Learning Required to Grow Your Business If You Wish to Increase Sales
Learning Required to Grow Your Business If You Wish to Increase Sales
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."
Learning Required to Grow Your Business If You Wish to Increase Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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."
Learning Required to Grow Your Business If You Wish to Increase Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Leanne's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 Benefit From Analytics Sample Credit Application SEO Today Boomers & Zoomers Dismiss a Franchise |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 SEO Posts - 2007
Top SEO Posts of the Year | |
 |
Top 50 HR Blogs 2009
Top 50 HR Blogs 2009 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||