Studies have shown that superstar salespeople spend 60% of their time focused on building rapport with a prospect, way more than the average sales person. What better way to gain their trust than to release a natural “feel-good” chemical and make them laugh! I happened to be searching LinkedIn last week and I came across a fantastic LinkedIn group called “Brilliant Ads.” I took the most hilarious ones just for you because…

1. Seeing these massively successful campaigns will give you some good creative muse for your next marketing campaign.
2. I’ve been using these pictures as a sales tool to send to my potential clients to break the ice, crack a good joke, and win some rapport through text message, facebook chat, and email. (I even put #8 in a proposal right before the pricing to soften them before the close).
3. Because I find these hilarious and I want you to enjoy them as well

How can you do something like these ads in your next campaign…

The Funniest Insurance Ad Ever. Can you create a picture and caption like this for your company?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Can you capture the perfect picture that puts your buyer in urgency, pain, or laughter? This Diamond company did all three.

Can you use the holidays to post something seasonally funny? Welcome to the scariest day of the year…

Educate your buyer about why you’re better than your competition! Even something as simple as this, highly effective! (Notice how many likes this got on LinkedIn, almost double what all the other posts received).

Can you create something that’s innovative and grabs attention? How many employees do you have in the field? Did you ever consider using their cars as billboards? #guerillamarketing

Can you come up with a creative place to put your ads where people haven’t seen them before and find it clever?

McDonalds took thinking out of the box to a new level. What out of the box thinking can you create in your marketing mediums?

HILARIOUS. This is the one I’ve been using in my emails and proposals to potential clients… “P.S. I saw this ad a couple days ago on LinkedIn and found it amusing. I think it’s a great analogy of what our work will do together… All you need is [insert what you will give them] and it changes everything. ;)”

What clever merch can you place your company information on? I’ve been keeping this stick of chapstick for years because it tastes amazing and the provider that put their information on it has been on the top of my mind years later because of it. Where can you place your information where people will continue to see it for years to come?

Who is your target market? Can you speak in their language? Jacoby&Meyer knew millennials liked emoji’s and this campaign has been a huge hit for them.

Hah. Too funny. Be clever and remember laughter is a great way to gain rapport with clients. The difference between superstar salespeople and mediocre is their ability to build a lasting relationship.

If you’re looking to spice up your marketing material, or find more compelling ways to close more sales download our chapter that changes lives from our New York Times Best Seller The Ultimate Sales Machine. Or if you’d like to speak to someone about growing your company faster, better, smarter, sign up for a 22 minute strategy call with one of our growth specialists.

Love and light,

Amanda Holmes
CEO -Chet Holmes International

P.S. Have YOU ever put together a clever campaign? Tell me about it below in the comments box!

In anticipation of our upcoming webinar 4 Step-By-Step Strategies To Win 42% More Business, we thought we’d share a sneak peek at one of the strategies we’ll be covering—HOW TO CREATE A GREAT SALES SCRIPT.

This concept will be addressed in greater detail in the webinar (you really want to hear this sales script delivered LIVE by an expert in order to grasp how ridiculously effective it is, but we’ll do our best here just in writing). That said, any enterprising CEO should be able to implement the concepts contained solely within this post to huge benefit in their company. In fact, for greater ease of implementation we’ve included a download at the end of this post containing a blank template for creating this kind of killer sales script in your business today.

But enough preamble, in the words of music producer Berry Gordy, “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus!”

What follows is the sales script used by the salespeople of a 1.5 Billion Dollar home-building company in Mexico—BEFORE CHI got involved.

THE PRE-CHI SCRIPT:

SALESPERSON – Hi, this is Pedro Gomez from X Company. I would love to come talk to your employees about buying a home.

PROSPECT – Homes? No thank you. We’re not interested.

END SALES SCRIPT.

That’s basically what they were saying.

