- November 28, 2018 -

Let's just get it out in the open.

...the question you dread hearing from prospective customers.

...the bell you can't unring.

You probably experienced *it* this week already.

The initial conversation with your lead goes well. You both find some common ground and agree to a second meeting.

You demo your product or service...or give your presentation.

(In my case, I do a property walk-through.)

Texts go back and forth.

Calls are made between both parties.

Good vibrations are felt all around.

Numbers are crunched and terms are discussed, clarified, agreed upon.

It's time to draw up a proposal. Put the final touches on a quote.

You. Hit. [...]

- November 27, 2018 -

First there's Black Friday.

Then comes Cyber Monday hot on its heels.

...except some evidently don't know their days of the week because I'm still getting emails today with subject lines like this: [ENDS AT MIDNIGHT] Art, Our Cyber Monday Sale Ends Tonight!

It's Tuesday, people!

Oh, by the way...I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

The highlight at the Basmajian house was my 86-year-old mother doing spot-on impersonations from My Cousin Vinny...accents and all.

...my 5'2" sweet mother.

...doing Vinny Gambino.

You get the idea 🙂

Back to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

One is all about retail and the other is all online...right?

Actually, there's [...]

- November 20, 2018 -

If you have aging parents, you'll get this.

Both Cheryl and I have lost our dads this last year so the holidays this year will be a little raw.

But we've still got our moms and very grateful for them.

Moms in their '80's who have a mind of their own...and there's the rub 🙂

Last weekend, Cheryl's mom wanted to go see her three younger grandkids run in the annual Schoolboy Race...it's a small town thing.

Started in 1959...evidently the oldest youth roadrace in the nation.

Eastern PA had just gotten their first big snow of the season and she was [...]

- November 15, 2018 -

By all the comments I got after yesterday's post...I take it that the riddle was a welcome break in the end-of-year hustle.

In case you didn't read it, here it is...with the greatly anticipated ANSWER.

RIDDLE:

You're at Highland Park Reservoir near Pittsburgh.

(Because sightseeing at the home of the mighty Steelers has been on your bucket list forever. Lol)

You have both a 5 gallon and a 3 gallon pail.

Since you're at a reservoir, you have unlimited water.

How are you gonna make the 5 gallon pail have 4 gallons using nothing more than the two pails and a hose.

There are [...]

- November 14, 2018 -

The holidays are just around the corner.

If you're in online retail, Black Friday is front and center.

Our team has had their heads down for the last 6 months finishing up proprietary CyberFunnel software that will allow a sales team to avoid having to even log into Infusionsoft to manage their leads.

+ Each member of the team (admin, sales reps, managers) sees only what they need to finish a task or update a stage outcome.

+ Each member has their own internal calendar to schedule appt's with their leads that syncs with their Google calendar (or whatever they [...]

- November 12, 2018 -

In-N-Out Burger.

An incredibly successful burger chain that originated in Baldwin Park, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles in 1948 by newlyweds Harry and Esther Snyder.

One of the nations first drive-thru's.

They sell...burgers.

Not chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fish sandwiches, artisan sandwiches.

They don't do onion rings or salads.

(They do offer fries, soda and shakes)

They focus on one thing: full-on beef burgers.

...no vegan burgers, bean burgers, tofu burgers.

You get only three options (perfect for decision-challenged carnivores): Hamburger, Cheeseburger, and their trademarked Double-Double ®

And they do them amazingly well....to the point where they have an almost cult following.

Everyone from businessmen in [...]

- November 8, 2018 -

When is it ok to quit?

The most gut-wrenching question an entrepreneur will ever deal with.

Earlier this week I talked about not quitting when the going gets shi**y.

...not bailing when running a business hits the skids.

...when starting over is easier than plowing ahead.

Believe me, every business owner has battled the "How long do I hang in there?" demon.

I think the better question to ask yourself is this:

"If I had the chance to turn back the clock, knowing all I know now...would I pursue this venture all over again?"

Would you invest the money and energy you've bankrolled to [...]

- November 6, 2018 -

I've gotta tell you...the last few weeks have been difficult.

Actually...really shi**y.

...deals I was counting on closing haven't.

...deals I've been nursing for 7 months.

...deals that fell apart at the eleventh hour for reasons nothing short of bizarre.

...situations totally out of my control.

You've had those days, right?

Those days that cause you to second and third and fourth guess yourself.

And keep you up at night...asking yourself THE question.

That. You. Can't. Shake.

And the question you need an answer to if you're going to keep grinding it out day after day.

I come across a [...]

- November 5, 2018 -

If Madonna really wanted to make a comeback, she'd be singin' this tune:

'Cause we are living in a "digital" world And I am a "digital" girl.

Whether you like it or not...you're a digital marketer in a digital world.

And it's not going away anytime soon unless the world at large collectively goes on a permanent media fast and...

...ditches cell phones

...and goes back to dial ups and faxes

...smashes computers

...and goes back to paper and pencil and metal file cabinets

Which to be honest, sounds kinda nice.

But in the meantime, to kick off your week...here's a Greatest Hits List of the [...]

- October 31, 2018 -

Bonus points if you knew that the 1981 movie is a remake of the 1946 black and white film with Lana Turner.

No...I've never watched the '46 version. I'm no spring chicken but I'm not quite that old, people.

And no...we're not chatting about the Postal Service today.

We're talkin' email delivery...currently one of the hottest topics.

There's a lot of blame flying around:

...Infusionsoft has crappy email deliverability.

...Mail Chimp has better Open rates.

...my list is telling me my emails end up in their Spam boxes.

...what the heck? How hard can it be to get a darn email into an inbox?

Well, [...]