Other Added - Business

Sales Success Tip-Does Your Prospect Have a Need or a Want?
Ask yourself this question…how many things are on your current "need to do" list? How long have they been there? Here's a part of mine: I need to pressure wash my deck. I need to trim the tree in my front yard. I need to organize my ipod so that my music and educational programs are more accessible. I need to clean off my desk. I need to clean out the garage. Each of these items has been on my "need to do list" for quite a while. However, yesterday I wanted to take the afternoon off, go for a bike ride and then hit the pool when I got home. So, I did. My guess is that your life and your priorities are similar. They may not contain the same items on the list, but I'll bet your list of "needs" stays static much longer than your "wants" list.What does any of this have to do with sales? Just this, but it is very important, so pull up a chair and listen very carefully. Your prospects will buy what they want, not what they need.

Do You Have a Business Opportunity Intake Process?
A business opportunity intake process is a must have for ALL but especially for solo-professionals, service professionals and entrepreneurs who are constantly looking for and attracting new and exciting opportunities.What’s a “business opportunity intake process”?It's a filtration system of sorts. I'm like a giant generator. The more gas (projects) I take in the more power I'll create. However, putting the wrong kind of fuel in my engine can cause me to sputter and conk out. Have you ever seen a sports car try to run on diesel fuel? It's not pretty. (Not that I'm necessary a sports car, I may be more of an old beater, but you get the point.) Every engine needs a filtration system to keep the system running smoothly and cleanly.Creating abundanceEveryone has their own very special way of creating abundance in their life. I do best when I respond vs. initiate. That may seem counterintuitive as I produce a lot. However

If you are a small retailer, all I can say is I'm very very sorry. Sorry that you are struggling to compete on price. Sorry that you are battling with low margins. Sorry that many of you are working over 80 hours per week. Some of you will be making slow progress, others will be treading water or even slowly sinking. It can be a lonely, sole destroying business. The only other people that understand what you are going through are fellow small retailers. Your customers and your suppliers cannot begin to appreciate the daily struggle you are involved in. This article is the start of a series that will examine the ways in which a small retailer can make changes for the good. It may mean the difference between staying afloat and going under.

Small retailers that are struggling at the moment can probably be categorized three ways:

A. Those that are beyond redemption

B. Those that are just getting by and the owner is happy to leave things as they are (perhaps close to retirement?)

C. Those that are willing to take a risk and make radical changes

Category A: Your business may have shown a steady decline in turnover and profits over the last few years. If you have no tangible assets - even amounting to a small sum - to invest in the business and you are living hand-to-mouth and you cannot see light at the end of the tunnel, it may be time to consider giving it up. For the small percentage of retailers who own their own building it may be possible to re designate it as a dwelling. If you are in a high property value area, you may be able to convert the shop into a house - or apartments - and sell up. In any case, if the game's up then it is better to quit as early as possible rather than manage a painful decline.

Category B: If you are coasting along and awaiting retirement, or are simply happy to leave things as they are - struggle or no struggle - then fine. Carry on. If you don't want to change things and have a routine that you are happy with, then, as long as you are not trading at a loss (in which case you are in category A), then that is fine. There is a lot to be said for this approach, if it suits you. If you are in either this category, or category A, then you need not read any more of this article.

Category C: If you have some tangible assets, and/or can invest some money - even a small amount - in the business, then read on. It is important to stay positive and look at how you can best exploit your situation to maximum advantage. You may also need to consider taking a gamble. In this series of articles we will look at the following aspects:

1. Go local: how do make the most of your locality
2. Strategic pricing: an increase here, a decrease there
3. Customer service
4. Home Delivery
5. Refitting and merchandising
6. Range extensions and new ranges

The problem with running a busy store is that you never have time to see the wood through the trees. There is insufficient thinking and planning time. You can find yourself caught in a daily routine that has you tied to a counter, making deliveries, negotiating with suppliers, cleaning, merchandising goods etc etc. When you finally finish for the day your are virtually brain dead and are not in a position to think things through. Just time to go to bed to be ready for another day of the same treadmill. You do not have the time to take the initiative and implement this idea or try out that new concept. The trouble is that the world is changing around you and you must be alert to new ways of doing things. This lack of thinking and plannin

Bringing Clients in the Door: How Professionals Can Encourage Business
You’re a professional – either a doctor, or a dentist, or an artist. Maybe you’re an independent sales person who works on commission, or a speaker who must sell yourself. You might even be a B-C business whose product depends on a product or service you’ve developed.You’ve been trained well; you went to a professional school, or positioned yourself as an expert, and you’re very good at what you do. And now you’ve gone into business to give others the opportunity to pay you to do what you do best.You rent space, hire staff, take out a loan – possibly a very large loan – to populate your office with the best: technology, staff, ambiance. And a few of your friends come in as your first clients. And then you wait for others to walk in the door.And you wait.You’re not a business person and you’ve not been taught the fine art of marketing. Not to mention that it’s embarrassing to have to tell others how good you are an

afloat and going under.

Small retailers that are struggling at the moment can probably be categorized three ways:

A. Those that are beyond redemption

B. Those that are just getting by and the owner is happy to leave things as they are (perhaps close to retirement?)

C. Those that are willing to take a risk and make radical changes

Work From Home Careers
Who doesn’t dream about work from home careers? Careers which allow you to combine childcare with work are a goal for many parents, who want to spend more time with their families. Thousands of others want the flexibility to work at home so that they can escape the nine to five routine and avoid daily commuting.There are a number of ways in which you can set yourself up as a home worker. Your choice will depend on your current situation, including your present job and your existing skills.If you have a job which could easily be done at home, your present boss might be prepared to allow you to telecommute, especially if others in the company are already doing so. It is certainly worth asking, and you may find that you are able to work at least part of the week at home.As more companies move from expensive city centres, it is becoming more acceptable for workers to remain in the original location and work from home.Fi

own their own building it may be possible to re designate it as a dwelling. If you are in a high property value area, you may be able to convert the shop into a house - or apartments - and sell up. In any case, if the game's up then it is better to quit as early as possible rather than manage a painful decline.

