ARTICLE: 7 Signs of a Dysfunctional Company
By Steve Tobak
I was just reading about how Barack Obama and George W. Bush are the most polarizing presidents of the past 50 years, meaning they had the largest gap in approval ratings between democrats and republicans. Some think there's a chicken and egg aspect to the question of which came first, our divisive leaders or our divided nation, but I think it's entirely a function of leadership. If Obama and Bush were effective leaders, the nation wouldn't be so divided. . . .
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ARTICLE: Minimize "Blame Game" with "Do It Yourself" Customers
By Steve Coscia
These days, some customers who are low on cash are attempting to repair and install equipment that is best handled by an HVAC, plumbing or electrical contractor. During the last few months, I have heard numerous horror stories about Do It Yourself customers who, in an attempt to save a few bucks, try to fix things themselves. . . .
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ARTICLE: Visualize Your Goals More Powerfully
By Kevin Eikenberry
You've got your goals set. You're excited about them and the prospects of achieving them. Whether those are true statements for you personally, for your team/organization or both, congratulations! They're both necessary and important steps. And, they aren't enough. I'm guessing you've heard about visualizing your goals. Many tell me it seems silly, others think it doesn't help. . . .
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ARTICLE: Is Weather Your Marketing Plan?
By Adams Hudson
I don't like it when contractors read the weather page to see whether they'll be busy or not. To me, an utter loss of control. Yet in the 5 "Ms" of marketing, "month" is number 4 and thus mightily important. There is great validity to marketing within a known field of "timing" relevance. That is, chocolates during valentines, anti-depressants during the evening news, stuff like that. . . .
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ARTICLE: Body Language Sales Test
By John Boe
Are you aware that your body language reveals your deepest feelings and hidden thoughts to total strangers? As a professional salesperson you must continuously monitor your customer's body language and adjust your presentation style accordingly. By understanding your prospect's temperament style and body language gestures, you'll minimize perceived sales pressure and close more sales in less time. . . .
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ARTICLE: The Shawshank Sales Strategy
By Tom RIchard
Complainers are contemptible. They spend more time whining about lack than they spend doing the work needed to acquire what they want. Business, and life, is simpler than it may feel at times. If you know exactly what you want, then you can figure out what needs to be done. When you know what needs to be done, the only thing left is doing it. People willing to do the work, receive the reward; people unwilling to do the work should punch out and go home. . . .
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4 Keys to Changing Problems Into Opportunities
By Dinyah Rein
What's the difference between a problem and an opportunity? Isn't it obvious? If your response to that question is that obviously, it's the circumstances -- think again. Have you ever heard of or seen two people achieving different outcomes, even though they began with the same circumstances? . . .
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5 Keys To Building a Powerful Brand
By Kellie D'Andrea
In today's world, it takes a strong, branded identity along with a memorable customer experience that generates a good buzz to keep the brand going and the profits flowing. The goal of every business owner is not just to create satisfied customers but to create the WOW experience that leads to brand evangelists. . . .
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ARTICLE: Economy Changing Consumer Behaviors
By Gareth Schweitzer
Since the economy began its downward spiral into recession in early 2008, we have seen changes in consumer behaviors and habits. Studies have shown that mindsets have shifted and that the current consumer is a very different person than the consumer of several years ago. Many marketing research services have begun to create their own surveys and reports to gain insight into this new consumer that we are dealing with today. . . .
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ARTICLE: 7 Reasons Sales Managers Fail
By Colleen Stanley
Have you been scratching your head wondering why your sales team is not hitting revenue goals and aren't going to succumb to blaming the economy? Do you feel like you're doing everything you can and giving your all as a manager but are not getting consistent results? Read on to determine if you are a product of these 7 reasons sales managers fail . . .
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ARTICLE: The Little Rules Of Taking Action
By Leo Babauta
Too often we get stuck in inaction -- the quagmire of doubt and perfectionism and distractions and planning that stops us from moving forward. And while I'm no proponent of a whirling buzz of activity, I also believe people get lost in the distractions of the world and lose sight of what's important, and how to actually accomplish their something Amazing. . . .