Train wreck…

Their solution to the resulting low rate of appointment setting was to pound away at the phones with the hope that maybe ONE business owner SOMEWHERE would be mildly interested.

At CHI we’re all in favor of pounding away at a sales effort, but we also live by the maxim: work SMARTER not HARDER—and this was not an example of working SMARTER.

BUT THEN AGAIN, MOST SALES SCRIPTS ARE NOT.

Our experience is that most sales scripts look like the one above. Such a script accomplishes three things—none of them particularly useful.

1. It lets the prospect know who you are. OKAY.
2. It tells them what YOU want. BAD. Hint: they don’t care what YOU want. What’s in it for THEM?
3. And it opens the door for the prospect to say NO immediately. VERY BAD.
4. If a sales rep does manage the sale from here, he/she deserves a medal—it’s going to be an uphill battle against a foe that is in control and LEADING the whole time.

Oftentimes this limp script is all the sales rep is provided. After that they’re left to their own devices while in poor strategic position and with poor tools. Good luck, buddy.

ENTER the strategic, SMARTER approach…

THE CHI SCRIPT:

By contrast to the three weak accomplishments of the previous script, this new script accomplishes 11 carefully thought out, strategic objectives:

1. It lets the prospect know who you are. OKAY.
2. It positions your company as well respected in its field. GOOD.
3. It only opens the door for the prospect to say, “Yes.” And does so REPEATEDLY. GREAT.
4. It focuses on THEIR needs. Not yours. GOOD.
5. It positions your company as altruistic and outwardly focused—trustworthy. GREAT.
6. It educates the prospect (allowing for objectives 7, 8, 9, and 10). EXCELLENT
7. It builds rapport (educating builds rapport while selling breaks it). GREAT.
8. It allows you to reset the prospect’s buying criteria in your favor. GREAT.
9. It keeps the prospect INTERESTED. GREAT.
10. 10.  It positions the salesperson as a knowledgeable expert. GREAT.
11. 11.  And finally, it makes the Call To Action a breeze. RESULTS!

Here’s how it’s done…

FIRST, A WORD OF CAUTION

Don’t use this script on the WRONG PERSON! Every word of this sales script has been painstakingly chosen, and pitching it to the wrong audience will absolutely ruin its effectiveness. Who is the RIGHT AUDIENCE you ask? ALWAYS PITCH THE PERSON WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO SAY, “YES” WITHOUT ASKING SOMEBODY ELSE’S PERMISSION! If you pitch what we call a “gatekeeper,” chances are they have the power to say, “No, we’re not interested,” but not the power to say, “Yes, we’re buying!” The best you can hope for is that the gatekeeper will try to get you in front of his/her boss. Then you end up with the gatekeeper pitching YOUR script.

WITH NO PRACTICE.

WITH NOTHING INVESTED IN THE OUTCOME.

AND PROBABLY IN LESS THAN THIRTY SECONDS.

Don’t do it! If you want to know more about getting past these gatekeepers, click HERE.

With that essential warning out of the way…

HERE IS THE SMARTER SCRIPT:

SALESPERSON – Hi, this is Pedro Gomez from X company. Are you familiar with us?

PROSPECT – Yes/No.

SALESPERSON – Okay then you should know (or already know) that we’re the largest homebuilder in Mexico.(This lets the prospect know who you are, and also why your company should be respected—objectives 1 and 2. We’re off to a good start)

Now the reason I’m calling you is because we recently commissioned a study of issues facing Mexico and how that’s going to impact you and your employees. (Objective 4, focus on THEM and THEIR needs)

Are you interested in making your employees more secure, less stressed, and more effective on the job? (Again objective 4)

PROSPECT – Uh, of course. (Remember how quickly the prospect said “No” before? This time we don’t give them that option—objective 3, get them saying YES. On that note, what is a question that you can ask right away in your sales scripts that the prospect CAN’T say “No” to? Remember: the best way to close a sale is for the prospect to close themselves)

