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Tax-Related Sites
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Cornerstone PowerPoint Presentations
 •  Dealing with Customer Complaints
 •  Delegation Thoughts
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The Ins and Outs of Business Banking and Borrowing
 •  The Ins and Outs of Filing Business Records
 •  Thoughts Worth Pondering
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Knowledge Bank
 •  Customer Service
 •  Customer Complaints
   Keeping Customers When Things Go Wrong
 •  Even Negative Feedback can be Valuable
   Turn Customer Complaints Into More Sales
 •  Customer Relationship Management
   Are You Making the Most of Your Customer Database?
   Avoid the Four Perils of CRM
   CRM Explained
 •  CRM - The Comeback King
 •  Do You Need CRM?
 •  The Four Phases of CRM
 •  Secrets to Boosting Your Sales with CRM - an eBook
 •  Customer Satisfaction
 •  6 Ways to Get Customer Feedback
 •  7 Things to Never Tell Your Customers
 •  10 Ways to Improve Your Client Relationships
 •  Can You Create Customers for Life?
 •  Customer Advisory Boards: Everyone Wins
 •  Customer Loyalty -- A New Look
 •  Customer Loyalty -- Why Now More Than Ever Focus On What We Have?
 •  Customer Loyalty Programs Can Be Valuable for Small Businesses
 •  Customer Loyalty Programs for Small Companies
 •  Customer Satisfaction -- A Matter of Survival
 •  Customer Satisfaction Improvement Program Process Diagram
 •  Danger Signals from Your Customers
 •  Employee Suggestion - Customer Service Improvement Card from Kroger Grocery
 •  Employee - Customer Suggestion Idea Card from San Juan Regional Medical Center
 •  How to Get Your Customers to Say WOW!
 •  Keeping Satisfied & Profitable Customers
 •  Kroger Grocery's Play-by-Play Brochure to Keep Customers Coming Back
 •  What a Business Can Learn from Its Customers
 •  Your Business Is On Trial and the Judge is Your Customer
 
•  Customer Service Strategies
 •  Audit Your Customer Service Standards
 •  Can You Deliver Customer Service Via E-Mail?
 •  Create Your Own Customer Service Strategy
 •  Customer Service Needs Assessment Form
 •  Customer Services Standards -- It's What Customers Want
 •  Don't Let Customer Service Be Your Downfall
 •  For Openers -- 5 Greetings that Boost Sales to Walk-in Visitors
 •  Instilling a Customer-Driven Culture
 •  Margaritas or Lemonade? Great Customer Service is About Small Details

 •  Mystery Shopper Sample Form - Ice Cream Store
 •  Phrases that Pay: Simple Statements that Increase Your Perceived Value
 •  Providing Quality Customer Service is a Key for Success
 •  Reaching Out to Clients Pays Dividends
 •  The Time for Customer Alignment is Now.  Is Your Company Ready?
 •  Your Business Is On Trial and the Judge is Your Customer

 •  General
   12 Sure-Fire Steps to Improve Retail Sales
 •  
What to Do When You Lose a Major Client
 •  Guarantees
    Guaranteed Growth -- The Power of Keeping Your Word to Customers
 •  Image
   Apparel Perils: Dress for Success Isn't so Cut and Dried Anymore
   
Business Cards: Design to Convey the Right Message
 •  Your Business Card -- In Wallets or Wastebaskets?
   Creating the Right Atmosphere for Your Customers
 •  
Designing for Graphic Identity
 •  First Impressions Count:  Add Them Up
 •  
Make Your First Impression a Good One
 •  
The Shocking Truth About Your Image -- 4 Reasons Customers May Not Like You
 •  What's In A Name? Possibly Your Entire Image.
 •  Your Image Needs Constant Attention

 •  Listening Skills
 •  Listen and Earn
 •  
Teaching Customer Service Reps the Art of Listening
 •  Telephone Skills
 •  Phone Answering Tips to Win Business
 •  
Test Your Telephone Effectiveness
 •  Entrepreneurship
 • Business Plans
    Business Plan Basics
   •
Business Plan Maintenance
   •
The Fine Art Of Writing A Business Plan
   •
Trend Analysis For Business Planning
 • Buying A Business
    Buying A Business Or Its Assets
   •
Buying, Valuing, And Selling Your Business -- A Glossary
   •
Buying A Small Company Requires Some Patience
   • Due Diligence Explained
   •
How Much Is That Business Really Worth?
   •
Making A Clean Break When Buying A Firm
   •
Moving On? Options For The Departing Business Owner
 • Company Structures
   • Choosing Between a Corporation and an LLC
   • Choose the Right Legal Structure for Your Business
   • Frequently Asked Questions Related to LLCs
   • Three Dumbest LLC Formation Mistakes
   • What is the Difference Between an LLC and S-Corp?
    What Legal Form Is Best For Your Business
 • Family Businesses
   • A Family Business Council Helps Drive the Family Business
   • Defining the Family Business
   • Five Attributes of Enduring Family Businesses
   • Grooming the Successor in a Family Business
   • Hiring the Family in the Family Business
   • It's All About Objectivity -- An Advisory Board Can Help
   • Next in Line for the Family Business
    Passing Along The Family Business
   • Transferring Control in a Family Business

   • Transitioning Between Generations
   • Working with Family in the Family Owned Business
 • Franchising
   • 10 Common Mistakes Of Prospective Franchisees
   • Franchising Offers Downturn Opportunities
   • Is Buying a Franchised Business Right for You?
   • Is Franchising For You?  Questions To Ask Yourself Before Taking The Plunge

