General Business Talk

Reputation management is a service dedicated to helping companies with negative online feedback restore their online image, and improve their search results. If your company has a hard time doing online business due to negative feedback from customers on your website or in blog posts, then reputation management may be able to help.

If you are concerned about negative internet comments you or your company has received, than reputation management may be a helpful resource. As you or your business participates in online marketing or sells products online, negative feedback about a product or service you provide can drastically reduce the amount of online business you are able to generate for your company. Typically two types of negative feedback hurt an online business reputation: false negative feedback, or a single irate customer’s feedback.

False negative feedback may be put up by competitors who want to hurt your reputation on the online market. Also, although most of your companies’ transactions with customers may be overwhelmingly positive, it only takes one dedicated individual with a complaint that is put on your first results page to ruin your companies’ name. A single individual or a small group of customers who are dissatisfied with their online transaction can easily retaliate with hostile and overly-negative comments and blog posts. This type of negative feedback can cripple the online reputation of your business by attaching negative search terms to first search results, and by bringing up negative comments and articles when a search about your business occurs.

It is when this negative feedback shows up as part of the first results in a Google, Yahoo, or MSN search that reputation management may help your company. Reputation management offers a wide variety of services to help companies improve their online name. By using various online management tools, they are able to improve your online image. These tools include using blogs, wikis, and social networking sites to generate positive advertising and feedback for your company. These tools are used primarily because they rank high in most search results, and because people who look for services online and engage in online transaction take comments they read about companies on blogs and wikis very seriously.

Reputation management can also improve your name through specialized review sites, and by increasing the positive search engine results your company generates. This means that they not only improve search engine results, but will work to reduce the negative search terms that bring up you or your companies name. Reputation management will also help improve your name on important video sites on the web.

Are you a control freak? Do you prefer to do things yourself, because you know the job will be done to your satisfaction? Do you have confidence in the abilities of others, or do you trust no one but yourself?

I must admit I am a bit of a control freak; however I have no problem delegating certain work to certain people. Some jobs I keep a close eye on, and others I do not worry too much about. A lot depends on how important the job is, and who is doing it. It comes down to having confidence in others.

However, one thing I have learnt from my many years in business is, you cannot always do everything yourself. This is true, even if it is sometimes quicker and cheaper to do things yourself.

Delegation is a management skill that is often overlooked. Over the years I have found delegation to be an excellent method for training staff. Here is how you do it.

When giving other people tasks to do, clearly explain what is involved and when the job is to be completed. Check that the person has understood by asking them what it is you are requiring them to do. If they are required to do a repetitive task, you may want finish your request with the words -”show me.” If they are unable to do this, you may not have explained the task clearly enough.

In the beginning assume that they know nothing and explain key requirements in detail. As time progresses, you will need to explain things less and less. Staff will be able to do things well, often without even being asked and without supervision. It will make your job easier and your employees will get more satisfaction knowing that you trust them to do a good job.

I often hear business owners complaining their employees make mistakes, or do not do jobs correctly. The question needs to be asked, “Have they been thoroughly trained?” Often jobs are not done properly because the employee has not been shown the correct method. Whose fault is that?

However, good management also involves giving employees responsibility, respect and encouragement. We all make mistakes at times… none of us are perfect.

Encourage employees to bring problems to you. Get them to think through the problem well enough so they can clearly explain it. Once explained, they should be encouraged to think of various solutions and be in a position to recommend the best option. They should be encouraged to think for themselves and see you only when necessary.

If your employees are not doing their jobs properly, then you need to look at your level of training or retraining. If they cannot be trained then you may be best to look at replacing them.

However, remember that we are individuals and we all have our own working styles. You cannot always expect your employees to be as dedicated as you are. Everyone can bring different skills to a business.

Perhaps one of the hardest things to do is to learn to trust the skills and decision-making capabilities of other people. The only way to develop trust in other people is by giving them the opportunities to succeed or fail. If you do this, you will get the full benefit of what others can offer. After a few successes your trust will grow and other people will be happier knowing they have your confidence.

Ever since the computer age crept into our everyday business and home life web safety has been an issue. Companies around the globe have been affected by this problem and have been forced into setting specific guidelines to combat the problem. Many people love to communicate across the World Wide Web or the Internet as it is most often referred too. With so many personal computers in homes numerous personal email accounts are established in every household. Some people cannot leave the personal account at home. When they get to the office they cannot fight the urge to conduct business and personal communication on the same account. Therefore there can be a breach in safety.

The fact is quite simple that personal email accounts should not be used to transfer business information. Regardless of the natural fact that personal emailing should not be done on company time anyway; using a personal account to transfer sensitive business information can be a serious issue with safety and protocol. As far as technology has come in a relatively short time in reference to computers protection is still a major issue. There are elements out there that are up to know good and work diligently towards gathering useful information about various businesses. This is why certain measures are to be adhered too when emailing is involved. For security and safety purposes strict passwords and encryption methods have to be utilized to protect the businesses and their clients.

