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How to Keep in Contact With Customers?

If you are a small business you can't always afford those expensive customer relationship management systems (CRM) the big companies use. More than ever you need to stay in close contact with your customers as you know small business thrives on its relationships. Without some type of database system you are unlikely to remember all the details that allow you to maximize your sales. I like to use Excel to create a customer spreadsheet and then ensure I am maintaining my relationships. 1. Excel: Put in demographic columns for name, phone, email, etc... Make sure you put in a column or two that discusses contacts and conversations. 2. Keep it Maintained: If you are selling services or pricy products you will want to keep this sheet up-to-date with sales, conversations, likes/dislikes, etc... 3. Follow-Up After the Sale: Follow-up with sale and ensure the customer is still happy. An unhappy customers won't come back! 4. Reach Out from Time-to-Time: If you want to establish

Dog Grooming-Look at the Price! How to Save?

It is tough to imagine the cost of dog grooming. In Michigan it is $20 and in California it is $60. Considering a men's haircut cost $20 it is 2 x the price. Pooches are big business! Personally, I like my dog clean. I usually wash him myself and try and take care of what I can on my own. Yet sometimes this can get difficult if the dogs hair gets matted. A few ideas on saving are.... -Cut yourself every other time. $35 for a descent cheap electric razor. -Brush your dogs hair regularly. -Instead of a full cut get one short and one clean up which is cheaper. -Look for people on other sites that work from home. They are also cheaper. -Wash and clean regularly to extend grooming time.

Eat Small and Integrate Workouts For Maximum Health

There is a trick to getting in shape but don't share it! Shhhhhhh! To get in shape one must eat in smaller portions and integrate workouts throughout your day. That means smaller and more frequent meals with less calories. You might want to add more protein. Of course all of this is useless unless you have a fitness oriented lifestyle! Add as much fitness activities and options as you can! Eat Small: While calorie reduction is often the key for most people so is the portion size. Each smaller more frequent means. Know what your eating and don't just eat because your hungry. Get some healthy snacks and leave them around so you can easily grab them. Integrate Your Workout: Go to the gym in the morning but don't forget about the rest of the day. If you have a lunch break eat a quick bite and go for a speed walk some days. Take the stair case or do some yoga in next to your desk.

Is a False Perception Holding You Back as a Successful Executive? Looking Glass Self Theory

One of the biggest obstacles that hold executives back from success is themselves! You would think all executives are confident but that isn't necessarily true; they are human like the rest of us. When executives lack confidence they may have a difficult time pulling ahead and could even be inadvertently self-sabotaging their own successes. To truly unlock your potential you will want to review your true and false self through the Looking Glass Self Theory. Executives often hold themselves back! Started in 1902 by Charles Horton Cooley the theory states that how our identities are formed are through the eyes of other people ( Lumen ).  This means that we only understand ourselves when we interact with other people. It is this interaction that helps us form our first identities. The very beginning of our lives is formed through our first contacts which include sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and close relatives. If you have a positive first experience you will be healthier

National Debt Reaches 22 Trillion Dollars Forcing Future Concessions

The national debt is rising at an alarming rate and is likely to be part of growing concerns about what will happen to our economy in the future. Out of control spending with little fiscal control is part of the problem! We must find a way to reverse course and build a strong economy while reducing debt. Moving through this mess means improving economic synergy found through innovation. Income must rise more than debt and this requires increased transaction speed between businesses that leads to more products/services that the market is willing to pay for. Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Without quick change we may run the problem where programs will have draconian cuts that leave people unable to adapt quick enough. Likewise, high debt increases risks to the U.S. economic and military position if there is not enough resource cushion.

Using Desktop for Instagram App to Market Your Business

Instagram is a great resources for marketing purposes. A single picture might create enough buzz to put a business on the "map". The social sharing site works well with cell phones because the community is focused on spreading thoughts and ideas (the very essence of a community). People who want to edit their marketing pictures before sending them may be at a loss. The Desktop for Instagram App makes it very easy to post these pictures from your computer. There is a way to upload pictures to Instagram from your desktop without using this free software. I tried it and wasted about an hour and never got it to work. Perhaps there was a difference in the technologies being used. Companies use Instagram for marketing purposes by uploading pictures and other content people may find useful. With a billion monthly users (Statista)  it makes sense for companies to start using this platform. One of the advantages is that most of the young people are already using this system and

Theory of Interactive Clusters

This Research is in process of being created. Chapter 1 is being offered here. You can then click the link to see the rest. As the Theory isn't completed it will take more time to edit and improve the theory for public consumption. Read Theory Here Clusters and Cities Clusters can be the foundation of the American economy and in one way or another are part of the historical foundation of the people. The way we think about economics in a modern era is changing and to spur further growth will mean moving to new economic platforms that are data driven and more responsive to market needs. Competing with other nations will require faster innovation and growth while drawing intellectual, financial, and physical resources to regions that contain the best ability to develop them fully for maximum financial profits and economic advancements. The Theory of Transactional Clusters helps to better explain future growth in the new economy. An economic cluster can be defined as, “socio- t

Is Your Cover Letter Important?

Employers use resumes to determine whether or not they would like to contact a potential employee for recruitment. The resume does state your most basic information and your overall history but doesn't tell people much about you or how you approach issues. The cover letter letter gives you an opportunity to show how your knowledge and experience relate directly to the position you are applying for. The cover letter is used as a quick "sound bite" of who are and why they should hire you. It should address two fundamental issues. 1.) How Your Knowledge and Skills Relate to the Position 2.) Why your the Best Candidate Create a lead in paragraph that states why you are the best candidate for this position considering 1 and 2. The next paragraph (s) will give a little more detail on why that is the case. You will want to close with an action statement and request to contact.

Why Marketing Students Should Learn Database Management?

Graduating students have new responsibilities to deal with, manage, and manipulate data. With the advent of online marketing and increasing use of customer information it is important to store and understand data. Without the proper database management skills it will be difficult for marketers to reorganization data in a way that leads to more meaningful marketing results. How Does That Skill Help While Working? Lets say you are selling product "bubbles". As you source potential candidates you will come across those that are either interested in your product or have already made a purchase. That sourcing can come from any number of different sources ranging from content marketing to cold calls. Once you have talked to someone you should input the information into your database. What does the Database do for Sales? Tracking leads, understanding customer preferences, and following up on previous contacts makes a huge differences. Databases collect information that are l

"Get the Word Out" About Your Business.....and Relax!