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.