Hip Young Things » Business

Attract Customers and Network at Trade Shows

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:10:00 +0000

Deciding how you will design your booth at trade shows can seem like a complicated and encumbering task. Well, there’s only good news to report. Not only are trade shows essential to your business growth and visibility, but designing the most attractive, inviting and informative display booth is actually a lot easier and even interesting than what you might guess. With the amount of technological sophistication that is involved with creating amazingly clear and creative images on all types of display boards, the possibilities are limitless for what kind of a booth you can create.

And this is important because your business needs to stand out in any way that it can and the two main objects with trade show booths are to draw new customer attention to your business or product and to network with other professionals. You want to demonstrate professionalism and product or service quality to potential customers and also to other businesses. You want to stand out against competitors and attract professional relationships . And while your actual business is the non-negotiable factor, the quality of your display booth will determine who and if anyone is interested in you in the first place. Stand out in appearance, stand strong in quality and stand behind your product. Let that be your trade show motto.

Attract Customers and Network at Trade Shows is a post from: Hip Young Things

Creativity in Sales

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:10:00 +0000

Salespeople have to get creative to make the sale. It used to be that people expected to be sold to, but that is no longer the case. Few people in business or in their personal life have the energy to sit through a conventional sales meeting . No one wants to go over facts and figures that they can not really connect to anything when they have instant results for almost anything they could possibly want just by getting on the internet. Of course rarely are the tools that are on the internet as useful and the tools that a business can sell us, but it is hard to see that usually.

Many managers go to years of business school and attend regular management trainings. Some of them pick up on the concept of creativity and others fall flat. Some of them will tell you that it just took the right management training, while for others it comes naturally. As a manager you need to create an atmosphere where it is ok for your salespeople to be creative . Give the sales people a little more free reign. It is pretty much guaranteed that the great sales people will flourish and the bad ones will either do as well as they always have or they will fail.

This doesn’t mean that you have to take away all the training material or stop sending them to sales training . Instead this means that you should send them to more sales training so that they will pick up creative ideas and you should make the training material, the basic sales pitches and material optional. Also talk to the top sellers, find out what they are doing, ask them to use their public speaking skills and teach the others personalized sales training. This both rewards the employees who are doing well and helps show the kind of atmosphere you are looking for from all of your employees.

Creativity in Sales is a post from: Hip Young Things

A Different Business Model

admin — Wed, 19 May 2010 01:10:00 +0000

There are some things that years of sales seminars and lessons on how to be a better salesperson can never teach, but it doesn’t mean that people don’t try over and over again to teach what looks like the unteachable to people. There is a good way to make people learn how to sell, or get them out of the way of the company. That is to let them sell stuff and keep track of money owed, money made all on their own, essentially let them run their own business, using the main company as a producer of the product they sell. It is guaranteed that each sales person will get better or they will leave knowing that they can’t make enough money out there. The Southwestern Company does just this, and they have been doing it since the Civil War. That isn’t to say that they haven’t had ups and downs, but the ups have far outweighed the downs, and part of it is because they don’t keep bad sales people long.

The nice thing about this business model is that it means that when and if the good ones leave a company they have trained themselves to be able to run their own business or to be able to interview well at another company. While this may not feel good to most employers, it should also be noted that in the case of the Southwestern Company, graduates are notoriously loyal to the company and will often go on to higher up jobs than work somewhere else or even start their own independent business.

For the employee it provides a feeling of job security since they can decide when to quit and the only way they are fired is if they are no longer allowed to buy from the parent company. Although times of uncertainty will make someone wonder if they are cut out for such a job, this might be an expanding field with so many young college students unable to get traditional jobs. If your company did this sort of thing it would be beneficial for all involved.

A Different Business Model is a post from: Hip Young Things

Manager by Day, Video Gamer by Night

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:56:00 +0000

Dahlia has had different jobs throughout the years. She once worked as one of those people who tests out the latest and greatest video games that come out on the market. She got all kinds of perks that go with the job too, and because she was friends with someone who works a little more in depth in the industry, she got even more free perks. Dahlia also has a thing for bad puns, and would call that old job the reason why she was so perky back in her college days.

