In my time as a sales director in the IT industry I spent a lot of time and effort trying to understand why we won and lost business, with most of the effort on the latter. In sales reviews, reading lost business reports and raking over the ashes with ex customers I compiled a comprehensive list of reasons. Top of the list was price! “The competition offered a lower price, bought the business or gave more for the same” were the usual suspects. Next was product, “they had this widget, or used newer technology or had a better roadmap for the future of their offering”. Hard on the heels of these compelling reasons was “they went over the IT managers head, blew him out of the water and changed the basis of decision”. Other reasons included “they had a better unique selling proposition (USP) than us”, i.e. our marketing people are useless; “the customer has decided to write the software as they have people with little to do” and of course “they have decided not to progress the project as they don’t have the budget”.

One day one of my best sales people came to me and said he had just lost a piece of business. Out of morbid curiosity I asked why and checked my trusty list of reasons. To my surprise he came out with a reason I had never heard before. “I was outsold, their guy was better than me”. This unprompted piece of honesty caused me to amend my list; I crossed out ‘reasons’ and replaced it with ‘excuses’. Exploring this situation further, our offering was competitive in every area so the classic excuses were not relevant in any case. What was relevant though was the competition’s sales person; he was their USP, because he added more customer value during the sales process. This was a really interesting lesson and led to another question. Why would this sales person adopt a very open position, when others blamed third parties? The answer was quite simply confidence. Unlike many of his colleagues he did not suffer from the fear of failure (or the sack) as to him losing was a lesson to learn from, not a disciplinary issue.

There are a few practical steps that can be taken to increase the confidence of your sales people and reduce the incidence of lost business.

• Firstly create an environment where the fear of failure is reduced and that engenders honesty. In turn this will help reveal the real reasons for failing to win business.

• Ensure that these causes and how to resolve them are written into the sales person’s development plan and are followed up by the individual and their managers. Make sure the rest of the sales team know and that they learn from it.

• Celebrate success; speaking to companies and individuals this is something which seems to have got lost in today’s business world. Success is infectious and builds confidence in individuals and sales teams.

People will always lose business, it is not a crime. Failing to understand why and not learning the lessons is a failure of both individuals and their management.

The world is changing ever faster. Also the business world is changing. The business environment of the internet and related businesses is changing even faster. There are for sure people who still remember a world without any computer and internet. You don¡¯t even have to go back that far. The speed in which IT has become a part of our daily life is staggering.

Although most affiliate members do not give much thought to this changing business environment in which their Home Business operates, it is not so unwise to try to envision what the future will bring. There are a few reasons why this is not such a bad thing to do. First of all, thinking about and envisioning the future will give you a better understanding of your business. You might know everything there is to know about generating traffic or web design. However, this doesn¡¯t make you an expert on the bigger picture behind it all. These are basically the forces that drive your business. Don¡¯t get me wrong! I don¡¯t pretend to be an expert myself in this field. But just by thinking and envisioning what the business environment could be in the future will give you a far better insight and understanding of your Home Business and what place it takes in the whole. A deeper understanding can help you make better decisions to grow your business or with any other goals you might have for that matter of fact.

Second of all, you might want to alter your course a bit just because you think that the future will be change. You can prepare and guard yourself, as many businesses do. And mind you, not only the world leaders and top executives of large corporations think ahead. Also the smaller companies try to envision the future. Even though we cannot change the future, we can still prepare ourselves for that future and avoid unpleasant surprises.

Here is an example of how the future could be described for the Home Business. And mind you, this is my vision and a very short version of it! You have probably noticed that ever more people join the e-based Home Business. This means that the supply-demand equation will move towards the supply side. Eventually, the e-based Home Business arena will be so competitive that for many people it will not be interesting anymore. The people who have the time, dedication, know how and money to invest will survive. What can you do about it? The thing that will set you apart from your competitors is your client base and the service you provide to them. Especially in a world where customer loyalty is not that strong anymore, service to your down line and customers will prove to be important. Obviously, you can disagree with these thoughts, but as mentioned it only serves as an example.

I wish you all a clear vision ensuring that you keep on the right track.

Keep in mind that as long as form follows function on your blogging site it will be considered to be well search engine optimized. This also applies to the visual components of your blog.

