www.bytrade.com

How to Measure Social Media Campaigns

Global B2B buy sell marketplace: http://www.bytrade.com

 

1. Determine your goals.
Before you jump into measuring every single tweet, photo and Facebook comment posted about your brand, first think about your goals with social media. What are you trying to accomplish or gain through these channels? Which channels are most relevant to those goals?

Social media can serve a variety of purposes, from broadcasting news and information, to answering customer questions and engaging with a community. Generate a list of what you're trying to achieve from your social media efforts.

Next, think about what you want your audience to do with your content on the social channels you're using. Are you trying to get them to read, share, reply, click, purchase or engage?

2. Create metrics to measure your goals.
Match your goals to actual metrics and behaviors you can measure. For example, if you're trying to measure engagement, then what is the practical form of engagement you want to track? Is it retweets or reposts? Replies or comments? Clicks? Here are a few suggestions of behaviors to measure, based on a few common social media goals:

• If you want to measure awareness, then use metrics such as volume, reach, exposure and amplification. How far is your message spreading?
   
• If you want to measure engagement, then look for metrics around retweets, comments, replies and participants. How many people are participating, how often are they participating and in what forms are they participating?
   
• If your goal is to drive traffic to your website, track URL shares, clicks and conversions. Are people moving through social media to your external site and what do they do once they're on your site?
   
• If your goal is to find advocates and fans, then track contributors and influence. Who is participating and what kind of impact do they have?
   
• If your goal is to increase your brand's share of voice, then track your volume relative to your closest competitors. How much of the overall conversation around your industry or product category is about your brand?

3. Measure.
After you've listed the metrics you want to focus on, find tools that capture these metrics. In some cases, social media channels themselves provide some form of analytics. In other cases you might need to use third party tools or build your own using APIs.

If you're not sure which tools to use for which channels, ask around or do a quick online search and you'll find numerous options. SocDir can be a useful source with a list of more than 300 social media metrics tools.

Many social analytics tools work in real-time, so if you can plan ahead and set up tracking before your campaign begins, it can be easier to access the data you need later.

On Twitter, for example, accessing tweets that are more than a few days old can be difficult and far less reliable than collecting and archiving them in real time. When possible, set up your measurement tools before your campaign begins.

4. Monitor and report.
Use your initial findings to set a baseline for future measurement and share these early figures with your important stakeholders. Two important questions to nail down are:

• How do your numbers compare to what you expected?
• How do they compare to your competitors' or related products and campaigns?

This can also be a good time to consider your schedule for regular reporting. Depending on your schedule, monthly or quarterly reporting may work best, but weekly reporting may work well for others. No matter the schedule, make sure you're checking in regularly on your metrics.

In your reports, be sure to include benchmarks or other contextual information so that your stakeholders can quickly understand what all the figures mean. Also consider including visualizations of your data to help communicate your results quickly and clearly.

5. Adjust and repeat.
Review your measurement program. How are these metrics doing? Are you missing anything? Was anything superfluous or unnecessary?

Figure out what you can improve, make changes, and then measure some more. Check back in with the goals you set initially and make sure your new metrics help you address those goals.

What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You?

Global online B2B marketplace : http://www.bytrade.com

 

A successful entrepreneur isn't always the classic, bull-by-the-horns risk-taker of legend. Sure you'll need passion, drive and a good idea. But moxie will only get you so far. You've got to know your strengths and know how to make the most of them. This questionnaire, which is loosely based on a classic personality test, can give you a sense of just how well suited you are to the work that you do. Are you the industrious captain of industry like Martha Stewart? Or more of a Creator like Steve Jobs? Circle the number nearest the trait that is generally more descriptive of you. If the two terms are equally descriptive, circle the mid-point. Add the scores as shown below. Your strengths lie not in the stars but in the sums.

1) Get Big Fast (Tagline: Scale)

• Is your primary motivation financial gain by creating a global enterprise?
• Do you want to change the world with your idea?
• Are you a student or recent graduate?
• Do you have limited experience with starting a business?
• Do you have a healthy dose of enthusiasm and idealism?

Commentary: I've encountered a number of student entrepreneurs who fit this category. Their unbridled enthusiasm and optimism is a double-edged sword.

2) Freedom Builder - Industrialist (Tagline: Creating Value in Emerging Markets)

• Is your primary motivation financial gain by creating “cool technology” stuff?
• Are you an experienced business person coming out of a different, (maybe even non-technology) industry?
• Do you feel that you have a good handle on how business operates?

Commentary: Often approaching their new venture with a been-there, done-that attitude about business, this entrepreneur brings business acumen but sometimes encounters a culture clash as they move from more traditional business settings to the fast-paced technology world.

3) Passion Mavens (Tagline: Change the World)

• Do you have an area of expertise that can be leveraged to help a large number of people or organizations like businesses, schools, towns, governments?
• Do you consider yourself an artist or artisan?
• Would you describe yourself as more of a "Feeling person" than a "Thinking person"?
• Are you relatively inexperienced on the business front?

Commentary: These are usually loving, caring people who are filled with optimism. Oftentimes they need to fill big business gaps like defining a clear value proposition, a go to market strategy or a business model.

4) Spice of Lifers (Tagline: Play for Synergy)

• Is your primary motivation for starting a business to "set yourself up" for a potential second career - which initially is a part-time pursuit?
• Do you plan to play the role of “strategist/idea generator” while having a virtual team that can help you achieve your goals?
• Is your business concept a passion of yours which not received your full attention?
• Are you hoping for cash-flow, passive income streams and enjoyment from your venture?
• Are you an experienced business professional in an unrelated field from your business idea?

Commentary: This entrepreneur seeks a second-career and is often willing to invest evenings and weekends to research, detail and pursue their dream. Often bound by existing time constraints, they usually realize the need for and seek out a team that can help them reach their goal.

5) Solopreneur (Tagline: Independence)

• Do you seek independence from organizational constraints and hierarchy?
• Does the slogan, “Do what you love, love what you do” resonate with you?
• Are you seeking a positive lifesytle and cash-flow from your business to support that lifestyle?

Commentary: Independence and balance form the cornerstone of the solopreneur. They enjoy working with teams, but will keep their distance as a "virtual team member". They often need help with infrastructure.

6) Expert Idea Generator (Tagline: Immortality through Ideas)
Adopted from John B. Miner (1997) for this type - see below for more on Miner's types.

• Do you have deep technical domain expertise that can be captured in a product or service?
• Do have a deep desire to innovate?
• Would you consider yourself to be a strong "conceptual" thinker and highly intelligent?
• Do you believe in new product development as a key element of company strategy?

Commentary: The true inventors of the world are driven to create; create to improve; improve to help; help to be remembered. Aspiring to be the next Dean Kamen (Segway) or Thomas Edison they can work with relentless energy. Oftentimes communication skills present opportunties for optimizing.

7) Freedom Builder – Technologist (Tagline: Believable Growth)

• Do you want to achieve independence so you can build/create “cool” stuff that adds value?
• Do you desire growth for its excitement, high energy and personal validation?
• Are you coming out of a corporate environment with a specific technology proficiency?
• Did you find the corporate setting "stifling" to pursuing your dreams?

Commentary: These entrepreneurs have typically grown in the cocoon of a corporation until they realize that they have wings. Many times they will seek business degrees just before or immediately upon leaving the corporate world to round out their technical experience.

8) Serious Competitor (Tagline: Play to Win)

• Is your primary motivation to create value through a deep understanding of market systems?
• Do you enjoy competition through playing high stakes, winner-take-all “games”?
• Do you have a business degree or MBA?
• Do you consider yourself relatively business savvy?

Commentary: This group represents the entrepreneur most adored by Venture Capitalists. They are typically very conceptual, fast on their feet and go way deep on the markets they are pursuing. They see and ride waves - and as near as I can tell - they all have a formula for "businesses that work" (but not always the same one).

 

Tips for Dealing with Customer Questions

Global online B2B marketplace : http://www.bytrade.com

 

Here are seven tips for excellent customer service that any business can use:

Listen. Sometimes, customers just need to know someone at the company is interested in their problem, notes John Tschohl, co-author of Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service.

Apologize. Don't engage in fault-finding or laying blame, but do let the customer know you are sorry they had a problem, says Tschohl.

Take them seriously. Customers' questions may seem ridiculous, but they're important to that customer. Try not to laugh.

Stay calm. Customers may be irate, frustrated, or just irritating. But don't get down on their level, ever. Just staying calm can make customers feel you care and have the ability to help them.

Suggest solutions. Help-desk workers should have the power to resolve more than 95 percent of customer issues without having to pass the customer on to another person. Allow line workers to give out free coupons, accept returns, give refunds, and take other needed remedies without having to consult anyone. Then they can offer customers a range of options for resolving their problem, and get the job done, Tschohl says.

Be available. These days, smart customer service means setting up a help desk on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever else your customers hang out online.

Acknowledge your limits. If you're asked a crazy question like the one above, simply say that you're sorry their request isn't within the scope of what your factory provides. You can't be everything to everyone.

Growing Your small business with bytrade.com

Growing a small business in the midst of today's competitive market challenges even seasoned business owners. Often, a business' efforts to grow focus on simply doing more of what's already being done. . .running more ads or making more phone calls. This could be achieved now by simply harnessing teh power of B2B platforms like Bytrade.com,Bytrade help you do business sincerely.

  

What exactly is Bytrade.com?
Bytrade is surely an entry way to the world of business. Bytrade can be a B2B portal that includes a lot more than 8 million buyers and sellers all around the world categorize within the various categories. Bytrade is a B2B portal where business can lists them and showcase many, sell offers & buy offers. Bytrade offers business to have a dedicated company profile page for each and every country. Bytrade B2B portal provides improvements to businesses to conduct electronic business and manage significant elements of corporate business processes.

Bytrade.com

Benefits Of Bytrade.com
Bytrade is not another B2B portal but is becoming an absolute necessity for internet sites specially SME's to grow their business globally. The benefits of having Bytrade premium services are massive and may have immediate influence on company revenue and productivity. By attracting new business, a business can yield more business and therefore earn greater revenues. Similarly existing clients from the company can get faster and simpler interface to interact using the company in a professional manner, access product information, get quicker response and better customer care. There trust level can be increased as Bytrade is really a reputable company with more than 6 million registered members from all over the world

Bytrade.com

 By leveraging Bytrade.com platform, businesses also provide a lot more superior useful services like fax plan to their potential customers, an email center and chat application via which they can interact with their clients whenever you want on any day. By using Bytrade advanced business platform, businesses can also save there cost of having a professional website with the modern online tools of interaction. Since Bytrade provides all the needed online tools for doing business efficiently, the businesses experience low customer acquisition cost and much more revenues. Buyers can select and order the products or services through the use of built-in order system whereas sellers can leverage Bytrade.com equity to increase the trust among buyers.

Following are a handful of business tools given by Bytrade

1. Product Showroom
2. Company Profile page
3. Custom Company url
4. Message Center
5. Chat

6. Account Manager
7. Brochure, Video Uploading facility

Bytrade on Social Media Platform – Bytrade.com

Bytrade.com one of the largest international trade marketplace, offer importers and exporters free list. Offer factories and manufacturers from all over the world

 

Bytrade is always active on the social media to have an impact to renovate the showcase of the product.

 

To make the products of Bytrade members intact with the society Bytrade has a social presence in the famed social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

 

The purpose of Bytrade to enter the Social Media is to make sure that no chunk is left behind that could be use as a dispersion to attract or to make the best use to provide the business access to the common community as the social media platform is widely used and the products that are offered in the social media platform makes the strategic impact as the time when the individual is seeking for the social fathering and gets the product information in that scenario hits the need desire higher. 

 

On the other hand, the features that are included in the product could easily be communicated by starting a discussion in the social forum where the entire peers can intricate the features and comment on it without being bias that would lead to make the involvement and thus leading to eventually embracement of the product.

 

However, there are certain cons of the social media forum as well, as it is open and thus it is quiet risky if this strategy back fires, as there is a case study as well that deals with the failure of involvement in the Social Media of a restaurant, however there were certain glitches that were identified. Bytrade plays a sensible role and thus all the tactics are used to make sure that the strategy works in favor and leads to the eventual return for the member

Bytrade Can Help Your Business succeed in Global

Want to connect with other small business owners and entrepreneurs to pursue business buying or selling opportunities outside the U.S.? Remember the name Bytrade — you are about to hear it more often.  Bytrade.com is a kick-ass B2B web portal that makes it easy for millions of buyers and suppliers around the world to do business online — including small businesses and startup entrepreneurs.

