Dear Dave,

Our utility company offers a level-pay option. They average out our bills over the last 24 months, and bill us a consistent amount each month based on that average. Do you think this is a good idea, or would you just pay the regular bills?

Christy

Dear Christy,

Lots of people like the idea of having a level of predictability built in to their utility bills. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this idea, as long as you have a good, steady income. You need to be aware, though, that most of these plans have a “make-up” schedule attached to them. You’ll get something back at the end of 12 months if you’ve overpaid, but you have to make up the difference if the payments come up short.

Ultimately, if evening things out from month to month makes you feel better or helps with your budgeting process, then I say go for it. You’ll still only pay for the services you use, and the utility company still gets their money, so it’s really just another path to the same destination!

- Dave

Dear Dave,

What’s the key to becoming a great salesman?

Brent

Dear Brent,

I can sum it up in one word – serving. And don’t think for a second that serving means being subservient. I’m talking about being proactive, and making an effort to ensure that customers and potential customers alike are served well. Serving means you’re excited about what you have to offer, and you believe you’ve got a great product at a great price. It means you’re determined your customer is going to have a great experience, and if you happen to hit a bump in the road you will take care of it in a way that will make them forget it ever happened.

Serving is an attitude. You have to provide goods or services in a way that makes your customers willing to trade their time or money – things that are very precious to them – to interact with you and your business. You can pressure people if you want, but that’s going to lead to a dull and frustrating life of one-shot deals. But if you serve people well, you’ll not only have clients for life but they’ll also send all of their friends your way.

If you help enough people, Brent, and make that your first order of business, you’ll never have to worry about money. That’s a different attitude, isn’t it? But I’ve got news for you – it works! Continued...