Using Customer Touch Points Effectively

Good customer relationships depend on the little things, but it takes more than just a pop-up notification to follow-up from your CRM software to build meaningful customer relationships. Studies prove that relationships are maintained more effectively when there is regular contact. It's a simple concept, really. Increase the number and frequency of high-quality touch points with your customers, and you stand a better chance of being top-of-mind when it’s their time to buy.

Touch points are ways of connecting with your customers and potential costumers. Smart marketers know that touch points must be varied and relevant to the customer, otherwise it’s a waste of resources, both time and budget. Continually calling on a customer can lead to frustration and potential rejection. Relevant and varied touch points are key. One simple touch point that is often overlooked is the use of business events and topics.

Resources for Those Beyond Start Up

I hear from business owners that there is a lack of resources and support for small to medium size companies that are beyond the start up but do not have the budget or time to attend national training and seminars. There is a real need for companies with 10-75 employees to find resources that not only provide knowledge but also focus and support growth strategies. Designed exclusively for results-driven small to medium businesses, Purpose Boards provides business owners with the specific insights, strategies and leadership development to achieve results.

Driving Growth or Rejecting Traditional Business

The Millennial generation has captivated academics and the media alike. They have helped shape the direction of technology, how we communicate, the care of the environment, and the popularity of social media. They have helped foster the change in how we educate, well, them and future generations. We have been hearing and reading about this generation for years and today, Deloitte’s third annual Millennial (Generation Y) Survey that explored what this generation wants from business, government, and the future workplace was published.

Besides the interesting tidbits of information that can be gleamed from surveys and reports, why should business leaders be paying close attention to the Millennials? The Millennial generation will have the greatest impact on our economy, and yet many business leaders may not fully understand why or how.

Surviving Year End

The average person has so many competing priorities this time of year it can be difficult to juggle all of the things that are competing for your time. Here are FIVE things to remember to help you survive the year end.

1. Stay Organized

Most of us know that being organized offers a slew of benefits. It helps you feel more confident and

capable, it helps you stay connected to the things and people that are important to you, and it saves you time. According to Jamie Novak, author of The Get Organized Answer Book, "the average person wastes almost an hour a day searching for misplaced items like house keys, reading glasses and important pieces of paper”. Remember that how each of us defines organized and what it may look like may be different for each of us.

How Do You Measure Up?

As we approach the end of the year most of us formally or informally, take some time to review current year and look towards the next. By now most large companies have completed next year's budgets and established sales goals, and are probably are almost finished with updating their dashboards and report templates to be able to measure next year's sales. Its good business and most would agree that drives achievement.


Then why, according to the 4th Annual Staples National Business Survey, did more than 80% of the 300 small business owners surveyed say they don't keep track of their business goals, and 77% have yet to achieve their vision for their company?

With that statistic, it should be no real surprise that individuals have similar statistics. According to Dave Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, 80% of Americans say they don't have goals, 16% do have goals but don't write them down, and fewer than 1% review them on an ongoing basis.