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ARTICLE: The Most Important Button On Your Phone
By Mike Brooks
Listening is the number one skill of Top 20% producers. Their listening goes far beyond just listening though, because top producers actually hear what is behind what their prospects are saying, and they know how to ask clarifying questions to get them to reveal even more. Have you ever needed to ask directions? . . .
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ARTICLE: 7 Mistakes of the Self-Centered Salesperson
By Joe Crisara
A sales person like me may be the easiest person for a good sales person to sell to. Believe me, I've seen and heard a lot of sales presentations in my life, and unfortunately nearly all of them amuse, bore, repel, or anger me. I actually pity the people who use out-dated, scripted and ineffective techniques. Then I realize that what they say is a result of the poor information they have been trained with. Sometimes I even give them advice on how to best sell me if they are open to listening to me. . . .
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ARTICLE: Smile Slowly to Carry a Bigger Impact
By Joe Crisara
So much research has been done on no-verbal communication, yet so few of us can consciously tune in to it. I think we are all aware that our body language and facial expressions talk for us long before we ever begin to move our mouths. Take for instance the smile. What is it that can make one smile seem so genuine and the other silly or clown like? What kind of smile evokes confidence while the other co notates a moron? . . .
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ARTICLE: You Can Sell Your Way Out Of Any Situation
By Tom Richard
When I was only ten years old, I remember waking up early one day to go fishing with my father at our family's cabin in Grayling, Michigan. When we arrived at the dock, my heart sank with the sight of about three inches of water in our small fishing boat from the heavy rain the night before. Many other fishermen were bailing out their boats with small buckets; I frowned at the thought of doing the same. My father smiled and simply told me to go ahead and get into the boat. . . .
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The Referral IQ Test: Would You Pass?
By Joe Crisara
Many people doubt the validity of getting referrals as an actual mix of their marketing. By accident, many people get referred by customers that love them. So let's face it, referrals start by doing great service that people notice. In my thinking, if you can make something happen on accident, then you can make it happen on purpose. As usual, the reason something doesn't work is usually screwed up in the beginning not at the point the problem is apparent. Let me go over the most effective way to get referrals. . . .
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ARTICLE: Costly Assumptions
By Keith Rosen
When clients ask for help in closing more sales, I'd ask them to list the objections they are hearing that prevented the sale. It's when they start stumbling over their response that I ask, "Are these the objections you are hearing directly from your prospects or what you're assuming as the reason why they don't buy?" Whether it's around our sales efforts, during a conversation with our boss (and our kids) . . .
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ARTICLE: 5 Tips To Beat Your Competitors in a Recession
By Jeb Blount
CNN calls it issue #1. You cannot open a newspaper, turn on the TV, or even have a conversation with friends without talking about the economy and the "r-word" - recession. Doom and gloom are everywhere. And there is no hiding from the fact that trepidation in the market is having an impact on the paychecks of Sales Professionals across the globe. . . .
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ARTICLE: The Seven Roller Coaster Stages of a Start Up
By Rob Spiegel
Are you ready for the carnival ride of your life? Launching and building a business is a nerve-wracking journey that will change your personality and alter your very essence. You may succeed and you may fail, but the wild turns and gut-wrenching drops along the way are as predictable as they are frightening. Here's a quick sketch of the emotional ride of a business start-up. . . .
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ARTICLE: Clear Cut Goals Help You Win
By Tom Richard
Coaching little league football this year brought me back to when I used to play the game. It was not what I was remembering about the game that shook me so much as it was that I had forgotten about my days as a competitive athlete. With a few years under my belt since my playing days, I found myself looking at the game with a new perspective. I couldn't help but admire the simplicity of football, . . .
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ARTICLE: Making Fear Your Ally
By Keith Rosen
Although we may want to better our lives and accelerate our productivity, many of our decisions are governed by fear. We want more, but avoid risks, so we continually produce similar results over again. We fear change, for we may lose some degree of control over the outcome. We fear expressing how we feel or what matters most to us, in fear that it would make us vulnerable. . . .
