Better Business Bureau Reviews, LinkedIn Apps and More

It’s the end of another week. What are you missing that can make your business better? One thing may be that all-important news and information to help you grow your business in the future…and maybe make important decisions just around the corner.

No worries. The Small Business Trends editorial team is here to help. And we’ve whipped up this review of the week’s most important business stories just for you!

New Products & Services

Amazon introduces Sunday delivery. The new service is offered in cooperation with the U.S. Postal Service. It means those ordering packages on Friday will not have to wait until Monday to receive them. It’s also good news for affiliates and small merchants who work with Amazon.

Better Business Bureau unveils better reviews. The controversy stirred up by allegedly fake reviews on Yelp and other sites makes the new reviews big news. The BBB believes better verification is the answer.

New LinkedIn app shows you who’s emailing. Knowing who’s emailing you can help you sort important messages from spam. But it can also help you formulate the best response.

Smartphone News

LG to bring curved phone to US. The Flex G will be coming to the U.S. after all. This is after some uncertainty after it’s initial relief. Will it be a fad or the shape of things to come.

Carriers make Apple more attractive. Boost and Virgin Mobile will knock $100 off Apple’s newest phones. However, members of our community now tell us finding at least one of these phones in stock may be a problem.

Tablets for Business

Nexus 5 part of a growing family. If you’re looking for a new smartphone for your business, Google has an option. But more importantly, this new Android phone is one of a growing number of mobile devices ready to serve a variety of needs.

New Amazon tablet gives Apple competition. Speaking of your company’s mobile options, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 and 8.9 are now on the market. Reviewers give these devices big kudos and compare them to a major front runner.

Verizon Ellipsis may offer some surprises. Included among these are some features that may just help your business along. No, it’s not an iPad or Nexus. But take a look and see what you think.

Social Media

Bieber investing in social network. If you haven’t heard yet, teens are no longer paying attention to Facebook. Singer Justin Bieber is among those investing in what could be the next frontier for this audience.

Facebook starred reviews arrive. The world’s biggest social network is entering the review game. There are some limitations here and no guarantee it will work any better than any of the rest of them.

Buffer attack leads to spamming problem. Getting unwanted spam in your social media feed is one thing. Inadvertently sending it out to your whole community is another. Here’s what happened.

Regulations

FAA rules on mobile devices change. Say goodbye to unproductive time on your next flight. The rule changes may not roll out as fast as some might hope. But look for more freedom to use mobile tech in the near future.

The Obamacare issue you might not expect. Yes, businesses with 50 or more employees must provide them with healthcare or face penalties by 2015. But here’s another requirement you may not have thought about.

Inspirational

Entrepreneurs take us to outer space. The team at Flightline Films has created dramatic aerial cinematography for movies and TV. Now they record a 128,100 foot free fall from the upper stratosphere.

Reading Photo via Shutterstock



LG Plans Curved Phone for U.S. Market

The U.S. market will soon see one of its first curved smartphones. The South Korean company that released the latest in what some see as a new trend in the market, says U.S. availability is only a matter of time.

LG’s Flex G phone, released in South Korea recently, follows Samsung’s Galaxy Round introduced in October. Unlike the Round, which features a screen curved along its access, the 6-inch G Flex screen curves from top to bottom.

The company says smartphones are only the beginning of what is seen as a huge market for flexible displays. In a release from the company, executive vice president and chief technology officer Dr. Sang Deog Yeo explained:

“The flexible display market is expected to grow quickly as this technology is expected to expand further into diverse applications including automotive displays, tablets and wearable devices. Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and differentiated designs next year.”

The Flex G’s resolution is rather unimpressive at 720 p, reports The Verge. But the phone’s flexible screen would seem to make it more durable than most. CNET says the back of the phone is made of a “self-healing” material that will make scratches to its case fade over time.

Though LG had supposedly initially announced no plans for release outside Korea, website G for Games now reports that the company does have plans for international marketing including the U.S. The site bases its report on Korean medis sources. There is no word on time table or pricing.

Sources are now reporting that Apple may be planning two curved iPhones for sometime next year as well.

In the end, more flexible technology will benefit entrepreneurs and small business owners on the move who put their mobile devices through considerable punishment at times.

But price and features will ultimately determine whether small business professionals will want to jump on this bandwagon.

Flexible Phone Photo via Shutterstock



TagMyDoc Provides Document Versioning to Businesses

When a team collaborates on a project, often there are multiple versions of the same document in play at any given time. One team member spends hours updating a document, only to find another version has been underway by another team member. Options like Google Drive require actively sharing the document with the appropriate team members, and those team members are required to go to the web link to edit or view the most recent version.

