A Rarely Considered Way to Gather New Customers

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

A strong customer base is something that small businesses always try to develop. Regardless of the methods that are used, it is hard for them to gather a lot of new clients. One method can be an array of different marketing techniques. Cold calling on potential consumers is another. You can even use direct mailings to potential client’s homes. Many businesses have untapped resources though. They fail to recognize the potential of the current customer referral.

Customer referrals, if used in the correct manner, can become the backbone for your business development plan. The best way for you to advertise is through your clients who are currently very happy with you. If you can find a way to generate referrals through your current customers, you will be able to drastically grow the amount of new customers you develop. An efficient method to do this can often be the difficult part to figure out.

By using your head you can really think of some great ways to generate referrals from your good customers. One of the best ways is to offer a bonus or special offer to any new customer that is generated as the result of a referral. The perk can be given to the referrer and the referred. You can offer your existing customer a $10 bonus, for example, while offering the same bonus to the person they are referring. The added costs is really the only realistic draw back to this type of technique.

The normal cost of a new customer is something you must weight though. What was the amount of time you used to get this new client? How much money to you spend on the marketing developed? Spending time and developing marketing both end up costing you some money. Spending money on these methods usually doesn't cost any more or less than offering a bonus for referrals. Do not forget that this referral bonus is mean to bring in a new customer, but also makes your current customer base more pleased with you.

How To Resolve Workplace Conflicts

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

Conflicts are a natural part of life - we deal with them with our parents, with our siblings, with our spouses, and even with our own children. But out of all the conflicts we deal with in our lives, the ones most difficult to resolve are often those we have in the workplace. Because of the foundation of relationship we have with those close to us, we are typically more well-equipped to deal with familial conflicts. In the workplace, however, conflicts can become much more volcanic, as we can be dealing with people we hardly knew, or with people we wish we hardly knew! While there is certainly no cure-all that can solve and eradicate all workplace conflicts, there are a number of tips you can pick up that will help you to solve workplace problems, settling them in a calm and effective manner, before they blow up and injure all individuals involved.

"Assigning blame" is one of the biggest pitfalls people fall prey to when trying to deal with all conflicts in general, and with workplace conflicts specifically. If you tell someone, "You don't do any work," they are less likely to react the way you might like for them to react than if you say, "I feel like I am doing all the work here."

When dealing with conflicts, an excellent approach is the "us versus the problem" approach. Instead of pitting two individuals against one another, the "us versus the problem" approach essentially says, "Yes, there is a problem, so let's identify it and work it out together. The "us versus the problem" approach is also a very good way for you to avoid placing blame (and for you to avoid having blame placed on you), because the two of you will be working together against the problem.

Finally, think long and hard about the prudence of involving your superiors in a conflict before you do so. You can introduce bitterness into your relationship with your coworker very quickly when you involve someone else. Furthermore, no one looks good when a conflict is taken to a higher-up, no matter who is proven to be "right" or "wrong."

Conflict resolution is not always easy, but it is often necessary. Learn how to solve workplace conflicts, instead of fighting further and making them worse.

Keeping Up Your Energy At Work

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

Many people who work a job that requires them to exert their bodies physically throughout the day imagine that it would be very nice and easy to instead work a job that allowed them to simply sit at a desk, as they think that there is no way they would get tired in such a job because of the fact that their body would be allowed to simply sit and rest. But while a desk job definitely does not cause your body to get as tired as a more physical job does, it is also true that your mind has a tendency to get more tired when you are working a desk job, which can make it far more difficult for you to stay awake throughout the day and continue to be productive.

For this reason, it is useful to know some of the best ways to keep yourself awake while you are at work; of course, there are lots of different methods for doing this, but one of the best things for you to do in order to keep yourself awake at work is taking frequent breaks, as standing up and walking around and giving your mind a moment to rest will make it much easier for you to continue working hard for another long stretch.

One reason why your mind tends to get tired while you are sitting there working is that your blood is not flowing as well if you are sitting still all day; in addition to taking breaks to walk around, you should also stand every once in a while – and as far as standing every once in a while goes, one of the best things of all is that you can still get your work done while you are standing at your desk!

