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CRM Guidebook for Businesses
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Spring Cleaning
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Listen To The Music
Location, Location, Location!
The Buying Process
Custom Creative
Understanding Google Analytics
TV Awards Show4Got to Include the Networks
March 12, 2024

Through the years, I’ve shared my professional background in television advertising sales. As a salesperson, I kept a close eye on the annual Emmy Awards. The more awards our shows won, the easier it was to sell commercials to advertisers – plus it was more fun to brag when you represented a network affiliate that won a big haul.

Making the Case4Google
February 19, 2024

It’s one of the most powerful sources of information in the world. One could make the argument that Google is the most influential resource known. Its impact is hard to measure, but the company remains omnipresent.

Working2Acquire Talent
January 16, 2024

We’re actively recruiting for…..”

This is a phrase, or even a buzzword, that c-levelers and human resources management types often toss around without a lot of thought. 

Something2Think About
December 6, 2023

You’re always marketing. There’s no rest. It doesn’t matter if you are a start-up, a tech company, a retailer, a home services expert, or anything else. Whatever you do in business or industry, you’re always marketing yourself.  

Unpopular Take4You
November 13, 2023

Here’s a reality! Not all marketing and advertising concepts are absolutely critical to your business’ growth and development.

Help Right Be4 You
October 11, 2023

Each of us have discovered that people are fascinating. We simply need to take a little time to get to know them and then listen to what they have to say. That’s a big part of the challenge. As leaders we run from a tasks to meetings to challenges to solutions mindset. Unfortunately, it’s all too rare when we sit and just listen to people. 

No Calculators2Help You!
September 13, 2023

It’s been well documented in past B2Seeds that I wasn’t the best math pupil. In fact, I never even made it to high school calculus. It certainly didn’t help that we weren’t allowed to use calculators on tests. I do remember wondering why I had to work out those problems by hand when my calculator could do it for me! 

Yacht Rock4the Win
August 7, 2023

Sometimes you hear a song and realize, hey I know that. Sometimes those songs are for advertising. Maybe it’s a musical branding piece done specifically for a company. Often, it’s a remade song that is newly incorporated into a campaign. 

Hard Questions2Answer
July 14, 2023

When I started this company 14 years ago, Public Relations wasn’t a focal point of our new firm.  Back in those days, we farmed out press releases, press conferences, and even media training. My background was in the television media business, so I was more focused on the advertising side of things in our industry.  

Be4and After
June 12, 2023

Before and After advertising is as old as... well, advertising. I mean, who hasn’t seen an ad for Weight Watchers, and marveled at the Before and After comparisons of this highly effective weight loss program?

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
April 26, 2019

Everyone there was in attendance to see Branford Marsalis. The famed musician was the main attraction for...

Small Labels Can Be a Big Deal
February 28, 2019

Little things can make a big difference though – especially in commerce. One of the first questions I ask a new client is...


Hurt People Hurt People
January 20, 2018

Sometimes you come across a person who just rubs you the wrong way. It happens to all of us in business (or education or healthcare or not-for-profit foundation work). That’s because those people are everywhere.

Bowling Trophies and Parking Spaces
October 20, 2017

Money is a great motivator. Generally we can all agree on that concept and, as the holidays and the end-of-year bonus season approaches, it’s worth noting that most everyone is motivated by mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money. (That’s a 90’s comedy sketch reference for those not as old as I am.)

E-Mail Etiquette
December 20, 2015

If you are a human being in a typical office work space, you're probably one who uses email. More likely than not, Yahoo, Gmail, or even AOL email rules your world. I

The Uncomfortable Question
October 20, 2015

As many of you know, not only do I handle marketing and advertising at B2C Enterprises, I also work as a career firefighter/engineer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One of the things we do is plan for emergency incidents before they happen, or, in firefighter shorthand, pre-plan.

How's Business
September 20, 2015

Immediately I have to decide….Is this a “not sure what to ask you so I’ll just ask the simple how is business question”, or are they genuinely interested in the affairs of the marketing and advertising agency I run?

Holiday Road
May 20, 2015

They were great trips, but as Mom so rightly pointed out, they came at the very end of the summer. Before the trip there was wiffle ball to play, swimming to dive into, friends to ride bikes with, girls to meet, smaller family trips to take, and movies to watch.

Are you sowing seeds?
January 20, 2015

Except it's not - it's really quite simple. Naturally, I like to write - hopefully you can tell that from the energy that goes into delivering some value to you with these monthly pieces.

Serve and Protect Your Brand
September 20, 2014

A while back I saw the familiar look of a Chicago Police cruiser. It was the same as I'd seen in movies like the Blues Brothers or Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Working2Acquire Talent
January 16, 2024

We’re actively recruiting for…..”

