Small Business- News and reports on Small Business

It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. The fact that you’re running Mac OS or Linux doesn’t make you totally immune to infections. A lot of users of these operating systems tout that their computers cannot get infected, but this could not have possibly been further from the truth. You can easily Google [...]

The Small Business Technology Tour 2011 visited five cities across the nation; Mountain View, Salt Lake City, Boston, Atlanta and Chicago. If you weren’t able to attend last year, we wanted to share a taste of what you missed. Check out this video clip below of Tyler Garns, VP of Marketing at Infusionsoft, from his [...]

Improving Economy Isn’t Helping the IT Services Industry   BlackEnterprise.com and Dell Launch ?Small Business University?   Epson PowerLite X15 Projector   BrandMyMail Launches Premium Version   TicketLeap Launches Self-Service, Reserved Seating Option   OnForce Confidence Index Indicates Improving Economy Isn’t Helping the IT Services Industry   - Study Also Reveals Eye-Opening Trends in Preferred Mobile Device [...]

The Cloud is a beautiful thing. It serves us with tons of off-site utilities we would otherwise pay barrels of money to have on-site. What would we do without it? That’s an easy answer: We’d still be back in the stone age of business, tipping our hats to the much larger enterprises who overtake us [...]

According to BusinessWeek, 70% of consumers consult online reviews before making a purchase. In an age where asking a friend or heading to Best Buy to ask the sales guy which laptop to buy has been replaced by Google searches, this is no surprise. What is a surprise is how little moderation review sites provide. [...]

Summer’s here and I’m excited about movies!

In addition to the regular action blockbusters and goofy comedies, there’s a whole slew of sci-fi and superhero films I can’t wait to settle into with my popcorn and a box of Whoppers.

Still, as much as I’m looking forward to these films, I’m already tiring of some of the accompanying merchandising and co-branding.

Soda? OK. Toys? Sure. Lunch meat? Really?!

So one day while musing on the old “lights, camera?” phrase,Read More

From Small Business Trends

Lights, Camera, Action!

With people going gaga over tablets in 2011 into 2012, what has happened with the laptop? For one thing, it’s getting thinner and thinner. With Apple leading the way, look for new laptops to really shed the pounds in coming months. We’ve got some tech reviews and some other cool gadgets you may want to check out with your business’s next laptop purchase.

Apple Leads Thin Revolution

MacBook Pro will be thinner than ever. Get ready for the new 15-inchRead More

From Small Business Trends

Laptops: How Thin Can You Get?

Didn?t get a chance to participate in the FedEx Office Twitter chat on May 15? No worries ? we have a recap of the highlights below.

The topic was branding:  Is your brand helping or hurting your small business?  Let?s take a look at some of the responses and comments on this topic.  The Twitter handle of the person who said them, follows:

1.       What exactly is a ?brand?? Is it a name, a logo ? or more?  – @FedExOfficeRead More

From Small Business Trends

Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Small Business? Chat Recap

For new small business owners, meeting your tax obligations is a big adjustment ? particularly when you?ve been used to having an employer take out income tax withholdings with each paycheck. When you have your own business though, tax time isn?t just once a year; rather you have to make estimated tax payments throughout the year.

If you?re not sure if you need to pay estimated taxes for your business, read on to learn moreRead More

From Small Business Trends

Small Business Owners And The Estimated Tax Payment

A sound and holistic marketing plan has always  combined these areas:

• Advertising: any paid form of communication through  mass communication
• Sales promotion: any short term incentive to encourage trial purchase
• Events and Experiences: sponsored events or activities
• Public Relations and Publicity: non paid ways to promote image and reputation
• Direct Marketing:  one-to-one  communication such as mail, telephone, e-mail and Internet selling
• Personal Selling: face-to-face interaction with one or more prospective customers

Read More

From Small Business Trends

The “Belong Subscribe And Engage” Marketing Plan

No, not the chlorophyll in the leaves, the green in your bottom line.

If you had a daily metric report in place, you would be able to answer that question.

What performance metrics do you want to monitor for your business unit on a continuous basis that are the most important and are very volatile for the achievement of operational and sales success? Also ask yourself what kind of precise micromanagement report you want, to whom should this report go to, and when and how often should this report be viewed when determining your businesses function and achievement ability.

