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Government Agencies Get a Hand to Provide Best Service

Measuring Success

Profit has always been the blatant factor used to measure the success of a company and its operations. While private managements see this to be their valid means of assessment, non-profit organizations and government agencies evaluate their success in a different way.

You see, these institutions are made to provide public services, and not profit. Customer satisfaction is their primary motive, with financial performance only coming in second. Since the government’s customers are also their stakeholders, they are more focused on giving the taxpaying customer’s money’s worth. Their success is then determined by the taxpayer’s satisfaction towards the agencies’ effective and productive service.

Providing the Best Service

People are required to automatically pay for government services through tax. Because of this, they tend to demand their immediate expectations delivered. They feel that the agencies owe them and believe that it is their right to be given the best service that they can get.

So what can government agencies and non-profit organizations do to provide the best service and appease their customers?

The answer is simple: integrate private management.

Integration of Private Management

With private managements being more focused on profit, it is innate for them to be highly competitive. They strive to provide quality service, to keep their gains. Government agencies can take advantage of this and can even outsource services to private contractors, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their operations.

Examples of services that can possibly be outsourced are surveying or data collection for performance evaluations. Accounting and financial data processing, writing of instruction documents and manuals, and security testing are other functions that the government and non-profit organizations can outsource. Instead of accomplishing these internally, it is ideal to hire private institutions who specialize in this field, to assure the reliable and expert output that comes out of the task.

Keep in mind though that as government institutions, these agencies can only outsource certain functions as limited by law.

The Road to Success

For government agencies, measuring success is simply done by providing what tax paying customers expect to receive: the best service. By integrating the competitive and quality driven private managements into their certain functions, government agencies can better their operations and get into the road to success.

So You Think You Have What It Takes To Be A Successful IT Consultant?

As an IT professional, it's important for you to be flexible with work. In today's times, it's not enough to just have technical knowledge, but consulting skills as well. With the industry becoming more competitive through improving technology over the years, being flexible will make it easier for you to understand your clients and the organization's overall business as well.

Consulting, basically, is helping your clients formulate, develop, and understand possible solutions to an organization's problems. And with your opinion contributing to a company's success, it's no wonder consultants are considered as an essential part of any organization. So if you're wondering how you can improve as an IT professional and consultant, below are some tips worth keeping in mind.

Avoid Jargon at All Cost

Yes, you know a lot of technical stuff, but it doesn't mean that you should bombard your client with jargon and big numbers. As a consultant, it's your job to explain to your clients, in the simplest way, the possible solutions for their dilemma. As Lisa Halteman, a business systems manager for McNeil Consumer Products put it, “Today we’re asked to function as information technologies professionals — our role is to be in-house consultants working closely with clients, to determine the best way to do the work, and then to define how technology can best help support the doing of the work."

With all the changes that have occurred in the past years, organizations have realized the importance of information systems and with it, found ways that could make it more effective for their companies.

Work with an Open Mind

IT consultants are now seen working hand in hand with their clients, and with such a competitive environment, it is your job to not only find solutions to specific problems, but to understand how the organization works over-all as well. This is an effective step in technical and preventive solutions to glitches. This makes consultants a valuable element of the team.

Work Flexibly

There are two types of environment in the IT industry: The monopoly environment and the competitive environment. While the former has IT professionals working in isolation from their clients and only focusing on their set of responsibilities, the latter pushes you, as an IT professional, to learn more about the organization, so you can work effectively with your clients.

If you're transitioning from one environment to the other, you need to prepare yourself. Soon enough, you'll spend more time working with the senior management.

Understand the Situation before Jumping to Conclusions

Scientific studies require a full understanding of the problem, observation, and formulation of methodology before jumping into conclusions. Consulting with your clients is no exception.

As a professional, it is your duty to listen to what your customer has to say, before you negotiate with solutions you think are most fit for the situation. While you may feel your preference being set aside to meet your client's wants, you should be firm in suggesting ways you think and believe will help the project succeed.

Being a consultant is not just about cash and building a name for yourself, rather it is about finding the most effective and efficient solutions for your clients, and being a great help to them.

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Your Proposals Suck (Or How To Adapt Your Proposals To Today's Market)

Consulting businesses are one of the senior players in the sales and marketing industry. Many of them are masters of their fields and have impressed clients throughout their years of service. However, with time, comes inevitable changes.

Nowadays, clients' standards have become more selfish and specific with their customers’ altogether. Don't get stuck in the past. Here are three of the previously undying ideas that were morphed by today's demanding generation:

Yesterday: There is a formula to successful proposals. Today: Creativity is the formula to successful proposals.

If you believe in a single, “right” way to write a proposal, you're probably trapped in the ways of the past. Today, proposals have become creative and different, yet all leading to the client's satisfaction.

