Blog | DemGen Inc. - Your Virtual Team - Part 25 :: DemGen Inc.

Small Business is BIG In Canada

Friday, October 25th, 2013

With small businesses making up 98% of all businesses in Canada and employing almost 70% of private-sector workers, it’s safe to say small business is BIG in Canada!

Source: BDC

Categories : Small Business

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The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013

Our Quote of the Day today was from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous inauguration speech. It inherently speaks to all phases of business growth.

This longer excerpt from the speech is certainly worth pondering:

“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

These days, fear has become even more prevalent. News is shared instantaneously internationally and unfortunately it’s usually bad news. This has led our society to have a constant level of fear. Add to that our business concerns and one can easily fall into ‘the fear’.

Ages ago, when all we had to worry about was simple survival, fear was necessary. Fears of today tend to be of a more frivolous nature.

From business to economies to politics, everything is in constant motion. To quote Geoffrey Chaucer, “All good things must come to an end”. On the other hand, when things aren’t so good, better times are sure to follow. Allowing fear to paralyze “needed efforts to convert retreat into advance” is a disservice to yourself and your business.

Life is like a roller coaster. The ride may seem scary at times, but it’s also fun. Without the ups and downs, the journey wouldn’t be as exciting. We pay the price of admission for the thrill of the ride and the same is true for business.

Having the right perspective is the key to life. If you have a clear future vision and know the steps you need to achieve it, you don’t have time for fear. Your journey may take some detours and winding roads, but if you have confidence and a map, you will eventually reach your destination.

The next time you feel that sense of doubt or fear creeping in, ask yourself: “What’s the worst that can happen?” The answer is always better than if you do nothing at all.

Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Motivation, Productivity

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Three Qualities You Need to Succeed in Business

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

Be serious but enjoy yourself.

Take your business seriously but at the same time, enjoy what you are doing. Putting the effort into your business that it needs will lead to personal satisfaction, a must if you wish to grow to the extent that you will reach financial stability. If you work from a home office, there may be some who will not look at your business as real work. Being highly motivated and extremely well organized will help your business stay on track. Sticking to your plan, setting reasonable goals and taking the time to investigate all options before making big decisions will help you to project a professional image.

If your planned your business around something which you enjoyed doing and it has always held your interest, then you were already halfway there. The ability to enjoy yourself while taking your business seriously is an important quality in a business owner. The majority of business owners are very good at developing serious qualities but not so great at knowing how to enjoy themselves at the same time.

Learn and work hard.

Working hard means to work not just on your business, but also to work on yourself. Learning new things, whether business related or not, can keep you moving mentally. Become as much of an expert as you can on business issues that pertain to your niche but also take the time to learn about things that are of interest to you and outside the scope of your business. It makes you a more interesting person and who knows? It may lead to a whole new business later on in life. Those who succeed tend to be those who love to learn, who are always seeking out new learning opportunities and enjoy the tools that help them get ahead. Consider this as an investment in yourself, the more effort you put in, the more you will reap the rewards.

Working hard means working smart. Know which areas will benefit the most from your energy and spend the most amount of time on those. Prioritize tasks so the most essential items are completed to the best of your ability. Look to the future and what you will gain from your hard work. The ant didn’t get ahead by listening to the grasshopper, he ensured his future by listening to himself and working hard.*

Motivate yourself to gain strength.

In order to succeed at your business, you will need to be strong and in order to be strong, you must remain motivated. The two go hand in hand. Not everyone has what it takes to motivate themselves, which is why not everyone is a great small business owner. Holding yourself accountable, without the quality of your work suffering, will be one of the most important things you can do in order to succeed at your business. Without someone managing you, being capable of managing yourself is a quality you will want to develop.

Self-motivation is very much tied to your attitude. Try to keep as positive a frame of mind as possible by checking how you react to other people’s moods and statements. Never forget that you choose your reaction. If you find yourself reacting negatively, take a step back and think about the reason you’re reacting this way and try to put a positive spin on it. It affects your mood and makes you realize that you are in control. Staying in control of your emotions leads to inner strength, always a good thing to help you on the road to success.