TagMyDoc puts version control information directly on the document, letting all users know instantly whether their version is the latest. The app provides add-ins for Microsoft Office, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box, giving users of the most popular business solutions the ability to easily work on projects with others.

But are TagMyDoc’s offerings better than simply using Dropbox or Google Drive for collaboration? Both Dropbox and Google Drive require every party to set up an account, which is fine for a team of workers who work for the same company. But for projects that involve bringing clients or freelancers in, TagMyDoc can provide an easy way to access the latest version of each document. Because no software is required to be installed to use TagMyDoc, it’s a good tool for large teams involving transient workers.

As for cost, TagMyDoc has a free version that allows up to ten tagged documents with three versions of each document. However, many businesses will need a more robust plan than that. For only $5 a month, a company can access a “premium” version of TagMyDoc, which provides them the ability to create 250 tagged documents with up to ten versions per document.

For businesses that regularly collaborate on projects, one of the many collaboration tools available on the market might provide a better option. These tools go beyond document versioning to allow teams to keep all involved parties apprised of the latest information about each project. If expense is an issue, though, the $5 per month for TagMyDoc may be well worth the expense. Or your business may decide Google Drive, a free solution, works just fine.



Marketing Auto Repair Shops Becomes Easier With Mobile Apps

As with many other things, car owners can now turn to their smartphones for the task of finding an auto mechanic who can take care of their auto repair needs. Services like RepairJungle and RepairPal allow customers to receive online estimates for auto repair services via a mobile version of their site so customers can process requests from anywhere.

Apps like the RepairPal app for iOS and Android devices provides customer reviews and the ability to locate a shop nearby. The app breaks down estimates by parts and labor costs and even connects you with roadside assistance.

Location-Based Marketing

Auto repair shops aren’t usually highlighted on the major review apps like Yelp or Around Me. But a majority of consumers will take proximity and user reviews into consideration when they choose a mechanic and decide to make an appointment. Many times, these two qualities are more important than offering the lowest price. So it makes sense for shops like these to embrace mobile technology to reach a wider audience and offer them the information and ease necessary to aid them in their decision.

Apps allow shops and businesses such as these to promote their services through a marketing medium they are used to: Word of mouth.

The only difference is that the recommendations come via the Internet. Shops who are able to provide quality service for a lower price can use mobile apps to draw in business from other parts of town.  Parts of town that may be wealthier, which makes a difference.

As John Mallette, owner of Burke Auto Body and Paint explains, ”Where you get screwed in our business is labor hours.” His Long Beach shop charges 40 dollars per hour. But he has heard of shops in a nearby wealthier part of town, Newport Beach, that charge as much as 90 dollars an hour for the same exact service.

Making the Most of Online Services

Despite the fact that more people than ever use the Web to research everything before becoming a customer - including their auto mechanic - some businesses and shops still don’t advertise on the Internet, as hard as that may be to believe.

Online advertising can be extremely cost-effective. Consider the fact that services like Google AdWords or Facebook Ads charge only when someone clicks on the ad. Compare that to the cost of running an ad in a local newspaper or magazine and you begin to see the advantages.

In addition to cost, online marketing campaigns tell the business about customer intentions, behaviors and the effectiveness of their marketing campaign.  There is much information to be gained.

All businesses stand to gain a great deal from harnessing the power of online marketing through commercial apps, social media and search advertising. All it takes is some time to get familiar with the tools - but it’s well worth the investment.

Auto App Photo via Shutterstock



TagMyDoc Provides Document Versioning to Businesses

When a team collaborates on a project, often there are multiple versions of the same document in play at any given time. One team member spends hours updating a document, only to find another version has been underway by another team member. Options like Google Drive require actively sharing the document with the appropriate team members, and those team members are required to go to the web link to edit or view the most recent version.

TagMyDoc puts version control information directly on the document, letting all users know instantly whether their version is the latest. The app provides add-ins for Microsoft Office, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box, giving users of the most popular business solutions the ability to easily work on projects with others.

But are TagMyDoc’s offerings better than simply using Dropbox or Google Drive for collaboration? Both Dropbox and Google Drive require every party to set up an account, which is fine for a team of workers who work for the same company. But for projects that involve bringing clients or freelancers in, TagMyDoc can provide an easy way to access the latest version of each document. Because no software is required to be installed to use TagMyDoc, it’s a good tool for large teams involving transient workers.

