Newsweek Didn’t Hear the News! After nearly 80 years in business, Newsweek will turn out its final print magazine on December 31, 2012, to switch to an all-digital,paid subscription, format. The change has been long in the making as subscriptions and newsstand sales have been on the decline for nearly a decade. Newsweek is the…
Your Internal Policies versus Customers Needs Can Do You In This is one of those blogs that is not lacking for examples. Each of us could write pages on our experiences with this topic, but allow me to make a point for your consideration. I was recently in a NYC restaurant having brunch. Brunch orders…
Don’t Let Price be the Tie Breaker for your Products or Services Have you considered offering “freemiums” (free products or services) to build your customer base? I encourage you to reconsider. Giving away a product or service, in hopes of gaining a following, often back-fires and results in a disappointing return on investment. The reason…
Every business owner wishes to see their business grow, but going around this may be challenging. There’s no need to grow your business quickly and then get to the point that it cannot sustain itself and ends up failing. Developing sound strategies is the only way to ensure your business grows consistently without much struggle….
It appears that J.C. Penny’s first quarter efforts to increase market share by competing on ‘everyday low prices’ fell a bit short. So it’s back to the drawing boards! This year, J.C. Penney is set to embrace technologies coolest gadgets in an attempt to recapture the coveted consumer dollar. However it seems this technological love…
How often does your company make decisions based on internal opinions? How often do you damn the torpedoes without sufficient evidence that the product and/or service you are launching or offering truly fits the needs of the customers? Let me share a Delta story with you. As a road warrior, I have had my share of…
On September 28th, The Wall Street Journal announced that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will again default on its obligation to fund future retirees’ health care costs. The $5.6 billion default marks the second failed payment to the U.S. Treasury in two months. The USPS May be on the Verge of Losing its Competitive Advantage While there’s no doubt the USPS…
Chilis, Applebees and Chevys, among others, are testing table computer screens to take orders, pay the bill, and play games. You can watch movie trailers, news tidbits, whatever your preference. A Wall Street Journal article revealed that dinner out is now going to be like dinner at home – Everyone will be interacting with a screen…
Most businesses brainstorm to come up with a list of their “strengths,” or they have their marketing firm do it for them. Then they throw all the results against the wall and hope some stick. Well, some do. But wouldn’t it make more sense to throw them at the bull’s-eye and get more direct hits?
There is an old joke that says somebody is a great salesperson if he or she can sell refrigerators to the Eskimos in the Arctic. But in today’s thorny economy, less-than-stellar salespeople can find themselves left out in the cold if they fail to understand how to connect to potential customers. This week, MortgageOrb speaks with Jaynie L. Smith, CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Smart Advantage Inc. and author of the new book Relevant Selling, to understand the challenges of today’s sales environment.
