Directly or indirectly, solid relationships are a driving force in building sales. As consumers, we ask our friends and neighbors for vendors they recommend, with whom they have had a successful relationship. Word-of-mouth advertising is huge. Alternatively, we often gravitate to those vendors with whom we have had personal contact. The successful vendor might be…
Power networking builds; thoughtless networking destroys. Visibility in person and online can attract customers, supporters and affiliates. But the wrong actions or the wrong communications can at best make your efforts useless. More likely, the unknowing steps you take can damage your business and tarnish your personal reputation. Beyond the basics, networking adheres to unwritten…
What does it t to take to create a transformative business? What does it take to not only survive, but reach beyond and thrive? Envision a pyramid. The great Egyptian pyramids, for example, have withstood the millennia. Their structure is simple, elegant and substantive. Consider the pyramid as a model for building a transformative business.…
Welcome to a month of Black Fridays. Black Friday crept over and engulfed Thanksgiving years ago. From stores opening at midnight, to late night on Thanksgiving, to early evening on Thanksgiving, to Thanksgiving day itself, the mercantile mentality has slowly overrun the day of thanks. This year some merchants barely could wait until Halloween had past to roll…
How are you doing in building a reputation? What comes to mind when people mention your name? In business, your reputation is your calling card. And everything you do, every interaction you have, contributes to this image. A great reputation attracts great people. People want to get to know you, to share with you and…
Business survival means constantly creating solutions to a never-ending stream of challenges. How can you stay one step ahead of the tidal wave, and two steps ahead of the competition? In today’s changing marketplace, nothing is static and nothing is sacred. If you’re on top, competitors are hungrily chasing you; if you are in the…
Change is a part of business, with opportunities constantly vanishing and appearing . Technorati has left the scene (sort of like “Elvis has left the building”) and some options for business promotion have gone with it. Facebook changes constantly, companies are purchased for billions of dollars, and life goes on. Take heart; in all the turmoil there…
In business today, your marketing strategy must be constantly changing, constantly improving, constantly finding ways to create a power marketing presence. The sales and marketing funnel is old hat – you meet a lot of people, narrow the field and cultivate potential clients, narrow those down to prospects and finally, at the end of the…