7 Easy Steps to Follow Up by Phone
You know how critical it is to follow up your initial contacts or mailings with a personal phone call, but somehow your list of calls to make always seems to get longer instead of shorter. Why not make this the month you get off the dime and get on the phone? Here are seven steps to make it easy for you.

How to Get Your Share of Government Contracts
Looking to bring in new business? Then you're probably on the watch for government contracts coming up to bid. If you're not, you should be--even if you're not going to bid on them directly yourself. Here's a guide for getting started in government contracting >>

Would You Want to Call You?
What is your attitude towards a ringing telephone? Do you consider it an interruption of your busy day or the source of potential business? The way you answer your phone is likely the very first impression your customer has of you. Are you making it a good one? Read more >>

For Better Sales Copy Take a Tip From Zig Ziglar
In his keynotes and recordings world-class motivational speaker and sales trainer Zig Ziglar often talks about the importance of having meaningful, specific goals. And he'll drive home his point with the rhetorical question, "What would you rather be in life, a meaningful specific or a wandering generality?" Learn how you can put that advice to use when writing your sales copy.

Will You Have Enough Cash To Meet Payroll Next Month? Avoid unpleasant surprises. Get a graphic overview of your finances whenever you need it without running any special reports.  Get your free financial dashboard now!

27 Low or No Cost Ways to Improve Your Next Tradeshow
There are all kinds of ways to improve your team's performance at tradeshows - but many of them come with hefty price tags. There are, however, ways you can boost performance without breaking the bank. Here are 27 low or no cost ways to improve your next tradeshow.

6 Steps to a Marketing Message That Sells
All too often companies spend a lot of time and money developing their logo and the graphic look and feel of their promotional materials while giving only cursory consideration to their marketing message. But development of your marketing message should be given at least equal time as development of the graphic elements. Here is a six step process that will help assure your marketing message will sell.

7 Principles to Achieve Sales Excellence
Despite what most books and seminars teach, successful selling is not a set of strategies, techniques or tactics to get the prospect to buy. Rather it is a state of mind -- yours and your customer's -- and set of behaviors that creates compelling win/win outcomes for everyone. Learn how to achieve this state of mind by following these 7 principles >>

5 Ways to Make the Competition Irrelevant
In an age with so much access to information, bombarded by advertisements and commercials, is it possible to keep the attention of your potential customers? What is the secret to help customers make an easy decision to buy? Here are five things you can do to make the competition irrelevant >>

3 Simple Rules for Creating an Effective USP
Most business owners and managers don't understand how to create a truly unique selling proposition (USP). Here are three simple rules for creating your own USP and examples of what makes a good one.

Avoid the Trap of Tunnel Vision Marketing
Tired of investing time or money marketing your business and going nowhere fast? Frustrated by how hit or miss your marketing efforts turn out? The problem is "tunnel vision" marketing. Get the solution here >>

The Truth About Really Great Customer Service
What makes good customer service? Is it fast delivery times? Nice packaging? Or is it the way you were treated by the sales clerk? Learn what people really care about when it comes to customer service >>

5 Marketing Resolutions to Boost '07 Results
So, how was your 2006? Meet your sales projections? How about profits? Regardless of how you did, '06 is history. But '07 is just getting started and there's still time to work in a few more resolutions. With that thought in mind, here are 5 New Year's Marketing Resolutions.

How to Make Money with Voice Mail
The telephone can be a powerful tool for generating leads and selling products and services. But getting past your prospects' voice mail presents another challenge altogether. Here are five tips you can use to make voice mail work for you rather than against you.

Where to Find Loyal Customers
Loyal customers are the most coveted of all customers in business. They account for repeat sales, larger purchases, and referrals to new customers. So how do you find them? Where do you begin to look? Find out here >>

From Prospect to Client in 30 Seconds
Converting prospects into clients can take months, or longer. And in the time that passes, you have to follow up consistently, but not so much that you become a pest. There is a much simpler way to turn prospects into clients, and it only takes a few seconds. Find out what it is here >>

8 Ways to Become Shopper Friendly
Have you wondered what causes some people to open their wallets and what factors cause them to walk out the door never to return? Your business could increase profits by becoming "shopper friendly." Here are eight points to keep in mind.

Powerful Networking with an Effective Introduction
How good are you at introducing yourself at networking events? Most people try to get it over with in as few words as possible. Don't miss this prime opportunity to not only introduce yourself, but to also differentiate yourself from your competition.

Invite People to Sample Your Business
How can your prospects know if they want what your business offers? How can they know if what you have, is what they need? A great way to let them find out is to offer a sample, a taster, of your products or services. Here are ideas for how many different types of businesses can offer customers a "taste" of what they have to offer.

7 Important Business Card Design Tips
Your business card is one of the most important marketing tools you'll ever create. You give it to prospects and customers, drop it in letters, include it with presentations, and more. But unless it looks professional, is easy to read, and helps customers and prospects remember you, it won't do you any good. Here are a few tips to consider before you design or redesign your business card.

Keys to Building Customer Loyalty
Every business owner wants to have loyal customers that love their business. But if you want loyalty, you have to give it. Commit yourself to excellence in these five key areas and your customers will reward you with their repeat business and dedication.

5 Keys to Networking Success
Networking and word of mouth advertising together are seven times more likely to bring in business than all forms of traditional advertising and direct mail combined. How does it work? More importantly, how can you make it work for your business? Here are five tips to get you started.

Opening Sentences That Close the Sale
After the headline, the first sentence in your copy is what gets read most often. After that point, customers usually skip to the next section unless they feel compelled to keep reading. Here are some examples of how you can improve your opening sentences so that they entice your customers to keep reading.