Since I first selected Bytrade.com two years ago to my inaugural list of the “100 Best Resources for Small Business,” the site has exploded in both its capabilities and popularity. The company went public to considerable fanfare overseas. But in the U.S., Bytrade has remained largely unknown.

That may soon change, as Bytrade just hired two U.S.-based agencies with advertising and digital branding specialties to launch a major push to reach U.S. small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Candy Lu, who heads Bytrade U.S., hopes that Traction, an ad agency based in San Francisco, and Mediasmith, a digital media specialist, can divine the right strategy for reaching and talking to the subset of small business owners in the U.S. with an eye toward global trade.  Says Sang, ”We are growing rapidly and want to make more businesses and entrepreneurs aware of our ability to help them succeed in global trade.”

Most small business owners already know that the world has changed, and that seeking the best opportunities to sell or save money for your business these days means looking beyond U.S. borders. Bytrade.com is the perfect ticket to do just that.  The site won’t win any beauty contests, but when it comes to finding and pursuing global trade opportunities, it can’t be beat.

Like its namesake character (By trade) in The Arabian Nights who opens the door to a treasure-filled cave with the magic words “Open sesame,” Bytrade.com can open the door to profits in global trade for U.S. small business owners and entrepreneurs.  You won’t have to wait to see their commercials.

Bytrade help you do business sincerely

Selling on Bytrade to Become a Millionaire

1

Research the products you want to sell to see what they sell for. Take the items that you want to start selling on bytrade and check out your competition. Make sure you price your item competitively.

  2

Buy items at wholesale or in bulk to save money. This will save on your cost so that more of the selling price is profit. Research items that are popular and find the best deal on those items to maximize your sales and profits.

  3

Become a PowerSeller if you sell at least $3,000 in merchandise a month. You will attract more customers if you are a PowerSeller because they know that you are in business for real and are most likely not a scammer. You need to build your reputation in the bytrade community so that you can make your millions.

  4

Sell high-end electronics and high-demand items. People will pay almost anything for high-demand items, so if you can get your hands on them, resell them. You do not really even have to price the item that high; customers fighting over your auction will usually raise the price of your item greatly.

  5

Offer excellent customer service. You cannot be successful on bytrade if you do not give great customer service. Respond to emails in a timely manner, especially if the auction will be ending soon. People will not bid on your items if you do not answer their questions before the auction ends. Another idea of giving customer service is to send invoices with a little thank-you note with all orders.

How to make money on bytrade effectively

Bytrade-it is the professional factory buy sell B2B trade marketplace with the best public praise all over the world,It gather with most powerful and competitive manufacturers and enterprises. At present ,it is one of the most professional buy sell trade marketplace

 

1 . If you have never sold anything on bytrade , you will have to register. It is easy , just go onto bytrade & hit the join free button & follow the prompts that come up on the screen.

Both are free to register.
If your already selling on bytrade & want to increase you sales here are a few things that I have found that help my sales.

Just to let you know that bytrade can be a strange place when it come to why or why not something sold OR why someone's item sold for BIG BUCKS & your exact same item didn't get any bids. Remember you are dealing with PEOPLE here & people don't always make smart or rational desisions. I have found that there is sometimes no reason why an item sold or didn't sell. You can spend hours trying to figure it out , I did & I can tell you don't waist your time trying to figure it out, because it is a waist of time.

  2

#1 PHOTOS
A)The better your photos are the more people will fell comfortable enough to bid on your item.
B) Put more than one photo in the auction . I alway put 5 or 6 photo from different angles. So the buyer can see the condition & see any defects in the item if there are any.
C) ALWAY use the GALLERY feature so a small photo shows up when buyers do a general search. If there are a lot of similar items on bytrade & there is no gallery photo , most people will not even click on your item. If they don't look then they can't buy your item.

  3

DESCRIPTION
A) Keep you description as simple as you can , Give all the details & condition of the item, but don't make it to long.

B)Break you description up. Don't make it one long paragraph , details & condition of the item can be hard to fine in a long wordy description

C) Highlight or underline the important details of your item. If buyers have to search for size , condition or any detail about the item, they are more likely to just move on to the next item.

  4

* TITLE
* A) Only use word / KEYWORDS that might be use in a SEARCH. You only have 55 characters / letter to get your item to come up in a search, it may sound like a lot but I run out of room all the time in the title of my auctions.
* B) Don't use words like LOOK L@@K WOW SALE AWSOME in the title, Buyers don't type those words in when they do a bytrade search.
* C) You title doesn't have to be gramaticlly correct. It should make a little sence but try to only use keywords , like brand names , size , color , year it was made ect.

  5

PRICE
A) If it's an acuction. Start the bidding price LOW. The lower you start the bid at the cheaper the listinmg fee will be. Use a reserve if you want to get a minimum price for your item but don't set it to high, An item is only going to sell for what it sell for , No matter what you think it is worth, Forget appraised price or book value. Those are for insurance reasons & have nothing to do with what someone is willing to pay for it on bytrade.

B)RESERVES , I hate reserves on an auction , but some people use them a lot , I feel if I haven't hit the reserve price after a few bids I move on to another item ( But that's jus me)

C)BUY IT NOW , If you are selling an item and there are a lot of simalar items already listed , Go with a BUY IT NOW , Research what the lowest BUY IT NOW price is & under cut it a little.
Using BUY IT NOW with a low pric e is the fastest way to sell an item.

D) REASERCH. Do your research on current & completed auction on bytrade. If items like yours aren't selling DON"T LIST IT , it is a waste of money.

Bytrade B2B Features & Community

Business to Business platforms are always looking for creative ways to connect with their customers, buyers and sellers. Because strong relationship with them helps create long term relationships with clients, B2B company always keeps focus on there channels that can interact with customers there. Bytrade.com says its database of over 6 million members, the greatest asset of the company. This shows the value Bytrade offers its customers. Bytrade is always looking for ways to help customers and provide them with the latest business tools and support.

