Friday, January 21, 2011

The Last Lecture

-what you think is garbage is someone elses treasure
-theres alot of opportunities out there
-purchasing a crashed vehicle and selling the parts = big money
-every step of the way is a learning experience
garbagetruckforsale.net
rollofftrucksforsale.net
 -find cheap merchandise and sell it for more
-wheeling and dealing garbage trucks 
-making good money from very little
-mike kind

Monday, January 10, 2011

Warren Buffett on Teaching Kids Finance

  • bad financial habits can hurt your life
  • bad financial habits can hurt your marriage, belongings, etc.
  • i buy them because i know i am bound to make more money over time
  • has video called Secret Millionaires club
  • retail business needs to have a good locations

Friday, January 7, 2011

Kelloggs

  • will kelloggs did not go past sixth grade
  • education is not crucial 
  • Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, was the co-inventor of flaked cereal
  •  In 1906, W.K. Kellogg entered the cereal business, as American eating habits began shifting from heavy, fat-laden breakfasts to lighter, more grain-based meals.
  • W.K. discovered that a better flake was produced by using only the corn grit or "sweet heart of the corn."
  • knew he had to make his product different from all of the other companies.. named it "The Original."
  • The company succeeded because it believed the entire populace, not just those on special diets, might be interested in wholesome cereal foods, and because it continually improved its product line and packaging techniques to meet the needs of an ever-changing and evolving consumer base.
  • he was always trying to keep up with the market
  • To keep up with a growing market, Kellogg Company developed new product, packaging and marketing innovations to fit consumer needs.
  •  In 1914, Kellogg Company created Waxtite® wrappers, a new concept in packaging technology.
  • gave out free samples to introduce people to his product
  • he believed that if people tried a good product, they would keep buying it. To ensure that consumers would continue to seek out his products, he distributed free samples of his Corn Flakes, and then followed up with advertising in magazines and on billboards
  • After having success in the U.S. market, Kellogg opened its first foreign cereal facility in 1914 in Canada.
  • Kellogg continued to expand into new markets
  • New cereal products of the 1980s including Kellogg's® Squares™ line, Kellogg's® Crispix® and Kellogg's® Just Right®
  • Declaring "I'll invest my money in people," in 1930, Mr. Kellogg founded the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
  • 2006, Kellogg Company celebrated its 100th Anniversary.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Key Terms

prospect: a potential customer
order getting: seeking out buyers and giving them a well-organized presentation; sometimes referred to as "creative selling". sales are classified into 2 groups: order getting and order taking.
order taking: the completion of a sale to a customer who has sought out a product.
rational buying motive: a conscious, logical reason to make a purchase, such as convenience or comfort. Sales people should be trained to interpret whether a customer has a rational buying motive for making a purchase or an emotional buying motive that prompts a purchase.
emotional buying motive: a feeling a buyer associates with a product, such as recognition or prestige
customer benefits: the advantages of personal satisfaction that a customer will get from a product. Knowing a product's customer benefits is essential for success in selling because people buy products for their benefits.
buying process: a series of steps a customer goes through when making a purchase. In preparation for selling, the sales trainee must also understand the buying process.

The Stages of Selling (AIDA)
Attention: Getting the prospective buyer's attention.
Interest: Developing an interest in the product.
Desire: Creating a desire for the product.
Action: Getting the customer to buy.

prospecting: a systematic approach to developing new sales leads or customers, who are identified through referrals, public records, or surveys. Prospecting is seeking out new leads.
preapproach: the marketing activities that precede a saleperson's approach to a prospective customer that are intended to help achieve a successful sale.
approach: a salesperson's first contact with a customer
objections: any concern, hesitation, doubt, or other reason a customer has for not making a purchase. When customers voice objections during the presentation of the product, a good salesperson selects appropriate methods to respond to the customers' worries.
suggestion selling: selling additional goods to a customer to go along with a product or products the customer is purchasing.
sales check: a written record of a sales transaction. A sales check provides valuable info to the business, such as the date, items purchased, and purchase price.

