HONESTY TRUMPS TRICKERY, ALWAYS
January 4, 2011
It may come as a surprise to learn that there is no substitute for truthfulness and honesty in negotiating a business transaction. Bending the truth, providing inaccurate information or even outright lying to get your way is sure to backfire sooner or later. If the other party loses confidence in your credibility during negotiations, the deal may not occur. [Read more]
SYSTEMS ARE 100% MANDATORY
January 3, 2011
Think you don’t need systems? Better think again. The business battlefield is one hell of a competitive environment. Winning demands precision. Just winging it DOES NOT CUT IT anymore. With the right systems in place, your business will operate smoothly, with the least possible effort and energy expended. Your business will be more profitable and much easier to run. Systems are the key to delivering a consistent, repeatable, excellent performance.
Establishing systems ensures that every part of your business is being used to its full potential. [Read more]
OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS
December 30, 2010
The best way to handle objections is to prevent them from coming up in the first place.
For example, if you’ve asked enough questions to establish what they really want, what their price point is, and how important this deal is to them, that makes it tough for them to suddenly insist that the price is too high. It’s too late for that; you’ve already had that discussion. [Read more]
Craig Zuber’s Podcast: Learning In Action – Every Experience Counts
December 21, 2010
Education equals experience in business. Amassing knowledge is only the first step. Putting it into practice is what will keep you alive. And EVERY experience in life—good and bad—is a golden learning opportunity.
Check out my latest audio blog. Just click the play button and enjoy.
WHY YOU NEED A BUSINESS BATTLE PLAN
December 17, 2010
If you want to drive from Chicago to Albuquerque, do you just jump in a car, start driving, and see what happens? Drive real fast in no particular direction and hope you get there sooner or later? Not a chance. If you’re a rational person you’ll start with a roadmap or a GPS, and you’ll probably check more than one to compare and consider your options. You’ll ask people who have made the drive before to give you advice. You’ll find out how long it will take, what the landmarks and milestones are, which route suits your purposes best. You’ll make sure your car is in good shape so it won’t die on the way and leave you stuck in the middle of nowhere. [Read more]
CREATING A BUDGET
December 13, 2010
It’s not complicated to figure out and it doesn’t take a math or accounting degree to understand, create, and follow a budget. And it’s a great idea to do this yourself instead of hiring somebody to take care of it for you when you first start out. Why? Because that gives you a better handle on how the numbers work. You will KNOW what’s going on instead of taking someone else’s word for it. And—you’ll be able to guide them in setting up the kind of reports that will make sense to YOU instead of having to read piles of printouts that confuse the hell out of you. –Click here to continue reading–
SHOW UP LOCKED AND LOADED
December 10, 2010
The Difference Between Closing the Sale & Losing
The best insurance you can have for a successful close is being well prepared. Do your homework. Being prepared is what makes the difference between closing and losing. You need to be able to answer questions, deal knowledgeably with any issues that come up, and instill confidence that you know what you’re doing.
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WHY LEADERSHIP MATTERS
December 9, 2010
Without leadership, nothing gets done. What happens if nobody steps up? Nothing. Somebody has to cross the bridge first, to be the one who sticks their neck out, to establish a direction and inspire people to action.
Anyone can lead from any level—opportunities to be a leader are everywhere, every day. What does that mean? It means step up, take charge. If you see that something clearly needs to be done, why are you waiting for somebody else to do it? Say, for example, I’m working in my cube and I realize that a system isn’t working right and I have an idea for making it better. But, I’m not the boss, so I don’t speak up or stick my neck out. That’s crazy!
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SAVE TIME. CREATE CLARITY. GET RESULTS.
December 7, 2010
Picture this. You sent your assistant an email about a task you wanted him to take care of, but it wasn’t clear. Something was left out or lost in translation. Happens all the time. He didn’t understand and therefore did not act on it. You’re frustrated because you didn’t get the outcome you needed, which makes you look bad to the client. Your assistant is frustrated because he takes pride in his work and now he feels responsible for the screw up, even though it wasn’t his fault. Everybody looks bad, everybody is frustrated.
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SETTING EXPECTATIONS AT THE OUTSET (CLEAR COMMUNICATION IS MANDATORY)
December 6, 2010
We all feel more comfortable in situations where we know what to expect and we know what’s expected of us. One of the best ways to put your clients or customers at ease is to explain how this is all going to work for them and what it will look and feel like.
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FREE: No Money, No Problem! e-book
“No Money. No Problem!” ebook.
It’s FREE, entertaining, and it will teach you lessons in negotiation that I taught my six year old son during a recent vacation to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Click the cover above to read the story.