On no more than a couple of 8½x11-inch pieces of paper, have a ?snapshot? of the top five to ten critical statistical metrics that determine your business unit?s success available with comparisons for your daily morning review. If you do not have this report, you cannot be proactive in management. With a daily statistical data sheet/?house count?, you have the ability to spot trends, and thus, small corrections in the operations or sales can be initiated to neutralize the adverse effect of any negative component.

When you have daily statistical sheets that are simple, to the point, and full of the ?most critical? metrics that you need, you can guide your business unit daily, which will lead to greater achievements of the business unit?s budget and stretch goals. Focus on managing your business unit today, so that today will be tomorrow and tomorrow will be your everything.


http://theprofitrepairman.com/

Now that?s the Million Dollar question, are you?

When you set out to run your summer promotion, did you perform your due diligence on which you were first going to target with this promotion, so that you can see if you have the right customer, for the right outcome?

When you run a general promotion like ?Sizzling Summer Deals?, don?t think that everyone wants/needs it, especially if your message is not directed to any special wants/needs of the demographic that you are promoting.

Before you commit to any promotion, you need to first ask the question and get answers to: What want/need is this promotion going to fill for a specific client, how are you going to get the message of your product information to them, how are you going to track the success of the promotion to determine the R.O.I., what ways are you going to build into this promotion a sense of urgency to commit to the purchase and finally, have you built in enough top of mind awareness to your targeted prospect, so that you differentiate your promotion from that of your competitive set?

When you get some sense of the answers to these above questions, a more detailed and directed promotion can evolve, which will result in greater success and R.O.I. to your expenditure. If you can just break your one promotion into 3 different ways in which you are going to target different prospects, you can then start to determine which one of those three promotions where successfully taken by the prospect and by whom. Once you determine this, a greater emphasize can be placed on that promotion and the unsuccessful ones can be modified to once again track and find the ?hook? that will make your ?right customer?, produce the right outcome for your promotion.


http://theprofitrepairman.com/

If you say NO to something, ask yourself, ?Why did I just say NO to that??

Start with knowing why you said no before you actually say NO, because once you say NO, that NO may have far-reaching consequences. When you commit to something by saying NO to it, and then end up finding out that you could have done it, an opportunity for that action is lost forever. Make sure that each decision you make has been well thought out.

Life has a rippling effect. When you always say NO to someone, soon they will start asking someone else, because they really wanted a yes from you. But, if every answer you give is yes and you cannot follow through with that yes commitment, soon your word will not hold any credibility, negatively impacting your life, career and business.

Remember, committing to something too fast is also never the answer 100% of the time. Knowing why you say yes or NO to something is the only way to be successful in following through with your commitments.

Do you know why you are reading this? Because, you said YES to making a difference in your life, career, and increasing the success rate of your small and mid-sized business!


http://theprofitrepairman.com/

Your businesses is what is ?IT?, with all of the information and bombardment of calls, e-mails, faxes, twitters, IM?s, texts and people, a business owner can feel overloaded and get misdirected and forget to keep an eye on what really matters to their success, THE BOTTOM LINE!

What?s the solution?

On no more than a couple of 8½x11-inch pieces of paper, have a ?snapshot? of the top five to ten critical statistical metrics that determine your business unit?s success available with comparisons for your daily morning review. If you do not have this report, you cannot be proactive in management. With a daily statistical data sheet, you have the ability to spot trends, and thus, small corrections in the operations or sales can be initiated to neutralize the adverse effect of any negative component.

When you have daily statistical sheets that are simple, to the point, and full of the ?most critical? metrics that you need, you can guide your business unit daily, which will lead to greater achievements of the business unit?s budget and stretch goals. Focus on managing your business unit today, so that today will be tomorrow and tomorrow will be your everything.


http://theprofitrepairman.com/

Your 5/12 or 41.37% completed with the year, do your numbers tell you if you are going to make your 2009 year-end budget numbers today? If you had a twelve month pacing model in place for your business, you would have an accurate reading about this question.

A pacing model can help your business unit gauge if it is on pace to meet the goals set forth and gives a quick ?YES or NO? to that pacing question throughout your goals? time frame.