 • General
   • 7 Tips for a Business Partnership That Works
    10 Mistakes That Can Cost Your Business
   •
11 Ways To Pump Up Productivity
   •
Attitude And The Entrepreneur
   •
Attitude Matters When It Comes To Success
   • Can You See the Vision?
   • Change is a Part of Growth
   • Debunking the Entrepreneurial Myth (E-Myth) to Grow a Successful Business
   •
The Entrepreneurial Right Stuff (And Assessment Tools)
   • Failure's Not So Bad if You Learn Something From It
   • Finding Out if a Business Name is Taken
   •
Growing Pains In The Small Business
   • How Can I Fix My Business Partnership
   • How to Choose a Business Partner
   •
Prepare Well When Changing Your Business Name
   •
The E-Myth Revisited - A Book Review
   •
The Long-Term Perils Of Being A Control Freak
   • Personal Risks in Small Business

   • Secrets of a $110 Million Man
   • What is Your Intellectual Property?
 • Location
   • Choose Your Location with Care
   • Get a Good Deal on a Building Lease
    Location Issues To Consider
   • Pick a Site for Your Business
   •
What Makes A Location Great?
 • Selling A Business
   • 8 Key Steps to Selling Your Business and Cashing In
    10 Steps To Maximize Value
   •
Buying, Valuing, And Selling Your Business -- A Glossary
   • Due Diligence Explained
   • Is Owning a Business Like Owning a Boat?
   •
Is You Business Ready To Be Sold?
   •
Moving On? Options For The Departing Small Business Owner
   •
Selling Your Business: A One-Shot Challenge
   • Selling Your Business?  Keep Quiet!

   • Succession Planning for Business Owners - A PowerPoint Presentation
   • Top Tips for Business Buyers or Sellers
 • Start-ups
   • 4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Succeed (or Fail)
    10 Survival Strategies For Entrepreneurs
   • Business Expense Startup Calculator
   •
How To Succeed In Business In Four Easy Steps
   • Questions Would-Be Founders Ask (& The Answers)
   
The Deadly Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make
   • The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Start-Ups

   • Starting Your Business Checklist - Colorado
   • Take Care Starting Entrepreneurial Businesses
   • Top 7 Reasons Businesses Fail and How to Avoid Them
 • Strategy
    Barriers To Entry
   • Big Gap Between Workers’ Commitment and Organizational Goals
   • Competitive Advantage: A Michael Porter-Based Definition
   • Effective Competitive Analysis
   • Five Ways to Kill Any Business
   • Management by Fad
   • Porter's Five Forces
   • Porter's Five Forces - A Diagram
   • Porter's Generic Strategy

   • Project Investment Criteria Matrix
   • See Your Vision
   • The Business Vision and Company Mission Statements
    What Happens Next -- Shell Oil's Use of Scenario Planning
 •  Finance & Accounting
 • Bookkeeping & Accounting
   • Accountants and Bookkeepers Narrow the Gap
    Accounting Software That Suits Your Needs
   •
Basic Terms & Concepts Of Small Business Accounting
   •
The Balance Sheet: Definition & Uses
   •
Bookkeeping and Accounting Basics
   • Choose the Right Accountant
   •
Components Of The Accounting System
   •
Depreciation: The Concept Explained
   • Fraud - Why Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Lose Out
   • How to Choose an Accountant for Your Small Business
   • Our Irrational Fear of Numbers
   •
The General Ledger: The Concept Explained
   •
The Income Statement: Definitions & Uses
   •
Inventory Accounting: The Concept Explained
   •
The Language Of Accounting
 • Borrowing Basics
    Business Loan Glossary
   •
Getting Money From Banks
   • The Ins & Outs Of Business Borrowing & Banking -- PowerPoint Presentation
   • The Few, The Proud, The Bankable
   •
The Savvy CEO's Loan Pitch
   • Why Lenders Require Collateral
 • Capital Structures
   • Debt vs. Equity -- The Pros And Cons Of Both Financing Options
 • Cash Flow Management & Modeling
   • 7 Ways to Improve Your Cash Flow
   • Accounts Receivables: 30 Ways to Get Paid in 30 Days
   •
Accounts Receivables: Clear Up Those Overdue Accounts
   • Accounts Receivables: Creating a Smart Credit Policy
   •
Accounts Receivables: Don't Get Caught With Overdue Accounts
   
