(Businessweek) — Eventually, all small business owners are faced with a customer who’s ready for conversational battle. Sometimes there is good reason for these combative conversations; sometimes there isn’t. Either way, when faced with this situation, you might get the urge to fight back. Or you might try to submit or adhere to every demand […]
(B2C Marketing Insider) — I don’t know too many business professionals that are avid hip-hop fans. I happen to be a connoisseur of what we hip-hop evangelists like to call the “old school.” Those are the rap artists from the 80’s and 90’s that a lot of our parents told us we couldn’t or shouldn’t […]
(Online Journalism Review) — If you’re going to take on Groupon, you’re going to need to find a way to get more consumers in your market taking up your offers than are taking up Groupon’s. As any start-up online publisher knows, the most cost-effective way to spread the word about anything online is to get […]
(Reuters) — This year, Dan Pritchett wanted to turn the tables on how businesses traditionally offer discounts. Instead of choosing which products to mark down, Pritchett asked his customers to tell him the items they preferred to see on sale. “I wanted to find a way to create the buzz and excitement of Black Friday […]
(Businessweek) — 1. Treat your consultant as a partner. The most successful consultation relationships I’ve had, both as an employer and a contractor, are when service providers are treated as an extension of the team. This manifests through setting clear expectations, presenting an atmosphere that respects the contract services, and working seamlessly so you enlist […]
(CNNMoney.com) — 1. Stop paying attention to the bad news At Austin-based Falcon Containers, CEO Stephen Shang suggested in 2009 that his sales team quit watching economic news for two weeks and spend more time connecting with customers. Result: The company, which leases repurposed shipping containers as storage units, made a deal to create an […]
(Businessweek) — The performance gap between women-owned businesses and their male counterparts is well-documented. Yet the Obama Administration would rather spout rhetoric about how it is helping female entrepreneurs than develop policies to address what its own research shows are the causes of the problem. At least that’s what a recent Commerce Dept. report seems to […]
(Forbes) — Fire a Warning Shot: Your contracts and invoices likely include language saying that past-due payments will accrue interest at some rate. If you’re like me, you’d rather work with your customers than play shylock, but at some point enough is enough. If six months go by and a customer still hasn’t paid, include […]
(Wall Street Journal) — Many entrepreneurs dream of leaving the business they created to their offspring. But passing the business along to the next generation might not be part of your plan. Instead, it may be time to take what you’ve built with blood, sweat and tears—and cash out. Selling a business is a lot […]