A pacing model is different than a forecasting model, since a pacing model takes your historical numbers to date plus what is pre-sold/reserved and compares that number to where you want to be at the end of your goal, which in turn can inform you if you are on pace to meet those goals in the allocated amount of time, with no variables included in its calculation (seasonality, pricing variations, external demand and supply situations, etc.).

Think of a pacing model as a macro model that tells you yes or no to the success of finishing your goal in the time allocated. By having a pacing model in place, you can determine if your current sales activity is enough today, to generate the numbers needed to make your year-end goals, even if you are less than 50% completed to that year-end. It is not just good enough to produce your numbers TODAY; you must also look forward and make sure that today?s numbers will match your goals tomorrow. By knowing if you are ?on pace? or not to your year-end goals, management can make decisions TODAY if the marketing and pricing strategies in place now will be adequate to meet those goals, thus implement changes if they are not.

Stopping and looking forward is the only way a good business person can guarantee that today?s efforts will lead to tomorrow?s goal achievement.

Do you have some sort of pacing model in place for your business unit? If not, you should, how else can you make sure you will be at the 100% to goal for year-end numbers, even though you still have 58.63% to go?


http://theprofitrepairman.com/

As consumers we've become accustomed to the annual obsolesces of our favorite gadgets and have been left with a dilemma, what to do with the old when its time to bring in the new?

For someone who is fairly new to web hosting, choosing the platform you are going to use for your server can be a difficult and even mind-boggling decision.

Here are some steps every business should consider when applying for equipment leasing or financing.

Here is a five step action plan for cost cutting and restructuring in a down economy.

What is an FEIN? An FEIN is a Federal Employer Identification Number, sometimes referred to as a Tax ID. In essence, an FEIN performs the same role for a business that a social security number performs for an individual.

When starting a business, marketing is (or should be) the business owner's biggest priority. Here are 86 common sense marketing ideas for startups

I just returned home from a few days away at a conference.  As always, getting back in the groove is difficult when returning from being away whether for pleasure or business.  That is not what I am going to write about though.  Rather, I am going to address the leaving for a trip instead. When I [...]

Spring is here, and it?s time to take action before the ?slow days of summer? arrive (when you?d rather be outside than behind your desk). With this in mind, what actions are you going to take right away to make things happen with your PR and search engine optimization (SEO) activities? Here are 3 ideas to help [...]

Your phone rings off the hook. Your Inbox is flooded with requests. Your schedule is packed. When you can?t take on any more clients and you can set whatever fees you want because you are booked solid with work, this is called a ?happiness problem.? And while it can be wonderful to have all this new work and money [...]

As a small business owner, you?ve heard all about the benefits of having a blog for search engine optimization (SEO) and getting noticed online. But just because everyone else has a blog doesn?t necessarily mean you should write one too. Here are? The Top 5 Reasons You Should Not Write a Blog. 1.  You are a horrible [...]

I am mortified by what I'm overhearing at the table next to me ...

I don't mean to be eavesdropping. But I couldn't help but listen in when the guy next to me in the coffee shop started selling his consulting services to another businessman. In the past 30 minutes, he's asked maybe two questions. Aargh! That in itself drives me crazy.

Here's just a snippet of what I'm hearing, as well as my commentary on the mistakes he's making.

Establishing Credentials: "I've been president of a company which we took nationwide. I'm also doing lots of consulting and now I'm coaching entrepreneurs just like you. There are so many things people like you don't know."

(Impressive, right? I love how he unwittingly called his prospect dumb. If I were the prospect, I would have much preferred to learn about the results he's delivered for entrepreneurs who have similar businesses to mine. How do you establish credibility upfront?)

Developing a Relationship: "Lots of wives don't understand what you're going through. That's why it's so important to have people like me to talk to. I have lots of tools and techniques you can use with the wife - like how to handle the "honey do" list."

(A botched attempt at bonding! Plus, if it's so important to have people to talk to, why is he doing all the talking?)

Creating Opportunities: "Do you need some writing done? I'm a good writer, not a great one. I write to the best of my ability. But here's how I get people to help me by using Craig's List."

