tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183680262011-12-14T21:51:28.210-05:00<b>Learn practical ways to grow your business by finding and keeping more customers, improving marketing and communication, increasing the capabilities of your staff, and utilizing your hidden knowledge assets to increase profits.</b>Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-56957051546214360272007-07-30T14:33:00.001-04:002007-07-30T15:48:37.325-04:00

Traditional businesses in the offline world, or "bricks and mortar" companies, had the same needs as anyone doing business online today: getting the word out about their products and services. Way back when, pre-1994 and the Web, we used personal networking as a powerful channel to tell other people about our businesses and get referrals.We joined the Rotary Club, hoping for the chance to be a

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1152114096135074242007-07-05T11:35:00.000-04:002007-07-30T15:14:32.588-04:00

Face it, your business succeeds or fails on its business communication. You may think that sales and marketing are the two most important facets of your business. They are indeed important, but they are both dependant upon good business communication.Without sales of products or services, you have no revenue and shortly, no business. You know that well enough. But sales are made when your message

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1150222115548317552007-06-13T13:57:00.000-04:002007-07-30T15:15:22.460-04:00

This is a Russian proverb. Rather than being a comment on quality, it reminds us that sometimes you just have to ship. We know there are things we could always do better. If you subscribe to the idea of continuous quality improvement, as I do, then striving for excellence is a worthy endeavor. Unfortunately, if you don't have a plan in place to release interim levels of quality, your business can

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1150226102489743052007-06-12T15:04:00.000-04:002007-07-30T15:15:43.562-04:00

Commitment is usually a good thing. When you say you're going to do something, you should do it. When you tell your partners, your investors, or your staff that you will grow the business, then you should follow through with that and undertake activities that contribute to growth.But every now and then, a commitment can take its toll. Witness my last five months. No updates to the BizGro blog

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1137504160556628112007-01-17T07:59:00.000-05:002007-07-30T15:16:06.451-04:00

Actively growing a business often requires some changes to be made. Many times, that change has to be made in the business owner first, before changes can be made to the company. If you've been in patterns of habits for a while, overcoming the inertia of that well-worn path can be difficult. Here is a useful plan for making and sustaining change that will support business growth.1. Clarify your

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1137271341684907732007-01-13T20:29:00.000-05:002007-07-30T15:25:39.190-04:00

The most important activity of any business is marketing. Without marketing, you have no customers. It's marketing that creates the interest in, and demand for, your product or service. Marketing gets the message out about your business. It offers potential customers another option for where they should spend their money.One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to consider marketing as

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1136662016037867752007-01-06T14:06:00.000-05:002007-07-30T15:26:00.617-04:00

At the beginning of a new year, many of us like to review the past 12 months, and revisit our plans for the coming 12 months. If we are forward thinking, we probably have a look at the 5-year and 10-year plans we may have made, as well.It is always said of business plans that they are dynamic documents which should be regularly read, revised, republished, and consulted. I agree. I also like to

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1136161796498413342007-01-02T00:08:00.000-05:002007-07-30T15:26:22.136-04:00

A customer enters your store. If you approach them and ask "May I help you?", what is the most likely response? They reply "No thanks, I'm just looking." That "No" from the customer brings everything to a halt. Conversation over. Interaction with customer over. Opportunity to sell, gone. Sales = $0.00.Instead, greet your customer with "What brings you into our store today?" Almost any response

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1136162552432294572006-01-01T19:41:00.000-05:002006-01-01T19:45:44.110-05:00

I wish all of you a spectacular New Year, filled with prosperity and business success, as well as personal growth, peace and happiness.Make this your best year yet!

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1135697093307670132005-12-27T10:24:00.000-05:002006-01-01T19:30:21.846-05:00

I have encountered clients who desperately want to grow their businesses, but are already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to do to keep their current operations running smoothly.In most of these situations, we discover that they don't really have a business, they have a job that they've created for themselves. They've actually created a self-employment situation. They may have

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1135698420361017822005-12-24T10:45:00.000-05:002006-01-01T19:43:06.020-05:00

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a blessed and joyous holiday, no matter what you celebrate at this time of year.May the New Year bring you greater prosperity and business growth!Beth Agnew

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131211526104697052005-12-13T12:24:00.000-05:002006-01-26T12:43:01.453-05:00

Entrepreneurs and business owners rarely think of themselves as being project managers. Yet most of their activities day to day involve one project or another. In the most basic sense, every task or event is a project. Planning an anniversary party, getting the car serviced, establishing a relationship with a new supplier, and hiring a new employee, are all projects.Given the pervasiveness of "

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1133017892513805612005-12-10T10:09:00.000-05:002005-12-14T09:35:27.080-05:00

Do you have systems in place in your business, or only an infrastructure?To permit a business to grow, it needs more than just a framework. Manageable, repeatable systems, which can operate independent of the business owner, are necessary before a business can reach its potential.While infrastructure is important, and is often a first step in establishing a strong business model, you will need a

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1133017743511251712005-12-07T10:08:00.000-05:002006-01-07T01:07:31.853-05:00

