Category: small business

  • Moving a small business

    Moving a small business

    There are some things about Virginia that leave me awestruck. I paid $1.39 a gallon for gas yesterday. To be fair, this was at a Kroger station where my monthly grocery bill nets discounts (I had to ask the milk stocking clerk about this to learn that my 20 cents off was due to spending…

  • Small business selling is done best when you’re having fun

    Small business selling is done best when you’re having fun

    Perhaps the single most critical issue in spurring small business selling success is the enjoyment factor. If you, your prospects and clients don’t like the experience, you’ll have a tough time creating a sustainable venture. The great thing about fun is it’s contagious. If you’re enjoying yourself and what you’re creating through your business, your…

  • Forget about features and benefits – offer small business selling solutions

    Forget about features and benefits – offer small business selling solutions

    Yogi Berra quipped “It’s like dĂ©jĂ  vu all over again.” Feeling reminiscent when some self-proclaimed guru offers the latest and greatest “new” technique for effective small business selling? Whether you come from the pyramid selling “proof” days or today’s internet “expert” arena, the truth hasn’t changed – attracting new clients is best done by solving…

  • Assemble a team for fun small business selling

    Assemble a team for fun small business selling

    I know, I know – you don’t have the money or aren’t ready to let go and delegate. Fear not. This post isn’t necessarily about that. Think about this – is there something your clients need that you can’t do? Ah ha – that’s where your loose team of go-to people can make you shine.…

  • More isn’t better with small business selling

    More isn’t better with small business selling

    Whether it’s what you’re selling or how you’re communicating, quantity does not trump quality. The “experts” (curious, this moniker that used to be earned is now self-appointed) would have you believing more products and more noise offer the key to more money. Sometimes this works, but it’s not a good way to build a loyal…

  • Building a referral network is easy when it’s fun for all

    Building a referral network is easy when it’s fun for all

    Most small business owners believe what they’re told about networking. Meet as many people as you can, pass out a bunch of business cards and sell, sell, sell. No wonder it’s something most loath. That’s not a good way to build a business – or feel happy about how you do it. Fortunately, there are…

  • I hate selling – save me from this small business torture!

    I hate selling – save me from this small business torture!

    Do you hate selling? Done the way so many profess, it’s no wonder. That pound them until they’re sure to relent strategy is painful for both the perpetrator and the victim. Think sending dozens of e-mail message during the course of a week – or day – is much different than old-school manipulative selling? Sure,…

  • Can you have fun navigating without technology tools?

    Can you have fun navigating without technology tools?

    “It’s better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction.”  — Diane Grant, Canadian playwright and screenwriter Poetic justice perhaps, particularly if panting a technology device as a villain is how you interpreted my last blog post. I fried my cell phone last weekend – literally (who knew it would get…

  • Small business success & cell phone cocktail?

    Small business success & cell phone cocktail?

    “Samson killed a thousand men with the jaw bone of an ass. That many sales are killed every day with the same weapon.” — Anonymous I recently did something I won’t do again. Granted, I tend to accept “modern conveniences” grudgingly, but being plugged in seems to create a modern expectation of 24/7 attention –…

  • Why subtle small business marketing works

    Why subtle small business marketing works

    Whether you’re looking to increase reach for a mission without monetization; rally support for a service you offer through donations; attract a very select crowd from the masses for high-end coaching services; or seek to sell product you’ve developed as part of your free offerings, there are some great providers doing it better than you.…