Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

One place you probably never thought to advertise your web developer job ad

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

If you’re advertising a web developer job (nine10 is right now), one place you should post it may be the least obvious: in the source code of your website’s HTML:

PHP Web Developer Job Posting

Viewing the source on nine10.ca reveals our hidden job ad

Being a web developer for years, I know that one of the first things I do when visiting a site I’m interested in is to view the source to see what it was made in. Placing a brief job ad in your comments at the top of the site source is a great way to target other web developers looking for a career!

View Our PHP Web Developer Job Posting

Smart Businesses Connect with People on the Go

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Smart Businesses Connect with People on the GoIf you’re an entrepreneur, you likely understand that to be successful and competitive in the marketplace, customer service needs to reach people “right here, right now.” People expect information in real time—with the click of a link or a touch on the screen. And they want it while they are waiting at their doctor’s office, walking down the street, or relaxing in their easy chair.

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Dear Client: Why Your Logo Costs As Much As It Does

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Logo Design CostThere have been times when we quoted the price of a logo design and the client was shocked. If you’ve been in sales for a while, you’ve surely seen this before: Their eyes open, lips shut, and they become very timid and reserved for the remainder of the meeting.

What went wrong?

Well, first of all, the price we were quoting was well within reasonable industry norms. In fact it was a bargain for the amount of time, effort and skill that goes into the proper design of a logo and supporting files and documentation.

But the client didn’t have the same expectations or experience, and that is totally understandable. They don’t work in our industry, have likely never had a logo designed before, and did not expect it to cost as much as it does. After all, how long does it take to sketch a couple of ideas, right?

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What I Wish Somebody Had Told Me Before I Started My Business

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

What I Wish Sombody Had Told Me Before I Started My BusinessDating all the way back to high school, I have been running a website design or graphic design business of some kind or another. I started off as a sole proprietor. I later registered as a corporation, and eventually merged that corporation into what is now nine10 Incorporated. During this long and winding road, I learned many lessons about business. Some of them took me a long time to learn, some I learned quickly, but most were taught at the school of hard knocks. Had there been someone to share insight with me, things might have been easier, right from the start.

Now, understanding both the struggles in starting a business and now being on the successful end, I have a desire to share what I learned along the way with those that are just starting out. My hope is, that by sharing what I have learned, I can minimize and reduce the business struggles that so often accompany new business startups. The following is a small collection of key insights I wish I had known from day one.

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Networking Secrets: Why Face Time Still Matters (Part 1)

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Business Peerson With Their Head in the SandIn an online world where with the click of mouse you can gain a friend, acquire a fan, or even get people to “like” you, it’s easy to forget the value of meeting in-person, face-to-face.

When staffing is tight—and often budgets and time as well—the convenience of sending a message through social media or by email (which is as easy as pushing “send”) might seem the sensible way to manage your schedule and resources.

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Dear Client: Why We Don’t Create Samples Before Starting a Project

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Meeting RoomA customer calls us, interested in our services. We invite them in to meet with us to discuss their project in more detail. The meeting is fantastic. After an hour of talking about their project and ideas, showing them some of the things we can do, and having a few side-tracked laughs together, we shake hands, and agree to send them a proposal for their project. We quickly get to work preparing a detailed proposal outlining how we are going to solve their problems with our products and services. We send out the proposal, looking forward to a positive response.

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Are you guilty of obfuscation?

Friday, November 19th, 2010

obfuscate: to make obscure or unclear; to muddle; confuse; bewilder

Sales requires you to make complex ideas simplePotential consumers are busy and sophisticated. They are surrounded every day with thousands of messages and choices in the marketplace. Trying to impress them using fancy terms can not only cost you those customers, but can cost your business in lost sales and revenue.

You might think it makes your product or service sound more appealing when you use technical talk, but it won’t. It’s a turn-off. Even worse, the consumer won’t understand what you mean. You’ll make them feel dumb.

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World Domination… in a Box?

Friday, November 12th, 2010

Instant small business world domination kitAs a branding agency, we encounter many business owners who come to us with their ideas for starting a small business. We get to see some pretty interesting and ambitious business plans. But what always raises a red flag for us is an idea that tries to go too big, too fast, without the proper planning and resources in place to see it through.

It’s difficult enough to run a small business that’s focused on doing one thing, let alone a business that tries to be everything to everybody. History has shown many examples of wars being lost by armies forced to fight on multiple fronts.

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Too Small to Think About Branding? Think Again.

Monday, October 25th, 2010

Often we hear people talking about branding like it’s an esoteric voodoo thing that only Fortune 500 companies can afford to do. Or that small business owners should ignore branding because it costs a lot of money and they need to be focusing on sales and cash flow. Or that you need a big national advertising agency to create a successful brand.

This couldn’t any further from the truth.

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Food for Thought: Flipping the “Customer-Oriented” Business Upside Down

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Great customer service puts the customer on top Here’s a question to think about… Why is it that some companies who shout “customer-oriented” from the rooftops have an organizational structure that’s completely geared towards serving the people at the very top? The further away from the customer in day-to-day operations the person is, the more importance, money, and influence they have at the company. And the people on the front lines dealing with the customer have the lowest pay, almost no say in how things are done, and have little support and resources available to do their jobs. Isn’t that kind of absurd?

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