Added for You - Business

Finding New Customers and Encouraging Loyalty - Simple Strategies for Car Care Professionals
Car care facilities are like many local businesses; they rely on loyal customers who, time and time again, return because they like the service, atmosphere, and price. And, whether your facility is a self-serve establishment or an automatic, building positive customer relationships is crucial to business success. But, how do you grow your business and attract new customers? Do quality service and good prices translate into more customers and expanded revenues? Not necessarily…Oftentimes consumers think of a carwash as a commodity-level service. As professiona

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IS THERE SUPPORT?

It's easy to get bogged down on a project when it doesn't enjoy support. Without support most plans are impossible to implement. Support can come from clients, employees, partners, friends and/or your family. If there is a team, employees, or partners, it is critical to involve them in defining the agenda, determining how to tackle the effort and where to find the time.

A business mentor, confidante or coach can also play an important role in helping to translate good ideas into successful ventures. Business coaches are trained in understanding the differences in how people think and act. Some people focus on today others live in the future. Some thrive on planning, and others are quick to execute. A business coach can help individuals and teams build on their strengths and recognize their b

Secret to Multiplying Your Business 3-10 Times Nearly Overnight
One of the greatest opportunities in business is to evaluate “What is my average client worth to me?”When I am working with a coaching client and ask that question the usual response is either “I have no idea” or “I can’t tell you that. My customers are spread all over the place. I have a client that typically buys $10, another one that buys $1,000 and one that buys $10,000. So, how can I tell you what an average client looks like?”And that last statement is exactly what we have to look at, “How can I tell you what an average clien

SEEDS OF CHANGE

Despite enthusiastic beginnings, many well-intended plans never translate into action, and an even larger number lose momentum along the way. What enables good ideas and plans to take root? As a business coach, advocate and facilitator of strategic planning I have observed certain patterns when projects succeed and others when they stall. Intrigued, I spent some time researching the topic.

FOUR CONSIDERATIONS

After going through many articles and books on strategic planning and interviewing people in the planning profession, I have drawn some conclusions that may surprise you: Only a handful of factors play a large role in whether plans and projects move forward or stall.

There are four key ingredients:

1. The plan is important.
2. The goals are manageable and clearly defined.
3. Sufficient time has been allocated to execute the plan.
4. The plan has support

IS THE PLAN IMPORTANT?

Why undertake the initiative? For any change to be sustainable, it must be important to the organization. Clarity of purpose is key to selecting the right ideas to work on.

What are the benefits of success? Conversely, what are the consequences of failure? If the benefits and/or consequences aren't significant then the challenges encountered become excuses to give up. Many plans don't make it because at the end of the day they don't make a difference.

When a plan truly matters even the most daunting challenges can be overcome.

ARE THE GOALS MANAGEABLE AND CLEARLY DEFINED?

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

After the initial dreaming stage ends any new project can cause anxiety. The stress often stems from uncertainty. Until an effort is analyzed and broken down into specific tasks it can be unclear how a larger project will be completed. Once time is devoted to creating logical, discrete tasks, the unknown becomes manageable. Unfortunately, many projects become paralyzed before the tasks are ever defined.

Without small, clearly defined goals it is difficult to measure progress or see one's way through to successful completion of a project.

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Henry Ford (1863-1947)

IS THERE TIME?

Managing time frustrates all of us, especially when more work is being added to an already full plate. But to truly effect change, successful businesses allocate time for new activities. Here's a good rule of thumb for a business owner or manager: Don't spend more than 60-80% of your time on the routine activities of your daily work. Devote the remainder to the projects that will bring about change and improvement.

How will it all get done? More work with the same resources forces us to reevaluate and prioritize the current workload. Critical activities must still be supported. This generally means making some tough decisions about supporting activities that may not be important or finding ways to increase productivity.

There is a lot of excellent material written on time management. Here are a few great online resources:

http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/time_mng.htm
http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/basics.htm
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/makedecisions/SERV_MAKETIME.html

IS THERE SUPPORT?

Get it Right First Time With Effective Headhunting
The selection and recruitment process of new staff can at the best of times be a lottery. Business Managers are often expected to select staff for recruitment on the strength of one of two short interviews/meetings. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.When it doesn't it can be disruptive, costly and detrimental to a business particularly when we are talking about a SME rather than a large multi-national company. It is therefore hardly surprising that many companies are turning to the use of professional headhunting companies to carry out most of t

ficient time has been allocated to execute the plan.
4. The plan has support

IS THE PLAN IMPORTANT?

