Social networking websites specifically made for small or home based business are a fairly new concept. Most people are still trying to figure out what works. There's really no secret. The technique is the same as marketing and sales in any other format. Only the delivery system has changed to interactive internet. In sales training we are taught presentation skills. A sales presentation always covers the same points. The most universal process in sales presentations are these five steps: 1.… Continue

Threadless.com will sell over 1 million must-have too-cool t-shirts this year earning them something in the order of US$20 million in revenue. Guess how many staff they have? 35 Yep, that’s right. Just 35. As a very rough rule of thumb a business is doing pretty well if it employs just 5 people for every US$1million in revenue earned. Or, put another way, it’s a good business if every employee adds US$200,000 to the top line. Threadless.com employs just 1.75 people for every US$1million in… Continue

The thought of being your own boss can sound pretty wonderful to someone tired of working 50 to 60 hours a week to make money for some impersonal corporation. And there is probably no better way to be self-employed than by buying a franchise and taking advantage of all that franchising has to offer: a tried and proven business model, initial and continuing training, an operations manual, a recognizable brand identity, corporate buying power, a national marketing program and often much more. But… Continue

In my business, I coach small business professionals on how to effectively introduce themselves in networking situations. One of the most frequent questions I get is this: "I've met a lot of really great people...now how do I follow up with them all??" If you attend networking events frequently, you probably have a rather large stack of business cards sitting on your desk. Here's my method of follow up - see what works for your work style. Enter their contact information into your c… Continue

Have you ever had trouble coming up with a headline for an ad, or been stumped for hours, maybe even days trying to write a sales letter? How well are you really converting your websites visitors into paying customers? Even if you think your doing a good job, there's always room for imp… Continue