Four Things Your Business Should Outsource Now

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Four Things Your Business Should Outsource NowFor some employers, outsourcing is a bad word! It’s considered to be something that reduces costs because things are going wrong and savings are a must. The thing is, outsourcing is so much more than that. Outsourcing helps your business to improve productivity and bring better profits to your business over time.

You can pretty much outsource anything in your business, and if it enhanced employee safety, all the better. You can look at https://employeradvantage.com/workplace-safety/ for information about how to keep people as safe as possible. With the right outsourcing help, you can do so much more with your business and take it to the next level. With this in mind, here are four things you can outsource today.

  1. Marketing. It’s a big piece of the business puzzle, and sometimes it requires more than one person or one team in your business to work it. You need experts, and those experts don’t have to be on the payroll. You can hire people in on a project by project basis and have the experts holding your team together to get through it. You may also have a need for more specialised SEO and marketing services, and outsourcing those services is a must.
  2. Call Answering Services. How many calls does your business get in a week? Sometimes, the volume of calls that you get can disrupt your business massively, and you need to do something about that. Contacting a call answering service will make a huge difference to the way that you run your business as you will have the time to do it all! With someone else answering the calls, you won’t be bogged down with busywork. Handing important calls is a must, but you can hire someone to do it for you and be more productive in other areas of your business.
  3. Finance & Payroll. You may choose to hire an expert to pay your employees or manage your invoices, and it would be a smart choice for your business. You need to keep up with the changing and complex tax laws, and you can only do that if you have an expert in finance working with you. When you outsource your finances, you are trusting someone who knows what they are doing to look after your business properly. You will be impressed by how much an expert can save your business when your finances are managed properly.
  4. IT. The tech world is changing constantly, and you need someone who is keeping up with these changes to work with you. They can ensure that you have the right software, and that your software is updated as often as it needs to be. You can invest in Cloud IT services, too, and that will go a long way toward better workplace safety and security. Your IT strategy won’t always be the same, and so having the right individual there to help will be the best option for your business to be a success.

Improve Business Security With These Core Hacks

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Business Security|Improve Business Security With These Core HacksWhen you are trying to run a modern company, it is important to do as much as you can to enhance the safety and security of the business. There are loads of things you can do that are going to help you make the most of this right now. The better you can protect your business the more important it is for you to be able to grow and develop as a brand, and there are plenty of ways of doing this.

You need to make sure you do as much as possible to think about how you can get this right, and there are loads of amazing ideas that will help enhance business security. One of the best things you can do is to focus on how your company is run in the safest and most appealing way. Here are some of the ways of improving business security and helping the company thrive and grow.

CCTV

Most modern businesses would do well to have some form of CCTV, and this is even more important if your company has premises where equipment and machinery is stored. This is something you’re going to want to protect, and you need to try to make the most of this right now. Come up with the best ideas that can play a role in helping you look after your business, and it’s pretty clear that CCTV is one of the best ways of being able to do this. Think about what it takes to work on this right now, and there are a lot of factors that play a role in helping your company improve its security.

Keycards

You have to try to make the most of doing as much as you can to take things to the next level. It is so important to integrate some sort of digital security procedures in order to make your business a bit safer and more secure. One of the best ways of being able to achieve this would be through an easy-to-use, on-site identity badge printer that can be used to create ID so that you know who is coming and going from the business, as well as being able to integrate keycards for entry and exit.

Cybersecurity

It is important to make sure you do as much as you can to look after the future and integrity of the business, and one of the best ways of doing this is to make sure you focus on cybersecurity, There are so many ideas that you need to work on that are going to allow you to focus on getting this right moving forward. Try to come up with some of the best ways of implementing cybersecurity in the business, and this is something you need to focus on right now.

Coming up with some of the best ideas to help you take your business security to the next level is really important because it is a great way of making everything easier for your business. There are a lot of factors that play a part in this, and you have to make sure you think carefully about the best ways of being able to improve your business security in the right sort of way.

The Most Common Negotiating Gambit… and How to Beat It

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article |Negotiating|The Most Common Negotiating Gambit… and How to Beat ItRecently I was training a group of sales professionals. I asked them to write down the answer to this question: When a prospect asks you for a concession during negotiations, how do they ask you — what exactly do they say?

The group I was in front of came from all types of industries. Some sold technology and professional services, which means they often have to deal with professional buyers and procurement teams; others were in commercial real estate and finance, which means they typically have to deal with senior executives when it comes to negotiations; and some sold to individual consumers. So it was a very diverse group. The responses, however, were strikingly similar in tone. Here are the most common responses they wrote down:

  • Your competition is cheaper.
  • What can you do for us?
  • You’re going to need to sharpen your pencil.
  • Please send us a revised proposal, as your price is too high.
  • What kind of discounts or promotions do you have?

All of these are expressions of the exact same gambit. My guess is that you personally have used some variation or one or more of the sentences you just read, which means you, too, have used this very same gambit – the gambit I call “Your Competition Is Cheaper.” It’s natural to want to get the best possible deal. Why wouldn’t you ask and see what happens?

I then requested that the members of the group write down the way they typically respond to such a request. Here’s a small sampling of what they wrote:

  • Well, let me see what I can do…maybe I can take something off my proposal.
  • Let me talk to my manager.
  • Where do we need to be to get the deal?
  • I’m sure we can do something, what were you hoping for?

These are not the responses you will hear from a professional negotiator.

What those salespeople wrote down immediately told me that they didn’t have a system or plan for negotiation. They had never practiced how to handle this gambit. In all of their responses, they immediately gave in to the buyer’s demand. This was no surprise. In my experience, if you ask a salesperson if they have a negotiation system, the answer is almost always “no”!

Most organizations face some kind of negotiating gambit during a sales process, and “Your Competition Is Cheaper” is one of the most popular. My job is to train people in an effective negotiating system so they can deal with such gambits. Our Sandler Negotiating Playbook provides such a system. It consists of three steps. They aren’t difficult to understand, but they do take time and practice to reach a point where you can utilize them under pressure.

Step One: Acknowledge, Reassure, Ask. Our primary goal here is to find the right way to say “No, we are not giving you anything” – without saying the word “no.” What we are doing is acknowledging that they asked for something, reassuring them that our solution will take care of their issues, and asking them a question to get them talking and put the focus back on them.

Step Two: Struggle and Redirect. In some situations, we’re going to need this step to ensure we don’t just give in to their demands. The second step is designed to show them that we are emotionally struggling with their ask, and that we feel uncomfortable. The redirect is a move designed to take them back to why they are even looking to solve the problem … and to find out if they even like our solution. (They may not.)

Step Three: Concessions. The main focus with the concessions step is to ensure that we have already thought about what we are willing to concede and what we want to get in return. When we do offer a concession, we’ll want to give slowly and struggle – and we’ll want to secure a parallel concession from the other side. There is an art to granting concessions. This art requires us to modify our offer in order to get something of greater or equal value to what we are giving up – which might be a signed order.

Remember, it’s always better to add something into the deal that has value instead of taking something away. This is especially true when it comes to price!

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor |Clint BabcockClint Babcock is the author of NEGOTIATING FROM THE INSIDE OUT: A Playbook For Business Success. A Sandler trainer based in Florida, Babcock has over 25 years of sales, leadership, and negotiation experience; he has worked with senior executives at companies in a wide range of industries to help them strategically build their sales forces.
For more information, please visit https://www.sandler.com/resources/sandler-books/negotiating-from-the-inside-out/.

How To Write a Professional Development Plan

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Professional Development Plan|How To Write a Professional Development PlanIn every work field, development is a crucial part of the job. Whether it’s individual or collective, improving your skills can help you maintain your position or to ascend. Also, you can become more efficient, which makes tasks easier and less time-consuming.

But how can you improve in the most effective way possible? First, you have to create a systematic development plan that helps you focus on every aspect of your job. Then, you can take action and put the plan in motion.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create a step-by-step plan to develop your individual skills or to better the whole team.

What Is A Development Plan?

Before we learn how to develop a plan, let’s define it better.

A development plan is a series of steps to take to improve your performance at work. The result of the said plan should be reaching your career objectives.

Here are some examples of how a well-made development plan can help you:

  • It can aid you to gain a different perspective of your work.
  • It can help you earn a certification.
  • It aids you during a job search.
  • It can make goals more visible so you can actively reach them.

So, when you put together all the elements, you have a clear picture of where and how to start.
You can build your development scheme on digital notes, Microsoft Word, or even on a piece of paper. As long as you keep it updated, detailed, and clear, reaching your goals will be simple.

Consider using as many bullet-point lists as you can and specific keywords that can remind you of the steps at first glance.

Lastly, keep it in a cloud where you can access the document easily, from different devices. Alternatively, if it’s not digital, keep it on the front page of your journal, where you can see it right away.

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Professional Development Plan|How To Write a Professional Development PlanSteps To Create A Proper Development Plan

If you wish to create a thorough development plan, you might want to follow a few steps.

1. Evaluate

You may want to find out your skills before you improve them. So, start by thinking about your knowledge, abilities, and specialties. Then, you can focus on improving them. Try to go from more generic and soft competencies to specific ones. Here are some examples:

  • You can say that you’re “technology-savvy” and then elaborate on the apps you can use and the level of expertise for each.
  • You can include “good with communication” and specify the ways you make yourself understood.
  • You can say that you’re “autonomous” and elaborate on how you can manage your work without anybody’s help.
  • You can include “cooperative” and specify the way you work with others on projects.

It’s vital to include all the abilities that define your working methods. Specifically, for a job search, having a list that can describe you as an employee can make a good impression in an interview or a CV.

Don’t forget to include some weaknesses that are pertinent to your position. Maybe you have trouble organizing your paperwork, or you don’t know how to work in groups. If you list the things you can’t do, you can focus on them and improve.

Otherwise, if you work in a team, try to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the entire group or micro-groups.

For example, suppose you work at a freelance company, like Assignment Help UK, a service or accounting company. Maybe you have trouble synchronizing, and the result is delayed deliveries. Figure out what doesn’t work. Perhaps it’s the lack of communication or poor organization.

2. Set objectives

There’s no development plan without goals. So, try to figure out what you wish to achieve. Here are some examples of objectives:

  • Get promoted;
  • Get a raise;
  • Get a new job opportunity;
  • Work from home.

Make sure that your objectives are well-defined and easy to measure. You want to know precisely the result you wish to achieve through the plan. Moreso, if it’s a quantifiable goal, make sure you can monitor your growth to update your plan or continue it.

Also, your objectives should be reasonable and relevant. Getting a raise, if you’ve only been working for a year at your company, might be a goal to achieve within the next five years, not in six months. So, make sure that there’s a time frame and that your goals are realistic.

If you work in groups, make sure that the objectives you set benefit everyone who’s part of the plan. For example, if you work as a travel writer at Custom Papers, or as an editor, make sure your whole team is aboard. If not, you can create groups with separate objectives.

3. Determine strategies

Now that you know your goals and your resources, you can start to think about how to reach your objectives. Here are some examples of methods:

If you wish to become better at your job to waste less time and earn more, you can take a course. Improving your knowledge through a class or a workshop can make you more productive.
If you want to change your approach, and become more flexible with ideas, consider finding a mentor. You can learn numerous tips from your colleagues or superintendents.
If you wish to work from home, try to show your employee that you can work autonomously and communicate through technology.

Generally speaking, the best strategies to reach your goals involve education and experience. However, if your goals depend on your habits, you can just try to change those.

For example, let’s assume you write blog posts, the assignment help or articles. Maybe you’re having trouble delivering on time because you have a chaotic schedule. So, you can start to write tasks and due dates in a journal.

Still, even in this case, you might want to get educated about self-management through Youtube videos, webinars, or other methods.

If you work in a team, the solution could involve breaking up the large group into pairs. Or the solution could be installing a cloud where people can get work on the same project from different devices.

4. Find the right tools

Once you figure out what you need to do to improve, you can start looking for the tools to do it. The instruments you use are related to your strategies. As mentioned before, if the strategy is educational, then your tools are institutions, webinars, development platforms, mentors, and more.

On the other hand, your instruments can be new software, new arrangements in the office, etc.
List all of your options and see which ones are more effective.

5. Have a step-by-step approach

Remember to keep breaking down your process into smaller tasks. For example, if you need to attend classes, your guide should look like this:

  1. Go to class. First, try to be punctual and attend classes.
  2. Study. Secondly, you can start to study for your certification and do your homework.
  3. Become autonomous. Lastly, try to do extra work or to turn theory into practice.

Once you complete those little tasks, you can move on with your plan.

Conclusion

If you wish to improve your aptitudes and reach your career objectives, try developing a plan with the following steps:

  1. Evaluate.
  2. Set objectives.
  3. Determine strategies.
  4. Find the right tools.
  5. Have a step-by-step approach.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Tiffany HarperTiffany Harper is a freelance writer who helps as a subject matter expert with some college paper writing service and top essay writing service. She is very fortunate to work from home like a consultant with blogs and social media posts of bestcustomessay.org. When she’s taking a break, Tiffany loves to practice Yoga in a local park or meeting new people. Please do not hesitate to contact her on twitter.

10 Common Problems Faced by Small Business Owners and How to Solve Them

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Small Business Owners|10 Common Problems Faced by Small Business Owners and How to Solve ThemStarting a business gives people a feeling of accomplishment and freedom. The ability to open a small business is an empowering way to write your future success. However, many small businesses fail and have to close the doors within the first year. Nobody wants to put the effort into a company to watch it fail. Being prepared for potential issues helps you deal with them in the future. Consider ten common problems faced by small business owners, learn how to solve them, and continue to operate for years to come.

Struggling for Cash Flow

Opening a business involves a significant investment of time and money. Spending money seems to be inevitable to invest in everything necessary to conduct business. Struggling for cash flow is a significant problem for new business owners. Trying to get more money is difficult when you are still developing and marketing your products and services. Inquire about small business loans specifically for companies looking for the funds to get off the ground.

Time Management

Small business owners often comment that there are never enough hours in a day. A longer day is never going to happen, so proper time management is crucial to running a successful enterprise. Software, smart phones, and ledgers are all ways to keep track of time on the job to ensure every hour is being used wisely. Estimate the time it takes to perform essential tasks and strive to accomplish them within that period.

Unpredictable Circumstances

The world and business are both unpredictable. Flexibility is vital to remaining profitable. For example, the recent pandemic stressed business owners around the globe. Have systems ready to handle unexpected circumstances. Invest in business insurance, generators, software to support remote workers, and other strategies that can support interrupted operations.

Finding and Keeping Talented Help

Finding and maintaining loyal employees is a challenge for small business owners, especially those on a tight budget. Create an inviting work environment with other benefits if you are unable to pay workers generously. Remote work opportunities, casual Fridays, and paid lunches are all perks that keep employees happy and working at peak levels. When the company does well, offer bonuses to show you value the employees’ contributions.

Lack of Marketing

Failing to market is a huge mistake that costs companies leads, customers, and profits. Marketing is the most effective way to brand a business and spread the word about what it offers. Without proper marketing, nobody knows who you are. Focus on multiple campaigns to reach a wider target audience. Use signage, newspaper and magazine advertising, websites, social media, and other communication methods to reach out to potential customers and encourage them to take action.

Failure to Comply With Applicable Regulations

Small business owners must learn local, state, and federal regulations for operations to ensure they don’t face fines and penalties. The cost of missed payments can add up to thousands of dollars. Work with an attorney and accountant to make sure the business is properly organized, paying taxes, and complying with all applicable regulations. Ignorance is never a defense against violating the law. Do the research and invest in professional assistance to have peace of mind and avoid facing serious consequences.

Health Care

Employees expect their employer to offer benefits such as health care, which can add up to more money. Small business loans help companies get over these hurdles. With ailments being increasingly possible, people are more concerned than ever before about having health benefits. Additionally, healthy employees take fewer sick days. Companies can depend on workers who are getting the right health care.

Offering paid vacations is another investment in the employees’ overall well-being. Taking time off helps workers feel refreshed and ready when they return to work. Some small businesses also offer gym memberships or rent office suites in a building with a fitness center.

Global Economy

The global economy has a significant impact on the success of small businesses. When the world is struggling, small business owners feel the stress. Being aware of global economic conditions helps small business owners stay ahead of the curve. Flexibility is one of the benefits of owning a small business rather than a large corporation. Smaller companies can quickly change focus and reinvent themselves to accommodate the changing times. Take advantage of this benefit by watching the stock market and business news to find out what the world is doing and how it could impact your company.

Too Few Clients

Building a solid client base is a top goal for small business owners. Having too few clients is a mistake many small companies make. Depending on two or three clients is unwise, especially if the global marketplace changes. Losing the clients would mean closing the doors of the company. Establish a wide client base to ensure operations can move forward if two or three clients leave. If you deal with large volume, continue to market for new customers. The more people you sell to, the greater your profits will be at the end of the year.

Fatigue

Small business owners must wear several hats to do their jobs well. From managing marketing campaigns to cleaning the office at the end of the day, small business owners do it all. Fatigue becomes a problem that gets in the way of creativity and reliability. Exhaustion gets in the way of working every day and makes it difficult to think. Take time for sleeping, recreation, and short vacation to remain fresh. Consider outsourcing work to take time off, and give yourself peace of mind someone else can take care of things for a few days.

Small business owners appreciate freedom and can write their own paychecks. Knowing the challenges small businesses typically face helps you plan ahead. Create a business plan and have cash flow to cover your goals. Explore small business loan options to invest in the company and realize returns that make a difference in the bottom line. When borrowing money helps you make money, you can pay back the loan and enjoy the benefits of building a better business.