Category Archives: Economics

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On The Social Web, Everything You Say Matters To Your Personal Brand

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Do you remember the days when you could say and do whatever you wanted on the internet and not have to worry about it coming back to haunt you? Well, now those days are well and truly behind us. For solopreneurs and businesses, the social web is the social nexus, a place where they have to woo customers and please clients, and, more importantly, manage their personal brand.

 

And that’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it? – Your personal brand. Your personal brand is your unique marker of quality and professionalism. This is how to build it.

 

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Many people in business think that they can only say things that will appeal to all individuals at all times. But this usually only has the effect of making you seem generic and boring. What people want from leaders in cyberspace are people who aren’t afraid to take a stand on certain issues. They need to know that your beliefs and positions are aligned with theirs to feel a part of your tribe. Your voice and your opinion matters to the people who follow you: those are the people you need to impress.

 

Manage Social Opinion

 

On the internet, everybody has an opinion. How people feel about you is important both for the success of your brand and the success of your business. With things like reviews becoming increasingly central to how search engines rank companies on their search results, it’s becoming increasingly important to manage social opinion. Tools like Chatmeter allow you to see what people are saying about your brand across many different platforms, enabling you to respond in real-time and resolve any problems that might arise.

 

Google Yourself

 

To make sure that your personal brand is in good condition, it’s a good idea to Google yourself to make sure that everything is as it should be. Jean Dobey, the founder of a publishing social platform called Hibe, says that the information on your Google profile is important for potential clients. If they don’t like what they see, they might cross you off their list of people that they want to work with.

 

Actively Promote Yourself

 

Matt Brady, the founder, and CEO of a career consultancy says that there’s no point just writing a blog and hoping that people will come and read it. Blogs need to be actively promoted. He says that people can do this by interacting with the public through branded social media accounts, personally branded websites and through blog hosting platforms like Bloglovin’. If you’re planning on providing up to date news through your site, you can also sign up as a contributor to Feedly in your chosen field.

 

Create Valuable Connections

 

Jeff Stephens is the founder of a blogging consultancy. He says that the best way to build your personal brand is to constantly recognize and affirm the work of your peers in your industry. Instead of just going your own way, praising your peers will get them to praise you back, almost automatically. It seems counterintuitive at first, but sharing your content with established players is an excellent way to get recognised.

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You Might Be Devaluing Your Home Without Realising

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It’s not always easy to sell your home for the price you want at the best of times. If you live in an area that doesn’t have a booming property market, then you to need to make sure that your home is on point in as many areas as possible to give yourself the best chance of moving on to your next home. Unfortunately, sometimes we’re putting ourselves at a disadvantage without even realising it.

 

Termites and Rodents

 

A home can be as presentable and as well furnished as possible, but if you have creatures living just below the surface, then it’s going to be an immediate red flag for potential buyers. Termites and rodents can have a hugely detrimental impact on the well-being of a home, and this will show when it gets valued by an inspector. Get a rodent and termite inspection if you suspect anything and bring your house back up to full value.

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Source: Pixabay.com

 

A Swimming Pool

 

It’s a nice image: a large, clean swimming pool right in your back garden for use on those long summer days. Sounds great on paper, but it does make selling your home more tricky. For starters, the upkeep of a swimming pool can cost a lot. Second, not everybody actually wants a swimming pool. In fact, most people don’t. When they see one in the back, they’re not thinking of the health benefits of swimming – they’re seeing the cost of getting it filled in.

 

Crazy Paint Schemes

 

Many people like to stamp their creativity and personality onto their home, and that’s a really great thing. But if you are thinking of adding an unorthodox paint scheme to your home, then you should be aware that it’ll probably decrease the value. Part of what makes your decoration so enjoyable is that it’s your personality; someone else will have a different personality. Understated colours work best as they show the potential of a home and not the drawbacks.

 

The Small Details

 

It’s easy to overlook the small details, especially when you live in your home and don’t really notice them anymore. You might think that potential buyers are just going to see the big stuff – the size, how clean it is, the location, and so forth, but all the small details contribute to their overall view of the property. Deeply dirty windows, light switches that don’t work, wallpaper peeling in the corners will all give a bad impression. However, they’re easy to fix so make sure they’re all in order!

