BCA

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If so, download your FREE ebook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com

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By Mike Krutza, Co-Author, Jodi Wiff

Cultivating Leaders In The Organization

Oftentimes it takes one person to get things going, to move to a certain  direction and to finally get to the destination. That person is a leader.  Startup businesses to multinational corporations want leaders, and these  institutions aim for one thing- to cultivate leaders to power their companies.  There is a hierarchy among leaders themselves and having one strong leader is  does not suffice.

In every department, there ought to be leaders synergistically  working to boost the resources of the organization. One of the best resources to  be able to discover and hone leaders in an organization is through leadership  training.

What makes good leaders? People who have the potential to be leaders, and as  preferred by companies ought to feel a sense of ownership and responsibility  towards the company. These are motivated and strong- willed individuals who  believe that what they do matters, and that they can do big things for the  company.

Among the ranks of your employees, there are those who have the  potential, and they are bound to be leaders. Bring out the leaders in these  promising individuals and utilize their potential for the benefit of the company  and everybody through leadership training.

What can leadership training do? Training people to be leaders will enhance  these leadership qualities.

Training To Boost Leadership Qualities

Leadership training boosts initiative. Initiative is taking the  extra mile and going beyond limitations. Is there an employee who takes time to  do extra work or doing what isn’t his or her job? Take notice of such person.  This characteristic exhibits drive and motivation, and this is among the  potentials of a leader. Reward these kinds of efforts and make means to improve  this motivation.

Leadership training boosts responsibility. There’s no passing the  buck for a leader. A leader knows how to take responsibility. Pay attention to  employees who sees to it that projects are accomplished on time and deliver  quality work. If an employee has been assigned to lead a project, does he or she  take charge to complete the task as expected? This is a sign of leadership  responsibility.

Leadership training boosts creativity. Creativity brings new ideas,  new inventions and astounding novelties. Creativity is the ability to think out  of the box and transcend the mundane. It is the passion to excel and exceed  expectations. It is going beyond the ordinary. Are there creative people in your  staff? These are employees whose work and ideas stand out. Creativity is a vital  quality in leadership.

Leadership training boosts people handling skills. Good  communication and interpersonal skills are musts in leadership. A leader knows  how to work well with fellow leaders and team members. Effective communication  skills of a leader will be able to resolve workplace issues and conflicts but  always taking into consideration others’ feelings. Most of all, a leader knows  feels real concern for the company.

Training leaders is bringing out the best to those who have been  called.

By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If  so, download your FREE ebook here: Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership

Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com

By Steve Clements

The entire world is mourning the death of Steve Jobs. It is as though we knew  him personally. Yes, his products are beloved internationally. But it was his  ability as an innovator and a speaker that will keep his name alive forever.

As an innovator, Jobs did things his way-a revolutionary who rejected  accepted life routes to create, develop and market not only Apple but Pixar,  keeping his name alive forever.

Using visuals as opening a curtain of surprise

As a speaker, he was a maverick. To announce a new product, he completely  rejected the now-tiresome corporate concept of reading every word from  PowerPoint. Instead, he used his visuals as though he were opening a curtain of  surprise, stimulating delight and awe. Take a look at his announcement of any of  the new Apple products he was excited to introduce.

Personality Counts

Jobs brought his unique personality to his presentations. He combined a  child’s pride in what he had to introduce, a professional speaker’s drama about  the story he was unveiling, and a salesman’s ability to create a desire to  buy-ASAP!

His was not a standard corporate announcement. It was a relationship  he created with all of us. We wanted to share in his wondrous world. Isn’t that  what communications is all about?

How can you bring your own unique personality to your presentations? Consider  advocating to minimize the use of PowerPoint. Instead, discover what works best  for a particular presentation.

You Count!

- Is it simply graphics that support what you’re saying?

- Or, and this may be blasphemy, perhaps all that is needed is you!

If there is power in what you’re saying, whether it is informative,  persuasive or motivational, you should have the strength of delivery and  charisma to have both eyes focused on you. If your reaction is “Oh, I can’t do  that. I’m scared and would rather read the PowerPoint from the corner,” you’re  doing yourself and your company a disservice.

Work on it! Find that unique “you”  that can hold an audience in its grip with every line.

