One of the most effective ways to increase your sales is to track what works and what doesn’t, so that you can focus your efforts most effectively. Now you may not have expensive algorithms and a large sales team to track your progress but you can be just as successful by strategizing around three key [...]
Almost all businesses accept debit and credit cards these days – even service businesses and B2B ventures. Having a way to accept a card is critical when you get ready to operationalize and start your business. You’ll need a merchant account – something provided by financial institutions that lets you accept cards for payments. In order [...]
Nature is remarkable. Not every animal is equipped with the power, capability and sheer mass that it needs to triumph over any situation BUT many creatures can act as if they have all that they’re lacking – and this in turn allows them to get what they want. The Bowerbird (male) for example, stages “scenes” [...]
…and what are the core aspects of each? Last week, a very bright, hard-working and bright-eyed new entrepreneur came up to me and asked me point blank: so what’s the difference between marketing and branding? I was caught off guard for a moment but then realized that despite the inundation of experts telling small business [...]
There are a plethora of blog posts, podcasts, webinars etc. telling you what to do if you want to convert prospectives into customers i.e., make the sale. In my opinion, there’s also a lot you can learn on what to do by studying what NOT to do. So here are my three basic rules on [...]
I remember a few months ago when I was watching TV and a new Charles Schwab commercial came on. I can’t say that most ads about investment banking are really that riveting but this one surprised me. The ad featured a young man who sported iPod headphones and encouraged viewers to “Talk to Chuck”. In the [...]
Having started businesses myself I know how costly it can be to start up. That’s why when I find a free entrepreneurial tool, I don’t hesitate to pass it along to those working to launch their own businesses. The five resources below are my absolute favorite free tools for small business marketing and I don’t [...]
You can’t do it all alone! This saying is especially true in small business marketing. There are many situations where partnering with another service or company to jointly “hawk your wares” would produce better results than if you were to simply market on your own. If you’re operating a local restaurant and your sales have [...]
Image brought to you by HubSpot 1. Inbound Marketing Costs 60% Per Lead Less than Outbound Marketing Outbound marketing or traditional marketing is on the decline according to expert marketing source Hubspot. Chasing customers via the usual route of print, television, banner ads as well as cold calling and mass emailing has proven to sag in its [...]
Oh, the monthly email newsletter. I could probably write an ode to this tried and true marketing device for no other tool provides such consistent marketing value. I use my newsletter to keep clients excited with fresh content, alert users of updates, promote items and to create a community for my customers to engage in. [...]