Build Trust and Loyalty, Creative Follow-Up With Cards
Follow-up Before and After the SaleIf you are new to sales or a proven veteran, you are probably looking for ways to improve your bottom line. There are many ways to market and promote yourself and your product or service. Sometimes it is the tool that is the simplest, inexpensive and easy to use that is most often overlooked. Implementing good follow-up before and after a sale is the tool that will build trust and loyalty, grow your bottom line and keep it growing.Personal Touch Paves the WayWhat I am talking about is greeting cards. If you continue you sales efforts and follow-up lunches, meetings and phone calls with a simple card expressing thanks and appreciation, you will become the one who is appreciated. Do this consistently and you will become the one that is remembered, referred, and trusted. You will make the sale or close the deal.Appreciation Over Self PromotionIt is puzzling to me why this tried and true sales technique is overlooked an underused. The proof of the technique, I’m sure can be found in a bunch of statistics but you can know the power of it by being the recipient of someone who uses this technique. Of all people selling today, I learned how powerful this approach is from a paint contractor. He was referred to me by a cashier working at a grocery store checkout line, someone that I had never met before. I just commented how beautiful this spring day was and followed it with “I should be painting my house”. Well before I knew it I had his card in my hand and a hearty recommendation. To keep a long story short, I got three estimates and his was not the cheapest but all estimates were pretty close. He followed up with a thank-you card and a list of painting tips and his contact information. I procrastinated on it for two months and during that time received two more cards. One card with paint brush cleaning tips and contact information including his website. The other card with his favorite local paint store and contact infor

How I Solved Problem In The Beginning Of My Career? - A Case Study
Background I finished my MBA in October 1985 and placed at M/S. XYZ Pvt. Ltd. (the real name of the company is hidden)as a Management Trainee. The Company produces empty containers used by tooth powder, face powder and paint manufactures. The process of production of containers was as follows.Production Process Tin plate sheets are cut according to the size of the containers and then transferred to coating and printing departments where first coating used to be given to the sheets and then as per the buyers instructions, the printing of label, logo, etc. get printed. After drying in the oven, the sheets were shifted to fabrication department to mould and weld the sheets to get the containers. The finished containers will be send to the quality control to check the quality aspects and the good containers will be given to the packing section from where the packed containers will be dispatched to the buyers.My Assignment I was posted to the coating and printing department to evaluate the productivity of the coating section. In the coating section the maximum allotted workers were four of which one technical and the rest were non-technical. My assignment was not clear and specific.Methodology I followed After going through the daily attendance record for the previous three month period, I came to know for a good number of days the coating section was run with three workers (one technical and two non technical) also. It gave me an idea to proceed further. I found there were three workers present for 41 days and four workers were present for 49 days of the selected period of 90 days. I collected data of daily production in terms of number of sheets coated when three workers were present and when four workers were present separately. I computed daily average production using arithmetic mean and standard deviation for the two groups. Apparently I found there was difference. Based on this, I found there was a problem of more number of workers allotted t

How To Sell To Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... And Paul McCartney!
Do you know what Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... and Paul McCartney all have in common?Well, the simple truth is... they're all... "Baby Boomers"!The "Baby Boomer" generation accounts for all of us born between January 1, 1946 and December 31, 1963.Here's a few interesting facts about the baby boomers in general:First, they control 70% of the entire net worth of the United States! Second... they represent 27.5% of the population according to the last census, taken in 2000. And third... once they start hitting 40... many of them... Start Having Problems With Their Eyesight!It's true!According to the National Eye Institute's 2002 Report called "Vision Problems In The U.S.", there are 3,406,280 people over age 40, who have some kind of visual impairment!And generally, for many folks... the older you get, the worse your eyesight gets.So here's a little tip if you're selling goods or services to older folks: Since you're likely to have a higher percentage of them who do have vision problems...Make Sure Your Ads Are Easy To Read!So, here's what you should do: Studies have shown, using a font called "Courier 10 BT" produces a larger ad response than other fonts.Now be careful, Courier 10 BT, is NOT the same as the "Courier New" font, you may already have on your computer.Not at all!See, the Courier 10 BT font, is a little darker. And this darker font, is easier to read... and this lifts the response to your ads.Here's an example of the Courier 10 BT Font in action:"If you can read this, you're still doing fine sonny boy!"It's sure not the prettiest font in the world -- it's more like the old-style fonts you used to have on your typewriters (Remember those?) -- but, it works like a charm... and you won't ever get in trouble for making your ads easier to read, right?Anyhow, if you want to guarantee your ads are easy to read, and you're working in a marketplace that may

