Posts Tagged ‘sales’

Mark Twain’s Great Marketing Idea

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this article is true), I don’t know where I heard this story about Mark Twain. But I’ve heard it enough times to verify that it’s either (a) at least half true, or (b) a credible lie.

Anyway, it’s seems that in the early 1850’s Twain – then known as Samuel Clemens – found himself in San Francisco without a job. The reason he was there, I believe, had something to do with the Gold Rush.

Twain loved the town, and wanted to stay. But to do so he had to find a job. Since he’d worked on a newspaper before, he applied at a big publication there.

No thanks, the editor said. We don’t need any writers right now. And even if we did, we don’t have money in the budget to pay them.

Twain countered with an amazing offer. What if he agreed to work for free? I’ll write for you, Twain said. You publish my work, and if people like what I write, maybe you’ll hire me.

You can guess the rest of this report. The editor loved Twain’s work, hired him, and Twain’s career continued to build. But what if he’d simply walked out the door that day?

The moral of this story: Free is pretty hard to refuse. Next time you have trouble winning a client, how about offering to do a project for free, just to show what you can do?

Rix Quinn’s new book “Words That Stick” is inexpensive, and offers lots of writing ideas. You can get it from you local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/

For details on Quinn’s workshops and consulting services, e-mail him at mailto:rixquinn@charter.net

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Why is It So Important to Hire Exceptional People

Friday, May 15th, 2009

The people we hire for our business become our goodwill ambassadors. We, as owners, are sometimes predisposed, and the people we employee represent the image of our business, the brand we are developing, and the standards our business is based on.

As business people, we need to protect ourselves and incorporate security measures regardless who we hire. We will be able to track any theft in money or merchandise. That’s just good business!!

The snag might be that we can’t always check all the time if our customers are being served properly, or standards are being kept in place during our absence. Just think how nice it would be at times to have exceptional people watching the shop, making money for us, while we are having some enjoyable time away. This means we should not ignore our business every day; by owning a business, at times we take advantage of that freedom. So, by hiring exceptional people with the right work ethic, we might reduce some of what we might refer to as the slack factor.

How do we choose the right person?

Do we pick someone because we like him or her? They’re funny, and, even though they only have a few of the desired characteristics, we probably could be great friends.

Let’s keep in mind this is a working relationship. Clearly defined, we are employers and therefore must keep personal feeling out, and criteria in. This should not mean we do not care about and like the people who work for us.

In a business forum their confidence will come from us, a good, fair, and firm employer that they can trust to do what we promise. To accomplish this, it is vital to pick our employees based on the characteristics we have put in place for exceptional people.

We need to review their resume, look again how they answered the interview questions, and how they would fit in with our other employees. Remember, everyone has a unique and different personality. By putting criteria in place, we can choose our employees fairly and without prejudice. It is important to remember that if someone should not meet our criteria we must let them down gently and with respect. The same applies when firing. Besides, these people could even become loyal customers in the future.

Hire right, or manage hard!!!

Arnold Nadler is a long-time entrepreneur and founder of The Startup Business Doctor, a private company specializing in helping new and small businesses get their company off the ground. Programs include professional coaching, franchise opportunities and inexpensive advertising packages. You can get more information at StartUpBusinessDoctor.com Feel free to send me your comments on this article.

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Business is Very Similar to Understanding the Game of Hockey

Sunday, November 9th, 2008

Have you ever walked into a busy retail store, and heard a patron say, “this place must be making a fortune”? Obviously this analysis is simply based on the amount of people in the store at the time. Then maybe a year later, the same establishment closed. That very same patron might wonder what happened.

Many people love to watch the game of hockey, why is that?

They understand how the game works; enjoy evaluating and observing their favorite players in action. These fans will keep themselves up to date, go to the actual games, have long discussions with friends, watch the sport shows, and read the newspapers. Through these means they can study the players, know their stats, and can give an educated opinion on the game of hockey. Most of these types of dye hard fans are very passionate about the game, and some might agree with me when I use the term obsessed. If some of these fans would consider dedicating themselves the same way in business, they could be very successful!!!

How does hockey relate to understanding business?

The player’s would be your employees.

Your fans are the loyal customers.

The referee’s is the governmental bodies who enforce the laws.

The stats are your business numbers.

The passion comes from within.

Final thought

It is very important to have the right business training before venturing out on your own. This way you have a clear perceptive on how the game works, and what it will take to be good at it. The patron in the store was just an impressed fan, but did not know how to play the game. There is nothing wrong with that, and everyone is entitled to an opinion. However maybe the next time you hear someone say, this store is making a fortune, hopefully you will have gained some better awareness about the game of business!!!

Arnold Nadler is a long-time entrepreneur and founder of The Startup Business Doctor, a private company specializing in helping new and small businesses get their company off the ground. Programs include professional coaching, franchise opportunities and inexpensive advertising packages. You can get more information at StartUpBusinessDoctor.com

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How Testimonials Can Put You in the Spotlight

Monday, October 6th, 2008

If you need evidence that a testimonial or referral can help you, let me tell you a personal story:

My friend Dave raved about his boss all the time. “She knows I’m still in school,” he said, “so she always asks about my schedule.”

“She’s really smart, too,” he added. “The company wants to promote her, but she keeps telling them she really trained to teach. She’s just waiting for a job opening.”

“Hey,” I stopped him, “if she’s so great, why don’t you take her out?”

“Nah,” he said. “She’s too old for me.”

“So, how old is she?” I shot back. “3040more?”

“Nopeshe’s 23. That’s about right for you. Want me to get you a date with her?”

Not wanting to appear desperate – which I was — I hesitated, then said, “I guess that’s OK. How about tomorrow?” Well, he set us up.

Did the date work out? I guess so. Twenty-plus years later we’re still happily married.

Bottom line: I’m amazed, bewildered, and confused that companies don’t use testimonials – or appropriate anecdotes – more often than they do.

I’m also surprised that when somebody sends me a resume’, it sometimes leaves out a list of references.

Potential customers – or employers – want to know what you can do well. The endorsement of another person who knows and works with you can mean a lot.

Rix Quinn writes a weekly syndicated humor column, and serves as a writing consultant to schools, colleges, and business groups.

For more details on testimonials, see Chapter 3 of Rix’s book “Words That Stick.” It’s available from you local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/

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