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Ray MacNeil - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Ray started his career in the early 1980's and into the early 1990's working for large corporations including the Telecommunications and Data Storage Manufacturing Industries. In the early 1990's he began a start up company that spurred other start ups and eventually began Training New Business Owners on how to grow their new business with sound Sales Principles. "I love to Train and Coach others to Succeed in their first business and writing articles ... [More]
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- Retail Marketing Thinks Inside the Box
[Business:Marketing] I remember one day learning from my mentor at the time, Dev, who had me fill a big box in the front of the store with a variety of miscellaneous items that had sat on the shelf so long that the dust was making me sneeze with my every movement. I questioned Dev on his strategy of burying items people don't want into a box they now have to dig through to investigate what is 'on sale'.
- You Can't Make an Entrepreneur
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] 'You Can't Make An Entrepreneur But, You Can Break One'! I was speaking to a friend of mine who has been involved with franchise sales for many years and a fellow ezine author, Arnaldo Vieira. Arnaldo has been a Master Franchisee and a Broker in North America and we were discussing what it takes to be a successful franchisee. What you first need to understand is that a true entrepreneur generally works outside the box, does not like to be controlled and would rather lead. They are also more of the risk taker. Most start up business owners would fall within the definition of a true entrepreneur.
- Does the Internet Have a Future?
[Communications:Broadband-Internet] The internet has achieved global economic change in far less time. But, is this a Super Nova event like an exploding sun? Is the internet glowing so bright that it will feed off its own energy thus killing itself off? I think not.
- Lean and Mean at All Costs!
[Business:Management] Having lived through other recession periods most recently in the mid to late 1990's I'm starting to hear the old battle cry from Business Managers and the Self Employed of; 'Lean and Mean at all costs'. Essentially what I'm really hearing is...employees can be sacrificed and taken advantage of at all costs.
- Do Not Think Negative - Why?
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] To answer this question we first need to understand the context in which it is asked. For example; if I was trying to lose weight/fat I would want to think negative. My starting weight is 200 and I want to lose 40. In this context, losing negative fat measured in numbers creating a loss is actually a positive.
- Can Microsoft Survive?
[Business:Advertising] I just saw my first Microsoft TV ad which had Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld buying shoes and ending with a question posed by Jerry regarding tasty edible computers. I really don't get this ad.
- Why Should I Pay Franchise Royalty Fees?
[Business:Franchising] Many franchisees believe royalties are for services rendered to the franchisee on an ongoing basis. They are completely wrong.
- Cold Calling Tip Number 4 - Get An Agreement
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] What is the definition of a good Cold Call? The answer is; 'Agreement'. At the end of each of your calls you should get an agreement to the next step or the next action to be taken by you and your suspect.
- Cold Calling Tip Number 3 - What Did I Learn?
[Business:Sales] The fear of cold calling, prospecting for leads, can be over come by learning the objections, writing them down, preparing a great response to each objection and then practicing the responses. This sounds like common sense and it is but, like most common sense ideas, they require execution. There are two great helpful hints to over coming the fear of cold calling in this tip.
- Cold Calling Tip #1 - Compliments Of The House
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Don't call to make a sale. Call to ask questions about their business and their industry. Offer them a complimentary gift for their time with you on the phone.
- Cold Calling Tip #2 - Know Thy Self
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Let's say for example you plan to make cold calls for 1 hour per day each morning. This would then be the first task on your daily agenda or calendar. I don't know about you but some days my mood or energy level is higher or lower than others. Know Thy Self.
- Buying A Franchise Does Not Need To Be Over Complicated
[Business:Franchising] When someone decides to be self employed there are many decisions and questions to be answered. The first decision is of course to be self employed or not? The second decision is to be a start up or to buy a franchise? Once you have in your mind convinced yourself that being self employed at this time in your life is the right decision and, you have the personal and financial support at home, and franchising seems like a safer bet, then the question is which franchise?
- I Don't Want To Die With Any Regrets
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Too often I hear from people who like the idea of being in business for themselves but think the risk is too great. Business ownership in their mind is for the risk taker, the entrepreneur. This thinking could not be farther from the truth.
- Top 10 Sales Manager Mistakes
[Business:Sales-Management] I find it interesting that when I search the internet for articles on sales the focus is generally on the sales person and not the manager. I do appreciate the importance for sales people to improve their sales skills but who is improving the manager?
- I Can't Talk Now, I'm Busy Sabotaging My Business
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Why is it that very smart people fail at business? To answer this question you could ask another series of questions; why do we light that next cigarette, why do we eat late at night, why do I drink and drive.
- Lawyers Profit From Our Due Dilligence
[Business:Franchising] To use a lawyer or to not use a lawyer? When we start a new small business we generally have most of our financial resources already in the business. Therefore, when 'trivial' details like business contracts need to be signed a lawyers opinion and advice is generally sacrificed.
- Differentiation Can Be a Niche Market
[Business:Marketing] So many times I spoke to customers over the counter who travelled miles to our store for the rare part for that rare car that no one else had. Or because they knew from experience that no one else would have the part they started with us first.
- Build It And They Will NOT Come
[Business:Marketing] It is a very risky business person who believes that the product will create the need. We may argue that IBM and Microsoft with the desktop PC and DOS and then Windows is the exception and, the internet is certainly in many cases creating a need. However, it could be argued that the need was waiting patiently dormant for the innovators to play catch up. In other words, Sci-fiction movies from the 50's through the 60's and TV shows like Star Trek had already created the need for high tech tools and toys.