 

The Front

 

Don’t just focus on the inside of your home: potential buyers will be entering through the front, and it’s here where their impression of the property will begin. Spend some time sorting out the front of your home, ensuring the grass is trim and any debris or toys have been cleared away. The door, also: it might not be a priority to you, but it’s the first buyers interact with and it needs to be in good shape!

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Things to Consider Before Becoming A Landlord

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Buying a property to let out is becoming one of the quickest-growing ways to invest your money in the current market. If you have wanted to place your cash into something that is financially secure, this may not be the route for you; it’s a sort of fall-or-fly conundrum, and you can either thrive within it or crash hard. However, if you keep your mind-set on the goal and take more than just a few factors into account, you are more likely to succeed.

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Research Before Buying

 

Look at what is available to you on the market. Compare and contrast prices that you would pay for your ideal buy (for example, a two-bedroom apartment) and see how the prices differ from one area to another. While looking, keep in mind other offers that spring up; if you had initially set out to get one type of living space, don’t rule out others that appear to be bargains too. But remember – if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Houses do not sell for much less than what they are worth, and if they are then there is something dodgy either with the seller or the house itself.

 

Make Sure the Area will Return Your Investment

 

It’s no surprise that better areas of living will demand higher rent prices. If a tenant feels safe and secure within their home, and if local amenities such as shops and schools are available to them, there will always be somebody willing to move in to your property. Don’t just think about the here-and-now when thinking about a return on your investment; later on, it’s worth taking into consideration whether your property will sell for more a higher profit. Even if you don’t sell it, the equity behind it can contribute towards further real estate investments.

 

Put Yourself in Their Shoes

 

Everybody has an ideal tenant in their mind, but you need to really hone in on their demographics to be able to get them to come to you. Different people have different styles, and whereas your home might be simple enough for the tastes and needs of, say, a student, it may not be suitable for a family. It’s also worth considering whether the space will need to be furnished or not, and whether that is a sound investment or a useless one; again, with students it may be appreciated, but with an established family they probably have their own bits and pieces that they have accumulated across the years, making yours essentially redundant (until the next tenants move in and may want to take it). Keeping the property user-friendly is a must, and ensuring that the tenants know that they are allowed to “make a house a home” could be the difference in them staying 6 months or 6 years; if somebody knows that they can make their space personal to them, they are more likely to want to carry on the tenancy.

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Do-Up Properties; A Good Investment of Money but Not Time

 

If you are looking at purchasing a property to renovate, take into consideration the time-scale of when you wanted to be letting it out and how long it will take the work to be done. It can work out as a really good investment of your money as the property value will only increase with the work that you’re doing on it. WIth that in mind, there are other factors to consider with it, like putting in more money than you could get as a return and setting your sights on things which are out of your reach in term of how much input you can provide; you may have to outsource some contract work to get the job done (examples can be found at http://www.schemel-tarrillion.com/) or leave certain jobs until a later date, pushing back the goal that you had set out in the first place. Can you afford the initial outset of payments, or will this impact on your finances more than you wished?

 

Use an Agent or Going Alone?

 

It is pretty standard knowledge that using a real estate agent is probably the safer bet when it comes to dealing with issues of renting. Although they will take a fee, consider whether it is worth it to you; it will free up more of your time, main issues will go through them and everything would be (should be!) above board. They sort out all of the paperwork and the legal side for you, and you can usually get your insurance into place through them too. If you decide to go it alone, make sure that you know all the pros and cons of being a landlord – cover your back and triple check that you are doing everything the way it should be done. If not, it could cost you in the long run.

 

Know What’s Expected of You

 

As the owner of a property, you have certain criteria to meet. You need to make sure that the tenant’s home is livable, that it has had all of the necessary boxes ticked (plumbing checks including boiler services, electrical safety checks and certain insurances covered) and that it is up to scratch on standard; if you wouldn’t consider living in your property, why would anybody else?

