I had lunch one time at a popular eatery in a nearby town. It was a place where on weekends, families and couples would have brunch or dinner; but on a weekday at lunch time, it was usually business people meeting. On this particular day the restaurant was very crowded and I was quite lucky to get a table. My little table-for-two was positioned between two larger tables. … [Read more...]
Women and Men: Is Partnership Really Possible?
This is such an exciting time of pattern busting. By that I mean the old ways are falling fast and furious. We are no longer willing to shove bad behavior under the rug. We are questioning old ways and questing for new ways. I believe the most fascinating and long overdue microscope is now being put more strongly on male-female relationships in a way that is neither … [Read more...]
Use Your Web of Influence
Years ago, I went through a training program on customer retention that emphasized the importance of identifying a web of influence within a client account. The web of influence not only included that main contact or champion, but other individuals within the company that could "influence" your success. Having more than one contact is of utmost importance to maintain stability … [Read more...]
About Competition and Sales
On June 4th, I hosted the Whale Hunting Women Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event provided inspiration, motivation, and direction for the more than 165 women who attended. As part of my own presentation to the audience, I talked about what I see as the movement from a culture of competition (a 20th century idea) to a culture of collaboration (a 21st century idea.) I … [Read more...]
Five Ways to Power Your Boat
Since I started writing for Women on Business, I've focused on particular women's issues and perspectives. But I have not introduced you properly to Whale Hunting, which is my company's system to grow your business fast by selling bigger deals to bigger customers. So that's my topic for today. When you are a smaller company selling to other small companies, you can conduct … [Read more...]
How to Increase Sales Tomorrow: A Step by Step Agenda
If you’re like me, you’ve got to be thinking about increasing your revenue stream for the short term. I mean, I have the long term under control—strategy, business model development, cost management. But nothing else works if you don’t keep the income side generating new sales. So I’ve designed a one-day agenda focused totally on sales, and I invite you to try it! Here … [Read more...]
Grow Your Business in a Culture of Abundance
In a growing company, it is very easy to be afraid that you will not have enough—not enough money, not enough staff, not enough time, not enough customers. I call that the culture of scarcity. And in today’s tough economic times, we are being bombarded relentlessly by scarcity messages in all media. But in order to grow your company, you must cultivate a culture of … [Read more...]
Advice for Setting Prices
Laura Spencer from Work From Home Momma published an educational post called "Should You Set Your Initial Price Low to Get Clients?" yesterday. While the post is targeted to work-at-homers and freelancers, I think the points Laura makes can apply to any business that struggles with the balance between setting prices that will generate an income and setting prices that attract … [Read more...]