Reginald Chan

Category: Business

  • What Are Employee Testimonials? How Do They Help In Attracting Best Talent?

    What Are Employee Testimonials? How Do They Help In Attracting Best Talent?

    More than 70% of the World’s Most Attractive Employers (WMAE) believe that employer branding should be one of the top priorities of the companies. And there is a reason behind this– your reputation as an employer determines the sort of candidates that apply to get jobs in your company. If you have a bad name in the market, a major portion of the good and highly-skilled candidates will keep searching for a better option than you.

    However, it is your job to convince the new candidates that your company offers a great workplace environment and has a valuable internal culture. In order to convince them, you can turn to your employees to become the mouthpiece for your company. New candidates find employee testimonials to be highly-relatable which helps them build an emotional connection as well.

    In this blog, we’ll see what employee testimonials are and why are they important? Moreover, we’ll also take a look at some ways to collect impactful testimonials and some examples too. Without any further ado, let’s jump right into it.

    What is an Employee Testimonial?

    Employee testimonials are official statements from employees that explain their overall experience with your firm. It describes what they like about their job in your company, how they feel to work here, what a typical day looks like at the workplace, how they developed personally and professionally, and much more. Employees might also suggest why eligible clients should prefer working here.

    Employee testimonials have the power to paint your firm in a great light. However, if you amalgamate it with employee stories, it’ll be much more effective. A story elevates an ordinary employee testimonial. You can put an example/story of something that the firm did for the specific employee to show your company’s culture and values in action.

    These testimonials can be shared in many forms: photos, video, interviews, articles, social media posts, etc.

    Why Are Employee Testimonials So Important?

    When 84% of the job seekers are saying that the reputation of a firm as an employer is one of the biggest factors that affect their decision to apply for a position, you should take it seriously without any second thoughts. The job seeker today only wants to work for companies that value innovation and inspire purpose. They want to work for a company that offers surety regarding professional growth. And to get a coveted position, these candidates don’t mind doing a little extra research.

    Customer testimonials are important and there’s no doubt about that. Candidates prefer to hear the lockdown directly from the horse’s mouth. It is mainly because normal employees are more relatable to these candidates than the CEOs of the company. You need to give more importance to these testimonials to gain control of the narrative.

    Collect Impactful Employee Testimonials

    We know how crucial employee testimonials are, but it can be challenging to begin with collecting these testimonials. You can make this process easier for yourself by following these tips listed below:

    Do not script

    One of the first things that an employee testimonial needs to be is sound natural. You don’t want your staff to ramble, the testimonials that they come up with should be crisp and consequential. If you are presenting these testimonials in the form of an interview, give them a basic idea of its structure and topic to talk about.

    But it is also essential to ensure that the video you post is not scripted. A scripted video will only ruin things for your firm as it would look like the employee(s) is forced to say positive things about the brand.

    Answer their questions

    Even if you employees have a story to tell, it can be difficult for them to reel out a speech. You can give your questions to the employees beforehand, so they at least know what to answer. It will make things natural for them and their flow look natural. Asking questions out loud and giving them a few minutes to frame an answer is also a good option, you can always edit the video in post-production.

    Capture emotions

    People don’t want to see robots in the videos. You want your employees to be as relatable with your potential candidates as they can be. You can ask your employees to talk about their personal connection with the brand. If the candidates like their experience, they’ll be more than eager to join your firm.

    Do not overdo

    You need to keep your testimonials as short and sweet as you can. Candidates are not likely to see long videos just for the testimonials. All they want is a snapshot of your firm’s culture. Try to stick to a single topic in one video. When your videos are short, they can be shared on social media platforms too.

    3 Great Employee Testimonials Example

    Here are three of the great employee testimonial examples that we gathered from different industries and in distinct formats. You can take inspiration from these companies and then work with your employees to put out a consequential testimonial.

    Capgemini

    Format: A combination of short videos and text interviews

    Capgemini offers a good collection of testimonials of their employees across the company. These employee testimonials are in the form of short videos, and some key excerpts are presented in a question-answer format.