 

Essentially, it can take a lot to start up your own little monopoly of properties. When you start off with one, you want to make sure that you gain a reputation for it being good value, but without selling yourself. There are a lot of points to take into consideration when starting off, but good research will not abate your progress at all – in fact, quite the opposite, as you will have a clear path as to how to get your property up and running and out on the market. If you establish yourself as a landlord who listens, cares and is available to fix a problem at a moment’s notice, the rest will take care of itself.

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A Boost In Productivity Is All You Need

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Keeping staff motivated and productive can be one of the biggest challenges that a business faces. Staff is very easy to upset or demotivate, and hard to turn around. So, you need to be making efforts to keep your staff happy long before they ever get sad. Knowing what to do with your staff can be the hardest part of all, though. So, to help you out, this post will be going through some of the best ways to increase productivity in your business.

 

Even in relatively interesting jobs, it’s hard for staff to keep from getting bored. When you work for months on end, without any real break, things start to get tiring. So, it might be about time to treat your staff to an event. Giving your staff the chance to let their hair down on company time can be a great way to motivate them to do more. After an event like this, you’ll find that your productivity goes up massively. And, of course, your staff will be much happier. Arranging an event can be hard. First, you need to try to find a venue and choose the type of event that you want to host. One of the biggest parts of an event like this is the food. So, it’s worth using professional catering or café services to deal with it for you. In fact, you can use other companies to do most of the work at events like this.

 

Sometimes, hosting an event will be a little too much, though. Or, you could feel that your staff don’t work hard enough for it yet. So, you might need to start using incentives to get your staff working well. Offering small rewards for people who go above and beyond in their work is a great way to make sure that they’re working hard. Incentives can promote healthy competition between staff. This means that your staff will be working hard; without even realising it. Some places even offer vouchers and gift cards when their staff perform well.

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Most people thrive when they’re told they’ve been doing well. So, it’s very important to make sure that you recognise your staff’s work. Usually, it’s best to thank people in public. This means that all of their workmates will see. This can foster the same sort of competition that incentives do. Thanking your staff will make them feel good, and it doesn’t cost you anything at all. This is one of the best ways to make your business more productive, without having to do any real work. All you have to do is say thank you.
This should give you a good idea of what it takes to make staff work harder, without having to get on their backs. Positive actions like this are usually much more effective for your staff than negative ones. People will be demotivated when they’re told off; but, when you celebrate their success, people will be happy to work hard for you. This sort of work is incredibly important to a business. So, it’s worth investing time and money in it early.

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Need to Get Out of Your Job? These Reasons Spur People on to Make That Change

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If you are tired of your job and want out of it, you’re not the only one. There are people up and down the country and around the world who feel the same way. So, why not go for it? The truth is that most people want to quit their jobs and do something new never do. They stick to what they know because it’s the safer and more secure options. If you’re looking for some motivation to make a switch, here are some examples of what spurs other people on to do it.

 

Pay Increase Possibilities

 

Let’s face it; everyone is motivated by money to some greater or lesser extent. There is no need for this to be something that you’re ashamed of. If you feel like you are not getting paid enough for your skills and talents in your current job, it’s only right that you take action and find a job that can pay you what you are really worth. Only then will you feel satisfied in your job. It’s impossible to get that feeling of job satisfaction when you feel like you are being underpaid. So, if there is a pay increase on offer elsewhere, be bold and make that switch.

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Pure Boredom

 

For some people, boredom is the main reason why they decide to make a big career switch. If you are used to working in the same job doing the same thing every day of the week, it’s not surprising that you get bored. We all need a little variety and variation in life. That’s human nature. And being bored leads to other problems, so take a big step forward and find a job that can provide you with the kind of challenge that you really need in life. You don’t want to be stuck in that boring workplace forever if it’s doing nothing at all for you.

 

The Chance to do Something Active and Work with Your Hands

 

If you’ve always wanted to do a job that allows you to work with your hands, it can be pretty frustrating to find yourself doing a desk job. Maybe you have just ended up in the kind of role that you as a person is fundamentally unsuited to. That’s something that does happen for some people. Maybe you want to make something with your hand. If so, you could become a carpenter, an artist or a builder. Companies such as modularcubed.co.uk provides precast concrete services, so maybe you could do something like that. Building something and seeing what you’ve made can give you a lot of satisfaction.

