Running a small business can be confusing and the path forward is often unclear. Many small business owners are hanging on the brink of being just successful enough to not go out of business.  In otherwords, many are just getting by.

If that’s the case, should you keep the business open in hopes of future success or just close up shop? And on the flip side, what if your business is doing well and profiting? What is that moment of truth that tells you, as a small business owner, that your company is a success in your industry? Below are 20 signs that you’ve got something beyond mere survival.

20 Signs That You’re an Industry Success

1. Your Company Earns Money While You’re on Vacation

Going on vacation and earning money at the same time means you have built a company, not just a job. This means that your business is at the level where, during your absence, it just doesn’t survive, but thrives.

2. You Show Up on the First Page of Search Results

The new main streets for the digital age are search engines like Bing and Google. Some business owners feel that when they organically show up on the first page of their favorite search engine, they have made it. And there’s truth to that, because it means you have risen to the top when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization).

3. You Change a Customer’s Life

Many small business owners seek to make a difference in the world through their businesses. When a customer writes or visits the office to tell you the difference you have made in their life, it’s one of those moments you know that you are unstoppable.

4. Clients Find You

When people you do not know and have never contacted start purchasing from your business, then you can be sure that you’ve developed your reach. In fact, your product may have become such that people cannot do without it, hence the avalanche of patronage.

5. You Know You’re Not Alone

A time will come when you finally realize that many other small business owners share the same problems as you. It is at this time, when you have become a success in your industry, where competitors start copying your strategies and principles. It’s at this point that you’re sure of progress.

6. Customers Refer You

The highest compliment is when one of your customers refers another person to your business. Customers will freely recommend your product when they know that you have what it takes to satisfy your customers. This could be a sign that your business is booming.

7. You Bounce Back

When you go through bad times and you are able to bounce back to success, this means you’ve attained a good level of resilience. Successful companies can recover despite economic recessions. This should be your goal.

8. News Media Take Notice

A news article publishes your brand and helps to get the word out, and it flushes out other “believers” besides you. This means that one advertisement can greatly increase your company’s visibility, enticing clients from all walks of life to buy into your brand, thus boosting business.

9. You Fire Customers

When your business is successful enough, it can let go of customers that are unprofitable. Your business can get to a stage where you cannot deal with all the customers you have. Therefore, focusing on customers that can contribute more to your income can make your business more profitable.

10. You Achieve Positive Cash Flow

This implies that the business has recorded success, whereby it can reinvest its profits for future growth. Here, your business has grown so much that you gain high paying clients. When this happens, reinvesting in your business becomes easy.

11. A Publisher Asks You to Write a Book

Even in the digital age, when you write a book you instantly add to your company’s expertise. Publishers will want to woo you to write a book that has to do with your industry because you have become an expert. This increases your online reputation and what follows is nothing other than more clients.

12. Demand From Customers is in Abundance

The time has come when customers all over the globe are now demanding your product. When there is very a high rate of demand, this means that they are getting their money’s worth from your brand.

13. Partnership

You’ve arrived when you are able to sponsor grand projects in your community, state or country. You can now attract smaller brands that will come under the umbrella of your brand by partnering with you.

14.You Have an Exceptional Team

There is a point when you realize your employees are exceptional and that your partners are selling your products in abundance. This means that your hiring choices were on point, which is why your company is yielding great results.

15.Playing As a Team or Sharing and Collaborating With Other Lines of Business

You ensure that sales intelligence is available to other functions within the company, like marketing, customer service and operations. When all departments of a company are armed with the same information, it allows for a much more cohesive unit and a more highly functioning machine.

16. Accountability Via Goal Setting and Milestone Achievement

You never toy with accountability. Smart sales teams define sales milestones, including the use of available sales intelligence data. Good business intelligence has been proven to be valuable and effective, so you are taking full advantage of it.

17. Know Your Opponent or Keep Your Sales Intelligence Intelligent

You don’t just do reconnaissance on future opponents at the beginning of the season. It’s a constant process, with scouts posted all over the country, reporting back constantly, and the analysis never ends. If a team is working with outdated information, that’s trouble.

18. You Keep Your Data Organized and in One Place

Your most effective sales teams capture sales intelligence on their prospects, customers and markets and organize all of the data in one place, like a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution. This makes it accessible to everyone who needs it.

19. You Operate on an International Level

You do not operate on just a national level. This means that your business has transcended into a global one. Your branches are spread throughout the world. This shows that you have a universal vision for your business.

