Business Talk | Luke Roxas

How to Handle Your Workload Pressure

You’d be crazy to say that you’ve never experienced pressure, be it in school, work, at home, or even within yourself. While we all have different ways of dealing with pressure, here are a few general tips on how you can make the most out of a stressful situation:

DON’T

Panic: Oftentimes your mind will tend to be in a flurry and you will tend to mix up your emotions with your to-do list and that family outing and that birthday party. But it is not a good idea to panic as you might end up doing something you will later on regret. Sure, it’s great to take a breather and release those emotions for a while, but panicking is not the way to do it.

Unleash your anger on everyone around you: This is very much easier said than done, but just because you’re pressured doesn’t mean no one else is. Everyone has their own baggage to carry, so do them a favor and keep the bad feelings to yourself.

Breathe: The first thing to do when you feel the pressure seeping into your system is to take deep breaths, and perhaps a sip of water. It would help you clear your mind and have a better perspective towards your work. You can even have a five-minute break with your favorite cup of coffee and/or your favorite snack. Whatever you do, make sure you get to relax for a bit and really set your mind in the right direction.

Pray: Pour it all out to the Almighty God. After all, what could be better than the God of the universe backing you up to handle your situation? Praying isn’t for God because He already knows what you need and what you’re going to ask for. It’s for you, really.

Praying helps you sort things out in your head. It helps a lot when you voice out your thoughts one by one. So just let it all out; He will surely be there to listen. And don’t forget to listen to Him as well when He impresses some action points in your heart to do with regards to your situation.

Plan it out: For those who aren’t used to writing everything down on a planner or whiteboard, now is the time. When you are pressured you will tend to forget some items on your to-do list, so it would be best to have an actual to-do list instead of a mental one.

A good idea would be to write down those deadlines on your planner so they are arranged by date, or to have a whiteboard calendar (those can be easily purchased at a bookstore)—either by week or by month—where you see everything posted up in your room. Wherever you jot it down, make sure you can see it easily.

Take it one step at a time: It would be advisable to do your work chronologically, according to deadline. But if the load varies, make sure you have enough time to do the heavier work ahead of the deadline. There is also this thing called the Time Management Matrix—you’ve probably heard of it—wherein activities are plotted onto a matrix according to importance and urgency.

When you’ve plotted your activities, that is the time you realize what you should be doing first (critical activities), what you should be doing next (important goals), and even what you should be eliminating or passing on to other people (distractions and interruptions). Keep in mind though, that this matrix just serves as a good starting point and is relative, so it still really depends on the nature of your job and your tasks.

So keep that smile on your face as you breeze through that emergency meeting or that report assigned today, due tomorrow. Remember, a situation is stressful only if you believe it to be stressful.

5 Ways to Get Free Publicity for your Business

In this stage of history where the economy and the Internet continue to thrive at a lightning-fast pace, many business owners think of ways to get free publicity for their businesses. Succeeding in this area could lead to more sales and eventually generate more revenue out of their products or services. If you consider yourself to be an ambitious businessman, consider applying the five principles below on how you can get free publicity for your business:

Participate in Online Discussion Boards/Forums

What else could be better than joining an online discussion board relevant to your niche (industry)? By doing this you can share what you offer and attract more and more users to your business that can be translated to potential buyers. As good as the end result may sound, you have to have a great deal of time and patience to successfully publicize your business over these discussion boards.

Share your products/services over Social Media

Social media remains to be the best platform to promote your products/services. Simply create accounts over different social media sites; Facebook and Twitter are the obvious choices, but be sure to also capitalize on rising sites such as LinkedIn and Pinterest. Configure your accounts and start socializing with people whose posts show interest to whatever you may be offering. Sincere and consistent engagement with your fans and followers will definitely yield to positive results in the long run.

Conduct Free Seminars

People’s eyes glow whenever the word “FREE” comes into picture. And whenever a free seminar is to be held, don’t be surprised if a lot of people end up attending it. Acknowledging this fact, it’s a good idea to conduct free seminars on topics related to your industry through which you will be able to meet new industrialists. You will get to make contacts with people and this would definitely bring the business to you!

