It is the time of year when parties are in full swing and the atmosphere is filled with excitement for the upcoming holidays. Parties are a great opportunity to network and meet potential contacts for the New Year.

It is also the perfect time to thank your customer, suppliers and employees for all their help and support during the year. A little bit of holiday cheer can go a long way. Read More

The holiday season can mean many things to you and your customers. Along with the usual pressures we also feel a need to capitalise on the last chance before the break to improve your numbers. If you're not in the retail game you can experience a general lag in business.

Whatever the situation, there is always the opportunity to benefit. Consider these seven holiday sales tips:  Read More

This holiday season make a difference in your community and secure your company a brighter future. By being a part of a local charity, organising a fundraiser or donating products/services to local giveaways and holiday raffles, you're not only participating in the holiday spirit and helping those in need, but you are spreading your company name with little to no effort. You will be garnering positive attention while securing widespread marketing techniques at the same time. Read More

It wouldn't take a business coach to tell you that business needs to sell. And creating a network, staying relevant and working within your niche to identify competitors are all selling strategies that are engaged at any business. However social networks such as Facebook have revolutionised every area of society - and selling techniques are no exception. With ad spending on social networks to speak at an estimated US$2 billion dollars in 2011, and with more than 700 billion minutes a year logged into Facebook alone, it can safely be said that social networks are no fleeting trend.

Yet in my role as a business coach, I'm finding that this opportunity is being often overlooked.  Read More

In 1991 Charles Cresson Wood wrote an article entitled ‘Using Information Security to Achieve Competitive Advantages’. He would later become the recipient of the Computer Security Institutes Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, at its worldwide partner conference, Microsoft pitched security as a competitive advantage. Now seven years later, how has information technology security affected businesses and has it indeed proved to be a competitive advantage? Read More

 
A mobile phone is a powerful device these days. More than just taking and receiving phone calls and text messages, a mobile phone can run your calendar, receive and send emails, browse the internet and play movies and music. And these are just some of the more basic functions. Some people love this idea; and other people fear how much technology is encroaching on their lives. But the fact remains that if you are running a company it can be very useful to have access to all forms of communication in a single, portable device. Read More

When times get tough, the cost of sales goes up. Potential customers are less likely to want to talk to a salesperson because they are in a fiscally conservative mindset. In recent months you may have heard the phrase “retention is the new acquisition”. This simply means you're doing well if you can hold onto your customers. And of those, make sure you hold on tightest to the best ones. But how? Read More

Novelty distraction or serious sales driver? The corporations are Tweeting, Facebooking and working over the reviews pages. So should bleeping and blogging be part of your strategy to reach tech savvy customers pockets?

Social media networks move at alarming speed. Its flexibility outstrips traditional advertising in responsiveness and, as a result, sales and revenues through social media strategies are growing.  Read More

Advertising to your target market the products or services you sell is a great way to inform potential customers of what you have to offer. But every claim made in your advertisement is coloured by the knowledge that you are spruiking products for financial gain. Accordingly, a potential customer will keep in the front of their mind that the promised relationship is between a seller and a buyer. As the famous saying goes, caveat emptor - “buyer beware”. You can’t trust everything that you read in advertising.  Read More

Christmas parties are notorious for turning into scenes of excess or embarrassment as staff unwind and sometimes let their guard down. It is important to remember that although alcohol is being served, it is still a work event and any mishaps will follow them into the workplace the following day. Instead of holding your Christmas party in the evening it might be wiser to celebrate during daylight with a long lunch, and those that want to continue can do so on their own time. Read More