Productivity

The general perception of employees in a company is that working meetings can be tedious; it will last a long time and will have little effect, since the conversation invariably departs from the main objective.However, you can change your employee`s personal thoughts on the meetings in your company if you modify just the first and last five minutes. It`s a well-known phenomenon, used by stand-up comedians who must ensure a strong start and to also end in the same way. Therefore, we recommend you try and apply the following recommendations to the meetings of your business to allow them more interaction and stimulate the interest from your staff.

Set the example

If your goal is that the staff of your company show genuine interest and energy, you must be the first to show these characteristics from the time you head to the boardroom. In case at the start of the meeting you encounter a negative environment, lead with your body language and tone of voice and stay focused. If you have come prepared, you should be able to reconnect the group.

Make eye contact with everyone

It is common for each meeting to start with the leader reading the topics and for others to perhaps read too, without making eye contact between them. The challenge at this point is to meet up face to face with your employees, so one of the priorities of the board should be to build and maintain understanding, so that collaboration can be always healthy. To overcome this point, we recommend allocating no more than three minutes to explain the reasons why you met and make eye contact with each of the participants.

Follow up

Before ending the meeting, make sure your team know the steps and instead delegate or say who is responsible for what; ask everyone to say a few words about what they are responsible for. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and gives you an opportunity to listen and observe.When a person speaks, pay attention to what they say and how they say it. Do you really understand the idea? Is your body language congruent with what they say?

Recognise the work of others

For your company to have a positive culture, you need to recognise the work of each of the members of your team, so the recognition and rewards should be on your to-do list for each meeting. You can always find someone who is doing a good job. Say, "I love the attitude Mark" or "Thank you for your valuable contributions Beth.” This positive language can generate very positive results. It is important that the meeting leaves on an optimistic note.

Ending where you started

It is imperative that you have an idea of what you will say before the end of the meeting. The idea is that closing arguments reflect the opening, so it must reinforce the vision and the bigger picture.If you found this blog interesting make sure you favourite this on your social networks. Your Virtual Office London are the leading virtual office and business address service provider in the UK.

Companies are not isolated agents, but economic entities affiliated to a full stakeholder environment. In this category, they are included alongside other businesses which, based on similar characteristics or diametrically opposite features, seek to keep consumer preference. In general terms, companies will have to beat their competition on their way to success; to do whatever is in their power to woo users and make a difference in the market.It is therefore essential that new owners understand that the evolution of their business depends not only on creating an attractive product, but that it is sufficiently different and helpful to leave an indelible mark in the minds of customers.For this to happen, corporate leaders, far from shunning competition, should think carefully about what their opponents are doing. Depending on that analysis, you can then design and implement an action plan that allows you to catch the public who are interested before anyone else.Experts in business development and marketing, point that every business leader in the making must study their business opponents. Here we explain in detail:1. Preliminary study. First of all, you should clearly define who your competitors are, for example: if you have a company dedicated to the production of glue, you cannot make a comparison with a restaurant. Your mission is to identify those who can take away customers or at least compete for them.2. Similarities. Look to provide products and services that could be confused with yours and make them look even better. If there are similar products or services, it is essential that the characteristics of your offer reflects added value. Remember that with similarities, the differentiating factor is the key to beating competitors.3. Marketing strategies. Have you thought about analysing communication channels using your opponents to spread their products? Do you know what is said about them in the traditional media and digital channels? Do you know what marketing strategies they used to woo their customers? Resolving these questions are essential to obtaining information that can compare with your market related actions. This will help you find the best ways to promote what you do and capture public attention.4. Digital-Mobile Presence. It is also essential that you analyse your own online presence. Do you have a website or a blog? Do you have profiles on Social Media? What kind of content is generated? Do you have a virtual shop? Do you accept payments by credit card or debit? Have you got feature Apps as mobile payment? The data emanating from these questions will help you visualise areas of opportunity that should be explored to get you on top of your industry.

Inventory management is an operation that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should not exclude from its sales strategy if you want to generate profits and avoid economic losses.Inventory management is the efficient handling of raw materials, manufacturing phase items and finished products. This process requires the involvement of the entire corporate structure, in order to perform specific actions and to facilitate proper handling of the goods.Here are the kinds of tasks that each corporate division must run to meet that goal:

1. Procurement

This sector is responsible for relations with suppliers. The duties are:a) Check the availability of delivery agents by type of manufactured item.b) Manage the delivery time of the requested orders.c) Negotiate the price of inputs.d) To process credit with suppliers and define their terms.e) Report the difference between the prices of inputs to cash and credit.2. ProductionThe request for purposes of inventory management is to provide information on the number of items that can be manufactured every day and spending inputs required for that process. This area is also responsible for recommending the use of racks or shelves for storage of merchandise.

