Verizon Small Biz Blog

The Weekly Roundup features some interesting articles that caught our attention this week.  We bring them to you in this short summary. 

Guest post from Verizon Author Series with featured author Gene Marks, who wrote five best-selling books for small business owners and managers. His latest book is called In God We Trust, Everyone Else Pays Cash – Simple Lessons from Smart Business Owners.

My friend John’s a drywall contractor.  He keeps his costs down by outsourcing.    

John keeps his employee count low.  And he outsources as many functions as he can.  A few years ago, this didn’t seem to be fashionable.  But times change.  And in these tough economic times, where cutting costs is in favor and employee related expenses are on the rise, outsourcing seems to be back in vogue.  Most smart business people, like John, use outside contractors to do as much as possible.

And why not?  Just about everything in John’s life can be outsourced.  His bookkeeping.  Payroll.  Computer support.  Filing.  Fixing toilets.  Everything.

Guest post from Verizon Author Series with featured author Gene Marks, who wrote five best-selling books for small business owners and managers. His latest book is called In God We Trust, Everyone Else Pays Cash – Simple Lessons from Smart Business Owners.

Want to track a few cool metrics outside of your business?  Try these...

_­­­­­Season’s Greetings!  We wrap up the Verizon Author Series with featured author Gene Marks, who wrote five best-selling books for small business owners and managers. His latest book is called In God We Trust, Everyone Else Pays Cash – Simple Lessons from Smart Business Owners.

Gene writes weekly on political, economic and cultural events that affect the business community for the New York Times, Forbes, The Huffington Post and American City Business Journals.

To get insights directly from Gene this month, be sure to check back as he will share a couple of guest blog posts... chat with us live on Twitter and host a live (free) webinar presented by the Verizon Small Business Center.  To learn more continue reading. 

The Weekly Roundup features some interesting articles that caught our attention this week.  We bring them to you in this short summary. 

Happy reading!

Guest post from Tanya Brockett this month’s featured author from the Verizon Author Series. Tanya is a former adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship and Book Publishing at the University of Virginia; 15-year advocate of and consultant to entrepreneurs; and author of The Loan Solution.

When a small business falls into financial trouble nowadays, what does it do? Loral Langemeier, author of the national bestseller The Millionaire Maker, says we think small and retract. Additionally, because the credit markets have been so adept at increasing our reliance on them, we look to who we can borrow from to get out of the hole. Do you see the flaw?  We don’t say, “How can I create more cash to change things?” We ask instead, “where can I borrow from to turn things around?”

We need to shift our money consciousness to start thinking creation rather than just borrowing or trading.

Continue reading for more information of course, I’ll review these and offer more insights during my webinar tomorrow, November 16 at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to sign up for this live free webinar or go http://bit.ly/rU6ATO.

The Verizon Author Series was designed to bring experts to offer insights and advice to small businesses.  All this month we gave away featured author, Tanya Brockett’s book The Loan Solution.  We will give away more of Tanya’s book the rest of this month and during her live webinar and live Twitter chat.

Tomorrow Wednesday, November 16, at 2 p.m. ET Tanya will host a live (free) webinar presented by the Verizon Small Business Center and then be available for a whole hour on Twitter on Thursday, November 17 at 12 p.m. ET to answer questions and offer more tips and insights.

Guest post from Tanya Brockett this month’s featured author from the Verizon Authors Series. Tanya is an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship and Book Publishing at the University of Virginia; 15-year advocate of and consultant to entrepreneurs; and author of The Loan Solution.

Oftentimes we choose to avoid the evaluation of our spending because we are afraid of what we will find. If we examine our spending habits, we may see that we spend way too much on, say, office supplies than we need to. We overspend on every new gadget that comes along without looking at the return on that investment. We spend mindlessly on marketing...just because. We couldn't quantify the results of the advertising campaign if we wanted to. And, in reality, we didn't even have a campaign, it was just a series of spending actions that led to...well...we don't know because we didn't measure our results.

It’s November and we’re excited to introduce another expert in the Verizon Author Series: Tanya Brockett adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship and Book Publishing at the University of Virginia; 15-year advocate of and consultant to entrepreneurs; and author of The Loan Solution.

The best part of the Verizon Authors Series is that we’ll be giving away Tanya’s book The Loan Solution all this month.  Join us for a live (free) webinar presented by the Verizon Small Business Center which will feature Tanya as a guest presenter on Wednesday, November 16 at 2 p.m. ET.  This will be a great opportunity to ask Tanya your questions.  Register now (http://bit.ly/rU6ATO) .

Also get your chance to get real-time tips and advice directly from Tanya during the live Twitter chat we’ll have with Tanya on Thursday, November 17 at 12 p.m. ET.  Just follow us @VZSmallBiz (www.twitter.com/VzSmallBiz) or search for #bizbooks.  Continue reading to find out how you can get a free copy of Tanya’s book.

