| For many businesses, the holidays can be a dreaded, | | | | bonus. Make it more personal than a check (though |
| slow time of year. But it doesn't have to be that way. | | | | checks are great!) by giving them a gift card to a |
| You may feel that slow business at the office and high | | | | store that matches their interests (such as a card for |
| 'busyness' at home are a perfect match, but the | | | | an electronics store for your techie employees or one |
| holidays offer many great opportunities to boost your | | | | for a book store for the readers of the bunch) or let |
| business. Here are only eight smart things you can do | | | | them choose where they'll spend their holiday cash by |
| in the next few weeks to help propel your business | | | | giving them a prepaid Visa or MasterCard gift card. |
| into 2007 with a bang: | | | | |
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| | | | 6. To move into 2007 with high energy, help foster |
| 1. Sponsor a contest around your business. Radio | | | | comaraderie amongst your employees by taking them |
| stations love to give things away for free. If you | | | | away from the office for a good, long lunch or dinner |
| produce an item, publish books, or provide services, | | | | with no 'shop talk' just good, clean fun and fellowship. |
| listen to the radio stations in your city and figure out | | | | |
| which one your customers listen to. Then contact | | | | |
| them about setting up a contest to give something | | | | |
| away...or maybe several somethings. You can do this | | | | 7. Take some of this slow holiday time to try |
| at any time of year, of course, but if there's a way to | | | | something different. This might be a good time to |
| tie your product, book, or service to a holiday theme, | | | | revamp your website, increasing its informational |
| you've got your tie-in. | | | | content (which makes visitors stay longer), finding |
| | | | additional ways to capture email addresses for your |
| | | | list, or optimizing it for the search engines. Take your |
| | | | webmaster out to lunch and put your heads together. |
| 2. Help others and help your business at the same time | | | | |
| by sponsoring a food drive...or book drive...or blanket | | | | |
| drive. Pick a particular shelter or charity to donate the | | | | |
| items to, contact that radio station you identified, and let | | | | 8. Your business may not be the biggest, the most |
| the local papers know about your drive. Don't forget to | | | | profitable, or the widest known, but you have figured |
| let the charity you chose know that good things are | | | | out smart ways to deal with a variety of business |
| coming their way...they may even do some PR on their | | | | problems-from hiring techniques and handling difficult |
| own nickel, spreading your company's name even | | | | personalities to boosting online sales or protecting your |
| farther. | | | | intellectual property. Don't keep all your valuable |
| | | | 'nuggets' of business management gold to yourself-in |
| | | | the spirit of giving, share your success with other |
| | | | businessowners. One way to do that is by visiting and |
| 3. Get your employees involved in a project like | | | | submitting your success story or advice to be used in |
| serving at a soup kitchen at Thanksgiving, or in the | | | | a new book titled "The Smartest Thing I Ever Did (TM) |
| food/book/blanket drive. The larger the group you | | | | ...for My Business" which will be published next year. |
| have involved, the more newsworthy it will be for your | | | | Not only will you help other businessowners who have |
| local papers. | | | | found themselves in the same situations, but you'll |
| | | | receive recognition with a byline and bio (plus you can |
| | | | pick up some free national exposure by including your |
| | | | web address). "Give and you shall receive!" What |
| 4. If business is slow during this time of year, take | | | | could be better?Kathryn Marion is the creator of the |
| advantage of that fact to gather your employees for | | | | new book series due out in 2007 called The Smartest |
| a session to review the past year and set new goals | | | | Thing I Ever Did... (TM) She is seeking contributions of |
| for 2007 (personal, departmental, as well as | | | | success stories and advice for the first six titles: ...as a |
| business-wide). | | | | Parent, ...for My Marriage, ...for My Career, ...with My |
| | | | Money, ...for Myself, and ...for My Business. Visit for |
| | | | complete details and to make contributions online. All |
| | | | contributions published will include a byline and author |
| 5. Was this year a profitable one for you? Don't be | | | | bio (which may include a website and/or email address, |
| stingy. One of the best things you can do with a | | | | giving contributors valuable national exposure). She is |
| portion of your profits is not to buy yourself or your | | | | also the author of Success in the 'Real World', a book |
| spouse a new car with a big red ribbon on the hood, | | | | dedicated to helping graduates succeed in their new |
| but to make an investment in your company by | | | | life in the 'real world' of work and independent living, |
| boosting morale-surprise your best employees with a | | | | which was distributed to almost 1. |