Business

When Salt Lake City-based Alsco works with a new client to implement a uniform rental program, one of the things they try to do is put themselves in the shoes of the general public. How will the client’s customers view the new uniforms? More importantly, what will they actually see?

It is easy to focus on things like color schemes and company logos when designing new uniforms. It’s easy to focus so much on branding that subtle messaging is overlooked. Unfortunately, uniforms can send messages that are completely unintended but nevertheless damaging. To illustrate the point, let us look at two recent news stories. Both are extreme examples chosen because they reveal just how wrong things can go when people are not paying attention.

German Prisoner Uniforms

The first story comes out of Spain and a fashion house known as Loewe. The company recently released a brand-new outfit for its commercial product line featuring a pair of slacks and accompanying jacket. The style and cut would have been fine had the company chosen a different color scheme. Unfortunately, they chose white with black stripes – and a black pocket on the left breast.

Astute observers quickly realized the outfit closely resembled German prisoner uniforms worn during World War II. They let the company know in no uncertain terms that the outfit was wildly inappropriate. To their credit, Loewe apologized and pulled it from the commercial line.

The company assured its customer base that they had no intention of upsetting people or evoking memories of one of the most devastating events in modern history. Unfortunately, Loewe has done this before. They released a striped T-shirt with a gold star in 2014. That T-shirt evoked images of concentration camp uniforms bearing yellow stars of David.

Retro Military Uniforms

Our second story comes out of Germany compliments of the German Defense Ministry. According to CNN, the Ministry created an Instagram post intended to highlight past uniform styles as examples of retro fashion. They sent members of their editorial team to a Dresden military history museum to gather information and pictures.

One of the pictures depicted a prop uniform from the 2008 film Valkyrie. It was a Nazi uniform, featuring three highly visible swastikas and other identifying marks. To its credit, the Defense Ministry realized the mistake quickly after the post was published. They took it down and sincerely apologized.

Not Thinking Things Through

We give the people involved in both stories the benefit of the doubt by assuming that their choices were made in ignorance. Either they were ignorant of history, they didn’t think things through, or a combination of both. At any rate, what they saw in the clothing was much different than what the general public saw.

While the two examples might be extreme, the principle remains the same. This is why Alsco takes so much time to think things through. Alsco thinks things through because they understand that the general public might see things a client is overlooking.

For example, think about hospital uniforms. Did you know that patients actually have more confidence in their doctors when they see them wearing white lab coats? It’s true. A peer-reviewed study conducted in 2015 and 2016 confirmed what some clinicians have known for decades.

As human beings, we all see things differently. No two people see the same image in exactly the same way. Knowing that, it is critically important to try to view company uniforms from the general public’s perspective. Attempting to see what they see reduces the risk of a uniform faux pas and the negative reaction it generates.

Businesses that are in need of trade show booths use these booths to get leads and sales at trade shows conventions. However, they need a booth that is going to attract the attention of prospective clients by being eye-catching and looking good. That is why trade show booth design done by companies like ExpoMarketing makes the difference especially in large trade shows that have a lot of companies with booths at them. ExpoMarketing has a large variety of trade show booth ideas that their clients booths stand out from the crowd. Their dynamic designs helps their clients get the attention and business of their prospective customers by making their brand experience one that their customers will never forget.

What sets ExpoMarketing apart from other marketing companies is that they share their brand story graphically and visually. They also take the time to understand their trade show and business marketing goals. After they understand exactly what their customers want, then their team of expert designers suggest ideas for the booth, materials, and graphic messaging that tells the story of their brand with passion and a purpose. From concept and layout to flooring, lighting, furniture, and graphics that will catch the eye of a business’ clients, their design team is experienced and creative and they transform the brand of every one of their clients into a display into one where that will attract the attention of people that attend trade shows. The trade show attendees will not be able to resist viewing their clients display over and over again and learn more about their company and what they do.

ExpoMarketing will help you attract foot traffic and connect to the people that visit your booth at trade shows by creating a display with colors that will catch their eye and graphics that present the brand style of their customers products with flair and personality. They also incorporate creative marketing slogans and even drawings, giveaways, and promotions to attract new customers if their clients want to use these ideas to attract the attention of potential customers.

