With unemployment approaching ten percent, many unemployed people are wondering what to do. No matter how young and well educated you might be, job fairs and application lines seem crowded with younger and better educated people. Many people are turning their skills into job by starting businesses. These people—those who start a business not because they want to, but because it is the only option for employment—are known as ‘accidental entrepreneurs’.

Accidental entrepreneurs are a unique bunch. First, they have far less funds than other types of small businesspeople, often the amount in their pockets and dwindling bank accounts. This means that they must run incredibly lean operations and rely on mainly free sources for branding.  Second, they are opening shop quickly, using the internet for legal services, logo design, and anything else they can find there. This is due to the high speed and low cost of internet services.

Rather than promote their business ventures with paid advertisement, accidental entrepreneurs must rely on social networking and other free methods to get the word out there. However, in many cases these methods are actually more effective.

The accidental entrepreneur may have one key advantage over their competition: motivation. If making your business work is the only way to save your house or keep out of food stamp lines, you just might try creative options that traditional business owners overlook. Stress can hone the mind and open doors for more creative thinking. Because these people have not been in the business world long, they may have a better than average idea of what consumers are looking for and thus be able to create a more attractive product.

This trend may be good for our economy in the long run. Study after study has found that small businesses are the driver of employment in our nation, creating ninety-five percent of new jobs. The person who could not get a job may end up the employer themselves if they play their cards right.

However, the process of going from unemployed to employer can be a long and arduous one. There has never been a more stressful time to open a business. With this type of entrepreneurship on the rise, more people are competing for an increasingly limited number of small business loans and investors. More important, they are competing for customers, against established small businesses and large corporations that are more cutthroat than ever as well as against the other accidental entrepreneurs out there. The good news is that small businesses seem to survive at roughly the same rate regardless of the economy. Success is possible, but only if you make the right decisions at every turn and create a unique brand that no one else is offering.

Does this sound like a hopeless venture? Accidental entrepreneurship is anything but hopeless. Businesses such as Starbucks, PetSmart, and more than half of the companies on the Fortune 500 list began in a recession or down market. Being an accidental entrepreneur may be scary, but it is one tried and true path to success.

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• What the Big Guys Can Learn from You
• Branding Yourself
• Small Business Optimistic About Economy
• Can franchising save a failing business?
• 5 Tips for Going Global

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The phenomenon of “lean” start ups is one of the signs of our economic times. With banks and investors keeping their pocketbooks closed tight, the only way to start a business is often to do so without a lot a capital. This set up presents its own set of risks, but many business owners have nonetheless found success with this nontraditional model can be a road to success. Here are a few things you have to consider when planning your own lean start up.

1. Plan only what you need to.

   Unlike most business plans, yours will likely be seen only by you and a handful of other people. You don’t need to impress a bank or a group of investors. It will probably be changed and revised several times, often at the last minute in response to changes in your market. So don’t bother with fancy editing or redundant features such as an executive summary. You know who you are! Instead, focus on the important stuff, like how you are going to get a business off the ground with little income.

2. Grow slowly.

   Many business owners see an opportunity for growth as their big chance and jump on it. However, this requires yet more money. Don’t grow until you have completed funded both your current operations and your planned expansion. Lean expansion is a worse idea than a lean start up because you have a lot more to lose.

3. Test and study results.

   You have no room for error, so you must constantly be assessing what is working for you and what simply isn’t. Then, you must duplicate what you are doing right and cut way back on the rest. If one product is working, think about how you can expand upon it and how you can subtly shift your brand to be more in line with this element. Business owners will a generous supply of capital can afford to wait and see, but that’s not you.

4. Change your long term direction

   to meet your short term results—not the other way around. When something is working in the short term and it doesn’t compromise your brand or any other aspect of your business, it is essential that you keep doing it. If it doesn’t fit into your long term plan, it may be time to re-evaluate your long term plan. It’s important to think well into the future, but not at the expense of today. Remember that every day leading up to that abstract concept of the future will determine exactly what that future looks like.

