Marketing Tips for small businesses along with my occasional musings.

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Harvard Business Review article


Great Deal on Business Cards, etc...


The following is a summary of an article in the Harvard Business Review -

Getting Past Yes: Negotiating As If Implementation Mattered


Click here for Harvard Business Review


Description:
Many deals that look good on paper never materialize into value-creating endeavors. Often, the problem begins at the negotiating table. In fact, the very person everyone thinks is pivotal to a deal's success--the negotiator--is often the one who undermines it. That's because most negotiators have a deal maker mind-set: They see the signed contract as the final destination rather than the start of a cooperative venture. What's worse, most companies reward negotiators on the basis of the number and size of the deals they're signing, giving them no incentive to change. The author asserts that organizations and negotiators must transition from a deal maker mentality--which involves squeezing your counterpart for everything you can get--to an implementation mind-set--which sets the stage for a healthy working relationship long after the ink has dried. Achieving an implementation mind-set demands five new approaches. First, start with the end in mind: Negotiation teams should carry out a "benefit of hindsight" exercise to imagine what sorts of problems they'll encounter 12 months down the road. Second, help your counterpart prepare. If they agree to something they can't deliver, it will affect you both. Third, treat alignment as a shared responsibility. Fourth, send one unified message. Negotiators should brief implementation teams on both sides together so everyone has the same information. And fifth, manage the negotiation like a business exercise: Combine disciplined negotiation preparation with post-negotiation reviews. Above all, companies must remember that the best deals don't end at the negotiating table--they begin there.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Develop Loyalty with your customers


Great Deal on Business Cards, etc...


Develop Loyalty with your Customers and Clients by Letting Them Know You're Thinking of Them.

Nothing makes people feel more appreciated than a kind word or two contained in a personalized greeting card from you. It works because it's unexpected, shows attention to detail, and it communicates your message in a way that's virtually guaranteed to be well received. And now, the process of sending a greeting card couldn't be easier, using our automated greeting card sender.

With our unique, automated system, the process of reaching out to your clients, customers, prospects, referral sources, friends and family members is as simple as a few mouse clicks. And best of all, we do it for less than half what you would pay for a quality greeting card at your local greeting card shop. Oh, and you can send postcards too, so you're covered either way.

By automating the process of sending a personalized greeting card, we've made it possible for you to touch the people that matter to you frequently, easily and cost effectively.

These aren't low budget knock-offs of other quality greeting card manufacturers. Instead, each of our cards is an original design we created, printed for you on the highest quality stock available.

So, if you can type an email message and click 'send', you can use our online system to input your contact's information, select the card you want to send, personalize it with your own message, and have us print, stuff, and mail it to anyone you select. You can even have the message printed in your handwriting!

Here's how you benefit with our system:


* Promote customer loyalty, and strengthen relationships with the people you know.

* Express yourself at impromptu times and make a positive difference in the lives of others.

* Motivate, encourage, uplift and show appreciation in ways that you never thought possible.

* Stay on the minds of the people who matter to you.

* You will be remembered as someone who remembers.


So, how does all this work? Here's what you get with our system:


* Online Contact Manager where you can store names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates and other key information about everyone you know.

* Online Calendar and Reminder system that will never let you forget birthdays or other special occasions that your people have.

* Online Greeting Card Catalog with over 2000 greeting cards to choose from. You select and write your message; we print, stuff and send in the mail for you.

* Transfer Group Lists to other Members: This gives you the ability to send your family list, complete with names, birthdates, etc, to other participating family members.

* Custom Cards for Business or Personal use: You can design a card with your company logo and artwork. You can also design a family Christmas card or personal cards.


So, if you're ready to put your personal contact management on autopilot, give us a call so we can get you started immediately. We can have you up and running in minutes, enjoying the benefits of one of the most powerful and convenient communications tool you've ever seen. Don't delay! Do it right now, and make an extraordinary difference in your business, and in your relationships with others. We're standing by to help you, so give us a call right now! 760.804.9654.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Importance of Relationship Marketing Part II


Great Deal on Business Cards, etc...





Solidify loyal relationships with your most valuable customers.

Business owners tend to be driven, both financially and philosophically, to make cold calls, pursue new contacts, and acquire new customers. But often, little thought is given to nurturing relationships with the customers they already have. Given that acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one, this can be a costly approach.

Customers who are continuously courted, interacted with, and reminded of your company's presence are less likely to go racing off when competitors come calling. Making those customers feel recognized, known and appreciated can go a long way toward locking up their loyalty. And, it's also a great way to get them referring others.


Restore broken relationships and win back business.

Regardless of how effective your customer retention efforts are, some relationships will inevitably break down. For various reasons, certain customers will suspend their relationship with you and your business. But those relationships aren't lost. You can win back these once-valuable customers.

Often times, repairing a broken relationship is more efficient than trying to build one from scratch. But many companies make the mistake of attempting to re-acquire lost customers in the same way that they acquire new ones. But failing to use what you know about those past customers -- and what they know about you -- to your advantage can cost you time and money. Our automated greeting card system lets you minimize the potential for losing a client or customer, and also streamlines the process of acquiring new ones, all at a cost that cannot be matched in any other customer acquisiton or retention system. So, if you have not formulated a marketing plan that includes a focus on relationship marketing with an automated tool like ours, you owe it to yourself and to your business to try it out today.

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More on this by clicking this link to EnterprisingPeople.net


EnterprisingPeople.net

Importance of Relationship Marketing Part I

Importance of Relationship Marketing

Why focus on relationship marketing?

Customer relationships are the lifeblood of every good company. Relationships between a company and their customers, distributors, employees, referral sources, are vital to continued, sustained growth, and stability. Loyal relationships with these valued individuals make for a strong bottom line. So, why do so few companies focus on customer relationship marketing? That's a great question, and probably the most frequent answer is lack of understanding of the potential profits in keeping existing customers happy versus constantly acquiring new ones.

When you consider that two-thirds of customers switch from one company to another because of a perceived attitude of indifference from the former company, it makes sense to focus as much attention on customer retention as you do on customer acquisition. Don't be a victim of indifference. Develop a good relationship marketing program that takes into consideration both customer relationship marketing, and customer acquisition through relationship marketing. With well-planned relationship marketing efforts, like a greeting card campaign using our system, you can impact retention -- and that will impact the bottom line.


According to customer relationship management experts, companies can increase revenue by 50% if they retain only 5% more of their customers. Don't you want your share of that revenue? Our system is the way to put the process of keeping those dollars on autopilot.

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More on this by clicking this link to EnterprisingPeople.net


EnterprisingPeople.net

 

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