How do I make clear and precise projections for next year?

My answer is formed in a series of questions I ask myself:
[1] Did you reach your projections for last year?
[a] Sales
[b] Growth
[c] Profit

Setting the Standard – Part 2

As we continue to talk about setting the standard, understand that bashing your competition is not an option. It is just bad character on your part if you stoop that low.

In the last article we talked about getting with the customer and comparing bids. I have found many times when you do this, you'll find that the competition has just placed a bid with no breakdown of costs, allowances or provided a detailed list of work to be performed.

Setting the Standard - Part 1 

It has been brought to my attention that many people in business think that if you can’t beat them, then just bash the competition and tell others just how crummy their work is.

The question is: Should you tell potential customers just how bad your competitor’s work is – or is there a better way?

Value 

What do you have to offer?

Often, in terms of a “turn-around”, it takes time to regroup and restructure for the future. Let’s look at one of the areas that a company can evaluate within their area of business.

Boy did I hit a tender spot with the last article “Third Quarter Blues”!

The questions that have come in can be summed up as “What can I do to keep ahead?”

Joe Paterno says “The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.”

I’ll say it this way, “Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s success.”

With the question before us, there is one clear step that we let slide for many reasons.  It could be that we don’t think enough about how to get where we are going, or we just think things will happen on their own.

Alright already! I’ve heard enough! I’ve heard two things lately: Either: “I won’t change,” or “We have done it this way for years.”

These statements have brought into focus the question of: “Do I need to change?” into focus for this month.

Do I need to change?

Let me start off by saying that change is inevitable and if you’re not ready for it, you will be left standing in it’s tracks. In any business, there are three ways to respond to change. At this point in the year, if you have not put change on your radar screen you may be looking at next year from a disadvantage point

Third Quarter Blues

Here we are moving into the third quarter of the year and the question has been asked, “Am I making any money?”

My answer is short and sweet. If you don’t have a clue by now, why ask? You should have asked and answered that question at least eight times by now, this is called monthly reports.

I know you’re saying “that’s insane!” but I’m saying the same thing. If you don’t know to this point in the year whether you’re making a profit or not that’s truly insane.

How Can I Accomplish My Business Dreams?

In the last article we talked about purpose and established that a purpose-less person who has nothing for an objective usually accomplishes just that – nothing.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it.”

J.C. Penney declared.  “Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.”

Are You in it for the Long Haul?

Many people ask the question, what can I do to succeed over a long period of time?

The answer is rather simple yet people make it so complex that it seems impossible to achieve any level of success. The next few articles will apply to business as well as any endeavor you put your mind to. So let’s get started and talk business.

Confidence 

Can I really be “me” in business or do I need to follow the majority?

You can be who you are, all it takes is confidence.

A question I get asked a lot lately is “what makes you so different?”

I’ve nailed it down to one thing: Confidence.

Working Smart

A long time friend of mine once said that the more hours he works the less he accomplishes.  He asked me, “Why put in more hours?”
My response to him was “It’s not the hours you put in, but what you put in the hours.”

Testimonials Part 2

What do you do with the testimonials?

GET THEM ON YOUR WEBSITE! Put them in your sales literature – make them visible and accessible to your potential customers. This is something I’m continually working on with my websites. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep your content fresh.

Here’s an example of a website with great testimonials. The business owner emailed some of her best clients and told them that she wanted to get some quotes from customers on her new website. She was overwhelmed with the response – she had no idea how much people loved her products because she never asked! (Remember? All you have to do is ask!) Click here to see the testimonials on the Baby Goin’ Places Website.

Ethics, is it really that hard?

In all my years of business, I find it comes down to one question.

How would I want to be treated?

I have gained more than lost in areas of my life when it comes to ethics. Am I talking business ethics, sales ethics, and work ethics?

Success, where do we find it?

Many people are looking for this ultimate status in life. The question is where do you find it?

Let me give you a few hints.

Testimonials

Word of mouth happens when your customers talk to other potential customers about their experience with you and your product/service. They are in essence “testifying” to another person about the work you performed for them.

Testimonials are those good things your customers said, captured in writing or on audio or video. If you’ve got good word of mouth going on, testimonials will happen naturally. If you’ve got incredible customer service and a great product, the testimonials should be flowing.

Testimonials are earned.

I had a brief stint in the Girl Scouts when I was young. They didn’t just hand out badges because we were cute – I had to work for them; I had to earn my badges. I remember sewing hundreds of buttons on a piece of fabric to earn my sewing badge. I thought it took forever, but in the end, I got a little patch to put on my sash (which I sewed on myself!) to show the world. Testimonials are your badge or your medal to wear proudly on your chest to show your perspective customers how good you are (without saying it yourself.)

Time Management

Question: “Is there really enough time in a day?”

Let me answer this with another question. “Do you manage your time or does it manage you?”

In this world, there never seems to be enough of this precious element of life - time. It is especially noticeable in the business world, where we run here and there and just never seem to get anything accomplished.

The Chicken or the Egg - The Business or the Business Plan?

May 15, 2007

While many are still trying to figure this one out, here is another question that confuses many entrepreneurs. Which comes first, the business or the business plan?

Many start up business fail because there is no thought given to planning the business. A business plan is as critical to a business as is fuel to an engine. Without it you will get nowhere.

You may think you have been on the move, but in reality you have gone nowhere. You have just been going through the motions because when you look back at where you started, the distance traveled doesn’t seem far because you don’t know where you are going.

In essence, your business plan will become your map to success.

Word of Mouth

People are talking about you. They're talking about me. It's good that they're talking, but is what they're saying bringing us more business?

This issue's "tool" addresses that question. Word of mouth - what it is and how to keep it going.

Let’s Move it up a Notch

The question has been asked, “Can I succeed?”

The answer is: only if you want to and are willing to pay the cost.

Sales Toolbox - Introduction

Introducing… your sales toolbox. This series of articles will help you get a toolbox and fill it up with the most powerful, versatile sales tools you could possibly need.

Moving Beyond - Do You Have What it Takes?

Do you have what it takes to start a business? There are several key questions you should answer to make sure you're ready to MOVE BEYOND where you are now and take the entrepreneurial leap.

Profit - Real or a Figment of your Imagination?

The simple way to determine your profit is to subtract your expenses from your sales, then what’s left is your profit. That’s true ONLY IF you really know what your expenses are and if you’re selling for the right price.