Accounts Receivables: Early Warning Signs of Payment Problems
   •
Accounts Receivables: Easing The Collection Of Overdue Payments
   •
Accounts Receivables: Give Credit Only When Credit is Due
   •
Accounts Receivables: When The Customers Won't Pay
   •
Biting The Bullet On Preparing Financial Projections For The Business Plan
   • Cash Flow and Gross Margin Connection - A Cleaning Firm's Story
   •
Cash Management: No Financial Discipline Is More Important Or Misunderstood
   • Lease vs. Purchase Calculator
   • Multiple Loan Analysis Calculator (MS Excel Zip File)
   • Profit & Loss Projection (MS Excel Template)
   • Sales Forecast Projection (MS Excel Template)
   • Toward a Better Budget
 • Credit Card & Merchant Accounts
   • Are Your Paying Too Much for Credit Card Processing?
    How To Evaluate Credit Card Processing Companies
   •
What Constitutes Credit Card Risk?
 • Financing
   • Debt vs. Equity -- The Pros And Cons Of Both Financing Options
   •
Factoring: An Expensive Source Of Financing Explained
   •
Great Bootstrapping Secrets: 45 Ideas That Can Save Your Business Money
   •
Lease Financing Explained
   •
Searching And Applying For Grants And Business Loans Online
   •
Small Business Failures And Finances -- The Real Story
   • Where to Find Start-Up Money -- Ten Sources for the Micro-Size Business
 • Financial Ratios & Formulas
    Common Business Ratios And What They Mean
   • Days Sales Outstanding Formula
   • Days Sales Outstanding Calculator
   • Inventory Turnover Ratios Formula
   • How to Calculate a Price Markup
   • Margin and Mark-Up Calculator
   • Margin and Mark-Up Calculator with Ranges
   • Percentage Calculation Formulas
   • Price-Margin-Volume Relationship Tables
 • Personal Finance and Investment Management
   • Intro to the Fee-Based Services of Comprehensive Financial Planning, Inc.
 • Profit Improvement
   • A Lack Of Business Is Not Always The Problem
 • Taxes
    Large Tax Blunders For Small Businesses
   •
What Expenses Can Entrepreneurs Deduct?
 •  Human Resources
 • Absenteeism
    Absenteeism: There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye
   •
Combating Absenteeism
 • Benefits
   • Dealing With Sick Leave As A Matter Of Policy
   • Health Insurance With Less Pain
   • Health Savings Account Information Brochure
 • Coaching & Soft Skills
   • 4 Steps to Resolving Conflicts
   • Accentuate the Positive
    Are You In With The 'In Crowd'?
   •
Behave Yourself -- Changing How People See You
   • Coaches do it by the Rules
   • Coaching Begins at the Top
   • Coaching is Coaching
   • Dealing with Specific Types of Difficult People
   • Executive Coaching -- What Is It and How it Works
   • FISH! A Manager's Guide to Morale Boosting in the Workplace
   •
Focus On Soft Skills -- A Leadership Wake Up Call
   • Is Your Body Language Helping or Hurting Your Business?
   • Special Considerations for Coaching CEOs
   • Taming the Alpha Executive
   • Turn Supervisors into Coaches
    Working with Navajos (Presentation by Marshall Plummer)

