Contributed Post | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

4 Ways You Can Excel In Your Career

August 29, 2022 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Change is the only thing that stays the same, as the saying goes. But “change” doesn’t just mean changes in the outside world; it can also mean personal growth.

The human brain is made to constantly learn and take in new information. Our desire to know more, learn more, and find out more is what makes us a better species than other animals.

Photo by fauxels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-woman-holding-mug-3184647/

Here are five ways to keep learning, no matter how much experience we have, what we do for a living, or what career milestones we’ve reached. It’s always good to learn new things and grow, whether it’s related to your job or something completely different, like a hobby.

Keep Up With Updates And News

It’s always good to know what’s going on in the rest of the world. Even if you aren’t interested in politics or foreign news, it’s still good to know what’s going on in or around the world. Keeping up with the news keeps you up-to-date, aware, and on the lookout for new information.

Learn New Skills

Even if you’ve worked in the same field for 20 years, that doesn’t mean you know everything there is to know about it. Or that you’ve used up all the useful tools for learning. Learning a skill can help you move up in your career, whether it’s a leadership program or phlebotomy training.

In today’s world, where technology, innovations, and improvements move at the speed of light, it is more important than ever to keep up with the latest developments in your field of work.

If you need to change jobs or there is a leadership position open in your field, you will be a good candidate because you are already one step ahead of the other candidates. You then need to use a free resume template for Word to add your new skills.

Develop An Existing Hobby

If Jack works all the time, he won’t have anything to do. Indeed! It’s important to have at least one hobby or something you like to do outside of work. It could be a sport, a musical instrument, a painting, or anything else that makes you feel creative.

There’s also no harm in pursuing your passion more. Who knows, it could lead to an extra source of income or even a fun new job.

If you like to paint, take a painting class. If you like sports, join a sports club. If you like music, learn to play an instrument.

Be Present Online

Since social media is everywhere, you can’t ignore it or say it doesn’t matter. Think about changing how you do things, and if you aren’t already on any social networking sites, join a few.

Learn how to use social media to market your business and start doing it right away. It’s also a great chance to meet new people and connect with people who have similar interests.

If you want to move up in your job, these five tips should help. Do you have any more suggestions that might help? If you have any, please share them in the comments.

Save Time & Improve The Customer Experience

August 26, 2022 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

If you are keen to make sure that you are doing all you can to keep your customers happy, one of the best approaches you can take here is to think about the customer experience, and whether it is as expedited as possible. If you are unsure about this, it is certainly something that you will at least want to make sure you are focused on, as it might help you to grow your business more quickly than you might have thought. At the same time, a lot of this will also help you save time for your own team and yourself.

Image Credit – CCO License

Think About Their Perspective

The more that you think about how things are from the customer’s experience, the more likely it is that you can make it as good as possible for them, keeping it in line with what they expect and ensuring that it is as easy as possible to follow and so on. Spend some time thinking about their perspective and make sure that you are doing all you can to make the journey as easy for them as possible, the smoother you can the better. That is going to help a great deal while also saving you time.

Use The Right Software

Very often, what software you are using throughout the customer journey is another really important thing that you need to focus on in order to ensure that you are delivering the best possible service while saving everyone a lot of hassle and time. A good example is when you have a lot of customers booking in through scheduling software. You need to make sure that you are using the best software for this, as only something like Rezdy is going to be sufficient for keeping the experience as easy and free-flowing as you would hope.

Boost Productivity

There is a funny thing about productivity in the workplace, which is that the better it gets, the more it actually has a positive knock-on effect for the customer in their journey too. You might be surprised to hear that, but it really is something that can make a huge difference to your customer’s experience, so that is absolutely worth thinking about. Make sure that you are boosting productivity across the board in any way you can, and it will really help you out a great deal with keeping the customer happy too. Of course, it will also save everyone time.

Image Credit – CCO License

Offer Options
In general, you should make sure that you are offering a wide variety of options to your customers. This would include, for instance, having many product examples for them to choose between, or making sure that there are a lot of safe and easy ways to pay. These kinds of things tend to really make a huge difference to how the customer experience pans out, and it’s the kind of thing that you are really going to want to focus on as best as you can along the way for a better experience.

Why Business Objectives Are Paramount to Your Success

August 24, 2022 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

For a business to be successful, it is essential to set objectives. This allows the company to measure its progress and determine whether or not it is reaching its goals. Without business objectives, it would be difficult to make informed decisions about where the company should go. This blog post will discuss the importance of business objectives and how they can help your business grow!

Via Pexels

1)Gives A Sense of Direction

When you set objectives for your business, you essentially set goals to strive forward. This provides much-needed direction and helps to keep everyone on the same page. Without objectives, it would be easy for employees to become confused about what they should be working towards. Having objectives gives everyone in the company a sense of purpose and helps ensure everyone is working towards the same goal.

