Posted by Managementguru in How To, Marketing, Social Media
on Oct 8th, 2015 | 0 comments
As Halloween the beloved festival observed in many countries is fast approaching, the retail market is like steaming hot. Manufacturers and Marketers are on a constant roll to maximize the sales volume with a decent margin. Christmas follows suit and the market enthusiasm is never going to boil down. People will be on a “Shopping Spree” and will definitely not mind spending a few extra bucks on their purchases. So, how the retail market which is going to be the shopping hub react to this “Mega Holiday Shopping?” Holiday #ecommerce sales are important for many online retailers In some cases, small business owners might see a significant portion of total annual sales in just a couple of months. Understanding what to expect in terms of growth or trends may help with planning your holiday season. The holiday shopping season will start long before #Black Friday or #Cyber Monday. In fact, at least 25 percent of holiday shoppers in the United States will purchase a Christmas gift before Halloween. Year after year, online retail sales outpace retail sales overall, and 2015 will be no exception. But regardless of where a product is sold, it will be a good year for retail. 4 Predictions for the 2015 Holiday Shopping Season Early shopping, Ecommerce Sales Growth, Improved #email marketing, and #mobile commerce will be among the most important ecommerce trends during the 2015 Christmas shopping season, which lasts from the end of October through December 24. Two things will make email even better this holiday season First, expect to see more companies automate email messages, so that when shoppers make a holiday purchase they will see follow up messages that are designed to make additional sales and retain those holiday customers all year long. Second, email marketers are getting better at segmentation and personalization, which, in turn, should make an already effective #marketing vehicle even better. Three factors will continue to push growth for mobile ecommerce First, even more sites are responsive and mobile optimized. Having a responsive website is not a competitive advantage in 2015; it is a competitive requirement. Second, as smartphone screens get larger, mobile ecommerce becomes easier. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is 5.65 inches tall and 2.78 inches wide. The iPhone 6 Plus is 6.22 inches tall and 3.06 inches wide with a 5.5 inch HD display. On devices like these, it is simply easier to shop. Third, mobile payment options are improving, again making it easier to shop from a smartphone. Curated from 4 Predictions for 2015 Holiday Shopping Season | Practical Ecommerce How to prep your ecommerce store for holiday shoppers Even though it’s only early October, if you’re online #retail business isn’t already gearing up for the holiday season, you may miss out on revenue. So what should you and your staff be doing now to ensure your ecommerce store is able to handle the extra holiday-related traffic? Don’t make any drastic changes to navigation or layout right now Make certain your site can handle the additional holiday traffic Ensure your site is up to speed Show that your site is secure Ensure you’re properly stocked – and can re-order inventory quickly if necessary Staff up Make sure people can shop from a variety of devices Optimize images and give your site a festive feel Showcase top-rated items – and offer gift suggestions Alert customers to holiday shipping deadlines Offer live chat Add a gift-wrap option Offer free shipping Provide hassle free exchanges/returns Make checking out easy Provide a self-service option so customers can check on shipping and get answers to FAQs Curated from How to prep your ecommerce store for holiday shoppers | CIO Ultimately the customers must leave...
Posted by Managementguru in Entrepreneurship, Human Resource, Leadership
on Sep 8th, 2015 | 0 comments
What is Leadership The one who quickly diagnoses a problem, shoulders personal responsibility and makes the right decision can be called a true leader. He need not be rich, need not hold a big office, need not be numero uno – as simple as that. Understanding other people well is also a core leadership quality. If a person is late to work, a leader tries to unearth the cause of the problem; rather than looking for the worst in people they look for what’s best within them. Entrepreneurs have a set of leadership skills that make them a little different from every other worker bee. They choose to walk down the road less traveled by breaking away from corporate protocol and venturing out on their own, bucking trends and at times, even breaking the rules. “Success is actually a creative pursuit and a reflection of healthy self-esteem.” What will you do to be the leader that you are destined to be, today? Thinking outside the box and forging your own path requires agility. Being an agile leader refers to remaining flexible, growing from your own mistakes and rising above the wide array of challenges you face. “If you call a stumbling block a “problem” or a “big mess” you will create a different emotional state within you than if you call the issue “an opportunity” or a “challenege that will make me better.” “The most successful human beings are wildly focused. They have a very clear picture of what it is they want to create by the time they reach the end of their lives and then they have the discipline (and courage) to stick to their mission – saying “no” to everything that is not mission critical. Who made Success a Bad Word? “Too many people believe that playing their best game as a human being requires them to revolutionize their lives. And for most of us, that’s a scary thought.” We humans love to play within our comfort zones. Making changes to the way we think, feel and behave is next to impossible for us. What people fail to realize is that changes are to be welcomed because they are chances to improve our life quality. If you don’t adapt or go with the flow, you will definitely feel the heat when priorities start pushing you to the brink. “The best way to get to your greatness is through small, continuous steps-what I call the “1% Wins”. Agile leaders have a set of shared characteristics: being extroverted, taking charge and challenging the status quo. Basically, it’s people who have been described as “difficult to manage.” Being difficult doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It just means that certain people have their own way of doing things and are able to generate new ideas because they possess the ability to view issues from multiple angles. Simplify Then Focus Simplifying life and stripping away all that is unimportant can help you to achieve your dreams. Once you do your clean up, focus, focus, focus. You’ll be surprised how good you will then get at being great. “The best way to create spectacular results in the most important areas of your life is through daily practice.” “People who have achieved great success are not necessarily more skillful or intelligent than others. What separates them is their burning desire and thirst for knowledge. The more one knows, the more one achieves.” ~ Robin Sharma Curated from The 4 Abilities Required of Agile Leaders and Little Black Book for Stunning Success by Robin...
