Sales

7 Oct 2024

Planning Tips to Avoid the eCommerce Iceberg

By |2024-10-07T17:26:07-06:00October 7th, 2024|Categories: Business Strategy, eCommerce, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

eCommerce and Retail

Implementing eCommerce at scale is not for the faint of heart. Yet, with some good eCommerce planning it can be done in phases and reduce both stress and risk.

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Once you attempt to scale any part of the business, you must make that part of the process more efficient. Once you do, you will inevitably find that some other part of your business becomes the limiting factor.

This moving bottleneck problem is true for eCommerce as well.

eCommerce Bottlenecks

Suppose you have a decent retail component […]

16 May 2021

Lessons in Business – Communicating 21 Years of Quiet Success

By |2021-05-16T19:35:54-06:00May 16th, 2021|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Quiet Success, Trucks on Highway

What do you say when someone says, “So, what does your business do?” Communicating what success looks like for your customers is key.

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We don’t sell anything popular like pizza or chocolate. We aren’t spies or secret agents. Or superheroes who wear capes.

For almost 21 years, we’ve run a software and business consulting company that quietly serves other businesses.

This line of business is not as glamourous and sexy as it sounds. Really.

It is complex.

How Communicating Usually Works

Unlike financial planners, real estate […]

16 Sep 2020

How To Profit From Your Business Safety Needs

By |2020-09-16T23:34:10-06:00September 16th, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Manifast, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Growing Profit and Increasing Business Safety Needs
Entrepreneurs are risk-takers by nature. Often that means putting aside safety but, it doesn’t have to. Thinking a little more like an investor can mitigate risk and build some security into your business.

In my last article, I talked about Maslow’s hierarchy and its impacts on consumers (or overall market), your customers, and the people inside your business.

A business also has a hierarchy of needs distinct from the people in it.

For example, human physiological needs correspond to the parts […]

22 Dec 2017

A Year of Reflections and Shining a Light on 2018

By |2017-12-22T21:13:37-07:00December 22nd, 2017|Categories: Business Strategy, Marketing, Sales, Software Development|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A Year of Reflections and Shining a Light on 2018

Reflecting back over the last year, we’ve seen a number of local businesses close their doors and countless more struggle. It hasn’t been an easy year for us either.

Through tough times come some of the most valuable business lessons. The biggest one is to avoid facing tough times whenever you can. In my opinion, it is far better to be struggling with growth challenges.

Part of being in business for 17 years is making […]

28 Nov 2017

Prospecting Is the Heart of Your Closing Problems

By |2017-11-28T15:57:49-07:00November 28th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Prospecting is the Heart of Closing Problems - Man on Phone

Last month you had a healthy looking pipeline. So healthy you stopped actively prospecting and had to focus on meeting prospects, analyzing needs, and moving people through the funnel.

Now you are working on three to five hot prospects that just won’t close.

They were super excited at first. Now your leads won’t return your calls and emails go unanswered. You’ve even tried contacting other people in the organization to figure […]

18 Oct 2017

80/20 David and Goliath: The Power of Ideal Clients

By |2017-10-18T17:15:20-06:00October 18th, 2017|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

80-20 David Goliath - Power of Ideal Clients

Your prospects naturally compare your business to what they perceive as your competition. If you want to get leads and acquire customers efficiently, you have to choose your market and ideal clients carefully.

It turns out how we feel about our achievements is relative to how we measure ourselves. How we perform in the future, is impacted by how we relate to the results of the measurement.

Harvard or MIT

If you graduate at the top […]

18 Sep 2017

How to Avoid Setting Your New Salesperson Up For Failure

By |2017-09-19T12:25:35-06:00September 18th, 2017|Categories: Marketing, Oilfield Pulse, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Elephant in the Room - Setting Up New Salesperson for Failure

As you grow your business and hire a new salesperson, you are likely leaving money on the table. Are you making one or more of these mistakes and setting your team up for failure?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve met several people who were hired to work […]

11 Jul 2017

5 Powerful Moments on the Path to Get More Clients

By |2017-07-12T16:20:31-06:00July 11th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Go-Giver Coach, HubSpot Agency Partner, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Phoenix Rising From Fire - Path to Get More Clients

Most small businesses start with someone who has an innovative idea, or at least the desire to build a business around what they do. In most cases, these entrepreneurs fall into sales out of necessity. You either figure out how to get more clients, or you fail.

Our story started this way. Early successes led us to underestimate the power of mastering marketing and sales, both the skills and the […]

15 Jun 2017

Be Interesting – How to Win Leads at Trade Shows

By |2017-06-16T19:08:29-06:00June 15th, 2017|Categories: Branding, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Reporter - Be Interesting Win Leads At Trade Shows

Most businesses seem to hit trade shows as if they are a necessary evil for lead generation. They do what is needed, but don’t try to stand out. At a time when budgets are tight and trade show attendance is dropping, is this approach wise?

As I was walking through the Global Petroleum Show here in Calgary on Tuesday, I was struck by a few insights.

Fitting In – The  80/20 Rule

The […]

25 May 2017

Do You Know What Makes You Successful At Sales?

By |2020-07-02T16:19:19-06:00May 25th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Marketing, Sales, Working on the Business|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

2 Business People Meeting - Successful at Sales

Most small and mid-sized businesses cannot clearly define the process they use for successful sales. This lack of clarity severely limits the growth potential of an SMB. Here’s why.

I didn’t say YOU can’t sell. If you’ve been in business or sales for a few years and are still around, you’ve probably figured something out that works for you.

In fact, I haven’t met very many business owners who don’t think they can sell or at least have someone on […]