Integrate Reviews to Your Website to Increase your Conversion Rate

Branding and brand image is important but the ultimate goal of any ecommerce website is to gain more targeted organic traffic that they can convert in to paying customers. No matter what your website is, this is what you are looking for at the end of the day.

But, getting conversions and sales using unhealthy tactics will not only help in the short coming but in the longer run it will also affect your brand image which definitely will hurt your overall sales and conversions.

In this post I am going to discuss few ethical ideas that you can use to improve the conversion rate of your ecommerce website at the same time it has several other websites.

  • This will minimize the pressure of customer service team on phone, emails and live chat. When potential customer will get positive reviews they tend to ask fewer questions and feel more comfortable converting.
  • Reviews not only increase conversion rate, they also help you with branding. Which simply means more reviews means better brand image.

1. Getting Feedback

When user land on your website for the first time, he moves around just to establish the fact that you are credible and trust-able business within the niche. There are tons of ways you can do that and one of the important ways is by integrating reviews section on the product pages.

Remember, if you are a credible business you will end up getting more conversions from your website and this is because more than 70% of the customers trust customer reviews. When you show them that there are other people who have already tried the product and are happy about it, chances are they will end up converting in to paying customers.

When a customer leaves a review on the website, they are actually influencing other potential customers buying decision! If the reviews will be good, chances are your conversion rate will improve to a greater extent.

Problem: Most customers usually do not leave review (neither positive nor negative) once they purchase the product from the website.

Solution: This is common but if you send an email asking for feedback of their purchases, you might start getting product based reviews. You can also gamify it by offering some special discount on their next purchase if they leave a review on the product they bought.

2. Facing negative reviews

This is one of the fundamental reasons why most ecommerce website does not integrate customer reviews at the first place. But again, if you integrate it, it will only help you increase your conversion rate.

The next step after integrating the reviews section on the website is to face the bad reviews. Not 100% customers can be happy with you but if you listen to your bad reviews and take appropriate actions accordingly, this will not only increase your conversion rate but will also help you emerge as a human friendly brand.

Reviews will also allow you to alter your featured products as per the need of your audience. If the reviews are positive just move that product to featured product section and if the reviews are bad just remove it from the featured product section and fox the problem accordingly.

Problem: People prefer leaving bad reviews more than good reviews. If they are happy they don’t really leave reviews.

Solution: Again, building relationship with your customer base is the ultimate solution this problem. This can be done by frequently communicating with them. Take example of Verizon wireless here, they tend to communicate with their customers and help them solve their problems via twitter.

3. Reviews and SEO

Customer reviews on product pages not only help you increase your brand value and allow potential customers to convert, they also have a power to push up your rankings in search engine from the relevant keyphrases.

Search Engine love new content, the problem with most product pages is that they are static and do not update on regular bases. By integrating reviews on the product pages, you will see more dynamic content that Google will love and as a result Google give you better visibility in search engines from the targeted key phrases as compare to your competitors.

If your bounce rate for the website will be balanced and below average, chances are you will be able to maintain those position and move forward. Sophie and Trey is a one brand where I worked and managed to reduce their bounce rate to around 25% as a result not only their conversion rate increased but it also help increase their rankings in search engines.

Problem: Even if people leave reviews on product pages, the rate of content updated is very slow.

Solution: We at Workplace Depot help customers about how to use website efficiently from time to time via our blog section. If you do that and include your blog section in your newsletters the rate of reviews will be increased to a good extent.

4. Reviews influences buying decision

I gave a hint about this in the first point. Selling online is tougher because when a purchaser rush in to the store they have more chances and more time to do their research before they actually buy the product.

According to marketing land, 90% of the shoppers agree that their buying decision is influenced by online reviews. This makes pretty much clear that if you integrate online reviews on your website and manage it properly, chances are you will be able to increase your conversion rate just by doing nothing.

Problem: People prefer to leave their experience on other review website but not on the website by itself.

Solution: Having reviews (especially positive) reviews on 3rd party websites is very important and if your customers are doing this, it’s great! Just reach out to them and offer them some discount on their next purchase and politely ask if they can also write their experience on the exact product they bought.

Chances are they will be happy to do that as they are already happy from your customer service.

There are tons of more ideas but if you implement above 4 ideas you will see a good increase in your conversion rate and this will happen without hiring any growth hacker for your website.

