You can spend thousands of dollars on an ad campaign, only to have it all go to waste if your customers are put off by the service they receive when they actually enter your business. If you think your customers are less than impressed by your employees then give your customer service a makeover with these 10 tips.  Read More →

What is it that your customers value? Is it a live person answering their call? Being able to get information from your web site or in email? Find out why focusing on your customer’s preferences is the surest path to a thriving business.  Read More →

Why Word of Mouth Doesn’t Happen This content from: Duct Tape Marketing This post is a special Make a Referral Week guest post featuring education on the subject of referrals and word of mouth marketing and making 1000 referrals to 1000 small businesses – check it out at Make a Referral Week 2010 Sometimes, what you do is done as well as it can be done. It’s a service that people truly love, or a product they can’t live... 

17 Terrific Tactics to Inspire Customer Love (and Get New Business) This content from: Duct Tape Marketing This post is a special Make a Referral Week guest post featuring education on the subject of referrals and word of mouth marketing and making 1000 referrals to 1000 small businesses – check it out at Make a Referral Week 2010 There are two fundamental approaches to generate more business…  Read More →

Interim executives fill managerial roles. To get the most out of them, companies must find the right match and acknowledge internal problems  Read More →

A Simple Way to Increase Referrals 300% This content from: Duct Tape Marketing This post is a special Make a Referral Week guest post featuring education on the subject of referrals and word of mouth marketing and making 1000 referrals to 1000 small businesses – check it out at Make a Referral Week 2010 I’m always amazed at how much is written about sales and marketing and how little is written on the nuts and bolts of driving business... 

I love Tom Peters. He’s gotten me in trouble for years. Well, his books have. I finally got to have lunch with him, and then see him keynote. The affair just grows and grows. And now, Tom’s done the whole “compile some good blog posts into a better book” thing. It’s awesome. His new book, The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE (amazon affiliate link), is just outright …  Read More →

According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, Hispanics are opening businesses at a rate three times faster than the national average. And, what was once regarded as a minority group now represents the fastest-growing segment of the nation’s economy. This is a fact that is not lost on the government. Speaking to Hispanic News, Ying Lowrey, senior economist at the Small Business Administration’s advocacy office, has this to say:... 

One year after profiling new business ventures started by the recently unemployed, we check to see where they are now  Read More →

I got the word this week: The Blue Ocean Cafe has  Read More →

My friend, Chris Hall, has told me about Batten Disease , an illness that strikes down children, most often in the 4-10 year-old age range. Chris’s son, Matthew, passed away from the disease a short while ago. They’ve set up a Facebook group about their son, and about Batten Disease, to raise awareness. Chris told me, “Our first aim is to significantly increase numbers (for awareness). Once we have done this we’re going... 

I just read a study produced by the Crittenton Women’s Union that shows that a single parent in Massachusetts needs approximately $68,000 a year to raise a toddler and a school-age kid. (Hat tip WBUR Morning Edition ). Most single parents (primarily women) aren’t earning even half that in Massachusetts. It’s a tough challenge, and also hard to understand how to help. By simply sending money, the problem is softened a bit. But... 

Today  is the first day of the 2010 Make-A-Referral Week . Make a Referral Week is an entrepreneurial approach to stimulating the small business economy one referred business at a time. The goal for the week is to generate 1000 referred leads to 1000 deserving small businesses in an effort to highlight the impact of a simple action that could blossom into millions of dollars in new business.  One of the educational programs related to Make-A-Referral... 

Author of Word of Mouth Marketing Visits Referral Week This content from: Duct Tape Marketing This post is a special Make a Referral Week guest post featuring education on the subject of referrals and word of mouth marketing and making 1000 referrals to 1000 small businesses – check it out at Make a Referral Week 2010 Marketing podcast with Andy Sernovitz (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes... 

The Referral Multiplier Effect This content from: Duct Tape Marketing This post is a special Make a Referral Week guest post featuring education on the subject of referrals and word of mouth marketing and making 1000 referrals to 1000 small businesses – check it out at Make a Referral Week 2010 After I read an early copy of John’s terrific new book The Referral Engine , it got me thinking about how really great online information makes...