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IT Service Contracts Require Practice
Sometimes after you secure IT service contracts, you might be afraid that your customers might give you more than you can handle, or that you won't be able to deliver service on time. But not to worry - if you fully prepare yourself and follow specific guidelines you will be able to follow through with your promises.Experience Breeds ConfidenceWhen offering IT service contracts, just start selling. You can go slowly at first to get used to the process, but you need to just get started. You can't train yourself to be confident, and there is no specific recipe to follow that will guarantee confidence. It will only happen when you start to sell IT service contracts and delivering the services you are offering.Start with small accounts and then go to larger accounts. Don't eliminate the possibility of taking on a larger one if it happens, but know that the only way to create larger opportunities is by starting small to build your service reputation.PreparationYou wil

f a dozen of them have profiles on the company's website)? Let's say that you want to do some work for ABC Company. And lo and behold, half the ABC execs worked for PayPal back in the day and the other half worked for FedEx. Great intelligence! You see that they have a strong Notre Dame alum thing going on, and some connection to Stanford as well. Now you can use your FedEx and PayPal alum contacts, your Notre Dame folks and your Stanford fellows to help you get 'over the wall.'

6) You wouldn't email a complete stranger, even if you obtained his business card (say, by stealing the win-a-free-lunch goldfish bowl of business cards at P.F. Chang's) to say "Hey, why not b

5 Steps To Effective Customer Loyalty Programs
Increasingly organizations are becoming dissatisfied with their customer satisfaction surveys and turning instead to designing and implementing customer loyalty programs. The reason is simple, after 10 years of running national customer satisfaction surveys the American Customer Satisfaction Index has, basically, not moved at all. This is despite industry reportedly investing USD800,000,000 each year on improving customer satisfaction.So what to do? Organizations are beginning to understand that it’s not just about satisfaction. In order to improve their businesses they have to implement customer loyalty programs. Customer loyalty programs are different to normal customer satisfaction surveys because the later use outcome as an indicator of past success. The real goal is to understand and improve the areas of the business that drive customer loyalty.In my experience there are five key steps to implementing good customer loyalty programs.Step 1: Link customer loyalty to bus

1) When you have significant news in your business - for instance, a big product launch or a joint venture - use LinkedIn to notify your contacts by way of a profile update. And in your accompanying email message to the network, say "I would love to catch up with you - want to make time for a phone call?" It's that keeping-up process that sparks conversations about opportunities both for you and your contacts. It's in these conversations (which could be done by email, although probably not as well) that ideas will arise about prospective clients, partnerships, and other revenue-generating projects.

2) Use LinkedIn to understand the relationships between people you know and people you want to know. For me, this is the heart of LinkedIn's value - the ability to see at a glance how people you don't know, but would like to, are connected to people who are closer to you. So when you find Mr. Lofty Dude in the LI network and realize that he used to work with your former admin assistant - a data point you almost certainly wouldn't have acquired on your own - you can reach out to the admin and get, not only an introduction, but some intelligence about Mr. Dude's current dealings, needs, and hot buttons.

3) Connect, by all means, with your former colleagues from every company that has ever employed you. There is something about old-workmate ties (unless you, er, aren't the sort that former teammates think of fondly) that can't be duplicated in most relationships of shorter duration. Seek out these old workmates, tell them what you're up to and who you're most interested in meeting, and offer to help them out as well. One good lead would be worth the price of LI membership - oh wait, it's free - or anyway worth the price of your time doing LI searching and connecting.

4) Let's say that you would dearly like to work with General Motors, but you can't find anyone at GM who seems especially suitable for contact as you search the LinkedIn database. No problem. Find a current GM vendor or customer in the functional area you're interested in, and reach out to him or her. Is there something of value that you could offer in exchange for the introduction you want? In an ideal world, your sterling qualities and dazzling personality should convince this new acquaintance that introducing her client to you is something of value all by itself. But don't bank on that. Offer to extend an invitation of your own, or design his or her new database, or something.

