The 7 C’s of Communication

The point of the 7 Cs of communication is to ensure that the numerous ways of communication employees use at the office are clear and well-constructed. The 7 Cs of communication consist of these adjectives: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete and courteous. This list of the 7 Cs of communication involves many forms of communicating, everything from partaking in meetings to e-mailing, holding conference calls to talking to colleagues, and delivering presentations to creating reports. The end result of these seven ways of communicating should be an office and business environment where productivity rules.

· Mind Tools: A list and explanation of the 7 Cs of communication.

· Indian Journals: Write-up on how the 7 Cs of communications applies to a hospital setting.

The Communication Cycle

The communication cycle refers to the underlying structure of communicating that always stays the same. It consists of the six elements called aiming, encoding, transmitting, receiving, decoding, and responding. Aiming refers to what you need to communicate to whom. Encoding relates to organizing your thoughts so that you can begin expressing them through words or images. Transmitting is when a choice is made regarding what to say and when, and receiving occurs when you decide how to store and interpret information your senses receive. Decoding concerns being able to understand a communication that has been written or spoken, while responding is when an answer is formed and relayed.

· Media Visions: Provides visitors with information on each part of the communication cycle. Includes a graph.

· Barriers to Effective Communication: Discusses common barriers to an effective communication cycle.

Questioning Techniques

Questioning techniques are all about being able to ask effective questions. To avoid getting wrong information because you asked the wrong question or put it wrongly, asking the right questions is important to successful information exchange. There are several types of questioning techniques. They consist of open and closed questions, funnel questions, probing questions and leading questions.

· EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES OF QUESTIONING: Provides people with a point-blank list of what effective questioning consists of.

· Effective Questioning Skills: Magazine article that details all the different forms of effective questioning that exist.

Using Media To Communicate

Using media to communicate is an ever-increasing challenge these days since the options that people have are continually growing. Today, people are bombarded with a myriad of places from which to get their information. This can include the Internet, TV, radio, papers, social media like Twitter, and even magazines. Amid all these choices, there are some that still offer an effective way of communicating. For instance, direct mail is an unbeatable media form for communication because it grants you approximately five seconds of a person’s attention as they are looking through their mail and spot your communication.

· Using Media to Communicate with Patients: Advice on how to best reach patients or potential customers through the best kind of advertising for the purpose.

· Media/Communications Studies: Your Skills: English web page that explains to people how they can use their degrees in using media for communications in the workforce.

Persuasive Communication

Persuasive communication relates to communicating the same ideas that have been communicated for years, but just in a different way of phrasing. This new way of phrasing should make what is being communicated more persuasive. Persuasive communication therefore involves omitting key words and phrases that may have a negative effect on the audience to which you are communicating. For example, the phrase “What I want to talk about is…” has a tendency to be received negatively because it takes away attention from your audience to place it on you instead. This style of communication centers on being able to rally people and inspire them.

· Four steps in persuasive communication at work: Fundamental outline of what to do in creating persuasive arguments when communicating with co-workers.

· Yaffe Center: At the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Specializes in discussion, research and teaching of persuasive communication.

Become A Better Listener

Becoming a better listener is a vital part of communication since being a good listener is a part of good communication. Clarification, paraphrasing and mirroring have all been established as successful listening skills that work toward fruitful understanding. There is also an acronym called “CARE” that establishes the hallmarks of being a better listener. They involve concentration (focusing on the speaker); acknowledgment (nod the head to demonstrate understanding); response (asking questions to get clarification); and empathy (validating the speaker by sharing his emotions).

· Become a Better Listener: Provides specific examples and advice on what people can do to become better listeners.

· Six tips to become a better listener: Tips from a professional temporary staffing office on how to improve listening skills.

Body Language

At times, body language can comprise more than half of everything that people are attempting to communicate. Good communication also involves comprehending how you can and cannot employ your body to say what you want. Body language is communicated in message clusters that range from aggressive to submissive. Core patterns are another identifying aspect of body language that lend themselves to reading a person’s communications. Body parts by themselves also contribute to meaningful body language, such as movements with your cheek, chin or forehead.

· Body Language: Website that is dedicated to reading body language signals in business and other relationships.

· Interpreting Body Language: Web page that consists of instructional material on how to interpret different signs of body language.

· Body Language Expert: Website devoted to understanding both the signals of body language and its meanings.

