Operating without a business plan is like driving across the country without a roadmap. You may have a destination in mind, but without a clear route to follow you won’t get there when you want to – if at all! But getting your plan off the ground may be a challenge. Where do you begin? What is the most important information to gather?

In this webinar, Sarah Day, small business growth strategist and founder of Day One Business Services, details the elements of a complete plan to help you develop an outline relevant for your own, unique business. Using real-world examples from actual small business plans, Sarah gives you the information you need to create a plan to propel your business forward.

You’ll learn:

• The most critical areas to focus on for your plan
• What to prepare for yourself vs. for a lender
• What financial information you should expect to prepare
• Common missteps or mistakes that can derail your plan
• How to use the plan once it’s done

All registrants also receive a copy of Sarah Day's comprehensive business plan outline.

About the Presenter:

Sarah Day is a small business growth strategist. Her company, Day One Business Services, helps small enterprises improve their overall management ~ from profitability to marketing to staffing to operations. Sarah is an accredited executive associate of the Institute for Independent Business, a nonprofit research, training, and accreditation organization devoted to helping small business.

Keywords: develop a small business plan, write a business plan, business planning for small business, sarah day, day one business services]]>Small BusinessSmall Business Sarah Day Leverage Buyer Styles to Win More Sales
The missing ingredient that keeps you from closing more
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 9/14/10 11:30am EASTERN TIME
End Time: 9/14/10 12:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Andy Miller$99.00 per connection

Finally, you have the meeting with the decision maker that you have chased for months. No sale! You just could not make a connection with her. Was the prospect a jerk or was it your approach that caused the meeting to go badly? Sales people who approach every prospect the same way have a 75% chance of blowing the meeting! There is a critical factor they are missing…

Andy Miller, 20 year sales management expert, helps sales professionals to understand what motivates buyers to buy and from whom. He teaches the drivers behind the 4-buyer styles four-buyer styles you encounter when selling within seconds of meeting them. Andy works with sales professionals to master this all too often missing ingredient from their sales arsenal to close more...faster.

In this webinar, you will discover:
• Techniques to make a powerful first impression
• Insight into the four-buyer styles and how to identify them in 30 seconds flat
• How to adapt your style to each buyer to motivate them to buy
• Techniques to prepare for each buyer type so you can move through the sales process effectively
• How to interact with clients based on your selling style
 

About the Presenter:

Andy Miller is recognized as one of the top 15 sales management consultants in the world. He has worked with over 2000 CEO's & Sales VP's, 14,000 salespeople and 16 of the Fortune 500. His clients include high tech companies, manufacturers, financial services, entrepreneurs and venture capitalist throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. He has been featured on CNN and in Newsweek, Sales and Marketing Management, Selling Power, Success, Your Company and Human Resource Executive Magazines. He has been on stage with speaking greats Jay Abraham, Denis Waitley, Brian Tracy, John Assaraf, Mark Victor Hansen, Robert Allen, Zig Zigler and Chet Holmes. Andy Miller is committed to excellence. He continues to pursue and participate in programs that are both personally enriching as well as stimulating to his business acumen. Andy is a member of the World Entrepreneur Organization and the peer advisory FORUM for CEO's that evaluates businesses on a monthly basis. He is on the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) Sales Competency Advisory Panel and previously sat on the advisory board to Objective Management Group, Sandler Systems and The United Professional Sales Association (UPSA). Andy was one of the first leadership consultants certified through CMSI in 1997 and among ...

Keywords: close a sale, increase sales, sales best practices, sales technique, conduct a needs analysis, communicating with prospects]]>Small BusinessSalesSmall Business Andy Miller Find and Free-Up Cash to Grow Your Business
Learn how to increase cash flow for your small or mid-sized firm
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 9/24/10 2:30pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 9/24/10 3:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Jack Howe$99.00 per connection

You may have a ton of great ideas, but without the cash to fund them, they're worthless. Businesses don't disappear because they can't come up with a go-to-market strategy…they go out of business because they lack the cash flow to support the plans. Your business probably has more cash than you think, but it's hiding from you.

