Small Business Tips - Increase Revenue Through Technology

I know ten minutes is a lot of time to spend watching watching videos, but when it comes to protecting your business, these password creating tips are well worth it. There are two different videos below, both part of the same segment that provide multiple solutions to password problems everyone goes through. These are great tips and something you should really consider doing both on a business and personal level. See the password tips below.

PBX phone systems are great for larger companies that want to save money in the long run by investing money up front and purchasing all the necessary hardware. However, the downside to a PBX system is that it can \become outdated due to the advancement of technology. In general, you can expect a PBX system to last and function correctly for 7-10 years. We like to break the 10 years up into 3 groups, years 1-3, 4-6, and 7-10.

Years 1- 3

This period is the phone system's prime years because they are being supported by the manufacturer and receive frequent updates. These are the years in which the technology you started with is often still new technology. Your system is usually under some sort of warranty, so any maintenance, repair, or product replacement, if necessary, is easy to find.

The strategy behind selling your product or service has been changing over the last few years due to the down economy. This video really gets the point across on how a successful business should be selling their product. Don't try to fit within the means of your prospect's budget, but convice them on why your price, although may not be within their budget, has much more value than a lower priced option. See the video below for more tips.

This short video dives into the importance of small businesses embracing social media and taking advantage of it's potential. It's important not to give up on it so early, because like everything, it takes time to become successful and garnish the attention your looking for.

I came across this article on openforum.com hoping to find some great tools that would benefit our customer service department. Now, I haven't used any of these software's, but I wanted to see if any of you have. Check the list of these 7 customer service apps below and let me know if you recommend one of these over the others.

Market research firm NPD predicts “tablet shipments will reach more than 240 million units worldwide in 2013,” compared to a projected 207 million laptops. This is three years ahead of NPD’s original predictions, so now would be a good time to integrate tablet apps into your customer service functions. Here are seven of the coolest tablet apps we found that help you provide better customer service and engage with your customers.

1. ZenDesk: The leading cloud-based customer service software solution, ZenDesk helps more than 20,000 companies, including Groupon, Box and OpenTable, improve customer satisfaction while lowering costs. ZenDesk provides easy-to-use self-service tools, as well as one-on-one customer support, all through (as the name implies) a streamlined and simple product. Price: Plans start as low as $29 per month; you can do a free trial to see if you like it. 

2. Parature for Facebook: Why not provide customer service in the place where customers naturally go to share frustrations: Facebook? Parature’s cloud-based software lets you integrate a dedicated, 24/7 customer service center into your business’s Facebook page. You can incorporate customer service solutions ranging from the self-service Parature Knowledge Base to the Parature Ticket customer support system and Parature Chat. Mobile accessibility means your Parature Service Desk and Portal can be accessed via all major mobile and tablet devices. Price: Varies based on number of users within your business.

While the second part of this video is great, most of us know that we need to set goals for our business. However, one thing that I find many businesses lack is in the first part of this video, knowing your perfect customer. Starting up a new business can be very difficult and you will likely accept anyone who is willing to do business with you as a client. As you grow, you need to learn how to identify who your ideal customer is and learn to market directly to them. This video will help you figure out how to discover who your customers are.

This is really an amazing article to relive the different marketing strategies that have been ever so succesful. This is a must read for small businesses looking to be different and really step above and beyond in their marketing strategy.

Although the greatest marketers of all time bring us different lessons, approaches and philosophies, they all achieve the same results: conversions and loyalty. Create your own small-business marketing strategy using one, or a combination of all, of the most famous marketing techniques of all time:

Tim Ferriss: Make the huge promise
Modern marketing genius Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, has taught us that we love to consume huge, hyped up promises, even when we know they’re insanely unrealistic. Admit it: The big promise of having anything in four hours is darn appealing. Join the “new rich” by only working four hours a week. Have the perfect body in four hours. Anything is yours in four hours. We know it’s impossible, yet we keep eating it up. But here’s the thing: You may still be working 60 hours a week, but you’re getting twice as much work done thanks to Tim. Tim taught us that you can promise the stars and still make people happy if you can help them hit the moon.

Mary Kay Ash: Multilevel marketing opens doors
Mary Kay Ash quit her job as a salesperson in Dallas when the man she trained was promoted above her for twice the pay. She became a pioneer of multilevel marketing so women could have just as much success as men. Her marketing innovations included: giving expensive gifts (remember the pink Cadillacs?), offering incentives for recruiting others and an emphasis on direct sales through friends and family.

                                                         Photo: marykay.com

David Ogilvy: Never stop testing
David Ogilvy is considered the “Father of Advertising.” Packing out the grand opening of a hotel on a $500 budget was his first challenge. Ogilvy pulled it off with a direct postcard campaign and fell in love with the process. He was the master of the “split test,” where two versions of an ad were published at the same time, but “keyed” with a unique way for consumers to respond, so the winning ad could be identified, then rolled out nationally. One of his most famous quotes: “Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving.”

Michael Phelps: Be the best at one thing
Michael Phelps a marketer? Maybe not in the classic sense, but he has taught us if we’re the world’s best at one thing, the world will open its doors to you. His incredible swimming skills made him the most medaled Olympian of all time as well as one of the richest. Phelps has spoken to a U.S. President, gotten sponsors including Rosetta Stone, Subway and Visa, and received more than $100 million in endorsements in 2012 alone. Lesson: Don’t try to be good at everything; commit to being the world’s best at one thing.


Photo: Getty Images 

Branding your business isn't only about marketing. It all starts with why your in business and who you want to be in business with. It's so tempting to do business with everyone who comes to you, but you need to figure out quickly who you do and do not want to do business with. Learn more in the video below.

Conference calls allow companies to be really productive. It's a way for employees to connect from all over the world. In fact, it's one of those technologies that most of us don't think about all that much and sometimes take it for granted. Here is an article from AT&T's Networking Blog exchange, written by Lisanne Powers, which I found to be very relevant to enhanced productivity. See below to learn more on ways conferencing can improve your business.

Ah…the requirements for success in our increasingly competitive business environment…continually seek productivity gains, cost savings, and employee satisfaction by enabling the ability to work wherever you need to be.  Web conferencing offers accessibility, reliability, and scalability.   With an integrated audio, web, video conferencingsolution, day-to-day meetings can be conducted virtually.  These meetings may be as productive (sometimes even more so) than meetings in the brick and mortar world, as participants can join in the conference from an increasingly mobile environment using a diversity of devices, touching ground around the globe, then going about their business when it’s finished.

Web conferences can be scheduled easily when participants can join from almost anywhere, anytime, using their smart phone, tablet, or laptop.  Participants can appreciate the simple, easy to use features such as viewing and editing documents in the whiteboard area, sharing an application, video conferencing with a web cam, and a participant list with an active talk indicator so you can associate a name with a voice.   Let’s take a look at some of the other very useful and often unsung features of web conferencing:

1. Personal meeting rooms.   Your personal meeting room link means that you have a conference room available whenever you need it.   Send an instant message to a colleague: “Got a minute?  Let’s meet.   Here’s my link.”  Enter your conference room, and you can review documents and share applications in real-time.

2. Record a conference and send the file to participants and colleagues.   You can record your conferences and file them in your documents folder.  Many conference recordings can be converted to different formats such as mp4 or /wav.

Although it's a simple tip, it's one that most business owners tend to forget. Focus on what you are good at and stick with it. If you're a natural seller, then you should be on the front line, selling your product or service. Your other daily tasks should be delegated to your employees. Learn what Phil Town does to make it through the day.