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What To Do When Receiving A Bad Review

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Receiving a Bad Review|What To Do When Receiving A Bad ReviewIt can be detrimental to your business if you receive negative online reviews. It is becoming more important than ever before for businesses to pay attention to what customers are saying about them on social media and online review websites due to the increasing popularity of social media.

The good news is that, even if negative online reviews occur, that does not necessarily result in loss of business like complaints made in person. In fact, they can be viewed as an opportunity to improve customer service. From using reputation management services to good communication with your customers, you can turn bad reviews into positive ones. Let’s look at how to deal with them below:

Respond Quickly

The online world operates around the clock and people expect to receive a quick response when they request it. As soon as a negative review appears, you must act quickly to avoid it escalating and attracting more potential customers to your brand.

Keep It Professional And Polite

If someone gives you a negative review, don’t react personally. Please handle the issue in a polite and professional manner. Don’t point the finger at other people or make excuses.

Handle The Issue Offline

Offer to deal with the issue in an off-line fashion, out of the public eye, when you acknowledge the problem. Let the person know where to find your contact info or email so that you can discuss the issue further.

You can then use the review website to put up a public comment outlining the agreed conclusion as soon as you have been able to resolve the issue.

Remove Or Request Removal Of Misleading Or False Reviews

You need to remove fake and misleading reviews if you know of them. An example of a misleading review that you should remove would be one that is written by any of the following.

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 gives businesses and review platforms the power to remove fake reviews. Failing to do so could lead them to breach the law.

There is no harm in asking for reviews to be removed (or to remove them from your own website or Facebook page), but this is not the same as asking for them to be removed. There is nothing wrong with being negative here and there, even though social media is all about building relationships. Some examples include:

  • Keeping your personal relationship a secret from family or friends
  • In a competitive market
  • An unqualified reviewer who paid to write it
  • You or someone on your staff

Encourage Customers To Write Reviews

As a business owner, you can ask happy customers to write reviews if they are happy with your product or service. However, you need to be careful not to sway them into only writing positive reviews.

You can improve customer reviews online by:

  • Review sites: understanding how they operate
  • You can track mentions of your business by registering with Google Alerts
  • Review sites, especially those specific to your industry, provide alerts when a review is posted
  • Providing details on how your customers can post a review so they are aware you are listed on review sites
  • Your staff should receive reviews

This guide should help you when dealing with bad reviews. Do you have any other tips that could help? Please share them in the comments below.

Lone Entrepreneur To Business Empire – Vital Things To Remember

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Business Empire|Lone Entrepreneur To Business Empire - Vital Things To RememberThere is no shame in starting small in the world of entrepreneurship. Indeed, some of the most iconic business people of the 20th and 21st centuries have begun their empires in the garage or dorm room with little more than a dream and a prayer. However, effective and profitable expansion is far more than increasing demand for the products or services you offer. Indeed, getting from lone entrepreneur to empire leader can be tricky. Unless you follow the suggestions in the post below!

Don’t expand too fast

One of the biggest mistakes that happen around expansion, is when things go too quickly. The problem with going from a one-person organization to a larger one is that all aspects of your business need to be able to effectively scale with you, including your website, supply chain, manufacturing process, logistics, and admin to name a few!

Unfortunately, unless you carefully account for this as part of your expansion process, it can easily fall apart, something that means you are left with an increased demand for your products that is unmet, and the damage that this can do to your coffers and reputation.

With this in mind, choosing systems, and provisions that are designed to be flexible and easily scalable is vital. Also, swapping to automation for things like admin, and stock orders can help you keep up with demand, as you expand while also keeping your costs low.

Do offer products and services that make efficient use of your time

One of the most vital things to remember as you make the transition from lone entrepreneur to business empire leader is that your time is precious. Indeed, it will have a literal monetary value, and to expand you need to find ways of making the most money with the limited time you have.

Of course, how you may do this will differ depending on the sector in which you are operating. For example, a graphic designer may translate from working directly on projects for clients to offering content, constantly and advice for other designers looking to go freelance, something that could be more profitable over the long term.

Similarly, instead of working with single clients, a personal trainer may get a Group Exercise Certification so they can teach large classes together at once. Thereby increasing their income massively, while still using up only an hour slot.

Don’t forget your expertise is always valuable to someone

Last of all, if you want to transform from a lone entrepreneur to the founder of an empire, you need to remember that the most valuable asset you have is your knowledge and expertise.

