Success Ideas » Quick Tips

Quick Tip: Follow Your Customer’s Lead

Susan Carter — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:46:10 +0000

“It’s easier to ride a horse in the direction it’s going.”

– Abraham Lincoln

Abe was probably talking about leadership, but the above quote is excellent advice for marketers. Go in the direction your customers want to go, and it will be an easier sell. In other words, make sure the marketing you do for your products and services reflect what your customers want, not what you want them to have. Marketing based on convincing someone he or she “should” have something is less effective than marketing focused on what your customers are already convinced they want. If you’re struggling with a SHOULD marketing strategy, heed Honest Abe’s advice: “ride a horse in the direction it’s going.”

Quick Tip: Shower Power

Susan Carter — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:56:45 +0000

If most of your best ideas seem to come to you while you’re in the shower but appear to have gone down the drain when you try to recall them later, try this: keep a grease pencil in the shower area so you can write ideas or key phrases on the shower stall walls. (But be sure to clean up after you’ve transferred those ideas to paper!)

Quick Tip: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Susan Carter — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:47:33 +0000

If you have people who can’t serve customers because they are doing other tasks (i.e. making calls, tracking orders, preparing a bank deposit, etc.), arrange for them to perform those duties somewhere else. It’s frustrating for customers to approach an employee who is not willing to wait on them, or to be told to find someone else who will. You spend a lot of time and money to get people into your store. Make sure your “customer first” philosophy meets their expectations.

Quick Tip: Error Incentive

Susan Carter — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:02:01 +0000

Although a little bit “old school” this marketing tactic is as effective today as it has been in the past. Offer a discount to anyone who can spot an error or specific phrase in your marketing copy (one that you purposely put in). Make sure the error or phrase is very obvious and that it appears towards the end of your message so potential customers have to read through most of your sales message to find it.

Quick Tip: Business Card Billboards

Susan Carter — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:36:49 +0000

Get the most out of handing out your business cards. Convert them into tiny, portable ads by printing on the back side with:

A discount coupon for your products or services
A “free with purchase” offer next time they stop in the store
An invitation to sign up at your website to win a prize in your monthly drawing

You know what your customers want–or you should–so create an offer they won’t want to refuse and print it on your business cards.

Quick Tip: Telephone Tip Off

Susan Carter — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:36:25 +0000

Tape the word “opportunity” to each telephone in your office. When the phone rings, the word will remind employees to make a good first impression and to present themselves in a positive way.