The 10 Deadliest Words and Phrases in Business 
Take a look at the next four or five letters, e-mails, and memos that cross your desk. Are they written in such a way that you come across as human, caring, up to date, and personal? Click Here for tips on more effective business writing!

12 Sure-Fire Steps to Improve Your Sales
Successful retailers aren't any more talented or intelligent than you are. They simply have learned to do things in a different way and make money in the process. Use these 12 steps to improve your retail sales and you'll simplify your efforts, multiply profits, and increase the odds of success.

Where to Find Customers and Clients
You know who your potential clients are, but do you know where to find them? It may take a bit of detective work, but if you ask the right questions you'll find potential clients hiding all around you. Read more >>

Your Approach Makes a Difference
Do your sales staff make an effort to help your customers buy from you, or do they rarely venture past a perfunctory "Can I help you?" The approach your staff takes with your customers has a direct effect on whether or not they make a purchase, and how big that purchase is. Read more >>

Complaining Customers Are Your Best Customers!
Nobody likes a complainer, but if you're running a business, the customers who take time to gripe are doing you a huge favor! Most unhappy customers just quit doing business with you, and you never know why. But the unhappy customers who actually let you know why they're unhappy give you the opportunity to make changes that will improve your sales and more.

4 Types of Headlines Sure to Get Read
Your headline is the most important part of any print ad. Most people will only read the headline, and the people who choose to read the entire ad will do so based on the headline. Make your ads perform better by using these four types of headlines.

Does Anyone Really Want What You're Selling?
If you've ever wondered why more people don't respond to your sales attempts and marketing messages, here's the first place to look -- are you selling something that people are willing to spend money on? Read more >>

Hot Button Marketing
Consumers buy products for two reasons-the rational reason and the real reason. Hot Button Marketing shows you how to identify and push the hot buttons that will prompt consumers to purchase your product over a competitor's-even if it's a parity product! Read an excerpt from chapter 1 here >>

Are You Ready to Move Up Market?
Are you working with the same level of client you were a year ago? How about the same type of client as two years ago? If the answer is "yes" then it's time to look at moving "up-market." Read more >>

What to Do When Your Client is Ticked Off
When you run your own business, you will at times have to deal with angry customers. Sometimes it's because you made a mistake, but others it's because the client is impossible to please. Here's advice on how to handle unhappy customers.

Being Unique is a Good Thing... Isn't It?
Distinguishing your product or service from the competition can make your marketing more effective. Crafting a novel marketing message can attract the notice of more potential customers. But is there such a thing as being too different? Read more >>

Sales Tip: Avoid the "What If" Approach
An often-used sales technique is to ask a prospect a "what if" question in order to overcome their objections. Unfortunately, this approach rarely works, and could even backfire on you. Keep reading to find out what kinds of questions you should ask if you want to close the sale >>

Your Guide to Getting More Word of Mouth Referrals
Word of mouth business doesn't just appear out of thin air. No matter how great your product or service is, you have to give people a compelling reason to refer their friends and family to you. Read more >>

Warm Calling vs. Cold Calling
People who prospect by phone usually prefer warm calls over cold calls - that is, talking to someone with whom they've had previous contact. But the success of both cold and warm calls is dependent on good communication skills. Read more >>

The Fortune Is in the Follow Up
One of the best ways to increase sales is to keep in touch with people. Regularly calling on former customers and checking in on new leads is the best way to build trust and name recognition. Read more >>

Turning Customer Service Inside Out
While companies focus thousands of dollars on external customer service in hopes of wooing and retaining customers, little attention is being paid to the effect poor internal customer service has on customer satisfaction. Consider how your internal customer service is impacting your customers, and use these 5 tips to help improve it.

Platitudes and Clichés Can Make Your Marketing Invisible
Is your advertising full of trite, overused clichés? Unfortunately, phrases like the ones listed in this article can make your customers' eyes glaze over and even damage your credibility. Here's a four-point test to help you weed out meaningless platitudes from your marketing copy.

Communicate to Succeed
Communicating with your customer, and within your organization about your customers, makes for a smoother, more enjoyable experience for them. This in turn leads to more sales for you! Here are several key areas you can consider for improving your business's communication.

Not Having a Marketing Plan Can Be Fatal
What do venture capitalists see as the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make in their business plans? According to a recent study, it's not having a marketing plan. Read more >>

8 Ways to Get Past Call Screeners and Voice Mail
Call screeners and voice mail makes your job of getting through to a decision maker harder than ever. How are you supposed to sell anything if you can't even get through to a real person? Here are eight tips that can help you get your message delivered to the right person.

Elevator Speeches That Leave Them Begging for More
When someone asks you what you do, do you stammer and stutter, then spurt out a label or winded explanation that meets you with a glazed-over look? Discover how a powerful elevator speech can generate energetic dialogues that will increase your recognition and attract more clients.

How Less Ego Creates More Sales
You've been working in your industry for several years. You pride yourself on fast, accurate responses to customers. You know your product inside and out. Unfortunately, your extensive knowledge may also be one of your greatest weaknesses. Continue reading to find out why >>

Telling Ain't Selling
Salespeople often make the mistake of throwing out some product features and benefits, hoping they hit one of the customer's reasons for buying. But people buy for their own reasons, and you won't learn what they are unless you listen to them. Read more >>

10 Easy Ways to Make Your Flyer Stand Out in the Crowd
A flyer is an inexpensive and highly effective way to grab attention in a very busy marketplace. How do you make your flyer stand out in the crowd? Here are some techniques that professional designers use to make flyers "pop."

