-
Three Steps to a Sound Business Model
What is a business model? Investors and entrepreneurs throw this phrase around a lot, often without examining what it really means. On a basic level, a business model tells us how a business makes money. However, to get a deeper understanding—and to get investors excited—it’s important to break up this concept into some key elements: Read More
-
How to Stop Being Bossy
Do you find yourself being too overbearing? Does no one want to be your partner in work or school projects because you tend to dominate everything? The following steps will help you get to the core of why you’re so bossy in the first place, and how you can break the habit. Read More
-
Small Business Blogging
Small business owners need a blog. Not so they can tell people what they had for lunch (there’s enough of that on Facebook and Twitter). A blog for a Main Street business is a “type of” website that displays “posts” about what’s happening with your business. What’s a blog? The cleanest description I’ve read is:” A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically—like a what’s new page or a journal.” Read More
-
Present Well to Make Your Case
Start with impact. Don’t waste valuable time talking about your company or your products, services or solutions. Instead, demonstrate that you understand your prospect’s pain, problem, concern or issue. This will capture their attention. One of the most fatal blunders salespeople make is to spend the first five to 10 minutes of their presentation talking about their company. I have heard far too many salespeople tell prospects how long they have been in business, about the awards their company has won or what makes them different. But this approach does little to interest or engage the prospect because it does not address their key concerns. Read More
-
Cutting Startup Costs
You’ll need to consider both your startup expenditures and your operating costs, since the latter will help determine how quickly you can pay back the former. There are many ways to save on startup costs, such as outsourcing some services, bartering for equipment, hiring interns, and forming strategic alliances with other small firms. “New entrepreneurs are often overwhelmed with the long list of to-dos and purchases they think they have to make,” says Lucinda Cross, president of Ultimate VA-Support, an outsourcing firm in Westchester, N.Y. “Some of those things you could get much less expensively than you think.” Read More
-
4 Mistakes Young Salespeople make
1. They offer too much information: In an effort to make an impression, they festoon their pitches with too many details. “They say, ‘My product does 20 things, and I’m going to tell you all 20 and, hopefully, one of them you’ll love,’” says Jeff Hoffman, co-founder of Basho Technologies and an adviser to a sales club at MIT, who teaches the fundamentals of sales to students interested in business and technology. No one has time for laundry lists. Read More
-
How to Unleash the Power Within You
You know what excellence is. You have seen glimpses of it in yourself. How to sustain excellence is the key question. Everything you need is within you. Learn and apply these steps of the “unleashing process” and you will become all that you ever dreamed you could be! Read More
-
Five Traits That Make Customers Want to Do Business With You Again
Too often owners and management of small companies put considerable effort into improving their operations without focusing on the most important factor contributing to profitability — attracting new customers and maintaining the existing customer base. The following list outlines the traits that attract customers and make them want to do business with you again — and shows how to optimize these traits within your company structure. Read more at nfib.com
-
Principles of Persuasion
Whether you’re conducting a one-on-one interview, motivating your sales team or delivering a keynote address, your success as a leader is defined by your ability to persuade with clarity and passion. In fact, you might say that leadership is synonymous with effective communication. According to Harvey MacKay, author of the book Swim With the Sharks, “The No. 1 skill most lacking in business today is public speaking…the ability to present oneself.” If you want to stand out from the crowd, get promoted or develop an award winning sales team you need to polish your communication and persuasion skills. Read more at managesmarter.com
-
Time Management Is Key to Selling Success
The person who coined the phrase “time is money,” must have been a sales rep paid on commission. In the selling profession, the old cliche rings true, if you are not talking to a prospect or customer, you’re unemployed! How effectively do you manage your time? Do your spend your time as you would any other precious, nonrenewable asset, or are you the type of salesperson who is stressed-out, constantly jumping through hoops and consistently running late for meetings and client appointments? Read more at allbusiness.com.
