Latest news with #globalmarket
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
How To Remove Yourself From Sales, Without Breaking Your Business
If you're still leading every sales conversation, you become the bottleneck in your business. Most business owners don't start with the intention of becoming their business's bottleneck. But if you're still leading every sales conversation, closing every deal, and holding every client relationship in your head, you are. And here's the hard truth: If your business needs you to make a sale, you business is not ready to be sold if you ever desire to exit. that's because business buyers don't just evaluate profit, they evaluate risk. And the riskiest businesses? The ones that crumble when the founder steps away. The good news is: you can fix you being the bottleneck in sales, without losing revenue, quality, or control. In this article, I'll walk you through how to remove yourself from sales, without breaking your business. Let's start with the why. Step 1: Understand Why Founder-Led Sales Lowers Business Valuation When a business buyer looks at your business, they're not just buying revenue, they're buying reliability and predictability. If, as the founder or owner, you're the one making the sales, business buyers see: This is where many founders stall: they assume they're indispensable. But from a business buyer's perspective, you being essential is a liability, not an asset. Action Step You Can Take: Start by getting clear on exactly how involved you still are in the sales processes of your business. Grab a notepad (or a spreadsheet) and list every single sales-related task you personally handle. This becomes your Sales Dependency Map. Once you see the map, you can start removing yourself from sales related activities. Step 2: Choose Your Path to Sales Independence There are two core strategies to remove yourself from sales: This is ideal for service-based businesses with longer sales cycles and human-to-human trust: This works well for productized services, digital offers, or education-based businesses: It's the model I use for more than 15 years. I haven't been on a sales call in years. But sales happen all the time, because the Founder-Free Sales System replaces me. So how do you know which path is right? Look at your offer, your team, and your personality. Some founders thrive on relationships. Others prefer to scale through structure. There is no one-size-fits-all. But doing nothing is the only wrong choice. Step 3: Document What Only You Know If your sales process lives in your head, it can't be delegated. Start by recording yourself: Write down your typical structure: how you open, what questions you ask, and how you handle objections. If you use storytelling or case studies, add those too. Your goal is to build a Sales Playbook, a simple internal guide that includes: Think of it as your business's sales brain. Once it's written down, others can step in, whether that is a new sales agent or the buyer of your business. Step 4: Shift Your Team Into Sales Mode Here's a mindset shift: sales isn't a department. It's a company-wide culture. Even if you only have two team members, they impact the sale: Start having sales check-ins where every team member answers this question: "What did you do this week that helped someone say yes to us?" It builds buy-in into sales from the whole team. It shifts ownership. And it makes sales a shared priority, not your solo burden. Step 5: Delegate One Sales Task Now Business owners often fail at sales delegation because they try to hand over everything at once. Don't. Start small. Pick one low-risk task: Once you've delegated one piece, you build confidence and capacity. Step 6: Automate Your Sales System If you're automating (parts of) your sales process, you're giving up live client feedback. So you need another way to hear what's working well. With automations, your numbers become your ears: Set up a small spreadsheet with your key metrics. Look for trends. Iterate constantly. Your sales system should improve even when you're not touching it. Conclusion: You Don't Have to Be the Rainmaker Forever Removing yourself from your sales department isn't just a strategy. It's a key responsibility you have as the owner of your business. Your clients shouldn't have to wait for your calendar availability to get served. Your team deserves a business that grows without burning you out. The future buyer of your business is looking for a company, not a personal brand built around you. If you wait until six months before selling your business to step out of your sales department, it's already too late. Start now. Start small. But start. Because a business that does sales without you? That's a business worth buying.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Global Fitness Mirror Market Revenue to Reach USD 745.28 Million by 2030, Driven by AI Integration and Hybrid Workout Trends
"Fitness Mirror Market Research by Focus Reports" Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2025–2030. According to Focus Reports Store, the global fitness mirror market is projected to grow from USD 372.34 million in 2024 to USD 745.28 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 12.26% during the forecast period. This robust growth reflects the continued evolution of traditional mirrors into smart, interactive fitness hubs that blend advanced technology with modern home aesthetics. Report Summary: MARKET SIZE (2030): USD 745.28 Million MARKET SIZE (2024): USD 372.34 Million CAGR (2024-2030): 12.26% HISTORIC YEAR: 2021-2023 BASE YEAR: 2024 FORECAST YEAR: 2025-2030 LARGEST REGION (2024): North America MARKET SEGMENTATION: Component, Product Type, Technology, Application, Distribution Channel, and Geography AI Fitness Mirrors Redefine Smart Home Workouts, Driving Premium Market Growth and Consumer Adoption The smart home fitness market is evolving rapidly as AI integration transforms how consumers train at home. AI-powered fitness mirrors are emerging as a key growth driver in this segment, combining real-time form and posture correction, automated rep counting, adaptive workout programming, and progress analytics to deliver safer, personalized, and more engaging workouts. This shift addresses rising consumer demand for connected, data-driven, and results-focused solutions that replicate personal trainer benefits at home. As competition in the smart fitness sector intensifies, premium AI fitness mirrors are becoming a clear differentiator for brands seeking to tap into a tech-savvy customer base willing to invest in advanced, interactive fitness products. This trend positions AI-enabled devices as critical to capturing market share, increasing revenue per unit, and boosting customer retention in the next wave of connected fitness innovation. Fitness Mirror Market News iFit Health & Fitness Inc. has strengthened its position in the smart fitness market by launching an AI coach in 2024. The new feature delivers tailored workout recommendations, encourages healthy habits, and uses interactive text to personalize the user's fitness journey, aligning with the industry shift toward hyper-personalized digital experiences. TONAL Inc. is expanding its leadership in AI-powered home strength training with the 2025 launch of Tonal 2. The upgraded system offers enhanced durability, improved coaching cues, and innovative workout modes, building on its electromagnetic digital resistance technology that provides up to 250 pounds of resistance in a compact, wall-mounted design. Smart Mirrors Get Smarter: Surging Demand Turns Reflection into Real Coaching The demand for advanced fitness mirrors is accelerating as consumers prioritize convenient, engaging, and personalized home workouts, a trend that has strengthened since 2020 and continues to fuel the connected fitness market. Premium fitness mirrors meet this demand with HD, touch-sensitive screens for live and on-demand classes, real-time metric tracking, and intuitive navigation that replicates a studio experience at home. Integrated AI and sensor technologies set high-end models apart by delivering real-time feedback, automated rep counting, exercise recognition, and tailored coaching, capabilities that increase user satisfaction and drive repeat engagement. Robust processors and seamless connectivity support this ecosystem, positioning smart fitness mirrors as a key revenue and differentiation lever for brands expanding their digital fitness offerings. Connected Smart Mirrors Dominate the Fitness Market with Premium, Integrated Home Workout Solutions The connected smart mirrors segment holds the largest share of the global fitness mirrors market, driven by strong demand for premium, integrated home fitness solutions. Smart mirrors combine HD or 4K interactive displays with two-way tempered glass, built-in computing systems, and seamless Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to stream live and on-demand classes, track workout metrics in real time, and integrate with apps and wearables, all within a sleek, dual-purpose design. This blend of functionality and aesthetics positions smart fitness mirrors as high-value products that enable brands to expand revenue through hardware sales, subscription content, and differentiated digital fitness experiences in the growing connected home ecosystem. North America Holds Over 45% Market Share, Setting the Pace for Fitness Mirror Adoption North America remains the leading region in the global fitness mirror market, accounting for over 45% of total share, supported by advanced technology adoption, strong health awareness, and higher disposable incomes that drive demand for premium connected fitness products. Integration with smart home systems like