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Entrepreneurial Success Depends on Smart Hiring, Marketing and Risk
Every company needs to take the risk of launching a product or service into the market and engaging in serious promotional activities to make sales. But you cannot do this without human resource. If you are running a big company, you may have a separate marketing department which needs highly qualified staff. However, problems can arise when 
you hire so many people without a slight idea of the roles each will play.
You can maximize on a small number of talented employees and achieve excellent results. But how practical is this? The best thing is to have a small team whose members have specific roles and tasks that will contribute to the job being done satisfactorily. Sometimes you can hire even when there is no need for new employees. The new hires can save you in future when the business is expanding and sales are growing exponentially.
How much a business is successful is not directly proportional to the number of employees it has. Actually, a small group of highly skilled and experienced professionals is much better than a big team of average performers. You should avoid comparing the success of your business with another based on the number of employees you have.
To know how effective your marketing is, measure the success of each campaign individually. You will know which campaigns are generating more sales and which ones are performing dismally. You can then direct more funds to what is bringing better results. It will not hurt to ask customers how they got to know about your product or service.
Have you tried to treat your customer service as marketing? This is the first business contact that customersexperience. How you treat your customers will determine whether they will move to the next step or retreat. It does not matter how small the number of people calling is; when you answer the phone, treat the person on the other end well. What you tell customers is what they will tell other prospects. Treat them nicely and they will recommend you to other customers. Pretend to be what you are not, and you will lose even the customers you already have.
Do not be afraid of taking the right risks. In some deadlock cases, taking risks might be the ultimate savior of the situation. Use your skill as an entrepreneur to assess the situation and make the right decision. On the same note, know when not to take a risk.
No successful business goes through a smooth journey; big gains and losses are made before a company gets to the top. What you lose doesn’t matter but how you recover from your loss is what does.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs and small businesses. They entail a prestigious business address in cities across the US, a Virtual Phone Services for answering and forwarding your business calls, courier services and more. Google +
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Telecommuting- Uncovering a Recruiter’s Secrets
A certain degree of tact is required when engaging in your first communication with a recruiter. There are certain things that people want to see, and hear, and certain things they don’t. Either way, most recruiters give you one chance to make an impression. Then they send your resume off to their Recycle Bin, or they hand you a business card with your next interview date on it.
The current job market is fiercely competitive, which means that minute flaws can make or break your case. Here are some secret telecommuting secrets, which can mean the difference between a career, and disappointment.
- Who Are You?
- One Conversation
- Recruiters Need Love, Too.
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- Follow the Directions
- Ask Questions
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Many people know themselves, but do they know themselves well enough to dissect their character? Be prepared to fire off a quick response to an inquiry about what your strengths are. If you stumble over your words, or can’t present the answer quickly enough, you’ll have gotten all dressed up for nothing.
Phone interviews are just as important as face-to-face interviews. You wouldn’t take a call on your cellphone while talking to the district manager. Don’t switch over to take another call unless you want your recruiter gone when you get back. That is very unprofessional when it comes to answering services or telecommuting.
Approach recruiters at job fairs. They are there to invite you aboard. Making friends is never a bad thing, especially in the corporate world. If you come off the right way, you’ll stand out.
Most recruiters will scrap a resume if they see a mistake. Always proofread your resume and have someone else do the same. If something doesn’t look right, fix it.
Anyone can upload a sparkling resume and attach it to an e-mail, but it will mean nothing if you don’t send the cover letter with it. As far as recruiters are concerned, a resume is but paper and their company is but a way for you to pay your bills every month in the absence of another explanation.
Many recruiters include specific instructions in their applications. No matter how eclectic the directions might be, most recruiters have a system, and it will aggravate them if you do not follow it right.
Most applicants feel that the focus should be on them. Most recruiters feel that your interest in their company is self-serving. Bring what you can to the table, but take something away from it. Ask questions about the company for which you are applying.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs and small businesses. They entail a prestigious business address in cities across the US, a Virtual Phone Services for answering and forwarding your business calls, courier services and more. Google +
Guide: Mobile Payments for Startups and Small Businesses
Innovating the payment process may be a great idea, but any entrepreneur looking to enter the innovative payment processing market should be aware of the following guidelines:
Don’t attempt to fix what is not broken. If your idea 
causes merchants or consumers to take extra steps to complete a process, are you really selling something that will be worth their effort? Will your customers have to invest in expensive new technology? Will transactions actually take more time than they currently do?
Don’t attempt to solve the problems of the customers. Customers really aren’t looking for new and exciting ways to pay for goods. There are lots of merchants and fewer customers, so gravitate toward the area you can help most expediently.
It’s not about your company. Consumers really don’t care who their payment processor is. Although credit and debit cards aren’t as smart as phones, they do work, so don’t think that flashy technology hardware with your company’s name embossed is the answer.
Go for startups. Big challenges, plus small aggregate numbers equals to big opportunities. Try for lots of small business victories that will eventually add up.
Watch out for standalone wallets.We all know that Square has been successful, but there is little room for digital standalone wallets. Don’t be fooled by one company’s lucky experience.
Don’t build a business on QR codes. Only Japan has seen success with these and even there, scanning phone numbers is becoming a more preferred method.
Stay away from NFC. Those who think NFC is the next best thing may very well be disappointed. NFC checkouts can take longer than credit cards.
Social media is not your savior. No one wants to stream purchase data and platform risk can be a big issue.
Banks are worried about becoming commodities. If you can somehow help them to retain their indispensability, you’ll be a winner.
As in any business, services and service reign supreme. This business is no different. If you want your company to gain customer loyalty, customer service needs to be your main concern.
Watch for Amazon, Google and Starbucks to totally reshape this payment industry. Pay attention to the above guidelines and you can go along for the ride.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs and small businesses. They entail a prestigious business address in cities across the US, a Virtual Phone Services for answering and forwarding your business calls, courier services and more. Google +
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5 Free iPhone Apps for Virtual Businesses
With the advent of technology, it’s easier now than ever to do business with anyone in the world. Communication and connection is key to working remotely, and luckily there are several free iPhone apps that make this as convenient as possible. Now team members can communicate, collaborate, and stay organized. Here are five free apps that can help you manage your team smoothly and effectively.
1. Viber
Viber allows users to call and text anyone in the world–for free. It also allows you to send photos, and it is available in over 30 languages. The interface is simple and easy to use, with great sound quality and, best of all, it is completely cost and ad free!
2. VoxOx
While VoxOx does not provide free worldwide text and calls (though it is cheap), what they do provide is a wider range of services such as real-time 2-way translation into other languages, personalization of caller ID (to reflect you calling from wherever you like), ability to record phone conversations and also other great functions such as the Do Not Disturb mode, which routes all calls directly to voicemail and a call forwarding service to up to five other phone numbers.
3. Free Conference Call
This may be the original conference call app. Started in 2001, they have over three million registered users and 15-20 million connections a month. They have other services such as free conferencing.com that allows for up to 1,000 participants and Start Meeting which features screen sharing of files, spreadsheets, and other content to provide remote presentations to share via email or to be uploaded straight onto the web.
4. Ideapi
Ideapi is a simple to use and well-designed app to give users an organized and efficient way of collaborating on documents and ideas online. It can be used by creative agencies to flesh out ideas on specific projects and get client feedback, or by in-house recruiters to manage job details and candidates. There’s no doubt Ideapi will be a great tool for project management.
5. Vbuzzer
Vbuzzer routes your phone calls through your internet connection instead of your phone line, and can call people regardless of whether they have Vbuzzer or not! It is also a messenger client and is compatible with MSN, Yahoo, AIM, and ICQ networks as well as having its own network. The call rates are comparable to Skype.
About Jim Jacques
Jim Jacques is the President of United Virtual Office, a leading provider of virtual offices for entrepreneurs and small businesses. They entail a prestigious business address in cities across the US, a Virtual Phone Services for answering and forwarding your business calls, courier services and more. Google +
- Web |
- More Posts (4)