Last Updated on Friday, 12 March 2010 11:59 Written by Administrator Friday, 23 October 2009 10:56
Operations information for Alberta's small business community
Operations Minute:
Strengthen Your Sales Staff
In most businesses, the key point of contact for clients or customers is the sales floor. Your sales staff are the driving force that brings in your revenue and increases profit margins. They can turn a customer experience from negative to positive, or from average to great. In many cases, customers will repeat purchase based on their shopping experience, in addition to product experience. Your best salespersons are the ones that are able to employ the creative selling process. The creative selling process involves eight key steps: pre-customer contact, prospecting, initial contact, presentation of merchandise, handling objections, closing the sale, suggestion selling, and sales follow-up. Learn more about different types of salespersons and the creative selling process in Understanding and Developing Your Sales Force
Starting a business offers unique challenges but once your business is underway you are faced with many new management, planning and day-to-day challenges. In this section we provide you with some tips, sources and resources which we hope will help you run your business or answer some burning questions.
Management
- Operating a Small Service Business
- Conducting Effective Meetings
- Credit and Collections
How to plan the movement of cash. - Growing Broke
Understanding cash flow and its impact on your business. - Selling a Business
Growing Your Business
- Growing Your Business
- Expansion of Your Home-Based Business
- E-Business Info-Guide (Alberta)
- Franchising your business
- Joint Venture Agreement Checklist
Employment Issues
- Employment and Training Info-Guide (Alberta)
This guide is designed to help you learn about various government programs, services and/or regulations that deal with the issues surrounding hiring employees. - Contractor Or Employee? Guidelines for Alberta
- Setting Up a Pay System
- Human Resources Management
Web site with information on all aspects of human resource management including: recruitment, occupational health and safety, labour laws, training and skills development, pay and benefits and much more. - Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS)
- Top 10 Best Practices in Agent Management Though centered around Call Centres, this article highlights some interesting ways to retain employees.
"Best" Business Practices
- Business Articles and Tips
- Customers First
- How to Have a Positive Image
- Quality Council of Alberta
- National Quality Institute (NQI)
- What is ISO?
Sales Management
- Developing New Accounts
- Selling To The Government of Alberta (includes Electronic Tendering)
- Setting the Right Price
- Measuring Sales Force Performance
- Understanding and Developing Your Sales Force
- Reasons Why Product Fails to Succeed
Other Sources of Information
- Government Programs and Services Database
Search various categories of business-oriented programs, services and some regulations of the provincial and federal government departments and other organizations that are partners in the Canada Business Service Centres and The Business Link Business Service Centre. - Operations Links
These links will transfer you to sites operated by various government departments/agencies and private sector organizations and companies providing information on this topic. - The Business Link's Search Engine
Search our entire site by keyword. - The Business Link's Business Officers
Our business experts are always ready to discuss your business needs in confidence. - Library Pathfinders
Our pathfinders provide a quick reference of The Business Link's library materials available on this topic and many others.
