PROSPECTING, PRODUCTION AND PROFITS

Most small businesses reflect the personality of their
owner, and that is both their strength and, too often, their
weakness. Specifically, some entrepreneurs love to sell more
than they care about details of production, while others
focus so much on perfecting their products, they starve for
customers.
The key is balance.
If you are not prospecting every day, your business will
eventually stall. Yes, repeat sales and word of mouth are
vital, but in the end, business grows because new customers
hear about you, check you out, and decide to buy. As Mary
Kay Ash said, "nothing happens until somebody sells
something," and you can't sell without prospecting.
Marketing, promotion and publicity are essential, and some
business owners relish this part. It comes naturally and
they love it. They naturally go "where the action is."
Networking comes easily to them, and selling is "the name of
the game." Good for them!
Except when they neglect the details of delivery. In the
end, what you sell has to be produced, packaged and
delivered on time, on budget and in excellent condition.
Some sales people forget that, and it comes back to haunt
them.
The key is balance.
You need prospects in order to sell, and you need superior
production in order to deliver. When the two are balanced,
profits soar.

Quotes of the Week
"We often spend so much time coping with problems along our
path that we only have a dim or even inaccurate view of
what's really important to us." -- Peter Senge

"Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and
reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." -- Belva Davis

"When you follow your bliss doors will open where you would
not have thought there would be doors; and where there
wouldn't be a door for anyone else." -- Joseph Campbell

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So
throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
-- Mark Twain