Offer Free Services

Just like conducting free seminars, offering free services would bring you positive results in terms of brand promotion and sales. What eventually happens if you announce that you are offering free services for a limited time? Profit. Once you’ve established your company’s brand and credibility, you can start introducing your paid services.

Conduct Contests or offer Giveaways

This is, for sure, the most effective publicity method listed on this post. Offer discount coupons with each of your products or services. The more you attract your customers, the more they buy. You can also offer seasonal promotions so that more and more customers get attracted towards your brand.

How to Enhance Customer Relationship to your Employees

It is essential that customers and business owners develop a good relationship between each other. The cost of advertisements designed to draw back old clients will be increased if long term relationships are not built. Instead of having to increase advertisements for new clients, developing a stronger bond with old customers will help a company drive new clients to buy their products and/or services. In other words, the more a client does business with your company, the happier you will become.

A company should have a good customer relationship management. This should be imparted to its employees to establish good rapport with customers. It is also a good way to recognize the importance of clients and to improve business conditions according to what satisfies them. The better a company understands its clients, the more harmonious the relationship will be.

Customer relationship management (CRM) can be achieved in various ways. Employers should find out their customers’ purchasing habits and preferences. The opinions of your target market greatly matter and can be known through surveys and suggestion boxes. Creating customer profiles into market groups can effectively drive sales to increase as companies will be able to know frequent purchasing buyers. Operations can also be modified to address the needs of the customers effectively. Customer relationship management is not just about buying the right software; it also involves adapting your business to the needs of the clients.

Employers should first instill to workers its importance. They can develop the efficiency of their team by being active in seminars, workshops, and team-building activities. These will have them recognize how important clients are as they are the primary reason why the company operates. Employers should also remind their workers to treat customers how they would want to be treated if they were the buyers.

There are a lot of benefits that can be taken from effective implementation of customer relationship management. This includes increase of sales from better timing of their needs basing on their portfolios. The needs of clients can be better understood from creating a good rapport, which will lead to a better understanding of the specific requirements of products or services a company may offer. Employees can also suggest cross selling of products once they have established good relationships with clients, which will allow them to suggest alternative products still offered by the company.

Employees also play an important role in the success of a company as much as customers do. However, if they are not taught how to establish the right customer relations, client draw-back might increase, leading to a decrease in sales. There are different types of CRM solutions. Aside from establishing personal rapport, technology is also a great medium to improve CRM.

Outsourced solutions are available in existing packages. This is essential if a company does not have in-house skills. Web-based CRM solutions can be taken depending on the needs of the company. Software with standard components can help small businesses better organize customer portfolio. The use of these solutions can be taught to employees after instilling the importance of customer relationships.

Business Ideas that Inspire Young Entrepreneurs Today

As today’s generation continue to grow older, more and more young adults are starting to look into establishing their own business. While majority of entrepreneurs are adults, younger achievers can also make it. As long as they have adequate resources and the right attitude and knowledge, nothing can stop them from fulfilling his dreams of starting a small enterprise that can grow into a big one through proper guidance and management.

A recent survey has revealed that four out of ten young individuals think of starting their own business someday. The top reasons behind this goal are for them to be able to utilize their skills, be their own boss, and eventually, acquire a higher income.

There are several business ideas that excite the spirit of aspiring young entrepreneurs. Following are some of those that future businessmen can find inspiring, interesting, and even easy.

Web Design and Development Services

A lot of young individuals find website design and development interesting and fun, allowing them to make the best of their technological expertise. Thankfully, in this day and age, many businesses, big or small, have wisely chosen to penetrate the World Wide Web to gather patronage and improve brand visibility. Because establishing a great and informative website is one of the marketing priorities that companies have, a business centered on web design and development is a lucrative idea.

