Do Business Well

Types of Media

1. Direct mail. Direct mail can be very effective, though you’ll be fighting hard for attention in a medium that is saturated with highly sophisticated competition. What follows are some general rules for reaching a list of known customers, whether business to business or consumer:

A. Start with the envelope. Print something intriguing on the outside that will make your target curious about the contents. One mass mailer who sends our company at least two or three mailings per week puts “personal and confidential” on the envelope. It’s amazing, but folks are actually more likely to open that envelope first. Continue Reading »

4 Comments »

To create an image for my wholesale business, we constructed a four-hundred-square-foot bike shop on the floor of the show. It was complete with a brick facade exterior, shingle roof, display windows, and fully outfitted interior.

To draw attention in a show where the booths and product were becoming increasingly high-tech, we went against the trend. We built a four-booth island display to look like a circus. The product was displayed on a carousel. We had clowns handing out balloons with our name and phone number on them. Continue Reading »

4 Comments »

The trade show is a method for businesses who have a common customer base to come together and share the expense of meeting those customers one-on-one in an environment controlled by the suppliers. These shows are produced by trade associations or private producers who charge businesses for space in the show.

Since this method of seeking sales is generally expensive and time consuming, it’s important that your participation generate the maximum results possible. After participating in over one hundred trade shows, I have certain well-learned lessons I’d like to share. Continue Reading »

4 Comments »

Suddenly the air is charged as the voices of two employees rise in a crescendo of anger. Today, one is accusing the other of fouling up the production schedule; yesterday, it was because a customer’s order was sent out a day late. Enough is enough. The constant bickering disturbs other workers and upsets the departmental machinery.

Disputes between employees are common and inevitable. The difficult decision is when to step in, says Joseph F. Byrnes, dean of Bentley College Graduate School in Waltham, MA. “Give the warring parties a chance to resolve it on their own,” he says. “The time to take action is when things get out of hand and it’s affecting their work or disrupting other people’s work.”

Find out whether the conflict is work-related and has a structural root or whether it is interpersonal and has no relationship to the job or company, advises Byrnes. An interpersonal conflict can happen on or off the job, whereas structural ones are inevitable in many companies. Continue Reading »

5 Comments »