A lean start up may be the most significant challenge of your life, but it could also be your great success story. Just remember to have a brand and a logo design that represent your company and then to aggressively market them. If you are flexible and a little bit of a visionary, there is no reason that your lean start up won’t become the solid, successful, profit-growing business that you need for it to be.

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If you think that entrepreneurism is a new trend, you are quite mistaken. Small business ownership is a proud American tradition with its roots in the Revolutionary period of our nation. Some of our most notable Presidents were also successful business owners with businesses that flourished even while their owner was away running their new nation. Here are a few of our country’s entrepreneurial presidents as well as how they turned their solid business sense into good governing skills.

George Washington. George Washington wasn’t just a decorated general and the first president of the United States; he was also the owner of George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill. As you might expect from the name, this company produced hard alcohol, namely whiskey or whisky. In addition, Washington ran a large working farm and several fisheries. This president was a regular Renaissance man, with a variety of side projects and an admirable business success rate.

It’s easy to guess how this notable business background might have helped our first President. His project management skills were probably useful when planning the policies and procedures that would shape our proud nation. He likely had managerial skills that made him a more effective leader both on the battlefield and in the halls of Congress.

Andrew Johnson. History doesn’t have a lot to say about this President compared to many others. Could it be that his term was the unremarkable sort because of smooth sailing brought on by great leadership? Johnson began his career as the owner of a tailor shop. His interest in politics flourished when his store became a popular place to debate the issues of the day. This led to a progression from city mayor to president of the United States.

Americans love the idea of electing normal people to office, with normal sensibilities and an innate understanding of their countrymen. Andrew Johnson brought not just these traits, but also the organizational skills needed to run a small business and likely a great sense of style as well.

Herbert Hoover. Herbert Hoover’s beginnings were hardly humble. After earning a degree from the acclaimed Stanford University, Hoover used his degree in engineering to start a mining consulting firm. His daily work consisted of evaluating failing mining operations, then helping them to transform into successful, lucrative operations. These turn-around skills may have helped later when Hoover was appointed to several important positions during World War II, including director of the American Food Administration and head of the Belgian Committee for Relief. Unfortunately, even with his combination of political prowess and real life business experience Hoover was unable to turn around the Great Depression, and lost his bid for re-election as a result.

Our presidents have come from strikingly different backgrounds, but one thing that most of them share is a background in business. From George Washington to George W. Bush, the leadership skills, fiscal sense, and admirable work ethic needed to run a large corporation seem to lend themselves well to governing a nation. America’s entrepreneurial spirit lives on not just in the people, but in the leaders of the nation as well.

The AGEFICE, a body comprising employers within its Board of Directors, the General Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Mouvement des Entreprises de France, the Assembly of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Professional Union Artesanal, since November 1993 is located in France.

I am always intrigued by logo design that represent entrepreneur related associations or magazines etc.

The AGEFICE business logo design is a simple iconic logo shows the letter “G” that ends in an arrow pointing up. The “G” rests on a blue square and bits of it stick out.

I have tried to imagine what the letter “G” would stand for and what the arrow might mean. Of course there are the obvious attributes that come to mind when you look at an arrow integrated into a logo – forward movement, dynamic ascent, greatness, strength etc. But what about the letter “G”. Even in French the association name does not begin with “G”. Also, I realized that the association works with entrepreneurs and ensuring compliance with laws on vocational training, manages the contributions paid by entrepreneurs through URSSAF, determines the criteria for financial support for expenses related to conducting training activities, processes funding requests from it’s members and promote training as a tool for business development.

None of these activities could be represented through this rather weak looking icon. It actually looks like it was created back in the 80′s and was never updated. In fact the letter “G” looks frighteningly similar to the dreaded Papyrus font.

Download vector EPS version of the ACG logo design.

Download vector AI version of the ACG logo design.

Download web JPG version of the ACG logo design.

Download transparent PNG version of the ACG logo design.

