Tag: success

  • Five Ways to Strengthen Your Business for the New Year

    Five Ways to Strengthen Your Business for the New Year

    The end of one year and the beginning of the next is a great opportunity for reflection and planning. You have 12 months to look back on and another 12 ahead to look forward to. Here are five ways to strengthen your business for the new year by doing a little of both. 1. Compare…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • An Implementation Plan Is Key to Making Strategic Goals a Reality

    An Implementation Plan Is Key to Making Strategic Goals a Reality

    In the broadest sense, strategic planning comprises two primary tasks: establishing goals and achieving them. Many business owners would probably say the first part, coming up with objectives, is relatively easy. It’s that second part — accomplishing those goals — that can really challenge a company. The key to turning your strategic objectives into a…

  • Is Your Business Stuck in the Mud with Its Marketing Plan?

    Is Your Business Stuck in the Mud with Its Marketing Plan?

    A good marketing plan should be like a network of well-paved, clearly marked roads shooting out into the world and leading back to your company. But all too easily, a business can get stuck in the mud while trying to build these thoroughfares, leaving its marketing message ineffective and, well, muddled. Here are a few…

  • Does Your Supply Chain Have a Weak Link?

    Does Your Supply Chain Have a Weak Link?

    In an increasingly global economy, keeping a close eye on your supply chain is imperative. Even if your company operates only locally or nationally, your suppliers could be affected by wider economic conditions and developments. So, make sure you’re regularly assessing where weak links in your supply chain may lie. Three common risks Every business…

  • Trust Is an Essential Building Block of Today’s Websites

    Trust Is an Essential Building Block of Today’s Websites

    When business use of websites began, getting noticed was the name of the game. Remember pop-up ads? Text scrolling up the screen? How about those mesmerizing rotating banners? Yes, there were — and remain — a variety of comical and some would say annoying ways to get visitors’ attention. Nowadays, most Internet users are savvy…

  • Cost Control Takes a Total Team Effort

    Cost Control Takes a Total Team Effort

    “That’s just the cost of doing business.” You’ve probably heard this expression many times. It’s true that, to invoke another cliché, you’ve got to spend money to make money. But that doesn’t mean you have to take rising operational costs sitting down. Cost control is a formal management technique through which you evaluate your company’s…

  • Building a Sales-Prospect Pipeline for Your Business

    Building a Sales-Prospect Pipeline for Your Business

    An old business adage says, “sales is a numbers game.”  In other words, the more potential buyers you face, the better your chances of making sales. This isn’t completely true, of course; success also depends on execution. Nonetheless, when a company builds a pipeline to funnel prospects to its sales team, it will increase the…

  • Use Benchmarking to Swim with the Big Fish

    Use Benchmarking to Swim with the Big Fish

    You may keep a wary eye on your competitors, but sometimes it helps to look just a little bit deeper. Even if you’re a big fish in your pond, someone a little bigger may be swimming up just beneath you. Being successful means not just being aware of these competitors, but also knowing their approaches…