Increasing Small Business Sales

Published by Katherin | March 1, 2012 | | 1

Making a sale is a major part of any form of business as this is what determines the popularity, growth and business profits. If you end up selling nothing, this means that your business is not making any positive progress hence the need to come up with ways to help your business fly and make you smile.

It is however normal to have reasons beyond human control whereby the sales drastically decline although this pass. It helps a great deal to strategize on ways to improve your sales at all times so that even at the times when all looks down, you will still have something coming in and help manage to sustain you business.

Pricing strategy

One way a small business owner can do to increase sales is by considering the prices of products and services. It does not help to have very low prices in the name of attracting customers and end up incurring losses. This will get you out of business so fast you won?t believe. Therefore consider the buying price and the profits you intend to get in determining your prices.

Let your prices be competitive enough to attract customers but still profitable to you.

Store design

How you arrange you store can greatly determine the sales you make. Wise business men know that arranging the products in an enticing organized way can end up bringing in more sales. Having creative and beautiful displays in your store can trigger impulse sales through the attraction that comes with this. For instance, you can use a wonderful lighting technique inside and even outside your store.

Entertaining your customer also has a positive impact as well as arranging you products in relevant categories unlike having them all mixed up.

Customer connection

There is nothing better than a seller who listens to a customer?s wants and needs. Customer service is an excellent way of making your sales shoot. After listening, you can try educating your clients about that particular service or product and then appreciate their business. This will not only make them trust you but they will also bring you business since they have a better understanding about a particular product.

You can also advertise more and not get satisfied with what you get with the first advertising strategy. Yearning for more will allow the birth of more ideas which will in turn increase your business sales.

Source: http://www.1directory.net/business/increasing-small-business-sales-10209.html

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Why do some businesses suffer from ?Outsourcing Phobia? (without ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Why do some businesses suffer from ?Outsourcing Phobia? (without reason). What did your daughter do when you took her to school on the very first day? Did she cry softly? Or did she throw a tantrum demanding that you take ...

Source: http://globalintegra.com/blog/?p=591

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Foursquare.com checks in with OpenStreetMap, checks out of Google Maps API

Foursquare's been quite the active startup lately, adding NFC support for Android 4.0 and releasing its app for the PlayStation Vita. The company isn't quite done being the mayor of Busyville, though, announcing a switch from Google Maps API to OpenStreetMap data-based MapBox Streets for Foursquare.com. Foursquare cited greater flexibility and support for other startups as reasons for the switch, although it also admits that Google's decision to start charging for its Maps API spurred the search for an alternative. Meanwhile, a quick check of the Foursquare app still yielded Google Maps results, so it appears the change is limited to the web site for now. Also, no word on whether Foursquare's awarding MapBox Streets a BFF badge.

Foursquare.com checks in with OpenStreetMap, checks out of Google Maps API originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/01/foursquare-replaces-google-maps-with-openstreetmap-mapboxstreets/

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Arab-Americans slam Dictator as 'damaging'

Joe Klamar / AFP - Getty Images

Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as his role of the Dictator, isn't leaving everyone laughing.

By Natalie Finn, E! Online

Can you believe it, not everyone finds Sacha Baron Cohen hilarious?

Though he would probably consider himself an equal-opportunity offender, the National Network for Arab American Communities is particularly offended by Cohen's latest character, buffoonish despot Admiral General Aladeen from the fictional Republic of Wadiya.

What about this Saddam Hussein-Moammar Gadhafi hybrid doesn't sit right?

MORE: Ryan Seacrest talks dictator dusting on Oscars red carpet: "I was surprised, but not surprised"

"There was plenty of buzz that he made a mess of Seacrest's Burberry tuxedo, but not much of an outcry about the blatant Arab stereotype," NNAAC director Nadia Tonova wrote today in an op-ed for the Huffington Post, referring to the other big moment at the Oscars, when Cohen-as-Aladeen spilled powder (supposedly Kim Jong Il's ashes) all over Ryan Seacrest's tux on the red carpet.

