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Why SEO is Still Important In 2023

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In today’s digital age, it is essential for businesses to establish an online presence to succeed. However, merely having a website is not enough. To attract visitors to the website, the website must rank high on search engine result pages (SERPs). This is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.

SEO is the practice of improving the visibility and ranking of a website on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. It involves optimizing various elements of a website, such as content, structure, and links, to make it more attractive to search engines. Here are some reasons why SEO is critical for businesses to keep up with.

  1. Increased Visibility and Traffic

A well-executed SEO strategy can significantly increase the visibility of a business online. When a website ranks high on SERPs, it is more likely to be seen by potential customers. This translates to increased traffic to the website, which, in turn, can lead to more leads, conversions, and revenue.

  1. Cost-Effective Marketing

SEO is one of the most cost-effective forms of digital marketing. Unlike traditional marketing methods like TV, radio, and print ads, which can be quite expensive, SEO can be done with minimal cost. While it may take some time and effort to optimize a website, the benefits of SEO can last for months or even years.

  1. Better User Experience

A well-optimized website not only improves search engine rankings but also provides a better user experience. This includes faster loading times, easy navigation, and mobile responsiveness. A website that is easy to use and navigate is more likely to keep visitors engaged, which can lead to increased conversions.

  1. Builds Trust and Credibility

A website that ranks high on SERPs is perceived as more trustworthy and credible by consumers. This is because search engines like Google use complex algorithms to determine the relevance and quality of a website’s content. If a website is consistently ranking high on SERPs, it is an indication that the website provides valuable and relevant information to users.

  1. Competitive Advantage

SEO can give businesses a competitive advantage over their competitors. By ranking high on SERPs, businesses can attract more customers, generate more leads, and increase revenue. This can be particularly beneficial for small businesses that may not have the marketing budget to compete with larger companies.

In conclusion, SEO is a critical component of digital marketing that businesses must keep up with to succeed. By improving website visibility, driving more traffic, providing a better user experience, building trust and credibility, and gaining a competitive advantage, SEO can help businesses achieve their marketing goals and grow their business. Whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, investing in SEO can be a smart and cost-effective way to increase online visibility and drive business growth.

How to Leverage Company Culture

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Several years ago, two New York nonprofits decided to partner together and pursue corporate funding. One charity was an educational group that provided scholarship aid to students in the city so that they could attend schools that had a better performance record than the neighborhood public schools. The other organization took students from the same under-resourced communities in New York to spend their summers abroad learning and experiencing other cultures and expanding their minds.

As you know, New York City is the home of Wall Street, and there’s a lot of money that flows from those corporations. The two executive directors did not have any idea if their partnership would work, but they decided to pilot a small program, and their goal was to raise a modest amount.

The two executive directors teamed up and scheduled meetings starting with the board members of the educational scholarship group because they had a premier board of directors that included the captains of industry. The initial visits convinced the executives that they had hit upon something.

The first year was a great success raising much more money than they initially expected, and they were able to provide funding for the travels for double the number of students than originally planned overseas for the summer. The pilot became a partner program between the two nonprofits for many years. The corporate CEOs loved the idea of helping high school students who were living in poverty to have the experience, in a globalized world, to experience foreign countries.

The program became a success and was marketed by the corporate funders and the two nonprofit groups as a successful corporate social responsibility partnership (CSR). The corporations promoted the program both to their employees and also the New York City public as something good they were doing for the students of the city.

Why Corporate Social Responsibility Matters

Most businesses in the U.S. are not the corporate titans of Wall Street or Silicon Valley. However, it still makes sense for any business to get involved in philanthropy and figure out ways to raise their CSR profile.

  • The digital age has forced unprecedented levels of transparency for businesses. Consumers want to patronize companies that are socially responsible.
  • According to a study by Cone Communications, nine in ten customers want to purchase products and services from businesses that are socially responsible.
  • Millennials, which is now the largest generation (and consumer group), is highly attuned to patronizing businesses that are socially responsible.

How To Get Your Business Recognized in Your Community for Its CSR

Any business, large or small can become a CSR leader in their community. All it takes is a little bit of planning, and it will provide dividends by letting your community know that you are a socially responsible group that seeks to partner and make your part of the world better for those who live in the area.

