Posts Tagged ‘Flathead Beacon Newspaper’
Can You Predict Future Revenue?
By MARK RIFFEY - What would you be able to focus on if you weren’t running about the place trying to chase down enough sales to make next week’s payroll?... more
Oat Bran Muffins
By TRACY DARUE- Remember the oat bran craze back in the late 1980s? I was hooked on everything oat bran then, hearing that it was a superfood. And these muffins are gluten-free.... more
Robots, Rural Small Business and China
By MARK RIFFEY - Would robotics address rural small business challenges like it does in China?... more
Bike Going-to-the-Sun Road
By DILLON TABISH - After a mild winter, plow crews are making quick work of Going-to-the-Sun Road and are already just shy of Logan Pass.... more
What Your Customers Don’t Know
By MARK RIFFEY - What you think they know, what they really know, what they've forgotten. Why Messaging is so important in marketing your business.... more
Glacier Park Plows Within Two Miles of Logan Pass
By JUSTIN FRANZ - Plow crews on Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road are within sight of Logan Pass.... more
Winning Against the Chain Store
By MARK RIFFEY - Yesterday, I sat down in a store that’s part of a Montana-based coffee shop chain. I drove past a national coffee chain to reach this place. Why should I drive past them to vist you?... more
The Hardest Part of Helping A Business
By MARK RIFFEY - There are a lot of rewards that come with helping businesses improve beyond what they expected.... more
Sales That Hide From You
By MARK RIFFEY - How do you find hidden sales in your prospect list? How do you know when lead is no longer interested in buying? How do you know when they are ready to buy? ... more
How To Build a Follow Up System
By MARK RIFFEY - It’s important to develop a system of consistently following up with your clients. A system can all but eliminate the cracks.... more
Everyone Can Sell, If you Train Them
By MARK RIFFEY - Sales taining matters--for everyone and on every shift. Here's why--you do the math.... more
A Simple, High-Value Tactic That Many Miss
By MARK RIFFEY - FOLLOW UP: The most common reason that follow up doesn’t happen is that there’s no system to manage it. Without a system those follow up tasks are soon forgotten.... more
What’s Holding Your Business Back?
By MARK RIFFEY - Are sales down? Don't get desperate. Get Facts. When an owner is desperate for business, (at least) two things often take place in an effort to turn things around:... more
Desperate for Business?
By MARK RIFFEY - Are sales down? Don't get desperate. Get Facts. When an owner is desperate for business, (at least) two things often take place in an effort to turn things around:... more
Italian White Bread (Grandpa’s Bread)
By JONATHON HARTIG - This bread recipe reminds me of home and my grandfather, and it was a catalyst for me in pursuing a culinary profession.... more
Do You Value Your Clientele?
By MARK RIFFEY - The behavior of our business indicates how we value our clientele. Some businesses value what they do and work hard for every lead. Every client. Every order. Every payment.... more
We Have No Time for Yoga Pants
By MARK RIFFEY - Whether you believe the yoga pants thing was a joke or not, it doesn’t really matter. Helena's work is serious business, and it's personal.... more
Looking to Disrupt a Market?
By MARK RIFFEY - We earn the privilege to stay in our market every day. When we don’t, we often expose opportunity we’ve ignored, provoking someone to disrupt a market.... more
Spaetzle with Smoked Kielbasa
By CHEF HOWARD KARP- Here’s a recipe for Spaetzle--which is a rough form of noodles or dumplings. There’s no rolling or cutting involved in making it.... more
The Pace of Change
By MARK RIFFEY - If things have seemed a bit frenetic in your business lately, you’re not alone. Things are changing faster than ever, including the pace of change.... more
Planning For a Strategic Tradeshow
By MARK RIFFEY - Trade shows aren't vacation. They're strategically important. Plan them that way.... more
Do I Really Need to Exhibit At Trade Shows?