Disclaimer

If you think selling over the phone is easier than face-to-face selling, maybe it’s time for you to think again. Phone selling is very challenging given the high level of mistrust of many consumers and the lack of physical contact to gauge the openness of your customers. If this type of selling is vital to your business, you should consider the following tips:

1. Establish relationship in less than 10 seconds. Since you can’t convey your message with a good body language, you will have to rely entirely on your friendly tone and charming personality to forge a relationship. Make your approach more casual so your customers won’t know you’re reading a script.
2. Keep it short and sweet. Don’t bore your prospects with details by focusing on the key benefits of your product, the main message you want to tell, and some personal positive experiences from other customers.
3. Plan your calls. Segment each call if it’s a prospect, cold call, close, follow up, or existing customers. Each segment needs different approach and phone selling tactic.
4. Follow up. Don’t expect to make a sale after just one selling session. It takes time and persistence to win a customer. Remember, you’re not the only one pursuing that customer so take time to call again on the date agreed by both parties.

When starting a business, will you imitate the leading brand or do things your own way? While the latter is the typical answer, Marty Nemko of Kplinger.com says it’s better to replicate than innovate:

Being a guinea pig is so risky: Your idea or its execution could easily be flawed, or it can be so new that the public isn’t ready for it. Tivo, an unquestionable improvement over the VCR, lost hundreds of millions of dollars in its first five years as it tried to educate the public. You probably don’t have hundreds of millions of dollars and five years to wait for profitability.

Although our main goal is to differentiate our brand from competition, some situations justify the need for imitation:

1. Benchmarking or adopting best practices from another industry
2. When a particular feature, process, or service is considered a standard in your chosen industry. If these are not available then your business will not be considered at par with the leading players.

However, there are certain limits to imitation such as:

1. Using a confusingly similar brand name, trademark logo or colors.
2. Copying the content from your competitors’ websites, marketing brochures, sales letters, and other marketing materials.

Some entrepreneurs are afraid to take bigger challenges because they can’t handle the idea of failing. To make matters worse, some say “no” even without even trying. In case you are in this same situation, you might want to do some attitude adjustment. Here’s how:

1. Impossible is Nothing. This famous Adidas advertising slogan is the first step towards better attitude. When faced with a difficult task, you should not give up easily. Explore your options and ask other people for advice.
2. Think big. You should start a business with the dream of becoming a big company in the long run. Combining your think-big mindset and hard work, you can take on challenging projects without fear.
3. Prepare all the time. Instead of dreaming of overnight success, start sharpening your skills and learning new ones. When the big opportunity knocks on your door, you are more than prepared to seize it.
4. Focus on your strengths. Some entrepreneurs spend their time focusing on their weaknesses until they reached a point where they can no longer appreciate their strengths. Find your key skills and learn how to use it to your advantage.

Tired of spending countless hours surfing the Internet and looking for best marketing lessons suitable for your small business? Don’t worry! We’re compiling the most relevant marketing articles and news that will guide your small business towards success. Today, there are 7 marketing tips you may want to read:

1. Ageless Marketing offers a comprehensive guide on how an understanding of the seasons of life can make you a more effective marketer.

2. Branding Autopsy explains why the notion “to get a customer, a marketer must be willing to lose a customer” is one of the most important lessons he learned.

3. For online entrepreneurs interested of hiring SEO experts, Scott Buresh of The Post Chronicle offers a good advice – for your search engine optimization campaign to be truly successful, a search engine optimization company must understand your business, products and services enough that it can accurately promote them on the Internet.

4. Understand why Branding Blog doesn’t believe in low rent strategy.

5. Testimonials are great, if you know how to do it properly. Guerilla Consulting explains the trouble with testimonials and how you can avoid it.

6. A new marketing study by the University of Missouri-Columbia reveals it’s a customer’s loyalty toward the salesperson – rather than the products and services tied closely to the seller – that can inspire greater sales. However, this loyalty can make your business more vulnerable.

7. Running an online business? You should watch this insightful video loaded with important online statistics to help you understand the internet better.

Discrimination against employees has been an ongoing problem in many businesses nowadays. In Salt Lake City a young employee has accused Park City for pervasive race discrimination and a hostile work environment for Latinos. While in the UK, 3 women has alleged that a culture of gender discrimination was fostered by top managers in Bloomberg. This case could result to $145 million in damages.

