Have a Disciplinary Process

Chris Smith smartPRENEUR Blog Series

We hire well, have a documented process, onboard employees to that process, and regularly (usually weekly) manage our teams with dedicated time and intention… Wait, you aren’t doing all those things??? Separate article and discussion… but still, not everyone will make the cut. When employees are falling short of what is needed we have to take action. Having a clearly ...

Managing and Motivating a Talented and Driven Sales Team Isn’t Easy

Roberta Lewis smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Managing and motivating a seasoned sales force isn’t an easy feat by any means.  The more successful a salesperson becomes, the more difficult it becomes to motivate and get them to participate in regular programs and incentives.  In fact, the top performers are the salespeople you'll need to spend the most time managing.  The top sales performers are typically the ...

Does your business need an operating system?

Tom Coffin smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Like the CI business, in your business change is the only constant. Companies must continuously evolve and adapt to stay competitive. To succeed in this ever-shifting landscape, having a well-defined business operating system and efficient workflow processes is nothing short of essential. In my experience working with thousands of companies the last 20 years, process and an effective business operating ...

Negative Reviews and how to deal with them

Marc Bally smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Negative Reviews and how to deal with them Have you ever received a negative review? How you respond makes a world of difference! THE FACTS Research shows that most consumers do research before the purchase process and often trust online reviews, making these reviews key to your business’ success. 88% of consumers trust online reviews about the same as a ...

3 Guiding Principles for Anyone in Sales

Jason Sayen smartPRENEUR Blog Series

I’ve spent 27 years in Sales selling high-end Consumer Electronics and have attended countless “sales training” and “seminars”.  While I learned a lot of tips and tricks at those events, the core of my success can be boiled down to these three principles People buy from people - Relationships matter more than most salespeople realize.   One of the most fundamental ...

Dare to be Different

Marilyn Sanford smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Different is Important “No longer is a “good culture” good enough to be competitive.  Organizations today must find alignment between their corporate strategy and their corporate culture, or risk never fulfilling their competitive advantage.  Too many organizations, especially within the same industry, look and feel the same to work in. ….in all of the ways that matter, too many are ...

Are You Set Up To Service?

Tom Coffin smartPRENEUR Blog Series

The Aging Smart Home As the smart home market matures, more and more homeowners are looking for help with maintenance, service, and troubleshooting of their smart home systems. This presents an opportunity for Systems Integrators to expand their services and offer profitable smart home services to their clients. However, putting in place a profitable service department for the smart home ...

Is This My Client?

Chris Smith smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Decisions, Decisions You can’t be all things to all people. Selecting the right client(s) and right project(s) will result in a profitable business. The opposite is also true – painfully true!  Consuming your time with the wrong client(s) prevents you from being able to take the right client(s) and project(s). This is known as “Opportunity Cost”.  Ask These Questions Does ...

Creative Compensation and Incentive Plans are Important for Productivity and Profits

Roberta Lewis smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Money Does Not Equal Motivation I learned early in my retail sales management career that money and other motivational incentives do not motivate all people the same.  In fact, what motivates one person does not necessarily motivate the next.  The reason for creating incentive plans and bonuses is to raise productivity, shorten downtime, increase billable hours, increase profits, and stimulate ...