Next Year. A chance to start over. A chance to re-invent ourselves. We were ready to make Websites that were customer-centric places, where customers come first.

Don’t you just love naïveté?

Now the old year has almost come and gone. Was is the best year ever? Not even close. Still, here are some things we have learned when it comes to online customer service.

Customer expectation inflation

Customer expectations are rising faster than gasoline prices. Customers want answers now, if not sooner, and from a human being. To their credit, marketers this year started putting real people in the online loop. BestGEDClasses.org (a GED practice website) got involved in Ask Jeeves (Ask.com), Ask Dudley (Dell Computer), Ask Maxwell (Microsoft), Ask IRIS (Toshiba), Ask Alex (Drug Emporium).

Human contact is so popular and so needed that there are third parties who will perform the task for you. Among them: LivePerson, LiveAssistance, and eSupportNow. If you want to do it yourself, you can even hang a “The Customer Service Rep is In” sign on your homepage.

Customer relationship management

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First things first, what is business development?

There are many definitions out there. To sum it up, business development comes to revenue generation. To reach that goal, there are many hats contributing to the task directly or indirectly.  The Director of Business Development is responsible for effectively implementing these five key elements in the entire business process.

There are five key elements, Marketing, Sales, Customer Retention, Product evolution, and New business opportunities.

The direct impact comes from marketing and sales hats.

Marketing is responsible to create attention to the product in the big market jungle. Doing branding, organizing events, creating campaigns, announcing your presence in the digital world, doing a press release etc…

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B2B sales challenges are piling up as the clients are becoming more and more difficult with their purchasing decisions. Sales goals are getting higher and higher and the organization is challenged with beating up low-performance results. So read on if you want to learn more about 5 roadblocks of B2B sales and B2B sales jobs.

Why?

There are many challenges if you are in B2B sales because you deal with complex organizations and decision cycles. B2B customers are difficult to please and hard to convince. This is because they themselves deal with all internal procedures, budget limitations, and company politics.

As a startup, if you are operating in B2B, you need to organize your sales force and moreover put in place a proper sales enablement, especially after the early adapter acquisition phase.

Out of early adopter phase, your mission is to prove sales repeatability to fuel the growth.

Not an easy mission

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Que es el Tiempo?

Time can be defined as the continued, indefinite progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future when regarded as a whole. Einstein referred to time as the fourth dimension, intertwined with our other three space dimensions, making one giant spacetime sort of thingy (his words), and then something about black holes. I don’t know, what, do I look like some sort of him?

Back when I was a stupid teenager, I had a realization that, since the past and future are intangible events, there cannot really be a present. How can there be a middle with no ends? And if there’s no middle, there’s no definable present, so there’s no such thing as time. My head exploded and I died shortly after.

Some would agree that time is an illusion, and others describe it as one constant event, everything happening all at once, but perceived by our dumb brains as separate and discernible. Whatever time is, we all need it, but never seem to have enough of it.

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Having worked from home for almost 13 years, I get asked all the time how I do it. There seem to be two camps of people, those who think working from home is their dream and a ticket to–well–not actually working, or those who know they don’t have what it takes to stay disciplined and get the job done.

For my family, working from home means I get to have a productive career that contributes financially to my family and I’m still here for my children and my husband when I need to be. Working from home allows me also to be a volunteer. Recently I am helping people from Best GED classes to answer questions from GED students about financing their exam. It’s rewarding.

So, in this post addresses how to increase Work-From-Home Discipline – Business Development Skills.

Working from home gives you more power and independence in your work schedule. It also lowers work-family conflict and increases job satisfaction, performance, turnover intent, and role stress, according to a 2014 American Psychological Association study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

If you find it difficult to make your way to your computer and forgo your Netflix queue, though, a lack of discipline can create stress and get you in trouble with your employer.

Staying focused and accomplishing work you’re tasked with is essential to maintain a work-from-home role. Here are five ways to create a working sanctuary that makes you satisfied with both your professional and personal life.

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Working from home can be difficult — you’re surrounded by the distractions of your everyday life, from paying bills to cleaning. You can use feng shui to create a productive and comfortable space to work in to maximize your output. Here are some tips for getting started with feng shui in your home to create your perfect working environment.

Create Separation

One important element of working from home is making sure that you have a completely separate space for doing work. If you are tempted to check your email in the bedroom or do a little work while watching television in the living room, resist those urges. Designate an area of your home for your professional life.

Choose a space that is as far away as possible from your bedroom, and only allow yourself to work there. It is best if it is a separate room with its own entrance, but if your home does not have that space, try to create division with your decor. Use a screen, plants, etc. to give your workspace its own feel of separation from the rest of your home. Be careful with furniture though; a floating couch can create bad energy.

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Depression drains your physical and mental energy and can make it almost impossible to do anything. Feeling better when you are depressed is the goal but the journey can often take more than just sheer willpower.

There are some steps that you can take to improve your odds and if your depression is severe you should definitely consult a physician. By making small daily changes you can start to increase your happiness and energy day by day capitalizing on the momentum gained from the previous day.

Depression has also been thought of as your body’s way to make you focus on a spiritual or mental issue that you have been avoiding. By viewing depression as a natural function it becomes all the more important to reflect and try to understand why you are feeling the way that you are. Keep also in mind that people who are overcommitted may develop similar symptoms quite easily as well.

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The opportunity to work from home: One of the greatest benefits of working for yourself. Or is it? Let’s take a closer look at the Pros and Cons of Working from Home.

If you have space, setting up as a freelancer or starting a company in your own home can save you a significant amount of money on office space and purchasing additional equipment. You get to work the hours that you want, at a pace that you want.

However, there can also be drawbacks involved and there are a number of things you should consider first if you are contemplating working from home.

Work-life balance. If you’re just starting out in the world of business then for a while at least that company may become your life, the object of your attention and what you pour all your efforts into. Nevertheless, at some point, you are likely to want you social and personal life back and there is a lot to be said for the separation between the home and work environment. At the very least it can help you keep your sanity and maintain that valuable balance in life.

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The purpose of this post it to improve the way you manage your commitments, therefore, optimizing productivity and performance. I took the Covcell GED prep course and at that time, I felt pretty overcommitted, as I took a lot on MY plate at that time.

Do you feel overcommitted? My guess is that a lot of you would say yes.  The real question is, do you have too much on your plate?  Or, do you truly understand what you’ve committed to?  It may simply be that you don’t have the full picture of your commitments (i.e. outcomes/projects) so you’re always running uphill, jumping from project to project, not knowing where you’re headed next.

Let’s face it, you could have five projects going, but it may seem like fifty.  Or, if you’ve managed these commitments the right way, you could have fifty projects, but feel like you only have five.  My point is this….your focus will be compromised if you don’t understand all that you’ve committed to yourself.  Furthermore, your psyche will be in a state of survival and your energy will wane considerably.

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I was recently asked for a recommendation of a GED course so I went on a shopping spree. I learned about several GED programs but so far, the best is Covcell GED prep. It’s effective, it’s designed with simplicity, it’s for adults (not some stupid cartoon). Here are the details.

Let’s start with general information about the GED test. When passing the GED test (actually four independent tests), you receive a credential that takes the place of a high school diploma. It is the equivalent of earning your high school diploma.

While you cannot take the GED online, you may very well take an online course to pass the GED. Taking a good GED preparation course can help you pass the test in one try. This will save you a tremendous amount of time, money, and stress.

Additionally, taking an online GED prep course means you can study during your free time instead of taking time off from work while commuting or trying to retain information when you’re tired. You can learn and study when it suits you best.

I checked 5 different courses and without any doubt, Covcell.org is the best. The price is friendly: $9,90 per month or $74 one time payment. The yearly renewal is just $1.

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I love e-mail candy! I savor it and only open it when I can’t stand to wait any longer to consume it. I look forward to getting it and when I see it all beautiful and bold, my heart skips a quick beat knowing that it has finally arrived.

And I know the best part is not even here yet. When I can’t wait any longer, I open it and hope that it meets (or even…if possible…exceeds) my expectations.

Then I consume it slowly making sure to savor each piece. And when I’m done, I usually have a smile on my face with the memory of it.

At this point you may be asking yourself, what in THE hell is she talking about? I know, usually the words e-mail and candy don’t go together but for me, they do!