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ARTICLE: Weatherproof Your Service Contracting Business
By Joe Crisara
Have you ever felt like you are at the bottom of the barrel and you have no calls or opportunities coming in? Things seem hopeless? The phone isn't ringing or worse yet it is only ringing with vendors calling to look for their payment? If so, then you remind me of myself early in my contracting career when I didn't have a clue about what to do. You are left with two choices as I was back then. . . .
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ARTICLE: Get Your Clients To Stick To You Like Velcro
By Colleen Francis
It's no secret that finding new customers is both time consuming and expensive, but it's worth noting just how much it could be costing you and your organization--no matter what kind of business you're in. According to Frederick F. Reichheld, author of The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits and Lasting Value, companies in America on average lose half their customers in five years . . .
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ARTICLE: For Contractors In This Economy, Everyday Is Halloween
By Joe Crisara
Today is Halloween. You will no doubt hear the familiar phrase ringing in the air of the fall night. "Trick or treat!" the kids will scream. Knocking on the door of a stranger and trying to get your treat, (the sale) from a suspicious, reluctant, cautious and even skeptical home owner who is experiencing a problem with their plumbing, HVAC or electrical system during this economy can be downright frightening. Dealing with people who want their problem fixed, but don't want to pay for it can be as . . .
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ARTICLE: Recession Is Only a State Of Mind
By Tom Richard
No matter how hard I try, if I've had a rough day at work, my wife knows about it. In fact, if anything is bothering me, my wife can tell instantly. We've been married for nearly seven years, and she can literally sense when something is wrong. Luckily for me, she always knows the right thing to say to help me clear my mind and get me back on track. This type of intuitive knowledge . . .
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ARTICLE: Turnover Tonic
By Chason Hecht
In many industries, employee turnover is at a record high. And turnover costs more than you think. Replacing an employee involves all of the direct costs of hiring, including advertising and recruiting costs, as well as hours of management time spent reviewing resumes, interviewing and checking references. There are also orientation and training costs for the new employee. . . .
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ARTICLE: What Is "Joe the Plumber" Really Worried About?
By Joe Crisara
The final debate between Barack Obama and John McCain was a real head spinner. I watch most of the night listening to their references to "Joe the Plumber" as a "normal" plumber working for a company that he wants to purchase that EARNS over $250,000 per year. In fact they mention "Joe" 21 times in their discourse. . . .
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ARTICLE: High Response With Low Cost Post Cards
By Footbridge Media
Picture this...Tom arrives home from work, parks his car in his driveway, and walks to his mailbox. It's cold out, so he hustles. He reaches inside, pulls out the day's deliveries, and then hurries inside the house. After greeting his family, he begins to sort through the mail. Tom's a busy guy and doesn't like clutter, so he doesn't need much of a reason to throw mail in the trash. . . .
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Small Business Tax Deduction - Write-Off Bad Debts
By Richard A. Chapo
Practically every small business has receivables that it cannot obtain from clients. If your small business doesn't have any such receivables, consider yourself lucky. For those small businesses that suffer from uncollected receivables, solace can be taken from the fact you can claim a tax deduction. Small businesses can write-off bad debt losses if it meets nominal requirements. . . .
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ARTICLE: Stay Focused on Your Core Genius
By Jack Canfield
I believe you have inside you a core genius... some one thing that you love to do, and do so well, that you hardly feel like doing anything else. It's effortless for you and a whole lot of fun. And if you could make money doing it, you'd make it your lifetime's work. Successful people believe this, too. That's why they put their core genius first. They focus on it--and delegate everything else to other people on their team. For me, my core genius lies in the area of teaching, training, coaching and motivating. I love to do it, I do it well, and people report that they get great value from it. . . .
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ARTICLE: Ride Pendulum Back To Old-Fashioned Sales
By Tom Richard
While spending some time with my brother, I noticed his Aviator sunglasses sitting on the counter. Thinking I was funny, I grabbed them and said, "Hey, 1985 called and it wants its sunglasses back." Putting on his sunglasses and mocking what -- to me -- was quite funny, my brother simply shook his head wondering how he could be related to someone as fashion ignorant as me. How was I supposed to know that Aviator sunglasses were back in style? . . .
