Last week, we talked about selling air and getting that marketing slot machine cranked up so it works like your favorite ATM. One of the ways that you can take another step up the ladder is to keep an eye open for all the little things you can do to ensure that someone comes back […]

My website has a survey used to gauge people’s concerns about their business. It’s important to ask because what I *think* might be top-of-mind for them might not be at all – and that’s especially true when readers are from all over the world, much less all over the valley. The current survey asks “What’s […]

It’s been said that there are only three ways to increase your business’ revenue: sell more to your existing customers, increase the size of each sale to your customers and of course…sell to more customers. Many businesses focus on the last method and darned near ignore the other two. 
 But not Norma’s. The night […]

While the world ponders the tax implications of LeBron James’ move to Miami, the rest of us didn’t even look up. We’re working hard to create our next big thing while others shuffle clipboards. Meanwhile, the economy stumbles forward in some ways, races in others, and limps in still others. Change, both for the better […]

One of the reasons that businesses struggle is that they appear to be working as if the profit from a sale is more important than getting a new customer. Recognizing the difference in importance is critical to turning one-time visitors into long-time devotees. What’s a devotee? A devotee will bring their family and friends to […]

I’m guessing that when you visit a doctor’s office for the first time, the experience is identical to most other first visits to most other doctors. You get a clipboard of paper to fill out, since they don’t know you from Adam – even though you have an appointment. The forms usually require that filling […]

Ever created / sold something so compelling that people lined up to get it? I remember a trade show about 10 years ago at which the crowd around our booth was so big, they flowed into the booths across the aisle (yes, they were angry – rather than appreciating the traffic). It got to the […]

One of Montana’s best business assets is a customer service training program called “Montana Superhost”. Why every session of this course isn’t overflowing with people is a mystery to me. People should be lined up for it as if they’re giving away iPads or hot crispy bacon. Even if they do resume charging for the […]

This past weekend, several thousand seniors graduated from Flathead Valley high schools. It’s a bittersweet time for parents, and I think it’s fitting that it occurs soon after Memorial Day. If you’re scratching your head about that one, bear with me for a bit. Last weekend (two weekends ago by the time you read this), […]

When it comes to business ethics, there’s usually a pretty clear definition of the line between the unethical and the occasionally, accidentally unethical (ie: honest). The accidentally unethical will stumble now and then and make a mistake that, in many cases, they didn’t even realize was a problem. These folks are the reason why even […]

While live-blogging the US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit, Brad Peck (US Chamber of Commerce official Twitter blogger) said this during Joe Scarborough‘s talk: Annoyed by the “scared” comment, I responded: I don’t know a single business owner that’s scared. Annoyed? Sure. Aggravated? Sure. But scared? Not. A. Single. One. If Brad believed what […]

Recently, Billings found that a segment of their population decided that firebombing is the preferred method of running businesses out of town. Perhaps too impatient to wait for paranoia-driven regulations or zoning laws written so narrowly that a Chicago purchasing department RFP writer could have written them, someone decided to blow the place up. Right […]

I’m wondering if you’ve become an expert at mining. It’s a critical skill if you’re concerned about keeping your business pump primed with new and returning customers – especially returning ones. When I say mining, I mean mining your customer/order database. Yellow pads, QuickBooks and shoeboxes Regardless of what tool you use to keep track […]

One of the first things that you hear from business people after a story in the news about a failing school or troubled teacher is that schools need to run like a business. Listen to the news about today’s natural disaster response and you’ll hear the same about community organizations. “Run them like a business […]

I was speaking with a wanna be business owner the other day who I *know* has the skills to help people in the market where he works. When I say “wanna be”, I don’t mean they can’t do it, or won’t do it, just that they haven’t done it and something is missing: that first […]