 

Better Job Growth Prospects in Other Industries
Everyone wants to grow in their career, and they certainly don’t want to stand still for too long. If you think that your career growth is being stifled by the role you are currently filling, your only option might be to make a change. That will allow you to go in a new direction entirely and do something new for the first time. You can then grow and move through the ranks at your new company in a way that you never thought you could in your old job.

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Tube Talk: Is There Still A Point To TV When You Can Download For Free?

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Flickr Photo At: Esther Vargas

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As more and more people turn to digital devices, online streaming and paid for media subscriptions has television had its day? We wouldn’t go throwing away, or donating your old set just yet as our friend TV still has a few tricks up its sleeve!

 

4 K Colour

 

In the beginning it was all about black and white, then color, then HD, then plasma or flat screens and now 4 K, or Ultra HD is here. You might be thinking ‘it’s great giving it fancy names and numbers but what is 4K’? Put simply, 4K is referring to the number of pixels on the screen i.e. In this case 3,840 X 2,160 which is four times what HD TV’s currently have. Those in the industry are hailing 4K as a potential savior of television sets, giving viewers a bright, crisp incredibly detailed picture with a window-like experience so you should forget that you’re watching TV full stop. 4K is also designed to work on larger, flat screen televisions and film studios say the feel and finished quality is like watching industry standard 35 mm film.

 

Wider Screens

 

When it comes to technology it seems that bigger is definitely better. Recently we’ve seen phones that look like remote controls, phablets which bridge the gap between a phone and a tablet, and tablets themselves where screens are almost the size TV’s were originally. Nowhere is size more important than your TV, retailers are now regularly offering customers 55, 60 and 65-inch giant screens to choose from. Not to mention inbuilt wifi and on-demand video streaming platforms. Nobody wants a tiny, by modern standards, 30 or 32-inch screen and with sales of home cinema systems on the rise people want to have an authentic movie experience.

 

No Buffering Issues

 

Media streaming from television tends to be more reliable than via your smartphone due to the placement of your Wi-Fi system. Often, you’ll find that due to the necessary sockets you need to plug the router into it’ll end up sitting next to, under or beside the television. This means if you’re browsing Netflix, YouTube or Hulu the connection is going to be faster, quicker and stronger than it will be in say your bedroom. You shouldn’t have to wait while shows buffer with only a really irritating circle for company. However, if you’re really stuck the movie streaming app Showbox works seamlessly connected to Wi-Fi and mobile data, you can

Get the latest APK file of this app from here but do check your data bundle first as it tends to use a lot.  

 

It’s More Sociable

 

Ever wanted to show friends and family a video? Your holiday pics? Or the latest news updates? You’re tilting the screen one way and another, someone complains that they can’t see when they can, and you end up accidentally clicking on a clickbait link because you’ve been distracted by trying to stop Sara browsing Twitter. With television, everyone can watch easily, comfortably and all together from wherever they’re sitting. No one has to physically hold something, after a while iPads make your arms ache, and it feels like a shared family experience

Flickr Photo At: Peter Merholz

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Maintaining the Success That You Worked so Hard to Build

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Despite what people might tell you, it’s not easy once you reach the top. We struggle throughout our lives trying to reach a status that we feel comfortable at. It could be a salary that will help us plan our retirement and pay for our house, or it could be a rank that you’ve wanted to achieve since you were young.

 

Very few people have the power and motivation to reach their dreams. It takes discipline, hard work and a stroke of luck to reach the places you want to be. Unfortunately, it’s a lot harder said than done. Many of us tend to slump off when we’re depressed or feel like we’ve been set back, and as a result, we procrastinate and do nothing to put ourselves back into the driving seat of our lives.

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Source: Pexels

 

Don’t go on autopilot

 

Living every day as a monotonous grind to pay the bills and put food on the table can get frustrating and even depressing. Sadly, it’s an unavoidable facet of life. No matter how much we struggle to break the mould of a generic worker in a generic industry, it’s difficult to maintain our momentum when we do find success.