 • Communications & Performance Reviews
   • 10 Time-Wasting & Annoying E-Mail Habits to Avoid
    Communications Check List -- Tools To Build Relationships With Employees
   •
A Better Way To Deliver Bad News
   •
Fear Of Feedback In Performance Appraisals
   • Get Your Underperforming Employees to Quit -- Try "Counseling Out"
   • How Do You Respond to Praise?
   •
How To Offer Individual Praise Without Undermining Team Efforts
   • Positive Program for Performance Appraisals
   •
Unacceptable Behavior -- What Do You Do About It?
 • Compensation
    Are Shares Better Than Cash For Rewarding Employees?
   •
Ensuring Cultural Change  - A Case Study In The Effectiveness Of Rewards
   • Entrepreneurial Companies Need a Compensation Strategy
   •
Great Incentive Design? First Break These 12 Rules
   •
It's How Employees Perceive They Are Rewarded That Counts
   •
Linking Rewards With Today's Sales Roles
   • Motivating People - Getting Beyond Money
   • Nine Rules for Employee Recognition
   • Reward Program Implementation -- Missed Opportunities
   •
The Rewards Of Recognizing Top Performers
   •
What Are You Paying For? How To Ensure Return On Your Reward Investment
   •
Why Good Incentive Compensation Plans Can Fail
   • Why I Never Let Employees Negotiate a Raise
 • Employee Recognition and Rewards
   • The Four Key Qualities of Effective Employee Recognition
   • A Quick-Start Employee Recognition Program
 • Interview, Introduction & Orientation
    Employee Induction: Day One Is A Key Experience
   •
Employee Induction: Giving New Team Members A Head Start
   • Employee Interview: How to Interview & Hire Top People Each and Every Time
   • Employee Interview: Interviewing Potential Sales Representatives
   •
Employee Interview: Pre-Interview Questionnaire
   •
Employee Orientation: Do's And Don'ts
   •
Employee Selection: Build Your Team With Successful Interviews
   •
Employee Selection: The Interview
 • General
   • 5 Essential Strategies for Managing Up
   • A New Look at the Workforce
   • Bend Over Backwards for Flextime
    Developing HR Policies From Scratch
   •
Dishonesty In The Workplace
   •
Easy Time Management
   • Exit Interviews: How the Employer can Ace the Exit Interview Process
   •
Exit Interviews: Worthwhile When Done Well
   •
Flex Time: Flexible Work Arrangements Promote Productivity
   •
Goal Setting: Why To Do It And How
   • How to Assemble an Employee Handbook
   •
Laying Off People The Least Unpleasant Way
   •
Low-Cost, But Not Cheap -- Corporate Events Enter A New Era
   •
Office Politics: You'll Just Have To Deal With Them
   •
Office Politics: The People Who Make Organizations Go Or Stop
   •
Outsourcing Human Resource Management
   •
Rebuilding Workplace Morale After Downsizing
   •
Something to Celebrate!
   •
Telecommuting: Its Pros And Cons
   •
Workplace Privacy -- A Team Issue
 • HR Forms
   • HR Forms Template Library
 • Job Descriptions
    How To Write Job Descriptions
 • Job Search Strategies
    Eight Ways To Employability
   •
Sure Fire Ways To Blow An Interview
   • How to Recover from a Firing
   • How to Handle the Greatest Weakness Question in an Interview
   •
Interviewing Like A Pro In Five Easy Steps
   •
Know What Questions Are Coming At The Interview
   • Resumes: Four Resume Upgrade Tips
   • Resumes: How to Explain Two Jobs in a Year
   •
Resumes: Is Your Resume On Target
   •
Resumes: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
   •
Resumes: The 'Interview-able' Resume
   •
Resumes: Three Steps To Writing Your Resume
   •
Resumes: What Is An Effective Resume?
   • Thank You Notes to Interviewers: Beyond Simple Thanks - Close the Sale!
 • Legal Issues
   • An Employer Hiring Guide
    Stay Out of Hot Water - Control the Temperature
 • Recruiting
   • 10 Hiring Tips for Small Business Owners
   • "Employer of Choice" -- What is It?
    Help Wanted Ads -- Top 10 Mistakes That Would Turn Off A Potential Librarian
   • How to Find and Hire Good  People
   •
Increasing The Odds Of Success With Experienced Outside Hires
   • New Mexico Department of Transportation Recruiting Brochure
   •
Online Job Advertising For Faster, Cheaper, And Unlimited Recruitment
   • Overcome the Skills Shortage with Branding
   • Overcoming the Skills Shortage
   •
Recruiting A Top Marketing Manager
   •
So What If They Were Fired?
 • Retention
   • Boosting Employee Retention
   • Common Sense Guide to Reducing Employee Turnover
   • Develop an Employee Retention Strategy
    Fueling The Fire Of Your Star Performers And Retaining Them
    Help New Hires Succeed
   • How to Lose Half Your Hires in a Year
   •
Retaining Good Team Members In A Small Company
   • What Your Team Members Really Want
    Why Productive Workers Leave -- 7 Suggestions For Keeping Them
 • Retirement Planning
   • Retirement Plan Options Table for Small Companies & Individuals
 • Training Programs
   • Building a Training Program for New Employees
    Enhancing The Skills Of Your Team & Seeing A Return
   • Get the Team You Want
   •
How To Identify A Leader
    People Development Need Not be Expensive
   • Share the Knowledge - Look at the Return on Training Investment
   •
Training Offers More Than Just Improved Skills
   •
Training Your Team Member Online
 •  Marketing
 • Advertising & Advertisements
    3 Ways To Get More Sales When You Advertise
   •
5 Questions To Help You Determine Which Advertising Media To Use
   •
8 Ways To Write Powerful Headlines
   •
9 Ways To Write Sure Selling A
   •
Advertising On Cable TV - Flaunt Yourself To A Whole New Audience
   •
Creating Your Own Publicity Manual
   •
Desktop Publishing -- Produce Your Own Material
   •
How To Advertise On The Radio
   •
How To Write Better Ad Copy
   •
Is Your Ad Killing Your Brand?
   • Producing Better Brochures -- A Baker's Dozen Tips
   •
Radio and TV Advertising
   • Test Your Advertising While Doing It
   •
When Advertising, Think 'Effective,' Not 'Cheap'
 • Branding
   • 3 Questions You Need To Ask About Your Brand
    10 Tips For Choosing A Logo
   • Be Known By Your Affiliates
   • Business Cards: Design To Convey The Right Message
   • Business Cards That Work
   • Your Business Card -- In Wallets or Wastebaskets?
   •
Business Name Change: Prepare Well When Changing Your Name
   • Create the Perfect Tagline
   •
Designing For Graphic Identity
   • What's In A Name? Possibly Your Entire Image
   •
Your Image Needs Constant Attention
 • General
    5 Step Formula For Creating Your Marketing Message
   •
24 Low-Cost Ways To Promote Your Business
   • Be Different -- and Quantify It!
   • Changing Channels?  Beware of Conflicts
   • Cut PR Costs and Get Better Results
   • Effective - Not Expensive - Marketing
   • Focus the Choices You're Offering
    Manage Your Own Special Event
   •
Marketer Sell Thyself
   • Marketing Smarter to Increase Sales
   • Marketing to the "Twentysomethings"
   •
The Business Lunch: How To Plan It And Survive It
   • Why Marketing Had to Change
   •
Women Customers Are Changing How Cars Are Sold
 • Direct Mail
   • 10 Most Common Postcard Marketing Mistakes
    A Direct Hit: Using Direct Mail To Build Your Business
   • Direct Mail/E-Mail ROI Calculator
   •
Get Your Direct Mail Noticed
   • Make Your Direct Mail Marketing Work Harder
   •
Postcard Marketing: The Low-Cost, High-Impact Business Marketing Weapon
   • Top Ten Direct Mail Mistakes
   •
Using Direct Mail To Build Business
   •
Writing Better Direct Mail Marketing Pieces
 • Ideal Customer Profile
    The Fire Your Customers Myth
   • Cornerstone's Ideal Customer Profile
   •
Who Is Your Target Buyer?
 • Marketing Plans
   • Five Key Marketing Questions
   •
Crazy Marketing Ideas
   •
How To Build Your Business
   • Joe's Red Hots -- A Case Study in Promotion Planning
   •
Market A Service Or Niche Business: A Sample Marketing Plan
   •
Marketing To The Aging Baby Boomers
   • Marketing Tactics To Boost Your Business Performance
   • Professional Service Firms:  Market to Your Clients
   •
Promotion Planning Can Yield Steady Business Growth
   •
The Importance Of A Marketing Plan
   • The Renn's Grocery Story -- Marketing & Business Planning Failure
   • The Ultimate 5-Step Marketing Plan
 • Market Research
    Analyze The Competition And Get Ahead
   •
Basic Market Research For Small Business
   •
Competing Interests: Ethnically Gathering Competitive Intelligence
   • The Consumer Shift to Value
   •
Effective Competitive Analysis
   •
Effective Marketing For Your Company Uses Market Research
   •
Everyone Wins With A Customer Advisory Board
   • Generations and Their Profile Characteristics
   • Gen-X is Getting Older
   • Keeping An Eye On Your Competitors
   •
Researching Your Market On A Shoestring Budget
   • Spot the Trend and Keep Ahead
   • What a Business Can Learn from Its Customers
   •
Women Customers Are Changing How Cars Are Sold
   • Writing Questionnaires That Work
   • You've Got Data:  Now What Do You Do With It?
 • Marketing Strategies
   • 4 Myths of Professional Services Marketing
    6 Affordable Strategies To Build A Cash Cow
   •
6 Give-To-Get Marketing Examples
   •
8 Crimes Of Marketing
   •
11 Monstrous Small Business Marketing Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
   • Add Benefits to Increase Sales
   • Don't Forget the Offer in B-2-B Marketing
   • e-Books:  Use e-Books in Marketing Your Business
   • Get the Buzz Back in Your Marketing
   • Getting in Touch with Your Feminine Half or More
   •
Guerrilla Marketing -- How Does It Work?
   •
How To Multiply Your Marketing Results With Less Effort
   •
How You Can Use Testimonials In Your Marketing
   •
How Your Small Business Can Survive When A Giant Moves To Town
   • Making a Small Firm Look Bigger
    Market These Four Ways Anytime
   • Metrics and Marketing
   • Relationship Marketing and Why It's Not Working -- But Can
   • Small Marketing Strategies for Professional Service Firms
   •
Third Party Testimonials Are Powerful
   • The Case Study and How to Shorten It
   • Top Ten Marketing Tactics Under $10
   • Unlock the Hidden Marketing Gateways
 • Media Relations
   • 8 Press Release Mistakes to Avoid - A Checklist
   • Be Media Friendly and Get in Print
   • Four Rules for Reporting Bad News
    Get Good Results From A Radio Interview Pt. 1
   •
Get Good Results From A Radio Interview Pt. 2
   •
Maximize Your Company's Media Exposure
 • Networking
   • 10 Tips and Tricks to Build Your Network
    Is Your Net Working?
   • Networking for Beginners
   • Networking -- Get Out And Do It!
   •
Networking -- Increasing Your Sphere Of Influence
   • Networking -- Why Can't I Remember Your Name?
   • The Trouble with Elevator Speeches
 • Packaging
   • Examine Your Firm's Packaging
    Harness The Power Of Packaging To Push Your Product
   •
Package Designs For Positioning
   •
Packaging To Reflect Buyer's Values
   •
Packaging Your Product: A Process Checklist
   •
Packaging Your Product: Don't Cut Corners When Boxing Your Product
 • Pricing
   • Fees In Professional Service Firms -- Two Views
   • Hold the Price and Keep the Customer
   • Increase Prices Without the Pain
    Is That Price Increase Really Necessary?
   • Margin and Mark-Up Calculator
   •
Pricing Strategies And Adjustments
   •
Pricing Your Product: A Process Checklist
   • Value Delivers B2B Profit
 • Selling Skills
   • Be Yourself -- Sell Yourself
   • Best Kept Secret of the Selling World
    Buyer Psychology: Change The Way You Persuade
   • Expect Referrals
   • Five Great Ways to Warm Up Your Cold Calls
   • Give Customers a Reason to Decide
   •
How Brochures Can Derail Sales Of New Products And Services
   • Leads  Have Value Only if Managed
   • Referral Marketing is Target Marketing at its Best
   • Stunningly Awful Demonstrations - Top 10 List of What NOT to Do
   •
Successfully Selling Services
   •
The Business Lunch: How To Plan It And Survive It
   • Why Your Best Clients Don't Give You Referrals and 10 Things You Can Do    • Your Can't Know Everything
 • Sponsorships
    Getting Value Out Of Sponsorships
   •
How Charities Can Help You With Your Marketing
   • Is Your Sponsorship Working?
 • Trade Shows
   • The Trade Show And How To Use It
    Trade Show Dos and Don'ts
 • Web Sites & E-Marketing
   • 5 Reasons E-Newsletters Get Trashed
   • 5 Rules for an Effective Direct E-Mail Campaign
   • 7 Marketing Questions to Ask Before Having a Teenager Build Your Website
   • 8 Tips to Significantly Improve Your E-Mail Response
   • 10 Steps to Search Engine Optimization
   • 10 Ways to Improve Your Website
   • 11 Steps to Creating a Successful Web Site (e-book)
   • A 12-Step Approach For Moving To The Web
   • 15 Ways to Improve Your E-Mail Delivery Rate
   • Add a Webinar to Your Marketing Mix
• Browsers Into Buyers
   •
Catching Customers With Your Website
   •
Choosing A Host For Your Company's Website
   • Create Better Online Forms
   • Don't Give Up on E-mail Marketing
   • E-Mail Merging and Sending a MS Publisher 2007 Newsletter
   • Find A Web Developer Who Fits Your Needs
   •
First Rate Writing Adds Power To Web Site Design: Six Writing Tips To Turn
   • Focus the Content of Your Website
   • How Flashy Web Sites Can Turn Off Customers
   • How Center a Web Page Layout Using CSS
   • How to Get Visitors to Really Hate Your Website
   •
How To Make Email Marketing Work For Your Small Business Or Non-Profit
   • How To Secure Your Company's Web Site
   •
How To Write An Effective Landing Page
   •
Planning & Publishing Your Web Site - A CBS PowerPoint Presentation
   • Relationships Are Key To E-Mail Marketing
   •
Smart Keyword Marketing
   • Smart Web Strategies For Small Businesses
   •
Study Shows Wednesday Best Day For Email Offers
   • The Facts About Going Online
   • What Does Your E-Mail Say About You?
   •
What Should Your Internet Strategy Be? [Part 1]
   •
What Should Your Internet Strategy Be? [Part 2]
 •  MS Office & PC Tips
 • Computer Hardware
    Are You Ready For A Digital Camera?
   • Best Buy's Digital Camera Buying Guide
   •
Computers: Do They Need Time Off?
   •
The Computer Monitor: Something To Look Into
   •
Flat Screen Monitors Are Taking Off
   • iPods -- A New Threat to Office Security?
   •
PDAs -- The Next Step In Computer Technology
   •
Protecting Your Laptop From Theft
   • Two Monitors are Better Than One
   • VOIP Basics
   • Wi-Fi Safety and How to Get It
   • Your Old PC Can Be a Crook's Goldmine
 • Computer Software
    10 Questions To Ask Before Buying Software
   •
Backing Up Business Data -- It's Crucial
   •
Desktop Publishing -- Produce Your Own Material
   •
Essential & Detailed Guide To Purchasing Software
   •
Implement An Email Policy And Improve Productivity
   • Prepare Your Computer for a Windows Reinstall
 • Internet Searching
   • PC World's Google Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks
    Of Needles and Haystacks:  Successful Internet Searching - Part I
   • Of Needles and Haystacks:  Successful Internet Searching - Part II