And finally, preparing in advance for work is one of the most important aspects of staying awake while at work, which means that you should always make sure you are getting enough food and water – as well as enough sleep – before you go into work, and  you should also make sure you bring enough food and water with you to work so these can carry you through the day!

Follow these tips, and you will find that it is much easier for you to stay awake while at work – continuing to work hard throughout the entire day.

Moving Up The Ranks In Your Business

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

If you run your own small business, you are already the “top dog” in the company, and you will simply need to turn your focus to “beating your competition” in order to have the most success you can; if, on the other hand, you are working within a company, you will need to not only focus on helping the company beat the competition, but will also need to know all the things you can do to outperform others at your level in order to gain promotions for yourself!

In order to move up the ranks in a business, one of the best things you can do is to always show up at least a few minutes early, and to always leave at least a few minutes late; while this is a symbolic move that displays your commitment to the company, it will also put your in a position where you are always doing at least a little bit more work each day than what is “expected” of you.

As you make this effort to show up early and leave late each day, you should also be making an effort to learn more about the business, the business landscape, and the competition than anyone else is learning; take some extra time at home each day – even if it is no more than 15 minutes – to accumulate some extra knowledge.

And one thing you should be aware of is the fact that an expansion of job responsibilities will often also entail an expansion of the number of people you are working with in some direct or indirect way, and because of this, it will be of great benefit to you if you are continually working to improve your people skills, as this will put your in a position to continue succeeding each time you are promoted.

Getting promoted does not always happen quickly and automatically, but when you keep these things in mind, you will be able to increase the likelihood of being promoted, and will ensure that you are ready to succeed when that promotion comes.

How To Stay Focused While Working

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

There are a surprising number of jobs that simply require a warm body in a seat - and this does not just go for jobs such as being a security guard at a building in a downtown area, but also goes for a lot of office jobs, as many such jobs have employees who spend about half their time in the office doing things that are not related to work at all. It will not especially matter how much you are able to focus when you are at work if you work at one such job, but if you work a job where you are paid for the work you do - or where your performance is tracked and weighted - you will need to learn how to focus while you are trying to get your work done; if this is the case for you, here are a few ways to make this a reality.

One mistake people often make when they are getting paid for the work they do is that they try to continue to work no matter how tired their brain gets; one of the best ways to stay focused while working is to realize that your mind has limits, and when you figure out what these limits are, you will know how long you can work before you need a break – and you can work to gradually increase the amount of “good work time" you have.

Another thing that can help people focus while they're working is finding a good spot that works for them; figure out the atmosphere that works best for your work, and find spots that fit this criteria – and as you find more spots, you can even rotate which spots you use, so that you will always be able to work in an area that works for you!

And the key that tops all the others when it comes to staying focused while working is this: strengthen your resolve – simply deciding that you will not get distracted by other things; when you work at your computer, especially if you work online, it can be easy to become distracted, but when you strengthen your resolve, defeating one distraction at a time, you will soon find that you are working a whole lot better!

Tips For Dealing With An Upset Customer In Person

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

If you work at a job where you rarely deal with customers - and where, if you do deal with customers, it is usually through email or over the phone - you will not have to worry about one of the things that is among the biggest concerns of people in the opposite position: dealing with an upset customer in person. When it comes to dealing with an upset customer in person, it is not that you have necessarily done anything wrong that makes it such a frustration - but in fact, the fact that you have probably done nothing wrong heightens the frustration, as the customer will often treat you as though you have done something wrong; for this reason, knowing how deal with an upset customer in person can be extremely valuable, as it can lessen the strain these encounters put on you.

The first thing the customer will want to know is that you are on their side, as they will assume you are "against them" if you are not "for them"; even if you actually disagree with their complaint, you should always be understanding and create an image of agreement, as this will cause them to feel like you are their ally rather than their enemy - which, of course, will prevent them from turning their attack to you.

Once the boundaries of the discussion have been established in such a way that they feel you are on their side, you can take the next step, which is offering solutions; it may turn out that the person with whom you are dealing is inconsolable, but at least - in taking this approach - you can try to solve the problem on your own.

When it comes to dealing with an upset customer in person, however, there will be times when you will not be able to solve the problem on your own; if you find yourself in this position, remember that there is always someone above you to whom you can pass this customer along - which is what you will sometimes have to do, as many customers in this position simply remain upset until they get the satisfaction of talking to someone's "superior"!