Alexa and Google Home further strengthens consumer appeal. While the market saw rapid growth during COVID-19 lockdowns, with brands such as Tempo and Mirror expanding quickly and major players like Lululemon acquiring Mirror for $500 million, the reopening of gyms in 2021–2022 slowed hardware sales, leading to strategy shifts and industry consolidation. Despite this, North America continues to set the benchmark for hybrid fitness adoption, with many consumers combining traditional gyms with connected home workouts. This evolving usage pattern highlights the region's role as a mature, resilient market for fitness mirrors and a key driver for premium product positioning and subscription-based revenue streams. Key Vendors Ifit Health & Fitness Inc. FORME Peloton Interactive, Inc. Technogym S.P.A Tonal Inc. Other Prominent Vendors Echelon Fitness Fiture Holding LLC Magic AI Mi Mirror Mues-tec Tempo Fit VAHA Evervue UK Ltd. FORME Studio Foshan Stan Household Technology Co., Ltd Raynova Shenzhen WIVI Touch Technology Stride Europe Vercon Market Segmentation & Forecasts By Component Software & Services Hardware By Product Type Standalone Wall Mounted/Fixed Smart Mirror Displays By Technology Connected Smart Mirrors AI-enabled Fitness Mirrors Non-smart Fitness Mirrors By Application Residential Commercial Medical Use/Rehabilitation By Distribution Channel Online Offline D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) By Geography North America US Canada Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain APAC China Japan India South Korea Australia Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Middle East & Africa Turkey Saudi Arabia UAE Related Reports That May Align with Your Business Needs Global Health & Wellness Spa Market - Focused Insights 2025-2030 U.S. Garage Doors Market - Focused Insights 2024-2029 What Key Findings Will Our Research Analysis Reveal? How big is the global fitness mirror market? What is the growth rate of the global fitness mirror market? What are the key drivers of the global fitness mirror market? Which region dominates and holds the largest global fitness mirror market share? Who are the major players in the global fitness mirror market? About Focus Reports Welcome to Focus Reports, an esteemed Arizton Advisory & Intelligence subsidiary committed to delivering precise and insightful market research reports across all key geographies. Our unique selling proposition lies in our affordable pricing, accurate data, in-depth research, and presentation-ready reports. With us, expensive market research is outdated. We aim to be strategic, providing valuable data. Media Contact Company Name: Arizton Advisory & Intelligence Contact Person: Jessica Email: Send Email Phone: +1 3122332770 Country: United States Website:
Forbes
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Why Predictive AI Is The Dealership's New Competitive Edge
Zohar Bronfman is the cofounder and CEO of Pecan AI, a predictive analytics platform making advanced AI accessible to business teams. A customer walks into your dealership. You sold them a car three years ago. You don't know if they'll buy again, but your competitor might. The real risk? Missed revenue, bloated outreach and lost loyalty. The auto industry has weathered disruption before, but this is different. Electrification, autonomous tech and direct-to-consumer platforms are only part of it. In 2024, the U.S. imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, triggering supply shifts and pricing uncertainty across the global market. This is where AI earns its keep—not in hype but in prediction. Beyond The Robots: What AI Actually Delivers There's no shortage of AI headlines promising fully automated showrooms, talking avatars and virtual concierges. When it comes to dealership survival, however, the real opportunity is quieter and more useful. Predictive AI answers hard questions. Who's likely to buy this quarter? What's the right offer for each segment? How will supply shifts affect local pricing? These aren't futuristic dreams. They're tactical decisions happening every day, and they're better made with prediction. The best part? Predictive models aren't just for data scientists anymore. With the right tools, front-line teams can plug in CRM exports and generate guidance on who to call, what to stock and when to act. From Gut Instinct To Guided Action Most dealerships are sitting on a mountain of sales records, service histories, financing data and lease trends. However, a February 2025 report published by Lotlinx (via DBusiness) found that less than 5% of dealerships use that data to actually predict behavior, and they're still operating on gut feel and static dashboards. Meanwhile, OEMs like GM are embedding predictive intelligence into manufacturing and logistics. GM even appointed a chief AI officer to accelerate this shift across