September 2009 Archives

Many times I am asked by clients to review their business model
in an effort to help them with their marketing or business development.
There are many times that these same clients have actually developed a product that they feel is superior in performance and appearance.

When I ask them why anyone should prefer their product to any other similar products they always tell me that their product has one or more features that make it better.  In this post we will look at the importance of innovation, the traps and the advantages and how to prosper from it.

Just about everyone in business is selling these days. The ability to sell and persuade customers is a skill that takes some time to develop and is among one of the highest paid activities any business owner can do. 

Last week my wife and I were invited to be a guest of CH Premier Jewelers as they hosted the Patek Phillipe watch collection. For those of you not familiar with Patek Phillipe, it is one of the worlds top luxury watch makers that can trace their origination to 1839. So, if you like complicated watches and have an eye for quality workmanship this is the brand that you look to set the standard. Therefore, when I received the parchment invitation I quickly accepted.

In part one we introduced some of the problems companies face when simply demanding more from their salespeople these days.

In this second part we will look at where the hidden costs are for most companies and what can be done to overcome a non producing salesperson or sales team.

Although what is discussed here pertain to a mid to large sales organizations, the same issues also affect small companies with only one or two salespeople. By taking note of these common misconceptions and the practical solutions presented here companies can significantly improve their bottom line

The recent economic challenges has caused many owners and managers to have a sense of urgency in bringing in sales like never before. It was not  long ago when simply having the open sign turned on meant people would buy and revenues would come int. Not anymore.

The desperation caused by low sales numbers had resulted in businesses responding by demanding more from their sales personnel. It is believed that placing more pressure on the sales team will result in increased sales activity and make up for the massive loss in revenue.

In this post we want to cover some brief ideas that can give you some ideas for you and your business. Here you will find some ideas that can help you with your taxes, retirement, and give you a brief economic outlook. At Bay Area Mastermind our members always benefit from these insights and you can too by taking advantage of our "Test Drive".

All of us are aware of changes that are occurring to business landscape. Some are thriving out there while others are simply being forced to close their doors. The interesting thing is that business failure is not specific to one type of business or based on the time that business has been in business. These days an inability to market can make take out even well established businesses just as easily as it can a new business.

So let's take a look at one business sector that is very competitive and see what we can learn from their experiences.

In our previous post we discussed the importance of finding a large starving crowd. The second important element goes hand in hand with the first.