(Clearly the guy needs work. What he doesn't realize is how much his fear and desperation is showing through. He started out as an executive coach and now is trying to do writing for the guy. BTW, Lots of sellers go through their laundry list of products/services hoping their prospect will bite on one of them. Ever done that?)

Building Credibility: "I've read all the great coaches books -- like John Maxwell. I use his strategies. And other people's too. That's my job. To read those books so you don't have to. I read about 3-4 books per month. I've read a lot about blogs and social media. I can advise you on those. The last thing you want to do it go to a web developer. They'll charge your $5000 or more."

(By mentioning what he's read, he's actually distracting from his own credibility. The best way he can turn himself into a trusted advisor is by asking intelligent, business-oriented questions ... but he never did that. Do you plan your questions?)

Closing the Sale: "I'd love to work with you. Perhaps we can meet 1/2 hour each month just to get started. I'd just give you advice for free, till you decide you need a regular consultant. I'd be willing to do that for you.

"If there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know. If you ever want to go through a senior executive planning session, I can help you with that. Tell you what, I'll shoot you an email with all the personal services I can do for you."

(This guy's closing shows his fears. Lots of salespeople, when they know they've blown it will try to do whatever it takes to ignite the opportunity, hoping something will materialize.

You know what's the worst thing? This guy is probably a sharp businessperson. But he's had a bad time recently. He's scared. His fears are driving his behavior and making things even worse for him.

And, he has no idea how he's perceived by his prospects. I see it happen all the time. As sellers, we need to be aware of -- and in control -- of our emotions.

YOUR TURN:  How do you prevent your emotions from  screwing up a sales meeting?  Comment below!

Why is it important to pique your prospect's curiosity? The answer is simple. It creates an opening for you to establish a relationship at the same time it positions you as an invaluable resource.

So how do you do it? Here are a couple ways:

• You can make a statement about the results other companies have realized from working with you. For example, I might say this to the VP of Sales: "One of my recent clients was able to set up meetings with 87% of its targeted national accounts within 2 months." I can assure you that the VP is immediately thinking, "How did she do that? I need to learn more."
• You can ask questions that actually get people thinking. For example, when I'm talking to the VP of Sales, I might ask: "What percent of your sales force is prepared to sell effectively in today's volatile economy?" Or, "Have you ever considered that your salespeople's inability to close orders might be a symptom of a much deeper problem?"

These kinds of questions are high value to your prospects. They expand their perspective of their issues and challenges. They stimulate new options and fresh ways of thinking.

So from now on, I want you to think about leveraging your successes, knowledge & expertise to get your prospect to say, "Mmmm. That's interesting. I need to learn more."

YOUR TURN: What questions do you ask that get your prospects' attention?  Share with us!

Whenever I do a sales workshop, I get asked, "How often should I contact my prospects?" Salespeople want to know if once a week is too much -- or if they should wait longer before reaching out again. If this is something you're struggling with, here's a fresh perspective for you.

VIDEO TEXT:

If you're like most sellers, you worry about being a pest. You hate bugging a prospect over-and-over again. But I'm here to tell you something very different today.

It's your responsibility to keep bugging them -- especially if your prospect told you that they're interested and really do want to work with you and then disappear into the black hole. The truth is, they've been sidelined by other priorities. They still want to move ahead, but other more urgent matters have popped up. 

Let me give you an example. I just went to the dentist the other day. They know I want to get my teeth cleaned on a regular basis. But I can think of gazillion other things that take priority over that.

Fortunately, my dentist's office keeps after me. I get a post card about 3 weeks before I'm supposed to go in again. Then they call, but I don't call them back. Then they call again. Now they're emailing me.

I keep putting it off -- even though I know I need to go. Then I get a message that it's past due -- and they're only trying to help me keep my dental health -- like I requested. 

Ultimately, I do what I want to do. But it's only cause they kept after me and focused on why it was important to me.

They didn't just touch base or check to see if anything had change. They just kept reminding me of my priorities. And finally, I set up the meeting.

See what I mean. It's okay to be a visible irritant. It actually helps your prospects.

YOUR TURN: Do you ever feel like a pest when you are prospecting?  How do you overcome that feeling? Share with us!

"Yikes," I exclaimed as a godawful screeching noise filled the car. We were driving downhill on a narrow twisting road in Escalante National Park enjoying the surreal landscape. It was the first day of our long drive home.