Bytrade supports its customers through various channels, Traders Community, Trade Mate contains - an exclusive chat application / messenger for buyers and sellers, fax service, 24/7 customer support via chat, phone and e-mail manager dedicated account and to keep many more sellers shops without obstacles and problems.

In addition to its on-site tools and channels, Bytrade will receive active social media channel for customer feedback. By providing business trends, applications, etc. Bytrade products helps salespeople to get any better in-demand products and offers a better experience for their customers.

With features such as bulk upload products, importer of products and use easy to use online business-to-business tools that are among the B2B Internet industry Bytrade crowded. Make effective, in order to sellers and buyers and businesses to help them, Bytrade.com keep introducing new products and features that are beneficial to its members

Crowdfunding Bill One Step Closer to Passage

Global online B2B marketplace : http://www.bytrade.com

 

By Kate Rogers

The Senate Thursday passed the JOBS Act, which would allow small businesses to raise capital via crowdfunding. Crowdfunding allows startups to raise small amounts of money online in order to fund their burgeoning businesses.

In November the House of Representatives passed the Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act with a vote of 407-17, which would allow startups to “crowdfund” – or raise capital via the Web. President Obama also showed his support of the initiative in his "Startup America" legislative agenda in early February.

The bill is a more regulated version of the original House version, with an amendment to the legislation that requires anyone acting as a “crowdfunding” intermediary to register with the SEC. The bill also requires factories to provide tax returns or financial statements to investors before the offering.

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council President Karen Kerrigan, who lobbied for weeks in Washington to have the bill passed, said the council is pleased with the bipartisan collaboration that went into passing the bill.

“From our perspective, the crowdfunding piece could have been strengthened,” Kerrigan said. “It was a little too regulatory from our perspective, but the amendment was progress over the original Senate bill.”

The fact that small businesses can now legally use crowdfunding, however, is a major step in the right direction for job creation and startup growth, she said.

“The more money and resources that businesses have at their disposal, that will help the entire economy,” Kerrigan said.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said he will schedule a vote on the Senate-amended version early next week, in order to get the bill to President Obama for signature.

“Small businesses and startup companies are the lifeblood of innovation and economic growth in our country. The bipartisan JOBS Act will cut through Washington red tape and help these small businesses and startups grow, expand and create jobs right away,” Cantor said in a statement.

Keeping Disgruntled Customers From Taking Down Your Brand

Global B2B buy sell marketplace: http://www.bytrade.com

 

By Walter Dailey

As a small business owner, I don’t want you to live in fear of what some overzealous complainer can do to your brand; that’s not the point of this article. I do, however, want you to be able to readily recognize service related issues and solve them fast. Being agile in this area is the surest way to mitigate the development of disaster.

Consider the following:

Get Ready To Be Tested
Whether it is a claim of guaranteed satisfaction, price-matching or friendly service, you must be fully ready to stand by what is stated in your communications. Know in advance that certain customers will test the limits of your assertions. Sure, there may be some inherently high-maintenance folks out there. However, there are also those that simply seek to validate your trustworthiness. In either case, see this challenge as a definitive way to boost the credibility of your brand.

Break The Rules
I recently was told about a retailer that was willing to take back a product that was all but used up by the customer. With good cause, most businesses would turn that individual away – citing a breach in return policy. However, the manager in this particular instance realized that a major concession like this would only serve to win this customer over.  In the short-run, this transaction registered as a loss. However, in the grand scheme of things, this customer was destined to be a lifelong patron due to the fact that their complaint trumped “factory policy” – what a way to smooth things over.

Just Another Face?
I once threatened to leave my cable provider over a major hike in rates and poor service. After an extended spiel on why I was dissatisfied, the customer service rep, in essence, told me to hit the bricks! This reckless behavior is often fostered by a company’s belief that they’re the best thing in town and that they’ll never have any problem finding replacement customers. This, of course, is completely wrong; do not fall prey to this mindset. Discounting one individual while looking to capture several others will only serve to dismantle the viability of your brand.

How You'll Know to Get a Good Business Idea?

Global online B2B marketplace : http://www.bytrade.com

 

By Kim Ann Zimmerman

There is no shortage of business ideas, but so few get off the ground. What separates the long-lasting endeavors from those that have a quick expiration date? BusinessNewsDaily spoke to some experts to get a read on the factors that are common in business ideas that take off.

1. It is innovative or offers a twist on an existing product or service. Opening the next pizza joint in a strip mall that already has two pizza parlors is not a formula for success, unless you plan to offer something the others have missed.

"Being new or first is not enough," said Jose Palomino, founder and CEO of Value Prop Interactive, a consulting firm, and an adjunct professor of marketing at Villanova University. "The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player, but it defined the category. Being innovative or new doesn't work if your product doesn't matter to anyone."

It doesn't always pay to be first to market with a product, experts say. "It is not necessarily the person who gets their idea to market first that wins," said Karen Russo, president of IIPE, an international candidate and name generation firm, and K. Russo Consulting, an executive search and human resources consulting firm. Think BlackBerry being eclipsed by other smartphones that followed. "Sometimes, it is better to sit back and learn from others before jumping in," she said.

2.  It is indispensable, even if people don't know that they need it. "Sure, the pet rock was hot, but once people got over the novelty of a rock in a box, there was no need for it," Palomino said.

3. It is exciting in its execution. "The Jaguar is a good example of this," Palomino said. "It is more than just a car."

4. It solves a problem. The problem should be significant and something that impacts a large group of people. "If there aren't a lot of people who have the problem or if it is not a problem that people really care about solving, move on," said Gordon Adomdza, assistant professor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group, at Northeastern University. He points to Facebook, which tackled asynchronous connectivity, and Google, which addressed the problem of search. "Since the problems are big, there is room for the company to revise its offering, innovate its business model and still be in business even when customer needs change," Adomdza said. "Because the problem is big, the company can still survive by pivoting within the space."

Products that relieve someone's pain point in a quick and obvious way have a good shot at success. "Your product has to make things easier for them or find a way for them to save money," Michelle Coussens, the dean of the School of Business at Kendall College and an entrepreneur who started her own consulting business, Plan B Consulting. 

5. It has the potential for expansion. Is your idea something that can grow either geographically or through product extensions? "The best business ideas start out small but it is clear that they have the ability to grow and expand," said Terry Mackin, managing director for Generational Equity, a company that assists business owners in stock and asset sales, mergers and divestitures.