3. Storage

This segment must be designed and the necessary space to store supplies and products to be installed, depending on the goals and production requirements.

4. Finance and Accounting

The objectives of this department are:a) Valuing inventory, determining production costs and defining sales prices.b) Determining the prices of finished goods on credit.c) Assess the availability of resources to purchase inputs and store all types of inventories.d) Define the right time to hire financial solutions such as Credit Card Working Capital, designed to meet operational needs as inventory management.e) Calculate inventory turnover and create strategies for managing surplus or missing supplies.f) To establish the balance between revenues and expenditures associated with the handling of goods.

5. Administration

This division is responsible for plotting escape routes to the unexpected, such as the absence of a supplier, the lack of key inputs, production equipment failure, reduction or the occasional increase in productive capacity.

6. Sales

This department is responsible for establishing direct contact with consumers and implementing strategies for placing manufactured products and even agree to acquire items in progress.Read more helpful and insightful articles brought to you by Robert Carter from Your Virtual Office London on our startup and business blog.

The capital of a company is one of the first things that you must obtain to crystallise your dream of opening a business. Therefore, it is important to know how to attract investors to your start-up.The creator of iRobot, Rodney Brooks, had the idea of building a low-cost robot that could collaborate with workers in a safe, intelligent, low-cost way for companies who purchase the invention.It may only be an idea, but Brooks made an analogy between computers and robots with the argument that the adoption of worker robots would be similar to the introduction of personal computers in workplaces. This would result in higher office efficiency, more productivity and more jobs. This is why investors gave him $62 million to fund its start-up.So that your business idea has the support of more investors, we share a list of tips to help you create a connection with them.

Talk to the right people

The first step is to understand the interests of each investor, so we suggest you investigate your potential investors before talking to them about the ideas you have.This step will help you know if your company can adapt to and will thrive in the investment industry.

Create contacts

Once you determine who may be interested in investing in your business, you should look at ways in which the manager of one of the start-ups can present you with the investor.

Make a presentation

This refers to when you agree to an interview with the prospective investor and make a presentation that will tell your story in non-technical terms. In the presentation, you should talk about your team, the opportunity in the market, the need for the product, its value to the customer, your position against competition, how much capital you require to create the company and have a financial plan to present also.

Acknowledge your areas of opportunity

During the interview with the potential investor you must be honest in answering each of the questions you ask. If you do not have an answer, you should admit it and not lie about something you know about.

Listen carefully

It is possible that in the first meetings with potential investors, you fail to capture the interest of any of them; however, you should not discard the tips that they share.The best practice in such cases is to listen to feedback, absorb information and tailor your pitch.If you enjoyed this blog from Your Virtual Office London you can read more business tips and advice in our startup blog.

Subscribing strategic alliances with other productive agents and exploring new markets are tasks that require employers to move from one place to another. There is a phrase in popular culture: "If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed goes to the mountain." In relation, corporate leaders must make numerous trips to extend the scope of their customer base while optimizing business expenses.This dynamic represents certain costs, which can increase or decrease depending on two key concepts:

Financial discipline

Employers should be prepared to settle expenses directly related to their business and especially these three areas: transport, accommodation and food. But they also have to be ready to solve unforeseen circumstances during this journey; therefore, they must have sufficient financial freedom, that is, the ability to meet needs and to make the trip run smoothly.However, the fact that entrepreneurs possess surplus capital to meet the requirements inherent in these movements does not mean you can spend the available resources at will. At this point, the financial discipline becomes important.Men and women in business should understand that their movements are due to corporate objectives and not to holiday purposes. Thus, any excess or personal spending will have to be discarded, except that there are unique resources for it. Therefore, operating in the opposite direction could generate financial irregularities in the company.

