A Sense Of Humor Helps Companies, Employees Buld Sales; Technology is Helping, Hurting Small Businesses; Small Business Confidence Still Growing;

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Having a sense of humor helps both the company and the employee.

Employers recognize the punch line can benefit the bottom line, new research suggests. Seventy-nine percent of CFOs in the Accountemps survey said an employee’s sense of humor is important for fitting into the company’s corporate culture.

Other experts say humor can be an effective customer relation tool.

Keeping one’s sense of humor in today’s economy is difficult but should be encouraged particularly when it comes to customer relations.

Technology is playing a far greater role in small business operations and marketing.  However, some companies are using technology to replace personal communication channels.  This can lead to confusion in the marketplace.

At the same time, so-called place-based marketing, using in-store video monitors as promotional centers is taking off.

As the cost of healthcare benefits continue to rise, smaller firms are turning to wellness programs to help improve worker health outcomes and reduce premiums.

President Obama is trumpeting the first drop in unemployment numbers in months.  It will help his re-election campaign but many small business leaders are not totally convinced. But there is additional good economic news.

In a study done for Valpack, 55% of small and medium size businesses surveyed reported their business had either already recovered from the recession or they expected to recover within the next 6 months. 

And those numbers are even more encouraging for businesses with 20-99 employees, as 62% reported recovery now or within six months according to the recent survey conducted by Research Now, an independent market research firm. 

Business is picking up on Main Street.  In response, businesses are thinking about what tactics to use to grow their business – advertising, promotions, staffing and more.

• 31% said they planned to hire additional staff (a 5% increase over 2010) 
• 15% said they planned to hire temporary help
• 37% said they planned to expand their product/service offerings  

Another straw-in-the-wind is the fact Americans appear to be saving more while consumer spending is up.

However, the retail sector announced nearly five times as many planned layoffs in January as in December, due to restructurings, store closings and other cost-cutting measures, according to the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.