Tag Archives: sales

Avoid “Yes” and “No” Questions

When it comes to trying to move your customers and clients toward making a purchase or signing a contract, it is important to consider “how” you communicate as well as what you actually say. One thing to remember is that “Yes” and “No” questions—those questions that invite the other party to simply answer yes or no can give the customer or client an out. It is better to avoiding asking “yes” or “no” questions unless you really are prepared to hear the “no.” One of the basics in sales, of course, is to try to get the other person nodding … Continue reading →

Scrapbooking Supply Finds at Garage Sales

Ever the princess of frugal, I am always on the look out for good bargains and deals at garage sales, that I can actually use. I avoid purchasing anything if I don’t have an immediate use for it, or I cannot see the long term benefit of buying it. Recently I have attended many garage sales with scrapbooking supplies, and have been very fortunate to pick up some awesome deals on things I will most definitely use. That seems not only frugal to me, but a fun find as well. I got pretty lucky on the first weekend we attempted … Continue reading →

Are Recession Bargain Hunters Making It Harder to Be Frugal?

Among all of the stories out there about the recession, there seems to be a large portion of articles about how to save money with all of the rising prices. This is understandable, of course,. People who never even thought about living frugally are now finding that they must curb their spending or at least shop smarter in order to get by. For some of these new recession bargain hunters, being frugal will be just a fad and something to be abandoned once the economy gets better. For others, it is the opportunity to learn about frugal living and then … Continue reading →

Bargain Hunting at the Local Scrapbook Store

The cost of scrapbooking can get high and even out of control. With all the new gadgets and tools and papers and products, it is easy to let it get the best of you and allow your hobby to take control of not only your life but your budget too. And if you don’t have anywhere nearby that you can purchase cheap supplies and your only option is the local scrapbook store, this can put a bigger damper on your budget. Scrapbook stores can be expensive. So how do you bargain hunt at the local scrapbook store when all the … Continue reading →

Adjusting Your Price Book with Escalating Grocery Costs

In the previous article, Our Changing Grocery Prices, I talked about how we’ve been having to adjust what we are willing to pay for some grocery items, in the wake of rising food prices. I shared some concrete examples of items from my mental price books and how I have had to adjust them, such as cereal, apples and eggs. Making these adjustments can be tough. Since prices aren’t steady, it is hard to know what the lowest price on something is or will be. Milk at $4 a gallon seems outrageous, until it rises to $4.50 on average. I … Continue reading →

Make Sure You’re Talking to the Decision-maker

When considering communication and how to build your home business through the relationships we have with prospects, customers and clients, it is important to remember that we need to make the most efficient use of our time and energy. This means making sure that we are making our sales pitches and presentations to the individuals who actually have the power to say “yes” or “no” to doing business with us. Have you ever been in a situation where you have made your full presentation and pitch—pulled out all the stops and done your best job at trying to convince someone … Continue reading →

Scrapbooking Direct Sales Companies

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to work from home doing something you absolutely love to do? Many scrapbooker’s dream of the day they could retire from the everyday nitty gritty of a full time job and devote all their time to their passion. There are dozens of ways to make money with your love of scrapbooking. Direct sales companies are a popular home business to start up. These work well because typically they require a small start up fee for a kit. The kits typically include sample products, start up materials, business manuals and information and other useful items. I will … Continue reading →

You Can Always Give the Money Back and Cancel the Sale

When you are feeling especially trapped by an uncomfortable situation with a challenging client or customer I think it is important to remember that we can always say “no.” It can be easy to forget that we really do always have the power to cancel a sale or contract, give back the money and walk away. Sure, it might hurt our bottom line, but in the long term, it might be the best possible move. I know that you have seen the following sign posted on the wall or door of many of your favorite businesses: “We reserve the right … Continue reading →

When You Really Hate to Sell Yourself

Sales and marketing go hand-in-hand with business ownership but that does not mean that all of us are thrilled at the prospect of having to constantly go out there and sell ourselves and our products or services. In fact, I think many people quit their businesses for this very reason; they just get tired or hate to do the selling. How can a person stay focused on building a business when he or she is just not in to having to be a salesperson? Many years ago, when I started my first consulting business, one of the most aggravating and … Continue reading →

We Cannot Make People Do What We Want

Building a business is about building relationships–we need our customers, clients, colleagues and vendors in order to have a thriving, growing business. There is a difference, however, in sales and networking–and trying to manipulate another person into doing what we want them to. No matter how much “cultivation” we do, this is not going to make it so that we can control and dictate what these other people do. Not being able to manipulate others into doing what we want does NOT mean that we are bad salespeople or not good at building relationships. It is that very idea that … Continue reading →