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Business letters are formal documents written in specific styles. The most common styles for business letters include the block style, modified block style, and semi-block style. In the block style, each element of the letter is left justified and single-spaced, with a double space between each paragraph. In modified block style, the headings and body of the letter are left justified and the date and closing begin at the center point. Semi-block style differs from modified block style in that each paragraph is indented and the sender’s address is centered. Different organizations prefer different formats, although block format is the most widely used.

The elements included in business letters are: the sender’s address, the date, the inside address or recipient’s address, the salutation, the body, and the closing. Letters may also include, if necessary: an enclosure line, a subject line or reference notation, an attention line, the writer’s identification or job title, a confidential notation, a copy notation, and the typist’s initials. The writer may include their phone number and e-mail address as part of the sender’s address format, if appropriate. The recipient should be identified by name and title, if possible. Call the company to verify the recipient’s name, its correct spelling, the recipient’s gender and title preference (Mr., Dr., Ms., Mrs., Rev.), and the recipient’s exact position in the company. Spell and format the company name as it appears on the company’s own official communication and verify the correct spelling of the city or town. An attention line may be used to route the letter to the correct person or office, by either name or title, if the letter is addressed to an organization. Acceptable closings for business letters include: Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Respectfully, Respectfully yours, Cordially, and Cordially yours. The writer’s name should be typed below the hand-written signature. The writer’s position in the company or company name may be included, if the letter represents the company’s views or position. If an administrative assistant or typist prepares the letter, he should include his initials in the reference initial line. If additional documents, checks, or other items are enclosed, list them beside or under the enclosure line. If a copy of the letter is to be sent to another person, type that person’s name in the courtesy copy (cc) line.

Example of Block Style

123 Main Street

Springfield, PA 54321

April 1, 2010

Ms. Janice Doe

Human Resources Manager

Compudata Systems

987 First Street

Franklin, SC 32198

Dear Ms. Doe:

I am pleased to accept the software engineer position at Compudata Systems. Thank you for the offer.

As we agreed in my interview, I will begin on June 15. I will complete the required physical by May 20 and return all paperwork by June 1. If there are additional steps I must take before June 15, please contact me by telephone at (555) 456-1234 or by e-mail at myemail@anydomain.com.

Thank you again for the offer. I look forward to the opportunity to be part of the Compudata Systems team.

Sincerely,

Jane Jones

Example of Modified Block Style

Compudata Systems

987 First Street

Franklin, SC 32198

April 1, 2010

CONFIDENTIAL

Ms. Janice Doe

Executive Vice President

Compudata Systems

987 First Street

Franklin, SC 32198

Dear Ms. Doe:

Subject: Early Retirement Request

I submitted your request for early retirement to the Board of Directors. The Board approved your request, pending negotiation of an end-date. Three members requested you stay until January or until a suitable candidate has been hired and trained.

A search committee will be formed next week. Your input will ensure the timely hiring of a quality candidate. Training of the new hire will be entirely up to your discretion.

Sincerely,

John Smith

President, Compudata Systems

jkm

Enclosure

cc: A. Jones

Example of Semi-block Style

Jane Jones

123 Main Street

Springfield, PA 54321

(555) 456-1234

myemail@anydomain.com

April 1, 2010

Ms. Janice Doe

Human Resources Manager

Compudata Systems

987 First Street

Franklin, SC 32198

Dear Ms. Doe:

I am applying for the position of software engineer advertised in the March 15 Franklin Courier. My education in computer engineering and experience as a software developer establish me as a qualified candidate for the position.

Before receiving my masters’ degree in computer engineering in May from Computer University, I worked as a software developer for DataSystems Corporation for six years. During that time, I worked with the lead developer on several major projects, which are detailed in the enclosed resume. My experience with DataSystems Corporation and my graduate training provide me with the technical and theoretical skills to contribute to the Compudata Systems team.

Thank you again for your consideration. I am available for an interview at your convenience and can be contacted by telephone at (555) 456-1234 or by e-mail at myemail@anydomain.com.

Sincerely,

Jane Jones

Enclosure: Resume

The following are further business letter resources:

• Business Letter Basics: This site includes step-by-step instructions on how to write a business letter; includes examples.
• Business Letter Tips: This site details important principles for writing clear and persuasive business letters.
• Business Letter Guide: This site explains and gives examples of different types of business letters, including application, complaint, cover, credit, inquiry, refusal, and sales letters.
• Cover Letters: This site explains and gives examples of cover letters and includes examples of block form and indented forms of business letters.
• Standard Format: This site gives an example of a standard business letter and explanations for each element of the letter.
• Business Letter Formats: This site explains and gives examples of full block, modified block, alternate block, and memo formats for business letters.
• Standard Business Letter: This site gives examples with explanations of elements of a business letter.
• Elements of Business Letters: This site explains how to write business letters; includes an example.
• Types of Business Letters: This site gives examples and explanations of application, acceptance, inquiry, and recommendation letters.

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Drafting Grant Proposal

When writing any formal proposal, it is important that the grant writer read through and follow all directions. The proposal should be free of spelling and grammatical errors and be written in a professional tone. When addressing the need for funding, the need should be made clear and back by researched and statistical data. Using measurable objectives is also important. Presenting a sound argument and reasons why your small business should be given funding may also influence the grant reviewer(s). When writing a proposal it is important to keep it simple and precise. Present all the data supporting the case to prove that you have a legitimate need for funding. Provide the business’s mission statement and how the business contributes, or will contribute, to the community.

• Writing a Grant
• A Best Practice Guide
• Tips on Writing a Grant Proposal
• Grant Proposal Writing Tips
• Writing a Grant Proposal
• Grant Writing Guidelines
• Grant Proposal Writing Guidelines
• Tips for Writing Grants

How to Apply for a Grant

A grant proposal can be submitted to a foundation or a government agency interested in providing financial assistance small businesses and projects. Most agencies are strict about what their grant(s) can be used for, it is important to always work within the guidelines of the grants and appropriate the fund accordingly. Grant applications can typically be submitted online or by mail. When applying for a grant, make sure that all required application paperwork and documents are submitted and keep an extra copy on file for future reference.

• Apply for Grants
• Government Grants 2010
• Apply for a Grant
• Grant Application & Other Forms

The Purpose of a Grant

It is important that the grant proposal provide a clear “problem statement” or “statement of need”. State the objective of the business as you begin writing the proposal. This is the section of the proposal that will address why the business is in need of funding. Using strong and logical reasoning will provide grant reviewers with the information they need to make an informed decision. When writing a grant proposal, keep in mind that the purpose of a grant proposal is to procure funding; make the business needs and goals clear throughout the proposal. For instance, if the applicant wishes to set up a small business of agricultural products that will utilize the produce of the local farmers, then every detail of the business should be explained in the correct sequence, invariably proving that the grant money will not be stagnant.

• Small Business Loans & Grants
• Small Business Financial Assistance
• Small Business Research Funding Opportunities

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One contending issue is that schools don’t teach students well enough in such subjects like business, economics, and finance. It’s no secret that the world of finance is integral in the real world. Whether you are a scientist, a professor, a clerk, a judge or an actor, you have to know about banks, checks, interest rates, loans, credit cards, retirement planning, and so on. The scope and level of education in business, economics, and finance is too limited in high schools. High school students who enter the working world directly would be ill-equipped to understand how the financial world works. Fortunately, the Internet offers an important avenue for students to learn about these things on their own. Here’s an education center with lots of online resources on educational topics in business, economics, and finance.

Business

• Introduction to Business: The website provides a good explanation of the basics of business.
• The Food Court: A great place to learn about business competition.
• Consumer Jungle: The website is dedicated to promoting consumer literacy to teens.
• Business Glossary: Come here to find a definition of any business term.
• Teen Business: The US Small Business Administration’s website for teens to learn everything about business with tips, ideas, legal advice, and more.
• Do You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?: Go through this fun tutorial to understand what it takes to become an entrepreneur.
• Entrepreneurship: The article explains all about entrepreneurship.
• Making Money: Kid’s Money for Kids provides a list of legitimate ways for children to make some money.
• Careers: The website provides information on a variety of careers like actor, doctor, financial analyst, librarian, and more.
• Types of Businesses: The page explains the three types of business organizations, namely, sole proprietorship, partnership, and corporation.
• Types of Business Activities: The University of Technology Sydney offers information on a number of business activities.
• Young Entrepreneurs: The Entrepreneur magazine provides a resource center for teens who want to start a business.

