CreativeXchange Marketing Blog

I have been trying to do some event planning in Denver for a client. They need a rather large venue and in a nicer hotel. The event is a significant piece of business for a hotel to land (all day room rentals, catering, AV and sleeping rooms). I have had such trouble getting complete information, proposals...

Read more about Simple and great customer service tips

Recently a client hired us to do website design and copywriting to re-vamp their website and focus more on a better user interface or user experience. The client said they would use their own web development company who was great and who was also an expert at SEO. When we handed the web design over,...

Read more about Doing Due Diligence with Web Companies

Are your proposals ending up in prospective clients' spam or junk mail? Are inquiries ending up in your spam or junk mail? Unfortunately, this happens to many people. Recently, a business owner was telling me how they emailed a proposal to a prospective client they were sure they'd land. A couple days...

Read more about Are you leaving sales on the table that someone else is getting?

Businesses that make it through a recession are likely to be in a better position for rapid growth when the economy rebounds. As the economy rebounds and business growth occurs, how do you make the most of it and go from technician to company president? Are you ready to handle the growth? Please join...

Read more about Is the recession over - What's next?

To answer this, you first need to know what a brand is . It is the essence of your company. It is not simply a logo, company name or tagline. All those play a part in your brand, but your brand is much more than the sum of its parts. It is the impression your customers, the general public and your employees...

Read more about How much should you pay for your brand?

Today I received a B2B telemarketing call that really irritated me. I am usually very nice to B2B telemarketers. But, today I had to get short with one who did so many things wrong. First, he never asked me if this was a good time to talk. It was not a good time to talk, but he just went on trying to...

Read more about A Valuable Sales Tip

How valuable is the face-to-face meeting in marketing your business? Very important. In an age of e-mail and internet, many businesses have lost the value-added benefit of the face-to-face meeing and have replaced it with email and phone meetings. In my opinion, exceptional customer service and customer...

Read more about The Value of Face-to-Face Meetings

Often times when I am working with a client they will discount an idea because they think they would not like being sold to or marketed that way. I hear various phrases like these: "Well, I would not like that." "I would not respond well to that." "I don't read direct mail."...

Read more about "I Am Not Everyone"

I was going to write a blog on this important subject and ironically in my online Colorado Biz Magazine edition this morning there was a great article already written. So, I'd like to share it. Taglines are very important to companies and helps differentiate them from the competition. This article has...

Read more about How to Write a Great Tagline

Most Americans rank public speaking higher than death on their list of fears. Here are some helpful public relations suggestions to take some of the fear out of giving an on-camera interview: Don’t over-rehearse. Too much practice leaves you sounding stiff and scripted. Wear clothing that fits...

Read more about Public Relations On-Camera Interview Tips

Building a stellar company reputation is hard work and does not happen overnight. Many things can effect a company's reputation. Poor or even average customer service won't add to building a stellar company reputation. Providing your customers or clients work with honestry and integrity will greatly...

Read more about Building a Stellar Company Reputation

Recently our company was awarded a job in which we were up against several other companies. One of the key reasons we received the job was our exceptional follow up. One of the most powerful sales techniques is follow up. Having exceptional customer service and follow up is imperative to getting the...

Read more about A Powerful Sales Technique

Disparate marketing, ineffective marketing, low to no ROI marketing - whatever term you choose to use, it is out there and it is being sold. I am starting to educate people about this and today's brief story is about a wonderful business owner who really needed some qualified leads. She spent $3,600...

Read more about Disparate Marketing - We need your story - Part 1

Many companies go into business without doing any research. As a result they chose a wrong location, start a business whose market is already over-served, or develop a product with no consumer testing that may have major flaws they did not see because they are too close to it. It is very important to...

Read more about What is Market Research?

In our last blog we talked about how to evaluate networking events. Attending these events won't produce instant results normally , it is just the start. What you do after the networking event is what will have the pay off. When you meet a potential referral partner or client at a networking event, it...

Read more about Networking Follow Up Procedure

This blog focuses on the benefits and possible pitfalls of networking. There are many different types of networking events to attend in an effort to meet other business people and market your business. Which one is right for you? Will it be a good return on investment? Consider your time as well as money...

Read more about Networking–Does it pay?

What will differentiate you from your many competitors? One powerful marketing tool is testimonials. There are walking testimonials and written testimonials. You may have clients, current or past, who are walking testimonials for your company. Knowing who these people are can be very beneficial when...

Read more about Testimonials - A Powerful Marketing Tool

Have you ever advertised in print and found yourself saying, "That ad or direct mailer didn't work!"? Frustrated you say you will never spend money on advertising again. This is a common occurrence for small business owners. The business owner usually blames the print advertising vehicle. In...

Read more about Print Advertising that Gets Results

So, what is your marketing budget? Do you have one? What goes under marketing? How much should it be? These are great questions. How much should your marketing budget be? There is not a one answer fits all here. Many different factors need to be considered. According to the United States Small Business...

Read more about What's Your Marketing Budget?

Every business needs to have a SWOT done annually. NOTE - before you embark on a SWOT Analysis, you need to have a thorough knowledge of your target market and have completed a competition analysis of your top three competitors. So what is a SWOT Analysis? SWOT stands for: STRENGTHS - what are your company...

Read more about Do You Need a SWOT Analysis?