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Coach’s Corner – How can you delegate more effectively?
“If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to learn to delegate.” – Richard Branson, British entrepreneur Have you ever found yourself in a position where you know there are things you shouldn’t be doing? Do you sometimes feel it is easier for you to simply do them rather than have someone else take them on? Do you find it difficult to delegate because you feel others will not do the task as well as you can or the way you would do it? These are common thoughts that leaders and managers have about delegating activities and tasks. Here are some ideas on how you may become a…
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Common grammar errors that annoy readers
In business writing, the goal is to be clear and concise. It’s also a good idea not to confuse people or annoy them with some of those common grammatical mistakes we all make from time to time. It’s strange, but most of the following grammatical no-no’s actually make some people very angry. Sometimes, they are things that have over the years become accepted; they in effect have become a cultural norm, but they are still technically incorrect. Language is in a state of constant change, but when writing for business it’s often a good idea to err on the side of caution. The last thing you want to do is…
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Writer’s block
Here is some advice from an award-winning writer Mike Wicks: In business we have to write reports, emails, guides, proposals; all types of communication are vital to the smooth running of our businesses. Whether you are a good writer or not, there will come a time when you are faced with a blank page and come up well, blank. You have no idea of how to start or put into words what it is you need to communicate. Then the fear and frustration rise; you are experiencing writer’s block. Gene Fowler, an American journalist, author and dramatist once said, “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank…
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Secrets of a Sales Rep #6
The following article was written by Mike Wicks; He is currently a writer and author, but at the beginning of his career he was a professional salesman. He has developed dozens of sales and marketing courses and has provided hundreds of hours of sales and marketing training over the course of his career. He is also an advisor to the Innovation Center of Entrepreneurship at the University of Victoria. “Salespeople Come in All Shapes and Sizes” is the sixth in a series of articles in which he shares with his readers his secrets to sales success. The fifth “Secrets” article was published in this publication in July 2019. In my…
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Canadian small business by the numbers
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada publishes key small business statistics annually. This information provides a useful insight into the Canadian economy for small business owners and entrepreneurs and those who provide services to them. This article discusses some of the key findings which we consider will be of interest to readers. It should be noted that government’s definition of small business (a business with 1 to 99 employees) may be significantly different to that of the average business owner. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, a small business is defined as having fewer than 100 paid employees, with medium-sized businesses having 100-499 employees. Larger businesses are defined as having…
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Coach’s Corner 2020 – What is Your Most Important Resolution?
As we approach the New Year, it is a good time to reflect on the past 12-months and look forward to the coming year. By looking at and analyzing the past year we provide the foundations for a bridge to 2020; it helps us create a clear vision for the year ahead. Good questions to guide our thinking and reflection about our past year include: What can we celebrate from the past year? What were we able to accomplish? What did we learn? What would we change? Reflection allows us to look at our successes, our failures, the things we did well and those where we might have done better.…
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Holiday Shopping – Make it Easy
A NOTE FROM TINA – The 6 weeks before Christmas are some of the most profitable weeks for small business owners. It is time to get very focused on your selling skills. If you can’t help customers to buy from your company, someone else will happily help them buy from theirs. Customers are on the hunt for gifts for family, friends and coworkers. Companies are always looking for corporate gifts for employees and suppliers. Even if you don’t have specific gift items to sell, have a look at what you could create as a gift certificate for your services, that customers could buy and give as presents. Make sure these…
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Keeping Up With Technology
Why is it that some companies are late to the party when new technology becomes available? Technology that would allow them to introduce new and improved products to their customers. Often, it's because customers show no interest, they like tried and trusted products they know and love.
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Coach’s Corner – What else?
Sometimes we find ourselves caught in repeating a bad habit or ending up in a situation that we have experienced before which has not served us well. How do we avoid those situations or break the habit? When we think, déjà vu, or here we go again, we need to stop and figure out ways to move forward in a different way. We need to find alternatives to those past negative behaviours which resulted in less than desirable actions and outcomes. How do we shift our thinking? How do we come out with different, more positive results? This is where a coaching mindset comes into play. We need to ask…
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Email – How Not to Get it Wrong
There are so many ways to screw up email and even when you don’t actually screw it up, email etiquette lies in wait to mess with you. A big faux pas, for instance, is when someone sends an email to a dozen people and includes all the addresses in the “To:” line. If you do that you are sharing what may be confidential contact information with other people without their permission. This can tick people off and make you very unpopular. The way to overcome this is to BCC (blind carbon copy) everyone and only enter your own email address in the “To:” line. Unfortunately, that is only the tip…
