30 Jan 2018

Super Team
You have to measure your sales success. It sounds easy, but in reality, measuring successes in sales can be difficult. Although the job is to close sales, measuring the progress can’t come down to the number of sales and looking at profit margins. You have to consider things like the demand for your product (growing or shrinking), the efforts being made my your sales team, the progress o...

11 Dec 2017

shutterstock_526990612
There are plenty of great blogs published every year about setting – and sticking to – your goals for the next year. It’s usually about changing your mindset, setting attainable goals along the way and finding a support network. We know, because we’ve written that same blog in years past. But this year, we wanted to talk about goals in a different way. This time we want to take a minute ...

10 Nov 2017

christmas baubles and computer
In theory, most of want to wait until after the Thanksgiving tryptophan wears off before we start thinking about holiday shopping, but the reality is that shops were stocking candy canes before the clock struck midnight on Halloween. And you probably noticed that, on November 1, your inbox was already swamped with red and green holiday shopping guides, sales, offers and more. So what doe...

16 Oct 2017

shutterstock_28817419.jpg
Fitting a new leader into an existing team is always hard. Even when you promote from within, there are growing pains as the team adjusts to a new management style, new goals and new expectations. But how you deal with employee complaints about a new manager? And how do you support your new leader in their new position and how do you help them through the growing pains?As with so many th...

06 Sep 2017

boost-sales
When people are researching a product or service, they don’t just want to know how much it costs. They want to know why it’s the best option and how it’s going to fit into their lives. People these days don’t shop from a catalog and take product descriptions as gospel. They are educated buyers, they do their research and they want to know why they should do business with you.That means, ...

15 Aug 2017

crowdfunding-v5b-2016
When entrepreneurs turn to crowdfunding to help them jumpstart their next venture, it’s usually because the need the capital to get their product, service or business off the ground. But by asking for people to support the development of your business, you’re also inadvertently asking them for feedback on your product or project. It’s a bit like market testing before actually hitting the...

17 Jul 2017

shutterstock_84555940
Small business owners are the backbone of the American economy and, according to a report from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, about 29 percent of those businesses are owned by women. That’s up from 26 percent in 1997, the report says. However, the increase in the number of businesses doesn’t inherently solve all the problems. A report from the Economic Policy Institute found t...

01 Jun 2017

shutterstock_92263249.jpg
When you’re building a business, happy customers are more than good business, they’re also great marketing. People in this ever increasingly social world are happy to spread the word about your business when they have a great experience, but you have to ask for their help. So, when was the last time you asked someone for a referral, review or recommendation? Does your business have a pro...

18 May 2017

unnamed
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times – a great business starts with having great people. You can have an amazing business concept, a full-octane marketing plan and a fool-proof manual, but if you don’t have a solid staff, you won’t have happy customers and you won’t grow your business in the long-run.Some of the most important people in your business are your manager...

01 May 2017

shutterstock_604345325.jpg
Everyone looks at reviews. Whether we’re trying to find a new restaurant or we’re looking for a contractor for a major project, most of us don’t go out on a limb without doing some due diligence. So what is your business doing to (1) make sure your happy customers are leaving good reviews and (2) manage sub-par reviews online? When was the last time you googled your own business to see w...