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Does your Company have Untapped Potential?

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No matter how will you think your company is doing, Marc Leder believes there is always room for improvement. So if you’re keen on finding new ways to increase your company’s revenue and profit, continue reading to discover how to identify any untapped potential which your company may have.

1. Compare your business’s success with your competition’s success

One simple way to see whether there is potential for your business to grow is to compare the current success of your business with your closest competition’s success.

As an example, if a similar business offers to double your product range, it’s likely that there is a high demand for the products or services which you offer and that your business could greatly benefit from increasing your product range.

Alternatively, you may find that a similar company has double the number of retail spaces as your company. Which could be a sign that your company should consider investing in a brand new retail space.

2. Take inspiration from other companies

While the last thing you should do is to poach other companies ideas, there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other companies, especially companies who operate in a completely different field. As an example, while your company may be focused on selling high-quality furniture, you may see an advertisement campaign for a restaurant, which may give you ideas on how you can overhaul your current marketing plans.

After all, sometimes it’s hard to hard to see how you can improve your company, without taking a look at what other companies are doing right.

3. Search for unbiased reviews of your company online

In order to gain an outsiders opinion on whether there are areas which your company could currently improve upon, it’s well worth conducting a quick Google search to find honest, unbiased reviews which have been left by your past customers or clients.

As an example, you may find several negative reviews which give the impression that your company needs to improve it’s customer service skills. If so, don’t see negative reviews as an attack on your company, instead see them as invaluable information, which can help your business achieve future success.

After all, if customers had negative experiences with your company and none of them left a review, you’d have no idea about the areas of your business, which you should work on.

4. Try to find a business mentor

If you’ve never hired a business mentor in order to help your business achieve success, it’s well worth finding a reputable business mentor who’ll be able to share their wealth of knowledge with you and who may be able to help identify the areas in which your business has untapped potential to flourish.

It’s even well worth reaching out to two business mentors, in order to be presented with double the advice and suggestions, which will help your business flourish.

Regardless of whether you believe your business is doing well or needs a lot of improvement, it’s well worth identifying your business’ untapped potential!

A Better Approach Towards Business

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Retail business owner and restaurant owners would connect to the fact that managing several customers at the same span of moment can be a difficult task to carry out efficiently. Specially the customers in a restaurant look out for a good quality service that does not only consist of high quality tasty food but behaviour of the hotel crew members and their efficiency to attain the needs of the customers be it any.

The task of an employee in a restaurant other the cooks is not restricted to just bringing in food or cleaning the table after a customer leaves. It starts all the wat from greeting the visitors to taking their orders, explaining them with their enquiries about a dish, take complaints of any and also provide them with the demanded mode of payment. Along with all these duties one also needs to make sure that all the work is done with in an efficient and convincing span of time without having the visitors wait for too long.

Some customers might turn out to be cranky about late serving of food or payment related issues and things really get out of control if someone gets stuck with such customers. Some people are too choosy about what they order and ask enormous questions while placing the order so that they can get the right food on their table. A person who is preparing the food knows the details, but servers do not always know about everything, drawing a bridge between the cook and the consumer is also done by these employees.

It is not the case that these things are new and have never been managed before but advancement of technology can make the work easy and smooth. Smartswipe pos support help restaurants with its extraordinary features that are meant to serve for easing up the entire process of how a restaurant survives on good remarks.

Smartswipe pos login help people in manging various time at a time that too from just one device. Smartswipe pos login is developed to create a manage station of sale that works by installing one core point to manage sales while one can access the same from various devices. It is a blessing to the restaurants because of its technology advantages–

  • It makes making a payment easy. Card payments are made easy without having to carry the card to the counter. One can just bring the device to the table and swipe it then and their and get done with the payment in seconds.
  • The device can act as a storage for menu and pantry. Additionally, one can simply tap on a dish that the customer needs to enquire about the provide the customers with all the details without having to disturb the cook.
  • One can upload the orders instantly as the customers mention with their demands. This helps in avoiding a rush in the kitchen area and makes it easy to serve food faster.

