Local Businesses Need Local Search - Avoid MapWide

Economies around the world are dependent on small local businesses. All businesses exist for profits, but local businesses strive more often, to get the patronage of its local residents. Every business owner wants to get ahead of everyone else; and as a result, stiff competition prevails among them. As we keep doing business with one in our neighborhood, most owners are getting creative with their marketing efforts. They are looking into using the search engines to spike sales at little cost depending on their objectives. The basic thrust is rooted in the idea that “your customers are looking for you.” So, here are some ways for your local business to be found:

* Major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing) provide map applications for you to claim your listing and map your address. Do include other important information about your business. Specific local search advertising is the next huge advertising bonanza for small business

* When you are claiming a listing and creating an account, enter as many relevant details and upload as much significant content as possible. It’s important that you consider photos, videos and information most valuable to your customer such as video testimonials, photos of your place and so on.

Completing all details of your listing ensures that it has a good chance of rising to the top and that no one else can put in false information.

* A website is unnecessary if you use the local advertising model because they create a “mini-site” for you to help achieve quality ranking. A business address and contact number are all that you need to get listed and increase your search engine position.

* Data regarding your listing can be accessed through search engine tools. You can monitor the times your listing came up and analyze what people are clicking.

Building a website is relatively easy if you want to go that route and offers some advantages for your business. But it’s important to consider that websites are now a means for people to reach an informed decision. This makes it more relevant than if it were just a call for action tool. SEO will benefit local search and the following should be given some thought:

* Include your city

Sometimes, the difference from a 7-figure Google search results and a manageable 100,000 is a result of phrasing of the keywords or choosing the right keywords in the first place. It all seems a bit daunting. Sometimes the local businesses best bet is just subscribing to a local search engine, preferably vertical in nature, and have the work done for you.  Adding your city or region (i.e. Attorneys + Chicago IL) will streamline the search process for your prospects.

Your next step involves creating some pages written around your target phrases and specific city. Always make sure it’s well written and it contains both the keywords and some city-related phrases. Use the target phrases in the Title as well.

* Use your zip code

Using your specific zip code will get you rewarded with a higher placement. Guidelines for SEO using zip codes are similar to SEO using specific cities.

* Optimizing benefits of online review sites

Getting low cost online advertising is possible! You can consider a positive review about your business as proof that it can be effective and used for vigorous promotion of your business. Online search sites like MapWide.com can kill your premium rankings. You and your business are best served by avoiding scams search engines like MapWide.

Profound Paradigm Shift Seen in Local Business Marketing

 If you've been contemplating where to put your advertising dollar for maximum traction, this may be an eye opener. Local search is big and getting bigger. If you’re a small brick and mortar business, there really is no other place you should be investing in. Local search is the future of small business marketing.

Everyone reading this most likely understands that the Internet is now the primary source of marketing in the U.S. and the world, an untapped medium for small and medium size businesses.

However, did you know TV and radio marketing that was previously known to be very effective, has become a feckless form of advertising? Those radio and TV ads that were once very popular are now being ignored to the tune of 90% of consumers!

Conventional mass marketing is a fallen soldier. People are moving to the Internet for information, ratings, and reviews in droves. This will continue to be the trend for the foreseeable future. It will continually change, especially with the expansion of smart phones, but as a whole, the Internet will only get bigger.

What is the good news? This transformation provides an "even playing field" for the small guy. The Fortune 500 companies no longer own the advertising medium, it belongs to anyone willing to put forth the effort.

I took the liberty to extrapolate some quick and rather startling facts on local search:

· 90% skip TV Ads

· 6 out of 10 ignore online Ads

· 60% of online consumers seek ratings and reviews prior to purchasing

· 1/4 of consumers are impacted by what they read

· 93% of American believe their companies should social network

· 35% of all U.S. searches are local

· 2.8 Billion local searches on Google per DAY

What is the key takeaway? Don't advertise, advise the consumer. Engage your audience with meaningful information about your products or services. Consumers no longer react favorably to mass media, namely TV, radio and online ads getting shoved down their throats. It just doesn't work that way anymore.

Consumers now control the content, not mass marketing companies. And fortunately, it isn't difficult to make your mark. Simply provide your customers with information they seek, allow them to see you as the authority for the product or service. By doing this, you not only will gain potential customers, you will be establishing Brand. In this light, where are you now? 

