Questions…From A Born Salesman
Today, I’d like to get back to the question of questioning. A few weeks ago, in Message #160, we talked about the effect of asking questions in the world of business. My argument, in a nutshell, was this: When you ask a question, you cede power, so be very careful…
READ MOREThe Selling Power Of Personalization
“Trust every man, but always cut the cards.” – American Proverb A fundamental principle of selling is that customers will buy more if they feel they know you. Understand that and you will be a much more powerful businessperson.The principle is true for all selling, . . . from telemarketing…
READ MOREA Lesson From Martha Stewart
“Productive work is the process by which mans mind sustains his life, the process that sets man free of the necessity to adjust himself to his background, as all animals do, and gives him the power to adjust his background to himself. Productive work is the road of mans unlimited…
READ MORECan You – Should You – Value Knowledge In Dollars And Cents?
“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way down.” – Milton BerleI make it a point to limit my observations to what I know from experience. Thats because I am skeptical of theory. Not that I dislike abstractions. On the contrary, Im a sucker for them. And…
READ MOREWhat Are Accountants Good For?
“I let my accountant do my taxes because it saves time sometimes as much as 10 years.” – Milton Berle You know what they say about lawyers (the only thing sadder than four lawyers trapped in a burning car is three lawyers trapped in a burning car) and economists (you…
READ MORE2 Things You Can Do Right Now To Make Your Company Better and More Productive
When Jack Walsh took over as CEO of GE, he surprised shareholders and industry analysts by announcing that before the end of his tenure the flagging industrial giant would climb back from near bankruptcy and become No.1 or No.2 in every market it was in. At the time, Walshs claim…
READ MORETV Commercials – What You (And Only You) Can Do
”Advertising in the final analysis should be news. If it is not news it is worthless.” – Adolph S. Ochs One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to TV or video advertising is to rely on the experts to figure out how to market your product.…
READ MOREHow To Pull Ahead Of Your Competitors Through Cooperation
“Competition is the offspring of fear; cooperation, the child of confidence.” – Mark Morgan Ford If you remember the movie Wall Street, you may recollect the character Gordon Gecko (played by Michael Douglas) a viciously ambitious stockbroker who broke every ethical rule and took advantage of every relationship to…
READ MOREGetting Started On Your Catalog
“Either dance well or quit the ballroom.” – Greek proverb Yesterday, I introduced you to the lucrative world of catalog marketing. And I gave you some information to help you decide if and when the time has come for you to do your catalog. Ready? Lets look at what it…
READ MOREEventually Every Good Businessperson Does A Catalog
“A ship in port is safe, but thats not what ships are for.” – Admiral Grace Hopper (1906-1992) Sooner or later if you are successful in business you will consider mailing a catalog. Catalogs are alluring sales vehicles, because they are relatively inexpensive (on a per-item basis), are…
READ MOREHow To Build A Lasting Business By Loving Your Clients
“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful.” – Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Rich Boy Several years ago, I…
READ MOREFree Sampling – When It Pays, When It Doesn’t
“The truth shall make you free.” – American proverb The Post-it note which today comes in more than 50 colors, shapes, and sizes began as a failed idea at 3M 20 years ago. It is surprising to think of it now, but when the little (at that time)…
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