Why Patients Refer

Have you ever really wondered why patients refer to you? Is it because you are phenomenal doctor?

Maybe... maybe not. For the majority of referrals... it has nothing to do with your skills as a doctor. Patients expect you to take care of them from a clinical standpoint. They are coming to you for a specific purpose and expect you to take care of the problem.

That's a baseline... everything else you do IS WHY THEY REFER.

If they can get the same level of service from another doctor... why would they tell all their friends and family how great you are? They wouldn't! You have to be different... you have to be more... you have to do more... and it has to go above and beyond their expectations.

That's what you're really dealing with... your prospective patients expectations. What do they expect from you when they enter your office? Do you meet those expectations? Do you exceed them?

Here's a handful of ways that you can exceed your new patients expectations.

#1... Take a look at what every other doctor is doing in their office. Now do the opposite. Just doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing will set you apart. Humans are always looking for the next shiny object... if you can stand out from the crowd by simply doing the opposite... you will do better.

#2... Give patients what they want. Whenever you are looking at some of your "extras" that you're ready to dole out to your new patient... ask yourself a question.

"Is this something that my patient REALLY wants... or is it something that I really want?"

Remember you are doing it for them... not for you.

#3... Be consistent. Once you start doing these little things that your patient REALLY wants... and you're doing the opposite of your competitors... make sure you keep doing it as long as it's working.

I can't tell you how many times I ask a doctor what has given them the best referral results... they tell me... and then I ask them why they stopped doing it. Their answer is always the same...

... I don't know.

I can tell you the answer. They got bored and forgot. You and I are just like every other human that likes the next "shiny object." You see something that is working but you quickly grow tired of it and start searching for the next thing. BE CONSISTENT.

#4... ASK! The ideal time to ask is when you've done #1 and #2 above. Your new patient will (without you asking) tell you how great their visit was. You (or your staff) will simply respond by thanking them and telling them the biggest compliment they could give you is telling their friends and family how much they enjoyed their visit.

Just like the "shiny object"... there are dozens of things you can do for your patients to get referrals. Start with these and let me know if you don't get an extra 6-10 new referrals each month.

Dr. Jeff Uhrmacher is a leading authority for new patient strategies, patient conversion strategies and patient retention strategies. You find out more about Dr. Jeff Uhrmacher by visiting http://www.drjeffuhrmacher.com.

You are also invited to connect with Dr. Jeff Uhrmacher on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-jeff-uhrmacher/43/9a4/547

As the founder of Doctors Wealth Secrets Dr. Uhrmacher has been helping doctors across the US (and a few internationally) take their practice and double or triple net income in the span of only 8-12 months.

Dr. Uhrmacher is also the author of 8-14 New Patients Per Week From Google+ Local, The Non-Stop Patient Formula, The Patient Retention Formula, and The Patient Referral Formula.

What You Should Know About New Product Marketing

The word "new" is magical.

Everyone wants the latest and the greatest.

Which means that new product marketing can take advantage of this basic fact of human nature.

And done well, this inherent advantage makes marketing a new product one of the easiest types of marketing to do for your business. Provided, of course, that you follow a few basic rules...

Trade off on the word "NEW"

If your product truly is new, announce this from the rafters.

Let everyone know about your exciting new product by sending out press releases to create buzz. Editors and bloggers are ALWAYS interested in what's new.

The caveat here is the product must be truly new.

In other words, it can't simply be a re-branding of something you've been offering for years because people get turned off (real quickly) when they think you're trying to fool them.

The key?

Make sure it's not so similar to your other products (think about iPhones for a second, how are the recent turn-outs different from previous versions?) that the distinctions are blurry.

Create a "wow" promotional campaign

Get behind your new product with an integrated marketing campaign that makes each individual in your target market feel like you are speaking to him or her.

The key here is targeting.

And developing an original concept that will grab the attention of your existing customer.

Find a unique way to position your new product that will make people salivate. Then create an irresistible offer that your prospects just can't turn down.

Build brand recognition first

When certain companies come out with a new product (think Apple) everyone is anxious to find out what it is. In the case of Apple, as you know, folks will wait on line for hours to be among the first to get their hands on whatever sexy, new gadget Apple rolls out.

Such is the power of new when you are dealing with well-known brands.

But if you are a small shop that just invented a new widget, it will be a lot harder to cut through the clutter and get noticed.

So take steps to build your brand first. That means developing a standout logo and pairing it with a tagline to boost brand recognition.

Use a distinctive "voice" on your website to give your company a brand personality. Stay away from corporate speak and sounding bland. Make sure your website copy fits who you are and is not interchangeable with your competitors'.

Does that make sense to you?

Come up with a marketing plan

Sometimes, telling your audience about the benefits of your product may not be enough.

You need to develop a plan to get your product (or product notices) in front of your target audience... and to do it in a way that is budget-friendly. After all, without prospective customers you don't have a business.

Finally, whether you already have a new product to promote, or you're wrapping up the final stages for getting it ready, it makes good business sense to come up with a well thought out marketing plan.

This includes channels for your marketing communication:

    direct response marketing
    email marketing
    search engine marketing (pay per click)
    catalog marketing
    etc.

You get the idea.

Don't overlook your existing customers as well. In fact, you may want to begin your campaign here, since your customers can provide you with valuable feedback that you can incorporate when marketing to new customers.

Corporate Promotional Clothing - Not Only for Company Staff

If you have been a keen observer, you'll notice that corporate shirts are being used by many companies as their primary mode of marketing. This is due to the fact that with a well made promotional corporate shirt, it can take a business to its next level. Sometimes, you'd observe that consumers are the ones paying the company just to wear their logo. This is because people find their logo stylish enough to be part of their fashion. This only means that as long as a business has captured the attention of their potential clients and have gained trust from their loyal customers, people will voluntarily want to have their own set of shirts that includes a printed logo of their favorite store. Some would even go as far as purchasing this Corporate Clothing at popular events like concerts or shows.

With the term "corporate" wears, it usually implies that these are only worn by employees or staff. Yes, that may be true for some; however, other companies use them as promotional giveaways during trade shows or an important event as a token of appreciation for those who attended.

Let's go back to these being used as a company uniform. A lot of businesses nowadays are utilizing these types of clothing for their employee's everyday get up. It actually helps a business appear more professional, as everyone who comes into a store would know which person is working for the company. If you have a special corporate shirt for events, people will think that you are indeed serious about your business. Additionally, getting your staff to wear the same corporate promotional clothes make them feel like a part of a team, hence getting them to work harmoniously together. Now these may all sound too expensive, but you'll be surprised to know that you don't have to break the bank just to get these shirts made.

There are actually a lot of different designs and styles when it comes to choosing a corporate shirt for your promotional needs. You can opt for:

- Embroidered Polo Shirts - Polo shirts are a hit for both men and women, and with an elegantly embroidered design, people will surely go crazy over them. With the right color combination, most people would definitely want to wear them and unconsciously help in promoting a business name out in the open.

- Hanes Printed T Shirts - We all know how popular Hanes is, and with this type of clothing printed with your business name, people will surely love to wear them for you, and be your walking billboard for as long as they wear the shirt.

- Promotional T- Shirts - This is one of the most common and cost efficient type of corporate shirt. You can choose to go for a higher quality fabric t-shirts and print your business name and logo. Once done, you can both ask your employees to wear them at a said event, or give them away as a souvenir.

- Corporate Clothing and Branded Business Shirts - If you want to look much more professional, then you can go for this option. It can range from short sleeved corporate wears to the classy long sleeved business attire.