"It's the brakes," my husband said calmly. Instantaneously, my eyes widened and my palms started sweating. I looked at the canyonlands far below and immediately realized there were no guardrails on the side of the road.

"It's just a warning sign that they need replacing," he continued. "We'll need to change them when we get back to Minnesota."

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was just an alert -- a signal to get our attention that we needed to do something different.

...which got me thinking about all the warning signs our prospects give us.

I'm talking about things like people checking their cell phones during presentations or working on their computer when you're talking to them. Or, even quickly bring up a price objection before they know if you can provide value. These things drive me crazy. They're totally rude.

But, they are also early indicators that our conversation is not resonating with them.

When I recognize that, I now have a choice. I can either continue down the same path -- which ultimately leads to sales disaster. Or, I can change things up to hopefully get a different response. For example, I might:

• Ask a thought-provoking question. It's a great way to reengage a prospect who's mentally checked out.

• Address the obvious. For the multitasking prospect, I simply say, "You sound really busy right now. Let's reschedule."

• Remove the pressure. Anyone who throws up obstacles early hates dealing with product-pushing salespeople. So I might say, "I have no idea if this would be a good fit for you."

These strategies alter the conversation. They provide a jolt. They build trust. And, they're honest responses to the situation.

Your prospect's warning signs are like the screeching car brakes. Pay attention and you won't have any trouble. But keep going down the same path and disaster lies ahead.

YOUR TURN:  What are other sales warning signs? And, how do you handle them? Please share!

Getting a prospect to return your phone calls these days is a real achievement. When that happens, you need to be at the top of your game, ready to quickly engage them in a relevant conversation.

But what happens when you have no idea who's calling?

VIDEO TEXT: After making a bunch of prospecting calls, have you ever had someone call you back and say, "Hi. This is Mike & I'm returning your call."

And you think, Mike? Mike? Mike who? Your mind goes totally blank. You fumble for words and before you know it, you start sounding like a babbling idiot.

It's happened to me too. That's why I had to figure out a way to deal with it. So what I suggest you do.

The minute you feel that panic button hit, say this, "Mike. Thanks so much for calling me. I'm in the middle of a project right now. I'll be done in about 10 minutes. Can you quick give me your phone number and I'll call you right back?"

In virtually all cases, you'll get the number. Then, you go dig through your files and find all the Mikes you called -- and which one has this particular phone number. At this point, you might want to pop over to his company's website so you can refresh your memory here too.

Then, take a few minutes to figure out what you'll say when you get back on the phone. Remember, you want to be prepared. It's the only way you can be seen as the credible resource that you are. So remember, just say, "Mike. Thanks for calling. I'm in the middle of a project right now. Can I get your number & I'll call you back in 10." Got it?

YOUR TURN: How do you handle callbacks from unknown prospects?  Share your story!

Inc. readers give insightful tips for the introvert who is looking to build a valuable professional network.

As it turns out, there's a lot of introverts out there! And many of them have their on tricks for making networking not only effective but almost enjoyable. We received a number of responses to our article on Networking for Introverts. Several of our readers were kind enough to share additional tips on how introverts can network successfully, so we thought we would share them here.

Patrick Zielinski writes:

"Part of life's gift is just being able to listen and get to know someone. Still, I sometimes don't say anything when I'm with a group of people or in a meeting. I notice the voice in my head telling me to speak up. But, as soon as I drown it out, then I know I'm not pretending to be someone else."

Patrick's comments really resonated with me. I also have heard that voice in my head telling me to say something, anything! Yet my worst networking moments have been when I have listened to that voice and tried to play the role of "gregarious extrovert." It is uncomfortable and phony, and it takes me away from my strengths as an introvert. I am actually much stronger at active listening and reacting than I am at leading a conversation. In my worst "gregarious extrovert" moments, I have stopped listening and learning as I got caught up playing a role.

I cannot emphasize this point enough: A good listener can be a great networker! In my experience, most people enjoy talking about their job, their life and their concerns, and will gladly lead the conversation if you let them. Empathize with and actively listen to your conversational partner, and you may have a great networking conversation without saying more than a few dozen words.