- Not Every Sale Is A Good Sale
[Business:Sales] Be careful not to under sell or you will lose money from the sale and, if you are a service type business, while you are delivering on your service you are not out selling. This
- Suicide Is A Selfish Act
[Health-and-Fitness:Depression] My mother's brother committed the most selfish act one human can do to another, he took his own life. This is the second suicide in two years that I have had to deal with since my aunt on my fathers side took her life because of a gambling addiction.
- Stop The Cold Calling Sweats
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] There are many places to get free or purchased business leads and once you do, the next step is to start cold calling the names on the list and start selling on the phone. Just the thought of phoning strangers sends me into a cold sweat and the phone seems to weigh 50 pounds every time I attempt to lift the handset to my ear.
- Zach Johnson Wins The Masters of Golf
[Recreation-and-Sports:Golf] I was able to watch the 2007 PGA Masters from Thursday's first round and watch Zach Johnson a rookie from the USA Team of the 2006 Ryder Cup hold his own against the best of the best in the game of golf at Augusta National when Augusta was arguably the toughest it has been in close to 20 years.
- Is There a Buyer for Every Product?
[Business:Sales] If you're always getting a "no" and you find rejection after rejection on your sales calls trying to sell in the 'dog' territory you were assigned and you always have a problem with the product you sell because it doesn't meet the needs of your clients then I will tell you now- you are starving and will continue to starve unless you are prepared to make personal changes.
- Are Your Retail Sales Staff Properly Trained
[Business:Sales-Management] I was given a Blondie cartoon strip recently by a friend who was probably teasing me more about my age than anything else but it was a very poignant strip. Essentially Dagwood was motivated to buy a video recorder from a retailer because the young clerk suggested he was too old for this technology.
- Feel My Pain
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] People are 10 times more likely to take an action to eliminate a pain. If we know that to be true then why are we not as sales people helping our clients identify their pains in our first meeting(s)? If we don't know their top 5 pains then how can you provide the correct solution to their pain? The answer is - we can't.
- Our Children Will Follow
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Proverb: "Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime".
- Don't Fall Into Dumb Buyer Syndrome "DBS"
[Business:Negotiation] Dumb Buyer Syndrome or "DBS", as I coined with my employees, is a problem I have encountered many times in my many years as a business owner selling to other business owners. You can recognize them easily, they believe they are the expert negotiator who feels success is only achieved when the price is reduced.
- Breaking Old 'No Sales' Habits
[Business:Sales] "It takes 21 days to create a new habit." Perhaps what Dr. Stephen Covey is talking about can also be stated as "it takes 21 days to break an old habit".
- How To Put The Spring Thaw in Cold Calling
[Business:Sales-Teleselling] Very often I hear from new business and franchise owners that the idea of "Cold Calling" is intimidating. The idea of picking up the 50 pound weighted phone and calling someone, a business, out of the blue and trying to sell them is a major challenge.
- Think Big, Grow Big!
[Business:Branding] When I started my Construction Business I came right out of the Corporate world and understood the value of laying out a solid foundation for my business that would be ready when we were big. In other words, we acted like a big company even though we were small.
- Are Meetings Killing Your Business?
[Business:Management] Too often in my many years toiling in the Corporate world I had to sit through poorly facilitated meetings that started late, ended late and had no clear stated purpose.
- Another Salesman Send Him Away
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] Too often I hear from sales people that they "...don't know why the prospect won't listen to them talk about the features of their products and/or services or, they are always too busy to listen to me talk about my company and our products".
- I Hear Your Body Loud And Clear
[Business:Sales] Sitting across from the dinner table on this blind date I sensed the heat within my body start to rise and tried desperately to conceal my attraction to this beautiful sexy woman. This woman who appeared to be matching my moves.
- Community Volunteer Makes Good on Promise to Family
[Business:Networking] When you first start your own business there never seems to be enough time. I certainly was no exception to this entrepreneurial mantra. What the truth really is; once time is gone it can never be reclaimed.
- Compliments Open Sales Doors
[Business:Sales] Compliment for Sales is not to suggest insincerity is okay. In fact, an insincere compliment can do more harm than good.
- Blogs: The New Frontier
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Blogging] Blogs are the new frontier. As was the development of the American West with Adventurist Frontiersman searching out new growth opportunities across the United States they were followed by the settlers when word got back east of lush fertile lands and valleys and glens with fresh spring fed waters.
- Without Risk, Have You Truly Lived?
[Business:Solo-Professionals] "Parable of the Cautious Man - There was a very cautious man, who never laughed or cried. He never risked, he never lost, he never won nor tried. And when he one day passed away, his insurance was denied, for since he never really lived, they claimed he never died."
- Get Out Of Your Home Office And Run For Mayor!
[Business:Solo-Professionals] In my first days, alone, in a new start up business, I had joined the growing ranks of entrepreneurs who work from home. Work from home had become the new buzz words for the baby boomer generation who have money and are disillusioned with the corporate world and were forced by a younger competition for our job to sacrifice our families and to limit the time to enjoy the fruits of our labor having to work long hours in the globalization of the economy.
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