10 Great Quotes About Business

• In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. ~ Harold Geneen

Henry Ford

• It is not the employer who pays the wages. He only handles the money. It is the product that pays the wages. ~Henry Ford, 1922, also sometimes quoted as "It is the customer that pays the wages.

• Professionalism is a frame of mind, not a paycheck. ~ Cecil Castle

• Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. ~ Bill Gates

• People that pay for things never complain. It's the guy you give something to that you can't please. ~ Will Rogers

• Let's be honest. There's not a business anywhere that is without problems. Business is complicated and imperfect. Every business everywhere is staffed with imperfect human beings and exists by providing a product or service to other imperfect human beings. ~ Bob Parsons

• The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed. ~ Henry Ford

• Work as if you own the company and soon you just might. ~ Mike Dolan

• The results of quality work last longer than the shock of high prices. ~ Author Unknown

• It doesn't matter how many times you fail. It doesn't matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because... All that matters in business is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are. ~Mark Cuban

Please visit our website at www.datavo.com.

Why Choose Datavo for you Business Telephone Needs?

Local and long distance phone service is a key pillar to any business, which is why it’s one of our top priorities. Implementing a phone system that’s able to cooperate with your existing processes and respond with the highest-quality performance is the idea we’ve built our business on.

See what puts our phone services a notch above the rest

Safe and reliable: Our phone services run through a dedicated network rather than over the Internet. The result is an uncompressed, clear sound every time you pick up the phone. Safe from tampering, third-party tracing systems and unwanted eavesdroppers, we provide you with the best connection possible.

Seamless integration: Want to use our services but are afraid of losing your established phone numbers? Datavo easily and accurately transitions your information to our phone systems. Keep your numbers and your clients while achieving a new level of communication quality.

Affordable pricing: Through our system, you pay one affordable price for all the voice and data services you need. Forget about confusing bills or complicated payment systems—everything is documented on a single, simplified bill and there’s only one number to call when you have questions.

No risk, guaranteed: Because we’re so sure you’ll love the way we do business, Datavo offers a 60-day satisfaction guarantee on all of our services. If you’re not happy for any reason within that time period, we’ll release you from any contractual obligations with no questions asked.

Great phone features: Enjoy call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding and more with our sophisticated systems. All of our features are geared toward providing you with the best in quality, safety and convenience.

Available Features:

• SimRing
• Call Jump
• Video Calling
• 900/976 Call Blocking
• Anonymous Call Rejection (ACR)
• Automatic Callback
• Call Forward – Busy
• Call Forward – Don’t Answer (No Answer)
• Call Forward – Remote Access
• Call Forward – Select
• Call Forward – Variable
• Call Hold
• Call Pick-up
• Call Return
• Call Trace
• Call Transfer Disconnect
• Call Waiting
• Call Waiting with Caller ID
• Caller ID
• Caller ID Blocking (Calling Number Delivery Blocking)
• Directed Call Pick-up
• Hunting
• International Super Saver
• Long Distance Unlimited
• Priority Call
• Remote Call Forwarding
• Selective Call Rejection
• Speed Calling
• Three-Way Calling
• Voicemail

Please check out our website at www.datavo.com or contact us at 1.877.7DATAVO for more information.

6 Notable Ways to be Likeable

Likability will help you leaps and bounds in your job, business, personal relationships and just life in general. Here at Datavo we decided to put a list of important essentials together for you to incorporate into your work and life to be more likable.

1. Listen

Listening is the foundation of any good communication. Successful business leaders listen to their customers to find what challenges they are facing. They listen to colleagues and employees and accept new ideas. 

2. Team Player

There is no I in team and no matter what size your business is you interact with other people everyday. Encouraging innovation, letting others shine, and following others rules for working in a team will help you become more likable with your employees and coworkers.

3. Adaptability

With technology changing the face of the marketplace faster than anytime previous, leaders must be flexible in all areas of their business. Being stubborn and against change will see you left behind.

4. Authenticity

Be who you say you are. People want authentic people to succeed and are more willing to help them to do so. There used to be a much larger divide between a persons public life and private life but social media has blurred the line. Being authentic makes it much easier to merge your personal and professional life online.

5. Be Grateful

Likable leaders are always grateful for the people that work under them and contribute to their success. Showing appreciation and saying thank you to customers, employees, colleagues, mentors, and others will keep you appreciated, humble and well liked. 