This is a phrase, or even a buzzword, that c-levelers and human resources management types often toss around without a lot of thought. 

Ask Questions2Learn
March 9, 2023

Remember the old saying, “curiosity killed the cat”?  Well, the lack of curiosity has done-in more than a few businesses and leadership teams.  Strong questions make a big impact.

Check Your Work2Improve
February 7, 2023

Mister Starr was my 10th grade geometry teacher. I didn’t do so well in his class. I do, however, remember him clearly reminding our class to “check your work”.  

A Long Line2Wait In
May 6, 2022

We enjoy giving it as a gift to our clients at the holidays.  I also love to meet with clients, and prospects, and potential employees as they drink it.  While I feel like I should enjoy a cuppa joe, the reality is: “I do not drink coffee!”

Ask Then Listen
September 15, 2021

About twenty years ago, in a city far from where my agency is located, I learned a valuable life lesson.

Gathered with me in an old room with dated furniture on a cloudy fall day were 12 people who I’d never met prior to that week. A few days before, we went through a tryout of sorts, and that was also a strange experience. I always wanted to...

Improving on Improving
September 27, 2018

People want to improve.  Well, most people do anyway. They’ll talk the improvement game.  They’ll go to conferences.  They’ll read those books.  Most will target a...

Bench Strength
November 20, 2017

On the first night of November (which did seem weird), the Houston Astros captured their first-ever baseball World Series Championship. Just four years ago they were the laughingstock of the baseball world and had lost over 100 games – a near record for futility.

Pull Over and Take a Big Whiff
September 20, 2017

In the marketing world, we tend to be heavily focused on the next month, quarter, or year.

Kindness Counts
April 20, 2017

I will often judge how much we’ll enjoy an act at The Spot based on one natural interaction: I watch how the artist treats our magical, kind, and helpful sound engineer, Travis. If they care for him and treat him well, their performances are almost always extra enjoyable.

Value Your Value
June 20, 2016

B2C Enterprises invests over a million dollars in media most years, while at the same time, interacting with salespeople from at least seven states. That’s a lot of business transactions and a lot of sales appointments.

Storytime is Worth the Time
April 20, 2016

Use someone else’s informative and entertaining story until you create your own to share. I did this when I was younger and I also did it seven years ago when I started my advertising agency.

You Can’t Fake Sincerity
March 20, 2016

They’ve ruined the process for many. Certainly they’ve made a lot of work for those who genuinely do put their prospects' best interests first. Typically when a salesperson walks through the door, the potential client leans to the position of distrust. It may be unfortunate, but it’s generally the case.

Step it Up
February 20, 2016


You get in and settle into your job and before you know it, the realization hits there are lots of other things that need to get done.

A Little Love Goes a Long Way
January 20, 2016

It's basketball season and I love basketball – more than most anything. So it’s a good time to write about basketball.

Gambling on (or for) Productivity
February 20, 2015

However, March of every year brings one specific activity that breaks this pattern. They are called "Brackets".

Unpopular Take4You
November 13, 2023

Here’s a reality! Not all marketing and advertising concepts are absolutely critical to your business’ growth and development.

Yacht Rock4the Win
August 7, 2023

Sometimes you hear a song and realize, hey I know that. Sometimes those songs are for advertising. Maybe it’s a musical branding piece done specifically for a company. Often, it’s a remade song that is newly incorporated into a campaign. 

Be4and After
June 12, 2023

Before and After advertising is as old as... well, advertising. I mean, who hasn’t seen an ad for Weight Watchers, and marveled at the Before and After comparisons of this highly effective weight loss program?

Demographics2Look at When Marketing
May 15, 2023

People are unique. We can all agree on that statement. Yet, when looking at marketing decisions, it seems the experts want to lump us into categories with the assumption that everyone occupying that category has the same patterns, desires, interests, and passions. 

5 Ways Content Marketing Helps Convert Leads
October 10, 2022

What’s Content Marketing? Simply put, Content Marketing is the foundation for an entire marketing and communication strategy. Content Marketing can help your website rank on search engines, position you as a subject matter expert, build your stakeholder list and engagement level, and nurture...

Best TikTok Practices for Your Business
June 21, 2022

Social media accounts are proven to help businesses build brand loyalty, direct users to websites, and collect customer feedback.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4): What is it and should you use it?
March 16, 2022

Google Analytics has been giving companies and organizations vital information about their website users since 2005. While the world was listening to music on Apple's colorful iPod nano, Google released an innovative new tool online. It allowed marketers and business owners to see who went to their website and what they did once they got there. This tool provided insight on page views, sessions, and bounce rates. Now known as Universal Google Analytics, this powerful database gave viewers valuable information and reporting capabilities to make strategic marketing decisions. 

