Part 4 of a 5 part series

Warning Signs:

• Falling profits (before owner's compensation).
• Falling owner's compensation.
• Falling or stagnant sales with falling profits.
• Rising expenses.
  • Cost of goods sold.
• Decreased gross margin.
• Significant adverse deviations from budget.

Steps to Improve: SELLING

• Sell proactively not reactively; retail, traveling salesmen, direct mail, telemarketing.
• Sell to former customers; give them permission to come back.
• Sell using the Internet; communicate information, E-mail, service the client, take orders.
• Sell using newspaper; position is key, right section, position above fold, right side.
• Sell using targeted direct mail; key is good mailing list, all copy written for selling.
• Sell using catalogs/direct mail; your own, supplier produced or shared.
• Sell using newsletters/direct mail; free, for fee, inserts, articles.
• Sell using public relations; newsworthy articles = media exposure.
• Sell using personal appearances; lectures, seminars, courses.
• Sell using associations, talk shows.
• Tap into industry trade associations.
• Sell by writing articles.
• Sell using drop shipped orders.
• Expand your business hours to rope in new customers.
• Sell using dealerships.
• Sell using franchises.
• Sell using licensing.
• Sell using home-based businesses.
• Sell using multi-level marketing/party sales.
• Make money from your customer list carefully (5000 names needed).