 • Viruses
    Computer Attack: Do You Need A Firewall?
   •
Developing A Disaster Plan
   •
Protect Your PC Against Computer Viruses
   •
Protecting Your Business From Hackers And Viruses
   • Spyware, Adware -- Be Aware!
 • Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader
   • Embedding a Movie in an Acrobat File
 • Microsoft & Microsoft Office Training
   • 100 Things You Should Know About MS Office 2007
   • MS Office 2007 Compatibility with MS Office 2003
    Free Access Training
   •
Free Excel Training
   •
Free FrontPage Training
   •
Free Outlook Training
   •
Free PowerPoint Training
   •
Free Publisher Training
   •
Free Visio Training
   •
Free Word Training
   • Removing Hidden Data in Microsoft Office Documents
   •
The Pros And Cons Of Microsoft Software
•  MS Access Tips
   • 10 Ways to Prevent Corruption in an MS Access Database
   • 10+ Tips for Designing Flexible, Efficient Access Tables
   • Clear Fields in a Combo Box for Easier Data Entry
     Develop a Form in MS Access for Easy Data Entry
   •  Include an Attachment Field in MS Access 2007 - Way Cool!
 •  MS Excel Tips
   • 75 Essential MS Excel Tips
   • 85 MS Excel Keyboard Shortcuts
   • Add a Chart to a MS Excel Comment
   • Add the Watch Window Toolbar to a MS Excel Worksheet
   • ASAP Utilities -- Simply a "Must Have" Add-in for MS Excel
   • Automatically Update the Range in an MS Excel Chart
   • Automatically Add New Data to an MS Excel Chart
   • Calculating Conditional Running Totals in MS Excel
   • Clean Up Data Using the Excel Clean Function
   • Combine Text and Dates in the Same Cell