Jack Howe, author of “The Drumbeat of Cash" and cash flow management expert, helps businesses find and free-up cash. He teaches you how to get the dollars you need to fund new development to grow your business. Jack provides you with the financial insight you need to take your business to the next level.

In this webinar, you'll learn how to:
• Create a positive cash flow using little known financial secrets
• Find – and free-up - cash that you can use right now
• Dispel common myths about cash and debt…and get the facts so you can make better decisions
• Review your credit reports and positively impact your score with better cash flow
• Develop an easy-to-use financial report to provide visibility into your current cash position

All registrants also receive:
• Jack's white paper on managing cash flow
• A sample financial reporting tool
• A worksheet for use during the webinar to capture new cash flow ideas
• Jack's Drum Beat of Markups and Margins eBook

About the Presenter:

Jack Howe, is a nationally renowned speaker, author and business coach with over 35 years of global experience in increasing sales and profitability through implementing effective business management, sales & sales management processes. Clients include aggressively growing start-ups up to mid cap firms. In private practice, he has developed innovative business tools and solutions to remodel business enterprises for greater profitability. Jack will help you visualize the the differnce between what you want and the results you have. Join us to close the gap between wants and results.

Keywords: Jack Howe, cash flow training, finance training, online finance training, drumbeat of cash, improve cash flow, manage cash flow]]>Small BusinessLeadership/ManagementSmall Business Jack Howe How to Build a High Performance Sales Engine
Develop the foundation for your sales organization
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 10/12/10 11:30am EASTERN TIME
End Time: 10/12/10 12:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Andy Miller$99.00 per connection

About the Presenter:

Andy Miller is recognized as one of the top 15 sales management consultants in the world. He has worked with over 2000 CEO's & Sales VP's, 14,000 salespeople and 16 of the Fortune 500. His clients include high tech companies, manufacturers, financial services, entrepreneurs and venture capitalist throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. He has been featured on CNN and in Newsweek, Sales and Marketing Management, Selling Power, Success, Your Company and Human Resource Executive Magazines. He has been on stage with speaking greats Jay Abraham, Denis Waitley, Brian Tracy, John Assaraf, Mark Victor Hansen, Robert Allen, Zig Zigler and Chet Holmes. Andy Miller is committed to excellence. He continues to pursue and participate in programs that are both personally enriching as well as stimulating to his business acumen. Andy is a member of the World Entrepreneur Organization and the peer advisory FORUM for CEO's that evaluates businesses on a monthly basis. He is on the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) Sales Competency Advisory Panel and previously sat on the advisory board to Objective Management Group, Sandler Systems and The United Professional Sales Association (UPSA). Andy was one of the first leadership consultants certified through CMSI in 1997 and among ...

Keywords: increase sales, build a sales organization, sales process, sales methodology]]>Small BusinessSmall Business Andy Miller Use Search Engine Optimization To Grow Your Business
Myths, Legends, and Facts for Effective SEO for Your Website
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 10/12/10 2:30pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 10/12/10 3:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Ed Taylor$99.00 per connection

“Why is my competitor getting ten times the website traffic that I do?” The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is a mystery for most. Conflicting information and inconsistent advice make you wonder if there truly is a method to getting search engines to highly rank your website. Some (maybe your competitors) have figured it out, and they are getting the traffic you desire!

• What key SEO terms mean…and what they mean for website performance
• How to conduct a “website check-up” to see how visitors interact with your site
• Common website mistakes that kill your Google rankings
• Techniques to identify the best keywords and search terms for your website
• Keys to writing optimized content so your site gets highly-ranked by the search engines
• Subtle changes you can make to your website that helps the search engines to bring visitors

About the Presenter:

Ed Taylor One of the country's most requested Internet marketing speakers with over 1,200 presentations under his belt. The author of "Proven Strategies to Increase Website Sales, Leads & Opt-ins." "Easy to understand", "Fun," "Entertaining,"  these are not words typically used to describe a presentation about Internet marketing, but these are always among the first words attendees use to describe Ed Taylor's presentations. Ahh, but don't judge too quickly. As the conversation deepens and moves past his jovial presence and whiskers, the adjectives change. Attendees start using words like insightful, enlightening, strategic, tactical and even the word brilliant is bantered about. From there, the conversation shifts to an eagerness to apply what has been learned to their own unique website or Internet marketing situation. After more than 15 years, and over 1,200 presentations, Ed has learned the 3 essential elements of an outstanding Internet marketing presentation:     1. Make it fun.     2. Provide simple, proven, relevant strategies and tactics that audience members can easily understand and quickly apply.     3. Make it current to today’s fast changing marketplace. Ed works with small business owners every day. He thoroughly understands every aspect of Internet marketing and is up to the minute with what is working ...

Keywords: ed taylor, drive traffic to your website, SEO, search engine optimization, internet marketing, seo tools]]>Small BusinessSmall Business Ed Taylor Article Publishing to Grow Your Business or Consulting Firm
How to Build Your Reputation and Generate Revenue Using Articles
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 10/22/10 1:00pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 10/22/10 2:00pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Ken Lizotte$99.00 per connection

• Develop article ideas that position your expertise
• Avoid writers block and keep the ideas flowing
• Identify your "target publications"
• Creatively pitch your ideas to editors with a fool-proof approach
• Prevent embarrassing article publishing mistakes that brand you as an amateur
• Leverage your articles to generate new clients

About the Presenter:

Ken Lizotte CMC is author of ”The Expert’s Edge: Become the Go-To Authority that People Turn to Every Time” (McGraw-Hill) which explores how consultants, business owners, entrepreneurs, attorneys, professional servcies firms, expert professionals and entire companies can position themselves as “thoughtleaders” in their field and industry. Ken demonstrates in his book how thoughtleading offers superior competitive advantages, higher career satisfaction and... increased income! Founder and Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO) of emerson consulting group inc. (Concord MA) which specializes in transforming experts into thoughtleaders, Ken speaks to business grous and conferences on such topics as getting published, staying creativie, work/family balance and career success. He’s an active member of IMC USA, co-founder of the National Writers Union, a seminar leader since 1996 at Harvard University's Extension School and former columnist for the American Management Association. Contact Ken at 978-371-0442 or via ken@thoughtleading.com or via his website: www.thoughtleading.com. To learn more about his book, visit www.theexpertsedge.com

Keywords: article publishing, write articles, write business articles, ken lizotte, publish articles]]>Small BusinessPublishingSmall Business Ken Lizotte Make Smart Decisions About Lean Six Sigma For Your Business
Learn how to evaluate your company to determine if there is a business case for Lean Six Sigma
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 10/26/10 1:00pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 10/26/10 2:00pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Gary Gack$99.00 per connection

"Only Fortune 1000 companies can afford Lean Six Sigma or benefit from it…" This is the belief of many small and mid-sized business leaders, but it is a page right out of Greek Mythology. It's not true! Companies of varying size can economically implement Lean Six Sigma and receive all of the benefits that the systems bring to bear. Your clients demand better quality, your business desires more profits, and your employees need to become more efficient … all potential benefits of leveraging Lean Six Sigma.

Gary Gack, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and founder of Process Fusion, helps business executives make informed decisions about Lean Six Sigma. He teaches you the key steps to evaluating and implementing these systems effectively and efficiently. Lean Six Sigma isn't for every business, but it may be right for your company as a strategy to improve quality, drive profits, and enhance efficiency.

