Archive for July, 2008
15 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Website Company
How do you know when it is the right time to turn your website into a marketing and lead generation site? There is so much technology out there it can be confusing for us “non-techie” entrepreneurs! Today’s 15 questions come from web marketing expert, Jeff Baker at Open Box Integration . As Jeff says: “Just attempting to answer these questions gets business thinking in a new way and has them much more prepared to ask the right questions when evaluating and engaging a website company.”
1. Do we know who is coming to our site now and how they’re using it?
2. Do we know where & why people leave our site now?
3. How have our current customers found out about us? Why did they start to do business with us?
4. Can we express what we do in words that a ten year old would understand?
5. Do we have a clear brand?
6. Do we know our value proposition?
7. How are we different from everyone else out there?
8. How do people find out about us?
9. What keywords do people search on in our industry?
10. What will give prospects that ‘wow’ experience when they come to our site?
11. Do we have already developed marketing materials that can be leveraged on the site?
12. Do we know what call to action has the most impact on our target audience?
13. What would have people think ‘Ah good, I’m in the right place’ immediately when they get to our site?
14. How will we measure the success of our new site?
15. Do we have a good CRM system to track leads through to sales?
Plan to get your message across during a media interview
Today’s guest post is from Theresa Coles, the PR expert.
One of the best ways of getting your message across during a media interview is to do lots of preparation. Very often, it’s the simple – but sometimes overlooked – things like solid preparation – not techniques and gimmicks on how to “handle” an interview – that really help to set someone up for success.
Good preparation runs the gamut, from finding out about the journalist and his or her media outlet, to practical issues such as how long the interview will last and whether visual aids or additional information would be helpful to the journalist.
Good preparation helps to calm nerves, creates a sense of control over a sometimes stressful situation, and helps the interviewee get that all important point across to the audience!
The South African golfer Gary Player is quoted as saying “The more I practice, the luckier I get” and this is true for media interviews as well as whacking a little white ball around a golf course! Something as simple as putting together a Q & A sheet, and practicing your answers until they become second nature, gives you the best chance of getting your point across.
Given that an interview often results in only a brief sound bite or one-line quote, it pays to have those important responses and points at your finger tips, so that when the opportunity comes up, you’re right there, effortlessly answering the question, and positioning your company effectively to the audience.
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Theresa E Coles, Principal: Syllable Words and Ideas, is a former journalist who “crossed over” to public relations some 15 years ago. (604) 960-0515 or theresacoles@shaw.ca
Running on Fumes?
My favourite blog post of this week has to be this article – Running on Fumes .
For all of you women out there who are driving yourself to exhaustion, pay special attention to points #2 and #5!
Life is about enjoyment, not about how much you can accomplish.
Working Hard at Getting Ahead
As a university student, I am accustomed to hard work being the greatest source of positive results – good marks and a high average. Being in the work world has shown me that there is much more to the formula of success than simply hard work.
Favourable results depend on the relationships you have with superiors and co-workers who should have an opportunity to get to know your character and understand your motivations. In this way, you can learn to work “smarter” rather than “harder” because tasks are laid out more efficiently based on an understanding your superiors have of your skills and of your willingness to be challenged.
It is important to spend your time viewing your employment as more than just a job: focusing on the end results and making those results your passion rather than attending to the mechanics that get the job done. The employer places a value on the completion of a task, honouring that will often lead to the employer taking a personal interest in your career with more challenging assignments.
- Katrina
Customer Service Experiences in LA
I was in LA recently and while there, decided to visit some businesses and see what the customer service experience was like. And here’s what I experienced:
– Ralph’s: Bought a sandwich there, sporting a large sticker saying “Made Fresh in Our Kitchen”. I unwrapped it and then checked the expiry date on the sandwich – 2 days away. The lettuce in that sandwich had transformed into a new, inedible life form. Impressions of Ralph’s: thumbs down – will never buy anything from them again.
– Bloomingdale’s: Beautiful store, great merchandise. However, when I went to make a purchase acted like they were doing me a big favour. Looked totally bored. Impressions of Bloomingdale’s: Not in a rush to go back.
– Target: Passed by the cosmetic section and the sales rep for Boots Cosmetics was there. What awesome customer experience! She was very passionate about her product, extremely knowledgeable, easy to talk to – a fun encounter. I walked away with several products that I had no intention of purchasing when I walked into the store. Impressions of Target: Loved it and will definitely go back.
- It’s a Grind Coffee Shop – was in one at Redondo Beach. Half the parking lot was under construction so business was way down. The owner was in great spirits anyway – great coffee and excellent customer service. He handled all the grumbling about lack of parking pleasantly and handed out freebies to the kids when they walked in with flustered parents. Impressions of It’s A Grind: Two thumbs up – loved the coffee and the service. It’s my favourite coffee hangout in LA now.
JetBlue: My first time flying them. The plane was clean, the seats were comfortable with lots of leg room and the crew had fun with passengers. It was a great experience. Impressions of JetBlue: Thumbs up. They deliver a great customer service experience – a rare thing in the aviation industry today.
As business owners, we often get bogged down in getting the ‘work done’. Make sure you take the time to check out your customer service – are you sure your customers are happy and impressed with your company? You need to check this out on a regular basis. Hire a mystery shopper, get a friend to pose as a customer or talk to your exisitng customers. Find out what they like, what they don’t and how you can improve. Then – take action.
