If you’ve cracked a newspaper or turned on the news lately, it’s all doom and gloom about the economy. And it’s causing most business owners to do just the opposite of what they should be doing. I hope you’re not one of them. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Needs
Whether you sell sunglasses, hearing aids, sports training, legal services, or financial advice, the place to focus is on your prospects’ needs. I know of one entrepreneur who thought that the sunglasses parents were buying for their young children were a joke. So she came up with a line of quality unbreakable sunglasses for young kids, and her business is growing wildly. Read the rest of this entry »

As a creative business owner, you want to spend your time doing your “great work.” This is the work of your passion and your purpose. Often, a successful business owner can get caught in the trap of doing the “good” work That means you get caught in the trap of “I’ll just do it” because it’s easier than explaining it or hiring someone to help you. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a continuation from my previous blog on customer satisfaction.

11.  Conduct surveys one time per month in order to find out what your clients want and need. Your ability to deliver solutions to current problems will position you as a coach who is solution oriented and who is willing to be flexible to deliver what it is that the client most wants and needs. An online survey tool such as www.zoomerang.com is a fantastic tool for providing online surveys to your current customers and clients. Read the rest of this entry »

Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their businesses by adding new customers.  In today’s competitive world of business, it is more important than ever to aim for more transactions with existing customers by using the power of customer follow-up and attention to good service. Read the rest of this entry »

You want to attract more clients, increase your sales and maximise your profits. And you want to do it in less time.

What’s getting in your way?

Working harder isn’t the answer! After many years of helping struggling small business owners be more successful, I’ve seen the same three issues emerge in every case. I see them with business people looking to make their first $100,000 as well as to those trying to make their next five million. Read the rest of this entry »

The Random House Unabridged Dictionary offers the following as one definition of “recession”:

re·ces·sion -noun [Pref. re- + cession.] The act of ceding back; restoration. Yield.
A period of an economic contraction, sometimes limited in scope or duration.

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Your business card is one of the BEST and easiest marketing tools you can (and should!) use to stand your business out from all the other businesses that are doing what you do.

There isn’t anything more frustrating than getting a business card and not being able to tell what the person does when you look at. It just seems like such a waste of time, money, paper, energy (theirs that went into creating it and yours trying to remember who they are), and it does nothing to support the bringing about of more business. Read the rest of this entry »

Marketing a small to medium-sized business can be overwhelming. Knowing where to start and what to do to avoid the common “feast or famine” phenomenon can be puzzling. Typically, independent professionals and other business owners use a shotgun approach to marketing as time and cash flow allows. Individual marketing tactics such as mailings, phone calls and web sites are tried, with efforts peaking when clients start to disappear. Read the rest of this entry »

Last time I continued with our series of articles on the 5 factors that impact on a businesses growth. In particular I talked about the importance of capital requirements within a business which is no. 4 on the list below. How did your spend your $2 million?

This is a continuation of my “Why do some businesses grow” series. Improving your business systems (Part 1), Leadership skills in your business (Part 2) , The importance of Marketing (Part 3) , Available Capital in Business (Part 4)

This time I will share with you about the importance of ensuring you have appropriate suitably qualified external support to help you achieve your commercial objectives. Read the rest of this entry »