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“All I need is more sales!”  Raise your hand if you’ve heard that phrase before from a small business owner you know.  Raise both hands if that small business owner is you! A Marketing plan can be one of the most daunting things to pull together for just about any small business owner.  Where do you start?

Chances are if you’ve been in business for a couple of years then you’ve probably engaged the services of some outside marketing folks.  Chances are also high that you had a not so great experience with those outside marketing folks. What’s even more frustrating, the marketing folks likely feel that they’ve done a great job for you.  So why the disconnect?

Our experience with small businesses and the marketers who are providing services is that there is often a gap between what the business owner believes they are paying for and what the service provider believes they are providing.  A simple example that most owners can relate to is a brochure. The marketing professional likely believes their goal is to provide a great tri-fold brochure. A brochure that looks good and tells the story of your company in a compelling and visually pleasing manner.  You as the business owner are expecting to increase your sales by using these brochures.

So what happens when the beautiful brochure is delivered?  The marketing professional feels their work is done, but the business owner feels like they’ve paid for something that hasn’t delivered any results yet.  The results the business owner is looking for is increased sales.

During the show tonight, we addressed how you as the business owner can have better results with your marketing going forward as it relates to increasing your sales.  We shared several stories of clients who have had some good results and break down some of the key findings we have to make sure your Marketing plan is delivering the increased sales your heart desires!

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

Definition of Marketing (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/marketing.html)

Pi Beta Phi (https://www.pibetaphi.org/pibetaphi/)

Van Morrison Brown Eye Girl (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Eyed_Girl)

This Is Spinal Tap, This One Goes to 11 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/)

The post How Do I Market My Small Business To Grow Sales? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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In This Episode

This past Monday our country honored a great leader who had a tremendous impact on race relations as well as many other things in the United States.  I was watching a documentary recently that provided some history and insight into to inner workings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his team called King in the Wilderness.

I was struck by how similar the things he dealt with are to those things that our small business clients deal with.  Especially when it comes to Leadership.  He wrestled with things many small business owners wrestle with including doubts, people pulling at you, feeling like you’re always “on”, negative impacts to your personal life, etc.  Most people aren’t thinking of these things when they think of Martin Luther King, Jr., a small business owner, or anyone else in a leadership role.

During tonight’s show we shared several stories about clients and our own personal experiences with many of the Leadership issues that Martin Luther King, Jr. dealt with in a public and private way.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

• King in the Wilderness (https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/king-in-the-wilderness)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.)
• Sopranos (https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos)

The post Leadership Lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr. appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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In This Episode

Politics is a 4-letter word when it comes to business.  And it’s certainly a dirty secret of just about any organization.  So what do you do about it as the owner?  What can you do to prevent politics from infecting your organization?  If they’re already in your company, how do you get them out?

During the first part of tonight’s show we give some ideas for how to deal with politics in your business and shared several stories of what those politics might look like in your organization.

In the second half of the show we were joined by long-time MVP business coaching client and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business alum, Bob Scaccia of USA Firmware.  Bob shared some highlights from his time in the Goldman Sachs program as well as chatted about the ever expanding area of IoT (aka Internet of Things).

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

• USA Firmware (https://www.usafirmware.com)
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/)
• Internet of Things (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things)
• Flintstones (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flintstones)

The post How Do I Deal With Politics In My Company and Special Guest Bob Scaccia from USA Firmware appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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In This Episode

During tonight’s show we were joined by two business advisors from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program here in Cleveland.  Mark Pinto and Steve Sinisgalli have both been involved with the Goldman Sachs program for several years after successful careers in training and banking, respectively.

One of the exciting new monthly segments we’re kicking off in 2019 is having an alumni from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program join us for a segment to share their experience with the program and how it helped their businesses.  Mark and Steve gave some insights into what a typical day looks like during the program with an emphasis on “peer-to-peer” learning vs. lectures.  They also shared several wonderful stories about the participants in the program, aka scholars, and the successes they had with implementing their Growth Plans.

If you’re a business owner who thinks they’re the only one dealing with a certain challenge or opportunity then this program is for you.  You will learn from your peers who have gone through similar circumstances.  Mark and Steve also talked about the power of networking and how 85% of the alumni do business together.

If you’re curious to learn more about what is involved, click here to download a copy of the curriculum for the first cohort of 2019.  If you’re interested in applying, you can go here https://10ksbapply.com.

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://10ksbapply.com)

The post Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, Mark Pinto and Steve Sinisgalli appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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Phew!  The holidays are finally over…and now we can get back to normal life!  Isn’t that a good thing?  How do you get back on track?  More importantly, how do you get your team and business back on track for the new year?

During tonight’s show we chatted about everything from holiday parties and their true objective which is often misunderstood and Jack makes the case for why you shouldn’t have holiday parties for your company.

What are you doing to move ahead and shake off those holiday hangovers, both literal and figurative?  If you’re struggling for ideas on how to move into the new year, tonight’s show if for you!

People, Companies and Resources We Mentioned in the Show

• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program (https://10ksbapply.com)
• It’s A Wonderful Life (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/)
• Christmas Vacation (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958/)

The post How Do I Escape The Holiday Hangover for My Business? appeared first on Dirty Secrets of Small Business.

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