operations. Prediction isn't optional anymore. It's table stakes. Macro Trends That Demand Prediction To stay competitive, dealerships must move from reacting to anticipating. Here's where prediction matters most: According to a Strategy& report, global battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales rose 42% year over year in Q1 2025, reaching 4 million units when combined with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which use both a battery and an engine. BEVs alone hit a record 16% of new registrations. China led with a 55% sales increase and 27% market share, while the U.S. saw 18% growth and 8% share. Inventory strategies must now update in real time. According to EY's 2024 Mobility Consumer Index, one in four car buyers completes the entire purchase online. Meanwhile, 87% begin with digital research, and 61% still want to collect keys in person. Predicting which leads need human interaction—and which don't—will drive faster, leaner closes. Chip shortages, tariffs and delays continue to disrupt parts availability. Dealerships using predictive models to forecast demand can avoid service delays, protect revenue and maintain loyalty. From micromobility to luxury EVs, demand is shifting fast. Predictive insight helps spot what's gaining traction before the market does. Each trend demands agility. Trade wars, supply disruption and new channels aren't going away. Those who predict and respond will win. Those who guess won't. A Real-World Example: Predicting Repurchase At Scale We worked with one of the largest automotive groups in Israel—the exclusive importer for Mercedes, Hyundai and Mitsubishi—when it suspected many customers returned for a second vehicle around the three-year mark but had too many leads and too few reps. We helped it build a predictive model using dealership data to rank past buyers by likelihood to repurchase. It factored in timing, vehicle type, service history and demographics. Focusing on the top 5% to 10% led to a sixfold increase in conversion over random follow-ups. The model also uncovered patterns reps hadn't noticed. For example, buyers over 50 were far more likely to return, certain service centers drove higher retention, and vehicle type and price shaped loyalty. It changed how they operate. The pilot became a standing program. Monthly lead lists are now baked into the sales workflow. Why This Matters More Now Tariffs are just one signal. Supply chains are tightening, demand is fragmenting, margins are shrinking, and new players like Tesla and BYD are reshaping expectations. In this climate, waiting for perfect data or a full transformation is a luxury. Prediction is about prioritization: what to stock, who to call and how to align with demand before it shifts. Manually sorting leads or guessing reorder volumes is playing defense, and defense doesn't scale. What To Do Next Prediction doesn't require a digital overhaul. Start by identifying one underperforming decision and replacing guesswork with visibility. Use the data you already have—recent purchases, lease expirations, service records and even call logs—to score who's likely to return or churn. Focus on one high-impact area like retention, parts forecasting or reengagement and then test it. Compare your current outreach list with a model-driven top 5%. A 30-day A/B test will tell you everything you need to know. Don't wait for perfect data. Modern AI can handle messy inputs better than expected. If your team isn't working from forward-looking lists, your data's being used to look back, not move forward. The Road Ahead In the next 12 months, dealers that lean into prediction should expect to gain a real edge—higher conversion, less waste and faster pivots. Dealerships that see around corners won't just survive the next disruption. They'll quietly pull ahead. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
OPEC, IEA crude oil demand forecasts may be too cautious
A key difference in crude oil demand forecasts between this year and 2024 is that both OPEC and the International Energy Agency (IEA) are being far more cautious in their growth expectations. While the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC+ group publicly maintain that strong demand and a tight market justify increasing oil output, the numbers in their monthly report are more circumspect. It is largely the same for the IEA, which forecast in its July monthly report that global crude demand will grow by 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2025, the slowest pace since 2009. OPEC's July report is slightly more bullish, forecasting oil demand will increase by 1.29 million bpd in 2025, with 1.16 million bpd coming from countries outside the developed economies of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The forecasts from both the IEA and OPEC are now so cautious that they actually run the risk