Persistence or Insanity

irst there was the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. Then the Little Engine That Could. The lesson learned is to persist, never quit and keep moving forward if you want to win the race. We strive for success in our business and professional lives as well as our personal endeavors, and persistence is the key.

Then there's the other saying - "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." WHOAAAA, wait a minute. Didn't we just say persistence wins? Something doesn't jive here. If both of these principles hold true, then when does persistence cross the line into insanity?

Whether it's your marketing efforts or any other business practice, jumping from idea to idea like a frog on a lily pad, will never yield a successful outcome. But then the "that's the way we've always done it" mentality doesn't lend itself to the ever-changing landscape of business today, either. Stay the course or roll with the punches? Do you feel like a spectator at a tennis match yet?

Maybe we can get a glimpse into the answer to our dilemma from NASCAR? Before every race, NASCAR drivers take lots of practice laps before the day of the race. Their pit crew analyzes the results of each lap. They don't rebuild the car after each, but rather make adjustments to dial in the perfect combination of settings for the track.

You should treat your business the same way. Here are 5 things you can do to determine if you should persist or move on.

1. Make small changes within your marketing plan or adjusting operational procedures, then monitoring the results. This will give you a barometer of what works and what doesn't.

2. Allow adequate time for honest results - Depending on the change, results may not be readily available (or accurate). If it's a new marketing medium, give it 90 days before analyzing the results.

3. Don't jump on the trendy bandwagon - Just because the media is a buzz about something, doesn't mean it's right for you. Case in point, social media. Maybe you've heard people talking about Twitter or Facebook. Before you jump in, first determine if your audience is there. If they aren't there, why should you be?

4. Monitor, Monitor, Monitor - Determine, before making any changes, what the desired outcome would be, i.e., increasing sales by x%, growing your audience, number of new inquires, etc. It's impossible to analyze your efforts if you can't measure them.

5. Failure IS an Option - We don't like to admit we're wrong, but not every change will work for the good. And that's okay. As Thomas Edison said, "I didn't fail 10,000 times to make a light bulb, I just found 10,000 ways that didn't work." Maybe the idea was a good one and can be tweaked enough to make it work.

How do you handle change? Are you changing with the tide of popular wisdom or are you hanging on to time honored traditions? Whatever works for you. And if that's now enought, here's one last thought, "You can be on the right track and still get run over if you aren't moving forward."

4 Stages of Market Orientation

Marketing is a driving force in today's global economy and to find out why let's look into these 4 stages of the market orientation:

1. Production Stage

Because of scarcity in the early days of the United States buyers looked to acquire any good that was produced and to make best use of the good. During those days because marketing wasn't yet understood, firms focused much on production and hoped that the goods would "sell them themselves." The production era began around the late 1800's up to about the mid 1920's. You can imagine how much money was thrown down the drain due to ignorance of the fact that marketing is a key ingredient in the life of a business.

2. Sales Era

From about the mid 1920's to the early 1960'sis when we seen an increase in competition like never seen before. Around this time most firms had realized that their ability to produce more goods than the buyers consumed was high. Firms began to realize after their initial production of goods was consumed by their "regulars" they could produce and sell to those outside of their normal "customer base." This is when firms began to hire sales reps to go out and sell the product.

3. The Marketing Era

Depending on your generation you should remember when we first started to see the marketing concept on television. At it's first introduction, laws weren't in place to protect consumers from the malicious acts of marketers, which today have been concealed by subliminal messages, but organizations like the CPA(Consumer Protection Act) have been regulated due to marketers whose main goal was profit at the unprecedented expense of consumers. The marketing concept is the idea that a firm has two goals:

1. To satisfy the needs of consumers
2. Achieve the goals of the organization

For a number of reasons firms find that meeting these two goals is challenging!

4. The Customer Relationship Era

This era began around the same time the marketing era was coming to an end(keep in mind that it wasn't the end of marketing in and of itself but the goals of many organizations had to change through marketing) and is the era we are currently in. Building customer relationships is and should be the number one goal of every organization. For the last two generations of individuals, relationships are at the top of the list as far as things that are valued. Companies spend millions each year training their employees on customer relationships building techniques, bringing in leadership coaches, sending top level executives to conferences to build knowledge on how to appeal to people. You can imagine why sales has a negative image in society today because many sales people aren't trained at building relationships as appose to building more zero's behind their pay check. The market orientation focus its effort on three key areas:

1. Collecting information on consumers wants and needs
2. Using cross-functional teams to analyze the information
3. Most importantly, creating value for the customer

Marketing is a fun and exciting arena to venture into especially when you set values that both benefit the consumer and yourself. Unfortunately, our society has been plagued by greed and many bad, yes bad, people take on the profession of marketing. I can list industries and individual companies who fit this description. As a marketing major I'm beginning to see how marketing has shaped our society and hope that we as a society take a different approach to how we do business and to really make a difference in this world.

Charles Rivers is a writer, speaker, online marketer, trainer and coach and has a passion for learning and growing and helping others to do the same.

Do You Need to Take a Step Back in Your Business?

"But that's so OBVIOUS! Why didn't I see it??" is one of the most common reactions I get when working with new coaching clients. Whether it's related to their ideal client, their compelling marketing message or just areas of their business where they are leaving money on the table, they just can't see it until it's pointed out to them. It's really easy to get so bogged down in the day to day running of your business that you forget to look up once in a while - but it's the looking up and stepping back that can make a world of difference.

Here are three questions you can ask yourself to see if it's time for you to take a step back and look at your business with fresh eyes!

1. Are you busy for the sake of it? Busy does not always equal productive and DEFINITELY does not always equal profitable. Work out where you are spending your time and make sure that you're not just being busy for no reason. You would surprised how often I have this discussion with new coachees, who haven't looked at their working practises or procedures since they set up in business and just do things they way they have always done them. The trouble with this is that you can't build a big business on small business practises, often it's not a scalable model. Remember too, that if you always do what you've always done then you'll always get what you've always got. If you are serious about building your business then you need to look at how and where you are spending your time and make sure that it's on productive activities.

2. Have you taken a look at your pricing lately? Are you charging what you are actually worth? Or are you charging what you used to charge several years ago? And how DID you set your prices then, by the way? Were they based on what the competition charged? On what you felt your customers might pay to work with 'little old me'? Even if you do keep putting up your prices, are they just creeping up by a tiny percentage once a year? Well listen to this - if you find your ideal customer and really niche your business, you are able to charge more as an expert in your field. And because you know your ideal customer inside out, it's easy for you to demonstrate the benefits and value you bring to them.

3. Is your work easy for you? Or have you ventured further and further out of your comfort and knowledge zones as time has gone on, because you're saying yes to anyone who wants to do business with you? It's a common issue, especially when money is tight, but what happens when you start down this path is that your time is filled with work you don't enjoy doing, for customers you can't please. You're no longer doing work that's a great fit, for clients who are a great fit. I see this all the time with women business owners and I've been there myself too. Take a step back today and work out what is 'bad' business and what is 'good' business for you - then just take on 'good' business! Easy!

So this week, make a point of stepping back from the day-to-day 'stuff' in your business and see where you can make changes for the better!

Claire Mitchell is the founder of The Girls Mean Business - an online global network for women business owners. The Girls Mean Business provides coaching, mentoring and educational workshops on all aspects of marketing including marketing plans, finding your niche or ideal customer, your business strategy and vision, money mindset, pain free selling, finding time to grow your business, using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Blogging for Business. Our Running a Business in Heels 6 month Coaching Programme helps you to double your business in 6 months! If you're a woman business owner and you're serious about growing your business, check out

Is It Time to Think About Your Own Intellectual Property?

