StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Advantages of VoIP for Small Businesses

Advantages of VoIP for Small Businesses

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Advantages of VoIP for Small BusinessesYou want to do everything you can to realize and surpass your small business’s potential. Have you thought about implementing a Voice over Internet Protocol phone system? Don’t think this communication is only for larger businesses. Understand how VoIP technology is ideal for companies of every size in practically every industry.

Functionality

You may not realize that you can do more with VoIP than make phone calls. For instance, you can use the technology for teleconferencing, instant messaging email faxing, and video conferencing. With current events impacting business operations in unprecedented ways, having a reliable way to communicate with employees and customers from a distance is more vital than ever. When email, instant, or text messaging just aren’t enough, it can be a comfort to know that you can video chat with your team through a reliable VoIP service. Another great feature of VoIP technology is that you can have faxes and emails sent directly to your email, which can save you a lot of time.

Superior Call Quality

An essential aspect of understanding how to use VoIP it’s worth noting how great the call quality is on VoIP systems. Even the call quality on some smartphones is questionable at times. With VoIP, the technology has advanced to such a degree that it’s surpassed traditional landline call quality.

Security

Besides securing your business’s physical location, your business site, and your customer’s and employee’s sensitive data, have you taken steps to secure your phone calls? If not, you risk someone accessing your phone calls and other data. With VoIP, you can rest easy knowing that your phone calls and data are encrypted with standard protocols.

Portability

A VoIP system isn’t contained in a single device. Instead, VoIP systems depend on an internet connection. The way the technology works is you can use several devices to receive and make phone calls. This means you do not always have to be at the office to handle business. It also means you can easily transfer calls to your team without the caller needing to use a different number. Also, VoIP technology gives you the option of setting your status so people know when you’re available for phone calls, like your status on an instant messaging service.

Call Recording

Have you ever gotten off a phone call and realized that you forgot an essential piece of information or detail? Rather than calling the other person back to see if he or she recalls the detail, which is not always a guarantee, wouldn’t it be better if you could record future conversations so you do not have to worry about that happening again? VoIP’s call recording technology allows you to play back phone conversations, ensuring that you never have to guess a detail or piece of information. Additional advantages of this particular feature including accessing call log data, allowing you to predict when a person is likely to call in the future and how long she or he is likely to keep you on the phone. This lets you schedule your time more efficiently.

Improved Productivity

How many times have you missed a phone call and called the other person back only to have them not answer the phone for one reason or another? With VoIP, you can set it so that your call goes through different devices before going to voicemail. This feature saves everyone time and better ensures the other person answers your call the first time.

Do you feel your small business could benefit from a quality VoIP system? Try one out for yourself to see how you, your employees, and your customers like it.

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Productivity|How the Right Office Design Strategy Can Improve Productivity

How the Right Office Design Strategy Can Improve Productivity

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Productivity|How the Right Office Design Strategy Can Improve ProductivityBusinesses don’t need hard workers. Someone who pushes themselves behind their limit and struggles to make it through each day on time and pulls overtime to reach deadlines is not someone you want on your team. Not because their dedication isn’t proven every day, but because they are not caring for their health. A productive employee is one that works better, faster, and often finds it far easier to get through a workday than someone who grinds through.

Their outlook is vastly different. Someone who works hard but doesn’t seem to actually get any more work done is someone on the verge of a breakdown. You are not always responsible for this downward spiral, but you can do a lot to help your employees avoid it.

There is an old saying that you should work smarter, not harder. The right office design can help employees be smarter about how they work, just by being the supportive element they need throughout their workday.

Natural Light Boosts Energy Levels

Our bodies wake up with the day. This is because we have evolved to respond to blue-white light. Our circadian rhythms are set in response to daylight hours, and yes, the blue-white light from the phone and other electronic screens messes with this rhythm. There is a reason why there is now a night mode on devices that warms the color of the screen after sunset.

In-office environments, you can use our relationship with this blue-white light to our advantage. Big windows and mirrors can bounce more light throughout the space, yes, but the right lights can also play a significant role. There are therapy lights you can install on every desk that will help your employees be healthier and more productive during the dark winter months.

Ergonomic Furniture Supports Spinal Health

Spinal health plays a huge role in productivity. A misaligned spine or a spine that has pinched a nerve can cause headaches and even restrict blood flow to the brain, and that’s on top of back and neck pain that is common with spinal conditions. Sitting at a desk all day can ruin a person’s back.
You can help and, in turn, improve your employee’s productivity just by investing in the best office furniture Aurora, IL, has to offer. New or used, the office furniture should be designed for skeletal health and support.

Art and Design Are Great for Productivity

Art does not detract from a day’s work. In fact, it is proven to improve productivity. Studies have shown that offices with art enjoy a productivity boost of 17% and that employees often work 15% faster.

To put this into a monetary perspective, if your payroll each year was $100,000, then the small bump in productivity would increase their value by $15,000. Art makes a space more inviting, builds on company culture, and is proven to boost the speed and productivity of your employees naturally.