(Side note: who is leading this conversation? With that last question we passed the ball to the prospect, but they have no choice but to pass it right back)

SALESPERSON – That’s where we can help. You’re probably aware that Mexico is emerging in several areas as a leader in the world market. Since our company is one of the largest companies in Mexico (Objective 2), we feel it is our responsibility to assist this country in any way we can. (This establishes our company as both altruistic and trustworthy, accomplishing objective 5. Now watch as we keep the prospect saying “Yes,” and continue to LEAD the conversation with another question the prospect just can’t say “No” to)

Are you interested in making Mexico a stronger nation if it doesn’t cost you anything to do it?

PROSPECT – Uh, yeah, I guess. (Objective 3 again—what self-respecting Mexican citizen can say no to this?)

SALESPERSON – I’m sure you’re aware that there are government programs that make it so almost every employee you have can own a home. (This is where the sales script begins to educate the prospect. Education based marketing is an incredibly powerful and advanced tool—that we’ve developed into something we call a Core Story—that deserves a whole blog post unto itself. For now we will say only that this approach accomplishes or enhances almost all of our previously established objectives, particularly objectives 4-10)

PROSPECT – I didn’t know that. (But it’s an interesting piece of information, right?—objective 9)

SALESPERSON – Oh it’s a fantastic opportunity for individuals and also for the entirety of Mexico. See we work closely with various government agencies (objective 2) and now have a program that educates you and your staff about the growth of the Mexican economy, why you should have more pride in Mexico, and how almost every employee can afford now to own a home. (Objectives: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Perhaps you get the picture and I don’t need to point out all the different strategies at work in every line. From here on I’ll mention just the highlights)

You see, if your employees own homes, they are more tied into the job, and need to keep it even more. Do you like keeping good staff around?

PROSPECT – Well, yes, of course. (ANOTHER YES. It’s almost too easy at this point…)

SALESPERSON – Then what I’d like to do is make this program available to your entire staff. Here’s how we do it. You send out a memo and make an announcement to each staff member. We will supply the announcement and memo (See how we leave nothing to chance here? We do all the work for the prospect, but more importantly we’re in complete control. This makes the call to action SIMPLE. People have a tendency to go where there is the least resistance. So we make it as easy on them as possible—objective 11), then we come by at lunch and also after work and talk to the staff. You win from this as people who own their own homes are better citizens, better employees, more stable and more dependent upon their job. Does that make sense to you? (By now you surely don’t need us to point out how this line actively contributes to objectives 3-11. Instead I’d like to guide your attention specifically to objective 8—resetting the prospect’s buying criteria. Two minutes ago this prospect had no buying criteria and was absolutely uninterested in us selling houses to his/her employees. By educating him/her however, we’ve completely changed his/her perspective on the matter. Now the prospect sees what’s in it for him/her. Through educating your prospect—which also accomplishes objectives 7-10 if the information is good—you can give criteria to buyers who had few buying criteria beyond price, and you can change the buying criteria of more knowledgeable buyers into criteria that are favorable to your company)

PROSPECT – Yes, it does. (How can they say no at this point? They have much to gain and all the hard work has been done for them)

SALESPERSON – Great, then we could get in there next week and get started. I’ll get you over the announcement and memo. (All that’s left is to iron out the details)

END SCRIPT.

It should be obvious that strategically and tactically the second script blows the first script out of the water. Remember the salesperson using the first script, stuck in poor strategic position with no tools at his/her disposal? At CHI we don’t believe in sending salespeople into the front lines of capitalism empty-handed; as the second script should demonstrate, we want them armed to the teeth.

RESULTS

Nobody can say that any sales script is effective 100% of the time, but it should be obvious that our script was far superior to the one that the company previously utilized. As you might guess, the results reflected this. Along with other tools we provided, this exact script was responsible for the homebuilding company landing Walmart as a client—dream client. In fact, in total, our efforts for this particular company increased sales to the tune of 700 million dollars over two years.

