Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Selling Business 2 Business? Do you know about Manta?

Living in a world of conducting Business 2 Business sales for 20 + years, one has to get resourceful when prospecting for new business leads. Let's face it, it's much easier to get your foot in the door at a business when you at least know the business owner's name. Getting that information is another thing. Often times the secretary/receptionist aka "the Gatekeeper", is not so willing to share that information when you ask for it because that is the first big red flag to them that this is just another sales call on the phone! So having information about the business on hand, including knowing who the right person to ask for is crucial to getting past that gatekeeper and reaching the appropriate person. This information is not always on the company's website so you need to know where to find it.

If you sell to businesses and have not used Manta.com then you must check it out. You can search any type of business and narrow it down to a specific city and/or state, so you can search for restaurants in Wilmington, DE or plumbers in Philadelphia, PA. You get the idea. The results will show you multiple listings and within each listing will be the company's contact information along with estimated annual revenue, number of employees and yes, mostly always the business owner's name. There are other sites that offer this information but I have found Manta to be the most reliable. Every now and then a business may get sold and the owner's name will not be current because they have not updated their Manta record, but for the most part, this site is an incredibly effective business tool - and it's free! 

Also, if you are business owner, don't forget to create a listing on Manta for your business. This makes it easy for other business owners to find and do business with you and it helps with your search engine rankings being listed there!




Monday, February 10, 2014

Welcome to My Blog!

I've decided to write this blog to compile all of my nifty tips, tricks, savings and money making ideas all into one place. Besides being an expert on organized barter, I have helped countless friends and business owners learn tricks to save money on items they need to purchase to just learning how to stretch the almighty dollar. I once turned $2 into $200 and plan to share that story with you down the road. My goal is to reach 500 subscribers and at that time I will share that story with you!

My nickname is Christine the Bargain Queen, if there is a bargain to be found, I will find it! If there is a way to get something cheaper, I will put forth the time and effort to know about it. Additionally, I like to compare products and research things to death before I buy them! From cars and tires to mattresses, etc. I want to make sure I am getting the best value for my money. I'm also a DIY (that means Do It Yourself) kinda gal! I am a single home owner and therefore without the luxury of a spouse's income, I am forced to make ends meet on a modest income. If I can learn how to hang drywall, and spackle, tape and sand it, so can you! I am hoping that this blog will also encourage other single women to learn how to be stronger and more independent! I am extremely fortunate that some of my closest friends and family members are just that - strong independent women. They shop wisely, tackle projects themselves and are always there to lend a helping hand. We share these traits and share our cleverly frugal ideas with one another and so now I am sharing them with you!

Please support this effort by inviting your friends to subscribe to this blog! And if you would like to contact me with a cleverly frugal idea that you would like to see discussed, please feel free to contact me.