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Guest Post by Gabby Miele Salespeople sometimes get a bad rap. Sometimes the word salesperson conjures an image of an unauthentic person who tells you what you want to hear instead of the truth.  Some say that salespeople are pushy and disingenuous. Some companies’ business plans are based upon the idea that customers don’t like salespeople, so they try to disguise their sales teams as “technical experts” who will help you choose the right product for your situation. If you are a salesperson, you have probably faced resistance from customers. Customers may put their guard up around you because they don’t want to be tricked into buying something they don’t want or need As a sales professional, how do you counteract these negative stereotypes and still perform the job that your company hired you to do? Here are some tips on how to win your audience on your next sales call. Quit talking The best salespeople aren’t those with the gift of gab. Instead, the best salespeople are good listeners. They listen as their clients talk about their business. They pay attention to the problems companies are facing and ask pointed follow-up questions to verify that they understand. They say phrases like, “so if I understand correctly . . .” or “I hear that your main issue is . . .” Good salespeople aren’t afraid of silence during a conversation, either. Sometimes a customer is more likely to open up during those moments and share their biggest concerns. Understand your client’s needs Again, part of how to win an audience is understanding a client’s needs. This can be completed by listening to them as they talk about their struggles, but it can also come by research that you conduct before the meeting even begins.  For example, if you are talking with a team of real estate agents, you need to understand how important it is that they are able to communicate quickly with clients. You also need to know how competitive the industry is — especially since websites like Zillow entered the scene.  Use account-based marketing to find the right contacts If you sell farm equipment, you wouldn’t visit law firms on Michigan Avenue to see if they are in the market for a new tractor. This would be preposterous, but similar techniques are used in sales every day.  Marketing teams and salespeople think that by throwing a wide net over a vast area that they will be lucky enough to find a few clients who need their company’s product or service. But if you can use technology to narrow down your list of potential clients into a manageable number. Then you can use account-based marketing to create an experience with those clients that they will remember. For example, what if you were able to provide individual, interactive communication to everyone who visits your website? What could that kind of service do for your sales numbers? Know your product better than the back of your hand Consider thinking of yourself as a product specialist rather than a salesperson. Whether or not it is part of your formal training, spend your own time learning the particulars of all the products in your portfolio. Think about what questions you would ask a salesperson of your product, and find answers to those questions. Spend time researching your competitors as well. Find out what makes their products or services better or worse.  Being able to answer customers' questions quickly tells your potential client that you care about their time. You won’t waste it by trying to find out information that you should already know. We have all experienced frustrating interactions with inept salespeople. Whether its the dishwasher salesperson who answers, “They’re all pretty good,” to the question “What is the most highly rated machine?” Or maybe it’s the copy machine salesperson who doesn’t know the cost of a service call. It’s excruciating dealing with people who don’t know their company’s products or services. No matter what you sell, know your product better than you know the back of your hand. End each meeting with a call to action A good salesperson is subtle when suggesting a call to action. He or she may ask whether Tuesday or Wednesday would be better to schedule your next appointment. Or they may speak as if there is an implied sale. This age-old sales technique is important to keep the conversation between you and your client flowing.  Don’t be arrogant or condescending Unfortunately, some people put off an arrogant vibe without even realizing it. This may come from subtle signs when answering questions or rushing to answer a question before the other person finishes speaking.  Be aware of your mannerisms and how they make other people feel. Are you ready to tackle your next quota? Use some of these techniques to improve your interaction with potential clients and watch your number soar! Gabby Miele is an Outreach Analyst and Content Manager in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Guest Post by Matt Shealy For most entrepreneurs, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Survival often means compartmentalizing, so you don’t get bogged down in the day-to-day struggles. Here are five productivity hacks that the busiest entrepreneurs can use to improve efficiency. Launch a bullet journal It’s not all about high tech, however. If you’re like most of the 5 billion people who have a smartphone, you’re probably using it as your central command center to keep track of appointments, to-do lists, and meetings. It can be a great tool, but it has downsides as well. Studies are showing increased anxiety and even signs of addiction for professionals. Here’s an alternative: put down the phone for a bit and try creating a bullet journal. It’s like a to-do list on steroids using a pen and a notebook. You’ll be less stressed, remember things more, and get that positive feeling when you manually cross things off the list. Use a free voice assistant  Whether it’s Siri or Alexa, Google or Cortana, voice assistants can help automate tasks and save you time. It’s so much easier to dictate a text or email or schedule a meeting using voice rather than firing up your computer and typing it out. Schedule everything Stop making lists and put things on the calendar instead. Start with recurring meetings. If possible, line them up for the same time and same day each week. Block off the time for the meetings and schedule the prep time you need separately. In fact, start scheduling everything. If there’s a deadline, get it on the calendar and break out the action steps and calendar them, too. For example, schedule the due date for that presentation, but also schedule the time to research, prep, and edit the presentation. Make time to plan Busy entrepreneurs tend to move from one thing to the next quickly. We can easily forget to block out time to think. According to the results of a study in the Harvard Business Review, 96 percent of business leaders reported they were to busy putting out fires to focus on strategic thinking. Yet, that is one of the single most important aspects of their jobs. It’s especially tough for entrepreneurs who may be wearing a lot of hats, especially in startups. Put it on your calendar and schedule it. Are you seeing a theme here? Hit the email snooze button The average professional has some 200 emails sitting in their inbox. When you consider that another 120 new ones show up every day, things can get backed up quickly. The backlog just keeps growing. Schedule time to go through your emails and stop responding all day long. If you use Gmail, you may not have noticed the menu options under the Inbox and Starred sections of your primary account. It’s labeled “Snoozed.”  When an email arrives, you can send it away until a later time when you want to deal with it. For Outlook users, Boomerang for Outlook can park emails until you want them to arrive. You can also pause email delivery so you only get emails at certain times. Wrap up Successful entrepreneurs are some of the busiest people in business. Their schedules can often start very early in the morning and not end until late evening for weeks on end. These productivity hacks can ensure those entrepreneurs aren’t bogged down in tasks that don’t move a business forward.  Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Shealy specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Guest Post by Lilly Miller Not every successful business strives towards expanding to a foreign market — maintaining a dominant position in a domestic market is not easy but it's less difficult because you’ve picked up some tips and tricks along the way. However, those who dare to dream bigger often find themselves drawn to foreign markets and new prospects because going global is the ultimate goal for many business owners. This is why every undertaking towards a foreign market needs to be cautiously taken and skillfully managed to avoid the domino effect and ruining your other projects. With that in mind, here is a short guide to help you prepare for expanding your business to foreign markets successfully.  