Indeed, there are many ways that you can leverage this to expand your business. From going into consulting where you can command a higher fee, to offering products such as e-books and video tutorials on specific topics. You can even use your expertise to help with your marketing efforts. After all, content is still king and you can bring plenty of prospects to the table by offering them valuable information they can get anywhere else. Which along with the other suggestions above can help you build your successful business empire.

The Best Techniques for Running a Productive Workplace

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Productive Workplace|The Best Techniques for Running a Productive WorkplaceThe importance of consistent productivity in the workplace cannot be understated. While some small talk over a morning cup of coffee is fine, you want to make sure your staff are making the most of their time every single day. Otherwise, the business loses money. You don’t need ten staff members putting in the collective effort of five!

To make sure the business runs smoothly and makes the most amount of profit, use these techniques for running a productive workplace.

Encourage Additional Learning and Training

Your staff always have room to grow, whether that’s into a leadership role or something a little more specialized. Allow them to flourish by encouraging and providing additional learning and training opportunities. There are lots of options for training in the workplace, or you could opt for online courses. One that everyone should get on board with is first aid training, as it makes the workplace safer while teaching everyone something new.

Create a Mood-boosting Workspace

It’s hard to be productive in a cramped, poorly decorated workspace, which is why you should prioritize a mood-boosting environment. Lighting is a great contributor to this – use layered lighting mixed with enough natural light, and you will create a far more comfortable and mood-boosting space. On top of that, think carefully about your choice of furniture, color, and how much space you provide each employee.

Set a Great Example

Whether you are the business owner or manager, you must set a great example by being productive each day. After all, if you’re not putting your best foot forward, why should your team? By setting a great example, staff will be encouraged to follow suit.

Hire Passionate People

Hiring is a crucial step when it comes to running a productive workplace. No matter how excellent your leadership skills are, it’s hard to encourage great work from an unenthusiastic employee. So, to make sure you’re not stuck with people who perform poorly, focus on passion during the hiring process. Even if someone doesn’t have much experience, you can always train them, but you cannot teach someone to be passionate!

Set Achievable Goals

It’s hard to be productive when goals are difficult to reach. Likewise, you can’t put all your best efforts in if there aren’t enough challenging goals to reach. For this reason, you should set achievable goals for your team. You could put them into three sections – goals to reach for the month, goals for the week, and goals for the day. When your staff have something to work toward, they are more likely to focus.

Understand Employee Strengths

If you want a workplace full of uninterrupted productivity, you must understand each employee’s strengths so you can make the most out of it. There’s no point in putting a logical team member into a creative project when there’s another with far more imaginative ideas! Get to know each member on an individual level to get better at delegating, which, in turn, will help boost productivity.

8 Best Degrees for Entrepreneurs – Launch Your Business the Right Way

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article | 8 Best Degrees for Entrepreneurs - Launch Your Business the Right WayEntrepreneurship is one of the most rewarding paths to take in life, but it’s also a risky road fraught with dangers. If you’ve decided that entrepreneurship is right for you, then there are certain degrees that will give you a much better chance of success. The following qualifications will help provide the foundation you need when starting your own business:

1. Economics

If you’re going to start a business, then it’s important to know how businesses operate. A degree in economics will teach you about microeconomics and macroeconomics, which will give you a solid understanding of how companies work from top to bottom. You’ll learn about different types of markets so that, when creating your company, customers have plenty of options from which to choose. And if you plan on hiring employees, then an economics degree will teach you how to run a company so that it makes the most profit possible.

2. Mathematics

Whether studying pure mathematics or applied mathematics, this course of study will provide all sorts of knowledge that is essential for entrepreneurs. You’ll learn the fundamentals like writing equations and simplifying them before moving on to calculus and differential equations. If your business requires any sort of statistical analysis (which it probably does), then you should opt for a degree in statistics instead. Like with economics, studying math will give you a better understanding of how businesses operate and make decisions so that when it comes time to make yours, you’re prepared.

3. Engineering

An engineering degree is one way to avoid getting ripped off when looking for help with certain issues facing entrepreneurs such as patents. An engineer’s job isn’t just about creating solutions though: it’s also about identifying problems before they occur by making sure things are built properly from scratch. Studying this course of study will give you the technical know-how needed to be successful alongside the critical thinking skills needed to identify problems before they become too big to solve.

