The Secret to Online Business Success

Everyone wants their business to hit straight at the top of the market right from the beginning. But, if you’ve been in any sort of business whatsoever, then you certainly know that it takes hard work and deep commitment (and a lot of failures to overcome) in order to actually hit that mark!

Of course, there are some little delicate secrets that can work as stepping stones towards that speed-dream success. And those secrets are what I’m going to reveal right here in this post!

First off, every business needs one thing to even start, let alone succeed, and that’s customers. Start by focusing on making your customer service your number one goal then the rest will start pouring in.

Then, if you’re trying to get online then the next thing you need to do is to get online!
In order to do that, you need to use a customer-friendly platform as your unique selling point. That is the simple secret that every online business owner should know!
You will need to utilize the best tools out there to attract the target audience and customers. These tools start with a responsive, CMS website (eCommerce if you’re selling products) and head towards SEO based content and analytics that can lead any potential customers' search straight to you.
So understanding this basic secret you'll need the main source to use your new knowledge.


I'm just going to leave a link to our website right here and let you see for yourself how we've been able to help many businesses create their online presence and continue to grow too.
And if you still need to know more about how to succeed in your online business just contact us anytime and we'll reveal more of our business success stories!

What your business is missing out by not going mobile!

Let’s face it… everything is mobile and mobile is everything now… I mean people are literally eating, drinking and sleeping mobile!

Need a few statistics to prove that? Well… Here goes…

While all other media consumptions are on their way down, mobile is the only one on its WAY up:

TV consumption: 2009 = 45% > 2012 = 38%
Online consumption: 2009 = 25% > 2013 = 20%
Radio consumption: 2009 = 17% > 2012 = 12%
Print consumption: 2009 = 9% > 2013 = 4%
Mobile consumption: 2009 = 4% < 2013 = 20% 

Still not satisfied? Let’s make this simple:

It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million users; the internet took just 4 years; and that Draw Something App that we all use to procrastinate, just 50 days!

So… Yeah! Mobile is kind of a big deal. In fact, it’s THE big deal!

With devices and technologies growing over the past few years, mobile has become the new game-changer and king-maker.

So if your business hasn’t gone mobile yet then you’re definitely missing out on these huge benefits:

- Your customers will find you easier: One of the best advantages of a mobile device is portability. People can take it anywhere and do anything while on the go. This is likely the most exciting and sought after information about going mobile. Reading on the bus, shopping, booking tickets, checking weather and much more makes people spend more time on their mobile devices than on any other gadget. So if you’re business is not on mobile and your customer wants to get to your location or buy your product right now than they’ll either just have to wait till they get home or to the office to reach you or they’d have ‘sadly’ to move on to another company that they can find on their mobile!

- You’ll get your message out extendedly: With so many other marketing channels it is hard to make sure that your marketing message will get heard or read, but compared to how many users are now using mobile over TV or PC, you can almost guarantee that your message will hit the targets it’s been aiming for.  You own the app so you can push anything you want your customers to know and attract more and the best part is that you don’t have to wait for THEM to come to visit you to get the latest on your biz.

- You can get recognized faster: Whether it’s a mobile-optimized website or a dedicated mobile app, the expectation among consumers and businesses alike is that mobile solutions will be available when the need arises. With this in mind, it’s difficult to raise reasons why your business shouldn’t go mobile, since failing to do so will definitely lead to brand-damaging setback. So if you’re not representing yourself on mobile, your competition surely will take up the opportunity.

- Your sales procedures will enhance: Why not be by the customer’s side when the sales-lightning strikes? Mobile solutions offer unparalleled responsiveness not only in communications but in logistics as well. Communicating new deals, features, and incentives to your sales team as they develop is crucial. With mobile capabilities, everyone from product developers to salespeople to managers can stay on the same page.

- You’ll beat the fierce competition: With so many companies out there offering almost the same thing competition is cruel and the perfect choice for customers is tough. Most consumers now are looking for the best service to differentiate between companies. Nowadays everyone’s doing business online and obviously going mobile has its own benefits, but doing so before your competitors strengthens the insight that your company cares about your customer needs and for them having a company that gives them a personal service is what they want to make them feel special.

So those were the top reasons why anyone with an online presence should establish a mobile presence! Because as you can see, the mobile web is clearly trending up and has loads of scope to grow.

