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Business 101
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Business 101: How long should you wait for a business appointment?
Nov 4, 2009 King Louis XVII of France once said, "Punctuality is the courtesy of kings." Nearly 200 years later, some businesspeople still haven't perfected this courtesy. If you have an appointment to meet someone, and that person is late, how long should you wait? Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business 101 articles |
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Business 101: Do your legwork to score that job
Sep 18, 2009 OK, you've secured an interview for a position that really interests you. How can you differentiate yourself from other qualified candidates under consideration? Research on your potential employer will help you stand out from the crowd. The more you know going into the interview, the more comfortable you'll feel and the more confidence you'll project. Knowledge is indeed power in the interview environment. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business 101 articles |
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Health & Fitness Business ’09 education: SNEWS Fitness Forum covers ‘State of the Industry’ and retail tips, Joe Marcoux discusses 4 R’s of Retail
Aug 21, 2009 As a part of two educational offerings at the recent Health & Fitness Business show, the 5th annual SNEWS® Fitness Forum offered tips and discussion from seasoned retail experts with a State of the Industry report, while Joe Marcoux talked his 4 R’s of Specialty Retail. Both took place at the Aug. 6-7, 2009 show in Denver. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business 101 articles |
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Think About It: OIWC asks, what is the best way to get what you want?
Jun 17, 2009 How can people be more successful at getting what they want? Good communication skills go a long way, but we've laid out six effective tactics to help you negotiate or persuade someone to accept your point of view -- whether it's getting your project approved or finagling a pay raise. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business 101 articles |
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You are more important than “just a….”
"Lately, in the course of phone calls to various companies and in emails, I have had folks respond to a question I’ve asked with, “I’m just a…” (fill in the blank e.g. intern, receptionist, sales rep, warehouse employee, stocker, cashier, delivery person, etc.)“I am just a…” What does that mean, really? Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business 101 articles |
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Business Tools & Advice
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Workplace Violence: Are your retail employees safe?
Mar 28, 2011 The best way to deal with violence in the workplace is to put into place procedures and guidance that remove the opportunity for violence to occur. In the wake of the Lululemon tragedy, SNEWS reviews workplace safety and presents ideas to help all retailers. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Tools & Advice articles |
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Did you hear?...New SBA online tool helps companies learn to export
Dec 10, 2010 Figuring how to export and getting started can be a daunting task for companies, especially for smaller companies without deep resources. Get the details on a free online tool to help businesses walk through the process and develop international programs. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Tools & Advice articles |
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Human Resources: Is leadership development worth it?
Oct 27, 2010 When people tell us they don’t think an investment in leadership development is worth it, we understand. But the world has changed. The old ways of doing things won’t guarantee you’ll have the leaders you need, when you need them, for a price you are willing to pay. Learn what it takes to improve your internal pipeline. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Tools & Advice articles |
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Pro deals -- Part 2: Building an effective pro deal program for retail employees
Oct 25, 2010 Curious about the in’s and out’s of the pro deal system? SNEWS turned to industry expert Andy Marker, a veteran in developing pro programs, to share his insider perspective. In the second of a three-part series on SNEWS, Marker looks at how to develop a pro program for retail employees, identify signs of abuse, and the hallmarks of a good and bad program. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Tools & Advice articles |
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Key strategies to prep for holiday sales success
Oct 15, 2010 Consumers are cautiously optimistic entering the 2010 holiday shopping season, according to the general consensus, so now is the time to plan for this all-important season. SNEWS offers up ways to develop your line of attack. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Tools & Advice articles |
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Business Trends
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Free shipping deals drive online sales this holiday season
Dec 15, 2010 Free shipping is no longer just a perk for online shoppers, but a driving force behind their decision to hit the “buy” button. SNEWS talks to key outdoor and fitness retailers for more insight. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Trends articles |
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Did you hear?...Small business satisfaction with banks declines
Nov 8, 2010 The 2010 U.S. Small Business Banking Satisfaction Study reveals that, of any banking customer, small businesses have the lowest satisfaction levels with their bank. SNEWS has the summary and insights. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Trends articles |
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Banks increase lending, but also heighten loan requirements
Oct 22, 2010 Bank lending has finally loosened, and the number of companies receiving SBA loans has risen 30 percent this year. But the process of getting a loan is much tougher than in the past. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Trends articles |
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Social networking, mobile email influences business marketing
Aug 4, 2010 Statisticians have been analyzing the impact of email, mobile devices and social networking on consumer buying habits. Like trying to capture lightning in a bottle, they’re trying to pinpoint the value of these mediums to influence purchasing. See what the numbers have to say and what it could mean to your business. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Trends articles |
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Are you ready to jump the firewall and create a social workplace?
Jul 21, 2010 Social network applications have been focused on the social marketplace, where companies can interact more directly with their customers. This way of communicating has permanently and profoundly changed the way we communicate. Find out how it’s on the brink of changing the way we work, too. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Business Trends articles |
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Effective Management
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Human Resources: Linking strategy with talent -- Are you asking the right questions?