We want you to have these kinds of results.

Below you’ll find a free download of the template used to create this STRATEGICALLY SUPERIOR sales script. If you like the information in this blog post, feel free to share it on your favorite social media platform(s) and/or with anyone you know who might benefit from it.

Also consider subscribing to our blog. We’re in the process of implementing a new initiative concerning blog posts, and future entries promise to be packed full of concrete and actionable tools to help you succeed.

TEMPLATE DOWNLOAD

Cheers,

The CHI Team

[Case Study] This Boosted Sales 1,100% for Chet Holmes International

A few weeks ago, our friends at LeadPages asked if they could profile our company in a case study. I didn’t just say yes—I told them:

“I’m going to be the best case study you’ve ever had.”

Businesses routinely see impressive conversion results when they start using LeadPages’ landing pages and other tools, but I’m not sure anyone would have predicted we could take our sales conversion rate up by 1,100%.

I want to share with you exactly what I did to grow our business while taking our operations into the digital age. In this post, we cover:

• How Content Can Build Excitement: This sequence of emails and lead magnets kept people highly interested from opt-in to purchase.

• My Exact Campaign Flow: Step by step, you’ll see how I turned tons of people from cold leads into members of Chet Holmes International.

• The Four Templates I Used to Build My Campaign: You’ll even get a direct link to download them yourself when you read the post.

I’m still a little wowed by the results we’ve seen, and I think you will be too! The post is full of strategies you can apply to your own business. You might get some good ideas about what you can do with your LeadPages tool, check it out here.
Enjoy!

Amanda Holmes
Chet Holmes International

You work hard to ensure your operations are efficient, whether it’s through hiring top talent, keeping customer satisfaction high or developing innovative products. You aim for business success in all of your endeavors, but it’s important to know that you need to lay the foundation for a successful enterprise.

Incorporating strategies into your business that pave the way to prosperity can be done at any time. However, you want to be sure you are giving both yourself and your employees the necessary tools to become a successful in business. There are a number of methods that can help you get on the path to becoming an efficient and strong company.

Think positive
Having a positive mindset can do wonders. Being optimistic about your business and where it’s going will certainly be contagious for your employees and customers. Small Business Trends recommends establishing a positive work environment that encourages your staff to be more optimistic about their jobs and the future of the company.

Have a solid vision in place
As an owner, you likely have a mental picture of what you want your business to become in the future. However, Business Insider suggests that you create a business growth plan that focuses on exactly what needs to be done to get to there. Having goals in place is an important part of the process, but without outlining how you are going to reach them, your business vision will never materialize.

Be a great employer
If you want great employees, you need to be a great employer. Business Insider writes that you can accomplish this by providing staff with the tools needed to realize success within your company. This can include training sessions, career advancement opportunities and rewards for hard work.

Appreciate your customers
Just as with showing your employees how much they matter, you need to do the same with your customers. Showing patrons you appreciate them can go a long way in boosting satisfaction and bringing in new customers. Business Insider suggests focusing on making your products interesting and innovative as well as giving exceptional service to patrons.

Establish peer networks
You can even go outside of your company to find an effective tool for business success. Small Business Trends states that networking gives you the ability to connect with others in your industry, allowing you to bounce ideas off of your peers and collaborate to develop new ideas that benefit your operations.

Understanding the difference between a boss and a leader can mean all the difference in achieving small business success.

Achieving business success will take a lot of effort on the part of the entrepreneur and any individuals he or she hires to see to it that the organization not only survives, but also thrives. Much of this effort will occur with respect to the types of workers who are brought in. Ensuring that everyone has the same goals and collaborates well within a team environment is one part of the process that must not be overlooked. However, of even greater importance are the leadership characteristics being displayed by the owner of the enterprise.

