Business etiquette is essentially about building relationships with colleagues, clients or customers. In the business world, it is these people that can influence your success or failure. Etiquette, and in particular business etiquette, is simply a means of maximising your business potential by presenting yourself favourably.Business meetings are one arena in which poor etiquette can have negative effects. By improving your business meeting...more
My 14 year old son attends classes at a martial arts center. The martial arts center is run by a 30 year old man. He is by all means a successful business man for his young age. He stood in front of his class and asked them if they knew what the most powerful muscle is in their body was. There was not an answer. My thought was he would say your brain. When the 10 year old in front of me popped up and said "My brain!." We all chuckled. He...more
Ask most people why they are in business and they will give you any number of reasons. Things such as wanting to improve the lives of others; make the world a better place; provide for their family; have more free time; the list goes on and on. Fact is business is about making money, which means the bottom line is the bottom line. Many business owners, managers and sales people seem to forget this. If you don't have a strong bottom line you cannot continue to do business for very long. And if you can't continue to do business you cannot achieve the other primary reasons you do what you do. The way you get a sturdy bottom line is to understand some basic truths about business.A few fundamentals to running a successful business are to know what your product or service is, who your customer is, who you are, what drives you in business, and what trends are impacting the economy and marketplace. Many people run their business without these key ingredients. Sure, a company can survive, but is survival all you are seeking? Don't you want more? As previously mentioned, most people are in business to design a certain lifestyle for themselves and their families. Many are in business to...more
What is Relationship Networking?Relationship networking is simply the art of meeting people and benefiting from those relationships. Often the benefit of these relationship is to obtain information and leads to further grow your business. Any successful relationship, whether a personal or a business relationship, is unique to every pair of...more
No matter how much money you make, it pays to keep on top of money coming in and going out. Even if you do a good job of that, there are important times in your life when talking with a professional adviser makes sense.Almost every major life event - finding or losing a job, getting married or divorced, having a baby, buying a home -- is likely to...more
You want to increase the flow of sales revenue, but you are stymied by prospects' seemingly endless objections. Prospects say they're not interested. They tell you your price is too high, or this isn't the right time. You've heard all the objections. What can you do to get rid of these once and for all? Engineering Your Marketing When I was seven one of my favorite ways to spend a hot summer day with my friends was playing a backyard game we called "waterworks". We'd use a trowel to construct channels in the dirt, put the hose at one end and watch the water flow. If we wanted the water to go straight, we'd remove rocks and debris to clear a path. We became sophisticated engineers, guiding water around corners and across short aqueducts. We felt like masters of the universe, directing the water where we wanted it to go. (You can bet my mother loved seeing us come into the house at the end of the day.) Plan your marketing to take charge of increasing your sales. Your marketing can lead prospects to your products and services the way my friends and I engineered our waterworks; by making clear paths and removing obstacles. Channel your prospects' attention and interests and eliminate...more
Whether you have no credit or damaged credit, secured credit cards are a good tool for building a good credit history.Several months ago Tom, a member of CreditBoards.com, filed for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Now he is in the process of rebuilding his...more
Insanity in the Sign & Graphics IndustryEinstein's DefinitionAlbert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself,...more
With all the things you have to remember to do on a regular basis, balancing your checkbook doesn't always receive priority. But if you plan ahead and schedule some time for this important task, you will reap the financial rewards.Before you begin...more
In the past, if you wanted to send money electronically through a wire transfer you only had a few options available to you. You could go to your local bank to conduct the transfer, or you could use the services of a company such as Western Union....more
If you're a young person who has just begun to earn some money, it is very important that you know how to open a bank account. Once you do, you'll have taken the first step in a long-term process of financial independence and growth.A bank account is...more
Applying for a home loan may not be the most exciting way to spend your time, but if you are like many potential homeowners, it is probably a necessary evil. If you have some knowledge of the process ahead of time, however, it will go much more...more