Business Accelerators Blog

Bringing Manufacturing Back to America from China

Mark Gilmore — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:04:00 +0000

This article on CNNMoney about US Businesses rethinking where they want their products manufactured reinforces what we have been telling clients all along, that products made in China are by their very nature going to be done by cutting corners and that you get what you pay for.

SEO: Snake Oil or a Miracle Cure?

Mark Gilmore — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:33:01 +0000

After six years of DIY SEO including reading a number of SEO books, scouring forums and trial and error I think I can safely say SEO is a lot like dieting. Every month there are new diet fads coming out competing for your hard earned money. In much the same way there are SEO firms hawking the latest and greatest solution to make your site number one in Google and Yahoo! We receive about 5 of these emails a week.

Outsourcing Sales

Mark Gilmore — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:07:47 +0000

Outsourcing Sales can be done in a variety of ways, including using: Manufacturers Reps Rep Firm Sales Channels Outsourced Sales Firm (Using Their Employees) Outsourced Sales Management (Using Your Employees) Gilmore Lewis, LLC happens to provide the last item listed above, Outsourced Sales Management using your employees.

Business Model Optimization

Mark Gilmore — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:36:37 +0000

How much forethought went into your company’s business model? Perhaps it is time to take a second look to see if you have the right model for your business? Over the past few years a number of game changing business models have evolved and taken market share away from those who stood by their old models. What models are your competitors using?

SISO Sales in Sales Out

Mark Gilmore — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:17:11 +0000

The acronym or buzzword SISO (Sales in Sales Out) is becoming more prevalent as companies pay more attention to the sales out of their Distributors. When dealing with Distributors there are often dedicated sales people responsible for selling to them, educating them on products, and helping encourage them to sell the products to the next link in the Sales Channel. Depending on your companies Sales Channel the next link is usually a Reseller (online or brick and mortar) who then in turn sells your product to your End Customers.

How to Automate your Tweets

Mark Gilmore — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:59:59 +0000

Does your business have both a blog and a Twitter account? If so you may want to investigate Google's Feedburner. This tool allows you to set up an account that is automatically pinged every time you post a new blog on your site, it can then be configured to forward create a Tweet for you based on that blog.

Sales Compensation Programs and Practices

Mark Gilmore — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:28:14 +0000

According to a WorldatWork survey, Sales Compensation Programs and Practices conducted in 2010, 80% of survey participants indicated that they used a "hybrid" sales role. This is a role that incorporates responsibility for both new and existing business accounts. They go on to report that less than half of the respondents reported using specialized sales roles for new and existing business, commonly referred to as hunters and farmers.

The Best Practices for a Sales Organization Structure

Mark Gilmore — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:50:07 +0000

Mark Gilmore quoted in eHow article, "The Best Practices for a Sales Organization Structure"

Helping You by Helping the Competition

Gilmore Lewis, LLC — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:29:20 +0000

After completing an assessment of your business and goals the next step we take is to imagine we are creating a business from the ground up that will compete with yours. In essence, what kind of business would put you out of business? This allows us to begin with a fresh start without considering trying to make do with whatever organizational structures, roles, or strategies that have evolved at your company. While it may sound harsh to you it is how new start-ups are able to disrupt entrenched and outdated businesses models.

Business Assessment

Gilmore Lewis, LLC — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:11:40 +0000

When you try to evaluate what’s wrong or going right with your company it is often difficult to get a proper perspective when you are viewing it from the inside out. The benefit we bring as an outside third party is our fresh perspective on your business, unclouded by personal issues (family members, friends, perceived threats) and with no "skin in the game". We are also not emotionally attached to any decisions, actions, or failures that may have occurred in your businesses’ past.

Interim VP Sales and Marketing

Mark Gilmore — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:18:12 +0000

Looking for an Interim VP Sales and Marketing? Perhaps we can help you in this capacity. We have, and continue to fill this role for clients and have also helped recruit and train VPs to take over from us. Our specialty is helping clients build first class sales driven companies. We roll up our sleeves and help with the heavy lifting that comes with building, motivating and managing sales and marketing teams.

Strategies for Small Business

Mark Gilmore — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 19:01:34 +0000

While there are an abundance of great strategies being implemented by small and mid-sized businesses what works for one may not work for another. The challenge many business owners face is overcoming the natural inclination to jump right in and begin with the latest tactic du jour as seen on such and such website. Crafting the best strategy for your particular business requires a lot of forethought and that is often a tedious process. We help walk our clients though this process and then once we have a strategy that meets their goals and is appropriate for their market we go about implementing the strategy.

Custom Manufacturing is Back in Vogue

Mark Gilmore — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:33:44 +0000

Custom manufactured goods are experiencing resurgence today. We see it as rejection of cheap, disposable goods that have been mass manufactured. From the lead paint in children’s toys to the poisons found in dog food more and more people are willing to pay extra for quality and many entrepreneurs are answering the call.

Alternatives to Venture Capital

Mark Gilmore — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:23:29 +0000

Most traditional VC firms are looking for a business model with a very strong return on investment. The businesses they fund are predominantly technology based, whether it is software, biotech. Even businesses that fit this description are not having as much luck in securing investors given the current financial market situation.

Too Big to Succeed

Mark Gilmore — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:25:48 +0000

Bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to a company size and payroll in relationship to their revenue growth and profitability. A fine balance needs to be made between being big enough to take advantage of market opportunities while not getting too big to weather a downturn. Many companies eager to grow for growth’s sake have over extended themselves both in investment in resources and headcount. A downturn in the economy has exposed these over leveraged companies requiring many of them to let people go, downsize office space and even auction off idle equipment.