Business & Finance

Customer Service For Dummies, Third Edition integrates the unbeatable information from Customer Service For Dummies and Online Customer Service For Dummies to form an all-in-one guide to customer loyalty for large and small businesses alike. The book covers the fundamentals of service selling and presents up-to-date advice on such fundamentals as help desks, call centers, and IT departments. Plus, it shows readers how to take stock of their customer service strengths and weaknesses, create useful customer surveys, and learn from the successes and failures of businesses just like theirs. Karen Leland and Keith Bailey (Sausalito, CA) are cofounders of Sterling Consulting Group, an international consulting firm specializing in quality service consulting and training for such clients as Oracle, IBM, Avis, and Lucent.

Become a savvy investor with this updated Wall Street Journal bestsellerWant to take charge of your financial future? This national bestselling guide has been thoroughly updated to provide you with the latest insights into smart investing, from weighing your investment options (such as stocks, real estate, and small business) to understanding risks and returns, managing your portfolio, and much more.Get time-tested investment advice -- expert author Eric Tyson shares his extensive knowledge and reveals how to invest in challenging marketsDiscover all the fundamentals of investing -- explore your investment choices, weigh risks and returns, choose the right investment mix, and protect your assetsNavigate Wall Street -- understand the financial markets and the Federal Reserve, avoid problematic buying practices, and evaluate investment researchBuild wealth with stocks, bonds, and mutual funds -- use indexes, understand prices, minimize costs, and diversify your investmentsGet rich with real estate -- find the right property, evaluate the market, finance your investments, work with agents, and close the dealStart, buy, or invest in a business -- write a business plan, finance your business, and improve profitabilityManage college and retirement savings accounts -- establish your goals, evaluate your investment options, and tame your taxesOpen the book and find:Recommendations on the best stock, bond, and money market fundsThe best times to buy and sell stocks and bondsThe scoop on exchange-traded and hedge fundsTips for reading and analyzing financial reportsThe best online brokersHow to make safe and profitable real estate investmentsA wealth of information on the best investment tools and resources

Having your own business isn’t the same as having customers, and one is useless without the other. Whether your business is a resale store or a high-tech consulting firm, a law office or a home cleaning service, in today’s competitive environment, strategic marketing is essential. Small Business Marketing For Dummies, Second Edition is updated from the original version that won rave reviews and inspired thousands of small businesses on their way to becoming big businesses. Updates include more information on online marketing, a whole new section on getting and keeping customers, new cost-effective, fast-acting ideas for instant impact, and more. The book covers:Marketing basics that prepare you to rev up your business and jumpstart your marketing programInformation to help you define your business position and brandAdvice on bringing in professionalsA quick-reference guide to mass media and a glossary of advertising jargonHow-tos for creating print and broadcast ads that workIdeas for getting the word out without advertising, including information on direct mail, brochures, publicity, promotions, and moreTen steps to follow to build your own easy-to-assemble marketing planWith pages of ideas for low-cost, high-impact marketing from author Barbara Findlay Schenck, a marketing consultant with more than 20 years experience with clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, Small Business Marketing For Dummies, Second Edition helps you reach and keep new customers. Whether you’re running a home office, a small firm, a family business, a nonprofit organization, or a retail operation, you’ll discover how to:Custom design your own marketing programCreate effective marketing messagesProduce marketing communications that workNo matter what field you’re in, Small Business Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition will help you make your dreams come true. If you buy it, read it, and implement some of the marketing strategies discussed, customers will come.

Discover how to bring social responsibility to your businessIn today's business world, your bottom line isn't measured by your company's financial performance alone. Social Entrepreneurship For Dummies shows you how to implement social responsibility to your business plan in order to increase your bottom line.This book helps any social entrepreneur gain the necessary skills needed to change the system and spread the solution, while providing explanations of the most successful business tools being used today.A complete reference on the ideas and processes associated with social entrepreneurshipProvides a foundation and business plan for those looking to create their own socially oriented business ventureSocial Entrepreneurship For Dummies gives you the trusted and friendly advice you need to get on your way toward social responsibility!

Turn browsers into buyers, boost traffic, and moreBuild your store from scratch, or make the one you have more profitableHis online business has been paying his mortgage for years. Now Rob Snell is sharing his Yahoo! Store secrets for planning, building, and managing an online store that delivers the goods! Here's how to profit from keywords, handle credit-card payments, find out what's hot in other stores, maximize your marketing efforts, and much more.Discover how toUse the Yahoo! Store Editor and ManagerPlan effective store navigationUse better images to sell more productsBuild successful advertising strategiesGenerate more traffic from search engines

The all-in-one guide to everything you need to know to start an online businessStarting an online business can be a tricky undertaking. Luckily, Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition gives you the business savvy needed to make your online business boom. Cutting through technical jargon and hype, this plain-English guide arms you with everything you need to succeed, from developing a business plan and designing your website to making the most of marketing through social media—and everything in between. Plus, you'll get ideas for funding your online start-up, tips for moving your brick-and-mortar customers online, ways to breathe new life into a tired business, the latest on trademarks and copyrights, and much more.Includes updated information on web page design with HTML 5 and CSS, new analysis tools, and search engine optimizationGives you trusted information on Internet securityCovers niche and advanced e-commerce topicsIf you're in the exciting position of planning, launching, or maintaining a successful online business, this all-encompassing guide will make you an online entrepreneur in no time.