By MARK RIFFEY - Trade shows are focused gatherings of clients, prospects and vendors. Why bother?... more
The Shortcut To Easier Sales
By MARK RIFFEY - The Shortcut to sales starts with a simple question: Who is the ideal person for your product/service? Who's Your Target Audience?... more
How To Make a Good Upsell
By MARK RIFFEY - When someone asks me how to make a good upsell, I suggest that they focus on being helpful.... more
Reinvigorate Your Business For The New Year
By MARK RIFFEY - It's time to get things ramped up for 2015. What can you improve without spending much?... more
Defending Your Business
By MARK RIFFEY - Take an active role in defending your business, because if you don't, few others will.... more
Home-Baked Cinnamon Rolls
Home-baked cinnamon rolls are a treat, especially on Christmas morning! This recipe can be mixed ahead of time and kept, unbaked, in the freezer or refrigerator. ... more
Creating Client Loyalty = Depending on You
By MARK RIFFEY - This time of year is always a good time to remind you of the difference between working on the business vs. working in it.... more
Whitefish Mountain Resort Opens New Terrain for New Season
By JUSTIN FRANZ - After years of planning, new Flower Point Chairlift opened on Big Mountain.... more
Focused On The Holiday, The Now or The Future
By MARK RIFFEY - This time of year is always a good time to remind you of the difference between working on the business vs. working in it.... more
Your Systems Should Serve All Customers
By MARK RIFFEY - Do your systems serve your internal customers or all of them? These systems don’t often focus on the client’s needs, even though they ultimately serve that client.... more
The Magic Triangle of Small Business
By MARK RIFFEY - The Magic Triangle of Business? Quality, customer service, management. It's that simple.... more
Mushroom, Leek and Gruyere Strata
By JAMIE LIPHARDT- Here's a way to repurpose your thanksgiving leftovers: Behold the Strata, a dish comprised mainly of eggs, cheese and leftover stuffing.... more
Thanksgiving Refrigerator Rolls
By CHEF TRACY DARUE- A Thanksgiving tradition in our house is yeast rolls. My mom would mix these the night before, and bake them on Thanksgiving day.... more
Customers Cost Too Much to Let Them Disappear
By MARK RIFFEY - What happens to the clients who don't come back? Every business loses customers at some point. What separates the successful from the rest is how they act after that.... more
Two Dog Years
By ROB BREEDING - I’m in my early 50s and I’ve begun to measure my time in bird dog years. My current hunting partner, Doll, is 5 and I can reasonably expect another 5 to 7 years with her.... more
Have You Thanked Them Lately?
By MARK RIFFEY - Can you remember the last time you received a personal, hand written thank you note from someone you do business with? Thanksgiving isn't the only time to be thankful.... more
Turkey Tips for the Perfect Thanksgiving Feast
By CHEF HOWARD KARP - Hopefully this recipe will help you prepare your best Thanksgiving turkey yet.... more
Steinbeck’s Short Stay
By KELLYN BROWN - Imagine what he would have written if he would have spent a week here.... more
Are They Talking About You?
By MARK RIFFEY - Are you customers talking about you? They should be. One of the most powerful tools in marketing is the testimonial. Yet they are used so infrequently.... more
Can You Sleep When The Wind Blows?
By MARK RIFFEY - Taking care of business means more than just caring about today.... more
Has Your Client List Heard From You Lately?
By MARK RIFFEY - As we head into retail’s peak shopping season, the big question is “Will my clientele buy…again?” Have you had any contact with them since last November or December?... more
Selling to Everyone
By MARK RIFFEY - Selling isn’t about the shine; it’s about what happens when the shine has worn off.... more
Does Your Business’ Reality Match Theirs?
By MARK RIFFEY - Ever watch any of the business turnaround reality shows on TV? The pattern is the same for most of them – regardless of the type of business. What's the reality at your business?... more
Big Data, Small Business
By MARK RIFFEY - Rather than being overwhelmed by your data, leverage it. You can use data for guidance and decision making. ... more
Salmon With Sweet Corn Potato Hash
By JAMIE LIPHARDT - This is light, yet comforting as we transition from grilled meats and light salads to roasted meats and baked side dishes.... more
Mark Riffey on Business: Ask Great Questions
By MARK RIFFEY - I’m always looking for better questions to ask. Good questions educate me about a situation or a mindset someone is in and help me understand where they’re coming from.... more
ROI And Why They Buy
By MARK RIFFEY - If you can't explain the ROI of your stuff to a random person in your prospect's lunch room or warehouse, it's going to get picked to shreds.... more
What Are Your Compelling Reasons?
By MARK RIFFEY - People need compelling reasons to change what they're doing, even if they're not doing anything.... more
New Chairlift Installed on Back Side of Big Mountain
By DILLON TABISH - The latest expansion at Whitefish Mountain Resort is coming together as crews finish installing the Flower Point Chair Lift.... more