Everyone’s definition of success differs and for most, the qualities needed will differ also. Take a long look at yourself and figure out which of your qualities stand out the most. Stress those the most as you grow your business and work on the others that you feel you need.

*The Ant and the Grasshopper, Aesop’s Fables

Image courtesy of bcasssessment

Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Motivation, Productivity, Small Business

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Staying Connected with your Team – In-House or Virtually

Friday, October 18th, 2013

The strongest message in the infographic below is that most workplaces are disconnected on a HUMAN level – that is so sad!!

Not so at DemGen …. Our goal has always been, and remains so to this day, to be connected – with the whole person! Sure we are virtual but that hasn’t kept us from staying strongly connected. We stay in touch by text, Skype, emails, phone calls, love notes, social media, annual performance reviews and regular feedback on projects.

We honour and celebrate team members on their birthday with a special message, we send quarterly love notes that give updates on the business, we have a client and team newsletter, we use Basecamp (our project management hub) and update it with positive focus messages, knowledge sharing, collaboration, recipes, funny stories or videos …. Need I say more?

The proof of the benefit of this communicative and caring style = long-term engaged team members!! That my friends, is priceless!! So go on, GET CONNECTED!

by kevynhorton.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

Categories : Motivation, Virtual Teams, Work/Life Balance

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The Five Most Sensible Marketing Techniques for Your Business

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

When first building your business, you were aware of the usual marketing techniques that others often used and were advised to follow in their footsteps.

After you have been in business for awhile and your confidence has grown along with it, did you stop to think about your methods of marketing or did you stick to the same way of advertising your services and products?

In the long term, there are some techniques that will work better than others and knowing them inside out will help to keep your business growing.

Automation

Once set up, a well organized, automated marketing campaign can save you time and help to grow your business if done properly. Combined with email marketing and set up so that each contact receives information and offers that are relevant to them, your buyers will be making informed, smart decisions on the products and services that are of the most use to them. Educating new clients on your business and promoting feedback can all be done without losing that personal touch.

Email Marketing

Email marketing has always been the most useful way to reach your customers. Whether or not you decide to automate this part of your campaign, reaching out to your customers by email is very cost effective and provides them with information while still feeling personal. Your subscribers can be grouped by age, location, male or female, interests and more. If your business isn’t virtual but is a brick and mortar business, set up a way to collect email addresses from your customers. Make sure your newsletters are relevant to your subscribers and target your offers to your most loyal customers.

Telephone

Actually speaking to your customers and potential customers may seem like an outdated method but with social media overload and many people tiring of the constant emails and technical advertising, you could find that a certain number of your customers appreciate the chance to speak to a real person. This way you can answer any questions they may have and at the same time find out what your customers really want. Sometimes this can put you a step ahead of your competition.

Integration

A newer method of marketing is to integrate your advertising and communication by combining social media, email and mobile. Some companies also include print. Emails cans also be designed for mobile phones and if you haven’t yet looked into this, it is a good method of reaching customers who are very attached to their smartphones.

Outsourcing

One method of setting up any new marketing campaign is to outsource it to someone who is familiar with the different techniques. This will give you the time to work on other things in your business and leave the details of marketing to the professionals. Consider a virtual team who is familiar with the type of marketing you are most interested in, set up a call and discuss where you would like to go with your business. They can take care of the rest, keeping you informed of all details and decisions.

image courtesy of www.ors.od.nih.gov/

Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle

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You Must Either Modify Your Dreams or Magnify Your Skills

Monday, October 14th, 2013

“You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.” ~ Jim Rohn

I had the pleasure of attending several weekend workshops with the late Jim Rohn in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Aside from the workshops, I also had some one-on-one time with him. His style really resonated with me and I would say he was a true gentleman who took the time to hone his craft. When I saw a reference to this quote I was taken back 20 years and I could actually hear him saying it with his great voice. I could also immediately see how true it was then and perhaps even more so today. I thought of how much Jim would appreciate DemGen’s business model which is to help entrepreneurs clarify their dreams/visions and magnify their skills while acquiring the other skills necessary from our team to help them realize their vision.

