http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index Find information to help grow your online business with business plans, Thomas Register, news articles and more http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114350-m-6-sc-46-how_to_boost_sales_in_a_deflated_economy-i Muniz is president of Boxes Etc., a 25-employee wholesale packaging supply company in Orlando, Florida. When the economy was humming along, Muniz ... Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:00:00 -0800 114350 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114349-m-6-sc-46-connect_with_your_customers-i In 2008, Pete Blackshaw authored a book titled, Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000 . You don't have to be a math ... Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:00:00 -0800 114349 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114340-m-6-sc-46-when_customer_focus_becomes_predatory-i Customer focus is a good thing. We all know that. Give the customer what they want, sell based on needs, not products, and offer benefits, not ... Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:00:00 -0800 114340 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114309-m-6-sc-46-become_a_giftgiving_guru-i Last December, Jennifer Finke, having thoroughly enjoyed working for a client, decided to send her a gift. Finke, 32, who owns  JF ... Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114309 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114295-m-6-sc-46-capitalize_on_meaningfuland_affordablegifts-i Small businesses want their clients and employees to know they're appreciated, and the holidays provide an ideal opportunity to say thank you. ... Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114295 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114296-m-6-sc-46-use_gifts_to_reinforce_your_alliances-i Whether it's the holiday season or any other time of year, the purpose of giving gifts to clients, business partners or customers is always the ... Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114296 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114302-m-6-sc-46-4_steps_to_smart_negotiating-i Play this game with me: I have $100 that is owed to both of us. We’re going to split it between us and I get to decide how. You get to ... Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114302 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114293-m-6-sc-46-does_your_business_need_a_retrofit-i "Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." -- Bertolt Brecht Reinvention is the key to customer service, ... Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114293 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114281-m-6-sc-46-how_to_answer_the_toughest_sales_question-i It was a moment most salespeople could appreciate. On April 13, 2004, President George W. Bush held a press conference at which he was asked, ... Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114281 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114276-m-6-sc-46-5_steps_to_happy_clients-i Every week I spend at least five hours on the phone interviewing my client's customers.  Most of this research is intended to help my ... Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114276 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114262-m-6-sc-46-use_coupons_to_lure_lastminute_buyers-i Are you looking for a quick way to increase last-minute holiday sales? Coupons are back in a big way thanks to the recession and are a hit with ... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114262 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114264-m-6-sc-46-avoid_stupid_sales_gimmicks-i Some years ago, a good friend of mine returned from a sales conference with a rubber band around his wrist. Not just any rubber band. One he wore as ... Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114264 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114272-m-6-sc-46-stop_trying_to_close_and_enjoy_the_ride-i "Always be closing" was the mantra among the unscrupulous salesmen in the David Mamet play-turned-movie Glengarry Glen Ross. The simplicity ... Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114272 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114260-m-6-sc-46-market_with_meaning-i When Rob Kaufelt bought Murray’s Cheese in 1991, the Greenwich Village cheese shop was a mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall known mostly to the ... Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114260 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114243-m-6-sc-46-make_the_most_of_your_advertising_dollars-i These days, most U.S. markets are buyer's markets, meaning that consumers have great leverage to get a lot of value for their dollars. Right now, ... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114243 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114234-m-6-sc-46-focus_on_core_customers-i In past columns I have written about the opportunities created by our current economic climate. Regardless of where you fit on the spectrum of ... Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114234 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114230-m-6-sc-46-keep_your_regulars_happy-i Some small business owners are so focused on attracting new customers they forget to take care of the ones they already have. And neglected customers ... Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114230 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114224-m-6-sc-46-want_the_sale_offer_a_test_drive-i A very close friend of mine was looking to replace his old flat screen TV, one of the first ever manufactured, for a state-of-the-art plasma TV. ... Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114224 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114206-m-6-sc-46-celebrate_your_customers-i Do you ever give your customers a standing ovation? I mean a real flag waving hoopla?Do you make a fuss over them? Do you go over the top in ... Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114206 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114160-m-6-sc-46-is_every_customer_a_good_customer-i The goal for most people when they start a business is to find and build a solid customer base. Out of eagerness or desperation to build the ... Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114160 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114173-m-6-sc-46-anchor_your_networking_with_strong_relationships-i This summer, our family took a small-ship tour of the Great Barrier Reef near Australia. The first night we were on the ship, we noticed that the ... Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:00:00 -0700 114173 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114095-m-6-sc-46-in_sales_give_em_the_unexpected-i Every sales meeting you go to is really an ambush in disguise. The clients, prospects or customers you're going to see know precisely why ... Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114095 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-114023-m-6-sc-46-4_ways_to_kill_a_deal_in_brazil-i When Jason Lomoriello, now 38, first traveled to Brazil right out of college, he was blown away by, well, everything--the towering skyscrapers, the ... Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:00:00 -0800 114023 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113961-m-6-sc-46-sales_lessons_from_a_fly_fishing_master-i When I was an adolescent, I went fly fishing with my father, a master of the sport. We were wading in a stream in upstate New York, the elegance of a ... Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:00:00 -0800 113961 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113943-m-6-sc-46-keep_your_eye_on_the_prize_customers-i I speak with dozens of entrepreneurs a week and am regularly struck by the passion with which they talk about both their businesses and their ... Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:00:00 -0800 113943 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113902-m-6-sc-46-the_cost_of_a_price_hike-i Nickels and dimes add up fast, and while consumers might not be aware of the extra charges at first, they're sure to feel it in their pocketbooks ... Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0800 113902 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113867-m-6-sc-46-cultivate_stronger_customer_bonds-i Have you noticed your inboxes are filling up faster lately with promotions from businesses desperate to get your attention? If you're like me and ... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0800 113867 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113884-m-6-sc-46-start_with_the_top_dog_a_sales_primer-i In uncertain times, it's more important than ever to forge alliances with the right people, but with executive assistants guarding the gateway to ... Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0800 113884 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113857-m-6-sc-46-when_the_selling_gets_tough_the_tough_get_smart-i "How do you sell in an environment where no one is buying anything?" A frustrated and frightened salesman asked me that just the other day. ... Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0800 113857 http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-113856-m-6-sc-46-marketing_that_takes_flight-i Steve Astephen's legacy is everywhere. It's in the oceans. It's in the mountains. It's on the street. But more than anywhere, ... Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:00:00 -0800 113856