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ARTICLE: Asking "Why?" leads you to "Why Not?"
By Tom Richard
What makes me sad, and sometimes angry, is that these same people are hurting from their own unhappiness, their own sense of not having the things in life that they need and deserve. Whether it is more time with their family, or enough money to send their children to a better school, everybody wants something. . . .
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ARTICLE: Focus On What You CAN Control, Not What You Can't
By Tom Richard
For the past four days, I have watched a team of service technician's work on my super fast printer. I needed the printer working in order to meet a very important deadline. With the printer down, I was left powerless to complete the work that needed to get done. As the days passed, and the printer remained virtually out of commission, I found myself going through many phases of work related stress. As I watched the team of professionals disassembling the machine before my eyes, I found myself angry at life. Why did the printer have to go down at the very time I needed it the most? . . .
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ARTICLE: Stop Discounting & Start Earning Top Dollar
By Paul Johnson
Most people in sales who work as an employee for a company are unaware of the fact that tor each dollar that is discounted it is a dollar of pure profit given away. Therefore it is imperative to remember that your ability to remove discounts can reap rich rewards for you and your company. When some buyers see a price, they can sometimes expect discounts to follow. This is just their make up or way they were trained . . .
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ARTICLE: Keep It Real For Maximum Response
By Tom Richard
There is no worse feeling that seeing a guy with a prison tattoo walking up to your office door with a giant stack of children's books. As he informs you of some specials he has on this reading material for children, you are fixated on those tattoos and now you further notice his ponytail. You know you are about to have an unpleasant sales experience and you begin to think of how you are going to get rid of this guy. . . .
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ARTICLE: Quit "Waffling" and Start Selling
By Joe Crisara
This past weekend Julie and I had breakfast at one of our favorite nearby diners here in Los Angeles. We decided that we wanted to try something new for breakfast this time so we saw a special that was prominently displayed at the front when we walked in. The special was for two waffles, two eggs and your choice of bacon or sausage. . . .
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ARTICLE: Positive Requests Create The Results You Want
By Tom Richard
There is something hilarious about witnessing a neighbor make a fool of themselves, especially when they does so by sending out a five-page, single-spaced letter to dozens of people in the neighborhood. I was one of the lucky recipients of this lengthy, poorly-written letter. The tone of the letter, addressing our church's declining attendance, was similar to a twelve-year-old girl yelling at her little brother. . . .
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DOWNLOAD: Making Eye Contact - Reading The Eyes
By Dr. Allen Konopacki
This download written by Dr. Allen Konopacki illustrates one of the oldest sales cliches in the book. The ability to read the eyes of your prospect can be helpful in determining everything from the level of interest to the level of deception that your buyer is trying to hide from you. Science back up these findings with some interesting studies. . . .
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ARTICLE: The Laws Of Selling Success
By Drew Stevens PhD
Sales professionals must create magnetic appeal to increase closing efficiency. Our present global environment creates numerous obstacles that polarize sales efforts, form the proliferation of the Internet to advanced media. Ironically, with the intrigue of technological miracles the foundation of sales success exists upon 10 principles. Since the beginning of trade, selling has not changed, nor have these laws. . . .
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ARTICLE: Yes You Can!
By Jeb Blount
When you say you can, there will be losers there to say you can't. When you dream there will always be someone there to demand that you wake up. When you believe in yourself there will be others who will try to create self-doubt. When you act there will be short-sighted people who will work to slow you down with roadblocks. And when you achieve, when your dreams have come true, when you cross the finish line with your hands in the air, the mediocre will not welcome you, they will not learn from your example. . . .
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ARTICLE: 13 Things To Avoid When Changing Habits
By Leo Babauta
I've learned a lot about changing habits in the last 2 1/2 years, from quitting smoking to taking up running and GTD and vegetarianism and waking early and all that. I could go on, of course, but you get the picture. I've not only learned a lot about what you should do when changing habits, but through my failures, I've learned about what not to do. And trust me I've had lots of failures. I've found failures to be just as important as successes when trying to learn how to improve, especially when it comes to changing habits. . . .
