The following is a small sampling of 50 of the best sales and marketing principles:

1) Marketing communications programs must have measurable objectives.

2) Never develop a marketing communications program in the vacuum of one person’s brain. You get Arthur Fiedler symphony performances when you brainstorm with input from your key people, especially the salespeople.

3) Make sure you communicate in terms of benefits that (more…)

The business book, Enterprise One To One by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, looks at a new business philosophy—instead of selling one product at a time to as many customers as possible, the goal of the one-to-one marketer is to sell one customer as many products as possible, over the lifetime of that customer’s (more…)

According to a survey of 9,000 consumers (by Service Industry Research Systems for Oak Brook, IL-based R.R. Donnelley & Sons), 76% of buyers make “where to shop and purchase” decisions at least partly on emotional, rather than purely logical, factors.

Succinctly, emotional retailing (appeal to a sense of fun and excitement) is a concept that will drive the actions of buyers, and therefore increase your sales!

It’s the way your (more…)

If you have a product you’re distributing through retail outlets you have, potentially, the largest advertising medium of all—advertising printed on the carton, label, or packing slips of the products themselves. And best of all, it costs almost nothing!

Direct response advertising using this medium can be a gold-mine of extra revenue—if you don’t have a product you can sell on your “space,” or barter that space to someone who does!


Here’s a couple of examples (more…)

When you order dinner, you normally select different items for each course. It’s the same with marketing.

You want to reach your prospects in numerous ways because people respond to various media differently. You also want to choose your marketing strategies according to your individuality, both personally and professionally.

Regardless of whether you’re a start-up or a seasoned company, a (more…)

Corporate ad specialties first began appearing the the late 19th century as small-town newspapers and print shops looked for new business to keep their presses rolling.

Horse blankets, flyswatters, buggy whips, playing cards, yo-yos—anything that would take ink—got squeezed into the flatbed presses.

In the 1940s and ‘50s St. Paul (MN)-based Brown & Bigelow Co. created calendar giveaway promotions for John Deere, Ford and Pillsbury featuring the work of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish.

Items that were as well known then as today’s most prevalent TV campaigns.

Promotional giveaways are the fastest growing sector in the advertising (more…)

Spending on word-of-mouth marketing “has increased from $76 million in 2001 to $981 million in 2007 and is expected to grow to approximately $3.7 billion by 2011,” according to a report by PQ Media.

Still, word-of-mouth marketing accounts for just 0.4% of the estimated $254 billion spent on all marketing services, which includes (more…)

No matter how you sell—by a captive sales force, by a telemarketing unit, by a distribution network of some type, through a retail store, via the Internet, or by a combination of methods—you need to have your sales force selling on a continuing basis. In today’s competitive world it’s necessary for survival.

Your sales team will find it easier to close sales if you are more visible in your market. Continuity both in the marketplace and in sales effort tie together.

Here’s a quick look at the seven reasons why you must develop a (more…)

I’ve always found the nation’s $11 billion health club industry fascinating, especially around this time of the year. Every new year–January/February–millions of Americans make a resolution to get in shape and go to a health club or fitness center with the best of intentions.

Around April there is a dramatic drop off that as the “get in shape” resolution (more…)

It’s not unusual for 70 to 80 percent of a firm’s cash business to come from 10 to 20 percent of its customers-often referred to as “A” customers. Yet don’t confuse your “A” customers as being only cash customers.

What is an “A” customer for your firm? Each business needs to develop a specific profile of its best and most profitable customer. High volume is a major ranking criterion. But be prepared to downgrade the slow-paying big spender who consistently demands extra discounts and services.

Take another look at your customer base. How many “A”s can you identify? Where are your potential “A”s? What strategies can be developed to (more…)