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Consistently Grow Revenue at Record Levels – Article 1 of 2

There are very few CEOs that are not concerned with sales growth. Ninety-five percent of CEOs that I have spoken with this year described their sales growth as follows: A. Overall sales are below last year. B. Overall sales are about the same as last year. C. We are growing, but our growth rate is slower than that of our top competitors. D. Our growth rate is slower than last year. E. Our growth rate is not where we want it to be. While this may not be a surprise, you’ll be interested to know that the solutions are easier than you think. Even more fascinating is that many companies are meeting sales targets that have been set extremely below potential.

If You Want Something You Don’t Have … TAKE ACTION!

Let's face it ... each of us want things we don't currently have and circumstances we'd love to improve. The question is how bad do you want them, and are you willing to do what it takes? I've often found myself complaining about how busy I am and how difficult it is to accomplish all that I want to. About 18 months ago I decided to keep track of everything I was doing throughout the course of each day so I could attempt to figure out how I could maximize my productivity and accomplish more. To my surprise ...

Cooking Up a Storm: Fields Opens Up Shop
After realizing how unsatisfied with her life she had become, Fields decided something needed to change. And, she knew instantly what it was. “In that room, that evening, I made a decision that I was going to go into the cookie business,” says Fields, “that that was my calling, that that was what I could do best.”

\"No\" to average
Say no to being average.

Out of the corner of your eye
Juxtaposition matters. And so does surprise.

Live a Life of Discovery
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A New Year's Observation
It takes all kinds. That’s something we’ve noticed in the past year in the news, with Bernard Madoff topping it off. We have a saying in construction when the structure of a building is completed--a ‘topping off party’ to signify the top floor has been put in place. Somehow, the past year got its own topping off party but not in the best sense.

Playing to Win
Anything can happen - and it often does! One of the old clichés in professional athletics is that on any given day in any given city, one professional athletic team can beat another team. Their standings in the won-loss record at that moment don’t really matter. That’s equally true in individual competition when you have players who are skilled and determined to do their best.

You're boring
Sorry, someone had to say it.

5 Ways to Make Someone Say “WOW, I Want to Be Your Client”
The objective: To jog potential clients, colleagues and new contacts from the “business as usual” frame of mind that gets in the way of making true connections.

How Many Ways Can You Calculate 2010?
Here’s an easy one: 1+2-(3-4-5)67*8-9

Is Social Media Killing Your Business?
I know today’s short post might come as a surprise to regular readers of this blog, but even though I promote the heck out of social media use for small business, I see a dangerous side as well.

4 Ls of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneur Devesh Dwivedi talks about the the letter L in the word 'entrepreneurship'... Love, Listen, Learn, and Leverage are the Ls of entrepreneurship. Read until the end as there are two surprise Ls as well.

Having Difficulty Finding A Home Business Article Idea?
Coming up with an intriguing home business article idea is not as hard as some make it out to be. It can be challenging because of the amount of content and articles already out there. But if you really take the time to research and talk with the people, you can easily find a new topic to write about online.

Turn Grouchy Spiral to Happiness and Joy

Have you ever noticed how negative energies feed off each other? If that is true, then it must be true too that positive energies can do the same. I am reminded of a friend who enjoys blowing kisses to random strangers in other cars while stopped at red lights. She does it just to see the surprise and smiles on the recipients' faces. It takes them out of their own head, to share a moment with a "neighbor." It makes me laugh just thinking of her doing it, and the reaction that must follow....

Free As In Shipping
People don’t like surprise fees, don’t like being nickle and dimed, and don’t like to pay for shipping.

When Agreement is Really Disagreement - Happy Ears for Salespeople
Happy Ears or Effective Salespeople? It all comes down to training, coaching, observation skills, commitment and practice. When put that way, there is as much burdon on you as there is on your salespeople. Are you up for this challenge?

The Magic of Jiffy Lube, Sales Adaptability and Plagiarism
Perhaps you've noticed that while driving past a Jiffy Lube during (slow times for them) your commute there may be a mechanic out front, holding a sign, offering a discount, hoping you'll pull in. I don't know about you, but I am not particularly moved by a guy in a jump suit waving for me to stop. But it made me wonder, does this work?

The Leadership Genius of George Washington
Leadership advice you can use starting right now from America's premier leader,

"Don't Look for Customers, Look for Fans"
What level of customer service are you operating on? Find out here and how you can transform ordinary customers into diehard fans.

