Whenever we have tried a tactic, usually in response to a cold-calling sales rep, where we had no specific objective or way to measure results, we have wasted our money. Effective management demands that scarce resources be used wisely and carefully. Every time a sale is made business owners and customers exchange values. And that exchange should be mutually beneficial. Both sides should believe that they got a good deal.
Effective marketing is ultimately an interpersonal process, one where people skills are crucial.
Every day businesses spend huge sums of money on advertising to attract customers to their businesses, and then once that shopper walks in the door they don't have a clue about how to greet them or what to say to them. They win the marketing battle but lose the war. Small business owners and their employees have to be able to engage a shopper and turn that person into a buyer. They do this by being genuinely friendly and starting a conversation with the shopper, a conversation designed to learn more about what the shopper is looking for or is interested in so that the owner can direct her to specific merchandise or services. Several years ago I was in New Orleans at a conference and I stopped in a small antique store looking for a gift for my wife.