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What to Do When You’ve Built It and No One Comes
By sns at 16 May, 2012, 4:34 pm
What to Do When You’ve Built It and No One Comes
BY CAROL TICE
In a small enclosed mall near my home in Seattle, there used to be a little gourmet ice cream shop. The two women owners were very dedicated and worked long hours. But business was terrible because there wasn’t much foot traffic at the [...]
Mark Cuban’s 12 Rules for Startup
By sns at 8 May, 2012, 11:07 am
Mark Cuban’s 12 Rules for Startups
BY MARK CUBAN
Anyone who has started a business has his or her own rules and guidelines, so I thought I would add to the memo with my own. My “rules” below aren’t just for those founding the companies, but for those who are considering going to work for them, as [...]
Why Chris Brogan Loves Google Plus
By sns at 29 April, 2012, 4:11 pm
Why Chris Brogan Loves Google Plus
BY CHRIS BROGAN
I’m nuts about Google+. I gave a nod to the social media platform in my column last October (and in my latest book, Google+ for Business), calling it the next big thing. (And I don’t make such predictions lightly.) Why? The platform is more than just a boon [...]
Seven Ways to Avoid Competing On Price
By sns at 18 April, 2012, 10:35 am
Seven Ways to Avoid Competing On Price
BY CAROL TICE
Who do you think is the low-price leader in retailing?
Once, the quick answer would have been Wal-Mart. But here’s a cautionary tale of what can happen when you compete on price: A new study from retail consulting firm WSL/Strategic Retail shows 86 percent of customers no longer [...]
How to Adopt a Sales Mindset
By sns at 7 April, 2012, 6:03 pm
How to Adopt a Sales Mindset
Thirteen simple rules to become your own sales superstar.
BY HARVEY MACKAY
As a business owner, you’re in sales whether you think so or not. Every day you have to sell yourself — and your product or service — to grow your business. If you’re not sure you have the personality to [...]
How to Make a Personal Connection with Customers
By sns at 27 March, 2012, 9:11 am
How to Make a Personal Connection with Customers
Seven ways to build relationships with prospects that lead to more sales.
BY LAMBETH HOCHWALD
It isn’t always enough to create and promote an outstanding product or service. Often, your sales approach matters just as much as what you’re selling. The most successful entrepreneurs create a connection with the customer [...]
How Two Small Companies Are Driving Revenue Using Social Media
By sns at 12 March, 2012, 7:12 pm
How Two Small Companies Are Driving Revenue Using Social Media
BY ERIKA NAPOLETANO
It’s tough to go anywhere these days without finding a sign that begs us to “like” a business on Facebook or to follow it on Twitter. Yelp stickers in front windows are more prevalent than those from the Better Business Bureau. And all we [...]
12 Commandments for Closing a Sale
By sns at 3 March, 2012, 4:43 pm
12 Commandments for Closing a Sale
Sales pro Grant Cardone shares his rules for helping small business owners close more deals.
BY GRANT CARDONE
Like any game there are rules to selling, especially when it comes to closing a sale. To ensure sales success in your business, whether you’re a startup or an established entrepreneur, here are a [...]
Does Your Business Know When to Stop Selling?
By sns at 25 February, 2012, 3:35 pm
Does Your Business Know When to Stop Selling?
BY CAROL TICE
Everywhere we turn these days, online and off, we’re being sold. It’s a din of sales messages.
For business owners, everywhere you look there’s another course or Webinar or blog you should read that aims to teach you how to sell better. But after watching a preview [...]
Five Signs You’re Losing a Sale — And How to Save It
By sns at 5 February, 2012, 2:23 pm
Five Signs You’re Losing a Sale — And How to Save It
BY JANE PORTER
Marla Kaye could not afford to lose this deal. She had watched sales at You Name It Promotions, her Oakland, Calif.-based promotional products company, drop by more than half since the start of the recession–from $3.5 million in 2007 to $1.5 million [...]