CONNECTING IS NOT ENOUGH: When Week is Strong
This article originally appeared in The National Networker How often do you interact personally with your customers? Whether it’s working directly with them, speaking to them on the phone, visiting their offices. If you’re not in regular direct contact there’s a good chance it’s impacting on your ability to either upsell to them or to inspire them to refer you.

A Culture of Leadership
One thing is certain though, for any organization to be successful in the current business culture of "get more done quicker, better and with less", everyone has to be thinking leadership. Leadership isn't an "It's all about me" game, it's a "how can I grow the people to higher levels of competence" game.

5 Steps to Coaching Your Salespeople Beyond Happy Ears
Following are my thoughts about how you, the leader of your salespeople, can help them overcome Happy Ears. Slip into these five roles to help them be more realistic about and more comprehensive with their opportunities.

Leadership Accountability

When a person is hired or promoted to a management position, where people are required to report directly to them, inherent in that action is accountability for those employee's performance and productivity. This often comes as a surprise or shock to a manager when they receive their first performance review and it is less than satisfactory. A sales person is solely responsible for himself or herself and the work they perform. Once promoted to management this accountability for what others may or may not accomplish is new territory for them.

Baby Boomers Suffering Financial Hardships Gain Control With Wealth Creation Education
Another fine mess we have gotten ourselves into....what I was saying to myself less than a year ago. A time when the average American is spending $1.05 for every dollar they make. No job or pension is safe and the daily news brings more pessimism on the future. The first step in recovery is....

One thing that may seem insignificant
One thing that may seem insignificant

Do I need to learn tips for Public Speaking?
It seems to come as a surprise to many that giving an effective presentation or speech is one of the key ingredients for a successful career – so you may want to learn some tips for public speaking.

The Ultimate Sales Tip
The ultimate sales tip has only 3 words. Discover what it is today.

What Cold Calling Taught Me and Why I don't do it anymore.
"Hey, Diane. This is Michele. How's it going?" Sound familiar? If you've said those words before, you most likely have done cold calling. It taught me something that took me by surprise. It catapulted me into a direction I didn't see coming.

What's the best way to make your verbal statements more compelling?
It's time to make (and stick to) another one of those "I know it makes sense and it's good for me and I really need to make time for it" resolutions.

The Steps to Follow for Successful Conflict Resolution
The higher up the ladder of success that you climb the greater your problem solving and conflict management skills must become. Here is some very sound advice to follow in order to work towards more positive outcomes when faced with managing conflict. To learn more read on...

The Power of Personal Notes

There are many things you can do to develop a great reputation, establish rapport with clients, colleagues and prospects, and get top-of-mind awareness in your target market--certainly too many things to list here. But few things are as effective (and inexpensive) in accomplishing all of those objectives as personal notes. As a devotee of personal notes, I've even been known to go so far as to call personal notes one of the three "magic bullets" of marketing.

Sales Experts Disagree on the Right Way to Train Salespeople

I was involved in a nearly week long, on line discussion with about a half dozen other sales experts in the Top Sales Experts Group at LinkedIn that to date has included about 41 volleys. The original question, raised by the UK publisher of modernselling.com, asked whether there was a right way or a wrong way to train salespeople. While there was some agreement on some points, there was much disagreement on many points.

How to Write A Compelling Marketing Letter That Actually Gets Read.
Getting your marketing letter read hinges on the ability of the very first sentence to intrigue your reader and make them want to learn more.

When the Sales Processing Doesn't Support Sales Competencies
So, of course, here's the question that relates to the sales force. Do your salespeople sound like these folks working the deli counter? Three of the four had some kind of process, but are the processes effective?

5 Easy Ways to Upsell Your Products and Services

Are you leaving money on the table because you aren’t letting people know about your other products or services? If you own a small business, chances are the answer is yes! Because most small business owners and their employees have yet to master the art of the upsell. Maybe it’s that you don’t know how. Or maybe it’s that upselling (or even selling for that matter) makes you uncomfortable. If so this article is sure to change your mind and give you the tools you need to use totally non-pushy upsells to make your clients happier AND more money.

Reuse, Repurpose, Reduce: The Secret to Making More Money with Less Effort
Are you struggling to constantly reinvent the wheel when it comes to marketing and growing your small business? Are you so swamped with running your business you can’t even think about putting together new products? If so, then you need to start following the successful small business owner’s secret of reusing, repurposing, and reducing to get more done with less.