My take is that we are to DREAM as Big or BIGGER than ever. I truly feel that’s what we’re designed to be doing. This is not to say – let’s get a lot of stuff or even make truckloads of money. I feel its fine to do so if you wish, yet to me the bigger picture is – what do you want your life to flow like. How will your business support your personal lifestyle and vice-versa. At DemGen we crafted a unique process around this called the “Future Vision Map”. Establish the destination and then set out a plan to achieve and implement that dream/vision. I feel anything can be created from correct thinking just as it always has.

After years of working traditionally in business and trying to compensate for the areas that were not my unique and true skill set. I’ve come to realize that I prefer to hire bookkeepers and accountants rather than take a course such as “accounting for non-accountants” or “accounting for dummies” as an example. Why attempt to strengthen a weakness when I can partner with someone that has a strength in the area I need support, and they like doing that work. I prefer to “magnify” and only work in the areas I enjoy and am good at. Dan Sullivan and the team at Strategic Coach talk about this a lot in Unique Ability – which I highly recommend reading.

In truth I know this post would go a little outside Jim’s true intentions on this quote. Jim was a voracious learner, I can hear him say – why would you ever set your goal or standard lower…read a book, take a course, elevate yourself. I subscribe to all of that myself. And at the same time I feel he would appreciate my modern take on it. You don’t have to be an expert in all the areas – do what you are great at and collaborate on the other areas.

Wishing you sky-high dreams and magnified skills,

Gary

Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Small Business, Virtual Teams

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How to Schedule Your Day to Be the Most Productive

Friday, October 11th, 2013

We all want to get the most out of each day. This infographic explains how to schedule your day according to your circadian rhythms to be the most productive you can be.

by HealthCentral.
Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

Categories : Motivation, Productivity, Time Management

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Build Superior Customer Service, Not Stale Customer Service

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

Exemplary customer service is by far one of the hardest tactics to master within the service world, meaning it is also one of the most important. Where would you be without satisfied customers? While some companies believe customer will continue to come if they have the best product, most understand that superior and consistent customer service is the key to longstanding relationships.

Facilitating superior customer service may be difficult, so here are some ways to begin building the best relationships possible with your customers:

1. Encourage kindness and courtesy from employees

Set a standard of excellence for employees to follow that includes showing kindness and courtesy to all customers. A simple act of kindness can go a long way in making a customer feel acknowledged and satisfied, and by encouraging employees to resolve customer frustration themselves through kindness, the appreciation for your business will increase.

2. Express and connect through empathy

Frustrated customers appear quickly when they feel like the company representative they’re speaking to doesn’t have empathy for their problem. This is especially true for small businesses, since customers want to believe their business means a lot to you and your company. Always acknowledge the distress a customer is feeling, and show a sense of understanding for any disappointment they have.

3. Ask questions

The customer has clearly come to your service or for your product for a reason. Find out what they want specifically, and why. Asking questions creates a dialogue between you and your customer that shows them you are interested in helping them solve their problem. It also presents new opportunities to provide them with ulterior options, or inform them about something that might interest them.

4. Avoid these words: “I don’t know” and “That’s not my job”

These might just be the words that customers despise the most. They understand that you’re human and do not expect you to know the answer to every question, but instead of deflecting, use the opportunity to learn about what the customer is looking for and direct them to where they can receive the right information. If it’s a request that you don’t deal with directly, let the customer know that you’ll pass the information on to the appropriate people!

Whether you work in the customer service industry or not, you will almost always have to face interactions with people. Always remember that customers are people too, and they appreciate being treated like one.

Categories : Customer Service, Small Business, Virtual Teams

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Why Invent When You Can Innovate?

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

There seems to be a lot of confusion in many business circles over the difference between invention and innovation. Inventing means to create an idea, service or product that has never been used or heard of before. Innovation means to take that same idea, service or product and improve upon it.