"You have to be able to build organically," Russo said. "You have to have a financial model that allows your idea to grow."

'Personality Shines Through' in Business PR

Global online B2B marketplace : http://www.bytrade.com

 

By Brittany Hurban

Small Business of the day: Cassera Communications

Who: Melissa Cassera, 32, @casseracomm 

What : PR consulting firm for businesses

When:  January 2005

How:  Cassera comes from a corporate PR background and has had experience in acting, modeling and television.  Driven by a desire to merge those passions, along with a yearning to start her own business, Cassera discovered a way to make it work. She witnessed trends in public relations shifting and becoming a lot harder for small business to get noticed. That’s when she came up with the idea to work closely with small business owners to make them shine in their particular factory.

Where: Cherry Hill, NJ –where she has 3 people on her team.

Biggest lesson learned from a customer: “Really just to be myself in business and to let my personality shine through,” said Cassera. Starting at a young age led her to think that she should be competing with people with 20+ year of experience which made her act older. “I found that when I made the shift, a few customers told me that they loved me because my personality would shine through. When I made that shift, that’s when I was able to triple my business.”

Don’t Just Satisfy Your Customers To EngageThem

Global online B2B marketplace : http://www.bytrade.com

 

You want more loyal customers to stick with you through thick and thin? Then engage them, don’t just satisfy them.

Customer satisfaction without emotional engagement is worthless. That’s what a white paper study from The Gallup Organization argues.  The study, Customer Satisfaction Doesn’t Count by the authors William J. McEwan and John H. Fleming, compared customer loyalty of extremely satisfied customers, unsatisfied customers, and satisfied emotionally engaged customers. In every case they found that emotionally connected customers outspent and outlasted extremely satisfied customers every time.

As a business owner there have probably been times when you noticed the absence of a regular customer or client, one that had always seemed extremely satisfied and yet hadn’t been back in a while. An attorney I work with was stymied whenever clients who claimed to be extremely satisfied with her work and even referred others to her office, used someone else the next time around. Although her clients were satisfied, they lacked the emotional connection that is at the core of a sustainable business brand. Her work was viewed more like a commodity, quickly forgotten and easily replaced.

The benefit of emotional connection is that emotions drive behavior.  A customer that has strong positive emotions encourages other customers to join them, forgives you for issues and problems that come up, sticks with you when times are difficult, and is less sensitive to pricing. Since emotions tend to be contagious, people brought in by already engaged customers become engaged themselves even before they walk in the door.

Apple is a great example of a company whose customers are emotionally connected, become brand evangelicals, and who forgive easily for products that don’t work or have to be replaced. People who buy Apple products are convinced of their elegance and superiority even before they own them. Apple’s customers believe they are purchasing unique state of the art products designed to make their lives easier, more fun, and with the user in mind. It’s all about them.

So how can you convert satisfied customers into satisfied and emotionally engaged customers? Creating engagement is tied to the ability to convey caring, real listening, and providing value at every contact point you and your employees have with your customers. It’s all about them.

Distinguishing yourself from your competitors depends on more than just great work, great service and great products. Those are just the table stakes that get you in the game. According to Michael Margolis, author and founder of Reinvention Summit, standing out means deepening the relationship you have with your customers by allowing more of who you are into the conversation. His 3 Key Values for establishing engagement are:

1. Integrity. Honesty and transparency are the cornerstones to building trust. Without trust there can be no emotional connection.

2. Empathy. Understand what they care about. Then give them what they need. Make it about them and not what you want to sell them. This answers the all-important question customers have in the back of their minds: Do you really care or are you just trying to sell me something?

3. Vulnerability. Show them what you care about and what your values are. The deeper the relationship the greater the number of connection points. The more they know about you the easier it is to relate on many different levels.

Building long-term relationships takes more time than focusing on short-term sales. But as the Gallup study found, the rewards of building long-term customers through increased engagement are worth it.   

 

Top Tax Mistakes for Small Businesses

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 By Donna Fuscaldo

When it comes to finances and taxes small businesses are making common mistakes that can prompt an audit or leave money on the table, according to a new survey from Xero, an online accounting software company.

Xero polled 500 U.S. accountants to come up with the top three mistakes small businesses make. Top on that list: mixing business and pleasure.

Nearly half of the accountants surveyed said mixing business and personal expenses in deductions is the most common mistake businesses make. The worse part: according to survey respondents that mistake can trigger an audit by the IRS. A quarter of accountants cited excessive deductions to income as the most common mistake that could prompt an IRS audit.

Three in ten survey participants, or 29%, said small businesses are overlooking the home office deduction, which means they are leaving money on the table.  If a small business owner works from home, even if it’s only part-time and passes the IRS rules then that business owner can write off part of the costs to operate his or her home. The home office tax deduction lowers the taxable income, reducing the amount the small business owes come tax time.

One in four accountants, or 26%, cited a lack of ongoing insight into the business’ financials as the most common mistake owners make. According to Simon Gray, an accountant in Xero’s network and managing partner of Gray Consulting, many small business owners only dive into their finances during tax time.  

So what can small business owners do to stay on top of their finances and taxes?

According to Xero, it’s critical that the business owner looks over past financial statements, activity and sales data to see what worked and what didn’t so they can plan for the coming year. Xero says to get an understanding of the sales tax the company owes and keep the money in a different account to prevent the chance of an error.

Small business owners also have to know in real time what their bank balance is and look at it on a daily basis.  Most banks have online banking and mobile apps that a small business owner can access quickly to keep on top of their balances.

Xero also suggests small business owners have a process in place to review the cash they expect to have and what payments are overdue so the business can immediately follow up on delinquent payments. Along with that, knowing the health of your customers is also key for a small businesses’ success. That means knowing the overall health and wellness of customers, their purchasing patterns and behavior and where all the customers stand on payments.

While ignorance is bliss, at the end of the day the small business owner has to be on top of their tax obligations and potential deductions. Yes the company’s accountant will know what a small company can deduct and can’t, but Xero says the small business owner should also take the time to understand their tax obligations and any changes from the prior year.

Planning ahead and meeting regularly with your accountant could mean you won’t be struggling to pay a big bill come April 15.