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ARTICLE: Buyers Remorse Story With "Rolls Royce" Ending
By Joe Crisara
When you are a higher priced and more premium company, you NEVER have to defend or justify your price. Would you ever complain to the clerk at Nordstrom's over the price? How about if you were buying a Rolls Royce? Would you actually haggle over a cheaper one? Imagine yourself in the Rolls Royce showroom, "$525,000 is outrageous!! I won't pay a dime over $520,000!" . . .
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ARTICLE: Jacob's Dream of Egypt Worth Asking For
By Joe Crisara
Little 7 year-old Jacob's latest lesson that sales people could learn, stems from his unique ability, unfettered by the brainwashing that adults have been subjected to through the years, to dream and unabashedly ask for anything he wants in the universe. Last week, Aunt Julie had another conversation with the little fella' and as usual tried to entice him to come out and visit us . . .
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ARTICLE: Study Shows for Consumers, Ignorance Is Bliss
By Joe Crisara
When it comes to shopping, researchers at the University of Iowa have found that sometimes ignorance really is bliss. This goes along with what I have been saying for years, against the conventional tide of the contracting industry, about providing too much jargon like BTU's, SEER and other non-sensical trade terms when selling to your customer.In what they call the "Blissful Ignorance Effect," . . .
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ARTICLE: The Clear Benefit of a Clear Head
By Tom Richard
There are few things as frustrating as trying to find something that you need quickly. Just the other night, I was packing my gym bag with the next day's outfit and realized I couldn't find my pair of black shoes - the pair of black shoes I hadn't worn in over a month. Worry began to set in as I looked for them. My searching became frantic as I continued to check the closet by the back door, my bedroom closet . . .
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ARTICLE: 6 Year-Old Nets New Toy with "Money Warning"
By Julie Crisara
Last week was my nephew Jacob's birthday. He would be turning 7 on Wednesday and is in the first grade. Like usual I was shopping for a last minute birthday gift for him and had no idea what to get him. After spending hours racking my brain about the whole thing I decided to just give him a call and ask him what he wanted directly. You know the age old question, "What do you want for your birthday?" . . .
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ARTICLE: One Man's Joy Is Another's Bitter Disappointment
By Joe Crisara
Think about it. Most of the time we spend competing, whether we win or lose, is used up worrying about what the opponent will do next, or our next situation or practicing for the worst thing that could happen. This is true both in the sales profession as well as in football. When you or your team is winning, can you really ever enjoy it as much as you would like? . . .
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ARTICLE: Surviving A Recession As a Service Contractor
By Mike Morosi
On every list serve I subscribe to there has been talk and even panic about the current economic conditions&& I know that most of the country is still doing just fine. But there are some cities and towns that are now in real trouble. Here are some tips for service contractors based on my experience in having helped many clients survive much worse over the past 30 years. As we look at the steps . . .
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ARTICLE: High Price Raises Perception of Quality
By Joe Crisara
In an article in the January 2008 Economist magazine, a study was cited that was done by Dr. Antonio Rangel of the California Institute of Technology. Rangel found that if people are told a wine that they are tasting is expensive, the perception in their brain evolves to increase the quality of the wine they had consumed based on nothing other than higher price meaning a higher quality. . . .
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ARTICLE: Warm Up to Your Work When Business is Cold
By Tom Richard
Because I rarely get sick, I often forget how miserable it can be to come down with a nasty virus. Unfortunately, I was reminded of its pain and misery when I was recently afflicted with some form of 24-hour bug. Unable to eat, sleep, or stay hydrated, I spent most of my time curled up in the fetal position, wondering how long I would be in such acute pain. Gathering all the blankets around the house, I covered myself completely . . .
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ARTICLE: The Four Laws of Simplicity
By Leo Babauta
The problem with many books and guides on simplifying your clutter, your work life, your desk, your life, is that they are usually too darn complicated. We need a simple method of simplifying. It's been nearly a decade since I first started trying to simplify my life, and in those years I've struggled with clutter . . .
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ARTICLE: When Was the Last Time Your Price Was Too Low?
By Joe Crisara
How many salespeople have you heard that suffer from the belief that their price is higher than their competition? These "happy losers" have fooled themselves and are in a perpetual state of self delusion. These sales people are just happy to keep showing up for each call falling victim to each excuse a customer gives them about the price being the issue. They actually have convinced their own brain that this is the reason . . .
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ARTICLE: Don't Let After-Holiday Blahs Kill Your Sales
By Joe Crisara
The let down that most service companies suffer after the holidays can not only make you feel the dreary reality of winter, but can also put you and your company behind the eight ball for months trying to recover. One of the things that true professionals are great at is to segment their personal and professional lives. They avoid being subject to the ups and downs of both their lives and their careers. . . .
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ARTICLE: Should You Use Our Flat Rate System?
By Joe Crisara
I have been getting tons of inquiries from contractors looking for more information on the ContractorSelling.Com flat rate system. Our flat rate materials and books are exclusively used by our clients and over 600 members of our site. These members use our system to compliment the very persuasive way that they have learned to sell, using our material. If any of you are considering a purchase of a more traditional flat rate system such as an "excel" type list with 2,000 task numbers and a large database of parts, then you should probably consider one of the others you have no doubt already seen. . . .
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ARTICLE: Don't Clown Around On Your Next Presentation
By Joe Crisara
If you have been to a children's ward at most any hospital before, you will notice that the wall paper is decorated with whimsical drawings of circus clowns. At first glance it seems so "value added" that the hospital would try to inspire "cheer" in the tots by providing a fun theme like clowns. However a recent state sponsored study in Great Britain shows overwhelmingly that this view is NOT shared by the children patients . . .
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ARTICLE: Destined to Fail - The Truth behind New Year's Resolutions
By Tom Richard
Every New Year's Eve, before the stroke of midnight, we count down the minutes to not just another year, but also to the start of a fresh resolution. This resolution is a promise to ourselves that we created after much thought, after determining the one thing that could make our lives more complete, more fulfilling . . .
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ARTICLE: 7 Reasons Why Your Sales Results Suck
By Joe Crisara
First of all, let's face it, I use that word to get your attention and now that I have it let me explain. When any frontline sales professional in your company does not produce the results needed to pay for all the overhead, benefits, pay, education and everything else needed to pay for there fair share of these expenses, then they are "sucking" these valuable resources at the expense of other employees who ARE pulling their weight. . . .
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ARTICLE: Mastering The Pat Sajak Introduction
By Tom Richard
Watching the beginning of Wheel of Fortune has always bothered me. As Pat Sajak introduces each contestant, they are all given a few moments to tell us more about themselves. What follows is a string of formulaic responses from each contestant. The woman's introduction typically sounds like this: "Hi, my name is Nancy. I have a wonderful husband, Bill . . .
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ARTICLE: If Bill Belichick Were Your Sales Manager
By Joe Crisara
I have just finished up watching the New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. After this win, the rest of the season looks easy for this team on the championship march. I began to think& What if Bill Belichik was your sales manager? If he was, I could tell you that you would probably be very successful just because of his track record of putting together a winner . . .
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ARTICLE: If the "Dog Whisperer" Was Your Sales Manager
By Joe Crisara
As a manager or a sales person you could learn from watching Cesar and the way he goes about his job. Every week like you, Cesar helps his people (dog owners) overcome their greatest challenges by helping them find their true potential. He does this not by force but by helping our canine friends "discover" the right thing to do to become the dog they were always . . .
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ARTICLE: Watch for The Buying Signs
By Joe Crisara
You've heard people talk about them. We all think we know them when we see them but they are very hard to describe. What are they? They are buying signs of course. It's that magic moment when customers are ready to buy. That's right, when your prospect is ready to buy, they will tell you, but not with words. They will send out non-verbal signals that you can see if you watch and listen closely . . .
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ARTICLE: Customer Loyalty - What's Love Got To Do With It?
