovery indicators are in positive territory for the first time since the start of the recession. There were some movements in the indicators from the Institute for Supply Management non-manufacturing indices, the biggest being non-manufacturing imports, which is now at 50, or neutral.
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Have We Lost a Generation of Small Business Owners?
April 04, 2011
We’re down more than 1.1 million. That’s how many fewer self-employed Americans there are today than when the Great Recession began. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, there were 589,000 fewer incorporated self-employed people and 569,000 fewer unincorporated self employed people in December 2007 than in February 2011. Perhaps most remarkably, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, we have 753,000 fewer self-employed people.
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“I Can’t Eat an iPad”
March 21, 2011
While he loves computers, when it comes to dinnertime, Dr. Joe still prefers food. Seems the Fed would prefer we think otherwise. As far as understanding inflation at its core, a good meal can go a long way if you have the money for it.
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Distance doesn’t matter
March 20, 2011
A decade ago – when business journalists were “discovering” the Web - one of the most-hyped headlines was that every company could now sell world-wide. Like most over-heated rhetoric, the concept that distance no longer matters came and went with some notice and little real change. Most companies discovered that – while selling over great distances was indeed easier than before – fulfilling and servicing was hard enough to make it unprofitable.
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Why It’s Time to Kick Your Green Initiatives Up a Notch
March 18, 2011
Results of the second-annual Sustainability & Innovation Survey of global corporate leaders by MIT’s Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group suggest that green practices are taking firm root in the business world. Nearly 60 percent of the 3,000 businesses surveyed said they are increasing their investment in sustainability.
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10 Ways to Continue the Conversation with Customers
March 15, 2011
For too many small business owners, once a customer leaves your shop or your service is completed, the conversation ends. But it doesn't need to stop there. If you can continue those threads of dialogue online through e-mail, newsletters, and social media, you have a better chance of building stronger ties to your customer base.
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Resolutions for the Merger & Acquisition Minded Executive
March 13, 2011
As businesses close their books on another eventful year, say the M&A specialists at New Direction Partners, ‘tis the season to be thinking proactively about 2011 and forming clear plans for making the most of the strategic possibilities it will bring.
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Why Small Projects Don't Indicate How You'll Perform on Big Projects
March 09, 2011
Many businesses make a big mistake when it comes to judging how much work volume they can comfortably handle on an ongoing basis. Do you know what your limits are, without turning your company upside down and compromising on quality, or in other areas?
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What is social media?
March 09, 2011
Social media is a genre of online resources for connecting users with a sphere of influence, and exchanging information and ideas via real-time conversations. Social media can take many forms.
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The Employment Data Frosting Looks Great, But the Cake is Awful
March 07, 2011
The unemployment report released on March 5 left a lot to be desired, despite the drop to 8.9%. Once you read past the headlines, jobs remain a serious problem that is not improving.
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A Short Course in the Fundamentals of M&A
February 22, 2011
New Direction Partners (NDP) has taken its M&A consulting on the road in a series of presentations. In these briefings, NDP offers an overview of the business climate for mergers and acquisitions, along with practical advice for owners pondering the next step in the life cycles of their companies.
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How Social Media Can Help Your Business
February 22, 2011
Social media adds an enormous amount of value in terms of business networking, establishing expert credibility and sharing industry content nowadays. This article discusses the top four social media sites you should focus your time on.
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Why your sales cycle doesn’t work any more
February 14, 2011
For several years, small business owners have been telling us that their traditional sales process yields fewer closed deals and new customers. At first, it was a trickle, and they were concerned. Then it continued and they became uneasy. Now, the trickle has become a flood and they’re in panic mode.
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Ignore the Headline Unemployment 9.4%: This Was a Bad Report
January 07, 2011
Earlier this week, ADP estimated that payrolls increased by +297K. Now we know that the ADP report was flaky. Their estimate was about a 3x miss when today’s payroll survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed +103K. Not even November’s revision from +39K to +71K comes close to making the ADP number good.
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Reading Past the Employment Headline: Someone’s Got to Do It
November 07, 2010
Friday’s unemployment report was met with loud cheers and smiles when payroll employment was up by more than 150,000. Although the unemployment rate stayed the same, this was viewed as a clear sign that things were moving in the right direction. Once I heard all of that, I was anxious to see the real data.