Many people who start their own companies are likely talented individuals who are skilled in a specific craft or trade. However, in order for a business to grow beyond mom-and-pop status into a marketplace leader, entrepreneurs will have to employ help and guide these individuals in a way that ensures the success of the organization. This isn’t a task that comes easy to most people. One of the ways to address this issue for owners is to work closely with a business consultant to help him or her obtain the skills needed in order to be successful in this area.

However, it’s important for those with their own enterprises to understand the subtle differences between being a boss and a leader. Failure to grasp the distinguishing characteristics between the two can be harmful and cause the business to not reach its full potential.

The difference between leaders and bosses
On the surface, to the uninitiated, these two words may have the same meaning. However, they couldn’t be more different, especially when it comes to running a successful operation. A recent article from Inc. Magazine offered a perspective that entrepreneurs can gain from when working to drive their companies to small business success.

It’s important to remember that true leadership is inspiring. Getting people to work together in harmony isn’t easy and wielding a heavy handed approach that instills fear, such as tactics employed by bosses, will oftentimes yield negative results, Inc. wrote.

Additionally, the best leaders are those who don’t look down on others, including the staff that they may have assembled. Instead, owners with successful enterprises understand the concept of teamwork and get everyone in his or her employ to understand that one person won’t contribute to a company thriving. Success will come from the combined efforts of everyone in the group.

How to lead effectively
Being a good leader doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process, one that must be realized through trial and error. However, it is unmistakable part of business success that must not be overlooked. A separate article from Inc. highlights how an entrepreneur can be the type of person that gets others to buy into his or her vision and help the enterprise stand out in what has become an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The first step in this process is to be someone who empowers others. Micromanagement never works and in many cases, is counterproductive. Giving staff members ground to make certain decisions without your input as the company owner, will build a deeper level of trust and will inspire workers to give their all. It is also important to recognize staff members for their efforts on a job well done. Not only is the acknowledgement appreciated, but it also lets workers know that you are keeping a watchful eye on their performance. This will encourage them to strive for excellence at all times.

By understanding the difference between leaders and bosses and mastering the former as opposed to the latter, small business success can be easily realized and a company can reach great heights in the process.

A solid disaster recovery strategy should be a part of any effective business growth plan.

When starting your business, you mapped out everything you wanted to achieve and the steps to take to get where you wanted to go. Now that your company is up and running, you most likely still have a plan in place to deal with your organization’s growth. But what about if disaster strikes? It doesn’t happen to every enterprise, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen to yours.

A solid disaster recovery strategy is part of any effective business growth plan. Even if a disaster never occurs, it will give you, as an owner, peace of mind knowing that you have something in place to keep your operations running. Even though developing a disaster plan may sound daunting, all it takes is some research and preparation to create a strategy that will stand throughout any possible disaster.

Business disasters can range from natural occurrences, such as hurricanes, tornadoes or floods, to more technical issues, such as a cyber attack or data center loss. Whatever the case, getting a plan in place now means your business can recover more quickly and efficiently should an emergency happen.

– Assess the various risks: Businesses that are located in the Southeast United States may not have to worry about extremely cold weather conditions possibly disrupting their operations every year, but they do have to worry about tornadoes. Companies in every region of the country have to deal with various weather-related disasters that happen in their areas, so figuring out what could potentially throw off your enterprise for a few days is the first step to determining how you can handle them, suggests the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants.

You should also take the time to assess any technical dangers, such as information loss due to hackers, the source recommends. This will help you lay out the proper protocols for recovery.

– Create a business continuity plan: Crain’s Detroit Business states that small companies need to develop a strong business continuity plan that outlines what steps will be taken in case of an emergency. The source also recommends that you determine which staff members will be in charge of which responsibilities so that employees know who to reach out to.

– Take a look at your systems: Looking at the systems you have in place can help you poke holes in anything that could be severely impacted by a disaster, writes the Minnesota Society of CPA’s. Do your employees have a way to work if your company’s Internet is down for an extended period? What if your facilities are damaged? Is there somewhere else you can operate out of while recovering? These questions can give you more insight into improvements that can be made to your disaster recovery plan.

