Contact US (9AM to 5PM CST M-F)

 

Find More Customers by Targeting Smaller Demographics

May 17th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

The old saying “jack of all trades, master of none” speaks of talented people who are too busy focusing on trying to do everything, and then failing to finish anything with real flair and expertise. Sadly, many companies display this mentality when it comes to marketing. They often become lost fishing in the general pool of potential customers instead of narrowing the focus of advertising campaigns to target real customers. Worrying about competition and missing opportunities to snare a handful of paying customers can divide your attention and cause you to spend mountains of money on campaigns that just don’t cut the mustard.…





Use a Pop Up to Market Your Restaurant and Gain New Customers

May 10th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

restaurant marketing

 

Pop-up restaurants, originating in London, have taken the United States by storm. These temporary restaurants are set up in strategic locations only for a short period. Essentially offering several courses for a set fee, they are great business models for those of all cooking experiences and backgrounds. New chefs have found that pop-up restaurants are fantastic ways to get their names in the game, while seasoned chefs can use pop-up restaurants to test out overall restaurant concepts or new menu ideas. These restaurants can stay open for one night, a weekend or even an entire month.

Why Open a Pop-Up Restaurant

There are several reasons why you may consider opening a pop-up restaurant.…





Want Customers to Take Action? Make it Easy!

May 6th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

 

Imagine the ideal member of your target market just received your promotional email or ripped open the envelope containing your most recent direct sales letter. She takes the time to skim over the email or letter, but doesn’t know exactly what your business sells. Will she take the action you want her to take next or dump your communications in the recycle bin? If you take the right steps, you increase the chances of customers taking the action you want.

Three Steps to Actionable Marketing

Your chances of getting a good response from your marketing materials increase greatly if they meet all the following criteria:

  • Written in direct, active language with a concise call to action
  • Designed so the call to action is prominent on the page and easy to notice
  • Easy to see and recognizable business name slogan, and other branding information included

If that member of your target market quickly recognizes your company name and understands what you want her to do next, there is a good chance she will take that next step.…





Increase Sales without Hiring More Salespeople!

April 29th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

Creating a successful sales company does not require a large number of sales people. To experience success, it simply needs quality sales representatives. How often have you heard the grumble that twenty percent of the employees complete eighty percent of the work? Actually, finding uninspired employees in this sector is not unusual. Most employees strongly despise sales. The dance required to entice a sale from a potential customer is exhausting, and more often than not, it ends in rejection. Each year, sales companies invest heavily in the training of salespeople only to see most participants quit or fall short of sales expectations.…





How to Rock a Trade Show and Boost Leads for Your Business

April 15th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

Trade shows are one of the most effective places to generate leads, because they’re filled with people who are hungry to do business. Unlike traditional cold calling, the connections you make are already warm with an in-person connection already made. And in order to maximize the leads you get from a trade show, you have to employ a few tricks before you get to the hotel ballroom or convention center.

Prepare Before You Get There

Going into the trade show, let your existing customers and prospects know that you’ll be there. Give them a preview of your booth, salespeople who will be there, and by all means spotlight any freebies or demos you’ll have at your location.…





Small Business Tax Tip: Depreciating Equipment

April 5th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

depreciation taxes

Small businesses use various types of equipment to keep their business running. From computers to telephone systems to service vehicles, all businesses have equipment that is not only necessary, but is replaced regularly. The IRS allows businesses to depreciate the value of the equipment each year on their balance sheets and lower the profit shown on the income statement to cut tax liability (smallbusiness.chron.com).

What is Depreciation?

Simply put, depreciation expenses show the amount by which your business equipment is devalued “for each year of its useful life, which is the number of years you use the equipment,” (smallbusiness.chron.com). The depreciation expense is added to the amount of depreciation accrued since its purchase on the balance sheet.…





The New Face of Marketing for Car Wash Businesses

March 29th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

Today, social media marketing is vital to your car wash marketing.

Owning a car wash is one of the best forms of passive income. Though the car wash business has changed somewhat over the past several years, introducing new equipment such as automatic washes, it has remained one of the most profitable business models around. Marketing for this type of business has changed considerably too. Old methods such as flyers, direct mailing and coupons may not quite work as well as they used to. Getting the most out of your marketing dollars means taking advantage of all the modern marketing techniques social media has to offer.…





Hush Marketing – Using the Subdued Approach to Lure High End Salon Goers

March 22nd, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

Running a beauty or skin care salon takes a lot of careful planning and attention to detail. It is a highly competitive industry. To survive, our salon must to offer something exceptionally satisfying for customers. Having a long list of happy customers is a sign of a healthy business, so salons need to focus on not only attracting new customers, but also enticing regular clients through the door. The first instinct may be to shout out your marketing messages to anyone willing to listen, but taking a more subdued approach may be what it takes to gain the regular business of high-profile clients in your salon.…





Customer Service Know-How: You Can’t Know What TheyWant if You Don’t Ask

March 15th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

Unless they are subsistence farmers that merely live off the land and have no contact with the outside world, just about any business endeavor that anyone on earth undertakes has to deal with customers. Those who are able to succeed in the business world are first able to succeed in customer service. Above all other aspects of making money in business, meeting the need of the customer ranks as the most important.

The Most Important Step of Customer Service

Finding out what a customer wants is the most important piece of knowledge to have in running a business. The most successful businesses are usually the ones that have repeat customers lining up to buy more products.…





Give Your Beauty Salon Marketing a Boost with Unique Service Naming

March 12th, 2013 Posted by dmcclain

beauty salon marketing

Hair and beauty services are a highly competitive industry, and running your own successful salon can be hard. Customers are spoiled with choices when it comes to spending a day at a salon. That makes it important that you advertise the value of your services to attract your share of new clients.

Successfully attracting new customers who are happy to return requires more than just offering a good service for a reasonable price. You can make your salon stand out from the rest by offering something a little different. You can do that by looking at your salon’s service list and reinventing it with unique names.…