In the not to distant past businesses were able to succeed simply with salespeople having a knowledgeable understanding of their products, some good old personal charm (people skills) and ambition. But in today?s terrorized world, complex global economy, and intensely competitive business environmen...

Benefits! They`re what marketing is all about. No doubt you`ve heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features." So how do you tell the difference, anyway? And how do you choose which ones will get your prospect`s heart pumping? First, let`s set the parameters: A fea...

Some time ago we had the privilege of working with a major UK government department to help them redefine leadership and to reappraise how they develop and encourage leaders. Faced with considerable challenges by the environment in which they operate and by their political masters, this department ...

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker, you have more than likely dealt with mortgage lead companies in the past. If you are one of the ones that have invested money in lead companies in the past, than you fall into one of two categories. Those that have lost money to lead companies, and those...

If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v. or read books you have the beginning ingredients to a sweet recipe for a great year-round fundraiser. How so? By taking advantage of what`s known as an affiliate program or in more common lingo -- partnering. How would you like to partner w...

?Ha!? you say. ?For someone to make a statement like that, they obviously haven?t worked in the real world and certainly have never had to run a company.? Well, let me assure you. In my past I?ve not only run companies, but spent many years in one of the most notorious industries for turnover ? t...

How happy are you in your work on a scale of 1-10, using 10 as ecstatically happy? If your response is less than 7 your career may need reenergising. If this is the case it is likely to affect your morale and your performance. Eventually it may have an impact on your overall well being. The impac...

Are you doing what you really want to do or did you just fall or wander into the job you now have. As a friend of ours once said,? I am one of twenty two doctors in our family. The only ones in our family who are not doctors are the dogs and cats?. Did you decide what you wanted to do or are you one...

One of the catalysts I use for topic ideas is Chase?s Calendar of Events (if you?re looking to find a publicity ?hook? for your business, or for a volunteer organization for which you are trying to raise money, I can?t think of a better tool! www.chases....

If you`re like most freelance copywriters and other solo entrepreneurs, you get rattled when it?s time to talk about money with your clients. You may feel like you are being greedy or sleazy, or you might worry that your fees are too high or too low. Inevitably, though, you must state a price for yo...

If you have a website about a topic you enjoy, you can make money from discussion forums. Talk, post links to your site, get traffic. Traffic means money, right? If not, try different affiliate programs or Google Adwords. The worst sites should get a couple cents per visitor. Now here`s how to talk ...

Wouldn?t it be just fantastic if in the first quarter of this year you acquired a new sales force for your business? Now I?m not just talking about 1 or 2 new people, I?m talking about hundreds or even thousands of new sales people all out there in the market place spreading the word and selling you...

Here are examples of two basic videos you can create quickly on a great budget: Example A ? Do-it-yourself for around $125 + extra copies 1. The interview Rent a digital video camcorder or if you have one already, use it. At the Video Kitchen in Louisville, Kentucky our $48 daily rental charge inclu...

NO! When I say "5 P`s", I`m not talking about the big 5 P`s of marketing everyone`s familiar with. Here I`m NOT referring to Product, Price, Place, Promotion and Package! But I`m talking about the FRESHEST 5 P`s I believe will be extra useful for your websites and newsletters. Are you ready to disco...

1. Largest Selection - One way that you can make your product or service stand out is to offer the largest selection of products, services or programs. Example: Home Depot, E-Bay, Staples, Amazon.com 2. Innovative Product - If you have a new product with a patent covering it or a service that others...

When conducting a training session about customer service, I always spend a fair amount of time talking about attitudes. After all, to be of service, you must develop an attitude of service. It has recently come to mind that the attitude of service is not something you put on and take off when a...

The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your own objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just to think of listing them. One way is to write an art...

What do Monica Lewinsky, Shoshanna Lowenstein, and even Richard Hatch have in common? Media exposure. They were ordinary people who became household names. Business and professional people may be called upon to represent their companies. The ability to present yourself well to the media can make or...

I recently surveyed CEOs and Business Leaders of large companies and small, profit and not-for-profit, and I asked just them just one question: `What is the single biggest factor that you believe will inhibit your sustained profitable growth into the future?? A, perhaps, surprising 37% responded th...

Cameras can seem complicated to some. It is easy to simply assume that everyone has basic knowledge of the principles, but look at this conversation between a child and an amateur photographer: ?What?s that?? ?A camera? ?What does it do?? ?It takes photographs?. ?What is a photograph?? ?It?s an imag...

Business etiquette is in essence about building relationships with people. In the business world, it is people that influence your success or failure. Etiquette, and in particular business etiquette, is simply a means of maximising your business potential. If you feel comfortable around someone and ...

You put a lot of thought into naming your children, why wouldn`t you spend a considerable amount of time naming your business too? Your business name is the first impression of your business and the products and services you offer. It`s important to name it wisely. Your business name should reflect...

Small and mid-size companies looking to go public usually think IPO (Initial Public offering), but find it difficult to get an underwriter to look at them. They go out an engage a consultant that advises them to do a reverse merger and they usually jump into it head first without exploring the op...

A few years ago, I was attending a family function when I ran into a cousin of mine. Having not seen her in more than three years, she told me that her son had graduated from law school and had passed the bar examination and was now a lawyer at a very prestigious law firm in New York City. "So what ...

Bootstrapping in the context of business start-ups refers to the use of creative financing approaches such as leveraging personal savings, credit-card debt, loans from friends and family, bartering, and other means to launch a business. Some business founders use bootstrapping because they have no ...

Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However, all of that effort can represent a significant shift for a business - from quantity to quality. And this could make sure your business gets the desired results. Shift Policy and Procedures Focus to Performance Developing, implementi...

Imagine that you`re a sports coach and you need a new player on the team. Would you walk up to someone in the street and say - "I want you to come and play for my team. I`ll train you to become the best player in the country." Sounds a bit ridiculous doesn`t it? What you`d probably do is watch playe...

The Federal Trade Commission is working through the necessary changes of law to protect the consumer and be fair to business owners in the franchising industry. Unfortunately as with most all regulatory agencies whenever they wish to make rule changes they have meetings to discuss it with the indust...

It`s all very well having a flashy (and expensive) advertising campaign, backed up by a wealth of positive PR, but if your staff are not all pulling in the same direction this could be the biggest leak in your plan. Want a more in-depth guide to internal and customer communications, plus a CD-ROM wi...

If you are looking to get something delivered fast, you may want to look into courier services. Courier services can have your important packages delivered the same day you plan to send it out! Or, if need be, you can hire a courier service to handle all of your International deliveries. With affo...

This little parody, and the comments that follow, were written nearly six years ago. In my opinion, they`re even more appropriate now than they were then. Let me know what you think.

You are sitting in your house one sweltering summer morning and chatting to a friend on the...

When you work with web site traffic, you must have the tools that show you the real picture about this traffic. You must know for sure how targeted your visitors are, what they want, what offers they like more, what offers cut down their motivation to use your product/service. Only professional URL ...

Me, outsourced? Impossible. How could they replace a business-humor columnist? But my brother-in-law, the radiologist, told me his hospital was threatening to cut his position because they had found a medical group out of India that would read MRIs at half the cost. He warned me, ?Hesh, don?t be so ...