Recent Articles Published by Carolyn Higgins
6 Ways to Increase Holiday Sales and Engage Your Customers
The holidays are just around the corner! Here are 6 ways your business can build holiday marketing campaigns that help you increase holiday sales this season. Read more »
Want a Successful Small Business? Forget Instant Gratification!
Here is a paraphrased summary of three different conversations I had with business owners this week: Business Owner (B.O.): “Marketing doesn’t work, I tried it.” Me: “Really? Tell me more about that.” B.O.: “I sent out a bunch of post cards and didn’t get a single response!” Me: “Hmmm.. A ‘bunch’ you say? How many... Read more »
How to Lose a Customer in 2 Seconds or Less
We all know that calls out of the blue, from complete strangers saying, “Hey, I want to hire you!” are rare. Unfortunately, leads don’t just fall out of the sky like that. So then imagine my excitement when I get a voice mail from a man who says he’s, ”just right up the street in... Read more »
Speaking for Leads: Your Audience Doesn’t Care About You!
How many presentations have you sat through where the first words out of the presenter’s mouth were something like this “My name is Susie Sales Lady and I have been selling lemonade for 10 years. I started my lemonade business because when I was 6 years old I had a lemonade stand and I am absolutely... Read more »
What Every Small Business Needs to Know About Spam
The subject of spam came up recently in one of my small business marketing workshops, and I realized there is a lot of confusion about spam in the small business community. We all seem to have a general idea that spam = bad, but don’t really understand the ins and outs. What is it exactly?... Read more »
Does Your Advertising Make You Look Cheap?
I opened up the bright blue Val-Pack envelope this morning like I sometimes do, more out of a marketer’s curiosity than anything else. I don’t use coupons; it’s too much of a hassle for me to save a few bucks. But I do leaf through the coupons just to see who’s advertising, what they’re advertising,... Read more »
7 Signs Your Business is in a Marketing Rut
It’s so easy to get stuck, isn’t it? We go about our lives, doing our work, pretty much on auto-pilot, and before we know it we’re stuck. Nothing is growing or changing or progressing; we’ve just been doing the same things day in and day out for weeks, months, and even years hoping that miraculously... Read more »
Are More Facebook Likes Better for Business?
Recently a client asked what I thought about the businesses on Facebook who seem to be obsessed with boosting the number of “likes” of their business page… and here’s my two-cents: Boosting your numbers and trying to prove how popular you are is just like old-school “blast and pray” advertising. You blast as much “stuff”... Read more »
21 Reasons You’ll Fail at Marketing
I don’t know what it is about Marketing, but everyone on earth seems to think they can do it. And yet I see so many people NOT doing it or wasting thousands of dollars and not getting results. I see business owners try the same things over and over, wasting more money, more time, and... Read more »
Forget Resolutions: 7 Business Things You DON’T Have to Do in 2012
Call me a rebel… or a Scrooge… or a Grinch if you must, but I am so happy all this holiday nonsense is finally over. And as I sit here trying to come up with a blog for the new year, the word “resolution” keeps popping into my head and I absolutely REFUSE to give... Read more »
Is Your Small Business Competing With SPAM?
We’re all familiar with the “who-actually-falls-for-this-stuff” SPAM and we all know its complete bogus. For example: RE: I await to hear from you urgently Please I am seeking for your help (sic) From Google: Google winning notification Or the ones that actually warn you they’re SPAM in the subject line, what is up with that?... Read more »
Does Your Website Suck?
Finally, small business owners everywhere realize they need an online presence if they are going to compete in today’s world. Small business owners who just a year ago adamantly argued that their customers aren’t using the web are now jumping on board and admitting—yes, indeed they are. But slapping up a website just for the... Read more »
6 Marketing Secrets from Santa Claus
Whether he meant to or not jolly old St. Nick created one of the most recognizable and beloved brands in the western world; one that children have adored and parents embraced for centuries. Santa Claus has endured wars, depressions, scrutiny (is he real or not??), imposters who tried to tarnish his image (ala The Grinch), and even... Read more »
The Secret to Creating Raving Fans: Good Customer Service Isn’t Enough
I’m old school. I came up in a time when the customer was always right (even when they weren’t!). In my first job at Dunkin Donuts, I learned quickly what that meant. I was 14, given the job because my mother, who managed another store by the same owner decided I needed something to “keep... Read more »
Are You Networking Wrong?
We all know that word of mouth is the best marketing tool there is. Why? Because when someone tells a friend, family member, neighbor, or colleague how good you are, you’ve already overcome the biggest hurdle to making a sale – trust. Networking is a great tool for building a referral network and increasing word... Read more »
How To Be Perfect Like Me
Ok, now that I have your attention I have a confession to make: I’m not perfect. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can almost hear the collective, “NO SH*T” from all of you!) But seriously, there have been times I didn’t return a call from a prospect in time and lost out on a potential opportunity. Sometimes... Read more »
Top 7 Reasons to Fire a Client
Recently a good friend and fellow small business owner decided enough was enough and fired a pretty big client. It wasn’t an easy decision; she had been working with them for years and the money was good. But the client drained her. She was constantly stressed and knew she was spending way too much time... Read more »
Why Small Businesses Need a Marketing Strategy
You decide to throw a dinner party. You want it to be the type of dinner party that people remember fondly and talk about for years. Imagine that you will serve an amazing meal and that your guests will rave about the delicious food, the great atmosphere, and the wonderful conversation. Now imagine throwing it... Read more »
Find the Time to Work on Your Business—or Else!
Business owners say all the time, “I need more business. My marketing isn’t working.” Yet, when they are faced with an opportunity to learn and grow and install a system that will give them a long-term strategy for success, their excuse is, “I don’t have the time.” How can that be? How can you need more business... Read more »
Five Simple Ways to Refresh Your Marketing
Is your small business kinda slow these days? Are customers just not calling and coming in like they used to? It’s probably because you’re using the same old marketing and advertising you’ve been using for years. It’s time to change it up a bit. When’s the last time you looked at your messaging and marketing... Read more »
