specialization paired with brand identity will help you compete
If you had just a few minutes to convince a potential customer that you’re the perfect person for their freelance opportunity, what would you say? Which skills make you unique? Do you know your own value, and can you express …
Paying attention to cash flow helps you avoid disaster
Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a freelancer, being responsible for your own business is empowering and exciting. The possibilities are endless, but so are the risks, particularly financial risk. In fact, one of the main reasons that new businesses fail …
Identifying real risks is critical for effective risk management
The purpose of risk management is obviously to manage risks. But one of the most common failings in the risk management process is for the risk identification step to identify things that are not risks. If this early stage of …
Successful consultants are client-focused
The word “consultant” encompasses more professions than many people realize. If you work toward changing or improving a business situation—without having direct decision power over that situation—you’re consulting. “Consultant” might be in your job description, or it might not. Business …
September 9, 2017 |
Insights |
Denise Gifford
How wishful thinking can be dangerous to your business
It seems that starting a business has never been easier. Social media and crowd funding are just a couple of the developments that have eased the way for entrepreneurs. With online tools, an entrepreneur can now set up shop and …
When done right, risk management is a critical factor in business success
Plato is quoted as saying that “The problem with the future is that more things might happen than will happen.” Or as Pliny said, “The only certainty is that there is nothing certain.” Nowhere is this more evident than in …
June 6, 2017 |
Interviews
According to Fisher, sales has changed, and we need to keep up
The internet has fundamentally changed the role of today’s salesperson, and this is a reality that can’t be ignored. In a world where consumers can purchase anything from diapers to high-end jewelry with a simple click of the mouse, the contemporary salesperson must …
Begin by thinking creatively about the problem
When you’re faced with a problem in day-to-day business life, what is your strategy for getting it resolved? All too often, business professionals make problems more difficult by jumping to conclusions and implementing “solutions” before the problem is fully understood. …
March 22, 2017 |
Knowledge
Assess the situation to see if negotiating makes sense
We negotiate all the time. Any time you want something that another person has, or that person wants something that you have, you’re in a potential negotiation. Should you negotiate? That depends. You’ll want to size up the situation and …
Build value with your customers by understanding their business concerns
What keeps your customer up at night? What is he or she most worried about? One of the best ways to build value with your customers is through a deep understanding of their business concerns. Too often, salespeople lead with …
December 6, 2016 |
Resources
It’s a challenge to measure ad effectiveness of online ads. In this podcast, researchers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University talk about how hard it is to really measure whether a digital ad is effective, and discuss …
November 12, 2016 |
Insights
Opportunities in Managing Risk
You will find risk everywhere you look, if you look for it. Every time we get into a car, as a driver or passenger, there is the risk of an accident. Every time we burn a candle, there is a …