  • Authenticity Matters: When you’re considering what organizations to support, the first thing you must keep at the top of mind is that we live in a world of authenticity and transparency. The public can quickly sniff out opportunism. Don’t do it. Align yourself and your company with organizations that have similar values or interest you. You should feel passionate about the cause because if you don’t, it’ll show.
  • Assign a CSR Quarterback: Think about it, when you do any project, you usually assign a point person to spearhead the efforts. The quarterback as the responsibility and accountability for the success of the project. The same thinking goes for implementing a CSR program for your business. Get a volunteer or assign a quarterback within your company to have the responsibility for developing a plan and executing a CSR effort.
  • Get Your Team Involved: When you’re thinking about how best to approach CSR in your community for your business, get your team involved. Ask their opinions and make it a team effort. If you get your staff participating in the decision-making, they’ll have ownership, and they will be advocates, using their social networks as well, in helping you spread the message about your efforts. Once the decision is made, develop ways for your team to give their time and resources to the company’s cause.
  • Provide In-Kind: If your small business does not have the financial ability to give money, it can still make an impact donating goods and services. Your marketing team can give of their expertise to nonprofits that are in need of digital marketing expertise. If you run a retail shop, you can open up your business for an event at your location. If a charity is running an auction, you can donate some of your products as items to be auctioned. The sky’s the limit; all you have to do is think creatively.
  • Make Philanthropy Part of Your Plan: Many corporations are excellent at corporate social responsibility because they have made it a point of integrating CSR right into their business plans. If you want to have philanthropy become part of the DNA of your business, you have to have it become an element of your company that is just as important as making a profit. Consider the metrics that you use for making money and develop measurements for the philanthropic efforts that your business will do so that CSR is integrated into your company.

Once you’ve started to execute your CSR program, it’s essential to get the word out, just as you would do any marketing regarding your business. You want to make sure the community becomes aware of your work as a good corporate and business citizen. If you consistently make CSR part of the culture of your business, including incorporating it into your business meetings and team updates, you will empower your team to help you spread the word in media and through social networking.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9809592

Important Components of Website Design

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A better design shows a complex, complicated, fun and exciting business reputation.
There is always a lot to learn, a lot to do and to consider when you’re a beginner for designing – not to mention the fact that technology is constantly evolving, new software is being published and new trends are coming soon in IT industry. In fact, this can be a bit overwhelming for designing and especially website design and development company focusing more.

2. Here we were given 10 important elements and principles of website design.

1.Colour
The color is paramount. Color creates specific moods, atmospheres, channels of emotions and each shadow has certain specific connotations associated with it. In short, color can make or break your design.
The color is not a principle simply limited to the elements of the mark, although the color extends everything, even in photographs. The filters and image adjusters gave us the unlimited ability to adjust the color and tone of our photographs.

2.Scale
The scale is a big part of the design, sometimes literally. In a very basic definition, the scale is the deliberate size of the individual elements. The scale can help us understand designs and images. In this way, the scale helps us to understand things. But, the scale should not always be based on realism.
This escalation of elements to signal importance is often called “hierarchy,” which we will discuss more in depth later, do not fear! But for now, let’s look at an example that uses the scale to signify importance.

3.Line
Lines can also channel some ideas. Straight lines can evoke order and cleanliness, wavy lines can create movements and zigzag lines can involve tension or excitement.
Let’s look at an example of leader lines in web design. This web page has a cool diagonal grid with very strong lines of action that take you from one section to another, in a quick zigzag way.

4.Transparency
Transparency is also a great technique for generating a sense of movement in static images.
Transparency isn’t just limited to digital graphics either. Check out how this invitation card for the New York Museum of Glass has aptly been printed onto transparent glass, giving the design a unique and engaging effect.

5.Texture
Clean, clear and elegant graphic designs can be wonderful, but sometimes roughing it out with some texture can be even better. The texture can add touch, depth and can add quite interesting effects to your design.
Do you see how many textures can create a muddy effect? The more textures you apply, the more difficult type and other elements are to see without scrambling effect around each letter.

6.Composition
The composition is a good point to finish, because it is the meeting of all the other principles that we have discussed.
“Composition” refers to the general arrangement of the elements in your design, which seems a bit annoying when you explain it this way, I know, but it is actually one of the funniest design elements. This is where you can play, experiment and make a good design.

