Posts Tagged ‘editorial’

Are They Proud Of Their Work? It Will Show

By MARK RIFFEY. Just because it is "grunt work" doesn't mean it isn't valuable. Your employees' work and personality at 2:00 am is the face of your business to many customers.... more

Why They Don’t Answer Your Calls Or Read Your Email?

By MARK RIFFEY. Do your customers and prospects let your calls go to voicemail? Do they open your emails? It's time to get relevant and engage them in THEIR context with you – not as total strangers.... more

The Scariest, Most Painful Business Conversation

By MARK RIFFEY. The most painful (and scary) conversations I have with small business owners are about marketing.Commonly it involves how another company "stole" their business with "more aggressive" marketing.... more

Business is Personal: What’s a Core Story?

By MARK RIFFEY - One of the more common things you'll see from a business that's differentiating themselves using things other than price is their use of a unique selling proposition (USP), and a "core story" t... more

The Most Expensive Advertising Ever

By MARK RIFFEY. Are you wasting those carefully planned advertising investments? The most expensive investment we can make is one that's wasted.... more

View Marketing as an Investment, Not an Expense

By MARK RIFFEY.When something is viewed as an expense, your instinct is to reduce it to the smallest possible amount. Doing this to your marketing is not unlike choking yourself.... more

Simple Advice for Acquiring and Retaining Customers

By MARK RIFFEY. Some of the simplest advice I give is the most powerful: "Do at least one thing today to get, or keep, a client."... more

Let Your Customers Turn On the Lamp

By MARK RIFFEY -What's the first thing you do when deciding which lamp to buy? YOU TURN ON THE LAMPS. Give your customers the opportunity to see your products in a place that makes it easy for them to buy.... more

Starting a New Business – What’s Your Plan?

By MARK RIFFEY - Let's talk about business startups. Before you order those business cards, buy those supplies, determine your costs and set your prices...you need to research your market.... more

What Does a New Business Owner Do First?

By MARK RIFFEY - Let's talk about business startups. The overwhelming load at startup can freeze you in your tracks.... more

Why Much of the Internet is Blacked Out Today

By MARK RIFFEY - What is Intellectual Property? And what's it got to do with much of the Internet being blacked out this week? Mark Riffey of the Flathead Beacon explains.... more

A Letter from Georgia

By MARK RIFFEY - We almost didn't open it, thinking it was junk mail. Why would the University of Georgia send us mail way out here in Montana?... more

Business in Montana: Here’s Your Sign

By MARK RIFFEY - To connect with customers, you need to follow the signs. Some signs you must seek out, while many are buried in your existing business data.... more

What’s With the Funny Square Bar Codes? (i.e. What are QR Codes?)

By MARK RIFFEY. You may have seen those odd-looking square bar codes in newspapers and magazines, on product boxes, etc. What are they? Read on. . .... more

Differentiation in Business: Promotion Tips to Prevent Generic Marketing

By MARK RIFFEY. One of the things you have to be careful about is making your business too generic. Lesson: Business is Personal.... more

Nothing in Common?

By KELLYN BROWN. Like I was saying...Don’t compare the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street protesters. Don’t do it. They are nothing alike. That’s what I’m told, although the effort of one to distance itse... more