Some clients have asked me when just starting out how to create their own intellectual property.They are worried about creating original content versus leveraging materials that others have developed.

This is something you need to be very careful about.As you know most intellectual property is protected legally with copyrights and even trademarks.

Recently, one client asked me if she could use my elevator pitch process.And if not, how could she possibly make up her own system when so many already exist out there. This is what I recommended.

If you want to quote or use something from a book or another expert's system, do so, but make sure you give the author full and proper credit.You may also want to ask for their permission. If you are including someone else's material in anything written, whether it's printed or on the web, be sure to cite the original source.

On the web, you can even add a link directly to the author's materials.This actually will drive traffic to the author's site so they might feel flattered and appreciative.

I'm not an attorney, so don't let me be the final word on this.Please check with your legal advisor to be sure you do things the proper way.

I myself have done this.For example, at the Mindset Retreat, I taught things there that I borrowed. The list of 22 emotions is from the book Ask and It Is Given. I told everyone the name of the book and that I thought they should read it. I even mentioned the page number where the list of emotions came from. I'm not going to pretend that I created the list of 22 emotions or take the list and make it only 21 emotions and rename them all. I give full attribution to the authors of the book when I use it. Does that make sense?

Keep in mind that this does not just apply to names of things, but also to systems, processes and even formats.You need to give credit for all of that.

I believe in teaching what your experience has been - I call this "talking your walk".That means you do it first and have success. Then you can share with others and tell them how you did it. That way you can figure out your own unique process and create your own proprietary system. And if you still want to use someone else's tools, that's OK. When done correctly, it's like offering referrals to the author right? There's plenty for everyone.

Your Client Attraction Assignment

Think about your own unique process. What did you try? What worked really well? How is what you have done different than other similar experts? Figure out what you did so you can talk your walk and create your own proprietary system.

That's why people say to me, "Oh your stuff is really authentic and it's the real deal."That's because I use it every day. When you share your experience authentically, people are drawn to that.

Photography And Advertising

The best thing about photography is to share what you have with others. Digital photography changed the way we capture a time. With the editing tools on our computers we can change our photos into works of art or advertising.

Photography is a great way to get your message out to the world. Companies use photography for marketing, product photos are just is to show-off the unique quality the company has to offer. Just by adding a few words you are creating a call to action.

I explore the way our senses influence our emotions. Advertisers use photography to sell anything they can. The right advertising can put your company on top in the niche it wants. Companies do research to find out what works the best for them. They are trying to get a message to you. They want your business and are will to do what it takes.

Our sense is the focus of advertising that companies strive to touch. Things that get our attention is as simple as what we smell, a noise we hear, a touch or seeing things that brings pleasure or pain. Our nose can't always smell a photo, but a picture of someone smelling something will peak our interest. Our minds will remind us what is good or bad.

We can't always experience things when we want, but our memories have thousands of things we like or dislike. So when we can't smell it ourselves we may have that smell locked in our memory ready when needed. That is a powerful tool when you want to sell people on how great something smells. The photos take your mind to what the product may smells like.

People love photos because the visual aids awake our thoughts. Our brains are always searching for stimulation. Photos get the message across and when you add a great copy writer, you have a formula for a successful campaign.

When creating an ad the composition is very important. It is the image and copy that will get your message out. Your ad is commanding a response subconsciously using a desired emotional response.

Pleasure and pain are the two emotions used most in advertising. You are either searching for pleasure or trying to get away from pain. Ads designed to get a message out to as many people as they can. We use photos as a part of the composition because it is tool that works fast to get our attention.

The next time you're out and about notice the ads that attract your attention. Are they using photography? Study the ad to see what it does for you. Be aware of the typed message and where it is placed in the ads.

Photography and fonts create a feast for your eyes, so you will want to have the materials in front of you. Technology fills the need. We can have every tool we need at our finger tips. Today it is easier than ever to merge your photos in to advertising.

Some pictures are so powerful that they need no words to move you in a direction. For example if I take a photo of an image that is also the logo. You can manipulate the background to create an emotional response with just a quick glance is you build a reputation for quality and safety.

One word is powerful when it represents the product. This word is the brand so the font is very important. The brand is what your mind identifies with, one powerful word is Nike. This company uses the products and makes it possible to show both emotions based on the font and word alone. The word added to this advertising composition part of the ad and the message.

Advertisers make a choice to use one word as their logo building a photo campaign of photographs that show people using their product, by making sure the logo is in a place in the composition that draws your eye.

Companies sell the idea that using these products will change your life. Photography is a powerful tool and advertising would not be the same without it. You have something to say or just want to advertise your product think about how you can use a photo in your ads.

Think about how photography is a silent, odorless nudge to get you to take some type of action. The action is simple you may want what I have and if you like it, pass it on.

Use Lead Generation That Does Small Research On The Side

Business software is no stranger to research and getting information. However, that need for research and data extends all the way down to lead generation and marketing. Whether you're outsourcing the process or have your own marketers, you should never put your salespeople at risk with unverified facts.

Companies like yours should be the first to know how harmful sketchy information can be. Why would your salespeople insist on a lead generation campaign if they had all the information they need to succeed in selling your software?

Now, take a look at HR software. Whether it's in assisting the department itself or assisting recruitment managers, this is one process where companies need as many details on a candidate as possible. In fact, it's supposed to actually help both parties save the more tedious trouble of writing and storing resumes, employee records, and at times paper payroll. If these factors aren't considered when generating HR leads, then there's no point in even selling the software at all.

So the next time you want a campaign, here's a small list of things your lead generator should consider researching:

    Unlikely target markets - Your current or past customers make for a really good example. Software doesn't stay effective for long. Asides from mere glitches and bugs, good software companies are all about implementing effective innovation. If you have a new and improved version of your software, who should be the first to know asides from your past clients? On the other hand, you also need to be sure that this is something these clients want. This is where a bit of research can go a long way. Make sure your lead generators are capable of aligning the interest of your prospect with the new features you've added before marking them as qualified B2B leads.

    Indirectly affected parties - As stated before, HR software affects more than your target market. Asides from job applicants, it can also affect your prospect's current employees. You don't need to market to them directly but still do need to research the effects of your software on them. You cannot prevent the domino effect they will have on your B2B customer's experience. Be it your current clients or unfamiliar prospects, get your marketers to check how HR software is being used in their companies. Are employees having trouble punching in or punching out? Are applicants finding it difficult to navigate an online form? Is there even an excessive dependence on the software itself and not enough realization on the prospect's part that technology isn't the ultimate substitute?

    Business size and industry - Business size implies a set number of employees, a factor obviously considered when marketing HR software. While knowing the size is already a given requirement in software lead generation, go a bit beyond that and see if it has ties to its industry. What's the point of this? Culture. What a business engages in and how many employees it has will inevitably produce a particular work culture. Culture will obviously impact their views towards HR software and their need for it.

You still shouldn't ignore the usual factors to consider when qualifying sales leads (decision maker's name, budget etc) but these might not always be enough to say if that prospect will make for a satisfied customer. Make sure your lead generators are willing to do a bit of research on the side for their lead generation campaigns so as to find out just a bit more!

Telemarketing - Why They Can Take "No"

Getting a "no" is one of the common fears people have about telemarketing. But in turn, many telemarketers say that getting one isn't such a big deal. Rejection is a natural part of their work experience.