The Myth of Treating All Customers Equally
It goes without saying that you should treat all your customers fairly, but that doesn't mean you should treat them all equally. Going out of your way and bending the rules for your best customers is just good business sense. Read more >>

Are You Believable? Most Salespeople Aren't
Ask just about anyone, and the "believability score" for salespeople as a group would rank right down there with most types of advertising, the contractor who says he'll get back to you with a bid, and most politicians. So what's a salesperson to do? Here are a few tips to help you improve your believability.

What You Are Marketing Is Yourself
Potential buyers of a service can't touch, taste, or feel your product. If they are going to spend their hard earned money on the service YOU provide, they will want to get to know YOU. If your marketing materials don't give them that opportunity, you'll never gain their trust - or their business. Read more >>

How to Network If You're Shy
One of the biggest deterrents to effective networking is shyness and the lack of confidence to get out there and meet new people. Even if you consider yourself a naturally outgoing person, you've probably had moments where the thought of entering a room full of strangers made you nervous. Here are some tips on how to make networking easier if you're shy.

The 5 Myths and 5 Musts of Media Coverage
Can't figure out why your press releases aren't getting printed? Maybe you've fallen victim to one of the five myths of media coverage. Or, perhaps you've omitted one of the five musts. Learn more >>

10 Tips for Successful Negotiating by Phone
Most of us negotiate something every day. Whether it's getting our kids to willingly clean their rooms, or hammering out an elephant-sized contract with more details than a politician has "special-interest" donors, our ability to haggle affects our results. Here are ten useful negotiating tips.

Do Your Words Betray You?
What do the words that you use say about you? What is your basic message? Do your words support that basic message? Read more >>

10 Income Streams You Can Add to Your Business
Want to increase your income without raising prices? You can expand your business by offering related, but different, products or services. Here are 10 ideas for different income sources you can use to increase your bottom line.

Keeping Customers is as Important as Getting Customers
New sales are but a small part of a successful business. While new customers are important to every business, properly managing and retaining customers form the real backbone of business success. Details >>

7 Tips to Increase Attendance at Your Next Seminar
Is your seminar attendance not as high as you would like? Don't assume it's because of a lack of interest. All to often it's the seminar marketing that misses the mark. Here are seven tips you can use to increase seminar attendance.

11 Monstrous Small Business Marketing Mistakes
Small business owners and self-employed professionals can increase marketing success by avoiding these business-sabotaging errors. Details >>

Power of the Marketing Pyramid
You're ready to spend some serious money on marketing, but how should you best spend it? A very simple tool to help you decide how much and on whom to spend is the Marketing Pyramid. Find out how to put its power to work for your business >>

7 Ways to Get Publicity This Summer
While the marketing and public relations experts are off enjoying their hard-earned vacations, the media are left scrambling for much needed copy. Plan ahead, and give them what they're looking for! Here are seven publicity ideas you can use to tie into summer events in your community.

How to Get Your Customers to Take Action
A slick newspaper ad or radio spot won't do you a bit of good if you stop short and fail to ask customers to take action. Read more to learn about the types of calls to action and how to write them into your advertising copy.

3 Reasons Potential Customers May Distrust You
Your employees could be chasing away new customers without even realizing it. Here are three reasons potential customers may distrust you or your team members.

10 Simple Steps to More Customers with Better Networking
Networking is a great way to meet people in a "non-selling" setting. Here are ten ideas to help you get the most from your networking.

The Culture Code (Book Excerpt)
Why are people around the world so very different? What makes us live, buy, even love as we do? In The Culture Code, internationally revered cultural anthropologist and marketing expert Clotaire Rapaille reveals for the first time the techniques he has used to improve profitability and practices for dozens of Fortune 100 companies. Read an excerpt here >>

4 Keys to Branding Your Service
In order to brand your service firm the right way and take advantage of the same benefits that product companies receive from great branding, there are four key distinctions to consider. Read more >>

7 Steps to Exceptional Customer Service
While businesses often understand that the goal of customer service is to achieve customer satisfaction, they often don't know how to achieve to this goal. Here are seven steps to exceptional customer service >>

5 Steps to Getting the Fees You Know You Deserve
Is price competition driving your rates down to the point that you can no longer be profitable? If you follow these five steps to provide value before, during, and after the sales process, you will get the fees you know you deserve.

Do Your Customers Know How Great You Are?
You go the extra mile for your customers and give them the best product or service on the market. But do your customers know that they're getting the best? Do they know how hard you work to earn their business? If you don't tell them, chances are, they don't. Read more >>

Telemarketing Tip: How to Use Power Words
Some words are better and more powerful than others. When you are calling a prospect on the phone, you only have about 10 seconds to get their attention. Don't you want to be using the most powerful words you can? Read more >>

Are Your Policies Hurting Your Business?
Customer policies are important to protect you from those few customers who might try to take advantage. But are they costing you money? Flexible policies might invite the occasional opportunist, but they'll garner plenty of good will and repeat business, too. Read more >>

Uncover a Hidden Goldmine in Your Business
What do you know about your clients? What kind of information can you identify about your clients without having to ask them? Knowing more about your clients is a fabulous way to grow your business. Keep reading to find out how.

Create the Perfect Tagline
Taglines, or slogans, are those memorable little phrases associated with the products and services we use everyday. So how do you create a great tagline for your business?
Find out here >>

The 10 Most Common Publicity Mistakes
How's your public relations campaign going? Is the media ignoring your press releases? If you're trying to get publicity for your business and not having any luck, you could be making one of these ten mistakes. Read more >>

8 Dynamic Marketing Tips
Looking for a way to boost sales and increase profits quickly? Here are 8 dynamic marketing tips that you can put to use today.

