Creating Value Archives – Sunwapta Solutions

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 […]

23 Jul 2020

How to Fight the Right Fight – Pick a Rising Trend

By Doug Wagner|2020-07-23T00:08:39-06:00July 23rd, 2020|Categories: Business Strategy, Leadership, Mindset and Motivation|Tags: advice, business, business advice, business growth, business strategy, business success, Creating Value, Entrepreneurship, Marketing Strategy, Pandemic, Rising Tide, Rising Trends, small business, small business owner, strategy, success|

“A rising tide raises all ships.” ~ John F. Kennedy

The tide is a metaphor for the overall economy. The theory is that if the overall economy is rising, everyone benefits. Conversely, if the tide is falling, everyone suffers.

Yet, is any of this consistently accurate? Does the tide affect every business the same?

Looking Closer at the Trends

To see the overall economy, you have to zoom way out. When you are at this level, you can’t easily see any details.

To find meaning – cause and effect – you […]

22 Dec 2017

A Year of Reflections and Shining a Light on 2018

By Doug Wagner|2017-12-22T21:13:37-07:00December 22nd, 2017|Categories: Business Strategy, Marketing, Sales, Software Development|Tags: adding value, business, business advice, business growth, business strategy, business success, Clients, Creating Value, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Ideal Client, Ideal Clients, inbound marketing, innovation, innovation engine, Lead Generation, marketing, Marketing Strategy, Online Marketing, Perfect Client, revenue engine, sales, sales enablement, sales process, small business, software development, strategy, success, Tax Checklist, workflow, Working on the Business|

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 Doug Wagner|2017-11-28T15:57:49-07:00November 28th, 2017|Categories: Doug's Blog, Sales|Tags: adding value, business, business advice, business success, Closing, Closing Sales, Creating Value, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Fanatical Prospecting, Jeb Blount, Lead Generation, marketing, Prospecting, sales, sales process, smarketing, Working on the Business|

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.

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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 […]

25 Jul 2017

Does Your Business Deserve the Marketing Results You Want?

By Doug Wagner|2017-07-26T20:06:46-06:00July 25th, 2017|Categories: Branding, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Oilfield Pulse|Tags: Brand Strategy, business advice, Business Culture, business strategy, Convert Leads, Creating Value, Customer Acquisition, Entrepreneurship, inbound marketing, Lead Conversion, Lead Generation, marketing, Marketing and Sales, Marketing Results, Marketing Services, Marketing Strategy, Oil and Gas Industry, Oilfield Hub, Oilfield Pulse, Online Marketing, sales, Sales Support, small business, smarketing, Social Media Engagement, Systems and Processes, Working on the Business|

Are you holding both the business and your marketing team accountable for marketing results? Wise business leaders understand that effective marketing amplifies the message the company is already putting out – the two must be in sync.

Know What You Control

Three things that you control determine your perceived position in the market include your

Business strategy and how well you execute on it,
Company culture and the people who make that culture, and
Business processes and […]

12 Apr 2017

5 Powerful Exercises to Rehab Your Business

By Doug Wagner|2017-04-12T16:44:29-06:00April 12th, 2017|Categories: Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Oilfield Pulse, Working on the Business|Tags: business, business advice, business strategy, Creating Value, Ideal Clients, Increasing Sales, innovation, marketing, O&G, Oil and Gas, Oil and Gas Industry, Oil and Gas Service Company, sales, strategy|

In rehab, you engage with experts and specialists to get through the first few stages of recovery. You can also speed it along by outsourcing to clinics outside of the public health care system.

At some point, you have to do some of the work on your own. If the exercises are too complicated or time-consuming, most people won’t do them.

So here are some simple but powerful exercises you can do to rehab your business. You will get stronger faster, by pushing the exercises […]

6 Sep 2016

How Does Your Value Stack Up In A New Market?

By Doug Wagner|2017-07-12T19:42:21-06:00September 6th, 2016|Categories: Branding, Business Strategy, Doug's Blog, Marketing, Oilfield Pulse|Tags: adding value, Brand Strategy, business, business strategy, Creating Value, Entering a New Market, Existing Market, Expansion, Finding Clients, Market, Market Opportunity Assessment, marketing, Marketing Strategy, New Market, Oilfield Hub, Oilfield Pulse, perceived value, Products, Retail, Services, Target, Target Canada|

If you are unprepared or desperate, entering a new market can kill your business. Deep pockets won’t always save you either.

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Remember Target expanding into Canada back in 2013? They had deep pockets and resources. Then after a series of missteps, they pulled out roughly two years later, incurring financial losses in the billions.

Target Canada made a lot of mistakes starting with […]

7 Jan 2015

Crossing The Bridge To Value

By Doug Wagner|2017-05-30T19:20:41-06:00January 7th, 2015|Categories: Doug's Blog, Go-Giver Coach, Marketing, Sales|Tags: 80/20 rule, adding value, bridge to value, business, client value, Creating Value, customer value, sales, sales process, small business, small business owner, Steps of the Sale, success, Working on the Business|

In this guest post by Certified Go-Giver Coach and Business Growth Authority Doug Wagner, you’ll learn how to move the selling process from non-productive to very productive…through a simple crossing of the bridge to value. Powerful!!

Enjoy Doug’s wisdom! – Bob Burg

I was conducting some sales training over a period of 3 days this past fall and observed something happening repeatedly during the practice sessions. When I reflected on my own […]