What To Do In Pittsburgh This August

While summer may winding down to a close, Pittsburgh is just getting started with a variety of events and festivals scheduled for August. With so many things to look forward to this month you’ll forget that colder weather is just around the corner. Here are a few events Pittsburghers are most excited for:

(Curated from NEXTpittsburgh)

• Feastival: The first event of August is Feastival. Feastival is a festival to celebrate the culinary experts of Pittsburgh while enjoying live music. The event is free and will include a performance by Robert Randolph, one of the greatest guitarists of all time according to Rolling Stone. For those interested it will take place from 3 - 9 pm on August 1 in McKees Rocks.
• Style Week Pittsburgh: For five days beginning on August 12, Pittsburgh will pull out the runway to showcase the work of all of the local designers and stylists. Style Week Pittsburgh is fashionista heaven with events featuring everything from business clothes and styles to a hat fashion show.

“Style Week kicks off on August 12 at the Kelly Strayhorn with local and international designers, fashion trucks, a beauty and grooming bar, DJs, cocktails and more. On August 13 in Market Square, Style Week honors the region’s trailblazers working in the fashion and beauty industries.”

• Bikefest: Bikefest will begin on August 21 and last for 10 days providing bikers with 10 days worth of adventures and activities in Pittsburgh. The festival of bikes will include a 90 Neighborhood Ride for bikers to experience all of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods.

“BikeFest culminates on August 30 with PedalPGH - the region’s largest bike ride - boasting a Family Ride (2 to 16 miles) that meanders along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail System, the popular 25-mile Highmark City Tour which includes local landmarks such as the Smithfield Street Bridge and the Cathedral of Learning and the challenging 62-mile PJ Dick and Lindy Paving Metric Century ride that features steep climbs, spectacular views and the city’s newest bike infrastructure.”

With several other events scheduled for August, Pittsburghers have no reason to be bored. What event are you most looking forward to this month?

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Best Practices for Designing Consumer Surveys

As discussed in last week's post, your customers are one of the best resources available to you, no matter what size business you have. So, how do you access this resource effectively in order to get useful feedback and reliable data? One way is to design a customer survey, which will allow your consumers to share their experience with your products and services. Here are a few tips to help you get started on designing an engaging survey:

In order to get consumers to respond, you should keep the questions simple. If you ask questions that require multiple lines of texts, your audience may not have time to figure out what you're asking and complete the whole survey. While you're writing the survey questions, keep your end goal in mind. What do you hope to accomplish with these questions?

(Curated from Tech.Co)

"Try to design questions that are short and don't lose their intent. Try to rephrase lengthy and superfluous wordings in order to effectively question consumers without losing their interest in completing the survey. Keep in mind that customers are going to avoid surveys that are long, dull and repetitive. You have to find a way to quickly question them about their preferences, experience, thoughts and references about your product or service. This can only be achieved if you can design an effective survey that is time effective and captivating."

Your survey questions should address a wide demographic of consumers so don't assume anything about your audience. In order to get reliable data, the questions can't be leading. You want to get honest feedback from your customers so you can improve your business so don't try phrasing the questions to get favorable responses each time.

"Don't include words that might describe ego and pride; customers might not agree with you on the same level. Try to keep the format of the questions simple and direct so that they are able to cater to the purpose of your survey. In order to avoid loaded questions, don't include facts and assumptions that are emotionally charged. This is another reason why customers might be put off by completing your customer feedback surveys."

If you're satisfied with the design of your survey and your only problem is participation, try offering discounts and incentives to encourage customers to share their thoughts. Have you ever taken a customer feedback survey? What made you set time aside to complete it?

