Join The Alternative Board (TAB) Fort Worth today!
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| TAB Fort Worth Anniversaries |
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Jan./Feb. Anniv.
Will Atkinson - 401
Tony Ford - 501
Randy Hudson - 401
Jeremy Sweek - 401
Dale Westerfeld - 501
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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 -
1/13/2010
Please plan to join us for "Key Elements of a Winning Digital Strategy" on Wednesday, January, 13, 2010, at 11:45 AM at {algo+rhythm}, 500 Throckmorton St., Fort Worth 76102.
Presented by Chad Horany and Robert Dietrich of {algo+rhythm}.
Digital strategy is the process of specifying an organization's vision, initiatives and processes in order to deploy online assets (including websites, mini-sites, mobile sites, digital audio and video content, rich Internet applications, community groups, banner ads, search engine marketing, affiliate programs, etc.) in a manner which maximizes the benefits they provide to the organization.
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Watch for Upcoming Events
2/3/10 Business Bites - How Can Conflict Be Productive? ----------------------------- |
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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 |
Reverse Referral Fees
When you get a referral from a customer, try this: Instead of giving the current customer a referral
fee, give the person referred a 10 percent discount as an incentive to do business with you. Then
send your customer a personal "thank you" note -- with a gift certificate or gift basket.
James Stine
J & J Glass & Mirror Corp.
Naples, FL
Paying Payables Before you find yourself in a cash crunch, ask your top suppliers how long it takes them to call you
for payment. Make a note of this time (31 days or 46 days) and then be certain you send payment just
prior to their call. Then, when they do call, you can truthfully say, "The check is in the mail."
James Stephenson
Lykins Signtek
Naples, FL
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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
The Benefits of Quick Getaways with TAB
Will Atkinson, President, CAP Software (TAB 401 Board)
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"TAB has served as a valuable sounding board for my ideas outside of my business. The monthly meetings are almost like a quick getaway that I plan for, making me spend time considering aspects of the business that otherwise fall by the wayside when I'm busy."
"The other members of my board are great, and I enjoy interacting with them and getting balanced advice from them. It's a warm and trusting environment that's great for airing issues and asking questions. I think hearing the details of other people's business issues is very interesting and gives me a lot of perspective on my business."
"I've received valuable input on issues ranging from hiring and compensation best practices, to structuring new licensing agreements. The structure of the group and some of the tools included have also led me to take a bigger picture approach to my business, including integrating financial performance to sales and marketing activities and how they relate to our products and services. I've become more rigorous in managing the business because of the accountability the group provides me. I've been able to prioritize my activities and altogether throw out some that were not productive as a result of my board's input."
CAP is a local software development company founded in 1978 by Chuck Atkinson to serve the needs of small retailers. The company has grown organically by providing industry leading technology solutions, primarily in the point of sale space, to small and medium retailers worldwide. Target verticals include specialty retail, liquor and package stores, tire and automotive supply, home and hardware, pharmacies, and many more. CAP's main strengths derive from a carefully designed product that is exceptionally easy to use. CAP also offers personal service in an outsourced world, including custom programming to meet and exceed customers' unique needs at an affordable price.
Will Atkinson, the current President, has gradually assumed more leadership within the company as Chuck Atkinson transitioned into retirement.
"Will is a great guy and has provided us with a very good product that meets all our needs for point of sale software for our bookstores on the road. He and CAP Software have worked diligently to provide the custom features that we required to make our events successful. Their product provides everything we need at a reasonable cost and the team at CAP have supported us throughout the product life cycle. We're very happy with our relationship with Will and with CAP."
- Anne Adams, PMP, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
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Shopping Around for Salespeople |
One good way to find good retail salespeople is to look in an allied field. For example, if you are
in the plumbing supply business, go into the kitchen-and-bath stores; if you are a window
distributor, go into a siding company. When you do, act like a prospective customer and look for a
really good salesperson. When you find one, let them know you own a company and would like to hire
them. But before you do, determine what the salespeople in that industry get paid; then make the
person you want to hire an offer they can't refuse.