SEO/Social Media Consulting Services

Almost everyone today uses the Internet for different purposes. Regular online users generally find information on the Web, while companies and businesses provide that information in order to cater to the consumers’ needs. This is where people and firms specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing come into view. Above all, the younger population learn the trends in these fields faster, making SEO and Social Media consultancy a promising business idea.

Events Planning Services

The younger portion of the world’s population is undoubtedly full of creativity and life. Events such as parties, weddings, and even gatherings such as reunions can be made greater if planned out and organized by naturally creative individuals. Aside from allowing them to show off their creative juices, this business idea also promises good income.

Low-Cost Franchising

Just by thorough researching, one can easily find low-cost franchising opportunities that can both cater to one’s interests and financial goals. A lot of companies out there that invite franchisees to give others a chance to establish their own business easily and to distribute their brand to different locales and be known to other markets as well. Aspiring entrepreneurs can choose from food-related ventures to senior care and assistance.

Online Retailing

A lot of consumers today instinctively check the Internet for products that they need. This method of shopping and selling offers convenience to both the buyers and the sellers. The buyers can easily purchase items without having to leave their homes while sellers can operate without having to rent or manage a physical store. It also allows the sellers to reach a wider market as those from other cities and countries can also see their products and buy them. Furthermore, many young people appreciate this online trend, thus pushing them to market and sell their products online.

5 Wrong Ways to Use Twitter for Business

Twitter has been a real blessing not just for lovers of Internet but also for the people of Business. Being a phenomenal and influential social networking site, Twitter provides a strong connection between businesses and their respective clients in the way it helps companies from all over the world gain more supporters, or should I say, “Followers”?

At this stage of the Information Age, one would no longer be surprised to find a particular business, whether big or small, actively utilizing Twitter. This popular social networking site makes the sharing of information faster and much easier. With a single click, information can be immediately sent to so many people. What a convenient way to connect to the world, right?

Twitter does indeed provide great opportunities for entrepreneurs, but is it actually being used the right way? Are businesses able to maximize the benefits that Twitter has to offer? Or are they just wasting precious time with Tweets that are left unread and unnoticed? Well, here are some of the wrong practices of using Twitter that you may be applying now.

1) You do not have your own brand.

Sure, there are a lot of fish in the sea. But remember, there are also a lot of fishermen just like you. Just because you are doing your best in establishing a strong relationship with your target market doesn’t mean that it is guaranteed that they will recognize your efforts. That is why you need to have a unique business brand. Like the products that we know so well, you should have a trademark that cause people to instinctively recall your brand whenever they express a need for the products and/or services you offer.

2) Your account is inactive.

One secret when it comes to effective social media networking is being really active. Even if you have an account in almost all social networking sites, they will remain useless if you do not update them on a daily basis. Remember, it is your helpful and informative posts that will help you become more known to your target market. So instead of letting your account rest in solitude, seize the power of tweets! Tweet about all the latest information regarding your products and/or services. When your companies are featuring a new promo, tweet it! When your official website has a new post, tweet it! When someone says something positive about your business, tweet to that person and retweet his tweet!

3) You do not follow people back.

When people follow your account because they want to know as much as they can about your company, why not follow them back? In fact, if you do so, they will recognize that you appreciate them as well. It will make them feel that you really are interested in establishing a connection with them.

4) You do not listen to what they say.

Communication is always a two-way process, so if you want the people around you to listen to what you say to be able to influence them, then you have to learn how to listen to them, too. Plus, you have to keep in mind that in order for your products and services to constantly improve, you have to take into account all the feedback that you receive. Twitter is one such place where you can receive customer feedback, so always be sure to check your “mentions”.

5) You do not promote yourself.

Before you can institute any kind of connection in the world of Twitter, you have to establish your existence first. How sad would be to have exceptional products, top-of-the-tine services, and well-constructed tweets if no one is ever going to know about them? Sad, right? So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and promote your business by promoting your Twitter account! Be more influential and famous by widening your networks.

Social networking sites are so powerful and convenient. No question to that. They allow you to reach out to more people without spending much, which is truly amazing for many businesses. With these facts, one could safely say that it is best to learn how to use them properly to maximize what they can do. Otherwise, the advantages they have could just be easily negated because of wrong use.

