Even if you don’t spend inordinate amounts of time on the internet or watching television (and there are plenty who do), you have undoubtedly seen thousands and thousands of beautiful faces used to advertise products and services. From perfume, tennis shoes, and power tools, to airline tickets, car washes, and online classes, the image of…
DetailsFacebook seems to update and change its privacy settings more often than Lady Gaga changes outfits. The outcomes for both are typically bizarre and confusing. Anyone who has had a Facebook account for more than five seconds can probably attest to these frequent and often frustrating “updates” that revamp and change users’ privacy settings. But…
DetailsLike many, I was touched by the recent passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was about my age and I also spent many years in Silicon Valley. He was adopted and I adopted a child. He was a marketing guy and so am I. He was billionaire and I am not. OK, I guess that is…
DetailsBad news isn’t wine. It does not improve with age. Sometimes in sales, you have to give bad news to customers. While this is never easy, a little preparation goes a long way to helping you get the job done. Start by gathering all the facts and preparing yourself emotionally. Put yourself in the customer’s…
DetailsProduct Pricing Strategy Pricing may be the most important decision that the entrepreneur makes. Often this decision is rushed and done by the seat of the pants. Most entrepreneurs think pricing is easy. Many small businesses use mark-up pricing. Mark-up pricing uses some multiple of cost such as three or four times the “estimated cost”.…
DetailsMany salespeople will tell you that texting is rising in popularity. We now have evidence. “According to a study by Pew, 83 percent of American adults own cell phones and 73 percent of them send and receive text messages. Pew surveyed more than 2,200 people and asked those who text to cite their preferred way…
DetailsOften entrepreneurs find themselves needing advice and counsel; worse, they are just plain lonely. This vacuum can be very prevalent at small businesses and, by definition, exists for the “solopreneurs” (the individual business person). Frankly, few of us really are multi-talented and this can quickly be brought into focus when you start a company or…
DetailsI got a call this week that my old friend Don was dying of congestive heart failure and was in a hospice. Time was short. He asked for me. Early in my career I struggled with my desire to be successful and to be true to myself. Like many young executives I wanted more money,…
DetailsUsually when two people think alike, it’s because one of them is not thinking. Let me submit that agreeing with anyone for a prolonged length of time won’t make the world a better place. Rather, disagreement is powerful and it is how we make the world better. Need some evidence? Our legal system is based…
DetailsWhile I am obviously partial to blogging, I am told by many “wannabe” bloggers how hard it is to get started. The reasons for not blogging are many and include a lack of big ideas to write about, too little time to write, and an extreme distaste for writing. In my opinion, blogs may be…
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