As for cost, TagMyDoc has a free version that allows up to ten tagged documents with three versions of each document. However, many businesses will need a more robust plan than that. For only $5 a month, a company can access a “premium” version of TagMyDoc, which provides them the ability to create 250 tagged documents with up to ten versions per document.

For businesses that regularly collaborate on projects, one of the many collaboration tools available on the market might provide a better option. These tools go beyond document versioning to allow teams to keep all involved parties apprised of the latest information about each project. If expense is an issue, though, the $5 per month for TagMyDoc may be well worth the expense. Or your business may decide Google Drive, a free solution, works just fine.



Docstoc Reveals New Website Design and Features To Enhance User Experience

Docstoc, the online database of millions of documents and tens of thousands of pieces of original content, including business videos, courses, customizable contracts, guides / info-graphics & document packages, has recently revealed a new design and layout of its website that offers a cleaner look and easier navigable experience for it’s users.

The redesign, according to Docstoc, “completes our evolution to become the premier destination to start and grow small businesses”. The service currently has over 38 million users and services over 28 million small businesses across the United States.

Hosting over 20 million professional documents and resources to aid people in their small business endeavors, Docstoc is offered on a tiered basis, with monthly and yearly membership that allows access to swathes of documents on marketing campaigns, how to write a business plan, market research tips and small business statistics.

As part of the redesign,  search functions have been refined to become more intuitive and faster with the semantic search engine that connects businesses. Additionally, there are new filter choices, which allow users to whittle down their searches to a more specific criteria.

Also added is the ability for Users to create folders on their profile in which they can store important documents that they may need to access quickly. This aids in the ease of use of the site for the user, saving them tremendous amounts of time finding the information they need.

Docstoc has also incorporated their own business license database, License123, and the recommendations and reviews that the company has built up on Best Vendor into the website as an additional tool for users.

The premium membership has been broken down into three options. A one month membership costs $19.95 while three months is $14.95; you will be billed for the three months total in one transaction. A 12 month membership works on a similar plan but is the most affordable at $9.95, with Docstoc encouraging members to use the service on a more long term basis.

Docstoc’s new design and functionality of the site has certainly given it an edge in the market place that puts it slightly above the rest.



Julio Viskovich of HootSuite: Using Social Selling to Enter the Buying Process

While the lion-share of attention goes more to marketing, promotion and customer service when it comes to social media, using it during the sales cycle can be just as important to a company’s ability to close the deal with prospects.

Julio Viskovich, HootSuite’s Social Media Sensei, joins us to share his take on how to successfully integrate social selling strategies and tactics into your traditional sales methods.

* * * * *

social sellingSmall Business Trends: How did you become the Social Selling Sensei?

Julio Viskovich: I like the Sensei title because essentially it allows me to absorb information as well. I work with the folks that I’m training with all the time. I’m not the end-all be-all of anything. I’m learning just as much as them. So the Sensei title applies.

Small Business Trends: You’ve been at this for a number of years at a company that everybody knows about. What is social selling? What was it when you first got started with social selling and how has it evolved?

Julio Viskovich: When I first got started social selling, realistically it was having a sales person be on social media, be on Twitter, be on LinkedIn. Nowadays, there’s a whole other piece to that. So my definition today of social selling would be augmenting your current sales process with specific social media tactics.

Looking back at the early days, there was a lot of stuff going on. A lot of people were trying to evolve this term called social selling. I think it’s kind of settled down where we’re starting to see people settle on a nice definition which is very close to what I said. That it’s sales people augmenting their current sales process with social media.

Small Business Trends:  Are you seeing any of those tools actually taking the place of more traditional aspects of selling, or is it truly an augmentation?

Julio Viskovich: I think it’s really a marriage between a couple things. Trying to jump in to a completely different sales process just because this term “social selling” has been thrown around. It’s not the way to go. It’s really an augmentation and I compare it to having a Ferrari and putting your standard gasoline in it. But when you add social selling into the mix it’s like throwing high-octane fuel in that baby and watching it go. It’s pretty incredible.

Previously, people were jumping on a phone call with your sales reps and essentially having zero percent of the buying process done. Coming to them for education and to find out about the product. But times have changed with the evolution of the Internet and with digital, people are finding all that information online.

So they’re coming to the sales rep 90 percent done with the sales or buying process already. That’s a problem because if you’re not out there putting content out, being a micro-marketer putting out those content bread crumbs to lead your buyer to you, you’re going to have your lunch eaten.

Small Business Trends: What are some of the characteristics that a person should have, or needs to have, in order to become an effective social sales person?