Yet why is it that they can stay so positive? Can any group of people (or even a single person) be that optimistic? Well if you really want to be realistic, there are good reasons for why a single rejection isn't enough to discourage telemarketing. More than that, it should give you reason not be discouraged either.

Reason #1: They CAN try again.

If optimism comes off as unrealistic, well so does the pessimistic image of telemarketers always hearing a phone slam. Telemarketing can be a little more complicated than that (especially when it's part of a larger B2B marketing effort). Not every "no" is absolute. It could be a "No, not right now" or "No, we can't afford it". The trick is to see if they're open for follow-ups. Do they respond positively to questions like "When is a better time to call?" And even then, the certainty of rejection hasn't reached the level of absolute.

Reason #2: They did their best

Contrary to what cynics might say, this is where you really get to measure the capability of telemarketers. Good telemarketers know more than just how to talk over the phone. They know the purpose of the conversation and have a grasp of how it relates to a larger sales process. They're aware of the typical dos and donts when talking with a business prospect. Finally, they're also capable of integrating new skills and using alternative means of getting a message across. If they've shown themselves capable of all this (and maybe even more), then you'll at least know that the rejection was due to factors on the prospect's part and not on theirs.

Reason #3: They have more opportunities

A professional telemarketing company has more than just a bunch of telephones and people standing by them in their cubicles. They need numbers to call for one thing and no, they obviously don't consult merely a phone book when they're calling. They have their own large contact database that they use to store information on prospects. And not only that, they have data analysts who make sure this information is legal for them to contact and even narrow their selections down for accurate targeting. Finally, these series of numbers represent the shots they have. These are actual chances to make successful calls. And given the effort they're supposed to exert (as explained in Reason #2), what you have is both quality and quantity. Even if they get a "no", there'll be plenty of other calls that can give them a "yes".

So as you can see, even if a telemarketer can come off as too optimistic, they're not as unrealistic as some people say. They take measures to minimize the chances of rejection and have plenty of things to see on the bright side. They know there's more to a simple "no"; they have the skills to avoid always getting them; and their database offers them as many opportunities to succeed. Blind optimism isn't their only reason for why they can take a "no".

Top 7 Ways to Promote Your Local Business

Common ways to advertise include the newspaper, the yellow pages, billboards, direct mail, radio, and TV. The Internet offers the ability to advertise on other websites. Examples include your local chamber of commerce, the local newspaper, and other local websites that might be seeing a lot of traffic. Still more Internet options are pay per click advertising which can include text, image, and video ads. There's also email marketing and search optimization of your website.

For many businesses advertising is one of those many things that has to be done but is not given a lot of attention. It's understandable because often times businesses, especially small ones have so many different things to handle. The business owner can't be an expert in everything. So they agree with whatever advertising comes along. They do what everyone else is doing. They don't put much thought into it.

Businesses often look at their competition and do what they do. If their closest competitor advertises in the newspaper they do it too. If their competitor is on the radio they better do that too.

But how much thought is given to what works? A lot of money is spent on advertising. It's a large part of many businesses budgets. But the return on investment is often unknown. Part of the reason is simply that it's difficult to track some forms of advertising. Especially when multiple forms of advertising are in use at the same time. If a customer hears your ad on the radio 20 times and sees your newspaper ad 10 times even they don't know which advertising media was responsible for acquiring their business.

Let's go through 7 ways to promote a local business. I'll make the assumption that the business is seeking customers who are local. This means the customers are physically located within about 50 miles of the business. Most businesses fall into this category.

1. Newspaper

Your local newspaper offers many options with a wide range of prices. Newspapers are still very popular. Many people still read newspapers and will see your ads. This can be a quick and effective method to bring in new leads and customers.

2. Yellow pages

The yellow pages are still being used, but because of the Internet, the hard copy form is not as popular as it once was. The yellow pages are online too. You can have your business listed in both the online and offline versions of the yellow pages. The online version is one of the many online business directories that exist. You can have your business listed in it for free or you can pay for a more detailed listing with added features. My recommendation about yellow pages is to use the free listing.

3. Radio and TV

Radio and TV are certainly effective but usually more expensive than other options. When you think of radio and TV you think of branding your business. Using repetition to get your business branded in the minds of people. But this can be expensive because it takes a lot of repetition to brand a business. You can still use TV and radio to advertise in a more direct response method rather than trying to do branding. This would be more effective and efficient. For example, rather than just trying to get people to remember your business name so that they hopefully do business with you at some point in the future, have your ads directly ask for action. Ask them to call or visit and give them an incentive to do so.

4. Direct mail

Using direct mail is sometimes thought to be outdated. The Internet is the new way to advertise right? Actually direct mail is as good as it ever was. It may be even better now since fewer people are using it because of the Internet. Using direct mail in the right way can be extremely effective. The key is to mail to the people most likely to respond and to have your mail express a clear offer with a clear call to action.

5. Networking and referrals

One of the most powerful ways to acquire a new customer is through a referral. Referrals can be guaranteed sales. They pass trust to you from the person referring you. Local business networking groups are an excellent way to get referrals. Certainly friends and relatives are good examples of people who can refer your business to their friends. Events held by your local chamber of commerce are loose networking events that can result in referrals for business. Don't underestimate referral networking if you are looking for local customers.

6. Your Own Website and Online Directories

The Internet is another way to generate leads and customers. You don't need a website because you can still have your business listed in online directories. Some of these directories include the yellow pages, the Google business directory (Google Places), the Yahoo business directory, the Bing business directory, Merchant Circle, Yelp, Four Square, City Pages, and more. There are hundreds of online directories. It's wise to seek out directories that are relevant to your business. For example there are directories for women's health so if your business is a women's hair salon you could be listed there.

I mentioned that you don't need a website, but it's better to have one. A website strengthens your online presence and helps your other business listings rank higher in search results. It makes it easier for people to find your business when searching online. In most cases people expect businesses to have a website. It's a sign of professionalism to have a website.

7. Pay per Click Advertising

Pay per Click advertising involves setting up ads that show online, that when clicked on, bring a visitor to your website. For local businesses seeking local customers Pay per Click advertising is challenging. It also has its advantages. If set up correctly you can use it to target a geographical area. That's great for a local business! Your ads can be shown any time of day. You can put limits to how much you want to spend per click and per day. You can turn your ads on and off at any time. You can target people who are searching using specific search terms. You can get people who are ready to buy from you to come to your website! That's very powerful.

The challenge with Pay per Click advertising for local businesses is that it's difficult to get much activity. Especially if your local area has a low population. Part of making Pay per Click advertising work is testing. It's hard to test and make good decisions when you don't have much data to base those decisions on. However, if you can manage to organize your ads so that you're getting good leads that result in customers you'll have a great asset.

What you really need to know.

No matter what form of advertising you use there are a few things you must know. Your advertising won't work and will be a waste of time and money if you don't follow these tips.

1. You must aim your advertising at the right people. Aim it at your potential customers. Choosing the right advertising media helps.

2. You must catch the attention of those people you are advertising to.

3. Your advertising must include a call to action and a reason that someone should act.

4. Your advertising should not be confusing to its audience. It should be simple to understand.

5. Your advertising should not be the same as everyone else's. It should stand out and be different.

Do You Make These 6 Mistakes In Your Emails?

With the average response rate for most email campaigns well below even the 1% mark, you can be forgiven for thinking email marketing doesn't work.

It does. Just not the way most people teach it.