It will certainly be difficult to replace Jobs as a leader. It will be even  more difficult to replace him as the face, voice and personality of Apple.

Needed: A spokesman who stimulates our imagination

Apple, like every company, like your company, now has to search for a  spokesperson who stimulates our imagination and desire to buy. It won’t be easy  but the right spokesperson obviously makes the difference. Improve your  communications skills and you could become the “Jobs” in your job.

Steve Clements translates 40 plus years as executive trainer, Hollywood TV  producer/writer and academia (Professor Emeritus from Augusta State University  in TV/Cinema) into customized oral communications and media training programs  for Executive Speak/Write, Inc. (http://www.executivespeakwrite.com). This producer of over  3,000 national TV broadcasts now trains business professionals on how to be a  better “you” when speaking to audiences.

If you were to ask a person what a CRM is few years ago, chances are that  they won’t know what you are talking about. Nowadays, almost everyone in the  product and service industry knows about a CRM. In this article, I will discuss  the next step to customer service, the mobile CRM. Before going into the details  of mobile CRM for small businesses, let me you give a brief overview of what a  CRM software is.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is an electronic based data  management tool that provides a business with a streamlined system of data  gathering, storage, security and access. For example, the small business CRM  software is used to store customer related information such as name, address,  contact information and product or service availed of.

This information can be  accessed by any individual with proper security clearance either through a local  computer or online. Then the company can either assess a given customer or input  some more information such as last time called, concern, and date of resolution.

At any given time, different types of reports can also be made at the click of a  button such as number of complaints type of complaints, resolution time frame  and even disbursement dates.

Always remember, a small business CRM can be  tweaked to provide alerts at appropriate dates to make sure that a  representative does not forget important dates such as deadlines.

Mobile Small Business CRM: The Next Step

A small business CRM allowed business owners to easily access information  when they are in the office or if they have access to a computer. A mobile CRM  allows the same business owner to access substantially the same information via  mobile phones or tablet PC. This means that the ability to answer customer  queries, access data and record data is always with you 24 hours a day, seven  days a week.

A small business CRM in mobile form is not as simple as accessing the same  information viewable through your personal computer. This is not practical given  the difference in the size of the LED screen of a normal PC, even a laptop with  that of a mobile phone or a tablet.

Mobile CRM access means that a small  business CRM must undergo a few tweaks to make information concise and better  arranged to allow a slower processor to view and select data with ease.

Advantages of a Mobile Small Business CRM

Imagine yourself on a business trip with only your cellular phone or tablet  on hand. Your employee or co-worker calls you and says he has your customer on  the line and he wants to talk only to you. The customer is always right, so you  access your mobile internet browser, enter your security code and you are now  able to view the client’s portal.

You then take the call and smoothly process  the transaction. Detractors would argue that your co-worker or employee can do  the same job; however, actual business owners know that repeat customers are  made through personal rapport and loyalty.

Customers will also tell you that  they prefer to talk to one representative so that he or she does not have to  keep explaining the same thing over and over again.

And just before I drop my pen, if you need Expert Advice on How to Start a Business from scratch; please feel free to  visit my blog.

Make life easier and  simplify your business today by visiting http://www.maximizer.com.au/ for more information.

Are you scratching your head yet wondering what I am talking about? You’d  really think top salespeople would make the best sales managers, would you not?  I can hear you all now, “Come on Rich I want my best guys running the whole  squad.” They understand the sales personality; they understand the sales job  requirements; and if they come to the position of sales manager by promotion  they understand the company they work for.

So why don’t they make great sales  managers?

 A salesperson has to be on the hunt constantly

Well this is certainly not an absolute. Some sales people have made great  sales managers, but by and large the best sales managers are not the best sales  people and vice-versa. The reason for this can be found in the shark. Sharks  have to swim to live.

They must keep moving constantly just to be alive.

A great  sales person is the same in many ways: they must prospect and develop business  and be on the hunt constantly; and their competitive spirit and drive to  constantly win must fuel them every minute on the job.

A sales manager has to think like a chess player

A great sales manager on the other hand must have a steady hand on the  tiller. They have to think like a chess player, always many moves ahead. They  don’t get to experience the hunt, let alone the thrill of the kill (if you  will….too much right?).

