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You don’t bring me flowers anymore: When customers turn on you

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

One day you’re walking on water, the best thing since sliced bread, you can do no wrong, and your customer is going to tell all their friends how wonderful your product and service are. And the next day, wham, suddenly you’re a pariah, a nobody, the worst ever, and they’re going to report you to the authorities to have your licenses revoked, have you thrown in jail, and bashed on any social media that exists. What happened? Did you change overnight? Did the other person change overnight? Did the circumstances surrounding your relationship change overnight?

How to turn your brand into a phrase that pays

Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Branding has become big business among interior design professionals as they strive to get heard above the noise and stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace. There are nearly as many interior design "brands" out there as there are interior designers, but the most effective of these — the ones that create the most buzz and attract the most business — have one word in common: "Only." Nothing differentiates your design firm more dramatically and spells out your specialness more effectively than that word.

AI? Automation? How to use tech to improve marketing

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the power to change everything. But only 18% of B2B marketers and sales professionals are currently using it, found a 2019 DemandBase survey. Of those with access, over 40% said AI is the most important investment to achieve better sales and marketing performance. Nearly 33% went so far to say that it’s revolutionizing their marketing and sales performance. But most marketers (55%) don’t have the budget to invest in AI. Yet, you can likely use marketing automation tools to accomplish much of the same.

Your personal brand: You are who people think you are

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

It happens every single time someone sees you, your name, or hears your voice. It is inescapable, and it plays a significant role in how people respond to you. For example, it's about 3 p.m. and your smartphone buzzes, so you look at your phone to see who is calling you. In an instant, you recognize co-worker Larry LeGarrett’s phone number and wham! — you brand him before you decide what you are going to do with the call. Whether you answer or let it go to voicemail depends largely on how you feel about the Larry LeGarrett brand.

Small-business owners lukewarm — or worse — on new tax law

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

At best, some owners of small firms are lukewarm about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) that Congress passed and President Trump signed. We turn to an April 10 public opinion poll from Businesses for Responsible Tax Reform. Among 501 small-business owners who were polled March 26-27 across the U.S. who have filed their taxes or are yet to finish their filing, nearly half, or 48%, reported that the new tax law did not make their profits or firms grow. About a quarter, or 24%, said the law caused them harm.

5 fresh ways to reduce consumer risk aversion

Lisa Mulcahy Marketing

As a marketer, your one of your goals is to keep your demographic as reassured as possible about parting with their hard-earned cash when choosing your brand's product. Yet, consumers can be risk-adverse about spending in surprising ways. Cutting-edge research has been looking into the phenomenon of unusual reason for risk aversion. The good news is you can use these findings to make what your brand offers more appealing to your target demographic. Use the following strategies to obtain great results!

The employee who cried wolf

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

What do we do when a whiny employee keeps whining? If we cannot move them to another department, we tend to try our best to "yes" them out of our office, ignore them or delay responding in the hopes they will go away. In many cases, while the employee may continue to be annoying, taking one of these approaches is often sufficient. However, if a legitimate issue does arise, the pattern of not addressing earlier problems can come back to bite us. Here are a couple of ways to rethink the approach to the employee crying wolf in case a wolf does actually show up.

Advertising without paying for social media clicks

Catherine Iste Marketing

Businesses in the cannabis industry are not allowed to advertise on most social media platforms. Yet, with over $10 billion invested in legal markets in 2018 alone, the industry will continue to see growth. While traditional retail products may have little in common with that industry, the lessons learned from its ability to reach customers despite restrictions on social media can be valuable to any retailer. Of course, it is not that the industry is not online. It has just had to find clever ways to infiltrate social media without paying for clicks.

How telecom fraud is becoming so popular

Mark Hearn Communications

You've heard about credit card fraud before. You might have been a victim, too. This type of fraud is accountable for the loss of billions of dollars. While the government and other organizations are working on reducing credit card fraud, they now have another challenge in the form of telecom fraud. It's said to be more destructive and harmful than credit card fraud. Moreover, some experts even believe that telecom companies allow fraudulent activities to take place because it is profitable for the business. In this article, we'll talk about telecom fraud and why it's such a common occurrence these days.

The just-in-time effect: How Amazon and Uber have changed associations

Linda Popky Association Management

Big-box stores and local mom-and-pop shops are fighting to survive because they can't compete with the combination of selection and prices offered by Amazon. Taxis can't compete with the convenience and service offered by Uber and Lyft. But there's another area that hasn't received as much attention, and that's the business of associations. No, Amazon is not about to offer Prime Deals on association memberships. Neither does Uber run in-person meetings, events, or workshops. But their influence is felt nonetheless due to something I'm calling the just-in-time (JIT) effect.

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