Cornerstone Business Solutions > Articles by: Chris Hunter

Make a Small Firm Look Bigger

by | Jan 24, 2016 | Marketing Strategies

Small firms are often penalized for their size. They don’t get as much attention from governmental authorities as bigger firms, nor are they likely to be considered as important when it comes to matters like making capital equipment purchases or tendering for...

Make Sure the Price is Right

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Pricing

Pricing is something that most small businesses do in a way that’s less than scientific. Usually the owner makes an estimate of what the costs are of providing a product or service, then adds a fixed percentage and calls it “profit”. The result is a...

Make Your Direct Mail Work Harder

by | Jan 17, 2016 | Direct Mail

Direct mail is a powerful marketing tool, and when it’s used creatively it can be extremely cost effective. The biggest mistake to make when planning a direct mail effort is to allow it be uninteresting. Direct mail pieces that are big on product features and...

Make Your Next Presentation a Great One

by | Mar 31, 2016 | Speeches & Presentations

It happens every so often – you’re called upon to give a presentation and suddenly stage fright begins. Relax. There are lots of things you can do to make your next public speaking job a winner and once you’ve learned them presentations will never be a problem again....

Manage Your Own Big Event

by | Jan 14, 2016 | General - Marketing

Many businesses decide to host an event of some kind — it could be a dinner for clients or perhaps a picnic for team members and their families. Whatever the reason for your big event might be, it pays to plan ahead and make sure it achieves its objectives....

Market Your Business with an eBook

by | Jan 24, 2016 | Marketing Strategies

An eBook is just what it sounds like – A book that’s published online and exists in an electronic format that can be downloaded from a website. Anyone can write an eBook, including you, and use it to market their business and its products. An eBook can be...

Marketer, Sell Thyself!

by | Jan 14, 2016 | General - Marketing

There’s a lot of confusion about just what constitutes marketing. Is it advertising? Yes. Is it pricing? Yes. Is it selling? Not often enough. A lot has been said about all the new ways of marketing and how businesses have to change to reflect a new focus on...

Marketing to the Aging Baby Boomers

by | Jan 19, 2016 | Marketing Plans

The baby boomers have been setting consumer trends for half a century now, and as they move through their 50s and into retirement, they will continue to do so. We are likely to see a significant change in consumer behavior for this demographic – consumption patterns...

Maximize Your Company’s Media Exposure

by | Jan 25, 2016 | Media Relations

When the news media come knocking on your company’s door, it often represents a golden opportunity to get your message across in a very credible way to your customers, your investors, your employees and your potential partners. Are you ready to seize the moment?...

National Do Not Call Registry

by | Mar 26, 2016 | General - Operations

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about receiving or refusing telemarketing calls at home. The following Internet address and toll-free number can be used to obtain more information and to register your telephone number(s) on the national database:...

Networking — Get Out and Do It!

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Networking

Owners of all kinds of small businesses are learning the value of networking. There’s a growing realization that doing well in business is often a matter of looking around and seeing what others are doing right and wrong – and doing the right things as often as...

Networking for Beginners

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Networking

Every time we attend a business function such as a training course, a trade show or an annual conference we have the opportunity to network. In fact, most of us network frequently, although we may not think of it exactly that way. Networking is the social part of...

Office Politics:  Deal with Them!

by | Dec 30, 2015 | General - Human Resources

While there will always be some gossip and rumors, office politics does not need to be a negative experience. Office politics can be used to advantage if done properly. Let’s face it: office politics are inevitable. Wherever people gather, they will gossip, spread...

Overcome the Skills Shortage with Branding

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

The “skills shortage” is in the news and likely to stay there. What it means for employers is that the present rate of expansion in most industries will increase the level of competition for much-needed skills in the marketplace, and as skilled employees...

People Development Need Not be Expensive

by | Jan 2, 2016 | Training Programs

There are some highly skilled occupations that require up to one-third of the person’s time to be devoted to training or maintenance of skills. This can just as easily apply to an automotive electrical engineer as it can to a developer of complex computer...

Protect Your Intellectual Property

by | Mar 26, 2016 | Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property or ‘IP’ is a hot issue. It’s defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “A product of the intellect that has commercial value” and by Commerce-database.com as “any product of human intellect that is unique and un-obvious with some value in...

Protect Your PC Against Computer Viruses

by | Feb 24, 2016 | Viruses

Most businesses have reasonable levels of virus protection in their computer systems at the office. Anti-virus software and a firewall are becoming a basic standard these days and provided these defenses are kept updated they work pretty well. This protection may scan...

Recruiting a Top Marketing Manager

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

While there are a lot of people with marketing qualifications, it is a matter of finding the right person for your business. Personal qualities such as passion and good commercial sense are among the attributes you should look for. When the time comes for a small to...

Reducing Costs to Boost Profits

by | Dec 25, 2015 | Profit Improvement

One of the big secrets of multinationals is their constant striving to become the lowest cost producer in their field. These low costs feeds straight through to their bottom line, and is a technique that can also be used by small companies. For businesses wanting to...

Resumes: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

by | Dec 30, 2015 | Job Search Strategies

Although resumes are every candidate’s gateway to an exciting new career, employers must be aware they could be letting in a Trojan horse. Sadly, evaluating a resume not only includes determining which candidate is the most suitable for the job, but also weeding...

