Do you have a customer or two that just drive you crazy?  It could be something they do every time you call or are on site.  Or it can be something they don’t do, like pay on time or answer when you are at their property.  David Crary, President and Founder of HindSite, calls these customers “Ding-Dongs”.  A “Ding-Dong” is just one of those customers who aren’t your favorite and quite frankly are a hassle to work with.  This isn’t to say they are bad people, they just aren’t your cup of tea per say.

The last post discussed 3 steps to changing mobile service carriers.  Here I will share my little secret to finding the right service provider, based on your business.

Have you ever been faced with a problem you just could not figure out a solution to?  You know what I’m talking about.  You just get to that point where you hit a wall and feel like your brain couldn’t possibly find you a legitimate answer, or even a fairly decent idea.

Not only is owning a business stressful, it can also be scary.  There are so many scams and hackers out there that it becomes difficult to tell spam emails from legitimate ones.  Cyberthieves pin down a few main points about your company and before you know it your employee is lured into providing crucial information to strangers.

"A person who works with a "messy" or cluttered desk spends, on average, 1 1/2 hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things or approximately 7 1/2 per workweek." (Source: http://www.timemeter.com/articles/time_management_facts_and_figures.shtml)

To charge, or not to charge?  That is the question!

Lately there has been some crazy weather going on throughout the US.  There have been raging wild fires in Colorado, hurricanes in Florida, and severe flooding right here in Minnesota.  While some are more predictable like hurricanes, others can catch us completely off guard.

Let’s face it.  We live in a world that is becoming more and more dependent on technology.  And small businesses are one of the front runners for those needing technology to succeed.  Whether it’s for communication, organization, or information, technology is what is driving companies.  And while it definitely helps to better manage a business, finding the right tool and getting it set up correctly can cause enough stress for you to just give up.

I came across a pretty interesting article today that actually left me pondering my own view on lies and liars in the business world.  The article, The 7 Most Common Lies Customers Tell, was written by Mike Michalowicz, CEO of Provendus Group – a consultancy that helps companies whose growth has plateaued.  In the article, Michalowicz discusses both why and how customers lie to businesses.

The Why?
Michalowicz says customers lie because they are human and no human is beyond lying.  Seems pretty reasonable, right?  He also states “lying is a fact of life, and knowing this gives you the ability to find the truth behind the words, which is critical to business success.”  This had never once crossed my mind before.  I thought honesty was the best policy (which I still believe is true), but never thought to be looking for truth behind the words.

Nobody really enjoys change.  It’s difficult adding new things into your daily routine, whether it be a new employee, new technology, new project, etc.  But change is needed to grow and succeed.  Think if you never changed your entire life.  Would you ever get anywhere?  Probably not.

Here are some tips to help you deal with change: