Self-Improvement

Practice Management

Bear Essentials of Human Resource Training

Got a gorilla of a morale problem in your work place? A new human resources training program based on the successful business model of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company thinks it can help.
Technology

Web Tip: Making Web Pages Available for Offline Viewing

When you make a Web page available offline, you can read its content when your computer is not connected to the Internet. For example, you can view Web pages on your laptop computer when you don't have a network or Internet connection. Or you can read Web pages at home without tying up a phone line.You can specify how much content you want available, such as just a page, or a page and all its links, and choose how you want to update that content on your computer.If you just want to view a Web page offline, and you don't need to update the content, you can save the page on your computer.
Technology

Outlook Tip: Color Code Incoming E-Mail Messages

With the huge quantity of e-mail messages that arrive in the average businessperson's mailbox each day, this tip for e-mailbox organization should really come in handy. To make sure you see certain messages when they arrive, try associating colors with important senders. Color code a sender so that all messages from that sender appear in a particular color:Click the Organize button that appears on the toolbar at the top of your Outlook window, or choose Tools, Organize from the menu bar.
Community News

Keys to Effective Employee Communication

Employee communication is both simple and complex. We communicate with employees each day. Sometimes directly – when we respond to questions or requests, for example. Sometimes indirectly – when we issue new policies or send out a memo. Sometimes inadvertently – when employees observe our actions. Perhaps because communication takes place so naturally, we often fail to consider the process of communication as seriously as we should.
Technology

Excel Tip: Overriding and Removing Page Breaks

Excel automatically determines where page breaks will occur, but you can create your own page breaks in your worksheets by forcing Excel to begin printing on a new page at the location that is best for you.To create a horizontal page break, follow these steps: Place your cellpointer in Column A in the row below the row in which you wish to insert a page break.Choose Insert, Page Break from the Excel menu.
Practice Management

Ten Strategies for Client Retention

by Bea Fields Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their businesses by adding new customers. In today's competitive world of business, it is more important than ever to aim for more transactions with existing customers by using the power of customer follow-up and attention to good service. These ten tips may help you in turning your existing customers into walking billboards for your business. Spend thirty minutes each day talking with two existing clients.
Practice Management

Creative Strategies for Delivering 5-Star Customer Service

by Bea Fields Customer satisfaction is valuable, but customer loyalty is priceless. In today's competitive world of business, it is becoming more and more important to deliver customer service that is unbeatable. These ten creative strategies can support you in turning your customers into walking billboards for your business.
Technology

Five Ways to Coordinate Your Staff's Time Off Using MS Office

Coordinating your staff's busy schedules can be a challenge, especially when the people you manage have different meeting schedules, vacation plans, and requirements for time away.
Practice Management

Top Ten Strategies for Boosting Small Biz Profits

by Bea Fields No matter what stage your small business is in, one thing is for sure: money matters! If you are in a slump, the fastest way to jump-start your sales is to reach out and touch as many people as possible using your unique talents and gifts. These ten tips will guide you to maximizing profits from your small business while becoming a biz expert one day at a time. Choose your words with care.Each time you speak, you have the chance to make or break your business.
Community News

What Your Staff Needs to Know When Dealing with Clients

Following are some ideas that any business should consider when designing policies and procedures to deal with customers/clients.Clients are not transactions!While transactions are important, when we confuse transactions and customers we lose the leverage of the customer relationship.Build relationships INTO your policies & procedures!When we design an organization, we need to consider how our policies and procedures will ALLOW our employees to build client relationships.Transaction density is just as important as transaction intensity!The
A&A

The Road to Success: Growing Your Network

By Alvah Parker, Career and Business Coach"How do I grow my business through referrals?" "I was just downsized and need another job, what are your suggestions?" " I want to work in the US but I need to find a company to work for that will sponsor me. How do I find that company?" These are the questions people ask me. While each question has an array of answers, one answer that comes up for all these questions is to network. Whether you are a business owner, work in business or are starting a new career, having a network of people to support you is imperative.