No More Cold Calling Book Excerpt
In No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black reveals the secrets to her phenomenal success, both in creating her own highly profitable business through one-hundred-percent referred clients and in helping thousands of other sales professionals achieve similar results. Read an excerpt from Chapter 1 here >>

Does Your Service Sell?
Do you believe that the "service" part of your business begins after the customer has made a purchase? Think again. Service should be in the forefront of your mind from the minute you greet your customer. Find out why >>

U R a Brand! Author Interview
An innovative field guide to business success, U R A BRAND! combines today's hottest business concept with the realities of the modern workplace to help business professionals everywhere harness their personal potential, take charge of their careers, and contribute their dynamic energy to create sustainable advantage for their organizations. Read an interview with the author, Catherine Kaputa, here >>

6 Ways to Get Feedback from Your Customers
When you have accurate, balanced and worthwhile information from your customers, you put yourself ahead of your competition in the marketing stakes. Here are 6 ways to get this information.

Don't Sell Your Services - That's Not What People Buy!
Believe it or not, no one actually buys your service. No one buys coaching. No one buys consulting. No one buys financial planning. So what do people buy? Find out here >>

Focusing Your Sales Force on Customer Success
If you think that your sales force's job is selling, think again. Today's successful salespeople know that their job is to learn their customer's business inside out and offer solutions to the real problems they face. Read more in this excerpt from The Mind of the Customer by Richard Hodge and Lou Schachter.

10 Key Components of a Marketing Plan
If you're thinking about developing a marketing program, you need to begin with a marketing plan. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be complicated in order to work. Here are the ten basic parts of a marketing plan.

Do You Really Need a Press Kit?
Press kits aren't just for the media anymore. If you're running a small business, your press kit should operate like an information kit for anyone who's interested in learning more about your company. Read more >>

Seminar Marketing: What if No One Signs Up?
Perhaps the biggest fear of someone offering seminars or workshops for the first time is having a dismally low turnout. Here are steps you can take to boost registration, even if the event is only a short time away.

When to Dump Your Customers
Getting customers is hard enough, so you might think we're nuts to suggest that you fire any of them. But there comes a time when certain customers are no longer worth the money they spend with you. Here's advice on deciding when to let a client go and tips on how to do it.

7 Ways to Promote Yourself Without Bragging
Do you find self-promotion embarrassing? Does it feel like you're bragging? Not all businesspeople are comfortable telling others about how great their product or service is. But self-promotion doesn't have to come off as bragging. Here are 7 methods you can use to promote yourself and your business.

Are You Creating Loyal Customers?
If you don't have a lot of capital to spend on seeking lots of new customers, then garnering loyalty from your existing customers is the way to go. Here are ways to ensure your customers return to buy from you again and again.

Help Your Salespeople Avoid This Tradeshow Mistake
It happens more often than you'd ever guess - in fact, it might be happening at the booth right next to yours. Recent surveys of tradeshow attendees show that the most dissatisfied attendees are those who purchase something that they really didn't want. Want to stop that from happening at your booth? Review these tips with your staff before the show.

Which is Better: New Customers or Repeat Business?
If you've been in business for even a short while, you know that it's easier and cheaper to sell to existing customers than to go out and find new ones. But a business can't survive on existing customers alone. Here are the reasons why developing new business is important and five steps to help you do it.

8 Ways to Make Time for Marketing
When you are the only one who can serve the clients, manage the business, and perform all the sales and marketing functions, time becomes the most precious commodity you have. How can you find time for marketing with so many other important priorities? Find out here >>

7 Steps to Building Your Brand
Most companies’ marketing efforts are neither efficient nor effective because they are not based on a solid brand strategy--a strategy that will illuminate the “one thing” that makes their offerings better or different or more relevant than the competition. Here are 7 steps to branding success.

5 Tips for Closing that Consulting Deal
There are several reasons why consultants ultimately lose deals they should have won. Find out what they are and use these tips to help you sell your services better.

5 Ways to Improve Your Telephone Skills
When the phone rings, we are often annoyed at the interruption. But on the other end of your ringing telephone is likely a customer, eager for information about your product. The way you and your staff answer the phone sets the stage for your customers' experience with you. Here are five tips for ensuring your phone skills give a good impression.

5 Things Marketing Can't Do for You
While there's no question a solid marketing program can increase your business, it can't fix everything. Here are five things marketing can't do for you.

What Marketing Can Do for You
In this two-part series on what marketing can and cannot do for you, find out what you should expect from your marketing efforts.

8 Press Release Mistakes You Should Avoid
You've done it. Gotten that press release written. Now you're ready to send it out to your carefully chosen list of media contacts. But before you hit that "send" button, take a moment and run your press release through this checklist.

Big Advertising Strategies on a Small Business Budget
You might not have millions to spend on advertising, but that doesn't mean you can't get the same results as the big guys. Find out how to harness the power of word of mouth advertising for your business.

7 Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
Here are 7 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help any small business find customers and generate sales quickly. Read more >>

Design Tips to Help Your Brochure Get Read
Brochures, which take the most time to create, also have the least likelihood of ever being read by their targeted audience. Following these six suggestions can dramatically increase the number of people who read your brochure.

4 Tips to Beat the Feast or Famine Syndrome
Are you putting so much effort into providing top notch service to your existing customers that you don't have time to get out and look for new ones? Here are four tips to help you strike a balance between serving your existing clients and marketing your practice.

Plan Your Business's Growth
Did you increase your business in the past 12 months? If you didn't, you really should be asking yourself why not. Generating new business is possible, even in the face of economic challenges, but you have to plan for it to make it happen. Read more >>

6 Cures for Cranky Customers
Are you doing everything you can to make sure your customers have a positive experience and leave happy? If there's a chance you're not, here are six things you can do about it.

