It is possible to make the case that as an advertising message, “excellent customer service” has become a waste of time/ink. Everybody claims to adore their customers more than any competitor. People know it’s their credit card/checkbook that is adored.

Touting customer service as a differentiating factor is reminiscent of the 1950s, when offices and shops were just beginning to install air conditioning. Many advertised this fact with “It’s Cool Inside” door stickers and even in their ads. Today, advertising that you have an air conditioned facility is somewhat like announcing that you have “flat floors” or “adequate lighting.”

At the same time, there is far more to customer relationships than just promising to “care more” than your competition. “Defy conventional wisdom,” says Frances Frei, associate professor at the Harvard Business School. When you apply her insights to your business, you may come up with new ways of leveraging customer value. For example, learn how an insurance company quickly weeds out high-risk customers who end up denting their bottom line. Sounds implausible, but it just may be possible you don’t want to sign up every customer who lurches through your door!

Although consumers in general plan to spend less this holiday, online shopping is still growing. If you are running an e-commerce store, this is the busiest and most competitive time of the year so you should be more aggressive to increase your sales.

Although there are many Internet marketing strategies and tactics today, email marketing continues to be an effective and cost-efficient strong weapon of choice. According to Direct Marketing Association, “For every dollar spent on email marketing in 2007, marketers can expect an estimated $48.29 ROI. Without a doubt, email marketing achieves the greatest ROI of all marketing channels we look at.”

Another statistics from Shop.org shows that email delivers sales at an average cost per order of less than $7, compared to $71.89 for banner ads, $26.75 for paid search and $17.47 for affiliate programs.

Here are 2 clever ways to use email marketing this holiday season:

1. Suggest a gift. Offer gift ideas and packages specific to a person like dad, mom, friend, lover, brothers or sisters. This will make shopping a lot easier for many of your customers.
2. Offer Christmas deals. Most consumers are in the mood for shopping these days so why not offer a promo they simply can’t resist? This will encourage them to buy more in return for a small concession like incremental discounts (example: 10% for purchase above $100, 15% for above $200, etc.)

As the web becomes more and more a part of both our personal and business lives, business people and marketing professionals have turned towards web surveys to do research, plan projects, get feedback and develop new products and services. The emergence of excellent web survey applications, complete with wizards to make creation fast and simple, templates to ensure attractive designs, and full suites of reports and statistical analysis, make this method of interacting with your customers very attractive and extremely cost effective. However, as with all computer applications, the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” applies to surveys as well - if you do not know how to design an effective survey, the results will leave much to be desired.

Introductions, first

Whether on the first page of the survey, or in the cover letter inviting people to respond, it is important that you introduce the theme and purpose of the survey. This establishes in advance what types of questions you will be asking and puts the audience in the right frame of mind for answering the survey. Additionally, it helps to tell them why they were chosen, to establish understanding and trust, and assure that their input will be confidential, and personal information will not be shared.

Organize Yourself

It is important that the questions you ask fit within the theme and purpose set down in the introduction. Create an outline, when you are first planning your survey, and then subgroup the questions into logical categories.

First think about what information you want to know, and develop your questions from that. Experiment with different groupings, until each question flows from the previous, in logical order.

Give careful thought to how much you need each question - the fewer the better, because people generally do not have the time or inclination to answer long questionnaires.

Respect your Respondents

Be careful not to use jargon and buzzwords, but also avoid being too simplistic by knowing your survey audience and finding the appropriate balance. Remember that the respondent is taking time out of busy day to help you. Tell them in the introduction approximately how long it might take to complete, and let them know, as they go, how far along they are.

Carefully Craft Questions

When surveys are delivered by phone, trained surveyors usually conduct them and the respondent can get clarification without being led towards a particular answer. With self-administered surveys on the web, every question must be completely clear and understandable. Keep each question as short as possible, without losing meaning, and avoid jargon unless you are sure your audience understands it.

Be careful to ask only one thing at a time. If you have to ask additional questions on the same topic, do it as separate questions to avoid getting muddled responses. Be aware of inserting your own biases and intentions into the question, and try to keep questions neutral so that a “right answer” is not evident. The idea is to get truthful answers which go straight to the heart of the subject, and the simplest variations in a question can make this happen, or not.

Know Your Type

We are all familiar with the most common types of survey question formats - text, check boxes, yes/no, range responses - but there is a real science to knowing which type to use with which question to get the best results. For example:

* When using multiple choice answers to jog the respondent’s memory, will it create bias towards the available choices? Is that okay?
* It might seem easiest to use a Yes/No or True/False question, but be sure that these two answers are the only ones that a respondent might possibly want to use or they will be forced to choose, diluting the truth of their answer.
* When using ranges, for example “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” how many choices are necessary? Five is typical - but is it possible that many users will be “lazy” and chose the middle, and neutral, position?
* Before giving using text fields, known also as “free form” fields, consider how you will summarize these responses.