5 Ways to Develop Yourself

There is always room for improvement, many people say. In fact, even the ones who are already well-established in their respective fields never close their door to further development as experts of their chosen profession or industry. This is because they keep in their mind that they should level up from time to time and do things better. But how is it done? Read on and learn about the five ways to develop yourself.

1) Listen to what others tell you

Sometimes, it’s hard for us to pinpoint our own points for improvement. This is why for some individuals, it really takes the opinion of other people before they could realize that they have something to change or develop about them. In certain colleges and universities for instance, each student is required to evaluate all of their teachers for the faculty member to realize both his/her strong and weak points. And of course, he/she could analyze the feedback received as he tries to be a better teacher next semester. It is also the reason why student go through workshops. Its activities help people realize what they are probably missing out about them or their works.

2) Set a goal for yourself

Everything starts from the self. So, if you want to develop yourself, then you have to be clear about what you want in the first place. A half-baked fight is never good so you have to be very sure. No matter how brilliant your plans and strategies on self development may be, they would be useless if you do not have a specific goal. It is like driving your car. Even if you are a very good driver and even if you know all the possible routes you can take, it will be useless if you are not sure of where to go to.

3) Develop your willpower

What if you already know what you exactly want to achieve but you do not have the proper mindset? Well, that could really be difficult. In any mission, it is a must that you have the determination that you can do it whatever it takes or however difficult it can be. For most successful people, willpower is the key. Even though they had to face a lot of obstacles on their way to realizing their dreams, they never gave up simply because they believed that they can do it.

4) Always be creative

At some instances, you have to think of yourself as a product while the people you deal with are customers or clients. This way, you could sense whether it is already time for you to come up with something new and more interesting. Like a product, you have to know if you already have to market yourself differently or simply just offer something unique to be able to sell yourself more and therefore develop.

5) Be competitive

Most of the time, we exert more effort if we feel the pressure of competition. Whether it comes in the form of a new office-mate who is a threat to your position or a boss to whom you have to prove yourself in order to save your ego, it could surely push you to strive higher. It has something to do with the fact that we humans tend to do better when we feel pressure. Besides, the feeling of security sometimes gives us space to be complacent and just be contented with what we can do when in fact we can still improve. Development is not easy, nor can it be done overnight. It requires a lot of work and, of course, patience. But for sure, no matter how tedious the process can be, it is still worth it in the end.

Skills vs. Diploma (when hiring an employee)

Nowadays, there’s more to skills than the letterhead on a piece of paper bearing one’s name and his degree. Skills are what count most in a competitive world of job interviews and line-ups. It is the stamp of approval looked upon by managers and company heads the world over. People who depend on their skills and capabilities will go a longer way than those who think that success is proportional to the quality of the school a person graduated from.

Because of the competitive nature of graduates right now, a lot of people have turned to certain workshops to hone their innate talents in their chosen field. It is right that they undergo such trainings to make them more knowledgeable and up-to-date with the latest innovations. Aside from these workshops, certification tests are also offered to provide graduates the eligibility to practice their profession on a certified level. If we take a look back at the past, we’d notice how the general public placed so much value on diplomas and school connections. But times have changed, and we have evolved into an era of equal opportunity for all. Those who are the best at what they do can be recognized and rewarded, regardless of their educational background.

Schools are a big factor in instilling knowledge to an individual, but it is still up to that person to maximize the knowledge and skill that’s been encouraged for him to learn. In some fields of expertise, there are schools that speak for themselves, producing graduates that really surpass the mark of excellence. Knowledge can be learned, but skills are only perfected through ingenious efforts and dogged determination.

More and more graduates continue to choose to venture out to other lands to seek not only for higher monetary compensation, but also for a better career growth. But even if their foreign superiors are presented with prestigious diplomas, they still seek for what an individual can offer to their company, and this is when the importance of having skills comes into play.

