Do you conduct credit reviews on your long-time customers?

If you extend credit to your customers, how long has it been since you’ve done a credit check on your accounts? If it’s been more than a year, it’s been too long. You may know that JK Harris & Co. was my client (I was the ghostwriter for JK Harris’ books Flashpoint, Sales Flashpoint, and IRS Tax Secrets, and handled additional business writing and content marketing projects). When the firm filed...

Disconnect Health Insurance from Employment

It’s reasonable for health insurance companies to ask policyholders about their lifestyles. After all, that’s a key element in the risk equation. But when insurance is provided by the employer, privacy becomes a major issue. Individuals may have lifestyle and other health-related issues they’d rather people at work didn’t know about. Orlando Sentinel columnist Beth Kassab says she is getting “used to”...

Farewell to Greg Dawson’s Last Resort

I’m going to miss Greg Dawson’s Last Resort column. As a consumer, I appreciated the education it offered—and I can’t count the number of times I realized that I had made the same mistakes people who turned to Dawson for help did, but I was fortunate enough to be dealing with reliable companies that delivered what they promised. As a business writer, I admire Dawson’s talent and style. Many times, I used...

E-mail Subscriptions: Offer Options, Make Unsubscribing Easy

The highest quality e-mail database you can build is one where your subscribers have purchased from you and have opted-in to your list. These people are ripe to become repeat customers—as long as you don’t chase them away. I do a lot of online shopping and I like getting e-mails with specials, discounts and new product information from the companies I buy from. But (and this is an important “but”) I don’t...

Should You Give It Away? Consider Samples as a Sales Strategy

Recently, after enjoying dinner with my family at one of our favorite St. Augustine restaurants, I went to the ladies’ room. On the counter by the sink was a sign that read, “Enjoy a free hand massage.” That got my attention. An invitation to try the sea salt scrub in the dish in front of sign included purchasing information. I tried it, I loved the way it made my skin feel, and I’ve purchased it. I’ve...