E-mail candy is that sweet electronic correspondence that you’ve been wishing for and waiting for and wanting so much that you’ve convinced yourself that you don’t even want it!

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I recently asked my husband if he would get a tattoo of my name. I know…bizarre question. I don’t have any tattoos and neither does my husband and neither of us have ever talked about it or, to my knowledge, ever had the slightest desire to get a tattoo.

In fact, my family (and I’m pretty sure his) frowns on such an act and I’ve always found the entire notion of burning a permanent life-long mark into your skin absurd. So why did I ask him this question you ask? Angelina Jolie.

Now if you’ve read my previous posts, you might be thinking…man, she’s obsessed with that woman. I didn’t think I was but maybe I am. I just love strong women that are “out-of-the-box” thinkers and doers. And I’m a little obsessed with movie stars in general…I know, please don’t hate me, I can’t help it! Back to the tattoo…

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I’m a big fan of The Conspiracy of The Rich The 8 New Rules of Money. I believe in what Robert is doing and I have been a fan of his ever since Rich Dad Poor Dad.

What’s unique about this work is that a) he is writing each chapter in pseudo draft and publishing it on the internet and then asking readers to comment, he then amends it inline with the feedback and b) this is one of the richest men in the world saying the rich have conspired deliberately to keep us from earning our full potential.

This post is a review of the Introduction which when I first read it I thought was truly shocking. All the more so because it was written by a self-made man and not a particularly left-wing person with no experience of being rich or being an entrepreneur. So when Robert Kiyosaki calls something a conspiracy you better listen for your financial health.

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Most marketers think selling a brand is a challenge. But there’s an even tougher job: selling a generic commodity. Think about it. You see commercials for Chevrolet and Chrysler but not for the automobile. You see spots for McDonald’s and Pepsi, not fast food and soft drinks.

Yet there’s one popular drink sold mostly as a commodity: milk. Two groups, over seven years, have achieved a marketing feat in making this commodity a brand. In the process, they blunted a two-decade slide in milk consumption and raised sales for producers and processors.

”When it comes to a cereal or a soft drink, I could advertise that brand when a competitive product was not advertising, and sales would go up,” says Kurt Graetzer, CEO of the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board. ”Our job is very different: We’re trying to move an entire industry. Our measuring stick involves many more bars to cross.”

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Social sharing is a powerful thing. I’m constantly telling people that social media is a fad! At least the term “social media” is a fad. People are social, and media is always going to be talked about, so social media is just our natural way of talking about things that are happening, or things that we like.

Social networking, social bookmarking, and social media promotion are all terms that any blogger or marketer needs to be very familiar with. I’m issuing a special invitation for you to consider joining a social sharing group powered by Posterous through which socially savvy (and unselfish) marketers can mutually share links across a broad range of social platforms.

Here are the rules…

• I will be more of a giver than a receiver, sharing for at least 3 people for every sharing request I make.
• I will not submit direct affiliate links, though links to posts and pages that include affiliate links is acceptable.
• I will not ask for sharing of the same link twice.
• I will send no more than 1 email per day with my requests.
• I respect the rights of all to choose what they consider worthy of promotion and relevant to their typical readership.
• I realize that being a member is a privilege and inactive members may be purged from the group.
• If I am accepted, I pledge to never, ever, ever kick an innocent llama in the neck… or an alpaca. Yaks are fair game.
• If all of that sounds good to you, then by all means, apply today! Oh, and of course it’s free. That’s how I’m able to have so many stinkin’ rules! Which reminds me, I plan on keeping the group at 200 people or less. It’s a “soft limit” but that’s the goal.

Bloggers are always looking for ways to create more back=links to their blog to help boost their blog’s SEO. RSS feeds are a simple and effective way to generate backlinks to your blog, but the best part of all is that it’s somewhat automated. So, for once this is not a strategy that is going to add a bunch of new tasks to your ‘to-do’ list. Once you’ve submitted your RSS feed to several directories your links will remain there working for you into the future.