20. Your Team is Second to None

Your employees are unbeatable wherever they go, because you invest a whole lot in their personal development. Plus, you don’t overlook their training on business development. This shows that providing customers with top notch service is your priority.

Now think about your company; does it have the characteristics of a winning team? If so, great, but there are probably areas where you think there can be improvement.

If not, there’s no magic bullet that will make everything fall into place. But you can take steps to become a champion and a success in your industry.

Crystal Ball Photo via Shutterstock

The post 20 Signs That You’re a Success in Your Industry appeared first on Small Business Trends.

• Are you in a working environment that drives you nuts?
• Do conditions in your workplace support positive and creative thinking?
• Are you putting in a whole lot and yet it feels as though you are doing nothing?

Surroundings can have a big impact on your mood, emotions, and productivity. When your office space feels dead and lifeless, you’re employees and customers, not to mention yourself, may also feel dead and lifeless while you’re there.

Create an environment where people enjoy working by following these power packed tips to develop an inspiring workspace:

1. Organize Your Place

It doesn’t pay to start adding things to an already cluttered space. Take some time to do a thorough clean up. Throw out the trash and organize what’s important. Working in an organized environment does wonders.

2. Improve Your Visualization

What do you spend your time looking at? Think of the things that make you feel peaceful, inspired, motivated. Come up with creative ways to surround yourself with these images. It could be images of a dream office space, the beach, a bench tucked away in the forest or even a dream work team.

3. Smell

What scents appeal to you? Did you know that aromas affect us in different ways? They can be calming, invigorating, and fresh smelling. All of which can be a good motivators.

4. Be Open

You owe it to your employees to regularly explain the importance of their work to the company’s larger goals. Constantly doing this will give them a sense of responsibility.

5. Break the Process

Make it a point to always make things clear and understandable to your team. Break down long-term assignments into clear, achievable, short-term milestones that can be celebrated when achieved.

6. Demonstrate Confidence in Your Employees

Demonstrating confidence in your employees is a perfect way to get them performing in an outstanding way. Never down play any opportunity to exhibit confidence, even when their behavior may mystify you.

7. Feel Their Plight

Regularly run a poll to know if your employees feel challenged by their tasks. This is important because by listening to what they feel, you give them the positive impression that they are recognized – and that you care about them.

8. Support Creative Thinking

Uninspiring working environments always feel lifeless.  Therefore, within your power you must foster creative thinking. Give room for ideas and opinions to thrive. You will be amazed at the caliber of “think tanks” you produce when you do this.

9. Lift Spirit

Create an environment that lifts the spirit, rather than drains energy. Determine the ways to do this.  It may be through words, rewards, etc. Engaging in this exercise means you will be get your employees performing at their best.

10. Celebrate Every Success and Milestone

Celebrate every employee and company achievement. The more these things are celebrated, the more employees are inspired to their peak performance.

11. Positively Recognize Employees

Employee recognition can, depending on whether they’re being recognized for a positive achievement or a negative failure, can either increase motivation – or leave the employee feeling demoralized. When recognition is offered in a positive manner and implemented effectively, it drives motivation.  Stay positive.

12. Foster Motivation

Addressing your team in a harsh and inhuman way is one quick way to demotivate them. Stop taking actions that are guaranteed to destroy motivation. Relate with them in a kind and caring manner at all times.

13. Reinforce the Company Image with Branding

If banners, stands, posters, and framed logos can have an impact on the way visitors feel about your company, they can do the same for your team. Always reenact what you stand for through these avenues.

14. Let Your Surroundings Be Well Lit

Good lighting is crucial in your office. Therefore, upgrading old fluorescent bulbs to new LED’s will save energy and make your space seem lighter and brighter. This will help visibility and make work easier.

15. Monitor & Measure 

Gather data to assess employee perceptions of the workplace. You have the opportunity to make adjustments if the feedback you receive is negative. If it is positive, you can also strive to become better.

16. Pay Promptly

An employee is worthy of his wages. Ensure you pay the salaries of your employees when due. Inspire your team by demonstrating that they can trust you to be mindful of their best interests and caring of their well-being and families.

17.  Foster Success

When you create a work environment that fosters motivation and healthy self-esteem, your employees will experience growth and development.

18. Love Them and Help Them Grow

Show your team you have their interests at heart by encouraging and showing them love at all times. Love is a rejuvenating medicine. Hate them or become resentful in some way and you will lose them to an employer who will do the opposite.

19. Promote Personal Growth

Make it mandatory to train your team.  It’s not only better for you and your business – it’s also what’s best for your employees.

