By Steve Strauss

This is maybe my favorite study in the last year. An online survey of 972 adults, it identified the five habits that are most likely to limit one’s career advancement. I love this list because it’s not the stuff people are generally looking out for in their careers. It’s not the stuff experts have been warning people about since they got their first internship.

Here’s the list:

1.                Unreliability

2.                “It’s not my job”

3.                Procrastination

4.                Resistance to change

5.                Negative attitude

The New Face of Trade

Everyone is well acquainted with the term 'classifieds'. For a long time since the invention of print media classifieds have remained the most popular method of trading. Whether it is advertisements of products for buying or selling or advertisements of vacancies, classifieds have ruled the market and is still doing so. The only difference is that now it is growing rapidly and can be seen more on internet. Although the classifieds ads still find a different segment in the newspapers, the online portals have become a more general place for their postings. The online classifieds are the new and emerging face of trade nowadays.

Free classifieds online are great way of expanding or promoting your business or product. The easy and fast access to the internet and its growing use has made it the most favorable place to post advertisements. Currently there are numerous websites which are meant specifically for classifieds. With the advancement of time online advertising has gained huge attention as it has number of advantages as compared to the classifieds in print media. Online classifieds websites allow you to post ads for free which means they are more effective and cost efficient way of advertising your products and services.

The online classified websites are good classified adverts as they give results in few minutes. Hence more and more people are turning their attention towards this way of campaigning. Also, you get the results faster, that is, your ad may get noticed within few hours whereas in newspapers it can take even days to get response for your ad. Since the ad sites have wider access to consumers hence they make sure that your service is known to maximum users.

This new trend of trading through free classified advertising has proved beneficial to companies as they can now reach more public within instant and that too spending minimum amount. Earlier advertisements meant an expenditure of handsome amount and those who started new business found this to be out of their budget. The online advertising sites have eradicated this bias and now irrespective of boundaries of budget anyone can promote their business.

The free classifieds online have changed the scenario of the marketing world completely. Now publicity of your product is no longer a monetary matter. All you need to do is to search the ad sites hub, find a suitable site for your product, register to the site and put up an attractive post for your products and services.

What Is the Future Outlook for Small Business?

It’s that time of year when we begin looking ahead to the coming year. In fact, with 2010 drawing to a close (can you believe it?), it’s that time when business owners begin looking ahead to the coming decade. If you want to know what the next 10 years have in store, take a closer look at a new report from Intuit.

Intuit 2020 Report: 20 Trends That Will Shape the Next Decade builds on more than five years of research led by the Institute for the Future and Emergent Research. It is the first in a series of reports looking at key trends affecting consumers and businesses in the coming years. Subsequent reports will drill down into specific trends and industries, but the current report presents a broad overview.

What’s the takeaway? “The coming decade will be complex, volatile and uncertain, but it will also provide many new opportunities for small businesses and their customers in the United States and abroad,” the report notes. Here are some points I found especially interesting and that have big implications for the future of innovation:

Small businesses will get ever more specialized. Customers will increasingly seek customized products and services. The rise of innovations such as cloud computing, a flexible workforce and lower-cost manufacturing options will make it easier for small businesses to seek out product and service niches.

Startup will get easier and cheaper. In response to growing niche market opportunities, lower equipment costs and better technology, it will be easier than ever to launch a business without a big investment. This means more innovation, as new ideas can be tested without much risk – and startup companies will proliferate.

Big and small firms will join forces. Collaborative partnerships with big companies will increase, as small companies bring to the table innovative practices, market agility and intimate customer knowledge. What will big firms offer small businesses? Marketing and distribution power so that they can take their innovations to broader markets.

One prediction I’m not so sure I agree with: “The Web and mobile technologies will become the great equalizer of big and small, with customers no longer knowing – or even caring – about the size of the firm that provides their goods and services.” In a niche economy where personalization is sought after, will being a small company actually be an advantage? I think consumers may, in many cases, prefer to do business with small firms provided their needs are being met.

And here’s one innovation I particularly hope to see – and I think most busy business owners wish for as well: “The hardware and software we use on a daily basis will get smarter, helping people make everyday decisions and streamline complex tasks,” the report contends. That’s especially good news given that data will become even more critical to competitiveness. Information overload isn’t going away – so smart machines to help us deal with it will be very welcome.

How Business Calendars Affect Your Career and Life

by Brad Kartel

Source

Have you ever experienced a time when you got so busy and looking at the calendar suddenly surprised you? Well, it could be because you were so engrossed with work that days seemed to have passed by so hurriedly. It might have made you wonder -- what happened every single day that you didn’t notice? Whew, there really is some truth to the cliché, “time flies when you’re having fun”.

Well, at the height of one’s daily activities at work, calendars can really be taken for granted. But did you know it could be our simplest yet best weapon for effective and successful time management? If we only know how to use business calendars well, we would never get lost. Other tools that you might be using already are a business book diary or a desktop calendar that is found on your PC. However, this write-up will show you how you can further maximize on these tools to make them work to your advantage. Take time to read this and see how a simple material such as a calendar can create mementous changes in your life.

So for starters, what do you need to do? First things first. Try to write down everything that you need to accomplish daily. By doing so, you get to realize that you are actually trying to put in all that can be done in one day, or so you think. Remember, you are no superwoman. Unless quantity matters more to you than quality when it comes to finished tasks. Think about it – the more you try to squeeze in everything, the fewer tasks you get to achieve completely and successfully. So what do you have to do? Use your business calendars. Keep it in check every now and them. Make it your personal manager. For instance, as soon as you know about upcoming appointments and meetings and other tasks to finish, make it a point to record them in your calendar. After you have done so, try to prioritize your tasks within a day. They say it takes around 21 days for a habit to form and be in place; therefore, see to it that you stick to this plan within that time.

