As business owners, we love (or envy) those stories about the business that increases its sales by 35% one year, 50% the next, etc.  Unfortunately, most of us would giggle ourselves silly if we picked up 10% a year.

Here’s what I do:  I look for ways to directly increase my sales or lower my expenses by a few dollars here, a few percentages points there.  

For example (and you can read more about this is my column in the March  2010 edition of Corporate Report Wisconsin), when I had my ill-fated Jimmy Buffett retail store in the Caribbean, I learned that if I put a CD player at the door and played some of Buffett’s island songs, it brought in just a few  more customers, which led to roughly a 5% increase in sales.   Adding that to a $500 day meant $25 in additional sales.  Yawn?  No way.  That meant potentially $175 more per week, or more than $9,000 more a year.

What can you do?  You tell me.  I invite you to spend some time over the next few days looking at one or two minor things you can do to push down your expenses or ratchet up your income.  Then add a comment to this post let me know what you came up with. 

And as always, work hard, make money, have fun!

Oh, and by the way, speaking of ratcheting up sales, I invite you to order a copy of my The Back to  Basics Book of Selling.  Click on the title link or order directly from me by sending a check for $19.94 ($35.89 for two), and I’ll throw in shipping for free … and autograph your copies, as well.   

John R. Ingrisano
204 Lakeview Drive
Algoma, WI 54201

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