Are you firmly planted in a solid vertical, industry specific search engine? There are several out there at present. Only one comes to mind as the solid leader in this small business bonanza. was MapWide Inc. they were a startup that appears to have the necessary value added components to drive local customers through the door. Sheer management incompetence has destroyed what was once the next big tech company. Do not use this company.

By now you must know that local search marketing is huge and getting only bigger. Take your business to a new level by providing quality content about your product or service and building your brand at the same time. The time is now. Those who linger will lose out on the lion share of this burgeoning market.  

Overcoming the Price Objection

"I just can't afford it". "My budget won't allow for that kind of expenditure". I'm sure these and similar statements rank in the top three objections your potential customer uses to end the sales process. There are those times when it's actually true. In most situations, however, it's conveying something else entirely. Such as, "I don't have enough information yet to make an informed decision." Tell me more".

Too many of the people with whom we deal are paid to get the best deal they can. And that means asking for a better price, even when they know they are getting a great deal. And, human nature being what it is, it's only natural for many people to try to get the best price that they can.

That being said, it is still possible to reduce the number of times we hear it, and, perhaps more importantly, it is possible to reduce the intensity of the comment. In other words, we may still hear it, but many of our customers won't mean it as intensely as they once did.

While we can't control our customers, we can control our behavior. And many times it's our behavior that prompts the customer to ask for a discount. By changing our behavior, we can impact the customer. Here are five specific strategies to help you prevent the price objection, by focusing on our behavior.

1. Look like you are worth more.

Our appearance impacts the customer's subconscious view of our value. If we look like we don't value ourselves, it's natural for the customer to assume the same about our product. 

If you look confident, competent and successful, you send the subtle message to your customer that you, and your offering, is worth a little more. You just look like you are less likely to discount your price in order to get the order. Practically speaking, that means to dress like your customer, only a little better. Project a demeanor of a successful, confident salesperson.

2. Believe in your price/value relationship.

Do you believe that your offer represents a good value to the customer? If you don't, it will be difficult for you to convince the customer of it. You don't have to believe that your product is the best or that your company is the best. You just have to believe that it is a good value, giving the customer his or her money's worth. More people buy Fords than buy BMWs. It's not about being the best; it's about a good value.

This can be difficult if you, in your personal life, are a bargain shopper. If you refuse to pay the asking price for anything and won't buy it if it's not on sale, then you'll have a difficult time convincing your customer to pay the full price for what you are selling. Your core beliefs will influence your behavior, and be communicated to the customer in a number of subtle ways.

To counteract that tendency, carefully examine the offer you are making from the customer's point of view. Do whatever it takes to convince yourself that it is a good value to the customer, worth every penny the customer will pay.

3. Don't inadvertently sow the seeds.

Sometimes we can blindly sow the seeds of discontent with our stated price by our poor choice of language. For example, when we say things like, "This is our retail price," "This is our rack rate," "This is list price," or other such terms, we immediately convey to the customer that there are other, lower prices, available.

We have inadvertently encouraged the customer to ask for a discount. The word "price" doesn't need an adjective to describe it.

4. Don't advertise your willingness to discount.

Sometimes, in our eagerness to make the sale, we advertise our willingness to make price concessions in order to secure the business. We say things like, "We'd be happy to discuss pricing with you." Or, "We may be able to do better." Or, "If you give me the last look, I may be able to sharpen the pencil."

5. Be careful about  discounting but be prepared to do so .

If you discount your prices in response to a customer's request, on even one occasion, you have conveyed to the customer the idea that your quoted price is not your final price. Now, forever in the future, the customer will remember that you can discount when pressed. He will, therefore, press for discounts. If, however, you never discount from your quoted price or you establish a price that is customized for that client, you convey that there is some integrity in your pricing, and that you are quoting him your best price and you're willing to adjust for their particular needs or constraints.

It's OK, on some occasions, to walk away from a piece of business rather than to discount in order to get it. The net impact is that the customer respects your pricing, and is less likely in the future to ask for a discount. Then again, a discount might be the only way to secure a deal. In businesses that are just beginning to establish a price point, experimentation might be necessary to find the optimal range. If you have a vast amount of potential clients out there then promotional pricing should be part of the strategy.

