| Business news you can use from your Better Business Bureau® |  |
| Trends & Trust |  |  |
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- What the Carnival debacle says about trust
The CEO of Carnival kept a low profile while more than 4,000 passengers and crew members were stranded at sea, writes Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean and professor at the Yale School of Management. This incident, in combination with recent research findings, shows that some leaders need to readjust their approach to build trust, he writes. Successful leaders earn trust by showing empathy, exhibiting courage and making themselves visible. The Huffington Post/The Blog
(2/19)     
- How to gather user feedback about a new product
After developing a new product, you should ask customers about their experiences to gain insights that you can use to improve it, writes Alison Johnston, CEO and co-founder of InstaEDU. You can gather valuable feedback by sending them follow-up e-mails, using analytics services and installing a live chat feature on your website, she writes. TheDailyMuse.com
(2/21)
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- 5 strategies for fast, affordable, effective marketing
A winning small-business marketing strategy doesn't have to eat up time or money, writes Jared Shechtman. He says essential principles involve understanding your target customers and how they are reaching you, assessing the ROI of your efforts and making sure your website presents a modern, savvy face. B2C Marketing Insider
(2/20)
- A better way to think about your target audience
You should think about your customers as individuals rather than as members of demographic groups if you want to create effective marketing messages, writes James Archer, CEO of Forty. He suggests creating a customer persona, giving that persona a name and understanding his or her habits, preferences and motivations. In meetings, he writes, your team would "no longer have to try to hold an abstract customer profile in their heads; they can simply ask, 'What would Sarah think about this?' " Inc. online (free registration)
(2/20)
- Can you accomplish more by working less?
Energy Project CEO Tony Schwartz says we all could get more done at work if we took more strategic breaks, but getting employees to buy into the idea could be tough. Leslie Perlow, a professor at Harvard Business School, suggests setting up a companywide policy for time off and praising employees for following it. Start small, she says, and find an approach you can measure. Fast Company online
(2/20)
- How to stop revolving-door employment
Keeping workers happily engaged on the job is key to keeping them around, and ensuring they have a good relationship with their bosses is the first step, writes James Duval, who heads technology and electronic entertainment at GKBC. Duval also recommends providing enjoyment and challenge on the job, smoothing out office stress and making sure workers' values line up with those of the company. B2C Marketing Insider
(2/20)
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| Funding & Finance | | |
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| BBB in the News | | |
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- Be wary of e-mail tax scam
The IRS doesn't use e-mail to request personal information, but some scammers do, BBB warns. Scammers are sending messages that appear to be from the IRS and that may instruct recipients to click on a link or take some other action. "It may simply allow the people that sent the phishing e-mail the opportunity to get access to your computer," cautioned BBB's Jim Hegarty. RadioIowa.com
(2/21)
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | You can do anything in this world if you are prepared to take the consequences."
--W. Somerset Maugham,
British writer
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| About BBB® |
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For 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses,
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Business Reviews on more than 4 million companies and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities,
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The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella
organization for 115 local, independent BBBs across the United States and Canada, as well as
home to its national programs on dispute resolution and industry self-regulation.
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| | Recent BBB TrustBrief Issues:
- Wednesday, February 20, 2013
- Monday, February 18, 2013
- Friday, February 15, 2013
- Wednesday, February 13, 2013
- Monday, February 11, 2013
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