Retaining Good Team Members in a Small Company

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Retention

Good team members are hard to find and hard to keep. Although the economic downturn has led to some downsizing, talented people still have their pick of good jobs. There are likely to be increased talent shortages over the coming years, as baby boomers retire and are...

Running Effective Meetings

by | Mar 26, 2016 | Meetings

A lot of people hate meetings. They have too much experience of long meetings that meander on forever and never seem to reach any conclusions that can be acted on. Team members may resent meetings because they are already working to deadlines and the last thing they...

Selling a Business?  Keep it Quiet!

by | Nov 22, 2015 | Selling a Business

Business owners wanting to initiate the sales of their business usually turn to a professional for advice at some step of the way. Exit planning in itself is a complex process and should have begun well before the business goes on the market, although experience shows...

So What if They Were Fired?

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

You’ve got a hole in the team and need the right person to fill it. What happens if someone applies for it and you find that they were fired or laid off from their last position? They might be just right in every other way but this one fact has understandably...

So You’re in Charge. Now What?

by | Mar 31, 2016 | Leadership

The first-time business owner has a lot to learn and not much time in which to learn it. Whether you have a team or one or twenty it’s always a bit lonely at the top. Here are a few things that can help you settle into the top dog’s role. Get Ready for the...

Spyware, Adware — Be Aware!

by | Feb 24, 2016 | Viruses

With all the focus on spam emails and computer viruses, another invasion of our computer systems has gone almost unnoticed. Right now a hidden program on your hard drive could be stealing your financial details or waiting to redirect your browser the next time you try...

Successfully Selling Services

by | Jan 30, 2016 | Selling Skills, Selling Skills

If traditionally most business owners have focused their energy on selling a product, more and more are trying their hand at offering services rather than goods. Recent data shows that service firms – which offer expertise in areas as diverse as Web marketing,...

Sure Fire Ways to Blow an Interview

by | Dec 30, 2015 | Job Search Strategies

1. Knowing a little or nothing about the company 2. Negative attitude 3. Poor communication skills 4. Rambling, disconnected the answers 5. Inappropriate behavior 6. Failure to make eye contact 7. Failure to ask questions 8. In proper dress 9. No career direction/not...

The Best Loyalty Money Can Buy

by | Nov 6, 2015 | Customer Satisfaction

Customer loyalty is something that used to be earned, but now is purchased. Think about it. We receive “loyalty” points by spending money with certain retailers or using specific credit cards, and in exchange for the points we accumulate get free travel...

The Case Study and How to Shorten It

by | Jan 24, 2016 | Marketing Strategies

Case studies (or case histories as they’re sometimes called) are a highly effective way to promote a business. They can show how a product is used and what it can accomplish for the user. They can relate the history of a consulting assignment and detail the...

The Consumer Shift to Value

by | Jan 21, 2016 | Market Research

Retail environments around the world are changing. The change is structural and irreversible, and it’s based on a shift to value as a purchasing goal. Retailers that offer what the consumer perceives as value will come out on top; those that can’t compete...

The Deadly Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make

by | Nov 24, 2015 | Start-Ups

A large organization can make a large mistake but their momentum will carry them past it and their reserves will patch up the damage. When a smaller entrepreneurial business makes a big mistake, it’s frequently enough to kill off the business. Here are six big...

The Facts of Going Online

by | Feb 2, 2016 | Web Sites & E-Marketing - Part 2

Every businessperson knows someone who claims to have made a fortune by “going online” with their business. Many organizations have successfully transitioned to trading on the Internet, but an equal or perhaps greater number have tried and failed....

The Four Phases of CRM

by | Nov 3, 2015 | Customer Relationship Management

CRM stands for “Customer Relationship Management.” It’s all about getting to know your customers and using this knowledge to form profitable relationships with them. CRM has been around in various forms as long as there have been vendors and...

The Importance of a Marketing Plan

by | Jan 19, 2016 | Marketing Plans

A marketing plan clarifies the key marketing elements of a business and maps out directions, objectives and activities for the business and its employees. The marketing plan draws on the broader perspectives outlined in a firm’s business plan. The business plan...

The Internet Speed-To-Market Trap

by | Mar 24, 2016 | Business Development

Entrepreneurs are generally known for being in a hurry, and many could not resist the urge to move as quickly as possible when the advent of the Internet dramatically compressed business and product development cycles. In the years before the Internet, the phrase...

The Trade Show and How to Use It

by | Jan 31, 2016 | Trade Shows

Trade shows are a part of every industry. They can sometimes seem to be expensive gabfests without a hard-core business purpose, or else expensive networking opportunities that take business owners and team members away from the office and chargeable hours. But used...

The Workable Office

by | Mar 26, 2016 | General - Operations

The modern office is full of equipment that is intended to make the most of our human capital. The computing power of the devices found in most small businesses is likely to exceed that used to get man to the moon, but not every office is set up in such a way that...

Chris Hunter, MBA

Chris’ combination of academic credentials, career experience and temperament ideally suit his calling as a business development advisor. Clients say he has a mind for business and a heart for service.
Read More About Chris and Cornerstone Business Solutions >>
Call Chris at (505) 325-4900 or e-mail click here