Tackling Modern Customer Service Challenges | Businessnewsdaily.com

July 25, 2014July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Customer service should be a top priority for any company. Customers keep your business going, and making them happy is the best way to ensure that they’ll continue to come back. In today’s world of social media and 24/7 connectivity, it’s easier than ever to keep the lines of communication open between you and your customers.

“We live in an age when everyone is constantly connected to each other via the digital universe across email, Twitter, chat, etc.,” said John Joseph, co-founder of data solutions provider DataGravity. “Technology gives [businesses] the ability to correspond with customers more efficiently, and companies — especially startups — need to take advantage of the tools they have to communicate with customers.

When You Should Delegate, and When You Shouldn’t | Mashable.com

July 24, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

“Non-delegator” sounds so much nicer than “control freak” or “know-it-all,” but truth be told, that’s just semantics. Delegating can be scary — especially if you’ve been burned before and if you know exactly how you like things done — but I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s a crucial part of moving up the ladder.That said, that instinct to hold some projects close to the vest isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes you really should keep a project on your own plate. The trick is knowing when you should pass a task along hint: the correct answers go way beyond when you’re too swamped to care how it’s done and to whom.So, take a deep breath, have faith that your colleagues and employees are capable of doing a great job, too, and use the guide below to discern if you’re keeping a project because it’s the sensible rather than territorial choice.

6 Entrepreneurs Anonymously Share Their Secret Fears | Inc.com

July 23, 2014July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Launching a business is not for the faint of heart. Even those who have been at it for years and appear to be “successful” are plagued with anxiety and fear. Some of their fears may seem irrational to you, while others are ones you may experience yourself.

Is it possible that the secret ingredient to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to never let go of your fear? Maybe. But one thing for certain, it isn’t always easy to share your fears with others.

Many entrepreneurs feel it’s their job to exude confidence to instill trust in their customers, employees and investors. As a result, they hide their feelings and their fears become secrets. We asked six entrepreneurs to share their secrets with us:

1. “I worry that I’ll work so tirelessly that I’ll miss out on living or enjoying my life. That includes spending time with my family. I have twin toddlers and don’t want them to grow up feeling like they’re competing with the back of my iPhone or laptop. I want to be present and undistracted when we are together. I want those times to be often and enduring, not cut short by an incoming email or call. I want to be able to have free time to just think or read or take a leisurely walk just without a looming pressure that I’m neglecting someone or something. When I first started my company, being busy made me feel important. Now, having free time I work on vacation, nights and weekends feels like the ultimate sign of success.”

5 Simple Sales Lessons for Non-Salespeople | Entrepreneur.com

July 23, 2014July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Garrett Buhl Robinson is not your stereotypical salesperson. But he is one of the most effective salespeople I have ever come across.Robinson is the author of three self-published books and, as any author will tell you, writing a book is much easier than selling a book.

My wife Karen and I caught a glimpse of Robinson as we leisurely strolled through New York City’s Bryant Park. I watched with growing curiosity from a distance as he initiated contact with scores of park-goers. And if you stop to chat with Garrett Buhl Robinson — trust me on this — you will buy a book.Robinson delivers a rock-solid presentation in his own very simple sales format.

What’s Up With That: Why Does Sleeping In Just Make Me More Tired? | WIRED

July 22, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

We’ve all been there: It’s been a long week at work, so Friday night, you reward yourself by going to bed early and sleeping in. But when you wake up the next morning or afternoon, light scathes your eyes, and your limbs feel like they’re filled with sand. Your brain is still lying down and you even have faint headache. If too little sleep is a problem, then why is extra sleep a terrible solution?

Oversleeping feels so much like a hangover that scientists call it sleep drunkenness. But, unlike the brute force neurological damage caused by alcohol, your misguided attempt to stock up on rest makes you feel sluggish by confusing the part of your brain that controls your body’s daily cycle.

Five lessons from John Lewis’ mobile commerce strategy | Econsultancy

July 17, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

At the start of the year, retailer John Lewis announced some impressive year on year sales figures, along with the revelation that more than three quarters of its site traffic on Christmas Day came from mobile devices.

Its profits continue to look very healthy, and mobile is an ever growing proportion of its sales. So what is it that John Lewis is getting right with its mobile strategy? And what lessons can we learn in order to apply to our own?

These are some of the elements that John Lewis delivered on…

4 Things That Will Improve The Checkout Experience | Wonderbranding.com

July 17, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Just because your customer is making a purchase in your retail location doesn’t mean you should relax at the cash register. Every moment she spends with you is an opportunity to improve your image and deliver a memorable customer experience.

Here are 4 things you can do at low-or-no-cost:

Clean off your counter and give room to maneuver. It’s very tempting to load your counter space with point-of-purchase displays and impulse buying options. Are they hindering rather than helping your checkout process? Customers need room – space for purses, shopping bags, wallets, checkbooks, etc. Not to mention space around the checkout area to park strollers, umbrellas, etc. while mom checks out. A large, spacious counter area is inviting and most welcome.

Doing Things Differently to Succeed in Business | Getentrepreneurial.com

July 16, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

If you want to succeed in business there are certain things you’re going to have to do the same as everybody else, such as getting your name out there and, yes, paying your taxes on time. There are other things, however, that you should go out of your way to do completely differently, to buck the trend on, in order to secure your place in the history books of successful business owners of the twenty-first century.

With more and more people becoming self-employed and starting their own companies, the competition is stronger than ever before. Rather than letting that deter you, you should see it as a challenge, as something to thrive upon. Sure, you’re unlikely to get anywhere if you follow the same old rules and regulations. But if you choose to do things just that little bit differently to everybody else, success could be just around the corner.

To help you along your way, below are four thing you should start doing differently in your business, right now, to help ensure your success for years to come:

The Biggest Employee Deal-Breakers | Businessnewsdaily.com

July 16, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What matters most to employees? Career advancement, work-life balance and money, according to a new study from human resources software provider BambooHR.

But the survey of more than 1,000 employees in the United States discovered something of a surprise. While most workers reported career advancement as the No. 1 reason for leaving their job, the biggest deal-breakers were related to work-life balance.

The study found four critical deal-breakers that affect employeehappiness and retention. The biggest employee deal-breaker is having a boss that doesn’t trust or empower employees, followed by being expected to work or answer emails on sick days, on vacations or after work hours. Management “passing the buck” when things don’t go as planned is third, and fourth is when work isn’t flexible with regard to an employee’s family responsibilities.

How to Escape the Illusion of Time Management | AllBusiness Experts

July 16, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

“Oh man, I have so much to do today. I really need to learn to manage my time better.”

It’s a story as old as time itself. We look at a big list of things we need to accomplish and start divvying up the amount of time we have to get them done. We slice it and dice it and manage every little bit of it. We fret about how much time is passing while we’re trying to get everything organized. We make lists and schedules and then fret about whether we are ahead or behind. We tend to call that “time management.”But believe me, it’s an illusion. There is no such thing as “time management.”

For one thing, “time management” implies that there is something controllable about the passage of time. Unless you’re an experimental physicist with a DeLorean and a flux capacitor, there really isn’t anything you can do about how many hours are in the day. Your job isn’t to manage time, it’s to manage priorities