of being too pessimistic, especially in the top-importing region of Asia. This is in stark contrast to last year, when OPEC in particular was massively bullish in its demand forecasts even as Asia's crude oil imports were declining. There is, of course, a difference between demand forecasts and imports, but the level of seaborne imports is the key driver of crude prices, given it is this market, which accounts for about 40% of global daily oil demand, that sets the global prices. In its July 2024 monthly report OPEC forecast that Asia's non-OECD oil demand would rise by 1.34 million bpd in 2024, with China accounting for 760,000 bpd of this. However, Asia's crude imports actually declined in 2024, dropping by 370,000 bpd to 26.51 million bpd, according to data compiled by LSEG Oil Research. It was the first decline in Asia's oil imports since 2021, at a time when demand was hit by the lockdowns prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The gap between OPEC's bullish forecasts for much of 2024 and the reality of weak crude imports by Asia may have tempered the exporter group's forecasts for 2025. The question is whether they are now actually being too cautious. Asia recovery OPEC's July monthly report forecast that non-OECD Asia's oil demand will rise by 610,000 bpd in 2025, with China the main contributor at 210,000 and India, Asia's second-biggest crude importer, seeing an increase of 160,000 bpd. The IEA said in its July report that it expects China's total oil product demand to rise by 81,000 bpd in 2025, while India is expected to see a gain of 92,000 bpd. Total non-OECD Asia is forecast to see demand rise by 352,000 bpd. Both the OPEC and the IEA numbers seem modest, especially since Asia's crude imports actually saw relatively strong growth in the first half of 2025. Asia's imports in the first six months of the year were 27.25 million bpd, an increase of 510,000 bpd from the same period last year, according to calculations based on LSEG data. Imports increased in the second quarter, especially in China, as refiners took advantage of the weakening trend in oil prices that prevailed at the time cargoes were being arranged. It is likely that some of the increase in oil imports was used to build inventories, a process that may extend into the second half if oil prices remain soft as OPEC+ increases output amid the economic uncertainty created by U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing global trade war. If there is one lesson to be learnt from the difference between this year's circumspect oil demand forecasts and last year's buoyant estimates, it is that price plays a far bigger role in demand, especially in Asia. Part of the reason Asia's crude imports fell short of forecasts in 2024 was because prices remained elevated for much of the year, reaching above $92 a barrel in April and only briefly dropping below $70 in September. This year, prices have been softer, with benchmark Brent futures peaking at just over $82 a barrel in January, and trading as low as $58.50 in May.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UBS Trims P&G (PG) Price Target, Maintains Buy Rating
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is one of the most profitable consumer stocks to buy now. UBS analyst Peter Grom lowered his price target on The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) to $180 from $186 while maintaining a Buy rating, citing refined estimates ahead of the company's fiscal fourth-quarter results. Despite the downward adjustment, the revised target still implies an upside of about 16% from the current price of $155. Copyright: jetcityimage / 123RF Stock Photo The move reflects a more tempered near-term view rather than a shift in long-term confidence. UBS continues to see strength in P&G's brand portfolio, which spans core categories like fabric care, grooming, and personal health. Grom noted that while foreign exchange pressures and consumer trade-down behavior are worth watching, the company's pricing power and cost discipline remain key pillars of its strategy. P&G has held up well in a mixed consumer environment, benefiting from its exposure to everyday essentials and global scale. The company's ability to maintain share across several categories, even amid softer volumes, has kept investor sentiment generally positive. As earnings season approaches, analysts will be looking for commentary on volume recovery and input costs, particularly as inflation eases in certain regions. The new target reflects modest caution without undermining the firm's broader bullish stance on P&G's market positioning. While we acknowledge the potential of PG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Top 10 Healthcare AI Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds and 10 Best Industrial Automation Stocks to Buy for the Next Decade Disclosure: None.