Entrepreneurs must learn the dangers of discrimination and its impact to the business. While race and gender issues are very rampant, there are 9 different types of discrimination according to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):

1. Age
2. Disability
3. Equal Pay
4. National Origin
5. Pregnancy
6. Sex
7. Sexual Harassment
8. Religion
9. Retaliation

Recently, EEOC has released a revised guideline focusing particularly on unlawful discrimination against workers with caregiver responsibilities. These are the people who take care of their children or relatives who are very sick and old. While this is composed mostly by women, the number of male employees with caregiver responsibilities has risen recently. Under this new law, businesses will be penalized if they do the following:

1. Refusal to hire an employee who takes care of disabled relative because this might affect his or her performance.
2. Unwillingness to adjust the workload and schedule of a pregnant employee
3. Not allowing fathers to leave to take care of their babies
4. Not hiring mothers with young children because they might take many leaves to take care of their children.

If you are worried that you missed the important news today related to small business or find yourself bombarded with too much information, don’t worry. Starting today, we will gather the important news about small business to save your precious time. So, here we go:

News #1
Entrepreneurs can slow global warming. CNN Money believes that no entrepreneurial firm can tackle huge environmental issues singlehandedly, but with America’s 26 million small businesses representing half of our economy, there is strength in numbers.

Moreover, entrepreneurs can make a big dent in energy demand, for instance, just by using window film to reduce summer heat, and by installing improved lighting, better thermostats and occupancy sensors in bathrooms, offices and storerooms.

News #2
Interested in franchising? Check out the top 10 low cost franchises for work-at-home entrepreneurs.

News #3
If you happen to reside near Corning, New York, there will be a free session for female entrepreneurs on how to successfully grow their businesses.

News #4
OC Register reports that small business owners are addicted to wireless, with 42 percent saying it would be a major challenge to survive (I don’t think we’re talking food and water level of survival here) without wireless technology.

News #5
There are 3 ways technology can help your small business cut costs – automation, real-time business reports, and connect business information & staff. Find out how a Canadian company, Good Earth Café, has improved its operations with the help of technology.

Most entrepreneurs live in a very fast paced environment filled with mind-boggling problems and difficult decisions to make every single day. At some point, we barely have time to stop, relax, and assess the big picture. If you fit this description, let me share a story with you about a woodcutter…

A man was struggling in the woods to saw down a tree. An old farmer came by, watched for a while, then quietly said, “What are you doing?”

“Can’t you see?” the man impatiently replied, “I’m sawing down this tree.”

“You look exhausted,” said the farmer. “How long have you been at it?”

“Over five hours, and I’m beat,” replied the man. “This is hard work.”

“That saw looks pretty dull,” said the farmer. “Why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen it? I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”

“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically. “I’m too busy sawing!”

This classic productivity story came from the infamous book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In short, we should take time out to renew our energy and come back strong. It’s more of working smart rather than working hard. Here are some simple things you can do to sharpen your saw:

1. Take a long vacation and spend more time with your family or friends
2. Read business books and listen to
3. audio books to improve your skills
4. Get a good night sleep
5. Take power naps during breaks
6. Eat the right food
7. Exercise regularly to improve your physical well-being
8. Stick to your schedule
9. Listen to classical or chillout music
10. Meditate or take time to be alone to contemplate about your life and business
11. Clean your office
12. Clear your e-mail inbox
13. Study different skills (preferably not related to your small business)
14. Maintain a journal or diary for all your rants and raves
15. Solve complex puzzles or crosswords
16. Talk with intelligent people
17. Take time to laugh
18. Engage in sports and other recreational activities

We have this popular dictum that excellent salespeople are made, not born. In reality, it is easier said than done. Some of us come from different technical backgrounds and don’t have much experience in selling. Others are introvert by nature and might not have good people skills.

