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Learning Required to Grow Your Business If You Wish to Increase Sales

Guest post by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: Are you learning enough to increase sales? For some, knowledge deficit may be the obstacle to business success.

Learning Required to Grow Your Business If You Wish to Increase Sales

A question from a potential qualified customer reminded me of a scene in my favorite contemporary film, The 13th Warrior. Antonio Banderas whose role is an Arab diplomat is required to travel with some Northmen. With Norse not being his native tongue, he responds to a comment in Norse. When asked how did he come to learn this language, he simply stated: " listened."

Business building requires not only listening, but learning both informal and formal to improve sales skills. For many business owners informal means free while formal translates "This is going to cost me and I cannot afford it."

The hard cold truth is that you cannot afford not to learn. Information is doubling every year and your local business competes in the regional, national and global marketplaces.

So what is keeping you from learning? Maybe you think "No Time?: Do you waste 12 minutes a day? This wasted time translates into at least an hour a week. So time is not the issue.

Maybe the problem is energy? Do you ever go out for dinner after work? If you have the energy for that activity, then energy is available to learn. So energy is not the problem.

Possibly, money is your obstacle. If you are facing a fork in the road and to turn left it will cost you $50 to achieve failure and to turn right it will cost you $100 to achieve success, which way will you turn? So money is truly not the obstacle.

Now if your angst is I don’t know where to find learning opportunities there are countless seminars to meetings within each business community. Here are some resources within Northwest IN (NWI).

The Lake County Advancement Committee holds monthly meetings featuring a local to regional speaker. During the March 2009 meeting, over 60 business owners, executives and sales professionals from Northwest IN (NWI) heard David Bochnowski, President of People’s Bank (Munster IN), speak about the recent financial meltdown. He separated the facts from the myths such as "Banks are closing all over the country." Fact is between 2008 and 2009 only 43 banks closed or merged compared to 1,368 between 1987 and 1992.

For $20, attendees not only have the opportunity to network and eat Tiebels' (Schererville, IN) fabulous perch, they can also gain valuable information not easily acquired elsewhere. This knowledge can help them understand their own business or actually help others.

Chambers of Commerce also scheduled speakers during their monthly luncheon meetings. At a recent Lakeshore Chamber (Hammond, IN) meeting, attendees listened to an informational presentation between Dennis Rittenmeyer and Spero Batistatos specific to the Regional Bus Authority.

The Hammond Innovation Center (Hammond, IN) provides the first Friday Events as well as additional workshops such as their current Lunch and Learn Series. The Enterpreneurship Center of Michigan City (ECMC) also offers seminars and learning engagements. Additionally the Purdue Technology, Envotech and the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) schedule workshops for business owners.

First Financial in Crown Point provides Business Before Hours with local speakers sharing their information on a variety of business topics. Time is available for business networking as well.

Business Sales Coaching Tip: Stop the excuses, schedule at least two monthly learning events to grow (you) first so when you are asked: How do you have all this business acumen, you can respond by simply saying "I learned."

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Article Tags: 13th warrior, advancement committee, antonio banderas, arab diplomat, business building, business community, business owners, cold truth, global marketplaces, lake county, muns, native tongue, nbsp, norse, northmen, northwest, obstacle, rsquo, sales professionals, seminars



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