Sat.Feb 08, 2014 - Fri.Feb 14, 2014

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Demystifying the Difference Between Consultants and Contractors

The Clever Consultant

'I get asked a lot whether somebody can (or should) call themselves a consultant. It would be easy to brush off labels, but sometimes they do matter. In business circles, consultants are thought of as seasoned professionals at the top of their field, and contractors often as temp help. That may not be fair, but […].

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6 Reasons to Hire a Consultant

Tom Spencer

'There are 6 reasons why executives hire consultants. In America, and other Western countries, senior executives often hire management consultants for strategic advice. Given that consulting advice can sometimes sound like a statement of the obvious, albeit very well power-pointed, and tends to come with a shockingly high price tag, you would be forgiven for asking “why!?

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Work Life Balance: Building your success team

Women in Consulting

'By: Deborah Siegle This post following Bobbie LaPorte’s talk on how to achieve a high quality work and personal life , is about her fourth Key to Success: Building your success team. For some building your success team seems easy. For others, it’s unclear where to start. Here are Bobbie’s suggestions on how to build your success team : Ask the rock stars in your field.

Meeting 78
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Facebook Fraud - How Much of Facebook's Ad Revenue is Legitimate?

MishTalk

'Ad revenue in the online world is based on clicks and impressions. For example, I have a relationship with Google that generally pays on clicks. I also have a relationship with Investing Channel that pays on impressions (views). I do not pay anyone to direct traffic to my blog and I do not ask people to click on ads they are not interested in. Nor do I want them too.

Video 78
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PowerPoint Best Practices for Creating Stellar Presentations

Mastering data visualization in PowerPoint will help accelerate your career because it positions you as someone who can present data that drives business decisions forward. think-cell's PowerPoint Best Practices eBook was created specifically for professionals aiming to master the art and science of data-driven storytelling. What’s inside: Practical Insights: Uncover valuable tips for crafting engaging and persuasive presentations.

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The Vicious Cycle of CEO Pet Projects

Strategy+Business

'When CEOs join new companies, they tend to disinvest in old projects left over from the previous regime that are failing or losing money. But the more entrenched they become in their companies, the more they invest in pet projects of their own which may also be ill-advised.

Company 70

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Quality Business and Life: Manage your energy

Women in Consulting

'By: Deborah Siegle. The next of my posts on Bobbie LaPorte’s talk on how to achieve a high quality work and personal life , is her third Key to Success: Manage your energy. Be aware of your body clock – and what time of day works best for you. Plan your day accordingly to leverage your body clock. You can make small adjustments during day and you will significantly increase your ability to get things done.

Energy 67
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Portugal Hopes to Find Underground Economy Tax Cheats by Giving Away Free Lottery Tickets

MishTalk

'With value added tax on services exceeding 20%, much of Portugal''s economy is cash-based with no receipts. Instead of admitting the VAT tax of 23% on services and restaurants is so high that it encourages fraud, Portugal Tries its Luck with Tax Lottery. The secret to good citizenship, Portuguese tax authorities believe, could lie in giving away luxury cars.

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How Do You Compete?

Strategy+Business

'Roger Martin, author of Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works , introduces a lesson on the proper foundation for core competencies from Compete Smarter, Not Harder: A Process for Developing the Right Priorities through Strategic Thinking , by William Putsis.

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WOW Them

Chad Barr

Raising the Barr is a weekly memo, which is always pithy, powerful and succinct. It focuses on innovative ideas by maximizing your life and business while leveraging strategy, content, technology and the web, to help you transform the success. This week’s reflection point: I am here in Miami meeting with my global growth mastermind group. We’ve had some terrific discussions today on how to increase our success and that of our clients.

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How to Stay Competitive in the Evolving State of Martech

Marketing technology is essential for B2B marketers to stay competitive in a rapidly changing digital landscape — and with 53% of marketers experiencing legacy technology issues and limitations, they’re researching innovations to expand and refine their technology stacks. To help practitioners keep up with the rapidly evolving martech landscape, this special report will discuss: How practitioners are integrating technologies and systems to encourage information-sharing between departments and pr

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Do Your Customers Love You?

1 to 1

'On ABC''s The Bachelor, the man of the hour typically splits his time between one-on-one dates and group dates. Each eligible lady eagerly anticipates the prospect of the one-on-one, as they logically prefer the intimacy of one day alone over sharing their potential love interest''s attention. Such dates allow the "couple" to build and strengthen their budding relationship, while group dates pander to the insecurities of every woman in the group.

Groups 49
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Jobs Bowl: Illinois vs. Texas and Indiana

MishTalk

'In the all important "Jobs Bowl", far more important than the "Super Bowl" Illinois is losing out to Texas and Indiana. Via email from the Illinois Policy Institute The common refrain made against Texas by those who defend the status quo in Illinois is that the jobs being created in the Lone Star State are lower-paying and less-rewarding opportunities.

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The Critical Few: Components of a Truly Effective Culture

Strategy+Business

'Companies that eschew all-encompassing culture change initiatives and instead focus on three specific elements--critical behaviors, existing cultural traits, and critical informal leaders--have the most success in bringing about change that lasts. We call these elements "the Critical Few.

Culture 53
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Enabling for Employee Decision Making

Gina Abudi

'As we climb the ladder into more senior leadership roles, we have to rely on others to accomplish goals and meet objectives. We can’t continue to do it all as we take on more responsibilities at a leadership level. However, many leaders are not comfortable delegating authority to employees. They are afraid of what might [.].

