Boondoggle or Necessary Evil? Most entrepreneurs I know have a love-hate relationship with trade shows. Event marketing feels like a necessary evil, and a costly one. Execs complain that exhibiting at trade shows is expensive, consumes lots of staff resources (especially for small companies) and offers nebulous results. “They’re a boondoggle,” said one CEO I […]
Read moreI first learned about Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software way back in 2000, when I needed to choose a marketing automation solution for the speech recognition technology start-up where I was head of brand marketing. Then as now, the promise was big. Here’s a dream tool that will seamlessly capture leads, automate customer interactions, and […]
Read moreDo Your Customer Incentives Work? The other day I was shopping in a major department store and I couldn’t help overhearing a conversation between a sales clerk and her customer. The customer was complaining because she wanted to use her coupons, but none of them would work. After expressing her extreme frustration, she asked pointedly, “Is […]
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