Although there are many selling tactics and exercises to help us become effective sales person, it is very important that we change our attitude first before anything else. Otherwise, all these trainings and lessons will not work. Some of the things we need to improve on include:

1. Patience. Selling is similar to a tree for it takes time to grow. We can’t be very successful salespeople overnight. We should be patient to learn each lesson and not too eager to get ahead.
2. Hard work and persistence. Don’t believe those e-books claiming they know the 150 powerful secrets to closing sales in less than 5 minutes. There are no secrets at all. What we have are basic selling strategies, practice, practice, and a lot more practice. You have to rely on hard work and persistence if you want to be effective.
3. Being objective all the time. A good salesperson should always be open to suggestions and criticisms from other people. You should not blindly believe your product is effective even if your customers are saying it’s not.

For entrepreneurs, negotiation is a powerful skill we need to master to get better results like lower supply price, longer payment period, or additional discounts. As one master negotiator, Chester Karrass, said, “In business, you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.”

What would you do then if you find yourself dealing with a more skilled negotiator? In this critical situation, here are additional negotiation tips to help you out:

1. Work with experts. If you are dealing about legal or financial matters but you don’t have enough knowledge or experience, it would be a great help to partner with experts in these fields. Although you need to shell out money, this will give you enough leverage to haggle more effectively.
2. Be prepared all the time. Don’t feel cocky and relaxed even if you already commissioned an expert to handle the negotiations. It is important that you still do your research and cover all possible arguments.
3. Use the mirror strategy. Based on a new research, mimicking the mannerisms of the other party is proven effective in closing the deals more effectively. Get more details at Business Pundit.

Ever wonder why many families refer to Disneyland as “The Happiest Place on Earth”? Underneath this enchanting place, where fairy tales are real and many childhood dreams come alive, are some hidden treasures for entrepreneurs. If you have a chance, try to visit Disneyland and observe how they operate. Before the day ends, you will learn these things:

1. Find Your Passion. From Walt Disney’s simple ambition to make great cartoons, it expanded to Disney movies and theme parks. As they say, if you love what you’re doing, you don’t have to work for the rest of your life. In case your business is not your passion, Lifehack has an insightful guide on how to enjoy what you are doing no matter what.
2. Embrace technology. From silent short films in the 1920s to digitally-enhanced movies today, The Walt Disney Company constantly anticipates and adapts cutting edge technologies to their business.
3. Create Magical Moments. Give your beloved customers the fairy tale experience they deserve by giving them Disney style customer service – exceeding their expectations and being more responsive to their needs.

Sometimes, when we plan for new business strategies, we copy what the big companies are currently doing. On the other hand, big corporations worship Mr. Jack Welch, the legendary Chairman and CEO of GE, noted for having keen business acumen and leadership skills. Managers Realm highlights a lesson from Mr. Welch about being either number 1 or number 2 all the time.

But do you know that Mr. Welch is really a pro-entrepreneur guy and that we should also listen to his teachings? Need proof? I happen to unearth a more interesting lesson from Mr. Welch himself that will surely blow your mind. Are you ready? Really? Here we go. Jack Welch recommends we should:

Behave Like a Small Company. Small companies have huge competitive advantages. They “are uncluttered, simple, informal. They thrive on passion and ridicule bureaucracy. Small companies grow on good ideas – regardless of their source. They need everyone, involve everyone, and reward or remove people based on their contribution to winning. Small companies dream big dreams and set the bar high – increments and fractions don’t interest them.”

It’s very ironic that many entrepreneurs keep following the footsteps of the big players when in fact they envy us small business owners, and they should be following us. In this competitive landscape where niche markets and personal attention are becoming more and more important, the upper hand is on our side. We should learn how to maximize these opportunities before it’s too late.

Some entrepreneurs sometimes feel like they can never take another step to meet the demands of the business, suddenly lose their perspectives, self-discipline, and even their funny side. These are some signs of a major burn out. Among the 20 tips shared by BootStrapMe to avoid burnout, I found tip #17 very helpful:

Know your own “Relax” buttons. I not only make coffee, I grind my own beans and use a French press in the kitchen to create a relaxing brew. The relaxation is not only in the coffee itself but in the process of making it.

