Professionals face a daily challenge to separate “urgent” tasks from “important” ones. While “urgent” matters are more deadline driven and require immediate attention, “important” ones can be delayed if necessary. However, the longer someone puts off an “important” matter, the greater the risk it will become “urgent”, creating a potential nightmare backup of time-sensitive materials for any individual to manage.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo reveals four proactive planning tips business professionals should consider to remain productive, schedule more efficiently and avoid “urgent” pitfalls.

Cbeyond SMB Expert Tips:
Even if not currently selling products online, businesses can leverage online payment programs for simpler interaction with customers – and to ensure they receive their money faster!

Reducing the expenses necessary for administration, printing and mailing invoices on paper can significantly boost the overall cash flow while reducing the manpower demands for such processes. Using off-the-shelf programs, such as PayPal or Google Checkout, can help businesses establish a customized merchant account solution for accepting and processing online payments.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo lists the critical elements businesses must consider when evaluating online payment technologies.

Cbeyond SMB Expert Tips:
As businesses aim to stay competitive in the race to gain revenue, it can be easy to accept any and all new customer opportunities. While the immediate financial gain will help your business in the short term, having too many customers inconsistent with your true identity can hurt your business in the long run.

As hard as it may be to say no, adding new customers at any cost can devalue your competitive worth, hurting your standing both with current customers and prospects that may be a better fit, but feel they won’t receive the time and service they desire.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo reveals why strategic rejection can prove beneficial for businesses looking to expand, and notes the top characteristics businesses should look for when evaluating potential partners.

Cbeyond SMB Tip: 90 percent of start-ups fail within their first year because they simply run out of money. In any economic climate, the most critical step a growing business can take to ensure success is to develop a cash management plan early.

Developing an in-depth, intelligent plan for monitoring expenses is of even greater value than profit early on, and most of those 90 percent that did not survive could have improved their chances by having a management plan.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo provides Cbeyond SMBspot readers with seven proven tactics businesses can leverage to develop and execute a plan to manage their money more effectively, and avoid surprises when reviewing their funds.

-Cbeyond Small Business Expert

Small businesses unsure about switching to a VoIP telephone infrastructure should consider three key benefits, according to industry expert Chris Moody.

A marketing executive with a small business phone system provider, Moody said in a recent contribution to Mashable that small businesses should implement VoIP phone systems for their user-friendly setup, as well as the improvements they can bring to customer support.

However, above all else, the potential to reduce costs on the phone switch required to support traditional phone systems should be a key motivator. With VoIP, small businesses can pocket the money that would have otherwise been needed to set up a phone switch, Moody said.

“Not only are phone switches and their maintenance expensive, but they are also slow and difficult to fix. Your system could be down for a significant amount of time before a technician arrives to diagnose and fix the problem – all the while losing productivity,” Moody wrote for Mashable. “With VoIP, the system is the phone switch. The provider’s network transmits voice data over the internet – like email and web data – and replaces the switch entirely.”

Interest in VoIP among small businesses may be driving overall growth, as the market is expected to reach $74 billion by 2014, according to Infonetics Research.

Daily deal websites have become immensely popular in recent years and many small businesses may be considering using this type of marketing to increase sales.

According to a recent USA Today report, small businesses are encouraged to consider several factors before implementing a daily deals website. To reduce the risk of losing money, companies should offer services rather than products.

Also, small businesses should create offers that make consumers want to return to help increase their customer base. According to USA Today‘s Rhonda Abrams, deals should be used for beginning companies or during slow times so as to avoid alienating existing customers.

“And negotiate hard,” said Abrams. “Remember, there are lots of daily deal sites. Most important, know what works best for you and for your business. Don’t let salespeople pressure you. And keep your expectations realistic.”

A Globe and Mail report also encourages small businesses to plan properly before using daily deals websites, and to be aware that daily deal offerings are ideal for long-term financial gains and not short-term financial relief.  Additionally, businesses should consider the impact of a successful daily deal offering on their operations, as the experience of a Chicago cupcake baker who sold over 100,000 cupcakes at a loss through a daily deal site recently demonstrated.

Cbeyond SMB Tip: Author, radio host, and small business expert Mark Deo reveals the outsourcing basics small businesses need to know and offers tips on the best ways your small business can take advantage of the cloud by customizing outsourced services.

Monotonous daily tasks create a huge burden on small businesses’ employees. Not only does time spent dealing with small details take away from larger projects, but these tasks elevate worker frustrations.

Many businesses are beginning to deal with this problem by outsourcing their server-related tasks.  Not only does this help recapture employees’ time and reduce their frustration, but it can also increase profitability and lower both the costs and stresses of doing business. By leveraging outsourced technologies, including cloud computing, GPS, and web servers, businesses can maintain productivity with less required input and lower overall costs.

-Cbeyond Small Business Expert

Cbeyond SMB Tip: There are certain mistakes small business owners can avoid to ensure future success. Although it seems like a given, companies must have a plan in place to address costs, maintenance, distribution and operations, Small Business Administration Utah District Deputy director Steve Price told KSL.com.

Small businesses can ill-afford to make mistakes like their larger competitors, but many still devise unsuccessful strategies to run their business. Another tip Price offers small businesses is to know their competitors. Even if business owners believe their product or service is good, not all ideas are successful and they should be handled with caution before analysts determine a target market.

Small businesses must also be prepared and able to adapt if they experience success. Also, Price told the news provider that companies often overlook marketing, but a successful campaign could hold the key to expanding their business.

Marketing tactics don’t always need to be extravagant. According to a recent Investopedia report, guerrilla marketing includes distributing t-shirts with their logo and information to help increase brand awareness can deliver significant returns.

-Cbeyond Small Business Tips

In any economic climate, one of the few things business owners can control is their beliefs. Regardless of the scenario, today’s most successful professionals do not sacrifice their own values when making key decisions. Beliefs are based on thought, and for business owners to succeed, they must think and make judgments to answer several key questions about the current and future state of their companies.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo shares the most practical ways business owners can ensure their beliefs are accounted for in the decision-making process, and shares the three questions every business owner should ask in any situation.

Business legend has it that more millionaires emerge in times of economic downturn than in times of prosperity. While the unstable economy of recent years creates greater risks for the adventurous entrepreneur, knowing how to develop an intelligent business plan can inspire both yourself and your colleagues to bring an idea to fruition. In most cases, the first steps to success do not involve a single dollar, but rather a shift in mindset and behavior.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo shares three tips every entrepreneur can use to increase their chance at succeeding in a down economy.