One of the games that she once had the pleasure of testing was the original Silent Hill. Incidentally, she loathed the movie as it was not true to the original in many ways. Dahlia is a huge fan, especially because on of the main characters actually has her name, the mother of Alessa Gillespie. For Halloween, she dressed up as the character even though no one knew who she was supposed to be: the game had yet to be released yet. She kind of misses the old days before she got what she calls her real job now in management training program.

She still does play video games still but not for pay. Dahlia collects old consoles too. She has them in her office on the walls as decoration. Most of them still work too. We actually met in college because I had the same job as her before I also got my real job. We still get together every Friday night to play some old school games like Mario Brothers. I’m a Luigi fan whereas she is a Mario fan. She gives me endless insults for my taste in the famous video game duo: Luigi is supposed to be the lesser of the pair even though I know better. I joke back that my job in organizational development is better than hers in the same way she teases me about my love of Luigi. We actually work in the same company, but in different parts of it. I actually put in Luigi’s Mansion into one of the consoles for a joke. It took her a week to find it, but only a second to figure out who had done it.

Manager by Day, Video Gamer by Night is a post from: Hip Young Things

What is a Googlebot?

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:20:33 +0000

When I first learned of Googlebots, I had a picture in my head of small robotic spiders that came after Tom Cruise in the movie “Minority Report” . Googlebots are also referred to as web bots, crawlers or spiders, and they literally crawl through the Internet gathering information about different sites on the Web, and passing them off to the search engines and the Google index. This consists of many different computers which work much faster than you or your solitary browser, to get you the information in which you are looking for.

These sites and web pages are found in this way, as well as the Googlebots locating sites through specific URLs. This is where search engine optimization can make a huge difference, in that it makes it easier for your site to be found by the crawlers. When a page is retrieved, all the links on that page are added up and set to the side for future reference. This not only allows the Googlebot the ability to harvest links and store them, but it allows them to search deep within a single site.

One of the elements of such searches is that it goes everywhere on the Web, meaning that if someone has written and posted something about you or your company, that will be found. In this day and age, anyone can write anything, regardless of the truth of the subject matter. It is for this reason than many people, mainly business owners, invest in what is known as Reputation Management . This is a way in which to not only monitor what is being written about your company and your products, but it is also a way in which to gain a bit of control over what a search will reveal.

The best form of reputation management is the proactive approach, to invest in it before you actually need it. For once something is on the Web, it can be a bit difficult to knock it off of the first page of a search. By investing a bit of time, you will be amazed at the results of search engine optimization and online reputation management. It will protect you and your company’s honor, as well as ensuring that you are easily found by people searching the Web for products or the services in which you offer.

What is a Googlebot? is a post from: Hip Young Things

TransGlobe and Great Property Managers

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:31:01 +0000

Great property managers have many things in common, one such thing being the ability to really listen to their tenants, and being able to and open to communication. This is what defines those at TransGlobe Property Management, this is what makes this company stand out. They are involved in the lives of their residents, be they living or working tenants, they are proactive and they remain knowledgeable and up to date, current and modern.

They are resourceful, articulate and personable, they make excellence something that all other property management companies strive for. The basis behind their competence has to do with their ability to create communities within their properties. All of the agents communicate on a regular basis, with all of their tenants in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Conflicts in life arise only as a result of a lack of communication or a breakdown of it, and a property manager that knows what he or she is doing will be able to look into the perspectives of other people, and understand them. They are great diplomats and incredible problem solvers. They must take into consideration the views and concerns of many different people all at one time, they must be the go-between.

Understanding the views of the owners of the buildings and the tenants, is a must. They must stay up to date on all reports, financial and otherwise, according to the day to day ways in which the operation of the buildings run smoothly. They must be up to date on the real estate laws for the regions in which they serve. Life in Canada is laid back, a bit European, and the managers at TransGlobe Property Management understand that community matters. The buildings are well cared for as well as the residents, and living in or working in a building managed by the company will be one of the best decisions you will make when choosing to rent in Canada.

