One of the greatest obstacles faced by thousands of returning veterans who are transitioning back into civilian life is in finding long-lasting gainful employment, according to Kevin Humes, the President/CEO of American Veterans Alliance/American Alliance for Disabled Veterans (501 C-3) and co-founder...
Negotiation is something that home-based or other small business, business opportunity or franchise owners need to contend with, like it or not. Unfortunately, far too many of them think it is okay to just wing it. They don't take the time to refine their skills in this area. As a result, they are doing...
If you’re a mom (or even a dad) who is currently making the job of raising kids your full-time job and who is also wrestling with the idea of buying a business opportunity or franchise, the recent raging and politically charged debate about what constitutes a “working” mom may hit close to home. Personally,...
As a home-based or other small business owner, you’re used to having to wear many hats at once. That being the case, chances are that on more than one occasion you’ve cursed the amount of time you’ve had to spend doing simple tasks like organizing your database of leads, cherry picking targeted contacts for various marketing and outreach activities or scrambling for notes on the last conversation you had with a hot prospect more than a month ago. And all the time you’re spending on that stuff? Well, the old adage that time is money couldn’t be more accurate when you’re spinning your wheels.
Thanks to CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software and a whole host of other cloud computing options, much of that is in the past. Hundreds of companies are now offering business owners of all shapes and sizes a vast array of affordable applications and services of this kind that can save them considerable time and money. For home-based and other small business owners in particular, CRM can be a lifesaver. In fact, it’s the sales and marketing assistant you always wanted but couldn’t afford…until now!
With free-trial offers being the norm and initial monthly rates as low as $15 or $20 for smaller businesses, CRM software and other cloud computing solutions can pay off in as little as a day or two. Just take a look at some of the many time-saving―and therefore money-saving―features and benefits that CRM can provide:
Organize and cross-reference leads from multiple sources
Track individual customer exchanges over time, always remembering your past-call status with any given prospect at the touch of a button
Generate and track emails, as well as telephone communications and/or any customer’s response to your company’s use of various social media
Keep detailed meeting notes and generate them for all parties involved
Analyze your sales pipeline so you can know what is working and what isn’t
Create in-depth and readily accessible customer profiles
And so much more!
The bottom line is that CRM allows you to manage your leads as well as all aspects of your ongoing customer relationships in an integrated way that saves you countless hours on a whole host of mundane tasks. And when those very tasks that have taken up so much of your valuable time for so long become more manageable, your bottom line will thank you.
You’ll be left wearing fewer hats for a change. And the ones you’re still wearing will be those that actually allow you to focus on the big picture as opposed to the day-to-day minutia―all the stuff that drags you down and distracts from your business' being able to reach its maximum profit potential.
One of the greatest obstacles faced by thousands of returning veterans who are transitioning back into civilian life is in finding long-lasting gainful employment, according to Kevin Humes, the President/CEO of American Veterans Alliance/American Alliance for Disabled Veterans (501 C-3) and co-founder...
Negotiation is something that home-based or other small business, business opportunity or franchise owners need to contend with, like it or not. Unfortunately, far too many of them think it is okay to just wing it. They don't take the time to refine their skills in this area. As a result, they are doing...
If you’re a mom (or even a dad) who is currently making the job of raising kids your full-time job and who is also wrestling with the idea of buying a business opportunity or franchise, the recent raging and politically charged debate about what constitutes a “working” mom may hit close to home. Personally,...
When you own a home-based or other small business, business opportunity or franchise, the words, names, phrases, symbols and logos you use to identify your company and all that it stands for are your brand. They are what defines you and sets you apart. They allow you to create a reputation for yourself...
Every year at this time there are thousands of new home-based business opportunity owners who sit down to file their final income taxes and wrestle with the idea of whether or not to take the home office deduction. If you’re one of them, then you need to know the general rules for 2012 (tax year 2011) when...
Ed Lewellen is the Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition for Employers Edge, Inc., a company that uses its own highly successful and proven business model to improve the performance of other companies―coaching,...
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Color Glo International is a restoration franchise focused on restoring and repairing damaged, dirty, faded or mismatched upholstery found in homes, offices, automobiles and commercial aircraft. Color Glo’s proprietary process uses specialty formulated, water-based, and environmentally friendly products for on-site re-conditioning of items in need of repair. Color Glo Franchise: Specialists in Color Restoration and Repair!
Color Glo provides a uniquely effective solution for repairing, cleaning, and restoring valuable fabrics and materials to achieve a like-new appearance. Our franchisees are trained to expertly handle leather, vinyl, velour, plastic, carpet and various types of fabric. In addition to material restoration, our franchisees offer a deodorizing service for our clients.