4. Sales and Marketing

Entrepreneurs are natural salespeople, but that doesn’t mean that you can just skip out on studying this course of study altogether! Whether you go for a degree in marketing or public relations, learning the ins and outs of salesmanship is essential for anyone looking to start their own company. This way, when creating your offer, there will be no doubt in the minds of potential customers about why they should buy from you.

5. Economics/Mathematics

Pairing two degrees is always an excellent choice, since you’ll learn twice as much for half the price. Studying both economics and mathematics will give you a strong foundation for starting your own company. You’ll understand both the practical and theoretical sides of the business, giving you a better chance to succeed than those with one or the other.

6. Business Administration

Studying this course of study will give you all the skills needed to manage a business properly. You’ll learn how to create budgets and forecasts as well as how to make plans for future growth and profitability. Since every entrepreneur needs at least some knowledge of these topics, it’s advisable that anyone looking to start their own company go for a degree in business administration if possible.

7. Entrepreneurship

A degree in entrepreneurship is one of the few ways you can study something that doesn’t exist anywhere except in your mind. You’ll learn all about how to start and market your business while also gaining some insight on what might go wrong before it does. If you want to be truly successful when launching your company, then this course of study will give you everything you need to know.

8. Law

With lots of accredited online law schools to make your learning easier, a law degree will open doors for you throughout the business world. You’ll learn how to draft contracts and create protection for your company while also learning how to resolve disputes and litigate in case any roadblocks come your way. If you plan on joining an existing company instead of creating one from scratch, then earning a degree in this field is virtually essential.

Studying any of these things will provide you with all the knowledge you need to start or run a company. Whether it’s a degree in entrepreneurship, economics/mathematics, sales and marketing, engineering, law, or business administration, this is one of the best ways to make sure your company thrives from the very beginning.

No More Mr Night Guy: how to secure your office before you leave in the evening

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Secure your Office|No More Mr Night Guy: how to secure your office before you leave in the eveningUnfortunately, we’ve all heard stories of offices being burgled. This can mean the loss of important equipment or worse, data. If you’re a small business these losses can be even more devastating. If you’re a victim of burglary, you’ll be forced to experience a long and arduous process of filing police reports and waiting for insurance settlements.

At best, this can be extremely stressful and time consuming. At worst, there could be exemptions that prevent you from claiming for all your lost property. To help avoid this outcome, it’s best to prepare. Here are some ways you can secure your office before you leave for the night:

Fit an Alarm System

Alarms can be extremely useful for various reasons. Firstly, they can notify people in the surrounding area if your business is being robbed. With a higher end Police Response Alarm, you’re even able to notify a receiving centre, that will either investigate the issue or call the police.

Alarms also act as excellent deterrents. Properties that prominently display an alarm, fall much lower on the target list of thieves.

Use CCTV

The words ‘Smile you’re on CCTV’ are likely familiar to you. There’s a reason so many businesses and other properties use CCTV. Whilst a burglar alarm can be a great determent, it can’t tell you exactly who has broken into your property.

With CCTV you have a record of your burglary and images of those that have broken in. These images can then be passed onto the police, helping you to find your stolen items more quickly. Like burglar alarms CCTV also acts as a useful deterrent.

If you’re looking at finding a new office, and worried about security, a serviced office From BE Offices is a fantastic option. These state-of-the-art offices come with CCTV and other security features. This ensures maximum security and a comfortable and pleasant office environment.

Protect your important documents

Your office will likely contain many important documents that relate to your business. Losing these documents can almost be as devastating as losing equipment and other items. It’s best to put these documents in a safe place before anything happens to them.

Keeping your documents in a locked cabinet can be a useful option. The average burglar takes no more than 12 minutes inside of your property. Anything that slows the thief down is likely to be a much lower priority.

Of course, today many important documents are stored electronically. These too, must be accounted for. A laptop lock can be useful for securing your devices. These metal cables attach your device to a non-movable object, making them much more difficult to steal.

Use British Standard Locks

Obviously, it’s absolutely crucial that you have proper locks on the doors and windows of your property. Although obvious, this is a factor that some businesses overlook. To make sure that you’re utilizing the best locks, you should ensure that they comply with British Standard Regulations. In fact, this is a general requirement for office insurance policy.

Make sure your office is secure and compliant with the policy of your landlord, by using British Standard Locks.