Whatever the disaster, whether it’s weather-related or tech-based, you need a plan to get your operations back in line should something occur. Also, having your employees provide their advice and input on the strategy ensures everyone is onboard and prepared for anything that happens.

Keeping track of emerging business trends can put your company in a very strong position.

As your company looks toward 2015 with an eye on growing successful practices and finding areas to improve, there are some emergent workplace trends that may influence how you do business.

Staying abreast of changes in the work environment and prevailing attitudes can help position your organization for success and keep your operations ahead of the pack.  Knowing how to use some of these new trends in fashion at top companies, as reported by U.S. News and World Report, may give your group an edge.

Developing young and talented hires

Millennials, those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s, are beginning to make a mark in the working world. Hiring young talent is important because it brings workers on board who could stay and develop within your company for decades, are in touch with cultural trends and can help steer marketing, sales and customer service efforts toward younger populations. Incorporating young employees into breakthrough consulting sessions for your company can strengthen these positives.

Internships and proactive college recruiting are both poised to become more common in 2015. Emphases on recognizing ability and providing interns and apprentices the opportunity to have substantial interaction with high-level employees and executives are gaining popularity.

For existing employees, an added focus on professional development can keep them eager and willing to advance and learn. Mentoring and job-shadowing programs are growing at top companies, providing ways for workers to become more involved and move up the corporate ladder.

Workplace Trends for 2015

Some trends cited by Forbes as the most popular of 2015 are already predicted to continue through the new year, like increases in the hiring of millennials.  The continuing retirement of baby boomers will also likely continue, but a few trends from the past year are worth extra consideration.

Other trends worth mentioning is Mobile hiring and mobile job search as well as social media posts used to attract and retain talent.

The use of freelancers in the workforce is becoming a normal way of life and Forbes has continued  to predict an increase in 2015 as well. Companies use freelancers to both save costs on benefits and other long-term financial obligations and to successfully target specific problems and opportunities.

To help your business decide which new trends will be especially beneficial to your unique situation, look into acquiring help from a corporate consulting service.

Business owners can help their companies grow through collaborative efforts.

When it comes to driving a company toward small business success, any owner – no matter how savvy they think they are – can learn how to be more effective as a leader. Running an organization, managing staff and delivering the highest quality of service to customers are critical to the success of any company, regardless of size. However, there are times when any of these actionable items can be a source of frustration and improving in the leadership category can help in the face of challenges.

Business coaching services are a great tool that can be taken advantage of to guide an individual overcome any rough patches while traveling along the road to success. But there are also examples found in our everyday lives that can develop and strengthen the leadership qualities of any individual.

Valuable lessons on change from Admiral Michelle Howard
In the 236-years of the U.S. Navy’s existence, this branch of the military has never had a woman achieve one of the highest ranks. That all changed when Michelle Howard received a promotion to Vice Chief of Naval Operations, in addition to being a four-star admiral, according to Forbes. In her naval career, there have been a lot of other firsts for Admiral Howard. However, being a woman who has worked her way up through the ranks to hold key positions of leadership in the U.S. armed forces, she knows what it takes to build strong teams that are also successful. The lessons learned along her career can be beneficial to any small-business owner.

“It’s the willingness to commit to look hard at yourself and commit to a new way of doing business,” Howard told Forbes on the subject of making innovative changes within an organization. “There’s great ideas out there – it’s having the courage to go ask people about what they’re doing different and saying, ‘I wonder how I could apply that to my organization?'”

When it comes to running a company, it’s imperative to use any of the resources at your disposal to ensure that your venture is a success. Whether it’s seeking outside help or polling employees, not being rigid in your approach can be the difference between implementing changes that can push the business forward or doing things the way you’ve always done them and stagnating the growth of the organization.