 

The key to reaching a point of success is to cut out procrastination. If you spend the majority of your day without a purpose or aim, then you’re not motivated or trying hard enough to set yourself apart from everyone else. Without someone to motivate you (perhaps your partner or children) then you’re less likely to work hard for their sake as well as yours. When there’s more risk on the line, we tend to work harder to prove our worth.

 

Surround yourself with the right people

 

As mentioned previously, it’s important to be involved with the right people who can motivate you to reach your goals and maintain them. Don’t interact with people who are poisonous to your mood, and stay close to family members and friends that consistently support you and your endeavours. Running a successful business takes a lot of mental strength, and you have to put your personal matters aside when dealing with business issues.

 

But personal help isn’t the only service that will keep you and your business running. A service like Pinder Reaux & Associates can pull your company through frustrating times. For example, if you’re being sued for ridiculous reasons or you want to stamp out an imitator that’s trying to catch customers off your success, then you need the legal help to stop them.

 

Never lose sight of your goals

 

Everyone has a reason to get involved with business. Perhaps it was a promise you made to a family member or friends, maybe it’s something you aspired to become when you were young, or maybe you just want to provide for your family for generations to come. Whatever the reason is, you must never lose sight of that motivation.
When you’re in a slump (and you inevitably will be) you have to remember that you’re not alone. Your goals and the support of people around you have assisted in your success, but they can also help you maintain your success as well.

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Learn From Others’ Mistakes! Your First Web Hosting Service

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It’s certainly a good thing to learn from your mistakes, but in business it’s much better to learn from the mistakes of others. Far too often, you hear about businesses that have made some kind of poor decision with their web hosting, and end up suffering the numerous and expensive consequences. When you’re first setting up your web host and solution provider, you need to do everything you can to ensure you’re getting a reliable and cost-effective deal. Here, we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes business owners make when setting up their first servers.

Expecting a Cheap or Free Web Host Solution

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Image: Flickr

 

Nothing that’s worth having comes free in this world, except a few free WordPress themes! This rule certainly applies to your hosting service, and if someone comes to you offering a hosting deal that’s exceedingly cheap or even free, then you’re almost certain to run into various problems. The host may end up placing third-party ads on your site without your knowledge, you’re likely to have a poor loading speed, and there’s a good chance that the provider will give an extremely poor standard of technical support, or none at all! A free or cheap hosting provider can also have a detrimental impact on your SERP rankings. Google’s crawlers certainly won’t give your site equal importance when you’re running on a poor-quality server. I understand that your capital and other resources may be stretched, but this is one area where you really have to spend money to make money.

Thinking That Shared and Dedicated Hosting are the Same

When presented with the choice between shared and dedicated hosting, a lot of business owners will rush through the decision, believing that the two options are more or less the same. This is wrong. Choose a shared server on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of monthly cost, and you’ll be opening yourself up to all kinds of risks. This is mainly due to the fact that you’ll be sharing the retail space with thousands of other sites. If one of these happens to use maximum resources, or even worse, encounters a virus or some malicious coding, you’re going to feel the sting of it, even though you had nothing to do with the root of the issue! Furthermore, you’re almost guaranteeing that your loading times will be restricted, and occasionally the web host may have to shut the server down during your business hours. These issues, when they come up again and again, can cause your business to hemorrhage money. To avoid this, I strongly recommend going for a dedicated server, or finding a cheaper middle ground like a VPS Server for your hosting solution.

Skimming the Terms and Conditions

It’s 2017 now, and everyone’s more used than ever to scrolling swiftly to the bottom of a window of text and blindly clicking “I agree”. This may not be a big deal when it comes to the latest iTunes update, but when you’re setting up your first web host, skimming through the T’s and C’s can be a recipe for disaster. A lot of hosting firms will only really highlight the points of the agreement they want you to read, not what you should read to make sure you avoid any future issues. Make sure you go through refund policy, the terms of service agreement, the cancellation policy, and similar things. If you need any clarification on what certain terms or sections mean, be sure to contact your provider and ask them. It’s your duty to verify the service description, the deliverables and any related conditions before you put a single penny down.

