Monday, January 18, 2010
The Power of Partnerships for Green Initiatives
There's power in numbers. Partnerships allow you to accomplish more together than you could ever do on your own. This is especially true for small businesses with limited staff, resources, and time. When it comes to sustainability, becoming partners with other companies up and down your supply chain can help your small business achieve its goals more quickly.
Here are a few suggestions to get started:
Here are a few suggestions to get started:
1. Expand your view. Look up and down your supply chain to see where you can come together
to advance both your goals.
2. Communicate your objectives. Understand your environmental footprint and impact and
2. Communicate your objectives. Understand your environmental footprint and impact and
make it clear where you are focused on making changes to reduce that impact. Ask for help
and offer to help. Voicing your objectives is the best avenue to finding mutually beneficial
partnerships.
3. Leverage the knowledge. Look to others for their expertise and for ways to put that expertise
3. Leverage the knowledge. Look to others for their expertise and for ways to put that expertise
to work for your business. Likewise, look at what expertise your organization can offer that
could help others advance their sustainability goals.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Patty Calkins
Vice-President for Environment, Health, and Safety
Xerox
Norwalk, Conn.
How to Make Going Green Everybody's Business
Small businesses are accustomed to coming together and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. As more and more small businesses work to become energy smart and preserve natural resources, looking to their employee base to help implement change is an obvious starting place.
Here are several ways you can get every employee to help make your small business greener:
Here are several ways you can get every employee to help make your small business greener:
1. Have them turn off their computers when they're not in use.
2. Ask them to set their computer monitors to low-power mode after 10 minutes of non-use.
3. Encourage them to turn off the lights and office appliances when they are not needed.
4. Have them wear comfortable, seasonal clothing appropriate for changes in building
temperature.
5. Ask them to share other energy savings ideas with their co-workers.
5. Ask them to share other energy savings ideas with their co-workers.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Patty Calkins
Vice-President for Environment, Health, and Safety
XeroxNorwalk, Conn.
Build a "Green Team" for Your Business
One of the best ways to get initiatives off the ground that are meant to benefit the environment is to empower your employees to lead the charge. You can harness the energy of your workforce to create a green team, a management-supported and self-empowered group of individuals who share a common goal of educating, supporting, and seeking changes that will reduce your environmental footprint—things that align with your company's sustainability goals and enable environmental improvements and cost savings or productivity improvements through their everyday practices.
Green teams can gain support and build momentum within your company. Start with these five simple steps:
1. Select a leader. This person should be committed to the program, passionate, and willing to
manage others.
2.Seek management support. Getting buy-in from the boss and setting a tone from top
2.Seek management support. Getting buy-in from the boss and setting a tone from top
management will ensure the team has access to the information and resources needed to
succeed. More importantly, it'll help make sure the team's efforts are forwarding the overall
goals of your company.
3. Recruit a small number of green team members. Send an open invitation or target people who
3. Recruit a small number of green team members. Send an open invitation or target people who
are outwardly enthusiastic about the program and able to commit time to help spearhead the
effort. Limit the number of green team members. Anything more than eight people might get
bureaucratic and make it hard to gain consensus on important decisions and courses of action.
4. Share roles and expectations early. Be sure everyone is in sync with the company's green
4. Share roles and expectations early. Be sure everyone is in sync with the company's green
mission and the requirements to get there.
5. Set goals and measure results. Plan the next 12 months. Determine what you'll track in terms
5. Set goals and measure results. Plan the next 12 months. Determine what you'll track in terms
of progress made. Start with low-hanging fruit, or easily attainable goals. The best way to
foster success is to demonstrate success early on, and usually the momentum will build from
there. Share your results with the larger community—the entire office, an extended group, or
the whole company. Your idea might become a program or process adopted by the entire
company.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Patty Calkins
Vice-President for Environment, Health, and Safety
XeroxNorwalk, Conn.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
The Time for Succession Planning was Yesterday
Ever wonder why so many small businesses never survive the owner's death? Entrepreneurs often get so involved in day-to-day management of their baby that they never contemplate what would happen if they were no longer around. Planning for succession is a critical strategy for business owners who want to leave not only a lasting legacy for their years of hard work, but also financial security for themselves and their loved ones.