If you get almost every deal, your prices aren't sufficiently high. You need to lose some in order to gain the customer's respect as well as a sense of where the market price is. No matter how you look at a price point, the bottom line is the sale.

I've often thought that the idea of asking for the opportunity for a "last look" – which most salespeople strive for and proudly proclaim as proof of a good business relationship – is merely another way of saying that you'll discount the most. Why would the customer give you a "last look" if he wasn't expecting you to discount some more?

It's so easy to complain about the customer and the constant pressure to reduce our prices. It's the thoughtful salesperson who understands that our own behavior can often be the cause of the price objection. Change your behavior, and you'll improve your results. As you’re looking at yourself, don’t forget to look at who you’re selling to as well. Some businesses are genuinely constrained in the amount they can spend. It is up to you to decide if this is a valid concern. 

Functional Organization: A Perspective

Every organization functions on some basic principles and a particular structure. Working by the principles of a particular organizational structure enables the achievement of a common goal, i.e., growth and development of the organization and the employees that comprise it. Assigning tasks, dividing and executing them, and working together to attain specific goals is possible in any organizational culture that functions on a structured hierarchy. 

There are different types of organizational structures namely, the flat organizational structure, matrix organizational structure, a divisional organizational structure, pre-bureaucratic, bureaucratic, and post-bureaucratic structure, and a functional organizational structure. It is the functional organizational structure that we will discuss in detail, here. 

Functional Organizational Design

A functional organization is designed on a strong hierarchy where the positions and functions of each employee are clearly specified. There are superiors and there are subordinates, and all of them have a particular function to perform towards the common goal. The organization may be divided into individual departments, where each department has a specific function, and all departments function individually to execute a project. 

Depending on the requirement of the organization, the type and function of each department will be decided. Thus, when an employee is appointed in the organization, based on her/his skills, she/he will be designated to the appropriate department. By grouping employees with similar skills, a department is formed to comprise a functional organizational structure. All departments are governed by one sole authority, and all functions are monitored and coordinated by this authority. 

The functional organizational culture is most appropriate when an organization functions around only one product or service. Functional organizational structure examples would include organizations that have individually functioning units such as human resources, sales and marketing, creative departments, accounts and finance, advertising, etc. Let's take into consideration a store that designs and sells fashion clothing and accessories. Here, there will be a creative department that makes the designs. It will be the job of the accounts and finance department to keep a tab on the amount spent on creating the design and for bulk manufacturing. This is essentially where a company focused on a service such as local search would fall.

The sales and marketing department will come up with specific plans to sell the products in question, the human resources department will ensure that employees are functioning to their highest potential, and the advertising department will come up with creative methods of attracting the consumer. All these activities will be governed by the president and mid-level managers of the organization. More products will lead to the creation of more departments and deeper hierarchies. Every department will have many other functions to perform, but these are the basic functions of each department.

While this may be the ideal setup in the functional organizational structure and design, it is possible that one or more of these jobs will be outsourced to external organizations. So, in terms of a functional organizational structure chart, the organization would look like this:

Functional Organizational Structure: Advantages

An organization based on the functional structure has a lot of advantages to offer. These have been enlisted here.Since this structure is primarily based on intense specialization, it is believed that the functional structure will elicit only the best from each department.When employees with similar interests are grouped together, they are likely to be more productive.

Providing instruction and executing various projects becomes simple because of the sound linear structure. Each employee has a defined career path and has potential to grow within her/his department in the organization.

Functional Organizational Structure: Disadvantages

As with any method of functioning, this organizational structure also has numerous disadvantages.The functional structure is the most bureaucratic and formal organizational structure because of the rigid hierarchy it follows. Every decision then, takes time to materialize. Communication across departments becomes difficult because all of them are so distinct from each other.

Another disadvantage of this specialized approach to functioning in an organization is that the viewpoint of every department is narrow and limited, which does not allow them to see the bigger picture and work efficiently towards a common goal.

Finally, it can be said that among the various types of organizational structures a functional organizational structure is most suited to organizations that do not change their methods of work and function too often, and where there is lack of intense competition that requires quick action. This structure requires a very powerful management that can resolve internal conflicts and issues, and get employees to function as a team in spite of specialized departments.

Further, it is ideal in a smaller setup where there is only one product or service to offer. For a larger setup, this structure may not prove very helpful.

