Category: Business
Where Will We Be in Five Years? Or Maybe Three?
Recently, a good friend of mine, an owner of a PCB shop in the U.S. ,asked for my thoughts on what the North American Market would look like in five years. Good question isn’t it? With everything going on in the world , it is a good time so stop, and take stock. So, after some considerable pondering, this is […]
What The Customer Really Means When She Says…
As a sales people, one of the things that we spend a great deal of time doing is trying to interpret what it is the customer is telling us. Oh, we all can hear the customer and what she is saying, but so often, we don’t really know what she means. There seems to be some kind of “customer code” […]
Six Game Changing Trends For The New Year
As we start preparing our companies for a new year; 2019 is just around the corner, and smart companies are already deep into their strategic planning for the new year. It is important that we look at all trends that 2019 will bring and develop our strategies around these trends. If you’re not already planning for the new year, then […]
The Devil Is In The Details
So often we only talk about the obvious tools and tactics we need to be a successful sales person, so much so, that we overlook some of the smaller details that could help us be successful, those that could give us an edge over our competition. They say that the devil is in the details and in sales like in […]
Get Out Of Those Doldrums: Dare To Make That Next Move
Okay, you’re in a meeting with your management team. You’re all trying to figure out how to make your company outstanding, so that you can get off that plateau you’ve been hanging around on for the past three years. Your numbers have been flat, your company has been flat and for the most part your team is flat with a […]
The Future Just Ain’t What It Used To Be …Again
Okay, it’s that time again, time to take a peek into the future and see what is happening, and about to happen in our world. This time, these peeks into the future come from an excellent new book called Microtrends Squared: The New Small Forces Driving Today’s Big Disruptions, by Mark Penn. Author Penn, has spent over 40 years polling, […]
The Building Blocks Of A Great Company: Business Values
There are many ways to run a business, many ways to develop the direction of that business. The strategy, and the tactics it will take to be successful vary from company to company. They say that the best way to start a business is to find a need and fill it. Obviously, this is true, especially if it is the […]
Great Business Lessons From Television
I have always said that I am suspicious of anybody who does not eat meat or does not own a television. I am especially suspicious of those who say they don’t watch television. I am not sure what kind of brownie points they think they are getting for not watching TV or what they are doing that is so […]
More Dumb Stuff You Should Never Say!
There is never a shortage of dumb things people say. In fact, no matter what is going on in our business, good or bad, up or down, scary or comforting, there is always somebody somewhere who will say something dumb about something. And I’m not even talking about the current political atmosphere where a collection of dumb things those people […]
What Customers Crave More Than Anything Else
When it comes to what customers really want there is one big secret. They think that they want our products or services. They think that they want us to deliver good products on time. They think that they want good quality. They think that they want a great price (or “great value” as they would rather put it). They think […]