Target Marketing The Nicher, the Richer

Target Marketing The Nicher, the Richer I spend quite a bit of time talking with my clients about target marketing and finding your niche within that market, and do you know what? Everyone agrees with me that having a target market is so important â€" but many in theory only have one!  It never ceases to surprise me how unclear some businesses are about their target market â€" and there also seems to be a great reluctance to be very specific, as there is a fear that, perhaps, you are not “widening the net” enough! Nothing could be further from the truth! Recently, I came across a brilliant example of being clear about your target market, and the niche you will operate in and be known for. Truthfully, this is one of the finest, real life examples I have seen in recent times and I have been dying to share this with you.  You will love this, I promise you! As many of you know (but for those who dont) I live in the South of France (tough, but someone has to do it!). Specifically, we live in the Languedoc region â€" very rural, full of vineyards and small farmers and beautiful little villages. You get the picture â€" no metropolis like Paris etc! Recently, Bernie’s (my wife) car was giving a bit of trouble so we needed to get it fixed â€" simple and straightforward, you might say. Well, yes â€" sort of! You see, her car is an Audi and we live in the land of Renault, Citroen and Peugeot! Plenty of mechanics and garages in the area that deal with those models. But an Audi? Bit thin on the ground! A friend recommended I go and visit a particular mechanic, Kris, who I was told would “sort us out”. Now, get the picture, where Kris lives is in a tiny village, 20 kilometers away, of about 100 people, and really in the middle of nowhere. So, why was he a recommendation? Well â€" now listen to this â€" Kris only repairs Audis and Mercedes â€" absolutely nothing else! He does not sell cars, he will only do mechanical repairs to Audis and Mercedes! This in the heartland of rural France who are commendably loyal to French brands. Brilliant! So, the question you are asking â€" is he starving to death or is he thriving? Let me answer by saying that Kris is so busy, he could not look at the car for 4 weeks! Now if you were starting a business as a mechanic in rural France and you said you would only deal with Audis and Mercedes, do you think that everyone would say â€" that is a brilliant idea? I doubt it. There would be so many saying that you are cutting yourself off from the traditional market and the mass market. But, they would be wrong. Kris says that he wants to be known as the expert in his chosen market and he will only achieve that by being specific about his expertise.  His target market is those who own cars and his niche is owners of Audi and Mercedes!  So, in this part of the world he is the man to go to if you own either of those marques. Kris is now the proud owner of a state of the art workshop and has more than enough clients to have a sustainable and thriving business. I just thought this was such a brilliant example of target marketing and you needed to hear about it.  Are you as specific about your target market, and your niche, as Kris? If not, what are you doing about it?! RELATED:  How to Build Your  Personal Brand

Reviews About Resume Writing Group

Reviews About Resume Writing GroupIf you are trying to find a job, there are few things you should look for when looking for a review about resume writing group. A good review will not tell you what to do or tell you to spend the money you already have, but it will tell you about resume writing groups and what they are offering. In addition, a good review will offer some helpful tips on resume writing.One of the best reviews is not necessarily the most comprehensive, but certainly the most honest. This kind of review is an informal one where people give their experiences with resume writing companies. So it is helpful to get some feedback about resume writing companies from a number of people who have already used them. For this reason, the reviews about resume writing group give the names of a few companies they have used and how they felt about the companies. These reviews are by no means comprehensive, but they are helpful in choosing which companies you should use.Also, you shoul d be aware that not all reviews about resume writing group will offer recommendations for specific companies. Some will simply list a couple of companies, and if you search for those reviews you will find a lot of generic references. These reviews offer little in the way of suggestions for specific resume writing companies.The reviews about resume writing group are actually quite helpful. These reviews give you a few hints about the company that you are considering using, but they cannot offer a recommendation. You will need to do this by yourself. The reviews that give you hints can help you narrow down your choices.Many of the different reviews about resume writing group will point out the drawbacks of particular companies. A few of these drawbacks are; companies that use poor resumes or that do not have an even distribution of job titles. While you may not need to get all of these aspects of resume writing right the first time, the reviews will offer a second opinion.There are a few things you should be careful about when choosing a resume writing company. The company's website should contain a list of testimonials, at least one or two former clients, and a list of previous clients. A good resume writing company should provide information about the kinds of experiences they have helped with.They should be able to give you a guarantee that your resume will be written by someone who has a certain amount of experience writing resumes. It is important to go with a resume writing company that has a track record of helping many people with their resumes. The company should have a good reputation, and they should be able to provide information about previous clients. These are all important qualities, but the reviews are the most reliable guide for making a decision.Finally, be sure to read all of the reviews about resume writing you can find. If you are uncertain of what kind of resume writing company you want to use, ask for a few referrals. They are likely to b e fairly happy to pass along some great recommendations.