The Most Overlooked Market for Small Business
By sns at 2 February, 2012, 4:33 pm
The Most Overlooked Market for Small Business
BY CAROL TICE
Landing a fat, ongoing contract can be a small business owner’s ticket to financial security. But many companies don’t want to go through the red tape of becoming a government contractor.
That’s OK, because there’s another kind of big contract — the kind you get from a Fortune [...]
How to Find Sales Leads on Social Media
By sns at 1 February, 2012, 7:33 pm
How to Find Sales Leads on Social Media
How a gourmet cupcake shop drove sales using social media without driving away customers — and how you can, too.
BY BRIAN QUINTON
When it comes to using social media for any purpose, including lead generation, marketers need to recognize and live by a fundamental truth: It’s not about them. [...]
Mentors: A Young Entrepreneur’s Secret Weapon
By sns at 28 January, 2012, 5:36 pm
Mentors: A Young Entrepreneur’s Secret Weapon
BY ADAM TOREN
You need a good idea. Startup cash can make a real difference. Business experience and savvy also help, of course. But to take advantage of the most powerful weapon an entrepreneur can have, find a mentor.
A good mentor helps you think through a business idea, suggests ways to [...]
Seven Tips for Selling to Big Businesses
By sns at 18 January, 2012, 4:24 pm
Seven Tips for Selling to Big Businesses
BY CAROL TICE
What does it really take to sell to big corporations?
It turns out, many small businesses make some basic blunders in trying to sell to Fortune 500 companies, according to Hewlett-Packard’s director of global supplier diversity and sustainability Brian Tippens and Dun & Bradstreet’s senior analytical consultant Phyllis [...]
How to Expand a Contact Database to Find More Customers
By sns at 12 January, 2012, 5:03 pm
How to Expand a Contact Database to Find More Customers
Consider these tips for building a robust contact list on a budget.
BY SHERYL JOHNSON
Have more customers, money and time than you know what to do with? Many entrepreneurs always seem to be struggling with finding the time and money to market effectively. Expanding a contact database [...]
Inside the Mind of Your Buyers
By sns at 7 January, 2012, 3:40 pm
Inside the Mind of Your Buyers
A look at what motivates customers to buy — and six ways to tailor your sales pitch.
BY JANE PORTER
No two customers are the same. To a small-business owner, that truism means paying close attention to what motivates people to buy. Customers approach buying with their own agenda, says George W. [...]
How to Conquer Your Sales Fears
By sns at 29 December, 2011, 10:53 am
How to Conquer Your Sales Fears
Five common sales worries business owners face — and ways you can combat them to close the deal.
BY LISA GIRARD
The expression, “He could sell ice to an Eskimo,” acknowledges that certain people are born salespeople.
For most small-business owners, however, the selling process is anything but easy. In fact, when it [...]
Seven Essential Apps for Your Sales Team
By sns at 17 December, 2011, 3:57 pm
Seven Essential Apps for Your Sales Team
BY SEAN CAPTAIN
Salespeople need not only charm and have a strong nerve, but also be extraordinarily organized. That first meeting with a client might not go anywhere if you don’t remember to follow up in a timely manner. And if you forget a key name or conversation, forget about [...]
Three Lessons a Serial Tech Entrepreneur Learned from Bill Gates
By sns at 3 December, 2011, 6:45 pm
Three Lessons a Serial Tech Entrepreneur Learned from Bill Gates
BY ERICA SWALLOW
What can you learn about entrepreneurship after seven years at technology behemoth Microsoft? Quite a lot, says serial entrepreneur and former Microsoft senior executive Naveen Jain.
Jain, who was a project and group manager at Microsoft from 1989 to 1996, has founded three companies — [...]
Seven Rules for Coping with Sales Rejection
By sns at 25 November, 2011, 4:17 pm
Seven Rules for Coping with Sales Rejection
BY JANE PORTER
Mark Carlson couldn’t even look at the phone without feeling anxious about being rejected by prospective clients. Soon, sales at T. Charles Wilson Insurance Service, the Aurora, Colorado, firm he bought three years ago, began to decline, dropping from $1.6 million in 2009 to $1.4 million last [...]
