Our Solutions News Blog was envisioned to gather and share information from the very best to help you and your business to become more effective.
Are your processes and B2B and B2C content, promotion-ready for sales to flourish this spring?...
It’s finally time to spring forward. You are more than ready to shed both the Covid and winter doldrums and get your business fired up for the warmer months ahead. But how exactly do you spring ahead for the best results?
#1 Review Current Processes
It’s time for some spring cleaning. Review all of your marketing and sales processes, and see what is working and what isn’t. If you have no idea, it’s time to put some monitoring processes in place so you can actually track results.
Once you have this information, you can focus more time and effort on the tactics that are actually working… and get rid of those that don’t.
#2 Prepare Your B2B and B2C Content Strategy
What are your sales goals and what kind of content are you going to produce to reach those goals? Who are the audience members you want to reach and how are you going to get your targeted content to them?
Ask yourself these questions, and write down your plan. Then, create an editorial calendar of the content you need, when it will be posted, how it will be distributed and tracked, and who is responsible for each element.
People want valuable information. Give them what they want!
#3 Talk To Your Team
How are things going with the people who help you run your business? Are your employees happy? Reach out to all of your associates, partners, clients, employees, and more to get their feedback. How can you make their lives easier?
Now is the perfect time to fix potential issues from becoming big problems, improving processes so your business runs as smoothly as possible, motivating others to do their best work, and thanking people for their help.
#4 Be Creative
The best way to get out of the “same old routine” is to make changes happen. Set aside some time to develop new ideas for your business… on your own and with others.
Hold “creative” brainstorming-sessions with your team members, have a business “field trip” or party at a fun, outside location, or just reserve some quiet time to think about resolutions to key issues.
By focusing on creativity, you may be surprised at how you can improve your business and jumpstart marketing, sales and more!
#5 Enjoy the New Season
Spring is a time for new beginnings. Why not give your business a fresh start?
Review current processes, develop a content strategy for the months ahead, and spend some fun time with your employees and associates to improve processes and develop new ideas.
You’ll have fun being creative, get organized and help boost sales… just in time to do more of the things you like to do outside in the warmer temperatures!
Want more help to boost sales with your Print and Signage?
Please contact us for free information, tips and assistance!
Source: StartupNation
Running A Small Business? Find The Benefits Of Signage...
Running a small business is already complex enough and it never seems that you have enough time to get the work done. One of the major things that can help to take down on the amount of time that you will spend answering questions at the business is by getting the right signs in place. By knowing about the benefits of getting the proper signage it will be very easy for you to see this is a great way for you to run your business and start to get the return on your business investment that you want to have.
#1 Helps People Find The Business
This is one of the things you should realize this can do without being spoken about. However, sometimes people will forget the signs that are up at the road will help people start to find the business. So you will want to make sure you have a sign at the road, but also on the building. This way people are able to find the business and know which building it is located in. If you are in an office building, then you will want to make sure your business has a label on the board by the elevators that can help to guide the customers or clients to the office that you are going to be working with.
#2 Guides People Around The Business
This is one aspect that a lot of major retail stores have started to take advantage of and that is the hanging signs are going to help guide people to the different sections of the store. However, even in a small business, this will help people in getting to start to learn their way around the location. So you will not have to be concerned about the customers coming up every five seconds to ask where something in the business is located at.
When you are using these signs to help guide the customers around the business, you need to make sure they are in a location that is easily visible. When it is easy to find the items, you will notice that people are going to be able to get from the back of the store or the entrance way to the area they want to be at without going to the desk and asking the employees who may already be busy taking care of other customers.
#3 Can Provide A Catchy Logo Or Color Pattern
A sign that you are having installed can start to provide you with the information that can help in getting a logo or color that can stand out from the rest. This is going to allow you to have a great time because people will start to see your name and logo, but also the colors and know exactly what they are talking about. What else is nice about the signs is some of them will allow you to add some characters onto the signs as well, which is going to help out in getting the great look you want to have and have an item that will set you off from everyone else.
#4 Helps With Branding Of The Company
We mentioned briefly on the logo and image of the business that you can have on the signs. What you will really like is this is going to help you start to build your brand. This will make it easier for you to have the right feedback for your business and know that people will start to recognize it and the name that you have for your business will often start to become associated with the logo and colors.
#5 Helps Announce Specials or Sales
When you are properly using the signs, you will notice that some of the uses can be to help you announce a special sale or a special you have going on in the store. So this will help you in getting the extra draw of customers that you never would have thought about reaching before for your business. So, this is going to be a great thing for your company and it will help you out in making more money than what you normally would.
