 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
  |
Experts Know : No Research=No Sale (Market Research Greatly Reduces Your Risk of Failure)If you are about to launch a new online product or service, or you are ready to expand your existing online product or service , you need to have a complete financial and competitive picture of what the current market is for your product or service . Few people put much effort into conducting market research before launching their Internet business. They come up with an idea and leap right into launching a site without performing the most important step of conducting market research. They spend a great deal of time building their e-commerce site and then invest a lot of money buying products or adding services. On top of that, they spend even more money placing ads and buying traffic. Because they have no idea what it is that their customers really want, or who their competitors are, they soon end up wondering why no one is buying from them Here are the primary reasons why these people fail : >>They have no idea of the demand for their offering. Successful business people understand how to maximize profits and gain a competitive advantage by using market research to ensure a low cost, low risk entry into a new market. Online Market Research Works Successful companies like Amazon, CompUSA, Dell and even Microsoft would never launch a new product or service without conducting a thorough online market analysis and neither should you.These leading edge companies know that even the slightest miscalculation can mean millions in lost revenue and unnecessary expense. Maybe you are not as big a company. Maybe you donot have millions at risk. But the money you are investing in your business better be spent well or you will join the ever-growing list of dot com failures that didn't have the knowledge or experience to do things right The Good News Is: You don't have to spend what these giants spend to get the same advantage! Whether you are just starting out, or planning new growth, you can get accurate, insightful, revealing, money saving market research and business intelligence for a fraction of what the big companies pay, and for significantly less than the hope and pray failures throw away every day. Other articles by this author »
About Abul Kashem
Abul Kashem - CEO, webMarketReports.com - the premier provider of customized web market research data for new and existing Internet business operators. Related
And here is another random article you might be interested in... Fit For Work - Managing Attendance In The WorkplaceThe transitional period of returning to work after a prolonged period of sickness absence can be daunting for the employee AND their line manager - especially where the ill health revolved around a 'stress at work' issue. Coming to terms with changes that have taken place during the employee's absence and re-establishing team working practices will take effort and commitment from the manager and employee alike. Supportive and proactive interventions must be implemented to ensure a smooth transition back to the workplace. The employee's perspective Returning to work following a long period of absence is daunting in itself, but with stress-related absence this is often so threatening that some individuals never make the transition back to full time employment. If the illness was brought about by stress at work or there are unresolved bullying or harassment issues, it's likely that fear of a relapse, along with lack of confidence and low self-esteem, will inhibit rehabilitation. When work pressures only partially contributed to the illness, there may be a feeling of guilt on the part of the employee that he or she had let their fellow workers down and put unnecessary pressure on others in the run-up to their illness. Such anxieties may be groundless, but individuals feel very fragile following stress-related illnesses â€" with anxiety, depression and panic attacks being common symptoms of breakdown or burnout. A considerable amount of support and encouragement is required if a full recovery is to be both achieved and sustained. The employer's perspective The long-term absence of an employee naturally puts pressure on an organisation, both in terms of the costs of covering the absence and also in maintaining the morale of team workers. Achieving the smooth return to work of an employee who has been absent for some time requires early steps to be taken to establish a non-threatening rapport with the individual, and this should be undertaken with care and sensitivity. It should be the responsibility of the line manager or personnel officer to keep in contact with the employee â€" as it's important that the absent employee feels valued but not pressured into returning to work before they are completely recovered. Once it has been established that an employee is well enough to return to work, it's imperative that a phased return is planned. This should involve the employee's GP, counsellor/coach, personnel officer or line manager, together with an external mediator if there are unresolved workplace issues that still need to be addressed. The phased return should include a short induction programme and any necessary retraining. Workloads at this stage should be carefully monitored â€" as too much too soon could result in a crisis of confidence and a relapse; while too small a workload can have the effect of making the employee feel superfluous. Guidelines for rehabilitation back to work Each case has to be judged on its merits, and in cases of return to work after