When we think of branding we tend to think of very large companies with hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on branding.

The reality is that every business is creating a brand image whether it intends to or not.  The question is what image are you creating? (more…)

Is gathering your competitors’ pricing information a worthwhile endeavor?

Conventional wisdom is that you need to know your competitors’ pricing.  My question is “Why?” (more…)

That’s a common belief among business owners.

Is it true?

That isn’t the case for Ron Ameln, the owner and publisher of St. Louis Small Business Monthly.  Here’s what he said.  “I told my advisory board that I wanted to raise prices.  They told me that I was in a dying industry and raising prices would only accelerate my company’s demise.  I raised my prices 5% and revenues grew by 8%.” (more…)

When you lower your customers’ risk…

…they’ll reward you with higher prices.

Jane Porter, in a May 23, 2011 article for Entrepreneur, highlighted the great comeback story of GovernmentAuctions.org.  What can we learn from this incredible story? (more…)

A professional recently told me that he’d merged his firm with a larger firm. Then he went on to say that he’d sent his clients a letter stating that the fees they’d be paying would be 10% higher than they were prior to the merger. What was the rationale for this move? (more…)