Some publishers strongly suggested that authors use their advance for marketing their book. Though this sounds reasonable, my advice is not to do it unless you have a long-term reason for it. First, let’s talk about advances. An advance for a book was originally intended as money for the author to live on as they […]
When the Execution of Your Plan Falls Short, It Might Be Time for a New Plan In the book-publishing community, it’s no secret that most authors would rather write than promote their work. In this regard, I am like most authors. Yes, some writers are extroverts and love the activities around launching and promoting a […]
Promote a Product, Service, or Idea to Achieve a Desired Outcome Every business or organization has a sales and marketing function. It’s only the details that vary. They may have an existing department, or two, to address this need. Or the sales and marketing functions may fall under the purview of an individual, manager, or […]
Disrespecting Customers Is the Fastest Way to Lose Them Though not as frequent as our biennial cell phone migration from one carrier to another, my family and I have all too often found ourselves forced to change entertainment providers due to escalating charges. These companies have the same mentality as the phone carriers. They offer […]
Know Your Options to Craft an Informed Promotion Strategy We’ve never had more marketing options available to us than we do now. It’s an exciting time to be a marketer. It’s also a confusing time. There are so many options it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Each channel provides an opportunity to promote yourself, your products, […]
The Call Center Should Be the First to Know, Not the Last Too many call center agents learn about the launch of their healthcare organization’s product, incentive, or promotion from callers, not management. I hope your operation is different, but I fear you, too, have found yourself in this unenviable situation. The results are dismayed […]
Make the Most of Your Online Presence to Better Serve Customers and Grow Your Business Does your telephone answering service have a website? I hope so. What does your website do for your business? Over the years, I’ve seen a wide range of TAS websites, from severely lacking to impressively professional. They fall into some […]
Several years ago, I ordered an inversion table online. Part of the ordering process was to give them my email address. Once they had my email address, they did the logical thing and began sending me email messages. One or two of them were offers for complementary health devices and exercise equipment, but most were for inversion […]
Once when I needed to order some ink cartridges for my printer—the kind I can only buy directly from the vendor. There was a problem with the website, so I picked up the phone to place my order. I told the agent I wanted to order two black ink cartridges. Not surprisingly, she suggested I […]
I recently shared my experience with my office supply chain’s enticing coupon offers. The result was a short-term increase in my buying habits, followed by a prolonged lull. In like manner, years ago, my Internet hosting company embarked on a similar strategy. Their approach was offering discounts. Depending on the offer, it would be 10 […]