How to Get a Job at Apple - Even If You Dont Code!

How to Get a Job at Apple - Even If You Don’t Code! Are you already over the Apple Watch? Yawn me too. But what if I told you that Apple was working on something actually worth getting excited about? Like, oh, say, their very own self-driving, electric car. For real. And then what if I told you that you could help build it? …Even if you can’t code to save your life! Chances are, it would probably sound too good to be true. So let me prove it to you. Apple Needs Non-Coders The first thing you need to understand is that Apple actually needs people who don’t code. Because as talented as the firm’s coders are, they’re not going to be happy if Tim Cook says, “Hey, would you mind jumping on a sales call for me?” Or “Sorry to interrupt your programming but it would be great if you could file our taxes…” But that stuff does need to get done. And every single great technology product the company delivers only increases that workload. So it should come as no surprise then that tech firms employ 3x as many non-technical staffers as coders. Something that I’ve proven by pulling the real data on tech employment from LinkedIn. Apple Needs Non-Coders to Work with Coders “Fine,” you say. “So Apple needs some salespeople and accountants. But they’re never going to get anywhere near the Apple Car. I might as well be working at Microsoft…” While it’s true that many traditional firms lock their functions into departmental silos (i.e., Marketing never talks to HR), tech is different. Because the whole point of a tech firm is to launch new products and not just maintain the status quo every single function has to carefully coordinate in order to ensure that the launch goes seamlessly. For example, imagine if the Customer Service team doesn’t know that the Engineering team decided to leave a critical feature out of the new product. Now, no matter how awesome the product is, the launch is going to be an embarrassment. Just look at what’s happening with Apple and the Error 53 scandal. And that’s why, even if an Apple marketer might technically report up the chain of command to the VP of Marketing, she’s still going to spend more time working cross-functionally with the engineers, designers, and data scientists on her product team: Apple Needs Non-Coders to Build the Apple Car So Apple needs people who don’t code and it needs them to work closely with coders. But what does it actually need them to do to get the Apple Car on the road? To find out, let’s walk through every non-technical role that will play a critical role in the launch: BizOps Before Apple plunks down billions on a massive new project, its going to want to make sure its a worthy venture. So the company has its Business Operations team crunch the numbers. How large is the market? How fast is it growing? And whats the ROI? HR Once the project gets the green light, HR is tasked with  hiring the right people for the job. Day and night, they scour LinkedIn, looking for the perfect candidates from both schools and the automotive industry. CorpDev Even with awesome recruiters, it takes a while to hire enough talent for a huge project like a new car. So the Corporate Development team swings into action, acquiring startups in the space to bring on dozens of new staffers in one fell swoop. Research With the team starting to come together, the Research function briefs them on trends in the marketplace. Market Researchers help them understand the demographics and psychographics of car buyers. And User Experience Researchers help them analyze the specific frustrations that this audience has with the existing options on the market. PM Inspired by these insights, Product Managers start to scope out the concept for the new product. Working with engineers and designers, they put together specifications for how the product should work and what it should do. Project With a vision in place, its up to the Project Managers to work with the engineers to execute it. Taking the specifications, they break the project into tasks, delegate them to specific staff, and then manage performance on a daily basis to ensure the product launches on-time. Ops As the engineers work to bring the car to life, the Operations team works just as hard to make sure it can be built at scale. Either by partnering with existing manufacturers or developing their own factories, Operations pros organize a clear supply chain for every part as well as the assembly capacity to bring those parts together into a finished product. Marketing With a huge launch on the horizon, the Marketing team starts ensuring there will be at least as much demand in the marketplace as there is supply. They do this by creating content (e.g., a video featuring Jony Ive pontificating about the cars world-class design) and campaigns (e.g., a well-publicized keynote before the launch, followed by millions of dollars of advertising at launch) that stir the market into a frenzy. BD Another key way to stoke demand is to find strategic partners ahead of time. For instance, the Business Development team could forge a partnership with Hertz to ensure that travelers can test drive the car around the world perhaps compensating for the absence of Apple dealerships. Sales When launch day finally arrives, the Sales team helps close the deal for any buyer who needs additional persuasion. For instance, a Sales pro could close a deal to sell 1,000 cars to a taxi fleet by handling the objections of the companys owner. CS Because Apple is all about delighting its customers, the product launch doesnt end at the point of sale. Instead, the Customer Success team works with existing clients to ensure their satisfaction, perhaps driving new cars to the customers door or checking-in a year later with a free tune-up. Finance And no product launch would be complete without a summation of the results. Here, the Finance + Accounting teams crunch the data on sales, letting Tim Cook crack a wide smile during his quarterly earnings call. Apple Needs You So, as you can see, the Apple Car really will be a huge team effort, involving coders and non-coders alike. And maybe, just maybe, you, too? Because once you do, you may just find out that you belong on the team building the next big thing. Which sure beats yet another smartwatch! Author: Jeremy Schifeling is the CEO of Break into Tech, a site for anyone who wants to launch a tech career, regardless of background. Learn how Jeremy landed jobs at Apple and LinkedIn through his free  course.

