Everything is going up: the stock market, gross national product, the cost of labor, your overhead expenses. Yes, everything is going up except your pricing. Resolve that this year, you will raise your prices. This simple act doesn’t require a big announcement with balloons and confetti and letters to customers. You don’t have to raise prices everywhere and all at... read more
Think about your last major purchase. Whether it was a product like a vehicle, appliance or computer or a service like pest management, electrical work or a plumbing repair, did you purchase the most expensive option you could find, assuming it was the best overall value? If you did, you’re in the minority of all purchasers. Few buyers purchase the... read more
The tragedy of sales management is that good (sometimes great) salespeople are promoted to sales managers, where they often fail. They’re promoted to their level of incompetence. What makes a good salesperson differs from what makes a good sales manager. Sales management is a role you can’t study in school. It’s learned on the job. Yet, if you want to... read more
Productivity is important in any business, and there are several ways to measure it. But the best way is to keep it simple, clear and actionable. For the green industry, that means measuring the hours—the ratio of budgeted hours to actual hours, that is. If 100 hours are budgeted for a job and it gets done in 90 hours, then... read more
Jeffrey Scott draws on a discussion he had with a group of contractors regarding raising prices to come to the conclusion that “the lesson you should take is raise your prices every year a little bit.” Press play for more pointers. read more
There is an outdated business philosophy that rears its head periodically. It says the customer experience comprises three aspects—quality, speed and price–and businesses only can deliver two of these aspects at a time. Choose quality and speed, but sacrifice price. Choose speed and price, and sacrifice quality. Business is a zero-sum game where these trade-offs define business strategy and product/service... read more