   • Count-If Function Using Two Criteria
   • Copy Hundreds of Rows of MS Excel Formulas in Three Steps
   • Create a Summary Report in MS Excel Using the Data Consolidation Tool
   • Creating an Index Sheet in a MS Excel Workbook
   • Create a List Box for Data Entry in a MS Excel Workbook
   • Cross-Footing Logic in MS Excel - Avoiding Costly Errors
   • Customize Workbook Printing in MS Excel
   • Data Entry: Built-in MS Excel Features to Simplify Data Entry
   • Deleting Duplicate Rows in MS Excel
   • Documenting MS Excel Formulas
    Enter Data in Multiple MS Excel Worksheets Simultaneously

   • Examples of Commonly Used Formulas
   • Find Matching Records in MS Excel in Three Clicks
   • Forecast the Future with Excel Trend Lines
   • Formula Auditing in MS Excel Better with Explode Add In
   • Give Your MS Excel 2007 Graphs a Makeover
   • Hidden Gems in MS Excel 2007
   • How to Add a Dropdown List to MS Excel
   • How to Find Duplicates in MS Excel
   • How to Prevent MS Excel from Turning Fractions Into Dates
   • Inserting and Working with the Calendar Control Object
    Keyboard Shortcut Dictionary for MS Excel
   • Make Subtotal Values Stand Out in MS Excel
   • Manipulating Data Using MS Excel Pivot Tables

   • Pivot Table Magic
   • Place Multiple Charts on a Single MS Excel Chart Sheet
   • Reduce Repetitive Worksheet Typing Using Formulas