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InterTradeIreland: 84% of Companies Across the Island are Stable or Growing

Cross-border economies are growing
The latest InterTradeIreland Business Monitor Report for Quarter three (July – September 2015) shows that the economy is continuing to grow. All sectors are performing well but the professional services sector is taking the lead with 50% of businesses expanding and 95% stable or expanding.

Divergence
The report also revealed that there is now a clear divergence emerging in sales performance and employment numbers between both jurisdictions, with Ireland faring better in both areas. This is not unexpected and reflects structural differences in the two economies that differentiate their ability to take advantage of economic tailwinds.

Although relatively close in the final months of 2012, there is now an 8% difference in businesses increasing sales in the last quarter (Ireland at 41% vs Northern Ireland at 33%) which is also reflected in the number of businesses expanding employment levels with 12% in Ireland and 8% in Northern Ireland.

Capacity in firms high
In total, growth is still being driven by less than half of all firms (42%) with many companies reporting considerable spare capacity and less than one in three (31%) reporting to be working at full capacity.

Evidence of economic improvements
The economic upturn is reflected in the key challenges which businesses now say they are facing. Normal business pressures are now at the fore of issues facing firms with cash flow at 11%, new competition, late payments and internal costs all at 9%. Concerns over energy costs have dropped from 15% this time last year to 6% and business costs in general have decreased though remain significant for the manufacturing sector.

Staff salaries increase
33% of companies report that they plan to increase staff salaries with Northern Ireland (35%) leading the way from Ireland (32%). Large industry is ahead of the pack with 51% of firms of more than 50 employees planning to increase wages and 38% of manufacturing companies following suit.

This bodes well for the introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016. The majority of firms (80%), with the exception of the hospitality industry, are not expecting this to have any negative impact. The hospitality sector continues to feel the strain of energy prices and is concerned about the impact of the Living National Wage next year. However, cash flow issues will need to be addressed before salaries can be raised across the board.

InterTradeIreland’s Business Monitor
InterTradeIreland’s quarterly Business Monitor survey is the largest and most comprehensive business survey on the island and is based on the views of more than 750 business managers across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

It differs from other surveys in that it is seen to be the ‘voice of local businesses’ feeding directly from telephone interviews conducted with a robust sample of firms of all sizes across a range of sectors to track all-island economic indicators such as sales, employment, business outlook and other specific topical research areas on a quarter by quarter basis.

Further information
For more information on InterTradeIreland and their business support programmes, please visit www.intertradeireland.com . A copy of the 2015 Q3 InterTradeIreland Business Monitor Executive Summary can be viewed at: www.intertradeireland.com/researchandpublications/business_monitor/

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In The Beginning: Blog Topics and Tips for Small Business Owners

Let’s say that you’re a small business owner and you just started a blog because you heard how incredibly helpful they can be in building your brand and raising awareness for your business. Now that it’s up and running, you’ve encountered an issue…

You’re Not sure How or What to Blog. Read on for blog topics and tips…

We’ve all been there, which is why today we’re going to discuss some key blog topics and tips that will help you solidify your business’ presence online. Let’s take a look!

Common Blog Topics for Small Businesses

Blogs are huge opportunities for small businesses to expand their reach and market their products. The problem is, you can’t simply provide a stream of advertisements and expect the blog to take off.

To help you build a strong presence of content online, consider these topics as great places to start:

  1. Provide Helpful “How-To” Posts

Blog content should always provide value to the reader. Value is the name of the game, and nothing is more helpful than a “how-to” guide that is relevant to your audience. Take a look at the expertise you have in the field of your business, and use that to create a helpful guide that your customers can use.

  1. Solve a Problem Your Customers Have

Another great way to provide that all-important value to your readers is to solve a common problem that they have. This can be anything from a guide on how to start to start a blog, to a guide on how to use your products to make their life easier.

  1. Promote Your Products and Services

Keep in mind that using your blog to promote products and services is possible, but trying to sell customers on them in a pushy way through the blog won’t go over well. Instead, place the product in your customer’s daily lives. Make it relevant and useful to them in a way that allows you to naturally mention it in a post. Don’t make it the focus of your post, instead make it a side note that fits naturally into the greater whole.

  1. Share News From Your Industry

Credibility is huge when it comes to small business blogs. People need to be able to trust your advice and opinions. By showing them current news stories and speaking authoritatively on topics that interest them, you’re building an image that showcases you as a credible source for information.