The key, of course, is to begin the succession process well before retirement is contemplated. It takes time to determine if the kids have the capability or desire to take over the family business—or if a key employee shares the vision and ethics the founder inspired. And it most certainly takes time to install a funding strategy that can provide the resources necessary to compensate the owner adequately when he or she is ready to sell.
Structuring a proper succession plan takes considerable thought, which is another reason why so many small business owners procrastinate. Does your plan address a catastrophic event, like the sudden death or long-term disability of the owner? Continuity planning is a key component to any sound succession plan. Does it provide a written formula for adequately valuing a business that would pass IRS scrutiny? Is a buy-sell agreement in place to lay out the parameters of any transition, and are all parties aware of the tax ramifications? If children are involved in taking over the business, how does the owner equitably deal with those kids who can't or don't want to be part of the business?
Like most things in life, there's no quick fix when it comes to an effective succession plan. So if you want to maximize the legacy your business leaves behind, the time to start planning was yesterday.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Greg Merlino
President and Founder
Ameriway Financial Services
Voorhees, N.J.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Why Product Demonstrations Matter
A key element in selling your product or service is demonstrating its capabilities. Potential customers expect company representatives to understand and know how to use the product and be able to show them how it works. Clients will also expect a company representative to be able to answer questions about the product and talk intelligently about its key differentiators, especially when compared with a competitor's product.
Unfortunately this expectation is not always met, as more often than not company representatives are ill-equipped and uneducated in terms of how to demo their own product. This inability will kill a deal quicker than just about any other individual or corporate weakness.
I've found that by following a few simple guidelines, a business can be prepared to really wow a potential customer and blow them out of the water with how cool its product is. I've listed these tips below.
1. Prior to selling the product to a customer, make sure the product development team is meeting with the entire company to provide an explanation and demo. Make them satisfy each individual in the company's curiosity and answer each team member's questions.
2. Develop a simple Frequently Asked Questions document that everybody in the company can have access to and use as a ready reference. Make sure to update this FAQ regularly as new questions come up.
3. Make sure everybody in the organization has practiced demonstrating the product and is comfortable doing so on a minute's notice. Advise your team to speak out loud when they practice, as that provides a completely different perspective on how their presentations sound.
4. Advise the team not to guess if they don't know the answer to a question. Nothing is wrong with telling potential customers you want to provide them with accurate information. They'll appreciate the honesty as well as the fact that you place a high level of importance on providing the right information.
5. If you a need to follow up with an answer, make sure to do it in the time frame specified. In addition, following up with an answer provides another reason to make contact after the initial demo. Doing it within the specified time frame demonstrates to the client a high level of professionalism and commitment.
6. When demonstrating the product, have your team explain the steps they're going through and why. They should point out features and specific reasons why the product is designed the way it is. Often a client may not know that certain features are cool or answer a specific need unless told so.
7. Don't be afraid to let clients try the products themselves. If they choose to do so, be ready to answer their questions and walk them through the right way to work the product.
A product demo sounds simple but is a critical process in closing a sales deal. If done properly, your company's chance of closing the deal increases exponentially. On the flip side, if not taken seriously, you can kiss the sale goodbye.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Steve Jones
Steve Jones
General Manager and Vice-President of the Codec
Sys DivisionBroadcast International
Salt Lake City
Friday, December 18, 2009
Put an Information Management Policy in Place
Effectively using technology to implement an information management and archiving strategy is imperative to the efficiency and overall well-being of your small business. Not only can such solutions dramatically reduce storage costs and increase control of and visibility into information, but they can also reduce server procurement and administration costs and provide a means of cost-effective information retention and compliance.