TransGlobe and Great Property Managers is a post from: Hip Young Things

TransGlobe at the Big Bike Findraiser

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:14:13 +0000

With thousands of properties to choose from, offering rental apartments and business buildings to discerning clients, we’re sure we have something special to offer you. At TransGlobe Property Management, we’re here to work with you every step of the way, and our relationship continues as long as you live here. We’re committed to helping you to find the perfect place to live or work, something that suits your needs, tastes, and budget. We’re also here after you move in, because we base our success on the satisfaction of our clients. We respond to issues with efficiency and courtesy, because we’re also dedicated to helping our communities grow.

Making neighborhoods better is something that everyone participates in, and we like to contribute as much as we can. When we participate in events, such as the Heart & Stroke Big Bike Fundraiser, we get to know the communities better, and up close, while we’re having fun for a good cause. We’ve participated in a host of events like this one, and every time we do, we learn more and this helps our company to continue to evolve. Although we’ve been here for 15 years, and our team members know the cities and neighborhoods, we’re still always learning, because Canada is always changing and evolving.

As we continue to grow and expand, with new apartment buildings and new offices, we enter into new neighborhoods. We don’t have to say that Canada’s neighborhoods are unique and lively, because we all know this, but it’s still very exciting. It’s always wonderful to get to know a new place. Your sense of wonder and excitement, when you start looking through our splendid listings and start dreaming about your future, is something that we also share. At TransGlobe Property Management, making these dreams into realities is something we love to do, and working with clients for their continued satisfaction is something that gives us great pleasure, and that’s why we’re here for you.

TransGlobe at the Big Bike Findraiser is a post from: Hip Young Things

Think outside the box

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:55:18 +0000

Have you ever seen the movie Office Space? One of characters in the movie works a desk job, but has always had an idea that he has wanted to pursue. The idea is from the character Tom and it’s a jump to conclusions mat. The mat has various conclusions on it and you “jump” to them get it? Yeah, the pet rock was stupid too. But as Tom says in the movie “It made the guy a millionaire.”

Tom only goes after his idea after being in a horrific car accident and receiving a settlement. What is the point of all of this? Well, if you have an idea you should go for it. Can you imagine how stupid people must have though Pet Rock creator Gary Dahl’s idea was?

The funny thing is that it’s actually easier today to start a business than it was in the 1970s. With the internet you can enter and find so many people who would be into buying niche products. Or if you have had an experience with a company or a website that you found unacceptable, you could think about how you could do it better and just go out and do it!

That’s what Steve Barbarich did. He was in the market for a hot tub Jacuzzi and bought one off a website. When he had problems with it, the company he purchased it from provided him with no customer service or any kind of help on his purchase.

That’s when Steve decides he would take matters into his own hands, he started Choosehottubsdirect.com and he based his efforts for his e-commerce site with excellent customer service. Offering people great customer service and wholesale prices is a perfect combination.

So it’s not the pet rock but it’s a void that needed to be filled. If you see a void in the market, maybe figure out how to fill it.

Think outside the box is a post from: Hip Young Things

Customer Complaint Management

admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:32:04 +0000

Today, many businesses regard customer complaint management as one of the most important business functions. It is important for improving both quality and customer service.

Customer complaint management in relation to customer service ensures that each and every customer interaction is recorded and dealt with. Ineffectual customer service occurs when customer complaints slip through the cracks or get misplaced and therefore are not brought to resolution.

As a quality function customer complaint management is used to aid continuous improvement throughout the organization by observing and analyzing the nature of the complaints and making improvements and reducing complaints. This helps to eliminate product defects. Many regulatory institutions demand that customer complaints are investigated.

Customer complaint management is the process of identifying and recording all complaints made to a business organization. Therefore staff that deal directly with customers should have access to the system. The goal is to make sure that every complaint is managed and resolved.

Customer Complaint Management is a post from: Hip Young Things