How to improve your decision-making process

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From: SmartBrief on Small Business <smallbusiness@smartbrief.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 10:58 PM
Subject: How to improve your decision-making process

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September 17, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Problem. Solved.  Using e-mail to reassure uneasy customers Marie Forleo, who runs online tutorials through her Rich Happy & Hot brand, was concerned 17% of the students who signed up for one of her courses asked for a refund. She fixed the problem by sending e-mails to her customers designed to address their emotional state at different times throughout the class and to reassure them. The refund rate has since declined to less than 3.5%. Entrepreneur magazine (9/2012)       Here at O.Biz, we've done the shopping for you. We've found the top-of-the-line products, from office supplies to office furniture, and offer them to you at discounted prices. When you shop at O.biz, you'll find everything you need to succeed and have more time to focus on the big picture. Marketing  Why you should trust marketing experts As Apple's monumental success demonstrates, it's important to hire talented marketers and trust their judgment, John Follis writes. Apple's marketing agency actually had to convince Steve Jobs that "iMac" would be a good name, Follis notes. "It takes a certain amount of guts for any business owner to trust the ideas and direction of outside marketing experts, especially when there's no guarantee those ideas will work," he writes. Small Business Trends (9/13)       Include e-mail marketing in your content calendar There are several advantages to include your e-mail messages in your content calendar, John Jantsch writes. Among other benefits, this approach has allowed Jantsch to get a better understanding of how much e-mail his business is sending out and to identify gaps in content output. Duct Tape Marketing (9/14)       All superb B2B marketing e-mails have these things in common B2C Marketing Insider (9/12)       Earn 2X rewards points on shipping costs with The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster: • 3X points on airfare • 2X points on advertising, gas, and shipping • 1X points on everything else • Limited Time Offer: 50K bonus points when you spend $5K in your first 3 months of Card membership† LEARN MORE AND APPLY                             †Terms & Restrictions Apply. Management  Family-business management lessons from "Tanked" As Animal Planet's reality TV program "Tanked" illustrates, it's easier for a family business to succeed when everyone has a well-defined job, Carol Tice writes. Additionally, the show, which focuses on a company that makes outsized aquariums, shows the value of going after high-end accounts and hiring talented individuals even if they aren't your relatives. Entrepreneur online/Reality Check blog (9/14)       5 ways businesses crush their employees' spirits One way companies discourage their employees is by failing to ask for their opinions, Renee Sylvestre-Williams writes. "When employees are not given the opportunity to provide feedback on decisions that affect them, it gives them the sense that the company does not value their input," she writes. Bosses might also upset their employees by showing favoritism, indicating they don't value their workers' time and failing to provide feedback. Forbes (9/14)       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. Money  Health insurance premiums continue to climb Health insurance premiums have continued to rise -- especially for small businesses -- according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's latest study on the topic. Employers are responding to the upward trajectory in premiums by moving to high-deductible plans. The proportion of small businesses that provide health insurance hasn't changed much in the last several years. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/You're the Boss blog (9/15)       Tips & Tools  What small companies need to know about the FDA A company's small size won't keep regulators from noticing problems with compliance, says food and drug lawyer Arnall Golden Gregory, who lists what he says are four common mistaken ideas small businesses hold about the Food and Drug Administration. The Washington Post/On Small Business blog (9/13)       How to improve your decision-making process Instead of addressing issues on a case-by-case basis, you should look for opportunities to fix underlying problems, Rachel Hartman writes. You should also gather input before making decisions and be mindful of what you are trying to accomplish. "Before making a decision, run the issue past the long-term plan you have for your company (and if you don't have goals, it's time to make some)," she advises. Intuit Small Business Blog (9/14)       Featured Content  How Much Is a Presidential Visit Worth? Courtney Rubin The Future of Facebook Katie Morell How to Keep Your Audience Focused on Your Presentation Bruna Martinuzzi Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Lifeguards Lose Their Jobs for Going "Gangnam-Style" Why Good Employees Do Bad Things Pen and Paper: Killer Productivity Apps Carle Natale Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Most Read  Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Small Business readers in the past week. Low-tech strategies for better time management (Forbes) Drop moribund marketing methods like a bad habit (The Globe and Mail (Toronto)) Impersonal e-mails don't help you build business relationships (eConsultancy.com) What market-leading business owners do differently (Duct Tape Marketing) How to get your stalled business back on track (Intuit Small Business Blog) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Just for Fun  Maryland speed cameras get security cameras Vandals have hit six Maryland speed cameras, prompting officials to set up security cameras to watch the cameras. Each of the cameras costs $30,000 to $100,000 to replace, officials say. NBC News (9/14)       Editor's Note  Updated SmartBrief privacy policy SmartBrief has updated its privacy policy to better reflect the state of the digital world. View the updated policy.       SmartQuote  It is a privilege to have people listen to us. With that privilege comes a responsibility -- the responsibility to deliver our information in a stimulating and intellectually engaging way." --Bruna Martinuzzi, "Author of Presenting With Credibility," writing at OPEN Forum blogs       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 profjorge.entrep@gmail.com 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. 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