 

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How to Use March Madness for Small Talk With Employees

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 By Linda Dulye

March Madness is here and has taken hold of workplaces, large and small. It’s a rarity to find an office associate – whether on the loading dock or rug row – who’s not pulling up online scores and checking over their brackets. Even the Oval Office has a March Madness pool.

Most likely you’ve heard of the productivity stranglehold of this hoops hoopla. One major study estimates this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will result in 8.4 million hours of lost productivity among U.S. workers.

But there’s a bright side: These three magical weeks up the opportunity to initiate casual chatter that forges new or better work relationships. Men, women, sports enthusiasts or nerdy geeks, there’s scarcely a soul who isn’t aware of the big annual round-ball tourney – at least on some level.  If you’re among the many throttled by the thought of sparking spontaneous conversations with relative unknowns at work, fear no more.

Pick up on the visual cues. Chances are your colleagues are sporting the logo of their favorite team on a hat, jacket or screen saver. Whatever it is, it’s a great conversation starter. As a fiercely proud and passionate Syracuse University alumna, I regularly key in to my college’s bright orange block ‘S’ logo.

You can enjoy similar dividends at work with your colleagues and managers. Here are seven tips to start small talk in no time flat.

No. 1: Read the paper and stay current on the events. This is particularly helpful when traveling for business. If you’re meeting with a client in a different geographic location, pick up the local newspaper and read up on favorite players and teams. Or tap another outlet: the local all-sports radio station. All you need is 15 minutes and you’ll get tuned in to colleges and coaches that will serve as good ice breakers for discussion.

No. 2: Ask open-ended questions that can’t be answered with a yes or no. Go beyond simply asking, “What teams did you pick for the final four?” Inquire about factors that prompted those picks. You’ll get flavor and insights that can open the door to a more in-depth conversation. In a recent Dulye & Co. poll, nearly 50 percent of respondents said when someone follows up with questions during a conversation; it conveys that they are truly listening. And listening garners respect.

No. 3: Put the focus on the other person. Don’t start chiming in about your bracket picks; ask more about others’ interests. Explore what got them hooked on a particular team and how long they’ve been a fan. People like to talk about themselves. Let them do so.

No. 4: Steer clear of topics like religion and politics. Thanks to the 24/7 Republican primary coverage, folks are pretty much talked-out or fed-up about politics. Besides, political banter can be explosive, so instead shift to neutral topics. Beyond sports – and the current tournament action – weather and food are comfortable small talk topics.

No. 5: Keep the conversation clean like you’re in a 1950s movie. No potty mouth. This can be tough when it comes to sports talk. But remember, you’re not analyzing stats and plays with your buddies at a bar.

No. 6: Look at the other person in the eye. Make direct eye contact, smile have a pleasant demeanor. Eyes signal interest and keep people engaged. 

No. 7: Read the 3V™s: visual cues (body language), vocals (tone, inflection) and verbals (words.) If the person you are speaking with keeps glancing at their watch or sounds rushed in their responses, most likely he or she has a pressing appointment and it’s time to cut off the small talk. Don’t take it personally or get discouraged. Small talk shouldn’t stretch beyond a few minutes.  

Big Dance brackets can bring out the best in small talk. A casual conversation comparing sweet sixteen picks could deliver big dividends in new working relationships between departments and shifts. Who knows, March Madness small talk could turn the tide on workplace productivity. Grab the ball. Drive to the hoop and knock down a big bucket for your team.

 

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Rising Fuel Costs Burning Small Business

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By Brittany Hurban

High gas prices are still impacting the nation’s small business owners, according to a new survey by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. The survey, “Entrepreneurs & the Economy: Trends, Issues and Outlook,” found that 72% of business owners are feeling pain from prices at the pump.

"The fragile economy is being undermined by high gas prices. The weak recovery and policy uncertainties are already weighing on the confidence and minds of small business owners. Now they must find a way to cope with higher fuel costs. Unfortunately, their choices are limited," said SBE Council President & CEO Karen Kerrigan.

The survey, which polled 304 small business owners, was conducted by TechnoMetrica between February and March. According to the Energy Information Administration, the weekly average price for regular gasoline grew from $3.64 per gallon as of February 27 to $3.75 per gallon as of March 12.

Small businesses are cutting employee hours and/or raising prices to keep up with the affects of rising gasoline costs, according to SBE Council. In response to the question of how higher gas prices affect their role as small business owners, 41% said higher prices have affected their plans to hire, 22% have cut back on employee hours, and 40% have already raised their prices.

Even more startling, many small businesses are unsure if they will survive if gas prices continue north, as 43% of respondents agreed with the following statement: "My business will not survive if energy prices continue to remain high or increase further," while 23% strongly agreed with that statement.

"Very few businesses are immune from the negative effects of rising energy costs. As a result, entrepreneurs and managers have to make tough decisions, none of which are positive for their businesses, for workers seeking employment or worried about their current jobs, or for the economy in general,” said SBE Council chief economist Ray Keating.

Current financial stress levels of the entrepreneurs surveyed are also on the move: 38% of business owners report feeling more stress from three months ago, while just 14% feel less stress.

In spite of this, 42% believe their financial conditions will improve. Conversely, 42% are convinced that they will remain the same, while 13% project that their finances will get worse.

Kerrigan added: "The surge in gas prices underscores the need for the administration to move without haste on advancing pro-energy policies, including the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.  The U.S. cannot allow world events, supply disruptions and global demand surges to control the fate of our economy or global competitiveness.  We must take full advantage of the natural resources we have been blessed with as a nation and move forward on a genuine 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy."

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How Teaching can Boost Your Bottom Line

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By Kathryn Tuggle

A growing number of small businesses are getting hands on with their customers, teaching classes on what they do best.

“While the dough is rising, we give students a history lesson on pizza dating back to 7000 B.C.,” says Miki Agrawal, owner of Slice, The Perfect Food, sliceperfect.com/an organic pizzeria in New York City that offers three-hour pizza making classes each week.

“After the history lesson, students team up to answer questions and the winner gets a free round of beer the next time they come in,” Agrawal says. “It’s gotten really ugly. Bottles of wine have flown across the room. Imagine a bunch of New Yorkers in a competition over pizza-- it’s pretty hairy.”

As consumer spending remains sluggish in the wake of the recession, small business owners are looking for other additional revenue generators to supplement their core business.