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Savings Consultants Are Needed in Today's Market More Than Ever

Savings Consultants are needed in today’s market more than ever. With an increase in expenses, businesses are looking for opportunities to save. Often unknown to businesses are savings in expense reduction, specialized tax savings, specialized savings including medical underpayments, health benefits cost reduction, zero cost processing, and more. Blue Coast Savings, with over 20 years in business, assists Savings Consultants in helping these companies move toward more profitable businesses.

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Exhaustive lists as a reliable tool for unstucking yourself

Seth Godin Blog

'When in doubt, or when it''s just not good enough, make an exhaustive list. Every complaint someone might have about a particular product. Every media outlet that might be interested in your story. Every time you''ve ever been rejected and what it has cost you. Every successful product in this category that you''ve ever used, and why. Every person you know who might help you reach the person who can help.

Tools 47
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ECB Seriously Considering Negative Interest Rates; New Central Bank Mottos

MishTalk

'Central bankers need new mottos. I happen to have a few proposals. It takes effort to fail, and we try harder. If at first you don''t succeed, repeat what doesn''t work. The 1% are our friends, and we hope it shows. ECB Seriously Considering Negative Interest Rates Appropriate mottos out of the way, let''s turn our attention to the silly idea of the day: negative interest rates.

Banking 76
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Cut Your Company's Fat but Keep Some Slack

Strategy+Business

'When slashing costs and reorganizing for efficiency, it can be difficult to separate useful slack from true waste. But maintaining some slack is crucial for organizations facing scarcity. It''s a lesson from which we can all benefit.

Company 53
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Exploring the StrengthsFinder Theme of Arranger

Leadership Vision Consulting

'Have you ever marveled at way a person can multi-task and then she goes and juggles one more thing? Have you ever noticed the leader who can develop a strong 5-year strategy and deliver on that strategy by getting the right people together at the right time, mixing new and complex elements in a new season, and accomplish goals that end up surpassing quotas or expectations?

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TOOLS and METHODOLOGIES for developing DECISION SUPPORT PACKAGES

This White Paper targets opportunities for Management to develop proficiency in the Decision Framing and Analyses element of input to Decision, & Risk Analyses for Major Project Funding Decisions.

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The problems you've got left.

Seth Godin Blog

'are probably the difficult ones. We''d all like to find discount answers to our problems. Organizations, governments and individuals prefer to find the solution that''s guaranteed to work, takes little time and even less effort. Of course, the problems that lend themselves to bargain solutions have already been solved. What we''re left with are the problems that will take ridiculous amounts of effort, untold resources and the bravery to attempt something that might not work.

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Gallup vs. BLS Unemployment Differs by Nearly 3 Million Workers

MishTalk

'Inquiring minds note a huge discrepancy between Gallup measured unemployment and BLS reported unemployment. Please consider the Gallup Daily: U.S. Employment report. Gallup Unemployment Rate Not Seasonally Adjusted Gallup says " Because results are not seasonally adjusted, they are not directly comparable to numbers reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which are based on workers 16 and older.

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Angela Duckworth's Gritty View of Success

Strategy+Business

'A growing body of research shows that the attribute that truly separates average workers from standout performers is grit --the ability to keep working on challenging projects even after encountering setbacks.

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A Manager’s Dilemma – Part I

Gina Abudi

'How can I support my employees’ professional development? Consider this story: Anna has been managing her customer service department for over 5 years. The group consists of 10 customer service reps, half of whom are new to the role (less than one year at the company) and the other half have been there for 5+ [.].

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Why You Need to Use Case Studies in Sales and Marketing (and How to Start Now)

Case studies are proof of successful client relations and a verifiable product or service. They persuade buyers by highlighting your customers' experiences with your company and its solution. In sales, case studies are crucial pieces of content that can be tailored to prospects' pain points and used throughout the buyer's journey. In marketing, case studies are versatile assets for generating business, providing reusable elements for ad and social media content, website material, and marketing c

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The you called brand

Seth Godin Blog

'From the beginning, a brand''s legal purpose has been to let people know the origin of the goods. Literally, a brand, a hallmark, a mark of trade. Over time, for some brands, it has become something significantly more. A mirror on our identity as consumers, tribe members and citizens. When someone criticizes one of these brands, these ''us'' brands, we take the criticism personally.

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Industrial Production Declines, November and December Revised Lower; String of Unexpected Events Continues

MishTalk

'This morning the Fed reported Industrial production declined. Moreover November and December were revised sharply lower. Industrial production decreased 0.3 percent in January after having risen 0.3 percent in December. In January, manufacturing output fell 0.8 percent, partly because of the severe weather that curtailed production in some regions of the country.

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Scale Your Innovation Initiatives

Strategy+Business

'When innovation initiatives succeed, company leaders want to increase their impact, but adding people can be counterproductive, and funds aren''t always available. Here are five proven ways to overcome those challenges.

Company 53
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Best Practice Steps for Delegating Tasks to Employees

Gina Abudi

'When delegating tasks to employees, to ensure that the tasks get completed to your satisfaction and to ensure that employees get the support they need to be successful, take these best practice steps: Choose the right employee to delegate to. Be sure the employee has the basic skills to get the task completed and the [.].

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ABM Evolution: How Top Marketers Are Using Account-Based Strategies

In times of economic uncertainty, account-based strategies are essential. According to several business analysts and practitioners, ABM is a necessity for creating more predictable revenue. Research shows that nearly three-quarters of marketers (74%) already have the resources needed to build successful ABM programs.