Research, research, research Although courage is a praise-worthy characteristic in an entrepreneur, when aiming at something significant, such as to push through a foreign market, it needs to go hand in hand with proper preparation: that is, research. Diving into such a venture headfirst is tantamount to self-destruction in the business sense because you cannot follow your gut when you don’t know the market. If you wish to prepare thoroughly, you need to learn about the current state on that market regarding competition so that you know what you are up against. Since it would be best to learn from other people’s mistakes instead of your own, you may also look into some ideas and practices that have been unsuccessful for them in the past, so you know that they don’t work for that market. The end goal is to gain a competitive advantage over business rivals.  Do everything by the book In the early stages of your research, you may discover that your target market has some legal requirements that you haven’t counted on. You set your eyes on an exotic market that looks promising, such as Indonesia, for instance, and although you know that such an endeavor can be lucrative, you soon learn that a foreigner cannot personally own land there.  Although your entrepreneurial spirit will quickly scan the options on how to acquire land and property in this new market, you need to double-check every action taken to ensure that you won’t experience legal issues or lose your investment to fraudulent individuals. This is why investment companies, such as Invest Islands, are your best choice, because they have extensive knowledge on the local market (in this case, Indonesia), ownership structure, as well as rights and obligations that apply to you as a foreign investor. This will help you find the optimal solution and gain peace of mind.  Prepare your budget  Your strategies, head, and heart might be there, but is your budget ready? The last thing you want to do is start a venture in a foreign market and along the way realize that you don’t have the necessary funds. Such negligence may not only result in the loss of the budget you invested in the new undertaking but it might also shake things up at home because news about your unwise business decisions can travel quickly.  If you assess that your current budget might not cover everything, it is best to obtain the necessary means in advance than to risk failure because of an untimely reaction. Although many entrepreneurs go straight to the traditional source, that is, banks, if you do some research into companies that offer business loans, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by their versatility: some don’t ask for a collateral, some take but a few minutes to apply for, while some boast high maximum loan amounts. Be open for change A German company would, for instance, find the Asian market to be worlds apart from their own. Depending on your domestic market and how far you wish to venture, you might experience the same but even if the market in question is to a certain degree similar to your domestic, you might still need to change some things.  The trick is in knowing how to adapt your message so that it hits close to home even on foreign soil and to be able to do that, you need to get to know your new target audience. Even if it is a neighboring country and the language might be similar, some changes would be necessary to make the message and your brand more appealing. These changes encompass both the content and the visuals which need to be adapted based on the preferences of your audience. In that way, you stand a greater chance of success in that market.  Final thoughts If done strategically and cautiously, expanding your business to foreign markets can bring a lot of interesting prospects, business contacts, and substantial revenue. Modern technology and the internet have allowed us insight into other markets and financial possibilities, and it is up to us to find the best manner to use those pieces of information.  Naturally, not all businesses should opt for going global, especially if they are not ready to take such a step but for those who have such aspirations, it is of the utmost importance to prepare well before taking that leap. They need to research the new market in detail as well as their local laws and regulations while obtaining the necessary budget should also be a priority. Now that you’ve informed yourself, it is time to act! Lilly Miller is a Sydney-based graphic designer and a passionate writer. She loves everything about home decor, art history, and baking. Miller shares a home with two loving dogs and a gecko named Rodney. You can find her hanging out on Twitter.

Guest Post by Lauren Wiseman You may realize that your internal team cannot handle the entire workload or you just need a team for occasional hire — in any case, a group of freelancers might just be the perfect answer. These individuals are usually experienced because they have the freedom to work with multiple companies during their careers and that experience and knowledge is something you can leverage. Many entrepreneurs are interested in hiring freelancers but have questions about how to supervise the work and manage the payments for an external team. Here are a few tips on how to successfully work with freelancers:  Establish good communication All business relations are maintained through good communication. From interviews to weekly reports and feedback sessions, the freelance team needs to feel like a part of your company in order to perform to the best of their abilities. However, this doesn’t mean that you should have daily video calls if there is no need because you would be wasting your time and theirs.  Regular purposeful communication does more than just help freelancers feel like they belong; it also facilitates the exchange of ideas with your internal teams and helps the freelancers know they are on the right track. Without regular communication, freelancers may miss important details and inadvertantly stray from their tasks. By ensuring that everyone’s doing exactly what they are supposed to, you will also make sure that no funds are wasted and that everyone gets paid for the work they've done.  Let the software do its trick It is said that trust is the basis of a good relationship; however, in business, trusting people is often characterized as naivety. Wanting to know that your employees are actually working during business hours doesn’t make you an overly strict employer but a prudent entrepreneur. Most remote employees will fill in their time logs honestly, but some might try to bend the truth a bit and put in some extra hours. If that happens each month, you would be giving away funds you can put to better use and grow your business. To keep the business relationship with your external team fair and square, you should find a software solution that will help you monitor their work and track time spent on projects. Available software includes features that help the freelance crew keep track of their to-dos, deadlines, and the hours they’ve planned on setting aside for each project segment. Use the benefits of the payroll card One of the biggest perks of hiring freelancers is that you are not limiting yourself to your local pool of talents. The last thing you want is to hire people who are not cut out for that position simply because you have run out of options. It's not enough just to hope that with enough training and patience, they would be able to perform well. Hiring freelancers gives a shot to individuals with the enthusiasm and efficiency your business desperately needs, even if they're from different cities or even countries.   Many business owners are reluctant to hire remote workers because they believe that the process of payment would be too complicated and not worth the hassle. However, if you give each freelance employee a personalized payroll card this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Many entrepreneurs opt for this solution because it allows for the automation of the entire payroll process while the freelancers don’t have to be a member of any particular bank and they can use the card internationally.   Prepare a detailed contract Regardless of whether you are hiring a particular external team for a one-time project or if they will be your go-to people for all similar tasks, signing a contract with them is crucial. This contract will protect both parties. If they don’t wish to sign it, then you should rethink your decision about hiring that particular person or team because there might be other reasons they don’t wish to make a legal commitment.  The contact should contain basic information on the two parties such as legal names, physical addresses, detailed description of what they are hired to do, deadlines, as well as the payment terms. The contract should include what would happen if either party doesn't live up to their side of the bargain. Having these terms on paper can eliminate misunderstandings or any intentional fraud attempts. Don't let fear stop you from hiring freelancers and advancing your business. Lauren Wiseman is a marketing specialist and contributor to bizzmarkblog.com. She helps clients grow their personal and professional brands in the fast-changing and demanding market, strongly believing in a holistic approach to a business.