There are several ways that visual elements are going to play a part in how others see your blog. First of all there is your title. You may have to make several artistic decisions just around this including, what font you want to use, whether the font is in color, the size of the font and whether or not your title will wrap into an image. It is very common for free blogs to allow you to choose a template with an image or upload an image of your own that will be a mainstay image that sits on top of or behind the title.

It is quite important for your title to be relevant to the content of your actual blog. Although shots of waterfalls or forests might be attractive, they really don’t say much about your business. It is best to show an image that relates somehow to your blog concept. So if you are marketing outhouses, have a picture of one on your blog or at least a shot of a roll of toilet paper. Don’t forget that humor succeeds visually often as well.

For instance if you are writing a blog about aromatherapy, you would be much better off to have a blog that shows perfume in some form as an image rather than showing a skyscape of fluffy clouds.

The best images convey a message that expresses the purpose of the blog.
The best blogs always look professional and unique and they are not cluttered with an excess of visual imagery either. Stick to one type of design theme and don’t stray from it to make your blog appear as sleek and stylish as possible.

Directory submissions are an important way to make website links popular and to get top ranking in search engine result pages. You can find many directories on the internet, everything from general to specific that have their own link submission process. Before doing your directory submissions it is important that you have appropriate key phrases and rich text that can accurately describe your website. Then you can select the right category for your website and submit it. While directory submissions will require some extra work to optimize your page they are well worth your patience. For the little extra effort you put into directory submissions you will improve your search engine ranking.

Directory submissions is a concept that has grown in popularity and in recent years has becoming really important. If you have a website you are constantly looking to increase the amount of traffic that it receives and the website submission rank with search engines. To calculate where a website appears based on certain keywords a search engine will use a formula. One of the factors that determines the websites ranking is the number of back links on the website.

Basically a back link is links given to the website owner by directory submissions. These are any link that comes from another website to the owner’s website. You can find hundreds of back links even on a small website. There are many ways to attain back links, but the easiest way you can get them is through directory submissions. These back links will then help drive traffic to your website and improve your status in the search engines.

Best of all directory submissions are easy to use and free. Although there are paid options available for submitting, the free services work just as well. The only main difference is that the paid options will allow for the benefits of better placement which means more click-through visitors from the directory to your website. Both the free and paid directory submissions have the advantage of offering the owners the ability to increase their number of back links.

Tips For Submitting To Website Directories

When you are adding your website to directory submissions there are a few tips that can help you improve your chances of getting your website seen by more people. Namely you need to submit your link to the right category that is specifically related to your website and its purpose. The category should be related to your business and industry, but since there are many options available you need to pick the one that is as close to your business purpose as possible.

Just keep in mind that if you are not paying for you directory submissions then your link will have less priority over the paid listings. The directory owner will give first preference to those that are paid members when it comes to the per data available for a certain search. However, there is the chance that you can get a good listing in the search results with a free service especially if there are no paid members for a particular search. Then there is the patience aspect since some directory submissions can take up to several months to get into the search engine. The total time it takes will depend on the search engine or the directory that you are submitting to. Some search engines may index a sight right away while others can take a week or longer.

It is important that you keep a log of all your submission details for a specific website. Write down the name of the directory you submit to and the date of web submission. This way you won’t waste your time submitting to the same directory more than once. Then when you find your link listed in the directory you can check it off your log and move on to the next directory submission.

Many people go online with only a vague idea of what they are looking for, and because of that, naturally, they turn to search engines.

Because of the fact that the majority of online purchases are preceded by an internet search, and because of the fact that people very rarely search beyond the first pages of the natural results for what they are looking for, you business’s online presence can definitely benefit from the work of a skilled search engine consultant.

A search engine consultant can help you use legitimate means to get you to the top of a list of natural results. He or she can work with you and find the best ways to draw traffic to your site that is both relevant and ensure that the people who view your site are in the right frame of mind to bring you business. When you are using the skills of a search engine consultant, you’ll find that your site will enjoy page views that lead directly to an increase in business.

Another reason why you need a search engine optimization specialist is because your customers have grown a great deal more savvy. While there are many ways that you can draw them to your site, you need a trained expert to show you how to do it in a way that will leave them feeling pleased. You’ll find that if you just pull them to your site using any method you hear about, you’ll find that they are angry, annoyed and anything but willing to really take a look at what you have to offer.

If you use the wrong methods to bring them to your site, you’ll find your business suffering for it. Moreover, many search engines will actually lower the rank of your site on the natural search side if you employ tactics it has deemed in appropriate. An experienced search engine consultant can help you avoid this and come up with legitimate ways to bolster your site’s rankings.