    This combination is quite effective for Capgemini as it allows the audience to skim through the content if they are short on time, and can see the whole video if they want to know deeply about the experience.

    Nike

    Format: Montage video and employee journeys

    In their employee testimonial segment, Nike has done what Nike does best– creating short montage videos of employees and moments at Nike. The infectious music that they put in the video hooks the candidates to see what’s coming.

    In the video, some selected employees share their joining process and how they felt after it. There are some behind the scenes and inspiring words too that allure candidates towards Nike’s mission.

    P&G

    Format: “Day 1” employee video stories

    P&G is a global company, reinforced by quality employees present across the world. They have shared testimonials of employees from all over the world (US, Brazil, Singapore, etc.) When candidates see the video of individuals from all over the world, they see an opportunity to relocate, and this is exactly what P&G seeks in their potential candidates.

    The videos shared by P&G are engaging because you get to see both the personal and professional lives of the employees, and how they are in harmony with each other. 

    Final Words

    As we have mentioned in the article, employee testimonials are a great way to attract top talents. You get to show the benefits you provide as a brand and also build an emotional connection so that when the candidates become your employee they already feel connected to the firm. You can take the best practices into consideration to easily form impactful employee testimonials.

  • How To Prepare Yourself For The Upcoming Tax Return Season

    How To Prepare Yourself For The Upcoming Tax Return Season

    Every year, taxpayers across the country will be preparing to pay their taxes. Many will more than likely wait until the last minute until they begin to file their federal income tax returns. With tips available on how to do your tax returns last minute, this will still be an option some will do this year.

    Leaving it till the last minute might be a common trend some have done every year for a while now; this year might be the time to consider trying to do your taxes early. There are many reasons for filing your taxes early, some of which include financial rewards.

    If you are hoping to be more organized this year, here are a few ways to prepare yourself for the upcoming tax return season. By starting early in your preparations for the upcoming tax season, you can reap the numerous benefits that come with being organized.

    Steps To Take To Prepare

    Filing your taxes is more than likely a task that is not high on your list of priorities at the moment. The start of a new year is often the time when you try to get into either a new routine or the old one you had before the holiday season.

    However, the upcoming tax return season will come around sooner than anticipated. When it does arrive, you do not want to be in a position where you are rushing to collect everything you need to file your tax return due to leaving it till the last possible minute. Procrastinating and pushing back when you start will only increase your chances of missing something. It could be that you have forgotten to account for a vital financial document. You may have even missed an opportunity to save yourself money since you did not claim on a specific deduction that was available to you.

    Many of these issues are easily avoidable. All you need to do to ensure that you avoid these issues is by starting the preparation process earlier than usual. If you are unsure of where to start, these are a few steps to take to help prepare you for the upcoming tax season.

    • Decide How You Will File – When filing your tax returns, you can choose to send them back electronically or send a physical copy through the post. If you choose to send it back through the post, remember that it will take a little longer for your refund to come through. Also, you will have a shorter timeframe to have it completed and sent back. Completing your tax return electronically will mean that you will have a little more time to complete it than sending a physical copy if you choose to leave it till the last minute.
    • Collect Personal Information – One of the most crucial pieces of information you should start collecting is yourself and your family. It includes the birthdates and social security information for your spouse, yourself, and any other dependents.
    • Gather Income Documents – It is impossible to file your taxes without the essential financial information on hand. Start early by collecting all the relevant paperwork from your employer and other financial accounts under your name. Having all the relevant documents at your disposable will make the process of filing your taxes far easier, as it reduces any stresses that you may have closer to the due date.
    • Find Out What You Owe – If you are filling out the form yourself, consider using online resources to help you determine how much you owe. You can use an income tax calculator Quebec to determine what you owe to prevent you from spending more or being at risk for not paying enough.
    • Look At Credits And Deductions – It is likely that the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) will have various tax credits and deductions that you might be eligible to claim. By starting the process early, you can look over the different options to see if there could potentially help save you money. Ensure that you spend time comparing the options available, as some might have specific requirements that need additional forms to be completed and sent in.
    • Seek Professional Help – Filing your tax return can be an overwhelming task. Since there is the added pressure of completing right, it does put people under a lot of stress to complete. If you do not feel like you can complete it yourself, you can ask for help from professional tax preparers. By starting your preparations early, you can use your additional time to research tax services or potential professionals to help you file your taxes.