Why undertake the initiative? For any change to be sustainable, it must be important to the organization. Clarity of purpose is key to selecting the right ideas to work on.

When a plan truly matters even the most daunting challenges can be overcome.

ARE THE GOALS MANAGEABLE AND CLEARLY DEFINED?

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Without small, clearly defined goals it is difficult to measure progress or see one's way through to successful completion of a project.

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Henry Ford (1863-1947)

IS THERE TIME?

There is a lot of excellent material written on time management. Here are a few great online resources:

http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/time_mng.htm
http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/basics.htm
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/makedecisions/SERV_MAKETIME.html

IS THERE SUPPORT?

3 Tips to Consider When Submitting Resumes and Job Applications
Prospective firms frequently receive dozens, if not hundreds of applications for sought after open positions. The job market for high level positions can be extremely competitive. Candidates often neglect several little known ways to be easily recognized in a sea of job applications.The majority of candidates submit applications via traditional mail, email, or web forms. The fax machine is used infrequently and overlooked by most candidates. Many top level executives will reach for several documents received via a fax machine, before considering an overbearin

r the initial dreaming stage ends any new project can cause anxiety. The stress often stems from uncertainty. Until an effort is analyzed and broken down into specific tasks it can be unclear how a larger project will be completed. Once time is devoted to creating logical, discrete tasks, the unknown becomes manageable. Unfortunately, many projects become paralyzed before the tasks are ever defined.

Without small, clearly defined goals it is difficult to measure progress or see one's way through to successful completion of a project.

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." Henry Ford (1863-1947)

IS THERE TIME?

There is a lot of excellent material written on time management. Here are a few great online resources:

http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/time_mng.htm
http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/basics.htm
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/makedecisions/SERV_MAKETIME.html

IS THERE SUPPORT?

Reaching Your Consumer the Way They Want You to
At the annual American Association of Advertising Agencies media conference last week, speakers stated that the industry must cater to consumers empowered by technology and multiple content choices. A joint study with Harris Interactive and the American Association of Advertising Agencies reported that roughly one-third of consumers say there is too much advertising interrupting programming.So...in a nutshell, as business owners, what this means is that we need to find ways to interact with our consumers in ways that are convenient for them while not interrup

s. Here's a good rule of thumb for a business owner or manager: Don't spend more than 60-80% of your time on the routine activities of your daily work. Devote the remainder to the projects that will bring about change and improvement.

There is a lot of excellent material written on time management. Here are a few great online resources:

http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/time_mng.htm
http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/basics.htm
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/manage/makedecisions/SERV_MAKETIME.html

IS THERE SUPPORT?

Business Card Pricing--How Much is Too Much?
When you want to by a specific model of camera or a computer over the net, there are not many differences between buying from one website or another. The only difference is the pricing and the service. The product itself is the same.However, when you want to order discount business cards or custom postcards over the Internet, they are tailor made products that have been created especially for you’re your company. These are not standard products that are in stock, and after ordering, have only to be packed and shipped.There are a range of different pric

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IS THERE SUPPORT?

Any big change effort sows seeds of doubt. Having someone to keep you focused on the big picture can make the difference between sticking with a plan and giving it up prematurely. Clients enlist coaches to empower them to effect the changes that are important to them. Is there someone behind you and your agenda?

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My flight from Miami to Los Angeles the other day was something special. Although the 757 was filled to the gills with passengers, which is a circumstance that makes most flight attendants especially prickly, ours did their best to smile throughout the entire trip and to actually thank customers for their business. Apart from hearing the customary phrase, “Thank you for flying with us,” during the initial announcement, and when leaving the plane, I’ve never heard this reinforcing phrase or anything like it being uttered DURING the trip. One of the flight attendants said, to more than one passenger, “It is nice having you aboard!” When was the last time YOU heard that line? I scanned my memory banks, and I don’t think I’ve heard it uttered once, during a couple of decades of flying quite regularly, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, and frequent expert guest on radio and TV, worldwide.

The electrical products industry is one characterized by fierce competition, declining margins, and legislative regulations, all that have forced the majority of electrical product manufacturers to rethink their business models. This article describes a successful story from a leading electrical products manufacturer and its journey towards lean, which to date, has saved the company over $65 Million in hard –dollar savings.

Workplace violence has become a tragic reality in the workforce today. From minor instances of harassment to homicide today’s workplace is littered with danger. We know that violence can occur in any occupation and in a variety of situations. It can be internal to the workplace, or external, such as from a client or visitor. But you can take action and protect your business...

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