MarketStar Blog

Ever wonder how some businesses leap from average to exceptional performance? According to Ottawa-based sales guru Colleen Francis1, those businesses see their sales closures climb from 25% to 33%. But here's the kicker: while new customer acquisition might plateau, their customer retention rates soar up to 95%. This means that focusing on retaining and nurturing existing customers can be far more profitable than constantly chasing new ones. 

Measurement is an area which continues to puzzle and plague marketers constantly. While measuring marketing performance it is absolutely essential to tie the metrics to the goals or objectives, else the exercise is futile. Similarly for email marketing, depending on your goal – whether it is to build awareness, accelerate lead generation (either gaining new leads or reviving cold ones) it is imperative that marketers first look at the objectives for their email marketing campaigns. 

We all have them: Zombie leads who invade and spread fear in our marketing databases. Halloween is here and so is the time to talk about "zombie" leads. There are a couple of definitions of a zombie lead:

Not long ago, “outsourcing” was a taboo subject. Outsourcing meant moving business operations offshore to Asia, Latin America, or some other region where there is cheaper labor. Thanks to the internet call centers, customer support, and other administrative services could be located anywhere in the world. That same infrastructure also powers cloud solutions that are making today’s businesses more efficient and it creates new jobs.

As we wrap up the year, let's look at B2B trends. Digital lead generation channels continue to rise in popularity with B2B marketers while more traditional methods fall to the wayside, according to a research report released recently by research consultancy Software Advice.

I read an interesting article about Comcast ramping up to enter the SMB services space. We all know Comcast (or Xfinity – whatever) delivers cable and internet, but now they will be rolling out IT services, including tech support, network configuration, cloud-based backup solutions and a slew of other things. I’m sure this is NOT a great prospect for traditional VARs and MSPs already struggling in the tepid economy.

Outsourcing is an age-old concept. If you hire someone to clean your home or repair your car, you are outsourcing tasks that take too much valuable time or that you aren’t qualified to handle. Outsourcing in business works the same way. Outsourcing specialty services such as accounting, staffing, or tax preparation is more cost-effective and allows you to hire the most skilled talent available. So why don’t more organizations consider sales outsourcing?

Outsourced Sales Leader Launches Digital Solutions

Orange you glad Pantone is celebrating such a fun, bright color this year? We sure are.

From Leonardo DiVinci to Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, there is a sweet spot at the intersection of Science and Art where incredible impact occurs. Each of us will define that magical moment in somewhat different terms depending on the challenges and opportunities we're confronting. When we are able to consider both the quantifiable and definable, with the potential of an artist's unfiltered creativity, we find solutions to even our most precarious challenges.