Let’s first take a look at what an RSS feed is, and then we’ll walk through setting up a custom RSS feed that will generate lots of relevant inbound links to your blog. RSS, which stands for really simple syndication, is an XML feed composed of the content of your blog, in a list of your posts that readers can subscribe to. Using an RSS feed reader the content of your blog is pushed to the reader in a convenient, easy to consume format rather than their needing remember to go to your blog to catch your latest post.

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I know that’s why you’re here – you want to know the secret to making your customers and prospects fall in a dead heap at your feet, like teenyboppers longing for the Fab Five or Justin Bieber.
Well, despite the name of this blog – the truth is, there is no magic love potion – at least, not how most people think about it.

You can’t buy one product or one course or one WordPress theme or opt-in box and have it slay your audience. It just doesn’t work like that. You can’t “make” someone buy your products or become screaming mimi fans, any more than you could make your spouse fall in love with you.

All you can really do is present your best side, playing up your strengths and hiding the little inconvenient things like the fact that you pour orange juice over your Frosted Flakes, or that you use four towels when you take a shower and leave them all in one sodden heap on the bathroom floor — at least until they’ve become so enamored of your good side that they’re willing to give you a pass on the other stuff.

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Before I continue on with suggestions for making your presence known on Facebook, let me tell you that I don’t believe that everyone SHOULD be on Facebook. You need to go where your market is, and where you feel comfortable. Facebook may not be the correct place for you to focus if you are, say, an undertaker. In that case you might be better off at MySpace, which is totally dead (haha!).

No, seriously… not everyone’s business is suited to Facebook. And that’s okay. But if you think your peeps are hanging out at the big FB, here are some resources to get you on the boards, so to speak:

1. Decide if you want a fan (“group”) page or a personal page. I am not convinced that group pages are all that much better than personal pages. For my scrapbooking business, I have one of each, and people seem to like connecting with me more on my personal page than on my Layout a Day group page, but that could be a function of my business and my industry. I also have trouble keeping multiple, same-colored balls in the air at the same time. For instance, do I post the same post on my personal page AND my group page, or just one or the other? Do I send scrappy friends to my group page and refuse to accept their requests on my personal page? It’s all so confusing! Read More

Looking to give your online business a boost? You may find a few things you have missed, check out these quick tips for your online business which each can be done in 10 minutes or less and under $10.

Blogs: If you have not created a business blog, do it now. Blogs are invaluable assets to online business and can increase not only your online authority for search engine optimization but also your business authority in your area of expertise. You can advise people also on how much they can be making per hour or per month.

Blogs can be utilized to give back to the online community and individuals seem to respond better to companies who offer information on topics such as how to guides and informative posts, rather than companies who simply blog about how amazing their product are.

Ditch the free URL: Free URLs are convenient for individuals who simply want to blog or create an online hobby. However for businesses, having a free URL is generally not a good idea. For example:
Sites like Blogger and WordPress offer free domains when using their free hosted service. If you are utilizing one of these free services your domain name might look something like this:

-http://www.yourbusiness.blogspot.com
Or
-http://www.yourbusiness.wordpress.com Read More

Productivity is about making the most of your resources so you get more done with what you already have, right? Well, what if I told by limiting your access to those resources your productivity would increase significantly? You would tell me I’m mad, and to a point, you would be right, but I would be also telling you the truth.

We live in an abundant Universe. There’s plenty of anything for everyone (it’s just poorly distributed). In the Western World, everyone has access to plenty of resources now. This has made us lazy. Because there are so many resources, we don’t pay attention to our choices and that makes our productivity worse. In scarcity, we are forced to make choices. It’s only when we don’t have access to everything that we realize what’s important for us.

This is how the setting limits system works to improve your productivity. Now, this scarcity is not real, just an illusionary Sword of Damocles. You can apply it in different ways:

Time. Guys, this a BIG one. Almost everyone is literally running around trying to have more time. If we told them that by actually decreasing the time they had they would be more productive and efficient they would turn mad, so let’s not do it. Parkinson’s Law says: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. Think about it. In my own case, when I have a deadline near the corner I’m more productive. Motivation takes a part in the process, but just having less time makes you do things more focused. Racers don’t have time to hesitate or procrastinate either. Some examples: The Pomodoro Technique or the (10+2) Procrastination Hack. These methods also work because they allow you to eat the elephant in small chunks. Read More