Tooting Your Own Horn

By, C.J. Hayden, MCC "If he who has a thing to sell goes and whispers in a well, he won't be so apt to make the dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollers!" -- Anonymous Every day in your business, something happens that others should know. You give exceptional service to a client; you reach out to a new type of customer; you demonstrate your expertise on an important topic. Yet most of the time, the only people aware of these significant events are the individual with whom you are speaking and you.

Ten Things Small Firms Can Do to Compete

By Bruce MarcusGreat turbulence in the accounting profession, as well as in the business world itself, makes these difficult and unusual times. Public outcry against the misdeeds of a few accounting firms, corporations, investment bankers and others in government and the business community is tarring the innocent as well as the guilty. In the meantime, the loss of Arthur Andersen and the consolidation of the now Big Five can alter the competitive landscape for firms of any size.

Matching Your Values to Your Company's Values

By Alvah Parker, Parker AssociatesHow can you identify a company's values and why is it important? Your values can be defined as those activities that are most important to you. When your life is in great shape they are the things you are naturally drawn to. When you honor your values your work is effortless. If you are working in an environment, which has different values from yours, you have to work harder. Sometimes the values are just wrong for you and you feel your integrity is compromised.

How to Use Public Speaking to Attract Clients

By Steven Van Yoder When Robert Middleton moved his marketing consulting practice, Action Plan Marketing, to Palo Alto, California several years ago, he started his business from scratch. He had left his well-established client base several miles away and now had to find strategies to generate new clients.Because Middleton had always spoken to promote his business, he turned to public speaking with a vengeance. He researched local organizations whose members comprised professional business owners, his target clientele.
Practice Management

How To Improve Your Self Management Skills

You are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Learn to accept total responsibility for yourself. If you do not manage yourself, then you are letting others have control of your life. These tips will help "you" manage "you." 
Community News

Four Basic Rules For Growing Your CPA Firm

By Steve McIntyre-Smith, President, MarketingForAcountants.comIn days gone by professionals NEVER did any marketing. In fact, it wasn't even allowed in most countries until the mid 1980's, and even then, only in a very conservative and restricted manner.Once open for business one simply put a brass nameplate outside one's office, had a letterhead and business card printed, called a few Bank Managers and other contacts and the work started to flood in.

Tips To Topple Procrastination

By Karen Susman, President Karen Susman and AssociatesWe procrastinate for several reasons. We dread the action to be taken. We don’t have the information, authority or support to complete the action. We are perfectionists who can’t start a project because we might not do it perfectly. Perhaps we are addicted to the adrenaline rush of doing things last minute. Some procrastinators feel proud that they can do a good job in a small amount of time.
Community News

The Value of Trust, A Client's Perspective

By, Joe Heller, The Strategy SamuraiOne of the most challenging, if not the most difficult piece of the business development puzzle in a sale is - Trust. Trust today is truly the pivotal point of building a successful business relationship. Trust is rarely tied to a product or service but it is facilitated by the person interacting with the customer. Why is this important? Because everything depends on trust and in this day and age, trust is difficult to come by.
Practice Management

Document Your Processes - It Pays!

By James K. Boomer, MCPThere are a number of tasks we do on a frequent basis that become so routine that we take for granted that “everyone in our organization knows how to do that!” This assumption is most likely untrue. More likely, a number of employees are sitting at their desks right this moment stumped about where to begin with this new project they have been assigned. Documented processes provide a perfect starting point for new projects.The first step in documenting a process is identifying a repeatable process that is frequently used within the organization.

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Voice of the Editor

What makes a company a great place to work? Experience, a ConnectEDU company, uses criteria that include benefits, career advancement opportunities, culture, and work/life balance to form its annual list of the Best Places to Work for Recent Grads. BDO USA and Ernst & Young both made the Top 25 list. Read what makes these firms stand out and find out what can be done at your firm to entice college grads.

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