To avoid such a scenario, there are these tips to entrepreneurs:

1. Plan trips in advance. Preparing shipments well in advance is essential to optimise costs. This involves exploring all alternatives in transportation, room and board, so shop around and check out promotions.2. Research destinations. Before traveling, employers should familiarise themselves with the places visited. It is essential to inquire about customs, habits and living costs.3. Differentiate costs. Employers must make a clear distinction between personal and corporate resources to rule out any possibility of financial turmoil. Specialists explain that the market has financial instruments that can help them serve this purpose, specifically, business cards. With a debit card, for example, they can afford the costs of their travel safely and accurately, while maintaining the line between the capital of the business and individual.4. Employers must reflect on what expenses are essential in a business trip and what contingencies they may face accordingly, they must establish the ceiling of capital use. They should remember that personal outlays come at their own expense.For any business, access to finance becomes a highly positive tool; especially if such funding means having an accessible means for consolidation and growth support to help you keep up and seize the opportunities within their productive activity.It is important to remember that making a good approach is essential to gaining access to credit.A largely positive response from a bank to grant a loan depends on the employer knowing how to clearly communicate its purpose, the potential of their business, the effectiveness of its infrastructure, as well as the positive results. In short, make your business viable.Enjoying credit is definitely a well-earned privilege. To properly size and assess affordability elements (flow and solvency); generated profit (profitability); operation and collection efficiencies (liquidity); evaluation of real business needs (present and future); and analyse the proper performance of its obligations, employers can optimally determine their credit requirements and translate them in amount, term, destination and use of the loan, using conditions that suit their capabilities and plans.The more experience you have with a business loan, the greater the opportunities for financing. Remember that the history of the company is recorded in the credit information, so having good references is essential to obtaining any financing.

Advertising is a factor that helps companies to position their brands on the market. To make this possible, it is necessary to identify the sector that will be addressed, how well it will perform, as well as the duration and knowing what is the competition, among other factors.To make a successful ad campaign, you need to customise it according to the audience you want to reach. In this way, there will be immediate identification with it, which will ensure a good brand positioning.However, sometimes the audience does not identify with advertising messages that are released to the market, leading the campaign to not yield the expected results.To prevent this from happening to your company's products and to make sure the promotion is successful.

8 Different Advertising methods

1. Online Advertising
2. Newspaper Ads
3. Radio Advertising
4. Television Advertising
5. Public Speaking
6. Door Hangers and Flyers
7. Event Sponsorship
8. Word-of-Mouth Advertising

6 tips for an advertising campaign

• Before starting your planning, it is necessary to know in detail the brand and the product that will be positioned in the market; find out who are the main consumers, think of messages that suit them etc.
• During the creative process, think about an idea that suits different communication channels; if your concept is different in each medium, it will be difficult for the audience to understand that this is the same campaign or the same product.
• Setting goals is essential for brand an advertising campaign. These could be: win customers, market identification, make the product memorable, etc.
• Make a preliminary investigation of the location where you will place the ads, because it can determine the level of impact and scope that the audience has. Also take into account that there are media tactics, which can be of low investment such as the Internet or radio that the campaign can operate through satisfactorily.
• Monitor the responses of the audience, as this is key to understanding its impact among consumers. Use analysis tools depending on the environment in which the message is spread.
• Finally, never forget that advertising is a comprehensive set of strategies which if applied correctly will ensure the success or positioning of a product or brand on the market.

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Workers today are constantly looking for new challenges and professional growth, a situation that generates a large percentage of turnover in a business and therefore the loss of talent within them.To avoid this situation, the HR manager must locate those people who always confer an added value to their work and are committed to the company, to reward them. Such incentives do not always have to be economic, as companies are not always in sound financial times; however, a company can implement the following activities to motivate and retain staff:

• Flexible work schedules: What employee would not want a better balance between work and personal life? Today, this desire is one of the most popular. Allowing employees to work one day a week from home can be very motivating.
• Professional Development Programs: This is when a worker receives an evolution in their professional growth activities and reaffirms their commitment to the company. Offering relevant training to update their knowledge is a great option.
• Time to engage in projects of interest: Allowing employees to occupy 20% of their working time on projects that appeal to them and have nothing to do with their regular duties. Various innovative products have emerged from this line of working.
• Entertainment programs: An environment that allows distraction from the stress and workload encourages creativity and a sense of wellbeing. Therefore, recreation rooms are a great ally for employees.
• Rest days: These are not the same as annual leave to which the employee is entitled by law. A day off as a reward for a great result or effort is healthy and well received by workers.
• Activities outside the office. In addition to promoting integration, leaving the usual place of work refreshes the working environment. It will be an action that will stay long in the minds of people and can differentiate your company from others.