With the business world changing at a rapid pace, the pressure to be innovative is immense. How can a small business compete? Since the basis of innovation depends on expanding on ideas, bringing in outside help is sometimes necessary. Having others to brainstorm with may be just what you and your business need to come up with new methods of providing existing services and/or alternative ways to expand on and promote your customer’s favourite products.

Take for example, Idea Rebel, a Vancouver based digital agency. They are moving ahead in leaps and bounds, the company’s main success being that of identifying a need in content management systems. This is a company which has doubled its profit annually since it first launched in 2008 and all of their work is completed digitally. They know that the size of a company isn’t what’s important, it’s the people who are doing the work and their ability to wear many hats.

Take a look at your business and discover ways in which you can change the way you have been doing things. This will mean listening carefully to your customers. You’ll need to be the first to fearlessly try out new ideas that may appeal to them. Sometimes necessity will drive innovation and this is especially true in any tech driven business. There is always your competition to think about and by never changing or improving upon that which you already have, you can be left behind. An economy in recession would seem to be the time when innovation wouldn’t be important, but it’s actually the most important time to come up with new services and products that are in line with what you customers can afford while still giving them what they need the most.

Innovation is all about giving your customers new options – choices that will mesh with the changing times and their changing lifestyles. It can mean small changes which lead to real improvements, not necessarily earth shattering ones. Take a look back to see what hasn’t worked. Remember it’s better to work smarter, not harder.

image courtesy of impact99

Categories : Entrepreneurial Lifestyle, Productivity

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Shut Your Eyes in Order to Truly See Your Business

Monday, October 7th, 2013

“I shut my eyes in order to see” ~ Paul Gauguin

I’ve always viewed business in an artistic way, and have grown to appreciate the more pragmatic blending or complementing of business strategic thinking. From an artistic perspective, I see business like a jazz band with many players adding layers to the equation. This easily translates over to painting or any other artist endeavour. Like art, business takes time to mature to a level where a mass audience “get’s it”. Your craft is ever-evolving as you experiment, learn and grow…

There’s a lot of information out there stating that an entrepreneur is primarily a visionary. You’ve got to be able to see “it”, and then build, layer, jam, hack towards it. I remember when I first learned to meditate. I was in my mid 20’s and felt I was already a pretty creative person, yet the floodgates of possibilities opened up.

One of my business adventures at that point involved my teaching accelerated learning skills, and I incorporated meditation/visualization into the mix. I remember helping one person going through the exercises for the first half of the morning and not really getting it. I invited her to reach out with eyes closed and trace the #1, it was in red satin, and then a marble embedded #2, and then…a heavy grit sandpaper #3. I was just making this up on the spot hoping it would lead somewhere, and then a broad smile came across her face and she got it.

At DemGen we get the same experience working with clients to define a revenue stream or create a new system in their business to ensure things run smoothly. Helping people to “get it”, and be able to see their ideal future vision of their business of what it can be right now as a starting point. It’s the inspiration to dive in to start swimming towards the deep future results.

And, I feel it’s an essential ongoing strategy for your business and personal life. You don’t have to be a famous, or soon to be famous artist, coach, author, entrepreneur to benefit from the quote, “I shut my eyes in order to see”, by Paul Gauguin. What this does is momentarily stop the influx of other data/stimuli and allow you to access your higher powers of insight, to breathe and refresh.

Go ahead and shut your eyes, see the truth of possibilities right before you…

Categories : Business Experts, Entrepreneurial Lifestyle

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« Previous Page

Small Business is BIG In Canada

The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself

Three Qualities You Need to Succeed in Business

Staying Connected with your Team – In-House or Virtually

The Five Most Sensible Marketing Techniques for Your Business

You Must Either Modify Your Dreams or Magnify Your Skills

How to Schedule Your Day to Be the Most Productive

Build Superior Customer Service, Not Stale Customer Service

Why Invent When You Can Innovate?

Shut Your Eyes in Order to Truly See Your Business

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