In other words they have to possess a much more even  keeled personality, less like a shark and more like a tiger, effective at steady  leadership and able to handle any situation from a customer turn-over, to a team  member’s personal troubles.

Yes they understand the sales personality, but typically only their own. And  usually top sales people have trouble with empathy, a necessary trait in any  good sales manager. Yes they understand the job requirements but every  salesperson is different and they may not understand what motivates someone  other than themselves, or how to get the best from someone struggling to get to  the middle of the pack.

Finally that point about understanding the company,  aside form understanding the market in which they compete, it’s much more  important for a quality sales manager to understand the dynamics of his or her  team. What makes them tick? What keeps those sharks swimming?

Look at the personality and character make-up first

To sum up, if you’re hiring a sales manager look at personality and character  make-up first and sales results second…you’ll thank yourself later.

Richard Garvey is the owner of Sales Results Fast, a Minneapolis, MN based  sales training and consulting firm. He has been featured in articles of the  Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal and works with companies from a hundred  thousand dollars to a hundred million dollars in annual revenue. Sales Results  Fast offer engaging and interactive classroom training, sales team consulting  and building, and individual coaching.

Set more appointments, close more sales and make more money. You can start  today with our classroom training. Read what our raving fans have to say about  us at http://www.salesresultsfast.com/raves or for information on  classes and event schedules please visit us at:
http://www.SalesResultsFast.com

There’s no longer any question that digital has a seat at the advertising table, although the dollars spent there don’t yet compare to the money spent on traditional media like television.

According to Q3 2011 research from media buying solutions provider STRATA, clients are becoming just as focused on digital media as they are on spot TV. US ad agencies reported 34% of clients were thinking most about online advertising in Q3, compared with 24% the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the number of clients whose primary focus was on spot TV dropped from 41% to an almost-even 35%.

The online marketing tactics in use by the agencies surveyed did not change much, with online display, search and social media coming out on top, their usage rates stable from quarter to quarter. On social media, similarly, priorities remained the same, with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter the clear leaders, though LinkedIn, in fourth position, gained ground.

The number of agencies purchasing mobile advertising for their clients also stayed relatively stable, at 23%, but the types of ads they were creating began to change. In Q3, display advertising took an even larger lead over SMS. More than half of agencies said they are now creating more mobile display ads for their clients than other mobile formats, compared to just 16% of agencies that are still mostly creating SMS ads.

The mobile devices being targeted by those ads were changing, too. Agencies cut their interest in BlackBerry by half between Q2 and Q3, according to STRATA. Still, Android-targeted efforts lagged behind iOS-focused ones.

eMarketer forecasts display will take 33% of mobile ad dollars in 2012, pushing it ahead of SMS and even with mobile search spending. It also estimates that the iPhone will lose its spot as the No. 1 smartphone in America by the end of this year, when Android’s share will far surpass it.

For complete data charts and story, go to e-Marketer.com

By Xavier A. Rault

Once upon a time, women managed the family finances, making decisions about  home purchases, clothing, food and other necessary items. If a store owner  provided poor service, there wasn’t much the customer could do. She might gossip  with the neighbors about it, or perhaps discuss it over a cup of coffee. But  ultimately, there was little competition for the store owner’s goods and the  complaints of one person had little impact. Life and profits – for the store  owner went on as usual.

Technology has changed the face of consumerism 

Fast forward to 2007. Technology has changed the face of consumerism,  empowering shoppers to be smarter, more demanding and more resourceful.

With  literally hundreds of retailers providing the same products at similar pricing,  today’s consumers have endless options and can tailor purchases based not just  on price or product availability, but on other variables like return policies,  ease of online purchasing and payment options.

Anger a customer today, and chances are the news will spread like wildfire  through YouTube, Myspace, Yelp, Angieslist and Amazon, as consumers “take to the  airwaves” to let other unsuspecting shoppers know of their experience.

According  to iProspect and Jupiter Research, 25 % of the U.S. population visits sites like  these at least once each month, sharing complaints and compliments about  retailers with other shoppers.

People rely on recommendations of other customers

In an online retail world where products can’t be  touched and the store owner has been replaced with a web page and Shopping Cart,  people have come to rely on the recommendations of other customers. Like the  shot heard “˜round the world, consumer complaints can and do make a  difference.