A good example of this would be the sidewalk sales you see some stores doing. These sales are fairly obvious when you are walking up to the store, but not all the stores are located where you would be walking up to the store. So you will want to make sure you look at this because it can help you draw in crowds from the road if you have signs that are announcing the sales properly placed by the road.
#6 Provides A Warning To What Is Going On
When you think about the safety of your customers you need to realize one of the major concerns will be a wet floor. When your customers are on a wet floor and slip and fall, then you will be at fault normally. However, if you have the proper notification out about the wet floors and to use caution or even a watch your head type of sign you will be able to alert your customers about the hazards that are here in the business. You will not have to be concerned about the customers not being aware of the hazards that are in the area.
With a new year upon us and no sign of the pandemic slowing down anytime soon, now is the perfect time to refresh and replace the signage in your business... We have the Physical Distancing Signage you need! No job is to big or small.
Source: BusinessBlogshub.com
There are three trends which we believe will be very important in the coming twelve months. Let’s have a look at each of these.
#1 Homeworking
It's not just big business, it's all sizes and types and it could be permanent. For example, major UK banks have mothballed 60% of their back office buildings. They haven’t been mothballed until the end of Coronavirus, they are permanently out of use. Homeworking has become essential for many and it not only raises challenges of connectivity, but also for adopting new systems that are accessible by your entire team 24/7 via the Internet.
To help address this with our Dominion Blue clients, we've significantly improved and enhanced our web-to-print products with customization options that match your individual specific needs. Doing more with less people and resources has become a key challenge for us all and we are here to help you.
#2 Complete solutions
Customers are looking for efficiencies and so the more complete your solution is the more likely they are to embrace your products and service. The same is true for us, with more and more new customers seeing the need for print and signage. We don't just stop there however, we work with your team to carefully review each idea. Once we are all clear on the end-goal, we can coordinate everything from the design and print thru to fulfilment. This can include professional installations involving signage and custom projects like real estate presentation centres, in-store wall decor, point of purchase displays and more.
#3 Continued change
What’s going to happen over the next few months. No-one knows! We are all in a situation where we have to adapt to changes that we cannot predict. It is a scary time.
With hundreds of years of accumulative experience our team can help you with your pivoting and adapting to this ever-changing social and business climate. You don't have to go it alone. find out more »
"Change is here to stay. Understanding the importance of resourceful thinking will allow you to be at the forefront of leading change."
Change in the workplace can create ripple effects throughout an organization. If you accept that leaders make decisions that are in the best interest of the organization, humans are imperfect, and outcomes can be challenging to foresee. Every human is vulnerable to what Daniel Goleman calls the “amygdala hijack.” When your fear takes over, it can affect your ability to make sound decisions. Sometimes your choices are not the best ones, and at times you don’t understand the impact until hindsight kicks in, and by then it’s often too late to turn back.
You may not be able to control external events; however, you do have the responsibility of leading you and making choices to promote positive change that aligns with organizational values.
Change is here to stay. Understanding the importance of resourceful thinking will allow you to be at the forefront of leading change. At times, change can be disruptive and overwhelming, and with the right attitude, a focus on business readiness, leaders can capitalize on change by learning to embrace change for what it is – possibility.
Leaders must consider the underlying intentions of the proposed change and keep in mind that sometimes uncomfortable change can bring desirable outcomes. For the future leader, change is the vital ingredient that must be welcomed and nurtured.
Here are 13 practical tips that office managers can implement to bypass the ego and graciously navigate change in the workplace:
#1 Manage Your State
To lead in this competitive world, one must accept change is inevitable. When you take responsibility for your state, despite your challenges, you show up to face the situation with a smile, and you leverage your strengths to enjoy the new experience. One way may be to embrace the opportunity by writing down responses to critical questions:
By asking these questions, you identify the importance and build the confidence to accept it.
#2 Success Leaves Clues
When dealing with change, often it’s the unknown that is scary. One way to break through the resistance is to imagine all the different possible outcomes and identify the best- and worst-case scenario. Ask yourself, “what’s the worst that can happen? Another strategy may be to connect with the last time you experienced a significant change and how you achieved the results you wanted. Identify the strategies you adopted and replicate.
#3 Focus On What Can You Control
It is essential to identify how much control over the situation you have. By putting things into perspective, you can identify the small things you can do to make the process easier.
