Small Business Tips and Ideas - BizSieve.com

Tips for New Saleforce.com Users

Salesforce.com is one of the most highly used CRM platforms by organizations around the world today. Companies train users when they implement Salesforce for the first time, especially the ones who are constantly using it. Despite all that, many first time users find it difficult to use the platform. For the people who manage, they find that efficiency is not as high as it is expected to be. Here are some tips that first time uses should keep in mind to ensure that they are comfortable with Salesforce right from day one.

salesforce slogan — Image by Jon Mountjoy

Pay Close Attention in Training

One of the things about Salesforce is that its benefits are not so apparent when you just glance over the GUI. You will have to look closely to figure out the different options and tools that are available for your use. The training is where you will get all the relevant information. Pay close attention to training and make sure that you don’t slack off at any stage.

Access Codes and User Privileges

Different users of Salesforce have different levels of access rights and user privileges. These privileges include editing, copying and deleting information. The administrators and developers have the highest rights and if the user is one of either, then they should be made aware of the responsibility of their position. The fact that they can access every nook and cranny of Salesforce gives them a lot of responsibility. This should be made clear to the users so that they will be careful right from the day one.

Using Salesforce Applications

Salesforce has an exclusive market where a wide range of apps are available and you can buy them to make your jobs easier. Most apps have to be purchased from the market and if you are an administrator, you will have the option of buying it. Make sure that you evaluate the need for an app comprehensively before you buy it. If possible, make it a team decision so that you will get different perspectives on the issue.

For Improving Productivity and Efficiency

There are a plethora of tools and options available on the Salesforce platform. It is very easy to get confused while deciding to use the tools that your job requires and you might end up using multiple tools that will only result in decreased efficiency. It is better to take the opinion of someone who is experienced with these tools and the job you do to help you out so that you will not be a victim of this confusion.

About the Author: Grace is a CRM and Cloud Applications expert. She writes extensively on emerging trends affecting the cloud and social media. One of her favorite cloud solutions is Cirrus Insight, the leading application for integration of Salesforce and Google Apps.

Three Tips for Running Your Business on a Budget

Loans can be a great way to help your business get off the ground, but how can you keep things afloat if your budget is already tight? For starters, don’t panic. You’ve probably heard the statistics saying that if you’re a new business, you are more likely to fail than succeed in today’s economy. However, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy states that although business survival rates do go down over time, you have a 70% chance of making it through the first two years.

savings and budget — Image by 401(K) 2012 / Flickr

Know What You’re Spending

One of the most important things to understand is how much you’re spending, versus the amount of income that you’re earning. This sounds simple enough, but it’s not only about making sure that you’re working within your means. When you’re aware of your spending habits, you’ll be better able to see if there might be a way to cut your bills, too. Even if you’re able to reduce your spending by a few dollars each month, that can make a difference over time. For help, consider consulting with an accountant who specializes in the needs of businesses. Beyond helping you manage your money, a financial expert may also be able to reduce your tax obligations. Many businesses tend to dread each spring because that means it’s time to file their tax forms, which can cause a whole new headache. Think of your time with an accountant as a good investment. Although it requires you to spend some funds, that decision could pay off handsomely in the long run.

Don’t Procrastinate

When you’re first getting started, things probably feel like a whirlwind. As you go throughout the day and scramble to finish tasks, things might become disorderly, as well. Keeping everything organized does take a lot of time and effort. However, if you make it a priority, you’ll be able to control things before they get out of hand. There’s nothing worse than trying to find a sales receipt or document when you’re facing a deadline. Keeping things running smoothly while you’re on a tight budget will always be challenging, but you can ease the burden by simply being committed to staying organized.

Make Your Office Mobile

Thanks to advancing technologies, some people are truly able to complete their work from anywhere, whether that means a neighborhood coffee shop, or their bedroom. Statistics released last year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over 20% of people in the workforce completed at least part of their duties outside of a traditional workplace. At first, you might run your business entirely from your home, but even when the situation changes, there’s no harm in keeping things mobile as possible. Not only will this reduce your spending when it comes to renting a physical office space, but it could also cut down on the amount of absenteeism related to bad weather or traffic conditions.

Running your business on a tight budget doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to a life of constant challenges. However, you’ll certainly need to operate in a diligent way that lets you spot problems before they turn into large obstacles. This type of proactive attitude is a huge part of helping your business thrive whether you have billions in the bank, or just a few thousand.