So in what other ways can you make changes in your life through your business calendars? Apart from the tasks that need you running and thinking and working for hours, you should also use your calendar to set aside time -- precious, precious time for yourself. For instance, set a specific time in a day to think about your goals or to reflect about current events in your life or career. Or set a certain day in a week to get away from work; instead do things that will liberate you such as your hobbies and spending time with a special person or a pet.

When you give way to some quiet “me-time”, you actually allow creative thinking to make your goals and desires a little more clear. Let your calendar help you out in allotting certain moments for yourself -- not only is it healthy and soul-nourishing, it also revives and invigorates you to do better in your daily tasks.

Remember what they say, you can’t can change time but you can change what you do with it. This is where careful planning and preparing come in. Always plan ahead of time and make sure you have your business calendars beside you. Make your calendar a daily habit and companion and you will see significant changes not only with your time management skills, but in your life as a whole.

Three Tips To Emerge From The Recession Successfully

by Brian Reed

Source

After recovery from an economic recession, there is no doubt the future is bright. However, the business climate is as competitive as ever before as the strong companies that survived the recession vie to gain a piece of the market share. The increasing prosperity is no time to sit back and rest. Instead, it is important to redouble efforts and reexamine protocols to ensure long-term profitability. Here are three simple tips that can make the difference between a profitable company and a thriving one.

1. Excel At What You Do

This might seem a no-brainer, but as markets begin to strengthen, the natural tendency of a business is to expand into new markets and products. This isn’t always the best idea. While diversification may be an option for your business, it isn’t always the only way to grow. Sometimes, it pays to be smaller. In fact, increasingly, businesses are expanding their market share within their own niche by being experts. What would once be considered a faulty business plan that focuses on a niche within a niche, if chosen correctly, can be a highly profitable enterprise. The key is being the best, or the first name in that niche. Redouble your efforts for quality and excellence, and you will thrive.

2. Organize

Sometimes, the difference between being “great” and “the best” is simple: organization. It doesn’t matter how large your company is, chances are you have lost a sale to being unorganized. As the country moves out of recession, every sale is increasingly integral to long-term success. Does your company have processes, policies, and workflows in place to make sure none of your leads fall through the cracks? Are your office and employees organized in a way that they get the most out of everything they do? Chances are there are some simple changes that can make a big difference.

3. Get the Help You Need

There are many tools businesses use to grow. Even in the strict lending environment today, there are a number of tools to get the capital your business needs to grow. Many companies who have clients who pay for their products or services by invoice turn to invoice factoring companies. Whether you are a start-up or a thriving business, cash flow challenges can constrain your operations. Invoice factoring provides the essential capital needed to help your business grow.

Bay View Funding has been strongly committed to providing businesses with convenient invoice factoring to solve their cash flow challenges. They have served thousands of successful companies, spanning a wide range of industries, who have entrusted them with their invoice financing needs. Their accounts receivable factoring service has helped manufacturing, and distribution and service companies, including freight transporters, to grow and prosper. When it comes to freight bill factoring, Bay View Funding has the experience and resources to help your business grow.

The Value Of Believing In Your Own Business

by Brad Kartel
Source

Whatever business you are in, there is only one kind of customer you should be aware of – YOU. No matter how many or how big an account you get for your service, or even how hot your prospective buyer is for your new product, the big question is, have you sold yourself to your business?

Always remember that it would be YOU who is going to be the number one client of your business. It’s not Oprah Winfrey whom you got in your account, or the entire team of the Los Angeles Lakers that ordered custom printing from your print online business for example. Your best customer would be yourself. Because no matter how big an account or how important your prospect is, unless you are completely confident with what your product or service can do for your target market, you will never be able to optimize your potential to make sales for your custom printing business.

The belief in what you’re selling starts with you. You will only close a deal or make a sale if you can convince your target clients that you have the best offering in the market. And you can only be convincing if you yourself believes strongly in what you are telling your customers.

With the downturn of the economy, it is the right environment to sell yourself even more. And don’t be too confident that you think you’re an exception to the rule. Ask yourself instead if you have a need to slash your price just because you need to keep a customer to the fold or even attract a new one. If you answered yes, then you are definitely not confident enough to what your business can provide as a benefit that you need to sell your product or service in ways that you can’t get a profit out of the exercise.

This just means that you are not 100 percent sold to the idea of your business. In fact, you’re not even sure how your product or service can benefit your target clients.

If you yourself is not sure, how much more with your prospective customers?

As a business owner and marketer, you have to realize that consumers expect a discount when they feel and believe that the product or service being offered is not at par with what they’re looking for. Consumers would always believe that they have been ripped off when they pay for something that they don’t fully deem to be worthy of their hard earned money. Naturally, they would want a discount or something in return to fill that seemingly empty space.

This happens when the salesperson was not able to communicate very well why the target customers should buy the product. The buyers would definitely ask for some kind of concession to make them feel better with the purchase.

In order for others to be sold on your offer, you should be able to sell yourself to the idea of your offering. You, first and foremost, should be able to understand fully all the benefits that you can get from your product or service. You need to believe in the benefits that your offer can provide. You should be the first person to see the use in what you sell.

Because when you are able to do so, selling your product or service to your target clients would be a piece of cake.