  1. Entertain Your Readers

Sometimes readers just need to know that you’re human. The ability to tell a story and captivate your readers is something that every business will need to have in the near future. If people can associate an emotion or story with your brand, then they will connect with it much easier, and remember it in the future.

Blogging Tips for Small Startup Businesses

Now that you have some blog topics to run with, the next step is understanding how to craft the perfect blog posts for your readers. Next up, we’ll take a look at some tips to make your posts stand out from the rest.

  1. Stick to Your Schedule

Once you’ve defined your blogging schedule, make sure you don’t deviate from it. Consistency is key in the world of blogging. If you deviate from your usual schedule, readers will look elsewhere for the information they need, and that’s the opposite of what you want.

You don’t need a schedule that takes you away from every other aspect of your business, but whatever you decide, make sure it doesn’t deviate from the plan that you’ve established.

  1. Quality is King

People who read content online are in a hurry. The people who read your blog have busy lives, which is why you should value their time. Ensure that your posts are focused, informative, and represent your brand in a positive light. In addition, be sure to do plenty of proofreading and editing before you post. You don’t need to be an English major to write quality content, but there are some key writing techniques you should be familiar with in order to properly engage your audience.

  1. Length is Important

The length of your posts in terms of word count is important. Not every post needs to be 2,000 words or more, but they all should shoot for a 500 word minimum. In the end, longer posts are better, but you shouldn’t seek to fluff your posts just to create a longer word count. Make sure the content you publish is relevant. Never fluff your posts.

  1. Engage With Your Readers

When you finish writing a post, invite your readers to comment and share their thoughts. When that’s done, make sure you respond to them in kind. If they have questions, concerns, or feedback, then respond to them in the comments and let them know you’re reading what they say.

Approach these situations like you would if someone walked into your office. Treat them with respect and offer honest and thorough answers.

  1. Use Social Media

Your readers are most likely present on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. Anytime you post something, be sure to promote it through these platforms by creating profiles for your business that you can use to reach additional readers and bring them to your blog and ultimately to your brand.

Final Thoughts

Small businesses can reap huge rewards by starting a blog and using it to leverage their presence on social media, and bring new customers into the fold. Using these topics and tips, small business owners can bring their brand to new prospects in a big way. What tips would you offer new businesses starting a blog? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The New Era of Digital Marketing: 4 Trends Small Businesses Can’t Ignore

The majority of your customers spend up to 3 hours online each day. Searching, posting, updating, watching and reading. They are bombarded with marketing messages, to the degree that they quickly become immune to tactics that just a short while ago were touted as the “next big thing” to revolutionize your digital marketing strategy.

As a small business you have to be smart about which trends you seize upon and which ideas you rule out as not being the best fit for your goals, audience and budget.

Here are four digital marketing trends that aren’t going away any time soon, and are absolutely essential for you to consider as you plan for the future.

Digital Marketing and Mobile Optimzation

You’d have to be an ostrich with your head stuck pretty deep in the sand to be oblivious to how much mobile phones and tablets have infiltrated our daily lives. Yet many businesses haven’t fully considered what that means for their marketing.

You don’t have to take the full leap to creating your own app, or even launch a wide scale mobile ad campaign, but you do have to think about how visitors experience your website on a mobile device.

As well as ensuring that visitors using a mobile device to access your site stay longer and can find what they are looking for, making your site mobile ready is critical for search engine optimization.

Many small businesses suffered catastrophic drops in search engine traffic after Google’s algorithm update in April, which added a website’s mobile readiness to their ranking factors. If you were lucky enough to escape “mobilegeddon”, consider it a lucky reprieve and don’t delay in making sure your website looks great on all types of mobile devices.

Content Marketing

You have probably heard the phrase: Content is King. But what exactly does that mean? And how can you make sure your content is helping your small business grow?

Today’s internet users consume content at a startling rate. Hundreds of articles, videos and blog posts flood our inbox and social media streams and the average person spends two hours a day consuming content online.

Content can be shared, bookmarked and interacted with in ways that few other marketing channels can be.

In general, try to create content which is:

  • Valuable. Ask yourself what your content offers the reader.
  • Visually appealing. Make your content more engaging with images, videos and infographics.
  • Crafted with SEO best practices in mind. Decide what keyword your content should target and optimize it carefully.
  • Easily shared. Place social sharing buttons in the content and use a catchy, descriptive title that will entice people to click through to read the content.

Cybersecurity

Headline security breaches can cost big businesses millions, but it’s not just major brands that are at risk. Over 30,000 SME websites are hacked every day. Small businesses are often more likely to suffer a data breach or website hack due to having weaker security systems in place. When we think of hacking incidents we tend to think of individuals looking to steal or expose information. However, your website can also be hijacked or injected with malicious code that serves unwanted ads, redirects visitors to other pages, locks you out of the admin area and generally wreaks havoc with your site’s stability.

Of course, theft of information is a strong motivator for hackers, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t have anything worth stealing!

If your website stores intellectual property, contracts, orders or customer information it is your responsibility to protect it.

Look into steps you can take to strengthen your defenses such as SSL certificates, two-factor log in authentication and third party monitoring/response services such as Sucuri.

An Ever-Shrinking Attention Span

It’s not just screen sizes that are shrinking- our attention span is dwindling too. While there is little you can do to combat human nature, it’s vital that your marketing efforts acknowledge and adapt to the fleeting window of opportunity you have to capture someone’s interest.

Make sure your title is catchy and interesting. Keep important information up front and centre, but include a great “hook” to encourage them to read more.

Include great visuals such as videos or infographics. Visually represented information is digested by the human brain at a much faster rate than the written word, so it is a great shortcut to getting your point across.

Make sure that your call to action, whether it is a link, a button or a form are prominent and clear.

While we are on the topic of forms, keep those short and sweet. The percentage of people who will complete it decreases with every field that you add.

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Shared Leadership for Personal and Collective Growth

There are few successful bodies that operate as a total hierarchy – with one single leader. We lead with others, in partnerships or managing teams, and these dynamics affect the way we lead, for better or for worse.

As shared leadership gains a bigger role in institutions, the need for improved co-leadership skills becomes greater for both businesses and individuals. As Michael D. Kokolowski explains in his study of the emergence of shared leadership in the present day, more and more, businesses are operating with teams of interactive minds who influence one another in their decision-making. He highlights three components of shared leadership that form a team environment: shared purpose, social support, and voice.

Cohesive Teams

Sharing a vision is always the first step toward building a successful, cohesive team. A stampede of wild animals is powerful; a school of fish is beautiful. A collective of individuals running toward different targets is just chaos. Shared purpose is the magnet that helps groups maintain strength and direction when day-to-day operations take their toll on team togetherness. By sharing a vision and dividing roles and responsibilities among leaders, goals become less obscure and more obtainable. Fewer toes are stepped on, and more eyes are set on a single prize. When individual roles and a common purpose are clear, personal achievements become group successes.

A culture of support in the workplace is a crucial dimension of successful shared leadership. Empowering team players to act, to work together, to lead together – must be paired with a support system that fosters trust and teamwork. Social support is the safety net that gives team players the courage to act upon the empowerment that shared leadership creates, allowing for a sustainable shared leadership dynamic.

Praise and Taking Responsibility

Leaders can foster such social support in the workplace by allocating praise to team players and taking responsibility for failures, offering support to fellow leaders in addressing problems and solutions. Working together to identify opportunities for growth—and supporting one another in developing strategies to take advantage of such opportunities—develops mutual trust among team members and empowers co-leaders to reach higher potentials.

Voice might be the single-most important dimension of a successful team. Shared leadership is useless if in practice, one leader’s perspective drowns out the rest. For businesses to reap the benefits of co-leadership, each leader must be encouraged to speak, and provided with a platform of listeners. Such a platform can only be built by a group of co-leaders who value the voice as a tool for individual contribution and self-expression. The voice, as a translator of inner qualities and dedication, should be understood as such and treated with support and respect.

Organisational partnerships have great potential to forge products and outcomes that are innovative, unique and lasting. By investing in these partnerships through business leadership training sessions that value shared leadership as an effective means for group progress, co-leaders can take their teams to new heights, both personally and collectively.