Proposals are like DNA; if the proposal is meant for one client, then the client’s name, mission, values, and everything else is written all over it. You may have impressed a client with a proposal you formulated for them, but it will not work on a different client. In other words--don't recycle proposals. It is, after all, not a template you can use to fill in the blanks, and expect the clients to accept it as it is. It’s always a better bet to stay flexible with your approach.

Of course, the project objectives, scope, results, timing, team, assumptions, and fees are basic parts of a proposal, but sticking to a set of rules about proposal length, content, and a prescribed purpose is fading faster than back-dated stock options. These factors are always complementary to you and your client. You must always be innovative about how your proposal fits with your overall strategy to win the work, and your client’s interest and expectations.

Instead of leaning on a formula, put your creativity to work. Keep an open mind on how the proposal can most effectively serve your client’s interests.

Yesterday: The goal is not to lose. Today: The goal is to win.

No one writes a proposal and hopes to have it eliminated in the evaluation process. Since evaluation processes are normally done through elimination (and not selection), people tend to believe that a winning proposal is the "toughest to eliminate."

Frankly, that goal isn’t so bad. Creating a "good enough proposal" would definitely help it evade elimination, but is it enough to bring your proposal to victory? Adopting a loss avoidance mindset is just as likely to avoid a win.

Most clients primarily trim off the weakest contenders for palpable reasons, such as lack of qualifications. Your loss avoidance mindset may take you far, but with mediocre write ups (those that aren't armoured to win), your clients won't hesitate to slash them out.

We’d all like to create proposals that clients can’t refuse. If it is clear to you that your client is aiming for victory, why not formulate a proposal that would take you there, and not one that would only take you a step closer to it.

Yesterday: Proposals are just written agreements. Today: Proposals are avenues towards more agreements.

On a meeting with a client, the normal flow would be synchronizing the what’s, why’s, and how’s of the project. To get the project finally started, what both parties need to do is to sign on the dotted lines and shake hands. Well, that’s at least how proposals were viewed, but today, proposals serve more than the sole purpose of a contractual instrument.

When you get stuck in this kind of mindset, you are short-circuiting the potential marketing power of your proposal. Your proposals can actually serve as tickets to another chapter of partnership with a client, or even with another! Proposals are usually reviewed by a wide group of client decision makers. These write ups for agreement communicate how creative your solution is to a client’s problem.

At the same time, it also introduces your business to those who need more information about your performance before hiring you. Most of these potential clients have never worked with you before, thus, making your proposal an agent of first impressions. Whether or not this impression would be good is only up to you.

Consultants get paid for their curiosity and insatiable desire to question even answers that seem, on the surface, correct. So before you write that next proposal, ask yourself if the rules and assumptions you’ve been using are really serving you and your clients some good. Maybe, you should consider a revamp on these and see how much further your proposals can take your business.

So go ahead and write that winning proposal!

Breaking Into The Chinese Market

China, as we all know, is the largest manufacturer in the world; not surprisingly, it's also the country with the largest consumer market. As it grows positively, foreign investors are trying out their luck to make it in. You might like the idea of entering the Chinese market, but how are you to break in and stay in?

Doing Business the Chinese Way

Once you step into doing business in China, don't ever forget the word "Guanxi". Guanxi, in English, are connections, relationships, or networks. The Chinese value relationships and these can give you business opportunities. There's the saying, "It’s not what you know, it’s who you know."

Here are the ways to get and maintain your "Guanxi":

1. Know who your "Guanxi" is. Family, friends, colleagues, investors, partners, government bodies, and even your staff belong to your guanxi. Keeping good relationships with them may give you and your business faster growth and popularity. It could be troublesome for foreigners, but the key to build up your guanxi is to partner with a good local individual or organization. With this, it will be easier for you to gain the trust of your partner's network, making them yours too.

2. Know the Chinese culture. Be familiar with their interests, language, and even negotiating styles. Distinguish your differences first, though to maintain good relationships and thus, allow your business to function better.

3. "Face-saving". The Chinese highly value how other people see them because this greatly affects future negotiations. To make yourself look good, emphasize courtesy and respect their customs and practices.

Guanxi is an old tradition for the Chinese. This evolved as the rise of e-commerce later developed in China. This development made businessmen connect to more people, outside their closed network. They are the people who make up the "Guanxi-lian".

Guanxi-lian: Guanxi plus social media

Guanxi-lian is made up by the connections of your connections. If "Guanxi" is a closed network, "Guanxi-lian" or "chains of connections," is open. The social media played a big role in connecting people together no matter how far they are. Because of this, your business is more visible to people across the globe.

So, how do you use the power of the "Guanxi-lian"?

1. Make a Chinese website. It is important to make your website secured with a .cn domain name as it makes your business recognizable by the Chinese market. It helps you to have high exposure, especially when people use their local search engines like Sina and Baidu.

2. Connect to Chinese social networking sites. Remember that this is China and they don't use popular websites like Facebook and Twitter. You have to connect with your guanxi-lian through Chinese websites like Weibo (which is similar to Twitter), QQ, and RenRen.

3. Be in Chinese online shopping websites. You could use popular websites like Taobao, Tmall, or 1688 depending on the size of your business is.

4. Use the Chinese language. This is a given. Writing your pages in Chinese will help you connect with your guanxi-lian market. What's more, you're also able to address others who can understand Simplified Chinese like Singaporeans and Taiwanese.

You can make it into the Chinese market just by thinking business like a Chinese. It might be totally different from what you're used to, but adapting to the Chinese culture is a must. With this, you can achieve good exposure in their market and be even recognized globally.

Tips on Successful Consulting

Being a consultant in your field seems ideal, especially for an expert like you. However, it takes more than just expertise and network to get clients. It's risky to chuck a steady-paying job to venture into consulting and it can prove futile if not well thought out and prepared for.

Here are 6 Consulting tips you might want to consider:

Find your niche - You're not the only expert around, the person hiring you is probably one too. Companies seeking outside opinion are looking for solutions to unfamiliar problems. Fresh ideas and methodologies are welcomed and taken as challenge. In that case, find your niche and focus on it. Use your strongest suit in exploiting specific knowledge gaps in your client’s business. Being on top of your game doesn't give you the license to stop improving yourself. Keep learning new things to avoid becoming obsolete, especially in an industry that evolves rapidly.

Service plus – What makes customers go back to a certain restaurant despite it having the same menu with competitors? It's their warm customer service offered with a smile. This differentiating value, applied in a relationship based business, is what keeps clients with their check. A wise consultant listens before he speaks and mentions costs way after discussing results. Making your client feel important is not as substantial as giving the impression that they are your only business. It’s your shot at being hired back by businesses that don’t normally engage consultants on a regular or recurring basis.

Be results oriented - Skills will get attention but reputation will secure the job. Focus on the lasting value you create; remember to discuss end results and not hourly billing. Pay as much attention to building your reputation as to improving your abilities.

Keep a freelance support – No two projects are alike even if you specialize in a particular field. An effective means of minimizing overhead cost and meeting client’s needs is maintaining and expanding your network of contractors and suppliers.

Sweat the small stuff - No one is going to take care of your own business. Spend as much time on your client as to finding the next one. And sweating the small stuff actually works when running your one-man show. Diligently track and report hours, manage invoices and receivables. It pays not to let clients acquire the habit of paying late in a business where cash flow is highly unpredictable. Furthermore, protect yourself with a contract.

Heed your own advice – You have done your clients well, do the same to yourself. Step back and assess your business from time to time and evaluate yourself as you would your client. What would you tell yourself?

Not all of us are cut out to be consultants, but heeding the above tips, culled from articles by Scott Steinberg and Chip Camden, would hopefully make it easier for you to line up your gigs.

Writing The Subject Line That Gets People Clicking: 10 Quick Tips

Have you experienced deleting emails by just looking at the subject line, without even reading the email itself? That just goes to show that subject lines are very essential to getting your message across. If you don’t get them right, you’re wasting a lot of good content with customers, uninterested to even click a button for you. Here are 10 quick tips to create that highly important, well-crafted subject line.

1. Act now!

People won’t act unless you tell them to. Before you write an ad, ask yourself, What action do I want my readers to make? Don’t take this as a license to go “BUY NOW!” on them, just the minimum action that they need to take, like signing up.

2. Everyone’s a skeptic

Some of your emails may seem dubious because you’re overselling yourself. The trick to avoid that is to know what people want to hear. It can also help if you imagine yourself as a customer. You may also consider sending out a survey to your subscribers to align your content to their interests.

3. Make the first seconds count

The cliché ”time is gold” is true. Busy people don’t like to waste their time on blabbering emails. In an inbox pane, your subject line gets only a few seconds’ chance, so make it worth a second look.

Subject lines less than 50 characters have a 12.5% higher chance of being opened than lengthier ones and has a 75% higher chance of click-through.

4. It’s a numbers game

Numbers illustrate the benefits of your product in a more tangible scale. It could be a percentage (Learn how to grow your Facebook fan base by 400%), a list (10 steps to getting more friends on Facebook), or a monetary value (How one business made $5,000 from marketing on Facebook).

Giving numbers take a complex subject and present it in a way people can understand.

5. Act Now! It’s a Limited Time Offer!

Those are the very lines that you must avoid to use. However, it is true that people tend to act if there’s a sense of urgency. This is especially true if you have a promo, a sale, or an upcoming event. Which one would you act on: “Our annual end-of-summer-sale is coming next week” or “Only 5 days until our end of summer sale”? The latter one gives readers a countdown or a time limit that will give them the sense of urgency to grab the opportunity that you are offering.

6. They want you!

People subscribe to your page because of none other than you. According to Constant Contact study, 64% of emails get opened because of the sender and 47% of people open emails because of the subject line.

