Blogs

In addition to the procurement fair in Baltimore on November 12 where people interested in doing business with US Government Agencies could meet agency decision makers, on November 10, there is a "reverse trade show" at Martin's West on the west side of Baltimore that facilitates introductions to purchasing people at the state and local government level. Click here for more information:

Are you wanting to start or expand the business you do with government? Inner Circle member Gus Stratakis, CEO of Martin J. Braun, Inc. a mechanical contractor, provided information about an upcoming Small Business Procurement Fair, scheduled for November 12, 2009 in Baltimore. Visit this website for more information.

http://www.allianceforbiz.com/events/registration.php?id=109&THOR=000200...

As business cycles come and go, there is a lead/lag condition. We get used to things as they are-good or bad- and don't really pick up on the signals that things are changing. So, if the many economists who now say that this really bad recession we have experienced is over, what do we do to shake ourselves out of the negative mindset of the past year? Is it time to start hiring? To roll out new products and services? If not now, when? What opportunities do you have in acting sooner than your competitors who may still be lagging?

Thanks to Brian Razzaque, CEO of Vision Multimedia Technologies, LLC, who told attendees at his recent Social Network Marketing seminar about it, there is a tool available now to analyze your website and those of your competitors to see how it compares to the evolving standards of successful sites. Go to WebsiteGrader.com enter your site's URL and those of several of your competitors and then review the report you will get back.

There is no doubt that even though our economy is not healthy, things keep moving and changing rapidly. Successful companies are nimble-they keep up to date with market trends, the economies where they do business and, most importantly, what is in the hearts and minds of their customers and prospects. Formal market research is very important and should be conducted, professionally and regularly. But there are two other tactics to employ to keep getting up to the minute information on customer likes, complaints and desires:

Say what you will, but Social Networking on the web has moved beyond just the social part your kids spend time on to becoming a business growth tool.
There are three members of Inner Circle Mid-Atlantic who are making names for themselves as experts in using the phenomenon of social networking to help grow a business. They have each put together workshops to help the rest of learn how to use these new tools. Below you will find information on each program and a link you can use to register to attend them.

Read this lengthy but very interesting article by a much honored writer (who is also a doctor) that really clarifies the real issues about our current health care system. It is not a political piece (we don't do that here) but a very well written one. It is well worth the time spent in reading it.

This is the second consecutive blog from me on the topic of customer service. The last one talked about good customer service experiences on a recent trip. This one goes to the other extreme as I sit in my daughter's hospital room waiting for her to be discharged after yet another visit. I promise that this is not another rant on our health care system, but here are things I have observed from my daughter's experience.

My two associates and I travelled to Cleveland, OH this past weekend for a meeting with other Inner Circle franchisees and our franchisor, Inner Circle International, LTD. All three of us had the usual flight glitches (albeit handled well by Southwest Airlines) so we arrived late and just a tad grumpy. We were struck immediately by the exceptional customer service we received as soon as we got off the plane: the rental car shuttle bus driver was personable, efficient and very nice, He made sure everyone's luggage was aboard and stowed properly.

Join some of America's top entrepreneurs and executives of mid-market firms along with today's top business authors, headlined by Jim Collins, author of Built to Last and Good to Great, innovators, visionaries, and the editorial team at Fortune Small Business magazine. The goal is to engage in conversations
and tap into the collective intelligence assembled at this year's annual Growth Summit.