Business Insights And Technology Tips

For Small And Midsized Enterprises (SMEs)

Integrated Marketing

From a recent BusinessWeek article: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, is such a cliche that it has spawned its own cliche: If it ain’t broke, break it. Unfortunately, that’s just what many companies do unwittingly to their branding programs, playing into the hands of public enemy No. 1 in today’s marketing environment: fragmentation.  More and more television networks, radio stations, print titles, and outdoor billboards are competing for attention, and new marketing channels pop up every day, from apps to publicity stunts and beyond. The number of places we hit people with marketing messages these days is growing a lot faster than the number of eyeballs that can take them in, and as a result audiences (and attention spans) are becoming increasingly fragmented. That reduces the chance any message has of getting through”¦The good news is that there is a powerful way to overcome fragmentation: integration. But don’t be deceived””it’s more difficult than it appears”¦Integration means communicating a consistent identity from message to message, and medium to medium, and (more importantly) delivering consistently on that identity.”

See: BusinessWeek.com – If You Knew It You’d Do It

For business marketing strategies please call the Tampa, FL corporate office of Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.

Honing Negotiation Skills

“Negotiation is your opportunity to demonstrate your commitment (and your company’s) to a long-term relationship and to maximizing value for both parties (for those who sell to businesses, value is synonymous with return-on-investment). Sales negotiation can be a formal event (at a specific time and date) or it can be an ongoing theme at different points in the sales process. It’s beyond price and includes the entire value proposition. As a professional you’re seeking a mutually beneficial relationship with your prospects and customers (not something that benefits only you or them). Practiced and applied, negotiation skills can increase the level of trust and credibility you and your company have with your prospects and customers.”  The article quoted above also includes a negotiation guide that provides you and your team with a quick overview for your next potential negotiation with a prospect or customer. Use what fits for your particular sales world and toss what doesn’t.”

For businesses advice and strategies please call the Tampa, FL corporate office of Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.

 

Help Your Customers/Clients Brag About Your Business

“If your business sells anything online, don’t overlook a valuable opportunity to help your customers brag about their purchases to their social networks. You can help your satisfied customers give insider discounts to their friends on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or elsewhere to generate more purchases. Thanks to the arithmetic of social media, a single sale could trigger a ripple effect of future sales, with little effort on your part. To do this, businesses can include buttons on their websites that allow users to share the content with their Facebook and Twitter networks. Blog services such as Blogger and Wardress, for instance, make it very easy to add these social media buttons.”

See: AllBusiness.com – Help Customers Brag About Your Business

For amazing social marketing campaigns please call the Tampa, FL corporate office of Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.

 

Social Gifting

Have you heard of Wrapp? It allows users to “give a mobile gift card from Starbucks, H&M, or other popular retailers to friends on their birthday or any other special event which social sites like Facebook already promote, Wrapp is blurring the lines of cross-channel commerce and making it easier than ever for consumers to shop how they want, when they want, and where they want.”

See: VentureBeat.com – Social Gifting

For business consulting, branding advice and mobile strategies please call the Tampa, FL corporate office of Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.

 

Mobile Strategy

“If you are focused on e-Commerce, customer support or involved with any website, you need to think about the implications mobile has on your offerings. If you’ve avoided jumping on this bandwagon, there are some trends that might convince you it is time.”

See: CMSWire.com – Why You Need a Mobile Strategy

For mobile strategies and mCommerce development please call the Tampa corporate office of Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.

 

Facebook Goes Public

“Facebook’s stock market debut is finally here — but for all the breathless hype, shares stayed fairly stable, trading Friday morning right around their IPO price. On Thursday night, Facebook (FB) set its final IPO price at $38.00 a share. When the stock began trading at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday, the first trade came in at $42.05 per share — a gain of nearly 11%.”

See: Money.CNN.com – Facebook IPO

For Facebook strategies please call the Tampa corporate office of Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.

 

 

About Cornerstone Consulting, Inc.

Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. is a top value added reseller (VAR) of business software and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems consultants. Cornerstone is a trusted partner providing SAP Business One ERP, Sage Pro ERP (formerly known as SBT/ACCPAC Accounting Software) and Comgine e-Commerce software to small and midsized businesses.  Cornerstone provides SAP Business One Support, Sage Pro ERP Support, eCommerce Development, Mobile Commerce (mCommerce), Website & Graphic Design, Website Hosting, Custom Programming & Web Application Development, EDI, Barcodes/Scanning, Cloud Computing and OnDemand services.  Our products and services support accounting, operations, customer relationship management, e-commerce, and the specific needs of the Wholesale Distribution, Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, Online Retail and Manufacturing Industries.  Founded in 1983, Cornerstone is a privately-owned company that provides a full suite of information technology for numerous small and midsize business clients in North America, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and Canada.  Headquartered in Tampa, FL at 5550 West Executive Drive, Suite 240.  For answers to questions about this newsletter, call 813-321-1300.