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	<title>SPIA Official Blog - Coaching Business Professionals since 1971 &#187; Finance</title>
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	<description>Real Results You Can Trust</description>
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		<title>It’s A Good Time to Build A Marketing Machine &#8211; What &#8220;is&#8221; a marketing machine and why would I need one? … let’s examine the benefits!</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/marketing/it%e2%80%99s-a-good-time-to-build-a-marketing-machine-is-it-time-to-build-a-marketing-machine-%e2%80%a6-let%e2%80%99s-examine-the-benefits-the-best-of-both-worlds/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/marketing/it%e2%80%99s-a-good-time-to-build-a-marketing-machine-is-it-time-to-build-a-marketing-machine-%e2%80%a6-let%e2%80%99s-examine-the-benefits-the-best-of-both-worlds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:53:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Craig Stimmel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cost Control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E-Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing Machine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Operational Efficiency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Salesforce Automation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=389</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There’s marketing and there’s sales, and each has its pros and cons. To ensure your marketing and sales people work in concert with one another as teammates, like they should, you need a Marketing Machine.

A Marketing Machine combines the strengths of marketing and sales to create a powerful business development system – a combination of technology and process!

Marketing Pros &#038; Cons

Marketing allows you to deliver compelling communications at the lowest possible cost per impression to a large audience via a variety of different media. Through repetition, marketing can build brand awareness and increase the odds of reaching a prospect with the right offer at the right time.

But marketing generally doesn’t consider the sales cycle; it hits target audiences all at once with the same communication. Many salespeople wonder what marketing really does to help them sell. Yet, when marketing does its job, salespeople can do a better job!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.spiainc.com/marketing/it%e2%80%99s-a-good-time-to-build-a-marketing-machine-is-it-time-to-build-a-marketing-machine-%e2%80%a6-let%e2%80%99s-examine-the-benefits-the-best-of-both-worlds//feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Did You Really Intend To Work Your Business All Your Life?  If I decide to retire and sell it, what is it worth?</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/did-you-really-intend-to-work-your-business-all-your-life-if-i-decide-to-retire-and-sell-it-what-is-it-worth/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/did-you-really-intend-to-work-your-business-all-your-life-if-i-decide-to-retire-and-sell-it-what-is-it-worth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2011 13:25:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Craig Stimmel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business For Sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M&A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selling My Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Appraisals. Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Valuation Formulas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selling A Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=376</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I LOVE MY BUSINESS:  If you’re an entrepreneur, you know the joy of having creating something – your business – and made it successful.  You put in the long-hours – worried about your “baby” (your business) days/nights and even weekends during challenging times.  And, you watched it overcome these challenges and prosper.  It has been much like having another child --- your business (child) --- and you love it because it is part of you as much as your son or daughter.

Yes there were rewards – the sense of accomplishment – the pleasure of surrounding yourself with the managers and line staff you found, trained and together built the successful business.  And there were financial rewards, too. 

While that was nice, maybe it isn’t as important now after years in business as it was when you first decided to go into business for yourself.  Today there are days when you are just plain “tired”.  And other days you wish you could spend more time with the children and grandchildren and not have to come in every day.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/did-you-really-intend-to-work-your-business-all-your-life-if-i-decide-to-retire-and-sell-it-what-is-it-worth//feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The 1/3-1/3-1/3 Rule for Professional Firms &#8211; Is the Rule correct for all Professional Service Firms?</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/sales/the-13-13-13-rule-for-professional-firms-is-the-rule-correct-for-all-professional-service-firms/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/sales/the-13-13-13-rule-for-professional-firms-is-the-rule-correct-for-all-professional-service-firms/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2011 17:40:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Craig Stimmel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Compensation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cost Control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Professional Service Firm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Incentives]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rain Making]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=372</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The 1/3-1/3-1/3 rule is defined as a formula that is used by many professional service firms – legal, accounting, etc. to give structure and incentive opportunities for their professional staff.

For many companies in the field of management consulting, the reward system mimics this well established and proven compensation program.

Beyond what happens within the management consulting firm is what firms do when outsiders – affiliates or sales professionals bring in new business.  In my research on this topic, compensation varies from a straight “finder’s fee/commission” to a percentage of the project on a on-going basis.  Inbetween is any number of permutations and combinations.

S]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.spiainc.com/sales/the-13-13-13-rule-for-professional-firms-is-the-rule-correct-for-all-professional-service-firms//feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Key to Monitoring Your Operational Expenses: Revising Your Business Processes</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/cuttingoperationalcost/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/cuttingoperationalcost/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:43:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>kmburnham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cost Control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Enhancing Management Efficiency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=305</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On the surface, it's probably hard to think of a few good things that came out of the economic meltdown. You probably faced declining sales. You probably did more work with fewer resources. But if you think hard enough, you probably also learned a thing or two about managing your expenses. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/cuttingoperationalcost//feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Successful Solopreneur: 5 Tips to Make It Work</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/the-successful-solopreneur-5-tips-to-make-it-work/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/the-successful-solopreneur-5-tips-to-make-it-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:57:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>kmburnham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cost Control]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Enhancing Management Efficiency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solopreneur]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=249</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Inc.com posted a great story last week: <em><a href="http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/running-one-person-business.html" target="_new">How to Run a One-Person Business</a></em>. The gist of it: Owning and operating a business with a team of one requires determination, discipline and fearlessness. But those three qualities can be difficult to muster when the only person you have to rely on is you. So how do you manage?]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/the-successful-solopreneur-5-tips-to-make-it-work//feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Making A Bad Decision Now Is More Costly</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/wrong-decision-costly/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/wrong-decision-costly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:01:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jeanne Colachico</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Compensation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1099 Employees vs. W2 Employees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Appraisals. Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Resources]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=175</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For many employers, the choice to hire an employee or an independent contractor had become one of convenience.  It’s cheaper and easier to hire independent contractors.  They don’t get medical or other employee benefits; they don’t get overtime and aren’t subject to minimum wage restrictions; the employer doesn’t withhold taxes, provide worker’s compensation or contribute to unemployment compensation and they help moderate the impact of peaks in work-flow.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/wrong-decision-costly//feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Is My Business Worth? I’m Thinking Of Selling It!</title>
		<link>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/what-is-my-business-worth/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.spiainc.com/business/what-is-my-business-worth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:17:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Craig Stimmel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business For Sale]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M&A]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Appraisals. Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Valuation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selling A Business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.spiainc.com/?p=50</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At one point or another in any business owner’s career, the question arises as to whether or not the business should (or can) be sold.  Typically this question is combined with three others:
<ol>
	<li>What is the business worth?</li>
	<li>And if the value isn’t where I expected (or needed) it to be, what can I do about it?</li>
	<li>Finally, the BIG QUESTION:  Is now the right      time to sell?</li>
</ol>
Question 1 - The first question can be answered relatively easily.  All that is needed is to bring in a business appraiser like SPIA and have them evaluate your business.  The appraisal will show you the range of value that your business is worth in today’s economy.  Certainly that is good to know, as it    tells you where you are.]]></description>
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