Our Vice-President of Sales and Marketing here stopped by my office this morning with a question about Active Rain. In a nutshell the question was "what IS this thing?" He asked it because it has been ranking near the top of the codes we look at to gauge "first-time customers" each month and he
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06/07/2007
I recently blogged my frustrations at some deals which-- despite doing all the right things and meticulously taking all the right steps-- simply don't seem to ever want to close. One in particular has been testing my mental health for months. Despite the almost daily Q&A I'd get internally at m
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06/01/2007
For two weeks we were "captivated" by the story of Delta and Dawn, mother and child humpbacked whales "lost" in the Sacramento River delta more than 100 miles from the open ocean. Held captive by the news stations is more like it. Seldom has their been a less interesting story milked longer tha
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05/31/2007
I know a ReMax agent in California who plans his twice-monthly campaigns based on his budget. Then, on a regular cycle that begins a couple of weeks before he plans to send out a promotional piece, he logs onto our website and places an order for his promotional materials. With the online prici
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05/23/2007
My challenges with the business I'm trying to conduct here in Washington DC this week have given me a collective range of heartburn, anxiety, and disappointment-- but I'm confident the week will end with a high point that will erase all memory of the week's numerous aggravations. A man I met, ca
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05/18/2007
I been in the right place But it must have been the wrong time I'd of said the right thing But I must have used the wrong line I been in the right trip But I must have used the wrong car My head was in a bad place And I'm wondering what it's good for Dr.
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05/10/2007
What good does it do if you create a nice direct mail piece, market yourself well but you can't tell what made you successful? How do you know if your direct mail piece is working or if your success came from something else? Intuitively you know the pieces are working-- but how can you measure
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05/09/2007
The marketing guru types use the term "sticky" to mean developing content that will make consumers want to keep your piece, in this case your printed postcard, on hand where they can get at it again later. "Sticky" like "I'll just stick this right here on the refrigerator, I'll just set this her
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05/08/2007
As a real estate professional you know the "ins and outs" of listing and selling homes. After all, that's your livelihood and you're the expert. But when it comes to direct mail, are you still the expert? There are a lot of factors that must be considered in order to make your direct marketing
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05/07/2007
You've probably had a deal like the one I'm working on right now-- you think you've done your part and you're prepared to perform but the other side keeps just far enough from an execution of the contract that you want to throw your hands up in frustration and walk away. But the deal is complex,
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05/03/2007