In the domain of marketing, we help small businesses make their future work. We help them create their future by developing superior marketing practices that give them a competitive advantage.

One effective way to produce competitive advantage is to work powerfully with offers. An offer is a conditional promise: “I’ll do this for you, if you do this for me.” One thing we notice when small businesses claim they need sales or revenues is that they are not making enough offers. Or their offers are not competitive. Or they are not engaging in interim offers that strategically lead to the acceptance of a larger offer.

We are often asked for tips to increase revenues, here are a few: Make more announcements of your offers to the marketplace. (Begin with the internet.) Make sure your offers are uncommon and competitive. (If your offers are common you will be marginalized.) And when possible, create interim offers that lead strategically to the larger sale.

For an assessment of your offers or for more actions that produce competitive advantage and make your future work.