By Joanna Brandi
Customer Loyalty, we all want it. Don't we? Some people say it's dead - they say that customers are fickle, that they don't want loyalty, that they just want the lowest price and the fastest way to get it. Some say that customers have changed and that the pursuit of loyalty is foolish, since it's the customers that are not interested in it. I don't agree. Loyalty is not DEAD, it's just sleeping. . . .
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ARTICLE: Smallest Exchange Leads To Big Opportunity
By Tom Richard
Although you are parched, when the host you politely decline. "Are you sure you don't want something?" the host asks again, obviously sincere. "I'm sure. Thanks, though." As you take a seat on the couch, wondering why you declined his genuine offer. He returns with two bottles of water and places one on the coffee table in front of you. "In case you change your mind," he says with a smile. Quickly, your mind is changed. You lean forward and grab the cold bottle . . .
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ARTICLE: If Your Customer Isn't Focused On Price, Then Why Are You?
By Tom Richard
As a customer, there have been too many times that my buying experience has been steered by price. Without any indication that I was trying to save money, I have been led to the clearance items. I have had salespeople worrying about whether or not I would take advantage of their current special offer. I have called a business and been quickly informed that there is a minimum order requirement, although I hadn't intended on making a small order. . . .
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ARTICLE: Get the Business You Wish For by Standing Out
By Tom Richard
A few years ago I was tasked by my company to hire someone for a marketing position. The ad was posted and the floodgates were opened. We received hundreds upon hundreds of resumes for one, single position. As I sifted through about 500 resumes, I quickly grew a new appreciation for Human Resource managers who do this every day. However, as I looked at this mountain of paperwork, . . .
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ARTICLE: The Mistake of Multi-Tasking
By Tom Richard
After running a high-end business for over a year, I had things running exactly the way I wanted, with a high sales volume to prove that things were as they should be. Yet this unhealthy sense of control couldn't last forever. Eventually, I was required to leave my store for two whole days to attend a company-mandated training session in St. Louis. Being the first time in over six months . . .
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ARTICLE: Low Prices a USP for Losers and Disaster
By Joe Crisara
Take a close look at the slogan or "unique selling position" (USP) of this contractor. Do you think that customers find this claim to be credible? Honestly, could you really imagine hiring a contractor who uses this statement as the principle foundation on which they have built their business? There are two main problems with this outlook. . . .
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ARTICLE: Make Private Labeling a Success
By Joe Crisara
Ah yes, the good old days. The days where traditional brand names were king and manufacturers were emperors. We would all snuggle comfortably along side our favorite brand that gave our dad, uncles and grandfathers the warm, fuzzy feeling we all yearned for in a simpler time. I remember my uncle's arguing about whether Ford or Chevy was the best car. And my Godfather took me to Sears . . .
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ARTICLE: Selling While Shackled By Professionalism
By Tom Richard
Talking about death with a stranger can be an interesting experience, especially when the stranger is a lawyer and you are writing out your will. On our first visit with the lawyer my wife and I didn't know what to expect. We knew she specialized in estate planning, so we felt comfortable with her talent and expertise, but the weight of discussing our inevitable deaths made us uneasy . . .
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ARTICLE: 3 Tips To Uncover What Motivates Employees
By Joanna Brandi
Want To Motivate Employees? Here are 3 tips for uncovering what really turns them on according to workplace happiness and customer care expert JoAnna Brandi, one of the top challenges in any business is helping frontline employees to get and stay motivated as they build customer relationships, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. She offers managers three tips . . .
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ARTICLE: 7 Steps to Organizing Your Office
By Julie Crisara
Whether you already have an office, are moving into a new one, or are just moving into an office for the first time after working out of your home, the thought of setting up or organizing your office can be a daunting task. We usually find ourselves swearing to "get things organized around here for the last time." Let's face it. It can be very difficult to find something that we need . . .
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ARTICLE: Avoiding Holiday Sales Slack
By Tom Richard
There is no better way to celebrate the birth of our country than by spending a five-day weekend with friends and family. So as the holiday week finally arrives, you find yourself cramming all the work that would normally take an entire week to finish into one workday. You scramble to tie up loose ends, finish any work that must be done, and then head out. In a flash, you're out on the lake, driving a boat and pulling your waterskiing . . .