The gold standard for eBay users who want to get serious about sellingWant to turn your eBay use into a steady revenue stream? Come to where everyone starts, with a copy of the latest edition of Starting an eBay Business For Dummies. EBay superstar author Marsha Collier packs the fourth edition of her mega-selling book with everything you need to know, from how to tap the explosive power of social media for promoting your business to the very latest on eBay?s fees and payment structure, how to maintain your own customer service center, ways to build an audience, and much more.Shows you how to lay the foundation for a business by setting up a store and reviews legal requirements and restrictionsHelps you price and source your merchandiseExplores how to attract an audience using social media through your own siteGives you a quick MBA in budgeting, money transactions, customer service, shipping, and moreOffers insight on other sellers who have been successful on eBay and what you can learn from themKick-start your eBay business and get profitable with this must-have guide from eBay superstar Marsha Collier.

Grow your stock investments in today's changing environmentUpdated with new and revised material to reflect the current market, this new edition of Stock Investing For Dummies gives you proven strategies for selecting and managing profitable investments. no matter what the conditions. You'll find out how to navigate the new economic landscape and choose the right stock for different situations―with real-world examples that show you how to maximize your portfolio. The economic and global events affecting stock investors have been dramatic and present new challenges and opportunities for investors and money managers at every level. With the help of this guide, you'll quickly and easily navigate an ever-changing stock market with plain-English tips and information on ETFs, new rules, exchanges, and investment vehicles, as well as the latest information on the European debt crisis. Incorporate stocks into your investment portfolioUnderstand and capitalize on current market conditionsBalance risk and rewardExplore new investment opportunitiesStock Investing For Dummies is essential reading for anyone looking for trusted, comprehensive guidance to ensure their investments grow.

Grow your stock investments in today's changing environmentUpdated with new and revised material to reflect the current market, this new edition of Stock Investing For Dummies gives you proven strategies for selecting and managing profitable investments. no matter what the conditions. You'll find out how to navigate the new economic landscape and choose the right stock for different situations―with real-world examples that show you how to maximize your portfolio. The economic and global events affecting stock investors have been dramatic and present new challenges and opportunities for investors and money managers at every level. With the help of this guide, you'll quickly and easily navigate an ever-changing stock market with plain-English tips and information on ETFs, new rules, exchanges, and investment vehicles, as well as the latest information on the European debt crisis. Incorporate stocks into your investment portfolioUnderstand and capitalize on current market conditionsBalance risk and rewardExplore new investment opportunitiesStock Investing For Dummies is essential reading for anyone looking for trusted, comprehensive guidance to ensure their investments grow.

Start investing in stocks todayCanada is experiencing a large housing bubble, and if you’re a Baby Boomer looking to downsize, it’s more important than ever to find a way to invest your extra money, especially in a low interest environment. Plus, some very significant tax rules exist (e.g. registered savings plans for retirement and investing, income splitting, and estate planning) that affect investors, and few Canadian publications address these new realities in the stock investing context. Canadian stock investors also have unique opportunities to invest in a recovering domestic commodity sector and a strong dividend-rich and growing financial sector.Stock Investing For Canadians For Dummies, 5th edition arms you with trusted information on stock investing in both bear and bull markets; unique investment segments like the legal medical marijuana sector; stock investing for different types of goals, styles, and stages of life; and examples straight from the real world of stock investing as they have occurred in the past few years. With up-to-date references and resources, this fundamentally powerful yet easy-to-read book is the most reliable Canadian resource on stock market investment you can get your hands on!Contains 25% new and significantly revised materialCovers the latest stock market trends including using roboadvisors, and a chapter on investing in proven digital currenciesProvides expert tips and advice on how to navigate domestic and foreign markets including accessing surging Asian stock marketsHelps you maximize your returnsThere’s no time like the present to start investing in the stock market—and this comprehensive reference gives you all the information you need to make sure your investments grow.

If you’re starting a new business or planning your business’s future, there are plenty of things you should take into account. Strategic Planning For Dummies covers everything you need to know to develop a plan for building and maintaining a competitive advantage — no matter what business you’re in. Written by Erica Olsen, founder and President of a business development firm that helps entrepreneurial-minded businesses plan for a successful future, this handy guide covers all the basics, including:How a strategic plan is different than a business planEstablishing a step-based planning processPlanning for and encouraging growthTaking a long-view of your organizationEvaluating past performanceDefining and refining your mission, values, and visionSizing up your current situationExamining your industry landscapeSetting your strategic prioritiesPlanning for unknown contingenciesIf you’re in business, you have to plan for everything — especially if you intend your business to grow. Whether you’re planning for a small business, large conglomerate, nonprofit, or even a government agency, this book has the planning specifics you need for your organization. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to lay the foundations for a plan, understand how your plan will affect your business, form planning teams, discover what your strengths are, see where you are, and, finally, plan where you’re going. And there’s much more:Learn to analyze business trends that will determine your business’s futureSet measurable, realistic goals that you can plan for and achieveMake strategic planning a habitual part of the organizationPrioritize multiple strategies that you can implement simultaneouslySet a defining vision for the organization that guides all your planning and strategyThis friendly, simple guide puts the power of strategic planning in the palm of your hand. For small businesses that can’t afford to hire strategic planning consultants, it’s even more imperative. Careful, constant planning is the only way to handle an uncertain business future. With this book, you’ll have all the step-by-step guidance you need to ensure you’re ready for anything that comes.