Tips For Working More Efficiency In Office!
When you are working in a consultancy office like me in Malaysia, it is quite common that you will be an all round worker. i.e. you have to handle a lot of project from design level until construction level. It also includes the management level works. Below are some tips for working more efficiency:1. Every day, all corresponding letters or faxes must be attended immediately. Avoid any delay on these. Else you will receive a number of complaints from client. Unless the request needs a lot of attention, then you have to arrange a time to attend it.2. Any return calls must proper manage. Select a best time for you to return call.3. It is recommended that to do any brain thinking works in early morning; because it is the best time for thinking. Try not to do any brain thinking works after any site visits; especially in the hot afternoon. It also not recommended that when your emotion is bad such as angry.4. If you f

f you are in either this category, or category A, then you need not read any more of this article.

Income Contingency Plan - How To Plan For Success
Who needs a contingency plan?There are a few people out there who actually know what a contingency plan is and why it is wise to have one for every situation. The military is very good at contingency planning. Troops must eat and receive supplies in many different situations. If plan A does not work plan B and C and D is already in place to insure that the mission is accomplished. (ie., feeding the troops ) Police and Fire departments also utilize contingency planning to insure the safety of the public at large in any given circumstance. Computer software engineers are also good at planning what to have a program do if such and such happen. Problems can be headed off at the pass with some thought being given to contingency planning.Why do I need a contingency plan?The short answer is: because it is wise. Muddling on by doesn't require planning. But where would you be if you lost your job? Or,

nning a busy store is that you never have time to see the wood through the trees. There is insufficient thinking and planning time. You can find yourself caught in a daily routine that has you tied to a counter, making deliveries, negotiating with suppliers, cleaning, merchandising goods etc etc. When you finally finish for the day your are virtually brain dead and are not in a position to think things through. Just time to go to bed to be ready for another day of the same treadmill. You do not have the time to take the initiative and implement this idea or try out that new concept. The trouble is that the world is changing around you and you must be alert to new ways of doing things. This lack of thinking and planning time puts you in a vulnerable position. You are prey to other people's initiatives and schemes as you don't have time to grasp the nettle and implement your own. Be mindful of the slick salesman who promises you generous returns on a new product that "will fly out". The national promotion for the product you have been led to expect may be not materialize. You may be stuck with redundant stock because you grabbed at a new product idea without taking control of the situation. How can you do otherwise when you are too busy to think?

It is very easy to blame others. You may be unhappy that the large retailers have taken away your trade. Well that is what they are supposed to do. It is churlish to complain about it. The large retailers are not a social service, they run their business along the same lines as you run yours. They maximise their returns. This means grabbing as much market share as they can while maintaining, or increasing profitability. Most large retailers were once small and most of them have gone through periods where they have had to fight to survive. In the UK, supermarket Tesco went through a lean period in the 1970s. They were at the low end of the market and had a reputation for poor quality and poor customer service. Their productivity was poor and their distribution system was outdated and costly. After a failed investment into the Irish market they were in trouble. They could have carried on struggling and faced a future that would have ended in decline or in a takeover. Instead, they took a gamble. They managed to secure a loan and decided to invest in the business. They gave their retail staff a very large pay rise, invested heavily in their distribution infrastructure and crucially in quality control. The quality of their staff intake improved dramatically leading to improved customer service, their high staff turnover was significantly reduced and they managed to reduce distribution revenue costs, although this took some time to realize. Their greatest achievement, though, was to install a quality control function that dramatically improved the fresh food offer in their stores. They recognized that customers were attracted by well displayed, high quality fresh produce. Sales - and reputation - were driven by fresh food sales, especially in the south east of England. This brought the customers in the door to the benefit of the rest of the products on offer. Fresh foods offered high margins and so good profits eventually followed.

If you are running a small retailer you may not see the relevance. My point is that, although Tesco was not a small retailer, they were struggling just as much as many small retailers are today. They had faith in the business and went for it. If they can do it then so can you. Just like Tesco, you may need to consider taking a gamble. If you do not have the faith in your business to do thi

HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.otheradded.com/article/42317/otheradded-The-Small-Retailers-Survival-Guide--Part-1--Are-you-Ready-to-Change.html">The Small Retailer's Survival Guide - Part 1 - Are you Ready to Change?</a>

BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.otheradded.com/article/42317/otheradded-The-Small-Retailers-Survival-Guide--Part-1--Are-you-Ready-to-Change.html]The Small Retailer's Survival Guide - Part 1 - Are you Ready to Change?[/url]

So you've figured out, more or less what you want to do and where the opportunities are. Now; you have been called for an interview. Here are five steps for interview success for students and graduates.

There was a buzz in the air recently about the US Postal Service. Seems as though they were running into a budget deficit in the billions. The Postal Service claimed they must cut Saturday service t...

Effective websites are not as difficult to create as they sometimes seem. A few important tips can keep you on track and stop you from feeling overwhelmed by the task.

Tags

Links

Other Added - The Small Retailer's Survival Guide - Part 1 - Are you Ready to Change?

Related Articles: