It took chance and good fortune to have the paths of Barbara Hyde and Sandy Ramsey cross 15 years ago.  Both had relocated to Phoenix years ago, were business owners and had a need to fill.  Barbara required software for Statewide Barricade and Sandy needed customers for her software development company.  Little did they know [...]

  EB – What was your education and professional experience before becoming an entrepreneur? Were they helpful to starting your businesses? RR – I received my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Rutgers University and my master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Iona College. After graduating from Rutgers, I took the opportunity to pursue [...]

I recently spoke at a conference hosted by the Women’s Leadership Exchange. During my presentation, by using personal experiences, I single-handedly debunked the myth that real business is not done by using social media and social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. I used personal experiences for several reasons: ·    Most people who know me [...]

I looked up the word “sell” in the dictionary. This is what it said: “To persuade (another) to recognize the worth or desirability of something.” This definition assumes value. It assumes that you recognize the value of whatever it is that you are selling. Inherent in the definition is the concept of worth or desirability. [...]

You know the features and benefits of your solution and now it’s time to put your sales skills to the test!  But before you hit the pavement or the Internet, you have to implement the right sales tools to support your sales efforts: Business Brand – Integrate Touch Points with your Brand Foundation Since we’re [...]

Most folks I know would rather go to the dentist than sell their product or service. A good number of business owners I talk to HATE to reach out to new prospects (commonly referred to as cold calling) dread giving their “personal pitch” and shy away from “the ask”. Since selling is part and parcel [...]

“Properly trained, a man can be a dog’s best friend”, quipped Corey Ford, the 20th century American writer. And properly trained, well-behaved clients can be your best friends, too.  While we like to think that animal training and child rearing are totally unlike establishing and maintaining business relationships with peers . . . in some [...]

I started my sale career in 1984 as a sale representative for a famous French appliance supply company. For just under two years I managed their booth at the Galleries Lafayette in Paris. That was long time ago and so many things have changed ever since. But that is another story. I started working with [...]

Let’s face it, the true sale is really about closing the deal.  Selling art is really personal. I know many artists who have a really hard time selling their originals.  Artists spend time with their art, sometimes days, sometimes months or years.  They learn to grow and love their art.  They tweak it and manipulate [...]

When I speak to entrepreneurs (and to professionals considering starting a business) usually the topic of selling will come up. I don’t know many people who will admit to liking it or even having much respect for it. That’s probably because we tend to have the idea that selling is a negative thing to do. [...]

Throughout my many years of self-exploration and as the proverbial salesperson in the business world, I came to realize that most people’s verbal communication is nothing more than an outpouring of words with little thought given to the impact of those words from the listener’s perspective. We are all too busy in our own heads [...]