7.Depth
Depth is an important and exciting principle in the world of design. Even with the most flattering media, you can create a sense of depth and an illusion that your design develops beyond the second dimension.
There are many techniques that you can use to communicate depth in your design, use a few.Now, shadows can be difficult devils, as they are not always linear, sometimes stretching, bending, distortion and deviation. Therefore, a good technique when exploring the use of shadow is to observe the shadows of the real world, see how the light hits several objects at different points and tries to replicate that.

8.contrast
Contrast is often the key magic ingredient to create your ‘pop’ designs, which is a demand (sometimes frustrating) for many design clients.
The contrast also has a great effect on readability and readability, this is an excellent reason why you see novels and many other publications printed in black on white background. Imagine if they printed using light gray on white background. The contrast would be very low and the type hard to read. So, if you use the type, make sure to increase this contrast.

9.Rules
This is a sure point to spark a lot of debate and to divide all the designers of the room – half proclaiming that there are no rules in design, the other protest, there are many. And technically, both are right.
As with any skill, there are things you need to learn, and that includes general rules. Things like: make sure your type is legible, learn kern, do not use pixelated images, and so on. These are the basics of design, elements that help you create a basic design.

10.Direction
An important aspect of many models is how the eye moves on the page, and the direction it takes – this is sometimes referred to as “flow”. How does your eye move on the page? Do your readers know exactly where to look next? Does the direction of your eye take logic?
However, instead of designing 100% of these models, try to adapt the flow and direction of your designs on a case by case basis. Just keep in mind that the eye gravitates to the top left of a page and that winds down from there.

Summary:
The design is a complicated business, full of principles, tricks, and techniques, of which you can learn others and some that you need to learn for yourself.
Take each “rule” you read with a grain of salt and apply it where it deems appropriate and discards the rules whenever you feel they are not.

Reputation Management Online and in Reality

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If you have a business in today’s modern world, you know that it’s no more a matter of if you have an online presence or not. You will need to learn how people perceive your brand and if that perception matches the one you want to be established. Businesses can not just let other folks decide what their brand is, and they ought to be the one on top of it controlling the story.

What’s online reputation management?

It involves continuous monitoring and ensuring that the perception of a company remains on the positive side by fostering active content and decreasing the visibility of content that is negative.

Everyone is online nowadays. Your customers have social networking accounts, your opponents have a website, and your prospects are reviewing forums for product reviews. There’s no escaping the power of the internet and how it’s been the greatest source of business for a good deal of brands.

Studies have shown that 75 percent of possible customers check reviews first before they make a purchase and four out of five of them pick the competition after reading one poor review. That is eighty percent of new clients lost due to a potentially mismanaged online standing.

Take good care of what your clients see online and do not let others – your disgruntled customers or competitors – do it for you.

There are a whole lot of details involved with successfully plotting and executing a fantastic online reputation management plan. Depending on how large your organization is and just how much of a presence you already have online, the amount of time and work needed will vary. But the three things which are consistent regardless of what when coping with managing your brand’s online reputation are: 1) establishing where you currently are reputation-wise and your objectives, 2) repairing any harm and working on accomplishing your objectives, and 3) ensuring you maintain the goals you have reached.

Before executing any measures in handling your brand’s reputation online, it is important that you determine what the baseline is so you understand how much work still has to be done. Here are a few critical questions that will help steer you towards a fantastic start.

The most shared resources that determine the overall opinion about your brand are sites, forums, social networking, and review websites.

Do they reveal your brand in a positive light? The results will provide you an idea of what your potential clients see and what their initial impression might be when exploring about you.

It is important to note certain quotations and complaints or praises, so you’ve got a more concrete idea of how you are being perceived online. This may also give you a more rounded view of your online standing objectives.

What are your reputation objectives?

You can not just be overall about your targets. “I need a better online standing” won’t do. You’ve got to be specific in what you would like to happen. Is your company being bashed in forums? Plot a game plan on how best to combat that. Does the contest keep on posting false reviews about you? Does your brand need more favorable reviews? Get strategizing to promote happy clients to share their expertise with you.

This way you can prioritize better and can audit your achievements more clearly.

Is it necessary to run a reputation audit?

Yes. You won’t know just how far you have come should you mark where you began. Write down all measurable info about your current reputation online, compare it to your objectives, and decide on a game plan on bridging both. Some of the most common things you can step on your audit are:

These are simply examples of quantifiable data you may base your objectives and strategy upon. It’s also crucial to remember to set a timeline for these items so that you know how often to run your audits and fix any items needed.

