MARKETINGTake the Shot
By the end of March an estimated one-quarter of Americans had received a COVID-19 shot. That’s progress but still leaves a lot of people feeling vulnerable. As a medical professional, you’re likely already vaccinated. If so, don’t be shy in letting customers know. Several physicians and dentists told the Wall Street Journal they believe sharing their vaccination status reassures patients they are doing everything possible to keep them safe; many offices are posting photos of staff getting shots.
INTERIORSPaint the Walls
Never have a white board when you need one? Rust-Oleum’s Dry Erase Paint lets you turn a wall, closet door or just about any other surface into a memo board. The paint produces a white surface that can be written on with a marker and then erased. A kit to cover a 7’ x 7’ area costs about $24.
ONLINEConsistency Pays Off
Most ECPs appreciate the importance of getting accurate business info online, but many don’t realize that being consistent is crucial. “Google is a stickler for details,” says Hayley Sonntag, marketing specialist at online management firm Podium. Make sure your business name, address and phone number match exactly anywhere you are found online, including your Google listing. This includes such details as whether you spell out or abbreviate the word “street.” “When Google sees those key elements match on listings, it will add credibility with not only Google, but also with potential customers and will improve your Google ranking,” she says.
SALESLive a Productive Life
Tom Hopkins, author of How To Master The Art Of Selling, claims that what you’ll read at the end of this paragraph is the secret to a life of productivity. But there’s a caveat. “You might even get angry at me for telling you, because you’ll never get it out of your head,” he says. OK, here it is: Hang a sign in your workspace that asks one question, and ask it of everything you do. The question? “Are you doing the most productive thing possible right now?” Yep, that’s it.
FINANCESLump It and Like It
The tax filing deadline for 2020 was April 15. Yes, it’s time to start planning for the 2021 tax season. One thing to keep in mind: while large refunds are traditionally considered bad, a sign you’ve overpaid and given Uncle Sam an interest-free loan, some see benefits in orchestrating your affairs so that you’re paid in lump sums occasionally. Such big sums can give you great financial options to pay debt or make a down payment on something that you wouldn’t normally have cash for, according to a report on CNBC.
MANAGEMENTBask in Big Problems
When confronted with a creative problem, don’t rush to find an answer, says Tina Selig, a Stanford business professor and author of Creativity Rules: Get Ideas Out Of Your Head And Into The World. Rather, let yourself bask in it for a while. If you go straight to the solution, you will likely end up thinking too narrowly, whereas if you frame it wider, you can often come up with a really creative answer. “Living in that problem space and falling in love with your problems is one of the most powerful ways to unlock really innovative solutions,” she says.
HIRINGAsk Good Questions
Years back, INC. magazine surveyed CEOs on their best interview questions. These ones stuck:
- What’s the last business book you read? (If they have to think a long time, they probably aren’t that well-read.)
- If I stood you next to a skyscraper and gave you a barometer, how could you figure out how tall the building was? (It’s a trick question that tests creativity. One interviewee said he’d find the janitor and offer him the barometer in exchange for information about the building’s height.)