What Works for Biz Podcast - Business Management

The next greatest thing in technology isn’t a product, but a process where AI solves business problems. Artificial intelligence means many different things because its potential applications are so wide and varied. While we may think of it as mimicking the brain processing and creativity of humans, to the business owner its promise lies in … Continue reading "How AI Solves Business Problems" The post How AI Solves Business Problems appeared first on What Works for Biz.

  Business integrity is earned, not automatic. Have you ever come across these situations? A person says one thing and does another. Someone lies to obtain an advantage. A story is made up to protect yourself or put others in jeopardy. You may get away with it in the short run. But there is usually … Continue reading "How to Gain Business Integrity" The post How to Gain Business Integrity appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Voice search is going mainstream. How often do you use your golden vocal chords to search the internet? Its estimated half of all internet searches will be done by voice two years from now. (Social Lens) Why? eMarketer projects the number of smart speaker users, those who have an Amazon Alexa or a Google Home … Continue reading "Prepare Your Business for Voice Search" The post Prepare Your Business for Voice Search appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Small business may be overlooking a marketing opportunity through radio advertising. The Nielsen Company estimates that 93% of all U.S. adults listen to radio weekly. Your business customer or prospect is probably one of them. It’s true that more and more marketing dollars are going to online advertising, particularly for mobile video at the expense … Continue reading "When Radio Advertising Works for Business" The post When Radio Advertising Works for Business appeared first on What Works for Biz.

In the game of poker, deception is often more powerful than the cards you hold. Could we be seeing much the same thing play out in a trade war between the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, and other countries around the world? For the vast majority of business the situation may be more uncomfortable than … Continue reading "What’s the Trade War End Game?" The post What’s the Trade War End Game? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Small business owners with less than 50 employees are calling their healthcare consultants for advice and feasibility studies on a potential opportunity to reduce their employee healthcare costs. They’re responding to a recent Trump administration final ruling on health plans offered by associations. Listen to what two Horan Associates experts have to say about the … Continue reading "A Small Business Healthcare Cost Victory?" The post A Small Business Healthcare Cost Victory? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

  If you’re a business owner, do you prepare to lose employees? It’s no secret that there hasn’t been a better time in the last 17 years for quitting a job than now. In some parts of the country there are more jobs available than workers. Less risk, greater reward is the prevailing attitude. Planning … Continue reading "Why Prepare to Lose Employees?" The post Why Prepare to Lose Employees? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

When you go back to the same restaurant, salon, store, or business regularly, chances are you do so because you receive servant customer service. Those serving you know you by name, recognize your interests, or meet your needs in an exceptional way. Have you ever tried to put a value on this type of customer … Continue reading "The Value of Servant Customer Service" The post The Value of Servant Customer Service appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Does a good economy have you thinking about making a business move or expanding? In May this year the unemployment rate in the U.S. was 3.8%. It was 49 years ago, 1969, that the annual unemployment rate average was below 4%. So this indicator suggests that conditions are ripe today for finding ways to grow … Continue reading "Risk a Business Move, Expansion or Stay Put?" The post Risk a Business Move, Expansion or Stay Put? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

There are more jobs in the Midwest today than there are workers. Business is filling jobs by recruiting from other states and dipping into the ranks of high school students. But that’s not enough. Recruiting and developing workers is a comprehensive effort that requires a partnership between business, vocational training centers, and higher education. According … Continue reading "Filling Jobs for Business Starts in 5th Grade" The post Filling Jobs for Business Starts in 5th Grade appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Have you ever considered whether your own biases and how you view other people’s biases may stunt your small business growth? “When you’re only focused on the product and not on the culture and not on your community, that’s when you can have a problem.” Those are the words of Marc Benioff, CEO of the … Continue reading "How Biases Stunt Small Business Growth" The post How Biases Stunt Small Business Growth appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Sexual harassment wasn’t much of an issue until 1986 when the Supreme Court declared it to be a form of discrimination under Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But there has been a parade of prominent men in entertainment, sports, and politics who have lost their jobs, businesses, and reputation recently. Small … Continue reading "7 Things to Know About Sexual Harassment" The post 7 Things to Know About Sexual Harassment appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Benjamin Franklin is considered the father of volunteerism. He recruited volunteers to sweep the streets of Philadelphia, man a fire department, and a militia. Today it’s clear that community service is good for business. People of all ages value those companies who are good corporate citizens, large or small. Employees appreciate working for employers with … Continue reading "How Volunteers and Business Go Together" The post How Volunteers and Business Go Together appeared first on What Works for Biz.

