Marketing Articles & Tips

Marketing Tips

20 Marketing Mistakes May 4, 2012 20 Marketing Mistakes by Jay Abraham & Kathy Jiamboi Mistake #1 - Not testing all of your marketing ideas. Corollary: Test all your marketing. Kathy's comments: Most people shudder at the thought of this because it means they have to do more wor...
Remove the Risk, Get the Sale April 13, 2012 Many businesses guarantee satisfaction with their products or services. And, if you are not doing this you should be. For those of us who do offer some sort of guarantee, is it something you articulate to your customers? If not, it could be the differ...
Brainstorming for Breakthroughs April 2, 2012 With all the changes taking place in our economy it is important now more than ever to keep our eyes open for opportunities and different ways of doing business. Think about breaking away from the conventional approaches you have been taking in the man...
They Said What?? March 9, 2012 Business phone etiquette can make or break your client and patient relationships. It is extremely important to make callers feel appreciated as well as well-informed. Besides the basics of speaking clearly, using a pleasant tone of voice, keeping slang...
It Is Better To Be Alone Than In The Wrong Company March 2, 2012 Tell me who your best friends are and I will tell you who you are. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights. A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really...
4 Tips to Building Rapport February 24, 2012 One of the keys to success in building your business is having positive relationships with your clients and patients. Building rapport is one way to create solid, long-lasting relationships. Follow these four tips and you'll be on your way to having all t...
Do You Track? February 17, 2012 In order for you to approporiate the right advertising dollars to the right vehicles, you need to implement a tracking system. If you look at most big company advertising, they do very little of this. They do a lot of branding building. They have deep poc...
Having a System in Place February 10, 2012 McDonald's, Starbucks, Walmart, Disney. What common trait do these companies share? Systems. If you don't have systems in place you will spend your time reacting to everything on a constant basis and consume much time and energy. Does your...
Reasons Why People Don't Respond February 3, 2012 If they didn't respond to your latest offer, does it mean they will never respond? No. But a lot of people think a lack of response means people are not interested. There are many reasons why people don't respond to an offer. Consider these- ...
Appreciation Attracts All Good Things January 30, 2012 In Dale Carnegie's ultra best-seller (multi-millions of copies have been sold), How To Win Friends and Influence People, he pinpointed what he calls, "The Biggest Secret of Dealing with People". It is Chapter Two of the book. He identifies that the "deepe...
Change Your Strategy to Change Your Results January 20, 2012 Last week, I had conversations with clients and potential clients whose current marketing isn't yielding the results they want in their practices and they're looking to see what we can do to change that. This week, I met with two potential clients who are...
Power of a Referral January 13, 2012 The easiest customer to sell is a previous customer. The second easiest customer to sell is a referral from a previous customer. If you do not have a referral program in place, you may want to consider implementing one for these six good reasons- ...
Google+, Why? and How To... January 6, 2012 Google+ is a new social network that started in June 2011 as a personal network and not one businesses could participate in. Within a few months, there were more than 40 million users. To put this in perspective, Linkedin, which was started in 2003 has ab...
Why Clients/Patients Quit? November 18, 2011 It's a fact that every business loses business in one way or another. Some of that lost business is beyond the company's control. People die, people move. Sometimes they get a better price. Sometimes they have problems with your service or product. Someti...
The TOP 6 Reasons to BLOG November 14, 2011 Thinking of starting a blog? Blogging can not only improve your brand recognition but expand your customer base as well. A perfect example of how blogging can do great things for you is Gary Vanyerchuck. If you don't know about him, he's someone to fi...
Tips and Tricks You Should Know About Facebook November 11, 2011 Facebook is one of the best ways to connect personally with clients and patients and attract more of the same. But, it's easy to overlook some of the important features Facebook offers while you are busy posting and building your connections. Here are ...
Are You Pushing or Pulling Client to You? October 28, 2011 There are two main marketing strategies used to get new business. One is known as "push" marketing and the other as "pull" marketing. The difference between them is indicated by what their titles imply, how consumers are approached. Push marketing is a st...
The Four Laws of the Universe October 14, 2011 Law #1: The Law of Expectations -- Whatever you Expect you get The number one failure in businesses is the failure by the owner to communicate expectations Stress=the difference between your reality and your expectations. The bigger the differe...
6 Tips to Get Your Clients Barking Like Dogs September 30, 2011 A key to business success is having loyal customers. Too many businesses neglect their loyal customer base because they are consistently looking for new customers. But the truth is you will sell more of your products and services to existing customers, m...
What Makes Good Graphic Design? September 16, 2011 Is it a combination of the right colors? Perhaps a lot of white space? Could it be a particular style of art? In reality, it can be any of these factors, none of these factors, or even a variety of other factors. Graphic design, unlike art, generally shou...