"Arabs are among the few cultures that Hollywood still exploits with impunity," Tonova continued. "Routinely, we are profiled as unsavory or sultry characters--generally terrorists, dictators, sheikhs, oil tycoons or Bedouins. But it's not just Hollywood that perpetuates this imagery. These stereotypes are promoted through the media, law enforcement, our courts, legislatures, Congress and our political candidates. They become an ugly message that trickles down to the general public: Arabs and Muslims are untrustworthy; they are un-American; they are ... fill the blank."

Cohen's camp and Paramount Pictures have remained silent since word first got out that the method-to-his-madness actor wanted to walk the carpet at the Academy Awards in the guise of his character -- not a surprising request coming from the guy who spent months as Bruno and Borat.

MORE: Could Sacha Baron Cohen face criminal charges for ashing Ryan Seacrest?

Tonova argues that it's stereotypes such as the ones perpetuated by Cohen that lead to racial profiling, violence against Arabs and Arab-Americans in the United States, unfair immigration practices and other political issues.

And, she writes, the damage done is not confined to the Arab community, quoting late Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren: "It should be remembered that practically all aliens have come to this country because they like our land and our institutions better than those from whence they came.... We must see to it that no race prejudices develop and that there are no petty persecutions of law-abiding people."

Those are words to remember, she concluded, when thinking about the current state of the U.S. "and, yes, even the damaging lunacy of Sacha Baron Cohen."

MORE: 10 super surprising Academy Award winners

Many of the comments on the article, meanwhile, noted that Cohen was really just trying to be funny.

"He was mocking dictators.... Any religious fundamentalists have to be looked on with suspicion, that is all religions," wrote Hal Wood.

Added Jeff McConnell, "C'mon, Nadia! Lighten up. I don't always necessarily appreciate Cohen's brand of humor, but he isn't hurting anyone."

But there were also those who agreed with Tonova.

"Yup, I agree, Ali G, Borat both Asian/Middle Eastern, both stereotypes. As far as I'm concerned it's just 'black face' for the 21st century," wrote UKVisitor.

GALLERY: 2012 Oscars: Big Moments From the Show

"Supposedly the joke is on us and our 'racist' preconceptions," wrote darquelord. "But without any liberating awareness of our own 'racism or another way of being or seeing'. In other words, he simply reinforces tired old racist cliches and exploits them for his own economic benefit and for some reason THIS is funny."

"The Dictator" storms theaters May 11!

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/29/10538480-arab-american-group-slams-baron-cohens-dictator-as-damaging-lunacy

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NC Cultural Resources Newsroom ? Reba McEntire Finds Family in ...

RALEIGH ? Country music star Reba McEntire turned up long, lost relatives in the State Archives of North Carolina. She was on a mission that will be aired on the Friday, March 2, edition of the NBC television show, Who Do You Think You Are? The North Carolina State Archives is one of the country?s oldest and largest state archives.

?Viewers can tune in on Friday to find out what Reba McEntire learned about her family tree, but they can come to the North Carolina State Archives and the State Library of North Carolina five days a week to find a treasure trove of resources to help them explore their own families,? said Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle.

Last year, professional staff at the Archives and State Library helped more than 40,000 visitors in search rooms located in Raleigh, in Manteo, and in Asheville. One visitor from Ohio wrote, ?What a wonderful resource you have in your Archives and State Library. It is a true reflection of how your state cares about its past and present and future. You set a very fine example of what others should do.? ?Another visitor from the western part of the U.S. wrote, ?Thank you so much for maintaining this collection of reference books and materials and doing as much as possible to get much of the materials digitized so that even more of us can access it. I live in Colorado but approximately 70 percent (of my) family lines come through North Carolina at some point. Thank you for your help.?

Many online resources are also available. In 2011, digital collections from the State Archives and State Library saw 734,600 online visitors from 170 countries, all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and 350 cities in North Carolina. Total page views were 2,742,000.

One collection, North Carolina Family Records Online, a joint project of the State Library and State Archives, is a digital collection of Bible records, marriage and death notices from state newspapers, books on North Carolina families, cemetery photographs and surveys, genealogy vertical files and more.

The State Archives contain records from all of the state?s 100 counties, as well as from six counties now defunct. The Manuscript and Archives Reference System online catalog describes the types of county records held by the archives. Census and court records, bonds, estate records, marriage records, Bible records, tax records, wills, and other types of records can be searched.

Genealogical Research Services in the Government and Heritage Library of the State library includes family and local histories, census records, county, state and federal records abstracts and indexes, military records, cemetery surveys, and research databases and newspapers. The State Library of North Carolina is celebrating its 200th birthday all through 2012.

A native of Oklahoma, McEntire is the best-selling female country artist of all time. She has had 63 Top 10 hits, and has received 15 American Music Awards, nine People?s Choice Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, two Grammys, and is one of only four entertainers in history to be honored with a National Artistic Achievement Award by the U.S. Congress. An actress as well, McEntire had the top television sitcom for six consecutive years on two networks, as well as a stint on Broadway in ?Annie Get Your Gun? that garnered a Drama Critics Award. She also has successful clothing, footwear, and home collections.

For additional information visit the State Archives or call (919) 807-7310. Visit the State Library, or call (919) 807-7460, or call (919) 807-7389. The State Archives and State Library are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

Source: http://news.ncdcr.gov/2012/03/01/reba-mcentire-finds-family-in-the-state-archives/

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First vote looms on Obama birth control policy (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - The Senate is considering GOP legislation aimed at rolling back President Barack Obama's policy on birth control coverage.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120301/ap_on_go_co/us_birth_control_politics

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Top 10 (Customer Service Training} Tips ? hot news

Keep yourself educated on all the retail products sold in your store and be prepared for any question. Make sure you know all the answers you may need to assist a customer beforehand, but also be sure to keep your expressions of product knowledge balanced. Bombarding customers with information when they really just want to shop in peace can be a huge turn-off.For clothing retail stores, be sure to periodically check on customers in the dressing rooms, but do not annoy them by interrupting too often. If they happen to ask for your opinion, always be honest and polite when making suggestions. Once a customer has made their selections and is ready to check out, point them to the register. It should not, however, be considered a one-time or annual event. Customer service training is an ongoing process that needs to be incorporated into the organization?s culture and way of doing business.Good customer service training will be based on the needs of your organization as well as the skill level of your employees. Following are some key elements in ensuring that your customer service training efforts get results.

1)????? Start with the end in mind. What do you want to accomplish with your customer service training efforts? Your answer will be unique to your business, the product or service you provide and the type of customer you serve. For example, if you run a dry cleaning business, your expectation may be that customers are greeted promptly when they come into your store, that clothing is cleaned to their specifications and that any problems or issues are resolved according to prescribed policies/practices that have been clearly communicated to customers.If you run a consulting business your customer service expectations may include lengthy interactions with clients to clearly determine their needs, identified check-points throughout the consulting process, etc. Regardless of the specifics, the point is that you need to have a clear idea of the end results you?re looking for. Then you can use these results to help direct the focus of your customer service training efforts.2)????? Define success. That?s as true as it is important. As managers, we need to remember that time is our friend. Training must be continuous. If your team members aren?t experts already, make them experts over time.People FirstBut until your employees are the experts you know they can be, there are some other things you can do to provide great customer service training for retail. One thing is to ensure that your customers are treated as individuals. Too many customer experiences are soured by a robotic employee ?dealing? with ?another customer.? Putting an end to this type of interaction starts during training, and it starts at the top. Treat your employees as individual people first, and employees second, and invite them to do the same with customers. Empower them to make exceptions or give discounts on behalf of the company. Then, when they realize their moment-to-moment decisions can affect real company outcomes, they?ll be less likely to feel like just another cog in the machine, and they?ll see and treat customers as people first.Follow-ThroughOf any of these three, this is the most teachable (and perhaps most traceable). Customer service training is my area of expertiseTop 10 (Customer Service Training} Retail Customer Service Training, Top 20 (Customer Service Training} Ideas

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customer service training, training, customer services skills training, customer service training course, Management Training, C, customer service,

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Source: http://hotnews.blogspages.com/2012/02/29/top-10-customer-service-training-tips/

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