Reading Time: < 1 minIs your marketing more monologue or an actual dialogue? There’s nothing wrong with a bit of monologue — buy a TV or radio ad, spread the message, and see what happens. Increasingly, though, customers are wanting more of a dialogue with the companies they do business with, and it’s important not to confuse the two. […]
Marketing
Good salespeople have good return policies behind them
Reading Time: 2 minMy wife just picked up a new pair of running shoes from Big Peach Running Co recently, and she commented how the salespeople there are always so helpful and never put pressure to buy. Without really thinking, I said “Yep, it’s because they have such a good return policy.“ After taking a few minutes to […]
Don’t hustle those you wish to serve
Reading Time: 3 minAs the pace of the world seems to always be increasing, it’s tempting to try to find shortcuts to reach your intended audience, but those shortcuts are likely to backfire. As Seth Godin as said, “The people you most want to engage with don’t want to be hustled.“ You can earn attention through giving of […]
Reputation vs Character
Reading Time: < 1 minYour reputation is important. At GreenMellen, we help companies with reputation management to make sure their best side is showing to the world. However, we don’t do that for just any company; we need to know that their character is solid first and that’s a very different thing. The late, great basketball coach John Wooden […]
Who is that feature really for?
Reading Time: 2 minI was in an interesting Twitter discussion recently where the idea of having website links open in new tabs came up. You know what I mean; sometimes when you click a link on a website, the new site replaces what you’re viewing, but sometimes instead they automatically open up in a new browser tab. So […]
Practicing The Practice
Reading Time: 2 minI just finished Seth Godin’s latest book The Practice, and it’s excellent. If you’ve not read it yet you should absolutely pick it up. His main push in the book (and in his other work lately) is encouragement to get out there and do your craft, but do it for yourself. The act of doing […]
Five stars isn’t perfect
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen looking at the rating for your business on Google or your product on Amazon, what’s the ideal score you should have? Most think that a 5.0 rating is the goal, but it probably shouldn’t be. When consumers see a score of a perfect 5.0 on a product or business, they instantly become skeptical of […]
If you don’t say no, your yes is meaningless
Reading Time: 2 minI was at a networking event once where a gentleman stood up to introduce himself. He said something like: “I’m Bob from Insurance Company. We can help with your auto insurance, homeowners insurance, health insurance, life insurance, renter’s insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, motorcycle insurance…” and on and on. I’m not saying that a wide […]
Aim to serve your past self
Reading Time: < 1 minIf you run a business, there’s a good chance that your best customers are people that remind you of how you used to be. As Rory Vaden put it: You’re most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were. It makes sense for a lot of us. We had a problem to overcome, found […]
Don’t propose on the first date
Reading Time: < 1 minBack in 1997, the show “Dharma & Greg” ran for five seasons on ABC. It was about a couple that decided to skip the messiness of dating and get married the same day they met. Here’s a clip from the first episode if you’ve not seen it before. It was a great show, and a […]