Selling Sell Aspirin, Not Vitamins Given the many options for new products and new ventures, why not create an offering that solves a problem or relieves a pain for your customer---a problem that the customer wants to fix right away. When people have headaches they reach for aspirin or other pain relievers. The need is
Social Media Social Media and Ruthless Self Promotion For some, the sole purpose of social media is ruthless self promotion, if not outright narcissism. At the very least, they consider social media an outbound marketing tool. It is my opinion that that they are missing the point of social media: social media is all about two-way communication. For
Selling Selling With Integrity Marketing campaigns, sales quotas, and sales awards are soon forgotten. Yet, your reputation seems everlasting; it is the essence of what others remember about you. How will you be remembered? Mark Twain said, "If you tell the truth you won't have to remember anything". This adage
Sales Management Sales People Say Goodbye According to the May 26, 2010 edition of Wall Street Journal, “the number of employees voluntarily quitting surpassed the number being fired or discharged for the first time since October 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before February, the BLS had recorded more layoffs than resignations for 15
Mission and Vision The New Busy “Americans work longer hours than nearly anyone in the developed world, even the Japanese. For many professionals and corporate managers, the 40-hour work week is history; 60- to 80-hour work weeks are now the norm. Why do we work so much? The simplest answer is because we can.” This quote
Blogs and Blogging Why Blog? “The faintest writing is stronger than the strongest memory.” – Chinese proverb Why do I Blog? I get asked this question a lot. Yes, it takes a lot of time and brain cells, both of which I have a very limited supply. To blog regularly requires tons of research, fact checking,
Social Media What is a Viral Video? I Mean Really.... I get asked this question a lot. The definition of a viral video is a bit sketchy, but to me it means any video that offers a compelling or repeatable story that encourages people to pass it on electronically to a friend or to a buddy list. It moves from
Social Media How to Classify Social Media End Users While social media remains an evolving story, the players are taking shape when you observe what they do on the web. As my psychotherapist friend (yes, we are just friends) says, "behavior predicts behavior." In fact, there are six categories of social media users and these types are
Selling “It Is Better to Know Some of the Questions Than All of the Answers.” James Thurber, author and cartoonist, said that many years ago and it is true today. Selling is not about what you say to the customer, but rather it is about the questions you ask. Many salespeople are in love with their own words and ideas. They are often described as
Negotiation Selling With Questions “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” James Thurber (1894 – 1961) Author and Cartoonist A friend of mine reminded me that selling is not about what you say to the customer, but rather it is about the questions you ask. Many salespeople are
Education Declining Value of the College Degree The students who graduate from college today emerge from a self indulgent cocoon --- college was all about them, their interests, and their dreams. Post college is a period of discovery about the stark reality of real life, commerce, and responsibility. I suppose, in many respects, this is the way
Uncategorized CSUF MBA Consulting Available Now CSUF Entrepreneurship is looking for consulting clients for the MBA capstone strategy course. The team would conduct a three year strategic plan evaluating all aspects of the business. A typical team of 5-6 MBA students puts in over 300 hours on the custom project. Space is limited and the semester
Negotiation Don’t Talk About the Weather. A recent study by a psychologist at the University of Arizona found that people who spend more of their day having deep, heart felt discussions and who spend less time engaging in small talk seem to be happier. Or, simply put, the folks who choose idle banter over in-depth conversations
Uncategorized Social Media Expectations How valuable is social media to Entrepreneurs? There is considerable debate about the answer to this question. A recent Wall Street Journal article provides a critical view about social media as a sales tool ---- and this is exactly the problem. Describing social media as a sales tool is like
Entrepreneurship The Ides of March The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was killed in 709 AUC or 44 B.C. Julius Caesar was stabbed
Blogging Blog Add-ons Enhance and Dilute Content If you are a blogger you might want to check out this new software Zemanta. It automatically links, tags, and adds photos to your blog article. This is too easy! It works on most standard browsers (IE, Firefox), as well as with Wordpress and other blogging tools. You can read
Entrepreneurship How Entrepreneurial is Orange County? Entrepreneurship in certainly well represented in Orange County. Irvine is especially famous for being a hotspot of entrepreneurial activities, especially in the biotech and software industries. However, where does Orange County stand on the entrepreneurship dimension compared to other regions of the country known for their entrepreneurial activities? This question
Entrepreneurship How Entrepreneurial is Orange County? Entrepreneurship in certainly well represented in Orange County. Irvine is especially famous for being a hot-spot of entrepreneurial activities, especially in the biotech and software industries. However, where does Orange County stand on the entrepreneurship dimension compared to other regions of the country known for their entrepreneurial activities? This question
Search Engine Optimization The Web is Hard and Expensive Many people cling to an old fashioned notion that the web is easy and cheap. The new reality is that the web is hard and expensive. The first goal of a website is to be found and that means building a website that is optimized for search. With Google commanding
Social Media Social Media Pundits Say Greed is Dead Social media is reporting a new normal in society's view of money and success. The greed of the dotcom era seems to have been replaced by a new set of priorities which favor trust and authenticity. If this is true and we are having a cultural shift in
Pricing Perceived Value Pricing “Perceived Value” pricing is pricing for a product or service at a level that reflects the potential savings, the highest satisfaction level, or the maximum use that a client will receive from the purchase and the use of the product or service. Overall, price is set at the highest level
Mission and Vision A Life With Purpose "May you live all the days of your life." -Jonathan Swift What is your purpose? Stop for a moment and answer that question. I know that sounds pretty heavy and it is. Life is truly short (unless that reincarnation thing is for real). Roll with me for a
Entrepreneurship Nurturing Creativity in Your Work While just surviving may be a first priority for many businesses today, the “new normal” in 2010 also presents an unique opportunity for growth and profitability. Businesses with a vision of new growth and profits will need to nurture entrepreneurship and create an environment that offers room for creativity and
Entrepreneurship What if All Kids Became Entrepreneurs? In America, a kid drops out of high school every 9 seconds…What if they didn’t? This is the compelling question behind award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio’s newest project “Ten9Eight”, a thought provoking film which tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens (of differing race, religion, and
Social Media Twitter Lives On "The faintest writing is stronger than the strongest memory." * Chinese proverb In the last two years much has been written and commented about Twitter. The thing that we must remember is that Twitter is written. Written words last a long, long time. And, that is the power that
