Published Mar. 18, 2013
SCORE ExpertAnswers
When Jill Konrath recognized that the crazy-busy work environment was wreaking havoc with sellers, she immersed herself in the issue until she discovered new strategies that worked. That resulted in her highly acclaimed book, SNAP Selling, which jumped to #1 on Amazon within hours of its release, joining her previous book, Selling to Big Companies, as one of the site’s most popular sales titles.
Jill has worked with large companies like IBM, GE, and Staples as well as numerous small businesses. She’s also shared her insights and ideas via TV, leading business publications, and on her website
jillkonrath.com which contains a wealth of free resources.
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All customers begin as leads, but is it possible to differentiate a “good lead” from one that may have a lower chance of panning out?
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About the Author
Sales expert Jill Konrath is the author of two best-selling titles, SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies, has trained sales teams at Fortune 1000 brands including IBM, GE and Staples, and works with numerous small businesses to provide the same high-quality sales training normally available to large corporations. Visit her website at jillkonrath.com.
You’re the heart and soul of your business—but while you have the vision and the motivation, you may not have the number sense. True, you can hire someone to take care of the financial details, but you still need to pay attention and have some knowledge of your business bookkeeping so you can make sure you’re not being cheated. I knew a woman who owned her own PR agency and had to close up shop because she never paid attention to her finances--so her second-in-command ended up embezzling a ton of money. Scary, but true.
By Rieva Lesonsky
About the Author
Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media company that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Follow Rieva at twitter.com/rieva and visit her blog at SmallBizDaily.com.
Visit her website SmallBizTrendCast to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free TrendCast reports.
Customer referrals are one of the most powerful and lucrative ways of building business. While word-of-mouth gets you noticed, referrals are even better because the best ones bring purchase-ready customers or clients right to your doorstep (or website) complete with an existing customer’s endorsement.
Customer referrals are one of the most powerful and lucrative ways of building business. While word-of-mouth gets you noticed, referrals are even better because the best ones bring purchase-ready customers or clients right to your doorstep (or website) complete with an existing customer’s endorsement.
About the Author
Daniel Kehrer, Founder & Managing Director of BizBest Media Corp., is a nationally-known, award-winning expert on small and local business, start-ups, content marketing, entrepreneurship and social media, with an MBA from UCLA/Anderson. Read more of Daniel's tips at
www.BizBest.com, follow him at
www.twitter.com/140Main and connect on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/in/danielkehrer.
SCORE's CEO, Kenneth R. Yancey, gives tips for writing and distributing an effective press release for your small business.
What’s the first step to getting your small business noticed? A good press release can garner attention from reporters, TV news media and bloggers—resulting in free publicity. How can you write press releases that work?
Start by deciding what media outlets you want to reach. Do you want to be in the local paper, featured in an industry trade journal, or interviewed on a national radio show? This will determine what topic you choose for your press release.
Published Mar. 11, 2013
This is an online application for those interested in joining one of the Founders Forums. Requirements are descriobed in the companion Founders Forum Information document .
Published Mar. 11, 2013
This document describes a program geared to founders of small businesses that are seeking growth and want to enhance their business. Currently the program is geared to businesses generating a minimum of $250,000 in annual sales, but other factors will be considered.
Published Mar. 11, 2013
This is an online application to apply top join one of SCORE's CEO Forums. The crtieria to join are described in the companion CEO Forum Information document.
Ross Irwin, 65, and Trivonna Irwin, 61, owners of Cabinets by Trivonna in Lacey, are living proof that learning takes place at any age.
After opening their business on the eve of the recession, the Irwins have sought the advice of SCORE and the Small Business Development Center, both providing key advice that helped them weather the recession.
Related Topics
Small business owners are always devising “killer” marketing or ad campaigns that – in theory at least – will send business soaring. Whether created in-house or with outside help, it can be a great concept, with sparkling design and a compelling message and yet still bomb big time.
Small business owners are always devising “killer” marketing or ad campaigns that – in theory at least – will send business soaring. Whether created in-house or with outside help, it can be a great concept, with sparkling design and a compelling message and yet still bomb big time.
About the Author
Daniel Kehrer, Founder & Managing Director of BizBest Media Corp., is a nationally-known, award-winning expert on small and local business, start-ups, content marketing, entrepreneurship and social media, with an MBA from UCLA/Anderson. Read more of Daniel's tips at
www.BizBest.com, follow him at
www.twitter.com/140Main and connect on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/in/danielkehrer.
George Chatzopoulos came to the US in 1989 and immediately started working alongside his father in the restaurant business. After learning every role from dishwasher to chef, George had the experience and knowledge he needed to set out on his own in 2003 and Chip's restaurant was born. For the first few years, sales were steady but he knew he had the potential to do even better, so he turned to SCORE for the jumpstart his business needed.
www.chipsrestaurants.com
My Successes
Thanks to the guidance of SCORE mentors, Chuck Lipetz and Bill McLeod, the original location in Orange, CT was thriving and George knew it was time to open a second location. In 2008, his dream came true and the Fairfield location of Chip's celebrated its grand opening. The new restaurant seats 180 customers and is open 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. It employs 65 employees, 50% of whom were unemployed when hired.
Beyond serving people great food at reasonable prices, George goes above and beyond the call of a typical restaurant to serve his community. He frequently hosts fundraising days where all sales (and employee tips) during a 4-hour period are donated to a local cause – everything from food banks to cancer organizations, struggling single parents to veterans’ homes. On Thanksgiving day, Chip's Fairfield location collected $10,000 in donations to Operation Hope (www.operationhopect.org), a local organization providing food and shelter to the community.
It was Chatzopoulos’s success as an entrepreneur and his humanitarian work that garnered him the 2011 SCORE Bridgeport Client of the Year Award.
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