During this year’s Super Bowl several commercials aired with messages focused on community, equality, equal opportunity and how business products serve the common good. These for-profit companies – Toyota, Verizon, Fiat-Chrysler for RAM Trucks, and Coke like saw value in taking a non-profit approach to connecting with consumers. What can a for-profit learn from non-profit … Continue reading "Lessons For-Profits Can Learn From Non-Profit Businesses" The post Lessons For-Profits Can Learn From Non-Profit Businesses appeared first on What Works for Biz.

After looking at a myriad of predictions and trends for 2018 from followers, prognosticators, and marketers, I’ve identified five small business marketing tactics worth attention. Some are easier to endorse and implement than others. Each requires a choice. You need to answer these questions. Would your business benefit from deploying one or more of these … Continue reading "Small Business Marketing Tactics You Want To Ignore" The post Small Business Marketing Tactics You Want To Ignore appeared first on What Works for Biz.

If you actively use social media for B2B lead generation, to find a job, or advance your career, think about how to improve your LinkedIn visibility. This professional network recently changed its algorithm, so status updates may not achieve the same volume of views it used to get. In this podcast Crystal Thies, the LinkedIn … Continue reading "How to Improve Your LinkedIn Visibility" The post How to Improve Your LinkedIn Visibility appeared first on What Works for Biz.

I’ve received some great insights and ideas on best business practices for small business in 2017. Tap into excerpts from several successful business owners and entrepreneurs here on strategy, business culture, managing employees, marketing, social media, maximizing sales, and building business value. These men and women reflect the optimism of small business today as we … Continue reading "Best Business Practices for Small Business" The post Best Business Practices for Small Business appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Business owners often have an inflated view of their enterprise when it comes to answering the question, is my business worth buying now or sometime in the future? Truforte Business Group, a Florida business broker and consultant, says there are 8 drivers of business value. My conversation with Gary Gardner of Truforte highlights the importance … Continue reading "Is Your Business Worth Buying?" The post Is Your Business Worth Buying? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

If you’re searching for business growth, you might run through a checklist of growth starters that lit the flame of growth for Everything But the House, an online estate sale auction marketplace. At one time, this was a quiet local business in Cincinnati. Now it’s in 22 U.S. markets with buyers for the items they … Continue reading "How to Create a Business Growth Bonfire" The post How to Create a Business Growth Bonfire appeared first on What Works for Biz.

There really isn’t much difference between what business owners and employees want to get out of work. Fundamentally they both want what they earn to help them provide for themselves and their families. So why shouldn’t owners or business leaders treat employees more like owners? Jeff Rowe, President and CEO of Q Laboratories believes that … Continue reading "Why Treat Employees Like Owners?" The post Why Treat Employees Like Owners? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

We label popular athletes as superstars. Ditto using the same expression for entertainers. Yet in every business there are superstar employees, those who drive the growth of the company. For a CEO the question is – how do you manage them? The task for Andy Blankemeyer, CEO of Beacon Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, seems to … Continue reading "How Do You Manage Superstar Employees?" The post How Do You Manage Superstar Employees? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

The volume of job openings in the U.S. is high, about 6.2 million. The unemployment rate is low, 4.4% in August. These statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that it’s hard to find unfindable employees. Some companies like McDonald’s are getting creative. They’re tapping their own customers to help them. Tom Johnson of … Continue reading "How to Find Unfindable Employees" The post How to Find Unfindable Employees appeared first on What Works for Biz.

China may be a communist country politically, but capitalism is thriving there. In fact, it is the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods. It’s been the ideal place for Rich Heidrich, President/CEO of Designs Direct and his two partners to manufacture interior home and commercial products. If you’ve never been there, your perception of China, … Continue reading "Why Manufacture in China?" The post Why Manufacture in China? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

If you’re like many people, you may have a car that is at least 12 years old. If it’s been that long since you have bought one, you might be surprised that your next car buying experience may be shorter and more pleasurable. That’s because customer relations has changed. Mark Sweeney, President of Mark Sweeney Buick … Continue reading "Turning Customer Relations Into An Advantage" The post Turning Customer Relations Into An Advantage appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Here’s a question that crosses the mind of many small business owners. Should I work with an advertising agency for marketing my business? The answer is in your response to these questions. Are my marketing activities working for me or not?                  Am I more comfortable collaborating or … Continue reading "Why Use an Advertising Agency?" The post Why Use an Advertising Agency? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Was there a time in your life when you hated to go to work? The business culture was uncomfortable. Rather than finding your work and association with colleagues engaging, you were looking for the way out. A few years ago the co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey and global business professor-founder Raj Sisodia released a … Continue reading "Five Steps to Shape Business Culture" The post Five Steps to Shape Business Culture appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Admit it, you and your mobile phone are now inseparable. You spend more time surfing the internet with it than you do on a laptop or desktop. You’re using it while watching TV, videos or dabbling in other activities. Your willingness and trust to purchase products from a mobile website by way of your phone … Continue reading "Your Mobile Website May Be Costing You Business" The post Your Mobile Website May Be Costing You Business appeared first on What Works for Biz.