11 Smart Ways to Answer Interview Questions - Career Sidekick

11 Smart Ways to Answer Interview Questions - Career Sidekick 11 Smart Ways to Answer Interview Questions Interview Preparation / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If you want to get noticed and get job offers in your interviews, this article is going to help.Were going to look at 11 proven ways to answer interview questions effectively.Lets get started11 Effective Ways to Answer Interview Questions1. Know when to tell a story, and when not toStorytelling is a great skill to be more memorable and persuasive, but you need to know when to use itDont tell a story for a yes/no question. Thats going to drive the interviewer insane.However, for questions that open the door for you to give a longer answer, like behavioral questions (tell me about a time you ___?), storytelling is a powerful skill.Example:Lets say they ask a question like, tell me about your experience serving customers in a fast-paced environment.You could just say, Ive worked with customers a lot and my last company was very fast-paced, but thats not going to be very memorable.Youll be a lot more memorable if you paint a picture through storytelling.Yo u might say, In my last job, I interacted with an average of 50 customers per day. I really excel in a fast-paced environment like this. In fact, each year our company gives an award to the top person in customer service, and I won last year for earning the highest customer satisfaction rating.2. Share specific facts and data to make your answers more impressiveWhich one sounds better:A: Im one of the top salespeople in my company right now.B: Im one of the top 5 salespeople in our group of over 50, and Im on pace to hit 200% of annual sales goals for my position.Facts, data, and statistics make your answers far more impressive.Do your research before the interview so you KNOW your past results and can talk about it.Ask former colleagues and bosses if you need to. This will also boost your resume bullets if you put it on there as well!3. Make a comparisonA reader emailed me recently and was having trouble in her interviewsShe had experience selling, but she had never sold to softwar e developers. And in this new position, thats who she would be selling to.So to address this concern of the employer, I recommended she make a comparison.At some point, she had never sold to her current clientele either, right? (In this case, it was other types of engineers).So I told her to explain how she learned to sell to those people, with no experience, and then using that to show them she would be able to learn to sell to this new client-base as well.Making comparisons like this can shift the interviewers focus and turn a negative into a positive (or at least make it a non-factor and stop them from being concerned).4. Be brief and conciseThis is another way to answer interview questions more effectivelyCover the important details and highlight your best points, but then STOP.Many job seekers have a tendency to carry on for too long when they should have stopped after answering the main question or highlighting their best points.5. Take your time and ask for clarification if n eededThis is one of the most under-utilized ways to answer interview questionsAnd its dead simple:Take a breath, relax and really think before answering. You cant take something back after you say it, so dont rush yourself.And if youre not sure you understood the question, ask for clarification.You can say things like:Are you hoping for a specific example? I just want to make sure I understand the question.Do you only want to hear about my hands-on experience? Ive done this directly, but Ive also led small project teams for this.And you can ask for feedback at the end of your answers too, for example:Did that answer your question, or did you want more detail?(This is a great way to make sure your answers dont go on too long and annoy the interviewer, which was tip #4).6. End your answer with a questionAsking questions mid-interview helps you target their needs and tailor your answers as the interview goes on!Lets look at how to do thisExample:They mention the job requires managing p eople and ask for your experience in this area.After answering and highlighting your relevant experience, youd say, Can you tell me more about the management Id be doing? For example, what size team would I lead, and would I be responsible for hiring and growing the team?This will also make it feel more like a casual two-way conversation, which will  boost your confidence and help you give better answers overall.7. Make it about them, not youMost job seekers think the interview is all about themThe truth is, youll get more job offers if you focus on talking about THEM.What are their concerns and needs?For example, dont just describe your skills and experience when they ask about it.Instead, show them how youll put those skills to use in this specific role, and how their lives will be easier by having you on their team.Thats how you get more job offers and stand out from other job seekers, who just talk about themselves.8. Speak with high energy and enthusiasmShowing enthusiasm  is a n important part of giving good answers in an interview.Its okay if youre an introvert or naturally quiet you dont have to be the most outgoing, bubbly personality to get hired.Just turn it up a bitDo  slightly more than you usually do in terms of energy in your tone of voice and body language.Tone of voice is especially important when answering questions in phone interviews  since they cant see your facial expressions or body language.If you need help showing energy and enthusiasm in your voice, try standing up and smiling when you talk on the phone. This may sound odd, but its a proven trick that phone salespeople use all the time.9. Treat it like a conversationWhen you boil it down, the interview is really just a conversation to see if its a good fit for both sides.Its a two-way deal.So go in and treat it like that and youll feel a lot more comfortable.This is one of the best ways to answer interview questions in terms of your mindset.How do you treat it like a conversation?You s hould ask a lot of questions  to figure out if youre interested in the job.You should build rapport with the hiring manager and find out one or two things about them.Remember their name when they introduce themselves, and use it once or twice in the conversation.To make them like you even more send a personalized thank you email after the interview to thank them for the great conversation.Get their business card after the interview too itll make this and all of your follow-ups easier.10. Talk about the futureA lot of interview questions are going to be about your past: Past experience, past successes, past failures.But one key to giving great interview answers  is to talk about the future too.When you give answers about your skills and experience, also talk about the future and how youll use those skills to perform well in their role.Mention something you saw on the job description, or something they mentioned earlier in the conversation, that makes you think your background will be useful to them in this role!This is one of the best ways to answer any interview question and most job seekers dont do this.11. Tell the truthMost employers will forgive a few interview mistakes, or missing pieces of experience (the truth is the requirements are mostly just a wish list for them).However, if you lie or seem like youre hiding something, you will NOT get hired.Trust and credibility are as important as anything else in the interview and no hiring manager is going to want you on their team if they dont feel comfortable trusting you.Its better to be 80% qualified and tell the truth, than lie and pretend to be 100% qualified.I guarantee youll get more job offers if you take the first approach.How to Answer Interview Questions Quick InstructionsUse storytelling to make yourself more memorableShare specific facts and data in your answersMake comparisons between your past experience and the job duties in this roleBe brief and concise; get to the point quicklyDont rush ask for a second to think when you need to, and ask for clarification if you dont understand a questionEnd some of your answers with a question directed at the interviewerMake your answers about their needs, not yoursSpeak with higher-than-normal energy and enthusiasmTreat it like a regular conversationTalk about the future and how youll directly help themTell the truth be honest, accountable, and upfront when answering questions and youll get more job offersThose are 11 of the best ways to answer interview questions effectively, so you can stand out and get hired in less time.