Now that you are clearer on what the issue is and what your objectives are, it is time to do some damage control. Consider these questions when putting out some fires associated with your online reputation.

Can you eliminate negative reviews?

It depends. When the reviews are posted in your area – your FB page, website, or YouTube channel – then you have the final say on what content gets to stay. It is possible to eliminate anything negative about your brand and push the more favorable comments in addition to the pages. Some online personalities do so with the objective of fostering only positive ideas on their spaces, particularly in the comments thread in YouTube. You really can not blame them. YouTube is notorious for having some of the most barbarous commenters in the whole World Wide Web. If the threads aren’t moderated, it can get quite ugly.

However, you want to take care when deleting unwanted comments and reviews. There is a difference between removing an average note from an online troll to eliminating a legal complaint from a client. The former is clear and usually essential. The latter can send the wrong message to your audience – it may be construed as censorship and may have a negative impact in the way your brand is perceived.

In cases such as this, it’s much better to allow the reviews remain – as long as they are not disrespectful – and only respond to them. This can be an excellent chance for you to give your viewers a firsthand look at how your company handles criticisms and client complaints.

How do you react to bad reviews?

Very professionally. Here’s a very helpful guideline when responding to negative reviews online.

Concentrate on the primary issue and equipment your response towards it. Some testimonials can go on and on because one reason why customers write them would be to port, so you will need to be the one to hone in on the particular cause of the complaint. As soon as you’ve dissected it, construct your answer with that issue as the major focus. This will simplify the dialog, temper the feelings involved, and save everyone’s time. Arm yourself with as much context as possible concerning the client’s issue. If they are whining about a delay in their order, check the right section and confirm the order information. If they are unsatisfied with how your help desk managed their prior issue, go through the documentation and see what else might have been done. Do not answer without getting all your details first. Additionally, it is important that you find out whether the matter is an isolated or recurring one to take the correct steps in making sure it doesn’t happen again. Apologize for the matter and thank the customer for taking the time to allow you to know about it. Make sure that the client knows who you are and how you are connected with the company. This will tell them that the ideal individuals are paying attention and they are being taken seriously. Nothing gets angry customers more upset than when they believe they’ve been ignored. You want to ensure that your side of the story is heard manner before other men and women control the narrative.

Performing damage control isn’t enough once you need to be consistent in managing your online reputation. As soon as you’ve put out the more severe fires, it is vital that you have a strategy in place that concentrates on the upkeep. In online reputation management, being responsive is only good if you are catching up. After that, the aim is to be more proactive. That means monitoring, monitoring, and continuously updating.

Can you avert any more bad reviews?

Realistically, you can not – unless you tirelessly censor every mention online that sets your company in a negative light.

There’ll always be someone who will not be very impressed with you or your product or your service, and they may become very vocal about it. You can not stop them from doing this, but you can mitigate the harm those reviews can cause.

Which are the ways of reducing the harm from bad reviews?

Regulate the story. As you can’t control just what folks say about you, then it is better that they talk about you in which you can view them. This means inviting the dialog to occur in your area – your FB page, your website, or your Twitter account. In case you’ve got no FB page, make one. If you do not have a customer feedback form, print one.

If there’s a way to directly address the company when there’s a problem with their product or service, most customers will use it. Only when that is inaccessible will most of them resort to grumbling on their private FB accounts or moving on a Twitter rant. You do not need them to do that. You want the conversation to occur in your space not so that you are updated but also to be certain that you have the capacity to moderate it.

Boost the favorable. Post regular updates on all of your spaces that put your company in a positive light. This does not just mean great reviews, but basically, anything that strengthens the level of your brand. Share useful articles related to your business, upload funny images which also make your audience believe, update your status with pertinent info on whatever your audience will find useful. Do this regularly, so your prospects and current customers locate this first on your spaces rather than the bad reviews. Setup monitoring and tracking for your brand, company, and keywords to be certain that you’re informed anytime anybody says something about you online.

You are already aware of the overall audience consensus and have done some substantial work into fixing any damage caused by any deficiency of online reputation management. At this time, you only need to be kept abreast and only using basic Google search isn’t going to cut it anymore.

At this point, you need the big guns. This means a tool or software that is made for online reputation monitoring. This work is you set up the tool with the keywords you want tracking – your company name, your competitor’s, the keyword for your business, etc. – and the instrument will send you an alert when these phrases are pinged, giving you a chance to manage any matter when it pops.