Yellow Pages - To Advertise or Not To Advertise

With so many other ways to access information today, it should be no surprise that the effectiveness of directory books such as the Yellow Pages is on the decline. However they still are a main source of information for visitors in a hotel room, or users of public telephone booths. Some older age demographics also prefer them to other alternatives. It is expected that we will continue to see these familiar yellow books around for approximately 10 more years. So whether they are right for you really comes down to knowing the search habits of your ideal clients.

Follow Through or Foul Up

As entrepreneurs, we are usually great at coming up with ideas to promote our business. We know that it's not rocket science, and yet we struggle time and time again getting our ideas off the ground. This isn't really surprising because on top of wearing our marketing hat, we are also wearing our operational, financial, IT and HR hats. Yet when we look at all the different roles we have to play in our businesses, it is truly our sales and marketing hat that can fast track our business to the next level. So how can we ensure that we allocate it the time it deserves? More importantly how do we know that we are fully following through?

How to handle the top 10 SME Sales Objections - Part I

A Sale is considered closed when the buyer and seller reach agreement on terms for the buyer to take ownership of a product or service. To get to this stage, the seller normally has to “close” the sale, by asking the buyer for their business. This is where the buyer raises “objections”. Objections generally fall into three main types. This article will explore the types of objection, how they arise and how to overcome and avoid them. Part II will then discuss the 10 most common objections, and how to handle them to close the sale. You must get the customer to reiterate the value that they are getting first and foremost.

Is cold calling right for my business?
Cold calling or telemarketing is seen, by a lot of business owners as a good way to market and promote their business. It’s one of those marketing methods that many people try some with great success and others with no results at all. When success occurs though, all business owners want to give it a go, thinking that success can occur for their business too.

M.I. aka Hip-Hop Messiah, Uncut, a Ladybrille Exclusive

It is past midnight in Nigeria and roughly about 3:00pm in California when I get the call from Jude Abaga aka M.I. [pronounced ‘em eye’]. He has been out and about all day plus he tells me “dealing with Lagos traffic jams” aka “go slows” so he renegotiates our interview time. When his call comes through, he is full of apologies his voice taking on a humble tone, quite contrary to the one I am used to from my sound system i.e. bold, strong and unapologetic for his mad talent, intelligence and refreshing MC skills.

What Do Men in China Do?
A secret of men's lives in China.

21st Century Leadership and The One Page Business Plan
We believe one of the major oversights in business in the last 30 years is the failure of management to ask the average manager, professional and/or employee to WRITE a plan for their job, department, project, program, and/or their function. Sr. executives have always been required to write "strategic plans" albeit they have not always done an excellent job, they were required to write a plan.

Act on the Present
In tough times Harry needed to focus on being present -not lamenting the past

Sales Tip – Sales Grow When Fear Drops and Creativity Rules
Salespeople can get a selling edge, even during an economic down turn, by dropping their fear and kicking creativity into action.

10 Personality Traits Needed To Work At Home
It's no surprise that people are seriously looking for work at home opportunities to supplement, and sometimes even eventually replace, their income, especially in hard times. But, before you embark on an official plan to work at home you need to figure out whether or not working from home is something you'd really like to do or if you are even cut out for it.

Top 3 2009 Sales Resolutions
It’s a new year, with a fresh sales quota and a new set of sales resolutions. I’m always looking for ways to improve and January consistently finds me evaluating my performance from the previous year then setting goals for the coming one.

Data Security…A Balance Between Convenience, Privacy, Stupidity

Software and hardware manufacturers have introduced and continue to develop some of the best computing and online security solutions to protect you and your content from being not just compromised but stolen and used. Lose your hardware and yes it is a pain but it can be replaced. Lose your data and your identity can be used in the blink of an eye. The best and most expensive security solutions in the industry seem to be useless against relentless thieves and your own stupidity or careless action. You can't protect folks from themselves but this Insider piece may scare a few people straight

What Salespeople Can Learn from a Focus on the Chase instead of the Hammer
What is possible if salespeople began to think of the sales process like the noted automobile restorer Wayne Carini? Just how is the sales process in the top performer’s way like the chase for the finest classic cars?

Surprising Statistics from the Sales Force Grader
The actual results are even more surprising than the number of people (several hundred) that have already visited the FREE Sales Force Grader. To date, the worst score is 0 - definitely a surprise. While we would expect there to be some sales culturally challenged companies, we didn't expect any to be that bad....

