We recently did some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) work for an insurance website. This company sells auto, home, life, and business insurance, and has several branches throughout Florida. We did some keyword research and came up with a strategy for their meta tags. After consulting with them and agreeing on the key words we were targeting, we implemented their meta tags, submitted their site to a nice amount of directories, made some minor content changes on their site, and waited about 8 weeks to see the results. Continue reading →

Hi, my name is Amir and I’m an e-mail addict. Well, actually I’m a former addict. I was deeply entrenched in e-mail addiction – checking e-mails countless times throughout the day – clicking on Outlook’s Send/Receive button every few minutes, anxiously looking for new incoming mail. Those who sent me e-mails came to expect a quick response, and were even amazed at how quickly I got back to them.

My Blackberry kept me plugged in even when I left the office. I’d check it several times during lunch, not wanting to miss any important e-mails. The same pattern would continue in the evening. My family came to expect it and tolerated it, but I know my wife hated it – my mind was on work all the time. Not on any specific work or project, but on e-mails in general. These e-mails were often unimportant and could’ve waited until the next work day, but I felt the compulsion to always know what lay in my Inbox. Continue reading →

We all dread doing it. We make excuses not to do it, we procrastinate, delay, we put it off. We even consider paying someone else to do it. I refer, of course, to the dreaded cold call. Why do we fear it so much? Fear of the unknown, fear of rejection.

Most people tend to shy away from it because it’s often not a fun thing to do, since you have to hear “No” many times until you get a “Yes.” But there is no question that cold calling works, and is also one of the most cost-effective ways to get business. Continue reading →

One great way to get some good leads, many of which will turn into clients is to have an annual referral program or contest. I’ve done this regularly at Watt Media almost every year, and have had great results.

Here’s the basic idea: I send out e-mails and faxes to all of our clients, old and new, letting them know how much we appreciate their business over the years, and that if they send us 3 referrals, they will get something for it. Continue reading →

Your booth should be simple but effective. People should be able to tell what you do in 3 seconds, or you well lose them as they walk by. This has been particularly challenging for us in the on-hold business, since it’s not a service that everyone knows about.

Have a show special. Waive your start-up fee, give them a one month free trial – whatever – but give them an incentive to sign up right there at the show. Continue reading →

Do you have a list of things you need to do, but have been putting off? Have trouble getting organized? Here’s a little tip that may be helpful. It has worked wonders for me. Every morning, upon my arrival to my office (or sometimes the night before if my mind is racing and I need to clear it), I write a list on a sticky note of things that I need to do that day. Then, I put an asterisk next to the really important things. Continue reading →

Traditional thinking is that LinkedIn and other similar networking sites are the best if you’re looking to do some good business networking, compared to more informal social sites like Facebook. But I’m not so sure. Some of the purest networking happens at gatherings where you least expect it: kids’ birthday parties, church or temple, kids’ soccer games, etc. And on sites like LinkedIn, where they’re all serious about getting business done, it can sometimes make it tougher to get some genuine leads. Continue reading →

This week, one of our main production computers went down, causing a bit of a hiccup in our normal operations, but things went a lot smoother than the last time this happened. Some planning and regularly backing up our data helped us immensely, and we even learned some new things this time around that will make the next computer-failure event go even smoother.

It’s a fact – computers go down. Hard drives crash. Data gets lost. What can you do for your business to ensure that when this happens (yes, when) you will have a seamless continuation of your operations? Continue reading →

One of the newer phenomena in “Web 2.0,” (the next generation of the internet) is the emergence of social media sites. These are sites where people connect virtually with one another, and the idea is that you are exposed to the networks of all the people you’re connected to – basically the “Six Degrees of Separation” brought to life.

For the purposes of this article, I’ll mention the 3 most popular social media sites, and some of the basic differences between them. Continue reading →

Oh, no. Not the dreaded R-word! I refuse to even utter that word. Are we in one? Are we headed towards one? The economists have been arguing over this for the past few months, and will likely continue doing so. The reason I hate the R-word is not because of its effect on my business – actually, some of my best months have been during bad economic times – but because of the effect it could have on my psyche.

See, to me, the R-word seems to make people complacent. You’ve heard it before – “How’s business?” “Terrible! Sales are down…it’s the recession.” A recession (there, I’ve said it!) gives people something to blame – a reason for their slump. And it’s easy to get lazy and resign oneself to the idea that times are tough and any extra effort will likely be wasted.

So don’t give in to the R-word! Here’s what you can do to make your business immune to it:

Increase sales efforts. Hire more sales people. People are still buying, even in a down economy. It may take some more work to find them, that’s all.

Increase marketing. Become creative; it doesn’t need to cost a lot to be effective. E-mail marketing is extremely effective and inexpensive.

Increase networking. Join a chamber or local referral group. Get out there!

Find alliance partners. Seek businesses in complimentary industries that could be a good referral source for you, or vice versa. Partner with them and try to find a win-win situation, such as mutual referral-giving, or a referral fee for any referrals given that sign up as customers..

Make some more phone calls. Stay at work 10 minutes more each day and make a few more phone calls. Every little bit of effort adds up.

Do things you don’t normally do. Think outside the box. Make that phone call. Take a chance. You may have a record month!