The use of search engine optimization and of keyword placement is one that has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years, and it is clear that it often does take a professional to get the best results. If you are new to the concept of search engine optimization, an SEO consultant can show you the ropes as well help you design a plan that will make your site valuable to the people who come across it. When you are looking for a search engine optimization specialist, ask to see what work they have done, and whether they have worked with anyone in your specific industry before.

When you are hiring a search engine optimization specialist, you are making sure that your business is getting the attention and visitors it needs. Think a look at what a search engine specialist can do for you and don’t deny your business this important resource!

There are many reasons why you need a search engine consultant; make the right choice for your business and hire one today!

Franchisees need to dismiss the notion that ‘royalty fees’ are an extra payment coming out of their pocket; they are a part of the process of partaking in the franchise system.  It should be looked upon as the Franchisor’s share in profits derived from the consumer.  The Franchisee gathers the royalty fee sum from the consumer along with the rest of the funds that keep the whole enterprise going.

The royalty fee is another aspect of the business and no business would be in business if they were not making their money from the consumer.  The consumer pays for the Franchisee’s overhead, costs of sales, salaries, and of course the profit.  It all stems back to satisfying your consumer who ultimately pays for the business to run.

The Franchisee should be happy to contribute back into the system that feeds them.  A Franchisee should know that a stable, dominant, and flourishing Franchisor will only make the ‘name’ of the franchise stronger creating more of a stir in the business and thus generating more potential consumers.  If the root of your business franchise remains strong, the whole system will follow suit including all Franchisees.

The whole dynamic of the business franchise opportunity is founded upon the Franchisor initially providing a desirable product and/or service to the consumer.  The appeal of the Franchisee to become a part of the franchise is based on the success of the initial Franchisor.  The Franchisee makes a solid business decision to engage into the ‘family’ of the franchise that appealed to them in the first place.  The Franchisee carries on the tradition of the Franchisor.  It is like an apprenticeship as far as the Franchisee emulating the Franchisor, but thought the Franchisee does have some autonomy, their business still is directly effected by the ‘name’ of the initial Franchisor and this is why they collect a fee.

Considering how much direct and indirect support comes from the Franchisor, royalty fees should not be seen as a monumental strain on the Franchisee.  Franchisees always have the opportunity to build upon the root of the franchise, but they must not lose sight of how they have been provided with such an opportunity.  Lets think about four elements of a franchise:  the brand, operating system, support system, and the Franchisee.

The Brand is the name associated with the product and/or services.  To be in a position to provide opportunities to branch out, the Franchisor already has made initial strides for Franchisees to come.  The Operating System is tied in with the Brand in the sense that there has been a tradition instilled into society that is recognizable and can be replicated in the same memorable fashion over and over again through Franchisees.

The genesis of the Support System is aided by the presence of more and more stems from the initial Franchisor.  The Support System helps the Franchisee them selves develop a memorable and stellar system such as the initial Operating System of the Franchisor.  The Franchisee is improving their performance based on being a part of the larger system of the franchise.

If a Franchisee evaluates the importance and contribution of the Brand, Operating, and Support Systems then the royalty fee can really be put into proper perspective.  The Franchisee is virtually dependent on the initial and continued success of the franchise that they chose to be a part of.  Embracing all these insights should change any negative feeling about paying a royalty fee.

Most royalty fees range from 2% to 10% depending on the nature of the business.  So even if you’re a Franchisor who is paying the 10%, you have to consider if the Brand, Operating, and Support systems are feeding at least 10% into the individualized Franchisee’s business, which most likely it is exceeding.

One of the most powerful, profitable, and frustrating methods of promoting a business is by writing articles for free content sites.  Yes, this is a great way to gain exposure for your website, product, or business.  No, it is not easy.

A simple number, like 100 articles, can turn into millions of hits within a few months – if the article’s topic is catchy and hooks the reader.

However, most small businesses and work at home entrepreneurs consistently rehash the same old titles, and reword the same old articles.  Their content is lost beneath piles of other content, and remains dead on the web.

Like most small business owners, this is where you probably say ‘it doesn’t work’, and then go off on some other tangent. Unfortunately, you are saying goodbye to hundreds, even thousands of sales.