The Right Break Room Supports Health

Ideally, every one of your employees will bring a healthy lunch to work with them. It will save them money, improve their cognitive function, and help support a healthy lifestyle. You can encourage this by making it easy for them to store and prepare their food during lunchtime.

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |employee drug tests |Should You Conduct Routine Employee Drug Tests?

Should You Conduct Routine Employee Drug Tests?

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |employee drug tests |Should You Conduct Routine Employee Drug Tests?Deciding whether or not to drug test your employees is often a big choice that employers have to make.

Employee drug tests have many pros and cons, and for some businesses, they may be essential. How do you know if drug testing in the workplace is for you?

We’re going to go over the pitfalls and benefits of employee drug testing so that you can make an informed decision for your business.
Keep reading to learn more.

Pro: Employee Health and Safety

A safe workplace is essential for any business. Drug use may impair your employees, making them dangers to themselves and others.
Industries that work with large machinery may want to drug test to avoid accidents.

Having healthy employees is also better for everyone. Employees who use drugs may need an extra incentive to get clean through the workplace.

Con: Employee Morale

No one particularly enjoys getting drug tested, and if you operate in a legal state (or a state that allowed marijuana), your employees may bristle at the idea of drug testing. This is especially true if it’s random.

Some potential employees may shy away from businesses that mention drug testing to start with regardless of their own use. They may see it as an invasion of privacy and look unfavorably at the employer.

Some employees also use medication that will flag on a test, and being unable to use that medication (marijuana or otherwise) will lower their morale.

Pro: Legal Liability

Having a drug-free workplace may reduce the legal liability of the employer.

If there is an accident in the workplace, the employer is legally responsible for it. Having employees go through drug screenings helps to remove one potential threat.

You protect yourself by testing your employees.

Con: Speed

The hiring process needs to be quick and efficient. By adding drug testing, you’re slowing down the process of getting a potential employee from the hiring stage to the working stage.

This may not be an issue for those who aren’t in a hurry, but it extends the time that you need and in the meantime, an employee may find another position elsewhere.

Mixed: Cost

Drug testing is costly for the employer. It may cost upwards of $30 per employee to get a comprehensive drug test (see this 10 panel drug screen guide for information). Many small businesses can not support this cost.

That said, it will reduce workers’ compensation costs if the employee who is hurt in an accident was using drugs at the time.
Overall, this is a complicated area when considering the pros and cons. The long-term costs may be reduced in the case of an accident, but the upfront cost is quite high.

Are Employee Drug Tests Right for You?

Using employee drug tests for your business might be the right choice depending on your unique situation.
Making the right choice for your company is important, and you should consider all possible factors before making your final decision.
For more posts like this, visit the rest of our site.

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |selling on amazon for dummies |Selling on Amazon for Dummies: How to Get Started Selling on Amazon

Selling on Amazon for Dummies: How to Get Started Selling on Amazon

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |selling on amazon for dummies |Selling on Amazon for Dummies: How to Get Started Selling on AmazonWant to make your own business without the stress of an office or employees? Why not start selling through Amazon?

In fact, there are already 8.7 million sellers on the Amazon marketplace worldwide.

By establishing an Amazon FBA business, you can reach customers around the world. Then, you can market your business, attract buyers, and start generating sales.

Not sure how to establish your new Amazon FBA business? With this selling on Amazon for dummies guide, you can give your new business a strong start.

Read on to learn how to sell stuff on Amazon!

Draft a Business Plan

Before you actually start selling, it helps to have a plan. Drafting a business plan will help you chart the path ahead. It also gives you a chance to recognize any obstacles that might stand in your way.

Before reading this selling on Amazon for dummies guide, sit down and consider your business. A strong business plan starts off with a mission statement. What are you trying to accomplish?

What promise are you making to your customers?

Next, you’ll need to determine which products you sell. You’ll also need to develop a marketing, sales, and financial plan.

Once you know what you want to sell, try to gain an understanding of the current marketplace. A market analysis will help you recognize the latest trends. What are consumers looking for right now?

Don’t forget to research your competitors, too. Which strategies are they using to reach customers? Are those strategies working, or falling flat?

Try to use a SWOT analysis to determine your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Recognizing these factors can help you sell through Amazon successfully! Otherwise, your weaknesses and threats might slow you down.

Define Your Target Audience

In order to reach your target audience, you need to determine who your customers are. If you’re focusing on a broad target market, try segmenting your audience into buyer personas. You can define your buyer personas based on demographics such as age, gender, location, or household income.

What products are your ideal customers already buying? What interests and hobbies do they have?

Learning more about your audience will help you appeal to their interests. Once you understand your audience, you can develop a marketing strategy to spark their interest. A strong marketing strategy will help you boost sales and retain long-term customers.
It can also help to determine how COVID-19 is affecting sales. How are your customers shopping on Amazon? What trends could help benefit your business plan?

Know Your Niche

There are millions of products you can choose to sell online. When establishing your Amazon FBA business, don’t split your focus. Instead, try to build your business around a niche in the marketplace.

Choosing a niche will help you create a more focused marketing plan. It will also help you reach a smaller target audience. Dedicating your time to a smaller target audience will make it easier for you to appeal to customers who need your product.
You can also use personalized messaging to connect with these consumers.

