Small-business lending hit a 4 year high in November 2011, according to Thomson Reuter/Pay Net Index. Listen as Dave describes a small but positive change for small businesses. Read the complete article on the Wall Street Journal site.
2012 Business and Marketing Planning
It’s not too late to start simple but effective planning for this New Year. Small-Business Marketing Expert Amanda Cullen and Small-Business Financial Expert Dave Weatherholt give practical tips on planning for 2012. Be bold and set a sales goal that will make you smile. Dave provides tools and advice on how to achieve that audacious goal. Amanda gives you practical cost effective marketing tips that will move your company toward achieving that sales goal.
A business incubator called VETransfer provides free mentoring and facilities to military veterans who start their own businesses. The program is funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and has a waiting list for their services. Listen as Dave discusses the WSJ article.
SBA 504 Loan Program
When you need to get a job done right, the correct tool works best. Listen as Barbara Gill, VP & Senior Loan officer with Evergreen Business Capital, describes the SBA 504 loan program. If your business needs a new location, land, buildings or even leasehold improvements, financing with the 504 program maybe the right tool for you.
Go it Alone
Listen as Geoff Burch discusses the bargaining process and its potential negative impact in sales. Chapter 17 of Irresistible Persuasion provides great advice.
The passing of Steve Jobs had an impact on me. The “Information Age” developed during my business career and the entrepreneurs, innovators and founders are a source of inspiration to us all. The world will miss the inspiration and energy of Mr. Jobs. He ranks with Great American Entrepreneurs: Ford, Carnegie, Morgan, Vanderbilt, McLean, Gates, etc.
Business Succession Planning
Starting and running a small business is an emotional experience. The business contains a lot of the founder which makes it hard to pass on. Succession planning is something most small business owners don’t think about. Listen as Russell Ball, Founder and owner of ACB Solutions, a 25 year old business tells the story of his plan and how it involves Tim White, the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Find out more by visiting: www.akcb.com.
Go It Alone
Listen as Geoff Burch, author & business expert, talks about “Big Decisions” from his book Irresistible Persuasion. As usual, Geoff has some great advice along with a great story. Visit Geoff atwww.geoffburch.com.
In an “Atlas Shrugged” moment, Kingwood, Texas bank Main Street Bank gets out of the banking business because of federal banking regulations. Listen as Dave talks about the frustration of the banks chairman and how they will handle excessive bank regulations. Read the whole article at the Wall Street Journal online.
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Listen as Nancy Harbour, Executive Director of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts talks about the new 2011-2012 season. Nancy tells a story about a fun topic that has a serious economic impact on Anchorage’s community. And they’ve got a new website! Visit it at www.myalaska.com.
Go It Alone
Listen as Geoff Burch, author & business expert, talks about effective selling without the high pressure. Geoff is in rare form and entertaining as always. It’s a delightful (and useful) segment you won’t want to miss!
Small-Business Owners Registering Vote of ‘No Confidence’ in the Federal Government
Bill Dunkelberg, economist says, “Between the deluge of new regulations and a Washington policy agenda that is largely ignorant of Main Street needs, stubbornly low consumer spending, and grave concern among small firms about the federal budget, there is not much to be optimistic about as a small-business owner.” Listen to the Getting Down to Business analysis.
Starting a restaurant with Crush Wine Bistro & Cellar
Chris Pobieglo sitting in for Dave talks with Anchorage entrepreneur Chad Culley one of the founders of Crush Wine Bistro & Cellar talks about starting a restaurant. Listen as Chad talks about employees, team building, customers, the economy, and what wakes him up at 3:00 am. For more information go to www.crushak.com
Go it Alone
Listen as Geoff Burch, bestselling author in business discusses the “Show Business” element in sales from his latest book Irresistible Persuasion.
Main Street Desperately in Search of Reasons to be Positive
NFIB’s monthly Small-Business Optimism Index dropped one tenth of a point (0.1) in June, settling at 90.8, an unsurprising reading, unchanged from the previous month and solidly in recession territory. Read the full article from NFIB, then listen to Dave’s commentary.
Customer Relations Management as a Tool
Techniques are not tools, and Customer Relations Management (CRM) software is a tool to help your sales staff to be more effective. Back when I first started in sales (I sold printing for 18 years), we used 3’ x 5’ client cards, daily sales sheets and weekly sales forms– a manual system designed to track contacts with customers and potential customers. CRM automates the client tracking process and provides much more sales help. Listen as Andre Horton, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM consultant talks about CRM.
Business Risk Management
Do your employees use their personal or business autos during their work day? If so, you may need to have a commercial auto policy to minimize your risk. Listen as Chris Pobeiglo, President of Business Insurance Associates talks about commercial auto insurance. Dind out why your company may need this coverage.
“Microsoft PowerPoint is a terrific medium because it allows you to reinforce your message with visual prompts. But too often, the power of PowerPoint is lost because the speaker doesn’t use it to help viewers focus on the message.”