Posted by Managementguru in How To, Human Resource, Interview Questions
on Aug 13th, 2015 | 0 comments
Here is a brief and concise article on how to go about post job interview follow-up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHHRI3Qcb8Q So tell me, should candidates send a follow up note after an interview? Yes, always. Whether or not a candidate is truly in the running, the interviewer can get crazy busy and it’s important to always follow up with a note and even a call in a week if there’s no word back on next steps. Candidates should never be afraid to ask for acknowledgement and closure, even if it’s not the news they want to hear. It is a great way to not only let someone know that you appreciated their time and insights – but also to make sure they are aware of your interest and enthusiasm, and reinforce how you “fit”. From a recruiting perspective, what’s the purpose of sending a follow-up? The follow-up is a way to reiterate interest and reaffirm why the candidate is the best fit for the role. It’s never too late, although at that point the hiring manager may have already made her decision. But front-running candidates do decline offers and take other positions, so there’s always a possibility of being considered. A note will probably not be able to turn around an interview that did not go well, but it could be something that could help differentiate you from equally strong candidates. From a recruiting perspective, the recruiter will appreciate someone showing their understanding of and connection with the company, the role, and/or the people they met. That could make a big difference. Picture Courtesy: Careerbliss Show that you can be graceful: Follow up with post-interview thank-you letters to each person you talked with on your job interview. The first step in your follow-up is a polite handwritten note card to each interviewer. You won’t be able to fit many words on each note card, and you don’t need to. Your handwritten thank you note is very important, because the biggest problem you face after your job interviews is that the interviewers forget who you are. They will literally forget you unless you bring yourself back to mind by mentioning something specific that you and each interviewer talked about. An interviewee says: You guys have no idea how effective this method is! In my last interview, I left knowing that I bombed it because I wasn’t receiving any positive feedback from my interviewer. I was pretty bummed out by it but nevertheless, I sent him a thank you letter via email just to thank him for his time. I didn’t expect a response but little did I know, a few days later I got a nice reply from him and a week after that, I got called in for a second interview! Just goes to show how far a little effort can take...
Posted by Managementguru in Marketing
on Mar 24th, 2015 | 0 comments
Follow ManagementGuru Net’s board Marketing and Product Management on Pinterest. Enrich yourself with info on current marketing trends and how internet helps you in optimizing your customer relationship and experience. It is no surprise that social media has changed the face of digital marketing, or marketing overall for that matter. The transition is so smooth that the line between traditional and digital marketing has been off-set and a great many companies are finally accepting the fact that to win in marketing they ought to have a solid digital #strategy and that strategy should probably include using social media. Following are my top 7 predictions for digital marketing trends in 2015. Email marketing will need to become smarter. Brands that succeed at being human will win. Content marketing will (finally) become about true value. We’ll begin to see a decrease in the number of online marketing strategies businesses employ. Brands who use social primarily for “pushing” sales will die out. “Mobile-first” will replace “mobile-friendly”. Content marketing will become integrated company-wide. Courtesy – 7 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2015 New Business Tools & Resources for Marketing Agencies from HubSpot How to Find and Tell Stories to Maximise Your Business Opportunities from Sarah...
Posted by Managementguru in Management Accounting
on Mar 24th, 2015 | 0 comments
What are the advantages and limitations of ratio analysis? Advantages: It is an important and useful tool to determine the efficiency with which working capital is being managed in a business organization. It is a ‘health test‘ for a business firm in that it can gauge whether the firm is financially healthy or not. It aids the management of business concern in evaluating its financial position and performance efficiency. It clearly shows the trend of changes in the market position (upward, downward or static), as it covers a number of previous accounting (financial) periods. The progress or downfall of a firm is clearly indicated by this analysis. It assists in preparing financial estimates for the future (financial forecasting). It facilitates the task of managerial control to a great extent. It helps the credit suppliers and investors in deciding upon a business firm as a potential investment outlet or desirable debtor. Ideal or Standard ratios can be established which can be used as reference points of comparison for a firm’s progress over a period of time. It communicates important information with relation to financial strength, earning capacity, debt (borrowing) capacity, liquidity position, capacity to meet fixed commitments, solvency, capital gearing, working capital management, future prospects etc. of a business concern. This analysis is also useful for bench marking purpose- to compare the working result and efficiency of performance of a business enterprise with that of other firms engaged in the same industry (inter-firm comparison). It helps the management to discharge their basic functions of planning, coordinating, controlling etc. It serves as an instrument for testing management efficiency too. It acts as a useful tool for deciding on certain policy matters. Limitations: Accounting ratios calculated based on ratio analysis will be correct only if the accounting data on which they are based are correct. It is only an analysis of past financial data. In certain cases ratio analysis might prove to be misleading with regard to profits. Continuous fluctuation in price levels ( or, purchasing power of money) seriously affect the validity or comparison of accounting ratios calculated for different accounting periods and make such comparisons very difficult. Comparisons become difficult also on account of difference in the definition of several financial (accounting) terms like gross profit, operating profit, net profit etc. There is lot of diversity in practice as regards to the measurement of ratios. Different firms use different accounting methods and the validity of comparison is severely affected by window dressing in the basic financial statements. A single ratio will not be able to convey much information. This analysis only gives part of the total information required for proper decision-making. This should not be taken as a substitute for sound judgement. It should not be overlooked that business problems cannot be solved mechanically through ratio analysis or other types of financial analysis. Follow ManagementGuru Net’s board Accounting – Financial and Management Accounting on...