POWER MOVES:
HOW SMALL BUSINESSES ARE WINNING WITH SMART TECH STRATEGIES
May4–10isNationalSmallBusiness Week,sowe’recelebratingthebusiness leaderswhousesmarttechstrategiesto worksmarter,servecustomersbetterand growstronger.Here’showsmall businessesaremakingbigmoveswith smarttechnology–andhowyoucan,too.
OUR MISSION:
Your goal is to grow and manage your business. Our mission is to help you do that with IT solutions that just work
To build a community of successminded entrepreneurs that inspires excellence, encourages collaboration and expands the capacity of all members to achieve great things.
Integrity | Responsibility | Respect
Getting Your Business Seen In The Age Of AI Search Engines
Onceuponatime,rankingonGoogle wastheholygrailofonlinevisibility.
Today,AI-poweredassistantslike ChatGPT,GoogleGeminiandMicrosoft Copilotarethenewgatekeepersof information.Ifyou’renotshowingupin theiranswers,you’remissingouton potentialcustomers.
Thesecret?Keepyourwebsitefresh, relevantandeasytounderstand.AItools prioritizewell-structured,informative content–somakesureyoursiteanswers thequestionsyourcustomersareasking. Aregularlyupdatedblog,anFAQsection thatreadslikeahelpfulconversation,and cleardescriptionsofwhatyoudocan boostyourvisibility.
It’slikeMomusedtosay:“It’snotjustabout whatyousay–it’showyousayit.”AI prioritizesreal-worldlanguage,sowritelikea human,notarobot.Focusonclear,engaging contentthatisrelatabletoyouraudience.And don’tunderestimatethepowerofcustomer reviews.AIsystemsscanfeedbackformentions ofyourcompany,soencouragehappy customerstosharetheirexperiences.
AI: The Secret Weapon For Small Business Agility
Smallbusinesseshaveanaturaladvantage: They’renotheldbackbythelegacysystems thatoftenslowlargercorporations.Thisagility makesAIadoptioneasier–andtheresultsspeak forthemselves.Nearlyoneinfoursmall businesseshaveintegratedAIintotheir operations,seeinga12-pointincreaseinprofit growthpotentialcomparedtonon-AIusers, accordingtotheU.S.ChamberofCommerce.
WithAI-poweredtools,smallbusinessescan automatetediousadminwork,optimize inventorywithpredictiveanalyticsandenhance
customerservicewithchatbots–allwithoutthe frictionofoutdatedinfrastructure.Thekey, however,istostartsmall.Pickonechallenge, suchasimprovinginventorymanagement. Then,tryasimplesolution,likealow-stock alertpoweredbyanAI-assistedsystem.Evena simplestrategylikethiscanmakeabig differenceinoptimizinginventorywithouta significantupfrontinvestment.
ButsuccesswithAIisn’tjustaboutusingit–it’saboutusingitwisely.Customersstillvalue humanconnection,sothemostsuccessfulsmall businesseswillbethosethatleverageAIto enhance,ratherthanreplace,thehumantouch.
Tapping Into Consumer Trends For Growth
Stayingaheadinbusinessisn’tjustabout adoptingthelatesttechnology–it’salsoabout understandingwhatcustomerswantrightnow. Consumerhabitsareshifting,withgrowing demandforself-care,comfortandexperiences thatsparkjoy.Smallbusinessesthatrecognize thesetrendsandadapttheirofferingscanbuild deepercustomerconnectionsandgaina competitiveedge.
Butnostalgiaisn’ttheonlyfactordriving consumerchoices.Shoppersareincreasingly drawntobusinessesthatalignwiththeirvalues –whetherit’ssustainability,inclusivityor ethicalsourcing.Transparencyandauthenticity matter,whichiswheresmallbusinesseshavean advantage.Unlikelargecorporations,small businessescancultivategenuinerelationships withtheircustomers,authenticallytelltheir storiesandcreatebrandspeopletrustandwant tosupport.Bystayingattunedtothesecultural shifts,smallbusinessescanpositionthemselves aheadofthecurve,meetingconsumerdemand inwaysthatresonateonadeeperlevel.
