Top 10 Blog Posts of 2014

Here is a round up of the top 10 blog posts of 2014.

Like most business owners, I usually take some time to reflect on how my year has progressed, what works, what didn’t work and what do I want for the following 12 months and how will I achieve that. As part of this period of reflection, I take stock of the articles I write, to try and find what you the reader is interested in reading. So that I can bring more of the same straight to your inbox and hopefully captivate your attention for just a short while. So here they are the top 10 blog posts of 2014 by popularity.

1. 7 Golden Rules of Excellent Customer Service

Customer service should be at the heart of any business. You can go through the expensive motions offering various different timely promotions & discount prices to bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get your service levels right you will not get some of those customers to come back, and repeat business, your existing customer bank is your most profitable asset. Read More

2. Motivational Tips for the Self Employed

As the saying goes “it can be lonely at the top” especially when you are the top middle and bottom of your organisation. I have found from my experiences when mentoring self employed on motivation I get asked – Carl how do you stay so motivated – what makes you get up and go every day when it would be easier to stay in bed. Read More

3. Are you just following the crowd?

Often when I am mentoring or coaching business owners I am told, “I have lost my direction, I feel like I am just following the same routine”, and I wonder how many of us just follow the crowd?

We get up at 7am, shower, dress and eat. Start work at 9am. Read More

4. 10 tips for hot summer sales

Ten tips for hot sales this summer, now the sun is shining and the sky is blue, make the most of the great weather and get outdoors to make some sales. There is never a bad time to meet and greet your new clients or customers so get out of the office, factory, surgery or call center and enjoy the sun. Read More

5. The best advice I ever got

Whilst browsing the internet, in fact it was Facebook, I discovered this link from Linkedin about where entrepreneurs got the best advice from and it made such an interesting read I decided to share it. Read More

6. Twitter Analytics

Twitter has recently made its Twitter Analytics available to everyone who has an account, why is this important you ask? Well if you are using twitter for business purposes it is certainly a useful tool to be able to take a snap shot look at your account and its impact on your potential clients and customers, to see if you are engaging with them in a positive way. Read More

7. Sales strategy for new start business

The more new start businesses I mentor (now approaching 300+ over two years) the more I am asked about sales strategy for new starts, my standard answers are too persevere and keep knocking on doors,numbers or bums on seats is the key to successful selling, but am I offering enough information to my mentees when I explain about sales. Read More

8. 9 things Del Boy can teach us about business

I recently found an old Telegraph article about “27 things you can learn from Del Boy” and being a massive fan of the TV show, I had to stop and read it, so I thought I would break out my 9 of the best. 1. Its all about who you know (Networking) Read More

9. How saying sorry is great for business

An interesting snippet picked up from Sky news this morning, saying sorry is good for business. The original article appears in the Daily Mail today, “How the British habit of constantly apologising makes you look more trustworthy”. Read More

10. Whats the first rule of a gun fight

Late payments kill small companies. Often, large companies don’t pay their small suppliers promptly – if at all. They have procurement teams that play dirty tricks instead. SMEs have to pay their suppliers, their employees and the tax man. Cash flows out and doesn’t come in. They’ve been caught in the jaws of a vice. Read More

Author: Carl Bradshaw FInstSMM. Follow on Twitter @CarlBradshaw, Google+, or public updates on Facebook catch up with what I’m reading on Pinterest.
By Carl Bradshaw, MentorNW

Weekly round up 11 November 2011

As the nights draw in and the mornings are darker, the buzz word this week has been activity.

Positive Business Development have brought on some new services for business in the north west, coaching and mentoring for small to medium sized businesses and their key individuals. Both these are proving popular and the diary is starting to fill for December 2011 and January 2012. See our testimonial below:

Anon Franchise Owner, Fylde Coast, Lancashire – This process has made me a lot more positive and given me a great deal of confidence. It has taught me that you shouldn’t be scared of the jargon, as with help and guidance like I have had with Carl, you can find your way through and not only keep your head way above the water but hovering above! It helps you look towards the future rather than dwelling in the past, and gives reassurance to be able to meet your future head on. By the end of 2011 I will have signed a lease on my 3rd store.

Freelance Sales for Commercial Insurance is hotting up in November as companies and business owners, start to look for the most competitive insurance quotes with the widest level of cover.

The GoMyEmails.com team have been busy designing, creating and sending email marketing for our clients, and getting ready for the run up to Christmas, so expect to see an email from the team in your inbox sometime soon.

GoMysites.com have been busy putting together the final web design Manchester touches on one or two sites. Take a look at Stefs Body Art in Bolton