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Helping your employees make the most of email
Once a revolutionary breakthrough in communications technology, email is now an afterthought for many people. But that can cause problems for businesses: Servers get filled up, messages get lost, and employees’ productivity isn’t quite what it could be. Although doing so may seem superfluous or antiquated, providing employees with some retraining or upskilling on proper…
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The fundamentals of a solid salesperson
As the year winds down, business owners have many calendar months to look back on to determine how successfully their products or services have sold. While reviewing the numbers, think about your people, too. To achieve success in 2022, you’ll need a strong sales team in place. However, it’s a difficult time to hire skilled…
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4 red flags of an unreliable budget
Every business should prepare an annual budget. Creating a comprehensive, realistic spending plan allows you to identify potential shortages of cash, possible constraints on your capacity to fulfill strategic objectives, and other threats. Whether you’ve already put together a 2022 budget or still need to get on that before year end, here are four red…
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IRS announces adjustments to key retirement plan limits
In Notice 2021-61, the IRS recently announced 2022 cost-of-living adjustments to dollar limits and thresholds for qualified retirement plans. Here are some highlights: Elective deferrals. The annual limit on elective deferrals (employee contributions) will increase from $19,500 to $20,500 for 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans, as well as for Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pensions (SARSEPs).…
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Use change management to brighten your company’s future
Businesses have had to grapple with unprecedented changes over the last couple years. Think of all the steps you’ve had to take to safeguard your employees from COVID-19, comply with government mandates and adjust to the economic impact of the pandemic. Now look ahead to the future — what further changes lie in store in…
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Competitive intelligence can give your marketing campaigns an edge
It’s understandable and indeed critical to focus a marketing campaign on the strengths and distinctive benefits of the products or services in question. However, something that’s easy to overlook is how your business and its offerings differ from — and are preferable to — the competition. Making this distinction isn’t as simple as, “Well, we’re…
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4 red flags of an unreliable budget
Every business should prepare an annual budget. Creating a comprehensive, realistic spending plan allows you to identify potential shortages of cash, possible constraints on your capacity to fulfill strategic objectives, and other threats. Whether you’ve already put together a 2022 budget or still need to get on that before year end, here are four red…
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5 questions to ask about your marketing efforts
For many small to midsize businesses, spending money on marketing calls for a leap of faith that the benefits will outweigh the costs. Much of the planning process tends to focus on the initial expenses incurred rather than how to measure return on investment. Here are five questions to ask yourself and your leadership team…
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4 ways to refine your cash flow forecasting
Run a business for any length of time and the importance of cash flow becomes abundantly clear. When payroll is due, bills are piling up and funds aren’t available, blood pressure tends to rise. For this reason, being able to accurately forecast cash flow is critical. Here are four ways to refine your approach: 1.…
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Remind your sales team about the power of storytelling
Everyone loves a story. It’s why movies are still big business and many of us spend hours on the couch binge-watching our favorite television shows. What’s important to keep in mind — and to remind your sales team — is that effective storytelling can also drive sales. This doesn’t mean devising fanciful, fictional tales to…
