The Bernard Factor Your Net on blogs

In my line of work we receive reports weekly that show us how our business unit is doing compared to others across the region and nation as well as how we are doing against the competition. Being able to understand the large amount of data and make it usable in our day to day interactions is the key to successful market share growth. My job as a manager is to be able to look at the data and then dive into the finer points to identify trends and then create strategy and tactics to either continue the positive trend or correct one that is headed in the wrong direction.
The other key success factor to understanding business data is having the right information at the right time so that your sales and marketing people can make informed decisions today. You can have the most extensive data set with all the information you would ever need to take over the market, but if it is not readily available in a ready to use format the information is useless. As a manager one of my roles is to take the business reports and boil them down to a few key areas so that my team can make better judgments when they are in front of their customers. I have seem people suffer from what I call “paralyzes by analyzes” This is where you look at the data for so long that you never act or create any tactics on how to implement the information you have to improve your business.

There are many analytical tools that you can use such as Microsoft Objects, Crystal reports that allow you to build queries on your data sets to help provide better projections of future outcomes. The business experts at Business Objects Consultancy Services can provide you with the resources to understand those in depth data reports and provide clear direction to your finance or marketing folks to identify trends that will impact their business.

Owning your own business can be a the most rewarding experience and also the most difficult time you will have. Many businesses today thrive on the franchise model where a successful business replicates itself for others. This helps to eliminate a lot of the start up headaches and the business plan is already set for you. Franchise businesses will help in training, marketing, and hiring. This is great for the first time business owner to get into an industry without all the required background. It will still take a lot of hard work and hours to be successful business. Business Franchise Opportunities can be found here with some great ideas on different businesses available. So whether you are looking to start your own software store, home cleaning service, or pet walking service look to this directory to help you find the companies that will help you achieve your goals. You can help list your franchise at Machinimatrix.com and get your business kicked into high gear.

A new poker game that I was introduced to at our monthly neighborhood poker is called Monday Night Football. This is a seven card stud poker game where you are trying to get the highest point total. All face cards are considered a touchdown, all aces are worth one point if you have a face card to pair it up with. Threes are a field goal, and twos are a safety. All the other cards are not worth anything. SO you proceed with the dealer dealing two down, then four up, and the last card down. You bet after each up round and the person with the highest score wins the pot. If there is a tie then it goes into overtime in which those players are dealt seven cards again, and they attempt to outscore their opponent. An interesting game to break up the hold em type games that we will play.

You can find resources on how to play online, poker strategies, and where to go to purchase supplies to setup your own poker kingdom. So if you have ever wanted to find out how the pros keep their game sharp then get online and play in some of the tournaments through a online casino then find your way to 32vegas.com They offer a host of casino games where you can play for cash if you are outside of the US and play for free if you are like me and live withing the US. The site is easy to navigate and offers an easy download to speed up play and gives you a vegas casino like environment. You can check out their news section and find sign on bonuses like the “Bring a Buddy” where you can get an additional $50 for everyone that you bring in and makes a deposit. Online casinos are a great way to learn and find new games that you would not normally play in the casino. Remember that all wagering and gambling must be done responsibly and never bet more than you are willing to loose.

If have ever wondered how people make money by selling online through auction sites such as eBay you are not alone. There are hundreds of books and seminars that you can attend that will teach you the secret of the pros. What they don’t tell you is that the market is very competitive and if you are not careful you can invest a lot of money and not make a dime. You will pay these seminars several $100’s of dollars to learn stuff that you can get for free on the internet.

One such site where you can aquired a free eBay auction template is at rogersemall.com. They provide a great resource on the do’s and dont’s of online selling. Start out small, and then grow your business from there. Don’t try and get to the $100K mark your first month, as it will take time to evaluate the market and see what items sell the best, and more importantly which items are more profitable. If you are selling 1000 purses a month, but only making $2 per item, you are spending a lot time for little pay off. Research and use those free resources, and who knows maybe one day you will be holding your own seminars

With all the hype of the Razr phone we have talked to more people that have not been happy with the quality of call reception. The phone was the best sell phone gift last year, but has now been overtaken by newer models that offer more capability and better sound quality.

The CDMA version of the popular RAZR ultra-thin clamshell phone. Key features include EV-DO high-speed data, Bluetooth, and a megapixel camera with video capture. Other features include dual color displays, speakerphone, speaker-independent voice dialing, and an internal antenna.

Getting your Pay per Click off to a good start in 2008 will require you to look at all the types of ways that traffic is driven to your site. PPC advertising will continue to rise, but other forms of media are making their names such as Consumer Generated Media. Those who can find the right mix of advertising and can capitalize on the different media streams will rise above their competitors. With the recent talks of Microsoft and Google looking to purchase Yahoo this could make the market even more lucrative. The key I believe that will be most valuable in 2008 is regional searches as the internet has become a large economy finding your local merchant via some of the big search engines can be challenging. As the search industry evolves finding the right regional and niche keywords to target can increase sales and traffic.

Cell phones are everywhere and have become a natural extension of the way we communicate. It is interesting to watch when someone’s cell phone rings how everyone around checks their phone to see if it is there phone. Most people will leave the default ring tone on, but the growing trend outside of the teenagers is to get the latest (or if you are like me) the older cingular ringtones on their phone. For most people this can seem very technical and this may be the reason that a lot of us just leave the default ring tone on. The process is actually quite simple. You can just do a search for ringtones, or free ringtones and you will find a number of sites offering various plans. Or you can go to your cingular homepage and choose from their wide selection from todays latest hits, to show tunes, or even the latest TV series jingles. Then all you have to do is make sure that the ringtone is compatible with your phone, enter your cell phone number and you will receive a text explaining how to activate your new ringtone. Don’t forget that most of the time there is a charge for each ringtone that you do download. So go out there and grab the latest ringtone from Usher and the next time your phone rings you will know exactly who’s phone it is.

There is nothing like the day when you go out purchase your new car. That new care smell, there are no noises, and you feel like you have made the right purchase. Unfortunately there are times when that new car experience turns bad, when you start noticing things that need constant repair. We had some neighbors, who’s new van was doing great for about the first two weeks, and then they noticed that the car was starting to make a loud humming noise. After several weeks of back and forth with the dealer, they actually had to find legal representation to deal with the problem.

Lucky for them they were able to locate a good attorney, and were able to get the matter resolved with the dealer to get a replacement. But for some consumers, they might know their rights, and get stuck with years of frustration..

I have read a few books on what it takes to become successful in business and selling. From Zig Ziglar to Kenneth Blanchard they all talk about the tools that are needed to close the deal or build relationships with customers. One of the more interesting books that we have read is Discover your Strengths. This very simple concept talks about selling to your strengths instead of trying to improve on your weaknesses. This was always the case when I first started out in sales management is that we would look for areas of improvement and then try and coach to those areas to make the person stronger. Through developing a persons strengths they will become better at what they do and be more passionate about what they love to do.

I am true believer in the basic point that you have to be passionate about what you sell or do or you are just wasting your time. So pick up a copy or download the book and listen to the principles. You can even take a Strengths finder assessment online that will help you find your true strengths.