The Weekly Roundup features some interesting articles that caught our attention this week.  We bring them to you in this short summary.

Happy reading!

Guest post from John Jantsch this month’s featured author from the Verizon Author Series. John is a marketing consultant and author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine.

Businesses run on referrals. Just ask any business owner or salesperson what the number one source of new business is and you’re likely to hear some variation on the theme of referrals.

But, ask that same business owner, marketer or salesperson what they do to consistently generate referrals and you won’t hear much...

Continue reading to find out how to get a free signed copy of John's book: The Referral Engine.

It’s October and we’re excited to introduce another expert in the Verizon Authors Series: John Jantsch a marketing consultant, award winning social media publisher and author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine.

The best part of the Verizon Authors Series is that we’ll be giving away John’s book The Referral Engine all this month.  You’ll want to read this book because John will share insights he gained from interviewing small businesses and how they got their customers to refer them business. Word of mouth is key for growth especially for small businesses.  You can make your business more referable and John has a systematic approach (watch his video à http://referralenginebook.com/john-jantsch/).  

The Weekly Roundup features some interesting articles that caught our attention this week.  We bring them to you in this short summary.

Happy reading!

Guest blog post from Frank Swiatek, co-author of “Managers, Can You Hear Me Now?” – Hard-Hitting Lessons on How to Get Real Results. Frank is this month’s featured author in the Verizon Author Series.

My marketing approach is to examine your marketing assets that are either underutilized or are underperforming.  They cost you money.  Many of these assets are right before your very eyes, but you may not see them because you are working in your business (performing tasks, operations, etc.) and not working on your business (determining marketing direction).

To find your business’ hidden marketing assets you need to conduct an opportunity analysis audit.

Guest blog post from Frank Swiatek, co-author of “Managers, Can You Hear Me Now?” – Hard-Hitting Lessons on How to Get Real Results. Frank is this month’s featured author in the Verizon Author Series.

Whenever I talk with small business owners about their sales, I often hear the phrase, “I’ve got to get my name out there!”  They believe that future sales depend on outside marketing tools that they are not currently using, like advertising.

In fact, they have assets within their own businesses which can become a rich source of new business!  When we think of business assets we normally think of cash on hand, buildings, inventory, and accounts receivable.  There is another kind of business asset, called “Hidden Marketing Assets,” that are often underperforming or being underutilized.  If these assets can be optimized, exponential sales growth can happen very quickly…and without spending more money on advertising.

I will host a live (FREE) webinar entitled, “How to Use Your Hidden Marketing Assets to Grow Sales, customers, and Profitability,” click here or go to http://www.brighttalk.com/channel/6255.

This month’s featured author from the Verizon Authors Series is Frank Swiatek who co-authored a book with Denny Strigl, the former president and CEO of Verizon Wireless called “Managers, Can You Hear Me Now? Hard-Hitting Lesson on How to Get Real Results.”

This Wednesday (September 21 at 2 p.m. ET) Frank will be the guest presenter in the live webinar presented by the Verizon Small Business Center.  Frank will give insights into how businesses can find marketing assets to increase sales, customers and profitability.

The Weekly Roundup features some interesting articles that caught our attention this week.  We bring them to you in this short summary.

Happy reading!

Last week’s Weekly Roundup blog post mentioned the importance of social media in growing your small business. This week, we expand on that blog entry by providing a few of our favorite resources for keeping up with the latest social media trends. Please keep in mind that even though some of these sites focus on more of the social in social media, there are very relevant takeaways to incorporate into your social media strategy.

Guest post from Susan Wilson Solovic, who wrote “It’s Your Biz – The Complete Guide to Becoming Your Own Boss.” Susan is an award-winning entrepreneur, a journalist, bestselling author, multi-media personality, and attorney.  She is also the CEO of SBTV.com, offering news, tips, and helpful insights to small businesses.

An earthquake and a hurricane in New York City -- in the same week!  It seems every time I turn on the news, there is a natural disaster being reported somewhere across the country or around the world. The scenes of suffering and devastation can be heart-breaking and makes us think, “What if that happened to me?” It sure makes you realize how vulnerable we all are. Disaster can strike anytime, anywhere, demolishing our homes, ruining our businesses, and stealing friends and family members. Yet, very few of us take the necessary steps to be prepared for when a disaster hits.

Particularly, small businesses.

Please join me in welcoming this week’s featured author Susan Solovic, who wrote “It’s Your Biz – The Complete Guide to Becoming Your Own Boss.”  Susan is an award-winning entrepreneur, a journalist, bestselling author, multi-media personality, and attorney.  She is also the CEO of SBTV.com, offering news, tips, and helpful insights to businesses.

This Thursday, September 1, at 12 p.m. ET, Susan will be available for a full hour on Twitter (#bizbooks) to answer questions about her business, offering insights from her experience and giving tips to help small businesses.

