Cbeyond SMB Expert Tips:

The growth of social media has provided easily-accessible, widespread avenues to discuss the good and bad of businesses. As a result, it has become more critical for companies to monitor social media sites to check the pulse of their customers.

In doing so, businesses can identify problems faster and show they are responsive and mindful to resolving issues their customers face. Ultimately, how a business responds publicly through social media can carry a great impact than any other marketing effort.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo reveals the social media tools every business should use to monitor and respond to social media activity, and shares tips to help businesses craft the perfect response to change customer perception online.

Cbeyond SMB Expert Tips:

Communication is a foundation of effective leadership in today’s business environment. While many business leaders view these tactics as second-nature, it can be difficult with the rigors of the day to ensure you are asking the right questions, listening in a fully-focused manner and synchronizing your gestures with your meaning in every conversation. Unfortunately, one misinterpreted word or action can create unintended headaches.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo reveals the four most common communication pitfalls that plague even the most successful leaders, and shares practical tactics to ensure communication at all levels is functional, intelligent and seamless.

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 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

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

A company’s website is not only a reflection of its brand, but also its corporate culture and values. Visitors want to see how your products can solve its problems in an informative, easy-to-follow manner. So how can businesses ensure their web content and design are attention-grabbing and interactive enough to both draw and satisfy customer interest?

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo shares three basic tips for small businesses to implement the “real world” into their “virtual world” and ensure their websites are current and relevant.

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.

In former Internet lives, building your company’s online presence through search engine optimization (SEO) required extensive layout, phrase and tag development and link directories. Today, local profiling and content have triggered geo-targeting and changed the nature of SEO. Building an online presence for your company has never been easier. With enhanced SEO technology, along with numerous review sites and internal outlets to provide fresh contents, companies have several avenues for customer interaction at the tips of their fingers.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo reveals strategies to help businesses develop their online presence through grassroots activities, and how starting small can help promote your efforts to the world.

According to a recent survey, nearly 62 percent of employees do not consider themselves “fully engaged” with their work. This “I’d rather be anywhere else” mentality can prove dangerous to the entire team’s productivity, as unmotivated employees can take longer to complete projects and do so at an inferior quality. So how can business leaders spark renewed morale in times of apathy? Surprisingly, the answer may be giving them greater responsibility.

Author, radio host and small business expert Mark Deo shares tips executives can use to improve employee engagement, and explains why holding employees to higher standards can generate greater interest.