Tag: sales

  • Strategies for Investors to Cut Taxes as Year-End Approaches

    Strategies for Investors to Cut Taxes as Year-End Approaches

    The overall stock market has been down during 2022 but there have been some bright spots. As year-end approaches, consider making some moves to make the best tax use of paper losses and actual losses from your stock market investments. Tax rates on sales Individuals are subject to tax at a rate as high as…

  • Three Key Traits of Every Successful Salesperson

    Three Key Traits of Every Successful Salesperson

    Take a mental snapshot of your sales staff. Do only a few of its members consistently bring in high volumes of good margin sales? An old rule of thumb says that about 20% of salespeople will make 80% of sales; in other words, everyone’s not going to be a superstar. However, you can create performance…

  • Six Ways to Ensure Your Marketing Plan Drives Sales

    Six Ways to Ensure Your Marketing Plan Drives Sales

    “Love and marriage,” goes the old song: “…You can’t have one without the other.” This also holds true for sales and marketing. Even the best of sales staffs will struggle if not supported by a well-researched and carefully executed marketing plan. Here are six ways to ensure your marketing plan is likely to drive strong…

  • For Best Results, Start Your Strategic Planning Early

    For Best Results, Start Your Strategic Planning Early

    Time flies when you’re having fun — and running a business. Although it’s probably too early to start chilling a bottle of bubbly for New Year’s Eve, it’s certainly not too early for business owners to start doing some strategic planning for next year. Here are some ways to get started. Begin with your financials…

  • Four Tough Questions to Ask About Your Sales Department

    Four Tough Questions to Ask About Your Sales Department

    Among the fastest ways for a business to fail is because of mismanagement or malfeasance by ownership. On the other hand, among the slowest ways is an ineffective or dysfunctional sales department. Companies suffering from this malady may maintain just enough sales to stay afloat for a while, but eventually they go under because they…

  • Could You Unearth Hidden Profits in Your Company?

    Could You Unearth Hidden Profits in Your Company?

    Can your business become more profitable without venturing out of its comfort zone? Of course! Adding new products or services may not be the best way for your business — or any company — to boost profits. Bottom-line potential may lie undiscovered in your existing operations. How can you find these “hidden” profits? Dig into…

  • Build Long-Term Relationships with CRM Software

    Build Long-Term Relationships with CRM Software

    Few businesses today can afford to let potential buyers slip through the cracks. Customer relationship management (CRM) software can help you build long-term relationships with those most likely to buy your products or services. But to maximize your return on investment in one of these solutions, you and your employees must have a realistic grasp…

  • Five Ways to Give Your Sales Staff the Support They Really Need

    Five Ways to Give Your Sales Staff the Support They Really Need

    “I could sell water to a whale.” Indeed, most salespeople possess an abundance of confidence. One could say it’s a prerequisite for the job. Because of their remarkable self-assurance, sales staffers might appear to be largely autonomous. Hand them something to sell, tell them a bit about it and let them do their thing —…

  • Some Deductions May Be Smaller (or Nonexistent) When You File Your 2018 Tax Return

    Some Deductions May Be Smaller (or Nonexistent) When You File Your 2018 Tax Return

    While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduces most income tax rates and expands some tax breaks, it limits or eliminates several itemized deductions that have been valuable to many individual taxpayers. Here are five deductions you may see shrink or disappear when you file your 2018 income tax return: State and local tax…

  • Three Ways to Get More from Your Marketing Dollars

    Three Ways to Get More from Your Marketing Dollars

    A strong economy leads some company owners to cut back on marketing. Why spend the money if business is so good? Others see it differently — a robust economy means more sales opportunities, so pouring dollars into marketing is the way to go. The right approach for your company depends on many factors, but one…