 “The great thing about this type of offering is that you can’t really judge the success by the number of people coming to the classes alone,” said Tom Gegax, author of the Big Book of Small Business and small business coach.  “Many others are going to see it offered, but perhaps their schedules don’t permit or they are waiting for a special occasion to come try the product. A business can really get incredible mileage out of offering something unique like this.”

Slice began offering the $150 per person classes two  years ago in order to compensate for lost revenue during the winter months. The pizzeria’s dining room holds just 20 people, but their outdoor seating area doubles that amount. With the patio closed during colder months, Agrawal said business dropped 50%, prompting the addition of the pizza classes.  

Agrawal expected the classes to be a hit and bring in additional revenue,  but she wasn’t expecting the positive brand recognition and word-of mouth marketing they also spurred.

“By the time people have gotten a taste of what it’s like to make dough from scratch and their hands are dirty from creating an amazing dinner, they walk out knowing pretty clearly what our brand is about, and they have become great brand ambassadors for us, telling their friends, family and co-workers.”

Included in the class is a tasting of local wine and beer, and a pizza students can take home with them. According to Agrawal, the classes attracted the attention of investors, and a second location will open in downtown Las Vegas later this year.  

Graduates of Agrawal’s pizza classes can head uptown to gelato shop Mia Chef Gelateria. The shop offers unique workshops on how to make the Italian ice cream, and students go home with four pints of their creations.

E.Z. Cohen, founder and CEO of Mia Chef Gelateria, said that after opening the shop in April, he expected the summer months to be his busiest. He was shocked to find that many people left town for vacation during the city’s warmest, gelato-friendly months.

“I was in marketing for many years before I opened the store, so I knew I needed to open in a real neighborhood where I’d have repeat customers, not just tourists,” said Cohen. “But when they all left for the beach, I had to have a solution to bring in people, and I never dreamed how popular these classes would be.”  

He started offering the classes in August, and within the first month, Cohen said business at his storefront shot up by 30%, and classes were completely sold out for a four-month stretch. Cohen is currently shopping for another location on New York’s Upper East Side. The classes last three hours and cost $120 per person.

“It’s a money maker,” he said. “It was designed to give us exposure and bring business into the store, and people who came to the workshop now order our product to their offices or come here for bachelorette parties or corporate team building.”

The additional cost burden of these classes tends to be minimal, according to Gegax, because most of the required ingredients and supplies are already on hand and available to order. All that a small business needs to invest in offering a class is the employee’s time, the advertising and perhaps a few essentials like aprons or instruction booklets.

“People will pay a lot more for these classes than the product is worth, so most of the class cost is going to benefit the bottom line,” he said.  

In Burbank, Calif., Tiffini Soforenko ,owner of Yummy Cupcakes, began offering classes three years ago after opening her first bakeshop in 2005. The company now has three locations in California, and is opening two new locations later this year in Istanbul and Qatar.

“When we first offered classes, we thought we would get a lot of people who loved our product and wanted to learn more about it, but we found that the majority of people who came had never been in our store and had never even heard of us. It opened us up to a whole new set of customers,” Soforenko said.

Yummy  Cupcakes classes cost $75 for adults, and customers leave with at least one dozen cupcakes to take home and a gift card to purchase half a dozen cupcakes on a future visit. The flavor of cake and icing baked changes monthly, and classes are only offered on Sundays, which was a conscious decision by Soforenko—it’s the shop’s slowest business day.

“Having the classes on Sunday gives us a chance to maximize those hours. So, yes, we are making money on this, but I like having people in the class. We also find that it’s great for our staff because they are all culinary graduates and they are so proud of what they do.”

Offering classes also gives off an added sense of expertise and skill, according to Gegax.

“If you’re offering workshops, people are going to say, ‘Oh, they are pretty sharp. They are so good at what they do that they are actually teaching everyone else how to do it.’ The product that you’re giving them has to be outstanding, or the whole experience is going to fall short.”

Before any small business offers classes, Gegax says owners need to assess the required time commitment to do them right. “You’re going to need at least three hours to teach the class, and then probably one for set up and another one for clean-up.” He also advised owners evaluate their staffing levels to avoid getting stuck teaching all the evening classes and burning out.

“It’s easy to sell a product, but it’s another thing entirely to try and teach it.”

Alice Goldsmith, owner and designer at Alice Goldsmith Ceramics in New York said that she has learned as much from her pottery students as they’ve learned from her.

“At a certain point as a business owner, you know the marketing and you know the product development, but it’s time to add something new to the mix. I knew classes would be fun, but it’s shown me a lot about the learning process. Everyone learns in a different way, and with a class of eight people, it can be challenging to phrase directions in a way that eight people can all understand.” 

Goldsmith teaches three-hour pottery-making classes at her Brooklyn workshop for $45 per person, which includes clay, a lesson on the pottery wheel, and the firing and glazing of one item.

Since first offering the classes in August, Goldsmith said she has experienced an increase in sales, and she started a new line of pottery for sale in her shop called “Brooklyn People’s Pottery.”

“When people see the time and effort that goes into making something, they want to get involved, and they are more likely to purchase that item later, whether it’s a cupcake or a handmade bowl,” said Goldsmith

 

 

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Trade exports drawback calculation method

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At present, the foreign investment enterprises to export goods tax refund method including the "first levied back" and "of tax exemption, crediting and return.

"First levied back" is refers to the production enterprise exported or agency of export goods, all in accordance with the interim regulations of value added tax to the tax rate taxation, and then by the competent tax authorities of the tax rebate in the national export tax refund program within the tax rebate rate for examination and approval by the regulation tax refund.

 

First:Calculation tax tax basis.

 

"First levied back" way to export goods in accordance with the current fob RMB rate should be multiplied by the foreign exchange TuiShuiE calculation.

"FOB" (English writing for us your price on FOB basis) is on FOB basis, but the delivery price belongs to the symbolic delivery, namely the seller will be necessary shipping documents to the buyer's payment is stipulated in the contract, both parties are divided on the risk onto the ship for boundaries. Therefore, us your price on FOB basis by the buyer is responsible for charter bookings, pay insurance premium shipment.