Beth Buelow (founder of The Introvert Entrepreneur, a training and coaching resource for introverts) writes:

"Networking is a skill that can be learned, even for the most shy or introverted person... What helps me:

• Go with a friend or colleague, so we can offer mutual support and introductions.
• Give myself permission to come and go as I want, no apologies (I don't need to be first on the scene, or stay to the bitter end!).
• Don't schedule anything else social that day, so I've got energy to exert.
• Remind myself that other people might be anxious or uncomfortable, too; we're all in this together.
• And remember to smile. Smiling invites and relaxes like few things can."

All great ideas! I use many of the techniques Beth mentions to reduce stress and put less pressure on myself to give a great networking "performance." By going to networking events with a friend, we can share "hosting" duties and I can spend more time just being myself.

Corey Dilley writes:

"Another strategy I've found helpful – make friends and figure out how to do business later... Make a friend first, then the business conversation will come much more naturally."

This is a really important point! We are all "allergic" to being sold to by a salesman; many people immediately throw up a lot of defensive barriers in a conversation if they think a person is selling to them. Some of my worst networking moments have been when I have tried to play the role of "salesman." Conversely, my best networking moments have been when I was not playing a role at all, but was simply listening and talking to the person and making a friend.

One key thought when networking: the first goal of any conversation is to earn the right to the next conversation! Networking is not about "winning the sale" in any individual conversation, it is about continuing the conversation over time and building a productive and mutually profitable relationship. Make friends first, do business later!

Are you an introvert? If so, what coping techniques have you adopted to help you become a better networker? Please let us know in the comments below or email us at karlandbill@avondalestrategicpartners.com.

When management issues arise, it may be because the people on your team are playing the wrong roles.

In sports, when people "play out of position," the opposing team quickly calculates the gap and then takes advantage of it.

It's similar at work. If you are not playing the right role at the right time, you create gaps that open up risks.

When discussing positions in the workplace, it's important to understand the key elements of the different roles: leaders, managers and supervisors.

• Leader: Focused on goals, resources, direction, logjams
• Manager: Focused on priorities, planning, options, clarity
• Supervisor: Focused on compliance, accuracy, day-to-day implementation

On many occasions, as someone explains a management challenge, I ask what role he or she was playing in the situation. The answer is often, "I'm that person's boss."

Problem is, that's an organizational chart position–and my question was about the role.

Depending upon the other person's development, tenure and performance, overcontrolling or underdirecting can produce bad results, friction, and lower long-term credibility.

Many times, I find that this is not a single person's problem, but actually a cultural problem in companies that operate with overlapping lines of control.

In small entrepreneurial companies, it's common to find the player-coach-owner role as a leadership model. As the company develops, the model gets imitated, creating a company with murky role understanding.

When your leadership team is having management challenges, ask a few of these questions to see if "playing out of position" might be part of the problem:

What role am I playing? What role is everyone else playing? It's dangerous to be directing day-to-day implementation like a supervisor when you should be just setting goals and direction so the management can develop the plan and execute it. It's just as dangerous when you give a "figure it out yourself" directive to an untrained or unprepared employee.

If I am playing out of position, whose position am I covering? It's possible that you are playing out of position because you are covering someone else's role–but whose role is it? This may indicate that you don't trust the person to do his job, or maybe you're hogging a task just because you've always done it–and not allowing the other person to develop. Remember that you may also be giving short shrift to your own role.

A fair question is "Can you play more than one role at a time?"

Most people in a company have moments when they need to fulfill each of the roles. During the development of a new person, you supervise. When it is time to lay out new programs, you plan and prioritize. And as you rally a group or work with a contractor, you lead.

But if you are not getting the results that you want, you or your colleagues may be playing out of position.

Incredibly counter-intuitive research out of Harvard suggests a novel way to make your employees feel more free: Give them more to do. Huh?

Sometimes scientific findings of such head-slapping obviousness--talking on the phone makes you a worse driver and men generally favor large breasts, for example--that they make the average lay person wonder how anyone ever got funding to investigate the question in the first place. But then every once in a while, you run into a research result on the opposite end of the spectrum--something so counter-intuitive you can hardly believe it's true.