6. Treat Others the Way You Want to be Treated

When you give people the same courtesy and respect that you expect from them, you will receive more respect and admiration from employes, collegues, friends and family. When people feel respected they are more willing to work with you.  

Feel free to leave out any notable ways you know of to be likable.

7 Essential Tips for Giving Constructive Criticism

Criticism is one of the things that people tend to give freely without your request. It usually comes as overbearing with the feeling that the person thinks they can perform the task better than you. Some criticism can be helpful while most is hurtful and annoying to the person on the receiving end. Learning to provide constructive criticism is an art that takes patience and remembering to remain positive while providing your opinion. 

Here are seven essential tips to help you out:

1. Be Honest and Unbiased

When you give criticism it is a reflection of your feelings and not the person being criticized. If you hold some resentment or anger toward the person, you most certainly should not be the person to try to offer them advice as it may come off rude and make the person miss your point because they were offended.

2. Begin and Finish with a Compliment

To make sure that the person does not feel attacked, find a good attribute the person has and lead with that. Once you have given the criticism, ending your conversation this way will again make the person take in what you said and not feel like a failure or that you are mad.

3. Keep Your Voice Tone Light

The tone of your voice communicates just as much as the actual words that come from your mouth. Keeping edge and anger out of your voice makes people take in what you say faster and easier.

4. Be Specific

Since criticism gives people a negative feeling, you need to be specific and explain exactly what your problem with an issue is. Using generalizations is not helpful and make it seem like you are only complaining instead being helpful.

5. Provide a Solution

If you follow step four and are specific with your criticism, add a solution at the end of how the person can make improvements the next time. This shows the recipient that it is not your intent to demean them, as you are providing positive helpful feedback.

6. Do Not Attack

Giving feedback is not about attacking or insulting a person on a personal level. It is about explaining how you think they can be better at a certain task. Being sarcastic or throwing insults is not helpful and has no place in constructive criticism.

7. Move Forward

Once you have given the criticism, move on and let it go. Do not dwell on the situation as it is a waste of time and will only cause negative feelings.

Criticism can be a good thing if given in the correct way. It is very had to hear at times but can make you grow as a person.

Datavo loves your feedback, feel free to leave any tips you may have for constructive criticism in the comments. 

5 Tasks for Business Owners to Do Before Going on Vacation

When you think about going on vacation, for most it means relaxing and sightseeing. For most small business owners it can mean stressing that things are being done instead of having fun or taking their laptop and working while lounging on the beach or by the pool. There are some small business owners that don't go on vacation at all.

Datavo knows that stress can cause a vacation to be ruined so we came up with a short list of items you should take care of before you leave so that you can have a relaxing and refreshing time.

• Make a list of your tasks. At least a two weeks prior to your vacation go through all of your responsibilities. Determine which tasks must be delegated and which can await your return. Do things such as paying bills or invoicing customers early so that you are not worried while you are away. Make sure to update your list the day before you leave and mark off all completed tasks. 

• Make a schedule for checking in. To stop yourself from working all day and your staff from calling you with issues every second, set up specific times you are available and which circumstances you need to be contacted for. It may also help to only give one of your staff members your contact number and make them the designated point person while you are out.

• Be specific and clear with your employees. Keep your employees in the loop. Have a meeting with them at least a week prior to your departure and let them know what you expect from them while you are gone. Go over any projects or assignments and assign who will be in charge of your responsibilities while you are gone. The day before you leave have another short meeting reviewing everything and confirm that your staff has everything it needs. 

• Use your phone system's features. Most phone systems have features that allow you to optimize your customer service. Make sure you set your voicemail greeting to out of the office and set up any forwarding features so that your calls can route to you properly. 

• Let your customers know you are leaving and who they can contact. Start letting your customers know that you will be going out of town a few weeks prior to your departure date. Set up an automated email response for any received emails that lets people know you're out of the office, what day you will return and who they can contact in the interim.

Now that you have all of that taken care of try to enjoy your vacation. Have faith that your employees will take care of everything and keep you in the loop if anything arises that needs your immediate attention.  Taking a vacation should leave you refreshed and revitalized, making you more productive in the long run. 

10 Ways to Think Like a Successful Business Owner

Everyone wants to be successful in business but not everyone knows how. A lot of it comes from the way that you handle situations when they arise. 

