1. Not listening

As a marketer you have a pretty good understanding of what actually needs to be done for a client, however sometimes marketers go off on their own ideas and ignore what the client wants. STOP!  Remember the number 1 objective should be your client's happiness. That means listening to what the client wants and making compromises when possible.   

Do you have a system in place to organize your customers? Whether they are prospects or existing clients you need to have processes in place for keeping track of vital client information. Confused about what is an CRM system? A CRM system is simple a way to organize your clients and prospective clients. Yes, an excel spreadsheet can be considered a CRM system, but for some an excel spreadsheet isn’t enough.This is when they turn to software such as Salesforce. A CRM system is important for several reasons; organization of contact details, keeping track of the sales pipeline, and making sure everyone is on the same page.

You may have noticed, people live on their devices, I know I feel like I’m missing an arm without my cell phone. 82% of buyers research you online before they take action, be it buying your product or service or calling you to schedule a demo. This means your digital presence has to be up to snuff.

There are lots of great ways to help generate leads through your website. Having someone opt in by giving you their “almighty” email address can be very powerful. Previously we posted about subscribe boxes and pop up email collection apps but there are tons of ways to get someone to opt in and make it fun at the same time. One of my favorites is a quiz.

Finally, I have a printed copy of the 2016/17 Global Marketing Strategy for Marketing Eye and it is being developed out to the point where every single item in the marketing strategy is given to a person who is responsible for outcomes.

It's particularly exciting given that usually we only share part of the plan, but this year, we decided to share it all - along with our profit sharing strategy for employees. It's time for many of our younger team members to start investing in houses or apartments, and they cannot do that without getting some real money behind them.

An organically grown email list is key to a strong online presence. However, asking for someone’s email address can be tricky. I had personal experience requesting email addresses in a store and people treating me like I requested exclusive access to their first born child’s naming rights. Anyway, users are reluctant to just give out their email address when they first step foot on your site. They want to be certain they enjoy your content and find value in it. Below I will include a short list of useful lead gen tools to capture emails but first let’s go over a few polite ways to ask for users’ emails.

As most of you know, in a blink of an eye, the carefully curated “good girl” image of one Taylor Swift was destroyed by a series of snapchat videos exposing her to be a liar and destroying her reputation.  For those of you that live under a rock, you can read about it on vox.com.  

“What can we learn from this?” you ask, “How does this have any relevance to my business?” let me elaborate.  

Knowing your audience when presenting your business is essential. In order to succeed at selling your company you need to know when to lay it on thick and when to back off. Different scenarios call for different sales pitches. Speaking to someone in the hallway versus a formal business meeting should not be approached in the same manner. It can be a huge turn off to a prospect when you are trying to over sell them right off the bat.

Business cards. Easy, simple, and one of the best ways to gain new clients. Think about the last time you gave a potential client your business card. What did the client look like? What sort-of help were they looking for? Where did you meet? A restaurant? A convention? Maybe in line at a coffee shop? These questions may seem trivial, but they can actually mean the difference between gaining and losing a new client.

Do you network with industry leaders?

If you are a business struggling to get leads and you answered “never” to the above question then you are in for a big surprise.