Step 1: Create an information governance policy. Good information governance integrates business objectives with information management policies to address corporate mandates, regulatory compliance, electronic discovery, and privacy requirements throughout the life cycle of information. By ensuring that information is managed (archived, deleted, etc.) according to business value and policy, companies can improve business operations, gain a greater return on investment, and assume a competitive advantage.
Step 2: Find the right technology. An information governance strategy is most effective when policies can be carried forward consistently with enabling technologies. According to a recent study by AIIM, 54% of organizations with more than 10 employees have yet to implement e-mail management and 46% rely on basic mail-server functionality. Today, e-mail management and archiving technologies can be implemented as a standalone system or as part of a companywide enterprise content management or records management solution. Whichever you choose, be sure to find a technology solution that addresses your pain points today, while being flexible enough to address future requirements and help your information work for you.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Whitney Tidmarsh
Chief Marketing Officer for Content Management & Archiving
EMCHopkinton, Mass.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Security Evaluation of Remote Users
Laptops are now the norm—making your risk of data loss significant even with the best of security intentions. Therefore, it makes sense to periodically review your security measures for remote users, taking steps to ensure that you are doing everything possible to secure your network from your greatest threat—your own users. Here are a few security measures to get you started:
1. Require that all remote users outside your perimeter firewall connect using a virtual private network.
2. Require all employees to use an antivirus solution on their laptop. This policy is easier to implement if you have issued company laptops. You should also maintain a written corporate policy that requires all remote users to verify that they are using AV/AS software on their personal hardware. Many AV vendors offer considerable discounts on software purchased through the employer for the home-user employee. Ask your AV vendor if it offers such a program.
3. Ensure that all laptops are regularly patched and updated. Many companies use patch and remediation software to ensure that their devices are frequently patched. In the long run, managed automation in the deployment of patches is really the best approach so you can carefully test patches before deployment.
4. Require that users change their passwords on a regular basis. We know it's a tedious task, but it's one step that will help increase your network's level of security.
5. Create/maintain a remote-access usage policy and set clear expectations. The remote usage policy should outline patching expectations of personal hardware and specify applications that are off limits when connected to the network.
Articles taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Jeff Hughes
Director of Solutions Marketing
Lumension
Scottsdale, Ariz.
1. Require that all remote users outside your perimeter firewall connect using a virtual private network.
2. Require all employees to use an antivirus solution on their laptop. This policy is easier to implement if you have issued company laptops. You should also maintain a written corporate policy that requires all remote users to verify that they are using AV/AS software on their personal hardware. Many AV vendors offer considerable discounts on software purchased through the employer for the home-user employee. Ask your AV vendor if it offers such a program.
3. Ensure that all laptops are regularly patched and updated. Many companies use patch and remediation software to ensure that their devices are frequently patched. In the long run, managed automation in the deployment of patches is really the best approach so you can carefully test patches before deployment.
4. Require that users change their passwords on a regular basis. We know it's a tedious task, but it's one step that will help increase your network's level of security.
5. Create/maintain a remote-access usage policy and set clear expectations. The remote usage policy should outline patching expectations of personal hardware and specify applications that are off limits when connected to the network.
Articles taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Jeff Hughes
Director of Solutions Marketing
Lumension
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Establish a Telecommuting Policy
More than 25% of small businesses use telecommuting. And while there are clear benefits to telecommuting, it's not necessarily right for every business. If you are thinking of establishing a telecommuting policy for your business, you should consider the following questions:
1. Does telecommuting help you achieve your operational business goals? Telecommuting can help reduce operational costs and improve employee productivity. Additionally, it allows businesses to expand employee searches beyond immediate geographical confines to find the most appropriate set of skills for each job.
2. Does telecommuting fit into your corporate values? Telecommuting can be used to help employees achieve work-life balance and, in some studies, even improves employee health by reducing the commuting-related stresses. For some businesses, it is also a way to reduce their carbon footprint.
