You have been making value perceptions and value judgments your entire life. more

Calls not getting returned? more

Millions of small-business owners use some type of paid search advertising to attract customers and prospects to their business or website. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising – also called search-engine marketing or simply paid search – can be an effective, low-cost way to gain visibility online. more

Don Saracen, president and founder of Saracen Sales & Communications, was recently named chapter member of the year by the New England chapter of the National Speakers Association. Saracen is president-elect of the association, and works as a sales and ctommunications expert, speaking, training and consulting with businesses and organizations looking to improve their sales, communication and business-development efforts. He is a Providence Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, and holds the Advanced Communicator Gold designation from Toastmasters International. Saracen majored in communication studies at Emerson College. more

Cranston-based jewelry company Alex and Ani and a Providence-based supplier of brand-name items for loyalty programs recently announced an expansion of a partnership that’s relatively rare among local businesses. more

When a new sales representative is hired, a company provides what is known as orientation and ramp up. Once those elements are complete, the company believes the salesperson can go out and begin earning money. more

For the residents and office workers in Providence’s Empire district, 2012 has been a year of highs and lows. more

Measuring the ROI of social media? There’s a laugh, and a joke. more

When Rick McAuliffe, a Providence-based lobbyist and supporter of the local sailing community, was 14, his father, Rick, took him and his brother, Jamie, down to Newport Harbor to catch a glimpse of what everyone was talking about. more

As online video gets cheaper and easier to produce, and its effectiveness as a marketing method grows, more and more small businesses are jumping in. Business owners who’ve stuck largely to text-based marketing channels such as search ads, blogs and social networks are discovering that video can be a compelling addition to a marketing mix. more