How To Jump Start Your Sales

Looking for some different ways to help jump start your product and service sales? Here are some ideas to mix in with your plans.

1. Find a strategic business joint venture (JV) partner. Look for ones that have same objective. You can trade leads, share marketing info, sell package deals, etc.

2. Brand your name and business. One way to do this is by to write industry articles, include your byline and submit them to e-zines or web sites to be published.

3. Start an auction on your web site. The type of auction could be related to theme of your site. You'll draw traffic from auctioneers and bidders.

4. Remember to take a little time out of your day or week to brainstorm. New ideas are usually difference between success and failure.

5. Model other successful business or people. I'm not saying out right copy them, but practice some of same habits that have made them succeed.

6. Take risks to improve your business. Sometimes businesses don't want to advertise unless it's very inexpensive. But sometimes you might have to spend a little more money to get results.

Do you ever run out of good ideas, or go around in circles trying to come up with a solution for a persistent problem? Maybe you just need to learn some simple problem solving techniques, and then start applying them. Choose one or two of methods below, and get in habit of using them in your personal life and your business.

Using Your Unconscious Mind

Let your unconscious mind do your problem solving. Outline a problem in your mind before going to sleep, and tell your brain to go to work. Einstein had good luck with this technique, sometimes getting "ah-ha" insight while shaving next morning.

Next, instruct your mind to keep working on problem while you do other things. There is more than we know going on inside our heads. An answer may come to you when you least expect it.

Try working on problems when you are in a drowsy state. This can result in more creative solutions.

Systematic Problem Solving Techniques

Challenge assumptions. For example, if you are assuming you need a better or higher-paying job, ask "do I really need a better job?" Maybe you can get a raise, or somehow make job you have better. A business on side might be an option. Don't let your assumptions limit possible solutions.

Break it down. Buying a house is a big move that is really a bunch of small steps. This is true of many problems. Start by addressing all of components of a problem individually, and it may not seem so overwhelming. This makes it easier to motivate yourself.

Ask others for advice. They may or may not have good ideas, but in any case this helps you be sure that you are not overlooking anything obvious.

Write it down. Then find another way to express problem and write that down. Continue with all solutions and ideas that come to mind. Write down everything. Later you can pick diamonds out of dirt.

Change your perspective. Imagine you are rich, poor, a child, a visitor from another planet. How would you see problem from this new perspective? Einstein imagined riding on a beam of light, which lead to his theory of relativity, so this technique has been known to work.

More Problem Solving Techniques