Are your employees excited about the work they do or just putting in time? According to a recent McKinsey Quarterly survey, nonfinancial motivators can effectively reward top performers with satisfactory salaries. Respondents rated the following nonfinancial incentives as “extremely” or “very effective”: • 67 percent cited praise and commendation from their immediate manager. • 63 [...]
Company: Insurance company serving regional and national client base for 23 years. Situation Overview: Company seeking to generate more sales leads from prospecting efforts. Currently spending marketing budget on print advertisements, mass mailings based on geography and online pay-per-click advertising. Limited tracking has been done to measure effectiveness of these campaigns. Marketing Recommendation: To generate [...]
When you are looking to grow your business through high-quality prospects and ongoing referrals, it’s time to look at networking. Opportunities to get connected include industry-specific groups and small business associations, expos and trade shows, workshops and seminars, awards ceremonies, and fundraisers. Here are eight ways to make the most of the occasion: 1. Do [...]
In an established city or tiny town, business alliances created to support locally-owned enterprises have shown to have a positive impact on the community. According to the New Rules Project of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, here are the top 10 best reasons for supporting locally-owned businesses: 1. Preserves local character and prosperity. Communities that [...]
Internet user preferences have been thoroughly documented. While there are exceptions to most every rule, following are some Web design basics to consider when creating or updating your site: DO: DO include a one-sentence tagline on the home page that summarizes what you do. DO put company name, logo and contact information on every page. [...]
You don’t need megabucks to be a smart marketer. Here are a few terms you’ll want to know: Cross Sell — Motivating current customers to buy different but related products or services. Free-Standing Insert — Printed advertisement that is inserted, but not bound, into a publication. Merge/Purge — Combining two or more mailings or email lists and deleting the duplicate data. Split Test [...]
Company: Commercial and residential lawn care service Situation Overview: The company’s current marketing efforts are limited to a Web site, a Yellow Pages ad and some outdated sales brochures. The landscaper’s sales force includes one fulltime employee and several part-timers. With plans to open a second location and expand their client base, they recognize the [...]
Direct mail or email. Yellow Pages or banner advertising. Radio or newspaper. Sprinkle in the pressure to get into social media and it’s enough to make your head spin. When divvying up your marketing dollars, how can you be sure you’ll end up with the right mix of strategies and tactics to sell, inspire or [...]
Whatever the format (single sheet fold-over, multiple panels or multi-page), your brochure has a job to do – and that’s to sell an idea. Solid design principles and creative flair aside, your brochure needs to say something. Here are a few tips that can help you to get your point across: Get emotional – It’s [...]
Your customers or members form a range of opinions and perceptions about your products, services, pricing and more. It used to be they told a friend or a couple of associates when they were unhappy. Now, they can instantly tell thousands (even millions), thanks to the Internet. Customer surveys can help you uncover valuable information [...]