Julio Viskovich: It really is all about listening and that’s the first thing I always recommend people to do before they jump into a conversation online. Find out where your buyers are at for that link. Whether it’s specific Twitter hashtags, just listen. Get a feel for the conversation and get a feel for how you can involve yourself and add value to that community.

I think the next piece is really making sure that you put your customer or your buyer ahead of yourself. Long gone are the days where you have those sleazy type sales people who are trying to sell cars based on the commission made on it. Now it’s about really being buyer-centric and making sure that you can put the buyer ahead of yourself in communications.

Small Business Trends: What are some of the things that hinder somebody from becoming a successful social sales person?

Julio Viskovich: I think probably the number one thing that’s going to hinder somebody’s success in this era is going for the hard sell. Applying traditional tactics to the social media part of the sales process. Now it’s there for information gathering and positioning yourself as a thought leader and putting out those social content bread crumbs that bring your buyer toward you.

But oftentimes, you still have people who are going in there for the kill. When you do that, you’ll find that the person at the other end isn’t very receptive. It doesn’t work out too well for the lifetime of that customer or potential buyer.

Small Business Trends: How does it impact the relationship between sales and marketing and even sales and service?

Julio Viskovich: That’s something I’ve been personally thinking a lot about lately. I’m in the middle of trying to make a push in coining this new term called “sellarketing,” which is a marriage between sales and marketing.

I think it’s so necessary for social selling to be successful. So on one end, you have got to have sales and marketing work together around the content you’re putting out. If you’re going to be putting out those social bread crumbs and leading the buyer to you, marketing really has to have a huge part in this. In deciding what types of content should go out. Then when you start running campaigns that are focused on certain buyers or industries, I think marketing plays a huge role in what type of content for awareness, or for consideration, or depending on the funnel stage, they have to be involved to make sure the sales people are putting out the right content.

It’s very interesting you bring up support as well. Because that is definitely another area and a touch point for customers that oftentimes, there was a divide or a silo away from sales. So when a pricing question comes into support, a traditional way of handling that for the support person might be to take a screenshot, pop it into an email, send it over to somebody in sales and it gets dispersed that way if it’s a genuine lead.

Nowadays, with tools that allow social collaboration, if a pricing question comes into somebody in support, now they can click a button and route that message directly within HootSuite, over to somebody on the sales team and they can go ahead and interact with that individual or that lead in a timely fashion. Where previously, it would have been multiple systems involved and a very time-extensive process. It’s improved things a lot.

Small Business Trends: So maybe you can tell me a little bit about the kinds of metrics that you start to use or maybe their metrics that are more traditional that are impacted by social selling? Or possibly some new metrics that help folks to understand the impact social selling is having on an organization?

Julio Viskovich: I think you’re bang on because it’s a set of metrics that sales people weren’t necessarily measured on before. I think it’s really interesting to see that progression.

So the first thing I look at is very high-level metrics when you’re looking at your entire team. Making sure that everyone’s adopted it. Making sure that everybody has a completed LinkedIn profile and a completed and market approved Twitter profile as well. Making sure that SEO is rampant throughout your entire profile, and attracting those buyers, which is one step in the right direction as far as measuring. And that’s just at a very high-level.

When I start to drill a little bit deeper though, I look at REA: Reach, engagement and amplification. It allows me to take it beyond those surface level metrics such as follower growth, or number of fans or friends, etc. That is such a bogus number because realistically you can never know how much value you’re getting out of those folks at that metric level.

When you look at people buying fans, buying followers, and realizing that just because there’s a big number there, it doesn’t mean anything. So you have to take it a step further, drill down a little bit deeper. When you start to look at, ‘Okay, I have this big x-amount of follower growth, but how much engagement are those fans doing on my page? How are they amplifying?’

So if you were talking Twitter, how many people are mentioning you? From an amplification standpoint, how many people are retweeting you? With Facebook, how many people are liking your post, commenting on it and sharing it?

The higher percentages of folks that are engaging and amplifying, you can be sure that you’re growing a community or garden as I like to refer to it. An authentic, advocate-driven garden or community.

Small Business Trends: Are there any additional tools that you use in conjunction with HootSuite to implement this social selling strategy that you use?

Julio Viskovich: One of my favorite ones is called Trendspottr. What Trendspottr does is you’re able to put a search term or a hashtag in and it brings you a list of articles that are shared currently, that are trending around that specific hashtag.