To get 100%, include your name in a well crafted subject line:

Here are fictional examples:

[Pinkham’s Pies] We’re sharing our secret apple pie recipe

A secret pie recipe from Pinkham’s Pies

Pinkham’s Pies News: Our secret apple pie recipe revealed

7. Say what you mean and mean what you say

People hate being misled. This is probably not your intention, but some lines are so sugar-coated that they tend to, most likely, be misunderstood. Don’t say, “Come and get a FREE pie!”, when you mean, “Buy a pie and get one FREE!” It’s still a great deal; your customer wouldn’t be disappointed.

8. It’s not (too) personal

The right way to personalize your message is to use words like “you” or “your” as if you’re actually talking personally and face to face. On the other hand, the wrong way is that to include the recipient’s name in the subject line. Don’t believe me? Check your spam folder.

9. You’re the expert

People sign up for your newsletters because they want tips, and you’re the go-to person for that. Use “my” or “our” when sharing tips. In this way, you’re reassuring them that you’re using these tips too (which, we assume you are). If it’s good enough for you, then they might also give it a try for themselves.

“Our secret apple pie recipe revealed” or “10 baking tips from our kitchen.”

10. THIS IS TOO MUCH!!!!!

I MEAN REALLY, THIS DOESN’T WORK!!! DON’T EVER LEAVE THE CAPS LOCK ON. IT MAKES YOU LOOK LIKE THE OVER-EXCITED SALESMAN AND THAT DRIVES PEOPLE AWAY…ALMOST ALL THE TIME!!!

I think you get what we mean. Now, go forth and write better subject lines!

Source: Constant Contact

Even Your Consulting Business May Need Some Consulting

In contrast to what most people think, the business of consulting does not simply involve the expertise and some industry contacts. This business will lead you to numerous adversities before you can breathe freely. Inevitable, it truly is, but maybe you can let these tips guide your way to an easier trip towards success.

What They Can’t Do, You Can and Must

Keep this in mind: Your clients aren’t asking for your help because they lack the knowledge or talent in conducting their business. They are actually seeking your service only on fields they are uncertain or unfamiliar with. In this case, you are the professional but only in a certain area.

Successful consultants cater to the most demanding problems. For instance, a firm that helps customers create value and cultivate a competitive advantage on the back of emerging tech markets and trends are in demand. In this case, it’s expected that the client is rich in raw data on technology. However, they don’t have the brightest ideas for innovative products and services, or on the best strategies to market them. This is where the consultants become the heroes.

No Such Thing as “Nothing Personal.”

Relationships are one of the essential foundations in Consulting. A good consultant stays away from the discussion of costs, and focuses more on listening and understanding the client’s needs and objectives. It is quite rare to find businesses that actively and habitually search for consultants. This is where the political and practical purpose of these tips surface. You must knock on many doors, keep your communication alive, and above all else, preserve that good image through your performance. Your reputation keeps your relationship with your clients animated and lets new relationships bloom.

Most opportunities come in the rise of new projects or unexpected problems. That’s when your business’ name should pop up from memory. Have more presence by being more personal and going as far as interacting with clients face-to-face.

The Result Defines a Job Well Done.

Pricing by the hour will make your company look like a commodity. It is essential that you set the scope of work and results as the basis of the bill. Every case is better viewed in a matter of how your firm actually give aid, rather than whether it will or not.

Essence of a Flexible Structure.

There are some consulting businesses that take in millions of stress calls from clients monthly (e.g. PR or marketing support, which is more of an external staffing function than consulting), but this is only because there are ongoing services. Once you’ve done your job right be prepared to move on.

Since every project come and go, and none of them are ever exactly alike, your business must embrace flexibility by cultivating a freelance support network. You can utilize contractors from different industries and disciplines for supplementary expertise and perspective. This method also minimizes risk and helps accurately shape project after the client’s needs.

You Can Never Have Enough.

Closing a single deal is no quick process. The average time from initial contact to engagement can sit between six to 36 weeks, and close rates hover between 10% and 20%. Plus, there’s always the possibility of a downtime.

To reach success as a consultant, it is important to dedicate much time to acquiring new clients as much as performing assigned responsibilities.

With the abundance of businesses, whether established, independent, or home-based there’s not much problem looking for prospective clients, however the challenge lies in actually closing the deal. Presenting a mix of case studies, testimonials, and client showcases may help prove what an impressive business driver you are, because seeing what you’ve done for others is as good as seeing what you can do for them.

Big Ideas Won't Grow Without Marketing

When you first started your business, you probably thought that your idea was revolutionary--like the next Facebook, perhaps? We all start small, what matters is that we develop these ideas and put them into action. This is the first step towards establishing your own start up. Once your operations are up and running, the next step is to make the world know you're ready for business.

Reaching Out to the World

It's not enough that you set up shop and open it for sale. You're already there; but you need to make your market knows that you exist. An idea is useless if it's not put to action; it's the same with business. Your actions would be no good if no one knows you did it.

How Marketing can Make or Break your Business

Most people think that marketing is just a tiresome effort for no valuable cause. This mindset is the pitfall that most start ups fall into. Offering great services alone would not make your business grow because your message needs to reach your customers.

