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Why Community Makes Sense
For any business to succeed, we need to establish long-term relationships with our clients by extending exceptional customer service. We need to be
creative and think outside the box to distinguish ourselves from the crowd of competitors. Communication is one of the greatest hallmarks of a
successful business. To be precise, it’s one of the greatest assets of a business. The key to success in any business is long-term relationships
which we develop with our clients and customers, and the only way to nurture these relationships is to stay in constant contact. Although
technology has automated our responses to our valued customers, direct interaction goes a long way in keeping the client base intact, as it lends a
genuine and personal touch to our business relationships. Remember, knowing your customer is an important part of a retention strategy. One way to
do that is to keep a blog up-to-date with company information, news and tips and tidbits. It’s also a great platform to ask questions of your
community, and to explore their questions and answers. [color=blue] What can you do to create community?[/color] [color=navy]• Write a newsletter •
Develop a blog • Create a Facebook fan page • Have a forum on your site • Tweet out your appreciation and interaction with clients[/color]
[b][color=limegreen]Silkfair does all this for you in the Silkfair community and beyond! We include your post updates on the front of ‘community’
and not only engage your community of clients we also engage our worldwide community on the site, in Facebook and on Twitter.[/color][/b] Where do
you start? Write a blog post: It doesn’t have to be long. In fact, for blogs, shorter and valuable packed is best. [color=red]Answer these
questions and the answers can be your first blog post:[/color] [color=orange]1. What the newest item in your shop? 2. Why did you get started
selling what you sell? 3. What’s your favorite part of doing what you do? 4. What’s the number one question that customers ask you?[/color] Answer
those four questions and your post is written.
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Silkfair Gives Consistent...
There are numerous articles out there about the importance of blogging for your brand, traffic and to establish your expertise. There are equally
as many articles about the importance of making your site ‘sticky’ so that people will visit your site and stay long, look around and see
everything that you may have to offer. Now, the two are together on Silkfair! Click here http://www.silkfair.com/site/community to check it out.
[b] We’ve upgraded our new community pages to highlight:[/b] [color=green]1. New blog posts by Silkfair shop owners[/color] [color=purple] 2.
Updates on what is happening on Silkfair to keep our shop owners on the cutting edge[/color] [color=red] 3. Latest visitors are listed so you know
whose visiting and who your best visitors are [/color][color=blue] 4. The most chatted about and latest topics are on our forum designed for shop
owners to help them make the most out of their shop. It’s truly a main street like atmosphere. [/color] [color=brown] 5. You’ll find badges already
set up to place on your blog, Facebook page, or website to share with your connection where they can find your shop.[/color] [color=orange]6.
Entrance to a variety of chatrooms where you can meet members and share. It’s a great place to meet and communicate with members and friends.
Schedule meetings and share your common interests and start a chat room.[/color] [color=limegreen]7. And, there’s a box where you can find and
follow Silkfair on the social network sites where we announce updates and engage the online community, too! We use them as another way to stay in
touch with our community.[/color] These seven points are what bring community to a new height and more importantly, to a new interaction level, so
that you can make the most of your shop! So, if you’re looking for community, a location where traffic is frequents, an online Main Street,
providing the stickiness so that people will stop in and browse your shop or where your current clients can feel connected an engage – then
consider Silkfair. Give us a try. Test market your shop on ‘Main Street’. It will give you just the feeling you need to move your store to Silkfair
– what’s nice is you can do that cost free. Join us!
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Top 5 Things to Remember ...
[b][size=14]Last post we talked about “time management”. An important rule of thumb in time management - Never let what matters most ever come
after what matters least.[/size][/b] [b] [color=teal]1. Know your priorities.[/color][/b] This may be quite a challenge at first, especially if you
have limited manpower. Don’t get too anxious to finish all things at the same time. You cannot possibly do that. If you feel that work is already
piling up on you and you don’t know what to do, just take some time to write down what needs to be finished first, and what can be saved for later.
