Sales and Marketing
Family Business Pit Stop Episode 2: Family Or Friends As Clients
This week Jeff & Clayton talk about the dangers and potential rewards of working with a family member or acquaintance as a client. They cover the how and who of approaching or avoiding these situations.
Read MoreGolf and Sales Are Easy, Right? Riiiiiiiight….
Today’s guest blogger is Russ Burch, a good friend and a heck of a sales guy. A few days ago I was having a conversation with my college-aged daughter about sales. She is an aspiring sales professional, so I am very proud. She asked me, “Dad, is sales hard?” I thought about that for a…
Read MoreGreat Free Marketing is Just a Manifesto Away
After hearing him speak at our recent state-wide TAB Synergy Conference I’ve begun reading Andy Sernovitz’ really fine book “Word of Mouth Marketing”. Andy’s whole premise is that if you do the right things, people will talk about you – and that’s the best kind of marketing. I’d encourage you to check out his website. …
Read MoreSocial Media Marketing is Like Exercise…Don’t Get Out of the Habit
It’s amazing how quickly things can get away from you. A year ago I was buying a new wardrobe because I’d lost 40 pounds after diligently sticking with an exercise program. Today? The exercise regimen is only occasional. Some of those skinny-guy pants are a little tight. And why? Because I allowed myself to get…
Read MoreA Few Things I Learned about Social Media from my First Viral Blog
After months of blogging for a handful of people a day I posted a blog this Monday that had more than 150,000 hits in 36 hours. Former President George H. W. Bush commented via his Chief of Staff. Texas A&M University administrators sent me emails, I reconnected with long-lost old friends and at last count 377 people…
Read MoreAre you selling too cheap?
I observed a role-playing sales exercise at a recent national business conference. One person was assigned to be the buyer, one person was the salesperson. After exchanging pleasantries the buyer asked “so, how much do these widgets cost?” “The list price is $1,000,” the seller replied quickly “but if you’ll buy today I can discount…
Read MoreFear the Tweet
I used to think that the “send” button on an email was the most dangerous potential click on the computer. Not anymore. Now I think the most dangerous button is “Tweet”. You know the feeling. You get an email from somebody being difficult. You want to vent, so you forward it to one of your…
Read MoreYou Can’t Kiss All the Networking Frogs
So how much coffee have you gotten to drink with people who will never, ever be a good networking resource for you? Probably a lot. Now be honest with yourself…how many of those sessions did you attend knowing in your heart of hearts that there probably wasn’t going to be a networking love connection? Most…
Read MoreYou Mean I Can’t Say That on LinkedIn?
If you’re anything like me, you’re just a tad unclear about what to do with social media. The right thing to say on Twitter might be the really wrong thing to say on a blog or LinkedIn or your business website. Conceptually that makes sense, but I’m not always able to tell the difference. My…
Read MoreMusings from a Twitter Newbie
At the urging of people who are paid great amounts for their marketing savvy I jumped into the world of Twitter a few months ago. The goal, ultimately, was to use social media as a vehicle to help grow my business. So far, here’s what I’ve learned (most of it the hard way). At first,…
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