Sales & Marketing

If recruiting is considered the lifeblood of an organization, then training must certainly be its pulse. Experienced salespeople are often reluctant to take time away from their busy schedules for training. As a result, over time, they frequently become less productive. It is only natural to expect commission-based salespeople to resist any activity that takes them away from their customers. …

Positive word of mouth is one of the most coveted outcomes of great products and service. It is also possibly the best thing that can happen to any business. A good reputation generates referrals—the most profitable leads that a business can receive. Clients acquired through referrals are more loyal, easier to close, more cost-efficient; and in turn are often the …

Botox is not a permanent solution to aging and wrinkles. It is a superficial fix and after a few months the same old wrinkles reappear. Sometimes, people tend to take for a similar short-sighted approach to their marketing efforts. Many businesses are looking for a quick fix to bring on new business fast.

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article entitled “Retirement Income? Annuities Come Up Short.” (April 30th, 2011). The article, written by Brett Arends, makes the case against lifetime income annuities.

One of the byproducts of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last year was a massive dislocation in the Medicare Advantage market. Medicare Advantage – also known as Medicare Part C – is an optional part of Medicare that allows beneficiaries to contract with managed care firms to administer their benefits under the Medicare program. The …

A recent study from General Re found that the total number of disability insurance policies fell by 2 percent last year – building on a 2 percent decline from the prior year. Agents selling to the individual market took it on the chin, with total individual disability insurance premium falling by six percent, compared to 2009 levels, for a total …

If you played baseball as a kid, you’ve heard the term “hurry up and wait” a hundred times. The phrase refers to the wisdom of running as fast as you can to where the ball is going – and being prepared to make the catch when it gets there. Lazy ballplayers will try to time their run to get there …

With unemployment hovering around 9 percent, and underemployment well over 20 percent, millions of Americans have been forced into hunting for new sources of income. The recession is particularly difficult for older workers, who find it more difficult to find work where employers favor younger hires with the potential of longer tenures with the company.   The result: The emergence …

It's been said that salespeople who avoid making phone calls have skinny children.

In the book Differentiate or Die, marketing guru Jack Trout talks about a Brand Keys study that found that motor oil, banks and insurance company brands have ZERO differentiation in the mind of the consumer.