GBJ Staff

Eat Your Way to More Sales

In today’s environment, the cost  of acquiring new accounts has skyrocketed.  Studies show that selling additional products and services to an existing client base can be more cost effective than investing in new client development.  With existing accounts, we have already absorbed the cost of acquiring the business.  Our existing client base would utilize more of our services if only we had the foresight to ask for the business.  Yet, we seldom ask.

So, how should we bring up the subject?  One of the most successful ways to do this is to take your client to lunch.  This enables the buyer-seller relationship to change.  Inside the office, your client has a role to play and many demands to meet.  Inside the restaurant, you can focus on selling the additional business.
Follow these suggestions for a successful business lunch with your client:

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GBJ Staff

Partnership Gwinnett Spotlights Past Success and Future Plans at Upcoming Summit

Partnership Gwinnett and the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development invite you to this year’s annual Partnership Gwinnett community and economic development summit, to be held on August 26, presented by T-mobile.  This year’s event promises to highlight success in jobs, education and revitalization – and is themed around Gwinnett’s Camera Ready initiative; one that has put the county in the spotlight as the location of choice for numerous commercials, television shows, independent and feature films.

 

“T-Mobile is proud to be the presenting sponsor of Partnership Gwinnett for the third year in a row.  This re-confirms our commitment to economic development in the greater Atlanta area, and the belief that a robust wireless network and access to wireless services are crucial to the continued growth of businesses and quality of life in Gwinnett County.” said Shawn Blassingill, Sr. Development Manager at T-Mobile.

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Jim Maran

Become a Part of the Chamber’s Success

Here at the Gwinnett Chamber our vision is simple – we’re about success. Your success. Your company’s success. And our community’s success. That’s why our community’s motto is “Success Lives Here.” And the Chamber’s servant-leadership role is captured in our motto, “In Business For You.”

Each fall the Gwinnett Chamber has the opportunity to share our vision in a unique way – through our volunteer-driven membership and sponsorship campaign. Kicking off in August, more than 40 teams and 150 volunteers will be sharing how the Gwinnett Chamber can help businesses and organizations achieve success. These volunteers are being led by our 2011 Campaign Co-Chairs Raymer Sale with E2E Resources and Herman Pennamon with Georgia Power and will be recruiting new members and sponsors to the Chamber as we continue our efforts to enhance Gwinnett and metro Atlanta’s reputation as one of the best places to live and work in the U.S.

 
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GBJ Staff

Email and effective selling

The next time you are in a business meeting, look around and notice how many smartphones you see. They are everywhere. People are constantly checking their email messages, as though an email was something that can’t wait until the meeting is over. Can you imagine how disrespectful it would be to be looking through your paper “snail mail” while someone was trying to talk with you about a business topic? Yet most people today think nothing of scrolling through their smartphone messages and firing off quick replies with well-practiced thumbs a-flying, in the middle of a live conversation.

I actually think this is good news for those of us who sell for a living. The reason I say that, is that I want my clients’ competitors trying to engage prospects via email. Meanwhile, my clients pick up the phone have real live conversations and set real live appointments with those same prospects.

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GBJ Staff

Primrose of Five Forks encourages a love of learning

by Rebekah Wortman

At Primrose School of Five Forks, the direction is clear. “Children come into the world ready to learn. Our job is to enhance this natural process and encourage the development of a lifelong love of learning.” says Kristin McCabe, marketing director “We make sure children are prepared academically, socially, emotionally and physically.”

Established in 1994 in Lawrenceville and owned by Steve and Cami Nail, the Primrose School of Five Forks is dedicated to excellence. With an array of awards and honors to show for their hard work and dedication to the development of children, the school strives to be a grade above.

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GBJ Staff

Solar cell production at Suniva boosts economy

In these economic times, many companies have seen dips in sales. That hasn’t been the case for Norcross-based Suniva, a manufacturer of high-efficiency silicon solar cells and modules. The company is sold-out several months in advance and is experiencing significant demand for its products both nationally and abroad.

“Last year, Suniva exported more than 90 percent of its product to Asia and Europe,” said Bryan Ashley, Suniva’s chief marketing officer. “In fact, Suniva outsources none of its production [and] is the only U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency silicon solar cells that uses U.S. technology and U.S. production.”

Domestic production allows Suniva to employ a diverse American workforce—approximately a quarter of employees are military veterans and many others were hired from shuttered automotive plants.

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David Greer

The Kid Will Eat the Middle of the Oreo First

Innovation, ingenuity and vision are often the cornerstone of entrepreneurial businesses. Countless hours spent in pursuit of the better mousetrap. If only we could think of one of those million dollar ideas. If only we could come out with some product or service that took off like wildfire and made us rich. If only we too could come up with that one great idea we’d be set for life. Right?

I’d argue that the world is full of great ideas. Opportunities lie on every corner. More ideas than you can comprehend. I also think for every great idea you see on the market there are thousands and thousands that never made it out of the minds of creators. They just never got traction. Never made it to fruition.

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GBJ Staff

2010 Small Business Persons of the Year Award

We’ll never know if the big guy up north had anything to do with Georgia’s 2010 Small Business Person of the Year Award, but an elf was most certainly involved.

“In January 2004, I was at my mom’s house drinking tea when we came up with the idea to write a story about our elf,” said Chanda Bell. “Our beloved Christmas tradition had meant so much to us over the years and we thought it would be wonderful to share those memories with other families. After some consulting with Santa, we knew we had to do it.”

“I had an elf as a child,” explains her mother, Carol Aebersold. “We knew as soon as the elf was around, Christmas had arrived. That was our goal: when other people’s elves arrived, they would know Christmas had come.”

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GBJ Staff

It’s All About Branding

In business, there will always be competition. And to succeed in a tough economy, a business needs more than just a great product or service – it needs a great brand.

Branding identifies and distinguishes a company within an industry. How often do you hear adhesive notes called “Post-its” and facial tissues “Kleenex?” These companies have branded their products so well they don’t just compete with other products – they define their industries.

Trudy Dunson, a professor of marketing and management at Gwinnett Technical College names The Coca-Cola Company as one of the masters of branding.

“The Coca-Cola ribbon is one of the most recognizable logos in the world,” said Dunson. “Coke is It and It’s the Real Thing are two of the most recognizable tag lines. Coke’s message has always been clear and consistent regardless of what audience they may be trying to reach. The message of Coke is carried out throughout all forms of media.”

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Gwinnett Magazine Staff

Shaping infinity

October 28 is a big day in Atlanta. Over 800 bioscience professionals from across Georgia, the Southeast and the nation will converge on the city for a one-day summit. It may sound like just another scientific conference, but its impact may shape the future.

Bioscience is one of the biggest booms to economic development in Georgia looming on the horizon. The focus of the 2010 Georgia Life Sciences Summit – Innovation for a Healthier World…Meeting the Challenge – serves quite well in Georgia’s quest to establish the Innovation Crescent region from Atlanta to Athens as a branded, internationally recognized hotbed for bioscience.

 
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