October 21, 2020 5 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Customer champions are a tremendous asset for any organization. In most cases, people are far more interested in reading about your customers’ experiences than straight marketing materials. Customers are more relatable, and they’re more credible, too. People want to hear from their peers before they buy your product or service. This “social proof” is the power that guides decision-making at sites like Yelp and Amazon.  Related: Are You Sitting on a Customer Retention Goldmine? Why customer champions are exceptionally powerful  Trust is a critical plank in…

In addition to price discounts and freebies, developers are also trying to entice prospective buyers this festive season by offering deferred payment plans. In markets like the Delhi-National Capital Region, they are also offering porting schemes to buyers stuck in stalled projects. While these schemes do appear enticing at first sight, and may well be beneficial, buyers need to understand their risks and then make a considered decision. Deferred payment plans Developers are advertising 10:90 and 20:80 kind of schemes heavily this season. The buyer makes a small upfront payment of … Key stories on business-standard.com…

Emerging-market stocks are on the cusp of reaching their highest level since 2018, and all they need may be more evidence of further growth in China, stable earnings and signs of more dollar weakness to take them there. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index has gained more than 50 per cent since reaching this year’s low in March. At 1,137.75, it’s less than 15 points away from surpassing this year’s peak reached in January, and eclipsing that level would take the benchmark to highest since mid-2018. Strength in Chinese equities — the biggest component on the equity…

October 20, 2020 4 min readDisclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. If you run a business that sells anything—whether it’s home appliances, web design, hand-knit sweaters, pool cleaning, books, dance lessons, you name it—one of the most important things you have to do is generate leads, convert them into actual customers, and then keep them coming back for more. However, when you’re busy with all the other things…

Voters across the United States are casting ballots in what’s likely to be the most expensive election in the country’s history, projected by the Center for Responsive Politics to cost US$10.8 billion. But despite record-breaking spending by the campaigns and the possibility of a once-in-a-century surge in turnout, voter participation in the U.S. is comparatively underwhelming. Only 55.7 percent of eligible voters participated in the last presidential election, below recent voter turnouts in other countries (for example, 66 percent in Mexico, 76 percent in Israel, and 87 percent in Belgium). That means about 100 million U.S. citizens did not exercise…

Biscuit maker Mrs Bectors Food Specialities has filed draft papers with markets regulator Sebi to raise Rs 550 crore through an initial share-sale. The IPO comprises fresh issuance of shares worth Rs 50 crore and offer of sale to the tune of Rs 500 crore by existing shareholders, according to the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) filed with Sebi. Linus Private Limited, Mabel Private Limited , GW Confectionery Pte Ltd and GW Crown Pte Ltd will be offering stocks in the initial share-sale. Net proceeds of the issue would…

October 19, 2020 7 min readOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In the span of a few short weeks, the coronavirus pandemic completely reshaped shopping and left many retailers struggling to survive. Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, J. Crew, and other popular chains filed for bankruptcy. According to a report from Yelp, 60 percent of listed businesses that shut their doors during the pandemic have closed for good, including 48 percent of retail stores. At the same time, the crisis is opening up opportunities for retail to evolve. It has disrupted  when, where, and how people shop, creating space…

The Indian insurance regulator has allowed renewal, migration and portability of Covid-19 specific standard health insurance policies — Corona Kavach, Corona Rakshak and Group Corona Kavach Policy.     The move is expected to increase the sale of other health insurance policies.   In a circular issued on Tuesday, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has said the insurers have the choice to allow renewal, migration and portability of the above policies.   According to IRDAI, renewal of the policies is…