Contests are a great way to generate sales leads, get customers to engage on social media, build loyalty and more. But how often have you entered a contest (whether or not you thought there was a realistic chance of winning it) and then never heard another thing about it? When you hold a contest, be [...]
You’re getting ready to post a blog and you need an image. You’re in a hurry, so you do a Google search on “free images for blogs.” And you get 371 million results, but not all of those sources are for photos that are really free--and few meet your needs. So you try again, searching [...]
Salespeople are always on the lookout for qualified prospects. Don’t overlook the very best prospects of all: buyers who are already customers. Without qualified prospects, your business would come to a grinding halt, so it makes sense to invest in the process of developing new business. But don’t look exclusively outward for that new business—you [...]
Why Giving Free Products to Prospective Customers Should be in Your Marketing Plan One of the most effective ways to sell many products is to give them away first. Especially if your product is subject to repeat purchases, providing consumers with a free sample may be exactly what it takes to turn them into loyal—and [...]
I got irked with Udi's Gluten Free this morning and Tweeted about it. Within minutes, I had a response from Udi's and within an hour, the situation was resolved and I am a happy customer. The story is a great lesson in how to do customer service via social media. Here's what happened: I was [...]
Do the people who are on your email list really want to be there? Recently I was invited to a home sales party by a friend. She provided the company’s representative with email addresses for her guest list. The salesperson sent out invitations and reminders for the party on behalf of my friend. Because I [...]
Maximize Sales Potential by Reaching Everyone Involved In most organizations, there are more than one and often several people who either influence or actually make buying decisions. A savvy salesperson needs to talk with everyone who is involved in a purchase, but coordinating these efforts among a maze of departments and divisions can be a [...]
No business wants to be the target of a negative review, but an apartment complex near Walt Disney World in Orlando took efforts to prevent negative online comments to an interesting extreme. According to the Orlando Sentinel and other sources, Windermere Cay’s lease included a clause prohibiting tenants from posting negative comments about the complex [...]
Every book and article on blogging tells you that you need great content—and I agree: Great content is essential to any blog’s success. The flip side of great content is bad content. Bad blog content virtually guarantees that human readers and search engines will ignore your site. So what is bad blog content? Click here [...]
Never ignore your competitors. Certainly your primary focus should be on your own business, but you must always keep track of your competitors. Pay attention to where they are, what they're offering, and how they're marketing. Study their ads. Periodically visit their websites. Read what's written about them in trade publications and other media. "Secret [...]