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Growing Fast but Smart: 6 Hiring Tips for Small Business Owners

If you were the head of a large enterprise, hiring new staff would probably less of a headache. You would have staff who is well-versed in employment law, recruiting practices, researching candidates, and conducting interviews. These staff members would be able to quickly review all CV, conduct phone screens, and even first interviews. Your role would be to conduct final interviewers, or even to step out of the process entirely, leaving the final hiring decisions to department managers. Unfortunately, as a small business owner, these duties fall solely in your lap.

6 Hiring Tips for Small Business Owners

Things can be especially overwhelming if you are hiring your first employee, or first set of employees. Fortunately, there are a few tips that you can use when you first begin to navigate the hiring process. Hopefully this will make things a bit less daunting.

  1. Prepare a Set of Appropriate and Relevant Interview Questions

It may be tempting to keep things informal by conducting interviews as a casual, conversational, getting to know you session, but this is only asking for trouble. It’s too easy to miss key points if you do not have a list of questions that you plan to ask.

In addition to this, writing out your questions before hand gives you a chance to make sure that you are not asking anything that could get you into trouble. If an interview happens to go too far off topic, you can also use your list of questions to get both yourself and your interviewee back on track.

  1. Re-Read the CV of Any Client You Have Called Back for a Second or Third Interview

You may interview more than a dozen possible hires before you create your short list of callbacks. There’s no possible way to keep track of the relevant information about each of them.

Before you a carry out a second or third interview, take a few minutes to remind yourself of each person’s education, experience, and skills by reading over their resume one last time. You’ll be better prepared and you won’t risk embarrassing yourself by asking irrelevant questions.

  1. Follow Up with All Interviewees

As a matter of personal courtesy, be sure to follow up with everybody that you interviewed, even if it is to express your regrets. Even if they aren’t getting the job, the folks you interviewed will appreciate any feedback that you give them, and simply knowing that they can continue their job search.

If you develop a reputation as an employer who does not let interviewee know that they are no longer being considered, you will likely lose word of mouth references that can be so important when filling new positions.

  1. Value Your Gut Instincts

Hiring a new employee is more involved than simply matching skills, education, and experience with your requirements. You want to hire a person who fits into your little organization and is trustworthy and reliable. You want to work with somebody who is going to thrive in your work environment, get along with others, and demonstrate the passion and hard work that is required when working for a small business.

If you suspect that a potential employee won’t fit into your team, the best thing you can do for all involved is to move on to a candidate is a better fit.

  1. Use Networking in Addition to Posting Positions for Hire

Get word out to your online and offline contacts that you are hiring. You may be very surprised at how quickly candidates come your way via referrals from friends and business contacts. Don’t be afraid to mention that you have openings on social media pages either.

The more avenues you take when reaching out to new hires, the more likely you will be to fill any openings quickly. In fact, many younger job seekers will look for jobs via social media sites more often than they will traditional job sites.

  1. Be Clear and Detailed in Your Job Postings

If you have requirements about which you have no flexibility, make this clear when you write the post advertising your job. In addition to this, if you have specific instructions about how you wish to be contacted, or the format in which you would like to receive the job seekers’ CV, this should also be explicitly stated in the job posting.

Keep in mind that the more clear you are, the less likely you will have to spend time sifting through applicants of candidates who do not meet your requirements. Before you send your job posting off to be published, read it over and over from the perspective of a job seeker. Then, ask yourself if more clarity is in order. If you have a friend or acquaintance that is familiar with all of this, you might see if they will take a look at your job posting for you.

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[Event] An Post’s Grow My Business 2015 – Dublin & Cork!

An Post’s Grow My Business 2015 event is taking place again this year in both Dublin and Cork, tickets are reduced to €30 until the 31st of October, after that date they are €39.

Why Attend An Post’s Grow My Business 2015 #GrowMyBusiness

With the commemorations of 1916 just a few short months away, we’re reminded of how surviving and thriving are part of our DNA. And nowhere is it more evident than with businesses, just like yours, who’ve fought their way through the recession and come out the other side.That’s why, as the global economy recovers, this year’s Grow My Business conference from An Post is an unmissable event, bursting with invaluable advice and practical ideas for your business as it enters into a new chapter of opportunity. With four of Ireland’s top business and marketing experts lined up to divulge their most innovative techniques that guarantee to capitalise on every facet of your business, you’ll be geared up for sustainable, strategic and smart growth right into 2016 and beyond.