In just the past ten years, technology has turned most of us into savvy  Internet shoppers and driven prices downward, as consumers are able to purchase  24/7 and have their purchases delivered immediately. While this ability does not  negate the need for the human touch, many experts believe today’s technology is  just the tip of the iceberg.

Al Myers, senior vice president of TNS Retail Forward Inc., believes that  “for those consumers and companies who can handle it, technology will continue  to improve the whole proposition. It has to, because the industry can’t find  enough people, train enough people and the customer isn’t willing to pay for  better service when a competitor has it for a lower price.

Service with people makes it harder to compete

We’re not saying the  trusted salesperson will be replaced at Saks, Neiman’s or Nordstrom’s, but in  most of retail, providing service with people is going to make it harder for  them to compete.” Myers concluded, “It won’t be long before we are scanning  entire grocery carts and paying for its contents with a thumbprint. Mirrors will  send images to friends from dressing rooms, replacing the salesperson with the  vested interest in telling you it looks good.”

As retailers move from bricks  and mortar locations to Internet-driven environments, the balance between  operational needs and profits and customer demand for low prices and excellent  service will continue to be a difficult one. But will the customer experience  improve for those retailers who struggled with it to begin with?

As Myers noted, “The same companies that provide bad customer service will  provide bad technology and vice versa.”

Mystery  Shopping Companies Can Help You Reach Your Customers Expectations.  ICC/Decision Services (iccds.com) Can Help Your Customer Service Experience.

By Roses Mark

Due to arrival of Social Media everything has altered. An online community of  Twitter or Facebook users can make or break your business with their mobile  platforms. Your company or service may be getting hundreds or thousands of good  or bad reviews on the new mobile sites like Gowalla or Foursquare. Social  Network management is growing exponentially.

Social Media tools help integrate activities

It’s in a more efficient manner manages outbound & inbound interactions  along with other small business marketing activities. They rationalize and  strengthen how to participate in significant conversation happening around in  different platforms like blogs, networks, and other public or private web  communities and sites.

SMM tools also helps you integrate activities with your other business  marketing campaigns. Here are five tools that can make your life easier:

1. TweetDeck

TweetDeck is your best (free) tool if you’re looking to administer all your  personal social profiles. TweetDeck allows you to connect across Twitter,  Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Google Buzz. You can update all or  specific networks with the same status at one time.

TweetDeck is probably best when dealing with four or five accounts at a time,  though the dashboard is generally easy to use.

2. CoTweet

CoTweet is a brilliant tool for small businesses or division of larger  businesses that thrive social media duties among team members and have a  customer-service approach to engagement.

CoTweet allows follow-up messages to be assigned to specific managers. This  can make responses more pertinent as team members with upbeat knowledge bases  can handle appropriate questions and comments from followers.

3. HootSuite

HootSuitefree version allows you to add five networks and supports Facebook,  Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, MySpace, PingFm and WordPress.

HootSuite is best for actively-managed accounts because its design focuses on  streams, which are housed in customizable tabs. You have the elasticity to  organize tabs by account, network or content, making it easier to monitor a  definite type of feed.

4. Spredfast

Spredfast has everything you need for agencies managing social media with  high ROI demands.

Its biggest advantage over other SMM tools is analytics. Measurement is  determined by the amount of content distributed, how many people were reached  and whether the intended audience was engaged.

5. Engage 121

Engage121 is best in its class at encircling monitoring, broadcasting and  engagement.

The tool is extremely customizable and can support just about any site with a  community presence. Permissions may be set to allow & approve a message from  corporate before it is distributed to area followers, maintaining a local voice & brand consistency at the same time.

The process needs be sustained to maximize opportunities

In conclusion, follow these procedures and you will be successful in social  networking and marketing that will drive profits in your business. Using  networks includes making use of a process. Therefore, you need to remember to do  this on a regular basis so that you take full advantage and attract more  followers in the future.

Roses Mark is a Social Media enthusiast and an Internet entrepreneur. Spent  over 10 years working professionally with Internet business employers worldwide,  he frequently writes articles involving new-age, social media and personal  motivation. You can find him all around the web via Facebook, Google & on  Twitter as @Socialcubix