    Benefits Of Filing Tax Return Early

    Preparing in advance for the upcoming tax return season will offer a plethora of benefits. All of which are yours to reap should you choose to start preparations early. The most obvious benefit to filing your tax returns before is being organized. It provides you with time to ensure that you have everything you need to file your taxes. You can seek professional help early, meaning they will likely be less busy. Also, tax planning services for how to file a tax return early.

    Being organized and starting early means spending time ensuring that you have utilized the tax credits and deductions available. If there are any issues, you can resolve them as quickly as discovered. In addition to this, it can prevent you from making simple mistakes that could be costly.

    Choosing to start filing your tax return early will be something you are thankful for doing when the deadline day approaches. When you see others under copious amounts of pressure and stress to complete it on time, you can bask in the luxury of knowing that yours has been completed. You may have even received your tax refunds. There are countless benefits on offer by filing your tax returns early; these are just a selection of them.

    Faster Tax Refunds

    A common and popular reason to file your taxes earlier than usual is to receive a quicker tax refund. If you are filing your tax return electronically with a direct deposit into your bank account, it is one of the fastest ways to get your refund. If you were to send a physical copy of your tax return, it could take several weeks longer for you to receive your refund. If you want to receive your refund, quickly choose to fill out and return an e-file. Alternatively, if you did want to send in a physical copy, fill it out and send it sooner to ensure that you receive your tax refund as quickly as possible.

    Prevent Tax Extensions

    A tax extension is granted additional time provided to someone to have their tax returns filed and sent it. Obtaining an extension is something to avoid as they are most commonly given to those who are disorganized than those in financial need. If you choose to leave it till the last minute to sort your finances and gather all receipts, you increase your chances of needing the support of a tax professional. They will help you to organize your finances and complete your tax return.

     If your request for an extension is granted, yet you have not paid what you owe in the balance you have due, it is likely that the CRA will charge you interest. Both of these issues are easily avoidable by preparing your tax return earlier in the year and sending it off as soon as possible.

    Prevents Tax Return Identity Theft

    If, in the unfortunate event that someone gains access to your social insurance number, they will have the necessary pieces of information to file a tax return in your name. The reason for fraudulent tax returns is not to pay your taxes; it is done to claim and pocket your tax refund. It is an issue that happens earlier on in the tax season, usually many weeks in advance of most taxpayers choosing to start the process of filing.

    To prevent this from happening, take every precautionary step possible to keep your social insurance number protected and hidden. Additionally, if possible, aim to file your taxes as early as possible.

    The Bottom Line

    Preparing for the upcoming tax return season is a great way to keep organized. If you are taking the time to prepare yourself for the next tax season earlier than usual, consider utilizing this time to be more organized with your other finances. Look more closely at your finances and see if there is anything that you could do to improve them. If you are currently not closely monitoring their credit, now could be the best time, especially if you are already in the process of organizing.

    Preparing your finances in advance is an excellent way to ensure that nothing gets missed. It helps to prevent mistakes from being made. Most of all, organizing your finances for the upcoming tax return season can offer you peace of mind knowing that it has been sorted. You will not have to go through the stressful moments and emotions that come with leaving it till the last minute. Once you start preparing, the chances of a smoother process are higher. After you have sent your tax returns, you will have a process in place that you can use for the following year.

