The Power of Suggestion

The writing of Proposals is an important in advancing the development of your business.

But as in many other business procedures, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

Crystal Williams wrote: "5 Tips for Writing Great Proposals"

No Testimonials? No problem.

Almost every business owner knows how important testimonials are to the success of a business, but there are times when you may not have any testimonials to offer. What do you do then?

Dean Rieck wrote a very good article on how to promote your company even when you do not have testimonials. Tou should read this article, even if you have plenty of testimonials. It will help you, also.

Starting A Business Consultancy

Are you thinking of becoming an Independent Business Consultant?

Let me guess. You have been an employee of a Fortune 500 company for over 10 years and you know everything there is to know about succeeding in Business. Right?

Believe it or not - Many people who know Wall Street inside and out, who have opened markets all over the world, who have been on the inside of several M & A deals - stumble when they try to go independent.

Anne Holland, the CEO of MarketingShepa, wrote an article entitled, "Launching A Consulting Career."

Myth: Marketing Assists Sales, Not Vice-Versa

Sales should be Assisting Marketing. The relationship between these two departments should be a two-way street.

Impossible, you say? No, in many companies it is standard procedure.

The problem is that because modern marketing is a much younger innovation than Sales, it has traditionally been seen only in the role for which it was originally invented. As marketing has grown and developed it has become increasingly obvious in the corporate world that both marketing and sales are equally necessary and that you can't have one without the other.

But change is hard in organizations, much harder than it is in small business. In an organization, change is frequently only achieved once the highest echelons have bought into a vision and successfully communicated that vision through all levels of the organization. The problem is that change has to get past the mindset that the current way of doing things is both the appropriate and correct way. As Alvin Toffler showed in "Future Shock" it is very difficult for many people to adapt to new discoveries.

Some business organizations have discovered (and are taking advantage of the fact) that their sales force is able to accumulate valuable research data while prospecting and selling which should be channeled to marketing because it is more cost effective and efficient than gathering the same data through other means.

Bruce Fryer wrote "A Salesperson's Other Job."

Successful Pertnership

Partnerships are scary.

Your business has reached a point where going it alone no longer makes good business sense. The problem is that you have heard all kinds of horror stories about Partnerships that went sour.

You have a choice. You can either taper back your business and let it stagnate or you can create a successful partnership. But how do you create a successful partnership?

Is a partnership contract sufficient for insuring a successful partnership? No.

A partnership contract is ESSENTIAL, but it will not insure your success if you have not taken steps before entering a contract to make certain that the final outcome of this partnership is not litigation.

Jonathan Fields wrote "11 ways to avoid Entrepreneurial Divorce Court."

Achieving Change

A lot of businesses are based on the difficulty people have with changing. Weight Loss Programs, Stop Smoking products and Organizing Coaches are just some examples of industries built on helping people to change.

But if you are going to be successful as an entrepreneur you are going to need to master the skill of achieving the changes that you have planned.

Dave Pollard wrote Impediments to Change.

Why?

Entrpreneurs frequently talk about what to do or how to do things, but have you ever asked yourself "WHY?" Don't say money, because there are many ways to make money.

I am constantly being solicited by people who want me to get involved in a different business. Usually its a business that they are involved in. Some of these businesses make quite a bit of money.

But you know something? Most of them would not give me any degree of personal satisfaction or sense of true accomplishment.

My mother sold educational products for several years. She was truly "sold" on her product line and upon the benefits which it provided. After she had become very successful and was over a quarter of the state of Indiana, my Dad's work moved them to Florida.

Mom decided to go to work for a financial planning company. She made money, she helped people, but she left after only about five years. It was always my impression that she was more fulfilled by work that helped benefit children in need of an education than she was in helping people plan for retirement.

I wrote all this to ask the Question: What is the purpose of your business?

This is the subject of an article by Idris Mootee

When to Spend

If you have done any business networking, you have probably run across the amateur who has signed up with an "Anyone Can Do It" type business. Occasionally, some of these entrepreneurs through dedication and persistence develop a credible and profitable business. But a large percentage of those who sign up, are not really dedicated to their business.

Frequently, you can tell who they are, by their attempts to avoid investing in their business. For example, the back of their business card tells you that they got it from a free business card service that sells the exact same design and graphics to hundreds thousands of other amateurs.

Crystal Williams writes an article about the areas in which she thinks an entrepreneur should avoid "Cutting Corners." Disclosure: I still use my residential phone as my business phone.

Clients Decide Your Optimal Price Point

How much should I charge for my services? This is a common question with startups.

The real answer is based on how much your prospects think that your service or product is worth. Therefore, a better question is: "How can I increase the perceived value of my product or service?"

Ryan Allis wrote two articles to answer that question. (First Article, Second Article).