20. Celebrate Holidays and Create Traditions for Motivation and Team Building

Create time to celebrate festive periods with your employees. Traditions are as important in businesses as they are in families. Nothing is more important for employee motivation than the annual traditions workplaces create for seasonal holidays.

“Inspire your team, and you will be on your way to being a great brand.”

Great brands know this and will do anything to keep creating an inspiring environment for employees, because they know this is how great productivity is driven.

Reception Bell Photo via Shutterstock

The post 20 Power Packed Tips to Create an Inspiring Workspace appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Everyone has an opinion about the way their customers feel towards them. The more you show that you care about your customer, the more they’ll likely want to continue patronizing you and recommending new customers.

With that in mind, providing good customer service to your clients should naturally be a major priority in your day-to-day schedule.

Here are 20 “tricks of the trade” to develop superior customer service that will also attract new customers:

1. Respond to Clients as Soon as Possible

Speed is everything, especially when a client is requesting something that’s time sensitive. When you respond to your clients swiftly, they are satisfied and will hold nothing back at recommending your brand.

2. Keep Clients Updated

Let your customers know what you’re working on and how things are progressing, give them reinforcement that they’re involved. Hence, you must bring your customers up to date – always.

3. Show Them You Care

Put your customers first. It’s rare to find good customer support, but you can get a jump on the competition and attract new customers by focusing on this crucial area of your business. Show them you really care and you will earn their patronage.

4. Listen Carefully

Do you clearly understand the needs of your customer? Listening intensely to what they have to say creates a great rapport.

5. Understand Your Customer’s Needs and Meet Them

Listen to the “voice of the customer” and take action accordingly. Listening to customers can be done in many ways. For example, using feedback forms and satisfaction surveys. Listen to ensure decisions benefit the customer as much as your company.

6. Be Consistent

Customers expect consistent quality of service. Acting nice today and acting nasty another day will only scare your customers away. Be consistent and follow through. Let them know that consistency is really what you are about.

7. Open Communication Channels

The customer wants to contact you in many ways – face to face, by mail, phone, fax, and email – and will expect all of these communication channels to be open and easily accessible. Therefore, put in place adequate measures to be reached when you are needed.

8. Reward Customers

Put in place an adequate reward system for your customers. When you do this, you increase the confidence customers have in your brand. Reward them adequately and on time for that which you have gained from them.

9. Know Your Customer Value

One way to know this is to interact highly with your customers. When you are close to them, you are able to draw an inference on what they want. Mingle closely with them to gain whatever information necessary.

10. Stay in Contact

Encourage customers by staying in touch with them through a blog, newsletter, or some other means that affords ongoing communication. Just ensure that you keep the conversation going.

11.Don’t Make Promises Unless You Intend to Keep Them

Reliability is crucial to any good relationship and good customer service is no exception. Think before you make promises – because nothing annoys customers more than a broken one.

12. Deal with Complaints

No one likes hearing complaints, so it’s little wonder why many hate when folks complain. Deal with customer complaints maturely and you will reap the benefits of good customer service.

13. Be Helpful – Even if There’s No Immediate Profit

Be open to being helpful at all times. Do not be nice only when there’s a reward in it for you. Helping your clients, even when they least expect it, will impress them and build their trust in you.

14.Take the Extra Step

If you want to provide good customer service, go beyond what your clients want. Going the extra mile surely adds a sense of satisfaction.

15. Stay Loyal

Loyalty is key to attracting new customers. When your existing customers know that you are loyal, they hold nothing back when it comes to introducing new customers to you and your business. This is marketing that is done passively for you.

16. Introduce Promotions

In a bid to get your customers glued to your brand, introducing mouth watering promotions can act like magic. Promotions that provide true savings and value causes current customers to introduce others to you and your business in an effort to pass those savings along.

17. Throw a Party

Here’s a thought. Why not throw parties for your customers? It’s an opportunity for customers to meet, for you to cultivate relationships with them, for you to gain an understanding of what they want and why they purchased from you, and it builds a sense of community – they might even bring a friend. Lexus, the luxury vehicle division of Toyota Motor Corporation, has programs such as this in place.  One of them is featured in the video below:

18. Keep Them Up to Speed

If the need for you to raise prices occurs, inform your customers in advance. Their feedback will serve as a good measure to know if they welcome the change or not and it also provides them the opportunity to make purchases prior to the price hike.

19. Be Appreciative

Say thank you at all times for your clients’ patronage. Never feel above being thankful.  After all, you are in business because of them.

