http://www.artipot.com/authors/14107/darren-bourke/ Latest articles by Darren Bourke from Artipot - your one-stop resource for free articles. http://www.artipot.com/articles/508715/the-power-of-customer-testimonials.htm Number 1 Hits. Positive word of mouth is the most powerful marketing technique there is. Customer testimonials from your customers take away the reliance on someone remembering to mention you and puts the word of mouth in your hands to communicate whenever you wish. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:50:19 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/508715/the-power-of-customer-testimonials.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/508714/20-tips-to-winning-in-family-business.htm Family is for Life. When the family business started you had a great vision for working and succeeding together. Nothing - repeat nothing - is more important than your family. If your ego and behaviour finds you challenging the very core of a family relationship, step back and pause for a moment. It's simply not worth it as things said or actions taken in the heat of the... Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:47:23 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/508714/20-tips-to-winning-in-family-business.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/508709/hit-refresh-on-marketing.htm Marketing Materials. Are your marketing materials up to date? I recommend you have 20-50 physical copies of your brochures & materials on hand. Keep these at work, in your car and in your work satchel. Have a soft copy available for quick email attachment. Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:44:21 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/508709/hit-refresh-on-marketing.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/470178/the-best-manager-in-the-world.htm What would the Best Manager in the world look like? Imagine what behaviours and attributes they would demonstrate and possess. Now imagine if that Manager was You. Let's take a close look at the anatomy of a great Manager and how you can adopt these attributes into your own management style. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:42:00 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/470178/the-best-manager-in-the-world.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/372509/handling-redundancy.htm Review Your Organisational Chart. First things first. Review your Organisational Chart in terms of fulfilment of product or service delivery and the operational necessity of each position. Also consider the impact a redundancy has on customers, continuing employees, team morale, revenue and operational efficiency. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:15:47 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/372509/handling-redundancy.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/343844/16-ways-to-succeed-in-external-meetings.htm Get out there. Being invisible would have to be one of the greatest barriers to success. No-one can get to know you, understand you, find you or offer you business when you're in your office. Make a commitment to regularly catch up with people in your network. Fri, 08 May 2009 16:00:23 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/343844/16-ways-to-succeed-in-external-meetings.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/331988/meeting-makeover.htm Internal meetings are the arteries that information flows through in your business. Everyone is so busy focusing on their individual tasks and meeting customer needs that communication with other staff often falls away. Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:28:27 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/331988/meeting-makeover.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/323358/do-you-know-the-smart-numbers-in-your-business.htm First things first. It is critical that you have monthly financial statements prepared on a timely and accurate basis. Ideally you should have prior month's financial statements prepared by Day 15 of the following month. Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:05:51 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/323358/do-you-know-the-smart-numbers-in-your-business.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/305642/are-you-authentic.htm Being truly authentic to yourself means that you don't have to try too hard to think of how to respond or act in situations. If you have a clear understanding of your standards, ethics and what you stand for; then you're more able to spontaneously respond to everyday situations. Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:33:39 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/305642/are-you-authentic.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/294081/maximizing-your-sales-function.htm Set the Sales Targets & KPI's. Set the periodic sales targets for individuals, teams and the company. These could be daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half year and annual. They should be stretch targets but achievable. Not too easy not too hard. Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:09:33 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/294081/maximizing-your-sales-function.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/284239/12-steps-to-outstanding-staff-performance-reviews.htm Staff performance reviews are a vital tool for any business. Properly used they can provide a useful tool for communicating with employees and establishing a better working environment. Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:04:54 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/284239/12-steps-to-outstanding-staff-performance-reviews.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/275683/delivering-great-customer-service.htm Have a clear understanding. First things first. Make sure you and your customers have a very clear understanding of what you will deliver. This is not the area to gloss over, mention quickly or avoid. Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:23:17 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/275683/delivering-great-customer-service.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/266177/a-guide-to-email-etiquette.htm A Style Guide to Basic Email Configuration Use a generic email address format throughout business. If you have a hotmail address such as "cuteybabe"- don't ever use it for business or for personal purposes where you want the recipient to take you seriously. They won't! Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:51:56 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/266177/a-guide-to-email-etiquette.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/260147/implementing-change.htm Think & Reflect. The first step in implementing change is to stop and think before taking action. Sometimes the natural reaction for a business owner is to jump straight in and make immediate radical changes. This rarely works. Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:44:16 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/260147/implementing-change.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/251725/managing-change.htm The only constant in this ever-changing world is change itself. So why is there so much stress involved in change? Our complex world means all of us are impacted by shifts in our industry, economic conditions, politics, social norms and personal circumstances. Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:44:45 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/251725/managing-change.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/242787/periodic-renewal-for-greater-business-success.htm It's important to really be specific in detailing what you want to achieve personally this year. If you don't, things will just take their normal course. Nothing will change without you making it happen. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:22:22 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/242787/periodic-renewal-for-greater-business-success.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/231338/recruiting-staff-in-a-labour-short-market.htm Everyone in business is dealing with the ongoing challenge of recruiting staff with Australia close to full employment. We are currently in an economy that has arguably full employment, low inflation, still modest interest rates (certainly historically), a resources boom, bullish stock market and record property values. It's a seller's market and candidates know their... Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:19:38 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/231338/recruiting-staff-in-a-labour-short-market.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/221467/dont-let-your-prices-send-you-broke.htm Small and medium business owners generally have a natural aversion to increasing their prices. The typical belief is that any increase in prices will result in existing customers leaving in droves, canceling orders, making abusive phone calls, sending nasty letters and emails and telling the entire world how bad your business is. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:50:11 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/221467/dont-let-your-prices-send-you-broke.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/215132/staff-retention-strategies.htm Why Should You Focus On Staff Retention? Labour Market Shortage. With unemployment at record lows, there is a severe lack of talented recruits. If other businesses have better working conditions and benefits, you are immediately at a significant competitive disadvantage. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:33:09 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/215132/staff-retention-strategies.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/202722/how-to-get-your-strategic-plan-business-plan-on-one-page.htm Having written many Strategic/Business Plans for clients over the years, I was often amazed to see how quickly the plan was filed away to collect dust in "business plan heaven" despite the time, cost and effort in preparing them. Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:19:21 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/202722/how-to-get-your-strategic-plan-business-plan-on-one-page.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/195586/low-cost-powerful-marketing.htm What is your USP? Your "Unique Selling Proposition" that defines why your customers buy your products and services. You must articulate what is truly unique about you that sets your products and service apart from your competitors. Having defined this message in one or two sentences (or less) you then need to ensure that every marketing initiative reflects and supports your... Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:59:13 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/195586/low-cost-powerful-marketing.htm http://www.artipot.com/articles/195585/time-management-create-more-time-every-day.htm Time - the most precious of resources. It can not be increased nor recreated when lost. A finite resource that is delivered in equal installments of 24 hours each day. Given time is a fixed commodity; we must improve at getting more done in less time. So.... what can you do differently tomorrow to manage your time better? Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:57:39 +0000 http://www.artipot.com/articles/195585/time-management-create-more-time-every-day.htm