  • Start-Up Success: The Benefits Of Going Virtual With Your Office Space

    Start-Up Success: The Benefits Of Going Virtual With Your Office Space

    For entrepreneurs navigating through the development of a new business, you’re undoubtedly discovering how expensive the start-up process is. As a new business owner, you’ll soon uncover that the early stages of business development require careful planning and meticulous accounting, from the cost of equipment and supplies to the price of staffing and employment, plus many more. Not forgetting the additional costs of furnishings and office space, which is a crucial part of a business start-up that many novice business owners often fail to factor into their financial considerations.

    Depending on your financial situation, you may discover that the rental or purchase of a physical office space may not be viable at this moment in time, and alternate options such as working from home, using the facilities of an internet café, or setting up a virtual office may look more attractive. Especially with the latter option, many of these alternatives to a physical office can boast tremendous benefits like a more balanced work/home life and other office-style services like mail forwarding, meeting facilities, or a registered business address. A business start-up is stressful enough, which is why we’ve created this article outlining several benefits of going virtual with your office space to make your start-up process cheaper and more manageable.

    Creates A Positive Image Of Your Businesses

    Virtual office space is available for rent in just about any location, and providing that you opt for a prestigious, well-known site, it can help create a positive image of your business. Suppose that your company operates in financial markets. In that case, choosing a renowned area relevant to your industry sector, such as Wall Street, New York, will further increase your reputation and portray the correct image to future and existing clients.

    Not to mention you can use your chosen location even if you live nowhere remotely near it, which means you can maintain the prestigious image of having your business headquarters in the city even though you may be operating from the rural area you call home. This chosen address can also be used on all relevant business documents, such as letterheads, business cards, and on your company website, which appears more professional to potential clients than a home address and, as a result, increases the credibility and legibility of your business.

    If you’d like an example of the locations available to your business, consider looking at the list of sites on PhysicalAddress.com. Not only does their website boast a selection of addresses in the U.S, but they also offer various office-related services fit for your business needs. Consider perusing their offerings to see how they could help your office go digital today.

    More Cost-Effective Than Physical Premises

    Another benefit that going virtual with your office space can grant you is that virtual office space is much more cost-effective than a physical office.  It reduces the cost of buying physical office space outright or the risk of getting tied up in an expensive long-term leasing agreement and any maintenance costs that come with it.

    Not to mention, if you compare the prices of renting or purchasing an office space in a well-known business area such as Wall Street, New York, or Laguna Beach, California, the costs of a physical office would far outweigh those of a virtual one, which means that you can maintain your prestigious business image without the expense. Additionally, using a virtual office space can also reduce other business costs such as transportation, work attire, equipment, and the wages of a full-time receptionist or administrative staff. Ultimately, virtual offices enable business owners to focus their finances on more critical business areas and save time that might have been wasted on training, etc.

    No Traveling Costs

    Not only can going digital with your office space help your business image, but it can also improve the impact of your business’s carbon footprint. Since renting virtual office space eliminates the need for physical business premises, you’ll no longer need to endure the commute to and from work, allowing your business to be more environmentally friendly and cutting down travel costs.

    On average, in the U.S, around 1.1 million people travel for work every day, and by going virtual with your office space, your business can help contribute to fewer cars on the road, which means fewer carbon dioxide emissions and a happier, healthier environment. Not to mention, by eliminating the time you spend each day traveling to/from work and the precious minutes spent sitting in queues of endless traffic you can use the time you would have wasted doing something productive, like getting ahead of your workload for the day, doing some household chores before you start work, or catching up on emails. Ultimately putting yourself in a more positive headspace for work and getting your daily routine off to a good start.

  • Finding the Right Talents for Your Remote Team: Start Here

    Finding the Right Talents for Your Remote Team: Start Here

    The advent of remote working and hybrid work schemes has opened up a world of opportunities for online entrepreneurs and business owners. 

    What’s more is that the Great Resignation era is well underway, and millions of professionals around the world are looking to reconfigure their lives and improve their job satisfaction levels. 

    With so much going on, online businesses can access a worldwide pool of diverse and highly skilled talents that are no longer out of reach due to geographical limits. However, there are a few factors to keep in mind – start with the ones below!