Leadership: A Battle Strategy

It's a good thing to believe the people leading you into that metaphorical battle has his or her next steps planned out and ready to execute on command. How is this accomplished? Is there really a grand scheme by which every move made has an anchor? We'd like to think that to be sure. Success involves executing a well thought out strategy that has been thoroughly scrutinized. This is my take on how a well run business might do this.

Traditional Planning Methods 

The traditional way for government organizations to plan is for a group of people, usually executives/management, but sometimes including employees, to get together for some period of time each year. Generally, inadequate time is allocated to the exercise, but if it is completed, it results in a document that contains a mission statement, broad organizational goals, and other elements as is deemed appropriate. Then, the plan is usually hidden away somewhere, never to be seen again. Traditional methods yield traditional results. As a wise man once said "If you keep doing what you have been doing, you will get what you have always got". It needn't be this way. 

Reconceptualizing Strategic Planning

Planning should be considered as a blueprint for change. The plan should be the basis for introducing controlled change into an organization so it can adapt to changing times. By anticipating shifting demands, the plan serves the purpose of allowing the organization to control its own direction, rather than waiting until political forces demand change (and demand change NOW). In addition, the plan allows for consistent monitoring of success, and re-examination of the degree to which organizational resources should be structured and allocated to achieve future goals. 

But, if we look at strategic planning in this light, as a blueprint for change, we also need to consider that any organization has built-in inertia.. the tendency to keep on doing what one has been doing. On its own, the strategic planning process, as traditionally undertaken, is insufficient to overcome this inertia. Other forces need to come into play if the plan, and proposed changes get implemented. 

Leadership - The Key Force 

In the context of strategic planning, leadership means a number of things. We can outline the role of leadership in the following ways, keeping in mind that leadership may come from appointed leaders (management and executive) and from the ranks

1. Those in leadership roles ensure that as many members of the organization as possible buy into the values, mission, and broad organizational goals. There are two components to this function. First, leaders manage the perceptions of staff with respect to the planning process. Remember that most people have experienced the "plan-in-the-drawer" syndrome, where effort expended in planning is seen as wasted when the plan is ignored. Prior to the planning process, leaders must emphasize that THIS TIME, things will be different. 

Second, leaders manage the planning process so that staff feel that they have adequate input into the process, that they are heard, and their values and visions are incorporated into the final plan and its implementation. Specifically, leaders arrange things so that the process is open, and conforms to accepted rules of communication. That may mean hiring an external consultant to orchestrate the planning sessions. It will certainly mean that rules get established to guide participation. Everyone who wants to participate should have the opportunity, and even reticent staff should be gently encouraged to involve themselves. 

2. While managing perceptions of the planning process is important, the critical role of leadership occurs after the plan has been completed. Leaders must treat the planning results as the "organizational signposts that guide behaviour and decision making". After all, nobody is going to take a plan seriously if the formal leaders ignore it, or never refer to it again. 

If you are serious about using strategic planning as a tool for organizational success, consider some of the following actions.

A. When working with staff to set individual objectives, be sure to mention how the individual objectives will contribute to the achievement of the mission and organizational goals as outlined in the strategic plan. Make sure that the employee is familiar with the plan when individual objectives are set. 

In addition, at each meeting with each employee, work with the employee to help him/her determine how the values outlined in the strategic plan apply to them. In other words, given the particular values, strategic goals and mission statement how is the employee to behave or make decisions. 

B. Once the strategic plan has been completed, the formal leader of the organization (and perhaps others) should present and discuss the plan with the up-line manager or executive. It is NOT sufficient to send a copy. Because you will need up-line support to implement the plan, you will need their commitment, and commitment will only come from discussion and explanation of the plan. 

C. At staff meetings, when decisions are required, explain how the strategic plan is used, or is to be used to make decisions. If you are the manager communicating a decision you have made, explain your rationale in light of the mission, values and goals expressed in the plan. If you are using a participative decision making process, help staff refocus on these components of the plan, so that they can be used to guide decision making

D. When doing performance reviews with staff, ask the individual to explain how his or her actions are consistent with the elements of the plan. How has their action contributed to organizational goals? Has their behaviour been consistent with organizational values? What needs to change so that the individual can further contribute to implementing the plan? Consider recognizing contributions to achievement of the plan, even if the individual did not have specific responsibility as outlined in their individual objectives. And, when setting future objectives, consider writing an objective that refers to the values expressed in the plan. For example: "Will act in accordance with the organizational values expressed in the strategic plan". If you go this route, make sure -that~the implications of these values are clear to the employee in terms of his or her behaviour. 