In this webinar, you will learn to:
• Analyze your situation to determine if Lean Six Sigma is right for your business
• Evaluate the benefits of Lean Six Sigma in contrast to the costs
• Leverage the critical success factors during implementation
• Scale these systems among the 3 levels to select the right one for your size business

As an added bonus, you’ll receive Gary’s white paper "Is Lean Six Sigma Right for My Business?" to help you implement the teachings from this eLearning course.

About the Presenter:

Is an MBA from the Wharton School, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and an ASQ-certified software quality engineer. He provides consulting, training and coaching related to business and software/IT process improvement, with emphasis on “best of breed” integration of proven best practices and models. His primary focus and interest is in helping organizations improve business performance by more effective management of the interface between general managers and software and IT. By working on both sides of the "technology divide" he has helped reduce failures, increase productivity and quality, reduce waste, and control risk. More and more businesses and government agencies are finding software and IT to be crucial to their success and efficiency. From ‘hardware’ products that are becoming software-enabled to enterprise and worldwide information and business platforms – systems of software, technology, and related services drive today’s organizations. This increased reliance is surfacing many shortcomings in the way software and IT are managed. Software and IT projects, like Black Holes, consume vast amounts of time and money, yet often do not deliver what was promised, are frequently late and over budget, and are many are defect prone when deployed. Sometimes not even light comes out!Outright failures are quite common and can ...

Keywords: Gary Gack, lean six sigma, process efficiency training, six sigma training, six sigma myths]]>Small BusinessOperationsSmall Business Gary Gack Build Your Small Business Marketing Plan

Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 11/2/10 2:30pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 11/2/10 3:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Sarah Day$99.00 per connection

After labor, marketing is often the largest expense in a small business. But how can you be assured that the dollars you’re spending actually result in sales? Too often, business owners spend marketing dollars without a comprehensive plan. The result – poor lead generation, expenses that bring dubious results, and messages that miss the mark.

In this webinar, Sarah Day, small business growth strategist and founder of Day One Business Services, reviews the elements of an effective marketing plan and provides you with techniques to help you take some of the unknowns out of your marketing. Using real-world examples, Sarah presents the information you need to take charge of your marketing and generate results.

You’ll learn:

• The best technique for getting the answers to your marketing questions
• Which marketing tactics are appropriate for your business goals
• Common marketing plan mistakes and how to avoid them
• How to set budget parameters
• How – and why – to measure marketing return on investment

All registrants will receive a copy of Sarah Day's comprehensive marketing plan outline.

About the Presenter:

Sarah Day is a small business growth strategist. Her company, Day One Business Services, helps small enterprises improve their overall management ~ from profitability to marketing to staffing to operations. Sarah is an accredited executive associate of the Institute for Independent Business, a nonprofit research, training, and accreditation organization devoted to helping small business.

Keywords: develop a small business marketing plan, write a marketing plan, sarah day, day one business services]]>Small BusinessMarketingSmall Business Sarah Day Effective Business Development Strategies - On A Shoestring Budget
Learn how to build your sales pipeline – without cold calling
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 11/12/10 11:30am EASTERN TIME
End Time: 11/12/10 12:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Shelley Plemons$99.00 per connection

"Our product is fantastic, but our sales pipeline is as dry as the desert!" How do you get the word out so your target prospects know about your solutions? It can be challenging - and costly - if you don't know the secrets of effective business development. Without a strong sales pipeline, revenue is merely a pipedream.

Shelley Plemons, founder of Strategic Sales Solutions, helps sales professionals rejuvenate their sales pipelines using her specialized business development methodology. Using both free and inexpensive resources, she teaches you how to reach prospects …without cold calling. Shelley provides you with the tools your need to quickly build a sales pipeline that keeps revenue flowing.

In this webinar, you'll learn how to:
• Position yourself as a subject matter expert within your target market
• Select the most effective business development channels
• Leverage both free and inexpensive business development tactics
• Design the tools that engage each of the selected channels
• Implement effective business development strategies … that your competition is not using
• Get sales and marketing on the same page for the campaigns

Included with your registration is Shelley's marketing plan calendar template and public relations checklist to help you implement the teachings from this virtual training course.
 