Marketing plays a big role in your life, more than you think it does. It may not be the idea in which your business is built on, but it's the fuel that keeps it running. Without marketing, your business will never be sustainable.

A word of advice: Marketing in itself is a discipline that follows different tactics, so better choose an approach that would work for both your business and your customers.

Source: Talsraviv

Software Development Process: The Kanban Way

Don’t you just hate it when work piles up and you miss deadlines for your clients? Well, maybe it’s time to learn and apply the Kanban way.

If it sounds foreign, it’s because it is. The Kanban is a disciplined workflow process that originated in Japan in the early 1950s; though an old idea, it still applies ever so flawlessly today. The Kanban was originally meant for manufacturing processes, but is now used in software development, events management, and even personal management.

Just like a pipeline, a software development process has two ends. The first end lets in feature requests or ideas, while the other end lets out the improved software. Taking a simple phased process as an example, an SDP would have an analysis of requirements, development of codes, and testing of the codes as steps in the process.

Don’t Blame The Bottlenecks

Bottlenecks are where work piles up in the process and the Kanban reveals this dramatically. Say for example, the analysists and developers in your SDP are able to produce 15 features a week, while your testers can only test 5. At this rate, work piles up on your testers, and you finish with only 5 features a week. The testers, then, act as bottlenecks. Eventually, as work piles up, investment is tied and the market is withheld their products; in time, the value of the product drops.

There are many reasons for this, and it’s unfair to blame bottlenecks only. By pressuring them to pick up the pace, they are forced to cut corners. This, of course, in turn lowers quality. The best solution is to redeploy resources to support bottlenecks; say, have the analysts assist with testing. This is where the “disciplined” art of Kanban comes into play.

Do The Kanban

Kanban or “signboard” in Japanese, works with just a board and a few cards. The board is divided into columns that represent the development process; the cards represent the work items; and a number written on top of each column represents the limit of work item per process. The steps can be divided into "doing" and "done" for further organization. Here’s how it works:

Lay down your development process

What steps do you take in your SDP? Who are in-charge of these steps? How long should it run on one project? Define the start and end points of your Kanban system, and stick to them.

Set Rules

Set priorities in choosing features and tasks and make sure that these priorities are held up. Create limits to your “work-in-progress.” These limits are subject to change, but for the mean time—these are defined by the work load capacity of each step.

Get on The Board!

Grab your board and post those cards! The limits per step hinder the analysts and developers (in our example) to take on more projects without the testers finishing their part first. Until there's an empty slot available, the process will hold off and wait (or support) the bottleneck to finish its task.

From there, work proceeds to move.

As time goes, it’s sure to adjust and evolve. Your bottlenecks will improve, especially with the help of proper resource allocation, and your process will be way smoother. If you’re not into all the cards and scotch tape involved, you can use Kanban tools online like Trello.com to get started.

Apply the Kanban to your Software Development Process and be free of that piling up work load. With Kanban, you produce effective products more efficiently with less stress. Maximize your time, resources, and effort with this disciplined, yet easy workflow process today!

Source: Kanban Blog

Only 20% Of What You Do Matters

As project managers, don’t you just sometimes feel that there is not enough time to do everything you need to do? Don't you sometimes wonder how you can achieve a 100% success rate for your 100% efforts?

Well, according to the Pareto Principle, it is not possible to achieve this kind of equal distribution, a perfect balance. So, what if you focus on just a few of the tasks that give you the most results?

Pareto Principle? What is that?

The Pareto Principle was a theory that arose out of the field of economics and made its way to business management and marketing circles. It states that the 80-20 ratio is a recurring one—in a lot of aspects of life: 20% of a population controls 80% of the land, 20% of your clients give you 80% of your profits, 20% of your efforts produce the 80% of your income, 20% causes bring 80% of the effects, 20% of your work force give you 80% of your results, and so on.

The Pareto Principle is a theory that has achieved popularity in today’s time. Let’s check out this theory of “the vital few” and see how it can apply to developers and managing a project.

Applying the Pareto Principle—focusing on the things that matter

As project managers in charge of a team of developers, you can use the Pareto Principle as a tool for waste reduction. How is this done? Restructure your team’s work schedule so that everyone’s efforts are streamlined on the 20% of tasks that bring 80% of the results.

This means that you have to analyze everyone’s activities. Find out which tasks you should focus on and which tasks to do away with.

Focusing On vital tasks

By prioritizing and focusing on the important things, you will be restructuring an imaginary work pyramid, so that you are consciously correcting the unstable 80/20-- where only 20% of the daily work schedule is supporting the project and 80% is actually wasted on unnecessary things.

Maximizing your time and efforts

To be more effective, you could then find ways to maximize everyone's time spent on the vital 20% of a given project. This means that your developers should spend more time developing, your designers, designing, and your marketers, marketing.