Relationship Marketing

How to Make a Loyalty Program Work May 20, 2011 Over 80% of the population belongs to some form of loyalty program. The average US household actively participates in 6.2% loyalty programs, (source: Colloquy, 2009). Whether it is your card that is swiped at the grocery store to get weekly discounts, the...
Twitter: Facts and Tips May 13, 2011 Twitter at its most basic level is a real-time information source. Twitter has experienced a phenomenal growth rate over the past few months. With the ability to get instant information about world events such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the r...
Ways to Use QR Codes to Market Your Business April 29, 2011 To Provide Information QR Codes are extremely efficient at providing information within seconds. The potential to use them to provide more detailed information is endless. Consider these ideas: Only have limited ad space? Add a QR code to provide...
Use These Event Secrets to Build Loyalty and Get Business April 8, 2011 Client events can be a terrific way to foster relationships, attract referrals, and build your business at the same time. An event provides a perfect atmosphere for you to engage with clients, patients and prospects in a more meaningful, comfortable, and ...
Top 5 Client/Patient Profiles to Avoid at All Costs April 1, 2011 Sometimes no amount of "client/patient relationship management" will do the trick. You've bent over backwards, killed them with kindness, brought them the proverbial "apple" and nothing seems to work. Maybe they just aren't worth all that coddling. One of...
The Key to Building Customer Relationships-Your Employees March 26, 2011 Let's face it. We've all been victims of bad customer service. For me, there are businesses I no longer patronize because of the poor service I received. How about you? Are there places you no longer patronize? Usually though the reason to stop going isn'...
Three Marketing Takeaways from a New York City Visit March 10, 2011 There is so much to take in when you visit Manhattan. Lots of interesting people, and lots of stuff going on. Everyone appears to be on a mission to somewhere. Whatever you do don't stop in your tracks or you will be run over. Besides all the immense act...
5 Reasons Why You Want to Blog March 3, 2011 When I mention blogging to clients, their first reaction is that they don't have the time for it. Their second reaction is that they don't know what they would write. Both of these reactions are completely understandable and valid. Blogging does take tim...
All We Want is a Deep and Different Connection February 25, 2011 You might be asking yourself why it is so important to develop connections with your clients, customers, and patients. After all, most businesses do not put much effort in cultivating their client base and building a strong relationships with them. So, wh...
A Powerful Way to Attract High Quality Clients February 9, 2011 Referrals. These are the best new lead sources for your business. They are the second easiest person to sell after your current clients. Here's three reasons why: They already know, like, and trust you because their friend has given you a glowing recom...
The Best Way to Ask for and Actually GET a Great Testimonial January 27, 2011 What I want to share with you this week is a little bit on the section about testimonials from the book, The Brain Audit. We all know what other people say about your business is far more valuable than what you say. D'Sousa provides six questions to ask t...
What's a Customer Worth? January 6, 2011 One of my mentors and a brilliant marketer, Bill Glazer always says he “makes a sale to get a customer”. Most businesses though look at it the other way around. They think, “I need to get a customer to make a sale”. If your business is one where...
Do You Have an EASY Button? December 8, 2010 This time of year seems to make people feel overwhelmed because of everything that needs to get done. Holiday shopping, house cleaning, attending parties, hosting parties, family needs, it certainly is a fast-paced time of year. I know that even though I ...
THE Most Effective Marketing Tool Available December 2, 2010 Of course I am talking about a printed newsletter. This marketing tool by far will give you the best bang for your buck. One of the main reasons newsletters work so well is because of how they are perceived. They don’t come across as a solicitation or ...
What Do You Believe About Your Business? October 27, 2010 Recently I met with a small business owner to discuss how we might be able to help market her business. After talking a bit about her current business climate, she went on to give all the reasons why someone doesn’t or won’t use her services. Addition...
Breathe New Life into Your Marketing (Step 4) October 11, 2010 We are now to the last step of reinvigorating your marketing. If you may have missed the first three steps you can start by reading Step One here. The last step is your channels or the method by which you get your message to your market. Your Channels (S...
Breathe New Life into Your Marketing (Step 3) October 4, 2010 The last two weeks, we’ve been talking about ways to revamp your marketing. If you may have missed Steps 1 and 2 you can read them here. Now it’s time to talk about Step 3 in revitalizing your marketing, and that is— Your Customer, Client or Patien...
Breathe New Life into Your Marketing (Step 2) September 27, 2010 Last week Step 1 of Breathing New Life into your Marketing was about Your Message. If you missed that post you can read about it here. This week we are on to Step 2 in the four-step process designed to freshen up your marketing. Your Expertise (Step 2...
Breathe New Life into Your Marketing (Step 1) September 20, 2010 One day you're going like gangbusters. Your marketing couldn't be better. It's bringing in all the clients you need. You're busy and on top of the world. Then you start to notice that what reliably worked month after month is just not cutting it anymore. ...
Turn on the Cash Flow Machine August 23, 2010 I talked about this topic a few weeks ago in my car buying stories but feel the need to bring it up again. It is one of the most neglected marketing principles and it is going on in almost all businesses. It is probably happening in yours. It is something...