Try to find a software which you can configure to send alerts when you get an online mention. Many will just send you one email every day and others will ask that you log into the software to get your notifications. These are acceptable choices for routine monitoring, but if you are working with a launch or something time-sensitive in which you need to be notified once someone mentions your name or brand, then it pays to have real-time upgrade capability on your tool already.
Infinite keywords were tracking. This implies you’re searching for a tool that allows you set it up with as many keyword phrases and titles to monitor as you believe necessary. The most frequent limitation is five keywords per account, which won’t do when you are tracking not just one company and its competitors and keywords, but others also.

Endless Outcomes. Some tools have a limit on the number of results they could send per month depending upon the package you have purchased. You want the software which will send you as many mentions as your keywords can generate. For ease of accessibility, you need a tool which takes you to wherever your keyword was pinged without you having to leave the machine itself. There is no point of paying for something which only tracks news websites and dismisses the discussion occurring on social networking. You want to gain access to all.

Do you also have to concentrate on good reviews?

Definitely. They say that you need at least five great reviews to counteract a single bad one. Find those good reviews also. Be approachable to happy clients. You need them to post about their positive experience so that your prospects do not just get affected by people that wrote bad reviews.

You can do it directly or via some other subtle ways.

The direct method is to offer your products at no cost in exchange for a review. It does not usually follow that the experience for the reviewer will be optimistic, but if you are confident about what you are offering, odds are they’ll be writing something good about you. You might also have competitions or promos at which the winner will then write something about this item. This will work not just to help you get more favorable reviews for your brand, but as advertising also.

A more indirect way of encouraging your happy clients to post about you’re creating social media sharing buttons prominent in your online spaces. Whenever you write a new blog article or record a new YouTube video, shut it using something like: “Have a story to share about our product? Email us, leave a comment, or post your story on our FB page!” The majority of the time, your viewers want others to know how much they enjoy your product, they simply have to be reminded.

The increasing popularity of social networking and the internet has made online reputation management a requirement for all sorts of businesses. It’s not only a witty phrase marketers throw around anymore. It’s become a vital part of how you look after your brand. Be cautious when it comes to safeguarding your online reputation. Know what people are saying about you and be sure that you have the tools that can allow you to monitor your brand and manage the conversation. Bear in mind, bad reviews will affect prospects and will cost new clients while proactive reputation management will engender loyal customers and encourage more. Give your brand’s standing the attention and work it deserves.

Caelan Cheesman is an expert on company reputation and lead generation. You understand how important reputation management is for your business. The next logical step is to do something about it.

Reputation is the key when it comes to business, as you know and companies are at risk with every person out there with an intelligent phone.

I have put together a demonstration of some very wise applications that can monitor your standing for you and alert you the instant something is stated online and requires action.

Eligibility For Canadian Government Small Business Loan

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Many business owners in Canada in the SME sector aren’t fully aware that they are already qualified to take advantage of the SBL loan program in Canada. The Government Small Business Loan is an initiative of the federal government in Canada that helps thousands ( in fact over 7000+ in 2010 ) of Canadian businesses to securing business financing on terms that rival those of the big boys when it comes to attractive rates, and structures.

There are many misconceptions about the program and that is why we feel quite sure that you may already qualify and probably just didn’t know it! Let’s examine some of these very basic and reasonable qualifications of the program, and let’s help you maximize the benefits already utilized by thousands of firms just like yours.

‘Government ‘ isn’t necessarily the most popular word at any time when it comes to your day to day business. However, that’s misconception number 1, simply that this loan program is in fact operated in the private sector, by Canadian banks, not the government directly. So where does the government come in then?, ask clients. Simply that they are in fact guaranteeing the majority of the loan. Actual funding is done through your bank.

The challenge we work through with on a daily basis is that not all banks or bank employees rather are always familiar with the details of the program. So many clients who are keenly interested in availing themselves of this financing in fact get mixed signals on how the program operates, its benefits, and mostly importantly, how to start the process and get approved quickly!

Let’s cover off some of the basic facts. To be eligible for the program your Canadian business, either incorporated or a proprietorship, must have revenues not exceeding 5 Million dollars. Start ups are eligible for the program also.

