Sales and Marketing


Recent Sales and Marketing Articles

Looking for Leads in All the Weird Places

Jan 1, 1995

Here are two ways to generate leads for new business: ?   When a competitor files for bankruptcy, check the courthouse for documents on the case. ...  Read more

Encouraging On-Site Visits

Jan 1, 1995

The way Jim Ake figures it, "if we can convince a customer to visit our place, we'll make the sale about 90% of the time." Akefounded Electronic Liquid Fi...  Read more

Tap TV Shopping Channels

Jan 1, 1995

Mark Sneider's new products were definitely quirky--a Warm-up Scarf with a heating element and a bandanna with a cold packattached called a "Cooldana." Th...  Read more

The 60-Second Sales Pitch

Jan 1, 1995

Matt Hession realized that his target customers were much too busy to fit a standard sales call into their tight schedules. So hedeveloped an irresistible...  Read more

Focus: Master of the Ordinary

By Alessandra Bianchi |  Jan 1, 1995

A quick look at a start-up that is built around a new and improved ratchet wrench.  Read more

Advertising: Video Screen Test

By Susan Greco |  Jan 1, 1995

A quick look at an inventor who created a video to promote and market her invention.  Read more

Reward Frequent Buyers

Jan 1, 1995

Businesses as diverse as coffee shops, dry cleaners, and bookstores have all adapted the airlines' frequent-flyer conceptto their operations, offering cus...  Read more

Continuity Clubs for Everyone

Jan 1, 1995

There was a time when only book publishers persuaded customers to pay up front to receive a series of products in the mail byinstallment. Now companies in...  Read more

Using Customers as Beta Testers

Jan 1, 1995

The best way to test your product is to share it early and often with potential end users. That's what the software company Intuit,in Menlo Park, Calif., ...  Read more

Cheap Showmanship

Jan 1, 1995

There's so much noise and commotion at trade shows that if your product is unknown or very technical, it can seem impossiblefor your company to stand out....  Read more

Underpricing Is as Bad as Overpricing

Jan 1, 1995

You want customers to think they're getting a good deal, but there's no point in selling yourself short. If you underprice yourself,customers might think ...  Read more

When a Product Doesn't Sell

Jan 1, 1995

What happens when you produce a product that, as much as you loved it and believed in it, turns out to be a dog? You may betempted to let the product sit,...  Read more

Love It or Leave It

Jan 1, 1995

Throughout its history, California Pizza Kitchen, an 85-unit restaurant chain with locations in 20 states, has sought to push the boundaries of creative c...  Read more

Using Customer Databases Daily

Jan 1, 1995

One-to-one relationship selling is the oldest game around, but if you're not working it in conjunction with a well-maintained customer database, opportuni...  Read more

Tracking Customer Comments

Jan 1, 1995

Stonyfield Farm, a Londonderry, N.H., yogurt maker, had hoped its new apricot-mango flavor would take off, but the company wasn't prepared for the accolad...  Read more

Opening Your Books to Customers

Jan 1, 1995

Few companies show their financial statements totheir customers -- they're afraid that if customers find out what their margins are, they will try to nego...  Read more

Capitalizing on Complaints

Jan 1, 1995

Common sense isn't that common, which is why simple things like asking an angry customer what he or she wouldlike you to do can seem like such a remarkabl...  Read more

Minimizing Double Trouble

Jan 1, 1995

Some customers just seem to attract problems. It's Murphy's Law, says Neil Cannon, CEO of Schmidt-Cannon, a $15-milliondistributor of promotional items, i...  Read more

Contact at Every Job

Jan 1, 1995

Think twice before creating a system in which customers deal only with salespeople. Often you can provide better service--andrun your company more efficie...  Read more

Class Acts for Your Customers

Jan 1, 1995

In certain industries, customer education can generate immediate sales. That's particularly the case for specialtyretailers, who often have an untapped op...  Read more

Capitalize on Disgruntled Customers

Jan 1, 1995

Some of the best sources of inexpensive, on-target market research are people who give your product a free trial and then turn itdown. Disappointed...  Read more

Plugging Your Customers

Jan 1, 1995

One good way to reinforce your relationship with customers is to plug them whenever you can. At San Luis Sourdough, a$3-million bakery in San Luis Obispo,...  Read more

Inside Info on Outside Rivals

Jan 1, 1995

Be sure your employees are up-to-date on what your competitors are up to.  Read more

Voice Mail Tops Telemarketers

Jan 1, 1995

Anticipating a good response to his television ad, Menderes Akdag of Lens Express, in Deerfield Beach, Fla., hired a telemarketing firm to field calls for...  Read more

Knowing When It's Time to Leave

By Russell S. Holdstein |  Dec 1, 1994

One CEO explains how he sold his company while retaining emotional ties and a paycheck.  Read more

Start-up News: Service-Industry Starts on the Rise

By Phaedra Hise |  Dec 1, 1994

A graph of what start-ups define as the biggest obstacles to overcome to ensure success.  Read more

Entrepreneurs of the Year

By Jay Finegan |  Dec 1, 1994

Introduction to the 1994 EOY issue that presents the judges and process behind the award.  Read more

Unconventional Wisdom

By Jay Finegan |  Dec 1, 1994

Third, the ownership package attracts veteran managers. "We've been fortunate enough for the past six years to have good people knocking at the door," say...  Read more

Opposite Attractions

By David Whitford |  Dec 1, 1994

A look at the two winners of the 1994 Master EOY titles, their companies, and the runner-up.  Read more

The Decade-Long Overnight Success

By Susan Greco |  Dec 1, 1994

The turnaround EOY for 1994: A close-up look at a one company's struggle to return to former glory.  Read more

The Personals Touch

By Alessandra Bianchi |  Dec 1, 1994

The winner and runners-up of the award for the company that promises continued rapid growth, Emerging EOY.  Read more

The Good Seed

By Teri Lammers Prior |  Dec 1, 1994

The winner and runners-up of the 1994 Supporter of Entrepreneurship award.  Read more

Friend of the Family

By Tom Ehrenfeld |  Dec 1, 1994

The Socially Responsible EOY winner and runners-up for 1994.  Read more

Sales Management: Hot-Product Survival Guide

By Susan Greco |  Dec 1, 1994

Co-owners explain how they took their company into new markets and how the sales force supported the change.  Read more

Resource: Sale Automation Without Tears

By Susan Greco |  Dec 1, 1994

The author of 'Sales Force Automation,' George Colombo, offers tips to successful automation.  Read more