Over the last twenty-five years I have heard more than my share of bad ideas when it comes to effective selling. Here is the worst one that I have ever come across: “Don’t be an unpaid consultant”.
Marketing
How to Market a New Local Business on a Shoestring Budget
If you have a new local business, what is the best way to get the word out and find customers, especially if you have shoestring budget? Learn some shoestring strategies to get the word out about your business without busting your bank account.
What I Learned from a Successful Small Business Owner About Sales
Today, I stopped in a small business and made another small purchase with a very different customer service experience. I was greeted with a friendly “Hello” and smile from the owner right when I walked in and was told to ask if I needed any help. In the world of sales, make sure you are doing the simple little things, to have a huge impact.
How to Get Press Coverage for Your Business
One of the best shoestring marketing strategies is to get press mentions, yet not many small businesses go for it. Most think that the only way to do it is to hire a publicist, which they do not have the resources. Others simply find the idea of pitching their businesses to the media too daunting. Learn how to get press coverage for your small or home-based business.
Promotional Postcards: Candy for Your Tradeshow Booth
If you’ve ever exhibited at a tradeshow, you know that one of the best ways to attract people to your booth is to load it with free stuff. Business cards, t-shirts, brochures, pens — the more you litter across your table, the more traffic you get to your booth. Learn how using promotional postcards can increase the success of your tradeshow campaign.
The No BS Guide to Getting on TV
Getting in TV is one of the best ways of generating publicity that increases your brand awareness, your credibility as an expert, get more clients, and increases sales. Yet, it is not easy if you don’t know how to craft a pitch that is tailored perfectly to meet the needs of the show. Many business […]
Branding and PR: Raise your Visibility in a Cluttered Marketplace
Have you always wondered how your competitors are getting write-ups and articles in newspapers, magazines and trade journals? You constantly submit articles and press releases but none of them have gotten published. You ask yourself why, only to find out the reasons can be resolved quickly. 1. Understand that newspapers, magazines and trade journalists are […]
Oz Was No Wizard at Customer Service
In The Wizard of Oz, the title character is beloved and revered by all the people in that magical land over the rainbow. Yet when you look at it from a small business/customer service perspective it’s really hard to understand why. In fact, the Great and Powerful Oz is probably one of the best examples […]
Check Your Competition
Check out your competitors. You don’t operate in a vacuum. Hence, it is important that you take time to see what your competitors are up to. Big businesses have departments dedicated solely to understanding the competitive landscape. Just because you don’t have dedicated manpower to find out what others are doing doesn’t mean that you […]
Assess Your Marketing Strategies
Marketing is a huge chunk of your daily efforts, both in time and in expense. It is important that you periodically monitor what worked for you in terms of bringing in the most sales, increasing awareness to your brand, and engaging with your customers. How do you market your business? Do you think you’ve used […]