Failing to be Clear on Bandwidth and Disk Space

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Image: Wikimedia

 

When checking out different hosting services, you’ll find that you have a lot of options in terms of the disk space and bandwidth. If you’re not a techy type, then all the different choices and prices can be a little confusing. However, if you want to make sure your hosting service really works for you, it’s essential to spend some time educating yourself on how these things will affect your hosting experience. For most start-ups, a subscription giving you 50MB of disk space and around 10GB of bandwidth will be more than enough. If you shoot much lower, you’ll encounter all kinds of problems like having to work within transfer limits and recurring downtime.

Forgetting the Basics

I know, entering into a subscription for a hosting service isn’t quite as simple as finding a desk fan on Amazon. However, there are still certain universal protocols which you need to follow every time you’re buying something online. You need to have reliable and regularly accessible contact information, so you can get in touch with the vendor if you encounter any issues. You should make a point to seek out customer testimonials and similar third-party reviews too. It’s also important to look for things like a money back guarantee, and to find out about the level of technical support the provider will offer you.

Ignoring the SEO Implications

Earlier, I touched on how the hosting service you choose can impact where your site appears on its SERPs. A lot of would-be successes choose their hosting service thinking that as long as it has a pretty good uptime guarantee, they’ll have nothing else to worry about. Again, believing this is a massive mistake! Hosting problems such as database connection errors, slow site speeds, and shared hosting with dubious spam sites can all bring down a site’s credibility, both in the eyes of Google’s crawlers and human users. If you have runtime errors that get dragged out, an exceeded bandwidth limit, and internal server errors, you can even end up knocking your site off of Google’s index! You may have the greatest SEO team to ever be assembled at a start-up. However, if you don’t choose a high-quality host, your digital marketing is invariably going to suffer. Don’t let the promise of big savings chase away your prospective leads!

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It’s Not What Employees Know, It’s What They Can Do With Their Knowledge That Counts

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Thanks to Google, the world of work is changing fast. It’s no so much about what you know anymore – after all, anybody can log onto a search engine and imbibe a ton of information. Instead, it’s about what you can do with the information you have.

 

For businesses, this is a crucial distinction. Companies need to focus on recruiting those people who can most effectively use their knowledge in their workplace. Here’s what to look out for.

 

Trait #1: Action-Oriented

 

Every team needs a couple of people who always have their heads in books and always want to learn more about the business and the world. The problem is that these types of people aren’t always the most action-oriented – and in the world of business, action counts. According to blogger Ken Sundheim, it’s important that businesses employ people who are willing to take action, even if those actions are risky. Action, he says, can lead to failures, but it can also lead to successes, and help generate new ideas in the company.

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Stagnant employees won’t make your business more money: they’ll just do the minimum to make sure that they take home their paycheck at the end of the month. Action oriented employees will look for new ways to make the company better.

 

Trait #2: Intelligence

 

Intelligence isn’t the only reason why people are successful. After all, there are plenty of Ph.D. students who waste their lives in universities, never producing any real value in the world. But it is important for businesses when combined with other personality traits. When approaching recruiters, like Portfolio CBR, it’s okay to be fairly general about your requirements, but not usually intelligence, unless of course, you don’t mind spending long hours micromanaging and proofreading work.

 

Trait #3: Ambition

 

Some small businesses are afraid of people with ambition, worrying that they might want to take over the company or set it in a new direction. But it turns out that having ambitious people on your team is actually a good thing. Why? Well, it’s mainly because ambitious people are individuals who want to go places. They want to work hard, move their way up your organization and do a great job, just in case they ever move to another company. Yes, ambitious people might jump ship – but they’re mightily productive while you’ve got them.

 

Trait #4: Autonomy

 

Managing people is expensive and a massive drain on your energy, especially if the help that they need is routine. It’s a good idea, therefore, to look for people who display a high degree of autonomy, says Sundheim. Those who are autonomous won’t ask you lots of questions; instead, they’ll move to execute whatever tasks you’ve set them. The people who are most likely to be autonomous are those who have conducted and completed their own projects in the past. Individuals who’ve run their own businesses, for instance, tend to be a safe bet. People who’ve done research projects or who have built products from scratch in the past will also be more able to work by themselves, without significant input.