2)Helps You Focus On What is Important

It is easy for businesses to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and lose sight of what is truly important. Objectives help to keep you focused on your goals and ensure that you are making progress. It can be easy to become sidetracked by new ideas or shiny objects, but if you have objectives, staying focused and on track will be easier. For example, if your goal is to increase sales by 20%, you will be more likely to invest time and resources into marketing initiatives to help you reach that goal. An SEO consultant can help you to create objectives that will focus your attention on the most critical tasks.

3)Allows You To Measure Progress

One of the essential benefits of having objectives is that it allows you to measure your progress. This is essential for determining whether or not you are on track to reach your goals. Without objectives, it would be difficult to tell if you are making any progress at all. Measuring your progress also allows you to make necessary adjustments along the way.

4)Enables You To Make Informed Decisions

Objectives help to provide a framework for making decisions. When you have objectives, you can evaluate different options and make the best decision for your business. Without objectives, it would be difficult to know whether or not a particular decision is the right one for your company.

5)Helps You Stay Motivated

It can be easy to become discouraged when you are running a business. There will be ups and downs, but staying motivated and focused on your goals is essential. Having objectives gives you something to strive for and helps to keep you motivated even when things get tough.

6)Allows You To Adapt

The business world is constantly changing, and it is crucial to be able to adapt. Objectives give you the flexibility to adjust your plans as needed. If something isn’t working, you can make a change and try something new. Without objectives, making changes and adapting to the ever-changing landscape would be difficult.

In conclusion, business objectives are essential for the success of your company. They give you a sense of direction, help you focus on what is important, and allow you to make informed decisions. Objectives also help you to stay motivated and adapt to the changing landscape. If you don’t have objectives, now is the time to create some!

Making an Inexpensive Promo Video for Your Business

August 24, 2022 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Movie production clapper board – Image Courtesy of Pexels

Digital media is a must-have in today’s business world, especially online. But it costs. Fortunately, you can make an inexpensive promo video with these handy tips.

Hire Professional Cameras and Equipment

Cameras and equipment are very expensive. So if you’re on a budget, you won’t have the funds to buy what you need. Of course, if you plan on repeated use, it might be a wise investment. However, you can hire what you need instead. All the necessary equipment for things like a dolly camera setup, lighting rigs, and green screens are available on a per-day basis. Be aware, though, that a live-action sequence can look extremely amateur if you have no experience. So maybe hire someone with the skills to handle professional-grade videography equipment.

Use Existing Skills of You or Your Team

You can cut down the cost of video production by working with what you already have. Perhaps you have a Canon EOS with HD video capability and have used it for years of personal shooting. Then consider that over rentals. Or maybe one of your team members is an Adobe Premiere editor in their spare time. There’s a ton of money saved over purchasing software and hiring a professional editor. And don’t forget about voice overs. Voice actors are notoriously expensive. So why not record your own voice for your promo? Just clear your throat first.

Make an Inexpensive Promo Video with Online Tools

Editing software is expensive to purchase or license. Hollywood grade packages like Adobe Premiere are also challenging to learn and take time and practice. Fortunately, you can make quick and easy videos online such as Canva, Animoto, and Headliner. The benefits include:

A massive ROI of up to 89%.
Vastly increased product sales and engagement.
Boosted traffic to your website.

These are apps aimed at productivity in business, which is now a valued source of marketing and product ROI. In addition, almost all online marketers use videos as a core part of any strategy. A broad spectrum of consumers expect and find promotional videos helpful.

Keep it Short, Sweet, and to the Point

Time is money when making a video. You might only have equipment for a limited time and could be fined for not returning it. Additionally, you need to work around schedules and work commitments. You will soon see that it requires some degree of logistics and planning. So it helps to plan everything in advance, get a script nailed down and begin the day early. That way, you stay on point with your promo video and wrap it in time to head down to post-production. Then you can have fun editing your audio, video, and visual effects for the final product.

Use Royalty-Free Assets

As you start to build a video plan, you will see the costs quickly add up. Equipment, software, professionals. It’s all cost. So you get to the point where you might begin to run out of funding. Fortunately, there are tons of sites you can use for royalty-free images, clips, and VFX. Some of the best include Pixabay, Pexels, and Udemy. Yet if you have a little more in your budget, Shutterstock offers superior quality. In addition, some sites let you use assets under the Creative Commons license, while others might require a small payment for each use.

Summary

With some planning, you can make an inexpensive promo video for your next product or service. Hire what you need, use online editing tools and keep your video short and on topic.

What Technology Does Your Business Need? 10 Key Strategies for Smarter Tech Adoption

August 24, 2022 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Photo by fauxels from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-using-vr-goggles-3183187/

Technology has bled into every aspect of a business’s long-term strategy and day-to-day operations. And while you might still be resistant to change, the benefits of adopting the right technologies are becoming increasingly evident.

However, while larger corporations can count on large budgets to support the introduction of new systems and software, small and medium enterprises don’t have much room for trial and error.

In turn, investing in the wrong technology or adopting a new system that does not yield the expected results can have catastrophic consequences.

So, technology is essential to support your business growth – but how can you be sure that the system you are about to invest in is the right one? Here are 10 simple steps to follow to craft a smarter technology adoption roadmap for your company.