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Today, work environment has changed and it is increasingly common for teams within a company to collaborate in new ways. This helps employees subjected to high amounts of stress to create and implement different things.According to experts, currently for a company to be successful, there is a need for innovation; however, the fact that their workers are not creative could stop their growth.Fortunately there are techniques that help improve the mood and performance of workers, which are directly related to fun, because when a person enjoys their work, they turnabout proposing new things.To do this, companies must make their employees feel confident to innovate and create fun in their environments.

• In the market there are already companies that do not require their workers to abide to a set schedule to work; i.e., they do not start and finish at rigid times every day, but are left to organise their time to work as they see fit, in order to meet their objectives.
• There are also companies that offer their workers a playroom in order to enable them to overcome stress and thus coexist with each other to achieve and establish new projects.
• Another way to achieve a friendly atmosphere is decorating the office with bright colours and funny pictures, in common areas where everyone can see them.
• The HR department from time to time should implement some dynamic activity with all members of the company, as this will be vital to promote integration and creativity of workers.

Remember that the conduct in meetings where all your employees participate could enhance the sense of teamwork, generating an atmosphere of trust where you can be more fun and so innovative.Your Virtual Office London are experts in helping start-ups become successful. A new business needs a lot of support to help it to reach its maximum potential, Your Virtual Office London provide mail forwarding address services including registered office address services, directors service address and telephone answering services.According to Fortune many businesses are ditching the normal office replacing it with a virtual office. This has huge benefits which include a large reduction of overheads which include office rent, full time staff pay and associated accounting and insurance fees.

One of the most currently used strategies used by companies around the globe to attract the attention of new customers or consumers is sending emails with information about their products or services, or other relevant data. This trend is called email marketing, and has seen such acceptance that a recent study by ExactTarget reported that 77% of consumers surveyed by the company like to receive this information via email.With this in mind, there are plenty of options available to supplement this kind of marketing. Here we offer three such applications that will help you be more efficient with this type of content in order to attract more customers and help your products and services reach more people.

My Emma

This service has very flashy designs and templates, in addition to being able to mingle with your social networks and other analysis tools; it is compatible with mobile devices and has affordable packages to suit your needs. View My Emma here.

Sendloop

The emails you send by this means will be sent in HTML format, which lets you have reports from sent mails, knowing if they were already read, who are clicking, and whether subscriptions have been cancelled, among other things. We should mention that if you have less than 2000 subscribers this service is completely free of charge, besides enjoying segmentation contacts. View Sendloop here.

Mailchimp

With this system you will know how many people open your mails, the target audience, know how many users click your ads and all for very reasonable prices, even free, depending on your level of use. View mail chimp here.

In the world in which we live, full of speed and an infinite need to be in constant communication, a market that is gaining ground every day has come in the form of mobile messaging apps (applications).This sector has experienced a sharp growth in the area of mobile apps, and is therefore where a potentially multibillion-dollar market for developers who choose to engage in this type of business arises.Today services like WhatsApp, iMessage, Line, Viber, Facebook Messenger or Skype account for the majority of mobile messaging market in the world. For this reason this market is expected to continue to grow over time, so if you are interested in investing in this area then we give you some options that will leave you to make money with this system:

Stickers or emoticons sponsored by brands

To be known and reach more users, many brands have taken on the task of creating stickers or emoticons for use on a mobile messaging service, these no cost to users either.

Souvenirs and toys

Try to get your pets, souvenirs or virtual Toys to be traded physically, it may make you earn a lot of extra money to your mobile messaging services.

Charge for use

Perhaps the least liked by users, this option can be useful for your mobile app. It is to charge a fixed monthly or yearly fee for the use of mobile messaging service. Just be careful with this option because unless your service is the market leader, users will go to the competition.

Collection of stickers and emoticons

You can create two types of stickers and emoticons on your mobile messaging service, free or paid; with the paid option, usually the design or animation makes them unique for users, giving them a greater sense of value.

Selling advertising

This option is also a bit annoying for users because from time to time a number of messages may appear in a small window or completely fill the user's screen with advertising for any brand, event or other application, either from the same creator mobile messaging service or other developers to pay for it. However, for many companies it will work very effectively.