Most Canadian business owners who start from scratch are keenly aware of the financial challenges that are faced when financing a start up, or a franchise. That’s really the spirit of the Canadian government small business loan program… it’s providing financing to businesses and business owners who otherwise might not be able to acquire the financing they need.

Owners of the business must have reasonable good credit… in terms of the credit bureau beacon score that all Canadians possess that score should be in the 650+ range. Contrary to the belief of some this is not financing for people with poor credit.

What does the SBL government small business loan finance? That’s another area of what seems constant confusion when we talk to clients. In fact the program only finances equipment and leaseholds. Software by the way is included in the equipment category. We meet many clients that are under a major misconception on SBL’s – namely that the financing is cash and working capital. It absolutely is not!

How can any business owner in Canada not want to take advantage of financing that can help build and grow their business? Speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you in being successful and unlocking the benefits of the government small business loan program. That’s SBL for short!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6596730

Three Ways to Keep Business Integrity

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In life as in business, sincerity and honesty can exist, and it all begins with the person staring back at you from the mirror. There are many reasons that people choose to travel in other paths that lack integrity, but there’s no reason for it. Having a great company, making money and treating others well don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Life hardens us all.

Challenging circumstances can create doubt.

And, especially in business, we all want results. I get it because I’ve had doubts and I’m someone who expects achievements at work and nothing less than the best in performance.

But, sometimes it feels as if anything goes.

The question here is, how do you maintain your integrity in life, and by extension, in business?

Want to know my honest answer?

It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. I do it every day–no matter what happens–and so can you.

I’m one of those people who thinks he’s heard it all and when people have been “caught” not having a high level of integrity, I’ve heard the excuses. I’ve listened to stories of “a tough life,” and I’ve had someone tell me once that integrity is not a value he has because “every day is a great day to make money.” In his mind, capitalism is a higher value, and capitalists can’t have integrity in business. I’ve also seen a lack of motivation or desire to take the higher ground, always. If you had to review your life, where would you place yourself on the scale?

I may be old school, but I believe that in business and in life, your word is your bond. Period. If you do business with me or if you’re a member of my team, then when I say I’m going to do something, you can take it to the bank and consider it done.

It would be refreshing if everyone tried to operate in a similar fashion, but I also understand that life is made of all kinds of people.

So, my question to you is, how do you want to live your life and operate in business?

Presuming that you want to follow the path of integrity, what are the immediate steps you can take right now to ensure that everyone who comes in contact with you understands that what you say, you will do? As you know, your reputation takes a lifetime to build, and in today’s world, only minutes to ruin. One bad review or scandal, especially in the digital world where news can spread like wildfire, is all you need to see everything you’ve built in your life come tumbling down like a pile of toy blocks.

    • Sincerity always has a place at the table: I’ve often heard, especially in business, and maybe you have too, that honesty places you on the wrong end of a negotiation. Many professionals believe that sincerity is not recommended. I disagree. The people you work with will appreciate knowing your authenticity and honesty. I think you have everything to gain if you’re sincere. I’m not saying that in a tough negotiation you have to put all your cards on the table. That doesn’t make any business sense, but you have to be sincere in what you do reveal.

 

    • Surround yourself with others who have integrity: Have you ever recommended someone for a job or professional opportunity only to find out that they’ve blown the chance and made you look bad with your colleague or friend in the process? As a business leader, I hold myself to a high-level of integrity, and as I have said, when I say something, my word is golden. But, I also expect the same from those who work with me or with whom we partner. Make it a point to maintain high-quality people around you who also believe that integrity is a prominent value. And, the next time you have to give a recommendation, you don’t ever have to worry about getting an email or phone call that reflects on your judgment.

 

  • Learn the art of saying “no”: One of the reasons that many people often get themselves into all kinds of trouble is because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or give someone “bad news.” They also think that they could jeopardize a relationship if they say no. This is a mistake. If an idea, partnership or opportunity does not fit with your agenda, then you have no choice but to decline. By taking the band-aid off early and saying no, you will prevent something that will only grow bigger and lead to awkwardness, disappointment or even anger later on because you didn’t deliver on what you said you would. Know when to walk away from something and always make it as early as possible.

No matter your position in a company as a member of the team or a leader, realize that you always want to be as transparent as possible, especially in today’s world where it’s demanded by customers, the public, and employees. Sincerity is a great competitive advantage because when someone knows you’re true to your word, guess who they’ll want to do business with now and in the future. Yes, you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9815838