It doesn't take a business genius to figure out that customers are your key to success. Without customers, no business can survive. Just as having customers means the business can function, caring for your customers means that your business can grow -- sometimes exponentially.We live in an increasingly stressful world. Downsizing, shaky economy, and the threat of terrorism preys on our minds and

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1133017789782113812005-12-02T10:09:00.000-05:002005-12-10T13:23:35.093-05:00

To grow your business, you might need to adjust your business model. By business model, we mean the structure, focus, and operational methodology of your business.Business growth usually means paying more attention to customers. If you do not have a customer-centric business model that is tightly focused on attracting, delighting, and maintaining customers, you might want to make some changes so

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131458348282506232005-11-26T08:54:00.000-05:002005-12-10T13:10:47.356-05:00

Networking is one of the most powerful ways to develop profitable business relationships and increase the flow of prospects to your business. Business growth depends on continual marketing, so get out there and talk to people!How to Network for Results:1. The power of a NAME: Make sure your name and contact information is on cards and brochures you can give to those you meet. If you wear a

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131369547903004782005-11-22T08:18:00.000-05:002005-11-26T10:40:09.833-05:00

The first step to growing your business is often improving your business. I recommend you review every department, system, process, and policy in your business to ensure it is as lean, effective, and efficient as possible. During this review, ask yourself what would happen to this aspect of the business if growth did indeed occur. Do this, before you start to engage in any growth activities.There

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131211449762227652005-11-17T12:23:00.000-05:002005-11-17T13:31:48.023-05:00

Time is that unique commodity that is quickly consumed but also replenished daily. We all have the same amount of time available each day, but we spend it in very different ways.For many business owners and entrepreneurs, time management is an ongoing challenge. You want to have time to work ON the business as well as in it, you want to have time for marketing, for networking, for building

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131455692698413402005-11-14T13:13:00.000-05:002005-11-26T10:07:16.756-05:00

Business growth often depends upon the capabilities of your employees. Many companies like to say they have "empowered" employees. Often, they are just using the buzzword without understanding what true employee empowerment involves.To empower employees:Give them authentic decision-making power. This means that they have the permission, the mandate, and the authority to make a decision that

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131211432820838532005-11-10T11:50:00.000-05:002005-12-06T01:23:35.236-05:00

The rule of thumb for increasing customer revenue is simple:Increase the number of customers who buy from you.Increase the number of times each customer buys from you.Increase the amount of money they spend every time they buy.In practice, complex strategies may be required to make any or all of those three things happen.The first marketing task for any company is to get leads. Spend time every

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131208731383466042005-11-07T11:38:00.000-05:002005-11-08T08:25:08.720-05:00

People problems are often caused by poor morale in a company. We expect employees to provide a full day's work for a fair wage. That is the basic contract between employer and employee. When one side or the other fails to fulfill that contract, low morale and job dissatisfaction can be a result.There may not be any fault on the part of the employer, but simply a perception by the employee that

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1131213195214143582005-11-03T12:25:00.000-05:002005-11-15T14:14:31.686-05:00

We've all heard "Do what you love and the money will follow". Pursuing your passion is the best way to be successful. But every dream job has its downside of activities that you don't want to do, you're not good at, and yes, that you hate.For some, it's marketing and lead generation. For others, it's dealing with customers, or employees. How many businesses are really self-owned jobs because the

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1130867528918059712005-11-01T12:26:00.000-05:002005-11-01T13:19:35.810-05:00

Typical advice for increasing profits includes cutting costs, selling more, and improving the gross profit margin. Sounds simple. In practice, not so simple. You may already have cut costs to the bone. Cutting them further would curtail certain services, affect the quality of your products, or force you to let go staff. Future tips will consider some additional cost-cutting strategies, and how to

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1130607039377291012005-10-29T12:50:00.000-04:002006-01-26T12:43:33.326-05:00

Every business person with any degree of responsibility needs trusted colleagues with whom they can discuss their strategies. More importantly, a business owner, entrepreneur, or executive officer needs a great mastermind team to help refine and bullet-proof action plans, share experience, and as a sounding board for ideas.If you want to grow your business, your mastermind team can help you chart

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1130515578108646682005-10-28T11:49:00.000-04:002005-10-29T19:09:53.086-04:00

One of the questions most considered by entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses is "How much is this going to cost me?". You may be at the juncture where business growth is a good idea, but channeling funds into growth activities is a risk that could hurt other aspects of the business.Choices include:Debt or equity financingGoing publicAdding products or servicesIncreasing Per-Customer

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18368026.post-1130442442601761292005-10-27T15:46:00.000-04:002005-10-29T19:09:37.723-04:00

Bookstores, web sites, and government resources are full of information on "How to Start a Business". Sadly, there is very little information on how to grow a business after you get it started. Entrepreneurs, by nature, are creative people who have floods of ideas and a talent for planting seeds that grow into good, solid businesses. That entrepreneurial nature is often not the right temperament

Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17291763765575685565noreply@blogger.com0