Here are some additional ways to defeat burn out and come back stronger than ever:

1. Expand your skills and learn something unrelated to your small business. It doesn’t have to be useful as long as it will take your mind off your business temporarily.
2. Spend some time with your family. Sometimes, a child’s burning passion and intense curiosity are all you need to get to get back on track.
3. Take time out to meet with your close friends
4. Learn to let go of the things you cannot change or control
5. Breathe deeply for a few minutes.
6. Meditate.
7. Cry
8. Clean your office
9. Take time to be alone so you can reflect about your life and your business.

If you are both an entrepreneur and blogger, please take time to read Performancing’s 23 Simple Health Tips For Bloggers.

Looking for a great way to relax after a stressful day? Why not try boxing? There are 3 reasons why you should pick boxing over other sports like tennis or basketball:

• Total workout. Boxing training strengthens all your muscle groups in your body, builds your stamina, improve your coordination, flexibility, speed, reflexes, and cardiovascular fitness.
• Improves competitiveness. Competition improves our mental toughness to do whatever is necessary to win and survive in any situation. This is a valuable lesson every entrepreneur can get from boxing. You get to learn how to focus and not being affected by the performance of your competitor. Also, you will notice improvements on motivation, self-esteem, and composure under extreme pressure.
• Learn self-defense. Other sports like basketball or tennis can help you lose weight and tone your muscles. Boxing gives you all those benefits, and at the same time you learn how to protect yourself against any physical danger – should the need arise.

There are numerous ways to convince your customers to patronize your products. When dealing with your online and offline customers, what you say is as important as how you say it. For instance, Landing the Deal talks about using the hypothetical situation technique to persuade someone to do what you want them to do. Below are other different techniques you can combine to convince your dear customers:

Storytelling

We talked about storytelling recently and how our minds are conditioned to be easily stimulated with a good story. When dealing with your prospective customers try to share some real success stories and if possible show some testimonials from these people. You might also set up a bulletin board of testimonials in your office and on your website.

Scarcity

Our fear of losing something is a very good motivator. Use deadlines and that classic yet powerful phrase “limited offer only”. A common mistake made by some entrepreneurs is not going all the way with this approach. You should make your threat credible to your customers by either increasing the price of your product or pulling it out of the market temporarily. You can always have a come back in a “due to insistent public demand” approach.

Gathering information about your target market is very important to assess their needs and wants. However, you should also know what information is vital in order to serve them better. Below are some things you need to find out before it’s too late:

• Demographics and Location. While you have a target market in mind, your actual customers might be different from who you intended to target in the beginning. Information includes sex, age, location, and income bracket. Compare it with your profile and probe deeper to know the underlying reasons.
• Buying motivation. Discovering what motivates prospective (and existing) customers to buy from you is crucial to finding the right customer. In most cases, customers are either buying your products to solve a problem, or to prevent a problem from happening. This is very important information that will help you create good advertising campaigns.
• Product Usage. Are they using your product aside from what it’s supposed to do? For instance, the mouthwash Listerine is also proven effective for cleaning foot problems like toenail fungus. You might be missing a lucrative segment if you don’t point and market alternate uses of your products.

Once upon a time, an entrepreneur was very troubled because he didn’t know how to effectively communicate with his customers. He climbed the highest mountains and fought against 7 dragons in search for the secret formula. Little did he know, the answer is very simple. It’s…

storytelling

Yes, this simple childhood activity might be the missing element in your marketing campaign. Since it has been with us way back to our younger years, our minds are conditioned to be easily stimulated and interested whenever we hear a good story. More importantly, we all crave a sense of adventure, drama, and fairy tale happy ending.

Why use this to your business?

This is because reporters and customers go for great stories and marketing logos. This is a great publicity tool for your small business once you know the right elements. Here are some of the things you need to prepare to create a compelling story:

1. Anecdotes or success stories. These real life examples of how your company helped customers solve their problems.
2. Statistics. Make your stories credible by stating some facts and figures related to your business and industry.
3. Passion. If you are speaking with your customers, they should feel the passion you have for your business. Don’t focus on yourself. Do highlight the strengths of your company.

There are several element of storytelling you need to learn. Visit Story Theater to understand the Art of Storytelling in Business.

