I was excited to open it. The website had been compelling, and the box was beautifully designed. The product was exactly as advertised. And then I saw the sheet. It was a simple slip of paper, containing the assembly instructions, apparently cranked out on the company’s photocopier. The text was skewed on the page, so whoever [...]
The disagreement grew increasingly intense. His frustration was obvious as he angrily snapped, “I’m the customer! I’m always right!” I didn’t yell back. I simply resigned his business. “The customer is always right” is an outgrowth of the intense competition among early big-city retailers. 19th century titans like John Wanamaker and Marshall Field wisely emphasized customer [...]
We’ve all heard a photo is worth a thousand words, but if you’re in the business of making or selling products, you might be surprised to learn there’s a better alternative that’s worth infinitely more than those thousand words.Marketing and advertising efforts took a giant step forward when high-quality photography became available. Photos offered not only [...]
The marketing director worked hard on the new campaign and convinced the CFO to budget extra dollars for the launch. It was an exciting promotion with an impossible-to-ignore offer that was certain to boost sales to new highs. Only one problem: nobody told the sales team about it. So an hour after the email blast went [...]
You’re so excited about your new website. After weeks of work, it’s just about ready to launch and the developer needs the credentials for your hosting service. That’s when you remember Larry. Ah, Larry. When you launched the current version of your website four years ago, he was your technology Larry-of-all-trades, overseeing the network and helping [...]
I developed a better understanding of our company’s business model the morning our son and his three-week-old driver’s license crossed paths with another vehicle in a local roundabout. Our car didn’t look too good, but he was fine. The driver who hit him was also uninjured, and her car suffered the worst of the damage. Most [...]
It happens frequently, and it always puzzles me. During an initial conversation with a CEO or company owner, I’ll ask how well their marketing is working. And they’ll reply with something like “I guess okay” or “it seems to be” or “I’m not sure” or even just a shrug. These are companies that invest significant sums [...]
In my last column, I described a variety of effective ways for building trust among those who don’t know you. Once you’ve started the process, how do you maintain and grow that trust? A recent experience with a prospective service provider helped me think about the steps I take to strengthen trust among my customers and [...]
There was a time when cold calling was the mainstay of the sales process. Successful salespeople were those who had the courage to pick up the phone and call prospects, knowing that nine out of ten would reject them outright. Cold calling no longer works for a variety of reasons. For one, people rarely answer calls [...]
Having a business website and not using a free service known as Google Analytics is like buying a Ferrari and putting it up on blocks in your driveway. I don’t understand why someone would do that, nor do I grasp why companies would invest thousands in a website without using Google Analytics. I suspect it’s because [...]
