Look to the  Frontier

Like pioneers or astronauts before us, the vast, untamed wilderness that is the internet hosts a myriad of platforms and new features that come in and out of vogue seemingly by the day. However, before Facebook was Facebook, it wasn’t much. That means the next big thing could be out there –– indeed, the next great social media trend may already exist. The key is identifying it, and more importantly, your business’s opportunities to advertise your brand there. Sometimes getting there first really does  matter.

Go  Organic

Paid advertisements on social media sites are a wonderful way to target potential customers. But it’s not the only method to reach people on Facebook or Twitter. Rather, creating organic content –– like a blog –– to bolster your advertisements is a fabulous way to increase your online presence. For example: say your company manufactures lab equipment. It would be wise to keep your ads brief and eye-catching –– that’s how an ad works best. However, a blog post allows you to be more expensive. So while an ad might simply state that you deal with “lab equipment,” a blog post can elaborate on the virtues of a new cellcoat tc plate. In simpler terms, a blog allows you to go deeper than an ad does and provides a valuable resource for your potential  customers.

Value Quality over  Quantity

It’s understandable that businesses, like everyday people, can get caught up in the addictive practice of chasing “likes.” And don’t misunderstand us; it’s great if your company is able to garner likes, retweets, shares, follows, etc. But remember that likes don’t drive business. Sales do. Your company expanded into social media to gain new customers, and generate new business. So while it may be tempting to measure your social media efforts based on popularity alone, it’s better practice to determine how many sales each post and ad is creating. That way, you’ll know if you’re reaching your demographic, and that people are responding to your message –– with money –– in addition to  clicks.

EB1  Requirements

Because the terms “extraordinary”, “outstanding” and even “manager” are somewhat open to interpretation (i.e. what one organization considers a manager another may not), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has provided some guidelines to assist petitioners. These are outlined  below.

• Extraordinary Ability: petitioners must be able to demonstrate their superior abilities in business, education, the sciences, arts or athletics, and must have received sustained (i.e. not occasional or one-time) acclaim at either a national or international level. All achievements, such as awards, commendations, honors, medals, patents, trademarks and so on, must be verified through extensive documentation.

• Outstanding Professor or Researcher: petitioners must have at least three years of verified experience as a professor, researcher or teacher in their academic area of expertise (i.e. they cannot have training in one academic field, but teaching experience in another). Furthermore, petitioners must be entering the U.S. to pursue tenure (or a tenure track) research position at an accredited university, college, or other institution of higher learning.

• Multinational Manager or Executive: in the preceding 3 years prior to submitting their application, petitioners must have worked outside of the U.S. for at least 1 year with the multinational firm in question. Furthermore, their employment must have been in a managerial or executive capacity with the same employer, an affiliate, or a subsidiary.  

Application  Process

All petitioners, regardless of EB1 sub-category —- extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and researchers, or multinational manager or executive — must submit Form I-140 to USCIS. However, petitioners seeking a visa under the latter two sub-categories (outstanding professors and researchers, or multinational manager or executive) must have their employer submit the file. They cannot submit it directly on their own  behalf.

Working with an  Attorney

Petitioning for an EB1 visa (in any sub-category) is a highly complex process with multiple steps, phases and deadlines. Plus, as noted above, the paperwork obligation is extensive, and improperly submitted or incomplete documents will either result in major delays, or in some cases, petitions being outright rejected. Working with an experienced EB1 attorney is an absolute must, regardless of whether employer involvement is  required.

However, social media has not just become a legitimate part of the business communication ecosystem, but for many businesses it is their leading channel to connect with customers and communities. And we aren’t just talking B2C e-tailers. Big, established and series enterprises — like insurance company, health care networks, and even funeral homes and exorcists (yes, exorcists) have a significant social media  footprint.

