Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange, May 1, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Brazil signed cooperative agreements with Ethiopia on Friday and Brazilian companies are looking to expand investments in the fast-growing Horn of Africa country, an Ethiopian minister said. Ethiopia's State Minister of Foreign Affairs Berhane Gebrekristos said a visiting Brazilian …

For a small business needing an immediate source of traffic and potential customers and leads, PPC is an essential tool. But like any tool, PPC is much more useful when you learn to use it correctly. Here are 8 basics we use with our small business PPC management clients that all small businesses should consider...

By Alastair Sharp and Euan Rocha TORONTO (Reuters) - Manitoba Telecom Services Inc will sell its Allstream fiber optic network to a company controlled by telecom tycoon Naguib Sawiris for C$520 million (US$503 million), a deal that signals the Egyptian magnate is still keen on Canada. Under an agreement announced on Friday, …

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) is to launch a 12.5 billion shillings bond on the Ugandan market, the second such issue from its 125 billion shilling issuance programme launched last year. The second tranche, which is to be sold as a tap sale on the original medium-term note issued in July last year, …

Valeant deal sparks share jump, helps TSX ends week higher TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index reversed earlier losses on Friday after several stocks jumped on takeover moves, helping the TSX shrug off uncertainty over U.S. central bank monetary policy that hurt U.S. indices. Shares in Valeant Pharmaceutical International …

As the risks in the stock market increase, investors most often run towards defensive stocks. The main reason behind this phenomenon is that companies that are considered defensive provide investors with a stream of dividends, even when the markets, as a whole, crumble. They are generally strong players in their industry, …

In my post, “Solving Our Problems,” Tim Foster reminded me of something the folks at The TAS Group say, “The impact on the customer of a bad buying decision is usually greater than the impact of the lost sale to the sales person.” It’s something few of us think about, but we need to remind...

Content marketing could be the nexus of sales and marketing. I often hear sales reps complain that what marcom creates doesn’t quite fit the need. Then along comes content marketing with a specific goal—to provide content that nurtures and helps convert prospects in the sales funnel. Without input from sales, isn’t marcom …

Often on this blog we have talked about how difficult it can be for marketers to keep up with just the business of marketing. There are always new platforms, new techniques, new theories to test, and new ways to approach the business of promoting products to increase sales. However, this is only a part of...

You’re on Facebook to do business, right? Which means you’re ultimately on Facebook to make more money. I mean, you’re not just doing this to distribute cat memes, are you? Ok, some of you are. But for those of you who are serious about making a profit on Facebook, please pay close attention to the...

For some entrepreneurs partnering with a virtual assistant is unfamiliar territory and you may not fully comprehend the depth of work that can be efficiently outsourced to help free up your time. You may create mental roadblocks or perceived hurdles to prevent yourself from seeking assistance with your business. “Small-business …

In recent years, your relationship with your customers has become more and more digital, and delivering good customer service in this context will continue to be a challenge (it’s no surprise a consulting firm called one of their recent studies “Customer Service in 2020: Winning in a digital world”). Delivering a good digital …

Question: What’s the best way to collect customer feedback on new products or services? Question by: Ashley Be the Customer “The best way to get first-hand customer feedback is to step into the shoes of the customer. Even if you’re selling a product of which you’re not typically a user (e.g., a man selling women’s...