In any one month I'm involved in creating email campaigns that reach more than 500,000 subscribers for my private clients, so I keep a close eye on what makes emails most effective.

Here are my top 6 takeaways:

    Don't make your email one size fits all. Pushing out the exact same email to your list is a surefire way for your emails to get deleted. Most department stores cater to the woman shopper. If you're a guy and you show up in Macy's they're not going to direct you straight to the Clarin's make up counter. Yet more than 75% of companies who market online do exactly this.

    Don't skip A/B testing with your email marketing. Email is the perfect media to do some immediate A/B split testing with because the results are immediate. Every time you want to send out an email, try split testing a different format, or different headline to see which ones pull better. One big takeaway that I found that applies to my clients email marketing is that pretty emails don't pull nearly as well as simple, text based emails. Lesson learned.

    Don't ignore your opt-outs. Many people gnash their teeth about people unsubscribing from their list, but here's a different way to look at it. The objective of your email marketing is to develop a highly responsive list. Small lists can be highly responsive just as mega lists of 20,000 people or more can be highly unresponsive. When people opt-out, take notice, but be thankful. You only want people who want to hear from you on your list. But, if they're opting out in droves you may need to take a deeper look. Perhaps you're targeting the wrong people, or your message may need tweaking.

    Keep your emails simple. Don't ask too much of the reader. Make your message engaging and direct (not long winded and wordy). Give them simple instructions to follow. Be genuine, write person to person (large corporate to person). They're taking time out of their busy day to read what you wrote.

Make it worth their while.

    Don't be a pest. Your success as a marketer depends on two things - your ability to attract new clients and your ability to keep them. Building a real, long term relationship with the people on your list is key. Just because email is a free media doesn't mean you should be sending out multiple emails a day, or wasting their time with poorly worded ones.

Be selective about what you choose to write to them about. Get your emails proof read.

    Optimize your emails for mobile. Recent research from Pew and Nielsen shows that more 75% of all smart phone users are checking their email on their phones. Use your email analytics to discover how many mobile users you have and always consider mobile devices when building your emails. For example remember that people click with their fingers not the mouse, so make any links or call to action buttons large, and don't put tiny links together.

Refreshing Your Brain During Lead Generation Work

In the process of your lead generation campaign, there will be times when your mind seems so tired that you just cannot move at all. That can have an adverse effect on your performance in generating sales leads. You need to take time to take care of our brains, since a refreshed mind will be able to do more work faster, and accomplish more in the end. And you can do that even in the middle of your work. There are several things that you can do in order to divert your mind from the stress in front. You will be ready for the grueling task of calling prospects on the phone or replying to emails after you are done.

1. Get a good chair - movement is everything at work. If you have a chair that can help you be more comfortable, as well as aid you in movement, then you should give this a try.

2. Never multitask - you might scoff at it, but it is one of the main causes of car accidents. This is the same thing with your lead generation campaign. This can be more evident when telemarketing is used in communication, since this requires greater concentration.

3. Engage your senses - when you use only a few of your senses during work, your body tends to go to sleep. You can energize it by engaging all your senses through movement, music, or even aromatherapy.

4. Make only a few major decisions - decision overload will simply overwhelm you. It is best that you concentrate on the bigger issues, so that you will make fewer mistakes.

5. Take a break every twenty minutes - it does not have to be a very long one. You could just do a quick stop of whatever you're doing and think of something else. That will help your mind focus better when you get back to getting qualified B2B sales leads.

6. Work according to your peak rhythms - are you at your best during the morning or in the afternoon? Knowing these will help you plan on when to perform the more important work. Remember to schedule your main work during the time you perform best.

7. Rest for ten minutes every ninety minutes of working - for ninety minutes, you will be at your best. After that, you naturally get stressed. Use this time to rest and recharge. Do something else, look at something else, even go somewhere else to help you relax.

8. Take a quick nap - sleep is refreshing, and a short, fifteen-minute break can help you stay focused and at your best once you get back to your lead generation work.

9. Experience the beauty of nature (even fake ones) - letting yourself be one with nature can help you become more effective when you get back. Even if it is just for a few minutes, seeing the clouds float by or hear birds singing can help your mind.

10. Take a real vacation - basically speaking, totally unplug. This is a major refresher for you. It is not bad, really, it can actually get you up and running again when you return.

Simple tips, that is true, but all of them can have a huge impact on lead generation campaign and you.

Lead Generation Tactics

Very few businesses can survive within today's business world without an effective and on-going lead generation and appointment setting strategy. Today's business is all about increasing the customer base and maintaining contact with already existing customers. Over the years there have been numerous cost-efficient ways of targeting a specific client base and contacting those who may be of interest of your business. Below are some of the most popular and most common ways of increasing a customer base within a short period of time.

Direct Mail
Unlike other, broader, methods of advertising which may target everyone within a geographic area, Direct Mail campaigns are intended to arrive on the doorstep of only those who are already known to be interested in the products and services.

By reviewing basic information of each resident within a certain area, such as their age, gender, buying habits, and income level, Direct Mail campaigns are able to single out those customers who are considered to be great candidates for the products and services of the business in question. Mailing lists of people who meet a certain criteria can usually be purchased from direct mail companies, organisations, or other brokers who earn their money by collecting and sharing demographic data. However, the least expensive, and often most effective, way to develop an appropriate mailing list is by holding a giveaway contest. Those who chose to submit their mailing address on the entry form are obviously interested in winning that particular product or service thus could be considered as a potential customer.

Advertising (TV, Radio, and Newspapers)
Consulting with local media outlets is actually a very enlightening process. And though a business owner may not always see the overall picture, an advertising rep from a local radio or television station will and is therefore able to help design and implement a successful and pinpointed campaign.

Businesses which are on a small budget can enter the local ad market by placing small, yet direct ads in local newspapers. Alternatively, a business could use press releases to promote their services. For example, a restaurant may use a press release to promote their new menu, whereas a carwash could use press releases to promote any sales or special deals.

Telemarketing
Telemarketing refers to a method in which a sales executive solicits prospective customer to buy specific goods or services. Despite a bad reputation, telesales are one of the quickest ways to contact a targeted audience in order to increase a customer base. Not only is Lead Generation telemarketing the most interactive way of drawing in prospective customers, by calling the potential customers directly the operative is enabled to maximise each call as well as capture relevant data and set precise dates for follow up calls - making telesales one of the most direct ways to increase a customer base.

Referral program
Referral programs enable existing customers to be rewarded for bringing in new customers. Referral rewards may often come in the form of free gifts, discounts, or invitations to special events. Many already existing customers will have family members, friends, and co-workers who require the same products and services. A referral program often results in customers promoting the company in order to receive the reward, making referral a natural process of growing the customer base by using the existing customers as a word-of-mouth advertisement.

What Is Telemarketing?

Telemarketing, also known as telesales and inside sales, refers to the method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits a prospective customer to buy a specific good or service. Modern telemarketing may include a recorded sales pitch which was specially programmed to be played over the phone via automatic dialling.

Telemarketing can be divided into two major categories: Business-to-business and business-to-customer. Within these categories, there are a number of different subcategories, including:

Lead generation - utilised in order to gather of information and contacts.
Sales - utilised in order to sell a particular product or service.
Inbound - utilisedas a means of receiving incoming orders and requests for additional information. Demand for these call-centres is generally created by advertising, publicity, or the efforts of the outside sales people in the field.
Outbound - utilised for the purpose of proactive marketing in which prospective as well as pre-existing customers are contacted directly.

