Isn’t it a little sad that marketers must be concerned about offending clients if they wish them a Merry Christmas? The truth is whether your business shares Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, you might offend some. However, the facts are that more people use Merry Christmas than Happy Holidays. So, is it okay to wish [...]
Social media holiday etiquette is always important. However, this year it might be more critical than ever. As we near the end 2020 we can all agree it's been a demanding year. COVID, racism, and the election have divided America. Unfortunately, too many people use social media to vent, berate, and hold forth. Here's the [...]
Yesterday, I received an invitation to our homeowner's association annual meeting. I have not attended for three years. The last meeting I attended was a budget meeting. The word "budget" was spelled "buget." Maybe it's French, as in, "boo – jeh." The board spent over an hour discussing where to get the funds for snow [...]
I grew up working in my family’s retail business. I was taught the customer is always right and it’s a privilege to serve them. So this is difficult for me – it goes against my nature, but yes, there are times you should politely walk away from a customer. There comes a time to say [...]
After reading a post about creating a marketing team, aimed at ad agencies and large firms, I asked friends how they would build a small business in-house marketing team — what positions they would fill? The article from INC. Tips and Tools for Building a Marketing Team is a good start. The piece discusses the [...]
It’s easy to forget that B2B (Business to Business) marketing is profoundly different from B2C (Business to Consumers). B2B providers may know this but, too often, they treat marketing to their B2B audience as if they were B2C. It’s not the same game. So, knowing the difference begins with understanding these 4 types of B2B [...]
Photo by Travis Isaacs / CC BY-SA A good friend is a is a 508 accessibility specialist and advocate. Business people unfamiliar with 508 accessibility miss an opportunity to connect with prospects who are often overlooked. “Section 508, an amendment to the United States Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is a federal law mandating that all electronic and [...]
Okay, you got me, there is no absolute seven steps to every type of sale for every product to every customer in every business. However, some basics usually apply. They might not always flow in this one through seven order, and you might not require every step, but I think most are essential to making [...]
If you’re in business, you have competition. Regardless of what product or service you offer, other companies do the same. Many of your competitors have an advantage over you. Some are smart enough to market those advantages. The question is, do you recognize your competitive advantage? Before you can recognize your competitive advantage, you need [...]
My eldest grandson called me and asked for my advice. I was thrilled. Evan’s 23, and on the go. It’s always great to hear from him. He asked for sales advice. He’d been recruited for a sales position and accepted it. We chatted over the phone for about twenty minutes. I rambled on about learning [...]
