Drop moribund marketing methods like a bad habit

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From: SmartBrief on Small Business <smallbusiness@smartbrief.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 10, 2012 at 10:54 PM
Subject: Drop moribund marketing methods like a bad habit

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September 10, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Problem. Solved.  How to get your stalled business back on track If your business is in the doldrums, you need to determine whether you still have a passion for the company and the work you're doing, Lee Polevoi writes. "If not, you can certainly reinvigorate your business by changing your vision and focus." Also, interact with customers and peers to get new ideas for your business, he writes. Intuit Small Business Blog (9/7)       Earn 2X rewards points on gasoline purchases with The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster: • 3X points on airfare • 2X points on advertising, gas, shipping • 1X points on everything else • Limited Time Offer: 50K bonus points when you spend $5K in your first 3 months of Card membership† LEARN MORE AND APPLY                             †Terms & Restrictions Apply. Marketing  Do you know the latest stats on e-mail marketing? The majority of smartphone users check e-mail on their devices, according to Google, and the platform remains popular for content marketing. However, spam is still a problem, and e-mail use has declined among younger people. Regardless, data shows "e-mail is still one of the strongest marketing mediums out there," writes John Nettles, who offers nine useful facts on e-mail marketing. RepCapitalMedia.com (9/6)       The messages all B2B marketing must send Successful marketing messaging has to give customers the impression they can't wait until later to get your product, according to this article. It must also differentiate your product from the competition and show how it will lead to a better future for your customers. MarketingProfs (9/6)       Drop moribund marketing methods like a bad habit Cold calling with a canned pitch, failing to use a referral network and sending unsolicited mass mailings are just a few of the marketing techniques that need to stop now, successful entrepreneurs say. Prioritizing sales over post-sales retention, sending e-mail spam and confining business development to local office hours are other mistakes that can be eliminated in favor of marketing methods that recognize modern realities of busy lives and crammed in-boxes. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/Young Entrepreneur Council (9/6) Tackle privacy concerns with a Value-For-Data Exchange Despite online privacy concerns, research shows that consumers continue with online tasks and exchange their data if they perceive a benefit. Learn the details of consumer apprehension and how marketers can clearly state their value proposition to defuse these concerns. Read more in this FREE white paper. Management  What's secretly stressing your employees Employees won't always let you know what they think about the working environment, Alison Green writes. But if they did, they would probably tell you they don't like meetings and they aren't always in the mood to go to attend social gatherings outside of the workplace. "Most employees would prefer that employers make it clear when events are mandatory, rather than implying they're optional and then penalizing people who don't attend," she writes. The Fast Track (9/6)       Get your employees to focus on improvement It's important to set goals for your employees, but some workers might resist this sort of initiative, Timothy Bednarz writes. Leaders can overcome this problem by listening to their employees, concentrating on the future instead of the past and willing to offer their advice. "Since goal setting can be a new experience for many employees, they may accept a goal and not know where to start or how to get there," Bednarz notes. Leaders to Leader blog (9/6)       Money  4 ways federal contractors can prepare for sequestration Whether or not sequestration actually occurs, it's wise for companies with federal contracts to prepare for possible cuts to the federal budget, Judy Bradt of Summit Insight writes. Make sure you are pricing your services correctly and look for opportunities to help agencies cut waste, she advises. American City Business Journals/Washington, D.C./FedBiz Daily blog (9/6)       Tips & Tools  How to improve your customer relationships It's important to review the health of your relationships with clients to make sure they are in good shape, according to Andrew Sobel, co-author of "Power Questions -- Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others." Businesses can survive by doing what their clients say, but the best businesses try to provide additional value. "Really successful businesses are very proactive in agenda setting," Sobel said. Fox Business Small Business Center (9/7)       Why you should use a document-management system Document-management systems can provide a number of advantages over simple file-sharing solutions. For example, they might offer more security features and might give you access to previous versions of the files in question. SmallBizTechnology.com (9/7)       Featured Content  Lifeguards Lose Their Jobs for Going "Gangnam-Style" How to Get Your Passion Back Building an Empire: Jim Koch of Sam Adams 4 Socialcam Tricks for Your Small Business Is Your Small Business in a Holding Pattern? Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Detect Lying Clients By Reading Their Facial Cues The 5 Worst Customer Service Mistakes The Only Productivity Tip You Need Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Most Read  Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Small Business readers in the past week. How to develop your business' Pinterest strategy (Entrepreneur online) What customers want to see when they visit your website (Small Business Trends) 5 tips for marketing on Instagram (NetworkSolutions.com) How to learn from your competitors' social media pages (Small Business Trends) Man documents the aging process with daily photos (YouTube) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. Just for Fun  Wedding ring lost midceremony When the groom's brother dropped the wedding ring during the ceremony for Elizabeth Gray and Lewis Aubrey, guests and the wedding party spent 10 minutes searching for it before continuing the ceremony using the ring of the bride's mother. The ring was finally located hours later by the vicar using a spade to pry apart a crack in the step, then delivered to the bride. The Telegraph (London) (9/9)       SmartQuote  I can't think of a single time in my entire life that I've received something unsolicited in the mail and actually purchased the product or service." --Justin Beegel, founder of Infographic World, as quoted by The Globe and Mail       SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! Accounting Advertising Automotive Aviation & Aerospace Biotechnology Business Chemicals Construction & Real Estate Consumer Packaged Goods Distribution Education Energy Finance Food Service Health Care Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Nonprofit Retail Technology Telecommunications Travel & Hospitality This SmartBrief was created for profjorge.entrep@gmail.com John Jantsch, Editor at Large John Jantsch is author of "Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide" and "The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself." John is a marketing and digital technology coach and creator of the Duct Tape Marketing small-business marketing system. 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