About the Presenter:

Shelley Plemons is a leading sales expert in the areas of successful sales process development, professional selling skills, sales coaching skills as well as deployment of strategic sales initiatives. She has held senior management positions in the sales field throughout her career. Reflecting on her success, Shelley developed a selling system incorporating all of her proven techniques to introduce them to the marketplace. In 2002, she founded Strategic Sales Solutions; her organization is committed to helping organizations who want to dramatically increase their revenue by developing their sales force and programs so that they are the best they can be.

Keywords: Shelley Plemons, Strategic Sales Solutions, creative marketing strategies, free advertising]]>Small BusinessSalesSmall Business Shelley Plemons Should You Write a Business Book?
What Every Potential Author Should Know Before Writing a Single Word
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 11/12/10 2:30pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 11/12/10 3:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Ken Lizotte$99.00 per connection

• How to select a book topic that best positions your expertise
• Secret techniques for effectively writing your manuscript to save you time and money
• Pros and cons of the different publishing methods so you can select the best path
• What publishers look for in a business book and how to best approach them
• Customized "business-building" book promotion strategies

About the Presenter:

Ken Lizotte CMC is author of ”The Expert’s Edge: Become the Go-To Authority that People Turn to Every Time” (McGraw-Hill) which explores how consultants, business owners, entrepreneurs, attorneys, professional servcies firms, expert professionals and entire companies can position themselves as “thoughtleaders” in their field and industry. Ken demonstrates in his book how thoughtleading offers superior competitive advantages, higher career satisfaction and... increased income! Founder and Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO) of emerson consulting group inc. (Concord MA) which specializes in transforming experts into thoughtleaders, Ken speaks to business grous and conferences on such topics as getting published, staying creativie, work/family balance and career success. He’s an active member of IMC USA, co-founder of the National Writers Union, a seminar leader since 1996 at Harvard University's Extension School and former columnist for the American Management Association. Contact Ken at 978-371-0442 or via ken@thoughtleading.com or via his website: www.thoughtleading.com. To learn more about his book, visit www.theexpertsedge.com

Keywords: how to become a published author, write a business book, Ken Lizotte, thought leader, business writing ]]>Small BusinessPublishingSmall Business Ken Lizotte Software Development for Business Executives
What You Need to Know to Guarantee Project Success
Topic: Small Business
Start Time: 11/16/10 2:30pm EASTERN TIME
End Time: 11/16/10 3:30pm EASTERN TIME
Presented by: Gary Gack$99.00 per connection

• Ask the critical questions to ensure the project is scoped correctly
• Develop a “cost of quality” model so you can measure the return on your software investments
• Analyze the status of the project
• Avoid the most common-failure points in software development projects
• Apply the two key steps every leader can take to improve project performance

About the Presenter:

Is an MBA from the Wharton School, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and an ASQ-certified software quality engineer. He provides consulting, training and coaching related to business and software/IT process improvement, with emphasis on “best of breed” integration of proven best practices and models. His primary focus and interest is in helping organizations improve business performance by more effective management of the interface between general managers and software and IT. By working on both sides of the "technology divide" he has helped reduce failures, increase productivity and quality, reduce waste, and control risk. More and more businesses and government agencies are finding software and IT to be crucial to their success and efficiency. From ‘hardware’ products that are becoming software-enabled to enterprise and worldwide information and business platforms – systems of software, technology, and related services drive today’s organizations. This increased reliance is surfacing many shortcomings in the way software and IT are managed. Software and IT projects, like Black Holes, consume vast amounts of time and money, yet often do not deliver what was promised, are frequently late and over budget, and are many are defect prone when deployed. Sometimes not even light comes out!Outright failures are quite common and can ...

Keywords: Gary Gack, managing a software project, IT best practices, manage an IT department, software development, software development project]]>Small BusinessLeadership/ManagementSmall Business Gary Gack