About the Author: Shelly White writes for education blogs. If you’re interested in building your own business, consider learning more about getting an executive mba.

Project Management Doesn’t Have to be a Circus

Students majoring in project management spend much of their time working out solutions to a variety of potential problems in the business sphere. However, when they emerge from school and enter the workforce, these students rarely expect the sheer chaos that is the world of project management in action. Trained for an orderly career, these recent grads find themselves in the midst of a circus! There are always several things going on at once and it feels impossible to focus on just one project.

Whether you’re new to project management or have been at it for decades, you’ll find yourself occasionally (or frequently) overwhelmed. The good news is—project management doesn’t have to be like that. By taking the following steps, you can keep the chaos minimum:

Plan Ahead

It may be a piece of advice repeated to the point of becoming cliché, but that doesn’t make planning ahead any less important. The average project manager is required to maintain several projects at the same time without ever showing a sign of stress, just as the juggler must keep several balls in the air while making it look easy. It’s not sheer luck that allows the juggler to get through a tough act. Every motion is planned in advance so that it feels like second nature when the big performance rolls around.

Tools of the Trade

The circus wouldn’t be particularly impressive if it lacked several essential tools. Imagine a tight rope walker without a rope, or a trapeze artist with no swing. Without the appropriate tools for a circus performance, no great feats would ever be accomplished. The tools needed in the office may differ from those found under the big top, but they’re no less essential to the functioning of a business. An easy way to equip employees with the proper tools for a technological world is to invest in Sharepoint. This collaboration software promotes quality communication and a natural flow of ideas. It’s the ultimate tool of the trade for anyone who is a part of the modern workforce. Whenever you are ready to migrate to sharepoint, be sure to look for the right guides to make it as smooth as possible.

Unrealistic Goals

Occasionally, project managers will get swept up in the excitement of planning and wind up creating goals that are completely unrealistic. This is human nature and it’s completely understandable. However, if an unrealistic goal is pursued over a long stretch of time, it begins to drag down the poor souls charged with bringing it to fruition. Employees need to feel that they can speak up when a goal is completely out of line. After all, if a circus member noticed the trapeze swings had been placed too far apart, he or she would make a point of warning the trapeze artist, right? The same principle should apply in project management.

In general, a willingness to communicate and most importantly, listen, will take you far in project management. Flexibility and patience are also highly beneficial skills in the circus we call project management. Develop these skills and watch your career take off!

Kay Ackerman is a self-proclaimed tech geek and freelance writer, focusing on business technology, innovative marketing strategies, and small business. She contributes to www.technected.com and you can also find her on Twitter.

8 Ways to Determine Whether Your Business Future is Bright

Throughout the lives of our career, we must make several choices that can directly determine and impact our future success. Sometimes it’s pretty easy to tell when we’ve made the right choice, but many other results from decisions we’ve made are less clear. How do we know when our choices are effectively leading us down the path to future success? Having the foresight to weigh all options, and the resources to be properly informed is key to making a strong success prediction. Find out how you can improve your chances for success by staying on the right path with these tips.

1. Recognition

Recognition from your boss or management, and even from co-workers, is important for many reasons. It keeps you feeling good and motivated, but also lets you know that you’ve done a good job. Strong recognition from peers is a pretty good indicator for a success prediction, letting you know that whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it right.

2. Motivation

So long as you can stay motivated and excited about the work you do, you’ll likely be able to perform your job responsibilities effectively and successfully. We all have lapses in motivation from time to time, but so long as these lapses are only short and temporary, you’ll be able to feel accomplished and fulfilled.

3. You Are Well Organized

Strong organizational skills are a common cliché skill listed on many resumes, but how many of us really possess such a skill. If you can stay focused and organized throughout the day, on a daily basis, then you’ll be well on your way to improving your chances for success. Staying organized helps you improve your productivity and keep things running smoothly, also serving to reduce stress.

4. You Possess Expertise or a Special Skill

If you can establish yourself as an expert on a particular subject, or can excel in a skill or trade that sets you apart from others, then you’ll be able to better improve your chances for success. Your work or knowledge will be valued and sought out, and you’ll be an asset to your team or company.

5. How Do Others View You?

This is a different aspect than simply receiving recognition for the work you’ve done. Do your co-workers respect you? Do they see you as a team player? Are you a good communicator? Do they perceive you as someone deserving of recognition, or simply singled out as the bosses pet? Perception may not always paint the most accurate picture of you, as everyone sees things a little differently. But the more positive perception other possess of you, the more you can use that as a gauge for your success prediction.

