Features
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The 5 Habits Of Highly Disruptive Innovators
July 22, 2011
Where do disruptive strategies come from? With that question in mind, the three embarked on an eight-year study to uncover the origins of innovative business ideas, and found that all roads led back to the individual.
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Building a Professional Sales Team Is a Direct Sales Team the right business model for you?
July 21, 2011
One of the most common goals of any business is to increase its revenue and profitability. Most often one assumes that in order to achieve this goal it is necessary to establish and/or expand a direct sales team. This may or may not be the most effective or cost efficient approach to accomplishing your goal. Prior to plunging directly into this strategy it is imperative that a variety of business issues be reviewed.
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The Recession and Recovery in Perspective
July 19, 2011
Last week’s consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) showed that inflation has slowed down. Does it really matter? One of the problems with inflation measurements is that they do not allow you to judge whether or not the inflation is caused by shortages of goods or increased demand for goods. Nor do they take into account the additional productivity that might be related to those goods, such as our greater efficiency in the use of energy products.
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5 Ways To Build Your Personal Brand On Google+
July 14, 2011
My first impression of Google+ was that it felt like a cooler version of high school. You won’t be included in certain Circles, but you will be included in others, based on who you are, what you do, and the strength of the relationship you have with people on the platform.
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Geer & Associates Delivers Hands-On Accounting Service
July 13, 2011
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Google+ for Business
July 13, 2011
Google+ offers some features that surpass those of the social platforms you have come to learn. What it does is provide ways for businesses to network and communicate using a simple interface and powerful tools.
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Economic Indicators Still Muddling Through; Slowdown Risks Rising
July 12, 2011
The economy is slowing again, the recovery indicators are starting to weaken compared to the start of the recession in December 2007 and recent reports.
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BJ Fletcher Believes Strong Mayor Means Strong Albany
July 11, 2011
“Albany is one of the few cities left in the state without a strong mayor. In 2000, Albany was listed as one of the 10 leading cities in Georgia, but not anymore. Now Valdosta, which has a strong mayor, has moved into the top 10,” Fletcher said.
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How Spirit Drives Creativity, Innovation and Success
July 11, 2011
Is The Human Spirit Essential in Business Strategic Planning? Corporate Coach Reveals How Spirit Drives Creativity, Innovation and Success.
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9 Questions: Tim Westergren, Founder Of Pandora
July 08, 2011
Westergren, a former musician and film composer, founded what is now Pandora in 1999 and has grown the company from humble beginnings to a public company (as of June 15) with 90 million registered users in the U.S., and 300 employees.
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Selecting the Right Sales People
July 07, 2011
The first step in your recruiting initiative must be the preparation of an accurate and complete job description; one that clearly defines the role, activities and skills that are required. While most companies have accurate job descriptions for their operation positions they lack current and appropriate descriptions for the sales position.
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Albany IT Sees Security Risks for Businesses on Facebook
July 06, 2011
“Social media specifically is being targeted by hackers. Most businesses think security programs like Norton or McAfee will protect their computers and networks, but even with those programs it’s very easy to get a virus from Facebook,”
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10 Tips For Salespeople Tired Of Losing Sales
July 05, 2011
There are a lot of things about selling—and especially about losing a sale—that can seem mysterious. How you can deliver a well-received sales presentation only to learn a few weeks later you lost the sale to a competitor; why an almost-sure sale dries up at the last minute, because the customer decided to do nothing; why a formerly enthusiastic buyer goes silent, and doesn’t return your phone calls, just as you think you’re about to close the deal...the list could go on.
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Random Thoughts at the End of the Second Quarter
July 01, 2011
Personal income data for May were released the other day, and they were extremely disappointing. For the first five months of 2011, real personal income, which is adjusted for inflation, is up only +0.4%, and real disposable personal income, adjusted for inflation and taxes, is +0%. This means that real personal income is up on an annualized basis or just under +1.0%, and that after taxes, the rise in income results in no greater spendable income.
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Pulling the Trigger: Bringing the Right Message to the Right Person at the Right Time
June 30, 2011
Marketers are certainly doing a better job at getting the right message to the right person, but it is becoming increasingly important to send that message at the right time. To send timely messages, marketers must have a clear understanding of the customer’s situation so they can generate the best event-based marketing activity.
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Occupancy Levels Are Up in Downtown Albany
June 29, 2011
Aaron Blair, Albany’s Downtown Manager, counted 59 vacant buildings in downtown at the beginning of this year and set a goal of increasing occupancy by 25 percent by year-end 2011. By his count that translates into bringing 13 new businesses into the area this year.
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Top 5 Web Sites Must-Haves
June 29, 2011
Your corporate website is the ultimate tool to get all of your company’s information out to your prospects. This is a long standing idea, and it has become an essential part of what your company offers, in terms of marketing. But you need more than just information. There are five elements that every successful website should have.
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3 Tips On Deciding How Much To Pay Yourself
June 28, 2011
As an entrepreneur, you may start off with an idea and have the drive to work long hours for years to achieve your business goals, but none of you want to work forever…or for free.
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5 Daily Habits Of Successful Entrepreneurs
June 27, 2011
In interviewing many successful entrepreneurs over the years, I’ve noticed that they often rely on small daily habits and routines—both in business and their personal lives that keep the needle on their business moving in the right direction. These disciplines aren’t complicated but they pay big dividends.
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How Often Is The Customer Right?
June 24, 2011
No matter how well you run your company, there are always going to be a few chronically unhappy customers who cost more to maintain than to lose. One of my heroes in the aviation business is Herb Kelleher, the legendary founder of Southwest Airlines.
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Beauty Aspirations Benefit Simply You Med Spa
June 23, 2011
With uncertain economic news dominating the headlines, consumers have remained cautious. Despite the uncertainty business at Simply You Medical Spa has been "fantastic".
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Marketing at Work: Texting Takes Hold
June 23, 2011
SMS has been around for less than 18 years. It is literally less than half as old as e-mail, but it is spreading like wildfire. 2002 marked the first time that the number of SMS users shot past the total number of e-mail users on a global basis. At that time, half of all mobile phone subscribers were using SMS.
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The Efficiency Economy
June 22, 2011
Last week's inflation data were released, and they weren't exactly pretty. For the last three months, the annualized Consumer Price Index is running at +8.4% and the Producer Price Index was at a whopping +12.8%. All of this is occurring while the Federal Reserve keeps claiming that inflation is tame.
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Five Ways To Tell If Your Company’s CEO Earns His/Her Pay
June 21, 2011
CEOs earned an average annual paycheck of $11 million in 2010, with pay soaring by an average of 23 percent last year, according to research released by the AFL-CIO in April. As the economy’s sluggish recovery has analysts worried, Henman, a consultant for Fortune 500 CEOs, believes that company top dogs who actually earn their money are easy to spot.
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5 Powerful Alternatives For Social Media Haters
June 20, 2011
Are you one of those CEOs or business owners who thinks social media is a waste of time and money? Rather than argue with you, I’ve decided to agree wholeheartedly and see how small businesses can get the same marketing benefits that social media brings without all the time-wasting, money-sucking fluff that keeps so many CEOs away.