Join The Alternative Board (TAB) Fort Worth today!
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| TAB Fort Worth Member Corner |
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Darlene Ryan, TECH Fort Worth (501)
Darlene Ryan, TECH Fort Worth (Board 501): TECH Fort Worth, a nonprofit technology incubator, was named a finalist in the Tech Titans Awards "Technology Advocate" category by the Metroplex Technology Business Council. The awards recognize outstanding technology companies and individuals in North Texas who have made significant contributions to the industry.
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| TAB Fort Worth Anniversaries |
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Nov./Dec. Anniv.
Janee Harrell - Member at Large
Marc Johnson - 402
Jay Meadows - 501
Richard Minker - 501
Darlene Ryan - 501
Tyler Trahant - 402
Michael Unell - 401
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| Hear How We Help Our Members |
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| Event Details |
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Attend Business Bites Lunch 'N Learn - December 9, 2009
More details coming soon regarding December Business Bites on December 9 (December Business Bites will be the 2nd Wednesday of the month vs. the 1st Wednesday)
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Watch for Upcoming Events
1/29/10 - Achieving Balance Creates Business Success Workshop at TCU
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| Schedule a TAB Speaker for your Organization |
| The Alternative Board (TAB) of Fort Worth possesses a Speakers Bureau comprised of individuals from various companies and industries. The range of topics is varied (finance, the environment, new technologies - such as LinkedIn business network, ethics, energy efficiency, and small business management, to name a few).
Click here for a list of topics.
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| Quick Tips |
Be Flexible with your Customers
The recent economic slowdown caused many of our customers to fall behind in their payments. We offered a bi-weekly payment schedule that allowed them to catch up on their payments over a few months. Not only did every one of them keep to the schedule, they thanked us profusely for being one of the only vendors who tried to help them out.
Randy Smith
FORUM Systems Group
San Antonio, TX
Pay Cuts
In lieu of 10 percent pay cuts, if you have to make them, offer one day off without pay per pay period. Rotate this through the staff, including managers, so not everyone is gone at the same time. This approach gives employees something (time off) instead of the appearance of only taking things away.
Jeffrey Matson
Fernbrook Solutions, Inc.
Plymouth, MN |
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| TAB in The News |
For a full listing of press hits, please visit our In the News page. |
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| Now Available: Click on the above book cover to order your copy of The Wall Street Journal business book best-seller the 9 Elements of Family Business Success by Allen E. Fishman, Founder and Chairman of The Alternative Board®. |
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Member Highlight
Reinventing with the Help of The Alternative Board (TAB)
Tony Ford, Senior Associate, Kasper & Associates (TAB 501 Board) |
 Two years ago, Tony Ford was faced with the choice of selling his 14 year old business or attempting to grow it to the next level. The Alternative Board's (TAB) board members helped Tony keep focus on the critical issues that really mattered in this decision and the subsequent results. He can honestly say that their counsel has been an invaluable resource in a variety of situations before and since he ultimately sold the company.
Today, as Tony has taken his experiences from starting several of his own companies into the M&A arena, his TAB board has been a terrific support during this "reinvention time".
Becoming a TAB member was like being introduced to brothers and sisters Tony had never met, but who share his desires to grow outstanding businesses that serve clients, employees, vendors and communities. The relationships in TAB are genuine, open-hearted and lasting.
As the only entrepreneur to be recognized by the White House for building "The National Model for Business Innovation," Tony knows how to win. He works closely with each client to help them make the critical improvements that will result in added value at sale time. Having sat in the "Owner's Chair" in seven different industries, Tony employs practical, proven strategies tailored to the specific needs of each company he represents. Tony and his partners at Kasper & Associates are part of a 25-year legacy representing almost 400 successful transactions.
As a merger/acquisition specialist at Kasper & Associates, Tony's function is to sell medium-sized, privately owned manufacturing, distribution, and service businesses, and to assist potential buyers in finding and acquiring such businesses. The company provides guidance to sellers regarding such things as market value of a business, structuring the deal, sources for asset appraisals, financially qualifying buyers, etc. The company assists buyers regarding sources for financing, preparing a formal offer, etc., and does not charge additional fees for these services.
"When it comes to business Tony has mastered building success into a company. Tony has helped me over the years by talking about changes I was making within my company. He has offered excellent advice on several occasions to help push my thinking and my company to the next level. No mater what, when I bring an idea I am working on to Tony, he asks insightful questions and brings up timely new ideas that I haven't thought of. I would recommend working with Tony if you get the chance. I am certain he will push your further than you thought you would be able to go."