Personal Qualities and Skills Useful in Writing a Resume

Personal Qualities and Skills Useful in Writing a ResumeEffective, well written and persuasive personal qualities and skills useful in writing a resume are found in great abundance, as long as you find the right resource to help you. A quality resume that contains all of the essential qualities and skills will most likely be the most successful.However, the personal qualities and skills useful in writing a resume are many and diverse. When you want to write a resumé for someone, chances are you don't know what it is you want. You need a reliable resource to help you determine your personality, specific knowledge and skill sets, and then utilize those skills to write a quality resume.The Internet is one of the great sources of information when it comes to preparing and writing a resume. You can research companies online and discover the best possible resources online. However, there are a few things you should look for and watch out for when you use an online service to find the righ t resume writing and consulting services.First, look for those resume services that have thousands of clients and thousands of reviews. You want to get a feel for what the best services are capable of producing. You can even request free samples. This will allow you to see exactly what they do and how it is done.Second, look for reviews of online services to see what a prospective employer has to say about their skills, abilities, and references. They may mention comments such as, 'the services I received were exactly what I was looking for'this was the most helpful guide ever.' If the best professionals are listed and you are satisfied with what you see and read, keep that feeling of satisfaction in mind. As a result, you will be more likely to get hired for the job you have applied for.Lastly, look for a resume writing and consulting service that has been in business for some time. It is true that your first step in finding a writer is by doing some research online, but you can al so read resumes written by others. Take note of the qualifications of the author and write a resume yourself. After you are done, see if the writer produces a good resume. The quality of the resume will be determined by the quality of the resume writing and consulting service that produced it.Personal qualities and skills useful in writing a resume is an area of specialization. No matter what writing and consulting service you choose, you must ensure that you find the best services that are available to you. Make sure the company you use to create your resume is not just a fly by night company and select a provider that has been in business for some time.The personal qualities and skills useful in writing a resume are many and varied. When you want to write a resume for someone, chances are you don't know what it is you want. You need a reliable resource to help you determine your personality, specific knowledge and skill sets, and then utilize those skills to write a quality resume .

