You want more revenue and you want it fast. The marketing experts tell you to "create a compelling offer." You immediately think "Sale." You wonder how big the sale should be. How much can I afford to give away before the sale starts costing me money? How will I word the sale materials so customers don't take advantage of me? The worries start and you realize you have a huge task to pull off this sale and generate real revenue.Unfortunately, in...more
Many companies and their decision-makers require written proposals, and if you are like many sales people, you probably shudder at the thought of this request. However, writing a good proposal doesn't have to be painful providing you keep a few points in mind.First, recognize that closing the sale in a business proposal is a process, not an event. It doesn't occur just because you have asked for a commitment or because you have presented all the...more
In any business endeavor, a win-win outcome is always the most satisfying and productive. It certainly beats the alternatives - win-lose, lose-win, or (heaven forbid!) lose-lose - in which one or both parties walks away feeling an assortment of negative emotions, possibly including disappointment, anger, resentment, and a desire to throw crockery against the wall.What do we mean by win-win when it comes to finding new partners for our network marketing business?For the prospector (you), a win probably means acquiring a new business partner with the following attributes: easy to work with, motivated, determined to succeed, reliable and accountable, upbeat, honest, hardworking, and so on. Of course, you would probably also want your recruit to have some free time and enough money to get started.For the prospect... well, we really don't know what a win would be for her, do we? We could make an assumption and guess. We could assume that she just wants to make a lot of money. But what if we guess wrong? What if her heart's desire is to help people and make a difference in the world.The only way we can know for sure what's going through our prospect's head is to talk with her -- ask...more
I could make up a terrific story about this, but I won't lie - I had avoided (as in postponed, side-stepped, procrastinated) having a board of directors until now. Frankly, I had visions of having a group of old, cranky, humorless men telling me what to do.Of course I was just being lazy, too. I would rather be out making products and building a...more
Have you ever been asked that question?I was! Back in 1979 while doing a "pressure cooker" course on selling with an insurance company!I wondered how relevant that question was, considering my personal and financial situation at the time.No wife! No job! I was a solo dad with three children, one of them a baby less than a year old. "You must be...more
Sales turnover and net profits may follow a rollercoaster pattern familiar to most business but when the cash flow dries up the game is over. Urgent attention to the management of working capital can provide every business with the cash resources to exploit its potentialMost businesses will experience periods of lower sales and times when losses may be incurred as expenses exceed sales income. The situation is recoverable by producing higher sales and reducing costs and expenses. A business that runs out of cash resources is dead in the water.Debtors and sales income managementThe objective is to obtain payment from customers as fast as possible improving cash flow and minimising the risk of bad debts and not being paid at all.Payment terms offered to customers should be clearly stated and fixed as standard accounting figures according to the amount of funding the business is prepared to offer its clients. Because that is exactly what credit terms to customers is, free cash funding in exchange for eventual sales income.Consideration should be given to using a cash discount system to encourage sales invoices to be paid faster. In some businesses it would be appropriate to obtain up...more
There are 4 parts to a UFOC:* Cover Page* Table of Contents* Items 1-23* ExhibitsThe format for each of these sections is very specific and covers the following:Cover Page The Cover Page identifies the franchise business, including the name under...more
Whether you are planning to start a brand-new business, expand an existing company, or get financing for a business venture, you will need to write a business plan. A business plan not only lends your business a sense of credibility, but also helps...more
Exchange Traded Funds, better known by many investors as iShares, the brand owned by Barclays Global Investors ('BGI') have been around in the UK since April 2000, with the launch of the iFTSE100 on the London Stock Exchange. From a slow start, by...more
Superior business leader and American investor Warren Buffett is often called "Oracle of Omaha" or the "Sage of Omaha" and philanthropist. (Wikipedia, 2007) Buffett is the CEO, and the biggest shareholder of the Berkshire Hathaway Company. Buffett's...more
People are losing their homes and many more will lose their jobs before the mortgage meltdown works its way through the system.To paraphrase Alan Greenspan's remarks on March 17th, 2008, "The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged...more
For many people, even those with good spending habits, creating and sticking to a budget may seem like a significant challenge. Learning to budget wisely, however, isn't just a tool for getting by from month to month. Good budgeting is the first step...more