Dave Weatherholt starts off this Getting Down to Business with social-networking sites that link entrepreneurs to pools of money. Security & Exchange Commission (SEC) considers allowing equity stakes on crowd-fund sites. This could be a great source of funding for small businesses, says Dave.
Outcast Productions
Kimberley Gray and Elisa Hitchcock met 14 years ago working on murder mystery dinners and started Outcast Productions, LLC. Today, their part-time business with expanded services is thriving. Listen and learn from their business story.
Go it Alone
Geoff Burch is in rare form on his “Go It Alone” segment. Listen as Geoff gives business advice to Kimberley & Elisa with great wit and witticism guaranteed to make you laugh.
Barry Matteson, owner of the House of Harley-Davidson in Anchorage, joins David for this entertaining “Getting Down to Business.” William S. Harley completed his drawing of an engine that fit on a bicycle in 1901, and by 1903 he had partnered with Arthur Davidson to create and sell the first motorcycle. Barry started his motorcycle shop in 1971, with a hand-painted sign over the warehouse reading Barry’s Custom Cycle. By 1975, he had gained the Harley-Davidson franchise. Listen to the show to hear how Barry made it in the early years and how he continues his success today.
Sales and entrepreneurial expert Geoff Burch has his segment “Go it Alone” later in the show. And we’d all like to congratulate Geoff for being voted the Business Communicator of 2011 by the U.K.’s Speechwriter’s Guild!
Suzanne Gibson of Fire Island Wind joins David Weatherholt on “Getting Down to Business” to discuss the Fire Island Wind Project. She explains how this wind farm will diversify Southcentral Alaska’s energy sources, the jobs the project is creating and what federal incentives the group is capitalizing on.
Small business marketing expert Amanda Cullen weighs in with how to get customers to call your business. Listen for her easy-to-implement tips and strategies.
Business Insurance Associates‘ founder Chris Pobieglo joins David Weatherholt to tell his interesting story of how he got into the insurance business. He provides crucial information for businesses to know about risk management.
Our resident sales expert Geoff Burch talks about his new book Irresistible Persuasion, and he gives listeners lessons from the early days of door-to-door salesmen. As always, he peppers his tips with plenty of humor.
We all have heard that, as small business owners, we are all sales people. This is no doubt a fact when owning and operating a small business. As with any operational function, there should be some type of process or step-by-step way of doing it.
Following a process, with repetition and practice, has been proven to contribute to a positive outcome. Yes, you guessed it! There is a process to selling – known as the sales cycle.
I just returned from a business trip to Israel, where I also had a little time to tour with an amazing guide. He took my companions and me from Jerusalem to the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, relating the biblical and recent history of each place we passed. He took us to places tourists couldn’t ordinarily go. He was charming, funny and extremely well-informed. For logistical reasons, I didn’t find out the price of the tour until the end of the day. I was expecting to pay perhaps $200-500. And I was glad to pay it. I got an incredible education.
His price? $300 a day. Not per person. Per day. My share worked out to $60.
You see, my guide priced his tour based on his costs. He loves to visit Israel, so he charges enough on tours to cover the cost of his airfare. But his pricing should be based on the value to his customers. I felt so bad paying only $60 that I gave him a substantial tip. But if you are a small business selling products or services, it’s very rare that your customers will think to tip you. They assume the price you’ve set is fair.
The December Business/News & Views® will help you bring your small business into the new year!
David Weatherholt brings us economic news with the exciting title, “It’s Pedal to the Metal Time” and the continuation of his peerless competitor series, “Be The Best V.” Amanda Cullen asks, “Is your pricing too low?” and answers that is probably is. She gives advice for how to maximize your price potential with value pricing.
This month brings a bonus Views article, “The Sales Process Defined,” and learn some tips to simplify your technology with “Don’t Lose Your Bookmarks.” All this in the December Business/News & Views®!
To be the best in your field or industry requires hours and hours of practicing the basics, until they become second nature. My “Be the Best” series in Business/News & Views explores what this means on a deeper level. In “Be the Best, Part IV,” I discuss what business metrics you can use to measure success and how to incentivize your team based on those metrics.
René Haag, owner of Blaine’s Art Supply joins David Weatherholt on this special rebroadcast of “Getting Down to Business.” Blaine’s Art Supply has been in business for over 50 years, and is one of Anchorage’s most established businesses. René has valuable advice for small businesses on sustaining a business throughout the years.
Our resident sale guru, Geoff Burch, tells listeners how they can get a “yes” with every customer. Geoff knows that an endless stream of “yes” answers are every salesperson’s dream.
David Weatherholt interviews Owen Mandanas, DDS about creating a great smile and the business of dentistry. Owen is passionate about dentistry and running a successful business. Learn how she does it and what advice she has to share.
David takes a look at some economic indicators for small businesses- showing, among other things, that small businesses are lowering their prices and feeling slightly more optimistic. It’s not resoundingly good news, but listen to the show for David’s full analysis.
Later in the show, our favorite Englishman, Geoff Burch, joins us with his segment “Go it Alone.” He has some great sales advice for entrepreneurs. Remember, Geoff has a new book out, Irresistible Persuasion.
