It's a well known fact that many business owners go through "famine and feast" periods. Sometimes they go through "famine" when not enough work comes in and at other times they "feast" when they get a lot of work to do. Many small business owners face this problem on a regular basis. This "swing" can get out of hand sometimes especially when money is tight. If you are a business owner, you're smart to be thinking about this now before it's too late. But how do you keep this at a manageable level without stressing you out?

The key here is to....more

Keep-in-touch marketing is not a new way of marketing. Good salespeople swear by it. It’s just another name for following up with your prospects. It is a process or system that you incorporate into your business to stay in front of your prospects and customers. The main idea is that you must follow up with every prospect, every time.

Studies show that over 80% of sales take place after seven contacts.

To be absolutely effective in your marketing, you need to plan on having at least seven contacts with your prospects. Too many people give up with prospects too early....more

Developing a small business into a successful enterprise demands more than passion. Success demands more than hard work, resilience, and expertise in your field.

Differentiating your business means defining your company in relationship to the competition. It means that you understand and are able to communicate your point or points of difference and why you’re better, or different, than your competitors. It means continuously making improvements to sustain a leadership position.

Do you struggle to get new clients?

Are you uncomfortable selling yourself or your services?

Do you hate the very idea of sales or selling?

If so, you are not alone. There are millions like you. Let’s face it .... we’ve all had the experience — or at least heard of horror stories of being “sold” something we really didn’t want or need. And few people enjoy being pressured into buying anything.....more

Many of the clients I work with in my business are in their late 40’s to late 50’s . Often during our conversations many of them expressed the belief that maybe they are too old to consider changing careers.

If you have ever been to a fish market and asked for a discount from a fish seller because you think his price was too high, have you noticed what his response was and how the two of you haggled until both parties reached an agreed price? Haggling is as much an art as it is a science.

If you have read anything about opening a business or growing the business you already have, it's likely you've seen the term Joint Venture, or JV. A Joint Venture is a way for you to partner with another business for a specific reason or reasons. You might find you can enhance each others' strong points or share each others' markets. When two businesses create a joint venture, they are actually creating an entirely new business entity.

The term "Joint Venture" actually refers to the reason behind the partnership, and not the partnership or new entity at all. There is no legal requirement for entering a Joint Venture -- anyone can do it.....more

You've worked for weeks to get an appointment with Mr. Big. At the meeting, you've identified his needs and wants and demonstrated that your product will meet (or exceed) those needs and wants. You're moving to gain agreement and, in some manner of speaking, he says "Sorry, your product's not for us".

Negotiations can seem as complex as physics, and in fact, people go to college to study the science of negotiating just as they would the laws of nature. At the same time, negotiation is like an ancient art form, some sort of Zen mental jujitsu. When neither the Zen nor the science works, though, no one wins.