Smartswipe pos admin is easy to install and is a user-friendly support provider for retail business and restaurants.

The Top Questions You Should Ask A Food Supplier Before Placing An Order

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The food industry has a lot of leading players, and if you are in the food sector yourself, whether you are operating a restaurant or dining establishment or are manufacturing various food products, you need to know who these leading players are. A leading supplier, for instance, can give you the ingredients you require, and if they are a good supplier, they will make sure that the ingredients they supply are of the best quality and are safe as well. If you are looking for a supplier of food ingredients, there are certain questions you shouldn’t neglect to ask first. Here are the top questions you should ask a food supplier before placing an order.

How much are their products?

Of course, the price of the product or ingredient will depend on what kind it is. You can expect to pay more, for instance, for fresh ingredients that are not in season in your area, and you can also expect to pay more for premium products such as truffles and extra virgin olive oil. But the good news is that, even if the products or ingredients are on the expensive side, there are suppliers which can give you great discounts for products ordered in bulk – you just have to find out from the supplier itself whether they are willing to offer you a good deal. Discounts can also be had when it comes to delivery (regular deliveries may give you certain discounts), and you may also receive discounts based on the packaging of the ingredient or how it is processed (sliced and cut, pasteurised, etc.).

How will they deliver?

You should also ask a prospective supplier how they are going to deliver your order. Are they able to deliver it themselves straight to your door, or do you have to arrange delivery yourself? What about the delivery schedule – is there a specific time for deliveries, or can delivery be arranged on a bespoke basis? Also, and more importantly, does their time of delivery coincide with your own schedule? The supplier you choose should be able to give you the ingredients you need when you need them so as not to affect your production and operations.

How long have they been in the business, and do they have any accreditations?

Another top question you should ask the supplier is how long they have been operating as a supplier. If they have years of experience, then that’s all well and good – but aside from this, it also pays to know if they have any accreditations or even awards. A supplier with the right accreditations and certifications such as www.kiril-mischeff.com (especially when it comes to food safety) should be considered – more so if they have awards from industry bodies as well.

How a Reputation Management Agency Can Monitor Your Brand

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If a brand wants to do well online and offline, they need a solid reputation, with a foundation in their digital presence. However, it is not just down to good designs and excellent content. A high quality product or service backed by excellent customer service is perhaps even more important. In fact, even the way in which employees are treated has an impact on reputation. A reputation management agency will usually focus on the digital content that exists, although they may also provide advice on issues such as customer service and employee satisfaction.

A Reputation Management Agency Teaches You to Walk the Walk

All brands need to have a consistent spread and marketing of positive, genuine, and fresh online content. They aim is to make sure that if any negative content exists, it is hard for others to find. Research has shown that people now read a lot of reviews before deciding whether or not to trust a brand, so it is very important that you have reviews to offer, and that they are positive. The damage from negative reviews can be offset thanks to reputation management strategies, but it is obviously better to attract positive reviews in the first place.

A great way to make a brand look positive outside of attracting good reviews is to create authoritative content. This content has to provide something of value to the audience, setting the company apart as a trustworthy expert in their niche. At the same time, this content has to be SEO (Search Engine Optimization) optimized, meaning it contains the right keywords and the right backlinks. It should also be posted in all the right places, which is anywhere where a potential customer could search for information about this particular niche.

Essentially, this is about talking the talk (creating content) and walking the walk (showing that you mean what you say and having this confirmed through positive reviews).

Real Life Scenarios

Businesses can do a variety of different things in order to improve their overall image. Obviously, this should start by focusing on customer service. It has been shown in a study by Dimensional Research that 54% of people would share complaints about receiving a bad customer service at least five different times, in different places. Furthermore, the survey showed that 58% of people are now far more likely to leave reviews compared to the same time five years ago.

It simply cannot be stressed enough how important it is to offer the highest levels of customer service. Reputation management can do a lot to make it harder to find negative information. Excellent content strategies can set you apart as an expert in your field. But if the real life element, which is your customers interacting with you, your product/service, and your customer service, is a negative one, no amount of hard work can make it better. You need to see reputation management as a form of marketing, in other words, and that only works if your foundation is right.

The Rise Of The Live Streams

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“Livestreaming Wikimania 2016 Esino Lario” by Sebastiaan Ter Burg (CC BY 2.0)

If you have found yourself watching any kind of digital media recently, there is a good chance that you have done so using a live stream. Despite being a relatively new phenomenon, the market for this particular brand of video content has been growing exponentially over the past few years and based on current projections, it looks set to become even bigger in 2018.

For those who are somehow unaware of this latest trend, live videos are a type of streaming media where the content is simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real time. The technology has actually been around for the best part of a decade, having gained popularity within the video gaming community through platforms such as Twitch. However, these services have now spread into other sectors and as a result, they have begun to become a part of some people’s daily lives.

Much of this popularity can be linked to the release of easy-to-access live streaming software for social media over the last couple of years. Apps such as Facebook Live, Periscope, and Instagram have all made it easier than ever for their users to share and stream content to their peers. On top of this, almost every social media platform has integrated live streaming into their services, allowing anyone to take advantage and offering a potentially massive audience to those willing to try.

Source: Pexels

That is not all, however, as streaming has also made it easier for people to watch live coverage of news and events. Almost every major sporting event is available to view through some form of live media as fans are foregoing traditional television broadcasts in favour of watching on other devices. Meanwhile, the massive growth and success of the eSports industry in recent years has been largely attributed to services like Twitch, which is currently one of the biggest streaming sites in the world, boasting over 100 million users per month.

Another frequent use for interactive streaming is for hosting live casino games. These interactive streams, featuring offer an authentic gaming experience that anyone can participate in from the comfort of their own homes. They also allow players to take advantage of bonus offers, like the current free spins offered by diverse online casinos reviewed by bonus.ca, though whether that is something that interests you is a question answered here.

These qualities that live streams are also an extremely viable tool for digital marketing. With the market growing as it is, brands and creators can use these streaming services to deliver dynamic content and engage with their audiences directly at the same time. Even better, since anyone can access these tools through their social media accounts, it is incredibly cheap and easy to set up.

Looking at the numbers, it is hard to see why anyone would ignore this trend. Over 80% of customers have said that they prefer watching live videos over other types of content and it is predicted that streaming will be a $70.5 billion industry by 2021. In short, live streaming has quickly grown into the next big game changer and it is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down any time soon.

How To Promote Your Business With Personalised Gifts For Your Customers

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Personalised gifts are a nice touch for your customers, and they are also the perfect element to give visibility to your brand in different situations.

Promotional calendars, mugs, caps, T-shirts, and many more items; all these promotional gifts can have a high impact on brand recall.

To get away from your competition we advise you to personalise such items with creativity and take advantage of the specific opportunities offered by each season of the year.

All businesses can benefit from personalised gifts that can be given out at events, workshops, meetings or celebrations as a potential marketing tool. It is only necessary to choose the most suitable items according to the line of business you are in.

Here we present the most common uses of personalised gifts, ranging from the more general that emphasise the brand itself, to more specific ones which can be used as seasonal gifts.

Brand gifts

When we talk about brand gifts, traditional media such as pens or key rings come to mind. However, if you want to stand out from your competition with more innovative and original ideas, you have other innovative items such as magnets, stickers or personalised cups at your disposal.

These are advertising products that, with creative graphic design and excellent printing, can easily become part of the daily routine of the recipient with ease, and that increases the presence of your brand and its visibility.

Promotional gifts

Promotional gifts are linked to a specific marketing action, be it the launch of a product or to promote a certain sales campaign. A very clear example is the promotions in the hospitality sector to increase the sales of a particular brand of beer. In these cases, it is the beer supplier who facilitates the promotional gifts.

But you can also implement your own actions by celebrating a theme without relying on intermediaries. One of the advantages of online printing is the ability to order your own personalised promotional gifts at low cost.

