Career Articles & Advice

Mapping Technology to Your Business Strategy by Scott Hammer

Creating a business strategy is something that most entrepreneurs do on a regular basis. It is one of the first topics in your SBA classes and Business 101. Why is it then that so many intelligent business owners forget to consider how technology integrates and applies to those strategies?

Understanding the expectations, and limitations, of technology applied to your goals helps to craft a strong plan for the future. It is a fact that if you are ignoring technology as part of your business strategy, you are falling behind in the marketplace. Technology implementations encompass much more than your five page website. It entails online marketing, reputation and loyalty, customer management, finances, communications, customer service, and tracking of your business operations.

Technology is something that was created to help businesses improve and become more agile to changing conditions. Unfortunately, incorrect application of technology to your specific business strategy can actually cause more harm than good. Implementing the latest fad technology on the promise of future return has come back to bite many owners and managers in their bottom line.

When developing your business strategy, consider the following:
- What technologies are available which help achieve these goals?Many technologies hype themselves as the best method to reach your customers; but do they really achieve those claims? Just as you would do due diligence on a new business acquisition, one should also devote the same time and effort when applying a technology to your business strategy. If you aren’t sure how to distinguish the various vendors or their licenses, hire an expert to do it for you. The investment pays off on the implementation side.
- How will these technologies affect my operations? Each time a new technology is introduced to the business, there is some impact to the operations; even if a short down time to upload new web pages. These range from training your employees to properly use the new system to having to add resources to support the new technology. Make sure your technology package describes all the costs that will be part of the solution. You would be surprised how something small, like extra air conditioning and electricity not accounted for in the costs, quickly deteriorates your ROI.
- How expandable and scalable are my technologies? Many companies have fallen into the trap of a vendor lock. This is when you purchase a proprietary technology that doesn’t integrate well, or at all, with other technologies that may be used or needed. Creating a piecemeal technology implementation plan that doesn’t consider the greater corporate strategy will often create this type of a situation. When purchasing technology, ensure that the systems will work with other vendor systems and technologies. If you find a proprietary technology that seems to be the only solution, understand your contingency plan if the vendor decides to greatly increase license cost or upgrades.
- Do we really need this technology? Despite what many IT consultants will tell you, there really IS a time when technology isn’t the answer to the problem. Part of your due diligence phase should include a comparison of costs and impacts if the technology isn’t implemented. Often people are surprised how much cheaper and efficient it can be to complete some workflows the old fashioned way.

The importance of technology in the enterprise is well documented and easily found but the need to evaluate and map to strategy is often ignored. By creating a strategy that doesn’t properly evaluate the full technological needs to meet goals, the enterprise opens itself to lack of agility and efficiency. It is true that not every strategy has a technological need but it is just as true that you will miss ones that can if you don’t consider them as part of your cycle. By considering the potentials as part of your overall strategy sessions, you create the opportunity to improve them even further.

www.unifiedtechnologyassociates.com

Article Source: Fun Personality

Australian Statistics on Home Business Income: Home Online Business Opportunity Facts. by Justine Simard

Did you know that over 1,000,000 Australians work at home? Based on a recent article by BRW magazine (February 2010), there are about 700,000 home businesses in Australia. If you are starting a home online business opportunity, you will discover that you are amongst a large group of home entrepreneurs who have decided to seize the advantages of working from home. The number of people working from home or operating a home business confirms one fact: people want more freedom, less commute, more autonomy, to get paid what they are worth, and more time with their family, and working from home can be the solution.

Small home business opportunities online typically offer a high income potential. The interesting reality regarding the particular revenue generated by home business owners is that there can be a great variance between low- and high-income earners. While many don’t make over 40,000 dollars per year, the number of business owners making a larger income goes down as income increases. But, even more astonishing is the actual fact that approximately the same proportion of individuals make 40,000-60,000 and over 500,000 per year (that is, about 10% each in the full spectrum). The other 80% makes less or somewhere in in between, and the average translates to around 220,000 per year.