Avoiding Pitfalls in Mentoring Relationships, Part I of III
Creating a mentoring relationship

Could You Increase Sales During this Economic Crisis?
It’s scary right now. Some of our oldest and most trusted financial institutions have collapsed. Big businesses, the ones who are suppose to be bullet proof are closing, or getting gobbled up by competitors.

Karma Keys to a Referral-Based Business
Want to build a repeatable and successful process of increasing sales to both existing customers and new prospects? Then build a referral-based business where giving referrals is just as valuable as getting referrals.

The Surprise Close
I have never had a problem letting the consumer digest everything and letting them think it over. In fact I have found that it is so unusual to approach the consumer that way that it has the same effect as reverse psychology.

A Funny Sales Training Story

Then the fun began… After the first night with his 15 people William came back and reported no sales. Nothing new there for William. It only gets funnier. At work the next day only 11 of his people showed up for work and I questioned William who proceeded to inform me that he was weeding the garden and he was just keeping the best people. Well that night he came back with his crew and again there were NO sales. Again no surprise.

Negotiation Techniques - How to Win by Not Negotiating Against Yourself
If you want to know how to avoid sales and negotiation training then you need this article. If you can conquer just one thing then your negotiation skills will go through the roof.

Choosing the Right Franchise
After much thought and deliberation, you’ve finally decided to take the plunge into the world of franchise, as you truly believe that it is the way to a successful future. However, one crucial decision remains to be made. Which Franchise is the right one for you?

Home Business Article Ideas - How Do You Find Them?
Description: Coming up with an intriguing home business article idea is not as hard as some make it out to be. It can be challenging because of the amount of content and articles already out there. But if you really take the time to research and talk with the people, you can easily find a new topic to write about online.

What to Expect When You Hire a Copywriter
The Copywriting Process Unveiled~

10 Steps to Getting More Referrals

At my workshop, web cast or tele-class I have people tell me their business comes from word-of-mouth marketing. Wouldn’t it be great to have even more referrals coming your way? Just think of never having to make an outbound cold call, or work endlessly at designing your next winning marketing piece. More often than not, we merely need to create a communication plan of action to simply generate endless referrals.

Succession Planning – How to Plan for a Changing of the Guard

In business there has been a lot of talk recently about baby-boomers looking to retire and who should they hand over the reigns to. This succession planning debate is great – but it neglects the general successions that happen all the time in business. By this I mean the sort of succession that happens: • When a manager goes on holiday and someone steps into their shoes to fill in while they are away • When someone gets promoted or transferred to another role • When someone resigns

Your Clients Are Waiting For You!
Do fears about marketing get in the way of letting your market know about you and therefore become a barrier to having paying clients? Use these three steps to continually reframe your thinking about marketing over the next 90 days. Your new more powerful mindset will make your marketing more effective and fun!

Coaching for Sales Success
The Coaching Model is based on several important principles: To improve performance To help sales people gain the ability to self-assess

What is SPIN Selling?
SPIN Selling is a precisely defined sequence of four question types that enables the salesperson to move the conversation logically from exploring the clients' needs to offering solutions, to uncover Implied Needs and develop them into Explicit Needs that you, the salesperson, can resolve.

There was a Fly in the soup!!! But they kept the customer
We have all heard it happened to someone, we have herd the jokes, Customer to Waiter: “What is that fly doing in my soup?” Waiter. “Looks like the back stroke.” Customer to Waiter: “There is a fly in my soup.” Waiter: “Don’t worry, He will not eat much.”

Free Report: Discover #1 Way To Boost Your Sales

Increasing sales in one of the top priorities for companies the world over. The matter is that without the sales there is no company and that means there is a definite need for ways in which to increase the sales without spending millions of dollars on advertising campaigns. This is all new to a lot of people who would like nothing more then to see their sales go through the roof by nothing more then the word of mouth advertising that is so needed. This will not happen in most cases so companies need to start making some hard decisions.

Why You Should Use Graphic Templates
When you purchase a graphic template, you will be able to customize it to an extent or even build a totally new design based on it! What's the point of using the template then, you say? Well, it serves as a source of inspiration and ideas for a totally new design.

6 Year-Old Nets New Toy With "Money Warning"
As I weeded my way through the mall past the other shoppers, past the other toy stores, and through the doors of the illustrious Lego store, I began to think about how this sweet, innocent, 6 year old boy had played me like a pro.