Want to Sell More? Try Making Friends
Being a good salesperson takes more than knowing the product and being able to overcome objections. The key to making more sales is in the sincere interest and care you show to your customers. Read more >>

The Impact of Follow Up
There are many reasons salespeople fail to follow up with interested prospects. Sometimes they are trying not to be too pushy; other times they just plain forget. No matter the reason, follow-up often isn't done and sales are lost. Read more >>

Marketing Secrets, Exposed
What marketing trick bought Pan Am Airlines another ten years in business? How did Rolling Stones magazine keep more subscribers by issuing a threat? Learn about these and other marketing tactics in this excerpt from Steal These Ideas! by marketing expert Steve Cone.

12 Ways to Attract Clients with Your Business Card
Let's say you attend a business function. You meet a top tier prospect, and give her your card. What will make your card stand out from all the others she was handed? Here are twelve ways to assure that prospects will read your card, and will become more likely to do business with you.

Make Networking Work Better
We're all logging extraordinary hours doing business networking. All too often there is a general sense that "there must be more." And there is. Learn how to make networking work better from this business networking pro.

Don't Just Get Leads... Get Qualified Leads
Many salespeople believe that lead generation, and marketing in general, is about getting as many people through the door as possible. But what good are leads who have no need or interest in your product? Read more >>

Four Ways You Could Be Losing Sales
In the past, professional services were usually marketed through a network of personal relationships and word of mouth referrals. These techniques still work, but not like they used to. To stay competitive, professional service providers should challenge these four common marketing myths.

Rut Busters: Changing Your Trade Show Routine
Got a nice, comfortable routine for your trade show exhibits? Don't get too comfy, says one trade show expert.  To be successful, you need to embrace what is new and exciting. Here are five steps to break out of a rut >>

Show Off Your Expertise
One of the best ways to market your business is to show that you're an expert on the product or service you're selling. Here's how one writer showed off his expertise along with three tips you can use in your own business.

5 Customer Service Sins
Are you driving customers away? Here are five ways businesses alienate their customers. Details >>

10 Characteristics of Successful Salespeople
What separates successful sales people from everyone else? Is it their people skills? Their determination? Find out what ten qualities successful salespeople possess.

Sponsorship: Should You Sponsor a Trade Show?
Trade shows are a bonanza of sponsorship opportunities. For the right amount of money, you can have your company name and logo plastered all over the arena, on the program guide, over the hospitality suite, even on the tote bags everyone carries around all day. But how do you know that sponsorship is right for your company? Find out here >>

5 Great Ways to Warm Up Your Cold Calls
Does the thought of making a cold call send shivers down your spine? Many professionals dislike making cold calls, but they're a necessary part of running a small business. Here are five tactics you can use to make cold calling easier.

The Secrets of Effective Networking
Attending networking events can be a big boon to your business, or a huge waste of your time. If you think your networking efforts could use improvement, then follow this step-by-step guide to networking effectively.

Get More Customers by Getting Organized
When it comes to marketing, do you ever feel like you are at the mercy of the tides – following up on a referral here, chasing a lead there and more often than not ending up battered and bruised by the rocks along the shoreline? The answer is simple: develop and use a contact management database.

Customer Service is Not a 4-Letter Word
Exceptional customer service is getting harder and harder to come by. That presents a tremendous opportunity for any service business willing to make the effort. If you offer outstanding customer service, you'll win loyalty and referrals from your customers that are impossible to buy. Details >>

Target Marketing: Know Your Customer Or Else
Marketing your business isn't as simple as broadcasting your ads to anyone who will listen. To get top results, you have to know your customers and zero in on the best ones for your business. Here are three reasons why target marketing works and an exercise to help you define your target market.

9 Common Business Card Blunders to Avoid
A business card is one of the most important and cost-effective marketing tools a business can have. And yet, too often it's a missed opportunity to make a great impression. Here are the 9 most common mistakes people make on their business cards.

Two Keys to Writing Successful Ad Copy
Your business has two main types of customers, and the type of ad you write will determine which group of customers responds. Find out what the two types of customers are and learn what appeals to each group.

7 Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags
Your nametag is your best friend. It is a lifesaver in meetings, trade shows and events to start conversations when you meet groups of new people. If you avoid The Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags, you will maximize your approachability when you make your nametag more visible, accessible and efficient.

Focus on Loyalty to Increase Business
Loyal customers are worth their weight in gold. Once you have won a customer over, he is more likely to buy in the future, even in hard economic times, will spend more than new customers, and will be more forgiving if there's ever a problem. Read more >>

The Profit-Producing Power of Coupons
Coupons have proven themselves to be highly effective sales tools for every conceivable size and type of business. Here's why so many businesses use them and 12 tips for effective coupon marketing.

Increase Your Sales Faster
Do you frequently hear "I'll think it over" from a prospect? Oftentimes it's an easy way for your customer to say "no," but it might mean he still has questions. Here's what you can do to deal with and even prevent getting the "I'll think it over" response.

What Not To Do With Your Leads
Anyone that works in sales knows just how important it is to have lead sources to keep your pipeline filled. But it is not only how we obtain the leads that is important, it's what we do with them once we get them. Read more >>

Should Consultants Promise Satisfaction?
When you pitch a client, do you promise satisfaction? Most consultants don't, but here's why you should consider it, and 7 ways to make customer satisfaction promises.

Consulting Tip: Words to Avoid in Proposals
Proposals brimming with consultant-speak drive clients to the competition faster than you can say "paradigm shift." Here's how to free your proposals of tired superlatives, buzzwords, and overused pronouns.