several months of illness it will be important to work in conjunction with an occupational physician. The importance of this process cannot be overstated. Once an employee has highlighted that they have had a stress-related illness, positive action must be taken to remove the stressors and/or give adequate training and support to the individual to enable them to cope with the demands of their job The normal work-related pressures should be removed, as far as is possible, for the initial return to work, and then gradually reapplied as the individual becomes fit enough to accommodate them as part of their normal everyday work. In some cases retraining may be appropriate, and this will depend on discussions with the individual, the job evaluation and skills analysis. Ongoing appraisal needs to be a guided conversation, with the manager helping to review aspects of the job that may be difficult, and identifying areas where the individual is happy to initially return to begin work. Key questions for consideration in ensuring successful rehabilitation of an employee back to work include: • Has the individual been off work for the optimum recovery period? Individuals may return to work too soon and without having had enough time to rest and recover and to rebuild their self-esteem and confidence. • What are the factors that caused the original problem, and who needs to assume responsibility? • Is it appropriate that the individual returns to exactly the same role? • Where the individual's role needs to be changed, has this been communicated clearly, i.e. are the manager and individual clear about roles, responsibilities and expectations? • What working practices need to be in place to support the returned worker and what can management do to facilitate this? • Has the individual been given any advice on burnout prevention? The value of this cannot be overstated, particularly in relation to key areas including sleep, hygiene, energy management (through nutrition), and graded physical exercise programmes. • Have procedures been established for the regular review of the situation? Progress should be continually monitored with regular communication between the Occupational Health department, manager and the individual. • Motivation â€" is the individual suited to the job? What do they want from their job? Serious stress-related illness, and in particular 'burnout', are conditions from which it is difficult to make a complete recovery. There is, unfortunately, a high risk of relapse should either the employer or the employee not have learnt the necessary lessons. It is for this reason that the employer must monitor the employee's return to work and be alert to the early warning signs of reoccurring personal stress or any inability to cope with given tasks. Regular appraisal will identify further training needs, and provide a discussion forum to enable both parties to raise issues that may be inhibiting a full return to work. Having said this, it is only reasonable to accept that whilst the employer can provide the structure and support mechanism for an employee to return to work, they cannot guarantee that the employee will necessarily slot back successfully into the original position that they formerly occupied. About The Author Carole Spiers combines three roles of broadcaster, journalist and corporate manager in the challenging field of stress management and employee wellbeing. With 20 years as a top industry guru on stress management and wellbeing, Carole's energy and dynamism extends to providing professional comment to media including television (BBC, ITV, Sky, NBC, CNN), print (Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, trade and professional journals) and countless radio interviews. A successful entrepreneur herself, Carole is the founder and MD of the Carole Spiers Group â€" a dynamic, niche consultancy, and the UK's No. 1 provider of Stress Management and Employee Wellbeing from the shop floor to the Boardroom A former Chairperson of the International Stress Management AssociationUK, Carole was instrumental in establishing National Stress Awareness Dayâ„¢. Carole acts as an Expert Witness on Stress Risk Assessment before the Courts, and is the author of Tolley's 'Managing Stress in the Workplace'. Free Special Report Contact us to receive our FREE Special report 'The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions About Stress' please email sb@carolespiersgroup.com For more information on CSG'S services, including in-house and public training, stress policy, stress audit, risk assessment, attendance management, rehabilitation support, post trauma support, mediation, impartial investigations, expert witness, nationwide employee counselling team, coaching and mentoring services, please contact us: Carole Spiers Group If you would like to book Carole as a keynote speaker or conference chair at your next conference - check out www.carolespiersgroup.com/mediaenquirysheet.php Other articles by this author »
About Carole Spiers
Carole Spiers MIHE MISMA Carole Spiers combines three roles of Broadcaster, Journalist and Corporate Manager in the challenging field of stress management and employee wellbeing. Over the past 20 years, she has built up her corporate stress consultancy Carole Spiers Group (CSG), with prestige clients such as Sainsbury's, Rolls Royce and the Bank of England. Carole is frequently called upon by the national and international media and provides keynote presentations on stress-related issues. Carole was instrumental in establishing National Stress Awareness Dayâ„¢. Related
|