If the mobile web were a stock, now would be the time to buy! It is the closest thing to a sure bet as you can get.

How to Hit Retail Growth with Workflow Automation?

To grow your retail company you need to evaluate your workflow.

Amid the major economic ebb of the buying seasons and how they affect retail sales, the retail industry as a whole has a number of other major problems that it must often deal with.

Retail and consumer goods companies are constantly reviewing their existing financial and non-financial reporting in order to identify those key performance indicators. All of the evaluation, calculation, accounting and reporting being done in various stages of sales and delivery and on vast systems and departments with their own individual definitions can be a handful for a retail company that’s already got a lot in its plate.

If you are wondering how to find an easier and sufficient way for your retail company to ensure better management of business aims and day-to-day processes you may be the prime candidate for an ERP system.

• When you have different systems for different processes
• When the sales forecast is based mostly on guesswork and getting solid facts become problematic
• When customer satisfaction is low and sales are reduced

Here are 3 main reasons to how an ERP can help your retail grow:

1. Tie your information down to one system

One of the easiest ways to minimize technical problems between system components is to ensure your ERP system and related components share a common platform. This single step reduces or eliminates the risk of data loss due to problems arising from disparate communication interfaces between system components.

2. Reliability of business data leading to accurate decision-making

Easy access to accurate, timely and relevant information can enable you and your workforce to take quick and informed business decisions… Better planning brings many advantages, and tighter management of your inventory is just one of them.

3. Generate loyal customers with the right solution

When your sales team has access to customer information – pertaining to everything from previous order history to past client interactions, how much they paid, their payment terms, their preferred marketing channel, and the products / services they’re most interested in – it enables representatives to strategize a sales process and effectively reach out to buyers on a more personalized level. It also enables management to observe (see productivity, above) and invest further resources into strategies that have proven to be most successful.

4 THINGS YOU'RE MISSING WITHOUT AN ERP

Everyone knows the main and general benefits of an ERP; from a centralized data center of your business, to the full integration of you business departments, to the energy and money saving advantages.

In the long list of ERP solutions, it will be hard to decide which one to choose, but take note that if your company already Doesn't have an ERP system, you are missing out on the below:

1. Streamline communication in your business: When you have an automated system, your communication process within your departments will be just as in your current business workflow process. So all departments will have one line of communication and understanding of the flow.
2. No manual errors: When all your processes are defined within an ERP, then you can be assured that all reports, workflows, payments, approvals, will all be in the right place and no need for you to worry for careless manual mistakes. 
3. Real analysis of your data and KPIs: When all your workflows are within an ERP, you can get real analysis of your data. For example, you can view how much of a certain product was sold and at what times, or which of your services/products are most popular among who, or have complete supervision of your sales and expense reports. So you can manage with more control. 
4. Scalability: Your business is growing by the second and so should your ERP software. Most ERP solutions are modular and allow you to build and expand. ERP nowadays can be flexible and tailored to your needs.

In case of questions, feel free to contact me: jessica.mc@comelite.net

How To Increase Patrons For My Restaurant?

Marketing is a tough job these days. Believe me, I know. Especially when it comes to the food and beverages industry where competition is high and everyone claims to be “the best”, “the finest” and “the greatest”. But there’s an old saying that goes: “You sow what you reap”. Therefore, I thought I’d give it my best and provide some advice that might bear fruit when carried to the full extent.

Be visual

Visual content is in high demand online these days, and having delicious looking photos on your website and across various social media outlets is essential for drawing hungry eyes. Be warned, though, taking really great food photos can be tougher than it looks. Lighting is often a key factor. Learn more here: Gizmodo article and this Udemy post.

Instagram

Having a strong Instagram presence is another semi-obvious (but too important to ignore) restaurant marketing tip. Instagram is a no-brainer for those in the food business.

Loyalty Programs

Online food apps should definitely be a consideration as part of your restaurant marketing plan. Using apps encourages visitors to check out your restaurant through gamification and loyalty programs, which offer visitors a free purchase or discount for visiting a certain number of times. The best case scenario would be the possession of your own app with your brand.
The other big thing to keep in mind when it comes to restaurant loyalty apps is how you handle feedback. It’s great to thank users for their reviews, whether positive or negative. If you get negative feedback, always answer in a polite, professional manner. This builds the best possible image. Some guests might hate your meal, but that will be forgotten. The way you treat people will never be.

