Branding 101 - What I Learned from the Most Interesting Man in the World! Recently, I was invited to speak at the Business Experts Forum at the Harvard Faculty Club. How exciting! Our assignment was to share our most important, essential, legacy message...in 5 minutes. As I was putting my materials together for the event, I struggled [...]
Are you sold on flat rate pricing? (a.k.a. upfront pricing, straight forward pricing or bid pricing.) I hope so. There are lots of reasons why it’s a good idea. The number one reason? Your customers want to know how much it’s going to cost before they agree to a repair or a replacement. So maybe [...]
The other day my 20 year old dishwasher died. Alas. So, I went to a big box appliance store. I asked to see some dishwashers and a nice young man escorted me to a row of them. From left to right, the most expensive to the cheapest were lined up. I barely cook. It’s just [...]
(View video on YouTube) Manners promote peace, friendship…and sales! Growing up, my sisters and brother and I were fortunate to have a mother who taught us good manners. Yai Yai gave us a rule that if you are going to visit someone, you should bring a gift. Bringing a [...]
Year end is a great time to consider the year to come. Review the wins and losses and vow to make 2014 even better. Update your Budget. Consider what costs are going up. Health insurance? Yep. Retirement benefits? You aren't getting any younger. New trucks? Hey, it's time. Then, create a top line Sales [...]
I am blogging on behalf of Visa Business and received compensation for my time from Visa for sharing my views in this post, but the views expressed here are solely mine, not Visa’s. Visit http://facebook.com/visasmallbiz to take a look at the reinvented Facebook Page: Well Sourced by Visa Business. The Page serves as a space where small [...]
Once upon a time, I thought acquisition was a strategy reserved for big companies. I thought you needed teams of lawyers to work through phone book size agreements and complicated EBITDA formulas. I imagined strong armed tactics and hostile takeovers. Boy, was I wrong. Acquisition is the best way to grow your company. You can’t [...]
It’s one thing to tell your customers how great you are. It’s a much bigger, better thing to have respected community influencers tell your customers how great you are. It’s the thing that can ramp up your marketing to create immediate, measurable results. Here’s how… Make a list of 10 VIPs…Very Influential People…in your community. [...]
Have you seen the TV show, What Not To Wear? In one hour, they perform a fashion and grooming make-over on a disheveled woman (baggy sweats at the mall) or a way-too-casual man (tank top out to dinner.) The show demonstrates how, with a little education and practice, you can transform from schlubby to sensational. [...]
You’re at a networking event. One by one everyone stands up and gives their elevator pitch. They’re going around the room, table by table. Pretty soon it’s your turn. Your heart starts beating fast. You break out in a sweat. You have one shot to let everyone in the room hear your pitch. What are [...]