Make Your Own Luck With Marketing: 5 Tips To Get You Started
March 15, 2022

St. Patrick's Day observes the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Today, the holiday is celebrated with parades, special foods, music, dancing, drinking, and a whole lot of green. While many brands take advantage of holidays to create special promotions or campaigns, here are some ways to make your own luck with marketing!

Effective Advertising: Make The Most Of Your Budget
February 2, 2022

Advertising can seem expensive, but it does not have to be. If you use the right strategies to maximize your budget, you can get the most out of your marketing dollars. Here are some tips to help you reach new customers without draining your budget or cutting into your profit margins.

12 Bad Marketing Tips (by the Marketing Monsters)
December 1, 2021

When it comes to marketing for your business, monsters aren't the best advice-givers. In fact, their insights are quite terrible! When our monster-handling team at 5Points Creative heard about the Marketing Monster's "12 Holiday Marketing Mayhem Tips", we had to...

Solutions for Specific Audiences
November 15, 2021

Kitchens in the ’70s and ’80s had this appliance. It was a hit in suburban households for decades and an omnipresent part of the home back in the olden days.

How do most of us get along without the Trash Compactor now? It’s hard to say, but it’s been decades since the average home has been built with one of these contraptions – at least as far as I know anyway. Back then, the homeowner would...

Feet on the Ground, Head in the Clouds
June 16, 2021

Late last year something happened in my business’ sales cycle and it got me thinking.

To support another organization, I placed a call to a friend of mine whom I had known for about a dozen years.  In the course of the conversation about this other topic, he asked me about marketing and advertising.  He wondered how we help clients...

Walking the Walk
April 13, 2021

It’s fascinating when a client says something to me that I’ve already thought or said myself many times. As if hearing the idea for the first time, their comment hits my head (or my heart) and drives home a concept chock full of value. That’s exactly what happened to me during a recent Zoom call with a client.

We were talking about their media plans and how they suggested we approach their strategy for the coming season. We were working through their goals, their budget, previous success, and some new ideas to...

Room to Grow
March 19, 2021

This fall, out on a walk, I noticed a house in my neighborhood that provided the perfect picture for what we tell our clients. It was so appropriate I decided to snap a picture. Hopefully it isn’t your home. I’m hoping it can illustrate an important point about your business. Think ahead.

Thinking ahead is good advice for...

Mixing Up Your Marketing Playbook
February 15, 2021

Someone makes a move, then the opposing side responds and makes a change. It's the way the sports world has worked for centuries. It's also how business functions.

Football teams played the Single Wing and...

The Power of the Front Porch
July 14, 2021

Business routines are backwards these days. It used to be I’d build a relationship with someone, then they would become a client. Now, clients decide to trust us to help them and then at some point afterward we begin...

Walking the Walk
April 13, 2021

It’s fascinating when a client says something to me that I’ve already thought or said myself many times. As if hearing the idea for the first time, their comment hits my head (or my heart) and drives home a concept chock full of value. That’s exactly what happened to me during a recent Zoom call with a client.

We were talking about their media plans and how they suggested we approach their strategy for the coming season. We were working through their goals, their budget, previous success, and some new ideas to...

Room to Grow
March 19, 2021

This fall, out on a walk, I noticed a house in my neighborhood that provided the perfect picture for what we tell our clients. It was so appropriate I decided to snap a picture. Hopefully it isn’t your home. I’m hoping it can illustrate an important point about your business. Think ahead.

Thinking ahead is good advice for...

Filling the Gap
November 16, 2020

For the past decade, I’ve noticed something that seemed kind of odd to me initially. Over time, I continued seeing this pattern and I figured it was time I identified it.

Some of the smartest people I know own companies, invent products, or find a better way to accomplish a goal. They are brilliant at what they do and have built a product or service based on some sort of genius technological solution. The work they do takes...

New Challenges Call for New Solutions
October 6, 2020

Years ago, I wrote about the value of “going where the eyeballs are” when it comes to advertising. It’s an age-old axiom, but as you evaluate your place in the business community, it’s one that deserves a little closer examination. If you have...

Observe and Improve
August 26, 2020

Over the years people have asked me how I decide what to write about in our monthly columns. Often it is noticing something basic and then pondering how it fits into marketing or business operations.

I have a teenager, which means I have to deal with the constant cycle of updating, repairing, and replacing of mobile phones. My normally sure-handed young man occasionally drops his...

Tonality, Timing, and Value
June 8, 2020

Before I became a business owner eleven years ago, I was a sales manager. Before I was a sales manager, I was a seller out in the field. Early on I decided I didn’t ever want to be...