Over the years telemarketing has garnered a rather negative reputation and is viewed as an annoyance by many. Telemarketing has been associated with a number of scams and frauds such as pyramid schemes and the selling of services and products at deceptively overpriced values. As telemarketing phone calls often occur during unappreciated times, such as dinner hours, early in the morning, or late in the evening, they are often considered as annoying. Another relative side-effect of 'nuisance' due to telemarketing is that it often prompts some people to only answer calls from numbers which they recognise, preventing other important calls such as emergency calls or calls from public pay-phones from coming through. In some countries, marketing telephone companies may even participate in an action called telephone slamming. This term refers to the practice of switching a customer's phone service without their knowledge or authorisation.

Despite gaining a rather bad reputation, telemarketing is still considered to be one of the best marketing solutions available. There are currently numerous companies who specialise in lead generation- as well as providing a high standard telesales service. Telemarketing may be suitable for anyone who is looking to sell goods or services, or any business who is interested in increasing their customer field quickly and moderately. The telemarketing market has increased incredibly over the years and with improved technology on their side they are now able to target a specific customer base, rather than cold dialling numerous numbers who may not be interested in their service; thus not only saving a whole load of time, they also avoid bothering those who definitely won't be interested in their services. Overall, modern telemarketing is able to pin-point their customer base and by using specially tried and tested models telemarketers are now able to generate hot leads with companies who are specifically interested in working with their clients, this is done through a specific telemarketing approach called Lead generation.

Good Dentist Marketing Provides Many Advantages

Dental work is something that all people will have to face throughout their lifetimes. Dentistry is the branch of medicine that encompasses the oral cavity, and the treatments and prevention of the diseases that afflict it. Dentists are the doctors who perform this type of medicine and they are highly specialized medical professionals, so dentist marketing can be quite a competitive field.

The dentistry market is competitive and dentists who wish to see their practices succeed and prosper must market themselves to attract new customers and extend their reach into the market. Those businesses and practices who do not place a focus on advertising often find themselves struggling to gain new customers and keep those that they already have. Dental offices and practices are no exception to this and they too must market themselves effective in order to prosper.

The amount of money that businesses can spend on their campaigns depends largely on their overall goals as well as their pocketbooks. The most effective campaigns combine different elements and mixes, which helps ensure the most people possible are reached. Unlike dentistry, not all businesses have the advantage of offering a service that is nearly universally needed.

Dentistry is a large field, and within it there are focuses and specialties which dentists can center on. These specialties include oral pathology, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, general dentistry, and orthodontics. Each separate focus requires its own mix of marketing elements in order to be the most effective and in order to target the proper consumer base.

Print advertising is among the most commonly used form of advert that a business can utilize. Print advertising campaigns include such things as magazine spreads as well as newspaper ads and classifieds. Ads of this type can be used by all sorts of business to deliver nearly any type of message to their target market, they simply have to select those publications that best reach their intended customers.

TV and radio ads are likely the most well represented and popular in the advertising industry. Campaigns in this media realm have the ability to reach a huge amount of people in the shortest amount of time. Because of these things, however, TV and radio campaigns are among the highest in cost and so many businesses cannot afford to maintain their ads in this arena for an extended period of time.

Online advertising is most definitely the rising star of the advertising and marketing worlds. Due to its low cost and broad reaching ability, online promoting is becoming a very attractive advertising option for a huge array of different businesses. Dentistry practices who do not see the need to have an online presence will suffer losses, there is no way around it.

For dentistry practices, selecting the proper dentist marketing mix is crucial to advertising themselves effectively and within their set budget. By choosing the most effective campaigns for their business, dentistry professionals can help their practices stand out amongst the competition. It also helps them better target those that would visit their offices.

5 Reasons to Adopt a Business Blog to Market Your Small Business

In some cases, the business blog has been sacrificed in favor of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The business blog offers a lot of advantages, especially for the small and medium-sized business. Here's 5 reasons your business should include a blog in its online marketing plan.

1) Blogs are maintained and updated easily and quickly. Unlike websites, which may require a webmaster and some time to be updated and maintained, blogs can be set up so posts and articles can be added easily and quickly.

2) Blogs can be flexible, fun and casual, allowing your business and your employees to show off their personalities. People like to do business with people, not corporations. Blogs should show off your business' human side. People also like to do business with people they feel like they know. By using your blog to introduce you and your employees to potential customers, you're making connections to customers.

3) Search engines love blogs. Because blogs are updated on a regular basis, search engines love them and index them more quickly than they index websites. Since customers may find your blog quicker than they find your website, link your blog to your website to drive customers there.

4) Blogs build credibility. Use your blog to show-off your expertise and knowledge and build credibility. Be sure to include information on your products and services that illustrates your expertise. Don't forget to include industry news so visitors can see you're knowledgeable not only about your own business but also about the industry as a whole. Also, include information about certifications, workshops and trainings your employees have completed to stay current in the industry. Again, this indicates your knowledge of the industry and builds your credibility with the client.

5) Blogs build trust. Customers need to trust you in order to buy from you. Blogs allow for interaction between business owner and customer. Comment sections allow customers to ask questions and give opinions. Business owners can take advantage of that feature and show off their customer service skills. They can respond to customer comments and questions. They can write a blog post and ask for customer feedback. The possibilities are endless. And, each possibility helps build trust with visitors.

A business blog can be an effective marketing tool that drives traffic to your website and customers to your door. Be sure to include it in your online marketing strategy.

Building Customer Loyalty: Using Telemarketing To Solve Problems

Customer service is also a fundamental part of your business' sales lead generation campaign .After all, there will be occasions, especially when calling current customers, that some problem or vexation will be brought up during the discussion. When that happens, it is important to deal with them quickly. Once such problems have been resolved, the next stage of promoting products or services can be had. But to effectively take care of that, one must have telemarketing campaign on handling customer complaints. This can have a huge impact on a business' in terms of generating sales leads and nurturing customer loyalty. You just need to know where to start.

First of all, remember that there will always be problems encountered with business. You might as well get ready for it. No matter how great your product is, there will be a situation where clients or customers will not be happy. You have to soothe these unsatisfied customers before anything else. Take responsibility for any shortcomings in your product or services. If this issue repeatedly comes up, you should be proactive and deal with it immediately. Also, if you know a problem or issue is coming up, inform your customers about it. This will show that you are on top of the situation.

Also, solving problems should not be seen as a bane of your existence. Rather, you should take it as an opportunity for you to learn. What if there really is a performance issue in your products or service, but you receive no feedback? Most likely, you will continue producing less than stellar products, further complicating your chances of success in the appointment setting campaign. When customers complain, take this as a sign that you need to make changes fast. You can say that you are lucky that you receive complaints, since these people actually made the effort to inform you that something is wrong. You now have the chance to do better.

Third, do not focus on the blame. This is counter-productive, to be honest. Instead of finally getting to the root of the problem, you end up wasting your time pinning the blame on anyone but you. Rather a wasteful effort, right? And your customers are not getting anywhere near solving their problems. What you should do is to have your lead generation team focus more on solving the issue at hand. Not only will this avoid the headaches blaming can cause; it will solve the issues being faced by customers faster.

And lastly, always remember that the sales representative handling the call must be the one to deal with the problem. First call resolution is one of the most important goals in sales. This can be seen much better if we use telemarketing as an example. As long as you provide your sales rep with the authority and the resources to deal with business concerns, it is a simple matter to solve the problem, and then proceed in generating qualified sale leads.

