Small Business
Marketing your smaller business, startup, nonprofit, or personal brand takes smarts and strategy. Developing and implementing a marketing and branding plan is pivotol to its success. So, let me help you get started by working on your SWOT analysis.
In my new book, Beyond Your Logo: 7 Brand Ideas That Matter Most For Small Business Success, the last chapter is devoted entirely to creating a marketing and branding plan that includes:
I. Market & Situation Analysis – your current marketplace and business position
II. Marketing & Branding Strategy – your business objectives and how to reach them
III. Marketing & Branding Tactics – your business actions to reach strategic objectives
IV. Metrics – measurement methods to determine which tactics are working or not
A SWOT analysis falls within #I (Market & Situation Analysis) and helps identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to your organization. Continue reading
We’ve heard it before and we’ll hear it again. I’m sorry, I apologize. These empathetic statements are part of most customer service training programs.
Always apologize to customers when they complain. Oh, and sound like you actually mean it. In fact, practice making empathetic facial expressions in the mirror as you say it.
Baloney!!!
Saying sorry doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s just not enough. It’s a hollow rote response that’s bound to fail. Unless… Continue reading
“Without customers, your [small] business would not exist. It’s that simple. Your business success and longevity depend on acquiring and retaining its target customers. You can’t do so without developing and maintaining a customer-centric mindset.” (Beyond Your Logo: 7 Brand Ideas That Matter Most For Small Business Success ©2015)
In keeping with a customer-centric theme this Friday the 13th, here are 7 things you should never do when managing external customers: Continue reading
