Negative Restaurant Reviews: Best Ways to Respond

A common misconception among many local restaurant owners is that it’s best to take the high road and ignore negative reviews. The thinking being that it’s better to walk away than fight, further damaging your reputation.

Bad restaurant review

There’s a big problem with this thought process. Over 90 percent of consumers now read online reviews of a local business before deciding to make the trip. Of those who make up this rather overwhelming group, only 13 percent will consider visiting a business that has a 2 star rating or lower.

You can try using all the tools in your arsenal, like a kitchen display system that can help you in preparing and quoting orders more efficiently, to improve overall guests experience; but you know how it goes: No matter how well you run your restaurant, you just can’t expect all of your guests will be happy with your services.…

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How to Beat the Competition: 24/7 Phone Answering Service

A common complaint among small business owners is the battle to beat out the competition that exists in this day and age.

Since businesses open and close every year, estimates as to how many companies there are in the world are hard to make. Some experts place numbers well over 100,000,000 global businesses operating at any one time.

Business competition

So how then is it possible to compete, even beat the competition operating in your industry?

There are a number of things a small business can do, but today I’m going to suggest setting your business up to be able to take more calls — immediately!…

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6 Employee-Motivation Strategies to Try (and 3 to Avoid)

According to a 2013 Gallup study, unhappy workers cost the U.S. economy as much as $550 billion. That’s because workers who aren’t feeling their best are less productive than those who consistently wake up on the right side of the bed.

In a piece about the study’s implications, Entrepreneur contributor Catherine Clifford encourages bosses to do more to motivate down-in-the-dumps employees. She notes that it’s “not rocket science.”

Motivated employees

“Workers want to be recognized when they do good work, have their personal life respected and have friends at work,” she writes.

Clifford identifies three important facets of what’s increasingly become a core concern for managers and business owners: employee motivation.…

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Why Home-Based Businesses Need More Than Homeowners Insurance

A potential client comes to your house to take a look at your portfolio. Being the gracious host that you are, you offer a beverage. A martini? Sure. Extra dry? Fine. Have you got olives? Of course you do. Client is thoroughly blown away by your superior mixology skills. Just as you’re about to cross the t’s and dot the i’s, said client trips over your laptop cord.

Home business insurance

No big deal, it happened at home and you’ve got that top-notch homeowners insurance just in case of such wildly unlikely incidents, right? Incorrect!

Your homeowners or renters insurance almost certainly does not cover bodily injuries that occur in your home while conducting business.…

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3 Website Essentials to Boost Service Business Sales

Service businesses are interesting. Small towns may only have one electrician that has a monopoly on the industry, but other cities may have dozens of electricians all vying for the same business.

It’s a difficult situation to be in, but there are ways to use your website to boost sales.

Browsing business website

People flock to the Internet to review companies, search for the best prices and find a service provider to meet their needs. It’s an industry with many possibilities, and since there are many service providers (in most cases), a website needs to stand out from the crowd.

But how?

That’s the question.…

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Important Tips for Winning the Amazon Buy Box

The Amazon Buy Box is one of the most important factors that should be taken into account in strategizing to increase sales and boost profits on Amazon. Those who are well-versed in the Amazon marketplace always have this as a goal: to win the Amazon Buy Box.

Winning the Amazon Buy Box

Win the Buy Box?

Before anything else, it’s important to briefly discuss what the Buy Box is all about. Those who are new to the Buy Box will likely wonder why the phrase uses the verb “win”. It’s basically because having your products in the Buy Box is not as straightforward as some may think.…

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Ditching the Grain – 5 Uniquely Lucrative Career Paths

Are you someone who is looking to go against the grain in your career path? Does the thought of an everyday career leave you feeling a little bored and uninspired? If so, you may be someone who is more suited to honing your skills in a career that is more out of the box than the usual.

Foodies as a career choice

In this article, we will look at 5 uniquely lucrative career paths that you can look into. Why take the opportunity to do something that both excites you and ensures that you are able to live comfortably? Read on to find out more!

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Why Today’s Construction Projects are Leaning Towards Modular Building

Off-site construction and modular building are favoured modern building methods and no wonder: they save time, money and resources. MTX Contracts take a look at why this is the case, using examples from around the globe.

Building windows

It is a form of building that is here to stay. Modular building affords the client many options, from complete customisation to amazing savings on time and money. And it is a sustainable process too, something that is of increasing importance.

And thus, today’s construction projects are embracing this innovative building technology and as these examples highlighted by MTX Contracts show, the results are not only stunning but answer the brief perfectly.…

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4 Tips for Successful Social Media Marketing

Digital marketing in the modern age is a beast to be reckoned with. Although there are tons of people constantly studying the shifts in the dynamic of internet marketing, it changes so often that it can be difficult to know where to get a hold of understand exactly what you can and should do to make your business and marketing strategies more successful.

Social media marketing

While there are definitely more ways than one to market on the internet, social media marketing is becoming one of the most popular and least expensive ways to market is through social media. Here are some great ways to start social media marketing the right way.…

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6 Unusual Business Ideas that Actually Worked

Every business starts with an idea. If someone hasn’t thought of it yet, or the market is still low in competition, it’s the prime opportunity for you to implement your idea into a business plan and start working! The key is a great business idea, which are hard to come by, but sometimes the most unusual or strange business ideas are exactly the ones that will be most successful and high-earning.

Crime scene cleanup business

Read on below to find out some surprisingly successful ‘unusual’ business ideas.

1. Crime Scene Cleanup

A crime scene cleanup business, for example, provides an unusual but important service, because of the need to properly remove biohazards from a crime scene.…

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