Why do we live in Alaska? On the show to help David Weatherholt answer this question is Alice Rogoff, publisher of the Alaska Dispatch, co-founder of the Alaska Native Arts Foundation and chairman of Alaska House in New York. David and Alice share their personal journies to Alaska, and we invite you to share yours with us as well.
In the news, David summarizes and explains an article on micro-lending, and how your business might be able to take advantage of it.
And back to business, sales expert Geoff Burch comes on the show to discuss his new book, Irresistible Persuasion. He explores what sales used to be… starting before World War I and going all the way back to the pharaohs.
David Weatherholt brings onto the show René Haag, owner of Blaine’s Art Supply. The company has been around for over 50 years, and is one of Anchorage’s most established businesses. René has valuable advice for small businesses on sustaining a business throughout the years.
Geoff Burch joins the show with tips on how to get a “yes” every time. As a sales guru, he knows an endless stream of “yes” answers are every salesperson’s dream.
David Weatherholt brings a news story that serves as a legal cautionary tale for startup businesses in the process of choosing a new business name. On a more entertaining note, David describes the characteristics of entrepreneurs and how to avoid some communication pitfalls.
Blair Singer, of Sales Partners Anchorage and author of many books including Little Voice Mastery joins David on the show along with his partner Ryan Hodges. Blair’s book addresses “What you mentally need to win the battle between your ears.” He talks about failures and how they are the most valuable learning experiences.
After his economic news update, David brings Don Cleary Jr. on the show. Don is Vice President of Business Lending for Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union. They discuss the difference between banks and credit unions – the major difference being that credit unions are not-for-profit. Credit unions are increasingly being opened to the public, and they can be a valuable source of funding for small business.
Sales expert and London resident Geoff Burch joins the show to engage listeners and promote his new book Irresistible Persuasion. Dave has been spreading the word in Anchorage about Geoff’s promise of showing readers “The secret way to get a ‘yes’ every time.”
Interestingly, the book has been selling well in the United States – better than in the U.K. Geoff posits that his country-men just aren’t as hungry for success. His book gets to the heart of sales, persuasion. Geoff says, “You can trace every business failure to someone failing to persuade somebody else to do something.”
David interviews John A. Letorneau, CPA for his expertise in business sales and succession planning. John is a stockholder of and director for Thomas, Head and Greisen, a leading CPA firm in Anchorage. David and John tell anectodes of successful and failed business sales – and advice for any business considering putting up a For Sale sign.
In the news, David informs of a business that started with the intent to sell and how planning succession early on can make the transition smooth and pain-free.
Regular guest and Member of the Board Geoff Burch joined Dave for this “Getting Down to Business.” We were lucky enough to have Geoff for the whole show, and he didn’t disappoint. He talked a bit about the process of writing his new book and expounded on some tips from his well-known sales book, The Way of the Dog.
David also provides a small business news update, first looking at the small business optimism index. Good news – it’s going up and is higher than it’s been since September 2008! David cheers us that the economy is moving in the right direction, however slowly. And with it, should return Alaska’s tourism business.
Joining the show this week is Todd Clark, founder and president of DenaliTEK, one of the leading IT services firms in Anchorage. He and Dave delve into the concept of cloud computing and how it can help your small business. Revolutions in the the IT industry come and go, but cloud computing is an innovative way to increase efficiency and manage budgets in your organization.
Todd also discusses some of the business issues he faces: why he develops client relationships, what DenaliTEK does to keep clients and how they handle losing a client. All small business owners can learn from his candid assessment.
Dave and Geoff Burch, author and international guru, launched a new segment of “Getting Down to Business” called Going it Alone. In his trademark cheeky manner, Geoff encourages entrepreneurs to go out and make it alone. He says of employment, “Who was the first caveman who got another caveman to go out and kill a buffalo for him, then just give him a tiny piece of the buffalo as a wage? When did that start?”
Subscribe to the Getting Down to Business® eNewsletter
An informative monthly newsletter loaded with solid advice and down-to-earth lessons on how to succeed in your marketplace.
Editor David Weatherholt brings you business ideas, economic news and views from across the business community. We're proud to bring you advice you can use.
Expert business planning for small businesses and start-ups.
"David Weatherholt put together the best business plan I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been reviewing business plans." Lynn Klassert, Vice President of Business Banking, KeyBank
It’s not too late to start simple but effective planning for this New Year. Small-Business Marketing Expert Amanda Cullen and Small-Business Financial Expert Dave Weatherholt give practical tips on planning for 2012. Be bold and set a sales goal that will make you smile. Dave provides tools and advice on how to achieve that audacious goal. Amanda gives you practical cost effective marketing tips that will move your company toward achieving that sales goal.
Techniques are not tools, and Customer Relations Management (CRM) software is a tool to help your sales staff to be more effective. Back when I first started in sales (I sold printing for 18 years), we used 3’ x 5’ client cards, daily sales sheets and weekly sales forms– a manual system designed to track contacts with customers and potential customers. CRM automates the client tracking process and provides much more sales help. Listen as 
