Imagine we are standing in your local store. We can hear footsteps from an approaching customer, but can’t see who it is yet. I turn to you and say: “Describe the person you think is about to walk in that door.” Think about that right now, actually. Don’t overanalyze, just envision the most likely customer to...

why-you-should-talk-like-your-customer

There’s a very simple and obvious way to market your business that you may not be thinking of. Ready? It’s about marketing to your existing customers with loyalty programs.  Also known as customer reward programs. I know, it’s nothing new. Customer loyalty programs are as old as business itself – think about the farmer at an...

grow-your-business-with-one-technique

Apparently, we’re really bad at math. That is, “we” as “the consumer.” According to two new studies, our inability to do math and perceptions of numbers explains why promoting bargains has been good for small business sales and marketing. The University of Miami School of Business examined attitudes about discounts, sales and bargain shopping and...

company-business-advertising-techniques-good-bad-math

All this excitement around here about our  Dough to Grow Award has got us talking about, well, growth. Besides winning a check for $10,000, if there was one formula to make a business grow, we’d all clamor to get it, wouldn’t we?  But we know that in business, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to anything....

seven-things-it-takes-to-grow-your-business-besides-10-grand

The role of a “leader” is one that comes in different shapes and forms, and as a business leader, it is essential to play to your strengths. While it’s great to accentuate what you’re good at, it is just as important to recognize what your company, employees, and marketing and sales forces need in a...

4-great-leadership-lessons-learned-from-managing-a-business

Understanding what consumers want is the first step in designing an ad that gets the phone ringing “What offers work best?” “What’s going to get the phone ringing?” “What makes a good ad?” These are questions we hear quite often from local businesses, and after years of research and four decades in the direct marketing...

do-you-know-what-consumers-want

It’s officially that time of the year again, when kids are back in school and we actually have to drive 25 mph in school zones. Backpacks are filled, uniforms and new school clothes have been purchased. Although I’m not the one going back to school, this time of year reminds me of fundamental concepts from...

7-lessons-from-grade-school-that-still-apply-to-business

When you think about driving sales and growing your business, if you’re like me, you may find it easy to get tunnel vision: Generate leads, bring in new customers, make the sale!  Repeat! While driving new sales is always a worthy way to spend your time, focusing all your energy on the potential customers out...

how-customer-retention-is-like-dating

Last week we shared ideas on how to get glowing online reviews. Now let’s talk about how to really get some mileage out of them. If you have positive online ratings on sites like Yelp.com or Google Places or emails from customers praising your service or products, you’re going to want to keep reading… Positive...

ingenious-ways-to-use-online-customer-reviews-to-sell-stuff

When I think about running business the “old-fashioned” way, a few ideologies come to mind: the customer is always right, clean cut presentation, simplicity, reliability, and a consistent experience. Things are “done right” instead of just “done.” When I think about the common thread between some of the best local businesses today, they share these...

when-the-%e2%80%9cold-fashioned-way%e2%80%9d-is-good-for-business