Bring Them Flowers

There are a few things you must do to prepare for your first face-to-face meeting: Make a list of what you want to accomplish during the meeting; Anticipate potential concerns from the client; Check to ensure you are completely prepared; Listen more than you talk; Bring support staff with you; Use and respect the client’s […]

Who’s Your MVP?

The previous post dealt with making first contact with your prospective big fish and how to make a positive first impression. Today we’re going to cover feeling out the personality of your prospective big fish in order to match the right salesperson to the fish. You need to do this in two steps: Profile your […]

Are You On The Right Path?

There are a number of factors to take into consideration when prepping yourself and your company to approach the largest clients you may ever work with. Today we will begin with a brief look at the three paths every business faces and show you which one is the path to success. Then we’ll talk about […]

Are You Growing By 1%?

The Rule of 1% is simply defined as improving your customer service one percent at a time. Before you can do this, you must perfect your consistency or this growth will never be realized. One percent may seem small, but if you approach the vision for your company with baby steps, you have the potential […]

Another Secret Revealed

In the last post we outlined the first secret to building a solid customer service plan and how to establish your vision for your business. Today we will discuss the second secret in elevating your satisfied customers to raving fans. It is imperative that you know what your customers want. Familiarize yourself with who your […]

Shhh… I Have a Secret

Customer service is a hot topic and can make or break your business. Consumers have little patience for poor customer service and easily get tired of waiting in long lines, trying to get a live person on the line, going through an interrogation to return something, or trying to communicate through a language barrier. If […]

Add Some Compost

In the last post we covered the first three of the 7 specific areas you need to consider in your franchise prototype process. To refresh your memory they are: Primary Aim Strategic Objectives Organizational Strategy Management Strategy People Strategy Marketing Strategy Systems Strategy   These 7 areas will fine tune your plan for the ultimate […]

Mortar Makes it Happen

Today we are going to examine the three keys to business development and how you can put the right bricks in place to build a solid foundation. There are three main areas of business development: Innovation Quantification Orchestration   If done well these three areas will help you build a solid foundation for you business. […]

Expand the Life of Your Business

Today we will explore the life cycle of a business and how to get the most out of each cycle while also extending the lifespan of your business. The four different stages of a business life cycle are: Infancy Adolescence Growing Pains Maturity   We’ll look at what each of these cycles mean and how […]

Gather the Troops

Today I’d like to focus on the different types of support staff you will require and what makes them so integral. There are essentially three key roles that need to be filled to set your business up for success: The Technician The Manager The Entrepreneur   All of these roles must be played simultaneously by […]