Something interesting has been happening over the past 10 years and it is reminiscent of the “good old days”… The 80s, 90s, and early 2000s saw a shift from family owned small businesses and restaurants to big box retailers, chain […]
Take a Sales Loss Gracefully
You’ve worked tirelessly for weeks or months on end regarding an opportunity—an opportunity that could make or break your bookings number for the month, quarter, or year. Then, when everything is all said and done, they decide to hold off, […]
Dine Brands / IHOP Announces Name Change to IHOb
Dine Brands / IHOP recently announced that they will be changing their name to IHOb, and we have two theories for this recent announcement. The first being that this could all be a marketing gimmick that will be followed by […]
The Importance of Testing in Marketing Campaigns
The challenge with marketing in small business, is that you just do not have enough budget and resources to market like the big guys. This can create a challenge when coming up with new marketing campaigns and ensuring those campaigns […]
Target Uses Local Retail Stores as Virtual Warehouse
Over the past few years, Target has become increasingly more innovative to compete against other local brick and mortar stores and Amazon alike… As an example, back in December, they announced a new mobile payments system called “Wallet” that allows customers to […]
There’s a Problem, Stop What You Are Doing!
There is a fundamental problem in businesses today that is absolutely crippling organizations of all shapes and sizes. What is that problem, you ask? It is simply the failure to address critical business problems in a timely and strategic fashion. […]
Bertucci’s Files for Bankruptcy
The restaurant industry has faced another blow with Bertucci’s filing for bankruptcy, citing changing climate along with cheaper and faster alternatives as the main reasons for the failing business. But is that really the case? We recently published on strategic innovation […]
The Importance of Strategic Innovation
Why are icons of yesteryear failing at alarming rates? Some say that it is the introduction of Amazon and Netflix, or Millennial’s becoming more predominant consumers; others say it’s old leadership or old business models. Sure, you can easily point […]
How to Develop a Social Media Marketing Strategy for Your Business
For as long as social media has been around, there are still many small and medium-sized businesses that have not fully embraced social media marketing. It was estimated in 2017 that 81 percent of the US population has a social […]
When Terminating An Employee Is Necessary
Firing an employee is a difficult and sensitive subject for most. It is something to never be taken lightly as personal ramifications always go much further than we may know. With that said, it is a necessary evil in the […]
Following The “Sales Taught” Process Isn’t Always A Good Thing
Sales processes are fantastic guidelines to ensure that you are doing the proper things to be successful in your sales career. However, it is important to pay attention to the customer and make on-the-fly modifications to your process as the […]
What is Social Selling Really, Six Tips to Social Selling
Every time we read a new article on increasing sales from sales coaches, consultants, or the media, we see them hyping up social selling. This is a great suggestion, as we couldn’t agree more. Why? Because social selling does lead […]
Busy Isn’t Always Productive | 10 Tips To Becoming More Productive
Busy isn’t always productive… Let that sink in a bit. How many times has someone told you about how busy they are, or how they can’t complete a new task because they have so much on their plates? We hear […]
How to Make CRM Play a More Important Role in Your Small Business
Most CRM systems these days such as: Salesfore.com, Zoho, SugarCRM, Infusionsoft, and HubSpot are highly customizable, yet, even at their bases, they have enough capability to have significant impact on your business and efficiencies within it. In spite of this, […]
AOTMP Acquires Blue Hill Research
On Wednesday, January 10, 2018, AOTMP entered into an agreement to purchase Blue Hill Research and all of its assets, including existing employees: https://aotmp.com/aotmp-acquires-blue-hill-research. This is an interesting acquisition as AOTMP historically has been 100% focused on the Telecom Expense […]
Top 10 Tips To Run Your Business Like The Patriots to Win
If you live in New England, you’re most likely a Patriots fan. And if you live outside of New England, most likely you’re not. Whether you’re a Patriots fan or not, the Patriots’ ability to constantly win and execute almost […]
The Marketing Magic of Beats by Dre
Beats by Dre is arguably one of the most successful marketing stories in recent history. Sure, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are very successful businessmen and music producers, but what really made the sale to Apple was their success in […]
Why A Free Trial Should Be Part of Your Business Strategy Today
What do Netflix, DropBox, Salesforce.com, HubSpot, Hulu, and Spotify all have in common? They all offer up their services for free either as a free trial or as a free service alternative to their premium paid service; they rely heavily […]
Account Management Strategy 101
One of the biggest mistakes organizations make today is not having a “real” account management plan in place. Whether it is at the executive, marketing, or sales rep level, we’ve uncovered that once you peel back the layers of the […]
The Fall of Big Box Retail in Calculator-Driven Economy
A few months back, United had experienced some troubled times. And after having time to reflect, it brings a few certain thoughts to mind around how the world has changed for both consumers and big box retailers. As of late, […]