6. Do You Make Rash Decisions, Or Analyze Choices Carefully?

As stated previously, there will be any decisions you will face along the path to success, and making the right choices will directly impact your future. If feasible, you should always take the time to analyze both the short-term and long-term effects of any decision you make. Taking the time to think things through and make an informed decision will help to improve your analytical skills, which is beneficial for both yourself and your company.

7. What Have Your Accomplished?

This should be an obvious clue, but many often overlook it, thinking they are doing well when in actuality they are pretty much staying in place. You can’t be successful without accomplishing anything. What projects have you completed? Have you gotten any promotions? Are you acquiring new skills? Anything that can be seen as a betterment to yourself, your skills, or your body of work can be seen as a suitable accomplishment.

8. Are You Using Your Talents?

It’s no good having a great skill set if you don’t get the option to use it often. Make good use of your skills, whether they apply to a particular trade, or if they are a reputable quality such as being a good communicator, salesman, or team leader. Using your skills well, will only serve to improve your talents as you gain more experience, subsequently improving your chances for future success.

About the Author: Jennifer Carter writes on career advancement for Outbounding.com. In her spare time she’s quite handy and is currently working on the 40 hour hazwoper training from Etraintoday.com

Your Viable Service: Maximum vs Minimum

The way in which you market yourself is obviously an integral part of your business. You can’t rely on jobs just falling into your lap of their own accord, you need to go out there and pull them in. There are plenty of different techniques and styles of marketing, but there is an underlying choice you have to make first before bombarding the world with your amazing adverts and website. This is all based on the viable services you are able to offer. Do you want to stick to one specific part of your field, or do you want to be able to offer as much as you’re able to do. Let’s look and the advantages and disadvantages of both.

wedding photography niche — Wedding photography – an example of minimum viable service. Image by Mike Baird / Flickr

Offering a minimum viable service can easily be summed up by a photographer who chooses solely to do wedding photography. Essentially, rather than being a something (copywriter, filmmaker, composer) you are a type of something (product copywriter, documentary maker, film music composer).

One of the benefits of this is that you’ll find it much easier to build a portfolio. If you’re concentrating on one field then you don’t need to show a wide range of examples. Get a few jobs and your portfolio will already be looking great. It is a lot more focused too. Prospective clients will be able to get a much clearer picture of your style and vision this way.

You’ll also find it much, much easier to market yourself. Your website and adverts will concentrate on the one thing you offer and that means you can target your marketing much more efficiently. Rather than advertising across a broad selection of sites and publications, you can now just pick out the ones that are relevant.

Of course, there are some downsides. First up is actually deciding on the specific service you want to offer. If it isn’t something you’ve thought about, it may take some time to really decide. There is also a bit of trial and error in this too as you try out services which just don’t work for you. Time is valuable and you can end up wasting a lot of time trying to figure out what you want to do.

Once you have decided on what you’ll offer, prepare yourself for letting jobs that you can do pass by. You might see an advert on Gumtree for something you know you could do really well, but as soon as you show your client a portfolio concentrating on something else, they’ll be put off and consider you unfocused. On top of that, taking on other types of jobs defeats the whole point of offering a minimum viable service.

On the other side of the coin you could decide to other a wide range of services. This means, for example, that as a photographer you will make yourself available for any kind of job you can do, be it band, sport, nature or press photography.

One advantage is quite obvious. Advertising yourself as a photographer with wide-ranging skills means you have a bigger pool of clients to attract. This should mean more business for you and the ability to build up a very varied portfolio. Another little positive is that you might be able to get those more niche or obscure jobs that appear from time to time. The people advertising these jobs are likely to more interested in someone who has a varied skill set.

There’s a phrase that is quite relevant to this. “Jack of all trades, but master of none.” Simply put, some people will want a specialist for their job. To them, this is paramount, no matter how good your portfolio is. They don’t want to take any risk so they want the person they hire to be a safe bet. They won’t see you as a photographer, so much as an ‘all-round photographer’ which, unfortunately, just doesn’t sound good.

Have a good think about how you want to approach your marketing. Both ways have their pros and cons and it is simply down to your preference. Choose wisely!

About the Author: Joshua Danton Boyd is an in-house copywriter for the online accounting firm Crunch. He also regularly contributes to Freelance Advisor and Urban Times.