A $40 Million Little Known Referral Strategy
Would you like to know how a car wash chain with only 12 locations has cleaned over 33,373,975 cars and has an annual revenue of over $40 Million (that is not a misprint) using little to no paid advertising? Learn about it here >>

Guerilla Marketing Tactic - Mobile Sign
Here's a smart tactic for getting 30,000 - 40,000 people to see your billboard sign every weekend for very little cost. Details >>

4 Underused Hot Spots for Your Personal Branding Iron
Everyone has a personal brand, whether they know it or not. But only those who actively and consistently create, maintain and imprint their personal brands on the people with whom they interact will sizzle! Here are four different places you probably aren't promoting your personal brand.

If You Lost 70% of Your New Customers, Would You Notice?
Customers' buying behavior has changed - for good. If your business depends on most categories in the Yellow Pages to attract new customers, you've probably seen a decline. Find out why and learn what you can do about it >>

Essential Selling Skills
You've got your foot in the door. In fact, you have a chance to make your presentation to the person responsible for making the final purchase decision. What can you do to nail down the sale? Find out now.

How to Sell 120,000 Books with a Single Phone Call
Would you like to know how one man sold over 120,000 books with just one single phone call? This article uncovers a clever marketing strategy that any service business can use.
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Product Packaging: The Secret to Selling a Commodity Product
In the world of marketing, perception is reality. You can use that to your advantage if you sell a commodity product. Here's a good example of how to package a commodity product for higher profits.

Pack Your Sales Letters with an Emotional Punch
How can you turn prospects in to happy customers? How do you turn product inquiries into new sales? The secret is to appeal to their emotions. Here's how to do it.

How a Local Dominos Gets All the Referrals It Can Handle
Would you like to find out how a local Dominos pizza restaurant gets several local hotels to send them all the customers they can handle? Click here >>

Use Testimonials to Overcome Buyers' Fears
No matter how you're marketing your business, if your claims don't have credibility, your prospects won't be won over. Testimonials can help you strengthen your sales letters and other marketing materials, making them more believable and effective.

A Unique, Simple-to-Implement Customer Loyalty Program
If you're interested in doubling your average customer purchase frequency you'll want to read this article.  It reveals a simple customer loyalty technique that any business can employ.
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Success Tip for Selling on eBay
Are you planning to sell on eBay? Or have you tried in the past but not had much success with your online auctions? If so, here's a strategy you'll definitely want to try.

A Referral Tactic to Quadruple Your Business
Learn how to get business owners to "refer" your business to all of their employees. This marketing strategy is simple, but brilliant. Details >>

20 Ways to Float Your Firm to the Top
Being a competent consultant doesn't guarantee business success. You'll also need to know how to market your firm. Have a look at the 20 Guerrilla Consulting Principles found in this article, and use them to tune up your marketing strategy.

Unforgettable Business Cards in 4 Steps
A business card is an entrepreneur’s best friend, his most valuable marketing tool. Unfortunately, too many people have business cards that simply blend into the multitude of cookie cutter cards already out there. Follow these four steps to make your business card unforgettable.

How to Be First with Motivated Buyers
Sales success starts with three simple things: a product buyers want, credibility and timing. Since most sales professionals represent quality products and services and assuming for the moment establishing credibility is not an issue, the last hurdle to sales success is timing – being first with motivated buyers. Read more >>

3 Simple Ideas That Increase Profits
If business is slow, or just not as steady as you'd like, maybe it's because you haven't been specific enough about what your company offers. These three simple steps can help you hone in on what your company can do for its customers and, in the end, increase your profits.

Stop Buyers from Calling Your Competition
How may sales opportunities started out strong with the customer calling you first only to be lost to a competitor? What happened? Find out how to prevent buyers from calling your competition.

Top 10 Tips for Great Sound Bites
Using public relations to promote your business? Before you know it you'll be invited to do an interview with a reporter. It's exciting, but scary. What do you do? How do you prepare? Here are 10 tips to get you ready for your 15 minutes of fame.

Get Motivated Buyers to Call You First
How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who seemed to have the inside track? It’s likely the buyer purchased from their emotional favorite. Read more >>

10 Ways to Make Your Business Stand Out
What marketing method is more effective than direct mail, web sites, referrals, or publicity? It's differentiation from your competition. Use these tips to figure out what's unique about your business.

You, Too, Can be a Salesperson
How do you become your business' own best salesperson? Memorized scripts and catchy comebacks aren't it. They key is in showing a sincere interest in the people around you, your potential customers. Read more >>

8 Tips to Get and Use Testimonials
Testimonials are a wonderful way to market yourself. It is no longer you alone saying that you and your company and products or services are phenomenal—it is someone else saying that they are phenomenal! Here are eight ways you can use testimonials to market yourself.

Top 10 Business Networking Secrets
When you're at a networking function or social event, are people naturally drawn to you or do you unknowingly push them away? In this excerpt from The Power of Approachability, Scott Ginsberg outlines ten different ways you can maximize your approachability.

The 5 Step Formula for Getting Prospects to Call You
Wouldn't it be nice if you could just sit down at your desk and have the phone ring knowing that new business is on the other end of the line? No matter what product or service you sell, there is a formula for getting people to call you. Read more >>

How to Run a Successful News Release Program
It takes time to develop and execute public relations programs, and it can take time for them to yield rewards. Here are six simple steps for developing a news release program that extends your reach and generates inquiries at a fraction of the cost of advertising.

5 Ways to Stand Above the Crowd
In today's highly competitive business environment it is critical to find ways to separate yourself from the other companies who sell the same - or similar - product and/or service. Here are several strategies that can help you accomplish this.

Top 8 Marketing and Sales Strategies
No matter what business you work in, a "business as usual" mindset will insure your competitors are making more money than you are. Here are eight tips to help you stand out from the competition so you won't find yourself stood up by your customers.

