Inside the Envelope

Marketing a product that customers can see, touch, and try before they buy is challenging enough. So how can you market something customers can't see or feel? How do you turn an intangible idea into something that will connect with people in a hands-on, real-world way? That is often the challenge involved with marketing a service. Here are five tips to help you get started: Focus on answering the question, "What's in it for me?" Feature lists are all well and good, but for most people the bottom line (THEIR bottom line) is what really matters. If you can show a prospect how your service will benefit them (by saving time, reducing costs, providing security, or eliminating frustration, worry, or doubt), that will go far in convincing them to give you a try. Make it real. Just telling someone how much your service will benefit them isn't always enough. Back up your claims with tangible, real-world proof. Use testimonials, case studies, and verified statistics whenev

A toll-free number is no longer the standard way for customers to contact you. Customers are bombarded with choices in today's technology-focused world. If your business doesn't offer a method of communication that suits your customers' preferences, they may find another company that does. Here are 10 tips to make it easy for ALL of your customers to get (and stay) in touch with you: Consider offering a live chat support service option on your website that provides real-time, text-based conversation with someone who can quickly answer questions. Use social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate with customers. Post helpful information in your stream, and encourage customers to ask questions and provide product feedback. Provide interactive maps that allow people to customize directions to your location, as well as a photo of your building to make your business easier to find. Include any helpful information that may save customers frustration when they

I'd like to share a story with you that I heard recently. It may be familiar to you, but I think it bears repeating... Each morning, a servant would carry water to his master's house from a nearby stream using two large clay pots, hung on opposite ends of a long pole. One of the pots was in perfect condition, but the other had a crack along its side that caused it to leak water. As a result, the cracked pot was only half full by the time the servant reached the house. This went on for two years before the cracked pot finally gathered the courage to say something to the servant. Feeling embarrassed by what it perceived to be its shortcomings, the pot said, "I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the servant, confused by the pot's sorrow. "For two years, I've watched as my partner delivered a full pot of water to your servant's home each day. Meanwhile, I've struggled to deliver just half my load because of this crack in my side

If you're feeling overwhelmed by various forms of electronic communication, you're not alone. There's something to be said for traditional forms of contact, whether the warmth of a handshake or the crunch of a newspaper. In our attempt to feed our information-hungry prospects and customers, we run the risk of creating a system overload. If your business is looking for a way to break through the electronic communication overload, try marketing in print. People are so used to being bombarded with emails, texts, Facebook notifications, tweets, and pop-up ads that attractive, quality postcards, self-mailers, and other marketing pieces offer a refreshing change of pace. Sometimes you just need to disconnect to connect.

Perfect pitch is a musical term for the ability to recognize any note on the scale just by hearing it -- or to sing any note on the scale without a point of reference. Experts say only one in 10,000 people have this ability, though others may possess elements of the skill . In sales, we often refer to our own sort of "perfect pitch" -- a presentation so persuasive it overcomes objections and leaves no doubt in a prospect's mind that our product or service is exactly what they need. Like perfect pitch in music, a perfect pitch in sales can seem equally elusive. And while there is no fail-safe way to close every sale, there are things you can do to make your presentations resonate with prospects and strike a better chord. Do your homework. Get to know as much as you can about your audience before you meet. Discover their needs, their wants...and their motivations. Tailor your pitch and approach to address those triggers, and focus on how your product can benefit the

If you've ever eaten at a fast-food restaurant, surely you've been asked, "Would you like fries with that?" or "Would you like to supersize your meal?" Cross-selling involves presenting customers with complementary products or services to consider above and beyond their initial purchase. Here are a few tips on how to successfully cross-sell (or up-sell) your products to increase revenue: Use cross-selling as a way to help customers try to solve a problem, rather than just to sell more stuff. Educate them on products or services you have to offer that may meet their needs or new items that weren't available before. Suggest relevant items that complement and make the initial purchase more valuable (such as selling a memory card, camera case, and batteries with a new camera). Also consider offering items that vary in price, such as an $8 case, a $15 case, and a $25 case. The least-expensive items will most commonly be added as impulse buys. Position prod

Baseball legend Babe Ruth once said, "The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." Ruth may have been talking about baseball, but the same is true in business. While we often celebrate visionary leaders and pioneering individuals who set themselves apart from the crowd, most successful companies are built and sustained on the effectiveness of their teams. So what sets great teams apart, and what traits should you aspire to as part of a team? Here are five keys to get you started. Define your role. Every show needs a supporting cast, and every team needs role players who bring their own unique skills and experiences to the table. Figure out what role you play (or should play) on the team. If you are the team leader, then lead. Otherwise, carve out a niche for yourself that allows you to bring your best qualities forward

Experts say it costs five times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. Consequently, customer retention is critical to the success of your business. Here are a few tips to help you stay in front of your customers and increase your customer retention rates: Develop a customer loyalty program that offers special promotions and incentives for return customers, such as birthday discounts, a reward punch card, free shipping, monthly discounts, free upgrades, and the like. Offer surveys that ask customers what they think of your business and how you can improve. Encourage open communication with your customers. Request feedback and suggestions. Offer options such as email forms, surveys, a toll-free number, chat forums, and social media links. Consider creating a focus group with a couple loyal customers to provide their insight from a customer's perspective. Be sure to reward them for their input. Utilize customer complaints and suggestions to improve your p

Some truths are timeless. Here are five from the Roman statesman Cicero and though written more than 2000 years ago, each is still applicable today. 1. The delusion that personal gain is made by crushing others While this may be true of Hollywood villains and reality show contestants, most of us realize that true success comes from working together toward a common goal. Profits are certainly a vital component of success in business, but making them at the expense of those around you is not. Partnerships, collaboration, and teamwork are far more effective ways to build the kind of long-term, sustainable success most of us are after. 2. The tendency to worry about things that cannot be changed or corrected Far too much energy is spent on idle worrying. That doesn't mean we shouldn't concern ourselves with improvement. By all means we should. But worrying never accomplished anything. Try not to get overly concerned with things that are beyond your control. Do your best, acc