Finance

• Children & Money: The Iowa State University Extension provides a financial skill center where children will learn about comparison shopping, managing checking accounts, and more.
• Tips for Teens: The Mint offers a lot of financial tips for teens covering earning money, saving money, spending money, owing money, and more.
• Financial Games: Play these games to learn more about the financial world.
• Reality Check: Jump$tart offers an interesting way to weigh the costs of your dreams.
• Fedville: Come to this special town to learn the various concepts in finance.
• It All Adds Up: Try these online games and simulations to learn about budgeting, credit management, paying for college, and more.
• Treasury Securities: Come here to learn all about savings bonds, bills, notes, bonds, and more.
• Learning Bank: Follow Carmen Cents to find out how the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation works.
• The Federal Reserve: There’s no better place to learn about this most important financial institution.
• Bank It: PBS Kids provides some important insights into banking.
• Kids Bank: A fun place for kids to learn all about banking and money.
• Money Matters: The Office on Women’s Health provides banking information for teens covering savings and checking accounts, credit cards, and other money matters.
• Checkbook Balancing Lessons: Learn how to balance a checkbook from the Money Instructor.
• Teen & Money: The page provides a lot of financial instructions for teens on writing checks, saving money, credit cards, and more.
• Start Smart: The brochure offers essential money management tips on how to save, protect, and spend money.
• Financial Education: The module provides information on financial dreams, setting goals, spending plan, saving money, and so on.
• National Financial Capability Challenge: Test your financial knowledge by taking part in this national challenge.
• Money Management: The Family Guide provides tips on how to teach kids to manage money.
• Investing For Kids: A great tool for kids to learn about investing.
• Buxx for Teens: The page provides information on CDs, bonds, stocks, real estate, and other investments.
• 401 (k) Plans: The IRS offers information on this popular retirement plan.
• Basic Financial Concepts: The page explains some of the basic financial concepts.
• Saving & Investing: The Securities and Exchange Commission provides information on saving and investing with a good section on compound interest.
• Budgeting: Learn how to do a simple monthly budget from this sample.
• Credit Card Tips: The Michigan State University Federal Credit Union provides helpful credit card tips for teens.
• Student Loans: Come here to learn more about student loans.
• Ballpark E$timate: Use this program to get a ballpark figure of how much money to save for a comfortable retirement.

Economics

• Understanding Basic Economics: The page explains all the basic concepts of economics.
• Great Economics Lessons: The Economic Education Web provides a great collection of economics lesson plans for grades K-12.
• Economic Spotter: Learn about the power of demand and supply during the Gold Rush.
• Economics: A great site for kids to discover the various aspects of economics.
• How an Economy Works: The page provides pictures of a good and bad economy.
• Consumer Banking: The article describes the framework of consumer banking.
• Mortgages: The University of Maryland offers an overview of mortgages.
• Interest Rates & Exchange Rates: The article shows how interest rates and exchange rates can be explained by using supply and demand.
• Understanding Interest Rates: The page provides a great explanation of interest rates.
• Understanding Loans: The George Washington University offers a good overview of loans.
• Supply & Demand: The page describes this important economic concept.

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Whether a company is large or small, putting customer service first is key to its long-term success. This online customer service resource guide is designed to help any company equip itself to offer excellent customer service, learn from customer service professionals, and thereby improve its standing in the marketplace.

Establishing Customer Relationships

Creating and building a relationship with the customer is the first step in growing a business and providing good customer service. Starting this relationship is not always an easy task, especially in a well-established industry that has several market leaders. Such relationship building is not possible, however, as long as companies follow some important guiding principles and strategies. Understanding the foundation of good customer relations is key to the success of any business.

Consumer Programs — The consumer programs found on this site can be used to establish customer relationships and/or build customer loyalty.

Five Steps to Establish Relationships with Customers Online — This article gives five easy steps that businesses can follow to develop good relationships with online customers even though they never see them in person.

Five Tips on Building Customer Relationships — Here are five simple tips for establishing and building customer relationships.

Online Retailers Get Chatty — The Wall Street Journal explains some of the creative ways Internet-based retailers are making online customer relationships more personal, which is key to developing long-lasting bonds with those interested in the company’s goods and services.

Service Relationships that Transform Business — Business personnel will learn about the key importance of customer relationships to business success when they read this article.

Customer Feedback

A good customer service policy cannot be developed and improved upon unless a business understands how customers feel about their interactions with the company. Surveys, focus group studies, and more are all excellent ways to get feedback from the customer. Smart businesses employ a variety of these to measure customer sentiment. Interpreting the feedback given via such outlets, on the other hand, is not always so easy, for businesses must understand how unspoken assumptions, question phrasing, and more impact a customer’s answers. These resources will help nearly any company establish a good customer feedback system and interpret responses to it effectively.