8 Lessons of Account Management
Whether your company has $50,000 or $5 million in sales, chances are that at least half of your revenue comes from a few crucial accounts. What does it take to keep them going strong? Read more in this excerpt from The New Successful Large Account Management >>

Why Your Customers Really Buy
In this excerpt from chapter one of The New Conceptual Selling, learn why you need to stop selling, at least in the traditional way, and find out why your customers really buy. Details >>

Pricing to Sell Without Losing Your Shirt
It's tough out there, particularly because of layoffs and our sluggish economy. So what's a small business owner trying to make a living to do? Try these low-cost pricing strategies to keep sales moving.

5 Great News Stories You're Sitting on Right Now
Smaller companies don't always have the budget - or inclination - to retain a PR hotshot to tell the world about their business success, but that doesn't mean they aren't a ready source of news. Here are five newsworthy stories you can generate right now >>

9 Highly Effective Marketing Tips
Need a way to boost your sales and profits fast, without spending a lot of money? Here are nine tips you can put to use right now.

5 Fatal Marketing Errors
You spend a lot of time and money on marketing your business. So where are all the customers you expected? Find out if you're making one of these five deadly marketing errors.

Cold Call Success Strategy
When you pick up the phone to call a potential customer, what is running through your mind? Do you feel like you're asking them for a favor when you request an appointment? Are you worried you're interrupting their day? It's these very thoughts that impact your success. Read more >>

Does Your Marketing Copy Sell? Take the Test
Your marketing materials must grab your prospect's attention long enough to convince them to investigate further. Next, your your message must convince the reader to call or buy. Does your copy pass the test? Find out >>

The Only Referral System That Always Works
Most referral systems work but people won’t work them! The reason is because asking for a referral, in most cases, throws the relationship out of balance. Here's the solution >>

Selling: What Really Matters
What does it take to win sales? Do you need to trigger a buyer's hot buttons? Know how to overcome objections? Or is it something quite different that wins sales. Get the answer here.

4 Dynamic Marketing Tactics
Some of the simplest marketing tactics often produce the most profitable results. Here are 4 examples that have proven highly effective for any business.

Double Your Sales Without Doubling Your Customers
You might think that to double your sales, you'd need to double the number of customers you serve. While that approach no doubt would work, there is a much faster and easier way to get the same results. Click here to learn how >>

Marketing or Selling: Which Is More Important?
The main purpose of marketing strategies like public speaking, writing articles, getting publicity, networking, promotional events, and advertising is to gain visibility. Why do you want to be visible? It's not just so people will know who you are and what you do, it's so they will do business with you. Read more >>

Increase Retail Sales With Meetups
Meetups are informal social gatherings of people with similar interests in a particular topic. Topics for Meetups range from political to cultural to intellectual to fun. Find out how you can use Meetups to increase your retail business's sales.

7 Unusual, Uncommon and Unexpected Networking Secrets
How many times have you gained new business because you did something unusual? Here's a list of rarely used but very effective networking techniques that will help you boost business.

9 Ways Consultants Lose Sales
Any consultant can tell you there are umpteen ways to blow it during the sales cycle. Many of those potential pitfalls lurk in the proposal process. Here are nine sure-fire ways to completely botch your chances of winning the work.

Is CRM Technology Living Up to the Hype?
Customer relationship management systems were meant to help companies retain customers who were demanding more and more. And many companies have invested in CRM software in the last several years in hopes of achieving that goal. But has it lived up to its expectations? Read more >>

Referral Marketing Is Target Marketing at Its Best
Most small business owners miss the boat when it comes to getting a constant flow of referrals because they start off looking in all the wrong places. Believe it or not, your existing clients aren't always the best source of referrals. Find out where you should be looking >>

7 Habits of Highly Horrible Networkers
Networking is not schmoozing; it's not just handing out business cards, selling, marketing or small talk. Those activities are part of networking, but unfortunately, many people's misunderstanding of the term causes them network ineffectively. Read more >>

Expect Referrals
Your actions tell your clients how you expect to be treated. If you don't expect referrals from your clients you may be telling them that you don't think you deserve them. Read more >>

To Be Successful Sell to Wants Not Needs
People may decide buy a product or service because they need it. But they choose which brand to buy, or company to buy from, based on which one meets their wants. Read more >>

Identifying Your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
One of the keys to successful marketing is knowing what makes your business unique and letting everybody know about it. This helps your prospects to understand why they should buy from you rather than the other guy. Here are 7 steps to help you identify your USP.

Put Show Biz Into Your Trade Show
The best way to attract and mobilize more customers to attend your trade show is to bring a "show biz" mentality to all your marketing and at-show strategies. Here are seven ways you can do just that.

The Number 1 Reason Referrals Don't Happen
The biggest stumbling block keeping your clients and others from sending you referrals is fear. They are afraid to refer you business because they don't really know how to do it. Follow these five steps to educate them and watch your referrals grow.

Why Most Sales People Don't Meet Their Goals
What's really keeps sales people from reaching their goal? Here's the surprising answer. Read more >>

Why Santa's Marketing Works Better Than Yours
Santa Claus Inc. is well and profitable, right through recessions, depressions and just about any economic scenario. If you don't believe in Santa, you'd better change your mind. Read more >>

The Unwritten Rules of Referrals
Almost no one likes to cold call looking for clients. The good news is, you don’t ever have to cold call again. Instead, let other people do the work for you by systematically generating all the referrals you can handle. Read more >>

The Wasted, Unproductive Follow Up Call
Whenever you meet new potential clients, it's a good idea to follow up with them later. Before you pick up the phone, be sure you have a plan and purpose for your call. Read more >>

How to Make Your Sales Kit Produce More Sales
You probably spend a lot of time on your brochures, product information sheets, and other items inside your sales kit. But just now much effort did you put into your cover letter? If it doesn't make your prospects want to look at the other materials you sent, you've probably lost them. Read more >>

7 Steps to Take before Marketing Your Services
You don’t need a large marketing budget to generate sales for your product or service. But you will need to take some important steps in order to “position” yourself in the marketplace. Here are 7 steps you won’t want to skip.

