The Small Business Hour, as heard on CBS Radio

Morrie Shechtman, author of Fifth Wave Leadership and Working Without a Net, and Mark discuss a study of different sales styles. Which do you think comes out on top? If you guessed "relationship building", you'd be wrong. Mark also gives his rundown on the latest small business hiring numbers, and Matt provides some holiday social media tips.             

Lloyd Chapman from the American Small Business League joins us in a wide ranging conversation where we cover the REAL problems with the economy. We also discuss good news on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, and the end of the NBA lockout and the impact on small businesses that felt the trickle down effect from the work stoppage.             

John Daly, author of Advocacy: Championing Ideas and Influencing Others, joins us to discus how to win others to your ideas in your business.  We also discuss the new "pages" feature on Google+, and some of Mark's tips for managing your family run business.             

Erle Dardick (@erledardick on Twitter) joins us to discuss his book, Get Catering and Grow Sales, and the lessons for business owners of all types about finding a niche market that you can dominate. We also debunk the propaganda that is saying small businesses are not driving the economy, and Mark gives his tips on narrowing your focus and dominating a market.             

Steve Strauss, author, speaker, and small business advocate is back on the show to discuss funding options for your business, and his new book Get Your Business Funded. We also discuss the "Buffett Tax" and how clever videos can be used to help market your business virally.             

Former world champion of public speaking Darren LaCroix joins us to discuss using Youtube to engage prospects, we give our thoughts on the impending supermarket strike, a little known provision in the jobs package could yield great results, and changes are coming to Netflix..             

We speak with our old friend Dr. JM Perry, expert in language and human behavior, about how to use common sense to change your life. Mark gives his thoughts on 9-11, the latest on changes at Yahoo, and political contributions by business leaders.             

Bob Pritchard joins us today to discuss his book, Kick-Ass Business & Marketing Secrets. You'll learn great simple ways to market your business, and accurately measure the impact of these efforts. Mark also gives his thoughts on Labor Day, and we discuss the looming possibility of a supermarket strike, and the impact that will have on small businesses in Southern California.             

We are joined today by Julie Steelman, author of The Effortless Yes, to discuss how you can more easily move your prospects towards becoming clients. We also discuss preparing your business for disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, which can hit at any time, and provide some surprising facts about small businesses in America.             

Today we speak with Lloyd Chapman from the American Small Business League about Government Contracting. We devote our entire show to this important topic, as it represents the largest possible customer your business can have. Learn what is being done by the SBA to thwart the attempts of small business owners to obtain what is guaranteed by law, and what you can do to help ensure your business has a chance at these valuable contracts.             

This week we bring a classic interview from our archives with Zig Ziglar, discussing economic troubles and how to cope. We also discuss the S+P debacle, VA fraud, patent reform, and tips for improving cash flow and getting started with Google AdWords.             

The author of the landmark negotiation book Start With No, Jim Camp, joins us to discuss some common mistakes that people make during negotiations. We also discuss the debt ceiling "crisis", fraud at the SBA and VA, and the new Facebook business portal.             

Mark gives his insights on changes in product deliverability and how to adapt, how the Borders collapse is helping small business, Google AdWords and finding your ROI, using promotional items, effective calls to action, and the new Google AdWords credit card. This show is packed with useful tips that you can apply to your business.             

Robert Jordan, author of How They Did It, relates how he was able to get insights from 45 billionaires about how they grew their companies. Learn about the importance of failure, and how to recognize when to move on from a bad idea. We also discuss the debate over the debt ceiling, and the impact that Carmageddon (didn't) have on Los Angeles.             

Today we speak with Anne Loehr, author of Managing the Unmanageable, about problem employees and how to best deal with them.  Matt also gives his thoughts on the new Google+ social network, and we discuss the help (or rather lack thereof) from Washington for Small Businesses.