Dale Berkebile, Principal, Brandwise, Fort Worth, TX
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| Phone Etiquette |
Many of us are annoyed by getting caught in an electronic telephone answering system and so are our prospects and customers. It sends the message that your prospect or customer isn't all that important. At our company, a person answers the telephone in two rings and when they answer, they state their name and say, "How may I help you?"
There are times when it isn't possible to answer the telephone and the call goes to voicemail. At our company, every employee records a new voicemail message every morning stating the date and offering information about when they can be contacted or will return the call. These two things send a clear message that you care about your customers. You need to begin to build customer loyalty as soon as the telephone rings.
Gilbert Welsford, F.S. Welsford Company, Exton, PA |
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Q/A The Workplace Doctor™ If Waiting on the Economy is not the Answer, What is? |
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Tired of waiting on the economy to get better on its own? One simple basic business truth remains the same: "nothing happens until somebody sells something."
With current complexities and changes in business, new innovative selling and marketing approaches are needed to gain and retain customers to generate profits. If waiting on the economy is not the answer, reassess, reinvent and reposition for the foreseeable recovery, beginning by asking the right questions at the right time...now.
How can employees delight customers in such compelling ways that customers proactively refer new customers? Word of mouth selling: priceless. Since employees typically treat customers about as well as they are treated, what new creative approaches are underway to treat, train and better support employees especially in tough economic times?
Businesses in every industry now use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, podcasts and/or LinkedIn to create new business relationships, and build trust, credibility and brands by educating potential clients. Could your "word of mouth" marketing campaigns be more powerful and highly targeted lists of potential clients better built to draw massive amounts of traffic to your website?
If 90% of the success or failure of any communication or offer is the headline, could your headlines be more compelling?
If the answer to one or more of those questions is yes, and waiting on the economy is not the answer, reassess, reinvent and reposition...NOW.
Copyright 2009, Dr. Connie Sitterly, "The Workplace Doctor™" President, Sittcom, Inc., Management Training Specialists. Connie is an international speaker, trainer, executive coach, author, management consultant. You may reach her by phone 817.737.2893 , Connie's email |
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| Internet Sales |
| People find your website but often do not do anything beyond looking at the site. New technology lets you reach out to the website viewer. You can set a time limit, say 45 seconds, from when the person lands on your site until a message box pops up. This message box says something like "Can we help you?" If the viewer says "yes", they are prompted to fill in a telephone number and will then receive an immediate call.
If you don't have the employees to return calls right away, there are services that will call for you with information you've provided. There is no reason to lose potential sales because you let prospects drift away. Ask your Web staff about this technology and start capturing casual website viewers as customers.
Jon Ostroff, Ostroff Law, Plymouth Meeting, PA |
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| Creating a New Look from the Inside |
We recently moved into a new building and had not yet decided on how to decorate the blank walls. An employee had an idea to use photographs from company staff to give our office a personal feel. We established an internal contest where employees could submit "gallery type" photographs as opposed to "snapshot type" photos with content to be landscape, travel, urban, etc. We received over 150 entries for 25 spots!
We enlarged them and had them framed, with the top three selections being super enlarged and having prominence in location. It turned out great with the entire company very proud of the space and we intend to renew the art using this method annually. We continue to get positive comments from our clients with some wanting to try the idea in their office.
Kevin Hartig, ESC Engineering, Fort Collins, CO |
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| Give Them What They Want |
We often make assumptions about what employees want as a reward (usually money). You may be surprised at employee responses when you simply ask them what they'd enjoy as a bonus for good performance. By offering what's meaningful to them, we further enhance the likelihood they'll strive to achieve the reward.
Ian Alpert, Tandem Medical Equipment, Smithtown, NY
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Touted as the most valuable and beneficial business advisory organization in the world, The Alternative Board® (TAB) has been featured in leading business news sources from the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, the Washington Post, CNN and many others.
The essential and critical counsel and value The Alternative Board® consistently delivers to small and medium size businesses, and the immediate impact it brings to its client organizations is an essential element for any organization that intends to thrive. | |
ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVE BOARD®
The Alternative Board® is comprised of members who are business owners, CEOs or presidents who run businesses in non-competing fields. During a TAB Board meeting, you receive the benefit of the collective experience of the board members, who offer practical solutions to your problems-not theories.
You can learn more about TAB, which has been helping business owners succeed since 1990, by visiting TheAlternativeBoard.com |
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