Meanwhile, having a niche will help you stand out from the hundreds of competitors selling similar products.

First, make sure the niche product you choose is profitable. You might need to research the latest market trends for your niche. You can use tools such as Google Trends to determine how often people search for the product you’re considering.

If the search volume is low, consider choosing a different product.

Don’t forget to choose a product you’re interested in. Otherwise, you might not feel passionate about selling through Amazon or helping those customers.

Once you decide on a product, learn as much as you can about it. Don’t forget to look at competitors for your niche.
Which consumers are already using that product? What unique value can you offer consumers that your competitors can’t? Highlight that value proposition in your marketing to stand out from the crowd!

Find Suppliers

Now that you have a product, you can start selling it! First, you’ll need to find an online product supplier. Head over to one of the B2B platforms to find a supplier who has your product.

You might need to compare a few different options to find a supplier you want to work with. Once you have a few options, contact each one. Ask for a sample of the product to compare quality and costs.

How much is the minimum and maximum for each order? Is the price within your budget?

Once you find your supplier, you can place your first order!

Place Your Order

You don’t have to place a giant order the first time. Instead, place a smaller order and give yourself the chance to test the market.
Your first few orders give you chances to gather feedback. You can add a note with these purchases to encourage shoppers to share their thoughts. Then, use their comments to make improvements to your business.

Ask people to post their reviews, too. Five-star reviews will show potential customers you have a high-quality product.

Take the time to manage your inventory regularly. If you don’t track your sales, you could run out of stock sooner than expected.

Build A Buzz

For your shop to succeed, you need to get people to want to shop with your store. The best way to do this is to market yourself online, using various SEO and marketing techniques. One great way to get interest is to run discounts and deals, as this adds extra value and builds excitement and hype that can get people to talk about your store.

Something that you must do is market alongside holidays, especially Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday. Black Friday is especially important for businesses to earmark, as this is where the appetite for online goods swells, so learning about black Friday marketing ideas can help you get the edge during this competitive period.

When you build a buzz and get your store known, you can expect a steady stream of revenue.

Register Your Account

Before you start selling, you’ll need to register your Amazon FBA business.

You can become an individual seller or pro seller. Once you’re set-up, create your product listings.

About 23% of consumers look to Amazon for inspiration. To inspire them to shop, make sure your product images are high-quality.

Make Adjustments

As you gather feedback from your customers, make sure to adjust your selling strategy accordingly. Using this selling on Amazon for dummies guide is only the first start. Improving your marketing strategy and adding new products to your store over time will help you expand your business.

You can also use this guide to learn how to win on Amazon!

Selling on Amazon for Dummies: The Top Tips for Sweet Success

Remember, this article to selling on Amazon for dummies is only the beginning. These tips can set you on the path to success. Then, keep expanding your business plan to generate more sales and regular customers!

Looking for more ways to establish your new business? Explore our latest guides for entrepreneurs today!

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Market your Business|How to Market Your Business in 2020

How to Market Your Business in 2020

StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Market your Business|How to Market Your Business in 2020Nowadays, businesses have access to an unprecedented range of marketing tools. By leveraging all of them, you’ll be able to access the maximum possible number of would-be customers. Some, however, may be better suited to your circumstances, and thus worth extra attention.

Let’s take stock of a few of the key marketing tools available.

Business Cards

For good reason, many new entrepreneurs place considerable focus on digital marketing. But it would be a mistake to neglect the enduring appeal of a physical business card. Hand out a business card to a potential lead, and you’re achieving several things:

  • You’re avoiding what might be an awkward and time-consuming conversation.
  • You’re giving them all of your contact details in an instant.
  • You’re establishing that you are a serious professional who is worthy of their attention.

instantprint, the online printing company, recently studied the science behind the business card, finding that white, yellow, and green were the most successful colours with 45.4% of Brits favouring a traditional design that represents the business. 30.8% also prefer a no-frills design with only the necessary information on display. This information is worth bearing in mind when designing your own business card.

Flyers

For some businesses, flyers remain especially effective. This includes businesses whose reach is very short. A local takeaway should be focusing its marketing efforts on the surrounding area, and door-to-door menu posting remains by some distance the most effective ways to do this.

Social media

A presence on social media will allow you to communicate with your clientele, drive their engagement with your brand, and thus gain access to valuable insights that can inform your future decisions.

Even if you don’t create any content yourself, your presence alone will yield benefits. With that said, taking the time to create content can pay dividends in drawing traffic to your business. If you have a special area of expertise, then why not publish some instructional blogs on the subject? Do your keyword research, establish what your customers are looking for, and then give it to them. You’ll be rewarded with traffic.

Influencers

Influencers have become significant players in the global digital economy. Their behaviour influences (of course) the behaviour of those who follow them. If you can get your products and services to feature in their content, then you’ll create an avenue through which a new audience can discover you and what you’re about. You’ll want to do your research before engaging with potential influencers. Vet their social media to see whether their approach makes a good match with your brand, and whether their audience coincides with your own. If you’re looking to market to younger people, then online influencers remain among the most effective ways of reaching them. Court them and keep them onside.