In addition, it will be your own authentic idea, so the gifts will be unique. Why not, for example, organise a themed party this summer that raffles some exclusive shirts among your customers?

Seasonal advertising gifts

Each season provides a specific framework that you can take advantage of to promote your business. For example, one of the star gifts in summer is the fan because it fits perfectly with the need for a touch of fresh air to combat the summer heat. At the same time, it is a versatile medium in that it can constitute a brand gift or promote a specific action.

At the other end of the calendar, Christmas also serves as a clear opportunity for you to optimise the potential of seasonal advertising gifts since Christmas calendars are perfect for this time of year.

Event Planning: 6 Essential Tips For A Successful Event

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Meetings, congresses, workshops, or celebrations; no matter the occasion, a corporate event has to leave a positive impression on the attendees, be they customers, colleagues, investors, etc. With this in mind, we have created a mini guide with six tips so that the event organised by your company creates the expected results.

  1. Dialogue between HR and the participants: It is essential that the workers in charge of the event know who will participate in it. It is important to understand the target audience. Otherwise, you run the risk of offering a schedule that does not interest, for example, a long conference for Generation Y.
  2. Democratic commission: The development of all the areas that will benefit from the event is very important. For that, the ideal is to create a commission with a representative of each participating sector. These people can give suggestions and talk about their expectations, so all involved in the event feel included in the planning process. At this time, the role of the event director is to guide the discussion and reject or accept ideas.
  3. Transform the event into an experience: Circus classes, the creation of a samba school and even collective hypnosis. All these are innovative approaches which have been applied to corporate events. By transforming the event into a playful moment, an unforgettable experience, or a creative epiphany, the attendees enjoy it more and it increases the commitment to the company.
  4. Opportunities for meetings: One of the most interesting things about corporate events is to allow meetings between colleagues who do not know each other personally or might not have had the opportunity to meet in person previously. For this reason, it is important to devote a part of the programming for this purpose, especially so that any external representatives or visitors have a chance to meet with key personnel.
  5. Use technology: Technological innovations are some of your best allies when it comes to planning a corporate event. Ensure all presentation, projection, and other audio-visual needs, etc. are well sourced from a specialist AV hire supplier. Also, specific applications created for the occasion can, for example, help to keep everyone informed about the programming and allow data to be collected from the participants, such as food requirements, among others, as well as being useful for sharing photos of the event. These resources also show that the company is ready for the future.
  6. Giving continuity: The objectives and themes debated in the event should not be forgotten. To guarantee the efficiency of a meeting or workshop, it is necessary to plan how the workers will apply what was discussed. For example, if this goes into the expected budget it has to be estimated not only for the day of the event, but for all that it implies, both before and after.

Technology Helps Improve Customer Experience

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Some of the key marketing approaches have always been advertising, personal selling, and sales promotion. However, even these tested and proved methods tend to carry limitations, especially in the digital era we live in. With the global boundaries dissolving and the competition level rising to new heights, business and firms realize the importance of staying connected with their customers at all times.

It is indeed challenging for companies to achieve their business goals and expand their business. The key lies in how to reach the current customers and the potential ones. There is nothing better for a company than a happy customer who can help get more leads. Improving customer service holds the key here and keeping them happy and satisfied is essential for business growth. Thankfully, the marketers can pick from a wider array of communications tools that can help make efficient and effective communication with customers. The best part is that the newer tools of communication are faster and cheaper than the traditional methods used for feedback on customer experience.

In the era of cut-throat competition, one needs to sell more than just good quality products. The business owners need to focus on excellent customer services too in this highly-competitive business world. Maintaining good relationships and creating a delightful experience with the customers holds the key to boosting business growth. By doing so would create word-of-mouth advertising that remains one of the best marketing strategies till date. Thus, it is important to exceed the expectations of your clients and delight them. It is early essential to give personal attention and provide excellent customer service to the costumers. Once they feel they are valued at your company, they would love to come back. Have a constant interaction with them to know their mind and requirements. They are sure to respond by purchasing your products and services regularly and becoming a loyal customer. Get their feedback about the product, and their experiences as clients’ feedback are important. Understand and know your target audience before selling and marketing your products or services towards them.

Every business needs customers and in order to do so, needs to promote itself by talking about its products and services. The Internet has become a powerful medium to do so and reach out to your customers. Today, the means of promotion and communicating with your customers are only increasing by the day. The best approach is to make use of both the newer and the older communications tool to develop a balanced marketing program for a business. Social Media platforms are being used to increase target market and find new customers. One can reach out to the customers efficiently and create positive experiences. Customer referrals are an inexpensive way and yet the most effective to get more customers. It is essential for a firm and company to place useful information and valuable contest for their customers online. When the customers get valuable information that can be used for their benefit, it helps to build trust and develop new connections. Using the right words and content helps to establish your authority.

and grow into a profitable company, every business needs customers. In order to get customers, every business needs to promote itself. Before the advent of the internet, promotion was easy because there weren’t too many options. It was a matter of deciding between a flyer, a post card, or an ad in the local newspaper. Today, however, the methods for promoting your business are overwhelming and only increasing by the day. There’s social media marketing, search engine marketing, guerrilla marketing, and more. If you are a small business owner struggling to figure out which one to use, or to even get up to speed on which options are out there, you are not alone. To help you navigate the sea of ideas out there for getting the word out about your product or service, we have put together a list of 18 ways that you can promote your business whether you have a budget or not.

What Is GDPR And Why Does It Affect Businesses Worldwide?

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“Secure Data – Cyber Security –” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by perspec_photo88

From this coming May, the European Union (EU) will implement a new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), designed to bring data protection legislation in line with the ways in which data is used in the 21st century. GDPR aims to give EU citizens and residents control over their own sensitive data, empowering them to be able to demand that organisations dispose of unneeded private information and do not share it with other third parties without the individual’s explicit permission.

At present, the UK’s data protection regulations are dictated by the Data Protection Act 1998, enacted after the EU Data Protection Directive 1995. The implementation of GDPR will supersede the existing legislation, unifying data protection rules throughout all EU member states. The Data Protection Act 1998 was formulated prior to the expansion of the internet and cloud technology, and this new legislation is designed to provide greater trust and transparency in the digital age. The EU estimates that the unification of data protection law across its member states will save European businesses around £2bn a year.

The GDPR will be active from 25th May 2018 and it’s important for businesses throughout the EU to be prepared. Severe fines for GDPR non-compliance are set to be dished out to organisations that fail to demonstrate their GDPR enforcement strategy on request. These fines, however punitive they may seem, are deemed necessary to ensure businesses take the protection of personal data seriously.


“Commission” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by Andrew Gustar

Who does GDPR apply to?

The EU’s GDPR is applicable to those deemed to be ‘controllers’ and ‘processors’ of individuals’ sensitive data. A controller is someone in charge of why and how personal data is used – for instance an e-commerce website gathering users’ addresses and full names for marketing material distribution, while a processor is the organisation or individual that’s physically processing the data e.g. an IT service provider.

There’s one important thing to note for businesses based outside the EU. Controllers and processors of personal data of EU residents will still be bound by the rules of GDPR even if they are based in the United States, Australia or South-East Asia. More importantly, it is the controller’s responsibility to oversee their processor’s actions and ensure they abide by the GDPR legislation.

When can personal data be used under GDPR?

Put simply, controllers of individuals’ sensitive data must be able to demonstrate that the information they process is done so lawfully, transparently and for a specific, legitimate reason. Moreover, from the moment that reason/goal has been met, the personal data is deemed as no longer needed and must be disposed of accordingly.

In order to obtain individual consent to use sensitive data under GDPR, collectors must make it clear to their subjects what is going on, rather than utilise passive acceptance techniques that are currently commonplace, such as default opt-in subscriptions to newsletters. Controllers are also required to keep a diary of how and when individuals provided their consent. It is within the rights of said individuals to withdraw that consent whenever they see fit.

