Sound business marketers place a great deal of emphasis on targeting the audience with whom they wish to attract. It makes sense, because why spend your advertising budget on an inappropriate clientele?
Following that logic, shouldn't they be just as selective in deciding whom they chose to do business with? For new business development, as well as a great many other facets of business, being selective in choosing whom to work with can be a good thing. Should an SMB take on every new client?
Definitely not! You need to think beyond just selling, and remember that you are entering into a relationship. Such a situation must be based on mutual respect and a large dose of reality.
As the owner of ...
Continue Reading
Networking and Referrals Tops with SMB's... Maybe? When asked for their best sources of lead generation, a recent article and poll suggests so. But is this really the truth?
A friend and business owner I admire recently shared a magazine article that addressed lead generation strategies. According to the article, the use of websites and the internet came in third at 63%, as the most popular answer of how leads will be generated in 2014.
Referrals and networking were #1 and #2. The article further discusses SEO and SMO, which my friend knows is right up my alley. He also commented that the article really supported my position on the importance of inbound marketing.
Referral and networking are always the top answers ...
Continue Reading
One of the questions Zen Marketing receive a lot relates to search engine optimization and website design. Search engine optimization is really about driving the prominence of your website in a search, but seldom do you read about the website in its entirety. A good SEO plan should improve the search engine results plus the web visibility of each page contained within a website. Given that, is there a specific number of pages that a website should to impact it's SEO? Can your website have too many pages?.
Since every business we work with is different, every business website we design and build is uniquely different as well. Obviously the size of a local automobile repair shop's website is going ...
Continue Reading
It doesn’t matter at what stage of growth your business resides; napkin idea, start up, emerging enterprise or seasoned business, it will always need your attention. When it comes to growing your business, are you insane? What I mean by this query is there is a saying (attributed to Albert Einstein, by the way):
Doing the same things repeatedly but expecting different results is akin to insanity.
So, when it comes to marketing your business, are you insane or are you innovative and creative? Do you repeatedly implement the same marketing and sales tactics expecting an upturn in lead generation and new business creation, or are you varying your approach?
It wasn’t that long ago we were all summing up the successes ...
Continue Reading
Regardless of your business entity’s status; a start-up or seasoned, when it comes to content creation, you may need some coaching at the beginning. Here are some easy tips to consider when the beginner of an inbound marketing strategy takes on the role of copywriter.
Start with the end in mind
No matter the effort, it is the results we are all after. Effective copywriting must be directly focused on the organization’s key objectives and goals. Remember, your goal is primary, so if it is to generate more leads, one must consider your present generation methodology and results, and therefore, what you need to do to reach your company targets. If your goal is to simply educate your audiences rather than ...
Continue Reading
Email marketing is a great way for you to attract or shore up some of the client base, and accounting firms know that once the April rush begins, there will be no rest until it is all put aside. It won’t be long until tax filing season comes into focus; no sooner than the holiday decorations are returned to their resting place. It’s a vicious cycle familiar to those in the world of tax preparation and unique to that industry.
The CPA’s and EA’s we work with strive to build up their rest over the period between holidays, and avoid drinking too much bubbly on New Year’s Eve. You know you are going to need your strength once the pressure ...
Continue Reading
We have been writing about content marketing, also known as inbound marketing, for more than 18 months, and our clients are enjoying the greater exposure and qualified leads this marketing approach provides them. Yet we occasionally are invited to meet with prospective client firms that are reluctant in adopting the concept. I thought it might be a good time for those that are undecided about getting started with an inbound approach to have a look at what our firm considers to be the formula for online marketing success. Of course, those already using inbound marketing can use this as a checklist to measure the progress of their process.
Begin with the end in mind
Make sure you know where your success ...
Continue Reading
If you want to get your point across and make a friend, use plain English. Industry jargon may be fine for working around your coworkers, industry friends and associates, but it should not be used in sales presentations. Jargon is one of the greatest frustrations for a buyer. The inability to grasp what is being said when speaking to a sales person will kill a sale every time. Your job as sales pro is to close the deal, but your success rate depends on building rapport and a relationship with your prospect. If they cannot “get it” you are wasting your time. Your presentation should be easily explained in layman’s terms so that even a high school student can ...
Continue Reading
Or why pretending to be someone’s Grandmother isn’t going to help you get that order.
My latest favorite term is Sales Prevention Officer… borrowed from Jonathan Farrington on the Eyes on Sales blog. Professional, effective sales processes are a combination of art and science. A great sales person is trained in acting, engineering, politics, relationship building and strategic planning.
The best salespeople understand personal improvement is a never ending process. They study constantly and follow a process or systematic approach. They invest for the long term. But some people feel the need to cheat the system. They seek a faster and less arduous path to making fast money rather than a long term process.
That is why I admire some of the ...
Continue Reading
For many a small business, especially those that rely on generating as many leads as possible online, pay per click is an easy answer, but it may not be the answer to your marketing dilemma. Your lead generation is what drives your business, and your marketing budget must yield as large an ROI as possible, which PPC can sometimes deliver quickly. Sure, people will tell you all of the great things about pay per click, (otherwise known as PPC) but PPC has some downsides that need to be understood as well.
When depending on your PPC Article Imagewebsite to attract new clients and prospects to your business, there are a host of tools to consider. Pay Per Click is just ...
Continue Reading