Dublin

WHEN: Tuesday, 10th Nov 2015
TIME: 7.30AM – 12.30PM
WHERE: Croke Park, Dublin 3

Cork

WHEN: Thursday, 12th Nov 2015
TIME: 7.30AM-12.30PM
WHERE:  Radisson Blu, Cork

Tickets: €39* Each OR 2 for €60 (**Includes breakfast, refreshments and free parking)

Learn from the experts, who’ll help your business grow:

GARY BROWN:

Chairman of ad agency Target McConnell’s, Gary is one of the country’s top marketing experts. With his unique ability to understand the challenges faced by Irish business owners, Gary will offer practical tips and new perspectives on how to grow customer numbers.

ENDA MCNULTY:

Motivational Speaker to the 2015 Ireland Rugby Team, Enda will be coming fresh from the Ireland rugby team camp where he was tasked with keeping the minds focused of the Irish 2015 RWC squad. He’ll be providing the skills needed to keep you motivated when it comes to tackling the opportunities of 2016.

JOHN CONCANNON:

Head of Ireland 2016 – John will reveal the plans for Ireland in the coming year, and explain how the increase in tourism will impact Irish business owners, in particular by identifying the locations and likely spending habits of visitors next year.

ELVERYS SPORTS:

Elverys will give an insight into shopper behaviour. Looking in particular at spend, they will discuss their views on whether, after years of value brand domination, is there is a return to premium? They will also look into online shopping trends on elverys.ie and discuss the best approach to selling online.

COLLETTE FITZPATRICK:

As news anchor and presenter on TV3, Colette is no stranger to taking the lead. The Tipperary native will be doing just that at Grow My Business 2015 as she acts as your MC for the day for the second year in a row.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us:

01 – 7057494
post.media@anpost.ie
@PostMedia_Irl
www.anpost.ie/growmybusiness

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Are You Doomed to Fail?

On the 5th of November Alan Jordan and Ron Immink will go on stage and deliver the log awaited Bookbuzz MBA in a day.

You can still book here.

The Network Always Wins

At Bookbuzz we are huge fans of Peter Hinssen. “The new normal” was one of our anchor books for quite a while.

We have been looking forward to his second book and it does not disappoint. It will become another anchor books in our stable when we work with clients.

VUCA

It touches on a 3 core topics that our clients are struggling with; VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), innovation and organisational structures.

Are you doomed to fail?

We can safely say that some of the largest corporations are totally clueless about where to go next, suffer from horrible internal politics and inert boardroom cultures, and have given up the hope of transforming their bureaucracies. Companies are no longer smart enough, fast enough, or innovative enough to survive on their own.

New Normal

In “New Normal”, Hinssen talked about how digital will transform everything. That ship has now sailed. The consequence of digital is that everything gets connected. Which means that everything is networked. Once everything is networked, a lot of things happen. Everything goes faster and network dynamics come into play. Which brings you into the realm of complex adaptive systems.

Networks make things complex (and faster)

Information, intelligence and innovation flow fast through networks.The dynamics in the era of networks seem to be very close to the world of complex adaptive systems structures and organisms found in nature. The key to understanding complex adaptive networks is to focus on understanding the nature of the connections, the strength of the relationships, and the intensity of the information flow in a network.

  • Complex systems don’t have a master plan—they evolve, they emerge
  • Complex systems are built on connectivity.
  • Complexity arises from the interrelationship, interaction, and interconnectivity of all the elements within a system and between a system and its environment.R
  • Complex systems evolve in coevolution.
  • A complex system exists within an environment, but it is part of that environment.
  • Complex systems are not perfect. They are suboptimal.
  • A complex adaptive system does not have to be perfect in order to thrive within its environment.
  • Complex systems are not designed for optimal efficiency, but are based on the concept of perfect enough.
  • Complex systems favour variety and diversity. The greater the amount of variety and diversity within the system, the stronger that system can become.
  • Complex systems are self-organising. There is no hierarchy of command and control in a complex adaptive system.
  • Complex systems evolve on the edge of chaos.

Culture is too slow

A while ago we wrote a post, talking about culture being too slow and that organisational structure is the key to success. Hinssen brings it a lot further then that. You need to become fluid. Fluid strategy, fluid people, fluid organisation. Using network dynamics, the theory of relativity, adaptive and complex system theory, biology, cities, religion (Shiva), Schumpeter (creative destruction), silicon valley, start ups, Taleb (anti-fragile) and entropy.