The publishing industry has a voracious appetite.  There is not enough articles to feed it, even though millions of new articles are posted for publication every month.  Like book publishing, Internet publishing is full of writers who do not give the publishers what they need.

Publishers do not need another article on the ‘10 Top Secrets to an Effective Internet Marketing Campaign.’  They do need articles that tell people How to implement an effective marketing campaign.

Titles

The first step to success is a catchy title.  The days of the ‘flash in the pan’ titles that promised riches and rewards have gone the way of the dinosaur.  Now, people want titles that solve problems.  This article could have been called ‘Turn Articles into Free Advertising.’  Unfortunately, most people already know the basics, so why read the article?

Instead, I wrote a title that takes the Internet marketer to the second level.

SEO Content

SEO is dead.  In 2004, the users took over the internet and gave birth to WEB2.0.  Now, search engines are starting to rank web pages by the number of readers who read the pages, not how well optimized the page is.

You’ll notice that most professional SEO marketing campaigns do not direct you to a website’s homepage, but an article.  That is because people will spend more time reading an article than they will spend on the home page.  This increase their chances of listing that site on www.digg.com, or Del.ici.ous.  These are the ‘new’ search engines.

Web Publishers

Web publishers are now looking for content that can be ‘skimmed’ easily, and tells people How to do something, as apposed to telling them What needs to be done.  Think of this as writing a step-by-step set of instructions that will teach a skill, solve a problem, or help someone avoid a problem.

Uploading Articles

Most business owners have two or three favorite places to upload their articles. This is very limited.  Articles should be uploaded to dozens, even hundreds, of free article sites. Each publisher has their own favorite sites. They rarely go to another site to find content.

One of the reasons why publishers use these services is to save time.  The businesses that receive the most exposure are those who spread their articles over the most sites.

Marketing is all about exposure.  Marketing tools work well when they are used properly.  They should also be given a chance.

Another all-in-one technological concept to serve your day-to-day demands all put together. Actually, WiMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. As widely known WiMAX enables the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to ADSL and Cable broadband.

WiMAX also has every potential to replace a number of existing world communication infrastructures. In the fixed wireless region, it can replace the telephone copper wire networks, cable TV coaxial cable infrastructure and in cellular zone, WiMAX has the capacity to fill-in the place of existing cellular networks.

The much important thing about it is you get all its services cheaper comparing to the services from established technologies like ADSL, Cable, and Fiber Optics etc.

Wi-Fi and WiMax

The working system of WiMAX is much different from that of Wi-Fi, which is described as internet Hot Spots. WiMax is potentially better in terms of coverage, self-installation, power consumption, and bandwidth efficiency while comparing to Wi-Fi. The conception is capable of full mobility support. It has broken away many of the Wi-Fi limitations by providing increased bandwidth and stronger encryption. It provides connectivity between two network terminals by completely avoiding the use of wires and cables.

Reach of WiMAX

The magnitude of WiMAX and its bandwidth make it suitable for wide possible usages.

• It is a powerful wireless alternative to ADSL and cable broadband access.

• Can connect existing Wi-Fi hotspots with each other and to rest of the Internet

• It can provide high-quality mobile communication services. WiMax wireless broadband and WiMax mobiles service probably work within a local loop.

Broadband Internet in WiMax

Many cable and telephone companies are considering installation of WiMAX to extend their services where they are not reachable, thus providing users the complete broadband. So, in areas where physical cable or telephone networks are not feasible until now, WiMAX will be a viable alternative for broadband access.

Today, WiMax service packages are available in indoor and outdoor models from their providers. Self-install indoor models are convenient but the user needs to be significantly closer to the WiMax base stations. WiMax working indoor are comparably similar to an ADSL or cable broadband. Related to distance, WiMax outdoor model allow users to access it from much further away from the WiMax base station.

Still WiMAX have some similar characters of ADSL. One is that WiMAX shares bandwidth between users in a given radio. So if there are many active users in a particular sphere, each user will get a shared bandwidth.

Mobile Telephony in WiMax

It is highly possible to use WiMAX with existing cellular networks. WiMAX aerials can share a cell tower without doing any changes in the function of existing cellular arrangement. Companies providing cellular services are evaluating WiMAX for means of increasing the bandwidth to provide users with array of data-intensive services. As a result it will cut down the cost of the cellular service providers thus triggering users made available with wide services at low cost. WiMAX can so effectively enhance wireless communications in an inexpensive, decentralized and installation-friendly manner.