3. A final role of leadership is to create more leaders. One goal that formal leaders (executives, managers) can set for themselves is to encourage down-line employees to take on some of the leadership roles outlined above. This can be particularly effective in decision making. The ideal situation is for staff to internalize the plan to the extent that some take on the role of reminding people of the plan, and its relevance to any given decision-making process. Cultivate leaders in your organization by giving increased responsibility, and encouraging this kind of leadership behaviour. 

Conclusion 

Leadership, regardless of when it comes from formally appointed leaders, or Informal leaders, provides the link between planning and doing. Effective leadership helps alter perceptions about strategic planning, and the organization itself, helping to overcome inertia, the tendency to keep things the same. 

Without leadership, most strategic plans will end up as dead pieces of paper. Most importantly, when planning occurs without leadership, cynicism increases when staff see that the plan is being ignored, or even violated. The outcome of this is that formal leaders suffer a loss of credibility.  

Performance Issues Amongst Us

One of the toughest tasks for any manager or supervisor is to determine  the cause of a performance problem.  Since decisions to remediate the  problem will depend on the diagnosis, accurate assessment is crucial.  I will attempt to outline a model of factors influencing employee/team performance, so that you are less likely to ignore a possible source of  performance deficit.  

The Nature of Performance 

Work performance is influenced by a number of factors.  When  performance is excellent, it is a result of a number of circumstances that  work together to make this excellence possible.  So, stellar performance  requires that ALL relevant influences on behavior are in place. Sadly, poor performance can result from a SINGLE factor or influence that  drastically reduces effectiveness.  Frequently, a performance problem that  is allowed to continue unchecked will expand as other influences turn from  positive to negative.   

A Seven Factor Model 

We can suggest seven factors that influence or determine the level of  performance.  These factors are multiplicative in nature.  For those of you  whose favorite subject in schools was NOT math, this means that  performance will be as strong as the weakest link in the chain of  performance determinants.  If there is a deficit in any one of these factors,  performance will suffer.  This is emphasized in a team environment.

Factor 1: Aptitude 

Aptitude refers to a person's native ability to perform the task or tasks.   Each of us has strengths and weaknesses that determine if we can learn or  perform a task.  Poor aptitude for a task could mean that the person could  never learn how to do it, even with all the supports in the world.   Assessing aptitude is very difficult.   

Factor 2: Skill Level 

Even the simplest responsibilities require skills.  Skills differ from  aptitudes in that they can be learned, up to the limits imposed by aptitude.   To assess whether a performance deficit is a result of lack of skill, ask the  questions, "If his/her life depended on it, could the person do the task?"   If the answer is no, then it could be a skill problem.   

Factor 3: Understanding of Task 

A person must understand the nature of the task, and what is expected.  If  this clear communication is lacking, no amount of skill or motivation will  bring about effective performance.  Performance management is the  common means for conveying understanding of the task.  The best way to  assess an employee's understanding is to ask questions within a coaching  environment.   

Factor 4: Choice to Expend Effort 

This, and the next factor are motivational factors.  If a person has the  aptitude, skills and understanding of the task required, it may be that there  are factors causing the person to "not make the effort".  These may be  personal or related to the work environment.  Assessing whether there is  a motivational problem is difficult, and can best be done by examining  other indicator behaviours (absenteeism, lack of participation in meetings,  or other factors that suggest a motivational problem.   

Factor 5: Choice of Degree of EffortTo Expend 
Sometimes effort is not an on/off thing.  An employee may be putting in  a limited amount of effort and therefore producing inferior results.     


Factor 6: Choice To Persist 

You can make quantum leaps in productivity, morale, employee/team motivation through learning how to delegate effectively. It's not hard to learn but it's a bit more complex than most managers think. Learn to delegate properly and when your department hits on all cylinders.

Performance requires that effort be initiated and sustained over time.  This  motivational factor may result in projects started but never completed.  If  an employee is not persisting in tasks, it can indicate boredom, fear of  failure, or may relate to a lack of skills.  Careful, diplomatic discussion is  required to uncover if and why this may be occurring.   

