Small Business Archives - Our Success Group

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

Aaron Montgomery January 20, 2023 Management

Yes, you read the title correctly, I’m saying sweat the small stuff, not DON’T sweat the small stuff. In this column, I want to talk about how little things can make a big difference. By focusing on the small stuff, not only will it improve your business, but it will make your lives easier. You will not be constantly faced with huge daunting tasks or attempting to make large changes in your business.

Admitting you Need a Standard Operating Procedure Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

Aaron Montgomery August 26, 2022 Management

Standard operating procedures are in a simple term a guardrail for doing the work that needs to be done in your business day to day. The standard operating procedure (SOP) documentation is just a tool that allows owners and managers to continue to focus on improving the business and allows the employees to feel confident to make decisions and solve problems because they have a guide.

Sales Tip – Basing your sales call goals on getting told NO!

Aaron Montgomery February 25, 2022 Sales

So you have read the title of this blog and you must be thinking I have lost my mind, but this is not a new sales tip. Throughout my career in sales and marketing, I have heard this strategy in several different variations. I am not sure who originally coined it and definitely not taking credit for its invention, but I think it is very beneficial technique to generate business. Personally, I compare this approach to a similar strategy for playing Blackjack. Side note, I’m a horrible Blackjack player and seem to be the guy who can have a 20 with the dealer showing a 6 and inevitably the dealer will pull a 5 card for 21! But…I am not crazy; this really is a good sales tip. I have heard it from other professionals and it makes sense.

Reaching the Pet Market with Personalization

Aaron Montgomery February 11, 2022 Sublimation

Growing up in a home with a few acres of land in a rural community, my brother and I were fortunate to have a variety of animals. We had goats, chickens and of course dogs and cats. Believe it or not, in my high school year book there is a picture of me and my horse – Blazer. Obviously, I am not alone in my love for animals, since the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reports that more than 63% of households in the US have at least one pet. Those pet owners spend in excess of $55 billion dollars on pet products every year. As a decorator, you should be grabbing some of that big tasty pie!

Top 3 Things Every Small Business Must Do

Aaron Montgomery December 24, 2021 Small Business Marketing

When talking to people about how things are going in their business, I have discovered some common tasks. People who have successful businesses are doing certain things on a regular basis that appear to be similar. Also, it seems those who are struggling are not doing these things. In addition, I have noticed that sometimes … Read more

Better Understand and Grow Your Business with Social Media

Aaron Montgomery April 3, 2016 Customer Service

News flash… Social Media is here to stay. Think about the course of your day, how many times are you on Facebook, or how many times during the course of a news broadcast is Twitter mentioned or how many times do you look up a review of something before you buy on Yelp or Google … Read more

Using the Sandwich Method to Deliver Info

Aaron Montgomery October 29, 2015 Management

At 40 plus years old, the memories I have from my days in high school have become more nostalgic and faded. There are many life lessons I learned during that time period of my life, some that I still use today, such as something I learned at a D.A.R.E. Program in our high school gym.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, the D.A.R.E. program brought police officers to tell us kids in school the danger of drugs. I was a pretty straight-laced goofy kid and too scared to try any type of drug, so this program didn’t really speak to me. BUT there was one thing that they said during the program that I still use today, the Sandwich Method.

How to Keep Meetings on Track

Aaron Montgomery March 30, 2015 Management

In an earlier blog, we talked about keeping your teams connected and discussed the need to have meetings, formal or otherwise to be able to keep the team connected. For most of my professional career I have been lucky enough to always work with relatively small businesses. It’s just the type of person I am. I … Read more

Connecting Your Team

Aaron Montgomery March 20, 2015 Customer Service

You must connect your team! The other day while I was waiting in line at the security checkpoint for my flight, my co-worker made a very good point about the seeming lack of communication between the airline and the TSA. The airlines know exactly how many people they have coming to the airport for a flight … Read more

Send us a message

Small Business