    Invest in Tech

    Online businesses and startups benefit from unlimited expansion potential, and they are able to minimize overhead costs. However, there are some investments that truly should not be overlooked, especially if you are leveraging a remote workforce. 

    The most important investment you should make include tech tools, such as communication and collaboration platforms. These are essential to keep your global team and network running smoothly and efficiently. 

    Don’t Overlook Training

    When dealing with a remote team, it is easy to underestimate the importance of training and development schemes. 

    However, you should also provide opportunities for your employees to develop their skills, increase satisfaction levels, and become more loyal to your business. Training opportunities, volunteering initiatives, skill development schemes, and other activities. Your employees will pay you back in productivity, motivation, and high morale. 

    A Diverse Team for the Win!

    Whether your team is local or global, you should never underestimate how important diversity is in your team. Looking to bring together a diverse team for your business to thrive? Get started with the infographic below and help create diverse talent pipelines. 


    Infographic designed by Ezra Coaching
  • Top Tips to Ensure Your Business is Ready for Growth

    Top Tips to Ensure Your Business is Ready for Growth

    It is easy to talk about growing your online business, but one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is expanding before they are ready, or without a solid foundation to grow from. Growing your online business is inevitably the next best step, as it will enable you to create more products and services, bring on additional qualified staff, increase your revenue, and even expand your market. However, if the market isn’t right or if you rush the decision and strategy process, then the success may not look the way you anticipated.

    Here are some top tips to ensure your online business is ready for growth and you set yourself up for success.

    #1 Make sure you have a steady customer base

    The first and most important thing before growing your business is to ensure that you have a steady, and growing, customer base. This not only ensures that you are financially stable to invest in the key elements for expansion and survival, but it also shows that there is still a good level of demand for your product or service in the market. Repeat and loyal customers are even better, as they will reflect on the quality of your product, and show that they are satisfied with your business enough to continue investing in you. If you have a sudden spike in customers, that does not always mean you are ready to grow. Be careful with these spikes, to ensure it is not a trend or seasonal purchase before making moves based on those statistics. 

    #2 There are gaps in the market

    With thorough research into your consumers, their behaviour, the market, and your competitors, you may be able to bring to light any gaps in the market that are currently being missed. If there is a problem that you and your competitors are still not solving, yet your customers are asking for it, then it may be an opportunity to expand your business. This will ensure that you are growing your business based on the right, and most successful demands. As a business, you should always be listening to your customers and taking notes of their reviews, needs and patterns. 

    #3 Research and understand the market 

    It is vital that before any expansion in your business, you conduct thorough research and ensure you understand the market. If you are looking to expand into an international market, then you may wish to enlist the help of a professional such as Brand Catalyser, who can assist with cultural barriers and market trends your business may not be familiar with. Without understanding, and the right kind of support, your business will not be successful. If the industry is not growing, or there is not a demand from global markets, then you may lose your money instead to grow it. Take time to research the new market you wish to expand to, and understand their customers, needs, patterns, and culture. 

    Any growth strategy that you implement needs to be necessary, and future-proof.

  • Ways to Maximize Your Potential as an Entrepreneur

    Ways to Maximize Your Potential as an Entrepreneur

    Being an entrepreneur is not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and tenacity to be successful in this field. However, if you are willing to put in the effort, there are many ways to maximize your potential as an entrepreneur. You can learn from others who have paved the way, attend business workshops and read up on pertinent topics related to entrepreneurship. Additionally, you should also make it a point to network with other entrepreneurs and collaborate with them whenever possible. Finally, never give up on your dreams and continue working hard to achieve them!

    Invest In Growth Services

    Investing in growth services is a must-do for all entrepreneurs. You never know when you will need to take your startup from the garage to the boardroom, and that is why it pays to have access to professionals who can help you with things like market research, business plan development, pitching techniques, branding strategies, and so on. The best way to achieve this at first is by consulting with an agency, and the professionals under Dave Conklin and his agency can help you with that. These things are so important that you should invest in them even before starting your business.