BCode

Bcode is another form of technology you can adapt for your loyalty program. BCODE is a unique mobile scanning technology that enhances mobile marketing and mCommerce strategies. It can be used to deliver and authenticate tickets, coupons, loyalty identities and payment credentials to the more than 6 billion mobile phones on the planet.

Google+ Account

Setting up your restaurant’s Google+ account is quite important. When you search for a business within Google, Google’s Knowledge Graph provides the business’ details in the sidebar. This source gathers a large chunk of its info from Google+, so having your business set up on Google+ is a huge bonus, as having your restaurant appear via Google’s Knowledge Graph allows for more prime search real estate (for free)!

Geo-targeted Ads

For most restaurants, local is the name of the game. Most folks are looking for good eats close to home. Geo-targeting ads help you save money, ensuring that only users in certain cities or within a specific radius see your ads (eliminating non-relevant clicks, which can cost you big ad bucks). Many online advertising services, from Google AdWords to Facebook and Twitter, offer geo-targeting ad options (at no extra cost).

Newsletter

Remember, your restaurant newsletter doesn’t have to be a weekly publication. In fact, users will probably appreciate a less flooded inbox if you simply send them a newsletter every month or so.

Introducing your staff

In an age of robotic customer service reps and soon to be self-driving cars, the human element is disappearing fast. Show off your 5-star staff doing what they do best! Seeing happy, smiling employees does wonders for your reputation, as customers long to be served by joyful workers.

 Social Media Presence

Often, the restaurants with a strong social media presence as part of their restaurant marketing plan are the ones that fare the best, and in the competitive food industry, ignoring social media is a death sentence.

Of course you’ll want to create a Facebook business page and a Twitter account to share special discounts, exclusive coupons, photos of your newest dishes and promote your own news accolades. But setting up your accounts is only half the job. Keep up with activity happening on your social sites is also essential.

Google Alerts

Google Alerts notify you when your business name (or other designated keyword terms) appears in a new piece of content on the web! This makes it easy to keep tabs on who is talking about you and your accolades.

Food Blogger Outreach

When you’re a new restaurant, you may find it difficult to generate reviews and hype about your business. One great way to get reviews and press on the web is to invite food bloggers to your restaurant to give you a try, and consider offering a free meal or appetizers to encourage them inside. Politely ask if they’d be willing to review your restaurant and share their experience online. Some food bloggers have big followings, and getting their attention can have a huge influence on your restaurant. Even just one write up or mention from a major foodie can be huge for restaurant promotion efforts.

Online Details Accuracy

Eaters love to do research online – in fact, 89% of consumers research a restaurant online prior to dining. This is why it’s of vital importance that all your restaurant details are online and up-to-date, including the address, phone number, working hours, your current menu, etc. The stronger and more accurate your online details are, the better.

Twitter

Twitter can be a true treasure for restaurants, and timing your tweets can have a big influence on hungry stomachs. Try crafting and scheduling tweets at different times of the day to specifically target breakfast, lunch, or dinner crowds (depending on your offerings).

Online Menu

Users love to do research online before ordering from or visiting your restaurant. Don’t make users scramble to find your menu – publish a high-quality, easy to read menu that is up to date and accurate. Not sure how? Delivery sites such as Open Menu offer to publish your menu online for free.
Still, you’ll want to make sure to have your menu published on your website, too, since that’s often the #1 piece of information users are looking for when visiting your site (along with working hours, location, and contact info).

Coupons and Discounts

Providing coupons and discounts for your restaurant is always a surefire way to bring customers running. Offer a free dish to your new email newsletter subscribers.
Alternatively, you can try advertising a discount through Groupon or Living Social – if you go that route, you’ll get TONS of exposure, but end up paying a hefty portion of sales to the deal website. Keep that in mind.

