A recent LinkedIn question resonated with me—”Why don’t people like to talk about pricing UPFRONT?” Why indeed?
Have you ever been frustrated when trying to make a purchase decision because you can’t get pricing information from coy salespeople or cryptic web sites? In my opinion, Continue reading “Should You Be Upfront About Your Pricing?”
Elevator pitches have been a mainstay of business networking for decades. Initially named because they were likely to be delivered while riding in an elevator, requiring a short, pitchy and impactful statement for that brief span of time, today’s elevator pitches are just, if not more, likely to be delivered via Zoom.
We’ve been managing our own, and client, LinkedIn profiles and company pages for several years now. I’ve always been a big LinkedIn fan and I’ve seen interest in using LinkedIn for business development grow significantly during the pandemic as opportunities to connect in person with clients and prospects has diminished, or disappeared in some cases. As we work with clients who are new to LinkedIn we tend to see a lot of the same issues that are hindering their ability to use this powerful business-to-business (B2B) social media channel most effectively. After working with a couple of new clients to help them develop and fine-tune their strategy, I thought I’d share some of the most common missteps I see and offer some advice for others who don’t feel they’re getting enough traction on LinkedIn (or other social channels—the same best practices apply there as well). Continue reading “This is Why LinkedIn Isn’t Working for You!”
One of the most common mistakes I see many businesses fall prey to, and especially small businesses, is focusing too much on getting in new customers/clients and not enough on nurturing the customers they already have. I think most businesspeople are widely familiar with data that indicates that existing customers represent more value in terms of repeat business, at less investment of time and money, than seeking new clients/customers. Yet far too many small businesses, perhaps because they’re worried about keeping the customer pipeline full, neglect the customers they already have.Continue reading “Love the One You’re With: Why You Should Focus the Most on Your Current Customers”
So you want to be an expert? Seems like just about everybody does these days, and social media makes it relatively easy, and very inexpensive, to take steps to gain expert status, or thought leadership. We work with a wide range of clients, primarily in business-to-business (B2B) related industries, many who are business consultants wishing to establish themselves as thought leaders in various industries. Here are “3 Steps for Gaining Traction as a Thought Leader”: Continue reading “3 Steps for Gaining Traction as a Thought Leader”
First there was AIDA, then the notion of a sales “funnel” emerged and the concept of a buyer’s journey that began at the top of the funnel (TOFU), moved to the middle of the funnel (MOFU) and ultimately ended with a sale at the bottom of the funnel (BOFU). But is this concept too simplistic—and too linear—to truly represent today’s buyer’s journey? Was this model ever relevant in a business-to-business environment? Are content marketers wasting their time attempting to create copy that focuses, discreetly, on TOFU, MOFU, BOFU?
There is often tension between marketing and sales in many organizations. But why? Shouldn’t these two functions be closely aligned to most effectively achieve the revenue and ROI goals of the organization? What causes this tension, why is alignment important, and what steps can you take to bring these two important organizational functions closer together? Continue reading “The Importance of Aligning Marketing and Sales”
Blindspots are something we all have based on our past experiences, interactions with others, and the opinions and values we’ve formed over time. I remember learning early in my career about the Johari Window in a leadership seminar I attended. It’s a model designed to help us understand and improve communications through the recognition that we all are impacted by the things we don’t know. Human nature is such that each of us has biases and blind spots that we’re generally not aware of.
Continue reading “Battling Blind Spots to Boost Management and Marketing Effectiveness”
I do a lot of presentations (and since the pandemic emerged, webinars) on marketing-related topics. When I do, I try to provide as much practical and useful advice as I can. I don’t worry about “giving away my secrets” for a couple of reasons:
They often need to call upon others—agencies or freelancers—to help them out. Continue reading “Tips for Finding Experts in Content and Content Marketing”
Who could have predicted the rapid expansion of remote work and the “gig economy”? While the gig economy had already been making the news due to the emergence of companies like Uber and Lyft prior to the pandemic, the pandemic had had a significant impact on how companies are using and will continue to use remote workers in the future.Continue reading “Capitalizing on the Big Benefits of a Growing Gig Economy”
