Microsoft Business Solutions is Microsoft subdivision and historically it is joining several products development companies under one roof: Great Plains Software, Navision Software, Microsoft CRM (this one was developed by MBS), Solomon Software, SMS: QuickSell 2000 - which is now Microsoft Retail Management System.Let's first look at your ERP system selection (without Retail Solution). Your options are:Microsoft Great Plains. If you remember...more
A fickle stock market encourages good-humored mockery. Recently, as I watched the premiere of a sitcom, an obvious omission breached television etiquette. Silence followed every exaggerated comedic set-up. There was no laugh track. Where were the premeditated giggles from the show's "audience?" At last, the viewer determines the funny moment. It then occurred to me, the writers of this new show adopted an aspect used by investment news...more
Do you ever wonder why some people seem to get all the lucky breaks in business while others struggle to barely get by? They seem to be in the right place at the right time. Fact is, maybe they're not at the right place at the right time; maybe they just know how to make things "happen." As a business advisor I often see people begin and end a business before they have given it a chance to grow. For some reason, they seem to think that all they have to do is have a product or service to sell and the rest magically takes care of itself. Nothing could be further from the truth. For any business to succeed there are steps that must be taken. Success in business is actually quite simple. Not always easy, but it is simple. As the top rated home-based business in the state of Utah for 2004 I speak from experience. My success is a direct result of the actions I have taken on a daily basis. My success is also a result of having some great mentors over the years. Mentors who were willing to share time and knowledge in order that I could grow my business. My choice with the information that was shared was to either use it or not. Fortunately, in many cases I listened and applied what was...more
With the end of the year fast approaching, now is a great time to take stock of 2004. It is likely that your company set specific goals at the beginning of the year. As you review the past year, the question that must be asked is, "Have I achieved my goals? Has my company achieved the outcomes we set?" If your answer is yes, congratulations! If...more
Either simply a looker-on or a player in the world of business, you see millions piling into the accounts of world's most famous businessmen and naturally the question pops "How?", wondering what is the alchemy they've discovered? Yet, there is no magic here - it's mostly pure strategy. And what it takes to spot it and make it...more
Sarah is a young woman who attended one of my sales negotiation training programs shortly after taking a new job. When I asked her how she did with her salary negotiation, she replied, "Well, I didn't negotiate. I was offered $44,000 and I took it. "Why didn't you negotiate?" I asked. "Because I didn't want to start off my new job on the wrong foot" she replied.Donald works for a small weekly newspaper. He likes his job and his employer, Jeanne. He doesn't get paid much, but he likes his work. His only problem is that he's being asked to shoulder an increasingly large share of the responsibilities around the office. If there's a late-breaking story that has to be covered or a page that has to be laid out again, the job always seems to fall in Donald's lap. He feels he is being taken advantage of; everyone knows they can rely on "good old Donald." But he's afraid that if he speaks his mind, he may jeopardize the cordial relationship he enjoys with Jeanne. So he bites the bullet and never broaches the subject. "There are a lot worse jobs out there," he rationalizes.Bill, a participant in one of my negotiation training seminars, told us of an old, rust-eaten vehicle that he had...more
You've heard marketing and advertising gurus quip, "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." Advertising initiatives best reach their target audience with benefits and the "wow" effect, not the value or features of their product or service. This may work...more
Sure, as tactics usually presented to business, non-profit and association managers, special events, brochures and news releases are fine. But they're not the high-octane PR firepower you need to deliver growth results like new proposals for...more
I went to my barber a few days ago. We talked about his hobby, which is playing poker, and his nephew who is a boxer, and about my job and my kids, etc., etc. I told him where my son, a high school senior, wants to go to college. It is a rather...more
Today, good credit is the one constant necessity needed to succeed in any endeavor, from starting a new business venture to purchasing a home. Without having established prior good credit and maintaining this status, re-establishing decent credit can...more
Ever since I created Unlock The Game, one of the first questions people always ask me is, 'Does Unlock The Game apply to online selling?' I've been holding off on answering that question because I wanted to get enough experience under my belt...more
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. But, when it comes to yellow page display ads, you better know who you're imitating and why! A yellow page ad is supposed to do one primary thing: get people to call your business. If it's a really good...more