Since it takes a long time to properly create a trade show booth because there is a long list of deadlines and obligations to meet, ExpoMarketing sticks with their clients for the long haul and long period of time which is usually a year before the trade show that they will be in takes place. By planning a unique and appealing booth, obtaining a prime booth space, and taking the time to look at the stylistic, organizational, and planning options available to them, they will have a trade show booth that will stand out on the trade show floor.

ExpoMarketing also helps their clients with maintaining social media business profiles. They can help them create countdown posts to their trade show display exhibition and create creative posts that can include a contest like their prospective or current customers taking a picture at their trade show booth and the winner gets a prize from them. Companies need to be friendly and a company that their customers can relate to as well on social media.

Not only does ExpoMarketing help their clients attract customers before the trade show and during it, they also have a blog with a lot of helpful information for their clients on it. Their blog is full of helpful resources, comprehensive guides, and budgeting tools. They also exceed the expectations of their clients by living out their company logo with every one of their clients: “Your Brand. Your Message. Your Booth. “

Cybersecurity is a hot topic right now and many businesses around the world are waking up to the fact that they must lock down their systems and ensure that they are not hacked. It is for this reason that my good friend and cybersecurity expert Bharat Bhise HNA has been doing a roaring trade with his security business, and especially the ethical hackers who work for him. Bharat saw this opportunity many years ago and since the hacks of Visa and Sony Playstation, his client list has been growing and growing. So what are ethical hackers, what do they do and why do businesses require their services? Let’s take a look.

What is an Ethical Hacker?

Simply put an ethical hacker is someone who knows their way around computer systems very well and knows exactly how to try and break in to them. They are hired by businesses to try and break into their systems. Think of an ethical hacker like a robber who you pay to see if they are able to get past your alarm system.

What do They Do?

Quite simply an ethical hacker will be hired once a company has put its new cybersecurity in place, or by a company who are designing the cybersecurity software. The hacker will then be tasked with posing as a criminal and trying to breach their system or systems. If an ethical hacker is able to get past the system then it the software must be changed, to ensure that no more holes in the software or network exist.

Why Do Businesses Need This Service?

The consequences that a cyberattack can have on a business are enormous and highly devastating. Should a business fall victim to a hack it could have huge amounts of data stolen which include personal information about customers and staff, business secrets and financial accounts. As if this wasn’t enough the secondary issues are that the reputation of a business is destroyed and nobody wants to trust them, not to mention the loss of money in fixing the issue and the impact of lost days on the business as the computer systems are offline.

Businesses will use the services of an ethical hacker to make sure that their security is water tight and to massively minimize the risk of a real hack. It is for this reason that ethical hackers must be very highly skilled as they need to offer the same abilities as those of a criminal hacker. It is far better for a business to realize that there are holes in their system before there is an attack, than discovering after all of their data has been stolen.

Ethical hackers come from a wide range of backgrounds and sometimes they are ex criminals who have decided to use their abilities to do some good, rather than for nefarious intentions. Thanks to these men and women, businesses can be sure that their security systems are up to scratch.

 

Since the boom of the internet and the consequential boom of internet millionaires, being an entrepreneur is a very fashionable career goal right now. Entrepreneurs have existed for a very long time, way before the internet, and people like the great Misha Kaura have been succeeding in this game for many years. The experience which Misha has is invaluable and so I asked if she may contribute to this post to give you some guidance on how you can create your own business and become the entrepreneur which you have always dreamed of.

Learning Business

The first step is to learn the key principles of what a business is and how it can operate with success. You can either do this by studying business at high school and college, or by working within a business and learning from those inside it. Key business principles such as financial management, building a team, knowing the market, spotting opportunities and managing growth are skills which you will be able to transfer to any business within any industry and they will form the foundation for everything which you do in the future.

Pick Your Passion

Don’t let your career aspirations overcome your passions when it comes to picking which business you wish to launch. If the selling of mobile phone accessories is an industry which is making a lot of money, but you don’t care about it, this is not going to be where you should aim your company. Pick something which you love, something which you care about and something which you know has a chance of doing well.