Start by Understanding Industry Trends

Technology is becoming prominent in all industries – and for more than one reason. Thanks to new systems, businesses in most industries can boost productivity, reduce waste, and automate labor-consuming or dangerous tasks.

However, now two organizations are exactly the same, and what might be working for businesses in other industries might not work as well for you.

That is why before diving into new and emerging technologies, it is worth looking into how your industry or specific niche is evolving. For example, when looking at the video game design industry, it is easy to see that developers are making use of VR and the Metaverse to visualize the end result and collaborate at a distance.

Make sure to be clear on where your industry is heading to!

Understand Your Benchmarks – And Your Competition

Once you have a greater understanding of the trends that are reshaping your industry, you’ll want to look at what your competitors are doing. Indeed, the industry as a whole might show high levels of adoption of a certain technology.

However, if you are a small business, you shouldn’t put yourself up against international corporations that are able to introduce cutting-edge solutions on a global scale. Instead, look at why some of your customers prefer to work with you instead of those larger corporations.

Is it because of your unique expertise? Or may it be because of the personal touch you offer?

Whatever your selling point is, hone it by looking at how other competitors in your same tier are adopting technology.

Develop a Long-Term Strategy for Technology Adoption

For many small business owners, technology adoption is reactive. For example, they might substitute an outdated system when this is no longer compatible with other software. Or, they might upgrade a piece of machinery at the end of its lifespan.

However, technology adoption should be proactive. And, even more importantly, it should follow a clear technology roadmap.

At the heart of your long-term technology adoption strategy should be your scope or mission. However, some more factors that could play a role include employee training, costs, and troubleshooting.

Weigh the Benefits and Drawbacks

When it comes down to business technology adoption, randomly investing in new systems can affect your finances. And, if you are operating on a tight budget, your business might never recover from this mistake!

So, before splurging on a new system, be sure to learn the secret to business technology adoption: weighing the benefits, costs, and drawbacks.

Through this kind of analysis, you might find that a new technology you wanted to invest in might not work well for your business or boost your operations as you might have expected.

Once you have the results of this analysis, you can use them to change plans or pivot towards a different strategy.

Educate Yourself About New and Emerging Technologies

When looking at how quickly technology is evolving, or at the wide range of systems that become available each day, choosing the right technology to invest in can feel overwhelming.

That is why it is important to educate yourself in the best way possible. For example, you should consider participating in industry events that focus on sector-specific technologies and visit fairs and exhibitions.

Alternatively, you might consider leveraging online courses to better understand systems like CRM and ERP, or review guides about the benefits of smart contracts or blockchain for small businesses.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and review what industry leaders are doing!

Pinpoint the Areas of Your Business That Require Innovation

Not all areas of your business will benefit equally from technology adoption- for example, you might have a marketing or sales team that is truly lagging behind because of the lack of an up-to-date system.

In this case, Customer Relationship Management software can help you reduce labor costs, streamline operations, and provide a much better service to your clients.

On the other hand, if you are manufacturing products by hand (i.e: furniture or art), introducing a system that will automate this process might boost productivity, but you might lose your unique selling point.

Make sure to understand what core and non-core functions in your business require a digital transformation without affecting what makes your business special.

Use Customer Data To Create More Responsive Products and Services

If you are looking to introduce new machinery and software to boost productivity, you should consider understanding what your customers actually want. For example, if your customers are calling for lower prices, you might need to introduce new technologies that can make the product more affordable.

Oppositely, your consumers might be after greater transparency in the supply chain. In this case, investing in end-to-end blockchain-based systems can help.

Gather Feedback From Your Employees

Your employees represent the human capital of your business and one of the greatest assets of your company. Introducing new technologies can significantly change your business, reduce the needed labor, alter working hours, and even impact wages.

So, if you are looking to introduce a new system, you should start by asking your employees what would make their job easier and better, and how can a certain department improve productivity.

You might find that a certain technology that you had planned to introduce could have affected the ability of your employees to give their best while on-the-job.

If you are unsure about how to get started with this project, consider running surveys to better understand your team’s needs.

Train Your Employees for Smoother Adoption

An increasing number of employees – especially Millennials – have started to experience technology burnout. Because of the several systems, devices, and software they are required to use, many workers might feel overwhelmed and lagging behind when it comes down to making the most of the technologies offered to them.

To avoid this, make sure you are announcing the launch of new technologies before this event actually takes place. What’s more, you should plan for an efficient training schedule that allows your employees to gain dexterity with the new systems without delays.

If you are unsure how to get started, software producers and external companies can help you craft a more efficient training program.

Upskill Your Teams and Keep Up With a Changing Industry

As the industry continues to change, it is estimated that the majority of today’s employees will require upskilling over the next few years.

So, while you might be able to rely on your team’s current skill sets today, without an upskilling roadmap, this might not be enough to maintain your business’s competitive edge in the future.

Understanding what departments require upskilling and pinpointing the skill gaps that might present themselves in the future can help you keep your business current for years to come.