Guest Post by Matt Shealy Hiring new employees is a costly and time-consuming job for most companies. Although deciding who is a good fit for each new position can be difficult, here are the top 10 traits hiring managers tend to look for in new hires: 1. Expressing a natural curiosity Some people are naturally curious about almost everything in the world around them. They want to know why ants build bridges with their body, why dew sits on leaves, or why sticky notes don’t stop sticking. This type of interviewee makes a hiring manager smile because it’s an easy decision to hire a curious person. 2. Fitting into company culture Each type of company has its own culture, mood, and requirements. For an individual to fit in, there are certain parameters of both strengths, self-awareness, and individuality that can help grow the company without disrupting the existing culture. That is why you often hear a hiring manager declare the person wasn’t the right fit for the job. It was all about fitting into the existing company culture. 3. Earning advanced degrees A person that loves to learn can enter the workforce with enthusiasm and new ways of thinking. That is why hiring managers offer special consideration for individuals with an advanced degree. As a person works through the educational atmosphere, he or she often learns how to solve problems and think in unique ways. This can be vital for some distinctive positions within a company. 4. Showing integrity Having integrity covers a huge spectrum of values, including honesty, trust, honor, and goodness. Although many hiring managers claim it’s difficult to judge a new hire’s integrity after only a 30-minute conversation, other interviewers assert that some people have an air of goodness around them. No matter which side you believe, integrity is high on the list of most sought after traits in a new corporate hire. 5. Having a creative mindset The creative mindset is a rare thing in a world that likes cookie-cutter solutions. The creative mind tends to look at the difficult scenarios and ask himself or herself, “What am I meant to learn from this experience?” and then creatively change the outcome. This mindset is not something easily understood, so when a potential hire comes in with a creative mindset, they are almost always employed when they leave the interview. 6. Approaching life positively If two possible hires are interviewed and found to have the same experience and skill levels, the one with the most positive approach to life is seen as more qualified for the position. Speaking about previous bosses, team members, or positions within a company can demonstrate a pessimistic or negative attitude — and the attitude speaks volumes. Positivity can get you hired! 7. Working well in a team Finding a person who can work well with others is often difficult in this world of self-importance and personal focus. Interpersonal skills and team building can be critical to a properly functioning workplace environment. A person who knows how to communicate within a group is a valuable asset to any department in the corporate world, and hiring managers know it. 8. Demonstrating persistence When asked to describe themselves, few hiring candidates offer the term persistent, yet that is one of the most sought-after traits that a majority of hiring personnel look for in a potential employee. A persistent person finds a solution to the problem or situation, even if it is a difficult challenge. They are dedicated to a seemingly impossible task, which makes them invaluable. 9. Being loyal Turnover is a huge problem no matter how large or small your business is. Training an individual only to lose him or her to another company can deal a huge blow to the flow of your business. Although job-hopping is frequent, hiring managers are quick to point out that there are some people who show brand loyalty, and just like their parents before them, they want to work with a company for the foreseeable future. These individuals are the backbone of many corporations. 10. Spreading happiness Sometimes you run across a person who exudes happiness, no matter what they are doing. When hiring managers encounter this type of person, they want to hire them on the spot. Enthusiasm spreads, and the eagerness to participate with joy in each new adventure can help bolster a team and improve attitudes when a project gets bogged down. Thus, this type of employee spreads happiness. The above list is only a few of the many traits hiring managers look for in a new hire. How many of them do you possess? Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Shealy specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Guest Post by Jessica Huhn When was the last time you had an amazing experience that you just had to tell your friends about? Did you talk to your closest friend about a breathtaking vacation destination? Post a picture of a restaurant’s mouth-watering food on social media? Share a glowing review of a new local business? These are all examples of word-of-mouth marketing, so you’ve likely engaged in this technique multiple times without even thinking about it. Why not take advantage of word-of-mouth for your brand? Whenever customers positively share your brand with their friends, family, or peers, that counts as word-of-mouth marketing. Happy customers will spread the word about your products to their friends, online or offline. Their recommendations will likely convince these friends to become your new customers, because their peers trust their word. And the best part? Word-of-mouth marketing is organic, and can be totally free. You’ll want to take advantage of word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth happens spontaneously, so it can be hard to predict or control. However, things aren’t out of your company’s hands. Your brand can take steps to motivate people to talk about your brand, products, or services. Read on for tips on increasing word-of-mouth about your brand, and why this buzz is so incredibly important. Word-of-mouth is all about trust and credibility. People trust other people and the experiences they have to report, far more than they trust messages that come directly from your brand. A person who recommends your product knows that they’re putting their credibility on the line, so they will only recommend you if they truly love your products. And the person who’s listening or reading trusts that their peer isn’t misleading them, so when they hear from a friend or other consumer who has already used your product or service, someone is more likely to buy. Statistics have proven that people trust their friends, family and peers more than they trust advertisements. 83% of customers say that word-of-mouth recommendations from people they trust make them more likely to purchase a product or service. 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth more than traditional ads. The fact that so many consumers prefer suggestions from their friends and peers proves that word-of-mouth is the most valuable source of marketing. Plus, word-of-mouth doesn’t stop after just one interaction. Instead, one person will tell another, and that person will share with someone else. Then that person will continue the chain and spread the word further — the cycle goes on and on! Now that you know just how valuable word-of-mouth marketing can be, let’s check out some strategies your brand can use to get people talking: 1. Provide exceptional products and customer service First thing’s first — people will only recommend your brand if they think you’re worth talking about. Make sure your product or service is top-notch and offers true value to your customers. If your product fulfills a unique need, solves a problem in an intuitive way, or surprises your customers with its quality, even better — you’ve already got a leg up when it comes to word-of-mouth. For example, Under Armour drove initial word-of-mouth through features that no other athletic apparel brand had considered; the apparel is made from microfibers that keep athletes cool and dry, and stay light, no matter how much they sweat. You’ll also need to deliver A+ customer service. Offer value through your overall brand experience. Carefully and attentively meet all your customers’ needs. Everyone remembers an experience and will often pay for it because of the value. Come through with gestures that go above and beyond. For example, if you have a brick-and-mortar store, offer free refreshments for your customers, or have a system to carry customers’ purchases to their cars. If you have an online store, consider surprising customers with small gifts or handwritten notes of appreciation in their packages, or with free upgrades to their shipping. Listen to your customers’ feedback, both about what you’re doing well and what you could improve. When possible, implement this feedback, and let your customers know you listened. Develop solid relationships with your customers — don’t just forget about them after you make a sale. Support them at all stages after their purchase. Make sure they know how to reach you if they have any questions or concerns. If customers have any pain points, work to resolve them quickly and professionally. Often, this turns things around when customers have doubts about you. And periodically check in yourself, to see if your customers have any inquiries or struggles. This is especially important if you offer a service, such as software. 