book

The Street Smart MBA: 10 Proven Strategies for Driving Business Success

Name: The Street Smart MBA: 10 Proven Strategies for Driving Business Success
ISBN: 9781430247678

by Steve Babitsky, James J. Mangraviti Jr.

December 2012

Beginner

248 pages

7h 22m

English

Apress

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Titlepage
Contents
About the Authors
Introduction
Summary of Summaries
Chapter 1. Build a Superb BrandChapter 2. Grow and Tap Your NetworkChapter 3. Develop Products Customers LoveChapter 4. Sell Your Products and Services Cost EffectivelyChapter 5. Control Your Costs and Increase Your ProductivityChapter 6. Take ChargeChapter 7. Recruit, Motivate, and Retain a Superior WorkforceChapter 8. Deal with Customer Complaints Head-OnChapter 9. Manage YourselfChapter 10. Become a Better Negotiator
Chapter 1: Step 1: Build a Superb Brand
1. Build your brand through an intense focus on quality.2. Turn down business that risks damaging your brand.3. Define and reinforce your brand with a well thought out tagline4. Treat your customers with respect and do not jerk them around.
Chapter 2: Step 2: Grow and Tap Your Network
1. Give a heads up and do favors.2. Send a gift.3. Mentor4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Chapter 3: Step 3: Develop Products Customers Love
1. Listen to your customers.2. Before you proceed with a new product, have a plan that covers all the necessary elements for success.3. Read everything.4. Turn problems into new opportunities by seeing the problem a little differently.5. Develop and sell product extensions.
Chapter 4: Step 4: Sell Your Products and Services Cost Effectively
1. Nobody (with something to sell) knows anything about marketing.2. Test it out and see if it works.3. Track the results of your marketing efforts.4. It’s the name, stupid.5. Image is everything. 6. Understand how much a new client is worth.7. Find yourself a niche.8. Consider premium pricing.9. Deadlines make things happen.10. Offer a money back guarantee—and honor it.11. When someone tries to sell you something, sell them something.12. Pitch to your customers when their wallets are already open.13. Capture and add to your database the names of potential customers.14. Follow-up.15. Make it simple and easy for your customer to buy from you.
Chapter 5: Step 5: Control Your Costs and Increase Your Productivity
1. Do not fear technology; embrace it. 2. Shop around for the best deal and use vendors based in low-cost areas.3. Develop long-term relationships with vendors.4. Keep a low overhead and avoid large, fixed expenses or commitments.5. Watch your vendors like a hawk.6. Consider buying over renting.7. Read the fine print.

Chapter 6: Step 6: Take Charge
1. Watch the little details.2. Answer your phone and return phone calls promptly.3. Keep your eye on the ball.4. Develop a protocol, along with a system of checklists to make sure you follow it.5. Weigh likely benefits against potential risks, and don’t bet the farm.6. Keep in contact with the competition, and cooperate where you can.7. Win the war, not the battle.8. Attack little problems aggressively and don’t let them turn into BIG problems.9. Recognize what is and what is not your problem.10. Do not rely exclusively on e-mail; pick up the phone.
Chapter 7: Recruit, Motivate, and Retain a Superior Workforce
1. Give interviewees a test assignment.2. No employee is ever too old—or too young.3. Mercilessly get rid of the bad apples on your staff.4. Overpay your staff.5. Treat people you terminate with compassion and respect. 6. Be flexible with your staff.7. Pay for performance.
Chapter 8: Deal with Customer Complaints Head-On
1. Talk directly with your customers as much as you can.2.Talk with unhappy customers on the phone or in person, and get back to them right away.3.Get rid of problem clients so you can focus on your good clients.4. Realize that you can never make EVERYONE happy.5. Don’t say no. Focus on what you CAN do to help the unhappy customer.6. Let your customers off the hook.
Chapter 9: Manage Yourself
1. Take care of yourself.2. Be persistent.3. Don’t wait until the last minute.4. Sleep on important decisions.5. Have confidence in yourself.6. Don’t be afraid to fail.
Chapter 10: Become a Better Negotiator
1. In a win–win relationship, you win.2. Build negotiating power by emphasizing the possibility of long-term business.3. You are best off dealing with the decision maker, not an underling.4. Information is power, so do your homework.5. Develop an alternative to improve your bargaining position.6. Beware of weak links in your negotiating team.7. Be prepared to walk away.8. Nothing should be agreed to until everything is agreed to.
Index

Content preview from The Street Smart MBA: 10 Proven Strategies for Driving Business Success

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Step 1: Build a Superb Brand

Neither Jim nor I went to business school or were business majors in undergraduate school. Everything we have learned about business, we have learned from our customers and the marketplace. We have made a tremendous number of mistakes over the years; indeed, a major purpose of this book is so that others can learn from our many mistakes. But we also hope to be able to emphasize one of the main reasons we believe that we have been able to survive despite all these mistakes: we have been intensely focused on our brand from Day 1. We take pride in who we are, how we do business, and what we sell. The fact that we have ...

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The Street Smart MBA: 10 Proven Strategies for Driving Business Success

by Steve Babitsky, James J. Mangraviti Jr.

Step 1: Build a Superb Brand

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.