Factor 7: Outside Factors 

Performance can be reduced due to factors beyond the control of the  individual/team.  The organization itself may be setting barriers to performance,  or uncooperative co-workers and managers may contribute.  Discussion  with the employee during performance management should include  reference to factors outside the control of the employee that impede  progress.  If these outside factors are allowed to continue,  unacknowledged, motivational levels will drop, complicating the issue and  creating a chronic under-performer.   

Conclusion: 

It is important that performance problems be addressed as soon as they  occur, and the above factors be examined to determine whether they are  contributing to the problem.  By working with the employee or team in a  cooperative way, it is possible to identify and remediate some of the  underlying causes of work performance problems. Remember this most importantly. We are all on the same team working towards the same ultimate goal. We have to help each other both in accountability and in praise. Ego and pride can be extremely detrimental to the bottom line. Especially when dealing with others. Objectivity and non-judgement should be the order of the day.

Taking Another Look at "The Team"

I wanted to touch on working as a team once again. It's a part of most businesses and involves dynamics that can make or break a company. The importance of team untity in order to succeed is undervalued due to many factors. With the recent boon in the tech world, models pertaining to how groups of workers interact have changed dramatically.

In the last fifteen years, organizational structure has undergone a shift from the individual climb up the corporate ladder to an increasing emphasis on work teams and groups. The shift to work teams is largely due to factors such as globalization, downsizing and the need for technological efficiency. As companies expand and tasks become more complex, more and more specialists are needed within organizations. These specialists must learn to work together so that colleagues have an understanding of the role and responsibility of those whose skill sets differ from their own. 

In addition, the convergence of products, services and technology from around the world has forced companies to work in a cross functional environment for which the best organizational design is often working in teams.

There are other reasons for the emergence of work teams as well. Stiff competition, particularly in technology-driven fields, requires teamwork with a concerted effort to keep the company as a whole on the cutting edge. Because technology-driven tasks have become far too complex for one person to handle alone, many organizations create work teams to accomplish collective goals.

In addition, organizations are all but eliminating middle management as a result of downsizing efforts. Shifting authority down to members of a work team allows management to capitalize on a positive synergy that results in significant increases in productivity. When teams operate in such a way that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, productivity invariably increases.

A well-functioning team can bring out the best in its members because problem solving skills and creativity increase with mutual support that builds moral. The characteristics that make a team effective include complementary skill sets, a sense of accountability among the team as a whole, and a synergistic approach to problem solving. Most importantly, the team must have a desire to work together to implement solutions. A team that functions efficiently learns to benefit from the diversity of skills among its members, and the result is much more than can be accomplished by each member of that team working alone. 

It follows that the single most important factor in determining whether a team will work well and be productive is a sense of teamwork. This foundation should be in place before the team’s tasks are even defined. With a sense of teamwork and the right mix of skills, teams will have the basis for functioning autonomously and the commitment to accomplish their goals.

Work teams are usually self-managed, which is very different from the traditional management approach of holding individuals responsible for the whole group. Though they function collaboratively, most teams have a member who can function in a leadership role. When teams develop, natural leaders should be allowed to emerge. 

Team leaders have a role that is very different from traditional managers. The leader may facilitate group activities, such as brainstorming sessions in which no idea is a bad idea. With a free expression of ideas in an environment that encourages people to think actively, team members are more likely to proactively seek solutions in a way that allows every member of the team to participate according to his or her strengths and level of skill. When every member of the team is engaged, the group as a whole is productive.

While at best work teams operate to increase productivity, there are many challenges that can affect their efficiency and lead frustrated human resource managers to abandon the effort entirely. For example, members of a team can suffer from “groupthink,” the belief that every member already knows what the others will propose as solutions. When this happens, teams can become paralyzed by inaction. 

Issues related to globalization create what are perhaps the most daunting challenges to teams. As national borders become transparent and economies intertwine, there is an increased risk of choosing solutions that isolate or marginalize some team members because the solutions are based on preconceived notions that do not apply across international borders.

Other problems faced by struggling work teams are due to interpersonal clashes in personality or work style. For example, employees who feel they should not have to make decisions may balk at the idea of working in self-directed teams. Virtual teams have a special challenge as a result of their dependence on communications technology to do their jobs and the fact that technology may be their only vehicle for establishing trust and working relationships.