2. Encourage customer reviews Your potential customers value personal experience more than any other source of information. They’re turning to trustworthy review sites to see what others have to say about the brands they’re considering. So, when existing customers put in a good word for you, through positive reviews, this benefits your business greatly. A customer review of autopom!, as showcased on the Best Company Twitter page The secret to getting more positive reviews is simple: just ask! But be sure to ask the right people at the right time. The real key is to find the “sweet spot” when your customers are happiest. Ask for a review at these ideal times: Immediately after a customer has made a purchase Right after a customer has given you direct positive feedback If possible, ask in-person, after you’ve delivered a top-notch experience Ask for reviews from these types of customers: Customers who have just made repeat purchases. Or, if you offer a service, customers who have paid for your service for the longest consecutive amounts of time. Customers who share that they’re most likely to recommend you. Run a Net Promoter score survey (NPS survey) to determine which of your customers are most likely to recommend you. Then, reach out directly to ask them for a review. Customers who have left unprompted positive feedback on your social media account. And make sure it’s easy for customers to leave reviews, whether you’ve asked them to or not. Set up business accounts on Yelp, Google My Business, and other popular review sites, as well as major review sites for your niche. Provide links to review sites on your website, as well as in newsletters and promotional emails. Include a CTA button that says “Leave us a review.” 3. Leverage social media Most modern word-of-mouth marketing happens on social media because it’s the easiest way to communicate with friends. It’s only natural for people to share brands and products on social networks, usually with all of their online friends at once. Plus, this information can quickly spread to friends of friends, if those friends decide to share further. So, a single social share can reach hundreds, or even thousands, of potential customers. Use these strategies to effectively increase your word-of-mouth on social media: Create a viral campaign that people can’t help but share Most marketers dream of having a campaign that goes viral. Even though you can’t control when content goes viral on social media, you can carefully set up a campaign aimed at sparking virality using these tips: Know your audience and the content they’re looking for. Are you targeting college students? Businesspeople? Parents? Another group? Do they want to be informed? Entertained? Inspired? Or do they want something else? Plan a clear message, so your audience has no doubt what your campaign’s about — and so it’s much easier to share. Include a compelling visual element (image or video) to draw your audience in. Make sure it fits with your brand values. Through its masterful animation, Chipotle’s video “The Scarecrow” promoted buying locally sourced food, tying in perfectly with the Chipotle philosophy. The video only featured the Chipotle logo at the very end, so the content felt less like an ad and more like art. Encourage and repurpose user-generated content Be sure to take advantage of user-generated content — reviews, branded images and videos, and other social media posts created by your customers. Ask for user-generated content through a contest, campaign, or feature. Incentivize sharing by holding a contest with an enticing prize for the winner, or by reposting the best content (with permission) on your brand’s social media pages. Create a branded “challenge” where fans are encouraged to complete a certain task with an associated hashtag to prompt sharing. Even if people don’t participate directly, they’ll tag their friends if they like what they see. You might frame the “challenge” around charitable giving, like the TOMS “One Day Without Shoes.” For this challenge, every barefoot picture posted with the hashtag #withoutshoes in a given period resulted in a donation of a pair of TOMS to a child in need. Post glowing customer reviews on social media. Respond to customer comments and questions in a creative way, like Old Spice did with their “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” video series. Enlist the help of advocates Think about recruiting influencers or ambassadors through a brand ambassador program. These advocates agree to promote your brand in their own authentic voice on their own social media accounts because they love your brand and think it will resonate with their audience. They don’t necessarily have large numbers of followers, but they hold solid sway over the followers they have. Both influencers and brand ambassadors have some sort of authority in your niche or among members of your audience, so it’s easy for people to trust them. But, you’ll want to choose your advocates carefully; there are major differences between influencers and ambassadors. Length of promotion — Influencers promote your brand in the short term; ambassadors promote you in the long term. Show vs. tell — Influencers focus on showing how they authentically use your brand, using social media. Meanwhile, ambassadors tell others why they love your brand online and offline (they also spread the word about your brand at events and through networking). Payment — Influencers always expect compensation, while brand ambassadors are often more than happy to promote you without compensation. Relationship with your brand — If you want an influencer to promote your product, you’ll send them a message and product samples. This “ask” could be their first exposure to the product. In contrast, ambassadors have an established history of loving your brand. They’ve likely shared your product before, without prompting. 4. Tap into triggers Think about what your customers like, need, and do, and strive to tie your brand in as a regular part of their routine. If you associate your brand with your customers’ existing habits, needs, and hobbies, this will make it easy to remember you, and thus talk about you. Emotional triggers also prompt sharing. If you can create some sort of emotion through your branding and content, you are likely to get someone to share their experience with others. People share what makes them happy, sad, hopeful or fearful, and what they think is funny or inspiring because their emotions lead them to. Emotional sharing often goes hand-in-hand with social media sharing and virality. Here are two prime examples: Red Bull — The brand knows how to surprise people with extreme stunts and events that generate plenty of buzz. From a motorcycle backflip over London’s Tower Bridge to the famous Flugtag flying machine competition, Red Bull experiences always get people’s adrenaline pumping and hearts pounding. Followers can’t help but talk about the rush Red Bull delivers. Wendy’s — Their on-point Twitter feed has gone viral multiple times, for their roasts, their famous “Nuggs for Carter” response, and other on-point pop culture references. Wendy’s knows how to make people smile and laugh with content their followers share naturally. Exclusivity