Amazing.  Simply amazing.

Twice a year, HBSA staff takes a break to clear the air of projects, re-focus priorities, and plan for the next big push.  We will resume all live classes and normal support starting the week of September 14th.

If you have any questions inthe mean-time, shoot us a quick email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Cheers to you.

Whenever I am asked for “free marketing ideas” – I shudder [but only on the inside].

Not because there is anything wrong with free marketing – It’s often the most effective kind.

And not because I mind giving free advice – I do it all the time, and enjoy it.

And certainly not because there’s anything wrong with “free” – it’s my favorite price.

The problem lies between the ears of the person asking for it.  Usually, there is a negative situation that is promulgating their request [more specifically - lack of funds].

Bootstrap ideology is fun – and growing a business from the grassroots can be an exhilarating challenge.

But one of the main reasons that businesses fail is because they are under-capitalized.  And that is what makes me cringe when I am asked for free marketing ideas.

So – if you’re under-capitalized, and you are reading this for free marketing ideas – I suggest you solve your capitalization issue before trying to expand your marketing efforts.

Now – for actual marketing ideas. Continue reading »

If I ask you to close your eyes and imagine a scene of a professional closing a sale, what do you see?

High-pressure, heavy-handed tactics?

Exaggeration and inconsistency?

Smiles and handshakes?

Many people have very negative perceptions of the process involved in “closing a deal”.

And for good reason – a lot of sales “professionals” don’t know the first thing about closing!

Many of us have had experiences with a salesperson who OBVIOUSLY didn’t care about us, our desires, or our priorities.  They just wanted to get the deal done, and move on. Continue reading »

Microsoft Bing has a sense of humor.

Watch this, and tell me this type of situation hasn’t happened to you during a search:

But the question is – can they really challenge Google?

You can compare the two search engines here {link}.