Managing the Business Runway
December 21, 2018

Around 15 years ago I spent a day in Northern New Jersey making sales calls with a consultant. I like new places and, while I had driven through the region, I had never really spent any time there.

Meet People4Good
November 21, 2018

One of the things wise people encouraged me to do was to meet with people to help me see what possibilities existed out there and to better understand what made me special, valuable, and unique.

S.O.S : Secure Other Support
September 18, 2018

As sellers and account managers we are a reflection.....When they’re doing great work it shows naturally through our demeanor and plays out...

Building Relationships with Words
July 27, 2018

My Dad is probably the biggest fan of my writing – and sometimes my biggest critic.  I’ve seen the statistics for this monthly piece and most of you who receive it actually read it. Some of you may muddle through it while others...

Accoutability + Consistency = Coffee
March 6, 2018

About a year and a half ago we hired a business development person at our marketing and advertising firm. It was a big step for me since prior to that time...

Breaking Patterns
June 20, 2017

There are patterns in every part of commerce. It’s easier to be robotically repetitive and as businesspeople, shoppers, or office workers, we tend to continue doing what we’re most comfortable with.

Authentic Dialogue
February 20, 2017

It’s so easy in the sales process to nod your head, agree with the prospect, and work to keep the peace. After all, it feels better and what kind of position are you in to object or share strong opinions when you’re trying to start a business relationship with someone? The answer is the best position.

Ask Away
January 20, 2017

Early on I was going to be a reporter – a television sports reporter, actually. I think someone told me I had a face for radio and, eventually, economics and life caused me to shift from journalism to capitalism.

Something2Think About
December 6, 2023

You’re always marketing. There’s no rest. It doesn’t matter if you are a start-up, a tech company, a retailer, a home services expert, or anything else. Whatever you do in business or industry, you’re always marketing yourself.  

No Calculators2Help You!
September 13, 2023

It’s been well documented in past B2Seeds that I wasn’t the best math pupil. In fact, I never even made it to high school calculus. It certainly didn’t help that we weren’t allowed to use calculators on tests. I do remember wondering why I had to work out those problems by hand when my calculator could do it for me! 

Hard Questions2Answer
July 14, 2023

When I started this company 14 years ago, Public Relations wasn’t a focal point of our new firm.  Back in those days, we farmed out press releases, press conferences, and even media training. My background was in the television media business, so I was more focused on the advertising side of things in our industry.  

A Fun Title2Catch Your Eye
January 13, 2023

Some of the best ideas are stolen (may I more politely say borrowed). 

Over 30 years ago I was a TV sales manager who called on business and ad agencies in Michigan. One agency founder had a fun title on his card, and I remembered that.  Fifteen years or so later, when I started my company, I decided I wanted to have some fun with our titles, as well.  Internally we all know what we do, but externally, we like to poke a little fun at the formal titles and let our experience and sunny outlook shape the language that distinguishes us.

Improvements4Your Website Today
January 19, 2022

Over the past five years we’ve built nearly 70 websites. Some have been from scratch, but many are conversions of sites that needed updating, a more modern look and feel, or to better reflect the shifting work our client is now doing.

 I remember one in particular where our client insisted over and over that the information on their current (dated) website would simply transfer over to the new design we were doing. No matter how often we asked, we got the same answer. They would not need new copy. When we showed them...

Carved in Stone
October 15, 2021

A budget is a plan.

That’s all it should be.

Let’s be honest at the start of 2020 people were not calculating how to incorporate the adjustment that would come from a worldwide pandemic. No matter what type of industry in which you operate, there were far-reaching ramifications and everyone had to adjust. The budget situates you for success, growth, and should allow you to figure...

Zoom Fatigue
August 26, 2021

From all accounts, Zoom calls are going to remain a part of the business day.

For years companies ran WebEx, Teams, and other video conference meetings, but it wasn’t until 2020 that we all started playing in that arena on a regular (read: daily, or even hourly) basis. That shift was startling to many...

Feet on the Ground, Head in the Clouds
June 16, 2021

Late last year something happened in my business’ sales cycle and it got me thinking.

To support another organization, I placed a call to a friend of mine whom I had known for about a dozen years.  In the course of the conversation about this other topic, he asked me about marketing and advertising.  He wondered how we help clients...

Leaving it to the Pros
May 18, 2021

The year was 2003 and sequels were all the rage – The Lord of the Rings, Matrix, and Terminator movie series were topping the box office.  Speaking of Terminators, it was that year that Arnold Schwarzenegger became California’s Governor too.  The government was...

Changing with the Times
January 13, 2021

While I can’t remember every single detail, I do clearly recall that years ago, a friend of mine – Brett Winter Lemon, was showing me his iPhone on Kirk Avenue in Downtown Roanoke. It was spring. We were outside. He excitedly started...

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