Small Business Toolbox
LKN Small Business Network is new model for leads groups
By Dave Yochum. If business owners start to meet, greet and network in a new way during the 2020s, chances are Jim Vogel will be leading the way. The founder of Lake Norman Small Business Network attracts 70 to 90 people at stand-up networking meetings every Wednesday morning in Cornelius. It all began as a […]
The ABC’s and P’s of selling
Extraordinary selling skills are developed over time through training, review, feedback, and refinement. Excellent sales professionals never cease considering ways to improve themselves or their processes. Exceptional attention to the A, B, C, & P’s of selling can continuously polish your skill set. Don’t be distracted by daily ‘busy-ness’; make sure you allocate time to […]
Make Your Business Entity Help You
Many people think the only way to start a new enterprise is to form a Limited Liability Company. Maybe you started your business with an LLC because it was easy to do and now some limitations are becoming apparent. An LLC, being a hybrid between a partnership and a corporation, does provide limits on liabilities […]
Keep sales in a safety net
Vacations, illnesses, special project assignment and turnover of staff all create the potential to reduce sales due to insufficient customer coverage, unfamiliar processes, and customer dissatisfaction. All of these can be avoided by strategically planning well, and using a competent tactical communication plan for the times disruption occurs. To your customer, a missing salesperson should […]
Crowdfunding: Four things you need to know
Getting funding to start or grow a small business used to be difficult and frustrating. Fortunately for small businesses, recently there has been a significant change in the landscape – including a new law enacted in May – making it much easier for businesses to acquire cash. The changes are around Crowdfunding. As the word […]
Just sell! Do What You Do Best Delegate the Rest
Successful sales professionals make selling look easy. What makes it look easy are often the unseen, well-honed set of guiding processes that support that person, including delegation. The smartest working professionals have learned they can focus their best efforts and spend their time most productively working in their areas of strength-if they delegate as many […]
Customer Attraction/Retention: Are you doing what really matters?
Part II. I have already covered the key aspects that are important to gaining interest and the ultimate purchase from a prospective customer. These included: Convenience factors of location, accessibility and time; soundness of offerings and capabilities; track record in business; accuracy and reliability; and value for time and money spent. Getting a customer to […]
Customer Attraction/Retention: Are you doing what really matters? Part 1
Part I. Over 32 years in interviewing thousands of customers of clients in almost every industry, I have been able to document key factors of attraction and retention of customers that every business should pay heed to in order to realize a continually growing and loyal customer base. If you feel that you must always […]
Are you effectively leveraging operations in your marketing?
Too often, owners and managers operate their businesses in silos that cause many opportunities to be overlooked. Accounting focuses only on accounting. Operations focuses only on operations. Marketing focuses only on traditional sales and promotion. Safety and maintenance only focuses on safety and maintenance. I could go on and on. High growth companies understand that […]
Are you being disruptive enough?
Too many businesses, in an effort to compete, miss the mark in what it takes to truly differentiate themselves. If you are using your competition as a template for what you think your should be doing, then you will always be following, and will more likely get left is the dust of “not knowing what […]