Image by William Teutoburger

Pursue New Customers Without Losing Current Patrons

Attracting new customers is always an important step in growing a business, but don't disregard your current patrons. The people who support you now will be major assets as you try to grow so don't neglect them as you seek new customers. Once you have loyal customers, keeping them is the next priority. If you're giving your current customers the same attention and energy as new customers, you're on the right track. Here are a few other strategies to keep in mind:

If you pay attention to your current customers and focus on their needs, you can anticipate your consumers' needs, which will change as your business grow. You can also collect feedback and surveys from your customers. Understanding what consumers want will not only help you keep your customers, but will also attract new ones.

(Curated from Pittsburgh Business Times)

"This tactic is referred to as anticipatory service, and it can be as simple as sending out a flyer about current promotions or a coupon for upcoming sales. Taking the time to get to know and anticipate the needs of your customers will lead to future sales, as you can tailor your services to fit their needs."

If some of your customers are already starting to lose interest, reach out to them. It's never too late to re-establish your relationships with customers. When consumers know you care about them and their opinions they will be more likely to continue showing their support and even advocate the benefits of your company to other consumers.

"Some customers slip through the cracks and are left to forge a relationship with your business on their own. Bring back lost sheep by reaching out to them and finding out why they are no longer buying, and take responsibility for any oversights. Demonstrate that you still value and respect their loyalty. Many customers will stop buying if they don’t hear from you, so show them you’re around to engage with them."

With these strategies, you will demonstrate excellent customer service and encourage loyalty to your brand. Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools and with happy customers you can use it to your advantage. How do you maintain your customer base?

How 'Presenteeism' Affects Productivity

Essentially, 'presenteeism' is the opposite of absenteeism. Instead of not coming to work, employees show up at work while they are sick and not functioning at their full potential. Even though they are physically present, they might as well be absent because they are unable to work efficiently.

Attempting to work while sick reduces productivity and can be costly for the company. Some estimates claim U.S. businesses lose between $150 and $250 billion each year due to presenteeism. There are several things you can do to increase productivity at your company and keep employees from coming to work while under the weather. One way is to change the corporate culture. You can do this by encouraging sick employees to stay home.

(Curated from Pittsburgh Business Times)

"Corporate culture and management style have a big impact on employee behavior. In some organizations, employees who work when they are sick are viewed as dedicated and loyal to the company. In other cases, employees may avoid taking time off because they are concerned about workloads, overburdening coworkers or even losing their jobs. Supervisors unknowingly encourage presenteeism when they praise employees who come into the office sick or discourage staff from missing work for any reason.”

You can also establish wellness programs to prevent presenteeism. By creating a program focused on the health of your employees, they will know you care about their well-being. This will create a healthy, productive corporate culture and encourage workers to lead a healthy lifestyle, which will result in less sick days.

“Healthier employees not only lead to enhanced productivity, including fewer sick days, but also become a more engaged workforce. Establishing an employee wellness program may help workers focus on their health, which can lead to the prevention of serious illnesses and other conditions that impact productivity. Programs promoting exercise, good nutrition, health assessments, counseling services or free flu shots can pay for themselves by boosting productivity and reducing company health care costs over time.”

Providing a safe environment for your workers to take off time when needed is essential to productivity. No one can work at full capacity while feeling unwell or stressing about their sick child at home. How does your company handle presenteeism?

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What You Need To Know Before Buying A Company

Buying and selling businesses is not something you do without significant forethought and planning. Adding another business to your company can be extremely beneficial and allow you to grow your business quickly. Before you merge two businesses, whether they’re startups or large corporations, there are several things you should consider.

If you’re considering buying a company, study their financial situation thoroughly first. Buying a business is similar to making an investment so you want to make sure your investment will be financially beneficial in the future.

(Curated from Tech.Co)

“Accounting policies can be the difference between a company that looks financially viable upon paper, and a business that is in reality sinking without hope of salvation. So be sure to consider the company’s accounting policies upon: revenue recognition, accounts receivable and inventory detailing.”

Another important thing to consider before buying another business is whether your purchase will include intellectual property. For example, if the company being sold has copyrighted products or information, you should consider that a beneficial asset.