Learn to Lead

If you have no experience in leadership then you need to get some before you launch business, learning on the spot will not be very easy. Instead of trying to get a job which involves management you can look for network marketing companies to work for, where you will very quickly create and lead your own team. This can give invaluable experience which will help you later on.

Learning the Market

Prior to launching your business you have know your market inside out. You need to know exactly what the customers are buying and why, you need to know who the competition is, who has the market share and what impacts this market. The optimum time to learn this information is before launching a business, as once you start you simply won’t have time.

Taking the Risk

One of the bets qualities which successful entrepreneurs have is the ability to calculate risk and act upon it. Instead of waiting until everything is perfect, which it never is, go ahead and launch that business. Be realistic in your expectations and err on the side of caution. Don’t even think about making a lot of money in your first 2 years as these are the vital years for you, when you are learning about the job and how to succeed in business.

Be patient, be diligent and suck in as much information as you possibly can.

 

Sibanthracite Group is ranked first in the production and export of UHG anthracite throughout the world, and is the largest producer of metallurgical coal at the domestic level. Sibanthracite Group is one of the most dynamically developing coal companies in Russia. The coal production amounted to 6 million tonnes in 2014, and 24.1 million tonnes in 2018.

According to the June 2019 Coke & Anthracite Market Report, global anthracite trade has been on a relatively high level so far this year with a continued growth in demand from countries such as Brazil and South Africa. Russia is benefiting to the greatest degree from this increased demand. Year-over-year, Russia is supplying Japan with the highest percentage of its anthracite imports (19 percent). Russia’s anthracite exports are up 53 percent over last year, with 61 percent going to Europe and 117 percent to other Eurasia.

In the first quarter, Russia’s metallurgical coal exports were up 15 percent over the same period last year. 2.2m tonnes of these exports went to Ukraine with most of the remainder earmarked for Asia. Over the last decade, the growth in Russia’s metallurgical coal exports has averaged 6 percent annually, which is higher than that for Australia, Canada and the United States.

But there are challenges in the anthracite market, as prices are forecast to be marginally lower with declining coking coal and coke prices, the report stated.

 

Dmitry Bosov Sibanthracite Group is ranked first in the production and export of UHG anthracite throughout the world, and is the largest producer of metallurgical coal at the domestic level. Sibanthracite Group is one of the most dynamically developing coal companies in Russia. In 2018, it produced 24.1 million tonnes of coal and anthracite.”

 

The corporate world is getting more competitive every day. You need to be on your toes and be vigilant to stay relevant in the industry you work in. If you wish to stay ahead of your competition, you need to adopt novel and innovative solutions to shape your strategy and goals. Your competitors are making progress all the time as the industry dynamics demand this. You should move on to better and efficient processes as well. This article will exactly help you do that.

Before getting into the details, let us explain what lead generation is actually about. It is quite self-explanatory that lead generation is the process through which you entice your customers and convert them into potential and actual customers. In simpler terms, they are called leads which are basically potential customers and lead generation means grasping the interest of potential customers.

Technology is making phenomenal advances and achieving new milestones in every field we know of. Similarly, businesses are in pursuit of the effective and efficient ways to utilize technology for their interest in the best possible way. Many businesses use content as their marketing strategy. Some examples are blogs, video content, and eBooks. EBooks are a convenient product of technology. They are used by businesses to generate leads and expand the market.

Why You should choose eBooks

EBooks are only thought of as a source of entertainment or information for readers. They are available on digital platforms and a plethora of users prefer them over hardcopies because they are convenient and less expensive.

Businesses have incorporated their marketing interests inside eBooks which are widely read and are readily available. This convenience of availability and reading associated with eBooks has motivated business interests. Companies are now making their own eBooks for customers to read and learn about their organization. This gives them an insight about how the organization works. Also, sections regarding customer reviews and their feedbacks are added to augment credibility and so that customers can relate to their product or service more.

Credibility

These eBooks are also there to include customer reviews and their feedbacks towards the product, service or the overall organization. The reviews they write are compiled in the eBook and they paint a real picture for the potential customers who can relate to those thoughts and feelings.

This appeals to their emotions and builds credibility. When the audience relates to your product and see the feedback themselves, they are more inclined to make a purchase. Also, they trust your brand and develop a sentiment with what you offer, which is good for your brand and revenue. The evidences and experiences recorded in this may instigate the reader to make the decision of buying from you.