The Tricky Task Of Expanding A Home-Based Business

The Tricky Task Of Expanding A Home-Based Business If you run a business from your home, you will already be aware that there are a number of challenges which you just don’t have to deal with if you run it in a more conventional setting. When it comes to trying to grow and expand the business, you will find once again that there are quite a few things which you need to pay attention to to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible. The truth is that expanding a home business is much more difficult in many ways than expanding a normal business. In this article, we are going to look at some of the things you will need to deal with in order to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible. As long as you have thought about the following, it should all go to plan much more easily. Creating Space Probably one of the harder elements is knowing how to actually create the necessary extra space when required, as you probably feel you have a limited space in your home already to begin with. In fact, you should be able to create some extra space so long as you don’t mind using your imagination a little bit. You could relocate your office to a new garden shed, for instance, or you might even want to think about moving home in order to accommodate your business. Of course, that is a big step, and one which you only want to take if you are really sure it is time to do so. In that case, however, you will be able to expect great things from your business as you will be allowing it a much better chance of growing. In any case, you will want to think long and hard before creating space in this way, as it affects your life in other ways and the lives of those around you as well. Employing People Perhaps you have come to realise that you might not be able to run your business entirely on your own. If that is the case, you should seriously consider thinking about employing at least one other person. You might have this image in your head of a home-based business just having one person running it, but there is nothing that says that you can’t hire someone to give you a hand. If your business is expanding, this might actually be necessary, and in any case it is something you should think about in order to make sure that you are on the right track. Do bear in mind, however, that the moment you hire even only one person, you immediately need to start dealing with a number of employment-based issues which you don’t when it is only you. You might, for instance, find that you need to start thinking about outsourcing some of your tasks to human resources companies, as they will be aware of what actually needs to be done and by what date. As long as you are doing it all above board , however you might find it especially exciting to have someone working with you, and it could mark the beginning of a new phase in your business’ life. Increasing The Marketing In some ways, marketing from home can seem a little incomplete or difficult to get to a proper level, but actually when you consider both outsourcing and the internet you should realise that you can do pretty much anything in terms of your own marketing here. If you are looking to expand your business, that will almost certainly mean that you need to increase your marketing, so make sure that you are thinking about that if you want to be able to make your business grow. The ways in which you might choose to market your home-based business are varied and many, but any digital marketing if open to you, as is the possibility of outsourcing your marketing to a firm who can do it all for you. In any case, remember to increase it when you are trying to expand, as otherwise you might not actually get the necessary customer base in to make it worth your while. That would only result in a failure for your expanding business, so it is best avoided if at all possible. As long as you consider the above points, you should be able to expand your home-based business without too much trouble. It can be difficult to know that you are doing everything necessary, but its something which you should bear in mind and pu a lot of thought into before you act, so that you can be sure that you are really doing the right thing.

Get Your Job Search on Track

Get Your Job Search on Track This week I am participating in the Jibber Jobber Blog Carnival. Career experts, recruiters, and job seekers are sharing their insights into the following scenario. You just lost your job and you havent stayed in touch with your network. What can you do in the next six weeks to help mobilize/grow your network and what job search tactics will you use to get your search on track. Here are my thoughtsGet organized Get your job search documents,rolodex, outlook contacts,recruiter contacts, etc. in order before you begin making any calls. Job seekers accumulate a lot of stuffdocuments, business cards, phone numbers, etc. quickly, so find an electronic or paper-driven method for organizing information.Make a list Who do you know and how are you connected to these people? Make a list and categorize the list into three groups of people. Group 1 are people in your immediate world; your friends, family, neighbors, accountant, doctor, dentist, etc. Group 2 people are those that have direct conn ections into companies you are interested in. Group 3 people are directly connected to open positions such as recruiters and hiring managers. Once your list is made you can prioritize contacts and strategize who to contact when.Create Visibility If your network is a bit on the lean side, join a professional organization, community group, sports team, volunteer affiliation or online community/blog. Become a giver and share information to create credibility and reciprocity within the community.Attend Events Audit professional and social events that allow you to connect with others and make informed decisions regarding which events to attend. Dont attend one event because its free and decide not to attend another event because there is an entrance fee. Research the potential of each event and try to determine which will give you the most bang for the buck.Get Busy Job search is a full time job and your greatest time committment should be given to networking. Plan to spend 28 hours of y our 35 hour work week building and following up on networking leads.