Daria Gonzalez

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Whether you're building a small, medium, or large business, developing a credible company reputation that potential clients and customers can rely on is what truly matters at the end of the day. If you are just starting in business, it's oftentimes difficult to book and retain your first major client if they're not familiar with your work.  Below, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on the best ways to exceed customer expectations and create long-lasting loyalty—giving you the boost in credibility you need to win over potential clients.

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16 tips to showcase your business potential and achievements in minutes. Whether you are new to the business—trying to make a name for yourself—or a seasoned professional who wants to pivot your approach to share a new concept in the industry, networking opportunities may come and go, so they are essential and can be exciting at every point in your career. However, attending these types of events can also be intimidating or cause social anxiety if you are an introvert or extrovert who has not prepared properly to present yourself—and what you have to offer—to others.  The experts at Fast Company Executive Board realize how important it is to make the most of your time at these types of events. If you want to make a good impression this time around, here, they each share one way for business professionals to create the best networking elevator pitch to get your career or a new venture off the ground effectively.

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14 business leaders discuss what to look out for and how to stay out of legal trouble. One of the most creative and fun aspects of launching a new business that produces quality products or services is to come up with the right company name that will attract organic users who will keep coming back to visit your website and browse long enough to improve your conversion rate. However, selecting and purchasing a domain name that will be memorable and easy to locate during a Google search is not just a random act of high hopes that people will come if you build it. It takes a well-thought-out strategy to ensure the domain also aligns with your brand's core values and will continue to be a good fit as your portfolio of offerings continues to grow over time. Below, experts from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on essential items to consider whether you are purchasing a domain for a new or existing business.

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13 leaders discuss the strategies that are working for them. If you are trying to grow a successful business, it is imperative that you stay one step ahead and monitor what the competition is doing, no matter what type of field you are working in. Understanding a competitive edge they may have—be it marketing strategies, services, or top clients—is key.  This helps you to better identify how your company can fit in by finding its own voice in the current market, standing out in a sea of information overload, and delivering unique brand messaging. Plus, the bottom line is that future clients are seeking the best solutions to move them forward as well. That's why Fast Company Executive Board members share the rhyme and reason behind their best practices for monitoring the competition and their market share below.

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11 tips that will elevate your brand at the next event. How can company representatives leave a desirable impression when attending the annual conference circuit, whether on-site or virtually? Designing merchandise giveaways that speak directly to the brand's mission and core values is one way to attract the attention of conventiongoers, but it can't be run-of-the-mill items that will end up in the trash (or disregarded online) at the end of the day. That would be a poor return on investment.  Instead, lean toward sustainable products that have the biggest potential to come in handy for attendees—same time next year. Below, 11 Fast Company Executive Board members share best practices for how to use merchandise opportunities to build brand awareness and why it works for them.

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Implement these tips to attract new clients and customers to your business.  In a competitive, fast-paced, uncertain economy with evolving digital marketing strategies, sometimes it takes time to accurately gauge the pulse of your industry network and social subscribers. If your content isn't refreshing and well-researched, then you could potentially lose readers or viewers who are looking for content leaders who can solve their problems and answer their most challenging questions on a regular basis in a more efficient manner.  To help other business leaders and teams promote brand awareness through content successfully, Fast Company Executive Board members sound off on 19 highly recommended best practices.

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Business leaders discuss their best practices. In today's marketplace, there's no way around it, no matter what the industry—content rules. But when it comes to attracting new clients and retaining longtime customers, how do you grab their attention without losing their interest every time? Doing so can be hit or miss. It's one thing to simply create general content and it's another to genuinely engage your audience and give them something to look forward to watching and reading on a regular basis. Whether it's a brand newsletter, a company social channel, or a new business podcast, members from Fast Company Executive Board have plenty of experience. They are here to explain 20 methods to encourage your target base to read, watch, hit the subscribe button, and share.

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Business leaders weigh in on 15 steps to take before introducing your brand to new and growing markets. As the new economy and digital marketplace continue to evolve, some business leaders may feel like they are under pressure to upgrade their brand's image in an effort to remain relevant to the next generation of potential clients and customers. However, oftentimes, you may need to simply assess which areas of your business need some minor adjustments rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. So before you consider the redesign process, members from Fast Company Executive Board are here to discuss some steps that they recommend when contemplating a rebranding idea for your company's logo and image. 

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The prep work you do before hiring a branding agency will ultimately prove to be the backbone of your branding process.

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Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has long eclipsed all other forms of enterprise software licensing to become the predominant one. Branding such products comes with unique challenges, but getting it right is critical to business success.

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Apply these strategies to enhance your team's performance levels and standards. To set your team up for success and the confidence to meet department expectations and throughout the company, it's critical to start the conversation early.  Providing clear context, consistently, about big-picture goals and objectives will encourage employees to stay accountable, collaborate effectively, and become even more invested as they learn more about the "why." Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their tips to inspire individuals, motivate teamwork, and achieve better outcomes. 

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Inspiring employees to address current business challenges—transparently and collaboratively—enables the opportunity to find innovative solutions for business growth.  Tapping into the ideas of the people you work with each day is an effective way to foster the spirit of intrapreneurship on the job. It can move the company closer to its mission to spark innovation that has a positive influence, in-house and externally, in the marketplace.  An employee's concept may seem risky or unconventional, at first, but as a leader, being willing to facilitate a safe space for staff critical thinking and creative experimentation will help the business and its team stay fresh, collectively, moving forward with better outcomes for the organization and attainable solutions for its current and potential clients and customers.  Below, 14 experts from Fast Company Executive Board are sharing their best practices to inspire innovation and intellectual freedom that will excite your team.

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Clients and customers are the lifeblood of company growth, so be willing to resolve differences amicably and meet them where they're at. In the business environment, it's impossible to please everyone all of the time. But when it comes to satisfying and dealing with your own clients and customers, they're always a way to come up with a practical solution to serve the best interest of each party. Being an active listener, who is able to keep calm and professional, no matter what customer challenge they are facing, will move the conversation forward in a positive direction and potentially help salvage the relationship.  Below, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their best solutions to make disgruntled clients feel valued and increase satisfaction rates.

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Evaluating the potential for improvement on these core online-business components is essential to elevating a virtual organization. Launching a successful e-commerce-only business may sound ideal for entrepreneurs on the rise or seasoned business owners, who have been at it for a while and suddenly facing a budget crunch, but it's not as easy as it sounds.  Creating user-friendly access to the products and services mobile customers love, is only one of many first steps to building brand recognition and consistency for clients willing to take the journey with your business for the long haul. Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss some practical considerations that can make all the difference when deciding to go with an exclusively online presence to reach target consumers versus traditional brick-n-mortar.

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By building a story around your brand, you can connect with your audience on a deeper level.