Let’s take a look at an all too familiar situation.  Jim had been a very successful retailer with one retail location.   His first store is a very profitable, going operation with a steady flow of customers and excellent margins.  A couple of years ago a new opportunity emerged.  A local developer decided to build a new shopping mall.  The plans were excellent and the developer had a great track- record, so Jim signed on and opened a second location.  Since opening, the second location has been bleeding red ink.  The …

One of the big challenges for business owners is deciding how to spend their precious marketing dollars.  Whether it is newspaper ads, radio, TV, yellow pages, flyers or any of the hundreds of other possible marketing tactics, we are all faced with deciding which ones will really pay off.  Each marketing salesperson has their value proposition.  All sound good coming from a persuasive salesperson; and most have their place.  But – – – which ones fit your budget and needs?
A marketing breakeven analysis can help sort out the options.  Start …

One of my clients insisted that I read Chet Holmes’ bestseller, The Ultimate Sales Machine and I am glad he did.  Early in the book, Holmes outlines a time management program that not only do I have time for, but I am actually implementing in my business.  The simple program has six steps:

Touch it Once – If you take the time to look at an email, deal with it then, don’t waste your time by forcing yourself to re-read it later.  If you spend 15 minutes a day revisiting, readdressing or …

Let’s face it…most people absolutely cannot stand salespeople.  In fact, we go out of our way to avoid them.  We have “gatekeepers”….keepers of the invisible gate that protect us from such devilish beasts, and preventing them through verbal battle from passing through to the cherished sanctity of our office.
Seriously?  Yep…we think of salespeople as self centered, greedy, pushy, demanding, dangerous thieves that will rob us blind through forked tongue and bewitching trickery.  The problem is, it’s mostly true, because sales people are TAUGHT tricks to get past the gatekeeper, and discover the …