The Pareto Principle as your tool for success

In short, don’t just change your schedule. Use the Pareto Principle as a tool to see how your team can achieve success in a whole new light.

Are You a Great Leader? 7 Leadership Traits to Strive for

Any successful venture is marked by a great and effective leader. Though it’s true that most extroverts are natural born leaders, it’s also true that introverts can master the art of leadership. Studies prove that leaders are both born and made; and that despite being born as one, doesn’t automatically mean great leadership will come forth. As a matter of fact, while good leaders are born, great leaders are made.

Here are seven key factors that distinguish a great leader from a good one. Take a step back and assess yourself: are you what your customers and employees need?

1. Be of exemplary character

Nobody likes to work for a jerk. It takes a sincerely humble and kind heart to attract and keep followers. Be warm and approachable both inside and outside the office. How do you deal with your customers and employees? Do they only talk to you about work or do they approach you for personal issues too? Though cliché, remember that a sociable and humble servant-leader is more effective than a proud, mean one.

2. Competency

Know that nobody trusts an inept head. As a leader, you are expected to be knowledgeable, if not expert, in your field. Your competency can come from academic and/or specialized experience. Master your business and never stop learning—it’s a lifelong process, especially if you’re a leader.

3. Excellence

Your followers need an inspiration. Aiming for excellence in all your tasks, whether big or small, will surely inspire the people around you. Be the good kind of challenge people are looking for in the work place, and lead them to excellence.

4. Effective communication skills

Think of this: who will follow you if you’re not heard? To be a great leader, you need to have strong and effective communication skills. Not only do you get messages across and welcome feedback, you also deliver your messages effectively with the right words.

5. Knows how to deal with people

A great leader utilizes the differences of his people to their advantage. As a leader, you’re first to know that everyone has their own good and bad side. To be a great one, you maximize the good side and minimize the bad. You suitably assign responsibilities to the right people and reward them for it.

6. Firm on goals

Where will you lead people to, if not to your goals? A great leader has his mission and vision in his head, and his goals in his heart. Your determination to reach your goals will set the pace for your people, inspiring them to run with you.

7. Updated on the latest

A great leader is not boxed, as a matter of fact, he strives outside it! How can you expect to be great if you keep on using that old school computer and panic each time you see a new one? A great leader is a life-long learner and is not afraid of change. That means he’s updated on the latest technology and trends, especially on his field.

I’m sure you’re a good leader now, but don’t stop there. Aim to be a great one. Keep these key factors that distinguish a great leader and apply them today. Develop your leadership skills and see how many more lives you’ll influence.

Going Global: How To Become a Virtual Company With Worldwide Clients

Looking into a bigger market? Don't get trapped in an expensive multi-year lease. Here’s how to turn your company into global virtual one.

Think about this.

You're ready to expand your business. With the Internet and technological breakthroughs, your office can be an arm’s length away. More importantly, new and exciting markets in today’s ever expanding business environment are just within your reach. Why not grab these opportunities for growth?

If you are ready for change, then it’s time to open a virtual company. The revolutionary use of the Web makes it possible for a small company to hire employees or find new customers from practically around the world.

Here are just some of the benefits in getting a virtual office as mentioned in Alliance Virtual Offices’ blog:

Remote and Flexible Hours. Statistics point to the continuously rising number of remote workers all over the world. Working from home increases productivity due to lesser distractions and interruptions, maximizing your most productive hours.

Saves on Gas, Avoids Monday Blues. We all hate Mondays and dread the long commute to work. Aside from lost opportunity costs due to traffic jams, saving on gas alone has driven the rising interest in telecommuting.

Money Better Spent. A virtual office greatly reduces real estate related costs. Moreover, money allocated for office furniture and equipment are better spent on IT structure or research and development and better employee benefits.

Zero Rent and Electric Bill. A virtual company has lot less overhead expenses like rent, mortgage payments, water and electric charges, office supplies, and extra expenses on depreciating office equipment and company cars.

Setting up a virtual office is easy and a Web search yields a lot of tips like the helpful instructions of allBusiness. Below are just a few ideas to consider:

Be Always Online. Get a good Internet connection. Consider a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for a more secure way of collaborating on projects. Also consider call answering services like VoiceNation that could take local or out of the country calls when you are out or asleep.

Get Dependable Hardware. Your work no longer depends on your PC alone. Laptops, netbooks, and tablets enable us to bring work wherever we are. Similarly, the smartphone–with its myriad functions--adds a lot to a small business’ productivity. Depending on your business needs, a printer, fax, and scanner may also come in handy.

Choose The Right Communication Tools.. Communication is vital in managing a remote team. Commonly used tools like cell phones, instant messaging, email, and VoIP like Skype will keep you in constant touch and updated on tasks.

Switch to the Cloud. The emergence of cloud computing allows for an off-site data storage where files are stored, shared, and accessed anytime. At the same time, individuals and teams work better together with the help of collaboration software like Adobe Acrobat.

