Picking up new clients is much the same as finding a new friend for tonight – or for life. (I can’t use the d-word. This email won’t reach you.) We’re all out of practice. For instance, ‘Can I help you?‘ is the standard pick up line in any store. It hasn’t worked well since Ali … Read more

Our private lives define our businesses in more ways than we can dream of. Economics would have us believe that we are rational. Our human condition says that we are not. For instance, I am defined by diabetes. I’m not going to give you an entire book on the subject, but the reason I am … Read more

I like pens. I’d like to compare buying one in a ‘proper’ store with the online experience. If you find a genuine pen store (and there aren’t too many around) it tends to only stock the fast moving brands and models. Like any other store, 20% of the brands account for 80% of the sales. (Of course, … Read more

When cars first started to replace horses, they each had a different cockpit. This meant that you needed to start from scratch each time you climbed into a new driving seat. For a hint of how tough driving was back then, read this article showing how to start a Ford Model T. Life on the Internet is … Read more

A picture is worth 1000 words. If that’s the case, how much is a video worth? During the Christmas holidays I managed to wipe out my Windows PC. Faced with the option of installing Windows (again) or installing Linux I chose to install both to compare them. Below is a discussion on the subject, as … Read more

The Invisible Touch landed on my desk in 2000. In a world that publishes millions of words every minute, there is an amazing amount of noise. Harry Beckwith’s words are an oasis of common sense that looks at small business marketing. (Actually, it looks at marketing reality for all businesses, but I see that through … Read more

Why will Telkom always sell more than Joe Seep, a small telecoms entrepreneur? It cannot be the service, because they don’t have any. Or their pricing, because they are about the most expensive in the world.Joe Seep consoles himself with the fact that he offers better, more personal, service at a much better price. Yet … Read more

Children are wonderfully illogical. When confronted with any green foodstuff, like broccoli, their immediate response is “I don’t like it. It tastes bad.” And, despite having never tasted it, the only way to get them to eat broccoli is to tie them down and force feed them. Sadly, this is illegal in Norway. What has … Read more

Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” I’d like to share a few anecdotes from the past week. I get an email each time one of the new sales sites our clients have set up generates a prospect. (This would be … Read more

Every now and then I mention in this weekly email that I am diabetic. I do that because I hope it gives insight to some of the choices I make. But, it has a a side-effect that I want to share. Once or twice each month somebody will email or call me to talk about … Read more