Setting Coaching Fees So That Everyone Wins
Is your coaching business allowing you to meet your financial goals? If not, here are a few tips that will allow you to start charging what you are worth!

Ladies, Are You Hitting An Entrepreneurial Wall?
It doesn’t take much to figure out that something is limiting what you want to happen in your business. However, it may come as a surprise to learn that it just might be your own limiting belief that’s keeping the wall in front of you. Let me clarify that you are not the problem! It’s what you believe that could be to blame.

Leveraging Your Way to Big Brand Status
When it comes to creating a business brand, small business owners often feel they can’t do it alone. No surprise. You can’t! Yet throughout school we’re taught that we have to “do it” on our own otherwise we’re “cheating.” This lone ranger approach is the demise of millions of businesses.

Italy vs Holland
Growing up I couldn’t wait to get out of my puny little town of 100,000. Now I live in a town of less then 1,000. And strangely enough, as I open my eyes to look around, I know that it is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now.

How to get the job you want. 5 things You Can do Right Now to Improve Your Odds.
Whether you are looking for that first job right out of school, or you're ready to seek advancement in your career by re-entering the job market, here are some things you can do right now to improve your chances of getting the outcome you want and deserve.

Five Online Home Based Business Ideas To Consider
With such a huge variety of online home based business opportunities available on the internet it can be very difficult knowing just where to begin your search. One of these 5 ideas may be just what you are looking for.

Management Fundamentals - Gordon Ramsay and Kitchen Nightmares
Ever wondered what was wrong with your business and how you can sort it out. It's great to have a second pair of eyes run over it and tell you what needs to change. Here's a guy who does just that...

Making A Difference In Your Business - Ten Steps To Get You Going
We are all busy people. Our businesses depend on us and they require our full attention. Yet sometimes, it's of value to reflect on the bigger picture of purpose. What is a way to lead and yet, make a difference in your wake.

Stress Management: Ladies, Lose The Guilt!
It’s time we women said, “Enough guilt!” What exactly are we trying to measure up to anyway? When is what you’ve done “enough”? How can you get past the guilt that raises its ugly head? The answer lies in discovering what you’re trying to prove.

KICKSTART 2008
Why not take some time this year during the quiet days after Christmas to identify what you really want to achieve in 2008? Make it real, concrete, achievable and imagine what it will be like this time next year knowing you have achieved these goals. Use the following points as a way to get ready for a brilliant 2008.

Have You Been Dugg?
Until recently, unless you owned a technology based website, it was unlikely you would have seen Digg as one of those emerging traffic sources.

Wisdom Is Knowing What We Don't Know

Comprehension, as most people understand it, is not a strength but rather a weakness. People often presuppose wrongly that everyone has the same comprehension as they do. Arrogance insists that our vision of the "facts" is the right one. Humility demands that we be aware of how much of our own personal interpretation goes into our vision of reality. We begin to have real comprehension once we realize that our perspective may not be the only valid one.

Do You Have What it Takes to be an At-Home Entrepreneur?

So, you have decided that you want to work from home AND be your own boss. You’ve seen the commercials with the woman leisurely getting out of bed, taking time to exercise and then conducting business in her pajamas while her happy baby sits nearby. Unfortunately, this is not the reality of working from home, especially if you are working for yourself. Do you really have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? There are a lot more challenges than you may realize. Here are some questions to think about.

Managing Under Conditions of Uncertainty
Mapping out different outcomes can reduce the stress and strain of surprise results

Trust and Profit
It should be a surprise to no one that trust is the foundation of a harmonious, synergistic and efficient work environment.

Is Search Engine Positioning Dead?
(The Truth May Surprise You!)

Why Improve Your Communication Skills?
Ask yourself these questions. The answers you generate may surprise you.

Major Stressors - Number 1
Find out what major stressor number 1 is. And it will almost certainly surprise you

The importance of understanding your buyer relationships - especially in a tough economy
The tough economy is leading to many nasty surprises for sales organisations. In many cases the surprise, or the extent of the surprise, could have been avoided if the sales organisation had better information about the relationship that they have with with their buyers. in this article Keith looks at the different ways of determining the relationship you have with your buyers.

Business Dining Etiquette - How to Avoid Dining Blunders That Even the Most Successful Executives Make
Table manners really do matter! It should come as no surprise that dining, unless done well, could be disastrous to your reputation...

Finding Peace Of Mind In A Server Recovery Plan
Server recovery is a concept really no one wants to deal with by surprise. This is where planning comes in...

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