Going Back To Get Ahead

Have you ever run DOWN an escalator that was going UP? Well, I did at the Tampa Airport last week. Heres what happened:Last Wednesday I was scheduled to fly from Tampa through Dallas to Phoenix on A...Full Article

The Hands On Approach

While living in the technology age where everything is computerized, digitized, and auto-responded, it is very easy to forget where we came from, and how all of this progress has almost completely wip...Full Article

3 Ways To Sell and Have Fun Doing It

There are many ways to sell and have fun doing it, but some times we really need to step outside the box and do something a little different if not drastic.Listed below are the three fun and exciting ...Full Article

Future Business Key Element In Sales

A challenge facing many businesses is how to maintain a constant stream of customers in order to provide a regular cash flow.One method is to choose a location that ensures a steady flow of traffic pa...Full Article

How to Acquire More Leads

The most effective prospecting techniques were revealed inthe August 1st, 2002, issue of TIP (URL at end of article)that resulted from a survey of financial advisors earning over $200,000 annually.Her...Full Article

Business is Great; Im Just Not Selling Anything!

Awhile back you had a great idea. An idea that you thought could make you a decent income, with very little effort. Then, you had another great idea-to sell your first great idea on the Internet! W...Full Article

9 Packaging Problems That Lose Sales

You have a great product, but its not flying off the shelf. Is one of these packaging problems turning sales away?1) You dont understand your market.There are so many new markets and retail outlets ou...Full Article

The Basic Secrets of A Million Dollar Sales Letter

"Accepting the consequences, good or bad, will free you; take a risk, but be aware that things sometimes turn out differently than you expected.-Marcia WiederNo matter what you try to sell, you r...Full Article

Business Lessons Learned At The Mall

Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small business advice in response to thought-provoking questions submitted by future and fellow entrepreneurs. This week, however, I have a couple...Full Article

Why You Buy, Part Three

Still more discoveries from the recent studies in behavioral economics:Over-Valuing MinePeople consistently place a higher value on things they own, even if their ownership is temporary. The research ...Full Article

Closing Sales Is Not A Problem, Its A Process

In my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training is the subject of closing. In years past, it seems the object of most sales training courses was to fill the heads of participants with as man...Full Article

Just Ask!

Instilling urgency in a prospective customer can make the difference between achieving a sale and losing it altogether. If your prospects cannot vividly see personal benefits from taking action, there...Full Article

How To Dramatically Improve Sales Closing Ratios

A closing question asks for a final decision. A trial-closing question is one that asks prospects for an opinion. Trial-closings should be non-threatening questions that ask how your prospective custo...Full Article

Sales People have an advantage as entrepreneurs

Zig Ziglar use to say in seminars and on tapes that nothing happens until someone sells something. I had never really understood how absolutely true that was until I got into franchising and saw how o...Full Article

Everything Follows the Pitch

If you asked me to point to the heart and soul of a startup company, I would not say its the people, the culture, or even the product. I would say its the pitch. The pitch is that one message that, wh...Full Article

Never Stop Selling

The question: When should a growing company slow down its sales function and focus solely on delivery?The answer: "Never!"When fast growth is the focus of your company, the only constant is ...Full Article

Creating More Effective Proposals

The need for good proposals - the business kind, not the marriage kind - struck me again a couple of days ago, when I received a poor proposal. I had talked on the phone with a sales rep, and then she...Full Article

What Should I Charge?

People ask me, "What should I charge?"I say, "Ask your clients."If they are respectable professionals you want as clients, they will be honest with you and give you a fair price ba...Full Article

Youve Got a Great Business, but Nobody Cares!

I would like to share a disturbing little secret with you. Almost 70% of the people you do face-to-face business, with will never speak to you again!Its not that they didnt like you or get value from ...Full Article

Model Dell: The Art of the Affiliate Coupon

Along with having an innovative supply chain, theres another reason Dell is the largest computer company in the world. They always offer great coupon codes to online affiliates that let the buyer in o...Full Article