Yet despite the prevalence and popularity of social media, a surprising number of businesses aren’t hitting on all cylinders. Yes, they typically have a Facebook, Twitter and maybe one or two other accounts (e.g. LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, etc.). And they might have a dedicated social media coordinator or team; or farm this function out to a third party. All of these are important pieces of the puzzle. But as mentioned, it’s typically not enough because of gaps in one, some or all of the following three  areas:

• Social Media Governance

Social media governance doesn’t simply mean “keeping an eye” on various accounts. It’s a comprehensive, multi-phase process that includes conducting a social media audit to capture an inventory of all social media account — and not just those that are readily known. It also involves assigning ownership to each account, validating the security of various SaaS content management tools, and integrating the approach with the overall corporate risk management  plan.

• Generating Social Signals

While Google hasn’t come out an officially say that it factors social signals (e.g. likes, upvotes, +1’s and so on) in its search engine ranking algorithm, it’s widely believed in the online marketing community to play a role. Most businesses, however, aren’t even paying attention to this element — primarily because they aren’t generating content that is compelling, relevant or original enough to generate the kinds of positive social signals they want. Fixing this doesn’t require a PhD in Social Mediaology: push out great content, and the positive social signals will  follow.

• Consistent Brand Voice

Last but certainly not least, while some businesses are doing a solid job of populating all of their social media accounts with fresh content, many of them are spread so thin resource-wise that each space has a different brand voice. This isn’t to say that the messaging should be generic or copy-and-paste. The tone and approach for LinkedIn doesn’t necessarily work for YouTube. But this isn’t about delivery, it’s about strategy — specifically, that many businesses aren’t paying attention to the fact that they’re saying categorically different things, in different ways, on different social media accounts. This cacophony and lack of consistency isn’t good (to put it mildly) for brand  building.

The Bottom Line

Despite its ease-of-use, social media isn’t and has never been a set-it-and-forget it or turnkey operation. Like anything else, it’s an asset that has to be developed, managed and optimized. Ensuring that the above three areas are strengths instead of vulnerabilities will help your business get the most out its social media investment — and generate bottom-line rewards now and into the  future.

With this in mind, let’s focus on a common term in the lending marketplace that, despite its prevalence, is still widely misunderstood by some borrowers — largely because it is not well explained (sometimes accidentally, other times deliberately) by some lenders: secured business  loans.

What Are Secured Business Loans?

The simplest way to grasp secured business loans is to swap out the word “secured” and replace it with the term “collateral-backed” — because all such loans require collateral, which are business and/or personal assets. In return for securing a loan with collateral, lenders offer borrowers reduced interest rates compared to unsecured business  loans.

Note that some financial institutions, like banks, don’t offer unsecured business loans. However, many firms in the alternative lending marketplace offer a mix of secured and unsecured business loans, along with other products like inventory financing (where inventory is used as collateral), invoice financing (where accounts receivables are used as collateral — also called factoring), and business lines of credit (which are usually  unsecured).

What Kinds of Businesses Seek Secured Business Loans

There’s no specific type or size of business for which secured business loans are designed. They’re useful for small businesses, MMOs and large enterprises. The key, however, is ensuring that a borrower has sufficient collateral — such as mutual funds, vehicles, equipment, land, buildings, inventory, invoices, and so  on.

More About Collateral Valuation

Collateral valuation takes place before a secured loan is approved, and in most cases, the borrower must may pay valuation costs up front (i.e. the fee cannot be added to the overall loan and paid back over time). However, the amount is usually  reasonable.  

In addition, the collateral valuation process can take time. Firms in the alternative lending marketplace tend to be quicker about this than banks, which can take several months to assign values to assets. Because of this time factor, some businesses that would otherwise qualify for a secured business loan opt instead for an unsecured business loan. The interest rate is higher, but they could have access to anywhere from $10,000 to over $1 million in a matter of days vs. months. If there’s a golden time-limited opportunity or an urgent expense to cover, it might make financial sense in the bigger  picture.