is another big trigger. If people feel like they have insider information about something amazing, they want to let other people in on the secret, so these peers can also benefit. In-N-Out’s “not-so-secret” Secret Menu is a prime example of how exclusivity lets the word travel fast. 5. Start a referral program Referral programs are a great way to encourage customers to spread the word about your brand. These programs formalize word-of-mouth, simplify the sharing process, and reward customers with incentives for sharing your brand with their friends. They give your brand some control in generating trusted recommendations from existing customers. And referral programs work: According to Nielsen, your potential customers are four times more likely to purchase from you after a friend refers them. If you decide to start a referral program, following these tips will help you maximize the word-of-mouth that your referral program generates: Make sharing simple Referral programs make word-of-mouth marketing easier for all involved. The sooner your customers understand what you want them to do and how, the sooner they’ll spread the word to their friends. Your referral program description must be streamlined and easy-to-understand, not cluttered. Make sure customers can find your referral program, and share with their friends, in as few clicks or taps as possible. Anyone should be able to find your referral program easily on your website’s homepage, regardless of whether they’ve purchased from you before. Some people might share before buying because they think the product is valuable to them or their friends. Include multiple sharing options, such as email, social media, and text. Let customers copy and paste a unique referral link directly. This way, each customer can share the link however they want based on what’s most convenient for them. Give customers a reason to share Referral programs must give customers a reason to share your products with their friends — and referral incentives offer the most effective reason to share. Choose the incentives that will best motivate your customers and that make the most sense for your brand. You can choose from discounts, cash, credits, free products, branded swag, or other rewards. Consider cumulative incentives — the ones that give credits, free products, or discount coupons to your customers every time they successfully refer a friend. And don’t forget about dual-sided incentives. These incentives reward both the person making the referral and the friend(s) they shared your brand with. Company-focused incentives (like credits and discounts) motivate customers while providing added benefits for your brand. They encourage customers to keep your brand top-of-mind, and promote continued customer loyalty. Make sure that your referral program’s call-to-action clearly advertises the incentives you offer. Target existing customers Your satisfied existing customers provide a strong testimonial to others about why they should purchase from you. So, your referral program must be especially easy for existing customers to find. Consider programming referral banners and pop-ups to appear more prominently for returning site visitors. You might enable referral programs for a visitor only after they’re signed into a brand account, or after they’ve entered their email to sign up for your email list. Think about including referral program info in your emails to existing customers, including transactional emails. Integrate social media Your referral program should seamlessly integrate with social media, where your customers naturally do the most sharing with larger groups. Let customers instantly share a referral link via Facebook, Twitter, and other popular social media channels. Supply a prewritten message to simplify social sharing. Make sure it sounds conversational (it’s coming from your customer, after all). But also let users personalize the message that they post, if they wish, so it sounds authentic. Your referral program must be mobile-friendly, because most people access social media (and shop) via mobile devices. Wrapping things up Even though word-of-mouth marketing can be hard to control, there are so many ways for your brand to be proactive in encouraging your customers to spread the word. Now that you know five ways that you can increase your word-of-mouth, it’s time to apply these tips and tricks, and start harnessing your customers’ trusted recommendations. Jessica Huhn is a marketing content writer at Referral Rock, where they believe that every business has the potential to increase their word-of-mouth marketing. When Jessica is not writing, there is a good chance that she is singing, arranging songs, or sharing and enjoying content on social media.

Guest Post by Matt Shealy Entrepreneurs and small business owners know that having a business can take time to grow. You need resources to help cover start-up costs and overhead. But, as your business grows and expands, you should think about getting an 800 number. From increasing your level of professionalism to improving your brand, here are five reasons to set up an 800 number for your business: 1. It increases your level of professionalism Starting small is how some businesses begin. But, that doesn't mean you have to stay small. Some business owners use their landline or their smartphone for their business calls. But, this isn't always the best way for customers to reach you. Reasons why you shouldn't use your landline or smartphone: After-hours calls would go into your personal voicemail There's no way to track calls You can't record calls (for compliance and training purposes) You can't gauge caller data Toll-free business numbers start with common prefixes like 800 or 866. About 22 percent of small businesses use toll-free numbers, and you should consider it. Why? Your toll-free number is like having a domain name for your website. It's unique to your business and you don't need to change it. 2. Customers can reach you without being charged for long-distance When customers can reach you at a toll-free number, it can open the lines of communication. They know they don't have to pay for a long-distance call. This is especially helpful for customers in remote areas that might be using a landline to reach your business. It's also helpful if you use voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phones. With VoIP phone service, you can use your 800 number as your primary work number and route calls to your employees based on their extensions. You can even route calls remotely to employees working out of the office or traveling. 3. You can improve your brand Think of 1-800-FLOWERS, 1-800 GOT Got Pain, or 1-800-GoFedEX. These are all vanity or custom 800 numbers. They are popular and can raise your brand equity. These types of 800 numbers include the following benefits: A custom 800 number is easy for customers to remember. Your customers can readily share your contact number with others. Customers don't have to look up your number online or search for your business card. 4. It's easier for your business to scale, and you'll save money Having an 800 number in place means you won't have to discard all your stationery products that have your landline or smartphone number listed. It may have been fine to list your smartphone initially, but as you hire staff and expand your locations, you'll need a professional phone number. It's also easier for you to expand your sales and marketing. Here's an example: Let's say you have an 800 number set up through VoIP service. Your 800 number and site details can be used across multiple sales channels to help customers reach you on any channel they choose (voice, text, email). You can also use your VoIP phone service to forward calls to the marketing department or sales department, all from one primary 800 number. 5. You can work anywhere without customers knowing your location When you have an 800 number, you can create a national presence. You can work anywhere and customers will assume you're a bigger business or brand. If you have a number local to your area, customers might assume you're only a local business. An 800 number gives the impression that your business has a global presence. So, even if you're still in the startup stages, your customers won't know. Scale your business professionally An 800 number is convenient, and it can help you grow your business. It's also professional and when you use it with VoIP phone service, it's easier to track caller data and improve your brand. Talk with your phone provider about setting up an 800 number for your business. Matt Shealy is the President of ChamberofCommerce.com. Chamber specializes in helping small businesses grow their business on the web while facilitating the connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

Guest Post by Jane Hurst Hiring remote workers is all the rage, and it’s no wonder why. Remote workers are reportedly happier than in-house workers. FlexJobs also found that 66 percent of professionals say they would be more productive if they worked remotely as opposed to a traditional office — not to mention, productivity rates can increase up to 13 percent, according to an article in The New York Times. While it’s no secret that remote working comes with a wide range of benefits, success doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re looking to hire remote workers, you need the right tools to help everyone stay on track. This includes productivity apps, communication tools, and, of course, employee time-tracking apps. This article will review the 10 best employee time-tracking apps to help you find the perfect app for you and your remote workers. By the end of the article, you’ll have more information to help you make an informed decision about time tracking. 1. Time Doctor If you’re looking for an excellent time-tracking app to monitor your team members, Time Doctor is the perfect place to start. Companies like Home Depot, Apple, Verizon, Surveymonkey, and FirehouseSubs all use Time Doctor, and have experienced excellent results. What does Time Doctor do best? Time Doctor helps you track exactly how your remote employees are spending their time and their productivity rates. With the help of a smart dashboard and detailed reporting, you can see the total time your team members are working as well as individual pieces of information like how much time they spend on certain projects, tasks, and clients. Special features Time tracking — One of the most valuable features of Time Doctor is the time-tracking element of the app. Remote employees can start a timer when they start working and name the task they are working on. Managers can quickly see how employees are spending their time and make adjustments to projects as necessary. With Time Doctor, you can rest assured you get access to efficient, error-free time management. Website monitoring — Interested in learning what applications and websites your team members access during work? Time Doctor is the perfect tool to provide that exact insight. Of course, Time Doctor works hard to ensure the privacy of employees when they are not working, so website tracking is only available when employees are working. Screen monitoring — Managers have access to screenshots of the employee’s current work activity that were taken at random intervals through screen monitoring. Again, Time Doctor provides extra privacy protection by allowing employees to delete these screenshots if they were taken on accident. Managing distractions — One of the most difficult challenges of hiring remote workers is not being able to see how they are spending time. Time Doctor gives you insight into when employees access any social media or entertainment website during work hours. How does it work? TimeDoctor generates a popup, asking you if you are still working. Then, weekly time usage reports are also generated for your reference. Detailed reporting — Don’t have time to sit and monitor screen shots all day? No one does. That’s why Time Doctor creates automated and easy-to-read reports of employee’s time usage. With a click of a button, you can access reports like Timesheet reports, Time Use reports, Attendance reports, project-based breakdowns, Web and App Usage Reports, and more. That way, you can quickly get insight into how members are spending their time without it taking up too much time. Pricing — Time Doctor costs $9.99 per month per user. You can even sign up for a 14-day free trial without using a credit card. 2. Toggl Toggl is another time-tracking app that you may want to look into. This is an affordable app, so it may be a better option for small teams or even freelancers that need to report their time to clients. Special features One-click timers — Toggl isn’t complicated. All you have to do is click the button and you’re ready to roll. Tracking reminders — Did you forget to start the timer? The Toggl Button and Toggl Desktop apps remind you when you're not tracking. Toggle will also detect idle time and you can edit that time slot later. Over 100 app integrations — Toggl has over 100 integrations that put Toggl Button inside your favorite online apps, allowing you to start tracking immediately. Profits vs. labor costs — Get quick access to important data visualization, so you'll know which projects and clients are the best. Team dashboard — The team dashboard shows you how much time each member is tracking and if they're taking on too much or too little work. Pricing — Prices start at $9 per month and go up from there. If you’re an enterprise, the best option is to contact a representative for a custom quote. 3. Harvest Harvest is another employee time-tracking app that is worth looking into. Not only do they make it easy to track time, but they also make it easy to track expenses. This helps you identify productivity and gives you a look into how to better spend your time and budget. Special features Time tracking — Harvest has start and stop times and the ability to enter your hours into a timesheet. Works on devices — Harvest works on your desktop as well as devices. This way, remote employees can track time on the go. Integrations — Like any excellent time-tracking app, Harvest provides a robust list of integrations. This makes it easy to track time without having to switch back and forth between several different applications. Expense tracking — Not only can you track time, but you can access critical data about your expenses. This goes a long way when you’re trying to save money and spend wisely. Invoicing — Need to turn those time cards into invoices? No problem. Harvest stores all information in one convenient location, making this easy. Pricing — Harvest has a free option if you’re a one-person show. Prices go up from there. You can also try Harvest free for 30-days with no credit card. 4. Hubstaff Interested in spending less time tracking time and more time growing? Hubstaff might be the employee time-tracking app for you. Hubstaff comes with everything you need to help your team work smarter, not harder. Special features Time tracking — Like all of the other apps listed above, Hubstaff offers a time-tracking element to their software. It works on the desktop, web, or via mobile device. GPS tracking — Do you work in an industry that requires a lot of travel? Hubstaff provides GPS tracking to help you see when your team is on the road. Online timesheets — Instead of having to keep track of time on a spreadsheet, everything is done online. This way, everyone can track time effectively. Detailed reporting — Need a high-level and deep dive into data? Look no further than Hubstaff. Hubstaff helps you capture data that helps you find ways to become more productive. Productivity monitoring — Time tracking is more than just seeing when employees are working. Hubstaff lets you track apps, URL, activity percentages, and more, so you can see how employees are spending time. Team scheduling — Not only can you see when people are working, but you can actually schedule when your team should work through the app. Pricing — Pricing for Hubstaff is anywhere for free to $20 per user per month. For more information, check out their pricing page. 5. Tick Tick is another time-tracking app that helps you run straightforward projects, and make sure you are making the most of your time and getting the highest productivity rates out of your employees. Special features Timecard — Tick’s time card works in three steps: Select your project, select the task, and enter your time. You can also enter notes, use timesheet reporting to get budget feedback, and/or dig deeper into projects as needed. Running timers — You can start a single timer or toggle between multiple timers as you move between tasks. Budget feedback — After a team member enters time to a task, you can see the project and task budgets. This lets you know how much time they have left to complete the work to help you budget your time more wisely. Enter time from anywhere — Tick prides itself on being the easiest time management software. Tick works on your phone, watch, tablet, desktop or browser. Pricing — Prices range from free to $149 per month. Learn more on their website. 