However, it may look WiMax to be a futuristic aspect. But how broadband technologies like ADSL or Cable raised within just few years to existence, WiMax too is to play a key role in serving you before long. It is going to be a world-shattering replacement of all the existing form of telecommunications by WiMax for your most comfort utilization.

When it comes to video surveillance, the security of your business is the deciding factor. So, read on if you want to go for wired or wireless video surveillance.

When wireless video surveillance counts

With a wireless video surveillance system, you can do two things at the same time. You can go over your receipts and check on your kitchen staff in the comfort of your own office. This saves you time from going to the kitchen just to see how work is progressing when urgent paper work needs to be done. The convenience of monitoring the waiters and the counter people is also yours with a wireless video surveillance system. By adding additional cameras, you can also have an electronic eye keeping watch over the cash register and the restaurant’s entrance and exits.

The flexibility of the wireless video surveillance system is enhanced when you add a mobile viewer. You can see all the important nooks and crannies whether you are in the office, in the kitchen, or at the counter. This will deter your staff from loitering or wasting their time, so you get your money’s worth for their services. Like other restaurant owners, you want to prevent theft in the kitchen and at the cash register. A wireless video surveillance will give you piece of mind and control over your business.

Going fully wired

The advantage of going for wired video surveillance system is the confidence that a particular quarter of your restaurant is permanently covered. Other areas in the restaurant that needs your constant scrutiny are the cash register, bar, wine cellar, front door, and exits. A wired surveillance camera cannot be transferred from the kitchen to the cash register, so you have to add more cameras and have these installed in these important areas. The wired and wireless video surveillance versions give the same advantages when it comes to your business security.

Wired or wireless?

The option to go wired or wireless may depend on your needs and convenience. Many restaurant owners get both versions. The also get the pan-tilt surveillance cameras to get more viewing angles. The infrared cameras are also a hit for outdoor surveillance.

Depending on your budget, you can start with a four camera package or go full time with 16 cameras – whether your system is PC or DVR based. Wired or wireless, you can be flexible. If you want to be discreet about your surveillance, go wireless. This will cost more, though. However, in consideration of your dine-in customers, this will be just perfect. In addition, a wireless system installation will blend well with your interior.

Cost versus security

Surveillance security systems may not prevent accidents from happening, but you and your staff can be alerted immediately to prevent more damage from happening. Petty theft can be averted and your staff will be encouraged to perform better. It is not cheap to have a system installed, whether it is wired or wireless video surveillance. It will all depend on the number and type of camera you will get, and the floor area of the establishment. A package may cost anywhere from $2,000 to $25,000. Wired or wireless, the installation per camera will run from $500 to $1,000.

Indeed, when it is about security and your business, penny pinching is non-negotiable.

Many NFL fans, most of them men, although some women enjoy football as well, like to display posters of their favorite players and teams on the walls of their home. They could be put them on the walls of the bedroom, dining room, hall, or whatever part of the house that has room to exhibit them. The number of posters could vary from one to numerous. How do women feel about these posters being displayed on the walls of the home that they share with these fans? Well some wouldn’t have a problem with it, yet others would.

On one hand, a woman may enjoy seeing these posters of football players being displayed in their home. One reason for this is that they may enjoy looking at the players in their uniforms, and may think of the player as attractive, even sexy in their form-fitting football attire. Another reason that some women may enjoy having these posters displayed in their home is because they may be fans themselves, and it may make them feel proud to have posters of their favorite players in their home.

On the other hand, some women become quite annoyed when their mates (or even sons) place these football-related posters on the walls of their home. They may find them an unwanted, unwelcome annoyance and resent having to look at them on a day-to-day basis. Women may also find these posters unsightly and feel that they clash with the decor that they have in their houses. The woman may want to put up posters, or some other type of decoration of her own choosing, but can’t because the football posters are taking up the space. This could possibly lead to arguments and other problems. These problems and/or arguments can be solved or even completely eliminated if the people involved agree to compromise. Perhaps the NFL fan could choose to display his pictures only in designated areas, such as a garage, den or other agreed-upon area. Another way that they could compromise is by taking turns displaying their decorations or posters of choice. The NFL fan could agree to only keep the posters up during the official football season, and then remove them after the Super Bowl. There are many ways for women to coexist with the football fan in their life, whether they’re fans themselves, or not. All it takes is just a little understanding and compromise, and these posters should cause no problems.

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