AllNY.com's log of business tips, articles, and resources for small businesses in New York.
By: Dawn Fotopulos
Melea Seward, a good friend and social media guru, said something that really made me stop dead in my tracks.
She said “everyone is so worried about getting a million followers on Twitter, what about the people that are right around them? They get ignored.”
Melea’s right. It was an OMG moment.
By: William E. Miller
By: Adrian Miller
When you come across the phrase the art of the soft sell, you might focus your attention on the word “soft.” You might not even do this consciously; many salespeople don’t.
And based on this unconscious focusing, you may lead yourself to believe that the difference between conventional selling and “soft” selling is…well, that you just do the lattersofter.
By: Gil Effron
CBS runs a series called Undercover Boss. While a little too melodramatic for my tastes, the moral of the story is germane for every business owner and for everyone responsible for sales and marketing.
In case you haven’t seen Undercover Boss, the premise is that a boss, CEO, or president of a business goes undercover to work alongside his employees. He sees what they see… and experiences first hand what it’s like to work in the trenches.
By: Will Rico
Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) awarded its 2010 “Partner in Industry Award” to Tanner Bolt & Nut Corp, a local Brooklyn business.
BCS recognized Tanner for its onsite job training of adults with disabilities. In 2010, Tanner worked with Brooklyn Unlimited to setup a “workstation” (training site) within its 25,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Brooklyn. 14 adults with disabilities have since trained and worked at Tanner’s workstation where they assembled nuts and bolts, packed shipments, and helped with other warehouse tasks. More than half have gone on to successful job placements.
More on In Tough Times, Brooklyn Company and Community Group Find Ways to Help Each Other
By: Adrian Miller
If you’re a respected member of a business or social network, you’ve inevitably been posed the question, “Can I pick your brain?” Besides just the ugly visual, there is something very selfish about this common request; particularly in a networking setting.
By: Gil Effron
There was a time when the world of advertising cared only about the “features” a product had. It came in four colors, three sizes, and two shapes. That was really all that was ever needed to say.
Then some high-powered Madison Avenue advertising executive discovered the importance of translating features into “benefits.” Because it came in four colors, you could color-coordinate with everything in your wardrobe. Because it came in three sizes, one would be ideal for every kitchen counter top. Well, you get the picture.
By: Art Sobczak
An article that originally appeared in the New York Times on October 15, 1997, titled “In War Against No-Shows, Restaurants Get Tougher,” by William Grimes is especially relevant for us as salespeople. Here is an excerpt:
Gordon Sinclair, the owner of Gordon restaurant in Chicago, had an epiphany about 10 years ago when he began adding up the cost of no-shows and found that the grand total was $900,000 a year, a figure that got him thinking, fast.
By: Alice Kemper
We all do it. We all go to a variety of networking functions: mixers, meetings, seminars, conferences. Just showing up certainly doesn’t guarantee getting connected or meeting people who are your buyers or can get you closer to your decision maker. Just showing up certainly doesn’t guarantee that you will increase your sales. And how often do you end up talking to the first person you encounter and never have a chance meet anyone else? That certainly doesn’t help you achieve filling the pipeline to grow your business.
(And run your business, instead of your business running you!)
By: Gil Effron
It seems like wherever you turn these days, someone is telling you that you should be working “on” your business, and not so much “in” your business.
They’re telling you that you should be focusing on your company’s purpose, vision, direction, strategy, structure, systems, people, goals, and accountability processes.
It’s good advice. However, for many business owners and professionals, it’s hard to slam on the brakes suddenly and say, “I’ve had it with working 60-plus hours a week… I’ve had it with too many restless nights… too few days off… and no relief in sight. I’m going to change and magically do it differently… starting right now!”
It’s not easy to make the transition from the do-all, know-all, touch-all owner/manager/worker/slave to that of a Strategic Business Owner — an owner that’s truly in control of the business, and not the other way around. But one thing is for sure. If you don’t start the transition, you’ll never break the 60-plus hour habit and the stresses that come with it.
If you don’t do something now, you look in the mirror in a month or two or three… or a year or two or three… and nothing has changed. You’re still working 60 plus hours a week.
Because for things to change, you must change!