Tips For Managing Upset Customers

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

When you run a business, one of the keys to reaching success will be making sure that you know how to manage customers who are upset, or who have a complaint about the way they have been handled by you, your employees, or your company. When an upset customer has a legitimate complaint, they can ruin a lot of business for you if they share their complaints with others, but when you are able to fix a situation with an upset customer, they will often be so impressed with the way you handled things that they will end up sending more customers your way!

Regardless of whether you feel their complaint is legitimate or not, the first thing you need to do is to acknowledge the problem; when you acknowledge that their complaint and convey that you understand the complaint, you will be on the right path to making the situation better.

Secondly, you should start taking steps to resolve the problem - but the mistake that many people make when trying to resolve a problem with a customer is that they allow the customer to dictate the terms of the resolution. Remaining helpful while keeping the power in your hands is a delicate balance, but this is an importance balance to maintain - otherwise, you may end up with a customer who is not satisfied no matter what you do.

And lastly, recognize the fact that there actually will be customers who you will never be able to satisfy; these are the customers who tend to complain with every company they deal with, and the best way to deal with such customers is to do the best you can and then send them on their way!

Managing upset customers is not always easy, but it is one of the most important aspects of keeping your business in good shape - and when you can start to do this effectively, you will maximize the positive news that customers spread about your company.

Completing A Long-Term Project More Easily By Tracking Your Progress

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

Regardless of whether you are a high school student, a college student, or a full-time employee at a desk job, one of the most difficult things can be working on a long-term project that requires a lot of work, as it can make it difficult to complete a project when you are unable to see your progress. It can feel like a project is never going to end when you are working on it over an extended period; one way to counteract this feeling is by keeping track of your progress as you make your way through a project.

The first thing you need to do in order to track your progress throughout the duration of a project is to devise a step-by-step plan of how you will approach the project; this will give you a framework from which you can work, figuring out how much work you need to do at each point in time.

As you start moving through the project, you can fill in notes regarding your work on each section of the project; not only will these notes help you see how far along in the project you have come, but they will also give you a detailed breakdown of how much work you have done.

Once you finish each distinct section, you will be able to cross that section off your list, which will allow you see how many sections you started out with and how many you still have left to complete.

Discipline will, of course, be an important aspect of the project when it comes to a long-term project, as you can come up with all the "plans" and "charts" you want, but this will mean nothing if you are not maintaining discipline to work on the project as time passes. As long as you are able to focus on a long-term project from an early point - keeping track of your progress as you make your way through it - you should be able to avoid stress while completing any project in a timely manner!

How To Make Your Website Easy To Use

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

Regardless of whether you are running a website as a means to promote your business, or as a way in which you can try to make a bit of extra money, one important thing will be that you are making sure to pay attention to the principles of search engine optimization; at the same time, however, it is easy to become so wrapped up in your search engine optimization efforts that you forget about all the other things about running a website that are important - including making your website easy to use!

In making your website easy to use, the first thing you should focus on is making it easy for your readers to share your site with others; when you include links throughout your site that make it easy for people to share content through such areas as Twitter, Digg, Google Plus, and facebook, you will increase the backlinks you create, and will increase the traffic that comes your way as well!

As you attempt to make your website easy to use, the next thing that will be important for you to focus on is making it easy for people to navigate your site; on your site, you should include a search bar that enables people to search for specific content on your site, and categorize your posts in such a way that it will be easy for visitors to seek out something specific.

And in making your website "easy" for users, perhaps the most important thing of all you can do is make it easy for your visitors to get lost in your site; when you include plenty of links within the content of each post you write, readers will click on these links, and continue sinking deeper and deeper into your site! And it just about goes without saying that the deeper a reader goes into your site (and the more time they spend on your site), the more likely they are to return to your site again and again - and to bring others with them as well!