Convenience

As mentioned above, eBooks are convenient; both for you and your audience. For you, the cost is considerably low if you create them on a software like eBook cover creator. Another advantage is that you can email your clients the eBooks so that they can easily access it through the internet. The eBooks are sent to your target audience, so the will definitely read through your eBook.

For your potential customers, it is easy as well. If the eBook is available on your website, they can download a PDF version from there. Moreover, they can access this book anywhere they want to and they can even download it on their devices so they may read it when they are free. So, more outreach and ease for them. Another positive point for eBooks is that they are almost free to access and you do not have to go somewhere to purchase them. People love free thing, so it’s an advantage for your business.

Monitors Your Image

EBooks are a great way to monitor your image in the minds of your target audience. Here, you are in charge of what information is being made available to your customers. Unlike in print media or blogs, you have full authority to paint a positive and colorful picture of your brand for your customers to be enticed.

Here, you can add pictures to attract your audience and as many of them as you like because it is your own property. You can be creative and innovative in your content style as well. Hence, eBooks give you an edge of controlling what you reveal to your customers and you have the liberty to modify your content according to your desire and preference.

Helps Link to Social Media

Social media presence is a must for your business these days, as many people around the world are active on it several times a day. This is the best way to spread the word about your business, No matter which segment of the market you target, almost all of them will have one or another connection with social media.

You must have a social media page on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. This gives you an accessible online presence which is cherished by the customers. Also, you can provide links of your eBook on your social media pages, which will be easier for them to download. Social media can be used to redirect them towards your online presence, but through an eBook, which is a newer approach.

Therefore, keeping up with the ever changing marketing tactics and dynamics in such an uncertain and unstable economy is essential for the success of your business. Marketing through eBooks will definitely generate more leads for your business as it is convenient, reliable and cheaper source of information for customers about your organization. Moreover, the fact that you are in charge of what is written or shown on your book is more convincing for the customers as you would know which strengths to highlight of your company. However, you need to be true in the content. All information given in your eBook must be original.

 

With so many businesses fighting over the best candidates today, it can be hard to find a way to be certain your company will stand out. If you want to be sure of attracting the interest of a wide range of talented candidates, you will need to use a variety of tactics. Read on to see our top five ways to ensure your business attracts eager and passionate candidates.

Maintain an active social media presence

Over the last decade it has become increasingly important for businesses to have some level of presence online on social media. However, while having a page that can be liked and used to post promotions and news occasionally is all well and good – a way to make your presence feel more personal and build up more of a following is by having a social media-savvy member of staff write posts and comments, engaging with customers and interested parties online. This will allow candidates to see you build up a rapport with customers and hint at a positive culture going on within the company.

Highlight your commitment to well-being

Well-being is incredibly important in the modern workforce, and candidates want to be sure that if they join a company there will be some level of support and assistance available. While there are many options available, it can be worth looking at an integrated Employee Assistance Program such as LifeWorks.

This integrated digital platform offers a range of services. Once employees have the app it can act as a health device for physical fitness and connect them to councillors and online advice for mental health issues. A company subscription also allows a chat feature to create a positive virtual space within the company and several discounts and savings.

Promote flexible working

Flexible working is important to the modern workforce for a variety of reasons. Whether employees have family commitments, duties as carers to older relatives, or are just glad to be away from the expense and stress of the commute for part of the week, being able to offer flexible working weeks can boost employee happiness and productivity. Millions of British workers already work from home at least some of the time, with the number of home workers having doubled in a decade.

Email marketing campaigns

These might seem a bit unimaginative but taking the time to reach out and email prospective applicants with updates about what your company is doing and what it is planning to do next can be very effective at getting the word out. While you should of course have a regular newsletter you send to people signed up to your emails, you can also consider collaborating with job sites such as indeed.co.uk. This way you can continue reaching out to potential candidates who fit the description of a job opening you are looking to fill.

Social media marketing campaigns

If you market your job openings on core social media sites, the algorithms involved will ensure that people who have expressed interests in areas near to the job that you are advertising will see your advert. Even if many viewers scroll past, you only need the candidates who are truly interested in the post to see it.

