Adjust the thermostat to boost employee productivity

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From: SmartBrief on Small Business <smallbusiness@smartbrief.com>
Date: Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 11:29 PM
Subject: Adjust the thermostat to boost employee productivity

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September 19, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Problem. Solved.  3 steps to simplify your business for a serious boost in success Most businesses become more complex as their client base grows, their product portfolio expands and their internal structures evolve to meet changing demands, Mitchell Osak writes. But while some of those developments "can differentiate a company" from competitors, they can "also burden it with undue complexity -- much of it hidden and insidious." Identifying and cutting unnecessary complexity can lead to huge annual savings and profit margins, provided you don't let it creep back, Osak explains. Financial Post (Canada) (9/12)       Marketing  Exciting new Twitter features that can benefit businesses Twitter has unveiled a number of new design features pertaining to users' profile pages -- and the changes present marketers with an excellent opportunity to "more fully showcase their brand's personality and vibe" to customers, Scott Levy writes. Marketers should get creative with the new header image that will be visible to iPad, iPhone and Android users, along with the increased background design options and a 160-word bio positioned over the profile photo image, he advises. Entrepreneur online/The Daily Dose blog (9/18)       The "means" for sending better sales messages A strong sales message should be simple and achieve two main goals: Convince prospects to buy and current clients to keep buying, Geoffrey James writes. Sales professionals should communicate using "means" messages, which explain to prospects and clients what you and your product can do for them, sales guru Dean Schantz advises. "Means" messages focus on prospects and clients' concerns and make it easier for them to understand the importance of your products. Inc. online/Sales Source blog (free registration) (9/18)       How to turn money you already spend into points you can use: The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN, designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster: 3X on airfare, 2X on advertising, gas & shipping. 1X on everything else. Use points to pay for travel, Amazon.com purchases, Facebook ads, and more. Limited Time Offer: 50K bonus points when you spend $5K in your first 3 months of Card membership† LEARN MORE & APPLY                                                        †Terms & Restrictions Apply. Management  Why your micromanaging is hurting your business If you can't let your employees make even tiny decisions without asking you, seldom seek their input when giving instructions and sometimes find yourself doing their work for them, you're micromanaging -- and it's likely hurting your business, experts say. Seventy percent of employees say micromanagement has hindered their job performance and 3 of 5 people cited it as the reason they left their job, author Harry Chambers writes. Intuit Small Business Blog (9/18)       Adjust the thermostat to boost employee productivity When the temperature in an office is 68 degrees or lower, employees in a Cornell University study made 44% more errors and were less than half as productive as when the temperature was set at a comfortable 77 degrees. Another study found when people are cold, they're more likely to see others around them as less generous and caring, which can have an effect on workplace relationships. Fast Company online (9/17)       Free Guide: Ten Steps to Email Success Are your email campaigns leaving cash on the table? Get more from your email marketing with iContact's Ten Rules for Successful Email Marketing. This free guide gives you ten ways to boost your email results, with real-life examples from businesses that are now winning more customers. Download now. Money  Smart pricing strategies that can boost business You can get better prices for your products if you vary them according to tweaks to the products and services you deliver, writes Jeanne Rossomme, president of RoadMap Marketing. For example, set up a range of prices based on service level or speed of delivery, with a higher price for more hands-on service and quicker delivery. You can also "create packages at three price points," she writes. SCORE Small Business Success Blog (9/17)       Small bank loan approval rates increase in August, SBA index shows Small Business Trends (9/18)       Tips & Tools  What to do when you're looking to lease new office space No business needs a bad landlord on top of the other issues it has to face as it works to grow and remain successful. Before you sign a new commercial lease, you want to do your homework and ask plenty of questions, accountant and financial consultant Angie Mohr writes. Be sure to ask about the landlord as well as the property itself, and look into his finances because you could be out on the street if the property is foreclosed on, she advises. Intuit Small Business Blog (9/17)       Great free alternatives to Microsoft Office CIO.com (9/17)       Tackle privacy concerns with a Value-For-Data Exchange Despite online privacy concerns, research shows that consumers continue with online tasks and exchange their data if they perceive a benefit. Learn the details of consumer apprehension and how marketers can clearly state their value proposition to defuse these concerns. Read more in this FREE white paper. Featured Content  Survey: Taxes Not Deciding Factor for Small Business Vote Courtney Rubin How To Get Endless Amazon Reviews For Your Book or Product Mike Michalowicz The Dirt-Cheap Answer to Focus Groups  JOHN PARHAM The Secret to Finding Great Temps Julie Rains Daily Deals Made Easy With LivingSocial Stephanie Miles Just for Fun  Nursery takes an innovative approach to bring in more babies With fewer young children, a kindergarten in North Fyn, Denmark, is trying boost its numbers by giving parents time to make more babies. They are offering two hours of free evening care so parents will have some time alone outside of work hours. Still, parents might not cooperate with the plan. "Lots say: 'We'll bring our children to the party but you won't be getting any more children out of us!'" nursery worker Dorte Nyman said. BBC (9/13)       SmartQuote  Although it's probably true that no one can handle the job like you can, you should ask yourself whether it has to be done your way." --Suzanne Kearns, writing at the Intuit Small Business Blog       SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! Accounting Advertising Automotive Aviation & Aerospace Biotechnology Business Chemicals Construction & Real Estate Consumer Packaged Goods Distribution Education Energy Finance Food Service Health Care Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Nonprofit Retail Technology Telecommunications Travel & Hospitality This SmartBrief was created for  John Jantsch, Editor at Large John Jantsch is author of "Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide" and "The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself." John is a marketing and digital technology coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing small-business marketing system. Subscriber Tools SIGNUP SEND FEEDBACK E-MAIL THIS BRIEF Today's Brief - Permalink | Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Director:  Tom O'Brien (212) 450-1679 Download Media Kit SmartBrief Community: Most Clicked Facebook Twitter Publish your Press Release LinkedIn Get this RSS Feed Search Archive About Download a SmartBrief Mobile app today Recent SmartBrief on Small Business Issues: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 Monday, September 17, 2012 Friday, September 14, 2012 Thursday, September 13, 2012 Wednesday, September 12, 2012 Lead Editor:  Brooke Howell Editor at Large: John Jantsch       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2012 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information

 

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