George Efthymiou, Royal Home Products Inc., Bay Shore, NY |
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Q/A The Workplace Doctor™
6 Steps Toward Resolution Journey |
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January--a time to set New Year's resolutions (or reuse last year's). Since good intentions are rarely good enough, approach resolutions like projects--divided into simple, achievable daily tasks. Here are six steps toward the resolution journey:
Step 1. Reflect and reassess. Where are your time, money and energy best spent according to your values and aspirations? What benefits can you expect? What will the results mean to you?
Step 2. Visualize end result. How will it feel? How can commitment, discipline and focus be sustained to fuel the required time and effort?
Step 3. Identify a specific, measurable resolution outcome that can be realistically pursued and broken into weekly/daily tasks.
Step 4. Out of sight, out of mind. Display pictures and keep them in your face.
Step 5. List past temporary obstacles to identify the warning signals when they appear. Besides time and money, what else?
Step 6. Review progress daily, noting even slight improvements to sustain motivation. To fully savor what life has to offer and be all we can be, this resolution process can help clarify values, provide direction, and build confidence.
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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Plug Sales Leaks |
Companies make great efforts to increase sales revenues but often fail to pay adequate attention to
"leakage"--or lost business--from existing customers. Most companies would celebrate a 15 percent
sales growth even though it could have been 20 percent if established accounts had not declined by
five percent. We do celebrate our success but we also run a spreadsheet that tracks sales changes in
every individual existing client account year over year.
Mike Merriman, Accent Purchasing Solutions, Fort Collins, CO
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| The Annual Muse |
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A New Year and we march on to the opportunity that awaits us. The world hasn't ended as we know it, Washington hasn't fixed anything (it's up to us) and "chicken little" is alive and well!
Congress wants to hand out benefits, for both re-election and the perceived needs with only a small amount of funding for such largeness. But it's going to work out; not that we know how, not that there won't be pain, but there will be "progress."
Reflect on your past year; remember friends and loved ones lost too soon; then look forward to meeting new people and making new relationships.
Wishing you a Happy New Year!
David H. Diesslin, MBA, CFP® Diesslin & Associates, Inc.
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Try This New Employee Conversation |
When I hire a person for a production job, I have a conversation with them explaining that 30 days
from now they will either be receiving a 25 percent pay raise, or they will be doing the same thing
they are doing now--looking for a job! This usually results in an ongoing conversation initiated by
the new employee who wants to know how they are doing. I like this for a couple of reasons. First, it
makes the new employee more interested in how they are doing their job and they invariably initiate
that inquiry. Second, if they don't work out, then the termination is more like a separation than a
firing.
Alvin M. Miller, Davis Mercantile, Shipshewana, IN |
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Use Service Agreements as a Cash Flow Tool |
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Service agreements--often discussed but rarely implemented--can provide an ongoing and value-added relationship
with your customer. However, if renewals are scheduled to coincide with normal down cycles (such as
the first quarter), these agreements can be a revenue boost to what is usually a soft sales period.
When selling new agreements, pro-rate the cost back to the annual renewal quarter or month you
desire.
Bill Sanders, Seacom Inc., Richmond, VA
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Eliminate Long-Term Employee Negativity |
Many of the companies on our TAB board have been in business for several decades and, as a result, have
some long-term employees who have become somewhat passive-aggressive in their behavior towards the
necessary changes required by the current economy. Don't underestimate the amount of negative energy
that can be created by such employees who may require additional attention by the business owner in
order for the company to remain focused on course changes.
Board members who have resolved this problem with employees--either by changing their attitude and
increasing their productivity or by ending their employment--speak of feeling "liberated" because they
no longer have to deal with the negativity. If your company suffers from this problem, it's worth the
effort to follow up.
Nick Schopp, Aegis Professional Services, St. Louis, MO |
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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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