If you’ve ever called the 800-number for a telecommunications company, you know the rigmarole. You sit through minute after excruciating minute of easy-listening music, interrupted periodically by a recorded message affirming the importance of your call. You enter your phone number when prompted, but know it’s a pointless exercise because the customer-service agent will always ask you to repeat it. And then—if you’re lucky—the second or third person with whom you speak can actually respond to your request.

A major business enterprise spends a fortune on advertising and outbound marketing. How much of that budget would they have to allocate/invest in order to turn their customer service into a discussion-worthy best in the world?

When the status quo just won’t do anymore, these 10 ideas will help you take your small business to a new level.

Small is beautiful.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Inch by inch, row by row, that’s the way my garden grows.

Do you know what your Value Proposition is exactly? You must know it and be able to deliver it each and every day to add VALUE for our clients and customers.

So, what IS your Value Proposition? Many will say something like “Excellent Customer Service”, or “Exceptional Products and Service”. Others will suggest it has something to do with their reputation or their long standing history of excellent performance. I believe it must be stated in terms of a FEELING that they get when they do business with you.

Do you struggle with meeting deadlines?  Do you feel burnt out and tired all of the time? Do you put off tasks? These are some signs of being unmotivated. Below are four key ideas to help you to motivate yourself. When someone is motivated they are more on top of their priorities and in the end feel good about themselves and their work. Try these motivation tips to better yourself and your business.

I have been doing a lot of evaluating what I have learned over the years, both the personal and the professional level, some are unique to me and others are universal.

While it would have been nice to know all this when I started running a business, I feel like most of it had to be experienced precisely as it has happened.

See if you recognize yourself anywhere in here.

Here are some key lessons that I have learned:

Local shoppers are going online to find products and services in your town, get found when they do!

Right now, in every community in America, increasing numbers of people of all ages are turning to the internet to find products and services right there at home.
This trend, known generically as local search, presents a huge opportunity for small businesses who focus on winning in this arena. Below are 7 steps every local business should explore today in order to gain a competitive advantage in their local markets. (Someone in your market and industry is doing this, why not you?)

John’s business was eroding and not growing.

Areas of his business that were previously fertile and profitable were now barely breaking ground.

He was so frustrated and he needed to increase his sales.

If you follow the dictates of systemization, you might quickly arrive at the conclusion that his lead generation and lead conversion systems needed to be fertilized and rejuvenated.

But that is not necessarily the correct answer to the issue.

In fact, leaping straight to a solution can actually do more harm than good.

The System of Thinking

Creating effective systems requires systemic thinking.

Midsize companies increasingly find the need for outside consultants, but how do you find the right people and manage the relationship successfully?

Not every company has the internal resources to pull off every project. Midsize firms are just as needy as larger companies that frequently find themselves understaffed when it comes to developing and implementing sophisticated new systems. The most common solution is to get help in the form of consultants and other IT service partners.

But how do you evaluate, pay and manage these outsiders? With the right partner and a well-planned project, the result can be mutually beneficial for both sides. But bring in the wrong people, and you might experience an extensive—and expensive—bust.

The conventional wisdom is that it costs more to get a new client than to keep an old one. And for once, the conventional wisdom is correct.

Yet, many professionals too readily take clients for granted. Or don’t look for opportunities to increase revenues from perfectly satisfied clients. The reality is that for accountants and lawyers it is competitive in ways that go beyond the traditions of practice. Ask your clients how many times they’ve been approached by your competitors and have been aggressively pursued. And then ask yourself if you can continue to be complacent about keeping your clients happy, on a regular basis. Ask yourself again if you can afford not to be aware that other firms are actively pursuing your clients.