With Datavo's ten tips, you will be able to deal with issues as they come along and focus on the positives. Five of our tips focus on what you need to do internally, while the other five focus on your outward success.

Changing your thinking on the follow five things within yourself will start you on the road to success. 

• Always Admit Your Mistakes. Things happen, people make mistakes, have bad days, and don't always make the best decisions. Being able to acknowledge when you have done something wrong  without becoming defensive or offensive, makes it easier to fix the issue and move on.

• Perfection Doesn't Exist. Try not to focus on being perfect. Things rarely are and by focusing on  doing the best work you possibly can, instead of the minuscule details, your strive for success and happiness will be found much sooner.

• Don't Hold Grudges. Things or people at work can sometimes make you upset. Staying mad at yourself or someone else does not fix the problem and can create an uncomfortable work environment. If you have an issue fix it and move forward. Try to forgive and forget.

• Stay Positive. Positivity breeds creativity and success. Negativity can suck the air out of everything. If you try to always look at situations as the glass half full it will make your road to success a lot less bumpy.

• Don't Jump to Conclusions. Don't decide that something has failed or been successful without the proper back up. Make sure you analyze and research your facts before thinking in conclusive terms. 

You also have to change your thinking on how you deal with others in the outside world. Following these five steps will help you get there.

• Always Admit Your Mistakes. As with yourself, you need to be able to admit when you have made a mistake to others so that you can move forward. Don't try to blame your mistakes on others it will make people dislike and distrust you.

• Be Loyal. Always show loyalty to your customers, even if you think they may be looking for a different service. If you show them you are dedicated and want to go the extra mile you most likely will be able to change their minds and retain their loyalty.

• Think Long Term. Make sure to approach all of your clients or customers with an attitude that you want to supply your particular service to them always. You want to have clients for life.

• Make Definitive Decisions. People in charge have to make decisions to keep their work force confident in them and the business moving successfully. If you make a mistake, own it and move on. But first you have to be willing to take the leap to move forward in your success.

• Improve and Move Forward. Nothing is perfect (like we mentioned above). You can always do something to make something better or run smoother. Take suggestions from employees and keep an open mind. With this approach to business your success will hit the roof. 

Feel free to tell us how you have been successful in the comments. 

9 Tips to Effective Time Management

TIME MANAGEMENT... can be a scary word for some people. It's a skill that no one teaches you in a class but something you really need to learn.

Are you habitually late or extremely punctual? Are you able to effectively complete your work on time? Do you manage your time efficiently? Can your boss count on you to meet your deadlines?

Datavo knows a lot of you answered no to some of these questions, so I put a short list of tips together to help you manage your time a little easier.

1. Keep a calendar. Using a calendar is the most essential step to time management. I like to use Google Calendar as it allows integration with my mobile phone and other devices so that I can always access my calendar on the go.

2. Create a daily agenda. Your day will run smoother if it is planned. You can do this at the end of each work day or in the morning before you start any of your tasks. Make a list and try to stick to it. 

3. Always complete your most important tasks first.  Prioritize your tasks on your agenda by importance because things come up and you can't always get everything done. If you will feel less anxious at the end of the day if you know you got your priorities taken care of.

4. Place a time limit for each daily task.  Next to each task on your list right a time limit for how long it will take or what time of the day you would like to be finished. This will keep your day running smoother and keep you from dragging your feet as you complete your work. 

5. Meet your deadlines.  Always make sure you know and meet all of your deadlines. Make sure to add them to your calendar and so you are always aware of when they are due. 

6. Keep focused.  Multi-tasking is only good for some people. Most people get things done faster by focusing on one thing at a time. Keeping to the task at hand will make you more efficient. Try to block out any distractions such as your phone ringing, emails, and text messages so that you can concentrate. 

7. Set a schedule to check your email.  It can be time consuming to check your email every time you receive one. Don't take more than a day to answer anything, but you don't drop everything you're doing immediately. 

8. Leave a few minutes in between tasks.  Don't schedule your tasks too closely together. Make sure to leave 5-10 minutes between each task just in case you run over. This will help you start your next task without being rushed.

9. Clear off your desk and make your work area clean.  Having a work space that is cluttered and unorganized can clutter you mind and make you work at a slower pace. Also it makes things difficult to find which will also add more time to your day.

If you have any other tips that may help people, feel free to leave them in the comments section!