The Shreveport Convention Center was the location for the ninth annual Ark-La-Tex Boat Sport and RV Show and Fishing Tournament this weekend. The event had a moderate attendance in spite of the very cold weather for this area. The weather certainly did not intimidate the vendors who filled the floor with boats, RVs, and other wheeled [...]

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Many businesses are begun with a few ideas scribbled on a paper napkin. While this is all well and good, the truly successful business must have much more important planning and research to operate well. Furthermore, the plan should be in written form. Writing the plans down forces the owner to put the plan ideas into concrete, understandable form. That will be important as a definable benchmark to which to refer later.

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Your List is . . . Everything?

Your mailing list (or e-mail list) is everything! 
 I know this sounds like an overstatement, but consider this.
Your list is your customer database.  The names on this list are the record, so to speak, of your business.  They are certainly the most valuable asset of your business.  “But,” you may argue, [...]

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I hear people bemoaning the fact that they are poor writers.  They wish they could be better; they consider taking college writing courses; they wish they could be better; they read books on writing; they wish they could be better; and they wish, wish, and wish. However, they fail to simply write, write, and write.
Mary [...]

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Marketing at its most fundamental level is the presentation of your business–your goods or services–to a potential customer so that he or she wishes to exchange something with you for what you have to offer.

Now, I will reveal my bias: I believe sales, advertising, public relations, and publicity are all subsegments of the larger field of marketing.

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Here is a classic example of a large corporation’s failure to effectively take the customer’s psychology into account.

While I’m certain Macy’s spent a lot of money on marketing before they made all the changes described in the New York Times article, they only concentrated on the proper things with the proper scientific testing after they had lost billions of dollars and run off some valuable customers forever! And this doesn’t even count a dramatic drop in Macy’s stock price!

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Is marketing everything?
If we think of marketing as the sum of all efforts to inform our customers or potential customers of every aspect of our business–products and/or services–then it is “everything!”
Without adequate information about our products or services, how can we logically expect our customers to make a decision favorable to us.   Of course, all [...]

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Is psychology important in marketing?  Absolutely!
Yes, the psychology of the intended customer is of paramount importance.  This is the beginning discussion of this essential element in your marketing.  Failure to pay the proper attention to this basic element, customer psychology, will seriously hamper your message and your sales.
While each of us may believe he or [...]

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Most businesses claim to cater to the customer.   They may make a strong point in their marketing and advertising.  Unfortunately, many fall far short of that goal.  Look at some of the experiences Mr. Merholz had with major airlines.

Where do we fall short?  Usually in failing to have true customer service as a part of [...]

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Of course, difficult times call for improved knowledge and skills, but thy are essential in every phase of a business cycle.  They allow you to maintain your edge and increase your lead over your competition.
Here is a collection of 15 different websites that will help you sharpen your business skill set in a number of [...]

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