There are times in the life of every business when bold decisions are required to move forward rather than back. Such was the predicament of GenTherm’s medical division CSZ (Cincinnati Sub Zero). In order to meet the performance expectations of their company parent, they completely changed the personnel and organization of their sales force. Gary … Continue reading "Why Remodel Your Sales Force?" The post Why Remodel Your Sales Force? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Since 1995 the number of people working untethered, in a virtual office environment is up four fold. Are you one of them? I recently caught up with Kipp Siedl, franchisee of Intelligent Office about what was happening in the world of virtual offices. While he told me that expectations are different for long time professionals … Continue reading "Can Partnering with a Virtual Office Improve Productivity?" The post Can Partnering with a Virtual Office Improve Productivity? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

When you hear the phrase “strategic planning”, does your mind light up or does it give you a headache? There is clearly a right and a wrong way to initiate and carry out the process. In my conversation with John Handelsman, CEO of Present Values, I realized that my previous employers approached this all wrong. … Continue reading "Strategic Planning is Effective When….." The post Strategic Planning is Effective When….. appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Are you using social media for marketing your business? If so what are you trying to accomplish? Maybe you want to make people more aware of your brand, generate leads or make sales. What do you expect your social media ROI to be? A disconnect between effort and expectations is not unusual. In this show … Continue reading "Straight Talk About Social Media ROI" The post Straight Talk About Social Media ROI appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Have you dreamed about buying a company or perhaps you’re thinking about making an acquisition to strengthen your existing business? Mackenzie and Company, a corporate strategy and finance consulting firm, believes that to buy a business you should be able to execute one or more of five strategies. Find out what they are and what … Continue reading "How Does a Pro Buy a Business?" The post How Does a Pro Buy a Business? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

When did you start listening to podcasts? If you began within the last 3 years, Edison Research says you are one of more than 20 million people who are doing this at least once per month. There are many reasons why more than 57 million people in the United States listen now. In this What Works … Continue reading "Podcasting Grows As Local Leads Generator" The post Podcasting Grows As Local Leads Generator appeared first on What Works for Biz.

In 1995 Daniel Coleman, a psychologist and former science journalist for the New York Times claimed in a best selling book that emotional intelligence was the prominent ability deemed necessary to achieve superior performance in leaders. To him it mattered twice as much as technical expertise or IQ. So should you take an emotional intelligence … Continue reading "Why Take An Emotional Intelligence Test?" The post Why Take An Emotional Intelligence Test? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Cincinnati is not an area that is growing its population like in the south and southwest that stoke small business activity. However, it is home to Queen City Angels, the second ranked group of angel investors in the United States by CB Insights. Forbes has named Ohio as the 11th best state for small business and … Continue reading "Which Shoulders Do Angel Investors Want To Sit On?" The post Which Shoulders Do Angel Investors Want To Sit On? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

If your businesses sales aren’t where you want them to be, it may because you don’t have any peak sales performers on your team. You have to stop hiring people with the wrong “stuff” and know how to get the most out of them. That’s the sage advice from my conversation with Tony Cole of … Continue reading "Peak Sales Performers Are Out There" The post Peak Sales Performers Are Out There appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Would you believe that the sales pitch you’re using today may not be your best at generating sales? In a study conducted by the sales consulting company, Corporate Visions, more than 86% of the companies surveyed said they used sales pitches that were different than what they judged to be the most effective. So what … Continue reading "Where’s the Artist in Your Sales Pitch?" The post Where’s the Artist in Your Sales Pitch? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

In two years Cisco Systems estimates that 80 per cent of all consumer information on the internet will be in the form of video. Advances in technology recently have made it easier for people to watch live events, user generated videos, entertainment, and informational videos on any device. So if you’re in business, you ought … Continue reading "Using Video to Generate More Referrals" The post Using Video to Generate More Referrals appeared first on What Works for Biz.

All of us at one time or another have probably thought about creating a product or inventing a process to solve a problem. The United States Patent Office receives more than six hundred thousand applications for invention protection each year. Equally as great is the desire to police and protect existing patents.  Llitigation costs on the … Continue reading "Invention Protection from Preying Vultures" The post Invention Protection from Preying Vultures appeared first on What Works for Biz.