The most commonly used FOB, CFR and CIF price, the conversion method is as follows:

Us your price on FOB basis = CFR price-freight = CIF price... (1-insurance premium × bonus)-the freight

Therefore, if the enterprise with foreign export cif price as the clinch a deal, after the departure in the goods shall be deducted by the burden of enterprise happening overseas freight, insurance premium commission and the financial costs; CFR price to clinch a deal, freight shall be deducted.

 

Second:the method of calculation

 

1, general trade

(1) calculation formula:

Current payable tax amount = current domestic goods the output tax of + current export goods fob RMB rate × × foreign exchange tax rate-all current input tax

Current should be TuiShuiE = export goods fob price × × tax rebate rate RMB foreign exchange rates

(2) above the calculation formula of the relevant explanation:

(1) the current input tax include all the current domestic purchase material, water, and electricity,'s deductible transport, current customs levying value-added tax provisions of the tax law of can counteract the input tax.

(2) the foreign exchange rate shall be according to the provisions of the financial system two way to determine if, that is, on the same day of the national publication rate early or late, the average price of rate. Calculation method once determined, the enterprise in a tax year in must not be altered.

(3) enterprise actual sales income and export goods submitted but, foreign exchange recorded on a sheet of cancel after verification of the amount of not consistent, tax authority according to the large amount of taxes, according to export goods customs declaration of the amount of tax rebates on record.

(4) of the tax payable shall be less than zero, carry forward the next offset tax payable.

For example:

Case 1, a shoe factory in March 2000 export shoes 30000 dozen, including: (1) 28000 dozen to us your price on FOB basis clinch a deal, us $200 per dozen, the RMB exchange rate quoted for 8. 2836 yuan; (2) 2000 dozen CIF price to clinch a deal, us $240 per dozen, and every play pay the freight insurance premium of $20, $10, $2 commission, the RMB exchange rate quoted for 8. 2836 yuan. Current domestic 19400 dozen realize shoes, and sales income 34920000 yuan, the output tax is 5936400 yuan, the month when the input tax can be deducted for 10800000 yuan, tax rebate rate of 13% for shoes. Use "first levied back" method to calculate the tax payable and should be TuiShuiE.

Export self-produced goods sales income calculation: export self-produced goods sales income = the fob price × foreign exchange RMB rate + (cif price-transport-insurance premium-commission) x foreign exchange RMB card = 28000 x 200 x 8.2836 + 2000 * (240-20-10-2) x 8.2836 = 49834137.60 (yuan)

Current payable tax amount = current domestic goods the output tax of + current export goods fob price × × tax rate of RMB exchange rate-all current input tax = 5936400 + 49834137.60 x 17%-10800000 = 3608203.39 (yuan)

The current TuiShuiE = export goods shall be current fob price × × tax rebate rate RMB foreign exchange rate to 49834137.60 x 13% = 6478437.89 (yuan).

 

 

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China appeared huge trade deficits

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China's February unexpectedly appear huge trade deficit. The distortion of the seasonal, rising raw material, and Europe and other countries economic growth weakness, may is the main reason. Analysts have said, the trade deficit for the Chinese is not a good thing.

 

China's customs administration of import and export trade figures published on Saturday showed China's import and export value in February 260.43 billion us dollars, up 29.4%, including export $114.47 billion, up 18.4%, imports $145.96 billion, a 39.6% increase. Previously, imports fell 15.3% in January.

 

China on February global trade deficit this year to us $31.5 billion, January trade surplus for 27.28 billion dollars. The Associated Press and bloomberg news agency said, this is the 1990 s China's largest monthly performance trade deficit.

 

Export demand weakened

 

The Associated Press said, in the European debt crisis and the weak economic recovery, the trade deficit show that China's relatively strong growth. China's economy in the last quarter of 2011 increased by 8.9%. China this year is expected to economic growth target of 7.5%.

 

China's trade deficit in February and is at a record high of 20 years, on the one hand, by seasonal factors influence, on the other hand show that export demand weakened. China said the general administration of customs, the Spring Festival is February exports reduce main reasons. The financial times that the February import and export data may distort too big, but unfavorable interpretation isolated, because this volatility is purely the result of the Spring Festival holiday.

 

The Associated Press said, vacation, the factory will again replenishment, so it appeared the trade deficit, but rarely appears like this February so large trade deficit. Last month the only trade deficit is February of 7.3 billion us dollars, but in the same year in July trade surplus has reached a record $31.5 billion.

 

Because of China's export enterprise overseas orders fell, China's oil and commodities such as iron ore demand while decreased, but the soaring cost of raw materials, lead to the international trade balance into deficit. The general administration of customs data shows that China's imports of oil in February to a record 23.64 million tons, oil and iron ore imports more than $21 billion.

The Wall Street journal reported, nomura securities economist ZhangZhiWei said, from the global perspective, the economy is rapidly abate, slow speed faster than the government is expected to. He said China's large trade deficit, especially with the effect of a weak exports, eu and other countries may be the demand for Chinese goods in decline.

 

China's customs administration said, after seasonal adjustment, after the February of import and export year-on-year growth of 7%, 4% export, import 9.4%.

 

Perhaps is a good thing

 

Beijing army economic think-tank consulting company researchers ZhongDaJun said, in China's total import and export volume growth, increasing imports, appear certain trade deficit, for the Chinese, not is not a good thing.

 

He said: "a country in successive years of a lot of cheap export, the resources, the stuff is let others consumption, wealth is to go abroad. And its ecological and environmental damage, and pollution in China. So a trade deficit is too good, good....... It is in the process of Chinese in the adjustment of the phenomenon."

 

ZhongDaJun said, China is not a big country what resources, the rapid growth of economy in all these years, oil, food, lumber needs to be imported. He said China should discard mercantilism, breakfast more foreign imports of some resources to meet their domestic demand.

 

Bloomberg news agency, the China import and export trade data published on Saturday, released Friday and a series of disappointing economic data, including lower than expected retail sales of industrial output and, increased China will relax credit, support growth may. Chinese commerce minister Chen deming said, import and export trade increases this year to 10% of the target will be very difficult.

 

Nomura securities greater China's chief economist ShenJianGuang said, inflation pressure is slow, economic activity is abate, issued the China in the next few months will further relax credit strong signal. He predicts that China will in March down further Banks' reserve fund rate. This will be for the past four months to third cut.

 

 

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