Nailed It!

Good News! It’s a miracle! Got up this morning, looked into the mirror and realized most of us are still alive, though slightly bruised from fighting our way though most of the winter months. It’s like working out and using those muscles or marketing and operation tools we haven’t used in a long time – in some cases years. Sore yes, but after reading about how terrible it is from every form of media, you might think it was a foregone conclusion that our businesses were in the grave.

Spring is in sight. Days are longer, people are starting to go outdoors, and the phones are actually starting to ring a few times – certainly more than a few weeks ago. Can’t wait for the government or TARP to jumpstart our businesses or sales – of course we all know that, but had to be said.

Time to wick some of that Spring activity into February. We need to remind our current and prospective customers that it’s a good time to buy for future needs. Most manufacturers have capacity to fill before the spring activity starts to trickle in which means deals! Continue Reading »

Happy New Year!

Time to take a breather from the business and redirect our attention to themore important things in life like enjoying the holidays with family and friends. Your customers are also taking a well deserved break unless they are in retail frantically trying to liquidate inventory and maybe make a few dollars.

During this hiatus you can actually do some healthy, productive things for you and your business:

First, enjoy yourself! The business will be okay for a few days without you worrying about it-you can’t compete with Christmas and the Holidays. Do whatever sets you free mentally and physically-running, walking, movies, shopping, skiing, surfing, bowl games, basketball…lots to do. Need to recharge your batteries, outlook and attitude.

If you do go to the office, there are some productive activities that can help you in the New Year. The New Year brings hope but let’s not forget valuable information from this year and even last year.

Without the phone ringing, look back over last two years to see who you sold the first quarter. It’s easier to follow up with old accounts and check for reorders than make cold calls. Continue Reading »