You’ve heard you are what you eat, well we believe that you are what you read. Teach a CEO presents lessons from our bookshelf on how you can improve and grow your venture. We have taken nuggets from our library and provide them for entrepreneurs and business owners.
How to build social media into the customer experience (1) Empower your community manager (2) Listen (3) Serve Transparently (4) Provide Direction (5) Connect –Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not like You
Many business owners are hiring online for the cost savings. By hiring independent contractors, they don't have to supply office space, unemployment insurance, or health benefits. In today's world, these alone are huge savings.
Organizing and deploying such a marketing communications strategy starts by rethinking your approach in terms of the opportunities this new world is creating–which are considerable for companies who become skilled at engaging with their customers to get the word out. – The Hidden Wealth of Customers
Social media is a gift to business. It's a godsend for the small or independent business owner, because the conversations that once took place only between people in private settings now occur more and more in public online environments. By “eavesdropping” on the right customer conversations, businesses can identify strengths and weaknesses in the products and services they–or their competitors–provide. – Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not Like You
11 principles of likeable business is (1) Listening (2) Storytelling (3) Authenticity (4) Transparency (5) Team Playing (6) Responsiveness (7) Adaptability (8) Passion (9) Surprise and Delight (10) Simplicity (11) Gratefulness –Likeable Business
While the VC Community seems stuck in an old boys' network mentality, crowdfunding is radically reshaping business investment and neutralizing gender bias, for both investors and entrepreneurs. – The Crowdfunding Revolution
Listening to someone requires that you hear what they say to you and be able to repeat it back to them if not exactly, then in a format that provides a clear understanding of what they said. -Likeable Business
As Thomas Edison said, ” What it boils down to is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” Or put in a more moder and related crowdfunding context: “Inspire people to be part of your dream, what with high integrity and authenticity, and then just take massive action… -The Crowdfunding Revolution
Firs that know how to create an effective Web presence, one that attracts buyers and provides them with value when they're searching online, have a distinct advantage in today's market and into the future. As we've seen it's the Internet and its myriad connections that customers will consult before they even think about buying from you. -The Hidden Wealth of Customers
In business, authenticity means that processes are what you say they are and products and services do what you say they do. Your job titles, slogans, and advertisements are brand promises that your business must deliver to your employees and customers. -Likeable Business
Seven Principles for Creating a Customer Experience for People Not Like You: (1) Website/Digital Communication (2) Product or Service Tweaks (3) Hiring and Staffing Diverse Talent (4) Advertising and Marketing (5) Staff Interactions (6) Customer Service and Support (7) After the Sale –Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not like You
The Hispanic market is large, lucrative, and loyal–and those are the three Ls that every business wants their customers to be. –Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not like You
The advantages of hiring online are numerous. For just a start, look at these: (1) The ability to scale up or down rapidly…Experts are avialable for each job….Faster project completion time…. Robust information on contractors prior work experience…..24/7, 365-day-a-week access to talent. -The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elance
This new customer value proposition addresses a problem that I've heard executives complain about again and again: the difficulty of finding salespeople who actually understand their customers, including the businesses they manage, their very different view of the world and of what matters, and the emotions that keep them awake at night. By bringing more of your customers into the sales process, you tap into the easy, mutual understanding that emerges naturally amount like-minded souls. –The Hidden Wealth of Customers
One of the best ways to do all four [(1) Ask and listen (2) Pay attention to trends (3) Overcome barriers (4) Communicate] of these steps–on an ongoing basis–is to become active with social media tools that are significantly shaping the customer experience for all of us. –Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not like You
In the freelancing and small business worlds, online or otherwise, the 80-20 rule is alive and well. In fact, you could take it one step further and call it the 90-10 rule. Meaning 90 percent of freelancers and small businesses do just okay, or outright fail, while 10 percent really shine. 10 percent of small businesses generate 90 percent of the revenue. -The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elance
Books from the Bookshelf
Likeable Business by Dave Kerpen lays out 11 strategies for organizations of all sizes to spur growth, profits, and overall success. Dave kerpen reveals the return on investment of principles such as listening, responsiveness, transparency, adaptability, and gratefulness. In today's social world, it literally pays to be likeable.
The Crowdfunding Revolution by Kevin Lawton and Dan Marom explains how the expolive growth of connectivity via physical and social technologies is changing venture capitalism as we know it–and how you can take advantage of it reach more investors than ever.
The Hidden Wealth of Customers by Bill Lee shows the value some customers can have by helping to market your offerings, penetrate foreign markets, leverage the demand-generating power of social media, build customer communities, improve innovation, and more.
Crafting the Customer Experience for People Not Like You by Kelly McDonald shows how companies, brands and products struggling to differentiate themselves in a “sea of sameness” can foster long-term loyalty and brand preference with exceptional and customized customer service.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elance by Karen Lacey is about hiring contract workers and in-house staff at lower costs. The book provides everything that you need to be successful including advice and tricks, writing project proposals, and virtual office tips.