6. Hours Hours is one of the easiest time-tracking apps to use. It works on any device and will help you improve productivity rates. Special features Real time tracking — Do you need to track your time on the go or in real time? Hours makes this easy by keeping running a list of times you can switch between with one tap. Reports — Hours uses powerful data visualizations to help you understand data easily. Use this information to improve processes and efficiencies. Timeline — If you like the timeline feature, Hours is a great option. The timeline feature makes it easy to account for every hour. Plus, you can make adjustments by dragging and dropping the start or end of a time block. Hours for teams — While Hours started out as a personal time-tracking app, it now has full capability to work for teams. Teams can use it to time track, analyze, and capture data. Pricing — The best way to determine pricing is to visit the Hours website and sign up. 7. Timely Timely is another time-tracking app that helps you track time without wasting a second. No one wants to spend extra time on figuring out how much time employees spend on tasks. Timely is fully automated and easy to use. Special features Time tracking — Timely records everything you work on using its Memory Tracker. All your tracked data is kept in a secure, private timeline and only you can see this information. Suggestions — Suggestions is a particularly cool feature of Timely. AI is hard at work to group together your recorded work and suggest time entries. This process is automated. Train — To help Timely get it right, you can rename suggested titles, group activities, and more. Improvements — Timely will learn from your edits and become more accurate as you use the software. Project time management — This app helps you see everything you have going on and you can see it in one, convenient location. Team time management — Timely shows you a live overview of all your employee’s activity. Pricing — Timely offers prices for individuals and groups. Individual prices start at $7 per month and group pricing starts at $99 per month. To get a better idea, visit their website. 8. Clockify Are you looking for a truly free time-tracking app? Then, Clockify might be the time-tracking app for you and your team. You get access to unlimited users, forever. Special features Timesheet — This features helps you report on a week’s worth of time in less than a minute. Dashboard — The dashboard shows you what your team is working on and where everyone is spending their time. Reports — Breakdown information to get a better idea of how to improve productivity. Pricing — Free 9. TSheets TSheets makes time tracking easy. Don’t believe it? Then, ask friends and family how well it works. They have over 20,000 five-star reviews. Special features Time tracking — Employees can clock in or out with just one click. They can also take a break, change job codes, or add timesheet details instantly. Mobile app — TSheets works across mobile devices. This way, you can track your work on the go. Scheduling — Need to schedule time in a place where everyone can see it? TSheets is the perfect place to do it. Integrations — Like many other time-tracking apps, TSheets provides integrations with other productivity software. Pricing — Pricing is free to $4 per month per active user plus a base fee. Find out more information on the pricing page from TSheets. 10. Everhour Everhour is a time-tracking software for teams. You can easily track time, bill your clients, and learn how to improve future quotes and estimates. Special features Time tracking — Time tracking is as easy as clicking once. You can also always log your hours manually if needed. Weekly timesheets — This feature helps you see what you have recorded for the entire week. You can also make edits quickly with this feature. Copy recent — To save time, you can also copy timesheet structure from previous days. Integrations — Like many other time-tracking apps, Everhour integrates with top productivity tools. Pricing — Pricing for solo users is $8 per month. Pricing for teams is $7 per user per month. Learn more here. Wrap up As you can see, there are several top-notch options for employee time-tracking apps. What you end up selecting will depend on the type of work you do, the size of your company, and your needs. Hopefully this review provides an excellent starting point to help you find the time-tracking app that works for you. Jane Hurst is a writer, editor, and avid traveler from San Francisco. Contact her at About.me.

Guest Post by National Funding It’s one of the trickiest questions facing every small business owner — how much do you pay yourself? On the one hand, you don’t want to put the business in jeopardy by setting aside too much salary for yourself. On the other hand, you don’t want to penny pinch unnecessarily. After all, you start a business to make money, not to live as frugally as possible. Finding the balance between too much salary and too little doesn’t look the same for everyone. What could be too much for one small business owner could be too little for another based on their industry, location or time in business.The right salary for you is based on your financial needs weighted equally against the needs of your business. The total could also change unexpectedly if financial conditions change. Ultimately, the only way to find the right figure is to evaluate it over and over again. Use these rules to help you calculate correctly: 1. Keep finances separate Before tackling the question of your salary, you need to separate your personal and business finances. Create a separate business bank account and consider applying for a business credit card. Not only does this create a wall between your finances, it also allows you to build business credit, which helps with securing small business loans or equipment financing. Get in the practice of keeping your finances strictly separate so that your final compensation is transparent. 2. Commit to compensation In some cases, you may not want or need to draw a salary. It’s always better to take some kind of compensation because it signals you have a financial connection to the business — when it succeeds you succeed. Demonstrating that connection is an important signal for employees, investors, financers, and tax collectors. They want to see that you’re committed to a business rather than pursuing a hobby. 3. Consider all options Salary is just one component of compensation. It can also include benefits, stocks, bonuses, or a commission structure. There are multiple ways to take compensation from your company — for instance, extensive benefits may serve your needs better than a large salary. Another option would be to set your salary as a percentage of profits so your compensation is tied to performance. The important takeaway here is that how you decide to collect your compensation will affect your business and personal finances. As you’re investigating how much you need to earn, also consider how different compensation structures will impact both your business savings and your lifestyle. 4. Obey the IRS Small business owners can pay themselves in one of two ways. Either option may be appropriate, but it’s important to understand the tax consequences of both: Salary Method — you pay yourself as an employee of the business. As such, withholdings for Social Security, Medicare, and all your income taxes are taken out before you’re paid. Owner Draw Method — you withdraw money from your business profits. Nothing is withheld from these withdrawals, meaning you’ll be responsible for paying all federal and state taxes owed on your own. 5. Pick your payday When you get paid matters for both you and your business. If you’re drawing a salary, it makes sense to pay yourself on the same schedule as other employees — usually every two weeks. If you’re going with the owner-draw method, plan to make withdrawals on a set schedule and document your actions thoroughly for tax purposes. 