LinkedIn is a popular tool for helping you build and interact with you business network. While LinkedIn is becoming ever more popular, there are still lots of questions about how small business owners can used LinkedIn to grow their business. I recently came across...
When you work on narrowly defining who you want to work with (your ideal customer), you implicitly define who you will not work with. This makes many people uncomfortable. While it can be difficult to turn business away, keep in mind that not all business is...
The Wall Street Journal has a nice report on the challenges that small business owners face when it comes to advertising. The article discusses alternatives to advertising - word of mouth, using the Internet to generate buzz, etc. The implication seems to be that...
Ok, I need someone to explain this to me. Almost every CRM package that I look at has a report that looks like this: Forecasted Sales x Probability of Closing = Potential Sale or Value of Opportunity x Probability of Closing = Expected Revenue ...
As the end of the year approaches, it's time to think about how to get profitable new clients to know, like, and trust you for the upcoming tax season. Here are some tips to help you get your marketing ship in shape so you can enjoy your most profitable tax season...
After managing existing customers, managing leads is probably the next thing people think of when they think of CRM. "Leads" means different things to different people; when I use "leads" I am referring to "suspects." Suspects -> Prospects -> Customers ->...
First things, first. Let me describe my business and some of my CRM needs first in order to give some context to this series of posts. I am currently a sole-proprietor. I have a brother who works with me while he is in grad school and hope to have him onboard full...
I read an article today that argued that a CRM package "can help you manage the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns allowing you to measure your cost per lead, a key metric that determines the effectiveness of your marketing dollars."I believe that...
I was talking to a small business owner today about referral marketing when I commented that he had gotten good at asking for referrals often, but he didn't ask for them early enough. To have a successful referral marketing system, you need to expect referrals. One...
This is another fear that I hear from small business owners who are considering whether or not they should blog. This is perfectly understandable - no one wants to have their dirty laundry hung out in the front yard for everyone to see. However, when you do make a...