by Donna Maria on December 27, 2009
This is the third in a series of posts featuring small business owners’ suggestions for things you can do to be successful in 2010.
Last week, I told you about Joan Morais, an IBN member who increased her productivity and profitability this year by hiring a virtual assistant. I also told you about Marla Bosworth, a member who doubled her 2009 sales by doing a few simple things that anyone can do. Today, I’m sharing how fragrance therapist and natural perfumer JoAnne Bassett used a free blog to beef up her business in 2009.
Of course you know from the posts in my Blogging Category that I firmly believe that anyone who wants to maximize their business opportunities needs to use a blog to do it. That’s why it gives me great pleasure to know that JoAnne is enjoying great success with her blog. Here’s how blogging helped JoAnne expand her business this year, and her suggestions for why you should launch a blog of your own, if you haven’t already done so. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on December 18, 2009
Liana Spiegel, an IBN member at our FaceBook Page, asked an interesting question recently. She wondered whether she needs a blog if she already has a FaceBook Page. After all, if she can quickly engage people and generate sales on FaceBook, why invest the time to also maintain a blog? This is a very good question, especially since it was FaceBook and not blog interaction (I have never visited Liana’s blog), that resulted in my purchase of some of her products last week.
If a FaceBook Page is fun, efficient and delivers new sales, does a small business owner need to maintain a blog too? Well, it depends on what your goals are. Here are some things to consider. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on November 20, 2009
by Donna Maria on November 1, 2009
Yesterday, my husband and I hosted a party to celebrate our daughter’s eighth birthday. One of her favorite gifts was a Webkinz toy given to her by a neighbor. I had heard of Webkinz before, but since I’m the type of mom who likes to wait until my kids are as old as possible before introducing them to toys made my companies that blur the line between online games and advertisements, she had never had a Webkinz before.
After helping her long onto the site, I observed carefully as she set up her account. She clicked a few icons and quickly clicked on “Help,” where she discovered that, not only could she play games, but she could play games with other people. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on October 21, 2009
A salesman once told me that he had to get through an average of 11 “no” responses before he got to one “yes.” He defined “no” responses as more than just the word. Also included, he said, are things like body language (excessive fidgeting, arms folded across chest, furled brows, etc.) and being easily distracted in the middle of conversation.
A few days ago, I had a conversation with Tom Dillon (pictured), the former owner of a successful hardware store in here in Charlotte. Tom told me that, throughout his career in sales (the owner is always “in sales”), he followed very specific steps to overcome the “no” and get to the “yes” when it came to selling his products. The steps are: feel, felt, found, and here they are. Continue Reading…
by Donna Maria on August 23, 2009
Michael is a management consultant and speaker with more than twenty years in the professional services industry. He is the founder and a principle of MindShare Consulting, LLC, which helps professional services organizations design winning sales and marketing approaches.
Here’s a short video featuring the book and a program note about next week’s show.