If your organisation’s current model for receiving user consent for personal data is not up to scratch with the new GDPR legislation, now is the time to overhaul your model and avoid unnecessary financial penalties when it is applied this summer – regardless of where you’re based.

How To Become Extremely Proficient In Forex Trading

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Most people who enter the forex market usually go in unprepared for what lies ahead. They open an account, invest a lot of money right from the get-go, lose it all and quit before even learning the basics.

When it comes to forex trading, experience is as important as possessing the right tools and mathematical skills. And the truth is, that experience can be gained only by trial and error. Practicing, analyzing what works and doesn’t will give you an edge over other traders. Without further ado, here are a few tips that will help you become extremely proficient in forex trading.

Risk and Money Management

In a market as volatile and complex as forex, money and risk management is essential if you want to get ahead. Various factors, such as shifting economic policies, political instability or a banal news article can influence currency rates in both directions.

As a result, you need to time your trades right, only when good opportunities arise. Simply throwing money at random will not yield the best results. Bruce Kovner, for example, borrowed $3,000 against his credit card early in his career and almost everything when his $40,000 growth dropped to $23,000. This experience taught him the importance of proper risk management.

When it comes to risk management, there are a few things you can do to manage it properly:

  • Increasing the number of indicators. While this will lower risk, it will prevent you from taking riskier deals that might end up profitable.
  • Mastering the leverage technique. Basically, you have to learn when, how much to borrow and internalize the market dynamics. Famously, Soros mastered leveraging and accumulated a massive fortune as a result.
  • Studying liquidity. Make sure there are enough buyers and sellers to efficiently take your trade.
  • Be aware of the odds. To use odds in your favor, you have to learn how to perform a technical analysis.

Develop Good Working Habits

Forex is as much about charts, currencies and confusing equations as it is about hard work, good instincts and a keen sense of market dynamics. As in life, there is no 100% guaranteed way to become a good forex trader. Nobody is perfect at it. But if you practice, you will get better each day. One might think you have to be a finance expert, but every guide that teaches forex trading for beginners will stress the mental and work discipline aspects.

Therefore, you have to develop good working habits. The first step is to never procrastinate. Even if it is ‘’a slow forex day’’ and nothing interesting is going on, even something simple as checking a chart, noting a few numbers down, doing some research or reading industry related news will keep you active. The idea is to keep working and not let the tedium overwhelm you.

The next step is to practice. If you feel like you have mastered the basics and are ready to get in with the big players, then you are not ready. In forex, self-awareness and a desire to constantly improve are key. Setting up a demo funding forex account and practicing on it is a good way to get a feel of this activity.

Note Everything in a Journal

As you are gaining experience and increase the number of tasks you are performing, it is easy to lose track of all past trades and results. That is why keeping a thorough journal is essential.

You can note down on everything, from daily currency and interest rates, charts, past trades, personal or technical observations of the market to tidbits of relevant news articles. As long as it is structured and sufficiently annotated, every piece of information deserves a spot in the journal. By doing this, it will help you get a clear image of your activity. Moreover, since self-awareness and a desire to improve oneself are essential for success, the journal could also serve as an effective tool for constructive self-criticism.

This takes us back to a previous entry, in which we discussed why good work habits are essential and how to develop them. When it comes to forex, even when the market is clearly against you, the truth is that you are your own worst enemy. Ego can stand between you and a good trade, leading to frustration and missed opportunities. That is why it is good to nip it in the bud by noting down every failure as objectively as possible.

Finally, a trading journal will help you keep a historical perspective of your activity. No trade is similar to another and you never know when that one little, specific thing that went differently will help you score a huge amount of cash in a future trade.

Conclusion

People who want to get into forex trading and make money need to have (or develop) a very specific subset of skills. While some people are naturally predisposed with a keen business sense, that does not mean they will have everything served on a silver platter. That is why patience, consistency and hard work will, in time, do wonders to your trading efficiency.