Become fluid

The key message; the static structures of today will have to be reinvented for the age of fluidity. To deal with VUCA we will have to learn the aerodynamics of the era of networks, and understand how to build organisations that can thrive in a world that speeds up. Companies will have to get in touch with their inner innovation networks, understand how to turn them into fluidity, and avoid becoming rigid corporate structures. If your market is a network, you need to become a network. A fluid, networked, flat, agile organisation.

Anchor book

The reason it will become a Bookbuzz anchor book in our sessions with clients, is because it touched on so many books we have covered:

Generation N

He classifies the millennial not as generation Einstein, Y, E, Z or G (=gaming, those for whom the world is too slow), but generation N. The networked generation.

So what do you need to do?

Network

If your markets are turning into networks, your organisation needs to turn into a network. The hierarchical network is the least important network. In a world of six degrees of separation, nobody care about your title, they care about what you do.

Vacine

You need to apply VACINE

  • velocity
  • agility
  • creativity
  • innovation
  • network
  • experimentation

You need to fail forward

Failure is a manifestation of learning and exploration. If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: you are being driven by the desire to avoid it. And, for leaders especially, this strategy—trying to avoid failure by outthinking it—dooms you to fail. It makes you rigid and that is business suicide.

You need to stay at the edge of chaos

For example, Netflix deliberately and “unexpectedly” sabotages its own systems with the Chaos Monkey algorithm, which kills processes randomly. It haphazardly disables production instances to make sure that they can survive common types of failure without any customer impact. So, by being constantly under fire, its processes grow stronger. And the more frequently failure occurs, the more the organisation learns.

You need to know the the clock speed of your company

The phrase “Here today, gone tomorrow” has been replaced by “ Here today, gone today. There is an accelerating external clock. So he asks the key question. “What is the internal clock speed of your company?” How fast does it cope with change? Inside your organisation, how quickly does an idea evolve from a brainstorm into a marketable service or product? Internal clock speed itself is irrelevant nowadays. All that matters is whether you’re moving faster than your market: Is your internal clock outpacing the external clock?

You have to find your hidden innovation network

The first thing most large companies will have to do is to rediscover their hidden innovation network and unlock its potential. Industrial Age structures, mechanisms, and strategies aren’t helping them win the hearts and minds of networked workers and customers.

You need to unfreeze your own thinking first

For anyone in a large corporation, in an Industrial Age construct, we wish you all the best in unfreezing your company, your structures, and, perhaps most important, your own thinking. Bookbuzz can help you do that.

Bookbuzz MBA in day

We will be covering this book at the upcoming Bookbuzz MBA in a day. Your opportunity to get a full overview of the latest business thinking from hundreds of the latest business books. Book here.

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Personal and Professional Insights from Business Women Leaders

As part of our “Inspiring your Success” series of events, the Business Women Can Dublin Ambassadors held a very successful morning event in association with Mason Hayes & Curran, Solicitors at their offices on Barrow Street. It was an early start for all but we were rewarded by the view of the beautiful sunrise which was in full view from the meeting area where there was much networking going on among the c.100 guests in attendance.

The event was organised by Tracy o’Sullivan, Maria Norris & Claire Kennedy, all Ulster Bank Business Women Can Ambassadors who worked closely with representatives from Mason Hayes & Curran co-hosts of the event.

The Speakers

There was a panel discussion facilitated by Jennifer Hughes, Head of Commercial Planning & Service Delivery in Corporate Banking and a BWC Ambassador also. There was a panel discussion made up of 3 speakers who gave their insights on the topic, “Transitioning through Change”, from their own experiences in their respective careers.

Frances Kavanagh, Board Member of the Irish Sports Council and Senior Director of Sport with Special Olympics Ireland and also served as Director of Sport and Competition for the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

Frances started out her career as a teacher and coach and in later years progressed to her current position where she has seen many changes over the years in the organisation.

Their business like many in recent years had to make some tough decisions and implemented a restructure of their business resulting in job losses and reorganisation of divisions. Their focus at all times was delivering best results for the Athletes who are at the forefront of what they do.

Maeve McMahon was recently appointed as Ulster Bank’s first Director of Customer Experience and Products. She is tasked with developing customer focussed products as well as the underpinning customer strategy and insight , marketing and customer interaction programmes. Maeve sits on the CEO’s Executive Committee of Ulster Bank.