It pays to practice early on so that there would be no self-recrimination later on when faced with inadvertent situations. Career advancement can only be possible when one is persistent enough to face the challenges ahead and not be afraid of the risks and drawbacks that are ever present. At the end of it all, it is the abilities and proficiency of an individual, and not a piece of paper, that will earn him a job.

Top 10 Recommended Books for Leaders

Have a quick stroll in a bookstore and you tend to be overwhelmed by the dozens and dozens of leadership-related books. It seems like there are really a lot to write about it—from concepts like leadership development and leadership skills to success stories as told by leaders. Often, with plentiful of choices, we’re not sure what to get and read. In this article, we list down the top 10 recommended books for leaders to help you cut through the noise and decide which one to fuel your learning with.

1) The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield, Janet Switzer

This self-help book features a road map to personal growth in order for you to gain achievements. This coaches you with 64 timeless principles on how to boost and build self-confidence, survive and fight with daily challenges, choose to live with your life’s joy—passion and purpose, and realize all your goals. The key lessons here are to surround yourself with successful people, keep positive thoughts and take full responsibility of everything in your life.

2) How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This book teaches you the fundamental techniques on how to be a good leader by knowing how to respond without giving offense or arousing resentment in handling and communicating with different sorts of people. If you think that you’re friendly and influential enough, read this material to even more become an entertaining speaker, conversationalist and stir enthusiasm among your colleagues and “followers.”

3) The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker

A good leader gets the right things done, as specified in the title. Drucker explains the five classic important practices to follow and apply in order to be get to the results: manage time, set the right priorities, know how and where to utilize your strengths, get to the core of issues and plan your contribution to the organization and combine all these together for best decisions.

4) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

If you’re looking for personal and professional effectiveness, this book is your most rewarding choice. The author takes a writing style that guides you personally through seven habits that will transform the way you think and make you more productive. Covey explores the power of positive thinking, concepts of time management, and qualities to help you grow from being dependent to becoming independent to interdependent in life.

5) Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone

As we cannot avoid encountering clashes like difficult talks and negotiations every day, this book teaches us to stay balanced when faced with these trying situations. Stone explores the underlying concepts behind the structure of every challenging conversation and advises us how to defend ourselves without attacking or accusing other people negatively. If you are interested in elevating your communication skills to handle confrontations and such tense situations, grab a copy of this book.

6) The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

This book was written over two decades ago but still it proves to be a timeless piece, for those in the workforce especially those overseeing with managerial capacity. Concisely, it speaks of management techniques on how to increase your personal prosperity, job satisfaction and productivity.

7) Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

Want to conquer procrastination? Tracy tackles about your potential to overcome that laziness and motivates you into developing a habit that makes you accomplish more things than other people with less effort. Using advanced methods such as NLP and Alpha programming, this book conditions you to think that a consistent change in your behavior becomes a habit after doing it for 21 days consecutively.

8) Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina

Medina basically teaches you how our brain works through science. He provides with clear and interesting explanations on the difference of how men and women think, how we learn, what happens in our brains when we’re stressed and we’re asleep, why we forget things, and the like. Finish the book and you’ll know how to be more productive and effective not only as a leader but as an individual overall.

9) Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

Do things in a different angle and be remarkable. That’s the principal concept highlighted by Godin in this book. In marketing terms, you should practice differentiation of your product or service to get consumers’ attention. Look for innovate and unique business models to showcase a revolution instead of wasting money in advertising.

10) First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham

The title is certainly appealing. This amazing book tells about the one common denominator that all managers share, and that is the fact that they are not afraid to break the rules and play their personal favorites. Presented are career lessons for managers to improve their direct reports, leverage their strengths and manager the weaker points. After reading the book from cover to cover, you will be more confident in improving your workplace as manager and more importantly, as a leader.

How Management Can Incorporate the Company’s Mission and Vision

Management defines how things are supposed to run in a company. Managers want to keep the status quo. Leaders, however, keep changing things. Problems occur when management has problems adapting changes to its existing systems. Leaders change things because they feel that the company is no longer in line with its mission and vision. In order to keep the relationship between leadership and management a harmonious one, managers create a system that allows the company to move towards its mission and vision.