3 basic budgets are needed for sales activities:
-sales budget
-selling expense budget
-administrative sales cost budget

sales territories: geographical areas in which existing and potential customers are grouped. A business that covers a wide area should establish sales territories to ensure market coverage, reduce selling costs, and improve customer relations.
sales quota: a performance goal assigned to a salesperson for a specific period. A sales quota can be used to indicate strong and weak areas in the sales operation, provide incentives for the workforce, and improve effectiveness of compensation plans.
directing sales operations: you must direct your sales activites by providing motivation, incentives, a favorable environment, resources, leadership.
commission: a fee for services rendered based on a percentage of an amount sold; payment is based on sales alone. A commission plan has an advantage in the incentive it provides for employees, but a disadvantage in the difficulty in directing commissioned salespeople.
sales call report: an account of sales activites, including such items as number of calls made, orders obtained, and miles traveled.
SWOT analysis: a strategic planning technique that analyzes a company's internal strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities and threats in the external sales environment.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Martha Stewert

-very determined
-grew up poor
-did babysitting and lots of jobs to make money for college
-recognized that if she did modeling she could make alot more money
-worked very hard to get an education
-did alot of modeling to fund her college
-her family noticed she did not sleep much... doing alot of stuff was her way of relaxing
-fell in love with andy
-married him within a year... she became martha stewert
-her parents were not thrilled that her 19 year old daughter was married
-martha dropped out of school to live with andy. she worked as a model to help him get through law school
-she dropped all of her aspirations to become a house wife
-after a european trip, creating a european lifestyle was her new dream
-she went back to finish her degree
-she liked to transform her sourroundings
-signed on with Kmart
-there is always a sacrifice for a  good business... in marthas case it was her family
-she lost the man she loved which caused a huge void in her life
-people made parodys of her

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

famous entrepreneurs

Donald Trump by Colin Alberts
-created a personal brand for himself which really paid off
-known for real estate
-competitive

Richard Branson by Evan Edlund
-founder of Virgin Group, 350 companies
-$8 billion in sales
-212th richest person in the world
-started his first successful business venture at age 16

Herb Kelleher by Adam Hack
- CEO of Southwest Airlines Company (retired in 2001)
-mom was his best mentor
-business partner: Rollin King

Orville Redenbacher by Brad Smith
-known for his popcorn
-enjoyed school and was always a positive guy
-started with a popcorn stand and made it big
-his dad was his mentor

Rockefeller by Rachel Huizenga
-net worth 1.4 biullion dollars
-married Laura Spelman
-known for Standard Oil

Friday, December 10, 2010

Conrad Hilton

-learned the value of heard work
-his wife was the backbone of the family
-his wife was quiet and he was loud
-he had a winning attitude and a pride to succeed
-worked for his father at the general store
-the basic principles: the buyer should get a deal, the seller should get a profit - somewhere in between is a fair price
-1910, he was 22
-one of 8 children
-the general store had expanded
-his father became a wealthy, wellknown merchant
-his father expected his son to continue to work for him but they clashed to much... conrad was not treated as an equal partner
-with lifesavings of $5000, 1919, he was adament about pursueing his life as a banker.
-as he was about to buy a bank the seller changed the price. he was frustrated so he went to the hotel
-he noticed that the hotel was doing really well so he decided he was going to be a hotelman instead
-he bought his first hotel for $40,000
-his hotel was a success
-he began to buy more hotels in different locations
-he bought hotels that were fixer-uppers and were going downhill for cheap
-created the slogan to sum up his business psychology "minimax" meaning minimum price for maximum service
-had 3 sons with his wife
-age 40, the depression put him into ruins. he lost everything but 1 hotel
-he barely saved his last hotel. he made his $40,000 lease payment by promising a company that he would continue to buy from them as long as he was in business
-hilton emerged from the depression with a "rock-solid reputation"
-his hard work took a toll on his marriage, his wife filed for divorce
-great strategy: when people are fearful, they will take anything
-he took advantage of the fear of invasion by japenese on the west coast so he bought luxurious properties at great prices
-communism was against hilton
-he felt his hotels put him on the front lines on the battle of communism
-his son died at age 42 of a heart attack which hurt him
-at 87, he married Francis Kelly
-1978, at the age of 91 he died