Conventional advice says it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than retain a current one. Yet companies often invest more time and energy into gaining new customers instead of keeping the ones they have. This strategy is unsustainable for companies in the long-term. An influx of new customers is always great, but […]
Relationships
Every Local Business Needs Review Cards
If you market your local business online, you need review cards. They stand out, they get noticed, they drum up more business. Ever searched for the best restaurant in your area? You’ll probably find that the top listings have a load of reviews that testify to the fact they’re the best; that’s no coincidence. Reviews […]
5 Networking Tactics for Introverted Professionals
Networking events can be an introvert’s worst nightmare. On one hand, they can be essential to success. On the other, however, they can be unfriendly reminders of an introvert’s individualistic nature. While most introverts don’t necessarily have social anxiety, their introspective and reticent personalities means they’re often unaccustomed to large social scenarios. Small talk is […]
Do’s and Don’ts for Entrepreneur Business Networking
I often recommend business networking as the most effective way for a startup founder to find investors, advisors, and even key executive candidates. But what if you are an introvert, or new to this game, and don’t know where or how to start? The answer is still the same, but I have learned over the […]
What We Think of Our Customers Colors Our Engagement
Someone called seeking coaching on a specific deal. He had fallen into traps which blinded him in moving forward with a winning strategy. He started the conversation with, “The key decision-maker is really a jerk! He’s power hungry, his people want to do something with us, they’ve presented compelling arguments, but he doesn’t want to […]
Why Good Contact Centers Need Both People and Technology
Most people dread calling a customer service contact center. They’d rather chew on tinfoil than try to explain to an automated voice that they want to talk to a real person, and long hold times can leave people frustrated. Despite the bad rap, contact centers are an integral part of a company’s customer relations. It’s […]
Who Already Trusts You?
If there is a cardinal sin of marketing, it’s ignoring the people who already know you, appreciate you and give you money. For most organizations, 60-75% of your net new revenue should come from your existing customer base. Despite that metric, most businesses spend the majority of their marketing dollars and efforts chasing after new […]
Modern Mentors: Navigating Mentorship in the Digital Age
Mentorship is as old as human society, perhaps even older. Before written communication, the only way information was passed down was from one person directly to another via speech and demonstration—monkey see, monkey do. However, nowadays, communication has evolved to that point that we oftentimes don’t see each other at all, but instead connect from […]
Reviews: You Like Us, You Really Like Us!
As we approach 2019, we’re delving into the channels that you really need to consider as you map out your marketing and sales efforts for the coming year. Previously we’ve covered: Video Podcasting Infographics and visual representation Webinar and webcasts Building your email list Multichannel Marketing Now, I want to call your attention to the […]
Relationships Matter—But What Does That Mean?
Andy Paul wrote a terrific piece on relationships (visit TheSalesHouse to get some of his thinking). There is a lot of discussion, pro and con, about the importance of relationships—but little of it drives any clarity about what a relationship is, and why it matters. There are the “old timers,” who view relationships as key, but define […]
