The Minneapolis Home & Garden Show runs March 2-6 , 2011 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Make sure you look for Paramount Granite Company, at Booth 2946. We will be happy to let you know about our products including:  granite, Dupont Zodiaq, Casesarstone, Silestone, Hanstone, and Rinato, or answer any questions you may have.  We can also provide a bid for you on the spot for any of your countertop needs.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Visit us at the show!

The 2011 Builders & Remodelers Product & Service Show will be held February 24, at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Builders & remodelers are invited to come see the latest trends in the industry. Why not stop by and see what this year’s show has to offer for countertop options including granite, Dupont Zodiaq, Casesarstone, Silestone, Hanstone, and Rinato.  We will be happy to answer any of your questions about our product offerings, and provide a bid for any prospective upcoming projects you may have.

Please make sure you visit us at:

Booth 824

Thanks for reading and hope to see you at the show!

Barb

While it is true that our food and gas prices keep going up, thank goodness not all goods are. In fact, some prices on goods keep going down, including granite countertops. While this may be good for the consumer, and make them more apt to buy, the falling prices have had a negative impact on both suppliers and fabricators of natural stone.  Not only have their costs to produce and deliver products gone up, but so has the competition. The market today is way different than it was ten years ago, with hack shops popping up left and right offering slashed prices. No wonder there is so much price haggling.

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to go back to the days of selling a product for a fair price. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, ”You get what ya pay for, especially when it comes to granite!” As for food and gas, ya get what ya get. That’s all.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Computers are another example of ever-changing technology. Although the first computers were developed in the mid 20th century, they became popular and more affordable in the late 80′s and early 90′s. The computer is one technology that is constantly being revamped to be faster, more efficient, and let’s not forget the ever-changing software.

Speaking of software, this week we finally updated some of our very outdated software—A Good Thing!  With all new technology however, especially software, there is a learning curve—The Bad. Although it may take a bit of time to adjust and figure out where this feature is, or that one is, we will learn. Unfortunately, with today’s technology, we have the capability to be ever-connected—The Ugly. Although I was able to sneak out of work for a few hours yesterday to catch a Twins game, I spent part of it talking on my cell phone, & sending text messages back and forth to work to try to resolve some software issues we were having with our database. Oh well! Maybe next time, I’ll just turn my phone off, another technology capability.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

That’s huge! That’s why many companies are stringent about hiring qualified individuals, and are willing to pay more for those that can perform. Many companies also carefully groom their sales staff and offer extensive training for them.

“Everything you do is either increasing your perceived value, or detracting from it.” Following are 10 Ways To Increase Your “Perceived Value” rating from the article I wanted to share:

1. Be well dressed. It is important to dress neat, and clean. Remember, perception is everything.
2. Invest in expensive or good quality accessories. Again, perception! (e.g. a nice pen, briefcase, watch, etc.)
3. Have a neat, wll-groomed appearance. Customers will appreciate your attention to detail.
4. Practice impeccable manners, politeness, and courtesy. Alwasys try to put your best self forward.
5. Never knock the competition. You decrease your own value by doing so.
6. Be on time and deliver everything you promise. You are building your reputation.
7. Never argue with customers. They may not always be right, but they are always the customer.
8. Look for opportunities to so something extra. Small gestures can go a long way and can be very meaningful.
9. Plan and prepare each appointment in advance. Organization is key and always promotes a professional image.
10. Write thank you notes to each new customer, or prospect. It doesn’t cost anything to say thank you and people appreciate it.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

“The study examined the electronic logs of more than a million cold calls made by thousands of sales professionals and 50 companies.” When the study was concluded, various patterns of success and failure were revealed and some conventional thinking in regards to cold calling was disputed.

Following are some interesting findings from the article and Dr. Oldroyd’s study:

• Thursday is by far the best day to contact a lead, and Friday is the worst.
• Contrary to popular belief, the best time to call and qualify a lead is 8:00 am to 9:00 am, or 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
• The best way to contact a lead is still by telephone.
• The worst time to contact and qualify a lead is right after lunch, between 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
• The best odds of qualifying a lead is within 20 minutes of a shown interest. In fact, 5 minutes is the most effective.
• Hiring inside sales reps, over outside sales reps has become the new trend.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Please check out the above links to see the awesome projects. Check out more projects on our photo gallery that we have fabricated and installed.

If you are interested in having some of your projects featured on our website, in our showroom, or possibly in the StoneDimensions Magazine please contact me.

Feel free to share…

Angie

Yesterday, I came across an interesting perspective on how to restore your motivation when everything seems to be going wrong from ”A Few Of Your Favorite Things,”  a Reader Tip, found in the May 2009 issue of Selling Power magazine  that I wanted to pass along.

The reader suggested to restore motivation, make a “neat stuff” list of everything that is going right.

1. It is a beautiful sunny day.
2. I got an appointment with a customer that I’ve been trying to get in contact with for a long time.
3. A rebate check came in the mail.
4. Etc.

The key is review your list daily, both morning and night, to keep the positive thoughts with you. “Research suggests that after one to two weeks of reviewing your list, you will start feeling more positively focused and energized.

Sounds like a simple way to try and keep positive to me. How about you?

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Builder confidence is on the rise, and according to the latest index from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), March was up five percentage points, which is the highest it has been since October 2008. First time home buyers are eligible to receive an $8000 tax credit, and interests rates are extremely afforable, so if you’ve been on the fence about buying, it is time to act.

While the stock market generally predicts economic conditions, and has in fact risen 25% from its low,  we also need the housing and remodeling market to improve to get the economy rolling again. Thankfully, there are finally signs that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

So what exactly is social networking? According to the search engine Technorati, “Today’s social networks are the Internet-powered relationship engines of the twenty first century. Popular sites like Facebook, My Space, and Linked In are all examples. These services specialize in facilitating connections between people who share similar interests or professional pursuits.” While My Space and Facebook originally attracted college and high school students, they now have become mainstream and are attracting large audiences of people and literally millions of users. Linked In is a business oriented social networking site that basically works as a public resume of yourself, or business and allows users to list details and provide trusted contact connections.

So why should I jump on the social networking bandwagon some might ask? I may date myself a bit here, but do you remember that annoying, shampoo commercial of the 1970′s (Faberge Organic Shampoo)? It always ended with, “…and she’ll tell two friends, and so on, and so on and so on.” Well-that is basically how social networking works. The more contacts you make, the better, and the good news is that you can look at other peoples friends, or contacts, and discover that you may know someone they know.

I have to admit, I was a little leary about all of this “social networking stuff” at first. I know from experience with my college kids, that you can spend an incredible amount of time connecting with friends, etc. I also wasn’t sure I wanted to put my personal information “out there” for people to see, but realized quickly I’ve already been posting both personal and business information on the PGC blog site for two years now. I figured it was time to take the next step. I’d received several invitations to join Linked In, and Facebook, and thought…”Why not join this social networking phenomenon and grow our business at the same time?”

For now, you can find me on Linked In, and Facebook, where I’ve already connected to family, some high school and college friends, as well as made some business connections. How about you? Are you building your on-line networking community?

Thanks for reading!

Barb