New ideas… Old resistance That’ll never work. Yep, as we get longer in the tooth, we’re prone to cling to whatever beliefs we already have and to almost automatically reject what’s different, new, or just on the cutting edge. Now that’s not to say that all things new ought to be wholeheartedly embraced, or that […]
A Secret to success… About bosses and buyers There are lots of pieces of advice on how to advance in business. One very good one goes, “Figure out what’s important to your boss’s boss and do that!” That’s not to say we should ever ignore what our direct supervisor wants but positively affecting what his […]
Prep and make ready… And not the sous chef Here’s a basic sales truth that we tend to forget: Our success selling new business is not particularly proportional to our desire to make the sale. Conversely however, it’s very much related to our degree of preparation. That begins with doing the basic homework to learn […]
Yep, cash is… Really king Odd as it may sound you could have two businesses with sales, gross profits and operating costs that are absolutely identical and yet have two entirely different financial pictures. One is vibrant and poised for growth while the other is about to shutter its doors! The first business has average […]
Some rules… To remember There are two pretty hard rules that underpin the integrity of both the Profit and Loss Statement and the Balance Sheet. The first one for the P&L is that the owner and the business are separate entities. The second one regards the balance sheet rule that business assets are, with few […]
Balance sheet… decoded (kinda) While we’re in bean counter mode, addressing the least understood financial statement (the balance sheet) seems appropriate. But first let’s set the table: The P&L statement is a record of the profitability of the business over a period such as a month, quarter or even full year. The balance sheet is a […]
The power… of magnetism Of course we know that high grade stainless steel isn’t magnetic. But if we consider the almost irresistible attraction that stainless dishmachine has on our prospecting attention, you’d think both that it was, and that we all carry a super powerful rare earth magnet in our back pocket! And while we’re […]
Runaway usage… Causes and corrections You get the complaint call that they shot through a week’s supply of detergent in a day. So you head over to figure out what might be the cause. Suspecting a dispenser malfunction you titrate the wash tank but it’s exactly where you set it. Next you drain the tank […]
Some games and … getting the answer As kids, we sometimes played the guessing game Mineral, Vegetable or Animal. It involved asking questions that were only answered by a yes or no allowing a player to (hopefully) guess who or what the other player was. Discovering the source (and cure) of that persistent haze we’ve […]
Losing with … grace and class There’s nothing quite as upsetting as losing a good customer. That’s especially the case when they’ve been with us for a long time. And it’s even worse if we believe the change was unfair and undeserved. But when it happens, we have two choices. First, we can be petty, resentful […]