Every business owner knows how crucial sales are to keeping a company going. Without paying customers, there’s no money coming in, which means no profits to help the business grow. But convincing people to buy something isn’t always an easy task, and many entrepreneurs still struggle with selling.
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Even in these digitized times, some business processes still require the human touch and people skills. That’s particularly true in sales, the linchpin of every company’s success. Salespeople can reap significant professional and financial rewards if they have the right stuff, experts say.
Some of the most successful salespeople share 10 personality traits, said Peter Leighton, senior vice president of recruiting for Combined Insurance, which fields more than 1,300 commissioned sales representatives throughout the country.
A critical element to any successful small business is developing an effective marketing plan.
While larger businesses have the ability to invest massive amounts of resources into their marketing efforts, most small businesses don’t have that luxury. The key for smaller businesses is to figure out how to get the most bang for their marketing buck, which is what Linda and Mike Boyd of the Denver-area Instant Imprints franchise have done. Instant Imprints is a nationwide franchise that combines screen printing, embroidery, signage and promotional products all under one business umbrella.
There have been rumblings for years from the Federal Reserve that interest rates are going to rise. But so far that hasn’t quelled homebuying activity. Median existing single-family homes clocked in at $229,400 in the second quarter of 2015, up from $177,000 in 2012, a rise of more than 29 percent.
It’s often assumed that financial planning for high-net-worth individuals is all about sophisticated investments and complex strategies that are either too expensive or otherwise off-limits to the general public. However, experts who deal with wealthy clients say those are rarely the focus.
What these financial plans tend to revolve around are fairly basic strategies, such as developing cash-flow models, maxing out retirement accounts, minimizing taxes and creating plans for clients to pass on both their wealth and values to future generations.