   • Removing Hidden Data in Microsoft Office Documents
   • Sort Four or More Columns of MS Excel Data Simultaneously
   • Sorting Four or More Columns of MS Excel Data -- Another Approach
   • Use a Formula to Count Number of Cells Between Two Values in a MS Excel Range
   • Use Editing, Fill and Justify to Add Instructions to MS Excel
   • Use SUM in an Array Function to Count Values Matching Multiple Criteria
   • Using the COUNTBLANK Function to Build a Quarterly Tabulation
   • What is a Macro and Why Should You Care?
•  MS Outlook Tips
   • Creating E-Mail Signatures in MS Outlook
   • E-Mail Merge: How to Send a Personalized Merged E-Mail Message
   • How to Insert a Graphic in a MS Outlook Signature
   • How to Share Your Calendar via E-Mail
•  MS PowerPoint Tips
   • 10 Tricks for Working More Effectively in MS PowerPoint 2007
   • Adding Music & Narration to a MS PowerPoint Presentation
   • Advanced Animation in MS PowerPoint to Imply Growth
   • Break These 10 Habits - Make Your MS PowerPoint Presentation Outstanding
   • Spice Up Your Bullet Point List in MS PowerPoint
 •  MS Windows XP, Vista & Windows 7 Tips
   • 10 Cool Tools in Windows 7
   • 31 Speed-Enhancing Tweaks for XP and Vista
   • 100 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 7
   • Disabling Windows Messenger on a Windows XP Machine

   • Formatting a Hard Drive on a Windows XP Machine
   • How to Access Your Cookies on a Windows XP Machine
   • Placing a Shortcut on the Open File dialogue box in Windows XP
   • Tap Into the Power of Libraries in Windows 7
   • Top 10 Windows XP Configuration Tips
   • Windows Cleaning Tips -- How to Help IE Run Ever So Much Better
 •  MS Word Tips
   • 10 Tips to Boosting Productivity in MS Word 2007
   • Add Chapter Numbering to Your MS Word Document
   • Balancing Columns of Text in a MS Word Document
   • Customize the Document Template in Word 2007
   • Generate Random Text in Word 2007
   • Have MS Word Automatically Align Tables to Changes in Page Layout
   • How to Insert a Line Above a MS Word Table
   • Integrating MS Excel Into a MS Word Document

   • Print Multiple Pages of a Word document on One Sheet
   • Remove Unwanted Pages After a MS Word Table
   • Scale MS Word Documents for Different Page Sizes without Reformatting

 •  Operations
 • Business Development
    10 Powerful Ways To Grow More Business
   •
11 Ways To Pump Up Productivity
   •
12 Sure-Fire Steps To Improve Your Retail Sales
   • Bureaucracy Has No Room In Small Businesses
   •
Clever Clues For Driving Your Business Through A Downturn
   •
Growing Pains In The Small Business
   •
How To Pick The Good From Bad In Small Business
   •
Improve Your Processes, Improve Your Bottom Line
   •
The Internet Speed-To-Market Trap
   •
What is a Consultant And How To Work With One
 • Change Management
   • But That's The Way We've Always Done It
   •
Change Management Is A Way Of Life
   •
How Harley-Davidson Got Back To Basics
   •
How Will Your Business Respond To The Challenge Of Change?
   • Implementing Change -- Ten Tips for Success
   •
Managing Complex Change Equations
   •
Overcoming Obstacles -- Achieving Goals
   •
The Power Of Small Ideas
 • Disaster Planning & Recovery
    An Emergency Plan For Your Business
   •
Backing Up Business Data -- It's Crucial
   •
Developing A Disaster Plan
   • Net Threats Don't Go Away -- Be Prepared
   • Plan Your Recovery Before the Disaster
   • Practical IT Disaster Recovery Planning Booklet
   •
Using Technology To Guard Your Business
 • General
    10 Mistakes That Can Cost Your Business
   •
A Start On Office Ergonomics
   • Choosing the Right Supplier the First Time
   • Document Retention:  What to Keep and for How Long
   • E-Mail Archiving Essentials
   • Employee Suggestion Idea Card from Kroger Grocery
   • Employee - Customer Suggestion Idea Card from San Juan Regional Medical Center
   •
Haggling Makes Business Sense
   •
Helping Clients Outrun The Recession
   •
Making Your Office More Comfortable
   • Making Your Office More Workable
   • National Do Not Call Registry
   • Organize Your Office and Keep it That Way
   •
Take It Or Leave It: The Only Guide To Negotiating You Will Ever Need
   •
What To Do When You Lose A Major Client
   •
Workplace Privacy -- A Team Issue
 • Intellectual Property
   • Intellectual Property In E-Commerce For Small Business
   • Intellectual Property Property Law Primer
   •
Protect Your Intellectual Property
 • Inventory
    Danger Lurks in Your Inventory
 • Meetings
   • A How-to Guide for Facilitators
    Beating The Meeting Blues
   •
The Business Lunch: How To Plan It And Survive It
   • The Guide for Great Meeting Facilitation
   •
Make Your First Impression A Good One
   •
Running Effective Meetings
   • "Starring Roles" in a Meeting
   •
Stop Torturing People With Terrible Meetings
   • Successful Audio Conference Tips
 • Operations Manuals
    Every Company Needs The Protection Of A Policy And Procedures Manual
 • Performance Management
    Eleven Ways To Pump Up Productivity
   •
Angst Over Critical Numbers -- Using KPIs To Manage Your Business
   •
How Many Hours In Your Day?
   •
Implement An E-Mail Policy And Improve Productivity
   •
Listen To Your Team -- They Have The Ideas You Need!
   • Manage E-Mails Better with an Empty Inbox
   •
There's More To Retail Than Sales: Counting Retail Traffic
   • What Do We Mean by 'Metrics'?
 • Point of Sale Systems
   • A New Take On An Old Technology -- POS & The Cash Register
 • Values
   • Core Values - Baldrige Criteria
   • What Does Your Company Mean (Stand For)?
 •  Personal Growth & Leadership
 • Boards of Directors
    Compensating Outside Directors In The Current Environment
   •
Does You Board Have An Effective Management System Of Its Own?
   • How to Assemble a Board of Advisers
   • Planning for Your Next CEO
 • Delegation
    Effective Delegation -- It's An Art
   •
Empower Your Team Members
 • Ethics
   • Corporate Codes of Conduct - The Framework of Business Ethics
   • Ethics and Credibility -- What Next?
 • General
    Brainstorming and How to Use It
   • Designated Readers:  Tracking & Sharing Articles to Help Team Success
    Easy Time Management
   •
Goal Setting: Why To Do It And How
   • Pace Has its Place in Your Quality of Life
    Problem Solving -- How to Do It
   • So You Want to be a Consultant?
   •
Take It Or Leave It: The Only Guide To Negotiating You Will Ever Need
   • The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement
 • Leadership
    Three Keys To Leading Like A Professional
   • Four Layers of Diversity Diagram
   • Five Traits of a Great Business Leader
   • Ten Sure-Fire Ways to Fail as a Manager
   • Ten Tips for Managing Virtual Teams
   •
How To Identify A Leader
   • Implementing Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Successful People
   • Instilling Accountability -- Expectations, Measurement, & Consequences
   • Manage Actively and Achieve More
   • Managers' Self-Assessment Questionnaire