How to Write and Design Winning Retail Ads
Advertising your business is an expensive undertaking. Make the most of your ad dollars with these checklists for writing and designing winning retail ads.

How to Attract Business Like George W. Bush Wins Elections
Here are the little-known speechwriting secrets that helped George W. Bush win the US election. Because they are universal principles, you can apply these to your own career and personal situation. Details >>

Get Record Profits from Customers You Already Have
Are your customers loyal to you? Here's how to insure they will return again and again and tell others about you.

Managing the Sales Negotiation Process
How you handle difficult sales negotiations will determine whether or not you close the sale and how profitable that sale will be. If you want to have the edge every time, follow these five key points. Read more >>

Why Your Best Clients Don't Give You Referrals
If your best clients think so highly of you, why aren’t they referring others to you? It could be that your own actions are convincing them they shouldn't! Here's what you can do about it.

Are You a Cultivator or Harvester?
In the business building process, people tend to be either cultivators or harvesters. But to be successful, you need to be able to cultivate and harvest. Find out which you are and how you can develop the skills of both.

True Story Marketing
People today are bombarded by so much information that they have become numb to what feels like advertising or, during political cycles like we are in today, out and out fabrication. So how do you convince them you're telling the truth about your product? Tell them a story. Read more >>

Book Excerpt: How to Grow When Markets Don't
In a world of product saturation and market turmoil, can your company achieve double-digit growth? Absolutely! Read more in this excerpt from How to Grow When Markets Don't.

Top 7 Marketing Strategies
American companies spend billions of dollars each year on marketing. For independent professionals and small businesses, the cost of marketing can seem exorbitant. Here are seven ways you can promote your business without busting your budget.

5 Tips for Warming Up Cold Calls
When most folks think about cold calling, they don’t get a warm feeling. Even experienced sales people can be intimidated by the prospect of picking up the phone and calling a new business prospect that doesn’t know them and is not expecting to hear from them. Use these five tips to help overcome your anxiety.

Preparing Successful Proposals
The best proposal is one you don’t have to write. Tip the competitive scales in your favor and try to eliminate the proposal process altogether. Read more in this excerpt from Jay Conrad Levinson's latest book, Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants.

How to Increase Your Sales Margins
Are your profits shrinking even though you're selling the same amount of product, or even more? Read these ten tips for increasing your margins.

Sell More with a Sales Plan
A simple sales plan can increase your sales dramatically. Even for the smallest business, knowing what your sales goals are and how you're going to achieve them will make a difference. Read more to learn the basics of creating a sales plan.

The Presentation After the Presentation
Allowing the audience to ask questions after your presentation is an excellent way to reinforce your message and to continue to sell your ideas. Here are a few tips for making the most out of your post-presentation Q&A session.

Five Tips to Make Your Marketing More Creative
Same old same old just doesn't sell anymore. To make your marketing stand out, you need to get creative. Here are five tips designed to get your creative juices flowing. Read more >>

How to Make Customers Crazy (About You)
In the early days of your business every client felt like your best friend and because you had relatively few of them, you lavished time and energy on each customer. But as your business grew so did the demands on your limited time and energy. Here are 5 easy ways you can keep giving outstanding customer service.

The Dreaded Assortment Creep
It may be easier to sell your existing customers new items than it is to find new customers for your existing items, but in selecting those new items it is critical that you are actually growing sales, and not just your inventory. Learn how "assortment creep" happens and use these four tips to avoid it.

Never Throw Business Away
Say you get a call from a customer wanting something you aren't able to provide. You could politely turn them away, and no one would accuse you of giving bad customer service. But, going the extra mile can pay off big, especially if you're willing to take a risk.
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4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Sales
Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales for little or no new expense... and without making major changes in your selling process. Details >>

Don't Lose A Customer To Bad Service
Everyone has a bad day now and then, and even the best company can hire a less than stellar employee. But in the end, it's up to you to make sure your customers are glad they spent their money with you. Read more >>

7 Steps to a Powerful Sales Presentation
The quality of your sales presentation will often determine whether a prospect buys from you or one of your competitors. Here are seven strategies that will help you create a presentation that will differentiate you from your competition.

Partner to Produce Profitable Results
Struggling to find new customers? Unsure where to go to find them? Partnering could be the answer. Find out how combining efforts with other businesses who sell to the same customers as you can result in big profits for you both. Details >>

Stop Asking for Referrals!
Just about every course or book that deals with getting referrals teaches you one single referral method - - "asking" for referrals. Did you know that doesn't work? Find out why, and get ideas that do work for getting referrals. Details >>

Talking to a Prospect as if to a Friend
How do you talk to your prospects - in person and on the phone? Do you use so much jargon or formality that your message becomes meaningless? Speak as if you were talking to a friend and you'll win your prospects over. Read more >>

4 Marketing Myths That Threaten Your Sales
There are 4 marketing myths that can cause you to lose sales if you base your marketing decisions on them. Learn what they are and use these related tips to boost your sales instead.

You Can’t Spell Networking without Serendipity
Networking is the process of sharing knowledge, helping others and developing mutually beneficial relationships. Serendipity is the lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance. Mix the two forces, and you’ve got a sure-fire formula to boost your business. Details >>

Building Relationships
Every relationship begins somewhere. Regardless of how you first meet someone, whether it's through a telephone cold call or an introduction by a mutual friend, the relationship won't grow unless you take steps to build it. Read more >>

Sponsorship: A Key to Powerful Marketing
Sponsorship is the fas