AJB: Listening to Customers — This article from the American Journal of Business explores ways to get customer feedback and how it should be analyzed.

Epinions — Epinions is an invaluable site where businesses can see how ordinary people feel about their products.

Focus Groups vs. Online — Businesses can learn much on the strengths and weaknesses of focus group and online methods of generating customer feedback in this article originally published in Advertising Age.

Measuring Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction with a Survey — Users can learn how to measure customer satisfaction with online surveys using this helpful article.

Importance of Customer Feedback — Cornell University has several clips from business owners and managers on the methodology and importance of customer feedback.

Ten Lessons in Customer Loyalty, Service, and Feedback — An industry pro discusses some of the most important lessons he has learned from dealing with customer feedback.

Customer Loyalty

Creating and sustaining customer loyalty ensures that consumers will continue to buy a company’s products or services and become effective advocates for the business as well. The best advertisement occurs via word-of-mouth, and those businesses that inspire strong customer loyalty will create the strongest word-of-mouth buzz about their products. Customer loyalty programs and other similar methodologies can help a company create intense brand loyalty, creating customers that will come back for a lifetime. There are many excellent sites online that can help a company develop a program that encourages customer loyalty.

Creating Customer Loyalty — An industry leader delivers an informative lecture on developing customer loyalty in the twenty-first century.

Customer Acquisition and Retention: Customer Loyalty — This article is a good resource for those who want to encourage customer loyalty towards their business.

Creating Customer Evangelists — Companies who encourage brand loyalty create customer loyalty and improve their bottom line, as this article demonstrates.

Developing Customer Loyalty — Home-based businesses will find this article from the University of Missouri on developing customer loyalty to be quite helpful.

Loyalty and Competitive Advantage — The role of customer loyalty in developing a competitive advantage is outlined in this article.

Quality Progress: Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction — Registration is free to gain access to articles and other resources on building customer loyalty in a company.

Customer Service Technology

Technological advances continue to provide businesses with resources to track, evaluate, and improve their customer relationships. Customer relation management software and other resources streamline and automate many customer service-related interactions, allowing businesses to report effectively on their progress and train personnel to deal more effectively with clients. These links provide an overview of the various customer service technology solutions that exist today.

Closing the Customer Feedback Loop — This interview discusses the advantages of customer relationship management software in helping businesses understand their market and respond to it properly.

Customer Relationship Management — This U.K.-based resource is a multi-part article on the importance of customer relationship management and how it can be implemented through technology.

Customer Relationship Management Guide and Review — Here is a good article on what to look for in customer relationship management software that also includes a recommendation of a specific software product.

Additional Customer Service Resources

Chief Customer Officer Council — The Chief Customer Officer Council is a professional organization of chief customer officers, those persons companies are increasingly relying on for developing quality customer service policies and programs.

Citizen Services — Even the private industry can learn much from this U.S. government site dedicated to improving relationships between federal agencies and citizens.

Customer Relationship Management Association — The Customer Relationship Management Association is a professional group devoted to helping companies understand their customers and develop better customer service.

Customer Service Zone — This site is a one-stop resource with articles and other tools on providing quality customer service both internally and externally.

Learning by Reading — The United Nations hosts this bibliography of expert resources on customer care and service.

Manage Your Customer Care — This is a fairly in-depth resource on all elements of quality customer service.

Why Some Companies Succeed at Customer Relationship Management — This article explains why some companies succeed at customer relationship management and others fail.

Quality customer service will always be an essential part of any company’s long-term success. Businesses who continually work to improve the ways they serve their customers will outshine the competition and continually increase their market share. Use these resources wisely to improve customer service in any industry.

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Succeeding as a small business owner depends on being informed about a wide variety of business-related issues. Today, getting and staying informed is quite easy for the small business owner due to the amount of data and resources online dedicated to helping owners understand the ins and outs of running a business. Keeping up on planning, accounting, marketing, legal requirements, and more is easy for anyone who has Internet access, and this resource is designed to help business owners find the best online tools for assistance in running their business effectively.

Business Planning

A successful business requires both the development of a product or service that people want or need and a strategic plan to help the owner deal with the ups and downs of the market, lay a foundation for growth, and deal with the owner’s eventual exit from the business. Without a good business plan, companies can find themselves wandering aimlessly or even working themselves, unintentionally, into extinction. These resources can help both start-ups and established businesses develop a strategy for success over the long haul.

