Philippe Matthews Show Guru Advice, Author Reviews, Tech Reviews, Entertainment News

Why you can no longer convince someone to buy something that's not in his best interest, and what you can do about it. A good friend recently asked me about how sales organizations balance customer-centric thinking with making their number and closing sales.

What you think is an elevator pitch will actually alienate customers. Instead, have a conversation that creates a real sales opportunity. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you think an "elevator pitch" is a one- to three-minute sales pitch that you could presumably give during a very long elevator ride

Is your product or service a coveted diamond or a chunk of coal?

Time’s seemingly inexorable march has always provoked interest in, and speculation about, the far future of the cosmos. The usual picture is grim. Five billion years from now the sun will puff itself into a red giant star and swallow the inner solar system before slowly fading to black

Calling a decision-maker but getting voice mail again and again? Here's how to get the ball moving, even without a live conversation

Calling a decision-maker but getting voice mail again and again?

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, on how she came up with the idea for footless pantyhose.

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, explains the steps she took to land her girdles on Oprah and, ultimately, built the Spanx brand. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/how-sara-blakely-got-spanx-on-oprah.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, talks about how she picked her team members, handled public relations, and avoided paying for advertising. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/how-sara-blakely-grew-spanx.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

The founder of Spanx talks about how she avoided discouragement before she launched by keeping her idea to herself, and developing it for a year, before she mentioned it to friends or family. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/how-sara-blakely-differentiated-her-business-idea-for-spanx.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

How Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, took $5,000 and an idea for footless pantyhose, and turned it into a multi-million dollar women's undergarment business. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/sara-blakely/the-spanx-story-how-sara-blakely-turned-footless-pantyhose-into-a-business.html Advertisement: Are your best customers still out there?

This simple, 3-step approach helps you sell against a cheaper competitor--without having to discount. This is an important column, maybe the most important ever I've published. It contains the key to keeping your company profitable and free from debilitating price wars

By Philip Pullella ROME, Jan 16 (Reuters) - As the Costa Concordia shifted dangerously on Monday, Italy's environment minister raised the prospect of an environmental disaster if the 2,300 tonnes of fuel on the half-submerged cruise ship leaks. The ship's fuel tanks were full, having just left the port of Civitavecchia, north of Rome, for a week-long Mediterranean cruise, when it ran aground on Friday

Here's how to level the playing field when your competitor has the inside track.

Use these three steps to get customers to look beyond price to see the value your company truly offers I always compete on value. I will not compete on price. If you follow these three basic rules, you can do it too