Is A Sale Class A Four Letter Word?

When you hear someone say "you don't know shit, if you haven't met a payroll," remember that they are speaking from experience. 
Running a business requires more than just book smarts and theoretical knowledge. It requires real-world experience and an understanding of what it takes to meet the financial obligations of a company. Among these obligations is meeting payroll - a vital responsibility that affects both employees and business alike. 
Take a listen to Mike and Brook as they discuss meeting a payroll and more in the latest podcast of Small Business Confidential.
1.42 Brook talk to Mike about payroll and cashflow and the lessons he learned in the past four or five weeks.
7.05 Mike discusses meeting payroll, selling jobs to meet payroll, and making money on these jobs to meet payroll.
11.26 Mike points out that the best training every high schooler can get is running a small business
16.03 Mike ends on a note that meeting payroll is like an ultimate cold shower, a wake-up call, and you need experience with that before you go out on your own.

Don't just talk about your goal, do steps to make it happen. In this episode of the podcast, Mike and Alex talk about how people often talk endlessly about what they're going to do, but nothing ever gets done. Stop talking and start doing, make progress on something every single day. Also covered a few topics related to the Cleveland Heights housing problems.
2:48 Mike opens up about people endlessly talking about what they're going to do and nothing ever gets done. 
8:04 Mike says the key to success is to have a goal, to have a plan, and then to be persistent.
5:15 Alex discusses there are doers and there are talkers.
12:14 Mike talks about not having a mentor or coach, only people who influence him
15:43 Mike and Alex discuss confidence as one of the greatest skills of entrepreneurs.
23:51 Mike mentions vacant houses are one of Cleveland Heights' biggest problems.

A large number of vacant houses in Cleveland Heights are a serious problem that needs to be addressed.  We can't ignore these hundreds of vacant homes, so we are creating Project Rath, a project aimed at tackling this issue and taking it a step further. Find out more about this project in our first podcast episode where we discuss it and explain it in more detail.
2:56 Mike Reilly explains what Project RATH is all about
7:21 Mike Reilly discusses vacant houses and not paying taxes
22:54 Mike Reilly says if housing is handled properly, retail will follow
23:18 Mike Reilly discusses Project Wrath in more detail
24:42 Mike Ferrante discusses what a difference it would make if a few of those vacant houses were put on the market each month, since inventory of rentals is low

As the world changes rapidly, the concept of work changes as well. Companies no longer focus solely on the tasks that need to be completed, but on the people doing the work - the workers. Mike Reilly and Mike Ferrante discuss this and more in this latest episode of Small Business Confidential.
2:13 Mike Reilly points out we don't need the work; we need the workers.
9:13 Mike Reilly discusses Amazon's success because it recognizes people online want everything at one place.
13:15 Mike Reilly talks about where do you find workers 
18:33 Mike Ferrante speaks about the word value
22:14 Mike and Mike discuss hiring the wrong person as one of the most expensive mistakes business owners make
22:40 Mike Reilly mentions that he's had success hiring part-timers; hired semi-retired people for the past couple of years.
29:11 Mike mentions immigrants don't take jobs, they create them.

Mike and Mike mix a rich stew of contrarian thinking.  Why go to college?  Why Sales classes are so important.  If you go to college, how should you approach that experience? Take a gap year?  Why not?
3:02 Mike and Mike talk about the common myth fallacy says that if you earn good grades in high school, you should go to college because if you don't, you are a loser.
13:13 Mike talks about the ability to fix your own flat tire in your career is one of the most important things you need in life and that Wikipedia's most successful people had to deal with failure and didn't get into college, so you're a fool at the poker table if you think getting into college is the only way to success.
18:10 Mike talks about when he went back to college after a gap year and was proactive this time
24:38 Mike emphasizes the importance of not limiting yourself to a single career, since an initial career could turn into four different careers.

How would you sell a house, a boat, or yourself? What are the steps in the sales process? Finding the right method that works for you is the key to success in sales. Mike Reilly and Mike Ferrante will discuss their step-by-step sales process and how they close sales and deal with objections. This is a must-listen episode. Stay tuned.
3:07 Mike and Mike discuss the steps in the sales process
7:05 Mike points out to remember you are also in marketing mode when you are in sales mode 
10:22 Mike talks about the importance of asking questions and defining what that destination is 
16:59 Mike talks about learning how to sell and mentions those who have a false sense of security, thinking that their resume will be all that is needed.
19:58 Mike mentions those who are in the 50’s middle managers who got laid off and they make the same mistake as that naive college person does.
24:04 Mike mentions the art of selling is the art of building a positive relationship with the counterparty
28:39 Mike and Mike talk about the last part of the sales process; closing and meeting objections
29:38 Mike and Mike talk about that selling is not manipulative

In this podcast,  Mike and Mike bemoan the lack of priority to teaching sales in High School or College.  Like having a car with no gas.
2:01 Mike and Mike talk about the art of selling
5:13 Mike and Mike discuss the importance of listening to the market when starting a business.
14:08 Mike Reilly talks about sales is like a four-letter word 
19:39 Mike Ferrante speaks about methodology of selling
20:25 Mike Reilly mentions a bias against sales
29:35 Mike and Mike discuss the importance of listening when selling
33:23 Mike Reilly concludes that sales class involves reading and writing

In this episode Mike and Mike challenge you to actually make time to Think each week.  This is not 'Daydreaming' but actual hard thinking.  A minimum of one hour.  Two hours are best.  Keep track on your calendar and you'll realize how little time you spend 'thinking' about what you are doing.
6:04 Mike Reilly talks about the good thing and the bad thing of having your own business.
10:39 Mike Reilly discusses one of the problems with figuring out whether you're making a profit
15:18 Mike Reilly speaks about controlling your expenses.
22:45 Mike Reilly talks about constantly challenging yourself in a loving and respectful way.

For any new business, listening to the market is crucial, as you will be able to determine whether or not it is sustainable. Seeing the market first will maximize your chances of success. In this episode, Mike and A'marri discuss the changes in the market over the years and why listening to the marketplace is necessary when deciding on a business idea. 
6:57 Mike and A’marri discuss how the market changes every decade, as well as how they evolve and deal with virtual assistants.
13:43 Mike and Amarri discuss the idea of what the market wants, might differ from what the market actually wants
15:33 Mike and A'marri discuss if such a business idea will be sustainable in terms of paying the bills or is it just an interesting hobby.

Every business starts with an idea. But before you can turn your idea into a reality, you need a plan. Business plans are road maps that can assist you with the early stages of starting your own company. You can also use it in the future as your business grows and changes. Join us on our new episode as we discuss importance of business plan and its process from the planning stage to implementation and much more
2:35 Mike Reilly emphasizes the importance of having a metric you use to gauge your progress every week and share his two analogies.
6:40 Mike talks about some questions to ask yourself about your business - Where are you losing money, where are you wasting time.
14:00 Mike Reilly talks about the dirty little secret behind business plans.
22:13 Mike Reilly discusses how the ability to measure how much money each job makes will help you identify profitable niches.
29:11 Mike Ferrante discusses saving as part of your business plan.