U.S. employers know that increasing productivity and profitability is linked to the health of its employees. According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, at least 7 out of 10 American employers offer some form of employee health wellness program. This is up 21% since 2008. So what kind of wellness program should … Continue reading "Proven Health Wellness Program for Business" The post Proven Health Wellness Program for Business appeared first on What Works for Biz.

What is more believable, an article or an advertisement? Michael Levine, well known Hollywood publicist and author of the bestselling book Guerilla P.R. describes the value of public relations this way. “Depending upon how you measure and monitor, an article is between 10 times and 100 times more valuable than an advertisement.” Today we’re going to … Continue reading "Do Public Relations This Way" The post Do Public Relations This Way appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Perhaps the only thing constant in business today is change. As a famous inventor reminds us – “when you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Ironically this prophetic statement comes from Ben Franklin, not someone in need of a business turnaround today. Change has impacted the printing industry dramatically. Yet Corporate Document Solutions has grown its business … Continue reading "How a Business Turnaround Happens" The post How a Business Turnaround Happens appeared first on What Works for Biz.

As the new year begins, are you thinking about how to market your business? Developing a small business marketing strategy requires an introspective look into your current customers. How did you attract them? Does does that apply to new customer acquisition? According to a Borrell Associates survey of nearly 4 thousand local advertisers, the top six … Continue reading "What’s Your 2017 Small Business Marketing Strategy?" The post What’s Your 2017 Small Business Marketing Strategy? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Eight out of ten entrepreneurs crash and burn within the first 18 months of starting their business according to Bloomberg News. On the other hand, 51% of small businesses are surviving after 5 years.  The federal government’s Small Business Administration says this is the highest rate since 1994. Here’s the difference between business survival and failure … Continue reading "What Accountants Know About Business Survival and Failure" The post What Accountants Know About Business Survival and Failure appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Cyber crime is an epidemic. Cyber thieves prey particularly on small business because their computer, network and WiFi security measures are often vulnerable. IBM Chairman Ginni Rometty states – “We believe that data is the phenomenon of our time. It is the world’s new natural resource. It is the new basis of competitive advantage, and … Continue reading "Wake Up Small Business – Stop Cyber Thieves!" The post Wake Up Small Business – Stop Cyber Thieves! appeared first on What Works for Biz.

What do people fear more than spiders, darkness, heights, flying in airplanes, confined spaces and even death? It’s glossophobia – public speaking or stage fright. An effective public speaker knows how to overcome the anxiety of presenting and deliver the right message.  Listen to how to do it. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM SHELLEY BAMBERGER, COMMUNICATION … Continue reading "Turn Yourself into a Better Public Speaker" The post Turn Yourself into a Better Public Speaker appeared first on What Works for Biz.

PwC the international accounting and consulting firm, projects that healthcare costs in the U.S. will rise 6.5% next year, the same as this year. That is more than 4 times the estimated rate of inflation according to Statistica, a quantitative research firm. Nevertheless, PwC says healthcare cost inflation could escalate further. So what is an … Continue reading "Small Business Healthcare – High Wire Act" The post Small Business Healthcare – High Wire Act appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Family business is the bedrock of the American economy. More than half of the national GDP comes from them. However, when the reins are transferred from the first generation to the second, 70% of them perish. How do you make a family business last? WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM DALE & TINA ENGDAHL, OWNERS OF THE FAMILY … Continue reading "How to Make a Family Business Last" The post How to Make a Family Business Last appeared first on What Works for Biz.

Although small businesses face legal dilemmas or issues periodically, the majority of them are reluctant to contact an attorney. Maybe cost is a perceived problem or they’re unsure as to whether using an attorney is necessary. But as a business attorney reminds us today, it’s often lack of preparation for unanticipated issues that get a … Continue reading "Using Business Attorney Keeps Wolves Out of My Hen House" The post Using Business Attorney Keeps Wolves Out of My Hen House appeared first on What Works for Biz.

From an executive coach, mentor and peer to peer adviser we hear about where business owners, managers and entrepreneurs should focus their energy in business management. Pick up a tip on how to determine priorities and manage time better. Then ponder what is the best thing you can do for your employees and yourself. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN … Continue reading "005 – What’s Missing in Business Management?" The post 005 – What’s Missing in Business Management? appeared first on What Works for Biz.

What is the most effective method for selling? Many people swear by word of mouth selling. But like anything that has value, it requires a particular mindset and dedication to the process. Listen to a referral selling expert on why it pays to be more selfless and less selfish.   WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM BRENNAN … Continue reading "004 – Referral Selling is a Gold Mine" The post 004 – Referral Selling is a Gold Mine appeared first on What Works for Biz.