Another I’d like to touch on quickly is Get Little Bird. A nice tool that I’ve started to use lately that allows me to find influential people in certain categories. It’s amazing because it amplifies the social selling process. It sends you little missions to do throughout the day like, ‘Hey this individual here is very influential in a topic. You want to be influential and we recommend you follow them.’

Small Business Trends: Where can people learn more about this whole area of social selling?

Julio Viskovich: You can hit me up at JulioViskovich. I’m also on Twitter, @JulioVisko. And, of course, HootSuite.

This interview on social selling is part of the One on One interview series with thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This transcript has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click on the player above. 



Docstoc Reveals New Website Design and Features To Enhance User Experience

Docstoc, the online database of millions of documents and tens of thousands of pieces of original content, including business videos, courses, customizable contracts, guides / info-graphics & document packages, has recently revealed a new design and layout of its website that offers a cleaner look and easier navigable experience for it’s users.

The redesign, according to Docstoc, “completes our evolution to become the premier destination to start and grow small businesses”. The service currently has over 38 million users and services over 28 million small businesses across the United States.

Hosting over 20 million professional documents and resources to aid people in their small business endeavors, Docstoc is offered on a tiered basis, with monthly and yearly membership that allows access to swathes of documents on marketing campaigns, how to write a business plan, market research tips and small business statistics.

As part of the redesign,  search functions have been refined to become more intuitive and faster with the semantic search engine that connects businesses. Additionally, there are new filter choices, which allow users to whittle down their searches to a more specific criteria.

Also added is the ability for Users to create folders on their profile in which they can store important documents that they may need to access quickly. This aids in the ease of use of the site for the user, saving them tremendous amounts of time finding the information they need.

Docstoc has also incorporated their own business license database, License123, and the recommendations and reviews that the company has built up on Best Vendor into the website as an additional tool for users.

The premium membership has been broken down into three options. A one month membership costs $19.95 while three months is $14.95; you will be billed for the three months total in one transaction. A 12 month membership works on a similar plan but is the most affordable at $9.95, with Docstoc encouraging members to use the service on a more long term basis.

Docstoc’s new design and functionality of the site has certainly given it an edge in the market place that puts it slightly above the rest.



Are You Just Going Through the Motions?

going through the motions cartoon

This cartoon actually came out of me griping to my wife about how my day of cartoon writing had gone.

It was one of those days where you sort of spin your creative wheels and not much other than easy/lame ideas come out. In fact, I actually said, “It was just a day of going through the motions” while I motioned a sort of jerky robot dance. And then, BAM!

This mime idea hits.

I like to think that even days that aren’t so productive at least help to prime the creative pump a bit. Or maybe it was the robot dance. It’s hard to know.



Amazon Adds Sunday Delivery with Help from U.S. Postal Service

Remember earlier this year when the U.S. Postal Service put a plan forward that would have cut mail deliveries on Saturdays? But the plan to cut Saturday postal deliveries was eventually taken back due to public backlash. It kept parcel package delivery going on the weekend.

Well, it now seems to have worked out for the best, as Amazon announced recently that it has teamed up with the U.S. Postal Service to offer parcel shipping to select Amazon Prime customers on Sundays.

In a release from the online retailer announcing the new service, Postmaster General and Postal Service CEO Patrick R. Donahue explained:

“As online shopping continues to increase, the Postal Service is very happy to offer shippers like Amazon the option of having packages delivered on Sunday. With this new service, the Postal Service is now delivering packages seven days a week in select cities.”

The new service is being offered only in New York and Los Angeles at first. However, a roll-out next year is planned for other major cities in the U.S., including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix.

Millions of products will be eligible for Sunday delivery to Amazon.com’s Prime customers who receive free two-day delivery just for their membership. The new service means Amazon Prime customers who order a product Friday won’t need to wait until Monday to receive it. When checking out after making an order, members will simply see the Sunday delivery notification if applicable in their area.

The new arrangement would seem to be a big shot in the arm for the Postal Service as it struggles to remain viable and competitive against private rivals UPS and FedEx.

But it’s also another step in Amazon’s efforts to become an ever more viable competitor to traditional offline shopping options. Sunday delivery is also good news for small businesses that work with Amazon as a major means of selling their products and for affiliate marketers who offer links to Amazon goods on their sites.

Many other small businesses still use the U.S. Postal Service for their own deliveries as the only means to reliably reach every address in the nation. Though these small businesses won’t be able to get their packages delivered on Sundays, the Amazon arrangement may mean the U.S. Postal Service can remain viable for some time to come.

Delivery Trucks Photo via Shutterstock