The Bottom Line

The best thing you can do to make a smart and safe borrowing decision is ask as many questions as you want — there are no bad questions! — and ensure that you’re very comfortable with a prospective lender. If you feel any pressure or detect that your questions are merely being re-packaged and fed back to you, then walk away. If you aren’t treated properly and professionally before you get the loan, then things won’t get better for afterwards. They’ll get  worse.

The good news, however, is that there are credible and established firms that provide secured business loans, and they’re easy to find by reading testimonials and checking to see that they’re accredited with the BBB and have an A+  rating.

If you’re at the helm of a brick-and-mortar retail store, then obviously your goal isn’t merely to survive — it’s to thrive. With this in mind, here are three ways to delight your customers and keep them coming back year after  year:

1. Turn Traditional Sales Staff into Consultants

Today’s customers expect and want a personalized, engaging shopping experience vs. one that is purely transactional. Yet despite this, many brick-and-mortal retail operations are, essentially, big vending machines. That is, they expect customers to do most (or sometimes all) of the work finding and comparing products, and then figuring out how to use them to get full value and  benefits.

Turning traditional sales staff into consultants turns this around, and closes the gap with customers in a way that websites simply cannot match. In addition to creating a memorably positive sales experience, this approach also boosts customer loyalty, and average customer value (i.e. customers buy  more).

2. Launch Loyalty Programs

All brick-and-mortar retail stores — regardless of the sector or marketplace — should borrow a strategy from the credit card company playbook and offer a strong, customer-focused loyalty program. This is proven way to help retailers remain top-of-mind, and it’s also an excellent touchpoint for staff to engage customers (and activate the strategy discussed  above).

3. Shorten or Avoid Line-Ups

Even customers who prefer to shop in retail stores vs. online — and there are a surprising and growing number of these folks — get frustrated at the idea of lingering in a long line-up. A great way to shorten or avoid lines is to use mobile point-of-sale technology, such as the pharmacy pos solution created by Retail Management Solutions (visit rm-solutions.com for more details). With this technology, staff can quickly a credit/debit card cash register anywhere in the retail environment. If they offer curb-side delivery, they can even take payments  outside.

The Bottom Line

While the brick-and-mortar retail world is changing and more disruption is on the way, it’s certainly not disappearing from the face of the business landscape. Business owners and other decision-makers who use smart strategies and advanced technology can look forward to not just surviving, but  thriving!

Here are five proven and practical tips to help you find the people you need to maximize your growth and profit potential, and stay at least one step ahead of your  competitors:

• Tap Your Existing Workforce for Referrals

Just as how you strive to turn your customers into brand ambassadors who point prospects to your door (or virtual door), tap your existing workforce to spread the word about an opportunity. You can even offer incentives that range from gift cards, to getting a shout-out in the company newsletter or Facebook  page.

• Have a Dedicated Careers Page on Your Website

A dedicated careers page on your website is a great (and free!) opportunity for you to advertise openings and, just as importantly, highlight what your organization is a great place to work. Just a few compelling paragraphs and some nice photos is all that you need. St. Louis-based Materialogic does this extremely well, and you can check it out at http://www.materialogic.com (you’ll find the tab to the careers page from the contact us drop-down  menu).

• Ditch the Traditional Interview

Conventional interview questions like “tell me about your greatest strengths and weaknesses” aren’t just boring, but they’re hardly illuminating — especially since all good candidates will have a prepared answer. Instead of taking this route, have a conversation with candidates and ask behavioral-based questions (e.g. “tell me about a situation involving an angry client, what you did, and what you learned from the  experience.”).

• Be Responsive and Respectful

Last but not least, as busy as things get in your environment, ensure that you’re responsive and respectful to all candidates, and that you tell them what the hiring process looks, and what your hiring timeline looks like. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that the coveted candidate you want will head to a competitor by the time you’re ready to  hire.

The Bottom Line

Finding the right people to take your business to the next level isn’t easy — but that doesn’t mean it should be risky and daunting. Keep the above tips in mind to augment your current recruiting processes and practices, and create a high-powered and engaged workforce that is a force to be reckoned  with!

