Deciding on how to choose a niche is a lot like picking a good career. You’re not sure which one will make you the wealthiest until you’ve chosen it and put in the work. However, you can find a few indicators to tell you which niches will be profitable and which may not.

One idea revolves around the theory of supply and demand. Another relies on looking at trends and historical data. Many people also try and identify what areas will be thriving in 10 to 20 years from now and get in on the ground floor early. More on page 1357

In a company, call centres are offices that are specifically used to receive and transmit a large number of requests through various mediums, mainly by telephone but nowadays, there is more and more interaction done via online chat facilities. Companies utilise these centralised offices as a point of communication and support for customers or consumers. These types of customer support services have become very popular, especially amongst larger communication, mail-order and dealer companies, as they have proven to be a highly effective and streamlined process. However, care must always be taken. A strong performance measurement system must be in place in order to maintain the best practices. More on page 1359

In broad terms, the payments landscape (which is still very paper or physical form-based in so many ways) will continue to switch inexorably to an online environment at many levels with “barcode type” paper to replace physical monetary exchange products like cheques and cash in the next few years and possibly even Card (debit, credit and pre-paid) in the more distant future. The market will increasingly use smart phone and PC tablet as a channel, although the infrastructure required to support this will take as long as 20 years to make the full transition. More on page 1356

There are 26 insurance companies in the Fortune 500; people need these products and they have made a huge difference in a lot of people’s lives. It took a couple of years but I eventually discovered that there are many-great companies in the insurance industry to protect your future prospects. If you are a captive agent, you are probably working for ONE of the great choices out there.

The next question to ask if you are working as a captive agent: is your company a GREAT CHOICE for all of your prospects? If your managers are anything like mine were then they will do their best to make you believe that this is the case. More on page 1348

One of the many things an entrepreneur easily overlooks, maybe even you, is how over-scheduling, which usually results in lateness, rolls over into the lives of everyone they’re immediately associated with; including clients.

Over the years I’ve dropped everyone from clients to manicurists and car repair shops. People, services and groups who were always late; causing me to be late, too. No doubt you’ve experienced this too.

Some lateness is excusable; some not. Most happening because of over-scheduling and over-booking. More on page 1336

Trade shows are an increasingly popular way for businesses of all sizes to reach out to their clients. A successful show can dramatically boost your profile and increase sales. Here we explore five of the best marketing secrets that can guarantee you trade show success:

1) Advanced Planning
While it may seem obvious, some businesses neglect to set in place a clear planning strategy. However, forward planning is vital to securing trade show success. This includes having the appropriate amount of fully trained staff in attendance on the day, a clear budget, and a creative display. More on page 1334

Stay Laser Focused – Increase Productivity

So how do you keep your marketing focus on?

How do you avoid distractions or ignore all the little interuptions to stay laser focused and improve your productivity and therefore your bottom line?

Believe it or not, those are very important questions. Don’t think so? Well let me ask you a couple more questions then. More on page 1333

People take part in exhibitions to increase brand awareness and sell their products and services effectively to the target audience. There are expert designers to help you create a great booth to stand out among the competitors. The designing companies offer different display materials to promote the products and services in a unique and elegant manner. The display materials like graphic panels, banner-stand, posters and different types of display designs are used for making an outstanding exhibition design. More on page 1335

Six-Sigma, a procedure for improving processes and quality while reducing inefficiencies, has been incorporated into many manufacturers’ corporate cultures. The idea is to improve profitability and cash-flow by reducing labor costs, reducing material costs, and improving customer satisfaction.

Six-Sigma for engineering-design processes has been neglected for 2 reasons:

• Needed technologies were either not available, very expensive, or too difficult to use – negating many of the benefits.
• Engineering-design is a creative process. Managers resist disrupting vital creative processes by introducing complex technologies and workflows into the process. More on page 1324