Jan 12, 2011 Many companies use the last quarter of the year to nail the final sales, plan the strategy and budget for the next year. Come January everyone hits the ground running. But how robust is your strategy implementation track record? Use these strategies to see how your talent lines up. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Effective Management articles |
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The SNEWS View: Bitter employees post-company acquisition share woes with customers
Jan 29, 2010 Employees willing and eager to share their displeasure about their employer with their customers must be truly disgruntled. And that just isn’t good for business. Firing them isn’t a good choice since that’s akin to shooting the messenger.... Read about our latest shopping experience, and think about it. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Effective Management articles |
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Business 101: Re-evaluate, re-create, re-visit to keep your retail biz humming
Oct 5, 2009 Does your store need to re-evaluate, re-create, re-emphasize, and re-visit? In late summer, a SNEWS shopper went into Sacramento Exercise Equipment in California -- but something was a bit off, not quite right. There's something to be said for intuition, and in the end, we -- and the store involved -- learned a whole lot more from this shopping experience...and we are sure you will too. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Effective Management articles |
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Business 101: Effective delegation
Delegation. It sounds simple and most of us assume we have a good understanding of what it means, but it's probably one of the most misunderstood terms used in business. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Effective Management articles |
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Business 101: Job Descriptions, Organization Charts and Performance Evaluations
When you and your spouse started the business 15 years ago, it was hard work to get things up and running and keep the boat afloat, but communication was easy and organization was a word you probably didn't use often. Back and forth each day in the car, around the dinner table, every day, every night, you discussed the business, made plans, worried together and made it work. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Effective Management articles |
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Money Matters
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Money Matters: Oct. 15 extended tax deadline looms -- are you ready?
Oct 7, 2009 For the more than 10 million taxpayers, including small business owners, who requested extensions to file their 2008 returns, the Oct. 15 deadline is nearly upon you. Be it from disorganization, procrastination or lack of money, don't suffer the penalties the IRS could exact on you. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Money Matters articles |
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Money Matters: Executive Compensation -- How much is too much?
Jul 13, 2009 Executive compensation has become a hot topic for consumers and employees as we all grapple with the effects the recession has had on our wallets and our companies. So how much is too much pay? Could you scale down if you had to? Does it matter what your employees think about executive pay? Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Money Matters articles |
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Tax Planning, Part 3: Evaluating tax strategies
This is the third article in a three-part series on tax planning and focuses on evaluating tax strategies that will affect the long-term health of your company. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Money Matters articles |
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Tax Planning, Part 2: Tax reduction options -- fringe benefits and retirement plans
This is the second article in a three-part series on tax planning. Our first segment discussed ways to project your profit as the starting point for year-end tax planning. We all know the old saying, "You've got to give a little to get a little." Well, did you know that when you offer your employees fringe benefits it could improve your tax situation? In this segment we want to review employee fringe benefits, including retirement plans, as tax-reduction tools... Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Money Matters articles |
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Tax Planning, Part 1: Projecting operational outcome and choosing business entities
With the end of the year approaching, a quote from Benjamin Franklin comes to mind: "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." Surely, old Ben would agree that now is the ideal time for business owners to engage in year-end tax and business planning. This planning sets the stage for business owners to not only save taxes in the current year, but in future years as well. It is a must for any business, be it a sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), S corporation or C corporation. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Money Matters articles |
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Retail Merchandising Training
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SNEWS® Retail Buyer Training 101 article finder
Welcome to our Article Finder to the 10-part Retail Buyer Training series produced by SNEWS® and authored by Michael Hodgson and Geoff O'Keeffe. This 10-part series (plus one bonus feature, an online merchandising calculator) will provide in easy-to-read and understand format, the essential tools to being a good store buyer. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Retail Merchandising Training articles |
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SNEWS® Retail Merchandising Training 101: Sales efficiency and real estate
We've now covered all the basic merchandising calculations, planning and open-to-buy. Last time, we covered the ways our merchandise selections, location and promotions relate to the flow of customers in stores and how and when shoppers convert to buyers. In so doing, we see that the real investment and the biggest contributor to our overall profitability is our inventory: We're merchants after all, and selling things is what we do. Selling things pays for everything…even that upcoming expedition you're hoping to take to Mount Plentiful Dreams. The following discussion on staff hours and retail floor space efficiency may seem to veer slightly afield of pure merchandising. But once again, it's the product that is our biggest investment (and in many cases, our only real asset) and we want it to work harder than everyone. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Retail Merchandising Training articles |
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SNEWS® Retail Merchandising Training 101: Traffic and Conversion