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Devil In The Details; Perfect Your Business Pitch

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What makes customers buy from a business and what little details will ensure that you lose an important sale in your company? It’s an interesting question and one that you need to be prepared for either as in existing business owner or a new entrepreneur who is thinking about opening a company. It’s true to say that there are lots of little things that will make consumers more or less likely to purchase your products and services. For instance, you need to think about style and presentation. But you also need to look at how your company compares to your competition. If you’re not rising ahead of the other companies on the market, you’re not going to claim the level of demand that you want or need. To examine the issues that affect a sale we’re going to look at examples in specific industries. We’ll start by thinking about companies online and what impacts their sale rates.

 

Online Impacts

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If you’re running a business online, you need to consider the effect of your website and your social network. Both connect together to create at least part of your online business profile. Your online business profile is the tool that you can use to win over new customers online, spread the word about a product or simply build up a buzz. But again, it’s the little details that matter. For instance, did you know that a single picture, link or even keyword on your site could be the difference between a sale and a stumble on the market? We know this due to CRO and AB testing. Conversion rate optimization looks at the different aspects of a site and examines sites that have been popular in the past. Using this data, you can then correct your site to make more of an impact online. You can also use A-B testing. With A-B testing, you run two versions of one site at the same time. Half your customers sees version A of your site will the other sees version B. The difference between the two is often quite small. It could be as simple as the first picture that customers see when they open a site.

 

Customers are quite fickle, and their buying behavior is affected by seemingly insignificant details. If we keep the focus online, you can also consider the way in which your social media campaign works. Whenever you post something on social media, it is with the end intention of winning a sale. However, even the slightest change in the way you use social media can damage your chances. You have to realize that customers see your social media as part of your brand. If your social media changes, your brand does too. This means that you do need to be careful about your tone and style when posting on networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

 

In The Real World

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Now let’s think about businesses that need to connect with customers and win them over in the real world. The classic example here would be a restaurant. What are the details that ensure customers regularly book tables Friday night at a restaurant? Obviously, the main information that customers will consider usually comes from the reviews of restaurants, either from professional critics or other customers. It’s quite common for customers to rely on the opinions of others before they commit to a decision themselves. The question is what will be affecting the tone and content of these reviews. The little details do matter here, and presentation is important. Before they even get the main product, they are looking around the eatery. They want to feel at home, and they want to see that there’s an ambiance. That’s why restaurant owners often make sure they have all the little details in place such as table runners and napkin holders before they open. It all plays into the idea of professionalism and a great place to dine.

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You also need to think about your employees. Employees are important in every business and their interaction with customers is crucial. However, it is particularly important in cases where the interaction is part of the product. You have to remember that when people head out for a meal, they want to be greeted warmly by your staff. It’s not just about the food, they want everything to be perfect. Usually, in the restaurant industry, you will find that staff are more than willing to go the extra mile for customers. After all, they are looking for that big tip at the end of the night. But there will always be some members of the team dragging your business down. It is important that you weed these individuals out because they will have an impact on your sales and reception.

 

Out In The Open

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Then you need to consider that there are little details affecting your sale, even before a client has walked into your business. Yes, we are indeed talking about curb appeal. Similar to a house you have to make sure that the outside of your company is making an impression. Otherwise, no one is going to walk in off the streets. Instead, they are going to whiz straight past waiting for something else to catch their eye. Curb appeal is a crucial part of your business marketing, and you can start by thinking about basic, effective forms of promotions such as prints and signage. These will dress up your building and make sure it is eye-catching. Maintenance is important too, and even from the outside, your business needs to look like it is taken care of and well looked after. If it isn’t then, customers may make similar assumptions about your business and what type of service you might be offering.

 

Be aware that customers will pick up on the smallest of details when they examine the exterior of your company. It won’t just be what the sign says but how well it has been put up. Do your windows look bright and clear or are they covered in muck? You have to understand that every detail of your business builds to create an impression. This impression determines whether you have just found a new customer or lost an opportunity.

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