    Be Willing To Fail

    In entrepreneurship as well as life in general, there is no such thing as a failure – just a learning experience! Of course, it can be hard to accept this mentality but ultimately successful people do not see themselves as failures – they look at each turn of events as an opportunity to learn something new and improve their skill set. Being an entrepreneur can be a thankless job at times, especially during the initial stages. That’s why you must motivate yourself to achieve your goals. Some people find motivation in certain things like music, quotes from famous individuals, watching videos of other successful entrepreneurs, etc. You should experiment with several different kinds of motivational tools and choose one or two things that work well for you!

    Be Flexible And Open-Minded About New Opportunities

    One reason why some entrepreneurs fail while others succeed is because of how they respond to obstacles and challenges that come into their path. A flexible and open-minded approach results in better decision-making when it comes to dealing with business issues. This also helps with the potential future growth of your company. Even if things do not go as initially planned, be willing to accept it and move on – this makes your customers appreciate you more because they know that they can rely on you in a crisis.

    Respect Your Customers And Collaborate With Others

    Be respectful of everyone who deals with your company – your employees, partners, investors, suppliers, etc. You should also make it a point to network with other entrepreneurs and build mutually beneficial relationships because the perks are endless! Not only will this collaboration help you gain new perspectives about business matters but it can also lead to financing opportunities as well as joint ventures down the road. Collaborating with other entrepreneurs can be challenging. However, keep in mind that business is all about giving and receiving – if you are not ready to make sacrifices for the benefit of others, it will be hard for your business to succeed.

    Focus on Consumer Relationship Management

    Any entrepreneur who wants to succeed must learn how to manage relationships with his/her employees, investors, suppliers, mentors, etc. because this is essential in the long-term success of your company. Customer relationship management (CRM) can be considered an extension of relationship management since you should always prioritize customer satisfaction. People do business with individuals that they trust and have faith in, so aim high when it comes to giving value to your customers!

    The Importance of CRM for Every Business

    Customer relationship management (CRM) is a system that enables businesses to manage and analyze customer interactions across different channels such as social media, phone calls, emails, etc. This data can then be used for creating marketing campaigns to increase business leads and boost revenues. CRM data also works well when it comes to improving business processes and understanding how customers behave online. Without CRM technology, companies would not be able to see the bigger picture in terms of their clients’ needs and demands.

    Lead By Example

    All entrepreneurs should learn from other successful ones who have blazed a trail before them! They should learn important lessons about the challenges they face while doing business because this puts them in a better position to navigate through similar problems if/when they arise. Learn to recognize the value of your employees and treat them with respect by providing job opportunities that give back to society in some way or another (e.g., donating to charity, giving food to the homeless, etc.)! Most successful entrepreneurs started with no money in their pockets but they were dedicated, motivated, and action-oriented. They stuck through it until they achieved success because they worked hard for it! If you are still figuring out how you can maximize your potential as an entrepreneur, use these tips so that you can come up with a business venture that is both profitable and meaningful. Your company will begin with one person but there is no limit when it comes to taking your dreams further if you surround yourself with like-minded people and work together to achieve success!

    Value Your Employees

    It is common for entrepreneurs to be stubborn and refuse help when they are just starting out doing business. This can be a huge mistake because it does not allow them to learn from the experience of others, which only makes it more difficult to find solutions when problems come up. You should also keep in mind that it is essential to trust your employees, partners, investors, etc. because a lack of honesty can ruin a business by causing legal disputes and problems with suppliers. It is best not to hold information about other people’s weaknesses or mistakes against them as this will only create inner conflict within your company. 

    You should strive to achieve what you set out for – nothing more and nothing less! Entrepreneurship is not easy but if you are willing to put in the work then there are many ways that you can maximize your potential as an entrepreneur. Keep these things in mind and you will be on your way to that corner office in no time.