| Sales/Marketing Archives

Social Media and Its Critical Role for Business Today

Sales/Marketing, Technology / Software / Trent McCracken

Share on linkedin Share on twitter Share on facebook Today, more than ever, companies have to incorporate a social media business strategy. This has certainly transitioned from an optional luxury to an absolute necessity for staying competitive and communicating among your marketplace. With billions of active users worldwide, social media platforms offer unprecedented access to large, […]

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Customer Service is Rapidly Declining

Business, Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

Share on linkedin Share on twitter Share on facebook Who is tired of customer-service no longer answering the phone? Or worst yet, staying on hold for 10 minutes while you navigate a never ending loop of automated voicemail and then the line dies? Gone are the days where you look for a customer service number

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Value Proposition is Still Key

Leadership/Strategy, Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

Share on linkedin Share on twitter Share on facebook In today’s business ecosystem where the landscape is continuously evolving, with new technologies emerging and market dynamics shifting at an unprecedented pace, one fundamental principle remains unchanged: the significance of a strong value proposition. Over my 25+ business career, among all the arguments about costs, quality

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International Marketing Strategies

Market Entry/Global Expansion, Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

I recently finished reading a book on International Marketing called International Marketing Strategy: Analysis, Development, and Implementation by Doole, I, Lowe, R. & Kenyon, A. Due to the fact that markets have become increasingly global, many of the businesses I work with are finding the need to expand to international markets to compete in their

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Sales 101 – When You Hear “Yes”, Stop Talking

Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

As I mentioned in last month’s Tips to Successful Selling , it is very important for a salesperson to listen more than they speak as this is a major part of building trust and rapport in the relationship with your client. I understand this is quite difficult as sales people love to talk, and some just

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Customer Acquisition Strategies

Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

One of my favorite books on acquiring customers is the Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim/Mauborgne. The book explains a necessary strategic shift in focus from competitors to alternatives and from customers to non-customers. I understand it is a strange concept at first, like writing with your opposite hand, but it has proved to be very

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Marketing Basics

Business, Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

Share on linkedin Share on twitter Share on facebook Marketing is a critical component to any business and should be in sync with sales. Early on in my career, I honestly didn’t understand the value of marketing and primarily focused on the sales aspect as I believed that is what generated my revenue. After I

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Negotiating Tips

Business, Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

I spent most of last week in a very intense contract negotiation. In the end, I seem to be getting most of what I desired, and the other party seems pretty content with what was decided as well — essentially a win-win. Although this is always the goal, unfortunately it is not always the outcome.

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Defining Your Value Proposition

Business, Sales/Marketing / Trent McCracken

Recently I did a workshop on Defining Your Value Proposition for some business students from Xavier University. I have done similar workshops for my clients previously, as this is a topic I really enjoy speaking about. I will typically begin with the TED talk from Simon Senek, detailing the “Golden Circle”. I think he does

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