Business Planning Process for Sales Professionals

By Ms. Elke S. Laughlin
Laughlin Consulting Group

As we are all aware, a business plan describes an organization’s vision and objectives; as well as the strategy and tactics that will be employed to achieve them. A plan may also provide the basis for creating an operational budget among other goals and objectives.
Once the business plan has been developed, it serves as a wonderful tool to help ensure the organization does not deviate from the plan; and if used properly, it also holds members of the organization accountable for their areas of responsibility. However, should a sales professional or team (ideally a team) create their own business plan? The answer is a resounding, YES!

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Reeling in retail: JLL weighs in on Houston trends

BY BRANDI SMITH

“I certainly believe that restaurants will continue to be a very active sector in retail. Looking at Houston specifically, the LA Times recently came out and declared that Houston is now the most diverse market in the United States.”
– Matt Parsons

Gearing up for this May’s ICSC RECon, commercial real estate firm JLL told National Real Estate Investor it was sending roughly 300 of its experts to the four-day event in Las Vegas and planned to host more than 7,500 meetings with retailers and investors. The plan is indicative of JLL’s effort to stay ahead of the game when it comes to retail development worldwide.

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Reading the tea leaves: Why you can’t blame the internet for the decline of department stores

BY BRANDI SMITH

“If you add it all up, it’s really because it’s a fascinating business. You have to know a little bit about construction. You have to know a little bit about finance. You have to know a lot about geography. You have to know a little bit about human behavior. Then, you have to be able to change what you know about it every day.”
– Nick Egelanian

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