If the change is beyond your control, adopt a reflective approach. Accept that there are things beyond your control and choosing to be uncomfortable will bring greater peace than waging a no-win war. Change is an opportunity to learn and grow rather than a setback.
Focus on what will produce results for you. Ask questions such as:
Focus on what you can influence to take the right action.
#4 Stay Grounded in Reality
Change is about being flexible. When the opposite occurs, you diminish your chances of being able to survive the transition. Your default thinking patterns will be out of alignment with the new environment, potentially leaving you behind. When you shift your thinking to a growth mindset, you identify that you may need to learn new skills, integrate new processes, or redirect resources. It is an opportunity for the business to become more efficient, effective, and productive. Identify a plan to respond to the change for you and by engaging the team, build a team plan in alignment with organizational change.
#5 Opt-out Of the Perpetual Negativity to Lead The Change
Sometimes talking a lot about your fears, anger, and frustration can be the worst advice. Harvard Business Review research highlighted that consistently espousing negative emotions hinders your natural adaptation process. That’s not to say ignore your feelings or bury them so they can pop up when you least expect it. Instead acknowledge your sense of anxiety, frustration, or anger and identify how it is influencing your thinking and disrupting your relationships. Look for the facts as everything else around the situation is a story you have created. Edit your story, look for practical steps that you can implement, and by doing so, you shift your focus from being problem-saturated to solution and future-focused.
#6 Remember What Victor Frankl Taught Us
Victor Frankl’s famous book, Man’s Search for Meaning, tells the story of how he survived the Holocaust by finding meaning in the experience which gave him the will to rise above it. He had returned home from years in Nazi death camps to discover his loved ones had all passed. Despite the tragic events, he recognized that he could not go back to the life he once had. He was free to find new ways to live, new opportunities to grow and build new relationships to share. Frankl’s story is an extreme example but a great reminder that even though you are never free from change, you do have the freedom to decide how you respond and what to do next.
#7 Lighten the Mood
Finding humor in situations can be a positive way to create light-heartedness to a problem. Rod A. Martin, a humor researcher, discovered that witty banter could lighten the mood and improve social interactions if the conversations are inclusive and respectful. Sometimes, sharing your struggles can be gold and reminding people that you are human.
#8 Look for The Silver Lining
Workplace change is a platform for a fresh start. Rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day things, invest time into the future you want to create within the workplace. Work out what you want to achieve, identify steps that will take you closer to your vision, break tasks down into smaller chunks, and identify timelines. Make sure to celebrate milestones as momentum generates motivation. When you look for the silver lining, you can use it to reinvent your professional persona and add new skills to your repertoire.
#9 Prioritize Data Over Complaints
Presenting an alternative idea if something isn’t working is the best way to lead the current course of things in a new and better direction. Another option may be to illustrate what works and what doesn’t by benchmarking. For instance, if a new program is introduced that you believe less effective than a previous one, compare results, prepare data, and plan a conversation. Data is a great way to shift an outcome in a different direction potentially.
#10 The Workplace Change Curve
Learning more about how workplace change works, organizations often refer to The Change Curve as a trusted and reliable tool. This model explains the transition process and emotions associated with change. It has been used to help people understand their emotional reactions to significant change. It provides a visual to predict how anyone in the process of workplace change is affected. The curve offers insight into how you know where you are on the curve and why and how other people experience similar emotions during transition.
#11 Water Cooler Conversations
If you want to stain the fabric of an organization, invest your energy into gossiping, whining, and closed-door conversations. When people don’t express their concerns in a resourceful manner, the impact creates ripples within the organization. Instead, leaders must lead by example, encourage teams to share concerns directly with them, and inspire colleagues to involve everyone in a decision that will impact everyone.
#12 Don't Let Communication Be An Afterthought
Communication must be a core component of the steps moving towards future actions. By creating an environment where all levels are on the same page, allows any communication gap to be identified and provides a space to mitigate rumors and speculation. Emotional drama permeates, and the fabric of the organization is stained. When leaders create spaces for employees to communicate their fears effectively, their concerns can be better addressed and alleviated. Empathy is the most excellent communication tool for leaders.
#13 Trust Your Instincts
Trusting yourself is vital once you have eliminated bias. If a decision is made within the organization that you feel is not in alignment with your values, then you must decide whether you want to continue being part of the organization in the future. Staying and hating is not an option. The more important question is, “what is your plan to buy-in to the change?” With the right attitude and actions, you will always find opportunities in the workplace change.
Source: Eden Blog / Written By: Angela Kambouris
