Internet Business Reputation Management-Why and how to do it by Neil Licht, VP Of Online Reputation Management for Reputation911

Your online reviews are now a key element in how a buying decision is made. If left unmanaged they can drive people away from you and not to you.

So what can you do to protect your online reputation? by Neil Licht, VP Of Online Reputation Management for Reputation 911

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90% of consumers say they find online reviews a trustworthy source for product and services.

89% of consumers say online reviews have the power to make or break a buying decision.

4 out of 5 consumers have changed their minds about purchasing a recommended product or service based solely on negative information they found online.

This is up from just 67 percent of consumers who said the same in 2010 according to the new 2011 Online Influence Trend Tracker from Cone Inc.

A positive online review can do more then just make or break a customers buying decision !

Google knows that people are influenced more by what customers say than what your website says and now uses business reviews as part of its methodology in determining search rankings.

Business reviews have now become an important part of local search strategies for many businesses and why Reputation Companies like Reputation911 who can monitor online reviews in real-time are in such high demand.

Restoring, Protecting and Promoting a clients Online Image is how Reputation911 gains a competitive edge for it’s clients in this new digital age.

My Online Reviews - Business Reputation Product Highlights:

• Analyze your online business image
• See what is being said about you
• Identify online threats & opportunities
• Remove negative reviews and online threats
• Publishing positive reviews across all social media sites
• Increase site traffic
• Create a high level of  authenticity and visibility
• 24/7 real-time monitoring
• Dedicated Reputation Manager
• Guaranteed Results

Managing an effective Online Review Campaign is more then just flooding the Internet with “Business Approved” reviews that only accumulate on one or two 3rd party sites which customers are now starting to see as being Fake.

A client doing it this way may think they have a great reputation online via a single site, but then disproportionately negative reviews on all other sites still prominently show up.

That makes the Approved Site look suspicious and fake to customers. Thus, protecting and managing your online presence really needs the 24/7 attentention from a company that does nothing but that.

To learn more about how we can build an online Internet Reputation Management campaign for your business call us today for a confidential consultation Online Reputation Managers at 1-866-MY-REP-911 x201

What You Need To Know About Managing Cash Flow

One area every small business must keep a close eye on or risk losing control is management of cash flow. What follows are some important tips to help you stay on top of managing your cash flow.



Track your cash flow monthly on an Excel spreadsheet so you can see trouble before it arrives and those annual expenses like insurance, taxes, licenses, etc. that bite a big sudden hole in the cash flow.



Manage your customer credit carefully, a full-blown credit application that you then get a credit report on to see their payment practices is very helpful and without it you'll guess wrong a lot.



Give clients a reason to pay on time, whether it's the classic 2% discount for payment within 10 days of billing or 1.5% monthly interest on balances over 60 days is helpful. Making sure bills go out in a timely fashion (tougher than it sounds) and are accurate as well as detailed enough to show the customer value received.



Keep evaluating your pricing, underpricing or not charging at all for very real costs is a classic reason for bad cash flow but very hard to spot.



Watch how you pay your suppliers closely. The classic tip is to stretch them out until they scream but antagonizing or harming your business partners is just stupid when you think it through. Being the client who pays fully and promptly is huge leverage, being the slow-pay/no-pay is a terrible negotiating position for getting anything done.



Continually evaluate your overhead costs, consider them "broken" instead of "fixed". It's amazing what waste creeps in there and gets paid without further analysis. Meaningful value to what you're actually doing is key, paying for capacity you're not using is a common trap.



Watch for people who balance convenience vs cost the wrong way (and it can go either direction, wasting hours to save pennies is common enough too.)

How Important Is Attitude To Business Success?

Last week I had lunch with a young guy in the banking industry. I met about 4 years ago when he was just a teller and hadn’t seen him since then. Today he pulled up to the restaurant in a gorgeous new car, had on a stunning suit and is now the community director of a very powerful bank. I knew little about what had transpired for him in those last four years – but I do know he’s in an industry that has been struggling and has a whole lot of people who have been let go.

However, it was easy to observe why this guy has excelled. Every encounter was courteous and affirming for the other person. From the greeter to the servers to the random people walking by, each one received a great smile and a sincere “thank you” for their contribution, no matter how small or insignificant. I didn’t have to ask about additional degrees, certifications, or inside favors to understand why his career has soared. He doesn’t have to “game” his way to keeping his job. In fact, he told me of the constant offers he has coming his way from competitors who have seen his success. And he’s making more money than he ever dreamed of a few years ago.

He has guaranteed his position, not through manipulation or asserting his rights or having a contract, but by being a person everyone wants on their team.

That sounds strangely familiar – like it’s right out of a book written in 1937, right after the Great Depression.

I have no idea if he has a college degree. But I know how his value would rank against most MBA graduates.

By Patrick McFadden