• Exit a Business — The basics of exiting a business along with helpful resources on closing up shop can be found here.

• My Business Exit Strategy — This is a helpful article from an experienced business owner on her business exit strategy.

• Some Guidance on Business Planning — Those interested in starting a small business can benefit from this guide on starting a business from NASA.

• Starting a Business — Here is a good outline for any small business plan from the Howard University Small Business Center

• Write a Business Plan — The U.S. Small Business Administration offers this excellent page on how to write a business plan.

Starting a Business

Even with a great idea, starting a successful business can be a significant challenge to the most industrious of people. Getting the proper forms in order and preparing for initial risks that all new companies must face is a must. Fortunately, there are many good sites online that talk about the risks and needs of start-up companies, preparing owners for their companies’ first few months of existence.

• Buying a Business: A Checklist — The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center provides this good checklist that describes what is involved when buying a business.

• How to Start a Business — Various options that are available to those who want to start a business are listed on this page, and the pros and cons of each are also discussed.

• Information about Franchise Startup Costs — There are a variety of costs that must be considered when starting a franchise, and this article summarizes them helpfully.

• IRS: Starting a Business — Things that business start-ups should keep in mind about U.S. federal income taxes when a company is started are found on this page.

• Starting a Home Business: Pros and Cons — The University of Maine offers this helpful resource on the pros and cons of starting a business at home.

Financing

Proper financing helps every business deal with the ups and downs of cash flow and grow its market share in a sustainable manner. Small business loans, credit cards, issuing stock, and more are all ways that companies can acquire funding for starting and maintaining a company. Here is some information on the variety of small business financing options that are available.

• Business Credit — This is a good one-stop resource for information on business credit cards and other related matters.

• Business Government Loans — Ten U.S. government loans designed for small businesses are listed on this page, along with their requirements and other important information.

• Financing Your Business — Rutgers University Business Library has put together this comprehensive guide to starting a business that includes a lot of good information on financing the company.

• SCORE: Financing Your Business — Here is a comprehensive listing of links and resources related to financing a privately owned business.

• Walton College of Business: Financing — The University of Arkansas offers this comprehensive page on business financing and the documents required to obtain it.

Legal

Operating a business legally requires constant attention to government licenses, federal and state labor laws, and much more. In the past, it was often difficult for small businesses to keep up with all the regulations on the books, but that is no longer the case due to the proliferation of Internet sites that help companies of every size understand business law. These are some of the best resources online for helping small businesses understand how they may comply with existing laws.

• Intellectual Property Laws — The University of Pittsburgh maintains this database and links page that directs users to up-to-date information on U.S. Intellectual Property Law.

• Non-Profit Articles of Incorporation — Reasons why a not-for-profit business might want to incorporate and resources on putting together articles of incorporation can be found here.

• Red Flags Rule — Some of the lesser-known business legal requirements are the privacy requirements imposed by the Federal Trade Commission. This page offers guidance on making sure a business complies with these regulations.

• State Business Licenses — Residents of all 50 U.S. states can find the paperwork needed to apply for a business license in their jurisdiction on this page.

• U.S. Department of Labor — The U.S. Department of Labor makes sure that businesses know labor laws and enforce them properly.

Employment & HR

Whether a business employs one or one hundred people, attracting and retaining the best talent requires company owners to offer competitive and cost-effective employee benefits. Owners are also responsible to make sure that payroll taxes are paid and that other federal wage and benefit laws are followed. Here are some good sites that can help any company meet their employment and human resource challenges.

• American Payroll Association — The American Payroll Association provides help to companies with all their payroll-related needs and questions.

• Current Strategies and Tactics in Staffing — This page offers some valuable tips in staffing a business with the best employees.

• Electronic Federal Tax Payment System — The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System is designed to help companies and individuals pay their federal taxes electronically.

• Frequently Asked Questions About Benefits — This FAQ section from the Employee Benefit Research Institute is a helpful overview and discussion of employee benefits.

• Staffing in Three Parts — Although this page uses the farm industry as an example, its principles on staffing a business can be applied to any industry.

Taxes, Accounting, and Money Management

Informed business owners need to be well versed in accounting systems and practices even if they employ accountants and others to keep watch over company income and expenses for them. The more one knows about federal tax law, accounting methods, budgeting strategies, and more, the better one will be to deal with any monetary issues that will arise in the course of doing business. Many good tools and overview pages exist online to help business owners understand this important aspect of their business.

