01/02/09
How do you balance the need to develop new business and manage the day to day operations?
A while back, we received the following question?
How do you meet your demanding administrative needs, and still focus on developing new business and meeting client needs?
For example: Billing, marketing, scheduling, event planning, travel, etc.
ANSWER:
Many of our clients our in the same position as you are. The idea of running a business is more than simply being expert in your craft. There are so many other tasks that are required to run a business.
We recently received the following question.
Q. I am planning to start a new business in 2009 but unfortunately have not been able to come across a single potential business idea.
What type of business should I start?
A. I would say that your business is more likely to be successful if you understand your market and you are passionate about your business.
Previously on September 7th, we asked Do You Have A Sales Process? In this post we discussed that the customer typically goes through 5 stages when making a buying decision.
These are:
Initial Interest
Fact Finding
Validation
Rationalization
Decision
So now we have to address how you are going to meet the clients’ needs at each of those stages.
Most of us can agree that the most important part of the sales process is the initial few moments of the sales presentation.
This is where the customer will make many of the big decisions about you and your product or service.
This is also the opportunity for you to make a first impression.
Will you be their advocate or their adversary?
10/18/08
Decision '08 Taxes
No one likes to thinks about it but taxes are something we all have to face. For anyone who has caught the presidential debates or attempted to make sense of the two candidates’ tax proposals it is hard to tell which plan will be the most difficult to swallow. This is particularly true for those of us who tend to vote with our wallet.
By now, we have heard the worn tale of Joe the Plumber. We have heard the promise of Obama’s that 95% will receive a tax break and McCain’s belief that taxes should not go up for anyone.
What this voter and blogger has noticed is that neither candidate has been able to clearly articulate how their tax strategy will work in real life. I have heard anecdotes from each candidate but really aren’t we all thinking, “That’s great, but how will this effect me?”
Well, the good people at Quantrix and Professor Jeffrey Gramlich from the University of Southern Maine have broken out their calculators and reading glasses to create www.ElectionTaxes.com.
www.ElectionTaxes.com is an online tool that will show you what your tax bill would look like under each candidate’s plan. According to Gramlich in a statement “The economy is a key factor in the presidential election, and our interactive tool enables individuals to make an informed choice when casting their vote.”
The site does not require any personal identity information such as name or social security number. Simply enter in your income or provide more detailed information such as deductions and see which tax plan is best for you.
Regardless of which party you side with, there is no escaping the impact of the recent financial crisis.
Image courtesy of donkeydish.com
Everyone is effected in one way or another. Not the least of which are those of us with rollover IRAs, 401ks and similar retirement plans. Driven by market fears and immediate cash needs, many have started to withdraw their funds despite the penalties and tax consequences.
To be certain, the crisis has not escaped the notice of presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama. Both have offered some interesting initiatives.