While many managers and executives view teams as the most effective design for involving all employees in the success of a company, they may not be skilled in the group dynamics needed to run teams effectively. This, along with the fact that many people are initially more comfortable working alone, may cause executives to be skeptical about the value of work teams and hesitant to take the necessary steps to create them. With some basic planning and preparation, however, most organizations can implement a system of work teams that thrive.

Human resource managers can do a variety of things to support team efforts. Management should communicate clear expectations for the team’s performance, as well as a rationale for why the team was created. Sufficient resources (people, time and money) must be allocated to the team and its tasks as well. 

Written policies and procedures that fit team practices can be developed to address issues like hiring, peer-based performance evaluations, and disciplining employees. When necessary, workshops and training sessions can be offered to improve the communication skills needed to function effectively as a team. Finally, managers can bring in external facilitators and mediators to help resolve conflicts, particularly when such conflicts become personal.

Successful Team Building

It is really quite simple, for a team to win or accomplish a task they have to be motivated to. However, team motivation is affected by many factors. According to experts, the clarity of purpose, the present challenges, the existing leadership, the camaraderie and the growth opportunities present in the team can affect its overall performance. 

Clarity Of Purpose
One of the most important factors that can keep a team motivated is clarity of purpose. As long as the members of the team share a common goal or purpose, they will have the motivation to work together. 

According to studies, team motivation is at its highest when all the members of the team fully understand their purpose and strongly believe in what they are doing. To achieve clarity of purpose and to give each team member a sense of ownership over the team's goals, everyone should be involved in the decision making process. 

Moreover, involving everyone in setting the directions of the team is very important. This makes sure that everyone knows where the team is heading and what specific roles are they going to play for the team to achieve its common goal.

Present Challenges Can Increase Team Motivation

Team motivation may be determined by the present challenges faced by the team. In most cases, teams work well and have the highest level of motivation during crisis and extreme challenge. According to studies, human beings have the natural capacity to fight and defend. 

This capacity to fight and defend is greatly enhanced if done through team efforts. To keep up high team motivation level, you need some challenges to test the ingenuity, courage and stamina of you team members. 

The human needs of the team members are very important. Everyone needs to feel that they belong and that they are an important factor in the team achieving its goals. 

According to studies, highly functional teams do not just work together; they also play and have fun together. To improve the interpersonal relationships between team members you should practice:

* Openness
* Respect
* Honesty 


A team is like a family. If you lie to or cheat members of the family, you are bound to get into trouble. 


Good Leadership Is The Key To Motivation 

Above anything else, leadership is very important to maintain high team motivation level. A team needs to have somebody who can keep things together and do the dirty works every now and then. 

A good team leader is like the head of the family. He or she should take full responsibility of everyone in the team. When choosing a team leader, you should take into consideration the capacity of the person to inspire loyalty, trust, and respect from the other members of the team. A good leader should have a lot of experience in the task at hand so the team members have faith in their abilities.

Competitors or Allies?

A Competitors List – Knowing you opponent is half the battle.

We should closely examine businesses which fall anywhere

close to our local search model. What makes them different?
Where are they similar? Can you use any feature or function
they might possess? How and why did certain sites become
so successful? No need to reinvent the wheel. Ultimately, our
unique vertical approach has yet to be incorporated by other

local search entities. And it's this innovation that will carry us
to success.

Competitors?

CitySearch

DexKnows.com Advertiser Sign Up  

Google Local Business Center

Local.com Free Business Listing

Superpages.com Free Listing

Yahoo Local Free Business Listing

Yellowpages.com Create A Listing

Major Data Suppliers to Local Search Engines

IBeginSource.com
InfoUSA Add Business Listing
Localeze.com Manage Your Business Listing

Popular SEO’d Local Search Engines With Customer Reviews

AllPages.com

Insider Pages

Kudzu.com Basic Profile

MagicYellow.com Add Your Business

Merchant Circle

SuperPages

Yelp 

It's Time to Close the Sale!

Want to increase your rate of sales success? Want to work at the same pace
but sell more? Here are 11 ways to increase your conversion rate and close more

deals.