“Technological or intellectual property can be of significant worth within an acquisition and is important for the integrity of due diligence according to Aperio-Intelligence so ask:

• Does the company have either domestic or foreign patents?
• Does the company own any copyrighted products, materials or trademarks? And do they all belong solely to the company?
• Conversely you should ask whether the company is infringing on another’s intellectual property, and whether there may be litigation on the horizon.”

Two other aspects of business you should keep in mind before buying are debts and contracts. A business with significant debt might not be a good investment. You should also take any standing commitments the company has made into account. Employee contracts or supplier contracts could benefit you in the future or become a financial burden. Essentially, before you buy or sell a business make sure you do your homework. You want to make sure that you’re doing the right thing for yourself, your coworkers and your company.

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How To Generate Interest In Your Startup

Getting customers interested in your startup’s service or product is essential in more ways than one. Not only are customers necessary for business but they are also a great source for feedback. Many startup companies develop their ideas with the help and suggestions of their first customers. So, how do you get these vital customers interested? There are several methods you can try to generate buzz for your startup.

One method includes special discounts and a waiting list. Creating a waiting list and giving people a reason to sign up for your product will make consumers feel special, like they are the only ones you’re marketing to.

(Curated from Tech.Co)

“This tip works particularly well with mobile apps and innovative online services. Gauge up the buzz and attract early adopters anxious to try something new. Offer incentives and special perks for users to sign up early, such as a free membership plan for a month or special discounts.”

If you want to generate some online buzz for your startup, post original, creative content on your website or blog. People love visuals, so infographics are effective when developing a marketing strategy.

“Infographics kept bringing traffic to us like clockwork,” – says Anand Srinivasan, CEO at LeadJoint, “You need a good, evergreen idea, preferably the one explaining a complicated concept or process in a simple visually appealing way or some lesser-known fun data to generate the first wave of interest. Outreach to bloggers asking them if they would like to have a look at your visual. That’s essential. Do ask them to share or post your infographic straight away. Afterwards, if they feel interested offer to write a unique 200 words intro to go along with the image. Chances of successful placement rise drastically.”

Local events and a strong online presence go a long way in acquiring new customers. From infographics and waiting lists to networking on LinkedIn, there are several ways you can generate interest in your startup. What do you think is the most effective strategy for building a customer base?

How To Give Your Startup An Edge

Launching a successful startup is one of the most challenging tasks in the business world. Entrepreneurs face numerous obstacles and if you’re not prepared properly or lack the right skills, the process becomes even more difficult. But there are a few things you can do to give yourself an edge over the competition such as going beyond your product. If you make your product or service more than just a name it will draw more customers.

(Curated from Tech.Co)

“Try to position your business around an idea or movement that goes beyond the products you sell. Disney’s brand, for example, is “where dreams come true”. That brand image is broader than simply movies and amusement parks. Subway has positioned their company as a weight loss program. This branding goes beyond their food.”

You can also find success by becoming an expert in your field. With enough expertise, you won’t have to chase customers, they will come to you. Another great way to find more customers is by personal referrals. If you can find one customer or client to trust in you and your company, they will be more likely to share the benefits of your ideas with their friends.

“The easier way to find a new customer is when an existing client tells a friend about you. That can happen when customers become fans of your work. By delivering a great product and good customer service, you can start getting word of mouth referrals to your business.”

One of the best ways to help your company succeed is to hire the right people. Not only should you make sure that you hire qualified people, but also people who will fit in with your company and your brand.

“The team you hire can have a big impact on your company’s success. Forbes explains that good employees are interested in your business’s culture. Many workers are also drawn to positions that allow them to work remotely. Keep these points in mind as you look for talented people.”

As you work towards launching your startup company, the biggest advantage you can have is to set yourself apart from the competition. If you stand out among in the crowd, you are more likely to find success. How are you giving your startup an edge?