20. Build Trust

There are various ways in which you can build trust and providing consistent value is one of them. Decide which works best for you and carve a niche around it.

Master these items above and before long, you’ll be amazed at how loyal your customers become to your brand.  Never forget that more customers, equals more profit. Therefore you have all the opportunity in the world to increase your customer base by putting in place top notch customer service.

The post 20 Tricks of the Trade to Develop Superior Customer Service appeared first on Small Business Trends.

In the past few years, RIM has experienced a reduction in sales of the BlackBerry that occurred when other smart phones such as the Android and iPhone hit the market. However, RIM experienced this meltdown mainly in the North American market. In the African market, the reverse is the case. Presently, Africa is a ripe market for the BlackBerry.

Contador Harrison, a software developer with mobile solutions provider Somocon Oy writes:

“… Research in Motion should see Africa as a market that can play a key role in its plans for continued investment and growth in the smartphone business.There is no doubt that Africa is a market where you have a great mix of enterprise,small and medium enterprise and growing consumers. The continent is a fast becoming a commercial hub with a healthy appetite for high-tech commercial solutions.RIM enjoyed a year-on-year growth of 27% in Africa, according to IDC’s Africa Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker 2Q 2011 survey.Overall,smartphone shipments grew by 65% year-on-year.BlackBerrys have carved a niche for themselves in Africa like no other smartphone brands….”

He goes on to point out that this is why “over 3,000,000 new business popping up in African provide an ideal market for RIM than other platforms.”

This is a viewpoint I agree with.  With this in mind, the question here is, “Why is Africa embracing the BlackBerry?”

Like every other place, Africans love technology and this is no wonder why BlackBerry has carved a niche for itself in the African market. Like every other mobile device, BlackBerry also has features like gaming and Internet browsing. But it owes its craze in Africa to its BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) and Appworld features. These features are responsible for the viral effect it is creating on the African market. The BBM has this affinity because of its ability to share text and voice messages as well as pictures and video clips. It has become the most downloaded free app from the BlackBerry App world in Africa.

BlackBerry provides various advantages for its users, for those active in social media and those in the business world alike. Social interaction is one of the reasons why BlackBerry is found more among youths that any other age group in Africa.  Youths use the BlackBerry Messenger service to text messages to one another, share images and connect socially.

In my country of Nigeria, almost every household has a BlackBerry.  Despite prices of $150 and up per device, people will sometimes sell other belongings to buy a BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry gives its user a sense of class and belonging. It is no wonder that school students find it wise to sacrifice their school fees for the purchase of a BlackBerry device.  The different BlackBerry plans made available by the mobile service networks are enough to skyrocket the urge to get one.

According to Riu Brites, the product director at RIM for Africa, BlackBerry access in South Africa is affordable with flat rate plans.  In Nigeria, prices of the BlackBerry plans from the various mobile networks (Airtel, Glo and MTN) are from $5 to $10 per month, giving users the choice to pick what they feel is best.

Access to computers is harder to get in parts of Africa than in America and other areas of the world.  With the BlackBerry you can stay connected and conduct business without worrying about power or Internet access for a regular computer, and without the inconvenience of going to an Internet cafe to get online.

Can the BlackBerry device be as effective in business as it is in social media?

Saying that the BlackBerry is enough to replace a personal assistant is an ideal answer to this question. In business, many functions can affect operations. Functions like scheduling of business meetings, electronic filing of important documents, secure online transactions, secure business conference calls, sending of eleventh hour calls-to-action to staff and executives, on-the-go customer support and other functions can not be overlooked.

Not long ago in my country Nigeria I saw where a politician had used the Blackberry service to answer the queries of his followers via Facebook (a prompt reply is a great way to show that peoples’ opinions and queries are important to him and there by increasing trust).

I use my BlackBerry daily to run my Web-based business.  It lets me be out and about, and still stay connected anywhere — in a bus or wherever I may be. With its Messenger and secure email service, business people can handle questions and achieve on-the-go customer support. With its secure Internet connection, online transactions can be made with ease. The BlackBerry was made with security and flexibility in mind and this is sure to increase business productivity when used effectively.

In the African market, many new businesses get established by the day which leads to growth of customers. Since the BlackBerry is not only useful for individuals but also for businesses every newly established business becomes a potential customer.  As long as a product is a problem solver, then its demand is sure. This is the case with BlackBerry.

In the future, RIM should continue to invest in Africa in terms of its BlackBerry product. As long as they keep up with the development of new and better features for later BlackBerry models, the African market will continue to be an ever loyal customer base.

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