Managing a business from home can present challenges, for example isolation, difficulty to divide work and personal life, having too many decisions to make, and being distracted. Interestingly though, in excess of 45% surveyed individuals working from home felt that they had a better work-life balance, as opposed to 5% who found it tough to separate their work and personal life. Also, most of the surveyed individuals didn’t feel isolation was a problem they personally experienced, in particular those involved with large consumer bases. There are currently countless opportunities to network with team members or partners and get in touch with more customers online, which makes isolation a personal choice rather than a disadvantage. When choosing an online home business opportunity, one ought to think about the income potential and personal income goal, working with partners and building networks, and separating professional and personal commitments.

Justine Simard mentors others to build a successful home based business through her Home Online Business Opportunity with a true avenue to financial freedom and personal development. Start your own business and be guided by a group of thriving entrepreneurs in learning and using all strategies to run a profitable business from home and attain your lifestyle and income goals.

Article Source: Fun Personality

Sales Copywriting - What it Means to Write Online by Jimmy Cox

The basic idea behind sales copywriting has not changed. This is essentially the kind of writing used to sell a person, idea, product or service. The role of the copywriter is to convince readers that what is being offered is necessary or can make life a whole lot better. The writer attempts to persuade without seeming to be too obvious. In short, making copies is still more or less within the realm of advertising, marketing and promotion.

In the past, copies were mainly made for televisions ads, billboards, magazines and newspapers. Today, the internet has emerged as the most recent advertising venue. Both brick and mortar establishments and pure internet entrepreneurial ventures have begun using business copywriting to their advantage. Indeed, with the wide reach of the internet, entrepreneurs would be foolish not to exploit its selling power.

The most common type of internet copy is the selling letter. This is the type that you would usually find in affiliate pages promoting a product or service. They would typically begin with a question or pose a problem and then expound on why the issue needs a solution. Some of these common letters are interspersed with testimonials to supplement their convincing powers.

Anyone can write pieces with the intent to sell. It takes a different breed of writers however to sway reader interest without selling too hard. Sales copywriting has become even more difficult because the proliferation of numerous promotional materials has alerted readers of what traditional copies look like. All too obvious copies are often skipped and left unread. For new marketers, it is therefore crucial to learn which old techniques still work and what new methods can be employed to make promotional campaigns effective.

Aside from the challenge of learning effective approaches to traditional copy production, modern copywriters also have to deal with a completely new side to their craft. Purists would probably tend to stick strictly to the established definition of their art. Recent developments however have pushed the evolution of a second phase of online copywriting. Although internet sales letters still fall within the accepted meaning of copies, website contents are now increasingly being considered as forms of copies too.

Although sales spiels and web content are now loosely considered as belonging to the same category, content writing has different challenges. Writers are tasked not just with the responsibility of convincing readers of the need to buy. They also bear the role of persuading search engine robots that a site has the kind of content that deserves to be indexed, ranked and served in a platter to readers hungry for solutions to their problems and concerns.

The modern sales copywriting expert now therefore faces doubly challenging work. Aside from the need to learn to wield persuasive communication, they now have to master search engine optimization concepts such as keyword density and keyword placement.

There is no doubt about the value of expertly made copies. If you want your internet business to succeed, you need to discover the power of persuasive writing that is made specifically for online audiences and engine robots.

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Distributed by ContentCrooner.com

Article Source: Fun Personality

National Green Power Helps Businesses Install Commercial Solar Systems by Toan Dinh

Commercial solar systems are, increasingly, a necessity. As more and more people around the world become conscious of the grave dangers posed to our global ecosystem by the widespread use of oil, gas, and coal, it behooves entrepreneurs to do everything in their power to ensure that their businesses are part of the solution, rather than the problem. National Green Power, an online retailer of solar cells for use in commercial solar systems, can help ensure that your company evolves with the times.