3. Do you have the infrastructure to support telecommuters? For telecommuting to be successful, employees need access to the applications and files that are critical to their jobs. And they need access that mimics their experience in the office. Without the ability to provide that rapid access, the telecommuting experience will be unpleasant for employees. Additionally, businesses need to be able to protect their telecommuting employees from Web-based threats when they are outside the secured corporate network.
By answering the above questions, you will have a solid understanding of the benefits telecommuting could bring and whether it makes sense for your business.
Article taken from : http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/
Dave Asprey
Vice-President for Technology
Blue Coat Systems
Sunnyvale, Calif.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Go Global to Increase Sales
Companies are looking overseas to tap into global trade for a number of reasons. Among these are avoiding the risks associated with focusing on a single market, capitalizing on new growth in emerging markets, and taking advantage of lower foreign costs as compared with domestic costs. If you are thinking of going global, consider the following tips:
1. Determine appropriate targets. Focus on one country at first. After things are happening there, then move to the next hot spot. Don't try and expand internationally too fast as some businesses make the mistake of spreading themselves too thin in their global expansion.
2. Make friends with the locals. Determine whether there are individuals and companies who you can align with to help pave the road ahead. Each market is different in regards to business culture. For example, what works in Japan may not necessarily work in the Philippines.
3. Leverage local currencies to drive the cash. Leverage the appropriate foreign exchange (FX) strategies that can take advantage of currency fluctuations. Don't view FX strategies as an operation function. When businesses simply look at FX as an operations function, often international transactions get treated by the accounts payable or accounts receivables department as just another payment that needs to be processed. This is dangerous as the foreign currency markets are volatile and if exposure is not actively managed, it can have a negative consequence for your firm.
Though your company may have many reasons to go global, the main motivation is usually to make more money. If your global business strategy is implemented properly, the benefits can be yours for the taking.
Article taken from : www.businessweek.com
Ryan Gibbons
Managing Partner
GPS Capital Markets
Salt Lake City
How to Repel Customers from Your Web Site
Having an online presence is imperative for small businesses to both attract and retain customers. But if you don't pay close attention to the design and upkeep of your site, you may end up repelling, rather than attracting, new customers. Here's how:
1. Hide your site. Sure, you've built your Web site, but let's make sure no one finds it! Not listing your business and site with GoogleMaps, Yahoo Local, and many others will make sure local customers can't find you.
2. Don't rush it. A Web site load time of 30 seconds or more leaves your customers wanting more. You don't want them to think you're desperate by providing too much content too quickly, do you?
3. Bury the treasure. Your customers come to your Web site seeking information on your company and products or services—make them hunt for it! Simple navigation and a clean layout makes it way too easy on them.
4. More is better. Clutter your Web site with pictures and lots of different colors and designs. Don't bother thinking about what kind of image you want to project or how you want your company brand to be perceived. It's not like your Web site will ever be the first impression you make on a customer.
5. Be shy. So what if you have something that customers want—make it difficult for them to purchase items or contact you. Making it easy to engage with your business and site with an obvious shopping cart button or an easily accessible phone number would turns lookers into customers.
6. Keep it stale. I know, getting your Web site up and running alone is a huge accomplishment. So updating it on a regular basis with your latest deals or new menu items to keep customers coming back is just too much to ask. Besides, fresh, relevant content will keep search engines interested in your site... and we know where that leads.
As you can see, repelling customers is easy—it's keeping them coming back to your Web site that is more challenging. Here are the top three ways to use your Web site to keep customers engaged and excited about your business:
1. Keep customers engaged. Make your Web site speak with them and not at them.
2. Get your Web site out there. Search engine listings like GoogleMaps and Yahoo Local, optimization, and advertising help make sure you are reaching the right customers.
3. Make it special. Give your customers content, coupons, and information that they can't get anywhere else.
Article taken from www.businessweek.com
Angus Thomson
Vice-President and General Manager,
Grow Your Business Division
IntuitMountain View, Calif.
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