Innovation as a team
Admiral Howard’s statements reveal that leaders can’t always make all of the critical decisions themselves. There are times when collaboration is necessary. Inc. Magazine recently broached the innovation topic and lists some helpful tips to create this kind of atmosphere in your organization.

Dining together and using this time to brainstorm, creating cross-functional work groups and hiring non-egotistical people who fit within the team construct are great ways to get everyone working together toward a common goal. As a leader, integrating these processes into your organization and creating a collaborative atmosphere can greatly help your company achieve the small business success that you’re looking for.

Optimizing email marketing can greatly benefit businesses.

Whether your company is involved in selling to consumers or other businesses, email marketing is a powerful tool that offers some unique advantages.

A slight tune-up of marketing strategies or more sweeping changes as part of a plan for how to grow sales will both benefit from paying attention to the latest email marketing advice from Business 2 Community.

Necessary tactics

Some of the updates to messaging have come about because scamming and phishing emails now use strategies that once helped legitimate marketers reach prospective clients. Because the public has adapted to older concepts like personalized greetings, change is required. A study from Temple University’s Fox School of Business found that 95 percent of customers responded poorly when their names appeared as part of an emailed greeting from a business.

The negative reaction to personalized online greetings – one-on-one communication should still involve the use of a client’s name – stems from fears of identity theft and the invasion of privacy. The study specifically suggests not greeting new customers by name for this reason.

Business 2 Community recommends using collected data to point out products that they may be interested in. This strategy shows you know their preferences but avoids the personalized greeting pitfall.

Long subject lines are another area to avoid. While being descriptive is important for email marketing, going above 70 characters is discouraged because it doesn’t produce increased an click-through rate or more responses.

Refresh and refocus

A business growth plan for a company that uses email marketing as a key component should involve a review of these strategies for effectiveness. The Long Island Business News provides a checklist for growing the reach and results of your efforts.

Businesses should be worried about sending too many and too few emails to customers. While complaints and unsubscribe rates should be carefully watched, companies shouldn’t be afraid of sending out more messages, as long as they are engaging and targeted to consumer interests. More messages means an opportunity for more clicks, reads and purchases.

Optimizing email campaigns for mobile viewing should also be of paramount importance. A heavily formatted email can look good on a computer screen but terrible on a smartphone, which more customers are using to view messages. Using a design focused on mobile viewing won’t negatively impact views on standard computers. A large font is also a simple change that will make reading such messages on the smaller screens of smartphones easier.

Effectively utilize customer data to improve revenue streams.

Change is a constant, but the pace of advancement for organizations has increased as technology for businesses, clients and the general public continues to drastically advance.

Along with a lack of preparedness for change, organizational inflexibility was another major concern held by top business executives surveyed by the Boston Consulting Group and reported by eMarketer. Consider dedicating extra resources to dealing with these problems, as well as using professional consulting services to help orient your business toward success.

Changing the culture, physical operations and attitude of a company all factor into the most common challenge that businesses are unprepared for: large-scale transformation. Overall concerns about being able to adapt also apply to common concerns expressed about properly using customer data and successfully acting on digital channels. Specifically, a majority of executives in the retail and technology fields were concerned with efficiently utilizing customer data.

Customer data is not an unsolvable puzzle, however. Companies can collect a wide variety of data, especially when it comes to e-commerce, according to retailing website Evergage. Frequency of visits, method of payment and previous transactions can all be tracked by Web-based retailers.

Creating criteria to mark how engaged customers are is a good start, allowing businesses to segment and target potential and returning clients based on their behavior on a company’s website. If a customer has repeatedly viewed the same item or service over a long period of time, an automated suggestion for a similar product with a lower price point can encourage purchasing.

Combining data streams can also increase efficiency. Evergage gives the example of matching a customers overall click​streams with total transactions or website visits. When data shows that patrons are frequently visiting your website and going through various pages but not making a purchase, sending a survey asking about what they’re looking for can help identify deficiencies and drive purchasing.