Marketing & Sales
Why You Are a Better Marketer than Either Candidate: Election 2012
With all of the billions (yes, I did just write billions) that has been thrown at the presidential election in the last year, it is astounding to me that there is no clear front runner. Essentially from a business perspective, this comes down to marketing. And, of course, it is never about who throws the…
Marketing Strategy: How to Build Trust with Your Market Quickly and Simply
Albert Einstein once declared, “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.” And by standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us that we can get ahead faster. Success does NOT have to be as difficult as most people make it. Here…
10 Ways to Find Success by Phone: Are you breaking these rules?
While I know that most of our communication these days seems to be by email and text, I’ve noticed that phone manners have really gone downhill. Perhaps it is because of a lack of use and there are younger people coming into telemarketing and the workplace in general and they didn’t grow up with a…
3 Fast and Easy Ways to Fail at Email Marketing
At a recent networking function I met an experienced business consultant who was actively seeking new business. Following meeting live, he invited me to connect on LinkedIn and I connected. His next action surprised and dismayed me. He put me on his email list as a subscriber WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. This is not okay. Yes,…
Business Model: Neiman Marcus or Walmart, What’s Your Pick?
I’ve been in business over twenty years and I’ve seen a lot of business models. It always intrigues me to see the difference between those who go after only the high end markets (The Neiman Marcus models), those who only go after the masses and the low end markets (The Walmart models), and those who…
Marketing Strategies for Small Business: How to Win Customers and Influence Clients
Got some awesome lessons in customer service during a recent stay at The Hotel Palomar in Chicago. First I should say that I am a sucker for modern luxury hotels, however with a business degree in hospitality management I am also a stickler for details and pay close attention to service. They began with a…
The Marketing Trap: Perfect Won’t Get You to Profits
We are living in the Age of the Amateur Invasion. With the gazillions of online marketing methods available today and the popularity of “reality” TV, anyone at any level can make a name for themselves. You don’t have to be an expert, a professional, or a guru. You can claim your status and portray yourself…
Marketing Failure: Are you UNSELLING yourself?
I had a very interesting experience recently. I was looking for a graphic designer to help me with a new website. The gal I wanted to work with was unavailable and she referred me to three other providers. I checked each one’s website and decided to talk with one specifically. I liked his portfolio and…
Facebook Netiquette: Are You Hanging Up on Your Customers?
I’ve always struggled with the idea that you have to camp on Facebook. The statistics all show that over 50% of users climb on once a day at least for twenty plus minutes. In a world where 30 seconds is our average attention span that feels like an eternity to me. But then I got…