Tag: Brand-management-consultant-Pune

Just Like a Great TV Show, Sometimes You Have to Know When to Stop

 I was watching this business man talk about being in business and how to become a successful entrepreneur, and I loved the advice he gave: Sometimes in business you have to quit.

We always here the old phrase, “Never quit.” Or how about, “Don’t Give Up.”  Even worse, “Quitters are Losers.”

Now, I’m not a proponent of quitting. As a long distance runner, I push myself extra hard most mornings to get to the finish line, whether that line is three miles or 15. I have a difficult time quitting, even when I know that quitting may be in my best interest-for instance, when my knee begins to hurt, or when I see that my idea is eating away more money that I can recover in a fair amount of time.   

I believe in business we have to know when to quit. I recall watching this show a while back about a woman who had invested all of her family’s money into this plastic gadget to help hold nail polish. The gadget was not selling. Consumers didn’t like it-even said that it didn’t work-and yet she was convinced that she would make millions off of this idea. She spent hundreds of thousands of dollars producing a storage bin full of these things that just didn’t sell.

Her husband begged her to quit.

Her kids begged her to quit.

She didn’t want to quit.

Sometimes quitting is good.

I used to love the show Friends, but once Rachel had the baby I felt like the show would be best off quitting while it was ahead. Just like Seinfeld, you have to know when to get out so you can stay on top.

Business is the same way.

How do you know when it is time to shut the doors?

-You are losing more money than you know you will be able to recover in the time frame needed

-You are jeopardizing your family’s well being for the business (ie: can’t put food on the table, used up all of the kids’ college fund)

 -Your market research shows people don’t like the product or service and you don’t have enough money to fix it as they state it needs to be fixed

-You find that you are not retaining old customers or pulling in new ones

Developing an exit strategy for your company is one way to keep tabs on whether it has come time to pack up or to continue hanging in through a rough patch. 

5 Ways to Build Your Online Brand

My partner Patsi and I are good examples of what can happen when you develop a good brand and use it well. After we started to use “The Blog Squad™” our business grew by leaps and bounds.

Creating a great brand name isn’t always easy, but it is essential if you want to stand out in your field. You’re not the only one in your niche doing business, after all.

For us it came about when we started brain storming with every one who knew us. Finally, some friends of mine came up with “The Blog Squad” over dinner.

Once you create your brand, then the work begins. You need to put your brand name everywhere. No, we didn’t run out and get tattoos! But we did start using the brand name strategically.

1. In our signatures when we leave comments on blogs: It’s not polite to self-promote when you leave a comment on another blog, but what’s to stop you from signing your name with your brand in it, as in, Denise, aka The Blog Squad?

2. In our email signatures: This may seem obvious, but many people don’t brand their emails effectively. And we also use our logo which includes our brand name, along with our blog URLs.

3. In our blog tag lines: Many blogs don’t do a good job of identifying the author. This is huge opportunity to spread your name and your brand. Put your name in the tag line.

4. In your blog title: A benefit of using your brand name in the title of your blog is that it gets sent out with your blog feeds. When people get your feed, they see the blog title AND your brand name. (If your name or your brand isn’t in the actual title, all they see is your blog name, which may be different from your brand name).

5. Create a separate blog for your “About” or bio page. You can put your brand in the title banner. This is the best opportunity to control your message and clarify your brand. Write this page in the first person so you come across as warm and authentic, yet professional. Include all the places on the Web where you can be found, including social media sites, audio files, video clips, etc.

Think about how many other ways you can get your brand known on the web, and go for it!

Business Etiquette Tips

Home » Business Tips » Business Etiquette Tips
October 2, 2013 Ervin Quinto Business Tips Tags: business environment, business etiquette, business etiquette tips, business tips, comunication, meetings
Business etiquette is essential in the work place because employees who don’t respect each other can cause internal conflicts and delay the company’s progress; moreover, an employee who doesn’t know how to treat people may scare customers or business partners away, and in graver cases the employer risks litigation or being taken to court. To help you learn how to act in a business environment whether you’re an employee, an employer or simply someone who wants to start their own business, we have a few business etiquette tips that will come in handy.

Moreover, these business etiquette tips will help those going at job interviews, those going to important business meetings and they will generally improve your relations with other people. That doesn’t mean that you need to act formally with the street vendor or your friends, but rather know when and with whom to react this way. While indeed it may not reflect how people interact generally, the business world sometimes relies on nuances or details, and the wrong gesture can make all your hard work collapse in a few seconds. So here are our advices for you:

Everyone is relevant – Within the business environment every employee, from the CEO to the janitor, has a specific role and purpose in the company. Whether you’re above them or under them in matters of hierarchy, treating people with respect will get you respect, but treating them in a condescending manner, or in a cajoling manner even, will get you their contempt. You never know when you are going to have to work with a colleague, or ask for information from someone equal or under you. If you treat people politely and leave your personal opinions at home, the work environment will be much more pleasant, and things will get done more effectively.
Meetings when necessary – If you are responsible with calling on meetings, make sure you only do so when they are truly necessary. Take other people’s schedules into consideration, and don’t use your veto power to annul their work’s importance. Thus, set up meetings only when the team actually needs to discuss something and then act on that discussion; be sure to take their opinions and feedback into consideration and let them know they are useful; thank them for their collaboration and they will feel much more inclined to help you in the future and to work harder.
Good communication – A manager or director always needs to know how to communicate properly, but employees have to learn to talk amongst them as well. For example, when a colleague sends you an email or phones to ask for something, make sure you let them know you’re on it, even though it may take longer to respond. If someone asks a question that you think is irrelevant, don’t offend them by dismissing it directly; try to be polite and courteous, and explain why the matter is not useful at the moment. With small gestures like these, people won’t start avoiding you, and they will feel like they can talk with you.
Emails – Even if you are writing an internal e-mail, make sure you draft it carefully. Be careful about the way you present matters, and even about grammar and punctuation. Avoid sending useless, redundant or irrelevant emails because everyone’s time is precious and they shouldn’t waste it reading something that doesn’t help them at all. Make sure the content is always specific and avoid including unnecessary information. On a related note, respect your co-worker’s time always; for example, don’t interrupt them unless the matter is urgent.
Dress appropriately – Those working in an office should respect others and themselves by having an appropriate dress code. Even if you prefer wearing t-shirts and slippers in your free time, you need to wear a suit and tie at the work place. People will not take you seriously if you dress too casually, too provocatively, too unkempt; this is especially important if you have to deal with customers or business partners. While you may be the best in your line of work, nobody will take you seriously if you don’t dress well; on special occasions when you don’t know what to wear, remember that it is always better to overdress than to under-dress.
Be on time – Whether you have a leading position or not, giving a good example is always welcome. When you have a business meeting or other work-related business, be on time every time; so will your colleagues and partners, as this says a lot about the kind of business you do, and people will take you more seriously.
Politeness again – Never forget to say “please”, “thank you”, “you’re welcome” and all the other basics of polite interaction with people. Don’t raise your tone when someone says something you don’t agree with and don’t dismiss other people’s opinions. Respect people of other cultures and religions and treat them with the same respect as you do your own co-nationals.
These business etiquette tips will help you have a successful career; having the right connections and knowing the right people is important in all business departments, and with the right business etiquette tips you can have all that.

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