LESSON #1: AIM, DON’T BLAME!
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog
Last week was National Small Business Week. Every year at this time the North Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida celebrates with an awards luncheon singling out small business owners in their region who are outstanding. This... WHY DIDN’T THEY TELL ME?
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog
Often the best ideas to solve problems, cut costs, and improve sales come from your own people – but they never get to you. Why? Because you have inadvertently allowed your company’s structure to prevent them from doing so. Employees, vendors, and customers are... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog, Sales
Brian Tracy once said that most employee behavioral problems are caused by compensation systems. In short, you get what you pay for. Nowhere is this more critical than in how you compensate your sales team. For years we paid our salespeople a commission based on sales... PROFESSIONAL OR IMPERSONAL
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog, Sales
Sometimes you can do everything right and still lose the sale. Why? Because the buyers simply don’t like you or your approach. Sometimes in an effort to be professional we can be read as mechanical, sterile, and heartless. Sure, it’s a thin line between too much... TREAT YOUR VENDORS LIKE YOUR CUSTOMERS
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey | Business Blog
The salespeople who call on your business have much more to offer than the products and services they represent. They are a gold mine of information and are in a position to significantly help your business. In this series, we have examined the guiding principles that...