So, you have settled well in your base location. Your business is doing well in the local and national markets, and your revenue chart is touching new heights. Well, congratulations on your business success.

Now, what’s next?

Or, is it enough?

Of course not!

The long-term goal of any budding business is to expand on a global level. Globalization is the key and has emerged as a new success standard. Almost every single business is trying to expand globally. However, it comes with its own set of challenges. High set-up costs, communication through international phone numbers, and gaining significance in the local market grab the top places.

Thank God we have cloud telephony. This single tool will make the entire journey a cakewalk. By eliminating the need for an on-premise communication system, cloud telephony unleashes new possibilities for businesses going global. With this, you need not have a physical presence in foreign locations and VoIP; a mean of using cloud telephony supports you in the act in numerous ways.

VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a communication system that uses an internet connection to connect the calls at a cost which is a mere fraction of what you used to pay with the PSTN system.

How is VoIP software your growth partner?

Low-cost investment

No matter what it’s hard to ignore the money matters related to any of the business operations. Whenever we talk about business, we indirectly talk about money; whether it is the profit or investment, money is the focal subject. While you are thinking of crossing the borders related to business purposes, you should always pay attention to the initial investment, which is huge in most of the cases. International traveling, calling, and infrastructure demands a lot of investment. If data is to be believed, half of the businesses don’t expand globally because of the huge investments only.

Well, VoIP brings a great relief at this front. You can purchase VoIP phone number at a very low cost, which varies from country to country. It demands nothing in the name of installation and you can handle the maintenance part using any of the data-driven devices. As it uses an internet connection to make the calls, you connect it with Wi-Fi, and it’s all good to make/receive calls.

It is also possible to operate your VoIP-based international phone number through by international calling apps available with every single leading VoIP service provider. The apps are available for free download and are compatible with all operating systems. The apps make you competent enough to do unified communication without being worried about the cost. You can share multimedia files, SMS, audios, and voicemails based upon your plan offerings.

GlobalConnect Feature: Hassle-free global operations

At present, there are 37 different time zones in the world. If you have a call center for your global business in a different location, then you need to maintain sync regardless of the time difference. Cloud communication offers international call forwarding facilities to make things simpler and easier in such cases. By using this feature, you can perform operations, such as:

• Time of Day call routing
• Days of week call routing
• Call routing to any phone number

Let’s understand its usability with an example –

Suppose you have just launched your business in the US whose call center is in India, then your US virtual phone number can let you know the right time to call the customers as per their time zone. With this feature, you can easily say bye-bye to wrong calling timing and high “ call not answered” incidents.

Great local presence

There are some global markets where customers prefer buying from local sources only. In that case, it is very important to have a local phone number for your global business. Also, buying a local phone number reduces your call incurring charges. With VoIP, you can buy a local phone number of any country and let your customers believe that you are situated nearby.

Task automation

In your initial stage of global business set-up, you may not be able to hire full-fledged manpower. However, you can’t use it as an excuse and should perform all the operations as they should be. Your VoIP phone number comes with a full suite of features like call forwarding, call transferring, auto call answering, and many more. All these facilities automate your menial tasks from ground level.

Also, cloud telephony works independently without any call routing on PBX by the hands of a receptionist. That means, things can be done without any human intervention and thus reduce your financial burden.

Before we wrap it all up…

When it comes to global business expansion, doing basic homework about the target market, and hiring the right resources is the key to success. VoIP is undoubtedly one of the key resources that you should take on board if you seek to make the journey ahead cost-effective, growth-centered, and easy. So, get it now and embark on the voyage.

“What’s in a (domain) name?” you might ask. Well, the answer is just as you’d expect: those words that come after “www” in the address bar count for quite a lot. In the case of an online business website, the domain name contributes to the business identity in very much the same way that a physical address would for a brick-and-mortar store. It’s what helps customers locate the business, and it’s what affords the business a unique place among other establishments out there.

And in truth, it pays to be thoughtful about your domain name even before you start your own ecommerce business. Once you have a domain name of your own, it’s easier to build your brand with that one address than to keep relocating and rebuilding somewhere else. That said, here are some tips for getting it right on the first try—and how to get the most traction for your business brand out of your chosen domain name.

1. Come up with something short and easy to remember. Name recall is a big deal when it comes to choosing a domain name. You will want something that’s easy to spell, easy to type, and easy for your customers to remember after seeing the URL once—that ups your chances of welcoming them back to your site. Web experts also recommend that you steer away from unnecessary numbers, hyphens, or other characters that could make your URL difficult to spell out.
2. Show off your brand and what it is you do. Your domain name is also a good opportunity to make your brand more visible and more searchable. One formula that’s withstood the test of time is that of the brand name plus some important keywords relating to the company’s core product or service—for example, a domain name like prestigeautoparts.com for a registered auto parts business called Prestige, or happilyeveraftercakes.com for a wedding cakes supplier called Happily Ever After. In these two cases, the domain name showcases a unique brand identity (“Prestige” and “Happily Ever After”) and incorporates keywords to help in search engine optimization (“auto parts” and “cakes”).
3. Localize your URL. Another good strategy is to localize the domain name, especially if your business only services customers within a particular country, state, city, or county. You can do this by choosing a name extension that reflects your home country (for example, “.uk,” “.us,” or “.au”) or the state that you service (“.ak” for Alaska, “.ca” for California, and the like). Doing so will include you in localized searches and bring customers of your target market straight to your virtual storefront.
4. Consider using a domain name extension other than .com. The most common domain name extension people can think of is .com, but remember that that isn’t the only option. In fact, you can register for another domain name that better reflects the nature of your business—for example, “.net” for a site related to Internet infrastructure, “.me” for a business closely tied to a personal blog, or “.biz” for an ecommerce site. Not only is this a means of having variety over your domain name, but it is also a chance for your brand to gain additional credibility in its field.
5. Do your domain name research and make sure your idea isn’t copyrighted or already in use. One last thing before you register your domain name for good: see if anyone has already beat you to it. A little homework before you make the big decision could save you a lot of grief—this way, you can avoid confusion with competitors, as well as prevent any messy legal battles over copyrighted or trademarked terms.

Suffice to say, domain names could mean everything to a budding business: a competitive advantage, a stronger brand reputation, and easier access to the local clientele. Choose your domain name wisely, and get customers to your storefront in a matter of clicks!

 

If you are a practitioner in the dental field, you should build up loyalty with your patients, just like other professionals in any other business would. Loyalty will boost client retention, and it will also increase referrals, which you can turn into actual patients. There are various things that you can do to build a relationship with your patients and ensure that they will keep on choosing you.

Create a good impression

When you start on the right foot with your clients, that impression will be to your advantage because they are more likely to remember it for a long time. According to studies, within only 17 seconds of meeting a person, an impression is already made. The appearance affects 55% of that impression, 38% depends on the voice tone, and the remaining 7% is based on the words spoken. Make sure that you are presentable, you sound approachable and professional, and that you are clear with your communication.

Offer online scheduling

People are always busy, and scheduling an appointment over the phone may be inconvenient for some. Another way to make it easier for them is to offer online scheduling. With this, they can book an appointment at a convenient time, even outside office hours. They are more likely to continue getting your service if they find it easier to get a schedule for their visit. Be sure to send them confirmation and a reminder about their appointment.

Allow new patients to sign up online

The convenience that signing up online offers is another way to make a good impression. They will feel that doing business with you is a breeze. Instead of going to your office and filling out paperwork, they can do it online in their free time.

Offer loyalty perks

They will feel special, and they are more likely to keep going to you for these perks. For instance, you might offer a discount if they pay for a service package, or they could get a discount or a freebie for a referral that they make. It’s also vital that you provide them with quality service at an affordable price so you can satisfy them. Finding excellent dental and orthodontic supplies that are inexpensive can help you achieve this.

Get to know your patients

Every patient is different from the next. To determine the best approach to deal with them, get to know them. Listen to what they have to say, and remember key points from what they told you. Use these words when talking to them, so they will know that you listened to them.

Follow up on them

Patients will feel that you care about them if you make a follow-up or you check on them, especially after a challenging procedure.

While you must know what your patients want, it is equally important to understand why others left. Reach out to patients who have not returned for a while and get their feedback on why they chose not to come back. It will help you determine what areas you need to improve on to increase patient retention.