Leaders determine the company’s mission and vision. They set the direction and the expected behavior for the entire organization. Managers set the guidelines, procedures, and systems that ensure the company runs in accordance with its mission and vision. A company needs both leaders and managers working together if it hopes to succeed in its chosen field.

At the end of the day, management has to make changes regarding its systems to reflect the company’s mission and vision regardless of the difficulty of implementing them. The bottom line is always about the company doing what it was created to do as it moves towards its desired future.

Here are a few tips on how managers can get this done:

1) Know the mission and vision by heart

Memorize it. Remember it word for word and make sure that every employee knows it as well. It may sound ridiculous but it’s not. Walt Disney makes sure that this happens in their organization from the highest ranking official all the way down to its maintenance people. Have your mission and vision posted around the office where people can see it.

2) Clearly define what success is for every department.

If people know what success looks like, they are more than likely to achieve it every time. If you know what the target is, it’s easier to hit it rather than shooting for everything else except the bull’s eye. Management needs to have targets in place that show people that each time they hit the target, the company succeeds. Employees should be rewarded each time they hit the target.

3) Evaluate with the mission and vision in print

When evaluating a procedure or a system, always have a visual aid showing the mission and vision. Ask yourself and your team whether the decisions you make truly make the company run effectively and efficiently according to why it exists and where it needs to be.

Managers who clearly understand the company’s mission and vision should create an environment that supports these. When this happens, not only will there be less friction with the leadership but it will also allow the company be what it was created to be in the first place.

5 Secrets in Business Success

If you dream to become the next best thing in business, surely you have to dig deep and hope for the best to make it. Here are 5 basic principles that should help you become a better businessman.

1) Dream Big!

If a person’s goal is to simply survive in this world, do you think that individual will be successful in this life? Of course not. If you want to live big, you have to aim and dream big also. Each story starts with a vision, and dreaming big and knowing what you want will always be a good head start. Visualize the kind of success that you desire. Internalize your goals and consider your skills, options, and resources. But remember to never ever lose sight of what’s realistic; create a time-bound dream and focus on that. You know what they say: “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

2) Passion

This trait is more important than any other skills out there. Skills that aren’t accompanied by passion can be entirely useless. If you have a current personal passion, it may be wise to form your business out of that passion of yours. If you love what you do, chances are, you will always be productive in your work. Center yourself on something that you will continue doing even if no one is paying you to do it. Always have desire and passion; this will boost both the manner and amount of time you put in your work. Just do what you love and never stop at it.

3) Focus on strengths and improve on weaknesses

There is truly no perfect individual that can do each and every single thing excellently. It is good practice to always focus on your current strong points and work your way from there. If you are good at cooking, then focus on being the best possible cook and establish your own restaurant business. If you are weak on math, then study up and improve on it because that it is a necessary skill for every business owner. All successful businessman must also posses skills in researching, money managing, customer handling, etc.

4) Plan and always be Prepared

As an entrepreneur, always be prepared for all possible scenarios. First off, you will need sufficient capital and the right connections in order to jump start your business. Plan exactly your products and services, on how and where you can create your magic and sell it. Have specific and concrete goals that will serve as stepping stones towards your ultimate goal or vision. Be updated everyday and research on trends that are attractive to customers. Keep a close eye on your competitors; remember that they can also help you improve your business.

5) Work hard and persevere

This is probably the secret of all secrets. Working hard and persevering have always been the foundation of success. Sitting all day long and staring at the sky will lead to nothing. Bigger dreams mean bigger oppositions and harder obstacles. If you need to sacrifice time and much effort to perform better and sell more, then do so. Remember that success is not built on a day. You will surely encounter failures, but what’s important is that you get back up and know where and why you failed; make the necessary adjustments and live to fight for another day.

So there you have it! Observe these 5 simple yet relevant tips and you will surely have more chances of making it in the business world. Having faith and working hard as if it is the last day of your business will yield great results in your pursuit of success.