As you develop the survey, think about the different types and picture the results that will come from using each type. With your audience in mind, determine which type would provide the most effective results for what you need to find out. You can further refine these decisions when you test the survey, as explained later.

Protect Against Non-Response

It is unavoidable that a percentage of those surveyed are non-responders. The best way to minimize this element in the survey results is to keep the survey short and to the point, follow a clear outline with stated goals, and accurately target who the survey recipients need to be.

Believe it or not, research states that a 10-15% response rate on any survey is considered a success.

Dangle a Carrot

Even with every precaution taken, creating surveys is never an exact science because there is little control over the human element. For whatever reason, you will often scratch your head wondering why people looked at the survey and dropped out, or just never even looked. A carefully executed survey can minimize this - and incentives can take it a step further. Do you have something you can give away, to encourage folks to take your survey? Providing a free item or bit of information, providing a free copy of the results, or some other lure can go a long way towards gathering results.

Fly a Pilot

When you, yourself, develop a survey, it is easy to overlook the elements that might stop your respondents from completing the survey and wording that might not be clear. Always be sure to test the survey on a few people prior to sending it out to your entire audience. This will also allow you to review the results and see if the questions asked and the way they were answered will result in effective results.

Cut it Off

Be sure to tell your respondents when the survey will be closed. Typically, most respondents will respond within 5 days of receipt and so unless you know for sure that a significant portion of your audience needs longer, a week is a fair amount of time. Do not send out the survey on Fridays or over weekends - we all know what we do with mail received on those days! Try Tuesday morning for optimal response, and expect to see approximately 50% of your responses in the first 24 hours.

It may seem like you need a dual degree in cognitive psychology and statistics to develop an effective survey. This not being true for most of us, these guidelines will provide a foundation to improve both the survey and the results of your efforts. There is no better way to find out what your customers want than to ask them, and if they are already online, web surveys are an ideal way to do it.

If you think selling over the phone is easier than face-to-face selling, maybe it’s time for you to think again. Phone selling is very challenging given the high level of mistrust of many consumers and the lack of physical contact to gauge the openness of your customers. If this type of selling is vital to your business, you should consider the following tips:

1. Establish relationship in less than 10 seconds. Since you can’t convey your message with a good body language, you will have to rely entirely on your friendly tone and charming personality to forge a relationship. Make your approach more casual so your customers won’t know you’re reading a script.
2. Keep it short and sweet. Don’t bore your prospects with details by focusing on the key benefits of your product, the main message you want to tell, and some personal positive experiences from other customers.
3. Plan your calls. Segment each call if it’s a prospect, cold call, close, follow up, or existing customers. Each segment needs different approach and phone selling tactic.
4. Follow up. Don’t expect to make a sale after just one selling session. It takes time and persistence to win a customer. Remember, you’re not the only one pursuing that customer so take time to call again on the date agreed by both parties.

Many of us are familiar with promotional items. These are free stuffs like pens or shirts bearing a company logo given to consumers or business partners. Some entrepreneurs don’t believe it is effective but a recent study (pdf file) conducted by Promotional Products Association International shows the positive impact of promo products to brand and company image:

Promotional Products have a positive impact on brand image. Specifically, when comparing people who receive a promotional product from a company with others who do not, this research shows that people who receive a promotional product have a significantly more positive opinion about a business through more positive overall image, more positive perception of the business, higher likelihood of recommending the business, and higher likelihood of patronization

Before you employ this method in your business, you should know the reasons behind your giveaways. Is it to increase sales, encourage trials, build brand or company identity, or generate new leads?

This important question will lead you to the right direction and right approach towards your customers. Otherwise, it would result to a complete failure, similar to what happened to Pontiac/Oprah giveaway 2 years ago.

You’re probably wondering what promo items are best for your business. It would greatly help if there is a strong connection between your brand and promo items. Knowledge of your target market will play a large part in this tactic.

For instance, your business is connected with helping other people earn money online. You should give away free information products like e-books or videos on different tips to increase traffic or improve conversion.

If you’re a big fan of any sports like basketball, baseball, football or soccer, why don’t you build a business around it? Your passion will be a major motivating factor but can also be your very weakness. Make sure you scan the market first before investing. Here are some of the business ideas you can build around your favorite sports:

Sports camp

Every summer many parents enroll their children in different sports camps or clinics to enhance their skills and boost self-confidence. Minimum startup cost is about $10,000 to pay for accommodations, equipment, marketing campaign, salary, and a possible endorsement by a local sports celebrity in your town or city.

Designing and Printing Team Uniforms

If you pay particular attention to team uniforms instead of the actual game, why not start selling and designing uniforms to different teams in schools or companies. You can pattern the logos on your favorite teams and subcontract the actual printing on the clothes if you are afraid to invest initially. Minimum cash outlay is about $2,000.

Sports Coaching

Some play on the field while others with their minds. If you have experience as a coach of any sports, it is feasible to offer a one-on-one service both to starting athletes and aspiring coaches. You can also run monthly seminars if you prefer dealing with many clients.

Even if your business is not connected with sports, sponsoring sports activities can help increase awareness about your company and possibly reap additional revenues.

Would it be nice if we can promote our business and contribute to the society at the same time? Cause marketing is a not a new concept but many entrepreneurs have a misconception that this is only applicable to big companies.

They say a good deed is often rewarded. In the case of cause marketing, it can boost your company image and make your customers feel better about themselves. According to a new research,

The perception that a company is doing good raised the premium consumers are willing to pay for a brand by an average of 6.1 percent.

Among survey respondents, 70 percent said purchasing products from companies that support causes makes them feel they are being socially responsible. Fifty-three percent said the connection makes them feel like a part of something beyond the scope of their own lives.

In case you are interested to integrate this approach in your small business, here are some things you should consider:

1. It needs passion and commitment. This step can be very risky if you simply want to increase your revenues. Choose a charity that is close to your heart and take time to know more about this group before you implement this strategy.
2. Deal with the right charitable group. You should also check the credibility of your chosen institution. Unfortunately, there are numerous swindlers who use charity as their front. Also, make sure the organizers are equally willing to promote your company as well.

Not all entrepreneurs can get that much-coveted media coverage. It takes a lot of promotional efforts like press releases and other ads to finally ignite the curiosity of the media to highlight your company. And if you did manage to get their attention, your popularity might only last for a few days. Luckily, there are some practical ways to sustain your popularity, such as:

1. If you are featured in leading magazines or newspapers, you can photocopy that article and attach it in your brochures and other printed marketing materials. This will help build your reputation to your new and existing customers.
2. If you are featured in leading online publications like Entrepreneur.com or Inc.com, you should create a link in your website pointing to these sites. You should also include a “Press” or “Media” section in your site to save all your press releases, interviews, and media kit for interested parties. This will create a long-term impact as every new visitor has a chance to read the articles about your company.
3. Frame it. If you have an offline store, it would be better if you can frame a copy of your article for your visitors to see. In case you had a TV interview, you can also play it from time to time. This is a very common practice among restaurants.
4. Talk about it. As they say, talk is cheap. You can mention it to your key customers, suppliers, business partners, and even personal friends. Don’t forget to bring it up in as many conversations as possible.

However, you should be careful in dealing with these media companies. Startup Spark has cited about a new scam from a company called Platinum Television Group

Despite the growing popularity of online advertising, some entrepreneurs still rely heavily on print ads given the nature of their business or target market. Whether you’re advertising on newspapers or magazines, here are some tips you should consider when doing your print ads in general:

1. Ask the publications for a media kit. This contains important info such as rates, sizes, readership, and profile of readers to validate if this is the right medium for you.
2. Use captivating headline. Similar with the Internet, magazines and newspapers are both cluttered with ads from different companies. Use the 10 surefire headlines formula that work as your reference.
3. Highlight you key benefits over competition and prove it. Cite some useful testimonials from your customers or statistics to back up your claims.
4. Motivate readers to take action. Give them a reason to act now such as discounts, bonus, freebies, or limited offers.
5. A pretty face can turn your readers away. GrokDotCom has a very interesting heatmap research about using pretty models in your ads. Although it used an online ad for the test, the lesson is still relevant for print ads.

We have this popular dictum that excellent salespeople are made, not born. In reality, it is easier said than done. Some of us come from different technical backgrounds and don’t have much experience in selling. Others are introvert by nature and might not have good people skills.

Although there are many selling tactics and exercises to help us become effective sales person, it is very important that we change our attitude first before anything else. Otherwise, all these trainings and lessons will not work. Some of the things we need to improve on include:

1. Patience. Selling is similar to a tree for it takes time to grow. We can’t be very successful salespeople overnight. We should be patient to learn each lesson and not too eager to get ahead.
2. Hard work and persistence. Don’t believe those e-books claiming they know the 150 powerful secrets to closing sales in less than 5 minutes. There are no secrets at all. What we have are basic selling strategies, practice, practice, and a lot more practice. You have to rely on hard work and persistence if you want to be effective.
3. Being objective all the time. A good salesperson should always be open to suggestions and criticisms from other people. You should not blindly believe your product is effective even if your customers are saying it’s not.