I once was a sales associate for Eddie Bauer.  Each of the associates, like most sales-oriented positions, had manager-set goals.  I would constantly sell 200-300% of my goal.  The general manager asked me one day, "How do you do it? How do you sell that much in revenue?"  I replied, "It's simple.  I'm not here to sell clothes."

Okay, first up, sorry for the ebonics; just thought I'd mix it up a bit.

But, here's the question, "How well can your clients relate to your brand?"  Can your clients find a place within your community? To borrow a term from Godin, can your target clients relate to other members of your tribe?

Ever wonder how a long distance runner keeps going?

Its quite simple actually... They never reach their destination.

Amateur runners generally struggle with running distances until they figure out the secret that experienced runners have learned and implement.

So the economy isn't turning out like you'd hope right now and its, perhaps, hard to get going in the mornings.

While many are suffering, its imperative that you continue to do the right things even in the bad times - you must continue to do what will guarantee the success of your company in the long run. If you do, you and your company will not only survive, but come out stronger on the other side. If business isn't "booming" right now, its okay.  You now have more time to develop new marketing and sales disciplines.

Typically, we define the sales equation as Great Products (or Services) + Great Marketing = Great Sales.

Then, we spend our time, money and other resources focusing on both products and marketing.  Larger companies develop entire departments that specifically manage products or marketing.

"Can you cut me a deal?"

"May I have a discount?"

Ever had a client (or potential client) ask you a question such as these?

And, in response, "Sure, but may I cut the quality and value of my service?"  To which I'm sure they'd reply, "No."

If a client won't accept a diminished value of service, why should you accept a cheaper payment?

Accept full payment; deliver quality service. Neither you nor your client should be satisfied with anything less. You're worth it and so is your client.

To quote @AxelS: "Sales is like Sex - cold calls barely work, online is good to connect, but socializing is the way to go..." Well, that's one way to put it. Social networks push traditional marketing strategies to the back burner.  Marketing practices that worked 20 years ago, were great 20 years ago, but are not as efficient today. Phone calls, letters (and today, e-mails) will only take the client relationship so far. Being social increases sales, closes deals and gets the job done. Here's a video to remind you of that fact.

Background: Marshall University loses their entire team and major boosters in a plane wreck.  A new coach is called in to, perhaps, get a team together. The problem was, at the time, the NCAA didn't allow freshmen to start in football.

I visited one of those post office/UPS stores in a nearby shopping center the other day.  I needed to buy some $.03 stamps - no packaging, no shipping, just stamps.

When I told the clerk (whom I believe was the store owner) what I needed, he got a little irritated that I would even make such a request.  Furthermore, he only had less than twenty $.03 stamps. Gosh, to make him work for $.60 and some change in profit.

Convenience is what brought me to the store.  Customer service is what will KEEP ME FROM GOING BACK.

If you don't appreciate the smallest value that your customers offer, your customers won't appreciate the greatest value that you offer.

Thousands, or even millions, of dollars may draw customers to you, but 5 good minutes of service is what keeps them.

Funny video showing how corporate marketing execs sometimes frustrate designers.

This is a repost of the article found here that discusses a report on the Global Online Media Landscape by The Nielsen Company Online. The report suggests that involvement with the Internet among users is deepening in part due to a shift toward video content and the rise of social media.

Highlights of the report suggests:

• The number of American users frequenting online video destinations has climbed 339% since 2003
• Time spent on video sites has shot up almost 2,000% over the same period
• In the last year, unique viewers of online video grew 10%, the number of streams grew 41%, the streams per user grew 27% and the total minutes engaged with online video grew 71%
• There are 87% more online social media users now than in 2003, with 883% more time devoted to those sites.
• In the last year, time spent on social networking sites has surged 73%
• In February, social network usage exceeded Web-based e-mail usage for the first time.

Could it be that e-mail is becoming a thing of the past? Other research suggests that social media has now surpassed RSS in quickly syndicating information among users. Since 2003, Internet users' interests have shifted dramatically.  Video and social networking sites have become the fastest growing categories in 2009.

The full report can be found here.