In a recent internal organizational meeting, I asked our staff about what we could improve on from last year and we were pretty much on the same page, knowing the things that needed improvement and what the priorities are. "How we can best serve our clients' needs" was the topic and something great came out of that 2026 kickoff meeting. My staff, which I affectionately call the “A Team", had the opinion that we are poised to be operating at an unprecedented high level in the

Before we have an intelligent, in context, examination about the makeup, nature and value of online leads, the first reality that needs to be acknowledged is that consumers buying commodities and services, with universal appeal, are not one and the same as luxury marketing purchasers. There is a marked difference in the purchasing behavior of a person buying a $150k item and one buying something for $5k or less.   Lead generation in the luxury marketing space is about making

For years as a direct response specialist, it was all about the immediate respondents we could deliver, the immediately available business to be written.  In the days of direct mail, it was about the 2% response rate before it fell below that and became an unpredictable result. In the more recent past, it has been about the approximately 10% of online traffic that would fill out a form to see a specially curated list. These leads have proven to be a fast track to new business

We've all heard the saying: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.  This timeless metaphor applies to so many aspects of life, especially when tackling something as intimidating as incorporating social media into your business strategy. For many independent business owners, the idea of using social media effectively feels overwhelming. As a result, many either ignore it entirely or use it inconsistently and ineffectively. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to d

The end of every year is so many things:   busy, critical to finishing the year well, a juggling act between business and personal life, too much traffic, tons of memories and well, trying to “get it all done” during the hustle and bustle. It’s supposed to be a time of celebration and reflection but squeezing that in is near impossible, HOWEVER, I submit essential. Maybe it will be the week after Christmas when some reflective time becomes available, but usually it's after th

WARNING: This Article Contains Uncomfortable truths. Read at Your Own Risk.                           If you ask AI whether or not playing the piano is better for mental health than a plethora of other recreational activities or hobbies, it wins hands down. For children, organized athletics provide some valuable social and teamwork skills, exposure and learning,  but for cognitive stimulation, self esteem, emotional expression and stress relief, music has no rival.  This is

In our fast paced world of instant gratification, our technology has to be able to keep up. In the marketing world we talk about conversions; does an ad convert into a page visit, does a page visit convert into a lead, does a lead convert into a sale? Meta and Google talk about “custom conversions.” Tracking conversions helps with finding more people like the ones who converted and all these conversions have value, BUT what is the conversion that matters most? Simply put:   w

Number Three in a Series of Three Articles Promoting the Value of an Efficient Sales Culture A day in the life of a top performing sales professional. Before I get started, here’s what it's not: a mixed bag of random activities based upon what comes to mind next,  neither for an individual or a sales staff. If you don’t believe, as Aristotle  did, that “success is a direct result of good habits that you execute regularly and not an act you perform” , you will hate this final

Two in a Series of Three Articles Promoting the Value of an Efficient Sales Culture In this installment we will examine some of the tools needed to establish an efficient sales culture. We will also examine some fundamental realities about what type of, and how much, activity it takes to get the job done. Before we talk about the elements, we need to define the goal of the tools and action which we will examine. The goal is to empower the person or persons who make up the cul

One in a Series of Three Articles Promoting the Value of an Efficient Sales Culture. Charles Drucker said, ”Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”  This is especially true in the luxury marketing space. Why?  Consumers making a discretionary income purchase are 20 times more likely to engage with a sales person who specializes in what they are considering buying, than a person purchasing a commodity. E-commerce technology is well capable of delivering sales of items of univers

“Is Anyone Actually Listening?” Sequel This is the perfect place for the sensitive and thin skinned sales representatives to stop reading. I will not be mincing any words in this article; that’s not really what you need me to do anyway. We have an issue in the luxury marketing space: a lack of sales accountability and education! Do we know how to sell the product? ABSOLUTELY! Do we know how to warm people online up so they will come in to buy? Not hardly. Oh there are random

Have you ever wondered, as a sales person, how much of what you were doing was being read or listened to? If you leave a voicemail, send a text or an email and get “crickets” in return does that mean the prospect you are working doesn’t really have any interest in what you have to offer? This person may have been someone wasting their time and yours, filling out a form out of casual curiosity with no real interest in what you are selling.  Unless you continue to qualify and d

The progression toward the optimum online ad series is now pursuable.  With the advent of the “A” Team of lead generation specialists at...

I know what you’re thinking, ”Jack’s going to give us all a pitch on the great new DirectFlow targeting that is yielding more acoustic...

Simply put, before an explanation, this is a marketing fundamental that has never been disproven. MOP is an acronym for “Market, Offer,...

How using a chronological order of sales activity and marketing can be the most profitable element to pay attention to… So that’s how we...

Have you ever listened to a sales person who just talked and talked, and seemed more impressed with their own knowledge of what they were...

When something we purchase is a need, we have a certain set of parameters we commit to muscle memory. As long as the paper products we...

This actually IS a marketing article but before getting to the salient points that need to be made, please stick with me for a minute...

Allow me to be controversial and “go for the jugular” and hit the heart of this article first off: “What you don’t manage CAN hurt you!”...