6. Don’t neglect investments When the business is doing well it is easy (and often appropriate) to reward yourself with a higher salary. Just keep in mind that employees want raises as well. It’s also important to be regularly investing money back into your own business. It helps relieve your tax burden while also making it easier to get various kinds of small business financing. You shouldn't feel discouraged from raising your wages, but you should consider everything else that money could go to as well. 7. Calculate reasonable compensation At some point you have to put a dollar amount on your salary. According to one survey, the average small business owner salary is $59,000, but that doesn’t account for factors like the size or location of the business. Start by calculating how much you need to make to cover all your fixed expenses. Ideally, this is your minimum salary. You can also estimate an appropriate figure by using salary tracking tools to find out what professionals with similar skills are making in your same area. If that approach doesn’t work, think about how much you would pay to outsource everything you do for your business. 8. Study the financials You can only pay yourself as much as the business can afford. When thinking about how to set your salary, the best way to inform this decision is to understand your business’s cash flow and predict your profitability. Account first for business expenses and profit taxes so you have an idea of what income is available for your salary. Beyond looking at your business’ current financial picture, you also should factor in any future growth plans. For instance, if you plan to open a new location, drawing a sizable salary may cut into your working capital. If the bottom line makes it impossible to earn as much as you need, consider raising your prices or financing a growth opportunity. There is no magic formula for calculating your salary. However, if you follow all of these rules you can feel confident you’re making informed decisions for yourself and your business. And no matter what you end up making, remember one important thing — you’ve earned it. The Bottom Line is a blog from the experts at National Funding, a leading source for small business loans and equipment financing solutions. We show entrepreneurs of all stripes how to resolve cash flow issues and seize growth opportunities. Check in to The Bottom Line regularly to find advice and insights to help you sustain success, and rely on the resources of National Funding if your business ever needs affordable and accessible lending options.

Guest Post by Elizabeth Aldrich If you don’t know your business credit score, you’re not alone. A survey conducted by Nav shows that almost half of small business owners don’t even know that business credit exists.That oversight doesn’t mean that business credit scores aren’t important. A good business credit score will get you the best business loans and lines of credit, while a bad one will bar you from borrowing money at all. Given that a lack of growth and cash flow were revealed as the main obstacles facing small business owners in the Nav survey, it’s clear that access to low-cost funding options a necessity for business owners. What is a business credit score? While your personal credit score looks at your relationship with credit, your business credit score looks at your business’s relationship with credit. A number of credit reporting agencies calculate business credit scores, including Equifax, Experian, and Dun & Bradstreet, and each has its own scoring method. Your business credit score can range from 0 to 100, although if you’re just starting out and have never used a business loan or business credit card, you might not even have a business credit score. Why a good business credit score matters Many business owners don’t think they need to pay attention to their business credit score. However, even if you don’t plan to borrow money for your business right now, you should still know your business credit score. Here’s why: It helps you qualify for the best small business loans.As your business grows, a small business loan is a quick and effective way to support that growth. It allows you to invest in more capital and scale your business without being beholden to outside investors. However, you’ll need a good business credit score to get approved for the best rates on business loans. It can provide access to emergency funding.From equipment failure to lawsuits, it’s not uncommon for a business to face unexpected expenses. If your business is ever in need of fast cash, borrowing money might be your only option. When this is the case, a good business credit score can come to the rescue, allowing you to qualify for the best business loans and lines of credit. It convinces others to trust your business.Unlike your personal credit score, your business credit score is public information that anyone can look up. Vendors and suppliers can look at your business credit, and a good score makes them more likely to do business with you. It can help you earn credit card rewards.If your business spends a lot, you might as well be rewarded for it. A good business credit score can help you qualify for the best business credit cards, and many of them offer lucrative rewards in the form of cash back or travel points. How your business credit score is calculated Each credit scoring agency calculates your score differently, but the following factors are typically considered: Credit accounts Credit accounts under your business name, such as business loans or business credit cards, are a main determining factor in your business credit score. Credit scoring agencies will look at the following factors: Payment history — On-time payments will help you build business credit while missing payments can tank your score. Length of credit history — If your business has been using credit for a long time, it’ll be easier to build a good business credit score. On the other hand, if you’re just starting out, you might not have a business credit score at all. Credit utilization — Bumping up against your credit limit regularly will likely decrease your credit score. Instead, you want to maintain low balances on lines of credit like business credit cards in relation to your credit limit. Number of credit lines — Showing you can juggle multiple lines of credit responsibly is more likely to boost your score than only having one line of credit. Collections information If you fail to pay your business’s bills (rent, electricity, etc.) on time, those missed payments can be reported to the agencies that determine your business credit score. Furthermore, unpaid accounts can be sent to collections if left overdue for a long time, at which point your business credit score is likely to take a severe hit. Public records Any judgments made against your business in court, liens, or bankruptcies will show up on your public records. These are also used to calculate your business credit score.The following factors can also influence your business credit score: Length of time you’ve been in business Your business revenue Your assets Your industry’s risk level How to check your business credit score If you don’t know how to check your business credit score, it’s fairly easy. You’ll want to get your score from each of the three main business credit scoring agencies by contacting them at the links listed below. Dun & Bradstreet — Purchase your business credit report online or call (844) 238-1514 Equifax — Contact them online or by phone at (866) 519-4800 Experian — Get your business credit report and score online The bottom line Knowing your business credit score helps your business plan for the future. Once you have your business credit report in hand, you can take several steps to improve your business credit score, from opening a business credit card to decreasing your current debt levels. Don’t let a bad or nonexistent credit score get in the way of your business’s growth.Elizabeth Aldrich is a freelance writer covering personal finance, business, and travel. Her writing has appeared in The Motley Fool, Business Insider, Yahoo! Finance, LendingTree, Student Loan Hero, FOX Business, and more.