Smarter Business Journal

For a myriad of reasons (economic recovery, increased global competition, or simply tired of sluggish growth), there has been a renewed focus on cranking up the sales side of the business with frequent requests for recommendations on effective sales training and techniques. So, in the spirit that it takes a “village of gurus” to help a company, I have recommended several…

Four times the revenue growth, twelve times the stock performance, and over 700 times the profit growth over an eleven year period. What competitive advantage led to this huge margin in performance of one group of companies over another in similar industries? In a landmark study of over 200 firms by Harvard professors John Kotter and James Heskett…

Max Safai, CEO of Neato Robotics, talks with the Smarter Business Journal about Neato Robotics, the Neato VX-11, and his role in helping his team develop their flagship product and bring it to market. Neato Robotics, located in Mountain View, CA, has developed what has been called “the world’s most powerful robotic vacuum”…

Work no more than 90 minutes and then take a break! Do this two more times in a day and you’ll accomplish more in 4.5 hours than those cranking hard for 8 to 12 hours straight. Throw in an occasional Vitamin C IV with glutathione and some deep breathing exercises and you’re good to go for the next decade…

How to Increase Your Margin

Obviously, the question here becomes, “How do I increase my margin?” An additional question must be, “How do I increase my margin while still keeping my customers happy and therefore my sales rising?”

Relax. There are several different tactics you can use to help increase your margin while at the same time not changing the customer’s experience in the store…

Turnover of inventory, or turn, is the calculation of how many times you sell and replenish the merchandise in your store over the course of a year. To figure out your turn, divide your annual sales by your average inventory (at retail). For instance, if your sales are $400,000 for the year and your average retail is $100,000, your turn is 4. The more times you can turn over your inventory, the better it is because: You will have less older merchandise…

Truly, this is the Holy Grail in sales organizations. Sales recruiters are always looking for the “intangibles’ that make for a great sales producer. Management is frustrated in their hiring. HR is always on the lookout for seminars and classes that can help improve performance from this vital part of every organization. Sales Managers have their bookcases filled with the latest theory on unlocking the keys to attract this special talent…