For the last four months I have been working with a business coach. The thought of spending more a month on my coach than my mortgage was crazy, but I knew this was just the guy to help me.

April 15^th sends chills down the backs of many people. For some it means a big tax bill and for others an extension is filed; delaying the inevitable. 

As much as we would all like to stay digital and avoid paper, there is no way around it.

Growing up in Memphis, my mother would drag my brother, sister and I to Goldsmith’s department store downtown. The first Wednesday of the month was called Clover Day. It was a one day sale that the store used to get rid of returns, overstock and stuff they couldn’t move.

My father taught me to appreciate wrestling, but my mother showed me how it was done. Women would literally grab items out of your hands. My mom could throw elbows and insults with the best of them.

It doesn’t matter if you’re betting on the Seahawks or the Patriots, you’ll win either way with the right Super Bowl catering strategy.

Technically, you’re not supposed to use the words “Super Bowl”, since it’s trademarked. Most people refer to it as the “Big Game”.

One of the first questions I receive about building catering sales is, “Where do I get a list of catering prospects?”

Now I could write a book on this subject. You can rent or compile your own lists; that’s the short answer. Without a doubt the right “list” makes a difference. It is over fifty percent of the success equation. 

For the sake of argument, I am going to assume you run a good to great operation. People love your food. Your staff is tidy and friendly. Your place is clean. Overall you deliver or over deliver on your value proposition.

I am going to throw PC, political correctness, out the window and just say it, “Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year!” Not Hanukah. Not Kwanza. Not Festivus for the rest of us. Yes. All of these other holidays are just fine and dandy. Look. I’m Jewish. I make a mean potato latke, but let’s face it...Christmas rocks!

Since I was a little kid, this raised Orthodox Jewish kid has loved Christmas.  No. We did not have a Christmas tree, but I soaked up and enjoyed the holiday. My earliest Christmas memory was me at age four going through the enchanted forest in the basement of the downtown Goldsmith’s department store in Memphis and seeing Santa Claus. One year my mom even sprang for breakfast with Saint Nick. The memories were far better than the stale donut and watered down hot chocolate they gave us.

Sampling is one of the most powerful sales and marketing tactics in your arsenal. I used it as often as I could.

Whether you are religious and believe in tithing or are a subscriber to the laws of the universe and believe in paying it forward, the concept of giving dates back to the dawn of civilization.