To follow along the LIVE Twitter conversation this Thursday search (http://search.twitter.com) for #bizbooks or follow @VzSmallBiz (www.twitter.com/VZSmallBiz).

The core of social media isn’t much more than just talking to people and small businesses need to make time for it if they want to compete in the digital age. Read this article from smallbiztrends.com for more reasons (500+ million users on Facebook, 200+ million users on Twitter, etc.) and tips to incorporate social media into your business.

Guest post from this week’s featured author Steven Sisler, who wrote “There’s More to Management Than a Big Desk.”  Steve is CEO of The Behavioral Resource Group Inc., a motivational speaker, teacher, coach and an Agent of Change.

After twenty-five years of working with people and over six years working directly with managers, leaders, HR directors within the corporate world, I have concluded that there is much more to management than the big desk they sit behind.

In business it’s all about relationships – no matter the size of your business, the quantity and the quality of the interactions matter. 

Continue reading for more information… tips, a free copy of Steve’s book and get your chance to “speak” with him live.

Please join me in welcoming this week’s featured author Steven Sisler, who wrote “There’s More to Management Than a Big Desk.”  Steve is CEO of The Behavioral Resource Group Inc., a motivational speaker, teacher, coach and an Agent of Change.

This week Steve will share insights on how businesses can create the best employees for their business by utilizing his 5-pillar process called; “The Maven Way.” His guest post will be uploaded shortly.

Guest post from this week’s featured author Wendy Stevens, who wrote “Local Guerrilla Marketing” with Jay Conrad Levinson.  A powerful, dynamic speaker, and popular trainer, as well as a championship coach and mentor, follow Wendy @WendyStevens.

In the local online search game you cannot afford to be left behind, trailing your competition.  To get out in front of your potential and ideal customers and/or clients in the local search engine game begins foundationally, first and foremost with a “local search engine” profile of your business. 

Please join me in welcoming this week’s featured author Wendy Stevens, who wrote “Local Guerrilla Marketing” with Jay Conrad Levinson.  Wendy is a powerful, dynamic speaker, and popular trainer, as well as a championship coach and mentor.

This Thursday, August 18, at 7 p.m. ET, Wendy will be available for a full hour on Twitter (#bizbooks) to answer questions how to market your business better online and target your marketing efforts. 

Guest post from Melinda F. Emerson who wrote the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months; A Month-By-Month Guide to a Business That Works. Melinda is known to many as the “Small Biz Lady,” one of the country’s leading small business experts. 

One of the top reasons why small businesses fail is because they try to sell to anyone that they think has money.  Now hear this:  If everybody can use your product or service, no one will.

That is why it’s important to have a niche – narrow in on your potential customers.  A niche has a particular market or specialty area where a company finds it profitable to concentrate its efforts. Niche marketing also offers an area of limited competition.

Why Niche?  Continue reading to learn how you can get a free copy of my book brought to you by the Verizon small business team.

By popular demand, the Verizon Author Series introduces four more authors in August.  Authors' books will be given away on our blog; on Twitter (www.twitter.com/VZSmallBiz); or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/VerizonSmallBiz).  Each author will be available LIVE on Twitter so get your questions ready!

It’s July and we’re excited to introduce another expert in the Verizon Authors Series: Jennifer Prosek who wrote Army of Entrepreneurs: Create an Engaged and Empowered Workforce for Exceptional Business Growth.

To win your copy of Army of Entrepreneurs, be one of the first 10 people to send an email to vzsmallbiz@verizon.net telling us you’d like a signed copy of Jen’s book.  Of course, in the email, do share with us how you are motivating your employees to be more entrepreneurial. 

The Verizon Author Series was designed to bring experts to small businesses.  This month’s featured author is Phil Simon a technology consultant, author, speaker, and small business owner.  He just published his third business book “The New Small.” 

This Wednesday, June 22^nd, at 2 p.m. ET Phil will host a live (free) webinar presented by the Verizon Small Business Center and then be available for a whole hour on Twitter on Thursday, June 23^rd at 12 p.m. ET to answer questions and offer advice.

I urge all businesses to seize these two opportunities to get insights from Phil Simon directly. Consider these as free consultations with a business expert; so, why not participate? 

Guest blog post by author Alan Gregerman who wrote Surrounded by Geniuses, he has been helping companies and organizations unlock the genius that exists in all of their employees.

If you're like most businesses you realize that providing excellent customer service is essential to your success.  While you might win customers based on the quality, reliability, and price of your products, services, or solutions, you're likely to keep them by delivering the best customer experience in your marketplace.  

And that's what this Wednesday’s webinar is all about.  I will begin the webinar by looking at a couple of companies that have two different and very successful customer service models to give you a sense of how you can create your own winning customer experience.  

So please join me on this free live webinar tomorrow Wednesday April 27th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time for "Customer Service -- Winning in Your Market by Creating the Most Compelling Customer Experience."