Until recently, businesses had well-established "rules of engagement" that dictated how to talk to prospects, customers, vendors and competitors But with the recent ascent of social media into the business arena, those rules of engagement have been set aside and new rules are being written

Successful businesses are built on sales, and sales only occur when a customer meets the needs of a customer who has found the business Therefore, business owners need to constantly market their business in order to offer their products and services to new customers

Google rules the world: They are top providers for search, free email, analytics, and more, and people spend money – LOTS of money – to make sure their websites conform to Google's search engine optimization standards But there is one way that people are overlooking Google's value to their business: Google Trends

Problem: Some businesses struggle to generate leads and then turn those leads into prospects Others can get the leads just fine but can't convince the buyers to buy

This is part of a series of articles on strategic solutions to small business problems PROBLEM: Lots of entrepreneurs start their businesses because of an interest or skill in delivering a service, or because they want to monetize a hobby, or because of a desire to take control of their financial future