Smart Tech, Smart Business
Runningasmallbusinesshasplentyof challenges,buttechnologycanmakethings muchmoremanageable.Whetherstreamlining dailytaskswithAI,improvingyouronline presenceorpayingattentiontoshifting consumertrends,smallchangeswillleadto meaningfulresults.AsyoucelebrateSmall BusinessWeek,thinkabouthowtechcanhelp youworksmarterandconnectwithcustomers innewways.Yournextbigmovestartsnow.
It’scoming...
Thatdayahackerstealscriticaldata,renderingyourofficeuseless...
Thatdaywhenyourbankaccountorcreditcardiscompromised...
Thatdaywhenyourcustomers’privatelivesareuprooted...
CybercriminalsandhackersareconstantlyinventingNEWwaysto infiltrateyourcompany,stealyourassetsanddisruptyourlife.The ONLYwaytoSTOPTHEMisthis:
YouMustConstantlyEducateYourselfOnHowToProtectWhat’sYours!
Now,foralimitedtime,wehavetheperfectwaytohelpreduceyourriskandkeepyousafe!Simply signuptoreceiveourFREE“CyberSecurityTipoftheWeek.”We’llsendthesebyte-sizedquickreadtipstoyoure-mailinbox.Everytipispackedwithauniqueandup-to-datereal-worldsolution thatkeepsyouonestepaheadofthebadguys.Andbecausesofewpeopleknowaboutthesesecurity secrets,everyweekyou’lllearnsomethingnew!
Get your FREE “Cyber Security Tip of the Week” at: www.URL.com
Didyouknowtheword“sales”wasoriginally derivedfromtheScandinaviantermfor“to serve”?Butwhenwasthelasttimeyou thoughtasalespersonwasservingyou?Thisis whysomanysmall-businessownerscringe whenitcomestonetworking.Itfeels,well, ickytotryto“sell”yourbusiness.Butwhatif networkingweremorethanawkward handshakesandbusinesscardexchangesthat rarelyleadtoanythingmeaningful?Whatifit wereaboutcraftinganauthenticstoryso compellingthatpeoplesoughtyouout instead?That’sthevisionMatthewPollard, “TheRapidGrowth®Guy”andselfproclaimedintrovert,presentsinhisapproach tonetworking:Ditchtherandomencounters andmastertheartofstrategicconnection.
Craft A Networking Hook
We’veallbeenthere–listeningtosomeone droneonabouttheirjobtitlewhilewenod politely,waitingforanescape.Pollard challengesbusinessownerstoembracewhat hecallsthe“networkinghook.”“Peoplewant toidentifywithamessage,andforthat,they willpayapremium.So,what’syours?”he asks.Insteadofstatingyourrole,describethe uniqueimpactyoumake.Ifyoucanmake someonestop,thinkandsay,“Tellmemore,” you’vealreadywon.
The Power Of Specialization
“Speakingtoeveryoneisspeakingtonoone,” Pollardwarns.Inaworlddrowningingeneric pitches,specializingisthekeytostandingout. Pollardhimselfzeroesinonbusinesscoaches, chiropractorsandattorneys–notbecausehe can’tserveothersbutbecausetheseindustries needhisexpertisemost.Findingyourniche
isn’taboutexclusion–it’saboutsharpening yourvaluetothosewhoneeditmost.
Know Exactly What To Say
Mostpeoplefumblewhenasked,“Whatdo youdo?”Pollard’sadviceistokeepitsimple andintriguing,andlettheconversation unfoldnaturally.Forexample,skipthe elevatorpitchandstartwithaquestionora boldstatement.“I’mthe[insertyourunified message],”hesuggests.Yourunifiedmessage shouldhelpyouauthenticallyconnecttothe particularperson/audienceyou’respeakingto. Then,pause.Letcuriositydotheheavylifting beforeyoucontinue.“Well,Ihateseeing [niche][defineproblems],”or“Iloveseeing [niche][definesuccess],butIfindthat[define problems].”Thisstructureturnsamonologue intoadialogue,invitingengagementinstead offorcingasale.Italsomakesiteasyand smoothtoask,“Doyouknowanyonelike that?”toelicitaresponse.
Find The Right People In The Right Places
Pollard’sgoldenruleforfindingprospectsisto beselective:“Whatmeetupsdotheygoto? Whatannualconferencesdotheyattend? Whatassociationsaretheypartof?”These aren’trhetoricalquestions–they’rearoad map.Thesecrettoeffectivenetworkingisn’t meetingmorepeople;it’smeetingtheright peopleintherightplaces.