Have Systems Of Accountability in Place. Finding the right technology to work with is just the start. Collaborative sites like Basecamp, Xamun and AceProject facilitate strict management and constant monitoring of a remote team. In addition, a system of penalties and incentives help in engaging and encouraging workers.

Meet Regularly With Your Team. It is easy for any member of a team to feel out of the loop. Holding regular meetings helps team members connect and build trust.

Hire Experts. If you find the above tasks daunting, hire experts. Companies like Xamun or Alliance Virtual Offices can build your global virtual company. They put in all the key components – technology, software, and even people - together to deliver a complete virtual office.

Like any new endeavor, there are adjustments to be made in bringing your business online and into the bigger market. Ultimately becoming a global virtual company is an irresistible, if not profitable choice, because of the freedom, savings, and lifestyle change benefits it brings.

So, what are your tips when putting up a virtual company?

Essential Facts in Hiring Freelancers

You have a big project. You need more time and resources to finish it. What do you do? You look for freelancers and outsource your project. However, before embarking on your search for freelancers, you need to know certain facts about outsourcing.

The pros and cons of outsourcing

Hiring freelancers will allow you and your full-time staff to focus on the main tasks related to your business, instead of spending time learning new skills just for the project. Outsourcing improves your workflow, and allows you flexibility in staff allocation. You minimize your overhead expenses with fewer employees to take care of, thus reducing overall costs.

However, you need to choose your freelance team carefully. When you have organized your team, you must be able to communicate well with them, and consider the team members as partners in the project. This is important for building trust and respect. Doing all these will minimize the perceived cons of outsourcing your work: miscommunications, cost overruns, and low quality of work.

When do you need to outsource?

Given this option, how do you determine when you need to outsource? If you answered "yes" to the following questions, then you need to find freelancers to help you with your project.

Does the project entail work that is not part of your core competency?

Are you finding it hard to allot some time and resources to work on it?

Is your business inadequately staffed to handle the project?

Do you need to finish it within a strict deadline?

Where do you find freelancers?

There are a number of places where you can find freelancers equipped with the skills needed to help you with your big project. You could try job boards, job marketplaces, and company websites. You could also ask for referrals from people you know who have experienced success with outsourcing.

Job boards. Craigslist and Monster are two of the most popular online job boards. These sites function like the old style boards found in universities and employment agencies where seekers post jobs, and people looking for work can regularly check available positions. You could post at online job boards for a minimal fee. As an employer, you could also look through resumes posted in the Monster website and in CareerBuilder.

Job marketplaces. Check out oDesk and Elance for a wide selection of skills and tools required to manage a team of freelancers. In these sites, you will have access to almost everything needed for outsourcing, such as invoicing, billing, contract terms, time tracking, and payment.

Xamun is a cloud-based global consulting platform. It was created for freelance experts and companies so that they could meet, find deals, build proposals, and generally work together and operate right on the Xamun platform. This integrated technology also provides timesheet and billing; as well as tools for account management, talent management, and consulting needs.

Referrals. Freelancers who are good at their jobs are sure to have referrals. These come in the form of testimonials from satisfied clients; a sort of qualification and recommendation for good, reliable work performed. Ask around for the best freelancing team that suits the project you have in mind, and you will surely receive a couple of referrals. By finding your team through referrals, rather than through job boards and marketplaces, you will eliminate some of the risks associated with outsourcing.

Company websites. Websites are the best source for the type of service that a freelance team offers. This is where businesses post relevant facts about themselves for clients to read. It is in the company's website where you learn about its history, mission statements, services rendered, past achievements, and sometimes, testimonials from clients.

Tips on hiring freelancers

If you have already decided to hire freelancers for your project, then here are tips that you could use in the process of hiring:

When interviewing, ask questions that will show a freelancer’s level of creativity, self-discipline, and problem-solving skills. A situational question would work for this purpose. A certain proficiency in communication and compatibility with you and your goals is also a must.

You will need to draw up a contract. This document should stipulate the expectations and the details of the job, which were agreed upon by both parties. Be very clear about deadlines, specs of the job, budget, ownership rights, and schedules. The more specific you are with your terms, the better.

Look through a prospect’s portfolio to find out from past projects if you have the right freelancer for the job.

Tools To Manage Your Team

Lastly, when managing a team of freelancers who all work and meet online, it is ideal to have an integrated platform that you could all use.

Xamun was mentioned as a job marketplace where you could find your team of freelancers, but it is also a task tracker and all-around comprehensive software for your business.

This tool will prevent the freelancing team from being outsiders in the project by integrating their work with the full-time employees work, even if the freelancers are not a part of your physical office.

Is outsourcing for you?

Hiring a freelance team has its pros and cons, and you need to be very careful when choosing the people who will work with you to complete your project. You will also need to find tools to help you manage your team. But knowing about this option is enough to let you decide whether to take on a new project or not.

So, is outsourcing for you?