5) Use the LI database to understand more about your prospects. This is the beauty of LI - what other source will tell you where many or all of the senior execs of your prospect organizations used to work (given that only half a dozen of them have profiles on the company's website)? Let's say that you want to do some work for ABC Company. And lo and behold, half the ABC execs worked for PayPal back in the day and the other half worked for FedEx. Great intelligence! You see that they have a strong Notre Dame alum thing going on, and some connection to Stanford as well. Now you can use your FedEx and PayPal alum contacts, your Notre Dame folks and your Stanford fellows to help you get 'over the wall.'

6) You wouldn't email a complete stranger, even if you obtained his business card (say, by stealing the win-a-free-lunch goldfish bowl of business cards at P.F. Chang's) to say "Hey, why not bu

Growing from Entrepreneur to Manager
Small business is hardly small when it involves 5.6 million enterprises, employs more than 60,000,000 and accounts for 80% of new job creation. Small business is the heart and lifeblood of our economy.Great democratic and capitalist experiments worldwide continue to produce a record number of new business start ups year after year. Never in history have so many entrepreneurs emerged to start new ventures.Unfortunately, there are a record number of small business failures each year also. Failures are harder to track but, in the U.S.A. alone, some followers place the new business failure rate as high as 80% in the first two years. The statistical basis for this extraordinary claim is a mystery. The most conservative estimates, however, based on government records of tax returns, place the new business failure rate at approximately 50% within the first five years, a number which is still shocking.Add to this the many small businesses that are under-performing. These are businesses scr

w and people you want to know. For me, this is the heart of LinkedIn's value - the ability to see at a glance how people you don't know, but would like to, are connected to people who are closer to you. So when you find Mr. Lofty Dude in the LI network and realize that he used to work with your former admin assistant - a data point you almost certainly wouldn't have acquired on your own - you can reach out to the admin and get, not only an introduction, but some intelligence about Mr. Dude's current dealings, needs, and hot buttons.

6) You wouldn't email a complete stranger, even if you obtained his business card (say, by stealing the win-a-free-lunch goldfish bowl of business cards at P.F. Chang's) to say "Hey, why not b

Why All Managers Are Alike
Because, like you I suspect, they have key target audiences whose behaviors help or hinder them in achieving their organizational objectives.But even in their own best interests, too few involve themselves in their public relations effort to the degree they should.The result can be a PR program that overemphasizes things like special events, media relations or communications tactics, without a basic, realistic plan for delivering the key audience behaviors they need to succeed.I’m talking about behaviors that lead to strong community support; increased repeat purchases; growing capital contributions; positive consumer reaction; higher employee retention rates; healthier relationships with bargaining units; legislators viewing the organization as a key player in the business or charitable communities; competitors with a grudging but healthy respect for your operation, and suppliers ever more anxious to keep your good will.If this sounds like something you might like, make sur

e ties (unless you, er, aren't the sort that former teammates think of fondly) that can't be duplicated in most relationships of shorter duration. Seek out these old workmates, tell them what you're up to and who you're most interested in meeting, and offer to help them out as well. One good lead would be worth the price of LI membership - oh wait, it's free - or anyway worth the price of your time doing LI searching and connecting.

6) You wouldn't email a complete stranger, even if you obtained his business card (say, by stealing the win-a-free-lunch goldfish bowl of business cards at P.F. Chang's) to say "Hey, why not b