Many of us in specialty retail like to think of our clientele as friends, or at least patrons whose repeat business we rely upon. We train our staff to take as much time as each unique shopper needs to make a decision and that's a large part of being a specialist. We carry better products. Our market has to do with aspirational versus commodity shopping. In this discussion of traffic and conversion rates, we aren't suggesting you abandon your concept of customers as friends and people and start seeing them simply as numbers. But these metrics can be key pieces of data by which you can... Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Retail Merchandising Training articles |
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SNEWS® Retail Merchandising Training 101: History and Analysis
By now you have most of the essential building blocks of planning and managing your sales and inventory under your belts. While we know you'd rather be heading out for a paddle, trail run or to the climbing gym, you still have work to do…so sit back down. What follows is the part we'd all like to skip, but we suggest it may be the real key to your being able to avoid mishaps and repeat successes in the future: History and its analysis. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Retail Merchandising Training articles |
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SNEWS® Retail Merchandising Training 101: Preseason strategies
We want to offer you a few tools and strategies for managing your preseason buying. For the sake of these examples, we'll assume you have trade shows to attend. We'll also assume you will do more than a little of this preseason preparation in your store... Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Retail Merchandising Training articles |
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Other
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Pro deals – Part 3: Create an effective 'influencer' discount program with these 8 pointers
Nov 17, 2010 In the last article of a three-part series on SNEWS, Andy Marker, a veteran in developing pro programs, explores the factors that go into influencer programs designed for athletes, ski patrollers, educators or musicians -- offering guidelines to achieve a high level of sales, influence, marketing and brand recognition. Read Story | Comment on this story | Go to all Other articles |
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iFitness Belts Oct 17, 2011 The iFitness belts SNEWS recently tested are great for runners who like to carry gadgets, keys and snacks with them. Read Review | Comment on this review | Go to all Product Reviews |
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Fitnex E55SG Elliptical Sep 14, 2011 So many ellipticals can be large and pricy, and the though the smaller ones may have a lower price tag, what they give up to get there makes for a more wobbly ride that’s not as much fun. The Fitnex E55SG elliptical manages to be rather petite but still can hold its own when a user pushes it hard. Read Review | Comment on this review | Go to all Product Reviews |
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International Accounts Manager - Customer Service - Marmot Mountain, LLC
Listed - 12/22/2011
Finished Goods Coordinator - Spyder Active Sports
Listed - 12/22/2011
Advertising Sales - Big Earth Publishing
Listed - 12/19/2011
Bicycle Store Manager - Seattle Area - Veloce Velo
Listed - 12/17/2011
Client Services Rep - SmartEtailing.com
Listed - 12/17/2011
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Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Welcomes Icebreaker as a Vendor Partner
Dec 22, 2011
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Jetboil Expands Management Team
Dec 22, 2011
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Switch Vision Joins 2012 East Coast Adventure Racing Series
Dec 22, 2011
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BioLogic Helps Social Networking Cyclists Track Data on the Go
Dec 21, 2011
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Liberty Mountain Joins Grassroots Outdoor Alliance as Vendor Partner
Dec 21, 2011
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National Ski Patrol makes branding move to unify divisions and patrols
Dec 21, 2011
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Dec 22, 2011
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Jetboil Expands Management Team
Dec 22, 2011
Read story | Post a release | Go to all Industry Releases
Switch Vision Joins 2012 East Coast Adventure Racing Series
Dec 22, 2011
Read story | Post a release | Go to all Industry Releases
BioLogic Helps Social Networking Cyclists Track Data on the Go
Dec 21, 2011
Read story | Post a release | Go to all Industry Releases
Liberty Mountain Joins Grassroots Outdoor Alliance as Vendor Partner
Dec 21, 2011
Read story | Post a release | Go to all Industry Releases
National Ski Patrol makes branding move to unify divisions and patrols
Dec 21, 2011
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November retail, outdoor, online sales rise; NRF raises forecast
Dec 26, 2011
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Mountain travel bookings continue uphill surge
Dec 22, 2011
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Gramicci leverages Haggar to lower prices on fall 2012 products, predicts consumers will reduce spending
Dec 21, 2011
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Dec 26, 2011
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Mountain travel bookings continue uphill surge
Dec 22, 2011
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Gramicci leverages Haggar to lower prices on fall 2012 products, predicts consumers will reduce spending
Dec 21, 2011
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"Goodbye Therese! " by Michael Jespersen (12/26/2011 11:46 MST)
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"Bill & Jane Ehmke " by Rick Howell (12/23/2011 08:09 MST)
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"Bill & Jane Ehmke " by Rick Howell (12/23/2011 08:09 MST)
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Merchandising Tour: Set up your booth and grab a beer while everyone else is still hard at work
Dec 9, 2011
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The Merchandising Doctor gives Boulder Running Company royal sock treatment
Nov 16, 2011
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How to Sell: Insulation
Nov 9, 2011
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Dec 9, 2011
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The Merchandising Doctor gives Boulder Running Company royal sock treatment
Nov 16, 2011
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How to Sell: Insulation
Nov 9, 2011
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Outdoor Research wants to protect from cold and dry, not just chilly and wet
Nov 18, 2011
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Nov 18, 2011
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