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Who comes 1st? Customers or employees?
Mel Kleiman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWho comes first, the customer or the employee? Some argue that running a business is pointless without customers and that making the customer happy comes first. One expert believes that having customers is pointless unless you have employees who will do their utmost every time to create a positive experience for your customers, so making your employees happy comes first.
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Lead nurturing 101
Sladen West RetailA common mistake among businesses is to automatically siphon all leads the marketing team makes off to the sales team. The sales team may try to act on those leads for a while, but when they find that the majority of those leads are still researching the product, they will quickly become frustrated and dismiss most of the leads sent their way as a waste of time. What is missing in this process is the act of lead nurturing.
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Best practices are not the holy grail
C. Fredrick Crum Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementIn my travels I have heard many leadership teams tout with great pride that they are using best practices. So when I say, "You are using common practices," they always get a strange and puzzled look on their face. How can you dominate or lead in your market by implementing the same practices and solutions everyone else has adopted as best practices? The answer: you don't.
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Relieving your biggest management headaches
Harry J. Friedman RetailAs a retail business owner or manager, it often seems that you're so busy trying to put out daily fires that you let certain sales standards slide. It's up to you to decide whether you're willing to accept these behaviors or put an end to the headaches for good.
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Web presence: 5 cornerstones for pet businesses
Clarice Brough Pet CareDevelop a pet business Web presence and make 2014 your best year yet. Your customers are online and they're looking for you. According to Wikipedia, 81 percent of people in the United States now use the Internet. Being online is no longer a simple yes or no proposition; today it’s important that your pet business is on the Internet.
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Ideas to promote your LinkedIn profile
Mayur Kisani MarketingLinkedIn, with its user base of 260 million-plus professionals worldwide, has become a hub for business people from all walks of life who are on the lookout for new opportunities. Such a vast digital space can be the source of your next great opportunity, whether it be for your business or a great job. Here are a few ways to promote yourself and your personal brand on LinkedIn.
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3 major market forces changing the pet business customer
Clarice Brough Pet CareIn today's technology-driven market, business owners must continuously step up to the plate and embrace new retailing models. If I asked if you know who your customers are, you would probably say, "Sure I do, I help them with their pets daily, or at least weekly." But in just a few years there will be a new market place. Right now many of your customers — possibly most — are people heading into retirement age. There are some pretty young people too, but not as many in the mid-level age group of 25 to 40.
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Maximizing sales during the Christmas rush
Harry J. Friedman RetailAs exciting as it can be on the sales floor during the Christmas season, the rush inevitably creates havoc for retail stores and makes it difficult for them to maximize potential sales. The number of customers who wander in and out of stores during the chaos without being acknowledged, directed to merchandise or served in any way equals lost sales. When faced with the option of waiting for assistance or going to another store, the majority of customers move on to another store.
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The View from Europe: An open-and-shut case?
Andrew Gaved Construction & Building MaterialsWith energy prices at unparalleled heights in many parts of Europe, retail refrigeration managers are under pressure to reduce energy in any way they can. Interestingly, one of the most well-proven changes in terms of guaranteed savings and certainly among the simplest in engineering terms is the one that has met with the most resistance — putting doors on the open-fronted chillers.
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Guilt-free consumption: The new trend in luxury
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesAccording to recent market studies, consumers are struggling with more than their wallets these days. Affluent shoppers in particular are feeling conflicted between their desire to spend and their aspiration to do the right thing, say the market researchers at Trendwatching.com. They are looking for products and services that will deliver value and quality while, at the same time, provide reassurance that they do no harm.
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