Sales and Marketing


Recent Sales and Marketing Articles

Refer Customers to Your Competition

Jan 1, 1997

No small vendor can fill a customer's every need. But instead of playing dumb when clients must find another supplier, leading them to a competitor will i...  Read more

Cards for Compliance

Jan 1, 1997

If your customers must abide by certain regulations, try sending them the phone numbers of frequently called agencies. Chris White, marketing director for...  Read more

Under Budget, Overjoyed

Jan 1, 1997

Everyone enjoys paying less than originally expected, and no one likes to pay more. Using this knowledge to your advantage can strengthen customer loyalty...  Read more

Pampering Preferred

Jan 1, 1997

What customer doesn't enjoy getting something for free? If you go far for your customers, your customers will go far for you. Bob Morency, co-owner...  Read more

Bargain Basement

Jan 1, 1997

If you want to build customer loyalty, you have a key asset: You know your business better than your customers do. Teach them how to save money when they ...  Read more

Daylight Saving

Jan 1, 1997

Multiplex, a manufacturer of automatic beverage-dispensing equipment, based in St. Louis, earns 40% of its $36 million in annual sales overseas. "We are a...  Read more

Bagging Waste

Jan 1, 1997

For years, retailers have used bags or boxes to make it "convenient" for customers to carry their purchases home. To increasing numbers of environmentally...  Read more

Through a Fax, Sharply

Jan 1, 1997

Like many companies, Design Basics depends on the fax machine to immediately send customers the information they request. But, just because something is f...  Read more

Reality Check

Jan 1, 1997

A poorly written user manual or a confusing orientation seminar can compound a customer's disappointment with a purchase. To ensure that your company's cu...  Read more

Check Here for Satisfaction

Jan 1, 1997

The old saying "retail is detail" also applies to customer service. Just ask Michael Horgan, a producer of corporate training videos, located in Harrisbur...  Read more

Artists-in-Residence

Jan 1, 1997

For 40 years, Pro-Mark, a 28-employee firm in Houston, has been manufacturing drumsticks for customers ranging from young novice drummers to professional ...  Read more

Cook Up Referrals

Jan 1, 1997

A new business in town can prosper on the strength of good referrals. For example, orthodontists commonly solicit referrals by taking dentists out to lunc...  Read more

From Small Screen to Big Screen

Jan 1, 1997

Success in a retail business may mean long lines for impatient customers. When wait times can't be reduced, the situation can still be improved by Read more

Predictable Adventures

Jan 1, 1997

What sets Adventure Travel apart from its competition is an exquisite sensitivity to customer needs, say owners Alan and Roger Hale. To stay attuned to it...  Read more

Advocate for the Customer

Jan 1, 1997

Busy managers often put off maintenance duties until equipment breaks down or the supply closet is empty. Not so for customers of Super Wash, a company ba...  Read more

Calculating Your Worth to Customers

Jan 1, 1997

The more customers can quantify the return on their investment, the happier they are. When companies invest in employee education, they want to know that ...  Read more

Nothing Beats Instant Delivery

Jan 1, 1997

Like most sophisticated manufacturers, Interconnect Devices International (IDI), an industry leader in spring contact probes, follows the principles of ju...  Read more

Help Your Customers Network

Jan 1, 1997

Customers can learn from each other when you bring them together with user conferences, seminars, and Internet bulletin boards. If you encourage them to m...  Read more

Family Fun Wins Fans

Jan 1, 1997

Want to delight customers? Entertain their kids. If you can supply a service that children enjoy and that solves a parental problem, you'...  Read more

Go for the Long Haul

Jan 1, 1997

Sound advice is one of the services customers seek when they hire a professional. That advice can be hard to give when it means lower revenues for the ser...  Read more

Finding Hidden Expectations

Jan 1, 1997

Many customers aren't able to articulate their expectations clearly and, as a result, end up disappointed with the service they receive. Ripon Community P...  Read more

First-Date Proposal

Jan 1, 1997

What would you pay for a tactic that gets new customers into your store, provides an unbiased report on your company's service, and brings you lots of new...  Read more

Focus on a Few

Jan 1, 1997

When daily customer interactions can number in the hundreds, try a focused approach to quality control. Team One Plastics, in Albi...  Read more

How Do You Love Us?

Jan 1, 1997

Faced with chronically low response rates, many small businesses have to be creative and proactive when soliciting customer feedback. Customer comm...  Read more

Know Thy Customers

Jan 1, 1997

Why is it, Ford R. Myers asked himself, that my company can deliver jobs of equal quality to two clients, and one thinks we're great while the other never...  Read more

Filling Out the Envelope

Jan 1, 1997

Customer feedback is essential, but getting customers to respond to surveys is a challenge. Home Delivery Incontinent Supply (HDIS), a 35-employee mail-or...  Read more

A Family Affair

Jan 1, 1997

The person who writes the check may not be your only customer. One family member may appear to be the driving force in a purchase, but that person may tur...  Read more

Don't Hesitate to Wake Us

Jan 1, 1997

Want to let your customers know how committed you are to serving them? For years, J.W. Kisling, the CEO of Multiplex Inc., a St. Louis maker of beverage-d...  Read more

Out of Town, Not Out of Touch

Jan 1, 1997

George Matarazzo wanted to get away from the city. So he closed down his high-growth, high-profile landscape architecture firm and started a new solo busi...  Read more

Just the Fax, Please

Jan 1, 1997

The fax machine is the undisputed favorite business tool of international executives when communicating with their foreign customers. In short, fax machin...  Read more

A+ for Homework

Jan 1, 1997

The secret to meeting client needs is doing your homework, says Craig DeLuca, president of Executive Perspectives (EP), a 40-employee management training ...  Read more

Don't Forget the Quiet Ones!

Jan 1, 1997

Customer surveys may call attention to problems only after the fact, and ongoing demands from new and vocal customers may drown out a loyal, but silent, m...  Read more

Don't Keep Customers on Hold

Jan 1, 1997

Picture this: You call up to order some winter underwear and, instead of making you fidget on hold while elevator music blares in your ear, someone answer...  Read more

Better Call to Confirm

Jan 1, 1997

You and your family get off the plane, pile into the rental car, and head out for vacation. Immediately you're faced with two problems: You can't remember...  Read more

'Tis Another Season

Jan 1, 1997

Sending Christmas cards used to be an effective way to plant your company's name before current and prospective customers. "People can't help feeling warm...  Read more