1. Clearly Mark Boundaries

If possible, use physical barriers to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing warehouse areas. Also ensure that you put up ample warehouse signs that clearly mark restricted areas, and warn employees about unauthorized entry.

2. Use Surveillance

Your warehouse surveillance should include motion sensor lights and closed circuit video. If it is financially feasible, hire a security guard for nights and weekends. The mere existence of a security guard is often enough to dissuade burglars, including employees (employee theft is responsible for a whopping $60 billion in losses each year).  

3. Track Access

Require that all visitors (e.g. suppliers, vendors, trades, officials, etc.) sign-in before being granted access to your warehouse. In addition to their name, they should disclose their company, time of visit, date of visit, and purpose of visit. Of course, you should also verify that they actually need to enter the warehouse in the first place, or if the employee they wish to meet with can be called to the main office, etc.

4. Keep Things Clean

A surprising number of warehouse injuries are the result of mess, clutter and disorganization — such as materials and tools that are not properly stored after use, overflowing garbage bins that spill liquid on the floor, and so on. Inspect and clean your warehouse on a daily basis, and make tidiness part of everyone’s job — not just because it creates a neat and tidy work environment, but even more importantly, because it helps prevent accidents and injuries.

5. Provide Ongoing Staff Training

Whether they operate machinery, lift boxes or check orders, all warehouse staff — regardless of role or job description — should receive appropriate, ongoing health and safety training. And remember, the advantages of a safe warehouse go beyond protecting workers. As noted by Reliableplant.com: “when a safe environment is maintained, many benefits can be realized, such as increased worker loyalty, reduced costs, improved quality, etc.”

The Bottom Line

A safe and secure warehouse is not a “set it and forget it” thing. It is a resource-based commitment that businesses must make in order to protect their people and safeguard their assets. The tips noted above can help you achieve both of these critical goals.

According to Votacall, the reasons that a growing number of businesses of all sizes —especially small and mid-sized firms — are switching from a conventional phone system to a hosted VoIP phone system include:  

1. Low CapEX

With a hosted VoIP system, there is no hardware or software to purchase. The only up-front costs are (in some cases) server upgrades to increase broadband speed or capacity, managed routers, and IP phones.

2. Ongoing Cost Savings

There are no long distance or maintenance costs with a hosted VoIP phone system. And while the former may not represent a substantial cost savings for some businesses (i.e. those that serve a local area or have a good long distance plan from their phone carrier), the maintenance savings can be quite significant.

3. Fast Implementation

A hosted VoIP system implements quickly and with little or no disruption (i.e. if the implementation takes place on a weekend, holiday or after hours).

4. Mobility & Scalability

A hosted business VoIP phone system is fundamentally designed for mobility and scalability. End users can access the system from any internet-enabled compute or from a smartphone app, and calls can be routed to any phone (including a home office landline). Adding new numbers or extensions is also simple and cost-effective, and can be done in a matter of minutes through a web-based dashboard.

5. Disaster Recovery

During a power outage caused by anything from a natural disaster to a toppled pole, a hosted VoIP phone system stays online because it uses a geographically dispersed cloud infrastructure. Calls can also be temporarily routed to an unaffected area or call center.

6. Advanced Calling Features

A hosted VoIP phone system offers end users a range of advanced unified calling (UC) features, including voicemail to text, video conferencing, direct-in-dial, one-number service, desktop sharing, instant messaging, 3-way calling, calendaring, auto-attendant, music on hold, hunt groups, ring groups, and the list goes on. These are not add-ons, but are included in the system.

7. Expert Technical Support

Last but certainly not least: both end users and overworked IT staff appreciate that all technical support for a hosted VoIP phone system is handled by third party experts. This scope includes 24/7 security monitoring and all ongoing upgrades, patches and fixes.

The Bottom Line

On today’s hyper-competitive landscape, doing more with less is essential for short-term success and long-term growth. Given the benefits highlighted above, it’s easy to understand why a growing number of businesses aren’t asking “should we switch to a hosted VoIP phone system?” but rather: “how we can we stay competitive and profitable if we don’t switch sooner rather than later?”

Before highlighting some of the common signs and symptoms that might mean orthotics are in your future, it may be helpful to take a moment and focus on footwear. While it’s true that shoe comfort, design and quality has come a long way in the last few decades – take for example some athletics shoes that seem to be engineered by NASA scientists – the fact remains that human beings are not fundamentally built to wear shoes.

Of course, this does not mean we should all go around barefoot, since there are many benefits of slipping on or lacing up a pair of shoes or boots. And in some environments (warehouses, etc.), special shoes are a must for health and safety. However, it does mean that it’s unrealistic to expect that a pair of shoes or boots – regardless of how advanced or state-of-the-art they might be – are going to be enough to prevent foot pain or damage over a lifetime. Remember that your feet – those neglected helpers at the end of your body that you don’t notice until they start aching or itching – withstand an enormous amount of pressure every single day.  

What’s more, lack of support and structural misalignment in the feet can, and often does, trigger pain and health problems in other parts of the body, most notably the knee, hip and back. Indeed, while we tend to view the body as a set of different parts and pieces, it is essentially a holistic system, and weaknesses or vulnerabilities in one area will invariably create problems and pain in another.  

With the above in mind, let’s look at three signs that could mean you need to pick up a pair of orthotics, or perhaps make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor so that she or he can take a closer look at what’s really going on down there, step after painful or burning step:

1. Your shoes wear out more on one side vs. the other, or on one foot more than the other. This is often a sign that one of your legs is longer than the other.  

2. One or both of your feet pronate (your foot rolls in) or supinate (your foot rolls out). Take a footprint with your wet feet by standing on a paper towel. If you see a C-curve, your arch is probably supinating. If you don’t see a C-curve, then your arch is probably pronating.

3. You experience lingering foot pain (e.g. arch, heel, toes, etc.) that doesn’t go away within minutes after removing shoes or boots.

Next Steps

Yes, occasional foot pain is a part of life. But chronic, acute or lingering pain isn’t healthy or necessary. Make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor to learn more. You’ll be glad you did – and so will your tired, overworked and under-appreciated feet!

Fortunately — and some business executives and managers might add mercifully — there are some proven and practical ways to keep an office redesign on budget. Here are three best practices to keep in mind:

1. Start with a robust, comprehensive plan.

The number one root cause of excessively and unexpectedly costly office redesign projects is the lack of a robust, comprehensive plan. This cannot just be a timeline with some numbers. The plan must also include the full project scope, budget constraints, contingencies, risks, mechanical and building assessments, a focus on future growth feasibility, and so on. Naturally, much of this input must come from executives and other key staff members. 

2. Use value engineering.

Value engineering has been used for many years in the design build industry, but there are still many interior solutions firms that do not use it (because they do not know how to use it) for office redesign projects. This is not just a missed opportunity to measurably reduce costs by finding alternative sources for materials and supplies, but it enables key stakeholders to have more input in the overall budget before the project starts — which leads to greater cost control, and fewer unwelcome financial surprises.

3. Strategically select furniture and FFE.

One of the biggest cost categories in an office design is furniture and FFE. Indeed, a single workstation can cost well over $1,000, and an ergonomic office chair will cost several hundred. It is vital to identify what is needed — and price it accordingly — in order for the budget to be realistic in the first place. Otherwise, the budget will have to be re-baselined when the furniture and FFE bills start coming in, or undesirable concessions and compromises will need to be made (i.e. getting cheap, inferior furniture that isn’t going to last or may not be suitable for employees, etc). Neither of these can be considered strategic options. They are better described as conducting damage control.

The Final Word

A successful office design doesn’t just increase business image, customer experience and employee engagement — it should also boost the bottom-line and achieve ROI. The above best practices will help ensure that an office redesign is a profitable investment — not a regrettable expense.