Harvard Business School just produced one of the latter, and it's of particular interest to entrepreneurs hoping to help their busy employees feel less of a time crunch. Michael Norton, an associate professor of business administration, wanted to find out how bosses can help their teams feel like they have more time. Given that we can't slow the sun's crossing of the sky, the obvious alternative is to simply give employees fewer tasks. But it turns out this common sense response is actually the exact opposite of what Norton discovered.

To figure out what can relieve our sense of time pressure, Norton conducted a series of experiments that gave some study subjects an unexpected block of free time, by sending them home 15 minutes early from an experiment they were told would take an hour for example. Another group was instead told to fill the time with worthwhile activities to help others such as editing essays for low-income students. Which group reported back that they felt they had enough time for all the tasks in their day?

Surprisingly, the answer is those who spend time helping others rather than those who were given additional free time. By doing activities that make them feel useful, employees increase their sense of "time affluence," the researchers conclude, implying that the source of our perceived time famine isn't really lack of hours but a lack of a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Norton offered three suggestions for how managers could put thus insight to use to Business Insider:

Make employees participate in a company volunteer effort, particularly if they can use part of their workday to do it.

Let employees know how their day-to-day tasks are helping others. If they can hear how the employee helped a customer, this will also make them more satisfied with their job.

Use fun strategies to encourage team members to help each other. Norton tells of one experiment where salespeople were given $20 bonus money and told they had to spend on another team member. Those teams sold more than other groups that were told to spend the $20 on themselves.

This latest research finding of Norton's follows earlier studies showing analogous, counter-intuitive results. One finding, for instance, revealed that letting employees give bonuses to others is actually more motivating than receiving bonuses themselves.

Do you think forcing your team to spend time on worthy tasks to help others would relieve their sense of being time poor--or just start a mutiny?

These boneheaded moves practically guarantee you'll become an irritant. Try a few better approaches.

Want your prospects and customers to think you're obnoxious? Want to make yourself persona non grata?

Here are the most common ways sellers make themselves into nuisances–plus a few thoughts about better ways to work with customers.

1. Ask Scripted Questions

For decades, most sales training seminars have been built around "sales scripts" intended to uncover customer needs. Unfortunately, scripted questions are irritating–because it's clear from the start that the questions reflect not true curiosity but just curiosity about whether the prospect is likely to buy.

Scripted questions are intended to lead the prospect toward buying; they're designed to elicit the "correct answer" regardless of the actual situation. And questions are, by their very nature, intrusive–and continually asking them, or asking a series of them, is an excellent way to alienate people, even when you aren't in a sales situation.

What works better: Rather than scripted questions, write down a brief agenda of the subjects you'd like to discuss, and share that agenda with the customer. Rather than giving the customer the third degree, have a conversation where there's a give and take of information.

2. Be a 'Know-It-All'

Right now, one of the most popular books on selling is The Challenger Sale, basically a rehash of the old "solution selling" but with the twist that sellers should "challenge" customers.

Unfortunately, the "challenge" terminology is likely to increase some sellers' tendency to lecture the customer, in the hopes that the customer will be impressed with the seller's expertise. But no one likes being lectured to–and it's easy to sound like you think you know more than the customer about how to run the customer's own business. Would you appreciate that?

What works better: It's fine to have your own perspective, do your own research and develop expertise in your own offerings–but approach every customer with the assumption that the customer knows more about their own business than you do. Use your time with the customer to hear about the real situation she is experiencing. And never, ever lecture.

3. Give a Sales 'Pitch'

Nobody likes hearing a sales pitch–but that doesn't seem to stop people from giving them. Sellers keep trotting out lists of features and functions, bragging about their company, talking about their guarantees, and so forth.

Why does this insanity persist? It's probably because people have been told for years that giving a sales pitch or presentation is what selling is all about–and that what's important to the customer is the "solution" that's being pitched.

What works better: After you've had a conversation with a prospective customer, take some time (like a day or so) and really think about what you've learned. Then draft up an email or similarly brief document encapsulating what you learned and how you think you can help.

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This article is fromLifehack.org, a great resource that you should be reading! They have articles for business and for life. Please check them out! For most businesses, a web site is one of the most important investments you can make. Entrepreneurs are either overspending or underspending on their web sites, and many have no idea [...]

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