There always seem to be pricing problems in a business, but maybe you are the problem and not your clients and customers. See this post by Sandi Smith Leyva, CPA in CPA Trendlines: http://cpatrendlines.com/2013/10/21/are-your-clients-price-sensitive-maybe-its-you-not-them/ Just remember that even though Sandi is talking about the field of accounting in this article, it can apply to many business areas. If you separate yourself from the pack with a difference people can see, customers have more than just price to go on as far as value goes. Making yourself different and more valuable can justify a price increase if people feel you have expertise that is worth it. For financial, accounting and tax musings, You can count on us to count for you! email: bstonercpa@sbcglobal.net phone: 818-317-6035 Website: www.briantstonercpa.com https://twitter.com/bstonercpa
Musings of a Burbank CPA: Five Fall Projects to Refresh Your Financial Results
As we move into the fall season and the final quarter of the year, it’s a perfect time to commit to a project in your business that will help you reach the year’s end in better shape. Here are five ideas: 1. Back-to-School Time If payroll expenses are one of the higher costs in your business, then it makes sense to boost your team’s productivity and maybe also your own. Fall is back-to-school time anyway, so it’s a natural time of the year to take on a course, read a business book, or hire an organizer to help you get more from your workspace. If you spend a lot of time doing email, consider taking a course on Microsoft Outlook® or even Windows; learning a few new keystrokes could save you tons of time. If you need more time, look for a book or course on time management. Look for classes at your local community college or adult education center. 2. A Garage Sale for Your Business Do you have inventory in your business? If so, take a look at which items are slower-moving and clear them out in a big sale. We can help you figure out what’s moving [...]
Avoid the Three Biggest Sales Mistakes and Close More Business
Every sales lead is precious. It takes a lot to get people’s attention these days, and once a lead or prospect comes in your door, you’ve accomplished that hurdle, but now you have another one: getting the business. To ensure you can turn those prospects into paying customers as often as possible, here are three mistakes we can all learn from and avoid at the very beginning of the sales process. #1 Tech-Speak Every industry has its own vocabulary. For example, pool service companies talk about “shock,” booster pumps, and cyanuric acid levels. If the salesperson starts slinging too many of these words around, the new pool owner is going to freak out. Worse, you can end up going down a technical conversational path that derails the sale and has you answering all sorts of educational questions that the prospect doesn’t even need to know about if they hired you. It’s a sort of foxhole you don’t want to go down, at least not during a sales call, and especially not during the very first interaction with a prospect. Continuing our example, a pool owner’s goals are usually that they want their pool looking awesome and safe to swim in. [...]