Customers

Cultivate connections with a well-used CRM system

Has your business invested in customer relationship management (CRM) software? Many companies have — in fact, according to research cited by career-resource website Zippia, 91% of businesses with 10 or more employees use it. Essentially, CRM software enables you to gather, track, manage and analyze customer-related data in a multitude of ways. If you’ve yet […]

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Sometimes businesses need to show customers tough love

“We love our customers!” Many businesses proclaim this at the bottom of their invoices, in their marketing materials and even on the very walls of their physical locations. Obviously, every company needs a solid customer or client base to survive. But, to truly thrive, you need to evaluate which customers are reliably contributing to the

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Simple ways to make strategic planning a reality

Every business wants to engage in strategic planning that will better position the company to sell more to current customers — and perhaps expand into new markets. Yet the term “strategic planning” is so broad. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the possible directions you could go in and have a hard time choosing

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Tighten up billing and collections to mitigate economic uncertainties

While many economic indicators remain strong, the U.S. economy is still giving business owners plenty to think about. The nation’s gross domestic product unexpectedly contracted in the first quarter of 2022. Rising inflation is on everyone’s mind. And global supply chain issues persist, spurred on by events such as the COVID-19 lockdowns in China and

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Businesses may receive notices about information returns that don’t match IRS records

The IRS has begun mailing notices to businesses, financial institutions, and other payers that filed certain returns with information that doesn’t match the agency’s records. These CP2100 and CP2100A notices are sent by the IRS twice a year to payers who filed information returns that are missing a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), have an incorrect

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Engaging in customer-focused strategic planning

When creating or updating your strategic plan, you might be tempted to focus on innovative products or services, new geographic locations, or technological upgrades. But, what about your customers? Particularly if you’re a small to midsize business, focusing your strategic planning efforts on them may be the most direct route to a better bottom line.

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Remind your sales team about the power of storytelling

Everyone loves a story. It’s why movies are still big business and many of us spend hours on the couch binge-watching our favorite television shows. What’s important to keep in mind — and to remind your sales team — is that effective storytelling can also drive sales. This doesn’t mean devising fanciful, fictional tales to

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Keeping remote sales sharp in the new normal

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the way people interact and do business. Even before the crisis, there was a trend toward more digital interactions in sales. Many experts predicted that companies’ experiences during the pandemic would accelerate this trend, and that seems to be coming to pass. As this transformation continues, your business should

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5 ways to take action on accounts receivable

No matter the size or shape of a business, one really can’t overstate the importance of sound accounts receivable policies and procedures. Without a strong and steady inflow of cash, even the most wildly successful company will likely stumble and could even collapse. If your collections aren’t as efficient as you’d like, consider these five

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The Balanced Scorecard approach to strategic planning

In the early 1990s, the Balanced Scorecard approach to strategic planning was developed to enable business owners to better organize and visualize their objectives. With 2021 shaping up to be a year of both daunting challenges and potentially remarkable recovery, your company should have a strategic plan that’s both comprehensive and flexible. Giving this methodology

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