   • Servant Leadership Characteristics
   • Seven People You Don't Want to Be
   • So You're in Charge.  Now What?
   • Systematically Making the Best Decisions
   • Taming the Alpha Executive
   • Team Coaching - A Role for Professionals
   • The CEO's Role in Leading Transformation
 • Project Management
   • 10 Project Chartering Tips
   • Project Management Presentation -- FC Professional Development  Conference 2009
   • The Tyranny of the Urgent Can Cause Priority Overload
 • Speeches & Presentations
   • 15 Tips Sure to Make You a Better Public Speaker
   • Make Your Next Presentation A Great One
   • Successful Speakers Know Presenting And Preparation Go Hand In Hand

 •  Sales Management
 • Closing Sales
   • Are Your Sales Questions Holding You Back?
   • Diagnosing Difficulties In Closing Sales
   •
Diagnosing Stalled Sales
   •
Handling Sales Objections
   • Managing Risk and Closing in a Sales Process
   • The Sales Process -- A Seven Step Roadmap

 • Compensation Plans
   • 5 Steps to a Winning Compensation Plan
   • Design Sales Compensation Plans Carefully
   •
Is It Time To Revise Your Sales Compensation Plan?
   •
The Rewards Of Recognizing Top Performers
   • Sales Compensation Plan Components

 • General
    Benchmarking Sales & Marketing Budgets
   •
Getting Off The 'Short List' -- Winning The Bid Presentation
 • Management & Motivation
    9 Steps To Building A Winning Sales Organization
   • Diagnosing Stalled Sales
    Don't Sit Back When Managing You Sales Force
   • Get Your Sales Reps Branded
    Interviewing Potential Sales Representatives
   • Instilling Accountability -- Expectation, Measurement, & Consequences

   • Leads  Have Value Only if Managed
   • Sales Reps Need A Plan
   •
The Sales Process Defined -- A Seven Step Roadmap
   • To Help Salespeople Perform, Analyze Their Numbers
   • Turning "Losers" Into Winners
   •
What Does Your Company Mean (Stand For)?
 • Selling Skills
   • 5 Myths of Professional Service Firm Marketing
    7 Habits Of Less Successful Sales People
   • 7 Steps To Successful Cold Calling
   • 10 Steps To a Successful Sales Call
   •
10 Top Sales Tips For Sales Success
   • Be Yourself -- Sell Yourself
   • Big Businesses Can Present Big Opportunities
   •
Buyer Psychology: Change The Way You Persuade
   •
Cold Calling: A Compilation of Articles On Doing It Right
   •
Creating A Customer Feeding Frenzy: 4 Tools That Make You Simply Irresistible
   • Delivering Effective Product Demonstrations
   • Expect Referrals
   •
How Brochures Can Derail Sales Of New Products & Services
   • Listen and Earn
   •
More Stuff We Make Up About Our Prospects
   • Overthinking Yourself Out of Success
   • Persistence Sells. Turn Cold Leads Into Hot New Sales
   • Selling Consulting Services - Landing Your First Client
   • Selling Should be More of a Marriage and Less of a Whirlwind Romance
   •
Successfully Selling Services
   •
The Business Lunch: How To Plan It And Survive It
   • Why Your Best Clients Don't Give You Referrals and 10 Things You Can Do    • You Can't Know Everything
 •  
Screensaver Library

Our Services
   Businesses Getting Results Seminars 
   Business Diagnostics
 •  Digital Data Dashboards Using Xcelsius

Keeping in Touch
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