Keeping Abreast Of Your Domain ...Updates and Keeping Up With It All
Another major complaint that most business owners have is all the reading they need to do to keep abreast of what is happening in their business area. Again time management and organization can be a tremendous help. Be sure to put your reading times in your daily schedule. Schedule a half hour in the morning to read at least one article in a magazine. While having lunch, read updates or small bulletins. Make a folder in your e-mail program and organize the articles and newsletters you wish to read and then schedule time specifically to peruse these articles and newsletters in the evening and on the weekend. You don't need large blocks of time, half hour, forty-five minutes will do. However, if you schedule your reading on a daily and/or weekly basis you will be better able to manage it all, and in the long run have more time to yourself. I know you are saying, how do I find the time. Well remember to read our organizing and time management articles. nctional area you're interested in, and reach out to him or her. Is there something of value that you could offer in exchange for the introduction you want? In an ideal world, your sterling qualities and dazzling personality should convince this new acquaintance that introducing her client to you is something of value all by itself. But don't bank on that. Offer to extend an invitation of your own, or design his or her new database, or something.

6) You wouldn't email a complete stranger, even if you obtained his business card (say, by stealing the win-a-free-lunch goldfish bowl of business cards at P.F. Chang's) to say "Hey, why not b

Policy & Procedure Manuals - Tools For Greater Productivity and Efficiency
In today's tough retail environment the retailer needs all the tools he can get to help improve efficiency, productivity, and the bottom line. Two of these tools are the company's Policy Manual and Procedure Manual.In working with independent retailers throughout the country we have found that the majority do not have written policies and procedures. When questions or problems arise concerning the store's policies or procedures the store owner/manager handles them on an individual basis. The problem with this approach is that it takes too much of management's time and can lead to inconsistency in dealing with company policy and procedures.Employees respond well to an environment in which company policies are well defined and equitably and consistently enforced. Therefore, having a written Policy Manual and Procedure Manual can make a store a better employer and a stronger profit maker. The Policy Manual will give the employees the information they need concerning company regulations a

6) You wouldn't email a complete stranger, even if you obtained his business card (say, by stealing the win-a-free-lunch goldfish bowl of business cards at P.F. Chang's) to say "Hey, why not buy some stuff from me?" So please don't reach out to new LI contacts by saying "Maybe you could help me make a new-business contact." I wouldn't recommend that. Instead, read this intended contact's profile. Let's say you are reaching out to me, who runs an online community. Two seconds of reading my profile would give you some ideas of things that might interest me. I guarantee that a typical working person could offer me something I'd be interested in. So, when you make your LI outreach, mention that thing that you could offer! Write "I would love to connect by phone, both because I'm interested in your relationship with [my most-desirable prospect company] and because I have great friends in the social networking community whom you should know." Bingo.

7) Many people in the business community, especially avid networkers, have numerous connections that don't do any [short-term, revenue-generating] good for them personally but that could be invaluable to their new networking contacts. Think about these valuable contacts as you reach out to people whom you hope might help you. For instance, I know lots of headhunters who have great media contacts - contacts I would drool over - journalists who regularly call them up for insights on the job market. Unfortunately, apart from occasionally mentioning in her stories that Joe Recruiter says that the job market is looking up, the journalist can't do much for Joe - she isn't going to write a profile on him any time soon, for instance. But she might write a profile on someone that Joe has just met through LI. Of course, Joe wouldn't throw around her name carelessly - but he might say, "You know, I can't guarantee anything, but for your kindness today I'd be happy to introduce you to my friend, an editor at the San Jose Mercury News, who might be interested to talk with you." Rock on.

8) When you spot a cluster of people on LI who all know one another and are all accomplished in the same arena, that's a really special thing. It means that a group of folks who perhaps worked together, or met online, or are part of a group together, represent a kind of mother lode of shared knowledge around a particular area - say, SEO or CRM or German opera. That's huge, because jointly, these folks may comprise the lion's share of the current thinking on the topic. You can reach out via LinkedIn to one of them, and say, "You know, I'm trying to get up to speed on the operas of Handel. Might I sent you an email message with some of my key questions, and ask whether you wouldn't mind sharing your thoughts with me and also forwarding my message to your friend Jack Sprat, who could undoubtedly add a valuable perspective?" With luck, in the case of a

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