The Growing Importance of Social Media

We decided to focus on social media for our first newsletter of 2010, because we are interested in the effect that it has had, and will continue to have, on businesses.  Social networking is changing the way find and meet people, and develop relationships.  Networking has never been more important, or more beneficial to a business. 

Networking is many things to many people, and your own networking efforts will vary.  From your own point of view, you could be using social networking or face-to-face networking.  You could be building business to customer relationships, business to supplier relationships, or business to business relationships.  You can even build a network comprised of people or businesses you will want to work with in the future.  Whatever your goals and priorities are, you should definitely find a bit of time to network in some way each week.

Technology has broken down geographical barriers that have once prevented people from connecting.  There has never been a time where you could contact so many people in a personal manner at once.  The growth of social networks have allowed people to connect across borders.  Some recent statistics for LinkedIn alone show that more than 20 million business users are registered, more than 150,000 managers and executives log in everyday, and more than 200 industries from around the globe are represented.  Additionally, statistics show that when connecting via LinkedIn, you have 30 times more chances of getting a response compared to old school methods like direct mail or phone.

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Finding Clients: Even Great Work Doesn't Sell Itself

Why it is important: What happens when your business brings an innovative product to market and no one purchases it?  Read this article to learn some tips to develop networking skills and strategies to increase sales.

Today marks an age where companies are no longer able to sit idly by, hoping clients will find them. It is extremely important and necessary for businesses, especially smaller ones, to market and network, resulting in the shared knowledge of their name within its marketplace. This article provides business owners with a list of steps and recommendations focused on increasing their companies' sales.  

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Deepen Your Networks

Why it is important: In this article, social media expert Chris Brogan gives some tips on how you can deepen your network and reinforce relationships with your contacts.

This article discusses the importance of deepening one's networks, rather than trying to meet numerous amounts of people on a very superficial level. Also included are a list of tips on how an individual is able to achieve this. Only after forming concrete business relations by connecting with people on a deeper level, is one able to partake in successful networking opportunities. 

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A Better Decade for Business is Coming

Why it is important: Start the new year out on an optimistic note.  You have the opportunity to steer your company into a positive direction in the new decade.  

2009 marked a year of setbacks and scandals, as well as the lost of faith and trust in many businesses. For this reason, it is now more important than ever for company leaders to start 2010 off with a renewed sense of what business entails and the positive effects that it brings about. This article sites several tips that business leaders should follow in order to ensure a successful business year in 2010 as well as how to improve the public's overall perception of what business has become. 

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The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration

Why it is important: Thinking about integrating social media into your business?  Read this article to learn what to expect.

A business's total integration into social media often occurs in many stages. This article explains the 10 most common stages that a company faces as it makes its way into complete social media integration.

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What the Industry Wants

Why it is important: In this blog post, Seth Godin asks readers to focus on the industry, not the customers.  Has your business focused on this idea?

When involved in business and various transactions it is very easy, but potentially dangerous, for a company to focus solely on what the consumer may prefer rather than the industry. The author asks his readers to keep this point in mind when considering his or her own business, because an industry is much less likely to help a company who doesn't consider the industry as an important factor in decisions. 

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Networking Reconsidered

Why it is important: Social networking has changed traditional business networking forever.  Now, there are new ways to participate in knowledge flows and the exchange of tacit knowledge.  Read this article to learn new techniques and strategies to use when networking.

A new, revitalized form of social networking has become an extremely important player on both the individual and institutional levels of today's business world. In order for an individual to successfully take part in this realm, he or she must participate in knowledge flows and the sharing of tacit knowledge.  The focus has been removed from who you know, and now concentrates on two-way learning. Only when this is accomplished can functional, long-term business relations take place.

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4 Ways to Develop Trust in Your Prospects

Why it is important: Trust is important for every business.  Unfortunately, it is not the easiest thing to develop, especially between your company and its prospects.  Read this article to learn 4 ways to build confidence and trust in you and your business.

Trust is a crucial component when developing a business and only after it has been established can successful business relations take place, enabling a company to thrive. This article includes four guaranteed tips in which a business is able to promote trust within their clientele. Such tips include: provide relevant information to prospects, offer useful low end products, don't always have the profit mentality, and have genuine concern for the prospect.

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Technology Changing Consumer, Retailer Habits

Why it is important: According to this article, "In every market, every age group and every retail segment we studied, from groceries to home merchandise to specialty clothing, we discovered pervasive use of technology among consumers."  Does your business realize this?

Due to the combination of the increase of technology and the downturn of the economy, the face of global consumerism is rapidly changing. In order to follow suit with the raise in online consumer practices, whether it be to look for a store location, print receipts, see what a store has in stock, or to purchase items, retailers are encouraged to incorporate social networking tools to promote this online experience. These new media forums promote customer participation and suggestions, and enable companies to better satisfy the customer, fulfilling their wants and needs.  

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8 Things to Avoid When Building a Community

Why it is important: A web community is infinitely more complicated than a web presence.  If you are thinking of creating an online community, look at these tips to know what to avoid.

The realm of social media is a valuable field to become a player in. If participated in in an effective manner, a company is able to connect with other site users and form valuable business relationships. However, if social media sites are dealt with in an ineffective manner, immense amounts of damage will ensue. This article discusses eight common mistakes that online businesses should avoid.