 Mobile Ads

It is forecasted in 2016 half of all paid clicks on Google will come from mobile! Restaurants are one the best candidates for mobile ads, as users are often looking for nearby dining options while on the move.
What’s really cool is that AdWords allows for all kinds of mobile customization and targeting options that let you get the most out of your bids. For instance, you can increase your bids around dinnertime. When users are often looking for fast food on their mobile phones you could be the first ad to show up for a “pizza” search when pie-hungry users are on the search for a slice. If you’re a restaurant marketer, don’t miss out on digging into a slice of the mobile ad pie (we’re talking deep dish).

 Local Ingredients

Customers love to hear they’re eating local, and sourcing local ingredients from nearby can do a lot to boost your fan base and give you a positive reputation in the community. Definitely consider this option if it’s not out of your budget.

Good Samples

Here we can see some giants in this industry and have a look how they are behaving online. It’s obvious that their reputation speaks for itself, but let’s not forget how they earned it. And as a matter of fact, they still keep marketing...

Pizza Hut

• Website URL: www.mcdonalds.com
• Global rank: 2,050 (they recently got 523 ranks of improvement)
• Rank in USA: 440
• Main website performance:

Bounce rate: 23.10% (recent deterioration: 29.00%)

Daily page views per Visitor: 6.98 (recent improvement: 0.10%)

Daily Time on Site: 8:23 (recent improvement: 3.00%)

Total sites linking in: 3,105

 

McDonald's

• Website URL: www.mcdonalds.com
• Global rank: 8,868
• Rank in USA: 2,279
• Main website performance:

Bounce Rate: 48.30% (recent improvement: 2.00%)

Daily Page views per Visitor: 2.52 (recent improvement: 5.00%)

Daily Time on Site: 2:41 (recent improvement: 6.00%)

Total Sites Linking In: 9,271

There are more than hundred commercials and dozens of promo playlists on McDonald's YouTube channel.

Final word:
These were just some practical advises in terms of restaurant marketing and advertising ideas. Hopefully you can put these tips to good use and you’ll have added patrons and clients. Do you have any restaurant marketing ideas that we didn’t mention in this post? Share your inspiration in the comments!

Three Simple Experiences to Improve Client Relations

Three Simple Experiences to Improve Client Relations

1-                Understand the customer: Before any interactions (even initial ones) with the prospect, do your homework. Learn, research and evaluate a bit about the Client’s industry, what the client does and how they will benefit from your product/service. This way you will get a better idea on how to approach and deliver your sales pitch.

2-                Build a constructive relationship: You’ve probably heard a lot about how when offering your product/service you should get straight to the point and tell them what they need and what you do. That’ll work AFTER you get to know and build a professional relationship with the client. People usually buy from and even talk more to connections they know rather than complete strangers. Even if you don’t share interests you can always find a productive subject to build a conversation on and that will make your client feel comfortable and not have a sense that you’re persuading him/her to buy something from you every time they say hello.

3-                Do and say what you would like to see and hear: Certain things annoy certain people and certain things attract certain people. Put yourself in the client’s shoes and see how you would like to be treated by an ‘approacher’ and do it the exact same way with your client. If a certain method, phrase or approach really irritates you, it will most likely annoy a pretty good prospect too, even if it’s in the books. You can be certain that trying to use all the genuine textbook rules will look and feel forged for both of you and you’ll be sure that the stream will head in the wrong and negative direction.

In conclusion; just always be yourself, try new methods and change your way of approach every now and then. The best way to win a deal is to show your true personality!

I’d love to hear your comments, suggestions and experiences in client communications.

Advantages to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Organisations that have not implemented an ERP system are at a competitive disadvantage compared to other firms which make use of such a system. 

• Better organizational control, especially in large companies, where the volume of information is more than in a small company.
• Duplication of information is avoided.
• Improved communication, both internally and externally.
• Company profitability analysis can be carried out to analyze where costs are higher and where there are more sales.
• Improved decision-making process within the company.
• The company is able to react better to any unforeseen problem or situation.
• Better use of time.

There are a number of powerful advantages to Enterprise Resource Planning. It has been used to solve a number of problems that have plagued large organizations in the past. Being able to weigh in the system’s vastness will allow a company to decide if this solution will properly meet their needs.

It should first be noted that companies that fail to utilize systems such as ERP may find themselves using various software packages that may not function well with each other. In the long run, this could make the company less efficient than it should be.

