We talked recently about how to get a bigger piece of the pie in a negotiation. But what if I told you that in many negotiations, the pie isn’t really fixed? What if I told you that in lots of cases, there is actually more than one pie? The truth is, there’s usually an opportunity to negotiate…
If you had a single pie to split with someone, how much of it do you think you could get? If you don’t like pie, then you probably don’t care. But if you’re like me, and you do like pie, then you probably hope that you can get at least half of it, maybe more….
Last year, I came across the X Theme by Themeco, which is the #1 selling WordPress theme on Themeforest. I have had terrible luck in the past buying one-off themes because the designers often dump a theme to make some sales, but do little in the way of support. Not surprisingly, I was gun shy….
The marketer’s adage “The money is in the list” is (mostly) solid advice. When I launch a product, a significant portion of sales comes from my email list every time. I take good care of my email list, and they take care of me. On a recent launch, I found 53% of sales came…
What threats does your business face? Where do those threats come from? We’ve talked about three other forces that can have a huge impact on the success of our business. Each of these forces is based on the current business environment. But the last two forces are based on the threat of future competitors. More…
How strong is your business compared to your competition? Or take it even one step back and tell me, who is your competition? In any business situation, it’s important to understand who your competition is. Let me give you three main types of competitors to help you identify who your competitors really are. Rivals—Are there other businesses…
Have you ever just scrolled through the free section on Craigslist? It’s crazy the kind of stuff you can find on there. You’ll find a lot of things that aren’t worth the drive to go get them, but you’ll also find some stuff that’s pretty cool. It’s stuff that the owner doesn’t want or need…
How much power do you have in negotiating with your suppliers and customers? The first and fifth of the Five Forces described by Michael Porter are Buyer Bargaining Power and Supplier Bargaining Power. If this is the first time you’ve heard about Porter’s Five Forces, check out my previous article here. So bargaining power… What…
Think about your business. Where does it fit into its space? How does your business operate relative to your competitors, suppliers, customers, etc. Who are your competitors? Do you even have suppliers? Well, of course you do, but have you thought about it? Who holds the power? There’s a simple framework that I want to introduce…
How much do you think you could make trimming people’s trees? Almost two year ago, I moved into our house in Irving, Texas. Shortly before I bought the house, I found out that a big tree branch had broken off one of the huge trees in the yard and was resting on the roof. My…