Customer Service

How to Make a Loyalty Program Work May 20, 2011 Over 80% of the population belongs to some form of loyalty program. The average US household actively participates in 6.2% loyalty programs, (source: Colloquy, 2009). Whether it is your card that is swiped at the grocery store to get weekly discounts, the...
Top 5 Client/Patient Profiles to Avoid at All Costs April 1, 2011 Sometimes no amount of "client/patient relationship management" will do the trick. You've bent over backwards, killed them with kindness, brought them the proverbial "apple" and nothing seems to work. Maybe they just aren't worth all that coddling. One of...
The Key to Building Customer Relationships-Your Employees March 26, 2011 Let's face it. We've all been victims of bad customer service. For me, there are businesses I no longer patronize because of the poor service I received. How about you? Are there places you no longer patronize? Usually though the reason to stop going isn'...
Three Marketing Takeaways from a New York City Visit March 10, 2011 There is so much to take in when you visit Manhattan. Lots of interesting people, and lots of stuff going on. Everyone appears to be on a mission to somewhere. Whatever you do don't stop in your tracks or you will be run over. Besides all the immense act...
All We Want is a Deep and Different Connection February 25, 2011 You might be asking yourself why it is so important to develop connections with your clients, customers, and patients. After all, most businesses do not put much effort in cultivating their client base and building a strong relationships with them. So, wh...
Do You Have an EASY Button? December 8, 2010 This time of year seems to make people feel overwhelmed because of everything that needs to get done. Holiday shopping, house cleaning, attending parties, hosting parties, family needs, it certainly is a fast-paced time of year. I know that even though I ...
Demonstrate Credibility, Improve Sales August 8, 2010 Credibility is essential to making sales. When you have credibility it is easy to introduce new products and services with built in demand. When you demonstrate credibility your customers and prospects are willing to put their faith in you because they se...
Final Thoughts on Auto Shopping August 2, 2010 Over the past weeks I have been shopping for a new car and had shared a little of my experience a couple times in this blog. If you missed those posts, you can read them here. It has been an interesting experience to say the least. Out of the four dealer...
Lessons from Auto Shopping, Cont’d. July 19, 2010 I feel compelled to share more of my auto shopping story because there are great lessons in all of this. It simply amazes me how little selling actually goes on. Yet many people continue to talk about their business being down. Last week I wrote about th...
Lessons from Auto Shopping July 12, 2010 Over the last couple of weeks I have been searching for a new car. It has been seven years since the last time I did this. Things have changed quite a bit since even the time before that, 10 years ago where I did this by myself. Ten years ago I remember ...
What’s the Magic Word? June 21, 2010 Appreciation. First a quote from Mother Teresa of Calcutta. “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” Isn’t that the truth? We all want love and appreciation. Showing customer appreciation can certainly go a l...
Customer Service Your Way to Profits June 7, 2010 With the competitive nature of our economy today and the ever increasing challenge of getting customers to part with their money, providing excellent customer service is much more important than ever before. Gone are the days of being able to get by with ...
Customer Relationship Strategy-Ingredient #5 May 10, 2010 Over the past five weeks we have covered four main ingredients to building a customer relationship strategy, a necessary part of your marketing plan. To view the previous four ingredients, start here. The last ingredient is one that is becoming more and ...
Customer Relationship Strategy-Key Ingredient #2 April 19, 2010 Last week’s marketing tip was about having a customer relationship strategy in place and we discussed the first key ingredient out of five. If you missed last week’s post, you can read it here. This week, on to— Key Ingredient #2 This key ingredi...
Five Key Ingredients to Customer Relationship April 12, 2010 Some business owners we’ve talked with lately are in a bad situation. Their business is way down. I’m not talking about what almost everyone has experienced with revenue not being like it was and business not growing in leaps and bounds like before. I...
Another Rainy Sunday, Another Wet and Soggy Newspaper or Beware of the Little Things You May Be Overlooking March 29, 2010 I get my local paper delivered on Sundays only and I don’t have one of those mailboxes with the built-in section for a newspaper. My newspaper gets delivered in a plastic bag that is thrown in my driveway. If it is raining or snowing, doesn’t matter...
Why Someone Refers March 18, 2010 The reason a customer refers another customer to you is because they truly believe their friend or family member will benefit from your product or service. A thank you note or gift as an incentive is a great way to show appreciation for the referral but ...
Are You Giving Your Customers The Royal Treatment? December 28, 2009 We just returned from vacation. We used our frequent flyer miles for two of our three airline tickets. My regular, “go-to” airline put us on another carrier for the first leg of our trip. Big mistake on their part. First, let me tell you about the th...
Customer Service is Marketing November 16, 2009 Over the weekend I had the opportunity to visit a local spa and treat myself to a facial and a pedicure. The mere word “spa” conjures up a luxurious, relaxing, pampering experience in my mind. All of the spa advertising you see depicts this in great d...