There are a number of processes that a company may need to integrate together. One of these processes is called design engineering. When a company is in the process of designing a product, the process of actually creating it is just as important as the end result. ERP can be useful in helping a company find the best design process. Another area where ERP can be useful is order tracking. When a company receives orders for a product, being able to properly track the orders can allow the company to get detailed information on their customers and marketing strategies. If different software packages are being used, this data may not be consistent.

Perhaps one of the most important advantages of ERP is its accounting applications. It can integrate the cost, profit, and revenue information of sales that are made, and it can be presented in a granular way. Enterprise Resource Planning can also be responsible for altering how a product is manufactured. A dating structure can be set up which can allow the company to be informed of when their product should be updated. This is important, because it will allow the company to keep better track of their products, and it can allow the products themselves to be produced with a higher level of quality.

Another area where ERP can be an indispensable tool is the area of security. It can protect a company against crimes such as embezzlement or industrial espionage.

Jessica.Mc@comelite.net
+19143521019
www.comelite.net

How Can Your Business Website Make the Right First Impression?

There are billions of internet users world-wide and more and more are logging on the net everyday.
Hence, in order to succeed in today's world, you must have an internet presence.
Placing your business on the World Wide Web, gives your business the potential for global exposure, no matter the size of your business – be it large or small; singular or multi-national. 
A website is a powerful first impression which tells your customers and viewers who you are, what you do and if they should go with your services/products or not. 
You can gain your viewers' trust with your website if designed and presented properly.

Want to leap to higher levels and show your quality services?

Contact me today and get a website that truly represents you.

Need an incredible offer to promote your business before heading to 2016 ?

As 2015 is coming to an end, every industry is thinking what they should do to best invest and make the best out of their services or products before the fireworks go off.

All organizations require to change at one stage or another in order to remain vibrant and successful and each year everyone struggles to reach that success.
 This is where we come in and as a matter of fact, aim at reaching that point.
Like it or not, businesses have to change the way they work and operate in the market in order to respond to a changing environment; Comelite helps you adapt even faster.

We provide our services in a way that will easily adapt to your growth and change so you can focus your energy on growing your business.

Check out our website to see the many services we've implemented
www.comelite.net

Now with an incredible offer of 20% discount on all our services, you can take advantage and promote your business before saying good-bye to 2015.



Need a website, branding and stationary? Mobile app or even management systems? No need to search, you can get it all with Comelite.

Contact me today and see how you can boost your business.

Why Female Entrepreneurs Are Less Likely To Fail

Why female entrepreneurs are less likely to fail

By Shané Schutte

Due to their risk-averse nature, female entrepreneurs are more likely to set up a successful business, according to new research from Kleinwort Benson and YouGov.

Out of a sample of 500 business leaders, only 11 per cent of female respondents said they had failed in creating a successful firm, compared to 17 per cent of men.

Female entrepreneurs are more likely to be risk-averse and so avoid the pitfalls that can kill a young business, claimed Paul Bentley, Kleinwort Benson’s head of entrepreneurs.

He said in the report: “In our experience, female entrepreneurs tend to position themselves better to create long term value. This is beneficial in two ways. Firstly they often avoid the pitfalls that befall early stage businesses. Secondly, their businesses will have demonstrated a more consistent track record and they will be more attractive to potential acquirers.”

This fact hasn't changed since 2010, whereby data company Beauhurst found that 34 per cent of male entrepreneurs had a business go under, compared to 23 per cent of women. The company attributed the different attitudes towards risk: 50 per cent of male business owners had a risk-confident attitude to business, compared to less than a third of women. It also showed that men were more likely to simultaneously run a number of companies than their counterparts.

This difference in attitude was emphasized by a January 2015 report entitled "Women Leading The Charge Into Entrepreneurship". The report indicated that women take a different route in choosing to start a business as they often have different motivations. It claimed that a woman's approach to business is influenced by socialization from early in their lives, and so is their propensity to taking risks. 

A 2007 study from the Small Business Administration found that male owners are more likely to start a company to make money, and have higher expectations for their ventures. Women are more likely to prioritize making business and personal lives work in harmony. This tendency, the report claimed, often led to higher success rates for female entrepreneurs.

Researchers have started focusing on the relationship between testosterone and excessive risk, trying to evaluate whether groups of men spur each other toward reckless decisions.