Master The Follow-Up
Greatconnectionsaremeaninglesswithout follow-up.Pollardintroducestheconceptof
“MomentumPartners”–peerswhoopentheir networkstoyou–and“Champions”–high achieverswhosecredibilityyoucanleverage. Thebestnetworkersdon’tjustcollect contracts;theycultivaterelationships,checkin withthoughtfulmessagesandoffervalue beforeaskingforanythinginreturn.
Theultimategoalofnetworking?Tonever needtonetworkagain.“Mygoal,”Pollard says,“istohelpyoumastertheroomsoyou neverhavetogobackintoone.”Whenyou becomeknownforyourexpertise,crafta compellinghookandnurturerelationships, opportunitiesstartcomingtoyou.
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT:
It could be you!
HereatVectorChoice,wevalue eachandeverycustomerandwant toshowyouoff!
Eachmonthwewillbehighlighting acustomerinthe“Client Spotlight!” Theclientspotlight customerwillalsobefeaturedon alloursocialmedia!
Wouldyoulikeyourcompany highlightedhereinour"Client Spotlight?” Emailusat cvainrib@vectorchoice.com!
VACATION SMARTER, NOT HARDER WITH THESE SAVVY TECH TOOLS
You’veearnedyourvacation—don’tlet travelstressruinit!Thesesmarttechtips willkeepyouorganized,secure,and stress-free.
Logistics Made Easy
This month it’s Mother’s Day in the U.S. Mother’s Day has the highest number of these every year.
A. Phone calls made
B. Greeting card purchased
C. Flower bouquets purchased
D. Massages booked
RoadTrips:AppslikeRoadtrippershelp youeasilyadd20+stops(youcanonlyadd nineinGoogleMaps).Plus,youcanplan tripsinadvanceintheapp.
Itineraries:Skipthee-maildigging–appslikeTripItorTripCaseautomatically compiletraveldetailsintoone masteritinerary.
TravelPrices:AppslikeHopperpredict whentobookforthebestdealsonflights, hotelsandcarrentals.Forbusortrain travel,usecomparisonappslikeWanderu.
Accommodation:Sticktotrusted platformslikeVrboorAirbnbandkeep paymentsandcommunicationswithinthe platformsocustomersupportcanstepinif somethinggoeswrong.
LocalDeals:Findlocaldiscountson excursions,spatreatmentsandrestaurants throughappslikeTravelzoo.
CYBERSIDE CHAT
OneDanceAndYou’ll FeelBetter
Stopglaringatyourrunningshorts becauseanewstudyshowsthatjust20 minutesofdancingisasgoodasagym sessionorjogging!Dancingcombines aerobics,balance,coordinationand strength-buildingexercises,soevenjust 20minutesofboogyingcanhave substantialhealthbenefits.
GoingAbroad?TurnOffUber’s PreferredPricing:
Ifyou’retravelingabroadthissummer, makesuretoturnoffUber’snewPreferred CurrencyPricingfeaturethatsneakilyadds a1.5%conversionfee.Itkeepspricesin yourhomecurrencybutmakesyoupay more.Here’showtoturnitoff:Openthe
Pack Smart
DigitalpackingassistantslikePackPoint createlistsbasedonyourdestination, activitiesandtriplengthsoyoupackonly whatyouneed.Incrowdedareas,aphone lanyardcanalsobealifesaverForextra security,anRFID-blockingwalletcan protectyourcreditcardsandpassportfrom electronicpickpocketing.
Protect Your Data
Wewouldberemissifwedidn’tmention dataprotectionUpdateyourdevices, enablemultifactorauthentication,andif you’llrelyonpublicWi-Fi,useaVPNto encryptyourconnectionBonvoyage!
Uberapp>Account>Wallet>Preferred Currency>Nopreferredcurrency.
WomanReceivesFirst AIBionicArm
Afterbeingrunoverbytwounderground trainsinLondon,awomanreceivedthe world’sfirstAIbionicarm.UsingAI,the armcontinuallylearnsandtranslatesmuscle twitchesintoarmmovements.It’spretty coolwhenthestuffoffictionmeetsreality.
7Days
That’showlongGooglesaysyouhaveto enteryourcorrectrecoveryphonenumber togetaccesstoyouraccountifit’sbeen hacked.GotoyourGoogleAccount> PersonalInfo>Phone>Set-uptomake sureyournumberiscorrect!