Top 12 Commandments for Managing Online Workers

Now that the ability to work from anywhere other than in the office has been made possible by the internet, business owners and managers are faced with the challenge of promoting the same efficiency and productivity among remote workers that are located in the different parts of the world.

In the absence of a face-to-face interaction, how do you manage to keep them productive, engaged and motivated?

Have the right tools and software programs for online collaboration and project management. Because you don’t meet face-to-face with your staff, these tools are important to bridge the distance between you. Luckily, there are many online applications that you can use to facilitate communication, distribution and completion of projects. Below are a few such tools that you can use.

Google Calendar

Basecamp

Google Docs

Evernote

Xamun

Solve360

The World Clock Meeting Planner

SlimTimer

Use online tool for collaboration and transparency. It might not be as important if everyone is in the same room, but once you are oceans apart, leverage on technology to keep you closer. These tools take screenshots, so you know what projects your staff are currently working on.

Do it in agile, smaller iterations to reduce the risk and cut your losses early if things are not working out well. Agile project management is a conservative approach towards doing business where expansion and investment are done in a gradual manner and built over time based on experience, positive results, supported research and methodologies.

Explain the work process clearly. How do you do things in your virtual office? Orient everybody in the team about the flow of work and the ways to do it. This includes orientation on the different tools and applications used online, how to get and submit assignments and the billing cycle. Create a work process document and store it where anyone who might need to review the process can easily refer back to it.

Set proper communication guidelines. Apart from having the right communication tools, effective communication demands ground rules. What type of messages are allowed to be sent? Do you have a section for nonwork-related messages? Which type of communication is available for everyone?

Define each role of your staff to avoid overlap of responsibilities. Conflicts can be avoided if members understand that each one is part of the team and know who should report to whom.

Emphasize deadlines and accountability. Due dates and the name of the person responsible for the task should be placed at strategic places in the email form or in communication exchanges for users to see them first. There are even email applications that allow the display of the deadline right beside the heading.

Provide performance feedback privately. You can have better understanding of the weaknesses and strength of your staff if you send out feedback separately. Rather than sending a message to the entire team saying "you all did well", you can be specific in the email which performance was excellent, the action that made the job great and the areas for improvement.

Set proper expectations from the beginning. Expectations are not met usually because the manager and the person delegated to do the task are not on the same page. State instructions clearly and let them know in the assignment details that you are open to answer questions regarding this task.

Offer incentives for quality work to encourage everyone to make good on their job. Make them understand that quality work delivered on time is not only helpful to the clients but also to the entire team as well. Point out the benefits team members will get for a job well done. Examples: bonuses, additional days off

Specify how often you want a progress report of their current task. Checking on them regularly makes them more committed and motivated to finish the task.

Make everybody understand why the team exists in the first place. When your staff know the importance of its role in the global community, you give them a sense of purpose to work towards a common goal.

Do you supervise a team of online workers? How did you overcome your own challenges in managing them?

BPOs and Online Labor Markets

Found an interesting piece on the imminent demise of BPOs here:

Will online labor markets disrupt the traditional BPO firm?

One thing that job marketplaces don't do well though is handling the collaborative aspect of the work. Sure, it's nice to get discounted labor at a variable cost but managing them is another story. They provide you the access to the talent but not a way to make sure that they do the work right.

That's where an all-in-one system has the advantage. It mimics the workflow of the office from closing leads to invoicing them. Accountability is built into everything which eliminates a lot of headaches for both managers and workers.

Why Cheap Outsourcing Isn’t A Good Idea

Your company is growing and you need to beef up your head count and fast. How do you do that? Well, one way is to hire outsourced workers. This is essentially recruiting someone from elsewhere in the world, like India or the Philippines, to consult, create and manage work for your company.

Like a lot of businesses, you will probably discover that not only is hiring people through outsourcing efficient, it’s also cheaper which makes your bottom line very happy indeed. But if you’re thinking of hiring cheap just because you can, think again.

Here are some of the things to expect if you don't hire the best off the bat and scrimp on costs.

You will get stressed due to having to micromanage these kinds of workers. You get what you pay for, after all, and making sure they do things right, you have to supervise the work. But let’s face it, wouldn’t you rather spend your time building the business instead of putting out fires?

You will lose out on time since you’ll have to ask them to rework bad quality output, remind them to add things that should have been there in the first place, or just waste time repeating your instructions.

You might even have to pay more to have everything completed by a better, though more expensive, outsourcing partner.

As you can see, spending less won’t actually be better business in this case. At the end of the day, the outcome of the project should meet your expectations on the quality of work produced, and those of your clients as well.

The formula is quite simple: a focused and driven business operation plus an expert and reliable group of workers equals effective, high-quality output. And of course, don’t forget a happy bottom line!

marketingbinge

I recently came across a report stating that emerging markets are the most aggressive ones as compared to the developed European or American market when it comes to adopting to cloud technology. Among the Latin American cloud adopters, the companies of less than $1B in revenue, 36% of their...

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