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How to improve your social media sales approach

Some businesses fail to fully take advantage of social networks because "they are still simply broadcasting sales messages," John Jantsch writes. To achieve social media success, businesses should direct their messages at the consumers who will be most interested in it, he writes. It's also important to provide high-quality content and ask consumers to share information with you. Duct Tape Marketing (1/5)

How to get your team ready to take on the new year

After the busy holiday season, it's essential for small-business owners to get their teams focused on success in 2012, Linda Dulye writes. Work with your team to develop an image that represents your goals for the coming year and turn this image into an icon that you include in messages to your employees, she writes. Also create and display a chart that details your path to success, she advises. Fox Business Small Business Center (1/5)

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BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

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How employers can tame the health care beast

Small businesses can reduce their health care costs by starting a wellness program and covering only generic drugs, Rob Lynch writes. Cutting such costs can help put more money toward hiring new workers, he writes. Forbes (1/5)

What to do if you've been hacked

Focusing on cybersecurity is essential to prevent your company's networks from getting hacked, but what should you do if the hackers succeed? A New York Times article recommends a four-step process for recovering from security breaches that includes removing hackers from the network and letting affected users know what has happened.SmallBizTechnology.com (1/5)

Samia Morgan is proud to be listed with the Better Business Bureau - 
BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

Your San Mateo Real Estate Advisor

BBB - TrustBrief - Advancing trust in the marketplace

You Must Be This Tall to Ride

Do you remember going to the State Fair or Six Flags as a child? There was a terrific ride your older siblings were going on but there, at the entrance gate, was a sign that read "You must be this tall to ride."

After standing in line and thinking you had just about made it, you found out that you weren't tall enough. Not only was it disappointing, it was slightly embarrassing. You never want to go through that again.

It's remarkably similar when buying a home. You can go through the entire property search process to find the right home and negotiate the contract only to find out that you don't measure up "financially." It's something that no one wants to go through if they have a choice.

Regardless of what you think you know, if you're buying a home, you need to physically visit with a trusted mortgage professional before you get serious. You'll find out your credit score which will directly affect the mortgage rate you'll pay. You'll discover possible blemishes on your credit that may be able to be corrected. You'll even get a pre-approval letter that you can submit with an offer which could dramatically affect your negotiations.

Remember how some rides didn't turn out to be as good as you thought they were going to be? You certainly don't want that disappointment with a lender involving one of the biggest decisions of your life. Contact me for a list of trusted mortgage professionals.

Revenue-based finance provides a funding alternative to banks, venture capitalists

There are difficulties associated with getting financing from banks or venture capitalists, and as a result, some entrepreneurs are turning to revenue-based finance. Under this model, entrepreneurs don't give up any of their ownership stakes; investors are paid based on increases in revenue. Forbes (1/4)

2011: A busy year for scams

Scammers used a number of methods to try to extract sensitive information and money from consumers in 2011. Among their tactics were scams designed to get job seekers to hand over financial information and lottery scams claiming the recipients had won large sums of money. One particularly noteworthy scam was an e-mail purporting to be from BBB that included links to a virus. SeattlePI.com/Boomer Consumer blog (1/3)

Samia Morgan is proud to be listed with the Better Business Bureau - 
BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

Your San Mateo Real Estate Advisor

BBB - TrustBrief - Advancing trust in the marketplace

The 4 factors that affect trust

Unfortunately, there is no way to be sure whom you can trust, writes Charles Green. "The only way to never trust the wrong person is to never trust anyone," he writes. And whom you choose to trust has as much to do with your personal risk tolerance as it does with the people who ask you to put your faith in them. Still, certain factors, such as credibility and dependability, affect how trustworthy other people are, he writes. Forbes (1/3)

Eliminate pointless meetings to free up time

One woman's experience with having 100 hours of regularly scheduled meetings every month emphasizes the importance of figuring out how much of your time is tied up in similar ways, writes Laura Vanderkam. "Have you looked over your calendar and calculated how many hours are booked before people have even been able to evaluate what matters and what does not? Does this make sense as a percentage of overall time?" she asks. CBS MoneyWatch (1/3)

Samia Morgan is proud to be listed with the Better Business Bureau - 
BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

Your San Mateo Real Estate Advisor

BBB - TrustBrief - Advancing trust in the marketplace

Entrepreneurs try alternative funding methods

The lending market is expected to improve in 2012, but businesspeople may still have a hard time finding affordable financing, experts say. Against this backdrop, entrepreneurs may try more unorthodox funding strategies, such as appealing for money on crowdfunding sites or making use of their retirement accounts. Guidant Financial, one of the companies that helps entrepreneurs put their retirement money toward their business ventures, forecasts 17% revenue growth this year. Entrepreneur.com (1/3)

BBB: Be wary of door-to-door funeral business

BBB is cautioning Minnesota residents about U.S. Patriot Services, which offers funeral urns and caskets to veterans. The business claims to provide benefits such as "a gravesite in any national cemetery," but the government is the only entity that can do that. The company has also not substantiated a claim that it is "Veterans Serving Veterans." Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (1/2)

Samia Morgan is proud to be listed with the Better Business Bureau - 
BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

Your San Mateo Real Estate Advisor

BBB - TrustBrief - Advancing trust in the marketplace

Many online shoppers don't trust their safety on Facebook, survey finds

More than half of consumers have security concerns about shopping on Facebook, according to a survey by fraud-prevention firm ThreatMetrix. About a quarter of respondents said they don't worry about fraud while shopping on the social network. InternetRetailer.com (12/27)

Samia Morgan is proud to be listed with the Better Business Bureau - 
BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

Your San Mateo Real Estate Advisor

BBB - TrustBrief - Advancing trust in the marketplace

How to calculate customer value -- and why you need to

Figuring out the value of your customers is beneficial in a number of ways -- for example, it can help you to properly set your prices, Karl Stark and Bill Stewart write. When determining customer value, factor in the revenue generated by your customers as well as how long you will likely be able to retain them and how much it will cost to do so. "Most businesses are surprised by how many customers are unprofitable when they create a 'fully loaded' estimate of customer profitability," they write. Inc.com (12/26)

Samia Morgan is proud to be listed with the Better Business Bureau - 
BBB Accredited business since 03/01/1994

Your San Mateo Real Estate Advisor

BBB - TrustBrief - Advancing trust in the marketplace

Sale by Surviving Spouse

The IRS has given special consideration regarding the sale of their jointly-owned principal residence after the death of a spouse. If the surviving spouse does not remarry prior to the sale of the home, they may qualify to exclude up to $500,000 of gain instead of the $250,000 exclusion for single people.

The sale needs to take place after 2008 and no more than two years after the date of death of the spouse
Surviving spouse must not have remarried
Both spouses must have used the home as their principal residences for two of the last five years prior to the death
Both spouses must have owned the home for two of the last five years prior to the death
Neither spouse may have excluded gain from the sale of another principal residence during the last two years prior to the death

If you have been widowed in the last two years and have gain in your principal residence, it would be worth investigating the possibilities. Contact your tax professional for advice about your specific situation. Contact me to find out what your home is worth in today's market. See IRS Publication 523 - surviving spouse.