QVIews

Purchasers are saving money by cutting down the amount of time spent with sales people. Not that they don't appreciate the attention, but it's just not efficient enough any more. So good sales people will learn to target their efforts further along in the buying process. Instead of holding everyone's hand, they'll have to look…

At my heart, I am a collector. So now I'm trying to establish new routines that make the things I've collected valuable to other people. If I create contact databases, then I have to contact those people. If I build a web site, I require myself to pay attention to the traffic. If I have…

While people can be creative anywhere, some places do launch everyone who tunes into them. I think Caroline Collective is such a place in Houston. And I think that companies and cities which want to be seen as creative centers have to heed what we've learned. But there are no guarantees, as discussed in this…

In persuading people to overcome their fears, we have to first accept their fear as legitimate.  Mother Jones: The Science of Why We Don't Believe Science, 2011-May/June, by Chris Mooney …you don't lead with the facts in order to convince. You lead with the values—so as to give the facts a fighting chance.

In an effort to enjoy Facebook and develop some skills, I created a fan page for our house rabbit (The Morning Bunny), and started posting photos and trying to write entertaining captions. When I check in today, all the photos, friends and posts were gone. The info page is still populated, but I can't find…

After recuperating from a Sunday afternoon volunteer slot at the American Association of Museums conference here in Houston, I'm curious to see what the new week will bring. I have to put together the prototype for the walking guide to 19th Street and get ready for a Columbia Alumni Association meeting. 

When I started reading this article, I was disappointed the reporter referred to inside salespeople working through their database of existing customers as performing 'cold calls.' Then I remembered that outside my world, much confusion exists about the jargon and techniques. So when is a sales representative just a telemarketer? When is a phone call…

Following your customers on social media and arranging little gifts and surprises is a tremendously man-hour intensive tactic, but it really pays off. Travel and hospitality companies now have a way to delight their customers. If your business has employees with 'stand-by' time, such as clerks in a quiet retail shop, you should pursue a…

Loyalty is learning. Many companies institute loyalty programs just to be competitive, just to attract return business. They are leaving money on the table if they don't leverage the program to learn as much as possible about their customers. A great loyalty program helps you understand your customers and how to strengthen your relationship.  1…

Innovators either have to become sales people or find someone to help them, because they providing something new and relatively untested.  Seth's Blog: Selling vs. Inviting, 2011-May-9, by Seth Godin The salesperson's job: Help people overcome their fear so they can commit to something they'll end up glad they invested in.