Most entrepreneurs find it difficult to think of innovative ideas. In the past months, we already discussed some practical innovation tips you can apply to your businesses right away. If that’s still not working, you can try the following during your next brainstorming sessions:

Utopia Technique

In the absence of a plausible term, I like to call this tip as the Utopia Technique. Utopia is defined as the perfect place. Ask yourself this question: If you can create a perfect product or service for your customers, what will it be like? This will free your mind, for a short time, from limitations like budget, patent infringements, and other technical constraints.

Vertical Thinking

When looking for fresh ideas, you can either think of vertical solutions or proven methods used by your competitors or any other businesses. There are plenty of white papers, articles, and surveys you can read over the internet for reference.

Reversal Method

If you already have an existing product or even a concept, try doing the complete opposite of what you are doing now. What you might uncover is a new market segment waiting to be exploited. Also, you can do role reversals where your marketing guy will be your R&D chief and vice versa. This will help all parties to understand the perspectives of other members.

To make this session very effective, it is very important for members to assume different roles. Visit Innovate on Purpose Blog for a list of innovation roles.

Knowing how to communicate effectively is very important, both in our personal and professional endeavors. When dealing with your customers, you should learn to deliver your message in a very informative yet personal manner. Below are some things you should know about effective communication:

Establish Two-Way Communication

Some of us are so passionate about our business that we end up dominating the entire conversation. As Common Sense PR adequately states, the more you talk, the less you communicate. Learn when to stop talking and start listening. You will miss a lot of insights if you don’t let your customers’ voices be heard.

Keep it Short and Sweet

Simple and clear answers to customers’ complaints and inquiries improve responsiveness and lessen miscommunication. If you are sending e-mails or snail mails, do not bombard them with so much information by focusing on the important points only.

Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat

A good way to help your customers understand the important points of a message better is to repeat the information from time to time. Aside from being consistent, it will also prompt some customers to know more about your company and hopefully you can encourage them to buy more.

After finding the right business prospect, the next challenge for you and your salespeople, if any, is how to close a deal. At the end of the day, all your efforts are wasted if you fail to get that “yes”. Here are some tips to guide you:

The Bottom Line Approach

Start the meeting by stating how your customers can benefit from your products or services. In some cases, an upfront approach projects your honest intentions and this can easily gain the trust of your customers. Try to create a sense of urgency so they won’t have to look for alternatives. However, not all situations call for this method. Sometimes, you need to be indirect to gather more information.

Pay Attention to Cues

Be very particular with your customers’ verbal and nonverbal gestures because this indicates to you the appropriate time to close the sale. When they start asking for details about deliveries, payment methods, or free goods, then it’s time for you to ask for their commitment. Visit the Public Speaking Advantage to know the emotional meanings of our nonverbal gestures.

Assume Agreement

In some cases you need not ask your customers if they are willing to buy because that will give them a time to think things over. Instead, you go to the specifics right away by asking them how much is their first order or when is their preferred initial delivery.

Some entrepreneurs want to be a remarkable leader in the eyes of their employees and colleagues. To do this, you need to assume different roles and management styles every single day. Today, you are the creative director and tomorrow you might be the inspirational speaker. As the front of your business, here are some roles you need to project:

The Oracle

Don’t let your employees, customers, and competitors know that you don’t know where your business is heading over the long haul – it will decrease their confidence level. Make sure you are familiar with the ins and outs of your industry. It is highly expected that you understand the future challenges and the market outlook for at least three years from now. Take time to read relevant journals or industry magazines and breaking news to stay updated.

The New Herodotus

If you can see beyond the future, make sure you know the past just like Herodotus, the father of history. It is great for public relations and establishing emotional connections with your customers. By sharing your struggles to succeed and all the hard work rendered, history creates the human aspect of your business.

The Charismatic President

Observing how former U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton had exuded powerful charisma, even in times of controversy, is something you should master. The Trump Blog offers 12 key moves to develop your charisma.

Why stop at this level if you can be a great business leader? Take time to read Leadership Turn’s very insightful post about the competencies of a remarkable leader.