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ARTICLE: A Different Kind of Deference
By Tom Richard
Three men, all strangers, are in a gym locker room. As they change out of their gym clothes and get ready for the day, they listen to the sports news in the background. "Can you believe Tiger Woods lost the U.S. Open?" one man says to another. "I know! If only he would have made that Eagle putt." the second man replies. Soon, all three are talking, sharing their opinions and laughing . . .
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ARTICLE: The Do's & Don'ts of Television Advertising
By Joe Crisara
Is television advertising worth the price? This is a question that many contractors who are looking to "Fire Their Yellow Page Reps" are asking in the wake of all the uncertainty of the shift from analog (paper) to digital (internet) advertising. First you must understand that there is no medium that can take your company from a normal, average company that is struggling to stand out from the pack . . .
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ARTICLE: "Light Bulb" Goes Off Over Electrician's Head
By Joe Crisara
I just visited with a client of ours on the east coast who sent four people to the "Mini-Immersion" one-day seminar a couple of months ago in Natick Mass. He told me a pretty great story about one of his techs who attended the training. This tech is an electrician who really took the brakes off of his mental outlook and decided after the one-day training event to "go for it" and test-drive the system . . .
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ARTICLE: Dare to Dream by Day
By Tom Richard
Cruising along the highway in his white Taurus, our young salesman finds himself deep in thought. Although he is heading to his next sales presentation, he is not thinking of sales at all. His mind is filled with thoughts of his family. Flipping down the visor above his head, he looks at the picture he taped there almost two years ago. It is a picture of his dream house . . .
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Now Hold Your Sales or Service Meeting Via Teleconference!
By Joe Crisara
Have you ever thought of holding a company sales, service or internal staff meeting via phone in tele-conference? If not, think of the cost savings that this tool could be to supplement or replace your live meetings. Imagine you holding a CSR & Dispatch meeting with the entire staff WITHOUT them having to actually be present. The same with salespeople or techs! Here is the new tele-seminar service and the features that you will love . . .
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ARTICLE: Contracting Marketing Lessons from The Sopranos
By Joe Crisara
Seems everyone, including contractors along with all other segments of the population are wondering whether Tony Soprano got whacked or not in the last episode of the "Soprano's. Okay, I promise, this will be my last reference to this television show on this site! (That is until the movie comes out) I guess it's a bit of an odd topic to discuss on a website dedicated to showing contractors "best practices" for selling. . . .
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ARTICLE: Positive Thoughts Turn Lemons To Lemonade
By Tom Richard
Enjoying breakfast with my young son one morning at a local restaurant, I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. I smiled as I watched him observe his surroundings, scanning the table and taking in all the sights. It's such a refreshing experience to imagine your self seeing this world again for the first time. Before pouring myself some water from a pitcher, I removed the lemon slice from inside . . .
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ARTICLE: Why Are My Employees Acting This Way?
By Joe Crisara
Everybody is eventually faced with personal crisis in their lives. For some, these emotional turning points can manifest itself in bad behavior at work. Sometimes stress, as a result of catastrophic changes in the personal or professional lives of your people, can show up in different ways. To you the owner, this looks like Trucks trashed with garbage every night . . .
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ARTICLE: If Tony Soprano Were Your Sales Manager
By Joe Crisara
Sunday evening I was watching one of my favorite shows that many of you may know called the Sopranos which is on HBO. I know it seems that this is a product of the twisted mind of a sales consultant who has been on the road for a few weeks too long but I began to think while I watched the plot unfold. What if Tony Soprano was your sales manager? . . .
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ARTICLE: The 7 Steps to Winning Sales Negotiations
By Joe Crisara
Understanding these 7 steps to winning sales negotiations can be the difference between the average sales person or tech who flounders in an average career and lifestyle and a superstar who write their own ticket to future glory. These proven steps to winning in the toughest negotiations can help you find an easier path to success that has been blazed by many who choose to the best for themselves . . .
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