Are you the first person to talk in every conversation? Do you think your listening skills are pretty good because you let the other person speak? If you are busy waiting to jump in with your own thoughts chances are you never heard anyone else’s conversation. The best business owners and sales reps have developed… Read more »
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
There is no doubt that 2009 was a challenging year for most businesses, but I saw a trend that was significantly different in the advertising field than in past down economies…..businesses cut their advertising budgets instead of advertising more and taking advantage of better rates from TV, radio, billboards and newspapers. Some businesses shifted to… Read more »
PASSION, PERSISTENCE, PROGRESS
Today, I attended the Salem Enterprise Center’s “5th Annual Million Dollar Women Symposium” which was sponsored by the Beverly Cooperative Bank. The panel of speakers were all business women who built companies to over $1 million in revenue. As I listened to how each of them overcame obstacles, raised money, grew their business and succeeded,… Read more »
DO YOU HATE TO ASK FOR MONEY?
Many of my daily business topics have been about marketing your business, but I think it is important to talk about money and asking to be paid. Regardless of what your terms are with your client, there will come a point where you must ask to be paid. Though each of us have gone in… Read more »
DOES VOTING HELP YOUR BUSINESS?
First thing this morning, after attending a chamber of commerce networking event, I exercised my right to vote. There were a few other business owners who were heading to the polls at the same time and we joked about the importance of voting regardless of who you are voting for. So, does voting in local… Read more »
WHAT COLOR FOR YOUR NEW BUSINESS?
Color? What does that have to do with business? Plenty! The color(s) you choose to help identify your business is as much of your brand as your logo and tagline. In fact, many people will make a judgment about your business in the first 60 seconds and that will be heavily influenced by the color… Read more »
WHEN YOU GIVE TO OTHERS, YOU RECEIVE!
Today, while I attended the North Shore Business Forum, I had the pleasure to listen to the success story of Tom Gould, owner of Treadwell’s World Famous Ice Cream in Peabody, MA. Since I love ice cream I knew of this company prior to hearing Tom speak, but his inspiring story of how he purchased… Read more »
IS IT TIME TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS?
Long before the invention of the GPS, I was a road warrior who worked with an office of men who hated to ask for directions. It never bothered me to ask for help, but when I traveled with one of the other reps and they refused to stop at a gas station to ask for… Read more »
IS YOUR SALES APPETITE BIGGER THAN YOUR BUSINESS?
With “super sized” meals and a trend of everything going up in size, it is no wonder that many business owners suffer from a sales appetite that far exceeds what their business can support. We live in the world of BIG, BIG, BIG. Every business wants to have the biggest piece of the pie when… Read more »
DOES SLAMMING YOUR COMPETITOR HELP YOUR SALES?
Negative advertising or selling your products or services by putting the competition down is one marketing strategy that has been used successfully by political candidates and by some of the larger companies like Apple and Microsoft. Though this technique has certainly received attention in the political arena and on some TV commercials, is it the… Read more »