Obviously, every effort to generate solar power begins with quality photovoltaic cells, and National Green Power sells a wide variety, to suit every need. The company carries panels from makers such as REC, Kyocera, Sun, Evergreen, and Sanyo. They will even consult with commercial solar system buyers on package rates for major projects.

In addition to photovoltaic panels, the company sells solar hot-water anti-freeze systems, which contribute to the overall success of a commercial solar system installation by helping shave precious kilowatt hours [not to mention electric bill dollars] of your business’ monthly total. These solar hot-water systems are capable of replacing traditional gas or electric hot water heaters.

Another important thing for any successful commercial solar system installation project to address is heating and cooling. If your business is located in a place with a highly variable climate, you know firsthand how much energy merely maintaining a comfortable temperature inside your properties can be. National Green Power sells what they refer to as the Power-Save Solar Attic Fan, a solar-powered fan that cools a building by using solar power to draw hot air out of attic spaces.

An extremely thorough commercial solar system installation might even take advantage of National Green Power’s range of ICF [Insulated Concrete Form] building blocks, which greatly increase the ability of a structure to insulate itself from outside temperature fluctuations. Since these blocks are structural materials, they are probably only suitable for commercial solar system installation projects on buildings that have not yet been constructed. It would be difficult to use them to retrofit an existing building.

Another major advantage to performing a commercial solar system installation on your business is that, in many cases, it is possible to reap rewards for doing so, in the form of tax incentives. These incentives can derive either from the federal government, or from the government of your home state. Often, they offset a significant amount of the cost of a commercial solar system. The remainder of the cost is, naturally, recouped over years of lower energy bills. Commercial solar system installations cost money, but sunshine is free.

National Green Power is a nationwide provider of photovoltaic cells, hot-water anti-freeze hot water systems, Power-Save Solar Attic Fans, and other supplies for commercial solar system installations. For more details, visit NationalGreenPower, or call 1-888-807-1006.

National Green Power is the Nation’s Premier Solar Thermal Systems and Complete Green Energy Sales And Services Company. For more information, visit NationalGreenPower.com.

Article Source: Fun Personality

Hidden Secrets Of How To Turn out to be A Higher Leader Right Now by Royland Lon

People Relations. Yes, this cannot be emphasised enough because you really need to possess the support of your subordinates and employees if you wish your business to skyrocket. Your team is that the backbone of your business thus you actually need the full hearted support of all your colleagues to form things work.

The facility of conception. A leader has to grasp the way to grow his team, what roles his men would perform best at, what sort of new product/service he will provide to suit the market etc etc. Not everyone has the power of conception but good leaders know the way to use it to form miracles.

Show Empathy. Some workers might notice this decision troublesome to swallow, so this can be where a good leader should display signs of empathy. But, he still has to stick to his call despite the unhappiness, if he feels its the correct one.

Promoting employees who have the mettle. This is often a smart approach to create employee morale, and of course with a better paycheck and title comes more responsibilities, however if they can handle it, why not? Make positive though, that they have been doing their work extremely well for you to do so.

Openness to your own weaknesses - A frontrunner needs to be open and aware when it involves handling their subordinates. You can not assume that everyone knows what you are thinking of or understands your plans one hundred%, that is why rationalization wants to be done as and when necessary.

Stick with a set up without wavering. Smart leaders apprehend that there can be times where there are a number of distractions however once doing all of your home work and learning the market, and you recognize the decision is true, do it while not wavering.

Hiring team members who are ambitious. Assure your managers (or yourself) that formidable employees are good for the long run and instead of usurping your position, can facilitate your get promoted faster. As long as these young guys work laborious (and also the managers do therefore similarly) the company will expand and there can be opportunities.

Spare not yourself. When looking at everybody’s performance, bear in mind to be essential of yourself because you’re not good and there will be things you’ll want to work on as well. Perpetually be prepared to form the mandatory changes and work towards improvement in terms of your own handling of situations, skills and emotional intelligence.

Find Out More At: online marketing singapore & Setting up a Business In Singapore

Article Source: Fun Personality