Maeve is no stranger to change having lived and worked in 6 different countries. She also worked with 11 different line managers in an 8 year period in former roles.

Emer Gilvarry is Chairperson of Mason Hayes & Curran and a partner in their Litigation Team. Her practice primarily involves dispute resolution. Emer specialises in project management and acts as a legal advisor to corporates and boards with a particular emphasis on governance issues as well as providing corporate compliance and due diligence support where needed.

Emer was promoted to Managing Partner in the firm on the 1st April 2008, and was thrown in very quickly to a role very involved in managing change in the firm and making tough decisions.

Key Quotes

Some important Nuggets and quotes from the speakers :-

Frances Kavanagh
“ highlighted the importance of making people feel valued , effective communication to allay fears, transparency and being open and honest with people when delivering hard messages. Good team working is paramount and the Athletes are at the core of what they want to achieve.”

Maeve McMahon
“Try new things. Maeve’s motto is “If you don’t try new things you won’t know the outcome and you may have missed out on something great”.

“The bank that gets to the bottom of what the customer needs and delivers on this will be the Bank that succeeds “.

“Communication, Vision and immobilising people for success is important.”

Emer Gilvarry
“importance of Ethical Intelligence in the workplace, reputation and trust – important attributes for any organisation.”

“How you make people feel through your interaction with them is very important”

“Leadership is about hiring people that are much better than you”

Quoted WB Yates
“Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.”

After the discussions there was time for Q&A and more time or networking. There was a great energy in the room afterwards and from the feedback from guests this was a very enjoyable and thought provoking event.

So if you would like to receive information on future Business Women Can events such as this one, please drop an email with your details to businesswomencan@ulsterbank.com and we would love to hear from you. We would also welcome ideas on topics you would like us to cover for future events.

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5 Effective Ways To Promote Your Home Business

For those who have made the leap into self employment, and are starting a business from home, it can be scary to know where to start. Even if you have been working at home for a while, and your business is more developed, you will still need to promote it to stay on top of your game. Promoting your home based business may seem like an overwhelming task, especially if you are working completely alone, however there are many ways you can effectively, and often simply, promote yourself and your business. We share out top 5 promotional secrets for success:

Start a blog

1. The best way of promoting your business to potential customers is to get up front and personal. Sharing your thoughts, opinions, tips, or news through blog content is the perfect way to get started. All you need is a good host, some solid tips and advice, and a unique approach to your content.

Social Media

2. Now that mobile media time is greater than desktop, using free mobile based tools like social media is a great way to reach customers. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others, are the perfect platform for sending your message to the busy butterflies this world has become. Being a social butterfly can certainly pay off in the business world. With the potential of reaching out to millions of users across the globe, social media is a no brainer.

Local Marketing

3. Local marketing is even more important now that search engines have become more advanced. Whether online off offline, it’s crucial to be advertising yourself where your customers want to find you. If you have a website, that means having your NAP (name, address, phone number) details clearly displayed and your business added to popular local directories, such as Yelp and Google Places. If you’re promoting yourself offline, you will want to take a similar approach, placing adverts in local establishments with clear contact details, and passing out business cards and flyers left right and center. Fastprint are perfect if you’re looking for quality custom leaflet flyers at low prices.

Join Local Network

4. Get involved in some local network marketing and advertising. Being famous isn’t just for celebrities and musicians. Network with local newspapers, news stations, magazines and blogs to start your journey to fame. Networking in the right circles can open up many doors, especially if you are available to offer something relevant and interesting in return. Another great way of networking is by exhibiting at trade shows and events. Just make sure you have an eye-catching exhibition stand design to attract potential contacts.

Freebie

5. Everyone loves a freebie. If your business is product based, then offering giveaways and promotions online is a great way of promoting your business. It’s also a great way of enhancing your social media engagement and reach, which will subsequently result in more people becoming aware of your products or services. Offering samples is another great way of promoting your products. Reach out to some influential bloggers or journalists in your area or niche, and offer sample products to test. Not only are you generating more awareness for your business, but you may also get a mention or some press of the back of it. Win win.

There are plenty of ways that you can promote your home business, and these are only just a few. It is not an easy task making ends meet through self-employment, but there is a good chance that if you follow the advice from this article, and use it to inspire you to try out other ways of promoting your business, you can succeed.

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