Years ago, I went through a training program on customer retention that emphasized the importance of identifying a web of influence within a client account. The web of influence not only included that main contact or champion, but other individuals within the company that could "influence" your success. Having more than one contact is of utmost importance to maintain stability … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2009
What is Your Company’s Corporate Culture?
Post by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women On Business writer Each organization has its own personality and reputation, which usually starts at the top and permeates down, and heavily influences how individuals view others and behave towards their co-workers. For example, some companies are more political than others, and even departments or divisions within a company can … [Read more...]
Graduating with Grace
I was honored to be asked to introduce the 2009 graduating class from Nashville OIC (opportunities industrialization center), a not-for-profit center designed to provide GED and soft skills education to ANYONE who wants it. 117 adults who defied odds, social stigma, economic condition, or whatever obstacle prevented them from graduating high school the first go around walked … [Read more...]
About Competition and Sales
On June 4th, I hosted the Whale Hunting Women Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event provided inspiration, motivation, and direction for the more than 165 women who attended. As part of my own presentation to the audience, I talked about what I see as the movement from a culture of competition (a 20th century idea) to a culture of collaboration (a 21st century idea.) I … [Read more...]
Social Discrimination in the Workplace – Alive and Well
Post by Cheryl Santa Maria, contributing Women On Business writer Behind his back, we called him Bubba. Bubba was a mean - and rather large - lawyer with whom I used to work. He was gunning for a partner position and spent most of his time brown nosing (I'm sorry, the correct term is "networking") with his superiors . Due to bad office planning, Bubba's secretary was not … [Read more...]
Change Is the One Thing You Can Count On
Post by M.J. Ryan, contributing Women On Business writer Chris owns a business installing high end wood flooring. During the refinancing boom, her business grew to $4 million. As the economy has slowed, demand for her products has shrunk. Competitors are offering much lower prices and customers have less spare cash to choose the high end option--if they can afford new floors … [Read more...]
ROI on Social Media
Post by Dr. Marsha Firestone, contributing Women On Business writer Return on Investment or ROI is a profitability measure that evaluates the performance of a business. One of the most common ways to determine ROI is to divide net profit by total assets. ROI on social media would be calculated by the money you put into different social media outlets and the business you get … [Read more...]
Creating and Maintaining your Website
Many of my friends who are getting laid off or struggling with the economy right now are wondering if there is a way to set up an easy website and get started with promoting a side business or a new business. From what I understand, it's tough going out there and to some extent I'm really grateful, fortunate, and thankful for all of you who support my web design business, … [Read more...]
Do your employees deserve milk?
There are plenty of workers around who think it’s a bit crap that their employers buy the cheapest coffee and tea possible for the staff room. … [Read more...]
Publicity and creating brands
Many small business owners think, “There’s nothing really that special about my business that makes it stand out from everyone else’s business. How do other businesses get publicity and create brands or company identities?” Once I talk to them a bit and find out about the products and services they offer, customer service, location, etc, I usually find an angle that would … [Read more...]