Choosing the Best Workwear Supplier for Your Promotional Needs

Let's first talk about what workwear apparels are and how they can help businesses stay longer.

Basically, promotional workwear is a type of safety workwear that is printed with a business name or logo. It aids in promoting and advertising a brand to gain a wider reach and increase possible target markets. Promotional clothing has been regarded as a very cost-efficient way for businesses to market their brand name and ensure that they stand out from the rest. Oftentimes, they use workwear shirts, jackets, pants, caps, and even footwear for the sole purpose of advertising their company to the public.

There are a wide array of options when it comes to choosing a promotional workwear for the staff, however, before you go ahead and pick one from the list, you must consider these few pointers to make sure that this type of promo clothing will successfully promote your company. Below are helpful guidelines that you have to think through in order to get the maximum marketing worth for these kinds of clothing:

Are they comfortable to wear?

If you are planning to purchase workwear for your employees in the hopes of getting more marketing and advertising leads, then you must check whether or not the clothes are comfortable for day to day use. Since these will be used every working day, make sure that your employees feel A-ok wearing them. Making your wearers comfortable means that you have to provide sufficient space for them to move around freely. Now if you have plus-sized workers, then by all means, give them the appropriate size. Additionally, you could base your promotional workwear depending on the climate changes.

Choose the perfect Workwear Supplier to get the job done.

Look for the one whom you can trust to work with. If you want to send out your promotional messages across as effectively as possible through your employees, then you have to work side by side with your workwear supplier that can satisfy what you want and how you want them done. Deciding on which supplier to go for can be a tedious task but taking time researching for the best one will definitely be worth all the hard work. Keep in mind that your promotional workwear will represent your business as soon as your employees start wearing them, so if the supplier made a lousy job printing your brand logo on the clothing, then this will highly affect your business image altogether.

Quality over Quantity

If your supplier really cares for your business, then he should know that quality is way more important than just purchasing bulk orders of mediocre products. Now as a business owner, you have to understand that although you can always buy cheaper workwear clothing for your employees, it's still best to invest a few more bucks just to get that high quality workwear. This is simply because high quality fabric materials last longer and are more hard-wearing, hence less hassle of replacing them regularly.

Interactive Business Directories: The Future of Business Promotion?

Business directories have been exceptionally popular over the past few years and have proven to be a very effective business promotion tool. Their relatively low cost combined with their ease of use and wide applicability makes them a worthwhile alternative that attracts a large number of businesspeople worldwide.

However, business directories have already flooded the web, as the technology for their development has become commonplace. Besides, in today's world that is highly interactive, the visitors have come to expect something more than merely classified pieces of text with the occasional presence of a small image. This is why some companies have decided to develop interactive ones as an answer to this growing need.

Interactive business directories employ rich graphics and often videos or flash to make the interface more user-friendly. They also have increased functionality, offering the visitor several options such as saving some of the material of the listing they are visiting on their computer, checking out multimedia associated with that listing, and in some cases exchange contact details with the business owner. In addition, this kind of business directories often suggests related categories / subcategories and other information that is useful to the visitor. All this makes the whole experience more engaging and encourages business networking, rendering this business promotion alternative a quite promising choice.

This kind of business directories naturally comes with an additional cost, which is usually for a 6-month or annual inclusion of a listing. However, considering that they provide a completely different level of internet promotion they are usually worth it. Naturally, how effective they are depends on the material used though, such as the quality of the images and professionally made videos that captivate the visitor's attention, using well-written text that conveys the company's message clearly, including interesting documents that the visitor can view and download, etc.

Interactive business directories can be seen as a type of shopping, where the products are pieces of information about companies at the best price: zero. This makes it a very enjoyable activity that can also be quite rewarding, since with today's internet technology this kind of business directories can deliver what the visitor is looking for fast, reliably and without requiring any specialized know-how. Particularly the interactive business directories that are built on HTML5 can be visited using a tablet computer or even a phone, making them accessible to a vast audience.

Taking all the above into consideration, it is not far-fetched to say that interactive business directories is the way forward, a means of business promotion that will be used for many years to come.

Gondola Displays and Dragons' Den

We are really excited about the new series of Dragons Den on the BBC, where the good, the bad and the hapless come to pitch to the dragons to invest in their innovative business ideas.

One excellent pitch from the last episode involved husband and wife team Collette and Geoff Bell showcasing their product "Shampoo heads"; a new branded range of hair care products specifically designed with children in mind.

Boots the chemist are a UK and ROI based pharmacy chain. The huge company has been so convinced by the products design, manufacturing and marketing strategy that it has decided to place the products into a gondola end display unit in every Boots store in the UK for a four week period for free!

Retail stores normally charge a premium to brands to display their products on the gondola ends as these are areas which experience high consumer traffic and therefore drive increased sales.

A gondola end display is either a temporary or permanent structure that is normally located on the end of the aisle in supermarkets and retail stores. These displays will usually feature an eye catching design, bright colours, big bold logos and even large floor stickers to draw the consumer's attention to the product on offer.

Gondola ends are typically used by brands to promote new products or products which have a limited time promotional price, for example.

The process of setting up a new gondola display works like this:

Brands (e.g Glaxo Smithkline) will employ the services of a field marketing agency to handle the installation of a gondola display. Field marketing agencies will then use promotional staff and/or field merchandisers to go into the retail store to construct, set up and stock the gondola end.

Retail stores change their promotional offers and new line promotions regularly so promotional staff can find this a regular source of promotional work.

The promotional staff personnel may also be required to return to store periodically to check the status of the gondola end display.

The promotional staff member will feed back a variety of information to the field marketing agency such as number of units sold, condition of the display, quantity of stock remaining etc.

Field marketing agencies will in turn feed back this information to the brand to enable them to make further decisions about how to manage the promotion, commit more stock and ultimately drive more sales.

We wish Shampooheads the very best for the future and hope that their securing of the Boots contract is their springboard to success!

Qualitative Research: Respondent Recruitment for Sensitive or Embarrassing Topics

Recruitment of qualitative research participants for most fast moving consumer goods or other markets is a relatively straightforward matter. As part of the screening process a range of open and closed questions are asked, to determine a match with the profile the researcher needs to consult with to address the client's research objectives and answer their questions.

Apart from screening out due to using the wrong combination of brands or other behaviours that are not what is required, the risk to the applicant is minimised. A well-designed initial screener will ask the right questions quickly, and a few minutes of a potential participant's life is a reasonable exchange for the possibility of being invited to a well-paid focus group or depth interview on that subject subsequently.

Great care must be taken however, when the subject matter of the research is something awkward or sensitive. Just asking the screening questions, for which in many projects the majority will screen out and get nothing anyway, could become potentially detrimental to the respondents. Consider in the UK the old fashioned approach to focus group recruitment using face-to-face intercept methods - no problem to stop people in the street with your clipboard to ask them about their preferred brand of detergent, but how could you move the conversation on to determine whether they were or were not in the market for incontinence products, or a weight loss magazine?

Even in database driven recruitment where initial contact is made by email, very careful wording must be employed when inviting members to apply for projects that are highly sensitive. Very often of course the decision about whom to long-list and invite to apply is driven by simple demographic factors, proximity to the venue for one, but also other known factors such as age. "What on earth was it, about my profiling information, that made you think I might be interested in a project about (debt counselling / illegal downloading / erectile dysfunction)?!" is a not unreasonable response when a standard wording is engaged on an invitation however.