• Accounting and Bookkeeping FAQs — Answers to the most frequently asked questions about accounting and bookkeeping for businesses can be found here.

• Budgeting Strategies — The Kauffman Foundation has put together this helpful page on developing company budgets.

• Federal Taxes — This is a good beginning page on federal tax planning in the United States.

• Small Business Legal Audit — Many of the questions on this audit are helpful for business owners who want to get and keep their accounting issues under control.

• Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center — Small businesses can find out everything they want to know about taxes from the IRS on this page.

Internet & E-Commerce

No matter the good or service that a company happens to provide, Internet marketing, and selling, can help them grow their market share. Developing an e-commerce site, advertising online effectively, and more may seem difficult to those business owners who are not computer experts, but any company can make good use of the Internet with just some basic information and tips about online storefronts and marketing. Business owners should read these tools for a better understanding of how to make the Internet work for their business.

• E-Commerce Toolbox — This government-sponsored site will be especially helpful for business owners who want to make their products and services available worldwide via the Internet.

• Field Guide to Effective Online Marketing — Although this site focuses on realtors, the principles of marketing and links on this page will benefit any savvy business owner.

• Online Advertising and Profitability — This brief article talks about the pros and cons of advertising online versus advertising in traditional media.

• Online Selling Association — The Online Selling Association is an association of e-commerce providers that provides a platform for them to offer advice to one another and other resources.

• Website 101 — An experienced writer describes some of the things that must be kept in mind when starting a business website.

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“We are excited to add Puneet to our team,” said CEO, Brad Brodigan. “He has built successful sales teams to develop strong relationships through customer relationship management. His unique perspective will help our clients gain even more value from their social media programs. He has a track record of success at Salesforce.com and other SaaS companies. We look forward to applying Puneet’s abilities towards further accelerating the market release of our latest generation social media monitoring and engagement platform (Community Insights) as well as the rest of our global media analysis services.”

Mr. Arora’s work will revolve around services provided to various clients, paying particular attention to enhancing sales to businesses of different sizes.

With 16 years of experience to his name, Mr Arora is well-known for his work in the sales division.

His previous workplace was Salesforce.com, a brand name in customer relations management. Under his leadership as vice president of the corporate sales division, their sales team achieved a 30% increase in sales every year.

Before that, he worked for BlueRoads, a company that focused on client-based service software.

Responsible for overseeing customer satisfaction and programs aimed at providing tailored solutions for both big and small companies, he helped double the profits in his three years of employment there.

(link 1 2)

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Found and CEO, Andy Atkins, attribute this surge to an increasing awareness of the significance of cloud computing.

He said: “As companies of all sizes become more versed in the immediate value of cloud computing, we are consistently depended upon to deliver smart, innovative, and appropriate solutions that go beyond traditional sales and marketing solutions.”

Thus, he notes that the company has started to offer a variety of solutions, most of which are customized to suit the specific needs of the client. A lot of these services are joint collaborations with other companies like Salesforce.com

To this effect, one of their services with the company include integration solutions as well as support and portal services.

They are also working together with Google to offer support and installation tips for Google Enterprise Apps. This is a bundle of applications that ease online communication through email and other collaborative programs.

Due to such innovative business tactics, CRM manager now boasts a clientbase that includes a wider variety of customers. Hence, their current list includes folks from different fields like technology-based businesses, the chemical industry as well as health-related companies.

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Divided into four different categories, their suggestions incorporate unofficial interaction rules of the platform. These also act as a guideline for creating an official company-wide social networking policy.

All these tips are are molded to suit the workings of Twitter. Thus, they kept in mind the post limits (140 characters per post or tweet) of the microblogging platform.

Furthermore, they noted the various ways in which users were encouraged to talk about their ideas or upcoming news.

As for the four categories or methods of usage themselves, they are direct, indirect, internal and signaling.

Gartner states that direct messaging basically means that a company tweets using their official twitter persona. Thereby, such posts will include company news, new achievements and product promotions.

According to them, indirect is more subtle. Using this method, company employees strike a balance between personal and business-based tweets.

In such cases, other Twitter users are attracted to the persona created by the user, who in turn represents various aspects of their company.

As for internal, it refers to company-wide usage of Twitter as a means of communicating with each other.

Finally, there is signaling. This method simply collects testimonials or feedback from others about the company itself.

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