03/04/2010

Time-saving tips for your busy workday
Do you find yourself looking for an extra half hour every day?

It happens to most of us.

In this busy society, it is very easy to lose track of time and realize--at 4:30 p.m., the scheduled time for your day to end--that you still have two hours of work left to complete.

02/24/2010

Transparency helps drive business
How well does your company communicate with its customers and employees? I would venture to guess that there is room for improvement.

02/18/2010

Profit sharing a worthwhile investment
I always get a kick out of listening to ownership groups complain about not being able to find qualified applicants. "I just can't find a good people," one gentleman confided to me several years ago. "People just do not understand the value of hard work anymore."

02/11/2010

Easy steps to humanize your business
How did it feel when a business person surprised you by acknowledging your birthday?

It probably felt pretty good.

02/03/2010

Preventative computer care: Do you actually do it?
I recently took an informal survey of my business associates and asked a simple question: What exactly do you do to maintain your computer systems on a regular basis?

The most common answer stunned me: nothing.

01/27/2010

Patience will pay off if process yields quality
As business people, we are accustomed to quantifying time. Most of us--regardless of our titles--make a career out of trying to predict how much business we can do within a certain period of time. This process is as understandable as it is futile. I will openly concede that there is a loose correlation between time and productivity; my regret is that most often this correlation loose at best.

01/20/2010

Qualities of an Interested Prospect
As an accomplished salesman in my own right, I have discovered a number of common characteristics or qualities in the people that I sell my products and services. Surprisingly, every now and then, I find myself pursuing prospects that exhibit one or two of these qualities but lack a healthy mix of the qualities I know I need to successfully sell someone.

01/13/2010

Objectivity is priceless: Hire a consultant
Have you ever felt that maybe you are too close to the business? A lot of business people have.

01/07/2010

Have you revisited your mission statement lately?
Have you revisited your mission statement lately?

Maybe you should.

Mission statement? Oh, you mean that one sentence thing on your web site that starts with a preposition (typically "to") and ends with a noun? Often it reads "to provide outstanding products and services to our customers with the guarantee of value and timely delivery."

Here's a hot topic: Sex in the workplace
Racy headline, huh?

Here is a column that is destined to be read . . . unfortunately, for those of you looking for salacious content, this column may disappoint you.

A simple test to see if others can earn your trust
Trust is maybe the singular ingredient that makes any business successful.

How can any business function without trust?

It is hard to imagine a trust-free company that remains in business.

Proceed with caution before accepting a counter offer
Whether to allow a prospect to negotiate terms and pricing is a difficult decision for any sales person or business owner to tackle. You have identified a prospect, gone out to visit the prospect and now the prospect counters your offer with a shorter term at a reduced rate. Do you accept the counter offer or walk away?

The best answer I can give you is it depends on where you are sitting.