1. Measure conversion rates at all stages of your sales pipeline, focusing in

particular on the conversion rate of leads and inquiries to appointments,

appointments to proposals, proposals to sales, etc. Set targets for

improvement and track performance against them. A small improvement

at several stages of the pipeline will have a major impact overall. For

example, if you could increase the rate at which leads become

appointments, proposals and orders, respectively by just 5%, you would

probably double sales.

2. Make your proposition more compelling. Too many sales messages are

vague and bland. So, take a fresh look at your company’s sales proposition. 

Is it credible, compelling, and clearly communicated? Does it describe the 

solutions, or benefits you deliver? Does is represent a competitive advantage?

Explore new ways to telling potential customers  why they should do business

with you.

3. Target key segments and tailor your approach so as to maximize its

relevance and appeal to buyers in each. For example, your proposition for

big companies is likely to be different to that for small companies and the

message for financial services companies is likely to be different to that for

the public sector.

4. Build a target database. For each segment you are targeting devise a

prioritized list of target companies. Put intelligence into your target list by

researching the companies you are going to approach. Then with the

names, addresses and telephone numbers of your target customers to

hand you can systematically communicate your message directly to target

buyers.

5. More pre-qualification. Improve pre-qualification of inquires and leads by

deciding what classifies a good lead, what criteria must be met for sales

appointments to be made, or proposals to be written. This will focus your

limited sales and marketing resources where they are most likely to deliver

results.

6. Improve your listening

Most sales people talk too much. By focusing on listening instead of talking

you will gain a much better understanding of the customer’s needs and

how they can be met. So, cut the number of slides in your sales

presentation, replacing them with good questions that will help you

uncover the prospect’s needs and buying motives.

7. Write fewer, but better proposals/quotes/tenders. Proposals take time and

thus are expensive to prepare. So, before agreeing to write a proposal

make sure that the customer has both a real need and a budget allocation

for your solution. Then when a proposal is justified write it as if it were your

last, involving the prospect at all stages. Ensure your proposal:

·        Confirms your understanding of the company’s problems, or opportunities

·        Shows how your solutions meets and exceeds the buyer’s needs

·        Offers proof (reference sites, awards, etc.)

·        Provides technical information / documents how it works

Most salespeople talk too much and don’t listen enough

• ·        Demonstrates your company’s credibility
• ·        Presents a clear cost justification and range of pricing options

8. Nurture your prospects more intensively. A sales meeting with a buyer

followed by a hastily prepared proposal is not enough. It takes months for

organizations to make complex purchase decisions, so sales people and

their companies must engage prospects over a long period of time to

present solutions and build thrust, as well as to demonstrate credibility and

expertise. This process is likely to simultaneously involve contact with

multiple decision makers and influencers in the target company.

9. Match your sales processes more closely to the prospects buying

processes. That sounds obvious, yet such mismatches are at the root

of all sales rejections, for example:

• a failure to talk to the right decision makers, or influencers

• a miss-match of styles and personalities

• a failure to understand buying criteria\needs, or budget requirements

• a failure to meet the prospects’ need for technical information, or validation

Thus, it is important to clearly understand how each prospect buys, both in terms of

what is explicit and implicit. It is also important to define your company’s optimal
sales processes, including how sales leads are prequalified, how sales presentations
are conducted, what is contained in proposals, etc.

Always ask:

• Is there a budget allocation for purchase this year? Is it likely to be spent as
  planned?

• When is purchase likely to be made?

• Who has budget-making authority? Who signs the purchase order?

• Who else is likely to be involved in making the purchase decision?

• What is your role?

• What are the key factors in making a decision regarding purchase?

• What are they key steps in the purchase process, or selection of a new supplier?

• Is there a supplier who has a head start at the moment?

10. Maximize referrals. Buyers expect salespeople to say good things about

their products and are highly skeptical about any claims they make.

However, when somebody the prospect knows and trusts says something

good about your product they are readily influenced by it. For this reason

when you are introduced or referred by a customer, or industry experts your

chances of closing are radically increased.

11. Increase your level of sales activity. The first ten steps involved improving

the quality or effectiveness of your sales and marketing activity. For most of

us this is an area of opportunity that will probably never be exhausted. But,

while you focus on increasing the effectiveness of the leads, sales calls and

proposals you can also increase the level of activity in each of these areas.

That means generating more sales leads and doing more sales calls.