I’m pretty sure that things will go smoothly when you work that way. Also, you will be saved from forgetting a task that needs to be done. And it
would do you good if you do the listing first before starting with any work. [color=orange] [b]2. Time is gold.[/b] [/color]Time is very important
to everyone. It doesn’t matter whether we are young or old, rich or poor, we are still given the same amount of time each hour, each day. So, we
need to spend our time wisely. Actually, you can avoid wasting precious time during work. You can do so by being organized. If you know what you
need to do, and you already have what you need for work, then you would not waste your time trying to remember things. You don’t need to spend time
looking for materials. You must keep in mind that you can’t possibly turn back time. [b][color=purple]3. You cannot do everything by
yourself.[/color][/b] I’ve always believed in the saying “No man is an island.” I think it applies to any situation that we find ourselves in. Can
you imagine yourself living alone? You would not have friends, you won’t have work, and you won’t even have anyone to talk to. I think the saying
still holds true in putting up a business. Just think about it. What if you received a large order and there is no one to help you in producing,
packing, and shipping the goods? Do you think you would make the delivery in time? And if you failed to deliver, do you think clients would come
back to do more business with you? If you want your business to grow, you should remember that you need other people to help you in your journey to
success. Because the only time when you will fully trust and care about other people is when you realize their worth to you. [color=red][b]4.
Success is not instant.[/b] [/color]The road to success is not always straight. Sometimes, you might come across roadblocks and hindrances, and
sometimes the path becomes smooth. In business, you cannot always expect good days. There may be days when you don’t earn profit at all. What’s
worse is when you experience a time when no one wants to do business with you. In times like these, you only have two options - fight or flight. To
fight means to do all you can just to save the business. Then, the flight means to just let go and give up all you have invested. Yes, the second
option might be easier to do, but do you really want to give up without a fight? Success is not instant. It takes patience, and a lot of hard work
to achieve it. [color=navy][b]5. Give all you can.[/b][/color] I guess this is a given for anyone in business yet the biggest challenge is in
working smarter not harder. How can you do that for yourself? Find people who are good at what they do and provide the resources for them to shine.
For example, Silkfair is great at getting a webstore set up and successful. Be smarter – do what you’re good at and hire others to do what they’re
good at.
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Independence Day Celebrat...
[size=14][color=red]4th of July this year falls on this weekend. What a wonderful time to celebrate with families and friends. This is the time to
fire up the barbecue, break out the fireworks and get ready for some summer fun![/color] [color=green]But don't forget to remember just why we
celebrate this day every year. Find all about the Declaration of Independence at the links below:[/color]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29 http://www.history.com/julyfourth[/size] [color=orange][size=18][b]Happy and Safe
4th of July![/b][/size][/color]
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4 Tips on Coping with Poo...
Before the day ends, do you feel that you don’t have enough time to finish everything on your to do list? Do you think that there are just too many
things for you to do? Are you always stressed after a day’s work? If you answered yes to all my questions, then it is highly possible that you’re
suffering from poor time management. So, I am going to share with you 4 tips on coping with poor time management. [b][color=navy]1. Be willing to
change.[/color] [/b] Before you can make a difference, you must make sure that it really is in you to change. Make certain that you are properly
motivated and that you are determined to take a big leap for the change. Because if you are not really that dedicated to changing your attitude,
chances are you will fail sooner or later. It will only take a few obstacles for you to turn your back to change. [b][color=green]2. Get organized.
[/color][/b] You might not believe this but getting organized is one sure way of successfully managing your time. You’re asking why? Here’s an
example: You are working on a feasibility study for the small business that you’re about to put up. All the researched information, the documents
that you need, and other pertinent paperwork are all cluttered on your desk. Suddenly, you needed to go out to run an errand. When you get back,
you find out that someone had cleaned the room and put away all your stuff. The precious time that should have been spent on finishing the report
is then devoted to looking for all the paperwork and making sure that it is complete. Now, do you see how time-consuming it is being disorganized?
There are a lot of things that you can use to get organized. Sticky notes are great for little reminders, but you need to remember to write them as
well (no pun intended). Planners and calendars can also be useful to you. Also, you need to learn how to prioritize. Do not do first what you think
is easy. You have to think of what is most urgently needed to be accomplished. That way, you are not too much pressed for time. [b][color=maroon]3.
Do not procrastinate. [/color][/b] Okay, this is very common especially before working on things that you find boring. Even I admittedly
procrastinate sometimes if I don’t really like what I’m about to do. Honestly, I find it really hard to work under pressure. If you procrastinate
too much, you might end up stressed with so much work to do in so little time. Also, the quality of your work will be affected. [b][color=purple]4.
Practice self-discipline.[/color] [/b] Even if you follow the first three tips that I listed above, if you only do it for a couple of weeks or so,
and go back to your old ways, you will never ever learn how to cope with poor time management. If you’re used to always being late, and working
under time pressure, then you will really find it difficult to change. You just have to practice self-discipline for you to be able to succeed in
learning how to properly manage your time. Try making these tips a habit and make them part of your routine. Everyone has the potential to learn
something new, they just need time.
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