If sensitive information is transferred over an insecure server than that information is up for grabs. This can be a very serious problem if the employee happens to be employed by the government. Controls have to be adhered too in order to properly protect all parties. There are many secrets out there that are not meant to be shared rather it be trade secrets or secrets involving national security. If an employee violates these rules of emailing conduct they can put their company, their clients or even the country at risk. This is unacceptable and can lead to serious repercussions. Many people do not think about the potential risk they are placing on their place of business and that is when breaches occur.

The possible effects of internet hacking are a reality. Too many users are led to believe that such efforts are only vivid imaginations presented on the silver screen. It is hard for them to comprehend that without proper protection that passwords can be opened and sensitive information retrieved. Companies and government offices obtain specified computer hardware just for this purpose. They take extraordinary measures to protect valuable information. When an employee passes information along in an insecure method their protective measures become useless. The bottom line is this. Companies are becoming more and more serious about this issue. It is too important to all involved that protection is sustained at all times. There is no excuse for creating an unsafe situation by conducting inappropriate communication through personal email.

The common trait shared by prosperity and poverty is the six inches between your ears… your thoughts. How you process information.

Prosperity and Poverty is not completely about financial. Body, mind and soul are components of prosperity and poverty.

There are two characteristics that can determine if you have a prosperous life or if you seem to be stuck in poverty.

Decision Making

Prosperous people are comfortable making decisions quickly. Those who seem to have trouble in life and practice are the ones who commonly need to “think” about their decisions. They have to do research, due diligence, talk to others, explore options, gather information and on and on. Usually, avoiding making any decision.

I have watched Chiropreneurs make a decision regarding growing their business in minutes, while others are still doing their due diligence for the past six months. Which one would you guess has a prosperous business and lifestyle?

Here’s something interesting: if you make a decision quickly, “yes or no,” it will be the right decision fifty percent of the time. On the other hand, if you think about a decision, you will be wrong eighty percent of the time.

In other words, you have a thirty percent edge when you make quick and fast decisions.

Warren Buffett once invested millions to acquire a company…without looking at the financials. He just liked the company.

Successful leaders of Fortune 500 companies often make multi-million dollar decisions in minutes but most Chiropreneurs have difficulty purchasing new technology, hiring talent, investing in marketing or hiring a coach without going through agony to make up their minds..

Hoarding

The next characteristic may shock some of you. Are you a hoarder? If you answered, “Yes,” then you most likely are having trouble with prosperity or you are not maximizing your potential.

Hoarding is a poverty thought. It’s about letting go and opening up your practice and life to something new and better. Hoarders never toss stuff. They hold on out of fear of loss.

Prosperous thoughts is about acknowledging an unlimited source of stuff. Clearing the decks, as it where, is done regularly and frequently. Tossing out the old to make room for the new.

Do an audit of your closet. What did you find? If you are a hoarder, you will find out of style suits, shirts, ties and shoes. On the other hand, if you have a prosperous mindset, your closet is organized and filled with the latest in fashion, colors and styles.

Open your desk drawers. Look at your office… on the floor. What did you find? Stacks of old magazines, catalogs, paperwork, “gifts” that you haven’t noticed for years?

Walk around your office. Look at the walls. Look at the carpeting. Look at your equipment. What did you find? Clutter. Outdated posters and patient brochures. Adjusting tables that have been “duct” taped repaired. Equipment that doesn’t work any longer. A storage room filled to the ceiling with stuff you haven’t looked at in years.

You can change your poverty mentality to a prosperous mentality. You can even go from prosperity to poverty…. it’s all about your mindset and action.

Here’s how to move from poverty to prosperity and to maintain prosperity in your life and in your business:

Get comfortable making fast, quick decisions. The majority of your decisions can be made in 5 minutes or less, certainly under 60 minutes. Take baby steps in the beginning: if a decision is under $1,000, then force yourself to make the decision in under five minutes, for example. If no money is involved, then you should be able to make the decision in one minute!

Ask yourself the following four questions:

- What’s the worst that could happen with this decision?
- What’s the best that could happen with this decision?
- What’s the worst that could happen without this decision?
- What’s the best that could happen without this decision?

Get in the habit of asking these questions before making any decision will improve your ability to make faster and quicker decisions.

Don’t hoard. Get in the habit of eliminating clutter at home and at the office. Toss outdated material. Donate old clothes and equipment to charity.

Hoarding stuff creates a mentality of lack. When you focus on “lack,” you attract more lack into your life. Prosperous practitioners focus on abundance, never lack. Prosperous practitioners understand there is unlimited abundance in the universe including financial, new patients, wonderful relationships and optimum health, so there’s not any reason to keep clutter or ignored stuff in your life or at the office.

I once visited an office and there was a photocopier sitting in the corner of the x-ray room. I asked what was wrong with the copier and the Chiropreneur reported that it was replaced with a new model a couple of years ago. But there it sat, dusty and taking up space. Worst, what do you think the patients thought when they were in the room?

It is interesting that Hoarders actually have more health problems than non-hoarders. Clutter and thoughts of poverty creates unnecessary stress and that leads to health issues.

The wonderful thing about life, you get to pick the twin that you desire. It’s your choice. Which twin do you want? Prosperity or Poverty?