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 The Federal Trade Commission’s new ruling on the use of testimonials came into effect on the 1st Dec 09. If you use testimonials in your business, you need to read this. On 1st dec 2009 the rules that set out how you use testimonials in your business as a selling and advertising tool changed. Typically, most companies out there show their best testimonials to advertise and sell their products and services. It makes sense to do so, of course (why would you show complaints or anything less than your best feedback?) However, The Federal Trade Commission has decided that this is (or can create) misleading advertising. The problem is that  the testimonials don’t always reflect the average user experience.  For example, if you searched the Internet (before today) for an online course in Marketing, you’d probably find dozens of websites with fantastic testimonials plastered everywhere showing how people who took the course became very wealthy as a result. And here is where the ...

  Once you have your   WordPress Website   set up there are plenty of things you can do to help it help your business. As well as using it to attract new clients and stay in touch with existing ones you can also use it to earn an additional income for your business. One that is passively made so you can continue to run your business. 13 blog revenue streams   Sell an eBook.  This is the first choice for most business experts. You are an expert on your business and how you help your customers/clients so why not put that into an eBook and sell it on your website. Once the eBook has been written and added your shopping cart takes care of collecting the money and delivering the product to your customers. This can happen day or night and around the world. Self-publish a book.  Similar to selling an eBook except you will have to deal with posting your book out when orders come in. Develop an information product.  An information product is more than just an e...

 A couple of posts ago I talked about information overload and how to cope with it, and whilst there are various ways to overload on the old ‘info’, this subject would not be complete without giving due credit to the single biggest facilitator of information overload in the digital age: e-mail. Notice that I didn’t say culprit. It’s much to easy to blame e-mail for wasting your time, but that’s otherwise known as a  shift of responsibility … and that attitude is not going to get you far in business or in life. E-mail can’t make you stop and read e-mail. Once we’ve taken responsibility for wasting time, we can actually take a look at ways to stop this from happening, or at least make it happen less often. Clear desk, clear mind A good friend of mine used to tell me that a clear desk produced a clear mind. He would clear his desk on a Friday afternoon before leaving the office, giving it a good wipe with some polisher and a cloth, and each Monday morning he would find a cle...

 In fact, everything boils down to time management: you’re either using your time wisely or you’re not. In business, being effective often starts by doing the things you need to do faster and better. This requires organisation: you have to be ale to organise yourself and your day effectively to get the most out of your time. Technology comes in handy here: there is a treasure-trove of tools that can automate repetitive tasks and even help you do those tasks that are unique (in other words, the ones you can’t automate) much faster than you otherwise would, whilst reducing the potential for error. Even if your field is manual-intensive, for instance if you’re a garden landscaper, you can – and must – use technology wherever you can to support and improve the tasks that you do. Always being on the lookout for tools that can help you organise your tasks will make you into a more effective time manager. Whatever business you’re in, you should adopt the mentality that there are better wa...

 In my own business experience –  and I’m sure in yours too  - not getting things down in writing is usually a costly mistake in terms of time and stress, and can also put a strain in your relationship with the client. Murphy’s Law is always going to be waiting in some corner ready to jump out at you when you least expect it and derail your best laid plans. This is inevitable. But knowing this gives you the edge: if this is something you can expect, then this is something you can plan for. As they say: forewarned is forearmed. So whilst there are things that may go wrong with a job or a project, sometimes things that are beyond your control, there are also things that you  can  do to help prevent failure at least in some areas. The more controls like these you put in place, the tighter the ship you’ll run. 1. What was said Whenever you meet with a client or a new prospect and any sort of agreement takes place between you, make sure you always e-mail your client ...

  As companies consolidate there are fewer quality opportunities available for experienced Account Managers, so how are you going to give yourself that competitive edge that will win you that vital interview? How does your  ACCOUNT MANAGER CV   look when recruiters compare it to the mountain of SALES CVs they receive for every advertised position? You need to produce an outstanding  ACCOUNT MANAGER CV  to enable your application to stand out from the crowd. Account Manager CV Key Account Manager CV Regional Account Manager CV National Account Manager CV ACCOUNT MANAGER CV - the challenges that a great  ACCOUNT MANAGER CV  needs to meet. These are highly challenging roles and recruiters set very high standards when seeking to recruit for these positions as they are looking for a broad range of specific skills and abilities and proof that candidates will make a real impact. They are seeking transferable skills from candidates who can move smoothly and ea...

 When he was alive, my father used to be fond of re-telling me one particular story about his friend back in Spain. Angel, as he was called, worked in the building trade like so many southern immigrants who had come to Barcelona seeking to make their fortune. For a male growing up in the poverty-stricken parts of Southern Spain, working the fields from a very early age was a way of life.  But he was different… Or rather, he  did  something that made him different. What made Angel different from his peers was a small piece of paper. Angel guarded this piece of paper fiercely. He may have even fought to the death over it had anybody tried to take it off him. It was worth that much. Back in the days when money was cheap and work was plentiful, Angel had beautifully outmanoeuvred his landlord into an agreement that would last until the day he died. As it turns out, life wasn’t too kind to Angel. ill fortune struck and he lost his wife he himself did not enjoy the best of...