Category Archives: Marketing

Master Marketing R&R

By Phil Stella | Published: August 2, 2020

Time to focus on ‘Marketing R&R’— with every sale or engagement, savvy entrepreneurs ask themselves ‘How can I earn repeat or referral business?’ The answer is easy to understand but hard to do. So, read on for ‘R&R’ Best Practices. Read More »

Your Elevator Speech Revisited

By Phil Stella | Published: June 1, 2020

(A business reporter recently asked for my comments on ‘Elevator Pitches’. I was happy to share my expertise and experience and a summary of our conversation follows. )

FYI – I did indicate that I preferred ‘Elevator Speech‘ to ‘Elevator Pitch’. ‘Pitch‘ sounds like you’re trying to sell something. No one likes to be sold to. ‘Speech’ sounds like you want to share some information. Even though the difference in connotation is subtle, it can impact the mindset of the person doing it. Read More »

Branding on a Budget

By Phil Stella | Published: March 2, 2020

Are you trying to promote your brand on a tight budget? Well then, it’s time to get creative with ways to get lots of free positive exposure. The concept of ‘target marketing’ requires you to precisely define and describe your ideal customers with specific demographic details – those who really need your products or services, value your approach to it, love your style, will always pay full price for it and will easily evolve into raving fans.

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What if Your Business IS the Best Choice?

By Phil Stella | Published: January 2, 2020

Late last year, we discussed some strategies to consider when you realize you’re not the right choice for a product or service your prospect needs. It earned lots of positive comments and some people even indicated that they had never even thought about some of the strategies mentioned. 

So, this topic should be obvious – ‘What if Your Business IS the right choice?’ Some of the brief 10 steps will be obvious, too, … but, some won’t. So read and heed. Read More »

No-Budget Marketing

By Phil Stella | Published: November 4, 2019

Marketing for entrepreneurs is always a challenge, especially with no budget for someone else to do it. Here’s a summary of simple best practices that will help you out-think the competition. Read More »

What if You’re Not the Prospect’s Best Choice?

By Phil Stella | Published: October 1, 2019

As regular readers may recall, I’m a resident expert on sales pitches for Cleveland’s Council of Smaller Enterprises ‘Mind Your Business’ blog. I recently responded to a question from R.G. in Beachwood  about what you should do if you conclude you’re not the client’s best choice during the fact-gathering conversations. Read More »

 Pitch Business with Style & Class!

By Phil Stella | Published: September 1, 2019

If you own a small business, then you need to know how to sell. A reader recently asked about the specific objective of an effective sales pitch versus the goal.   Read More »

Dog & Pony Show Best Practices

By Phil Stella | Published: August 2, 2019

My rant last month generated some lively and interesting comments. Always a good thing. Some readers asked for immediate help, which I provided privately. Others were content to wait until this month for part II – ‘Dog & Pony Show Best Practices’ … or ‘How to Avoid a Team-Delivered Presentation (TDP) from Hell!’ Read More »

Beware of Dog & Pony Show Pitches from Hell!

By Phil Stella | Published: July 2, 2019

Team-Delivered Sales Pitches (TDSPs) are still common in the marketplace today – some are effective, efficient and engaging sales messages. But, unfortunately, too many become ‘Dog & Pony Show Pitches from Hell‘. What pushes them over the edge is poor planning and preparation, just as with other types of workplace presentations. Read More »

Painless Sales Pitches

By Phil Stella | Published: May 13, 2019

Do you ever experience pain when you pitch business? Do you cause some pain for your prospects as a result of those pitches? If you answered yes to either question, then read these Best Practices for creating Painless Sales Pitches. Read More »