Carrying Someone Else's Business Cards With You

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

If you are in business, you understand all the reasons why it is wise to carry your business cards with you everywhere. When you are out, you never know who you will meet; furthermore, when you meet someone, you never really know who they are, and you never really know who they might know. With a stack of business cards at the ready, you are always prepared to pass one along to someone who might prove to be a future client or customer. But even though the prudence of carrying around your own business cards is well-known and widely-accepted, far fewer businessmen and businesswomen ever consider the prudence of carrying around business cards that belong to other people. The practice of carrying around business cards that belong to others can be extremely beneficial; here are a couple reasons why.

Conversations with strangers are golden opportunities; as a businessperson, you understand this. Each opportunity for conversation with a stranger might be the opportunity that will open brand new doors for you. But a stranger is likely to be turned off right away if they think you are striking up conversation with them just to sell them something. People are protective of their money, and they don't want you to squeeze some out of them just because they were friendly to you! But if you are equipped with others' business cards, you have a full arsenal of safe conversation starters. Say you overhear someone in a restaurant talking about how they need a plumber. If you have your favorite plumber's card ready in your stack of others' business cards, you can enter into their conversation. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing you say you need a plumber; I happen to know a great plumber - he's worked on our house, and we've been thrilled with him!" You have now entered their conversation without trying to sell them anything at all. Eventually, the conversation is sure to circle back around to you, and to what you do.

People are also inclined to remember someone who helped them out without receiving anything in return. You are sure to unload one of your own business cards once the conversation comes back around to you. This person is sure to remember you next time they need a product or service like yours, and you will have a new client or customer on your plate!

Carrying others' business cards might seem like nothing more than a small step, but it could just be the "small step" that turns into your next big thing.

A Look At Keys To Successful Search Engine Optimization

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

If you want to be successful online - either with your small business, or simply with your affiliate marketing efforts, one thing you are going to make sure you understand is search engine optimization, as this will be a big part of bringing the traffic to your site you will need in order to be successful. One problem with SEO, however, is that many people fail to grasp exactly what it means - and because of this, they fail to take the right approach!

The first thing you need to realize is that you should be creating content on a regular basis in order to get the most out of SEO. When you create content regularly, you will keep search engines coming back to your site, and will keep giving them pages to index and rank.

It will also be important that you know what your keywords are, in order for you to achieve success online. Too many people try to run a website without ever doing proper keyword research, or even knowing what their keywords are, and this is a big contributing factor to their ultimate failure!

When it comes to using keywords effectively, it will also be important that you hone in on the keywords within your content, as well as in your tags; lots of people think to focus on their meta tags and whatnot - when it comes to keywords - but forget that their content should focus on these keywords just as much as anything else!

And finally, you need to understand that backlinks are definitely key when it comes to SEO; if you have lots of quality sites linking to your site, you will be in great shape - and if you have no quality sites linking to your site, you will have a hard time succeeding!

As you keep working on your website, be sure to keep these things in mind, and you will find that you are moving closer and closer to those top search engine rankings you desire, and to the money that comes with them!

Tips For Coming Up With Creative Ways To Drive Your Business Forward

Your 2016 years earning plan: STEP -BY-STEP

Within the world of business, one thing you will quickly realize is that you are always competing with others - whether this competition is direct or indirect, and whether this competition is visible or invisible - and if you are not constantly moving forward in your business, you are likely falling behind your competitors; because of this, it is important that every business owner knows the steps they can take in order to make sure they are always driving their business forward.

Setting goals for your business that seem outlandish is one of the best ways to drive your business forward; too many businesses set their sights too low - coming up with goals that they know they can achieve, and then striving to barely achieve them - but when you set goals at the beginning of each year that seem as though they are outlandish, you will put yourself in a position where you are searching for ways to accomplish these goals - as outlandish as they may have seemed to be!

In addition to always assessing where you feel your business stands, you should also get in the habit of regularly collecting input from those who work for you; after all, those who work for you will have the best understanding of how things are going out there in the field, and you can use this input and information to adjust your approach to each thing you are doing with your business.

And having others who are spreading the word about your business for you is one of the best ways to drive your business forward; the best way to accomplish this nowadays, of course is through the Internet - using your website, your blog, your facebook page, and your Twitter to recruit loyal customers who will help you to notify others of all the things you are doing as a business.

By taking these steps to always drive your business forward, you will ensure constant forward movement - which will put you in a place where you are staying ahead of your competitors, instead of falling behind!