Customer Service
What is good customer service? That’s a question that often haunts both marketers and consumers alike, mainly because their definition of this sometimes elusive concept is at odds with one another. Young people who work the counters will often lament what they consider to be the outlandish expectations of their customers, which they feel are over and above the call of duty.Meanwhile, the older fold will criticize the service industry workers today for not taking enough care and attention to their needs like they did in “the old days”. Perhaps only the professionals can come up with a firm definition of what customer service is all about.The bottom-line is that customer service is taking care of the client as best you can, regardless of whether your business is in retail or food service, automotive repair or washing windows. In the service industry, it always pays to work fast because it tells your customers that you are paying attention to their needs. One of the first rules of business is, if you have a customer, don’t make him wait. And if it’s unavoidable that he has to wait (say, you’re working on another customer) then, at the very least, acknowledge his presence so he knows that you care.A second rule is concerned with attitude. As the saying goes, “kill them with kindness” Certainly, there will be ill-mannered customers who treat you poorly or show disrespect, but refusing to stoop to this level and dealing with them in a courteous, professional manner always gets their attention, leaving them confused and feeling like a jerk. Remember, at the core of basic customer service is treating your customers with respect.I’m sure you’ve been on the other end of the transaction where you were the customer and say, some credit card representative or the Avon lady was calling on you to make a pitch. Remember the amount of self-control that they exercised even when you were sometimes cranky or in a rush. It pays to have a cool head and that’s a big part of good

Using a Marketing Calendar Template
Owning a small business isn’t easy, especially if you are running it alone. Between moving products, taking orders, paying bills, and taking care of family, it is easy to lose track of everything you need to do. Using a calendar template to organize and manage your marketing strategy will ensure you don’t drop the ball with one of the most important parts of your business.Developing a Marketing StrategyFirst, research and identify who your target clientele is, and what characteristics they share that make them valuable to you. If you have developed software that organizes and manages an online calendar, you probably will not want to target 14-year-old skateboarders. But it is not enough just to identify an age category or an activity your target market shares – you need to consider socio-economic status, buying habits, and potential for up-selling. I may be in Porsche’s target age group, but I am definitely not in their target tax bracket!Second, after identifying who you will be targeting, research and explore venues for your advertising message. The demographics of your desired customers will play a key role in deciding which venues to pursue, so don’t forget about them. Examples of marketing venues available to you include newspaper ads, bus stop banners, sports team sponsorships, online marketing (including pay-per-click campaigns and search engine optimization), local television spots, and, if you’re feeling extra ambitious, the Super Bowl.Finally, after identifying your desired customers and selecting which marketing venues you will pursue, create a marketing calendar. Calendar templates are available online for download and use. A calendar template typically divides time into weeks, providing a space each week to record what event or marketing method you are focusing on; how much money has been and will be spent on the activity; deadlines, contacts, and important notes; and what the results of the marketing ploy were. Once you have these three

Job-Seeking
Confidence is essential when looking for a job because it can be a very stressful situation. When we show to a potential employer that we can do a job then there is a better chance that they will want us for the job. Try out as many fields as you can and fill out as many applications as you can on them.Below are a few things you should keep in mind when applying for a job in the newspaper or from the sign in the window:• Have a neat & short resume ready. It is more than enough to have a one page resume. Employers will not give a long multi paged resume full attention. It is more important to show the potential employer that you can & will do the job. Attach as many references as you can to your resume so the employer will be well informed of your working background.• Be a success dresser. Wearing nice & appropriate attire will impress potential employers. The old clich? ‘Dress for Success’ actually work wonders. A good resume, adequate skills for the job, a consistent smile, and a firm handshake at the end of the interview will make a good first impression.Below are more tips to help you find a job of your dreams. Look through local newspapers ads and mark the ones which hold your interests. Then give them a call as soon as possible. Also email or fax them your resume. Or else you may actually miss out on a chance of a lifetime.The internet contains many job offers. Search the keyword ‘Jobs’ on major web engines & it will present to you many results. Usually, you can look up on local job posting websites to refine job searching in your local areas. You can also do a search for International opportunities on other job posting websites relevant to your country of interest. Do a search for jobs depending on where you want to work & what kind of job you are looking for be it a home based job, a regular office job, or a labor job.Avoid home based job offers that require you to pay a fee upfront as they are more often than not scams. E