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The future of interior design sourcing
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesLike many other industries and professions, interior design is becoming increasingly digitized. From conception and rendering, to project management, to how designers communicate with their teams and their clients, basic processes and procedures are transferring to digital platforms. One of the areas most affected by this transformation is sourcing and purchasing. What began as a gradual shift towards e-commerce at the beginning of the decade has exploded into a robust online universe of interior design products and services. E-commerce has pulled back the curtain on interior design sourcing.
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What customers want from your loyalty program
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingYou probably already know that acquiring new customers costs more than retaining the ones you already have. Acquiring new customers can be a staggering five to 25 times more expensive than retaining a customer you already have. On the flip side, if you increase customer retention rates by only 5 percent, you can raise profits by 25 to 95 percent, according to Bain & Company research. That's the power of customer loyalty, and yet, it's an area most companies can do much better in. Read on to find out the research-backed characteristics shoppers want from your loyalty program.
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Strategies for speculative job applications
Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementA speculative job application occurs whenever someone applies to an employer for a job that is not open. Job seekers do this in the hope that something on their application or résumé sparks an interest from the employer. Most employers’ websites offer the ability for candidates to post résumés and online applications regardless of whether or not there is a specific opening associated with the application. Most speculative applications are poorly done and never result in a call for an interview.
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5 ways to leverage your introverted networking energy
Michelle Tillis Lederman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhy do we have a visceral reaction to the word networking? I often hear the mental machinations that hold us back like, "I have nothing to say." or "They don’t want to talk to me." The other roadblock is how it feels… yucky! I have heard people refer to networking as manipulation, pasting on a smile, or schmoozing. Our energy ebbs and flows during different times of day, in different situations, locations, and atmospheres. Once we understand the nature of our networking energy, we can use it to create opportunities that work with our natural and preferred style.
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4 tips for onboarding a new project team member
Deborah Ike Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementMost projects that last more than a few months will involve onboarding new team members as you move into a new phase of the project. Part of your role as the project manager is to ensure that new team members acclimate to the project as quickly and as smoothly as possible. That won't happen without planning for their arrival in advance. Here are several tips for how to get new team members onboard and into a productive mode ASAP.
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When someone you know stutters: Invaluable advice from a specialist
Sheilamary Koch EducationWhile young children may not even notice that they stutter, as they get older, living with this speech fluency disorder becomes increasingly stressful for many. "Stuttering is a disorder that comprises many elements, some that are very specific to the individual, so it’s critical that it's accurately diagnosed and managed through treatment," says pediatric speech and language pathologist Amy Sindelar, a specialist in stuttering as well as language delays and disorders. Speaking in front of the class, meeting new teachers or classmates, eating at restaurants and socializing at events have been reported to Sindelar as difficult speaking situations by some of the young people who have been in treatment for stuttering with her.
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Hospitality brands are set to leverage voice technology
Bambi Majumdar Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementA report from last year stated that close to 70 percent of people now use voice search to help research and plan their trips. That number will only rise, and we can expect the trend to grow in 2019 and beyond. For hotels and related businesses, this presents an immense opportunity as voice can open up a whole new era of marketing. Savvy brands have already started investing in voice technology, and we can expect to see innovative customer experiences coming our way soon.
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Surprising strategies to boost consumer happiness
Lisa Mulcahy MarketingAs a marketer, it's your ultimate goal to make every consumer happy with your product once they get it home. But did you know that the specific amount of personal happiness that a consumer feels at the time of potential purchase has a surprising impact not only on whether they buy but how they'll feel about the product down the line? Science has taken a fascinating look at this phenomenon. Use these cutting-edge strategies to build upon their research and ensure that consumer joy has a positive effect on your profit margin.
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New opportunities for telehealth, mHealth reimbursement that providers…
Christina Thielst Healthcare AdministrationThere has been pressure on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to address telehealth and mHealth reimbursement for years. The fruits of that labor by policymakers, healthcare providers, telehealth networks and information technology professionals are continuing to materialize with new reimbursement for remote patient monitoring and virtual visits. In a recent article, Eric Wicklund, a longtime reimbursement proponent and editor at mHealthIntelligence, presents survey data that finds providers aren’t paying attention. This includes that out of "280 health systems, two-thirds of those surveyed don’t know about CMS’ expanded telemedicine reimbursement opportunities."
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Stop abbreviating — and 7 other content no-no’s
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityEffective communication relies on the content more than the channels. But many churches want to talk about their social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) or the CMS system for their website (Wordpress, Joomla, Clover, etc.) rather than what their content should be. Let’s concentrate on the important things! Often, if the content is correct, an audience will endure a subpar channel to discover it. Sure, once you have the content honed for an audience, you should eliminate channel barriers and choose delivery tools that enhance the experience of receiving it. But only after the content is right. To get started on great content, here are eight things to STOP doing; and what you should START.
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