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When Your Company Culture Isn't Ready for Social Media

Why it is important: In 2010, more businesses will begin asking how they should use social media.  If you think your business is not ready for social media, read this article to learn how to begin implementing some ideas now.

As we enter a new year, social media is becoming an important tool for businesses to utilize. However, just because its popularity is increasing, does not necessarily mean that all businesses should partake in it. Before integrating social media into your corporation you must ask yourself a few questions to make sure that your business is ready for this leap.  Taking many factors into consideration, this article provides recommendations on how companies are able to slowly integrate social media into their business transactions in a successful manner.

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Ask Our Experts

At IntellaCore we are available to answer any question you may have about the global internet economy.  We assist companies to compete and win in today's globalized, Internet economy.

• Is there something that is stumping you about an international aspect of your current marketplace? 
• Is there an obstacle that is preventing you from expanding your business into new markets? 
• Are you having trouble determining how to use the Internet practically for your business?

Frequently Stated Challenges

• I can't find good, actionable market intelligence to know what is really going on in my marketplace, let alone new markets.
• I need to find a partner in a new market to help me export my product.
• I am trying to find new suppliers to diversify my supply chain or reduce costs.
• My website is not right and is just not executing my business plan for visibility and revenue growth.
• We are overwhelmed trying to manage all of our external distribution, sourcing, and partnering relationships.  The relationships are not achieving the goals we set for them.
• We are not a truly collaborative organization where people are working together, sharing information, and propelling the company forward in the best manner possible.   

Ask us your question by clicking here.

Intelligent World Archives

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IntellaCore is known for bringing the best in class services for companies looking to become globally competitive.  Our VAT services continue this strategy.

Value Added Tax (VAT) and similar sales taxes are charged on most goods and services throughout Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan. In order to encourage trade, this tax can generally be reclaimed by business travelers to these territories.

Unfortunately, many eligible companies do not reclaim this money, even though the sums involved can be quite considerable. In a world where “time is money,” many business people save time and trouble by using a tax reclaim agent. VAT services over 5,000 clients in over 40 countries worldwide from 10 global offices. VAT has the knowledge and experience to successfully reclaim all VAT claims.

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Pathfinder Scorecard

Every company needs to know its “Path to Success” in executing its business plan and reaching its business objectives.  IntellaCore’s Path to Success methodology starts with the Pathfinder Scorecard.

Pathfinder is low risk, high impact, and fast.  It is designed to get past the talking so that business leaders can take action, take one step.  It was developed from our years of international experience and work in technology projects.  To reach good decisions quickly in new relationships, both parties need to make a commitment to execute one task together, and then judge the results.

Pathfinder achieves two outcomes within 3 weeks by taking only 4 hours of leadership time, while IntellaCore performs two weeks of market intelligence research and company analysis.

First, it clarifies the business situation of the company by evaluating and scoring 8 areas of the business from our global, Internet point of view.  It concludes by prioritizing actions to take in order to achieve the stated objectives of leadership.

Secondly, it is a confidence building measure that allows IntellaCore and the business leadership to work together in a quick, low risk, and efficient manner.  This three week period will demonstrate concretely how IntellaCore performs and delivers, and our ability to share a similar perspective with leadership about the future for the business.

The Pathfinder Scorecard evaluates 7 key areas to sustaining your regional business in this global, Internet economy:

• Market Awareness
• Market Strategy
• Product/Service Readiness
• Operational Readiness
• Technology Readiness
• Personnel Readiness
• Collaboration

Click here to learn more about the Pathfinder Scorecard

Top 10 Tips Webinar Series

IntellaCore has launched a webinar series to help small and mid-sized businesses.  Top 10 Tips will be a twice a month series of 45 minute webinars with specific tips on how to compete and to win in today’s marketplace.   Participants can download a whitepaper after the webinar dedicated to the topic of the day.

The next Top Ten Tips webinar will be held on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 2:00 ET. The topic will be Top 10 Tips for Building an Effective Global Competitiveness Plan.

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Top Ten Tips is a series of practical, fact-based webinars using the Path To Success methodology developed at IntellaCore. The webinars are short, hard-hitting, and are always combined with a whitepaper. Each webinar breaks down an important way that a company can increase revenue, reduce costs, and become a sustainable, competitive business.

Top 10 Tips for Building an Effective Global Competitiveness Plan: Global competitiveness is one thing that many companies do not always consider.  Many business leaders are too busy just trying to run the business.  But by focusing efforts on becoming globally competitive, companies can realize new sources of revenue and profitability.

Click here to register. Please enter NEWSLETTER in the Invitation Code text box.

The Top 10 Tips you will learn more about in the webinar are:

1. Analyze your company to know where you stand

2. Set goals for your company's future performance

3. Gather market intelligence

4. Analyze your company's competitors

5. Develop a strategy for market entry

6. Refine your company's marketing message

7. Focus on innovation within your company

8. Find the right people and businesses to partner with

9. Find the right resources for your company

10. Enter the markets and continue to adapt to the ever changing business environment

While there are many international experts or technology experts, we are both. IntellaCore has a unique point of view because we are positioned at the critical crossroad where very few are -- that place where the global economy meets the Internet. Based on decades of experience in both International business and Internet-based activity, Path to Success aligns technology to the business plan, internally transforms the operations of the business, and expands their market presence into new domestic, international, and virtual markets.