Far better to take great care when crafting an invite, explaining that the qualifying factors for the current project are highly sensitive and we really have no idea whom amongst our list may qualify as we don't hold this kind of information, but we really hope you won't mind taking a look in case you are a fit. Often it might be appropriate to reassure about the Market Research Society Code of Conduct in the UK (or other bodies in other markets) and how this protects their confidentiality and privacy within the research, and any other factors that might raise the comfort levels - such as the use of a female moderator so it's all ladies together, in a group about "women's problems".

The standard screening techniques of obscuring the 'right' answer amongst a range of dummy ones might also be inappropriate here. Respondents are not stupid, and if the one sensitive or awkward response is embedded in an anodyne list it will stick out like a sore thumb anyway, and very few people are likely to attempt to feign embarrassing diseases or circumstances in order to try to qualify for a focus group. Better in many cases to ask directly about the key criteria, then qualify on the screening interview with respectful and relevant probing, that will establish the qualification directly and appropriately.

Whilst for most research projects we would tend to avoid public social media postings that can be viewed by anyone in favour of individual invites to pre-screened people, there is definitely a valuable role here when it comes to sensitive topics. Bulletin boards or forums of communities of interest might be an appropriate place for a shout-out that people can choose to respond to or not, without feeling singled out. Providing an easy no-pressure response mechanism and clear call to action can help here.

The problem of screen-outs is also one that must be handled very delicately when the subject matter itself is delicate. You can tell people they are using the wrong mobile phone network to qualify for a research project - but you can't tell them they have the wrong kind of cancer. Again great sensitivity and an individual response is what is required.

When people essentially make themselves vulnerable in screening by revealing private and potentially embarrassing information, then they need extra reassurance about how that information will or will not be used in future... will be it held on a database, or can you tell them it will be deleted or disassociated with their profile? The MRS and every responsible code of conduct for our industry requires that respondents do not suffer any detriment due to their involvement in market research, and whilst we can never mitigate any disappointment at failing to be selected for a particular study, it is not reasonable that anyone is left wishing they hadn't applied in the first place.

Lead Generation Challenge: Changing Buying Habits Of Prospects

As we go along our sales lead generation campaign, we will encounter stumbling blocks that will affect our business performance. Among these challenges is the ever-changing buying behavior of business prospects. Not knowing the latest trends or habits of people we want to get in touch with can affect our capabilities in generating sales leads. These days, getting B2B leads is no longer about offering the best product or service. Quality is no longer the gold standard in capturing a portion of the market; it is much more than that. For you to catch a prospect's attention, you also have to offer everything else in between. How you do it will determine whether you clinch a deal or not.

In the past, if we want to be assured of getting quality B2B leads, we focus a lot of attention in improving what we offer. Often times, we would spend a lot of our energy, money, and research in improving our product line. It did get us a lot of sales leads - in the past. But that is not the case at present. As a marketing professor in college once said, "The product is not everything; we must constantly delight and surprise our customers". All the little details that go along with our offer can make or break our sales operation. This focus on presentation and appearance could perhaps best explain why the late Steve Jobs was able to make Apple, Inc. the business powerhouse it is today. From the curves of his electronic gadgets to the packaging, Jobs made sure that it is appealing to the eyes of the buying public.

Aside from appearances, the level of customer service provided by your company also plays a key role. It matters not if you have the most advanced product or service, if you cannot provide a level of customer service so desired by prospects at present. In other words, you have to be constantly in touch with your market, ready to answer every concern raised about your offer. You will have to employ a variety of communication tools in order to monitor what is going in. Emails, forums, social media and even telemarketing all play a key role in providing your customers and prospects a level of assurance that you will be there for them even after purchase.

It will also pay to be proactive in anticipating customer concerns. In case you are certain that an issue or problem will be affecting a large number of people, it is best that you take the first step and contact them. You can do it through social media channels, an email blast, or a little old-fashioned telemarketing. It is necessary to assure your customers that you are on top of the situation and are taking steps to address the problems. You may have a reputation of product quality, but customers do not really put a lot of value to it anymore. What matters to them is whether they can get in touch with you quickly or not.

This is the challenge for today's lead generation and appointment setting work. Can you handle it?

What Banks Can Teach Product Managers About Targeted Marketing

I've got a quick question for you: where do you keep your money? I'm not talking about pocket change, I'm talking about the big stuff - like your last paycheck? If you are like most people, you have a checking account and that's where you keep your money. It turns out that about 25% of the U.S. population is either unbanked or underbanked - they don't have a checking account. Clearly this is a segment of the population that banks want use the product development definition to go after. It's how they're doing it that might be interesting for the rest of us...

Who Are The Unbanked?

You have a bank account, I have a bank account, so just exactly who are these "unbanked" folks? Recent estimates suggest that some 70% of the world's population has either limited or no access to financial services. You know all of those ads that you see on TV for check cashing stores that also offer money orders - they are the ones who are serving the unbanked.

Bank product managers have a big task here. The unbanked have a big cultural issue with banks: they don't trust them. It may be because of how banks have behaved in the country that they come from or it may be because of how they've been treated by banks in the past. If bank product managers can find a way to solve this problem, then they'll have something else to add to their product manager resume.

As product managers start to try to find ways to reach out to the unbanked, they are learning more and more about them. It turns out that the majority of the unbanked own cell phones and somewhat surprisingly nearly 50% are just as likely to own a smartphone as a banked customer.

This is an important piece of information for product managers to have. One reason is because it turns out that the unbanked are less likely to own a computer. This means that the cell phone is the primary channel that product managers can use to get in contact with the unbanked.

Meet The Competition -The Phone Company

There are a lot of potential bank customers who are currently unbanked. This, of course, means that other firms are not standing by idly waiting for bank product managers to get their act together and start to serve them.

Mobile phone operators have realized that they already have a relationship with this customer segment and they are moving aggressively to try to capitalize on it. Mobile based financial services can be targeted to this segment.

These services can be developed and offered in partnership with banks, but they don't have to be. Bank product managers have got to be ready to go head-to-head with the mobile phone companies if they want to be able to serve this segment of the population.

How Can Banks Target Their Marketing Efforts?

Bank product managers need to make sure that they understand their customers. This includes realizing that the unbanked are frequent users of prepaid cards. Based on this understanding, bank product managers should realize that the unbanked may be ideal consumers of mobile banking products that can be tied to a prepaid account.

Once the bank product managers realize this, there are a number of products that they could roll out. These include mobile remote deposit capture and mobile peer-to-peer money transfer services are also services that would be appreciated by the unbanked.

Bank product managers have an uphill battle when it comes to finding ways to serve the unbanked. Currently, the unbanked have a "cash only" mentality that product managers will need to find a way to change.

In order to be successful, bank product managers will have to find ways to get the unbanked to take a look at the whole picture in order to get them to understand what they are really spending on check cashing services and payday lenders. Once they do that, using bank products may be something that they'd like to look into!

What Does All Of This Mean For You?

Just because there is a significant segment of customers who don't currently use your type of product, does not mean that you can't convince them to use it. This type of activity is really a part of the product manager job description. However, it's going to take some work on your part.

As banking product managers have found out, in order to reach customers who are not currently using a product like yours, you need to understand the segment. If you can find things that unify the segment, like cell phone usage, then you will have uncovered a possible path to reaching these customers with your message.

Clearly your product has to solve a problem for the group of customers who are not currently using it. Once you've identified what this is, you'll next have to find a way to leverage it in order to connect with them. Nobody ever said that this was going to be easy to do, but the results are well worth it!