If delighting your customers builds loyalty, prospecting is essential to expanding your business. This is the part of selling wherein you will be looking for hot leads or new customers to increase your sales and boost your profitability.

Often referred to as cold calls, these potential customers may come from customer referrals and your marketing campaigns, such as direct mails and online newsletters. Before you embark in this very challenging process, here some things you should know:

Rejection is Part of the Game

Don’t feel discouraged even if you are rejected 8 out of 10 times. Even the best salespeople in your industry cannot avoid rejections. Keep this mind at all times, to maintain the same passion in every conversation.

Act Now

Referrals are often compared to perishable products because you only have limited time to utilize them. Otherwise, your friendly competitor could snatch them away. Once you get a referral, stop contemplating and start talking with them. Every passing day might decrease the probability of closing a deal.

Use a Script

It would greatly help if you have a well-written script that you and your salespeople can follow. This will help you organize your thoughts, improve your presentation, and develop a professional image. Key success factors are your acting skills and your ability to converse naturally while recalling the script from memory. Role playing is a great exercise for improving selling skills.

If you want to know more about prospecting, visit Marketing Proof to learn the different personality types of sales prospects.

After you read Seriously Business’ post about how Body Shop’s Anita Roddick succeeded through hard work, you might be more energized and inspired to turn your dreams to reality. On the other hand, how can you really tell if you are a hardworking entrepreneur just like Ms. Roddick?

A typical hardworking entrepreneur is the one who spends countless hours in his office. You might want to rethink that notion and redefine the concept of a hardworking entrepreneur. You should focus now on business results rather than the number of hours you devote to your small business. Always strive for work/life balance by finding ways to work efficiently. Here are some tips you can apply:

Monitor Your Performance

Aside from evaluating day to day operations, you should be aware of your work habits and identify areas for improvement. Try to make a list of activities you’ve accomplished every single day and you will see how much time is wasted on doing unimportant tasks. You should end micromanaging and empower your employees to make business decisions.

Set Your Work Hours

Discipline yourself to be like any other employee working 8 hours per day. Learn when to stop working and start spending quality time with your family and friends. A good way to do this is to set a fixed working period and follow it religiously.

The very two important goals of every business are hitting sales targets and generating income. However, selling is a big problem for a number of entrepreneurs just because they come from a technical background such as engineering.

As a small business owner, it will help a lot if you know how to sell your ideas and products to your customers and even investors. These are some things you can do to harness your skills and minimize sales mistakes:

Probing

Your role as a sales person is to help your customers solve their problems. Ask important questions such as:

Observe other Sellers

While experience is the best teacher, it is sometimes better to learn from others. Pay a visit to a car dealer or meet with an insurance salesperson and observe how they try to convince you to buy from them.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It takes time to be an expert in this field and your best step is to practice when possible. Every conversation is a selling process because we try to convince other people to believe in our opinion or follow our suggestions.

In case you already have an established sales process but it isn’t working effectively, you can read about Six Sigma Selling at Sales 2.0.

Every entrepreneur must realize that innovation is often essential to survival. We live in a very chaotic business environment where the market is changing fast and customers are more demanding than ever.

Implementing some changes on your products or services does not necessarily mean you are making some innovations. Every change you make must always have a corresponding value before you can call it innovation.

The time is now for you and your team to think outside the box and look beyond your current business practices. You can also experiment with new methods like crowdsourcing. Start innovation now by following these simple steps:

Step 1. Identify the Problem Areas

Review every angle of your business to identify the most common problems encountered such as high inventory, poor cash flow, or inefficient customer service. Brainstorm with your team, talk to some customers, and run a simple survey to verify the problems pointed out.

Step 2. Benchmark

Compare your performance against recognized leaders in your problem areas. Initially, you can compare your process with your main competitors. However, you may need to go beyond that and learn the best practices from other industries as well.

Step 3. Implement and Monitor

This is the hardest part of all. Motivate your people to embrace these changes and reward them for doing a good work. Their commitment is the foundation of innovation.

Want to learn the secrets of top Swedish Innovators like IKEA and Ericsson? visit Endless Innovation for details.