Trust is hard to define, but we know it when we see it or feel it. And this is particularly true with e-mail marketing. The truest measure of trust in commercial e-mail marketing may be the “reputation score” which is calculated by all the individual ISPs. A reputation score is a complex algorithm used by…
DetailsIt is legendary that referrals can be the best method for new business development. Simply put, there is no better sales person than a happy customer. Here is a simple suggestion. Effective immediately, make it part of every customer meeting agenda to discuss referrals. I am not kidding. Make it your practice to ask each…
DetailsYou may not be a blogger yourself, but reading blogs written by your competition and your customers may prove to be a great way to conduct market research. Increasingly blogs, along with forums, are becoming honey pots for people to gather insight and information about products, companies, and industries. Blogs and forums are creating communities…
DetailsNot long after my wife bought a Honda Fit she received an envelope with a handwritten address and a real stamp. Opening what looked to be greeting card from some friend was a card from her sales person at the Honda dealer. The card read: “Our path to success is built on referrals. If you…
DetailsIf your business is not actively engaged in web-based marketing, it is likely you are going out of business. One of the best examples I can describe is the book business of which I am an active participant. The era of the brick and mortar retail store is quickly being eclipsed by the online or…
DetailsMy money says that there is about a 50% chance that you are a spammer and don’t know it. Why do I think so? It is my observation, that although the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 is old news, half of the commercial e-mail marketers either ignore the law or simply don’t understand it. I monitored…
DetailsThe state-of-the-art for website design continues to evolve as does the sophistication and experience of the website visitor. This discriminating surfer has pushed the web designer to reconsider what really works for the visitor instead of what looks cool. This new website design criteria is based on eye tracking research. Eye tracking is a term…
DetailsI had a reminder this week why “article marketing” is so effective. If you read my blog with any regularity you know that I am a big believer in this exciting marketing technique. I received a call this week from MSNBC asking me to join a panel on “Niche Marketing”. A TV producer had read…
DetailsWe can argue about what constitutes a bear market, a recession, and when the economy will hit bottom, but it seems clear that 2008 will be a tough year. Oil looks like it might top $100 a barrel, real estate will continue the downward spiral, and we have a lame duck President. It’s time to…
DetailsBullies on the playground—you thought that you had left them behind in grade school along with bloody noses, homework, and the mean school principal. Yet, the same bully behavior can appear when you are confronted with an aggressive negotiator. A bully is someone who is mean and attacks other people with words or actions. They…
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